Improvements in Time-pieces, Applicable for Indicating the Time Spent by each Player when Playing Games, and for other Purposes.
Year: 1884

page_text: Improvements in Time-pieces, Applicable for Indicating the
Time Spent by each Player when Playing Games, and for
other Purposes.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I AMANDUS SCHIERWATER, at the Office for Patents, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, in
the County of Lancaster, Watch and Clock Maker do hereby declare the nature of
my said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TIME-PIECES, APPLICABLE FOR INDICATING
THE TIME SPENT BY EACH PLAYER WHEN PLAYING GAMES, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES" to be as follows:-
This invention consists in improvements in time pieces, or additions or attach-
ments thereto, by means of which the time taken over a number or a series of
operations, with intervals between, may be noted in the aggregate, and the number
of such operations recorded.
It is designed chiefly for recording the movements of a game of chess, namely
the length of time each player takes in playing his part of the game and the
number of moves; though it could easily be adapted for use with other games, or
for other purposes where records of a similar nature are to be taken. The improve..
ments could also be adopted for other useful purposes, such as indicating on a
secondary dial a time in advance or behind that of the primary or main dial of the
clock, where such is required to be altered at intervals. In this way such would
be useful to travellers passing from place to place, the time of the particular place
could be noted on the secondary dial, without having to alter the position of the
time indicating apparatus on the primary dial.
I will describe my invention as I have prepared it for indicating the movements.
of a game of chess, and it will be readily understood that but slight modification
will be required to adapt it to other uses.
The form of timepiece I prefer to use is what is commonly known as a French
carriage clock, but other forins of. timepieces can be used. On the face is arranged
the time indicating dial as at present constructed, and in addition thereto I place
three small dials with hands or pointers. On two of these dials the bands
correspond with the minute hands of the primary dial, and on the third one are
two pointers. The hands.on the first two named of the smaller dials are geared.
to the works of the clock by trains of wheels and friction discs, so that they shall,

page_text: when their respective friction discs are in contact with their wheels, move synchro-
nously with the clock and at the same speed. The train of one small dial only is
in frictional gear with the clock at the same time, and both may be thrown out of
gear so that neither may be in motion.
The two pointers on the third dial are actuated by a rod or lever which also, at
the same operation, throws the train of gearing to the pointers of the other dials,
in and out of frictional gear. This may be placed in any convenient position, but
I prefer to place it vertically, and fix a small push knob on top. This rod on being
pushed down, abuts against one of the four pins of a pinwheel forcing it round to
the extent of one quarter turn. This pin wheel on the other side also has projecting
pins, two to strike the bell clapper lever, and one of these or a third at a longer
radius from the centre from, these working into a star wheel, which is on the same
shaft as a pinion which gears into a wheel on the slow pointer shaft of the middle
small dial, this causes the slow moving pointer to move one small division of the
dial for each revolution of the pin wheel, while a second pointer rigid with the pin
wheel goes round on the dial with the motion of the pin wheel.
On the face of the pin wheel is a cam, and on this work two levers on
opposite sides of the centre, each of which, by the action of the cam during one
quarter of the revolution of the pin wheel, is pressed back, and by this means
forces one of the friction discs and pinions into contact. Consequently while the
pin wheel is in that quarter of its revolution, one of the side dial pointers is
moving synchronously with the minute hand of the clock during the third quarter
of tho revolution, in a similar manner the hand on the other side dial is in gear
with the clock.
Tho gearing between the hands on the two outside smaller discs, and the main
gearing of the time piece, consists preferably of three spur wheels which are always
in gear, and the hands are connected thereto by means of the friction discs already
described. These and the wheels are pressed together by a spring which is thrown
into and out of gear by means of the levers actuated by the cam on the pin wheel.
The hands or pointers on each disc are independently turned by means of a knob
or button by which they can be returned to zero, and the friction discs allow this.
to be done without injury or inconvenience whether when in or out of gear.
One of the dials represents the time occupied by the player with the black men,
and the other the player with the white men. One pointer on the third dial shews
the number of moves of the players, and the other points to the dial that is in
gear, or to zero top or bottom if neither are in gear.
In beginning the game the hands of both dials are turned to the top (turning
the hands to the left or backwards), the fingers of the third dial are set to the top,
turning them to the right. The repeating knob at the top is pushed fully down
once or thrico till it indicates black or white, which ever is to move first; to alter
it to the turn of the next player, push repeater down twice till the bell rings. If
a pause in the game should be required, the knob is pressed once. The hand then
remains at the top or bottom, and both black or white dials aro disconnected with
the clock. The object as before stated is that at the end of the game, it will be
seen which player has taken most time over their moves-black or white-and the
centre hand will show how many moves have been made during the game. As
there is a rule frequently adopted in games that no player shall pause more than
for a certain length of time agreed upon (say between two and fifteen minutes at
each move), I sometimes mount on the clock a call bell and train, and connect them
with the push lever or the pin wheel of the clock, that every time the push lever
is pushed so as to put a dial into gear it shall set the call bell back at zero.
call bell is set to ring at the fixed interval of time, and by raising a time ball, or
indicating on a disc, or otherwise, makes electrical communication with an electric
bell, which continues to ring until thrown out of connection by the moving of the
indicator, shewing that the next player may then move. If then a player hears
the boll, he knows his time is up and ready. or not ready he proceeds to move.
The

page_text: This call bell in connected with a pinion on the spindle of the minute hand of the
clock which gears into a segmental wheel or quadrant, as the pinion moves it
carries round the segment, and when the end of the teeth is reached the hammer is
released. The pushing down of the repeater levers turn back the wheel and
segment to the starting point. To regulate the length of interval that shall elapse
before the bell hammer is released, the segmental wheel, which is connected by
frictional gearing, is turned either backwards or forwards, and the distance which
the segment travels after being started is equivalent to the time required.
Dated this 10th

page_text: •
Improvements in Time Pieces, Applicable for Indicating the
Time Spent by each Player when Playing Games, and for
DassABOR
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, AMANDUS SCHIERWATER, Office for Patents 6 Lord Street Liverpool, Lancashire,
Watch and Clock Maker do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TIME PIECES APPLICABLE FOR INDICATING THE TIME SPENT BY
and in what
EACH PLAYER WHEN PLAYING GAMES-AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
"
This invention consists in improvements in time pieces or additions or attach-
ments thereto by means of which the time taken over a number or a series of
operations with intervals between may be noted in the aggregate, and the number
of such operations recorded.
It is designed chiefly for recording the movements of a game of chess, namely
the length of time each player takes in playing his part of the game, and the
number of moves; though it could easily be adapted for use with other games or
for other purposes where records of a similar nature are to be taken. The
_improvements could also be adopted for other useful purposes, such as indicating
on a secondary dial a time in advance or behind that of the primary or main dial
of the clock, where such is required to be altered at intervals. In this way such
would be useful to travellers passing from place to place, the time of the particular
place could be noted on the secondary dial without having to alter the position of
the time indicating apparatus on the primary dial.
I will describe my invention as I have prepared it for indicating the movements
of a game of chess, and it will be readily understood that but slight modification
will be required to adapt it to other uses.
It is best understood by aid of the accompanying drawings in which :—
Figure 1 is a front elevation.
Figure 2 a back elevation.
Figure 3 an end elevation.
Figures 4 and 5 part sectional plans on lines x x and y y of my invention, all
with the outer casing and dials removed.
Figure an elevation showing position of dials.
For the sake of clearness in the drawings I have omitted all the ordinary parts
of the time indicating mechanism except the dial hands and minute wheel.
The form of time piece I prefer to use is what is commonly known as a French
carriage clock, but other forms of time-pieces can be used.
On the face is arranged the time indicating dial A as at present constructed; and
in addition therėto three small dials B, C, and D provided with hands or pointers.
The hands or pointers b and d on the smaller dials B and D correspond with the
minute hand of the primary dial A, and represent respectively the time occupied
by the players with the white and black pieces. On the third sinaller dial Care
two hands or pointers c c', one of which shows the number of moves of the
players, whilst the other points to the dial that is in gear, or to zero at top and

page_text: bottom, if neither is in gear, in which position I have represented the various
parts in the drawings.
The hands on the dials B and D are geared to the minute wheel E of the clock
preferably by a train of gearing consisting of three spur wheels F, F¹ and F' which
are always in gear and revolve freely on the spindles fl and f³. The hands b and d
are connected thereto by means of friction discs G and G which are carried on the
same spindles as the spur gearing.
The friction discs are respectively brought into contact with the spur wheels F¹ Fª
by means of two hinged levers HH' (placed on opposite sides of the centre of a
pin wheel I) which work against a cam on the face of the pin wheel, or the pin
wheel I may be provided with a hole or slot i in its face as shown in the drawings
(which answers the same purpose as a cam) into which the projections hh on the
levers H H pass as the pin wheel I is rotated. The levers HH' and their pro-
jections are kept to the face of the pin wheel I by means of the spiral springs ƒ³
and f mounted on the spindles f¹ and f. These springs also force each projection
into the hole or slot i as the hole is rotated opposite the projection On each
lever H and H' is fixed a forked projecting piece h and h³ the forked end of whichï
is made to pass between the flanges g and g' of the friction discs. Whenever the
projection h or h¹ passes into the slot i the friction disc is pressed against the spur
wheel F or F by the action of the spring f³ or f' on the lever H or H'.
Motion is thus conveyed to the hands or pointers bor d which are mounted on
the bosses of the friction discs Whilst the pin wheel I is in this the first quarter
of its revolution with the projection h' in the slot i the side dial pointers d are
moving synchronously with the minute hand of the clock, and during the third
quarter of the revolution, in a similar manner the hand 6 on the other side dial is
in gear with the clock. Knobs or buttons f" and ƒ are provided on the ends of
the spindles f and fs for bringing the hands back again to zero independently of
each other. The friction discs allow this to bo done without injury or incon-
venience whether in or out of gear.
The pin wheel I is actuated by means of a rod or repeater lever J preferably
placed vertically (though it may be placed in any convenient position) and a small
push knob j is tixed on the top of the clock case for depressing the lever. This
rod or lever J is retained in the required position by means of the pin j¹ working
against one side of the rod or lever J and also by the rod 73 (which carries the
spiral spring ) passing through the fixed lug and kept by the projecting.
frame in close contact with a second vertical fixed rod on which it slides.
The end of the lever J is provided with a spring end piece 73 which engages
with the pius 2 of the pin wheel 1, so arranged that each time the lever J is
depressed the pin wheel I is rotated one fourth of a revolution. In the pin wheel I
which I have illustrated in the drawings four pins are shown, two of which are
made to project on both sides of the plate forming the pin wheel for actuating the
bell clapper lever L, and one of these double projecting pins is placed at a greater
radius from the centre than the remaining three for working a star wheel M. This
star wheel is on the same shaft m as a pinion N which gears into a spur wheel N
on the slow pointer shaft n of the middle dial C. This causes the slow moving
pointer c to move one small division of the dial for each revolution of the pin
wheel I. The second pointer c¹ is rigid with the pin wheel and goes round on the
dial C with the motion of the pin wheel, pointing to the dial that is in gear, or to
zero top or bottom if neither is in gear.. A knob or button N' is provided on the
shaft m for setting or returning the pointer c to zero Flat springs O, P, and Q are
provided for retaining respectively the pin wheel 1, star wheel M, and bell clapper
lever in their respective positions, spiral spring j³ is employed for returning the rod
or lever J to its normal position.
In order to provide a complete chess clock that shall also give a signal when a
certain length of time previously agreed upon (say from one to fifteen minutes) has
passed for each player to make his move, I arrange on the back of the time piece
as shown at Figure 2 a toothed segment R containing fifteen teeth which`engage?

page_text: 量
with a spring lever provided with three or four teeth corresponding with those
on the segment R. The teeth in the segment represent the number of minutes
each player is allowed for his move, and if say eight minutes be the time agreed
apon, then the eighth tooth of the segment is placed opposite the arrow on the
spring lever as shown in the drawings. The segment is retained fixed in this
On the opposite end of the same
position by means of teeth on the spring lever r.
shaft or spindle r¹ that carries the toothed segment R is mounted a lever S (pro-
vided with a piu s fixed at right angles to the lever) and a spur segmental wheel T
carrying a fixed catch or tappet t. The spur segmental wheel is mounted on the
shaft so as to revolve freely and independently of the shaft and lever S. This
wheel T is made to gear into a wheel U revolving loosely on the minute wheel
shaft, but kept in contact with the minuto wheel E by means of a spring plate u
On the projecting framing ; is mounted so as to work with it a spring presser
piece V consisting of two vertical bars v and v³ passing through the framing and
connected together at one end by means of a plate v². Around the rod v is a spiral
spring of such a strength that it will overcome any resistance from the spur
As the lever J and framing 7 are depressed
wheels U and T during their rotation.
the plate comes in contact with tho tappet t and forces it round on to the pin &
The downward movement being continued the spring v³ is compressed until the
lever J has descended far enough to actuate the pin wheel.
"
By fixing the lever S on the same shaft or spindle any movement of the
toothed segment R alters the position of the pins with regard to the catch or
tappet t and as this pin a is raised or lowered so the time allowed for each move is
decreased or increased. On the segmental wheel T is also provided a pint for
raising a weighted catch lever W which engages with a lever won the same shaft w¹
and at the opposite end to a second bell clapper w³. The lever wis depressed by
means of a projection w³ on the frame jo until it has passed under tho "sncck ” w'
of the weighted catch lover W when the bell clapper w³ is raised and is retained
there until the segmental wheel T carrying the tappet t has been rotated the
required number of minutes to the end of the teeth simultaneously the pin t¹ bas
also travelled round, and raised the weighted end of the catch lever W and has
thus released the lever wand allowed the bell clapper w³ to fall and give the
required signal on the bell w² that the time allowed for the move has expired.
A spring wis employed for bringing the clapper w down after being raised.
A push knob or button w is sometimes provided to indicate the bell clapper w³ bas
fallen-when this knob or button w is pushed down to the outer casing then the
players know that the boll clapper w³ is raised, and as soon as the sneck w releases
its hold on the lever W, the knob w³ is raised. It will readily be seen that the
knob or button w, by being attached to the end w° of the lever W, may be made
to act as a weight for the same. When preferred the weighted end we may be
connected to an electric bell which will continue ringing until the end w³ of the
lever W is again depressed.
The pushing down of the repeater levers J turns back the wheel and segment to
the starting point. To regulate the length of interval that shall elapse before the
bell hammer is released the segmental wheel which is connected by frictional
gearing, is turned either backwards or forwards, and the distance which the
segment travels after being started is equivalent to the time required.
The whole of the above described mechanism is fixed to the framing of the time
piece, and is all contained within the case,
The two dials for indicating the moves of black and white with the centre
indicating dial C, as described, and the time call bell form one complete registering
chess time piece, but either portion of the invention may be attached to any time-
piece independent of each other thereby then forming a partial chess clock
sufficient for many purposes of the game and other requirements and purposes.
In beginning the game, the hands of both dials are turned to the top (turning
the hands to the left or backwards) the fingers of the third dial are set to the top
turning them to the right. The repeating knob at the top is pushed fully down

page_text: once or thrice till it indicates black or white which ever is to move first, to alter it
to the turn of the next player, push repeater down twice till the bell rings If
a pause in the game should be required, the knob is pressed once. The hand then
remains at the top or bottom and both black or white dials are disconnected with
the clock. The object as before stated is, that at the end of the game, it will be
Been which player has taken most time over their moves-black or white-and the
centre hand will show how many moves have been made during the game.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1st A time piece having in addition to the primary clock dial, smaller dials
provided with pointers or hands actuated by the minute wheel of the time piece
through a train or trains of wheels and friction discs whereby the time spent by
each player and the number of moves made are registered on the smaller dials
without interfering with or disturbing the action of the ordinary time indicating
mechanism substantially as described.
2nd In combination with ordinary clock mechanism a repeater lever J, a pin
wheel for throwing subsidiary dials in and out of gear, and means employed for
indicating the number of revolutions made by the pin wheel, substantially as and
for purposes herein set forth.
3rd In combination with ordinary time piece mechanism, the mechanism for
indicating when the time allowed for each player to move his pieces has clapsed
consisting of a spring lever engaging with a toothed segment mounted on a shaft
carrying a lever and segmental wheel and made to gear into a wheel on the minute
shaft, so that at a given time a bell clapper shall be released and a bell sounded,
substantially as herein set forth.
4th The combination with time pieces, of apparatus by which the separate time
taken over two or more intermittent series of operations alternating with each
other may be noted in the aggregate, and also if desirable the number of such
operations recorded substantially as described.
Da YON CARE March 100K
WP. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and
323, High Holborn, London,
Patent Agents for the Applicant.