Improvements in or relating to Electric Alarm Clocks.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Sept., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 16th Feb., 1895-Accepted, 23rd Mar., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Electric Alarm Clocks.
I ERNEST BENEST, of 52 King's Square, Goswell Road, London, Watchmaker,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in electric alarm clocks, and has for its
object to provide simple and effective means for closing the circuit and actuating
the alarm at the desired hour; further, according to my invention, I may provide
means whereby the alarm is rendered intermittent in lieu of continuous.
According to my invention, one of the wires from the battery leads to a contact
piece mounted upon a block of vulcanite or other suitable insulating material
secured to some convenient part of the clock frame, the other wire being connected
without insulation with the frame itself. The circuit is completed through the
clock movement in the following manner :-One of the motion wheels, which
revolves once in every twelve hours, is mounteil so as to rotate freely and slide
longitudinally upon a staff provided with an adjusting knob at one end. The said
wheel has an annular flange or boss formed at right angles thereto in which flange
is a notch. A pin projecting laterally from the staff bears upon the edge of this
flange, the motion wheel being kept pressed against the pin by a blade spring
secured at one end to the clock plate.
When the notch in the flange arrives opposite the said pin the wheel is moved
along the staff by the spring, causing the pin to enter the said notch, and at the
same time the spring comes into contact with the before mentioned insulated
contact piece and completes the circuit thereby starting the alarm which will ring
until the pin in leaving the notch (which is inclined on one side) forces back the
wheel and spring and breaks the contact. The said staff would be provided with
the usual pointer for indicating on the clock face the position to which the staff
pin has been set by the adjusting knob.
When the alarm is to be arranged to ring intermittently, in lieu of connecting
one of the wires direct with the clock frame, it is led to a spring insulated from
the frame by a block of vulcanite or other suitable insulating material, the' said
spring bearing on a vulcanite disc mounted on one of the train wheels. On this
insulating disc is a strip of metal connected with the said train wheel. It will be
seen that even when the contact first described is closed, the circuit will only be
completed (through the clock movement) when the revolutions of the train wheel
bring the said metal piece into contact with the spring. The ringing of the alarm
will thus be interrupted at intervals, or rendered intermittent, in lieu of being
continuous.

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Electric Alarm CIOCKS.
I, ERNEST BENEST, of 52 King's Square, Goswell Road, London, Watchmaker,
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:-
This invention relates to improvements in electric alarm clocks, and has for its
object to provide simple and effective means for completing the circuit and thereby
starting the alarm at the desired hour; further, according to my invention, I may
provide means whereby the ringing of the alarm is rendered intermittent in lieu of
continuous.
I will now proceed to describe my invention and the manner of performing the
same, having reference to the accompanying drawings in which.
Fig. 1 represents in side elevation so much of an electric alarm clock constructed
in accordance with my invention as is necessary to make the same clearly
understood, and
Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating the means I may employ for rendering the
ringing of the alarm intermittent.
Referring to Fig. 1, a is a motion wheel which is driven from the minute wheel
pinion and revolves once in every twelve hours. This wheel a rotates, and is free
to slide longitudinally, upon the staff 6, which is provided at one end with the
adjusting knob c for setting the alarm, and at the other end with a pointer d which
indicates upon the clock face the hour at which the alarm is set. e is a flange or
boss on the wheel a in which flange there is formed an inclined notch. f is a pin
projecting from the side of the staff and bearing upon the edge of the flange e
which is kept pressed against the said pin by the blade spring g secured to the
clock plate h.
The mechanism above described is to be found in any ordinary lever aların
clock, and according to my invention I cause this mechanism to complete an
electrical circuit, in which is placed an electric bell, in the following manner :-
is a spring or contact piece insulated from the clock plate by a block of
insulating material k. From this contact piece i a wire leads to one pole of the
battery, preferably through the insulated pin or terminal m secured to the clock
plate. The wire from the other pole of the battery leads to the metal work
of the clock, preferably to the pin or terminal m' also secured to the clock plate h'.
When the works are placed in the clock case, the said pins or terminals m m¹
project through holes formed in the back of the said case, and may be readily
connected and disconnected from the battery when desired.
The contact is made and the circuit completed as follows;
When by the revolution of the wheel a the notch in the flange e comes opposite
the pin and the said wheel is moved along the staff b by the spring 9 in the usual
manner, the said spring g makes contact with the contact piece i and so completes
the circuit and starts the alarm placed therein which continues to ring until the
pin, in leaving the inclined notch in the flange e, forces back the spring g and so
breaks the contact.
If desired, I may render the ringing of the alarm, started as above described,
intermittent in lieu of continuous, and in this case in lieu of connecting the wire
with the metal work of the clock, it would be led to a spring contact piece n,
Fig. 2, insulated from the clock plate and bearing on a boss or flange o of
insulating material provided upon one of the train wheels p. On this boss o there
would be provided a strip or strips of metal g connected with the said train wheel p
consequently when the contact described with reference to Fig. 1 is made, the
circuit will only be completed through the clock movement when the revolutions of

page_text: the train wheel p bring the metal strip g into contact with the spring n, the circuit
being interrupted when the spring n leaves the strip q and bears upon the boss or
flange of insulating material o.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. In electric alarm clocks, completing the electrical circuit by causing the
spring g when it moves the motion wheel a along its staff to make contact with an
insulated spring or contact piece i connected with one pole of the battery, the other
pole of the battery being connected with the metal work of the clock, substantially
as described and illustrated.
°
2. In clectric alarm clocks, the combination with the motion wheel a, staff 6 and
spring 9, of the insulated spring or contact piece i secured to the front clock
plate h, the insulated pin or terminal m secured to the back clock plate h¹ and
connected with the spring and with one pole of the battery, and the pin or
terminal m¹ also secured to the clock plate hand connected with the other pole of
the battery, substantially as described and illustrated.
3. In electric alarm clocks, the combination with the contact making device
described with reference to Fig. 1, of the means described with reference to and
illustrated in Fig. 2 for interrupting the circuit at intervals and thereby rendering
the ringing of the alarm intermittent, substantially as set forth.
1
2005
E. P. ALEXANDER & SON,
Chartered Patent Agents,
19, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.