Improvements in and relating to the Mariners' Compass.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Dec., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 30th Sept., 1896-Accepted, 31st Oct., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the Mariners' Compass.
I, WILLIAM DAVID WHYTE, of 144 Broomiclaw, Glasgow, Nautical
Instrument Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in connection with the mariners'
compass.
In carrying out my invention I make the interior of the bottom of the compass
bowl with ribs, corrugations, or equivalent for the purpose of retarding the surging
motion of the oil or other liquid therein, when the ship rolls, and thereby steady
the compass.
If desired the bowl may be made with inwardly projecting flanges
or shelves instead of or in conjunction with the corrugations.
The bowl is, under this invention, suspended in a novel manner. The wire
rope elastic ring usually employed is preferably made in two parts joined by
bridges or is at two places bent up or shaped so as to form bridges or supports.
The bridges may be made of any suitable shape. Attached to the bridges or
bridge parts aforesail are spiral suspension springs which at their lower ends are
connected either to the compass bowl direct or to the gimbal ring. These springs
are connected preferably by links or rings at each end so as to permit of free
action.
A plain inelastic ring may be used instead of the usual elastic ring.
Instead of having only two bridges or bridge parts and two spiral springs, four
or other number may be used.
1 use or may use spring supports of the same nature as those described and
shown in the Specification of Whyte & Thomson's Patent No. 17,699 of 1891. In
this invention, however, each spring is enclosed in a casing having an orifice at its
lower end through which the supporting rod passes. At the upper end of the rod
is a guide piece which works in the casing and keeps the rol in position. Fitted
removably, or not, in a slot or hole in the top of the rod, or of a bracket on the
rod, is a short bracket or bar to which a chain or a spiral suspension spring is
attached for supporting the compass, bowl. There are preferably two rods and two
supporting springs.
The compass card has or may have a thread or wire passed round, at its under
side, for the purpose of keeping the paper in shape. This wire or thread ring is
secured to each piece of paper by gum or other adhesive.
In my invention the azimuth mirror instead of being made of a plain reflecting
prism, as usual, is made of two prismatic pieces secured or held together. Each
piece has a silvered back and when both pieces are placed together with their
silvered 'backs in contact a double reflection from either side is given. The
.compound prism is held and supported in the usual manner.
Instead of using prismatic pieces two pieces of flat glass properly silvered can
be used.
The joint between the pieces is carefully sealed up to prevent the entrance of
damp or air.
D
.
2008

page_text: www
1, WILLIAM DAVID WHYTE of 144 Broomielaw, Glasgow, Nautical Instrument
Maker, 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 :-
This invention relates to 'improvements in connection with the mariners'
compass.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood I have here-
unto appended an explanatory sheet of drawings, whereon,
Fig. 1 is a plan view of the binnacle with its cover removed.
Fig. 2 is a side view of the same.
Figs. 3 and
are enlarged detail views.
Fig. 5 is a section of the compass bowl.
Fig. 6 shows a modification.
Fig. 7 is a view of the azimuth mirror.
Fig. 8 shows in section a modification of the bowl.
Referring to the drawings whereon the same reference letters wherever repeated
indicate the same parts.
In carrying out my invention I make the interior of the bottom of the compass
bowl a with ribs, corrugations, or equivalent, 6 (Fig. 5) for the purpose of
retarding the surging motion of the oil or other liquid therein, when the ship
rolls, and thereby steady the compass. If desired the bowl a may be made with
inwardly projecting ledges or shelves 61 (Fig. 8) instead of or in conjunction with
the corrugations.
The wire rope
e
The bowl is, under this invention, suspended in a novel manner.
elastic ring c usually employed is, preferably, made in two parts joined by
bridges d, or is, at two diametrically opposite places, bent up or shaped so as to
form bridges or supports. The bridges may be made of any suitable shape.
Attached to the bridges or bridge parts aforesaid are spiral suspension springs
which, at their lower ends, are connected either to the compass bowl direct or to
the gimbal ring f. The springs e are, as shown, preferably connected by links or
rings to a sector which catches on the knife edge i secured to the gimbal
ring so as to permit of free action. The ring c is supported on ball and socket
bearings as usual.
Instead of having only two bridges or bridge parts and two spiral spring
suspensions, four or other number may be used.
use or may use spring supports for the suspension ring of the same nature as
those described and shown in the Specification of Whyte & Thomson's Patent
No. 17,699 of 1891. In this invention, however, each spring k, as shown at
Fig. 6, is enclosed in a casing / having an orifice at its lower end through which
the supporting rod m passes. At the upper end of the rod is a guide piece or
piston n which works in the casing and keeps the rod in position. The spring k
bears at one end against the bottom of the piston n and at the other against
the plug t of the casing. The rod m is provided with a ball head o upon which
fits and works the socket of the elastic ring c. These spring supports take the
place of the usual rigid ball and socket supports ; as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.
There are preferably two rods m and two supporting springs k arranged
diametrically opposite each other. The casing of each spring is secured by
brackets or arms to the binnacle.
In my invention the azimuth mirror instead of being made of a plain reflecting
prism or a single flat mirror as usual is made of two flat pieces of glass 8, 81
(Fig. 7) secured or held together in any suitable manner preferably by means of

page_text: cap pieces at each end as shown at Fig. 7 where only one of the caps q is shown
the other being removed to show the ends of the pieces s, s'. Each piece has a
silvered back and when both pieces are placed together with their silvered backs
in contact a reflection from either side can be obtained. The compound mirror
is held and supported in the usual manner. It is found to be an advantage to
only partly silver the glass pieces in order to get, in certain circumstances, a faint
reflection of an object on the clear glass and then take the compass_readings
through the object. The line of vision is also reduced to a minimum. In Fig. 7
the line represents the dividing line between the silvered and non-silvered portions
of the glass.
The joint between the pieces is carefully sealed up to prevent the entrance
of damp or air.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
consider novel and desire to claim is :-
1. Making the compass bowl with corrugations, ribs, shelves or equivalent for
the purpose of retarding the surging of the liquid therein, substantially as
set forth.
2. Making the wire rope elastic suspension ring with bridges or their equivalent
to which spiral suspension springs for supporting the compass bowl are secured,
substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
3. The spring support for the suspension ring c consisting of a casing secured to
the binnacle in which is fitted a supporting rod provided with a guide piece or
piston which is cushioned by a spiral spring, substantially as hereinbefore described
with reference to Fig. 6 of the drawings annexed.
4. The compound azimuth mirror substantially as hereinbefore described with
reference to Fig. 7 of the drawings annexed.
Dated this 29th day of September 1896.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70 Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.