Improvements in Educational Appliances for Teaching Children the Time, and for Affording them other Instructive or Amusing Information.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Aug., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 22nd May, 1896-Accepted, 4th July, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Educational Appliances for Teaching Children the
Time, and for Affording them other Instructive or Amusing
Information.
We, FREDERICK THOMAS VINE of 23 Devonshire Road, Cambridge, Joiner,
and EDMUND KETT of "Redwick" Grange Road, Cambridge, Carver, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our improved appliance for the purposes set out in the title consists of a more
or less shallow box having a more or less square or rectangular top and bottom.
In or about the centre of the top of the box we affix a representation of the dial of
a clock having three concentric circles forming two concentric spaces, the outer
space having around it the usual Roman numerals as in an ordinary clock, and the
inner one having under each Roman numeral a circle enclosing the ordinary
numeral corresponding to the Roman one above it.
Above the numeral XII an opening is made through the top of the box, and a
similar opening is made under the numeral VI, the opening above XII being at a
greater distance from the centre of the dial than is the opening above VI.
Perpendicular to the inside of the bottom of the box I fasten a small spindle over
which 1 slip a tubular spindle capable of being easily turned round it and
sufficiently long to pass through a hole in the centre of the clock dial and to
project above the top of the box, and having at the end of it the hour hand of the
appliance. This tubular spindle is fastened over a hole in the centre of a circular
disc of metal or other suitable material, the periphery of which is furnished with
pins, teeth or the like standing up above the face of the disc. The disc and spindle
are revolved by a pinion fastened to a spindle which passes out at the side of the
box and is furnished with a milled head or a handle for convenience in rotating
the spindle and pinion; the other end of the spindle passes through a bar extending
at a right angle across the box and at the extremity is furnished with a bevel
pinion, gearing into another bevel pinion fastened to a second tubular spindle
revolvable round the first mentioned tubular one.
"
The upper end of this second tubular spindle also passes through the before
mentioned hole in the centre of the clock dial and has fastened to it above the top
of the box the minute hand of the appliance and immediately inside the top of the
box, a disc of card or other suitable material having around the face the words
"5 minutes past" "past" and so on, arranged to show through the above
mentioned opening in the top of the box under the numeral VI. On turning the
milled head above referred to the minute hand can be brought to any part of the
clock dial and the words on the disc are so arranged that minutes past or to
the hour which is indicated by the ordinary numerals in the circles under the
Roman ones are shewn through the opening under the VI. On each side of the
clock dial we provide a series of questions in geography, history, or any other
subject; these are numbered 1, II, III, and so on up to XII, and the disc inside
the top of the box has arranged on it answers to these questions so that by
bringing the minute hand round to any division of the dial the answer to the
question of that number appears through the opening provided in the top of the
box and above the XII. The question might be arranged on slides so that they

page_text: could be reversed or changed for different subjects, and the disc could also be
reversible and changeable, according to the information required to be given.
Dated this 24th day of August 1895.
HUGHES & YOUNG,
23 Coleman Street, London, E.C., Agents for Applicants.
Improvements in Educational Appliances for Teaching Children the
Time, and for Affording them other Instructive or Amusing
Information.
We, FREDERICK THOMAS VINE, 23, Devonshire Road, Cambridge, Joiner,
and EDMUND KETT, Redwick Grange Road, Cambridge, Carver 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 :-
In order to fully explain our improved education appliance, we make reference
to the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is a plan of the appliance when complete,
Fig. 2 a plan with the top and disc removed so as to show the motive parts.
Fig. 3 a section through C. D Fig. 2, and
Fig. 4 a front view of one of the discs.
Our improved appliance consists essentially of a more or less shallow box having
a more or less square or rectangular top and bottom a. b. c. d. In or in about the
centre of the top of the box we affix a representation of the dial of a clock e,
having three concentric circles f. 9. h. forming two concentric spaces i. j., the outer
space having around it the usual Roman numerals as in an ordinary clock, and the
inner one having under each Roman numeral a circle enclosing the ordinary
numeral corresponding to the Roman one above it. Above the numeral XII an
opening k, is made through the top of the box and a similar opening is made
under the numeral VI, the opening above XII being at a greater distance from
the centre of the dial than is the opening above VI. Perpendicular to the inside
of the bottom of the box we fasten a small spindle m over which we slip a tubular
spindle n capable of being easily turned round it and sufficiently long to pass
through a hole o in the centre of the clock dial and to project above the top of the
box and having at the end of it the hour hand p of the appliance. This tubular
spindle is fastened over a hole in the centre of a circular rack q of metal or other
suitable material the periphery of which is furnished with pins, teeth or the like r
standing up above the face of the rack. The disc and spindle are revolved by a
pinions fastened to a spindlet which passes out at the side of the box and is
furnished with a milled head u or a handle for convenience in rotating the spindle
and pinion the other end of the spindlet passes a bar o extending at a right
angle across the box and at the extremity is furnished with a bevel pinion w
gearing into another bevil pinion fastened to a second tubular spindle y
revolvable round the first mentioned tubular one n.
=
The upper end of this second tubular spindle y also passes through the before
mentioned hole o in the centre of the clock dial and has fastened to it and above
the top of the box the minute hand of the appliance and immediately inside the
top of the box, a disc A of card or other suitable material having around its face
the words "5 minutes " << past" and so on arranged to show through the above
mentioned opening in the top of the box under the numeral VI. On turning the
milled head u above referred to, the minute hand z can be brought to any part of
the clock dial e and the words on the disc A are so arranged that the minutes past
or to the hour which is indicated by the ordinary numerals in the circles under the

page_text: Roman ones are shown through the opening under the VI. On each side of the
clock-dial we provide a series of questions B in geography, history, or any other
subject, these are numbered I. II. III. and so on up to XII and the disc A inside
the top of the box has arranged on it answers to these questions, so that by
bringing the minute hand round to any division of the dial the answer to the
question of that number appears through the opening provided in the top of the
box and above the XII. In the drawing the minute hand being at X answers
the question numbered X 10. The questions might be arranged on slides so that
they could be reversed or changed for different subjects and the disc could also be
reversible and changeable, according to the information required to be given.
We do not restrict ourselves to the precise details, configuration, relative
proportions or disposition of parts shown in the drawings as any or all of them
may be considerably varied without departing from the spirit of our invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1
1. An educational appliance consisting essentially of a shallow box bearing a
clock dial and provided with suitable gearing by wbich the minute hand of the
appliance can be brought to any required part of the circumference of the dial and
by which also is caused to revolve a disc shewing through openings above and
below the dial, the hour or the number of minutes past or before the hour,
and also answers to questions arranged on each side of the dial, the whole
substantially as described in the above specification and exemplified in the
accompanying drawings.
2. An educational appliance provided for and operating substantially as described
in the above specification and exemplified in the accompanying drawings.
Dad his wond daw of M 1906
HUGHES & YOUNG,
23, Coleman Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicants.