A DETACHED ALARUM WATCH
Year: 1827

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
ANTHONY BERROLLAS, of Great Waterloo Street, in the Parish of Lambeth, in
the County of Surrey, Watch Manufacturer, send grecting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth did,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of His United Kingdom, bearing
date at Westminster, the Twenty-eighth day of April, One thousand eight
hundred and twenty-seven, in the eighth year of the reign, give and grant
unto me, the said Joseph Anthony Berrollas, my exors, admors, and assigns,
His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
Joseph Anthony Berrollas, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, during the term of
fourteen years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within that part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland called England, His Majesty's Dominion of Wales, and Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all His Colonies and Plantations abroad,.
my Invention of "A DETACHED ALARUM WATCH;" in which Letters Patent
there is contained a proviso, that if I, the said Joseph Anthony Berrollas, shall
not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and
in, what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within two calender months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent, all liberties and advantages hereby

page_text: granted shall utterly cease, determine, and become void, as in and by the
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Joseph Anthony Berrollas, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be produced, applied,
and carried into effect, is herein-after particularly described and set forth, that is
to say:-
My Invention consists in a new mechanical arrangement and combination
of works applicable to all purposes where the locking and unlocking of any
alarum watch is required, and likewise to the construction of certain parts of
the said alarum work, which will be understood by reference to the annexed
Drawing, and the following description thereof, that is to say:-As respects
what is usually called the dial work of the watch to which my contrivances
are to be applied, no variation from the usual principles will be necessary,
because the canon pinion, minute wheel with its pinion, and the hour wheel,
are made as in any other watch as to size and number of teeth, and they
have the same performance; but in addition to these parts I have the
alarum wheel, which runs by means of an hollow axle upon the arbor of the
ordinary hour wheel, and carries the alarum hand or index, which is so fixed
thereto that the one cannot turn or move without the other. The alarum
wheel, shewn at 4, in Figure 2 of the annexed Drawing, and which Figure is a
general view of my aforesaid alarum work as it appears when the dial plate is
removed, need not have teeth upon its edge if the alarum is to be set to the
time of its going off by means of its hand or index; but as this is always
incouvenient on account of interfering with the other hands, I prefer moving
and setting its dial hand or index by a small milled head 2 upon the top of
the pendant B in Figures 1 and 2, as such milled head being always in its
place is more convenient than a detached key, and in this case the pendant
work or train of wheels shewn in Figure 2 become necessary; and the alarum
wheel must have teeth, as shewn at 4, where a part of the said alarum wheel
is represented as broken off to shew the conjunction and operation of the
pieces C and D, to be herein-after described. The teeth of the wheel 4 take
into the teeth of the intermediate wheel 7, which turns on a fixed pin, and is
merely to change the direction of the motion, and that wheel in like manner
works into another wheel 6, which also engages into the wheel 3 at right
angles to it, because this last wheel 3 is fixed upon a square formed at one
end of the steel arbor 1, which runs through the pendant and terminates at its
other extremity in the milled head or nut 2, which may be made of the same
materials as the watch case, or of any other materials at pleasure. From the

page_text: above description it will appear evident that turning the milled head 2 will,
through the medium of the arbor 1 and toothed wheels 3, 6, 7, and 4, com-
municate motion to the alarum wheel and hand above mentioned in any
direction at pleasure. But since the other parts of my aforesaid movements,
not yet described, require the motion to be made constantly in the same
direction, I make a circular shoulder on the outside of the wheel 3, or apply
a smaller wheel on the same square of the arbor 1, which is cut with ratchet
teeth (sec 4 of B, Figure 2), and the spring 5 acting into the upper part of
the said ratchet wheel at once acts the part of a pall or click and spring, and
prevents the arbor 1 from turning except in one direction.
Having thus shown how the alarum wheel 4 is to be moved, I shall in the
next place point out its operation on the rest of the machinery. The hollow
axis of the alarum wheel 4 is made of steel, and on its under side is formed
into a flat circular plate as at 4, 4, which represents the reverse side of the
wheel 4 in Figure 2, and in this plate a notch is cut straight down on one
side and sloping on the other, as shewn at 4, 5, which is a section of the said
plate and notch, the straight or perpendicular side of such notch being that
which is shewn in the direction of a radius of a flat plate in 4, 4 (which also
represents the toothed wheel 4 communicating with the pendant work); but when
such work is omitted and the alarum is to be set by its hand, the said toothed
wheel becomes unnecessary, and all that need be retained is the flat steel plate
and its hollow axle, as drawn in the center of 4, 4. The ordinary hour wheel of
the movement marked A, Figure 2, lies immediately underneath the aforesaid
alarum wheel 4, and they turn on a concentric axis. Upon the under side of the
hour wheel I apply a piece of flat steel plate formed into a shape like 1, 2, 3,
in the detached Figure A of Figure 2, or of any other convenient form, which
I call the detent. This oblong steel plate is spring tempered, has a hole in
its center for the free passage and movement of the canon pinion, and is
fixed flat upon the hour wheel by a small screw and steady pius if necessary.
At 2 a small steel pin of sufficient length to pass through and project beyond
the upper side of the hour wheel in a hole made for that purpose is rivetted
into the opposite end of this detent plate at 1 in such manner that when
the hour wheel and the alarum wheel are put together in their right places
this pin may play or run upon the flat surface of the steel plate 4, 4, and
thus keep the end 1 of the detent spring elevated to any required distance
according to the length of the said pin above the hour wheel; but when the
said pin comes over the notch before described its end falls into that notch
and thus permits the detent spring to fall and lie flat upon the hour wheel.
The reason for forming that notch in the manner before described will now be

page_text: apparent. It is that the said pin may fall suddenly whenever it passes the
perpendicular side of the notch, while from its other side being sloped the
alarum wheel may be turned in one direction, and the sloping side acts as an
inclined plane to elevate the pin and disengage it again from the said notch
when the motion is continued, in the doing which the end 1 of the detent
spring 3 will be again raised or separated from the hour wheel.
The next piece to be described I call the elevator, which is altogether
a thin light spring of steel, shewn in its proper place at C, Figure 2.
and likewise detached from the work at C, in the left-hand side of the
said Figure. This piece is fixed in its place by the screw and steady pin Z.
The end near Z of the elevator is thicker than the other parts, and is so
formed that when screwed down the end 2 of the elevator will be elevated
or raised above the plate on which it is fixed. Y is a regulating screw
working freely through a hole in the elevator, and is merely to act as a stop for
regulating the elevation of the end 2, which may be made greater or less by
turning the said screw, because the whole of the elevator is a delicate spring
pressing upwards, but made so thin that it will give way to a very slight force
impressed upon it. The end 1 of the detent spring 3 (detached Figure A)
works or presses upon the circular plate C of the said elevator in such manner.
that when the said detent spring is elevated the plate C of the elevator may
be depressed; but whenever the pin 1 of the detent spring 3 falls into the
notch in the steel plate 4, 4, the pressure of the detent spring is removed from
the circular plate C of the elevator, which therefore rises to discharge
the alarum, which it does through the medium of another piece called the
propeller, drawn in its proper place and form at D, Figure 2, and also sepa-
rately shewn in the detached Figure D. I make the propeller of steel, and it
is so thick and strong as to be without spring. It is a mere lever turning on
the screw X as a pivot or fulcrum, and having a projecting piece W on one
of its sides, which is formed into an inclined plane and highly polished and
hardened; this inclined plane falls directly under the end 2 of the elevator C,
also polished at this part, consequently whenever the elevator is depressed by
the detent, or any force, its end 2 will press upon the inclined plane W of the
propeller and drive its end outwards or to the left, and that end V is formed
into a portion of a circle not concentric with X, as will be apparent by inspec-
tion of the Figure.
Lastly, the locker E, Figure 2, is a cylindrical piece of steel or other
metal, one part of which is smaller than the other. The small part projects
through a hole in the rim and case, while the thick part acts between two pins
upon the plate. The spring F passes over the small part of the locker, thus

page_text: of the
pin to
serving to hold it down to the plate, while at the same time it rests upon the
end of the large cylinder and pushes it inwards; or I sometimes apply a fine
spiral wire or cylindrical spring over the small end of the locker, so as that it
may act against the end of the larger part instead of the long spring F,
which is then dispensed with, and in this case the locker should be inclosed
or covered by a brass cock, to be screwed over it instead of being held in its
plate by the two pins herein-before described; and I give a preference to this
last construction as having less friction, and being more certain in its action.
The use of either of the last-mentioned springs is to cause the locker to
press at all times on the circular end v of the propeller, and keep them in con-
stant contact. The effect of this pressure is likewise to drive the end
propeller inwards whenever it is at liberty to move, and t is a fixed
limit the extent of such movement. The combined effect of the several parts
herein-before described may therefore be shortly recapitulated as follows; that
is to say, whenever the detent spring is up, or raised from the hair, which it
will press upon the circular plate of the elevator C, and thereby depress its
end or
point 2, which pressing upon the inclined plane W of the propeller D,
will drive its circular head r forwards, and this, by pressing upon the locker E,
will cause its small end s to protrude from the case of the watch, and in this
state it will always remain, except when the pin of the detent falls into the
notch of the alarum wheel (which must happen once in every twelve hours
while the watch is going), and then the falling of the detent will suddenly
release the elevator from pressure, and it will rise, thereby withdrawing the
pressure of its point 2 from the inclined plane W of the propeller, which will
consequently fall back to the stop pin t, in consequence of the pressure of the
spring exerted as aforesaid upon the locker E, the small ends of which will
therefore be drawn within the case, and will remain in that position until the
sloping side of the notch 4, 4, has been moved round sufficiently to raise the
pin of the detent spring again and has brought it back to its elevated position.
The above is all that is necessary to form the union between the going part of
any watch and a detached alarum, because it will be evident that such alarum
may be disengaged or set off by the sudden withdrawing of the locker, and that
such disengagement may take place at any required time by a due and proper
disposition of the hour and alarum hands upon their respective pivots or arbors.
I shall next proceed to describe the manner in which the alarum movement
is operated upon by the means herein-before described, before doing which I
will observe that there are several kinds of alarums, the one striking upon a
bell, as generally used, another acting like a watchman's rattle by a combi-
ination of machinery, and others making different noises; but in either

page_text: case the alarum work consists of a train of wheels and pinions working in an
ordinary frame of plates and pillars, urged by a weight or spring, and termi-
nating in a fly, consequently to such movement generally I make no claim,
but confine my Invention to the means of connecting and setting off any
kind of alarum work at a certain fixed hour or time by means of the combi-
nation of machinery herein-before described.
An alarum movement in its separate state is represented in the Drawing at
G, H, and consists of a frame the upper plate of which is nearly half an inch
less than the pillar plate, in order that the works may be covered by and con-
tained within the bell, as shewn at Figure 3, which is a section or profile of
the alarum movement. A going barrel, which contains the main spring, is
placed in the center of the said frame, and a steel wheel cut with ratchet
teeth to work the hammer is fixed on the upper part of the said barrel,. its
other side carrying the main wheel to drive the train, which generally consists
of three wheels and four pinions, as may be distinctly seen in Figure 4. The
alarum hammer has a spring and a regulating spring on the opposite side of
the plate, as shewn at K, Figure 5. The fly pinion has an arm of steel fixed
on its arbor, and as this comes in contact with the projecting pin H, Figure 4,
the works are locked and the alarum prevented from running down; but so
soon as the pin II is moved, the whole is at liberty and free to move. The
pin H passes through a hole in the plate and rises from the locking lever H
on the other side of the plate, as shewn in Figure 5, where it may be seen
that this locking lever turns on a screw pivot at its inner end, and is con-
stantly pressed to one side by the force of the spring P, which operates in
such a direction as to throw the pin H, Figure 4, out of contact with the steel
arm of the fly arbor, and consequently always keeps the alarum work in a free
state for motion; but it may be locked at any time by pushing the locking
lever H, Figure 5, backwards, or against the action of its spring P. A wire
tail I rises perpendicularly out of the outer end of the locking lever II, and it
is this wire tail that is to be engaged, with the small ends of the locker E, s,
Figure 2, whenever the alarum is to be wound up and set. This locking
lever H, with its two pins, is shewn in a detached state at the Figure marked Z,
and it is the application of this lever, and the connection of its pin I with the
projecting end of the locker s for discharging the alarum movement, which I
alone claim as a part of my Invention.
Figure 1 shews a watch having all the above-described parts apper-
taining thereto, and placed upon one of the aforesaid detached alarum
movements, I being the case of the alarum, formed of open work, chased or
otherwise ornamented, and having the appearance, when empty, of the

page_text: ordinary receptacle of an external watch case, M being the usual rim that
shuts down over the watch with a spring ketch, and thereby holds its
steadily in its proper position. The alarum movement is fixed in this external
case with the pillar plate upwards, and the works and bell downwards, con-
sequently the wire tail I, Figure 5, projects upwards into the case; and in
placing the watch within it it is necessary to observe that the projecting end
of the lockers, Figure 2, comes behind and engages with this wire tail, as
seen at H, E, Figure 1, in such manner that it may push back the locking
lever H, Figure 5, and thereby lock the train of the alarum. When the
rim Mis to be shut down, and the alarum hand set as aforesaid to the
time upon the dial when it is to be discharged, the alarum may then
be wound up by the key or milled head K, Figure 3, which is screwed
upon the main spring arbor, so that it can only turn it in one direction
without unscrewing, and the machine will be ready to operate, because at
the assigned hour and minute the ends of the locker will be withdrawn into
the watch, thereby releasing the wire tail I and the locker lever H, Figure 5,
by which the alarum will be discharged, and will instantly run down. What
has been said of the bell alarum movement equally applies to rattle move-
ments, because they consist of the same parts and are constructed and used
in the same manner, except only that the bell, the hammer, and the steel
ratchet wheel for working the same, and the springs connected therewith, are
dispensed with, and in lieu thereof the rattle movement shewn in Figure 6 is
substituted. This consists of two strong steel springs N, N, so fixed or
screwed upon the outside of the upper plate that they may both press in the
same direction against the two strong pins or steeds q. q, fixed to receive them,
and the upper plate may in this construction be made of the same diameter
as the lower plate, because ther is no bell to go over it. A course steel
pinion M is fixed on to a square upon the continued arbor of the first wheel
in the movement Figure 4, and which wheel for this purpose is brought nearer
to the edge of the plate in such manner that the lever of the said pinion may
engage with the ends of both the springs N, N, and by its revolution may
carry it some distance towards r, and on their return they strike against the,
pins q. q, and produce a powerful rattling noise, more or less; springs may
of course be used for a similar purpose, according to the extent of noise
required.
The points upon which I ground my right of exclusive privilege to the
above Invention, under my aforesaid herein-before in part recited Patent are,
therefore, the new combination of machinery which I have produced in the
detent and its appendages, the elevator, the propellor, and the locker in the
.

page_text: watch movement, and the combined operation of these with the locking lever
and its wire tail, by which the above-described or any other kind of alarum
may be set off and discharged, whether the same be detached or attached from
the said,watch, and likewise for the kind of case or support which I have
adopted for holding, confining, and containing the said watch or other move-
ment in such manner that it may be attached or detached, and may form an
elegant and useful article of ornamental furniture, while it will contain a
larger bell, rattle, or other apparatus for producing noise than could possibly
be applied in the size of any watch, whereby it may serve for wear or distant
purposes, or may even answer the purpose of making a large striking move-
ment applicable to a small watch. But I hereby distinctly disclaim any exclu-
sive right, benefit, or advantage to the individual wheels, levers, springs, or other
parts of the movements above described, which I claim only in their combined
and collective capacity; and I further disclaim any right or title to the invention
of the train of wheels described as being necessary in either of the alarum
movements, and likewise to the train of wheels herein-before described for
moving the alarum hand from the pendant on other part of the movement,
further than the same are already secured to me by a former Patent, which I
obtained in the year One thousand eight hundred and nine, in which the same
kind of train wheels is described as applied to a different purpose, my present
Patent being for a new mechanical arrangement and combination of parts
already well known, but now applied by me to the production of a new
purpose and effect.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Anthony Berrollas, have hereunto
set my hand and seal the Twenty-seventh day of June, in the year One
thousand eight hundred and twenty-seven.