A Pocket Metronome.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Apr., 1894-Accepted, 25th May, 1894
A Pocket Metronome.
I WILLIAM FREDERICK HOWE of 101 Queen's Road, Brighton in the County
of Sussex Gentleman 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 :-
The object of the present invention is to provide a simple and compact.metronome
or time keeper for musical purposes which can be produced at a trifling cost and
readily carried on the person.
According to my invention I employ a riband of linen or other suitable material
one end of which is secured to a drum mounted so as to be free to revolve within a
suitable case preferably of globular form. The riband is coiled upon this drum
either by a spring after the fashion of a tape measure or the axis of the drum may
be prolonged through the case and provided with an external knob by means of
which the drum may be revolved by the finger and thumb. When the tape is
suspended by its free end the apparatus constitutes a pendulum, the bob or weight
of which is the aforesaid globular case. In order to lessen friction and render the
oscillations of the apparatus as free as possible, I attach the free end of the riband
to a short spindle which pivots at each end in a suitable shackle. The riband
would be suitably marked or graduated upon one side to indicate the proper length
required to be unrolled for producing the desired number of beats per minute, and
any suitable musical information might be printed or marked upon the other side.
There must of course be sufficient resistance to the withdrawal of the riband from
the case to prevent the unrolled portion thereof from becoming accidentally
lengthened when the apparatus is in use; where a spring drum is employed, the
force of the spring and the friction of the ratchet and pawl would offer sufficient
resistance, and where a drum rotated by the finger and thumb is used a convenient
spring may be caused to press upon and grip the riband where it passes through
the case or friction may be applied in any suitable manner to the drum or to its
axis, as by a spring bearing thereon.
In the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters refer to corresponding
parts in all the figures :-
Figure 1 is an elevation of a metronome constructed according to my invention
part of the outer case being broken away.
Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating means for disengaging the pawl and ratchet,
from the exterior of the case.
Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement for gripping the riband.
a is the outer case, serving also as the weight, which is preferably constructed of
globular form as shewn, b is a winding drum contained therein the axis c of which
is carried in convenient bearings d. e is the graduated riband one end of which is
secured to the drum b whilst its other end is secured to the short rod f which pivots
in the shackle g to which is attached the swivel ring h for suspending the apparatus.
(Figure 1) is a knob on the axis c by turning which by the finger and thumb the
riband e may be coiled on the drum b. Or the riband may be automatically coiled
upon the drum b by a spring after the fashion of a tape measure as will be well
understood. The accidental unrolling of the riband when the apparatus is in use
may be avoided by the use of a spring k (Figure 3), secured to the case a at k¹,
which grips the riband between its rounded end and the side of the slit a' in the
case a through which the riband passes, the grip of the spring k being relieved
when desired by pressing upon the knob ; or the said accidental unrolling of the
riband may be avoided by a ratchet m on the drum axis e engaged by a pawl n the
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page_text: :
friction between the ratchet and pawl being sufficient. In this latter arrangement
means must be provided for disengaging the ratchet and pawl from the exterior of
the case to permit the recoiling of the riband and Figure 2 shews by way of example
a handy arrangement consisting in mounting the pawl n on a sliding rod o passing
out of the case a and terminating in a knob p. When the knob p is pressed the
pawl will be lifted and disengaged from the ratchet wheel, the re-engagement of
the pawl and ratchet, when the pressure upon the knob p is removed, being
effected by the spring 7 surrounding the rod o and confined between the guide r
and collar s.
If desired the riband e might be suspended from knife edges working in the
shackle g in lieu of from pivots working therein as illustrated in Figure 1.
In using the apparatus the riband e is unrolled until the mark indicating the
desired time or number of beats per minute arrives at the opening a' in case a,
the apparatus is then suspended, and, when set oscillating, each oscillation will
correspond with the chosen time.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A pocket metronome consisting of a graduated riband and a weight suspended
thereby said weight also constituting a case for containing the drum upon which
the riband is rolled combined with means as described and illustrated for preventing
the accidental unrolling of the ribbon when the apparatus is in use substantially as
set forth.
2. As a new article of manufacture a pocket metronome constructed and
arranged substantially as described with reference to and illustrated in the annexed
drawings.
Dated this 23rd day of April 1894.
E. P. ALEXANDER & SON,
Fels. Chartered Inst. Patent Agents,
19, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
For the Applicant.