IMPROVEMENTS IN TIME KEEPERS
Year: 1885

page_text: I ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the county of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN TIME KEEPERS (a communication from Josef Fischer, 1ter Bezirk, Vienna, in
the empire of Austria, Engineer) to be as follows:-
33
This Invention relates to a mechanism for operating the figures which indicate
the hours and minutes in timekeeper's, generally the change of the hours being
effected in this improved construction with the same expenditure of power as is
required for the simple change of minutes.
This Invention may be practised in the following manner.
The figures to indicate the hours (1-12) are rivetted upon links so connected
as to form a chain. This chain passes over two square headed pins and rotates in
such a manner that a quarter turn of the upper pin advances the chain by one
link so that the numeral shewn above that pin shews the hour next following.
Above this plate for shewing the hours there are mounted the pinions which
shew the minutes (one for units and one for tens.)
The unit pinion and the tens pinion are arranged one above the other, the unit
pinion being at the bottom and the tens pinion at the top and both are operated
by a disc and wheel in the following manner.
When the wheel makes one complete revolution (which takes place in precisely
10 minutes) the unit pinion will likewise have completed one revolution whilst at
the same time the tens pinion is moved forward th of a revolution by reason of a
toothed wheel upon which there are 6 teeth gearing with a disc above mentioned
which has one single tooth.
The 6 toothed wheel is mounted on a tubular arbor passing through the unit
pinion and fixed to the tens pinion.
The arbors of both these pinions are pierced and allow the arbor for the seconds
hand to pass through.
The arrangement of mechanism on the back of the pillar-plate that is to say
the side opposite to the one just described may be as follows
The arbor common to the disc and wheel above referred to passes through the
pillar plate and at its end (at the back) carries a pinion having 6. 8 or 10 teeth
Prins G21

page_text: This causes an eccentric or cam (the periphery whereof forms a spiral line fixed
upon another wheel, which gears with the pinion with six eight or ten teeth to
make one complete revolution in each hour as the wheel has 36. 48 or 60 teeth
according to the number of teeth in the pinion.
An eccentric is provided and has for its object to raise a lever once in each hour
so that this lever when the eccentric allows it to drop causes a pinion which has
four teeth and is fixed at the back of the upper stud or pin for the chains above
described to make one quarter rotation and consequently moves the hour-chain-
one figure shewing the next hour.
The pull of the said lever is imparted by a spring and the pinion is kept in
position by another spring.
A cover or plate is placed between the unit pinion and the tens pinion and serves
to hide the units at the left side-The dial-plate on which are the figures shewing
seconds has only one aperture in which the figures shewing the hours and minutes
appear or it may reach only half way across and in that case the figures shew
without being shaded.
The other parts of the mechanism are substantially those used in other time
keepers.

page_text: I ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holbern in the county of Middlesex,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication from
Josef Fischer of Vienna, Austria, Engineer) 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 a mechanism for operating the figures which indicate
the hours and minutes in timekeepers generally, the change of the hours being
effected in this improved construction with the same expenditure of power as is
required for the simple change of minutes.
This invention may be practiced in the following manner:
Figure 1 shows the pillar plate of a movement upon which the mechanisins
(viz the chain etc) are mounted.
The figures to indicate the hours (1-12) are rivetted upon links a so connected
as to form an endless chain. This chain passes over 2 square headed pins b. b. and
rotates in such a manner that a quarter turn of the upper pin advances the chain
by one link so that the numeral shown above that pin shows the hour next
following.
Above this plate for showing the hours there are mounted the pinions represented
in Figure 2 which show the minutes (one for units and one for tens.)
The unit pinion c, and the tens pinion d are arranged one above the other, the
unit pinion being at the bottom and the tens pinion on the top and both are
separated by the disc e, and pinion f (rivetted upon one another) in the following
manner.
When the pinion ƒ makes one complete revolution (which takes place in precisely
10 minutes) the unit pinion to which the pinion is rivetted will likewise have
completed one revolution whilst at the same time the tens pinion is moved
forward th of a revolution by reason of a toothed wheel g upon which there are
6 teeth gearing with a disc e, above mentioned which has one single tooth.
The 6 toothed wheel g is mounted on a sleeve passing through the unit pinion
and fixed to the tens pinion. The arbors of both these pinions are pierced to
allow the arbor for the second's hand to pass through.
In Figure 3 is shown; the arrangement of mechanism on the back of the pillar
plate that is to say the side opposite to the one shown in Figure 1. The arbor
common to the disc e, and wheel ƒ passes through the pillar plate and at its end
(at the back) carries a pinion j having 6. 8 or 10 teeth. This causes the excentric
or cam (the periphery whereof forms a spiral line) fixed upon the wheel k which
gears with j to make one complete revolution in each hour as the wheel k has 36,
48 or 60 teeth according to the number of teeth in the pinion j.
The eccentric has for its object to raise the lever m, once in each hour, so that
this lever when the eccentric allows it to drop causes the pinion n which has
4 teeth and is fixed at the back of the upper stud or pin b for the chain above
described to make one quarter revolution and consequently moves the hour chain
one figure showing the next hour. The pull of the said lever m is imparted by the
spring o, and the pinion d. is kept in its proper position by another spring p.
Instead of the pinions c and d, two discs of equal size may be used which are
provided with figures inside their periphery, and the upper one of which discs has
slots on the right hand side of the figures so as to show the figures on the bottom

page_text: disc and form in this manner the two figured numbers for the indication of the
minutes or hours. The disc r is done away with in this manner.
Figure 4 represents the face of a completely fitted time piece, which is provided
with this time indicating mechanism the time thereon indicated being Sh o' j".
A cover or plate r is placed between the unit pinion and the tens pinion and serves
to hide the units on the left side. The disc s on which are the figures showing the
seconds has only one aperture in which the 'figures indicating the hours and
minutes appear or it may only reach half way across in which case the figures are
entirely shown.
Figure 5 is a section.
The other parts of the mechanism are substantially those used in other time-
keepers.
The operation of the apparatus as a whole may be shortly stated as follows:-
By the engagement of the pinion f with the toothed wheel h fixed on the unit
pinion of the minute train, the figures showing units of the minutes appear
successively; when the wheelf has completed a revolution the disc e having a
single tooth (and connected with the tens pinion) moves the 6 toothed pinion / by
one tooth so that the tens of minutes are advanced by one. When wheel has
turned 6 times as also pinion J the toothed wheel K. has just made one revolution
and the eccentric has raised the lever m to its highest position and the dropping
of the latter advances the pinion , one tooth so that the figure indicating the next
hour becomes visible.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is
In time keepers, in which figures indicating the hours and minutes appear, in
numbering apparatus, almancks, and similar apparatus, in which the figures can be
substituted, by words or other signs.
1. The combination of a figure chain a with the pin b which causes the move-
ment of the said chain and advances the next figure or causes it to become visible
at each quarter turn in the manner and for the object as above described.
2. The gearing for actuating the chain a, or the pin b showing in Figure 3
consisting of the toothed gearing j and k with the eccentric l, in combination with
the lever m, and the pinion n, having four or more teeth and fixed on the pin b
whose head is square or polygonal and which at each descent of the lever m, from
the tooth of the eccentric is moved one tooth exposing the figure indicating the
following hour.
3. The combination of the two pinions c and d with the one tooth disc e, and
the tooth wheel f, fixed upon each other actuating the movement of the two
minute pinions in the manner and for the purpose as above described.
4. The arrangement of the tens pinions & with its 6 toothed pinion g over the
unit pinion c, with its wheel in combination with the cover plater and the
disc e. and pinion f by the rotation of which the movement of the two minute
pinions and the hour chain a which latter may be substituted by a pinion having
on its periphery the figures 1 to 12.
5. The liberty to substitute the pinions c and d, by two discs of equal size,
provided with figures, whose upper disc has apertures to show the unit figures of
the lower disc and to enable the combination of two figure numbers at the required
time, for the object and in the manner as above described.
ALFRED J. BOULT.