IMPROVEMENTS IN WATCHES AND CLOCKS BY WHICH THE TIME IS ASCERTAINED BY THE SENSE OF TOUCH
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
We JAMES KENDAL of 106 Cheapside, in the City of London Watch and Clock
Manufacturer and MARC LAVAL of 110 Cannon Street in the City of London
Commission Agent do hereby-declaro-tho nature of an invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN WATCHES AND CLOCKS BY WHICH THE TIME IS ASCERTAINED BY THE SENSE OF
TOUCH to be as follows:
The watch or clock (in the case of a watch the same to be either an open faced
or a hunting watch) to be without glass to have a sloping besil or a flat dial on
which the figures with sharp edges should be either soldered or stamped up and
such figures to be in the blind peoples alphabet for blind people's use or any other
figure desirable for any person's use in the dark The minutes to be marked by
pins raised or rivetted in the besil or dial. The watch hands to be of extraordinary
strength and width with or without raised pins. The hands to be either above or
under the dial if under the point of the hand to travel in an opening round the
dial.
Dated this 10th dow of 1001

page_text: CORTELLE
We JAMES KENDAL of 106 Cheapside in the City of London Watch and Clock
Manufacturer and MARC LAVAL of 110 Cannon Street in the said City of London.
Commission Agent do hereby declare the nature of an invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN WATCHES AND CLOCKS BY WHICH THE TIME IS ASCERTAINED BY THE SENSE
OF TOUCH and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The invention has for its object improvements in watches clocks and timepieces
for enabling the blind and also persons in the dark to tell the time by the sense of
touch.
For convenience the invention is described as applied to a watch.
The watch is a hunting watch without glass.
The dial is of metal and in the place of the usual figures indicating the hours on
such dial the corresponding raised numerical signs in use by the blind (in the case
of a watch intended for the blind) or raised ordinary figures or Roman numerals
(in the case of a watch intended for use in the dark) are either soldered or stamped
up such signs and figures having sharp edges to enable the same to be readily
distinguished.
'
The minutes are marked by sixty raised pins stamped up soldered on or screwed
into the outer circle of the dial every fifth pin being larger and higher than the
others.
If preferred the aforesaid figures and pins may be fixed in a similar manner to a
wide besil of the watch case sloping inwards.
The hands of the watch are of the usual proportionate length but of extraordinary
strength and thickness to prevent their being broken or bent. In order the more
readily to distinguish the minute hand from the hour hand, a raised pin is rivetted
through the middle of the spade of the minute hand.
The hands are placed either in the usual position above the dial in which case
they travel over the raised figures or under the dial in which case the points of the
hands travel in an opening round the dial adjoining the figures sufficiently wide to
enable such bands to be distinguished.
B
To assist in ascertaining the position of the figures indicating the hours a pin or
other projection is fixed to the outer rim of the watch case in a line with the
figures indicating six o'clock and twelve o'clock respectively.
The above details although shewn and described in connection with a watch are
intended to apply to clocks and timepieces so far as such details are applicable
thereto.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
1. The employment of raised numerical signs in use by the blind or raised
ordinary figures on the dial or sloping besil of a watch clock or timepiece as herein
described by which the time is ascertained by the sonse of touch.

page_text: 2. In a watch clock or timepiece by which the time is ascertained by the sense
of touch the employment of hands of extraordinary strength and thickness and of
a raised pin on the minute hand as herein described and for the purpose stated.
3. In a watch clock or timepiece by which the time is ascertained by the sense
5 of touch the employment of a raised pin or projection on the outer rim of the watch
case as herein described for the purpose stated.