Improvements in Mechanism for Automatically Lighting the Gas Jets of Illuminated Clocks.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Apr., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 1st Jan., 1892-Accepted, 20th Feb., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mechanism for Automatically Lighting the Gas
Jets of Illuminated Clocks.
I, JAMES RITCHIE, of 25 Leith Street, in the City and County of Edinburgh,
Clock and Watch Maker, do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as
follows:-
:-
This invention has reference to and comprises a new or improved construction, or
arrangement and combination of the parts of apparatus or mechanism for auto-
matically lighting the gas jets used to illuminate the dials of turret or other clocks,
and in doing this by currents of electricity transmitted to each burner in succession
by a switch actuated by the mechanism of the clock at any pre-arranged times.
The improvements essentially consist all as follows:-On an arbor driven by the
mechanism of a clock one revolution cach 24 hours I mount a wheel loosely and
free to revolve, but driven through a main spring or by a weight with an endless
chain and pulleys. Fixed to this wheel is an insulated duplex or double armed
spring which acts on a circularly arranged switch, fixed to the framework, having
an insulated central circular part working in connection with a battery and spark
coil and surrounded by a series or number of insulated segments one connected by
a separate insulated wire with each burner to be lighted. When the wheel is
released at sun-set or other arranged time after the clock mechanism has opened
the gas supply valve, as hereinafter described one arm of the spring is carried over
the circular switch and the other arm over the insulated segments and so puts each
burner in succession in electrical connection with the spark coil and battery and
thus lights the jets. Any ordinary simple forms of electro-magnetic vibrating
spark burners may be used. The motion of the wheel carrying the spring contacts
may be retarded by a vibrating pendulum with escapement working into teeth
formed on the periphery of the wheel or by a train of wheel work and fly, so as to
make the contacts dwell for a limited time on each segment and ensure currents
being sent from the battery of sufficient duration to light the gas.
The gas would preferably be supplied through a conical shaped valve working on
a correspondingly shaped seat in a tube with a rod on top of valve connected to
one arm of a bell-crank or two armed lever with a pin in the free end which would
be actuated to lift or lower the valve and turn on or shut off the gas supply to the
burners all as follows:-Fixed on the twenty-four hour arbor is another wheel of
which one part is of greater diameter than the remainder having two fan shaped
pieces or segments moving on the centre and each with curved slots on opposite
sides. This wheel also carries a smaller wheel made to revolve once a year by an
endless screw and start wheel striking a pin fixed to the frame work. As the
smaller wheel revolves a stud fixed in it and in the one end of a straight link or
rod causes a pin which is fixed in the other end of straight link to traverse a
straight slot in the larger wheel and as it also moves in the curved slots in the
fan shaped pieces it makes them approach to or recede from each other, and so
alter the relative proportions of the larger and smaller diameters of the large
wheel. The curved slots in the fan shaped segments of wheel are shaped so as
to turn the gas on and off as near sunset and sunrise as may be desired.
The pin on the free end of the two armed lever which actuates the gas supply
valves is made to travel on the outer periphery of the fan shaped segment
wheel and so long as it is resting on the large or fan segment diameter of the
wheel the valve is shut and the gas out. When this pin falls to the smaller
diameter the valve is opened by the two armed lever and a pin. fixed in the
scape wheel carrying the electric contact springs is released and the wheel is

page_text: allowed to make one revolution until locked by another lower placed pin on
scape wheel.
When the incline and larger diameter on the fan shaped wheel
raises the pin of lever the valve is again closed and the gas extinguished, the
lower pin escapes and the scape wheel is locked by the higher pin and lever as
before. The gas may be put out, as say, at eleven or twelve o'clock at night and
relighted in the morning, if wanted, by modifying the construction of the fan
segment wheel as by forming a projecting surface on a part of the periphery of the
wheel having the smaller diameter.
Dated the 2nd Amil 1901
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mechanism for Automatically Lighting the Gas
Jets of Illuminated Clocks.
I, JAMES RITCHIE, of 25 Leith Street, in the City and County of Edinburgh,
Clock and Watch Maker, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement in writing, reference being had to the
accompanying drawings, that is to say :-
This invention has reference to and comprises a new or improved construction, or
arrangement and combination of the parts of apparatus or mechanism for auto-
matically lighting the gas jets used to illuminate the dials of turret or other clocks,
and in doing this by currents of electricity transmitted to each burner in succession
by a switch actuated by the mechanism of the clock.
And in order that my said invention and the manner of performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice may be properly understood, I have hereunto
appended an explanatory sheet of drawings, in which the same reference
letters are used to indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where shown.
Figure shows a front elevation, and Figure 2 a corresponding plan, both
illustrating one arrangement of my improved mechanism as applied to a clock, for
automatically controlling the lighting of its gas jets.
Figure 3 is a face view of the switch plate for putting the current on the several
wires; and
Figure is a sectional elevation of the gas controlling valve chest and
branches.
Referring to these drawings-The improvements essentially consist all as follows:-
An arbor A is carried in bearings in a portable frame B which carries the whole
of the new mechanism secured to some part of the main frame of the clock. This
arbor A. is driven by the mechanism of a clock one revolution each 24 hours, and
on it I mount an escapement wheel A' loosely and free to revolve intermittently,
but driven through a main spring at A having one end of said spring attached to
the wheel A¹ and the other or inner end attached to a boss or wheel on the arbor A,
which would be continuously and slowly winding it up to actuate the wheel A
when this is set in motion; or it might be by a weight with an endless chain and
sprocket wheels or pulleys wound up at a slow rate by the motion of the arbor A.
Fixed to this wheel A¹ is an insulated duplex or double armed spring, which
acts on a circularly arranged switch fixed to the framework B, preferably by
a wooden or insulated disc B', having the insulated central circular part 2 working
in connection with a battery and spark coil, and surrounded by a series or number
of insulated segments "one connected by a separate insulated wire with each
burner to be lighted. When the wheel. A is released at sun-set or other arranged
tine, after the clock mechanism has opened the gas supply valve, as hereinafter
described, one arm of the spring is carried over the circular switch 6 and
the other arm & over the insulated segments 6" and so puts each burner in succession

page_text: in electrical connection with the spark coil and battery and thus lights the jets.
Any ordinary simple forms of electro-magnetic vibrating spark burners may be
used. The motion of the escapement wheel A carrying the spring contacts,
is preferably retarded by the vibrating pendulum A³ with escapement pawl A"
working into the teeth formed on the periphery of the wheel A', or otherwise it
might be by a train of wheel work and fly, so as to make the spring contacts
dwell" for a limited time on each segment" and ensure currents being sent from
the battery of sufficient duration to light the gas jets.
*
The gas would preferably be supplied through a conical shaped valve C working
on a correspondingly shaped scat in a tube chest C with a horizonal rod C² on top
of valve C working out through a stuffing box in the end of the chest C and kept
close by a spiral spring C" on its spindle C2 except when opened by one arm 1 of
a bell-crank, or two armed lever D D' mounted on a spindle Dur carried in the
frame B and having a lateral pin D2 in the free end of a lever D" on this spindle,
which would be actuated to lift or draw out the valve C and turn on or shut off
the gas supply to the burners by a spring C³ in the lever D" which is more powerful
than the spring C". The action is all as follows:- -Fixed on the twenty-four hour
arbor A, is another wheel E E', of which one part E is of greater diameter than
the remainder segmental parts E1, having two fan shaped pieces or segments E², E",
moving by eyes at E3 on the centre of the arbor A and each with curved slots e², e",
on opposite arms. This wheel E E', also carries a smaller screw wheel F on a
stud in one of its arms and is made to revolve once a year by a screw F¹ and
spindle carried on the face of the said wheel, and actuated by a star or ratchet
wheel F2 on it striking a pin or stop F fixed to the framework B. As the smaller
wheel revolves, an eccentric or crank pin fixed in it and jointed to the one
end of a straight link or connecting rod f¹, causes a pine which is fixed in
the other end of the straight link to traverse a straight slot el in one arm
of the larger wheel E, and as it also moves in the curved slots e, e, in the fan
shaped pieces E E", it makes them approach to or recede from each other, and 30
alter the relative proportions of the larger and smaller diameters or acting
parts E E of the large wheel. The curved slots e², e", in the fan shaped
segments EE", of the wheel E are shaped so as to turn the gas on and off as near
sun-set and sun-rise as may be desired. The pin D on the free end of the
lever D which actuates the gas supply valves C' by the lever D, is made to travel
on the outer periphery E of the fan shaped segment wheel, and so long as it is
resting on the large or fan segment diameter E of the wheel and that of the fan
When the
segments EE", the valve C¹ is shut and the gas is turned off or out.
pin D2 in the lever D" falls to the smaller diameter E' at the notches E³, E³, by
the power of the spring C³ on the lever D", the valve C¹ is opened by the
levers D D', and the gas is turned on and a pin a fixed in the scape wheel A¹
carrying the electric contact springs is released from the stop a on the lever D¹ and
the wheel A is allowed to make one revolution until locked by another lower
placed pin a² on the scape wheel A¹. When the incline E and larger diameter E
on the fan shaped wheel raises the pin D2 of the lever D", the valve is again
closed and the gas extinguished, the lever pin a² escapes and the scape wheel A¹ is
locked by the higher pin a' and lever as before. The gas may be put out, as say,
at eleven or twelve o'clock at night, and relighted in the morning if wanted by
modifying the construction of the fan segment wheel E as by forming a projecting
surface on the opposite side of the wheel as shown dotted in at E in Figure 1,
which would put the lights off and on twice in the 24 hours.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. The method of automatically lighting and shutting off gas jets to illu-
minate the dials of turret or other clocks by currents of electricity transmitted
through a switch and segmental terminals controlled by a slow rotating wheel aud

page_text: differential segments from the clock mechanism, substantially as and for the
purposes herein described in reference to and by way of application shown in
the accompanying drawings.
Second. The construction, or arrangement and combination of the parts of
apparatus for automatically lighting and shutting off gas jets to illuminate the dials
of turret or other clocks by means of an electric contact switch operated through
the mechanism of the clock, substantially as herein described, in reference to and
shown in the accompanying drawings.
Third. In turret and other clocks, the fitting and use of a loose rotating wheel
for operating an electric contact switch and controlling the lighting and shutting off
of the gas from a slow differential acting wheel actuated by the clock mechanism,
substantially as and for the purposes herein described in reference to and by way
of application shown in the accompanying drawings.
Fourth. In turret and other clocks the fitting and use of levers, and valve, for
putting on and off the gas supply to the burners by the combination of a slow
rotating wheel with differential or stepped periphery, substantially as and for the
purposes herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated the 31st December 1901
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.