IMPROVEMENTS IN ESCAPEMENTS FOR WATCHES AND OTHER TIMEKEEPERS.”
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Friederich Theodore Krauth, of Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick, Watch Maker, for the Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ESCAPEMENTS FOR WATCHES AND OTHER TIMEKEEPERS.”
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ESCAPEMENTS FOR WATCHES AND OTHER TIMEKEEPERS.'

page_text: of its vibratory motion, and the free swinging and consequently accurate
working of the balance wheel proportionately promoted.
"The parts of the escapement are constructed and arranged as follows:-
Near the periphery of the escapement wheel, and lying in a plane
parallel thereto, is a lever, the position of the said lever being that of a
tangent to the said wheel. On each side of the fulcrum on which this
lever works is a pin, the two pins being situate at a distance from one
another somewhat less than that between two adjacent teeth of the
escapement wheel. The axis of the balance wheel carries a roller some-
what similar to the roller of the chronometer escapement, the said roller
having in it a recess or depression in which the teeth of the escapement
wheel enter, and by striking against one edge of the said depression the
said teeth give the required impulse to the balance wheel. The end of
the lever described projects over the roller, and a pin on the said roller
takes into a fork made on the end of the said lever.
The action of the parts is as follows:-By the striking of a tooth of
the escapement wheel upon the edge of the recess or depression in the
roller of the balance wheel the said balance wheel is urged forward in its
advancing motion, the tooth immediately escaping from the said edge.
By the motion of the balance wheel the pin on the roller engaging in
the fork at the end of the lever lifts the forked end of the lever and
permits a tooth of the escapement wheel which was bearing against the
nearest pin on the lever to escape, the said tooth however being arrested
by the other pin on the lever, which by the motion of the lever has been
brought within the range of the teeth of the escapement wheel. It is
by the lifting of the lever and the permitting of the escapement of the
tooth from the first pin on the lever that motion of the escapement
wheel is permitted through the required angle to cause the striking of a
tooth of the escapement wheel against the edge of the recess in the
roller. On the return motion of the balance wheel the pin on the roller
communicates a contrary motion to the lever, allowing the tooth which
was engaged with the distant pin on the lever to escape from the said
pin, and the next tooth before it to bear against the nearest pin on the
lever, the motion of the escapement wheel in this case being very
slight.
.

page_text: under the said pin, when the roller receives a second impulse from
another tooth of the escapement wheel, and so on, as already described.
The shape of the surfaces of the pins on the lever against which the
ends of the escapement teeth act is such that the said teeth in escaping
under the said pins give the impulse to the said lever in the required
direction, so that although the motion of the lever is started by the
roller of the balance wheel, yet such motion is mainly effected by the
action of the escapement wheel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Friederich Theodore Krauth in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 17th September 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRIEDERICH
THEODORE KRAUTH, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Watch
Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Friederich Theodore Krauth, Her
special license that I, the said Friederich Theodore Krauth, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Friederich Theodore Krauth, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ESCAPEMENTS FOR WATCHES AND
OTHER TIMEKEEPERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Friederich Theodore Krauth, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Friederich Theodore Krauth, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :—
My Invention consists of the construction and arrangement or com- ||
bination of parts herein-after described constituting an escapement for
watches and other timekeepers.
By the use of escapements constructed according to my Invention the
balance wheel is detached from the motive power during the greater
part of its vibratory motion and the free swinging and consequently
working of the balance wheel proportionately promoted.
The parts of the escapement are constructed and arranged as follows:-
Near the periphery of the escapement wheel, and lying in a plane
parallel thereto, is a lever, the position of the said lever being that of a
tangent to the said wheel. On each side of the fulcrum on which this
lever works is a pin, the two pins being situated at a distance from one
another somewhat less than that between two adjacent teeth of the
escapement wheel. The axis of the balance wheel carries a roller
somewhat similar to the roller of the chronometer escapement, the said
roller having in it a recess or depression in which the teeth of the
escapement wheel enter, and by striking against one edge of the said
depression the said teeth give the required impulse to the balance wheel.
The end of the lever described projects over the roller, and a pin on the
said roller or on a disc on the same axis as the roller takes into a fork
made on the end of the said lever.
The action of the parts is as follows:-By the striking of a tooth of
the escapement wheel upon the edge of the recess or depression in the
roller of the balance wheel, the said balance wheel is urged forward in
its advancing motion, the tooth immediately escaping from the said edge.
By the motion of the balance wheel the pin on the roller engaging in
the fork at the end of the lever lifts the forked end of the lever and
permits a tooth of the escapement wheel which was bearing against the
nearest pin on the lever to escape, the said tooth, however, being
arrested by the other pin on the lever, which by the motion of the lever
has been brought within the range of the teeth of the escapement
wheel. It is by the lifting of the lever and the permitting of the
escapement of the tooth from the first pin on the lever that motion of

page_text: the escapement wheel is permitted through the required angle to cause
the striking of a tooth of the escapement wheel against the edge of the
roller. On the return motion of the balance wheel the pin on the
roller communicates a contrary motion to the lever, allowing the tooth
which was engaged with the distant pin on the lever to escape from the
said pin, and the next tooth before it to bear against the nearest pin on
the lever, the motion of the escapement wheel in this case being very
slight.
The balance wheel starting on its second advance motion acting on
the lever causes the tooth bearing against the first pin to escape from
under the said pin when the roller receives a second impulse from another
tooth of the escapement wheel, and so on, as already described.
The shape of the surfaces of the pins on the lever against which the
ends of the escapement teeth act is such that the said teeth, in escaping
under the said pins, give the impulse to the said lever in the required
direction, so that although the motion of the lover is started by the roller
of the balance wheel, yet such motion is mainly effected by the action
of the escapement wheel.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying
Drawing an escapement constructed according to my Invention.
Figures 1 and 3 represent front elevations, and Figure 2 a side
elevation of an escapement drawn to a large scale, the parts of which
are constructed and arranged according to my Invention.
In Figures 1 and 2 the parts are represented in the respective positions
which they occupy when the balance wheel is about to make its advance
motion, and in Figure 3 the parts are represented in the respective
positions which they occupy when the balance wheel is about to make
its return motion. The same letters indicate the same parts in each
Figure of the Drawing.
a is the balance wheel, b is the escapement wheel worked in the
ordinary way, and c is the lever turning on the fulcrum or centre c³, the
said lever having the tangential position with respect to the escapement
wheel 6 represented in the Drawing. The end c³ of the lever c is
forked; d, e, are the pins on the lever c situated respectively on either
side of the fulcrum c2 of the said lever c. It will be seen by an
examination of the Drawing that the distance between the pins d, e,
is somewhat less than the distance between two adjacent teeth of the

page_text: escapement wheel b. On the axis or arbor a' of the balance wheel a is
a roller f, having in its periphery a recess f³, against the straight edge
of which the teeth of the escapement wheel bear for giving the required
impulse to the said balance wheel as herein-after described. On the face
of the disc fs on the axis a² of the balance wheel is a pin g which
engages with the fork c³ of the lever c. When the parts of the
escapement are in the respective positions represented in Figure 1, the
balance wheel a is about to make its advance motion in the direction of
the arrow marked h, the escapement wheel 6 moving in the direction
indicated by the arrow near the said escapement wheel. When the
parts are in this position the tooth marked i of the escapement wheel b
is about entering the recess f³, in the roller f, on the balance wheel, and
the said tooth by bearing against the flat edge of the said recess urges
the said roller and the balance wheel forward in the direction of the
arrow h, the said tooth immediately escaping from the edge of the said
roller f. By the motion thus given to the roller fit is made to take the
position represented in Figure 3. In taking this position the pin g on
the disc f³, which was engaged with the fork c³ of the lever c, lifts the
forked end of the said lever to the position represented in Figure 3, and
then escapes from the said fork. By this movement of the lever c the
tooth of the escapement wheel b, which was bearing on the pin d of
the lever c is permitted to escape from the said pin, the said tooth
being however arrested by the other pin e, as illustrated in Figure 3.
The balance wheel a in making its advance motion, or moving from the
position represented in Figure 1 to that represented in Figure 3, thus
effects the lifting of the lever c, and thereby permits of the escapement
of the tooth % of the escapement wheel which rested against the pin d,
the said tooth being arrested by the other tooth e.
The escapement wheel 6 having moved through the required angle
and being brought to rest, as described and represented, the balance
wheel a commences its return motion. In making the said return
motion the pin g on the disc f³ re-enters the fork of the lever c and
brings it again to the position represented in Figure 1. In taking this
position the tooth k, Figure 3, escapes from the pin e on the lever and
the other pin d is brought under the tooth next above it, the escape- a
ment wheel 6 moving to a distance equal only to the thickness of the
pin d or e. By this retiring motion of the balance wheel a the recess f
in the roller has been brought in front of another tooth of the escape-
ment wheel, and on the balance wheel starting on its second advance

page_text: motion the pin g again moves the forked end c³ of the lever c to the
right, causing the tooth bearing against the pin d to escape from under
it when the roller f receives a second impulse from another tooth of the
escapement wheel, and the action already described is repeated.
By an examination of Figures 1 and 3 it will be seen that the pins d,
e, on the lever c which permit and arrest the motion of the escapement
wheel 6 have a triangular figure. By this figure of the said pins the
lever c is moved in the required direction, mainly by the pressure of the
escapement wheel, that is to say, when a tooth of the escapement wheel
b escapes from the pin d the pressure of the escaping tooth on that
surface of the pin against which it bears causes the forked end of the
lever to be pressed to the right, and similarly on a tooth of the escape-
ment wheel escaping from the pin e the forked end of the lever is
pressed to the left.
It will be understood from the foregoing description that the escape-
ment wheel is at rest and detached from the balance wheel a during
the greater part of the motion of the said balance wheel.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood
that I do not limit myself to the precise details herein-before described
and illustrated as the same may be varied without departing from the
nature of my Invention; But I claim as my Invention of improve-
ments in escapements for watches and other timekeepers the con-
struction and combination or arrangement of parts constituting an
escapement for watches and other timekeepers, substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Friederich Theodore Krauth, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of September,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-three.
FRIEDERICH THEODORE KRAUTH. (L.S.)
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW.