IMPROVEMENTS IN CLOCKS OR TIMEKEEPERS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CLOCKS OR TIMEKEEPERS."-A com-
Sealed the 15th January 1858, and dated the 5th September 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th September 1857.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CLOCKS OR TIMEKEEPERS," to
be as follows:-
This Invention of improvements in clocks or timekeepers has for its object
to simplify the mechanism of timekeepers, particularly such as are used as
turret clocks, and to place the pendulum or balance wheel beyond the reach
of any extraneous influences that may be brought to bear upon the framework,
hands, or mechanism of the clock, and also to reduce the friction between the
driving mechanism and the pendulum. These ends are gained by a pooling
means of connection between the driving mechanism and the pendulum, and
by a method of transmitting motion from the prime mover to the various parts
of the clock.
The essential features of novelty in this Invention are, 1st, actuating the
whole or a portion of the moving parts of clocks or timekeepers by means of
pallets and scape wheels, without the use of cogged or toothed wheels and
pinions, by which means a considerable amount of friction is avoided.

page_text: 2nd, the mechanism through which the motion of the scape wheel is com-
municated to the spring or other power which gives the impulse to the
pendulum, and which consists principally of a rocking shaft provided with a
transverse lever or arms having counterbalance weights at their ends, the
vibrations of which shaft are controlled by suitable clicks and a detent, which
acts against a block attached to the face of a stop plate.
3rd, the hammer for striking the hour on the bell, instead of being
attached to a single lever or arm, is supported by two rods, in such a manner
that it is balanced or suspended; by this means the hammer can be made to
make a longer stroke, and consequently strike a louder and more powerful
blow than heretofore.
4th, motion is communicated from the shaft of the minute hand to the
hour hand by means of a toothed wheel and pins fixed in a star wheel that is
mounted excentrically to the toothed wheel, so that the pins are made to take
in between the teeth of the wheel, and thereby drive the hour hand which is
connected therewith.
5th, the last feature of the Invention consists in causing the hands of the
clock, when they have been stopped by any obstruction or impediment (as
would be the case from an accumulation of snow or ice on the face of a
church or turret clock), to remain stationary for twelve hours, when if the
obstruction had in the meantime been removed, they would go on again in the
proper and regular manner. This is effected by means of a disc or wheel
with 12 teeth, which is adapted to one of the arms of one of the scape wheels,
and is made to act upon a lever or arm connected with the scape wheel, from
the shaft of which projects a pin that is made to take into a notch or socket
at the end of the arm or lever, and which pin and lever will only come into
coincidence once in twelve hours.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patents, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 5th March 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of September, in the year of our Lord
1857, in the twenty-first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Hér heirs and

page_text: successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Edward Newton, Her
especial license that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Edward
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CLOCKS OR TIMEKEEPERS," being a communication from Mr. Aaron D. Crane,
of Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States of America, upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Newton, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calender months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said 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 had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention has for its object to simplify the mechanism of timekeepers,
particularly such as are used as turret clocks, and to place the pendulum or
balance wheel without the reach of any extraneous influences that may be
brought to bear upon the framework, hands, or mechanism of the clock, and
also to reduce the friction between the driving mechanism and the pendulum.
These ends I gain by a peculiar means of connection between the driving
mechanism and the pendulum, and by a method of transmitting motion from
the prime mover to the various parts of the clock, which will now be fully
described.
My Invention also consists in certain improvements in the details of the
clock, which will be hereafter more particularly described and specified.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 represents my improved clock, a
portion of the framework and of the operating parts not necessary to a proper
understanding of the Invention being omitted; Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9,
details, to which reference will be made hereafter. The operating parts are
all actuated by power given off by the striking mechanism at the instant when
the hour is sounded. The barrel which carries the striking cord and weight,
not seen in the Drawings, is secured to the shaft A, as is also the ratchet

page_text: wheel B. The escapement wheel C runs freely upon the shaft, and carries a
click, which engages with the ratchet wheel B, and thus, when the, barrel is
wound up, it turns independently of the escapement wheel, but drives it in the
opposite direction in a well-known and customary manner. The count wheel
D is held to the escapement wheel by friction, produced, by the spring E. The
striking mechanism is actuated as follows:-F and G are pallets pivoted to
arms projecting from opposite sides of a shaft EI, which is allowed to vibrate
freely in bearings in the main frame; these pallets are alternately raised by
curved guides c, d, so as to engage the teeth f of the wheel C, the pins g and h
projecting from the pallets resting upon the guides, as seen in Fig. 1. In the
latter Figure, one of the teeth is seen bearing against the pallet F, which
has been raised by its guide.c, and is forced by the revolution of the wheel C
in the direction of the arrow. 1, this causes the other pallet to move in the
direction of the arrow 2 until the guide d has brought it up so as to engage
a tooth of the. escapement wheel, which is caused to recoil; slightly by the
momentum of the pallet G and the parts connected therewith, and the pallet F
is allowed to drop. The two pallets. F and G then return in a direction con-
trary to their arrows, and a vibratory motion through a short arc is thus
communicated to the shaft H, which continues until, interrupted, as will be
hereafter explained. The arm I, attached to the shaft H, transmits the motion
of the latter to the striking hammer, as will be hereafter explained. K is
another arm, also attached to the shaft, H,, and carrying at its upper extremity
a pin i, which at times engages, with, a notch m in the count lever L, and when
thus engaged the arm. K is. held, stationary, and the action of the striking
apparatus is interrupted; this takes place whenever the count lever L falls
into one of the deep notches n of the count; wheel; when, however, the end of
the lever L falls into one of the short notches o of the count wheel, the opposite
end of this lever is raised; so that the arm K in vibrating clears the notch m.
The manner in which this part of the mechanism is regulated will be hereafter,
more fully described. The shaft H also carries an arm M, to which is hinged
a pawl N, that engages, with a ratchet wheel P upon the shaft of a secondary
drum Q; whenever the shaft H is vibrated, the wheel P is, driven forward
two notches, but when the striking mechanism is at rest; the pawl drops down
out of the way of the ratchet wheel. The drum Q carries a cord and light
weight, which is thus wound up a certain amount each time the striking shaft
H vibrates. A is a ratchet wheel secured to the drum, and connected,
with an escapement wheel R by. a pawl. This wheel is thus driven
and in turn becomes a driving wheel, and sets in motion the mechanism
which actuates the pendulum, as will now be more fully described. A

page_text: shaft S is so balanced by means of weights k, p, that when left free it
shall vibrate in the direction of the arrow 3; when thus vibrated it is
caused immediately to return again into the position represented in Fig. 1,
as follows:- (Figs. 1 and 2) is a pallet pivoted to the framework, which,
when raised as in Fig. 1, retains the wheel R stationary; the position of this
pallet is regulated by cams upon the shaft S; these cams also carry a pawl
, the forward end of which is supported by a stationary curved guide y, which
is secured to the frame- by a screw passing through the hole a': Whenever
the shaft S is vibrated, as already explained, in the direction of its arrow 3,
the pallet, pivoting round the pin z, is made to engage with the teeth of the
wheel R with sufficient force to cause this wheel to recoil slightly, and the
same instant the pallet r is allowed by the revolution of the cams v to drop
and disengage itself from the wheel. The whole force with which this wheel
turns is thus thrown upon the pawl x, by which means the shaft S is revolved
back in a direction contrary to its arrow into the position represented in
Fig. 1, where it is held during the next minute by a device which will be
presently described. The cams v, and' the parts immediately connected there-
with, are united with the shaft S by means of a spring T, that the momentum
of the weight ke may not be too suddenly checked, and thus strain or injure the
parts. U (Fig. 1) is an escapement wheel upon a shaft V (Fig. 2); this
wheel is revolved by a spiral spring within a box b', which is wound up every
minute by the hooked pawl W, pivoted to an arm attached to the shaft S, and
vibrating with it. Each vibration of the-shaft S causes the pawl W to engage
a new tooth c¹ upon the box b¹, and thus this box. is revolved; when thus
revolved it is prevented from returning by a click and ratchet wheel in a well-
known manner. One end of the spring being attached to the box and the
other to the wheel U, this wheel is revolved constantly in the direction of its
arrow, and it is this wheel which immediately gives the impulse to the pen-
dulum. Before proceeding to this part of the description, it is necessary to
explain the manner in which the wheel U regulates the motions of the shaft S.
B2 (Figs. 1, 2, and 4) is an arm projecting from this shaft, to the extremity of
which is pivoted a detent C², which is held in position by a spring a²; to the
top of the detent C² is secured the curved plate d², of the form represented in
Figs. 2 and 4. As the shaft S is revolved by the pressure of the wheel R
upon the pawl x, the arm B2 drops, and the detent C² is pressed forward (the
spring a yielding) until it passes beneath a stop D; projecting from the "cock"
E2; the next instant, by the revolution of the camis v, the pallet r is raised and
engages with a tooth of the wheel R, and the motion of the lever F is arrested
by the weighted lever G2, which is pivoted at to the framework. The shaft

page_text: S and the wheel R are now held in the position represented in Fig. 1, until,
by the revolution of the escapement wheel U, one of the pins k² presses
against the plate d², and forces the block C2 from beneath the stop D²; when
the weight k descends, the pallet engages with the escapement wheel R, and
relieves the pawl r, which drops, and the shaft S is again vibrated by the latter
wheel, as before explained; the detent C2 is thus again thrown beneath the
stop D2, as before. It now remains to explain the method by which the im-
pulse is given to the pendulum by the motion of the wheel U; this is effected
by means of an escapement and pallets similar to those employed to transmit
the motion of the wheel R to the shaft S. This mechanism will now be
described The pallet gå is pivoted to the framework, and is counterbalanced
so that it shall only enter the teeth of the wheel U when its rear end is raised.
The other or movable pallet h² is pivoted in a light swinging frame ³, which
vibrates round the stud 2; this pallet is also counterbalanced, and carries at
its forward end a pin 12 (Fig. 5), which rests against the under side of a curved
guide m² projecting from the frame, but not shown in Fig. 1, and which is so
arranged that when the pallet h2 is carried forward by the vibration of the
frame it shall engage with the wheel, but when the frame is vibrated back
in the opposite direction, the weight of the rear portion of the pallet dis-
engages it from the wheel U, and at the same time a pin upon the swing-
ing frame raises the rear end of the pallet g², and engages it with the
wheel, by which means this wheel is held stationary until by the return of
the pendulum the pallet h is engaged with the wheel, which thereby is
caused to recoil slightly, and the pallet g², thus disengaged, is raised clear
of the escapement wheel, which now exerts its force as before upon the
other pallet, and an impulse is again given to the pendulum. The pendulum
is connected with the vibrating frame by a bent wire so arranged as
to communicate its motion thereto in a manner which will be readily
understood.
I will now explain the method by which the striking mechanism is
actuated and regulated by the escapement wheel R. The notch m in
the count lever L is inclined so that the pin i will readily escape there-
from; to prevent this, except when the striking mechanism is to be set
in motion, the lever L is held down by an arm H, which swings loosely
round the shaft S (Fig. 6), and is held against a pin e projecting from the
lever L, this pin entering a notch / in the arm H, by which means the lever L
is prevented from rising; the pin i is retained in the notch m, and the striking
mechanism is held out of action by a spring a. V2 is an arm, also hanging
loosely upon the shaft S, and having a counterpoise arm W2 and a finger X²

page_text: 1+
b
attached to it. The counterpoise keeps the arm V2 against a pin 6 projecting
from the frame, and the spring a holds the arm H³ against a pin 9 projecting
from the arm V2. The scape wheel R makes a complete revolution every
hour, and as it revolves a pin upon its face strikes against the finger X², and
vibrates the arm V2, the pin q forcing the arm H2 in the direction of its arrow,
by which the pin e is relieved from the notch l, and is received by the curved
end of the arm V2; this allows the lever L to rise slightly but not sufficiently
to disengage the pin i therefrom. At the instant when the hour is to be
sounded the pin escapes from the finger X, the arm V2 swings back into the
position seen in Fig. 6, and the pin e, no longer able again to enter the notch ?,
passes up between the arms H³ and V2, and allows the lever L to rise so high
as to permit the pin i to escape from the notch m, the lever being raised by
the pressure of the latter pin upon the inclined side of the notch. The count
lever L is thus, by the preponderance of its opposite end, withdrawn from the
deep notch n, and the striking mechanism is permitted to operate. As the
count lever enters the short notches of the count wheel its opposite end is not
permitted to descend sufficiently low to admit the pin e into the notch /;
when, however, the count lever falls into a long notch n, it is allowed to
descend sufficiently low for the pin e to enter the notch l, and the pin i is
retained by the notch m, by which the striking mechanism is arrested.
It has before been stated that the operating parts of the clock are all
driven by the motion of the striking mechanism, and the manner in which this
is accomplished has been described. It should furthermore be stated that the
teeth of the wheel P and the throw of the pawl N should be so arranged that
the weight upon the drum Q shall be wound up each period of 12 hours an
amount, just sufficient to drive the clock for this length of time. The hands
of turret clocks are often stopped by snow or ice, and require again to be
adjusted and set in motion when the cause of the detention is removed. To
remedy this inconvenience I have devised the following device for the purpose
of causing the hands to start again of themselves (after the obstruction is
removed) when the moment again recurs at which they were stopped. Fig. 7
represents this device, which is attached to the escapement wheel R. 12 is a
wheel having twelve teeth, which has its bearings in one of the arms of the
wheel R. The pipe which carries the minute hand has attached to it an
arm K, which carries at its extremity a tooth f³, that enters a notch in the
wheel R; when thus in place it is held to the wheel by a spring dog L², and
pin upon the under side of the arm enters a hole s in the wheel I, and thus
as the wheel R revolves in the direction of its arrow, the arm K², and with it
the minute hand, is carried round. Should the hands be stopped by snow or

page_text: other obstruction, the arm K3 will be retained with it, the tooth f upon its
end rising out of the notch in the wheel R, either the tooth or the notch being
inclined to permit the tooth thus to withdraw itself when the pressure of the
dog L² is overcome; the tooth now rests upon the face of the wheel R, and
by this means the arm K2 is sufficiently elevated to raise the pin u upon its
under side clear of the hole in the wheel 12, and the wheel R now revolves
independent of the arm, which remains stationary with the minute hand. As
the wheel R makes a complete revolution each hour, and carries with it the
wheel I, each time it thus revolves one of the teeth upon the latter strikes
against a tooth n³ projecting from the pipe m³, and gives to the wheel I² one-
twelfth of a revolution, and the pin u resting upon the surface of the wheel I²
prevents the tooth upon the arm K² from falling into its notch. When,
however, the wheel I has made a complete revolution, which will take place
when the wheel R has revolved twelve hours, the holes will again be brought
beneath the pinu, and then, on the arrival of the notch in the wheel R. beneath
the tooth f2 on the arm K³, this tooth will fall into its notch, and the hands
will move if the obstruction has been removed; if not, they will again remain
stationary. It is evident that when thus stopped the hands will only again be
set in motion at the exact moment when their motion was arrested, whether
this be 12, 24, or 36 hours after the time when they were stopped.
I will now explain the manner in which motion is communicated from the
hour hand to the minute hand. The shaft n³, Figs. 8 and 9, of the minute
hand carries an excentric o², which revolves within a toothed wheel p³, having
eleven teeth; every point of this wheel is thus caused to revolve in a circle of
a diameter equal to the throw of the excentric, but the wheel is prevented
from revolving upon its own centre by the rod, attached to it, and, playing
between pins upon the frame. q is a star, having three or more arms s²,
which is carried by a pipe upon the shaft n, to which pipe is also secured the
hour hand. Each of the arms carries a pin, which plays between the teeth
of the wheel p², the pins being at such a distance from their centre of revolu-
tion that when one of them is at the bottom of a notch between two teeth the
others shall be passing over the curved end of the teeth contiguous to them.
The star q, and with it the hour hand, is thus caused to make a twelfth of a
revolution for each entire revolution of the minute hand shaft n². It is
evident that the star q² may be actuated by the excentric and employed to drive
the wheel p², in which case the hour hand will revolve with the latter wheel
instead of being carried by the star q².
It now remains to describe the arrangement and operation of the hammer
for striking the hour. In Fig. 3, M³ is the hammer, which is balanced and

page_text: suspended by the two rods t³, 83, in such a manner that it shall remain quiet in
whatever position it may be placed; when thus balanced, the hammer may be
swung through a much larger arc than it is usually allowed to move in, a very
slight power only being necessary for this purpose. The rod s³ is attached to
a short revolving shaft, from which projects an arm a², that is connected by a
suitable rod y with the lever I, Fig. 1, and thus, as the shaft H vibrates, the
hammer is actuated. By means of this contrivance I am enabled to employ
a much smaller hammer than has heretofore been practicable, and to actuate
it by a far less power than has been necessary to raise the heavy hammers
thus far employed.
Having now set forth the nature of this Invention, and explained the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under
the above recited Letters Patent I claim,-
1st, actuating the moving parts of timekeepers, all or a portion of them, by
means of pallets and scape wheels without the use of cogged wheels and
pinions, in the manner set forth.
2nd, the mechanism through which the motion of the scape wheel R is
communicated to the spring or other power which gives the impulse to the
pendulum, consisting essentially of the shaft S, with its counterpoise weights
k and p, the clicks a and r, and the detent C2 and block D2, pins k² and
plate d, or their equivalents, operating in the manner substantially as set
forth.
3rd, balancing the hammer in the manner set forth for the purpose
specified.
4th, the method of communicating motion from the shaft of the minute
hand to the hour hand by means of the toothed wheel p² and pins operating
in the manner substantially as set forth.
5th, the method herein described, or its substantial equivalent, whereby,
when the hands have been stopped, they remain stationary for a period of 12
hours, and are then again set in motion, provided the obstruction has been
removed, as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the First day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)