Improvements in Pendulums of Clocks.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Aug., 1889-Accepted, 28th Sept., 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by THE ANSONIA CLOCK COMPANY, of Ansonia, in the
State of Connecticut, United States of America, an Incorporated Company
organized under, and existing by virtue of, the Laws of the said State.]
Improvements in Pendulums of Clocks.
I PHILIP ARTHUR NEWTON of the Office for Patents, 6 Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, 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:-
This invention consists in a pendulum having within it a rotating figure or body, and
it further consists in the combination hereinafter described and claimed, whereby an
intermittent rotary motion is given to said figure or body by the oscillation of the
pendulum.
Fig. 1 in the accompanying drawing represents a front view of the lower portion
of a pendulum embodying the invention.
Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same at right angles to Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the invention.
Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the Figures.
A designates a frame, which takes the place of the ordinary penduluin bob, and is
suspended in any convenient manner from the pendulum rod B. Within the lower
part of this frame A, a horizontal spindle or arbor is arranged at right angles to
the planes of oscillation of the pendulum.
This spindle or arbor may be supported in any convenient manner, which permits it
to rotate freely. It is represented as supported between two centre screws a, which
are screwed through the sides of the frame A.
On this spindle or arbor C, there is secured a figure or body D, which may be of
any form or design, the axis of the said spindle or arbor passing through the centre of
gravity of the figure or body, so that the lattor may be perfectly balanced.
Near one end of the said spindle or arbor, there is secured upon it a ratchet
wheel b. Pivotted by a pin d to one side of the frame A, at a point at some distance
above the spindle or arbor C, is a pawl c, engaging with the ratchet wheel b.
As the pendulum swings in one direction, the pawl slips over the teeth of the
ratchet wheel without turning it, and consequently there is then no rotary movement
of the figure or body D, but as the pendulum swings in the opposite direction, the
pawl engaging with the teeth of the ratchet wheel turns it a short distance, and so
produces a rotary movement of the spindle or arbor, and the figure or body D. The
direction of the motion depends upon the direction in which the teeth of the ratchet
wheel are set.
The operation is illustrated by the diagram Fig. 3, in which suppose e to be the
centre of suspension of the pendulum, the centre of the spindle or arbor C,
d, the centre of the pivot of the pawl, h the point of contact between the pawl and
the ratchet wheel, and i an imaginary line drawn through the centref and the body D,
and suppose the teeth of the ratchet wheel to have, as shown in Fig. 3, the faces of
the teeth above the spindle or arbor C presented to the right hand. As the body D
swings, the inertia of the body tends to prevent its rotation while swinging with the
pendulum. When the pendulum swings to the left, the above tendency keeps the
line i in a horizontal position, notwithstanding the change of position of the line e, f, d,
the simple friction of the pawl upon the teeth not being sufficient to overcome this
inertia, and the pawl slipping back over the teeth; but when the pendulum swings in
the opposite direction, this inertia is overcome by the engagement of the pawl with
the teeth of the ratchet, and as the angle between the line i and the line e, f, d,
continues the same, the pawl turns the ratchet to bring the line i to the position shown
I Price lid.

page_text: at the right of the diagram, thus communicating a portion of a rotation to the figure
or body D. When the pendulum swings to the left again, the line i continues at the
same inclination to the horizontal, as is shown at the right of the diagram, and the
pawl slips over the teeth of the ratchet, to take a new hold for producing another
portion of a rotation of the figure or body during the movement of the pendulum to
the right.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this Inven-
tion, as communicated to me by my Foreign Correspondents, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The combination, with a pendulum, of a rotating figure or body having its axis
of rotation horizontal, and at right angles to the balance of oscillation of the pendulum,
substantially as herein described.
2. The combination with a pendulum, of a rotary spindle or arhor supported in the
pendulum, with its axis at right angles to the balance of oscillation of the pendulum,
a figure or body mounted on said spindle or arbor, a ratchet wheel fast on said
spindle or arbor, and a pawl pivotted to the pendulum, and engaging with said
ratchet wheel, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.
Dated this 13th day of August 1889.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.