IMPROVEMENTS IN REGULATOR CLOCKS, IN THE MECHANISM FOR TRANSMITTING TIME FROM THE SAME TO DISTANT INDICATING DIALS, AND IN THE RECEIVING MECHANISM IMPARTING MOTION TO THE HANDS OF SUCH DIALS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Morgan-Brown, of the Firm of Brandon and
Morgan-Brown, Engineers and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings,
London, and 1, Rue Laffitte, Paris, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
REGULATOR CLOCKS, IN THE MECHANISM FOR TRANSMITTING TIME FROM THE
SAME TO DISTANT INDICATING DIALS, AND IN THE RECEIVING MECHANISM
IMPARTING MOTION TO THE HANDS OF SUCH DIALS." A communication from
abroad by Edward James Muybridge, of San Francisco, United States of
America
Sealed the 28th February 1878, and dated the 5th January 1878.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Morgan-Brown at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th January 1878.
WILLIAM MORGAN-BROWN, of the Firm of Brandon and Morgan-Brown, Engineers
and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings, London, and 1, Rue Laffitte,
Paris. "IMPROVEMENTS IN REGULATOR CLOCKS, IN THE MECHANISM FOR TRANS-
MITTING TIME FROM THE SAME TO DISTANT INDICATING DIALS, AND IN
RECEIVING MECHANISM IMPARTING MOTION TO THE HANDS OF SUCH DIALS."
communication from abroad by Edward James Muybridge, of San Francisco,
United States of America.
THE
A
This Invention consists in a central or motive power clock, driven by a weight,
a spring, or other appropriate motive power, and which in its turn drives one or
several cylinders or bells, which are successively lowered in and raised above the
surface of a liquid contained in a vase, their depression having for effect to drive the
air contained therein, and by contact with the liquid through a pipe, which directs
it under similar but smaller cylinders, immersed in a liquid of the same nature; and
the regular and alternate rise and fall of such cylinders thus obtained imparts
motion to the minute gearing of as many ordinary dials placed at varying distances
from the driving or regulator clock.
In order that the air thus employed to transmit motion should not undergo
variation from thermometric or barometric changes, the cylinders driven by the

page_text: '
main clock are raised above the level of the liquid each time that they rise
and fall.
In order to compensate the irregularity of the resistance, and thus diminish the
amount of motive power necessary for working the mechanism to be overcome by
the driving clock, when imparting motion to a beam working with a cylinder sus-
pended at at each of its extremities, I make use of a compensating tumbler
composed of two arms pivoted on a common centre, and driven by the same oscil-
lating agent which imparts the to-and-fro motion to the beam.
In order that the Invention may be clearly understood and be easily put into
operation, I will describe it in detail conjointly with the five Figures of the accom-
panying Drawing, of which,-
Figure 1 is a plan, and Figure 2 a front elevation of the regulator or main clock.
Figure 3, a front elevation of a dial, with its minute gearing driven by the said
clock.
Figure 4, a similar elevation, with the dial removed, and a part of the mechanism
in section; and Figure 5, a lateral elevation common to these last two Figures.
In these Figures a is the regulator shaft driven in any appropriate manner, such as
by a weight b, a barrel c, gears d, d, d¹¹, and d¹¹¹, and by a pendulum di. On
this shaft is fixed a gear e, which drives by means of the rollers f, f, f, the oscillating
frame g suspended at g¹, to which is attached the double beam h, to the extremities
of which are suspended the cylinders i, ¹, by means of wires attached to the articu-
lations, these cylinders are hermetically closed above, and open below, they are
suspended in the vases k, k³, containing an appropriate quantity of liquid l, such as
mercury, glycerine, water, or a mixture of these two latter preferably in the pro-
portion of 2 parts of the former to 1 of the latter; in the centre of these vases k, k¹,
are situated upright pipes m, m', which rise above the surface of the liquid l, and
which communicate freely with the interior of the cylinders i, i¹.
;
By the oscillation of the beam h, the cylinders i, ¹, are gradually and alternately
raised above the surface of the liquid in the vases k, k¹, and re-immersed in this liquid,
and by this motion part of the air which they contain is alternately driven from
the said cylinders into the tubes m, m¹, from whence it is directed by other tubes
n, n¹, either to the mechanism above described, which indicates the hours and the
minutes on an ordinary dial, or to any other mechanism which may serve a useful
purpose.
The cylinders i, i, are at each ascentional motion raised above the surface of the
liquid, so that the density of the air within the tubes will correspond always with
that of the external air, and no difficulty can arise from inequality of pressure, which
might be the case were the air confined therein.
As the cylinders i, i, are alternately immersed in the liquid, the resistance
becomes greater, both in consequence of the immersion of the cylinders and the slight
compression of the air, and at the same time the other cylinder is being lifted and
the air drawn into the same, hence there is a force at each end acting against the
clockwork; in order to neutralise as much as possible the irregularity of these
resistances there is adapted to the oscillating frame g a compensator or equaliser
consisting in a sectant o, provided with teeth, having its fulcrum at o', and gearing
into a series of teeth struck from the centre g¹ of the oscillating frame 9 and there
is adapted on this sectant o at an angle of above 90 degrees, with respect one to
the other, two arms p, p', provided with weights q, q', whilst the clock raises one of
the cylinders and depresses the other; the action of the air, which has been slightly
compressed assists the raising of the weighted arm p, and the passage of the arm pl,
from the vertical to the horizontal position, assists the descent of the cylinder i,
which drives the air to the mechanism of the distant dial; and by adjusting the
position of the weights q, q', on the rods p, p', the working of the oscillating frame
can be nearly balanced, and consequently the power required to be emitted from the
driving clock nearly regularised.
The mechanism for imparting motion to the minute gearing of the distant dials
consists for each in a cylinder », immersed in a vases, containing a mixture of

page_text: glycerine and water in the proportions above stated, Figures 4 and 5, similar to the
previous ones alluded to, but of smaller dimensions, whilst it is further to be
remarked that in this case the cylinder r is never raised entirely out of the liquid;
it is constantly in connection with that, i, by means of the pipes m and n, and by
its upper part it is united to a beamt by means of a rod t*; this beam t is jointed
at t, and carries in this place a lever y, which on the rising of the cylinder imparts
a fraction of a revolution to the ratchet wheel u, by means of the ratchet v, the pin
w serving to fix and stop this motion; on the other hand this lever y carries an arm
2, jointed at its extremity to the end of a similar arm x, which is solidly fixed with
a second lever y¹, which latter, by means of the parts and w, impart and limit a
similar movement to the same ratchet wheel u, when the cylinder descends, and it
is this ratchet wheel u which drives directly the minute hand, and indirectly that
of the hours, by means of a well-known arrangement of teeth wheels.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, as well as the best means
that I am acquainted with for carrying the same into practical effect, I claim as
new,
Firstly. The mechanism above described for imparting a to-and-fro vertical motion
to one or more cylinders, either by means of a weight and other accessory parts, as
above described, or by means of any other appropriate motor.
Secondly. The use and arrangement of the compensator or equaliser above
described for the more regular working of the main clockwork.
Thirdly. The use of cylinders lowered alternately in a liquid, and raised above
the surface of the said liquid for the transmission of air serving to drive the hands
of distant dials.
Fourthly. The use of smaller cylinders for each dial, which are never raised
entirely out of the liquid, and which receive a vertical to-and-fro motion from the
air driven out of the main cylinders, which motion is applied to driving the minute
gearing of distant dials.
Fifthly. The parts above described serving to impart a vertical to-and-fro
motion to secondary cylinders, and to convert the said motion into a rotary motion
applied to the hands of distant dials indicating the minutes and the hours."
In witness whereof, I, the said William Morgan-Brown, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
WILLIAM MORGAN-BROWN. (L.S.)