ELECTRIC CLOCK
Year: 1884

page_text: 1 THEODORE' CALLIPHRONAS of 9 Beaconsfield Rd, Clifton, in the County of
Gloucester Clerk in holy orders, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention
for "ELECTRIC CLOCK to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the construction of clocks driven by
electricity and its object is to simplify and cheapen their construction ensure their
more regular working and enable such clocks to work for a considerable time
without necessity for adjustment or other attention.
The principal feature of this improved clock is its driving mechanism similar in
its arrangement to what is known as a gravity escapement. In it there is an
oscillating armature moving between two electro magnets. This armature is
entirely independent of the pendulum properly so called. The oscillating armature
carries two pins or bars which lift the gravity pallets hereinafter referred to.
The gravity pallets are substantially of the usual construction and carry contact
pieces the position whereof may be adjustable with relation to the pendulum proper
which latter is of substantially the same construction as those of ordinary clocks
but has two suitable contact pieces opposite to those on the gravity pallets.
The oscillating armature and the pendulum move in opposite direction the
pendulum maintains its movement by reason of the effect of the gravity pallets as
will be well understood by those skilled in the art.
The gravity pallets not only serve to actuate the pendulum but also complete or
interrupt one of two circuits which lead to the source of electricity for driving the
clock.
The oscillating armature (which is a permanent magnet) serves alternately to
raise the two pallets and to allow the armature to acquire a certain momentum before
it touches the pallets, the motion of the latter is limited by banking pins or stops.
The circuit of the clock may be arranged as follows:-
Assuming that a two cell battery is used the positive pole of one and the
negative pole of the other cell are both connected with one end of the wire of the
electro magnets, the two magnets are connected together with opposite poles facing
one another and the other end of the wire is connected to the pendulum.
The other poles of the two cells are connected the one with the right hand and
the other with the left hand gravity pallet and the polarity of the magnetized
armature is such that when the pendulum touches the right hand pallet the
armature is attracted to the left and vice versa.

page_text: It is obvious that in actual practice the circuit may be differently arranged; so,
for instance, that the contacts are made by the pins on the oscillating armature
instead of by the pendulum.
The connections are so made that during the necessary reversal of the current it
is not interrupted but the electro magnets are all but cut out of the circuit; the
current changes with the alteration in the motion of the pendulum. The arbors of
the gravity pallets are fitted with springs if required so as to ensure good contact.
The mechanism for driving the hands may be of any convenient construction but
I prefer to use an arrangement based on the same principles as the Wheatstone
telegraph but instead of driving a single hand directly by the escapewheel my
mechanism acts on the usual train of wheels which set hands in motion.
In some cases I connect an escapement or other suitable gear directly with the
oscillating armature and use the movements of this armature for actuating the
clock-motion.
The extent of travel of the oscillating armature is regulated by two screws
placed by the sides of an arm or bar extending from the armature or carrying the
later somewhat as a common pendulum carries the "crutch."
It is needless to point out that such-parts as require it will be suitably insulated
-as-is-usual-in-apparatus-of-this-class.¯¯¯

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I THEODORE CALLIPHRONAS of 9 Beaconsfield Road Clifton, in the county of
Gloucester, Clerk in Holy Orders, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention
for AN ELECTRIC CLOCK and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
This Invention relates to improvements in the construction of clocks driven by
electricity and its object is to simplify and cheapen. their construction ensure their
more regular working and enable such clocks to work for a considerable time
without necessity for adjustment or other attention.
The principal feature of this improved clock is its driving mechanism similar in
its arrangement to what is known as a gravity escapement. In it there is an
oscillating armature moving between two electro magnets. This armature is
entirely independent of the pendulum properly so called. The oscillating armature
carries two pins or bars which lift the gravity pallets hereinafter referred to.
The gravity pallets are substantially of the usual construction and carry contact
pieces the position whereof may be adjustable with relation to the pendulum proper
which latter is of substantially the same construction as those of ordinary clocks
but has two suitable contact pieces opposite to those on the gravity pallets.
The pendulum inaintains its movement by reason of the effect of the gravity
pallets as will be well understood by those skilled in the art.
The gravity pallets not only serve to actuate the pendulum but also complete or
interrupt one of two circuits which lead to the source of electricity for driving the
clock.
The oscillating armature (which is a permanent magnet) serves alternately to
raise the two pallets; to allow the armature to acquire a certain momentum before
it touches the pallets the motion of the latter may be limited by banking pins or
stops.
The circuit of the clock may be arranged as follows:-
Assuming that a two cell battery is used the positive pole of one and the
negative pole of the other cell are both connected with one end of the wire of the
electro magnets the two magnets are connected together with opposite poles facing
one another and the other end of the wire is connected to the pendulum.
The other poles of the two cells are connected the one with the right hand and
the other with the left hand gravity pallet and the polarity of the magnetized
armature is such that when the pendulum touches the right hand pallet the
armature is attracted to the left and vice versa.
It is obvious that in actual practice the circuit may be differently arranged so for
instance that the contacts are made by the pins on the oscillating armature instead
of by the pendulum.
The connections are so made that during the necessary reversal of the current it
is not interrupted but the electro magnets are all but cut out of the circuit, the
current changes with the alteration in the motion of the pendalam-The arbors of
the gravity pallets are fitted with springs if required so as to ensure good contact.

page_text: The mechanism for driving the hands may be of any convenient construction but
I prefer to use an arrangement based on the same principles as the Wheatstone
Telegraph but instead of driving a single hand directly by the escape wheel my
mechanism acts on the usual train of wheels which set hands in motion.
In some cases I connect an escapement or other suitable gear directly with the
Oscillating armature and use the movements of this armature for actuating the
clock motion.
The extent of travel of the oscillating armature is regulated by two screws
provided for that purpose.
It is needless to point out that such parts as require it will be suitably insulated
as is usual in apparatus of this class.
In the accompanying Drawings Figure 1 is a general elevation of the apparatus
with the pendulum omitted-Figure 2 a portion of it removed for clearness the
pendulum being shown and Figure 3 shows the mechanism for transmitting to the
wheels the power obtained by the motion of the pendulum.
A is the plate or frame upon which the various parts are fixed; B B¹ are the
electro magnets and C is the vibrating armature whose travel may be regulated by
the banking screws D; E and F are the gravity pallets to which are attached the
arms EF which alternately make contact with the pendulum the arm not in use
being held up by one of the pins E' F' which are carried by the plate C' which is
attached to C but insulated from it or constructed of insulating material-The light
springs C serve to assist in starting the armature C on each journey. The set
screws E3 F3 also relieve the armature of the weight of the pallets E and F. The
-plates-G-and-G-which-carry-the-pallets and set screws are insulated_from_the_
plate-A-and-its connections and from each other-The pendulum K is hung in
the usual manner by the pendulum spring H.
The binding screw L is insulated from the plate A and connected by a wire not
shown with the positive pole of one cell of the battery and with the negative polo
of the other; the wire. M continuing the connection to the electro-magnet-B. The
two magnets B B are connected together with opposite poles facing one another
and the other end of Bis-connected with-plate A that is to say with the pendulum
which is in permanent connection with A-The other poles of the battery cells are
_ connected-the-one-with-the-binding screw I-and-by the insulated wire I with
pallet E and the other with binding screw J and pallet F the polarity of the
magnetized armature C being as already stated such that when the pendulum
touches the pallet F by its arm F' the armature is attracted to the left and when it
touches the pallet E by its arm E¹ the armature is attracted to the right-Of course
I do not tie myself to this precise arrangement of the circuit but it will serve to
explain the action of the instrument.
The motion of the pendulum is maintained by the impulse given by the two
gravity pallets in the following manner
Suppose the pendulum at the end of its motion towards the left; the pallet E
will be raised and resting on the pendulum, the electric circuit is completed at the
point of contact and in consequence the armature C is attracted towards the right.
The pallet F is thereby lifted and held up away from the pendulum which now
begins its excursion to the right followed by the pallet E which gives the impulse.
The mechanism for driving the hands is shown in Figure 3-C is the armature
or an extension thereof opened out into the fork C³ which carries the pawls N, O,
and stops P, Q, which gear with the scape wheel R-The armature C is swinging
in the direction of the arrow the pawl N being engaged with a tooth of the wheel R
and the stop P moving clear of another tooth so as to allow the wheel to turn in
the direction of the arrow-Upon the return stroke the pawl O will engage with
another tooth thus carrying the wheel R farther round-The stops P and Q are
adjusted so as to allow each pawl to turn the wheel half a tooth at each stroke-
The arbor of the wheel R carries a pinion which thus communicates the motion to
the train of wheels in the usual manner.

page_text: The arm C Figure 3 need not necessarily be the armature C of Figure 1 but may
be in connection with it so long as it has the necessary reciprocating motion.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. In an electric clock the combination with the gravity pallets E F of a single
lever C which acts alternately and in opposite senses upon both pallets substantially
as specified.
2. In an electric clock the combination with the gravity pallets E F of a single
lever C which serves to lift the one pallet to its correct position and allow the other
pallet to fall to its correct position substantially in the manner specified.
3. In an electric clock the combination with the armature C of the banking
screws D for the purpose of regulating the travel thereof substantially as specified.
4. In an electric clock the gravity pallets E F which perform the double duty of
making the contacts for the proper attractions and repulsions and of imparting the
necessary impulses to the pendulum substantially as specified.
5. In an electric clock the method of working with currents from two batteries
in such manner that. the electro magnets are short circuited at the moment when
contact with the acting battery is broken whereby sparking is provented.
6. In an electric clock the use of gravity pallets acting solely by their weight.
7. In an electric clock a lever moved by alternate electro-magnetic attractions
and repulsions between two fixed stops and by its motion thus definitely limited
allowing the gravity pallets to give a similarly definite impulse to the pendulum
the signals for such motion of the lever being given by electrical contacts made by
the pallets in the ordinary course of their motion and the amount of impulse given
by the pallets being determined by the position of the stops which limit the motion
of the lever.