Improvements in Calendar Clocks.
Year: 1894

page_text: Improvements in Calendar Clocks.
We, CHARLES WOLFGANG FEICHTINGER, Watchmaker, of Fritztown, and
SOLOMON SHEARER, Farmer, of Vinemont, both of Berks County, State of
Pennsylvania, United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to calendar clocks and the main object is to provide a
simple and positive calendar mechanism which will permit the proper setting of
either the date, month or year wheels entirely independently of each other.
The setting of the year, month and date is ordinarily quite troublesome even to
an expert owing mainly to the fact that the several parts are so connected as to be
incapable of separate adjustment: We have overcome this objection by providing
a construction in which the year, month of the year, and date of the month wheels
are each adjustable independently of the others, yet which when properly set are
automatically operated by very simple and effective mechanism.
'
Fig. 1 is a rear view of a complete calendar mechanism involving our invention,
the operating connection to the clock mechanism being also indicated. The rear
plate of the calendar mechanism is removed and the parts are represented in proper
position for making the leap year movement from February 28th to March 1st, the
dials however not being shown.
Fig. 2 is a partial edge view showing the relative positions of the date, month,
and year wheels.
Fig. 3 is a partial view similar to Fig. 1 showing the position of the parts after
the movement referred to has been made and' before the return of the pushing lever
to. its normal position.
Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 are separate views of several parts.
No portion of the click movement is shown except a wheel E from which the
calendar movement is effected as will be described later. The calendar mechanism
may be attached to the inner face of the door below the clock face so as to be
swung out of connection with the operating rod D from the clock movement, and
permit convenient access.
A represents the day-of-the-month or date wheel which has thirty-one teeth and
a central arbor A' to the forward end of which a pointer may be attached. Bis
the month of the year wheel provided with twelve notches of depths varying with
the number of days in the several menths, the notches for the thirty day montha
being twice as deep as the notches & for the thirty one day months, and the single
notch for the month of February being four times as deep as b. Its hollow
arbor B is mounted upon the arbor of the date wheel and may also be provided
with a pointer at its outer end' or arranged to operate a month. dial or roll as
preferred. P and P are the front and rear plates of the calendar frame, the
former being adapted to serve as a dial plate if desired. The day of the week
may be judicated by a roll M operated in any ordinary manner from the clock
movement and forms no part of this invention.
1
The day-of-the-month-wheel lever C is pivoted to a fixed point and connected
in any suitable manner to an operating rod Disuspended from the clock movement.
To the arm of this lever is connected a pallet C through which the daily
movement of the day of the month wheel C is effected by the lifting of the lever..
A rock arm F which is pivoted at a fixed point f, carries at its upper endi Fa
push lever H for making the necessary movements at the end of each month.

page_text: '
This lever H is provided with a toe "which engages and rides upon the notched
periphery of the month of the year' wheel, and with a heel which is arranged to
engage a projection a' on the face of the day of the month wheel when the lever is
allowed to drop sufficiently to do so. This dropping movement of the lever is
controlled in the first place by the depth of the notches in the month wheel and in
the second place, for the month of February, by the leap year wheel L, the effect
of which will be described later. The pushing movement is controlled by a locking
arm K which is pivoted at one end to a fixed point k and is normally supported at
the other on the end of the push lever by means of a hanger projection which
also serves to prevent any pushing movement of the lever H by its contact with
a shoulder on the top edge of the latter. In order to release the lever and
permit the required pushing movement at the end of each month a cam or incline a
is provided on the face of the date wheel and is so arranged as to engage the
beel of the locking arm and raise it above the shoulder at the proper time.
The pushing movement of the lever His effected by the rock arm F which is
preferably arranged as shown so as to make the movement positive. At a point
at the lower end of the rock arm is pivoted a trigger G the head.g of which is
held outside of the swing of the date wheel lever C so long as the lock arm K
engages the shoulder of the push lever, but whenever the latter is released the
action of the spring I pushing against the arm g of the trigger, moves the rock
arm sufficiently to throw the trigger head 9 in the path of the ledge on the
date wheel lever, the arm g of the trigger being fulcrumed on a fixed pin p.
With the trigger in this position the upward movement of the lever positively
swings the rock arm F and moves the push lever H. The ledge also projects
sideways so as to come in contact with the rock arm and swing the latter slightly
downward with each downward movement of the lever C, the effect of this being
to slightly retract the push lever H, so as to free the stop of the locking arm
from contact with the shoulder so that the locking arm may be raised when it
comes in contact with the cam a without danger of the pushing lever remaining
raised with it.
The leap year wheel. L is provided with four teeth and is mounted in the
plate Polose to the month wheel and directly below the end of the pushing
lever H so that the toe of the latter may overhang it; and the periphery of
the wheel except where extended at is arranged to be level with the bottom of
the February notch 6 of the month wheel, while said extended portion / is adapted
to extend above the bottom of the notch when in leap year position as indicated
in Figure 1. A pointer and leap year dial as shown in Figure 7 are also provided.
The wheel. E from which the calendar movement is derived makes one revolution
every twenty-four hours. The lever D from which the operating rod D. is
suspended is pivoted at d and is raised by the pin el on the wheel engaging the
hooked arm of the lever; it is preferably counterbalanced and the downward
movement is effected positively by the pin e on the wheel coming in contact with
the projection d of the lever.
2
The operation is as follows: To set the calendar merely turn the different
pointers separately to the required month, day of the month, and year. As shown
in Figure 1 it is set for February 28th of a leap year, and the push lever H, with
the lock lever resting upon it, has dropped only upon the extension of the year
wheel instead of dropping to the bottom of the notch 6 as in an ordinary year.
The cam a on the date wheel has been moved into contact with beel, and the next
upward movement of the lever C which moves the date wheel to the 29th will
lift the rock arm K. The lever His likely to be lifted with it owing to the
pressure against the shoulder h but the downward' movement of the lever C draws
the lever H back momentarily so as to release it aud cause it to drop under the
stup k; the spring, I then presses the head; g of the trigger G into the path of the
lever Cready for the next upward movement of the latter. When this takes place
on the night of the 29th the rock arm F is positively raised with the, lever Cthus
pushing the lever H into the position indicated in Figure 2; this movement of the

page_text: lever H has not only carried the month of the year wheel forward to: March, but
by coming in contact with the projection a' on the date wheel has moved the latter
the required distance to indicate the first of the month. The next downward
movement of the rod D draws the lever H back to its normal position with, the
lock, arm resting upon it and ready to operate in a similar manner upon the March
notch of the month-of-the-year-wheel when the cam or incline a.shall have again
come around and released it, which will occur later owing to the higher position
of the heel with relation to the cam. In making the movement from
December 31st to January 1st, a projection ³ on the month wheel is arranged to
come in contact with the teeth of the year wheel. Land to turn the latter a
quarter turn thus placing it automatically in proper position for the next February
movement.
The radical difference between my mechanism and those heretofore devised
consists in the arrangement of the indicator wheels so that each can be moved to
indicate any desired figure on its own dial without changing the others. The day
of the month wheel can be turned any number of times without affecting the month
of the year wheel and vice versa. Also the leap year wheel can be turned freely
without moving the month of the year wheel. Each dial is set without regard to
the others, to the desired figures, and then each is properly moved by the direct
action of the clock.
It is obvious that the details and arrangements of the described construction
may be greatly varied without departing from the spirit of the invention. We
have, for instance, arranged the spring I so as to make it effect directly the
movement of the pushing lever but prefer to make this movement positive as
described. We do not therefore wish to limit ourselves to the particular
construction shown.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and iu what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim, is,―
1. In a calendar clock mechanism, the combination with independently rotatable
day-of-the-month, month-of-the-year, and leap year wheels, of mechanism substan-
tially as described for automatically and jointly operating said wheels while
permitting independent setting of the same substantially as set forth.
2. In a calendar clock mechanism, independently adjustable month-of-the-year
and day-of-the-inonth wheels in combination with mechanism for moving said
day-of-the-month wheel every day and a push lever H and lock arm K arranged
to co-operate with said mechanism in moving both of said wheels, substantially as
Bet forth.
3. In a calendar clock mechanism independently adjustable leap year, month-of-
the-year and day-of-the-month wheels, in combination with mechanism for moving
Baid day-of-the-month wheel every day and a push lever H and lock arın K arranged
to co-operate with said mechanism in moving all of the said wheels, substantially
as set forth.
4. In a calendar clock mechanism the combination with the day-of-the-month
wheel operating mechanism, of the push lever H for the month-of the-year wheel
and the rock arm F with trigger G arranged to engage the day-of-the-month wheel
mechanism, substantially as set forth.
5. In a calendar clock mechanisin independently adjustable month-of-the-year
and day-of-the-month wheels in combination with mechanism for moving said
day-of-the-month wheel each day, a push lever H, locking arm. Kengaging a
shoulder on the pushing lever, rock arm F connected to the pushing lever, n
spring.I normally pressing said shoulder against the locking arm, and means for
autouiatically releasing said pressure to permit the dropping of the push lever out
of engagement with the locking arm, substantially as set forth.
6. In a calendar clock mechanism the combination with the month-of-the-year
and the day-of-the-month wheels, a pushing lever H and locking arm K, of au

page_text: independently adjustable leap year wheel L having a leap year projection / on its
periphery arranged to control the action of said push lever substantially as set
'forth.
7. In a calendar clock mechanism the day-of-the-month wheel with the cam a
and projection al; the month-of-the-year wheel with projection.b, and the quartered
leap year wheel with the leap year extension, in combination with the push lever H
having toe h', shoulder, and heel piece h³, the locking arm K with stop and
heel, and meclianism for moving the day-of-the-month wheel and push lever, all
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
8. In a calendar clock mechanism. the combination with the rock arm F, push'
lever H, and locking arm K of the day-of-the-month wheel! lever C, having a
projection engaging the rock arm, and connections between said lever and the clock
mechanism comprising a cam wheel E arranged to positively operate said lever and
rock arm daily, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 9th day of October 1894.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.