Improvements in Ratchet Gearing and Locking for Electric Clocks and General Registering or other like Machines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Jan., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 20th Nov., 1899-Accepted, 20th Jan., 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ratchet Gearing and Locking for Electric Clocks
and General Registering or other like Machines.
JAMES JOHN STOCKALL Senior, Watch and Clock Manufacturer, 6 and 8,
Clerkenwell Road, E.C., and 50, Ferme Park Road, N., do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
Machine to accurately register any desired time, distance or period during
the action of any piece of mechanism to discharge any other mechanism, or to
accurately maintain or regulate the powergiving motion to any mechanism by
winding, or forcing it up to a given standard by electrical or other force. The
invention is an improved method of making a wheel move a set dis-
tance only at a time, and in holding it safely locked when not required to move.
An arm or lever hung on pivots or otherwise is made to swing across the wheel
by electrical or other force; to this arm is attached either one or more pieces of
metal, working easily on pins or screws and made to act between two or more
teeth of the wheel, propelling and locking the wheel in one case, and locking
only on the other. Propulsion of the wheel being obtained either by a click
working on the arm, or by one of the other pieces of metal attached thereto
having the end shaped in such a manner, that, acting on a fixed pin or roller.
when the arm is drawn across the wheel the end of the piece of metal is lifted
up carrying the arm with it. A seperate small click acting in the teeth_of_the_
wheel assists-in-holding the wheel on propulsion being completed.
January 20th 1899.
Improvements in Ratchet Gearing and Locking for Electric Clocks
and General Registering or other like Machines.
JAMES JOHN STOCKALL Senior, of 6. 8 and 10, Clerkenwell Road, E.C., and
50, Ferme Park Road, N., London, Clock and Watch Manufacturer, do hereby
leclare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention relates to apparatus to give and accurately control the forward
notion of a wheel by a step by step ratchet action, arresting and securely locking
t when it has been moved through a given angle until a new impulse has been
mparted to it.
To effect this purpose I employ the following mechanism. An arm to which

page_text: a to and fro motion is given by an electro magnet or other suitable means, is
connected to two pallets having blades or pins arranged to enter gaps cut be-
tween the 'ratchet teeth on opposite sides of a wheel; such gaps being of sufficient
depth to prevent either blade or pin escaping out of the gaps or teeth in which
it is engaged, until the blade or pin on the opposite side has entered into engage-
ment and ensured perfectly safe locking of the wheel. These pallets are moved
by the arm to and fro across the wheel and alternately lock in the gaps between
the teeth on opposite sides of the wheel: before one pallet is disengaged from
the teeth on one side of the wheel, the other becomes engaged between teeth
on the opposite side. Rotation is given to the wheel, either by a pawl attached
to the arm, or by one pallet being lifted by sliding up an incline plane during
the radial motion of the arm, which pallet having entered into engagement
with the. wheel carries it forward through the angle required, which, when
effected, the pallet is then arrested by a fixed stop; the wheel is prevented
travelling backwards by a pawl engaging in a tooth and holding it until the
return of the arm brings the other pallet into engagement and securely locks
the wheel, while at the same time the pallet which lifted the wheel falls into
position ready to engage the next tooth."
The accompanying drawings show various arrangements for carrying out my
invention.
Fig. 1. Represents a front elevation of one arrangement.
Fig. 2. The horizontal section of same arrangement.
(a) is the wheel to be rotated, behind it are two pallets, b and c, jointed with a
hinge d. The pallet 6 slides between fixed guide pins, e, e, (no vertical shake
being allowed), when the pallet b, (or pin a in same), is locked in the wheel, the
pin y in the opposite pallet c, is free of the wheel and the pallet rests on the
fixed pin f. The arm pivotted at one end h, has a to and fro motion given to
it by an electro magnet, or a spring or weight, and gives motion to the pallets, b
and c. by acting in the notch in pallet b. at i, as the pallets are carried across the
wheel towards the left. before pin in the pallet b. is disengaged from the
wheel, the pin y in pallet c, enters into engagement with the teeth on the oppo-
site side. To the underside of the mallet c, is fixed an inclined plane, j. which—
acting on the roller as the pallets are drawn across the wheel-causes the
pallet c, to be lifted up carrying the wheel with it until the pallet is arrested by
the fixed stop pin 7. The pawl m, pivotted into the cock, and plate, makes
engagement with the wheel and prevents any backward motion while the pin
in the pallet b, is entering into re-engagement. This operation being completed,
the pallets are drawn back by a spring or weight or electro-magnet, the pin x in
pallet b. is re-engaged in the teeth of the wheel and securely locks it. The
pallet c, falls back to its original position on the pin f, ready for the whole
operation to be repeated.
Instead of the
Fig. 3. Shows a modification of the above arrangement.
pallets being jointed together a solid bar o is used, having a pin p, in each end,
to engage in the teeth of the wheel, and also a pin g. to work in the slot of the
arm g. Forward motion is given to the wheel by the end of the bar-having
engagement with the wheel by the pin p-being lifted up in consequence of the
inclined planej, being brought into contact with the roller k, as the bar is
carried across the wheel by the arm g, until the end of the bar is arrested in its
upward motion by the pin 7.
The slot in the arm is of such length and width as will allow of the bar rising
sufficiently to move the wheel through the angle required-and to free the
locking part of the teeth. Otherwise the actions are the same as in the former
described arrangements.
Fig. 1 shows another modification of arrangement, motion is given to the
wheel by the pallet, c, having at the end of it an incline plane, j, which plane
acting on the fixed pin, f, as the pallets are drawn across the wheel, propels the
wheel forward-otherwise the action is the same.

page_text: Fig. 4. Shows an arrangement by which rotary motion, is given to the wheel
by a pawl m, instead of the incline plane and roller system as in Figs. 1, 2, 3.
The pawl m', works on a stud which is screwed into a radial arm ic, mounted
loose on the axis of the wheel, in the wing of the radial arm are two pins o, o,
between which the arm g, has a certain amount of play, in order to allow the
pallet b, to pass out of the locking part of the teeth before the pallet c.. is
engaged in the gaps between the teeth on the other side of the wheel, otherwise
the action is the same as in the former described arrangements.
An additional locking of the wheel can be applied by the locking pawl, 2.
having a spring tail, acting between two pins q, q', at the end of the pallet, b.
when the pallets b, and c, are completing their radial motion to the left, the
locking pawl, p, is pressed into engagement with and locking the wheel by
pin q. On the return of the arm g, the pawl p, is drawn out of engagement by
the pin pressing against the spring at the tail of the pawl.
Although the arm g, is shown in the drawings as pivotted at the lower end
of the plate it can with equal advantage be pivotted at the upper end, or not be
pivotted at all, but slide between two guide plates.
My above described invention may be applied with advantage in all
mechanisms which require a step by step rotary motion accurately and safely
controlled and registered, more especially to electric clocks.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
(1) In apparatus for effecting a step-by-step rotary motion, the combination
with a ratchet toothed wheel having gaps cut between the teeth, and to which
a step-by-step rotary motion is to be given, of an arm receiving a to and fro
motion from any suitable means and two pallets actuated by such arm so as to
be engaged alternately with opposite sides of this wheel so that the one pallet
which has a to and fro motion radially only of the wheel comes into engagement
therewith before the other pallet which receives both a radial to and fro motion
and a circumferential motion is brought out of engagement, substantially as
described.
(2) In apparatus for effecting a step-by-step rotary motion, the combination
-of-a- ratchet -toothed wheel-having-gaps cut between the teeth and to which
rotary motion is to be given, means for rotating the wheel through a certain
angle, a pallet having a to and fro motion radially of the wheel only, locking
into the wheel when its given angle of rotation is completed, another pallet
having both a radial and a circular motion arranged to engage in the teeth on
the opposite side of the wheel before it commences to give rotation to the wheel,
and a stop to arrest the said pallet when the wheel has been rotated the required
angle, and means for giving the radial action to the two pallets, so that one
always enters into engagement with the wheel, before the other passes out of
engagement, substantially as described.
(3) In apparatus for effecting a step-by-step rotary motion, the combination of
a ratchet toothed wheel having gaps cut between the teeth wr, which is to be
rotated, pallets or a bar having pins or blades y arranged to slide in and out
of engagement in the gaps between the teeth in the wheel, fixed pins e, e, between.
which pallet or bar b. can act only in a radial direction, pins 7 and f, between
which pallet or bar c, can slide in a radial and turn in a circular direction with
the wheel until arrested by fixed stop 1. An arm, receiving a to and fro
motion, and connected to the pallet or bar b, and an incline ; on the pallet c,
which in sliding against the roller causes the pallet e to rise upwardly so as to
rotate the wheel a, until arrested by the stop 1. Substantially as described.
(4) In apparatus for effecting a step by step motion, the combination of a
wheel with ratchet, teeth having gaps cut between the teeth especially for the
purpose of obtaining locking and deeper than is necessary for ratchet driving

page_text: purposes, and two pallets or a bar with blades or pins arranged to engage therein
on opposite sides of the wheel, by which means it is made impossible for the
wheel to be rotated except by one step at a time, inasmuch as before one pallet
can become disengaged from the gaps or teeth on one side of the wheel, the
pallet on the opposite side has become engaged in the gaps or teeth in its side
of the wheel. Substantially as described.
1000