A New or Improved Electric Alarm Apparatus for Clocks.
Year: 1897

page_text: A New or Improved Electric Alarm Apparatus for Clocks.
GEORGE HOULSBY SKEE, Watchmaker, Electrician, &c., Coundon, Vi Bishop
Auckland, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object a seven days and above electric alarm apparatus
to be fitted to any ordinary eight day and above clock or timepiece. This alarm
has not to be wound up or switched on every night like ordinary alarms. It will
ring any number of times in the same day without any alteration. It can be set so
that it will ring at a certain time or times, for say, six days, and without any
change being made will ring at a totally different time or times on the seventh day.
This change can be made for one or any number of days as required. One clock or
timepiece can work any number of bells fixed in different places.
The alarm will ring for about half an hour unless it is switched off, and by
switching off, the alarm is set for the next time to go off.
In order that my invention may be more clearly understood reference is made to
the annexed drawing in which
Fig. 1 is a front view of my apparatus &
Fig. 2 the plan of Fig. 1.
In all these figures the same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. To
the hour wheel of the clock or timepiece is fixed a tube a (Fig. 1 & 2) to fit tightly
by any method, and to which are fixed the disc or discs c with one or more notches
for the jointed falling pieces to fall in as the disc or discs revolve with the hour
wheel.
The wheel d is made with 14 or more pins (Fig. 1 & 2¹) at the back, and 7 or
more pins or cranks f g & h on the front, the wheel being fixed to clock case by
a plate e. The pin or rod b which is fixed under the disc or discs catches one of
the pins at the back of the wheel d every 12 hours, thus moving, the second time,
on one of the pins or cranks at the front of the wheel d every 24 hours, each
pin or crank thus representing a certain day of the week. These pins or cranks
can be made different sizes so that each may lift its own particular wire k lor m
as the case may be; two of the wires may be used for 3 days each in the case
where the times are the same for six days; k for Monday Wednesday & Friday
for Tuesday Thursday & Saturday, m the third wire being used for Sunday
the seventh day.
The spring is used to prevent the wheel d from turning round more than
one pin at a time when turned by pin or rod b.
As the falling piece drops into the notch in any of the discs, it allows the
wire 8 which is suspended from it by silk, catgut or any non-conducting material, to
fall, one of the pins or cranks f g or h having raised the wires kl or m also raise the
wires poor n which are also suspended from them by silk, catgut or any other non-
conducting material thus making a connection between po or n wires and 8 wires,

page_text: completing the electric circuit and causing alarm to ring the wires s and wires po or n
being brought back to position by spring or weight, circuit connections may be with
or without platinum. The ends of wire r can be cut and bent so that they cannot
fall off the disc.
The n o p wires go to the switch or switches and 8 wires go to the battery when
there is one call per day so that the current will switch from f to g and so on.
The s wires go to the switch or switches, and n o p wires to battery, when there are
more than one call per day so that the current will switch to the next time when
other fall into notch and so on. The disc may be numbered hours and minutes
one notch to be at 12 and other notches at whatever times after the alarm is
to ring.
.
The first time that the alarm is wanted for, is to be placed under the hour hand.
It can be made with one or two hooks k l or m and one disc with many notches
also one or more r and s wires as required. The r and k l m wires are jointed at
ends to the case so as to lift up and down freely.
The apparatus can be made of brass, iron, or other material and must conform to
the timepiece and clock movements, cases &c.
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
In a clock or ordinary timepiece, the combination of one or several slotted discs,
with the hour wheel and moving by a pin or rod a wheel having 14 or more pins on
one face and 7 or more pins or cranks on the other so as to move the wires at fixed
intervals thus closing or cutting the electric circuit and consequently ringing or
stopping one or several alarms situated at any convenient place or places substantially
as above described and illustrated in the annexed drawing.
I, GEORGE HOULSBY SKEE, Watchmaker, &c., Coundon, Vi Bishop Auckland, 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 has for its object a seven days and above electric alarm apparatus
to be fitted to any ordinary eight day and above clock or timepiece. This alarm has
not to be wound up or switched on every night like ordinary alarms.
It will ring
any number of times in the same day without any alteration.
It can be so set that it will ring at a certain time or times, for say, six days, and
without any change being made will ring at a totally different time or times on the
seventh day.
This change can be made for one or any number of days as required. One clock
or timepiece can work any number of bells fixed in different places. The alarm will
ring for about half an hour unless it is switched off, and by switching off, the alarm
is set for the next time to go off.
In order that my invention may be more clearly understood reference is made to
the annexed drawings in which Fig. 1 and 2 of the drawings left with my Provisional
Specification are an elevation and plan respectively of the whole apparatus, while the

page_text: sheet of drawings filed with my Complete Specification shews the parts in
detail.
To the hour wheel of the clock or timepiece is fixed a tube a (Fig. 1 & 2) to fit
tightly by any method, and to which are fixed the disc or discs c which contain one
or more notches for the jointed falling pieces r to fall into as the disc or discs revolve
with the hour wheel.
The wheel d is made with 14 or more pins (Fig. 1 & 21) at the back, & 7 or
more pins or cranks (fg & h) on the front, the wheel d being fixed to clock case by
á plate e. The pin or rod b which is fixed under the disc or discs, to the tube a
catches one of the pins at the back of the wheel d every 12 hours, thus moving
with the 2nd revolution of the pin 6 one of the pins or cranks f g or h at the
front of the wheel d every 24 hours; each pin or crank thus representing a certain
day of the week.
These pins or cranks can be made different sizes so that each may lift its own
particular wire k l or m as the case may be.
Two of the wires may be used for 3 days each in the case where the times are the
same for six days; k for Monday Wednesday and Friday, 6 for Tuesday Thursday &
Saturday m the third wire being used for Sunday the seventh day.
The spring is used to prevent the wheel d from turning round more than one pin
at a time when turned by pin or rod b. As the falling piece r drops into the notch
in any of the discs, it allows the wires which is suspended from it by silk, catgut, or
any non-conducting material, to fall, one of the pins or cranks f g or h having raised -
the wires kor m also raise the wires po or n which are also suspended from them
by silk, catgut, or any other non-conducting material, thus making a connection be-
tween po or n wires and a wires completing the electric circuit and causing the alarm
to ring. The wires s, and wires po or n being brought back to position by spring
or weight. Circuit connections may be with or without platinum; the ends of wire r
can be cut and bent so that they cannot fall off the disc.
The n o p wires go to the switch or switches, and 8 wires go to the battery when
there is one call per day so that the current will switch from f to g or h every 24
hours and so on.
The s wires go to the switch or switches, and n o p wires to battery when there are
more than one calls per day so that the current will switch to the next time when the
other wire r falls into notch and so on.
The disc may be numbered hours and minutes the first notch to be at 12 and the
other notches at whatever times afterwards the alarm is required to ring.
The first time that the alarm is wanted for, is to be placed under the hour hand.
It can be made with one or two hooks k l or m and one disc with many notches also
one or more rand s wires as required.
The rand k l m wires are jointed at ends to the case so as to lift up and down
freely.
The apparatus can be made of brass, iron, or other material and must conform to
the timepiece and clock movements, cases &ct. To further illustrate the connections
& action of the apparatus the following statement is added.
The combination on the left hand side of clock case consists of a plate e to which
is attached a wheel d with 14 pins i on back and 7 or more pins or cranks on the
front fg or h with jointed wires kl or m bent at the ends to be lifted by the pins or
cranks f g or h and from about the centre of the wires kl or m, are connected the
wires nop by some non-conducting material lifting up and down by spring or
weight at the same time as the klor m wires are lifted by pin or crank fg or h.
m
A tube a to fit tight on hour wheel with a pin or rod b fixed to tube a at end next
to movement to catch one of the pins i on wheel d every 12 hours which will cause
one of the pins or cranks f g or h to rise when required & will also lift the klor
aud n o p wires. Also on tube a are fixed the disc or discs with one or more notches
for falling pieces to fall into, they are bent & cut so as not to fall off disc, &
being jointed at the right hand side of clock case, they are also connected by some
non-conducting material to let down the wires 8 when r falls into notch & so gives

page_text: the connection to n o p wires at the required times for the bells to ring situated at
any convenient place or places substantially as above described and illustrated in the
annexed drawings.
Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of the said
invention & in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that. what
I claim is :-
In a clock or ordinary timepiece the combination of one or several slotted discs c
with the hour wheel & moving by a pin or rod b a wheel & having 14 or more pins
on one face & 7 or more pins or cranks on the other so as to move the wires of the
connections at fixed intervals as herein described and set forth.
Dated this 9th day of March 1898
GEORGE HOULSBY SKEE.