CERTAIN NEW AND WATER AD THEKEEPERS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Potter Reed, of the State of Massachusetts,
of the United States of America, for the Invention of "CERTAIN NEW AND
WATER AD THEKEEPERS."
Team
Tema
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said George Potter Reed at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declara-
tion, on the 7th July 1868, pursuant to the 9th section of the Patent Law
Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, BE IT KNOWN,
that I, GEORGE POTTER REED, of the State of Massachusetts, of the United
States of America, have made an Invention of "CERTAIN NEW AND USEFUL
IMPROVEMENTS IN WATCHES OR TIMEKEEPERS," and I do declare the nature of
the said Invention, and the manner in which it is to be performed, or, in other
words, its construction and operation, to be fully described as follows, reference
being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and figures thereof,
that is to say:
The nature of my Invention consists, first, in an arrangement and com-
bination, substantially as herein-after described, of a circular, segmental, or
other proper shaped detent, and a detaining and impulse pallet with a vibratory
lever, and either two toothed wheels or one wheel having two sets of teeth, the
whole being applied to the balance of a watch or timekeeper, and so as to
operate together and with such balance, substantially as herein-after described.

page_text: And the nature of my Invention further consists in the combination of a
friction spring, or brake collar or wheel, and a brake or stopper, or their
mechanical equivalent or equivalents, with a seconds pinion and its arbor so
applied that the pinion may rotate on the arbor and relatively thereto, as
herein-after described.
And the nature of my Invention further consists in the arrangement of the
said friction spring, the brake stopper, and collar or wheel with respect to each
other and in or relatively to the main or regular train of a watch or time-
keeper.
In illustrating my Invention I have not deemed it necessary to represent all
the parts of a watch or timekeeper, but simply those with which my said
Invention or improvements are most nearly connected, and therefore I have
shown the said improvements in the accompanying seven Figures, of which
Figure 1 denotes a top view, and Figure 2 a front elevation, of the first of my
said improvements, it being on an improved escapement for watches or time-
keepers. Figures 3 and 4 are representations of the several parts of the
escapement under the two extreme positions of its lever, which in Figure 1 is
shown as in its mean or medium position. The ordinary lever escapement"
by being stronger and more durable than most other watch escapements here-
tofore in use, possesses important advantages. The well-known chronometer
escapement will operate with less friction than the lever escapement, and will
run at even rate for a longer period of time without requiring to be either
cleaned or oiled, but owing to its extreme delicacy of construction and con-
sequent liability of derangement it is objectionable for many kinds of watches.
In my improved lever escapement, as herein-after explained, I have suc-
'ceeded in obtaining most if not all the good qualities of the lever and the
chronometer escapements, with a very great diminution of friction as regards
the operation of the lever. My escapement is one of much simplicity and
durability.
Figure 1 represents the escapement in the act of giving impulse to the
balance, the motive power being suppressed to be applied so as to clutch
or revolve the shaft of the escape or scape wheel or wheels. This scape
wheel, made as shown at A in the Drawings, consists of two toothed wheels a, b,
arranged on one upright shaft c, but instead of being so constructed it may be
one single wheel provided with two sets of teeth like the scape wheel in the
ordinary duplex escapement, in which case one set of teeth will project from
the periphery of the wheel, while the other set will extend vertically from the
side of the wheel. Near to the scape wheel is a lever B, mounted on a
vertical shaft d, and being provided with a projecting arm or detaining and

page_text: impulse pallet e, which is placed on a lever and operates with the upper set a
of teeth of the escape wheel. Below the lever the shaft d has a segmental
notch cut transversely in it, and of a width a little greater than the thickness
of a.tooth of the set of wheels b. This segmental notch imparts to that part
of the shaft which is in the same horizontal plane with it, and is marked f, a
form corresponding to that of a circular segment greater than a semicircle. This
part of the shaft, which I have represented in the above-mentioned Figures. by
a red color, is shown separately and in horizontal section in Figure 5. I term
it the segmental detent, it being arranged in the plane of the teeth b, and to
operate with such teeth or part of the scape wheel. The inner end of the
lever B is furcated, and receives in the notch of the fork a pin g, which projects
downward from an arm ŉ extending from the shaft i of a balance wheel C, and
above a notched roller or wheel D, which is formed and is arranged on the
shaft i, as represented in the Drawings, and particularly in Figure 6, which is
a.side elevation of the escapement. The operation of the several parts above
explained may be thus described:
In Figure 1 a tooth of the scape wheel is shown as in contact with the im-
pulse portion of the pallet e. The balance wheel in moving in the direction of
the arrow i of Figure 1 will carry with it the forked arm of the lever B, and
will receive an impulse in the direction of the arrow. During the said move-
ment of the balance the tooth of the scape wheel will be disengaged from and
be caused to slip off the pallet. The scape will continue to move until a tooth
of the lower teeth b may bring up against the curved are of the segmental
detent, and the several parts take positions as shown in Figure 3. During
the counter-movement of the balance the lever will be moved around so far
as to cause the escape of the tooth from the segmental detent; this will allow
another tooth of the scape wheel to bring up against the end or detaining
portion of the pallet e, the parts now being in position as shown in Figure 4,
where it. will remain locked until the balance shall make its pass and shall.
return in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 4. The pin g in the end.
of the arm h will again enter the fork and carry the pallet e until the tooth
which was detained by the end of the pallet shall pass off the said end, which
having taken place the tooth will then pass into the position shown in Figure 1;
in such manner the balance wheel will, while in vibration from time to time,
receive its proper impulses from the scape wheel. This wheel D, as in other
escapements, serves as a stop for the lever B after each movement of the pin g
out of the fork thereof..
T
T

page_text: referred to, except that certain parts of the escapement have somewhat
different forms and constructions from those represented in the said Figures 1,
3, and 4. The principle of Invention does not differ in any material respect.
The letters of the Figures 11, 31, and 4¹ correspond with those of Figures 1,
3, and 4, and represent like parts.
In Figures 1, 3, and 4¹ the segmental detent is not strictly segmental,
but is in the form of a notched circular segment, the notch being at the chord
of the arc.
The remaining part of my Invention, as represented in Figure 7, consists
of a mechanism by which the stoppage of the seconds hand of a watch or time-
keeper may be effected at any part of its circle of revolution without at the
same time producing a stoppage of the train or the hour and minute hands
thereof, the said stopping mechanism being arranged in the main train of a
watch or timekeeper, or on the arbor of the second hand or the pinion thereof.
The seconds hand has thus applied to it what may be termed "an independent
seconds mechanism," peculiarly simple in its construction and advantageous in
its operation. In carrying out this latter improvement or part of Invention
I do not require any wheelwork or gearing additional to the regular hour
and minute train.
my
My improvement differs from those in which the second hand is carried or
operated by a spring and train separate from and independent of the main-
spring and its train by which the hour and minute hands are revolved; it
also differs from those independent second mechanisms which consist of
additional gears and other devices applied to the regular hour and minute hand
train, and which not only impose a heavy burden on the regular wheelwork and
its mainspring, but are liable to injure or impair the watch as a timekeeper.
My stoppage mechanism is applied directly to the arbor of the seconds pinion
of the regular train of a watch, and thereby may be said to be arranged in the
train by which the hour, minute, and second hands are operated.
stoppage mechanism, as well as its arrangement or combination in the manner
substantially as described with the main train, constitutes the nature of my
Invention or improvement with respect to most if not all other independent
second motions or mechanisms.
Such
In the Drawings (Figure 7), A denotes the dial plate, and B the frame-
work of a watch; C is the second hand, and D the seconds hand gear wheel
of a regular train, of which E denotes the barrel for containing the mainspring.
The train between the barrel and the seconds hand wheel consists of the gears
a, b, c, and pinions d, e. The seconds pinion e usually is in one piece with its

page_text: arbor, and is attached to the gear wheel D, and with it freely revolves with the
arbor 9, which carries the seconds hand C. With my Invention or improve-
ment however the pinion e and the arbor 9 are made in two separate parts,
the pinion head being so perforated or made hollow as that the arbor g
may pass freely through it. The gear wheel D is fastened firmly to the
pinion head or to the hollow pinion. With my Invention the said arbor g is
provided with a shoulder or seat h for supporting the pinion, and furthermore
it has a separate cylindrical brake wheel or collar i, or its equivalent, which is
fitted on it above the wheel. A helical friction spring k encompasses that part
of the arbor which is between the said collar and the wheel D, and at its
opposite extremities the said spring should bear or be caused to act against
the collar i and the pinion e with a pressure or friction which shall suffice to
cause the arbor to be revolved by the pinion whenever a stopper or brake / is
off or not borne against the periphery of the collar i. The said stopper or
brake consists of a slider m provided with a retracting spring n, and arranged
so as to be capable of being pressed endwise against the periphery of the collar
or brake wheel i. By being so pressed against the said collar the stopper will
arrest the rotary motion of the arbor that otherwise would be produced by the
seconds pinion while in revolution.
From the above it will be seen that the stoppage of the second hand may
be effected at any instant without at the same time producing a stoppage of
the train; also that the moment the collar may be relieved from the pressure
of the stopper the second hand will again commence to revolve; thus, as
with other independent second mechanisms, we can stop the second hand on
any part of the dial scale, and in an instant set such hand free.
Having thus described my said Invention of improvements in watches or
timekeepers, what I claim is as follows:--
As to the escapement, I claim the arrangement and combination of the
segmental detent (f), and the detaining and impulse pallet (e), with the.
vibratory lever B and a scape wheel A, constructed as described, the whole
being applied to the balance by means and so as to operate therewith and
together, substantially as explained.
I do not claim in combination with the regular train of a watch an inde-
pendent second train arranged outside of the regular train, and so as to be
operated by its spring.
I claim the combination of the friction spring k, the brake collar or wheel
i, and the brake or stopper 1, or their mechanical equivalent or equivalents,
with the seconds pinion e and its arbor 9 so applied that the pinion may
rotate on the arbor and relatively thereto, as described.

page_text: I also claim the arrangement of the friction spring k, the brake stopper l,
and collar or wheel i with respect to each other, and in or relatively to the
main or regular train of a watch, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Potter Reed, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this 15th day of June 1863.
GEORGE POTTER REED. (L.B.)