Improvements in Self-winding and Synchronizing Clocks.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Oct., 1894-Accepted, 6th July, 18:5
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Self-winding and Synchronizing Clocks.
I, ARTHUR GOTTLOB WISEMAN, of the City of St. Louis, and the State of
Missouri, in the United States of America, Watch and Clock 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, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification:
My present invention relates to certain improvements in the general construction
of mechanism shown and described in my English Patent No. 14318 dated
July 25, 1893, and my present invention consists in features of novelty hereinafter
fully described and pointed out in the claims.
Fig. I represents a side elevation illustrative of my invention.
Fig. II represents an edge view.
Fig. III represents a perspective view of a part of the synchronizing mechanism
showing the armature lever and part of the magnet.
Fig. IV represents a detail enlarged view of the contact plates of the winding
mechanism.
Fig. V represents an enlarged detail vertical section of the clock frame showing
the main shaft and its parts in elevation.
Fig. VI represents a side view of the hour hand pinion and its disc for closing
the synchronizing circuit when the clock is being synchronized.
Fig. VII is a view of the minute hand disc.
Fig. VIII is a detail view of the lever which is tripped by the main spring gear
wheel when the clock has been sufficiently wound. The shaft upon which the lever
is mounted is shown in section taken on line VIII—VIII, Fig. X.
Fig. IX is a detail view showing part of the frame of the clock and the cain
for moving the circuit breaking lever of the winding mechanism.
Fig. X is a detail section taken on line X-X, Fig. I.
My present invention, as in my Patent referred to, accomplishes both the
synchronizing and the winding of the clock by the use of but a single magnet and
armature lever, but with my present invention this is accomplished with the use
of less parts and mechanism than were used in the mechanism of said Patent.
Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the frame of the clock, 2 represents the
magnet, and 3 the armature lever pivotted to the frame of the clock at 4 aud
having the usual vibrating spring and stop screw 5. 6 represents the hour hand
sleeve which carries a disc 7 and also a gear wheel 8, which meshes into a pinion 10
on a stud or shaft that also carries a gear wheel 9 meshing into a pinion 12 on
the minute hand shaft. The magnet 2 is connected to the frame of the clock by
a plate 2 and screws 2b and is not subject to being moved out of position with
relation to the frame. The armature lever 3 bas a pawl 3ª engaging the ratchet
wheel 3b of the winding mechanism, so that when the armature lever is in circuit
the clock will be wound by the oscillation of the lever.
13 is a wire forming a connection between the magnet 2 and a contact plate 14,
and in which is placed the local battery 15. 16 represents a lever to which is
connected a brush 17 adapted to bear against the contact plate 14 to close the
circuit, which lever is connected by a spring 18 to the frame of the clock.
The lever 16 is fixed at 19 to a shaft 34 journalled in the frame of the clock
and its inner end is provided with a pin 20. 21 represents an arm mounted on a
D
011

page_text: loose shaft 22 that is capable of lateral movement. This arm has a notch 23
adapted to receive the pin 20 on the lever 16 when the inner end 24 of the arm is
depressed, thus allowing the brush 17 to bear against the plate 14. 25 is a spring
connecting the outer end of the arm 21 with the frame of the clock to restore the
arm to its normal position. 26 represents a pin carried by a disc 27 mounted on
the minute band shaft of the clock. The inner end 24 of the arm 21 is in the
path of this pin 26, so that when the pin comes round to the arm it depresses it
into the position shown by the dotted lines, Fig. VII, thus allowing the outer end
of the lever to descend and permitting the brush 17 to bear against the contact
plate 14 and thus close the circuit, causing the clock to be wound. When the
pin 26 relieves the end 24 of the arm 21.the latter is pulled back to its norinal
position by means of the spring 25, at which time it holds the brush 17 out of
contact with the plate 14.
In case the clock should be sufficiently wound before the pin 26 leaves the arm 21
in its regular rotary movement, I provide a means whereby the arm will be relieved
or disengaged from the pin; this consists of a lever 28 secured to a sleeve 29
mounted loosely on the shaft 22 but made to turn therewith. The inner end of
this lever is in the path of a pin 30 carried by the main spring gear wheel 31. On
the outer end of the lever 28 is a spring dog 32, which is adapted to engage a
projection 33 on the shaft 34 which carries the lever 16 (see Fig. X). It will
thus be understood that when the lever 26 is depressed, the dog 32 will slip past the
end of the projection 33, the spring allowing the dog to turn on its pivot at such
times, and for the purpose of causing the arm 21 to be disengaged from the pin 26
as the inner end of the lever 28 is depressed, I secure to the frame of the clock a
cam 35 through which the end of the shaft projects, the shaft having a pin 35*
bearing against the cam. It will thus be seen that when the shaft 22 is turned
by engagement of the pin 30 with the lever 28, the shaft will be caused to move
end wise, and as this shaft carries the arm 21, this arm will be caused to move
laterally and to be disengaged from the pin 26, although the pin has not in its
rotary movement passed the end of the arm. As soon as the arm 21 is disengaged
from the pin 26, its inner end moves upwardly and it comes against a fixed cone 36
(see Figs. I and X) which brings the shaft 22 and arm 21 back to their normal
positions. As the arm leaves the pin 26, the pin 30 leaves the end of the lever 28,
and the lever flies back to the position shown in Fig. VIII, and as it does so,
the dog 32 strikes on top of the projection 33 and rocks the shaft 34, to which
the lever 16 carrying the brush 17 is secured. This rocking of the shaft 34
by the dog 32 striking the projection 33, breaks the circuit between the brush 17
and contact plate 14, and at the same time, disengages the inner end of the lever 16
from the notch in the lower end of the arm 21. While the dog 32 moves on its
pivot when striking the projection 33 during its upward movement, yet it will be
understood that it will not move on its pivot when it strikes the projection 33 ou
its descending movement, because the upper projection of the dog bears against the
sleeve 29, as shown in Fig. VIII.
It will thus be seen that when the clock is wound sufficiently, which is determined
by the pin 30 coming against the lever 28, the winding will cease, even though
the pin 26, which causes the closing of the circuit, has not left the inner end of
the arm 21.
I will now describe the synchronizing mechanism. 40 and 40* represent the line
wires from the central station, from which the clock is synchronized. The wire 40
connects with a plate 41 having insulated connection 42 with the frame of the
clock. This plate 41 has a bent spring end 43 adapted to be engaged by a pin 44
on one end of an arm 45 that is pivotted to the clock frame.
47 represents a wire leading from the maguet to a pivotted plate 48, the inner
end of which, when in its lower position fits in a V-shaped notch 49 in an arm 50
projecting from the clock frame. As shown at Fig. I, the make and break contact
screw 5* passes through the plate 50, its inner end bearing against the spring 3°
carried by the armature lever 3. This wire 47 and the plate 48 complete the

page_text: circuit employed in winding the clock, and when the upper end of the arm 45 is
raised, one end of the pin 44 comes against the plate 48 (see Fig. II), and raises it
out of contact with the plate 50, so that at the time the clock synchronizes the
screw 5 will be out of circuit and thus the synchronizing of the clock is not
interfered with by the winding of the clock with the local battery.
On the lower end of the arm 45 is a lug or extension 51 adapted to ride on the
periphery of the discs 7 and 27. In the periphery of the disc 27 is a notch 52, and
in the periphery of the disc 7 is a notch 7, and when the notches reach and jointly
meet the lug or extension 51 of the arm 45, the lower end of the arm drops and one
end of the pin 44 comes against the spring end 43 of the wire 41, thus closing the
synchronizing circuit while the other end of the pin comes against the plate 48 as
stated, and breaks the winding circuit. The arm 45 is mounted on a rock shaft 54
journalled in the clock frame and having a pin 55 (see Fig. III) fitting in an
inclined slot 56 formed in a lever 57 pivotted at 58 to the armature lever 3. The
lower end of the lever 57 carries a pin 59 that passes through the armature lever
and through a bracket 60 secured to the lever.
It will be understood that as the shaft 54 is rocked, the pin 55 working in
the inclined slot 56 will cause the inward movement of the lower end of the
lever 57, thus causing the end of the pin 59 to protrude from the armature lever on
the side opposite the lever. This brings the pin 59 in the path of a pin 62
extending from a rock shaft 63 which carries an arm 64 having a V-shaped point 65
adapted to engage a V-shaped notch 66 in the disc 27 that is mounted on the
minute hand shaft.
When the synchronizing circuit is closed the armature lever 3 will be attracted
by the magnet and the lower end of the armature lever will be moved in the
direction of the arrow (see Fig. III) bringing the pin 59 against the pin 62 and
causing the V-shaped end of the arm 64 to enter the notch 66 in the disc 27 and
thus causing the synchronizing of the clock.
The second hand of the clock is synchronized at the same time through means of
a lever 70 pivotted at 71 and having an end 72 in the path of the pin 62. The
inner end of this lever engages with the second hand shaft, as shown in Fig. II,
and the synchronizing of the second hand through means of this lever is effected, or
may be effected, by the same mechanism and arrangement as that shown and
described for synchronizing the second hand in my Patent referred to.
It is not desired to synchronize the clock more than once each twelve hours, and
for this reason the disc 7 is provided so that the arm 45 will not drop into the
notch of the minute hand disc 27 except when this notch registers with the notch
in the disc 7 at the time the latter is passing the end 51 of the arm, which of course
is once every twelve hours.
The receding slope from the notch 52 is gradual and will lift the end 51 of the
arm 45 out of the notch 7* of the disc 7.
In winding the clock the circuit passes through the wire 13 and contact plates 14
and 17, to and through the clock frame, to the screw 5°, through the plates 50
and 48, and through the wire 47 to the magnet, and in synchronizing the current
passes from the main station through the wire 40, through the plate 41 to the
plate 48 through means of the use of the pin 44, through the wire 47 to the magnet,
the other wire 40° of this circuit being connected with the magnet by being
attached to the wire 13, as shown in Fig. I. By cutting out the screw 5 of the
circuit during the synchronizing operation (this being doue by raising the plate 48
out of contact with the plate 50) the armature lever 3 receives but a single impulse
to effect the synchronizing, instead of a vibrating motion as it does in winding
when the screw 5* is in circuit.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a self-winding and synchronizing clock, the combination of a magnet, an

page_text: armature lever, means for winding the clock, means for synchronizing the clock,
and means for breaking the winding circuit when the clock is being synchronized
consisting of a pivoted arm, a fixed contact plate and a movable plate, adapted to
be engaged by said arm and raised out of contact with the fixed plate, substantially
as set forth.
2. In a self-winding synchronizing clock, the combination of a magnet, an
armature lever, a fixed contact plate, a pivoted contact plate, a pivoted arm having
a pin, and discs adapted to move with the minute and hour hands of the clock, and
to cause the movement of said arm, substantially as set forth.
3. In a self-winding clock, the combination of a magnet, an armature lever and
means for making and breaking the winding circuit of the clock, consisting of a
contact plate and pivotted lever having a brush to engage said contact plate, a
pivotted notched arm engaging said lever, and a disc adapted to move with the
minute hand of the clock, and having a pin engaging said arm, substantially as
set forth.
4. In a self-winding clock, the combination of a magnet, an armature and means
for making and breaking the winding circuit of the clock, consisting of a contact
plate, a pivotted lever having a brush adapted to engage said plate, a pivotted arm
engaging said lever, a disc having a pin adapted to engage said arm, a loose shaft
upon which said arm is mounted, a lever mounted upon a sleeve carried on said
shaft, a pin carried by the main spring gear wheel of the clock for engaging said
lever and a cam 35, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
5. In a self-winding clock the combination of a magnet, an armature, and means
for making and breaking the winding circuit of the clock, consisting of a contact
plate, a lever having a brush engaging said plate, a pivotted arm engaging said
lever, a disc having a pin adapted to engage said arm, a loose shaft upon which
said arm is mounted, a lever mounted upon a sleeve carried on said shaft, a pin
carried by the main spring gear wheel of the clock for engaging said lever, and
cams 35 and 36, substantially as set forth.
6. In a self-winding clock, the combination of a magnet, an armature lever, and
means for making and breaking the winding circuit of the clock, consisting of a
contact plate, a pivoted lever having a brush adapted to engage said contact plate,
a pivoted arm engaging said lever, a disc moving with the minute hand of the
clock, and adapted to engage said arm, a loose shaft on which the arm is mounted,
a lever mounted upon a sleeve, surrounding said shaft and provided with a spring
dog 32, and a projection 33, connecting with said brush lever and adapted to be
engaged by said dog, substantially as set forth.
7. In a synchronizing clock the combination of a magnet, an armature lever, a
notched disc moving with the minute hand of the clock, a pointed arm adapted to
engage the notch in said disc, a rock shaft upon which the arm is mounted, a pin
secured to the rock shaft, an arm pivoted to the armature lever and having a slot
adapted to receive the rock shaft pin, and having a pin at its lower end, a second
rock shaft having a pin adapted to be engaged by the pin on said armature arm,
and a pointed arm on the last mentioned rock shaft for engaging a notch in said
disc substantially as set forth.
8. In a synchronizing clock, the combination of a magnet, an armature lever, a
disc moving with the minute hand of the clock and having a notch, a disc moving
with the hour hand of the clock and having a notch, a pivoted arm having a bent
end to engage the notches in said discs, a rock shaft upon which the arm is
mounted, a pin carried by the rock shaft, an arm pivoted to the armature lever and
having an inclined slot receiving said rock shaft pin, and means for imparting
movement from said slotted arm to the minute hand of the clock when the first
mentioned arm enters the notches in said discs, substantially as set forth.
9. In a synchronizing clock, a combination of a magnet, an armature lever,
notched discs moving with the minute and hour hands of the clock, an arm having
an end to engage the notches iu said discs, a rock shaft to which said arm is
secured, an arm pivoted to the armature lever and having an inclined slot, a pin on

page_text: said rock shaft engaging in said slot, a pin on the lower end of said slotted arm, a
rock shaft 63 having a pin 62, a lever 70, and an arm 64 having a point 65 adapted.
to engage a notch in said minute hand disc, substantially as set forth.
Dated October 10th 1894.
A. G. WISEMAN,
By Harris & Mills,
23 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.