Year: 1886

page_text: A clerical error in the Original Specification having been amended
by the Patentee with the consent of the Comptroller, the printed
Specification will now read as shown below:-

page_text: I, CHRISTOPHER BECKER Jr of New Rochelle, Westchester County, State of
New York, United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of
my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN CHRONOMETERS, 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 various improvements in chronometers, and more
particularly to the escapement, and to mechanism for lengthening and shortening
tbe pendulum, and to the pendulum itself.
The invention consists in the various elements of improvement hereinafter more
fully pointed out.
In the accompanying sheets of drawing, fig. 1, is a front view of portion of the
movement showing the escapement.
Fig. 2, is a side view of the same.
Fig. 3, is a detail side view of one of the pallets.
Fig. 3, is a detail face view of the escapement.
Fig. 4, is a front view showing the pendulum suspension mechanism.
Fig. 5, is a side view of the same.
Fig. 6, is an enlarged longitudinal section on line x, x, fig. 4.
Figs. 7 and 8, are detail views of portions of such mechanism.
Fig. 9, is a front view of the pendulum.
Fig. 10, is an edge view partly in section of the same, and fig. 11, a longitudinal
section of the same.
With particular reference to figures 1-3, the letter a represents the spindle of
the second hand which receives motion by its pinion, and by a train of gear wheels
from a weight or main spring as customary. Upon this spindle a there is mounted
the scape wheel 6 having 60 teeth. c, is a pallet, being a long straight bar which
rests with its lower end against one of the teeth of wheel b, and is rigidly attached
at its upper end to the arbor d, to which the guide wire e, of the pendulum is
attached. Against the pallet c bears one arm of a pallet f, the other arm of which
engages the teeth of wheel b.
The pallet is bent and is free to turn upon its arbor g.
The operation of the parts is as follows: As the chronometer is put into motion,
the pallet c resting against one of the teeth of wheel b, is swung to the right
with such tooth, carrying guide wire e with it, until the pallet arrives at the

page_text: position shown in full lines in figs. 1 & 30. Then the lower end of the pallet c is
freed from such tooth, and owing to the oscillation of the pendulum it will be
swung back to the left, until it rests against the next tooth, (dotted lines figure 3a)
whence the operation is repeated.
During the motion of the pallet c, the lower arm of pallet f, will alternately
engage and disengage teeth of wheel b in the following manner: When the pallet c
has swung to the right, it swings clear of upper arin of pallet f, and the lower
arm of such pallet will drop between two of the teeth of wheel b by gravity.
When, however, the pallet c swings to the left, it will bear against upper arm of
pallet f, and will raise the lower arm from out between the teeth of wheel b.
The main advantage of this escapement lies in the fact that the pendulum makes
a forward and backward vibration during each second, and that it receives an
impetus at the forward vibration only, while the backward vibration is caused
solely by its own weight.
With particular reference to figures 4-8, the letter a¹ represents a block secured
to the front plate of the movement and having at its top a forwardly projecting
centrally perforated nose b¹. In this nose a cylindrical plug c¹ is free to move up
or down. From the upper end of this plug projects a screw threaded pin which
engages a screw threaded perforation of a horizontal disk e¹.
It will be seen that by revolving this disk to the right or left, the plug o is
raised or lowered. I prefer to attach an index finger to the plug, the free end of
which is in line with the graduated periphery of disk e¹, and thus the amount of
rotation of the disk and the consequent degree of vertical movement of plug c¹ may
be accurately measured.
Above the disk el a hand nut f¹ embraces upper end of pin d¹. This hand nut
must be loosened before the disk can be revolved, and it has for its object to
prevent accidental displacement of the disk. To the lower side of plug c¹ is
secured the steel band spring g' from which the pendulum is suspended. This
band passes through two cheek pieces, of which one is stationary, while the
other, is movable.
The stationary cheek h' is attached to block a¹ directly while the movable
cheek, slides upon a casting 1, which is attached to block a².
The casting is provided with an arm ¹ parallel to cheeks h¹, i, and at a short
distance from cheek ¹. Two screws pass through screw-threaded perforations of
arm, and their ends enter plain perforations in cheek i¹.
Between the parts i, k¹, a spring m³ is interposed which is perforated for the
admission of screws . By the above arrangement it will be seen that the movable
cheek is always pressed against the fixed cheek so as to firmly hold the steel band g¹
in position and to still permit upward or downward motion of the band, when the
disk el is revolved.
As the length of the pendulum begins at the bottom faces of the cheeks h¹, i¹, the
pendulum is lengthened or shortened by turning the disk el, in either direction.
One of the principal advantages of the above arrangement is that the pendulum
may be adjusted while the chronometer is in motion.
With particular reference to figures 9-11, the letter all represents a steel
pendulum rod, passing through a perforation of bob 611,
This perforation is enlarged considerably, below the center of the bob to admit a
zinc tube c, that embraces the lower end of rod a".
The lower end of rod all is screw-threaded to fit a female screw-thread at the
bottom of the bore of tube c¹¹.
Thus the parts a", c", are intimately connected at their lower end, but dis-
connected at their upper end. is a small thumb nut fitting around the end
of rod a¹¹.
To the rod a¹ is attached a pin e¹¹ entering a slot in bob 6. This pin maintains
the bob always in its proper position.
.
The steel expanding about three times as little as the zinc, the length of
parts all, cl, is so proportioned that the tube c¹¹ is about one third of the length of

page_text: rod all. As the rod all expands, it has a tendency to lower bob 61, were it not for
the tube c which has a tendency to raise the bob to the same extent. Thus the
position of the bob remains unchanged under variations of temperature.
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 a clock, a pendulum that swings backward and forward during each
second, and receives an impetus during its forward vibration only, while its
backward vibration is caused by its own weight, substantially as specified.
2. The combination of arbor a, carrying scape b, with the pallet c, secured to the
guide wire spindle d, and with the independently pivoted pallet f, substantially as
specified.
3. The combination of arbor a, carrying scape b, with the pallet c, secured to
spindle d, and with bent pallet f, the upper arm of which bears against pallet c,
while the lower arm engages the scape b, substantially as specified.
4. The combination of block al, and plug c¹, having pin d¹, and band g¹, with
perforated disk e¹, and with cheek pieces, bearing upon opposite sides of the band,
substantially as specified.
5. The combination of block a¹, having nose b¹, with plug c¹, having band g¹,
and with the stationary cheek piece h¹, and movable cheek piece i¹, substantially as
specified.
6. The combination of band g¹, adapted to be moved in a vertical direction with
cheek piece ¹, cheek piece i¹, and arm ke, and with screws ', and the spring m¹,
substantially as specified.
7. The combination of steel rod a", with the perforated bob 61, and zinc tube c¹¹,
which is attached to lower end of rod a¹¹, and with the pin e", engaging slot in
bob 61, substantially as specified.