Improvements relating to Repeating Watches.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 19th July, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 21st Sept., 1889-Accepted, 26th Oct., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to Repeating Watches.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the firm of G. F. Redfern & Co., the General
Patent Office, No. 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the county of London, Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication from abroad
by Georg Wilhelin Büxenstein of Berlin; in the Empire of Germany, Merchant,) to
be as follows:-
This invention relates to repeating mechanism for watches, the object being to
provide a watch by means of which blind persons at any time and other persons,
even a deaf person in the dark, an ascertain the time. Hitherto by the repeating
mechanism of watches the time has been inlicated, by means of audible sounds, but,
according to this invention, the time is indicated by means of slight shocks com-
municated to a pin when depressed by the finger, thereby acting on the sense of
touch.
In carrying out the invention, to the inner side of the upper plate carrying the
movement and the dial, is fixed a toothed ring having 48 ratchet teeth the said ring
encircling the figures on the dial. A spring pin is fixed to the frame of the watch
and projects through an opening in the dial. On the edge of the dial is another
toothed ring working in suitable guides and provided with any desired number of
teeth which gear with a wheel by which it can be turned in either direction by a
knob outside the watch case. The latter toothed ring is provided with a hole through
which the spring pin passes on the ring reaching a certain position whereby the
rotation of the ring which is in a direction opposite to that of the hands is stopped
and the ring cannot be turned further in that direction. Connected to this toothed
ring are two superposed toothed rings; the lower ring has 12 ratchet teeth the
points of which are directed towards the left and the upper ring is divided into
twelve sections, each of which consists of three ratchet teeth, the sections being
separated from each other by a space; the points of these teeth are directed towards
the right. The upper toothed ring has an enlargement at one part of its inner
circumference provided with a pin on which pivots a lever having a pin moving
in a slot of the enlargement whereby the movement of the lever is limited.
pin extends a little beyond the surface of the enlargement to which a spring is
fixed and normally keeps the lever from contact with the ring having 48 teeth.
The watch is provided with two spring push pins which respectively press against
the two superposed toothed rings. Attached to the minute hand is a spring the
point of which brushes over the rim of the upper one of the two superposed toothed
wheels. In order to allow this spring to pass over the point of the pin moving in
the slot of the enlargement a bridge is provided on the enlargement having a thin
point near one end so that it may raise the spring. The other end of the bridge
forms a free swinging point extending over the enlargement which, when the toothed!
rings are turned to the right, passes over the spring whereby the latter is allowed
to press on the pin. The end of the bridge is so adjustod that providing the toothed
rings are in the zero position it moves the spring exactly at one o'clock and then
drops it again on the upper of the two superposed toothed rings thereby allowing of
the first hour being repeated any desired number of times.
The
By this arrangement in order to ascertain the time by the repeating mechanism, the
bove named knob must be turned so as to bring the toothed ring on the edge of the
liul to its position of zero, and the two spring push pins must be depressed, whereupon
he said push pins will be vibrated a number of times, the one corresponding to the
our and the other to the quarter hour.

page_text: Instead of fixing the repeating mechanism to the dial plate it may be connected to
other parts of the case, and, instead of the toothed rings, discs can be employed.
Dated the 19th day of July 1889.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
Improvements relating to Repeating Watches.
1, GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the firm of G.F. Redforn and Co., the General
Patent Office, No. 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the county of London, Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication from abroad
by Georg Wilhelm Büxenstein, of Berlin, in the Empire of Germany, Merchant) and
in what manner the same is to be perforined to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to repeating mechanism for watches, the object being to
provide a watch by means of which blind persons at any time, and other persons, even
a deaf person in the dark, can ascertain the time. Hitherto by the repeating
mechanism of watches, the time has been indicated by means of audible sounds, but
according to this invention the time is indicated by means of slight strokes com-
municated to a pin, when depressed by the finger, thereby acting on the sense of
touch.
In order to enable the invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
my invention by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which-
Figure 1 is a plan of a watch provided with my improvements.
Figure 2 is a plan shewing the position of the parts, after repeating the hours.
Figure 3 is a view shewing the position of the parts when repeating the quarter
hours.
Figure 4 is a section through the repeating mechanism.
Figures 5 to 7 represent separate parts of the repeating mechanism.
To the inner side of the upper plate, carrying the movement and the dial, is fixed a
toothed ring a having 48 ratchet-teeth, the said toothed ring encircling the figures on
the dial.
Con-
A spring pin figure 7 is fixed to the frame of the watch and projects through the
dial. On the edge of the dial is a toothed ring e in suitable guides. The ring c is
provided with any desired number of teeth, which gear with a wheel d by which it
can be turned in either direction by a knob outside the watch case. The toothed
ring c has a hole e, through which the spring pin passes as soon as the ring e reaches
a certain position, the wheel is thereby stopped in its rotation, which is in a direction
opposite to that of the hands, and cannot be turned further in that direction.
nected to the toothed ring care two superposed toothed rings fand g. The lower
ring has 12 ratchet-teeth, the points of which are directed towards the left. The
upper toothed ring g is divided into 12 sections, each of which consists of 3 ratchet-
teeth, the sections being separated from each other by a space. The points of the
teeth are directed towards the right. The upper toothed ring g has an enlargement
at one part of its inner circumference provided with a pin i, on which pivots a lever k,
having a pin moving in a slot m of the enlargement and limiting the movement
of the lever k. The pin extends a little beyond the surface of the enlarge-
ment . A spring a fixed to the enlargement normally keeps the lever from
contact with the teeth of the fixed wheel a. The watch case is provided with
two spring push pins o and p of which the first can be pressed against the toothed
ring and the second against the toothed ring y. Attached to the minute hand
is a spring q, which brushes with the point over the rim of the toothed wheel g.
To ascertain the time with a repeating watch constructed according to the present
improvements, the toothed wheel c is first by means of the pinion d turned round

page_text: into the zero position, that is to say, into the position where it is prevented
by the stop pin b entering into the hole e from being turned any further in the
one direction. The pin is then depressed by the finger and the toothed-wheel c
together with the toothed rings and is, by means of the pinion d, turned in
the direction of the hands of the watch. On the pin o being depressed, it rides
over the teeth of the toothed ring and communicates a slight shock or shocks to
the finger, the number of which indicates the hour. As soon as the end of the
pin which extends above the enlargement and turns with the combined toothed
rings c, fand g comes against the spring the lever is caused to engage with one
of the teeth of the fixed toothed ring a, figure 2, thereby preventing the toothed
rings c, fand g from being turned any further.
The toothed ring a has 48 teeth, each of which corresponds to a quarter of an hour
which is thereby ascertained. After having ascertained the hour, the second pin p
is depressed which thereby presses against the tooth ring g and the pinion d is then
turned in the opposite direction, and the toothed rings and are turned in an
opposite direction to that of the hands. If, for instance, the long hand is between
three quarters and full i.e. between the numerals IX and XII figure 2, the toothed
ring, in consequence of the movement of the combined toothed rings e, f and g,
stops in such a position as to cause the pin p when depressed to enter the first
tooth on the left of one of the sections in the toothed ring g.
When turning the toothed rings e, f and g back into the position shewn in figure 3,
the pin p is lifted three times by the three teeth between the pin and the recess
of the next section. Each time the pin is raised a shock is communicated to the
finger and indicates a quarter of an hour. On the third shock through the pressure
of the finger the pin is caused to enter the recess between that section and the.
next and thus prevents further turning of the toothed-rings c, ƒ and g. On the
finger being removed from the pin p the toothed-rings can be turned back to the
original position. Between full and the first quarter, i.e. between XII and III, the
pin wben depressed enters a recess between the sections. Between the first and
second quarter, i.e. between III and VI, it comes against the first tooth and thereby
gives one shock when the toothed-wheel is turned back thus indicating the first
quarter hour.
By this arrangement the time can be repeated any number of times and on each
occasion it gives the exact hour as well as the quarter hours.
Between twelve and one the twelve shocks can only be given once and after that
the number zero stands for twelve and only the quarter hours are repeated in
shocks and these can thus be indicated any number of times. No shock is there-
fore given between twelve and a quarter past twelve; between the quarter and the
half hour one shock is given to indicate the quarter of an hour which has elapsed;
between the half and three quarter there are two quarter hour shocks, and between
a quarter to, and one o'clock three quarter hour shocks, and at one o'clock the first
hour shock.
In order to allow the spring q to pass over the point of the pin a bridge r is
provided (figures 5 and 6) on the enlargement h and which has a thin point near
one end so that it may raise the spring q. The other end of the bridge forms a
free swinging point extending over the enlargement h, which, when the toothed
rings c, and y are turned to the right, passes over the spring q, whereby the
latter is allowed to press on the pin 7. The last named point of the bridge ris
of such a length that provided the toothed-rings c, fand g are in the zero position, tho
spring slips from it exactly at one o'clock and then drops onto the toothed-ring 9,
whereby the first hour can be repeated any desired number of times as before
mentioned.
Instead of fixing the repeating mechanism to the dial plate it may be connected to
other parts of the case; and instead of the toothed-rings c, f and y discs can be

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
:-
1. The improved push repeating mechanism for watches in which perceptible
shocks are caused to be communicated to the person, operating the push piece by
means of turning a toothed ring or disc, the extent of travel of which in ono
direction is limited by a pin fixed to the casing, the extent of movement in the
other direction being regulated by a lever fixed to the ring or disc; the lever k
is made to act upon a fixed footbed-ring, through the movement of the small hand,
either directly or through other contrivances attached to the small hand, substan-
tially as herein before described.
2. In push repeating mechanism for watches of the kind referred to in claim 1,
the arrangement of the toothed ring g, having deep recesses which recesses determine
the position of that ring when repeating the hour, through turning the ring back,
i.e. opposite, to the directions of the hands.
3. In push-repeating mechanism for watches, such as that referred to in claim 1,
the bridge for the purpose of causing the spring 7 connected with the small hand,
to slip over the top of the pin 1, when turned backward, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
arrange-
4. In push-ropeating mechanism, such as that referred to in claim 1, the
ment of the spring presser pins o and p, and the pinion d with the knob, for turning
the ring or dise, substantially as herein before described.
5. The manufacture and use of the improved repeating watch, herein before
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Dated the 101 ..
Cantambor 1880
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.