IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO CLOCKS FOR SIGNALLING BY
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake of the firm of Haseltine Lake
& Co, Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings London for an Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO CLOCKS FOR SIGNALLING BY
Communicated to him from abroad by The Standard Time
Company (Incorporated), of New Haven, Connecticut, United States of
America
ELECTRICITY"
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th November 1882.
"
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO CLOCKS
FOR SIGNALLING BY ELECTRICITY Communicated to me from abroad by The
Standard Time Company (Incorporated) of New Haven, Connecticut, United
States of America
This invention relates to improvements in and in connection with clocks for
transmitting electrical signals at a predetermined time or times.
There is a common and well known device in connection with a clock, whereby,
at a certain time, one of the pointers to which one of the conductors of an electrical
circuit is connected is brought into contact with a metal surface which is connected
with the other conductor so as to complete the circuit, and while the pointer is in
connection with this said surface and the circuit is thereby closed, the signal will
continue, but a difficulty is experienced in this class of signals because of the
variableness in the time at which the circuit is closed or broken, owing to the
irregular approach of the pointer to, and escape from, the said circuit closing surface.
In the usual devices it is impossible to adjust this surface so as to make the time of
the signal longer or shorter.
The object of the said Invention is to overcome these difficulties, and it consists
essentially in arranging the surface upon which the circuit is completed in such
relation to the pointer, that contact between the said pointer and the surface will
Dminn G.71

page_text: be sudden and instantaneous, and its escape therefrom alike sudden and instan-
taneous, and in making the said surface adjustable as to its extent, as hereinafter
described.
In the accompanying Drawing
Figure 1, is a front elevation of a portion of a clock dial embodying this
invention
Figure 2, is a transverse section drawn to an enlarged scale.
Figure 3, illustrates a modification of the said invention.
A, represents the clock-dial, B, the pointer by which the contact is made (this
may be one of the pointers of the clock, or an independent pointer). In the path
of the said pointer and at a point where the signal is to be given, say at twelvo
o'clock a block C. of ebonite or other suitable non-conducting material is secured
to the dial, or to some stationary part of the clock. In Figure 2 the block C is
shown as attached to a metal piece D, and the piece D is secured by a screw E, and
insulated from the dial plate or that part of the clock movement with which the
pointer is in connection by an ebonite block F, or the like on the rear of the plate A.
The front surface of the block C, is inclined as shewn in Figure 2, so that the
pointer B, as it approaches the said surface will move up the incline, and thus be
thrown out of its ordinary plane of movement,
On the side of the metal piece D to which the block C is attached is a metal
arm c, the surface of which stands a little below the front face of the block C.
The pointer B moves over the block C, until it comes to the edge and can escape.
from the surface of the said block; as soon as it escapes from the said surface it
springs down or backwards and into contact with the arm c as shewn in dotted
lines at figure, 2. One wire a of the electric circuit is suitably connected with
the arme through the screw E, by means of which the metal piece D is secured to
the plate A; the other wire d is connected to the central shaft or to some other-
point of the clock, so that the pointer B becomes a continuation of that line. As
the pointer strikes the surface of the arm e the circuit is closed, and will remain so
as long as the pointer is in contact with that surface. The outer edge of the arm e
is made very thin by under-cutting, as shewn in Figure 2, and the rear edge of the
pointer is correspondingly bevelled or cut, henco as soon as the rear edge of tho
pointer arrives at the edge of the arm e, it will spring backward, as shown at h,
Figure 2, and owing to the corresponding incline of the pointer and the arm e, the
escape of the said pointer from the surfaco of the said arin is instantaneous so that
there is no dragging, or delay in the breaking of the circuit
The arm e is made adjustable on the metal piece D, so as to be moved nearer to,
or farther from, the block or point where the circuit is closed; this is accomplished
by means of two screws i extending through the said arm into the piece D,. and
an intermediate screw upon the opposite side, bearing against the said arm, so
that by unscrewing the screws ii and screwing in the screw 1, the arm e will be
correspondingly moved away from the point of the block C where the pointer
escapes, or vice versa, the further the outer or escapement edge of the arme is from
the block or point where the circuit is closed, the longer will be the time during
which the circuit will remain closed and consequently the longer the signal. I do
not confine myself to this mode of adjusting the arin e, as it is obvious that it may
be performed in various ways.
The metal surface with which the pointer comes in contact to complete the
circuit may be made in two parts, as shown in Figure 3 in which n represents one
part, and m the other part, the one being adjustable with relation to the other
by means of a leading screw r, in the base of the part m, and working through the
part n, or by other suitable means so that as the pointer passes onto one part m
it makes the connection, and reaches the other part n before it passes from the first
part m, and thus maintains the circuit so long as the pointer is passing from one
side of the part m, to the opposite side of the part n, it being understood that at
no time must the distance between the two parts n m equal the width of the face
of the pointer which is brought into connection therewith.

page_text: Having thus fully described the said.Invention as communicated to me by my
Foreign Correspondents, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim, in or connected with a clock for transmitting electrical signals
First. The combination of the pointer connected with one wire of an electric
circuit, and a metal surface connected with the other wire of the said circuit, with
which surface the said pointer is brought into contact to close the electric circuit,
the said surface being adjustable to vary the extent or duration of contact with the
said pointer, substantially as described.
Second. The combination of an insulated block presenting a surface inclined to
the path of the pointer which is to complete the electric circuit, up which incline
the pointer will move, with a metallic arm or surface adjacent to the said insulated
block and connected with one wire of the said circuit the pointer being in con-
nection with the. other wire, the said metallic surface being arranged below the
surface of the said insulated block over which the pointer passes, so that as the
pointer escapes from the insulated block it will fall or spring upon the said metallic
surface and complete the electric circuit, substantially as described
Third. The combination of an insulated block presenting a surface inclined to
the path of the pointer which is to complete the electric circuit, up which incline
the pointer will move, with a metallic arm or surface adjacent to the said insulated
block and connected with one wire of the said circuit, the pointer being in
connection with the other wire, the said metallic surface being arranged below the
surface of the said insulated block over which the pointer passes, so that as the
pointer escapes from the insulated block it will fall or spring upon the said
metallic surface and complete the circuit, tho said metallic surface being adjustablo
with relation to the said block to vary the duration of contact between the pointer
and the said surface substantially as described.
Fourth. The combination of an insulated block presenting a surface inclined to
the path of the pointer which is to complete the electric circuit, up which incline
the pointer will move, with a metallic arm or surface adjacent to the said insulated
block and connected with one wire of the said circuit the pointer being in con-
nection with the other wire, the said metallic surface being arranged below the
surface of the said insulated block over which the pointer passes, so that as the
pointer escapes from the insulated block it will fall or spring upon the said metallic
surface and complete the circuit, the side of the said metallic surface from which
the pointer escapes being inclined or under-cut the escaping side of the pointer
being inclined or not, all substantially as described.
In witness whereof I the said William Robert Lake have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Fourth day of November in the year of our Lord One