CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CLOCKS OR TIMEKEEPERS
Year: 1846

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-eighth day of April, in the ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Edward Newton, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, administra-
tors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said William Edward Newton, my
executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein
mentioned, shall and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey,
Alderney, Sark, and Man, an Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN CLOCKS
OR TIMEKEEPERS," being a communication from a Foreigner residing abroad;
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said
William Edward Newton, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be
enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large annear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Edward Newton, do hereby declare that the nature of the said In-
vention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, refe-
rence being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention, which has been communicated to me by my foreign Corre-
spondent as aforesaid, consists in a new or improved method of suspending
clocks or timekeepers, whereby the weight of the said clock or timekeeper
will become the moving power for actuating the working parts, in place of
employing springs or the ordinary clock weights now used for this purpose.
The manner in which this object is effected will be clearly understood by
referring to the accompanying Drawing, in which Figure 1 represents a front
view, and Figure 2 a side elevation of the improved mode of suspending
clocks or timekeepers, the outer case being shewn by dots in the Figure.
Figure 3 is an elevation representing ono mode of guiding the clock or time-
keeper in its descent, and Figure 4 is a plan or top view of Figure 3, as seen
from above, but other modes might be adopted for keeping the clock always
vertical position. The working parts or movements of the clock are con-
structed in any of the known ways, and as they form no part of the present
Invention I have not thought it necessary to enter into any detailed description
thereof; therefore content myself with merely representing these parts in the
Drawing, in order to shew the manner in which the present Invention is
adapted thereto, but do not intend to confine niyself to any particular arrange-
ment or construction of working parts, as the Invention may be applied to
any in which the clock or timekeeper and all its appendages are of suflicient
weight to actuate the movement without other assistance. It is well known
that the ordinary mode of actuating clocks or timekeepers is either by placing
a strong spring inside a cylindrical barrel, and connecting the barrel to the
working parts by a cord or chain or otherwise, or by coiling a cord or chain
round a barrel, and connecting the said cord to one end of the barrel, and
suspending a heavy weight from the other end, by either of which means tho
barrel is made to revolve and actuate the working parts. By the present
Invention the weight of the clock itself is made to act upon the barrel, which
is shewn in the Drawing at a, and b, b, is a cord which is passed round the
barrel a, and firmly secured to the wall at the points c, c", by pins or studs.
It will now be understood, that when the cord is strained tight, and its ends
are properly secured to the fixed pins c, c, the whole weight of the clock will
therefore, by the friction of the cord against the periphery of the barrel, give

page_text: the necessary momentum to the working parts of the clock. I would observe,
that, although I have not represented the works as enclosed in a case, yet it
will be obvious that they may be enclosed if desired, an opening being made
in the top and bottom of the case to allow the cord or chain to be passed
through; the case and glass to cover the dial and protect the hands from
injury, as shewn by dots in Figure 2. When the clock requires winding up,
it will only be necessary to place the hand bericath the clock and raise it up
to its highest point, the reverse motion of the barrel being precisely the same
as winding up by means of a key. It will be seen that if the movement is
so constructed, the weight of the clock will cause it to descend one foot in
twenty-four hours. The pins or studs c, c*, should be placed at a correspond-
ing distance apart, including also the diameter of the clock in addition, when
we shall have a one-day clock; and if the pins c, care placed three feet apart,
the diameter of the clock being added thereunto, we shall have a three-day
clock. In order to maintain the clock in a vertical position, without which a
pendulum clock would not of course perform accurately, I suspend the clock
between the two vertical guides d, d, as seen in Figures 3 and 4, and the back
part of the clock or clock case is furnished with pullies e, e, which work
against the guides, and prevent it from moving in any direction but
vertically.
Having now described the Invention which forms the subject of the present
Patent, I would observe, that I do not intend to confine myself rigorously to
the precise form or arrangement of parts herein shewn, nor to the peculiar
method above described of carrying the Invention into effect, as they may be
varied without ileparting from the nature or principle of the Invention; for
instance, in place of the cord b, b, a chain may be employed, and by furnishing
the barrel a with teeth a greater amount of friction will be obtained, and the
liability of the clock to slip or run down too quickly will be prevented.
Neither do I intend to confine myself to the Plan shewn and described in
Figures 3 and 4 for guiding the clock in its descent, as any other plan by
which the clock may be maintained in a vertical position will answer the
purpose, and may, if thought desirable, be employed in the place of the one
above described; for instance, in place of the two vertical guides d, d, and the
pulleys e, e, on the clock, a single vertical rod may be secured to the wall,
and by passing through suitable holes made in the top and bottom of the
case, will prevent the clock from getting out of the vertical position.
In conclusion, I claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before
in part recited Letters Patent, suspending clocks or timepieces by passing a
cord or chain round a barrel, cylinder, or drum, in such a manner that the

page_text: weight of such clock or timepiece shall be made to act as the impelling power,
in place of the ordinary weights and springs as above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-six.