Improved Electrical Secondary Clockwork.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Mar., 1890-Accepted, 5th Apr., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Electrical Secondary Clockwork.
I, EMIL SCHWEIZER, of Bale, Switzerland, Watchmaker, 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 :-
My invention relates to a simplified construction of electrical secondary clockwork,
that is to say, clockwork which at certain intervals of time is actuated by the closing
of an electrical circuit by means of an electrical normal clock.
The essential feature of the improved construction consists in the employment of a
lever to which a reciprocating motion is imparted by the combined influence of a
horizontal electro-magnet and of a spring, and which on the one hand operates by
means of a pawl upon a toothed wheel on the minute arbor, and on the other hand
acts by means of a rod upon a special escapement device, which in its turn acts upon
the said toothed wheel, so that the number of wheels of the electrical secondary
clock can be limited to that of the minute and hour wheels of an ordinary clock
dial.
The escapement device consists of an anchor escapement constructed similar to an
ordinary escapement, but differing from this in that one of the two pins or pallets is
not connected directly to the anchor, but to a lever which has an articulated connec-
tion with the anchor, the pin being made to pass through an opening in the latter,
and which lever is acted upon by a spring.
The construction and mode of action of the improved electrical secondary clock-
work will be readily understood on reference to the accompanying drawings in which
Fig. 1 shews a front view of the mechanism Fig. 2.a side view, and Fig. 3 a longi-
tudinal section; Figs. 4 and 5 shew respectively a front and back view of the escape-
ment. To the platin A is fixed the one end of the horizontal electro magnet B, by
means of the pole piece b. The ends of the electro-magnet coil are connected to
the screw terminals 1. fixed in an insulated manner upon the platin A. The
armature C of the electro magnet is fixed to the lever D oscillating on its pivot a
and arranged nearly vertically, two plates vc being fixed to the free end of the
lever.
The plate has a pawl K pivotted to it which is pressed by a spring d in gear
with the teeth of a wheel E fixed on the minute arbor e, so that every time the
armature is attracted by the electro-magnet B, 'the pawl K is made to turn the
wheel E one tooth.
The wheel E has sixty teeth, so that, if the normal clock, at the end of each
minute, causes the armature to be attracted by the electro magnet B, the arbor e,
and consequently the minute hand thereon, will be caused to make one revolution
per hour.
A spring P fixed on the platin presses upon a projection u on the lever D
and serves to move the same away from the electro-magnet, causing it to assume its
normal extreme position as soon as the action of the electro magnet upon the
armature ceases, in this position the lever bears against a fixed stud y which
limits its motion.
In order to prevent any backward motion of the wheel E, a pawl F is provided,
which is carried by the arm G connected to the platin A, the pawl being pressed
by a spring against the teeth of the wheel E. The rotation of this wheel is
transmitted to the wheel I, fixed on the hour arbor by means of a toothed wheel g
and pinion h, both fixed on an arbor ; carried by the platin A and the bridge
piece H.
In order to insure that, at each forward motion of the lever D, the minute wheel E
shall only be moved a distance equal to one tooth, the plate c of the lever is
connected by means of a rod M to the inward projecting arm of an anchor

page_text: escapement N. This escapement' oscillates on the pin O fixed to the platin, and is
provided at its ends with pins lm which alternately gear with the teeth of the
wheel E.
The pin is fixed to the anchor and serves for locking the wheel as it takes into
a space of the teeth of E while the lever D is in its backward position, and thus
prevents the wheel from turning in either direction. The pin m on the other hand
serves to determine the extent of motion; it is attached to a levers connected
moveably to the anchor arm x, and acted upon by a spring t; the pin being made
to project through a notch q of the anchor N, as shewn more clearly at Figs. 4
and 5.
The action of the above described mechanism is a follows:- -When: the lever D is
attracted by the electro magnet B, the pawl K acts upon the wheel E, while at the
same time the escapement N is moved by the rod M in such manner that the pin /
is made to pass out of the space between the teeth in which it was situated, while
the pin m enters a space between the teeth, and moves with the wheel E as far as it
is permitted by the notch g of the anchor N. By this motion of the pin m. the
spring t has a tension put upon it so that when the lever D moves back again to its
original position, not being any more attracted by. the electro magnet, and the pin' m
moves out of gear with the teeth of the wheel E, the spring t will push the pin m
outward, in the direction of the arrow z, thus bringing it into correct position for
taking into the next space of the wheel when lever D performs its next stroke:
By this means the motion of the wheel at each stroke of the lever D produced
by the attraction of the electro. magnet, is strictly limited to the distance of one
tooth.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this- inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. An electric secondary clockwork wherein the movements of a nearly vertical
lever Dactuated by an electro-magnet and a spring, are caused; on the one hand,
to be imparted directly to a toothed wheel E fixed on the minute: arbor, by means
of a pawl connected to the lever, and on the other hand to be imparted through: a
rod M to an anchor escapement N having a fixed locking pin and a moveable
controlling pin m which. alternately gear with the teeth of the wheel E, so that each
time the lever D is attracted; the wheel E is turned a distance. equal to one tooth,
substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings.
2. The use, in combination with an electric secondary clockwork; such as is
referred to in the preceding claim; of an anchor escapement N having a fixed
locking pin and a controlling pin m attached to a lever S pivotted to a projecting
arm of the anchor N, and acted upon by a spring 1, so that the looking of the
clockwork is effected by the pin l, while the pin m serves to: limit the. motion off'the
wheel, substantially as described with reference to the drawings..
Dated this 4th day of March 1890
ABEL & IMRA'Y,
Agents for the Applicant.