IMPROVEMENTS IN CLOCKS HAVING A MULTIPLICITY OF DIALS
Year: 1884

page_text: I, VICTOR BLUMBERG, Managing Director of Blumberg and Company Limited,
2 Cannon Street in the City of London do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN CLOCKS HAVING A MULTIPLICITY OF DIALS" to
be as follows:-
My Invention relates to the construction of clocks having a multiplicity of dials
and my Invention consists in giving the time upon four or more dials, facing
different ways, from a single lever horizontal or other movement, placed above,
below, behind the dials, or in any convenient position; according to the kind of
clock, whether to hang in the centre of an apartment or place to stand upon a piece
of furniture or other support, or whether it be a carriage or other clock, and with
ordinary or with transparent dials lit from the interior by ordinary or by electric
lights.
Assuming that I am constructing a pedestal clock having four dials facing in
opposite directions, say at right angles to each other so as to give the time on four
sides; an arrangement which I have found to answer well is the following:-
I use four axles, one to each dial, each carrying minute wheel work and all driveni
by a single crown-wheel gearing with four smaller wheels, one on each of said axles.
The axle of the crown-wheel is extended to be actuated from a movement placed at
the base of the pedestal.
The pivots of the four small wheels turn in a tube concentric to all and carried
by a cross piece, another cross piece serving to receive the pivot of the crown-
wheel.
The crown-wheel in turning actuates the four axles which all move in the
same direction, and these axles with their minute wheel work will carry the
hands,
The extension of the axle of the crown-wheel is jointed to the axle of the
movement, which axle will be longer or shorter according to the kind of movement
adopted.
The movement may, as in the arrangement above described, be in the base and
be wound therefrom but in the case of clocks of large size I prefer to place it as in
ordinary clocks behind one of the dials.
In this case one of the four axles will be the ordinary central axle of a clock but
the pinion of the centre wheel will be pierced, as in modern watches. Upon this

page_text: central rod, moving easily in the pierced pinion I adjust the wheel which
communicates the movement to the three other wheels by means of the crown-
wheel.
A very desirable, application of my invention will be to the clock with four
glasses termed a travelling clock.
The box would be square, the movement square or round, would be below and a
handle with four arms would make a symmetrical 'whole.
The movement may be with or without striking work and the ordinary well
known movements may be used with the addition of an axle for setting the clock
.from beneath which offers no difficulty and an extension of the barrel-arbor for the
winding up.
The above described arrangements are illustrative of my Invention of giving the
time upon a multiplicity of dials from a single movement but I do not propose to
limit myself thereto, as the transmissions of movement might. be varied while
retaining the essential characteristics of my Invention.
Dated this Seventeenth day of Ditahan 7001
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.].
"
'I VICTOR BLUMBERG, Managing Director of Blumberg & Co Limited of
2 Cannon Street in the City of London do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CLOCKS HAVING A MULTIPLICITY OF DIALS
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My Invention relates to improvements in the construction of clocks with the
object of giving the time upon four or more dials facing different ways from a
single lever, horizontal, pendulum, or other movement, placed above, below, behind
the dials, or in any convenient position, according to the kind of clock, whether to
bang in the centre of an apartment or place, to stand upon a piece of furniture or
other support, or whether it be a carriage or other clock, and with ordinary or with
transparent dials lit from the interior by ordinary or by electric light, and whether
such clock be a striking clock.or not: -
C
I attain this object by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying Drawing
in which
Figure 1 is a top plan view of the principal mechanism.
Figure 2 a side elevation of the. minute wheel work and
ذي
Figure 3 an elevation of a pedestal clock having four dials facing in opposite
directions, say at right angles to each other so as to give the time on four sides.
7

page_text: →
I. use four axles such as. A, one to each dial, and which each carry a minute
wheel work C, P, R--These axles A, A', A","A111 are driven by a single crown
wheel H gearing with four smaller wheels, B B₁ B". Bu-The axle of the crown
wheel is extended at G to be actuated by the movement, clock or. chronometer
placed beneath.
The pivots of the four small wheels turn in a tube concentric to all and shown in
section at T T.
The cross pieces U U and X X serve to receive the pivots of the crown wheel
and the central tube T T.
"
It will be understood how the crown wheel in turning actuates the four axles all
in the same direction. It is these four axles with their minute wheel work which
carry the hands-J is the joint or connection which communicates, the working of
the chronometer or other movement to the dials. At R¹ is fitted the axle the
length of which is regulated by the description of clock or watch work which
regulates the working..
This movement is horizontal and is wound up and set from the base. Figure 3
gives a sufficient idea of the whole-In the base is an ordinary clock movement
placed horizontally at I, I, I, I,
Through the centre of the column passes the rod ending at R., The dials one of
which only is seen, are at M, M³, M".
I have stated above that the movement is in the base and wound therefrom but
in certain cases the movement may be put as in ordinary. clocks in the place of one
of the dials. In this case and it will be that of clocks of large size, the axle A
will be the ordinary central axle of a clock but the pinion of the centre wheel will be
pierced as in modern watches. Then upon this central rod, moving easily in the
pierced pinion; will be adjusted the wheel B which communicates its movement to
the three other wheels B¹, B, B1 by the aid of the crown wheel EL.
As aforesaid the movements may be with or without striking work and the
ordinary well known movements may be used with the addition of an axle
for setting the clock from beneath, and an extension of the barrel-arbor for
winding up.
,
I will now proceed to describe my Invention as applied to striking and to non
striking clocks having a long pendulum, and to travelling clocks with or without
striking work.
Figures 4 and 5 represent a clock without striking work, Figure 4 being a side
and Figure 5 a front view.
The movement held in the frame C, C, C, C, is placed concentrically and at the
height of the four rims L, L1, L; but on the contrary the remontoir frame is
placed towards the middle when the pendulum P is fixed at the lower part of the
frame. Two large fastenings or cramps S tighten up the opposite rims.
The square frame R, R, K, R which carries the four reports or transmissions as
described in the first part of this specification, is attached to the plate C₁, C'. This
frame differs from that previously described only in that it does not carry the dial
wheels. These four sets of dial wheels are arranged in a small frame, each lodged
in the false plate of the dial. They are actuated by the three broken joints J, J, J.
The report X is simply an extension of the pinion of report of ordinary movements-
The adjustment of the hands then takes place as in ordinary clocks.
Figure 6 represents a side view of a striking clock differing from that
immediately above described in that the movement in its centre is shifted about
half a plate.
This is necessitated to permit the placing of the hammer bell or gong, and other
details of the striking work--Figure 7 shews the position of the centre of the
plate A wheel N fixed upon the pin that keeps the minute handle, transmits its
movement to the wheel M by the intermediary of the report H, the wheel M thus
making one turn each hour actuates the broken joint J, which in its turn will
actuate the three other dial movements by means of the square frame R, R,.R, R,

page_text: fand of the three other broken joints. Three smäll special frames for the dial wheels
are also fixed on the false plates.
:
C
The square frame is held by the cross piece TT.
Figure 8 represents the arrangement for travelling clocks...
The frame M, M, M, M, is an ordinary, movement with or without striking work
the remontoir frame of which is at O and the arrangement for setting the hour at I.
Upon this frame is fixed by two or four pillars the frame of the minute wheel
work R, R, R, R.-These two mechanisms are in communication by a broken
joint J Consequently the winding up and regulating of the clockwork mechanism
takes place underneath the travelling case.
The plates M being perfectly square four false plates are fixed thereupon-It is
upon these false plates that the dials are attached.
11
Whether the clock be striking or not the above arrangements do not vary-But
as the hammer strikes horizontally it is necessary to provide it with a spring.
The four dials intended in their simplest form to indicate the same hour and to:
indicate it in the same manner may also be made to give the time in foreign
countries in different longitudė.
They may also serve to indicate days of 24 hours as it is now proposed to divide
the day In this case I use the dial Figure 9 which divided by 12 also bears a
second series of superposed numerals, the first series going from 1 to 12 and the
second from 13 to 24.
'
I am aware that prior to my invention clocks have been made with four or
more dials at different angles, and I therefore do not claim such a combination
broadly.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is.
.
i
5
1 In a clock having several dials facing. different ways, the combination with a
single movement, placed in any convenient part of its case or support, of the axle
of a crown wheel gearing with a wheel-upon the axle giving the time on cach dial,
each of these several axles carrying minute wheel work for operating the hands, the
whole substantially as described.
.
:
2 In a clock having several axles (A) each carrying minute wheel work (C, P, R)
and a wheel (B) gearing with a crown wheel H, the cross pieces U and X carrying
the pivot of the crown wheel H and the concentric tube T substantially as 3
'described.
3 The combination of the extension G of the axle of the crown wheel H with
the movement by the joint or connection J, as described.