IMPROVEMENTS IN REGULATING CLOCKS BY ELECTRICITY
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Lewis Jones, of Chester, in the County of
Chester, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REGULATING CLOCKS BY
ELECTRICITY."
Sealed the 3rd September 1857, and dated the 11th March 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Lewis Jones at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 11th
March 1857.
I, ROBERT LEWIS JONES, of Chester, in the County of Chester, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REGULATING
CLOCKS BY ELECTRICITY," to be as follows:-
I regulate one or more clocks from one standard clock in the following
manner Each subsidiary clock is a complete clock, and capable of going
independently of the standard clock, and it is regulated in the usual manner
to a moderate degree of accuracy. The standard clock makes the connection
for an electric circuit at each beat of the pendulum or at other regular
intervals. The electric current acts upon the pendulum of each subsidiary
clock, so as to control its slight tendency to move faster or slower than the
pendulum of the standard clock. A very small electric power is thus sufficient
to keep all the pendulums of the subsidiary clocks in beat with the pendulum
of the standard clock, and if by any accident the electric current should be
arrested the subsidiary clock or clocks will still continue in action, although
[Price 8d.]

page_text: not with the same accuracy as when in connection with the standard clock.
The electric current may be made to act on the pendulum of the subsidiary
clock in various ways. Thus, the pendulum bob may consist of a coil of wire
which is traversed by the electric current, and which passes around or over a
magnet or magnets during its oscillations; or the coil or coils may be fixed
and the magnet or magnets attached to the pendulum. This mode of
regulating may also be applied to clocks or timekeepers with balances in lieu
of pendulums. The current of electricity may be derived from a galvanic
battery or induction apparatus, or other source of electricity.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Robert Lewis Jones in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 8th September 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
LEWIS JONES, of Chester, in the County of Chester, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Robert Lewis Jones, Her special licence that I, the said Robert Lewis
Jones, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Robert Lewis Jones, 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 Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
REGULATING CLOCKS BY ELECTRICITY," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Robert Lewis Jones, my executors or administrators.. by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
IN
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Lewis Jones, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-

page_text: I regulate one or more clocks from one standard clock in the following
manner: Each subsidiary clock is a complete clock, and capable of going
independently of the standard clock, and it is regulated in the usual manner
to a moderate degree of accuracy. The standard clock makes the connection
for an electric circuit at each beat of the pendulum or at other regular
intervals. The electric current acts upon the pendulum of each subsidiary
clock, so as to control its slight tendency to move faster or slower than the
pendulum of the standard clock. A very small electric power is thus sufficient
to keep all the pendulums of the subsidiary clocks in beat, with the pendulum
of the standard clock, and if by any accident the electric current should be
arrested the subsidiary clock or clocks will still continue in action, although
not with the same accuracy as when in connection with the standard clock.
The electric current may be made to act on the pendulum of the subsidiary
clock in various ways. Thus, the pendulum bob may consist of a coil of wire
which is traversed by the electric current, and which passes around or over a
magnet or magnets during its oscillations; or the coil or coils may be fixed
and the magnet or magnets attached to the pendulum. This mode of
regulating may also be applied to clocks or timekeepers with balances in lieu
of penduluins. The current of electricity may be derived from a galvanic
battery or induction apparatus, or other source of electricity.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing is a front view of the pendulums
of a standard clock and a subsidiary clock, regulated or controlled by the
standard clock; Figure 2 is a side view of the pendulum of the subsidiary
clock. The same letters refer to similar parts in each Figure.
A is the pendulum of the standard clock, which in this case is supposed to
beat seconds; it is driven by the clock in any of the ordinary manners. B is
the pendulum of the subsidiary clock, which is also driven in any ordinary
manner, and adjusted to beat seconds with a moderate degree of accuracy.
The pendulum A is suspended by a steel spring a from the support C. from
which a wire D is conducted to the pendulum of the subsidiary clock. which
may be at a distance of a mile, or several miles, or more or less, from the
standard clock, by which it is to be controlled. The pendulum A carries a
piece of metal b, which comes in contact alternately with two weak springs
E, F, at or near the extremity of its oscillations. These springs E. F. are
respectively attached to two blocks or supports G, H, which are connected by
wires I, J, to two voltaic batteries K, L, placed with their poles in opposite
directions; the other poles of the batteries are connected with the earth by a
wire M. The pendulum B carries a coil of insulated wire N. and the two
ends of this wire are connected to two springs c, d, by which the pendulum is

page_text: suspended from the supports O. P. which are insulated from each other. The
wire D is connected to the support O, while the support P is connected by a
wire Q to the earth, or to a return wire connected to the wire M. R. R', aré
two fixed magnets having their similar poles in proximity. The coil N swings
backwards and forwards over these magnets with the vibrations of the
pendulum B. The various wires and other parts which conduct the electricity
are of course insulated in any of the ordinary manners. The action of the
apparatus is as follows: At each second the pendulum A transmits a current
of electricity through the wire D. As the pendulum A vibrates towards the
left, the piece b comes in contact with the spring E, and a current of electricity
immediately passes from the battery K through the wire I. support G: spring
E, and piece b. to the metallic rod of the pendulum A, and thence through
the spring a, support. C. wire D. support O. and spring c. through the coil N.
and thence through the spring d, support P, and wire Q. into the earth.
which communicates with the battery K by the wire M. If the pendulum B
should be slightly behind the pendulum A. the passage of the current of
electricity through the coil N has a tendency to draw the coil further on to the
magnet, and thus to accelerate the motion of the pendulum. On the other
hand, if the pendulum B should be slightly in advance of the pendulum A.
the passage of the current has a tendency to retain it on the magnet, and
thus to retard the motion of the pendulum. When the pendulum A vibrates
towards the right. the piece b comes in contact with the spring F. and a
current of electricity then passes from the battery L through the wire J.
support H, spring F. piece b, pendulum A, spring a, support C, wire D. sup-
port O, spring c, coil N, spring d, support P, and wire Q. to the earth, which
communicates with the battery L by the wire M. This current being in the
opposite direction to that which is transmitted when the pendulum vibrates
towards the left, will produce a similar effect as the coil vibrates over the
magnet R. In this way the slight tendency of the pendulum B to lose or
gain on the pendulum A is corrected, and the iwo pendulums are caused to
beat together. At the same time a very slight amount of battery power is
required, as the pendulum is not driven by the electric current, which has
merely to correct the slight tendency to error due to the imperfection of the
subsidiary clock. Moreover, if by any means the action of the battery should
be arrested, the subsidiary clock will not stop, but will continue to go, although
with its own amount of error, being no longer controlled by the standard
clock. If the action of the battery should be suspended only for a short
time, and again reinstated before the subsidiary clock has lost or gained more
than a small fraction of a second, its pendulum will again be brought into

page_text: beat with that of the standard clock.
Only one subsidiary clock is indicated
or shewn in Figure 1, but two or more subsidiary clocks may be controlled by
one standard clock by carrying the wire Q from the first subsidiary clock to
the second, and so on, and connecting the wire from the last subsidiary clock
to the earth.
It is not necessary that the electric current should pass at every beat of ilie
pendulums, but it may be transmitted at longer intervals if preferred. depending
on the accuracy of the subsidiary clocks, and the amount of the error to be
corrected. Thus. in Figure 1, one of the batteries L, with the wire J, suppori
H. and spring F, may be omitted, and the pendulum B will then be controlled
at every alternate beat or vibration.
Figure 3 is a front view of the pendulums of a standard clock and two sub-
sidiary clocks. The pendulum A of the standard clock is supposed to beat
seconds, while the pendulumis B, B', of the subsidiary clocks beat half seconds.
One battery K has one of its poles connected with the earth by the wire M;
and the other pole is connected by the wires 1, J, with the supports G, H, of
the springs E, F. Thus, at each second, or at each oscillation of the pen-
dulum A, a current is transmitted as before through the wire D; but all these
currents are in the saine direction, instead of being alternately from opposite
poles of the battery, as in the arrangement shewn in Figure 1. As the pen-
dulums B, B', perform two oscillations while the pendulum A performs one.
the pendulums B. B', will always be in the same position when the current
passes through their coils, and they will thus be controlled or corrected at every
alternate vibration. The two magnets may be employed as before, or one
magnet may be used, as shewn at R. The two pendulums B. B', are
constructed in a similar manner to that shewn in Figures 1 and 2. The
wire Q from the pendulum B is connected to the support O' of the pendulum
B', and the other support P' of this pendulum is connected by the wire Q' io
the earth.
Figure 4 is a front view of the pendulum A of a standard clock, and the
pendulums B and B' of two subsidiary clocks. In this case the pendulums
A and B are supposed to beat seconds, while the pendulum B' beats two
seconds. This pendulum is represented as broken in the middle, in order to
bring the upper and lower ends into the Drawing. The pendulums B and B¹
are constructed as before, but the battery is connected in a somewhat different.
manner, so as to transmit a current at every alternate second to each sub-
sidiary clock. One pole of the battery K is connected to the earth by the
wire M, while the other pole is connected by the wire I to the support C of
the pendulum A, which is thus permanently connected to the battery.
The

page_text: wire D is connected to the support II of the spring F, and proceeds to the
support O of the pendulum B; the other support P of this pendulum is con-
nected to the earth by the wire Q. as before. The support G of the spring E
is connected by the wire D' to the support O¹ of the pendulum B' the other
support P of this pendulum is connected by the wire Q with the earth.
R2, R3. are two magnets having their opposite poles in proximity but not
touching each other. When the pendulum A vibrates to the left, the metallic
piece comes in contact with the spring E, and transmits a current of elec-
tricity through the coil N1 of the two seconds pendulum B¹. When the
pendulum A vibrates to the right it transmits a current through the spring F
and wire D to the coil N of the pendulum B. Thus, the pendulum B is con-
trolled and corrected at every alternate beat. while the pendulum B' is controlled
at every beat. The two magneis R2, R3. are to be placed so far apart, and the
coil N is to be made so short in the direction of its motion, and is to vibrate
through a sufficient arc, that when approaching the extremity of its course
over one magnet it may be but very slightly affected by the other magnet. By
these arrangements it will be seen that a standard pendulum is capable of
regulating or controlling clocks with pendulums of different lengths.
Figure 5 is a front view, and Figure 6 is a plan, shewing a mode of applying
the Invention to clocks or timekeepers with balances in lieu of pendulums.
B is the balance on its spindle
or verge e, and provided with two insulated
balance springs c, d, which are connected to the two ends of the wire of the
double coil N. N. mounted on the balance B. The support. O of the spring e
is connected to the wire D from the standard clock, while the support P of the
spring d is connected by the wire Q to the earth. R. R', are two magnets
curved to suit the course of the coils N. The standard clock may be made
with a balance instead of a pendulum, but I prefer the pendulum, as being more
accurate. In all cases the coils may be fixed, and the magnets placed on the
pendulums or balances if preferred. A timekeeper or chronometer with a
balance regulated in this manner may be moved about while connected with
the wires, or it may be temporarily disconnected and removed and again
connected before it has had time to lose or gain more than a fraction of a
vibration.
Each of the clocks is provided with its own train of wheels and weight or
other moving power, which are not shewn in the Drawings. being similar to
those of ordinary clocks. Each subsidiary clock is thus a complete clock, and
capable of going independently of the standard or regulating clock, being driven
by its own weight or motive power, and keeping time with a moderate degree
of accuracy. In the electric clocks heretofore made it has been usual either to

page_text: drive the clock entirely by electricity, or to cause the electric current to release
or work the escapement of a clock driven by a weight or other motive power.
In either case the cessation of the electric action stopped the clock. It has also
been proposed to apply an electric current from a standard or regulating clock
at each hour to set the hands of a subsidiary clock, which was in other respects
independent of the regulating clock. In this case the cessation of the electric
action would not stop the clock, but a considerable amount of electric power
would be required to set the hands, and this mode of regulating would be much
inferior in accuracy to that herein-before described, by which the pendulum of
the subsidiary clock may be made to beat simultaneously with that of the
standard or regulating clock.
The electricity may be obtained from a voltaic battery, or from induction
coils excited by voltaic batteries, or by magnets, or from other suitable source.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that what I claim is,
regulating clocks by electricity, by combining or connecting a standard or
regulating clock with one or more subsidiary clocks in such manner that a
Current of electricity is transmitted at regular intervals by the standard clock,
and made to retard or accelerate the motion of the pendulum or balance of the
subsidiary clock or clocks when necessary, so as to cause it or them to keep
time with the standard or regulating clock, such subsidiary clocks being com
plete clocks, and capable of going independently of the standard or regulating
clock, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Lewis Jones, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
Witness,
GEORGE F. WARD,
27, Crane St., Chester.
ROBERT LEWIS JONES. (L.S.)