Improvements in Dials for Time-pieces.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date ct Application, 27th May, 1890-Accepted, 5th July, 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by WALTER W. BARRETT, of the City of Portland,
County of Cumberland, State of Main, United States of America, Navigator.]
Improvements in Dials for Time-pieces.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co. Patent Agents,
45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to dials for time pieces and consists of a fixed plate having an
outer circle divided into degrees of longitude an an inner circle divided into minutes
of longitude, movable concentric dials graduated into divisions of time, an hour hand
for indicating the hours of the day and degrees of longitude and a minute hand for
indicating the minutes of time and the minutes of longitude, whereby at any indicated
meridian of longitude the time may be readily ascertained by the simple movement of
the dials.
Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanation of my
invention
Figure 1 is a view of my dial.
Fig. 2 is an enlarged view showing a gearing by which two dials may be turned at
different rates.
A is a circular dise made of any suitable material and of a size corresponding with
the time piece, which may be an ordinary watch, chronometer, or clock. This disc is
divided into an inner circle a and an outer circle b. The inner circle being graduated
with the number of degrees corresponding with the number of hours which are to be
indicated upon the dial of the time piece. If twenty four hours are indicated upon
this dial, the disc may be graduated to 360 degrees; if but twelve hours are indicated
upon the dial, the disc will be graduated to 180 degrees. The outer circle is divided
into divisions of longitude corresponding to the number of minutes of time whereby
each indicated minute on the dial indicates fifteen miles of longitude.
B is the time dial which may consist of a ring of sufficient width, and it may either
be let into an annular groove in the disc so that its face lies flush with the disc, or it
may lie above it, inside, or outside, as may be found most convenient. This dial is
adapted to be turned in any convenient manner about the common centre of itself and
the disc, and also about post by which the hands of the time piece are moved. In
addition to the hour dial a minute dial B₁ is also used, it will be concentric with the
hour dial and will be turned twelve times as fast. The arrangements of the parts
described is such that the hour hand of the time piece will not only indicate the hours
of the day but also indicates the degrees of longitude, while the minute hand in
addition to its disclosing the minutes of time will also indicate the minutes of
longitude.
The dials may be moved in any suitable manner. I have here shown them as
having teeth upon the rear or lower face, and a short shaft or stem C passing into the
stem post of the watch or into the side of the time piece, if desired, is provided with a
pinion D the teeth of which correspond with the teeth upon the minute dial so that by
turning this shaft and pinion, the dial may be advanced one way or the other with
relation to the graduated disc. The hour dial is advanced by a mutilated gear having
a single tooth E which engages with the teeth of its dial once at each revolution and
thus advances it one tooth or point when the minute hand has advanced a complete
revolution.
For nautical purposes the time piece will be set to Greenwich or standard time, and
it will be manifest that it will run, if properly adjusted, and keep this time. If it is
desired to know the actual time in any given longitude, it is only necessary to know.

page_text: the longitude of the place where the time is desired, and then by turning the dial
plates B and B (which move independently of the meridian disc and hands) until
the zero, which upon the dial is the 12 o'clock mark, is brought opposite the longitude
of the place designated the hands of the time piece will immediately show upon the
dials in its new position the actual time of the place.
In travelling across a country, which like the United States is divided into time
divisions, it will not be necessary to change the hands of the watch in any way, but
the dials may be turned upon entering either of the divisions so that the time will be
exactly indicated upon it without any further alterations.
In going to the west from any given point, the dials will be turned to the right with
reference to the meridian circle, and in going to the eastward the dial will be corre-
spondingly turned to the left.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a time piece, a fixed disc having an inner and outer circle, the inner circle
being divided into degrees of longitude, and the outer circle being divided into
minutes of longitude, concentric dials, one of which is graduated into hours of time
and the other into minutes of time, an hour hand for indicating the hours of the day
and degrees of longitude and a minute hand indicating the minutes of time and the
minutes of longitude, substantially as described.
2. In a time piece, a fixed disc having an inner circle, graduated into degrees of
longitude, and an outer circle graduated into minutes of longitude, inovable dial
divided into hours of time and a second moving dial concentric with the hour dial
and divided into minutes of time and adapted to be moved twelve times as fast as
the hour dial, an hour hand for indicating the hours of the day and the degrees of
longitude and a minute hand for indicating the minutes of time and the minutes of
longitude, substantially as herein described."
Dated this 8th day of May 1890.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.