Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Jan., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 15th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 16th Nov., 1888
1, ALFRED NICHOLAS of Rose Hill Handsworth near Birmingham in the County
of Warwick, Bell Action Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:
The said invention, consists first of the improvements as berein after described, in
repeater action mechanism, for striking rapidly and intermittently, bicycle, call and
other bells. Secondly, in applying repeater action mechanism to alarm apparatus,
such as ringing locks and latches.
I will first describe my invention, in connection with a bicycle, or other like bell.
The bell is attached to a bracket or carrying plate, by a screw pin or the like,
passing through the crown of the bell, and taking into the bracket or plate as
aforesaid.
The clapper, which is made in the form of a bar, and works crosswise within the
inside of the bell, has a stem extending outwards, and with its outer end, connected
to, or made into a verge, whose inside end extends excentrically into a pallet, which
works within a quadrant slot, whose opposite edges, are cut with rack teetli, like that
of a mangle or box rack.
The said quadrant slotted rack, forms the inuer end, or the inner arm of the
operating lever, by means of which, the bell is worked.
The verge consists of a coil of wire, strung upon an axis, and with the outer end
of the said wire, continued into the clapper stem, while the other end is bent
excentrically into a spike like verge, directed in the same axial line as the coil.
The teeth of the rack as aforesaid, are Vd, and with the V teeth of one side, coming
opposite the spaces between the V teeth on the other side; and the distance between
the bottom of the space, and the top of a tooth opposite to it, is about equal to the
thickness of the pallet stem so that on the operating lever being turned upon its
joint centre, the undulatory edged quadrant slot, is drawn over the end of the pallet,
so as to make it oscillate, and thereby give unto the clapper stem, a rapid, and
intermittent motion, which causes the clapper to strike alternately, the two opposite
inside lip parts of the bell.

page_text: The vibration of the bell, takes the clapper after ringing, into a neutral position.
Instead of the opposite rack sided quadrant slot being provided with V teeth, it
may be made undulatory, and with the pallet forming an inner excentric axis of the
verge and instead of the clapper striking the bell from the inside, it may be struck
from the outside, with single or branched arms.
An additional spring action is imparted to the clapper stem, and clapper, by a
volute or spiral spring, whose outer end is connected to the said arm, whilst its inner
end is connected to the verge or pallet; so that on the working of the verge, by
making the pallet thereof, trace the opposite teeth in the box or mangle rack as
aforesaid, a spring striking action is thereby obtained.
Instead of employing a double row of teeth on the two opposite sides of a slot, I
only employ a single row of teeth upon tho quadrant edge of an arm or lever, and in
order to make the pallet, (which may be pawl like) follow or trace out the teeth, I
provide it with a spring stem or arm, or a supplementary spring arm.
The application of my invention to call, door, and other bells, and for other
purposes, differs in no essential respect from its application to that of a bicycle
bell, as herein described, other than employing additional pusher stems, arms, or
the like.
In applying my invention to alarm locks and latches. I employ the repeater action
striking mechanism, as herein described, and with the operating lever, which carries
the box rack, or toothed quadrant, connected to the latch bolt, by a spring or yielding
connection, consisting either of a flat spring, connected at its inner end to the
operating lever, and at its outer end, to the latch bolt, or by an extending arm of
the lever, working against the end of a coiled spring or buffer."
By connecting the latch bolt, or the working part or parts with the repeater action
mechanism, by a yielding connection, any sudden impact, imparted to the said
working parts, does not injure the bell striking mechanism, as would be the case, if
the connection was a rigid one.
The bell mechanism may be thrown out of gear, or out of action, by a bolt, worked
from the outside of the lock or latch casing, and with an inner hooked end of the
said bolt acting upon the verge, so as to lift it, or disconnect it from the teeth of
the rack.
Dated this Twelfth day of January 1888.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bicycle and other Bells and Alarm Apparatus.
I, ALFRED NICHOLAS, of Rose Hill Handsworth near Birmingham in the County of
Warwick, Bell Action Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The said invention consists first of the improvements as hereinafter described, in
repeater action mechanism for striking rapidly and intermittently, bicycle, call and
other bells. Secondly, in applying repeater action mechanism to alarm apparatus, such
as ringing locks and latches.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing represents in elevation, a bell provided with
repeater action striking mechanism, constructed according to my invention.
Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same upon the dotted lines A, B.
Figure 3 is an edge view of the verge and clapper of the said mechanism.
Figure 4 is a front elevation of the same, while figure 5 is an inverted plan, showing
the clapper's connection with the verge, and also the construction of the pallet, which
is jointed pawl like, so as to wipe over the teeth of the toothed quadrant in one
direction, and engage with them in the other. Thus, the toothed quadrant rocks
upon a centre, and it is in the forward direction only that the clapper is operated.
Figure 5A is a like view as figure 5 in section.
Figure 6 shows my invention applied to an alarm lock, and figure 7 is an inverted
plan, of a part of the repeater action mechanism of the same.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in figures 1 to 5^.
a is the bell, supported in any suitable manner according to its character and
requirements, is a toothed quadrant mounted upon the inner end of a turning axis c,
whose outer end is provided with a handle or other expedient d for operating the
bell.
The axis c works within a bearing sleeve a², preferably connected with the bracket
or supporting framing a³. The extreme inner end of the said axis is encircled by a
coiled spring e, whose ends are respectively connected to the said axis, and arm a*,
carried by the sleeve a². The function of this spring is to give the return motion to
the rocking quadrant, after ringing.
The teeth of the quadrant are V shaped, and arranged in a double row, with the
points directed inwardly, and with the teeth of one row coming opposite the spaces
of the other row, and which said teeth are marked b², b³.
f is a verge, with a pivot or axis, turning and supported within a bearing carried
by a depending bracket g, connected to the supporting framing a³.
The said verge
carries the clapper h, of which its stem is connected rigidly to it, while the pallet i
is jointed to it pawl like, in order that the teeth of the quadrant may pass it in one
direction, and engage with it in the other.

page_text: The pawl acting pallet is brought back into its normal or acting position by a
spring.
The bell is operated and acts as follows.
Turn the handle or lever from right to left, when the spindle c is rotated, the
coils of the spring e contracted, and the toothed quadrant is turned forwardly in the
direction as indicated by the arrow, which causes the teeth 6, 63 to alternately engage
with the pallet i of the verge f, and by such intermittent engagement, the said verge
and clapper are oscillated, and the bell
rung.
It will be observed that the thickness of the acting part of the pallet is of about a
breadth equal to the distance between the point of an inner tooth, and the point of
an outer tooth; so that as each tooth is alternately presented to the pallet, their
inclined sides spring or bend slightly the verge and its axis, thus allowing the gaps
between the teeth of the toothed quadrant to pass the acting end of the pallet, so as
to make it come alternately in contact with each of the teeth, on the toothed
quadrant being moved, which gives a ring for every alternate tooth so presented to
the pallet.
The jointed pallet is made rigid in the ringing direction, by its back or closed
side coming upon the straight shoulder of the verge; and on the said toothed
quadrant moving in the reverse direction, which is taken back by the spring on the
liberation of the lever or handle, the pallet yields, by allowing the teeth to pass under
it without effect. A section of the said verge and pallet is represented in figure 5.
The pallet is shown in its yielding position.
The application of my new or improved repeater action mechanism to locks, is
represented in figures 6 and 7.
a is the bell, is a toothed quadrant with long and short arms 4, 64, directed from
the fulcrum pin c, upon which the said quandrant turns as a centre.
The short arm is connected by a spring to the latch bolt j, and thus forms a
yielding connection, which relieves the repeater action mechanism of any sudden
impact, which may be imparted to the latch bolt or other working parts of the
lock.
Thus, the ordinary working of the latch bolt turns the quadrant arm upon its centre,
and gradually compresses the spring, but if a sudden impact be given to the latch
bolt or other parts, as on the slamming of a door, the spring is slightly distended,
by the latch moving in advance of the motion of the quadrant arm, by the resistance
offered to the motion of the said arm, by the verge and clapper as herein after
described.
The toothed quadrant of which the teeth are marked 62, 63, come respectively and
intermittently against the yielding and jointed pallet i mounted upon the rocking
verge f, to which the stem of the clapper is connected.
The verge, or the axis upon which it turns, is made slightly yielding, so that as the
inclines of the teeth 2, 3 of the quadrant come against the pallet (in its acting
direction) the said pallet is taken into a midway position, so that the gaps clear it,
and allow the respective teeth to strike intermittently the said pallet, and so operato
the clapper through the intervention of the verge. The pin or axis upon which the
verge turns, is marked, whilst the spring for returning the pallet to its neutral and
acting position is marked ??.
To throw or take the repeater action mechanism out of gear, I arrange upon the
top of the lock casing 1, a slide me, whose front part m² when moved forward in the
direction as indicated by the arrow, presses the pallet out of range, or out of action, of
the teeth of the quadrant arm, as represented in figure 7, where the fore part of the
said slide, and also the pallet is shown in dotted lines.
The latch bolt works within the lock casing at one end, and at the other end is
hung upon an arm n, swinging from a pin n², and with a spring o pressing at the
back of the said arm, while at the front thereof, the arms of the follower p take their
bearing.
The clapper is prevented from loding upon the vibrating bell by a suspender m².
Th

page_text: The action of the alarm lock is as follows.
On the follower p being turned by the knob or handle, the latch bolt j is pulled
inwardly, and the quadrant arm turned upon its joint centre in the direction indicated
by the arrow just above the bell.
The movement forward of the teeth, causes them to come alternately in contact
with the pallet of the verge, and so oscillates the said verge, and through it, the bell is
successively struck, by the head of the clapper h, whose stem is connected to the
verge.
The releasing of the handle, after the latch bolt has been withdrawn, allows the
repeater action mechanism, and the parts of the lock to return to their normal
positions, by the force given out by the reaction of the spring o, which was compressed
on the turning of the handle.
Instead of the yielding connection (the spring) being disposed between the short
arm of the quadrant, and the latch bolt, or a shoulder of it, it may be disposed between
divided front and rear ends of the latch bolt. In this modification, the short arm of
the quadrant is connected to the rear divided part as aforesaid.
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
1 claim is.
First. Repeater action bell striking mechanism, providing the verge which
oscillates or rocks upon a sided pivot centre, with a yielding and pawl like pallet,
which is constructed, arranged and operates substantially as described and set forth in
the several figures of the drawing.
Secondly. The combination with a verge and clapper ff, f³, of a yielding or
jointed pallet i, 3, which latter is pressed home by a spring as set forth.
Thirdly.—Employing in connection with a toothed quadrant 6, with teeth b², 6³, of
a yielding verge, and a jointed pawl like pallet, substantially as set forth.
Fourthly. Repeater action bell striking mechanism, consisting of a jointed toothed
quadrant &, 2, 63, yielding verge, f, with pawl pallet i, 3, and clapper ; and which
said parts are constructed, arranged and operate in the manner and for the purpose as
set forth.
Fifthly. A repeater action bell, the combination with the repeater action mechanism,
or parts thereof, in the preceding claims, of operating spindle c, handle d, spring e,
and bell a; and which said bell is constructed and operates in the manner substantially
as set forth.
Sixthly. An alarm lock or other fastener, consisting of a toothed quadrant, yielding
verge with pawl pallet, clapper, latch bolt and other parts common to lock and fastener
mechanism; and which said parts are constructed, arranged and operate in the manner
as set forth in figures 6 and 7.
Seventhly Making the connection of repeater action mechanism, with latch bolts
or their equivalents, yielding; that is to say, connecting an arm, or other part of the
said mechanism, with the latch bolt, or its equivalent, by a flat or coiled spring,
substantially as and for the purpose as set forth.
Lastly. Throwing the striking mechanism into and out of gear, by a slide or
m, m², in combination with a yielding pallet i, substantially as set forth.
bolt
n
1
1000