Improvements in or appertaining to Alarm-clocks.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Feb., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 28th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 6th Feb., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or appertaining to Alarm-clocks.
I, CHARLES RIGBY of 347, Tonge Moor Rond, Bolton in the County of
Lancaster, Jeweller, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows, that is to say :-
It has reference firstly to the application of means to alarm-clocks, of the
usual or ordinary type. wherein the sounding of the alarm is produced by
the force of the unwinding or uncoiling of a spring automatically released by
the clock work, whereby these said clocks may be made to put an electric
bell or other electrically produced alarm into operation, while the second part
of this invention relates to means whereby an ordinary clock may be made
to control or put into action an electric aların as may be desired.
The object of the first part of this invention is attained by mounting an arm on
the shaft or spindle upon which the coiled-alarm-spring is mounted, in such a
manner, as by causing same to frictionally lay-hold-of or grip said spindle so that
it may be carried when not held as hereinafter described, as and when the said
spindle moves. On the winding up of the alarm-spring this arm is carried by the
spindle until a suitable stop-piece is reached, when it is held against the frictional
power tending to rotate it, notwithstanding the continuation of such winding
operations until their completion, while on the said spring being released as when
the prearranged time has arrived to start the alarm, then the spindle of said
spring will carry said arm until a suitable contact piece is reached for the purpose
of completing an electric circuit through said arm by said spindle being electrically
connected either directly by any suitable conductor or through the metal parts of
the clock to one of the poles of the battery, while the other pole of said battery is
electrically connected with one of the terminals of an electric bell, the other
terminal of the hell being also electrically connected to the contact piece above
referred to, thus the circuit is completed and the bell will cominence and continue
to be rung until its actions are arrested as will be well understood.
To attain the object of the second part of this invention an appropriately formed
metal clip is made so that it will lay hold of the metal dial of the clock, which
dial has a circular opening made in it concentrically with the spindle of the clock's
hands, in such a manner that as the hands of the clock revolve, the minute hand
may miss or pass over this clip while as it lies in the path of motion of the hour
hand this latter will come in contact with it so that it may complete an electric
circuit through it and the dial (which in this case is insulated from the other inetal
parts of the clock) to thus put the electric alarm into operation. Of course several
of these clips may be used as may he and when desired.
As will readily be understood by the employment of either of the above described
arrangements of parts one clock may be made to control or put in action one or
more electrical alarms as may be desired.
Although any of the usual kind of batteries may be employed in connection with
the above described invention, yet it is thought preferable to have those known as
"dry batteries" and wherever possible to arrange them within the casing of the
clock work.
Dated this 27th day of Februar 1906

page_text: Improvements in or appertaining to Alarm-clooks.
I, CHARLES RIGBY of 347, Tongo Moor Road Bolton in the County of
Lancaster, Jeweller, 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, that is to say :-
It has reference firstly to the application of means to alarm-clocks of the
usual or ordinary type, wherein the sounding of the alarm is produced by the
force of the unwinding or uncoiling of a spring automatically released by the clock
work, whereby these said clocks may be made to put an electric bell or
other electrically produced alarm into operation, while the second part of this
invention relates to means whereby an ordinary clock may be made to control or
put into action na electric alarm as may be desired.
In the accompanying sheet of drawings:-
Fig. is front elevation of a clock with the dial or face cut away so that the
application of my improvel parts may be more clearly seen.
Fig. 2 is a view of the parts shown by Fig. 1 as seen from above.
Fig. 3 is front elevation of a clock showing the application of certain of my
improvements to the dial or face.
Fig. 4 is a drawing in detail of the part shown as applied in Fig. 3.
Fig. 5 is a front elevation of a portion of a clock showing
hereinafter explained.
modification
The object of the first part of my invention is attained by mounting an arm a on
the shaft or spindle & of the kind of clock in which such spindle b or winding arbor
is reversed to sound the alarm upon which the coiled alarm spring e is mounted, in
such a manner, as by causing same to frictionally lay-hold-of or grip said spindle,
as may enable said shaft to carry said arm a when this latter is not hell as
hereinafter described, whenever said shaft b rotates. On the winding up of the
alarm-spring e, in the usual manner, this arm a is carried by the shaft & until n
suitable stop-piece d is renched (on which the circuit is broken) when it is held
against the frictional power tending to rotate it, notwithstanding the continuation
of such winding operations until their completion; while on the said spring c being
released as when the prearranged time has arrived and the clock alarm mechanism
is started as is well understood, then the shaft of said spring o will carry said
arin a back until a suitable contact piece is reached for the purpose of completing
an electric circuit through said arm by said shaft & being electrically connected
either directly by any suitable conductor or through the metal parts of the clock
to one of the poles (g') of the battery g, while the other pole of said battery is
electrically connected with one of the terminals (4) of an electric bell 4, the other
terminal of said bell being also connected to the contact piece above referred
to, thus the electric circuit is completed and the bell will commence to ring (as
will also the ordinary bell in the clock although this latter will only be sounded
during the usual time of running down occupied by its spring) and said bell will
continue ringing until its actions are arrested by those in attendance or being called
upon raising the arm a clear of the contact piece and break the circuit as will
readily be understood.
By applying a small turn-button with a metallic lifter to engage with the
arma which is in circuit with the pule g' and the wire lending to the other pule g
the bell may be used at any time as an ordinary call-bell in addition to its use in
connection with the clock, and this buttons may be further used for putting the
said bell out of circuit or use as occasion may require.
To attain the object of the second part of my invention an appropriately forme

page_text: metal clip k is inade (see Fig. 4) so that it will lay hold of the metal dial m of the
clock, which dial m has a circular opening n made in it concentrically with the
spindle p of the hands q g', in such a manner that as the said hands qq revolve,
the minute band g may miss or pass over this clip k while as this latter lies in the
path of motion of the hour hand q' this said hand q' will come into contact with it
so that it may complete an electric circuit through it and the dial m (which dial m
is, in this case, insulated from the other metal parts of the clock) to thus put the
electric alarm into operation, by which means the said clock although otherwise of
ordinary construction is by these means made into an alarm clock.
Of course several of these clips k may be used in connection with one and the
same clock for indicating or acting on several different prearranged occasions as.
may be desired.
As will readily be understood by the employment of either of the above
described arrangements of parts one clock may be made to control or put into
action one or more electric alarms in close proximity with it or at a greater
distance therefrom as may be found advisable or necessary.
9
Although any of the usual kind of batteries g may be employed in connection
with the above described invention, yet it is thought preferable to have those known
as "dry batteries" and whenever possible to arrange same within the casing of
the clock.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In an alarm clock, a friction-arm mounted upon the shaft of the clock's spring
and the other parts of said clock in combination so that same may be used for
sounding an electric bell substantially as herein specified.
2. The improved formation of parts in an alarm-clock the same being arranged
to operate in combination substantially as specified.
3. In an alarm-clock, an adjustable piece for attachment to the dial of said
clock, said dial being formed as described, and the several parts forming the
combination substantially as herein specified.
Dated this 27th day of November 1896.
CHARLES RIGBY,
Per Samuel Hey,
Agent.