Year: 1885

page_text: I EDWARD GARDNER COLTON of the firm of Popplewell Colton & Co of Victoria
Chambers Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex Fellow of the
Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare the nature of this invention a
communication to me from abroad by Prosper Nordinann and Henry Alfred Lugrin
both of the Stewart Building in the City County and State of New York
Horologists and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to certain improvements in the stop watch for which
letters patent were granted to Lorentz Albert Groth as a communication from us
No 3224 of 1880, whereby not only quarter seconds, but also minutes are indicated
by the timing attachment; and the invention consists of a stop watch in which the
centre wheel is connected by an intermediate hollow and spring-actuated arbor
carrying a pinion and a minutely-toothed bevel wheel which latter engages with a
similar toothed bevel wheel on the arbor of an auxiliary minute hand, said arbor
being provided with a heart-cam by which the auxiliary minute hand is returned
to the starting point by means of a lever and the. usual ratchet wheel mechanism.
The lever acts by its bevelled edge on the conically-tapering upper end of the
hollow intermediate arbor, which is guided on a fixed spindle and supported on a
spring that lifts said arbor and throws the toothed bevel wheel into gear with the.
bevel wheel of the auxiliary minute hand, whenever the pressure of the lever on
the hollow arbor is released.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 represents a front elevation of the improved stop watch.
Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same with part of the case broken away..
Figs. 3 and 4 are details showing the actuating lever in different positions.
Figs. 5 and 6 are detail side views partly in section of the mechanism by which
the auxiliary minute hand is operated.
. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
The quarter second hand of the timing attachment to stop watches is set in
motion by approved mechanism preferably that shewn in the aforesaid Letters

page_text: Patent No 3224 of 1880 as will more fully appear by reference to the specification
thereof.
In connection with the mechanisms that operate the quarter second hand, is also
operated by the usual double ratchet wheel E, an auxiliary lever F that is pivoted
to the top-plate of the watch movement and provided with recessed heel of that
is engaged by the teeth of the double ratchet wheel E as shewn in Figs. 2,
3 and 4.
The outer end f¹ of the lever F is made of hook shape and bevelled at the edge
back of the hook so as to engage the conically tapering upper end of a hollow
arbor D, that is located intermediately between the arbor of the centre wheel and
the arbor C of an auxiliary minute hand C¹ that is arranged at the upper part of
the dial. The hollow arbor D is guided on a fixed post or spindle D₁ attached to
the mainplate of the movement as shewn in Figs. 5 and 6.
The conically-tapering end of the arbor D forms a part of a cap that is secured
rigidly to the hollow arbor D. The hollow arbor D is rotated by means of a
pinion & which engages with the centre wheel d' of the movement.
"
The hollow arbor Ď is provided with a minutely toothed bevel wheel e, said arbor
being acted upon by a band spring d2 which has the tendency to lift the hollow
arbor D so as to throw the minutely toothed bevel-wheel e into gear with a
similarly toothed but inverted bevel wheel e', that is keyed to the arbor C of the
auxiliary minute-hand C'. The arbor C carries at its upper end a heart-shaped
cam b, which is engaged by the hook-shaped end f¹ of the shifting lever F, whenever
the auxiliary minute-hand is to be returned to the starting point. The bevelled
edge of the lever F passes readily over the conically tapering end of the arbor D
and lowers it against the tension of the spring d² whereby the bevel wheel e is
thrown out of gear with the bevel wheel el and thereby the motion of the auxiliary
minute band C interrupted.
The centre timing attachment is operated by the crown and key-pipe of the
stem-winding watch, an intermediate lever and pawl E E2 and the double ratchet
wheel E as shown in Fig. 2 the quarter second hand and the auxiliary minute
hand being simultaneously started by pressing the crown down and throwing the
actuating levers of the quarter-second hand and of the auxiliary minute-hand into
proper positions.
By moving the lever F into the position shown in Fig. 2, the end of the same
clears the upper conical end of the hollow arbor D so that the spring d lifts the
arbor D and throws the bevel wheel e into gear with the bevel wheel e¹ as shewn
in Fig. 6. The auxiliary minute hand is thereby started so as to move along its
dial once every minute when the quarter second hand has accomplished one entire
.revolution over the main dial. The auxiliary minute hand indicates the full
minutes which the quarter second hand has accomplished and forms thereby a
convenient auxiliary for counting the rotations of the quarter second hand.
friction spring e² bears on the shank of the auxiliary minute hand C so as to hold
it steadily in position and facilitates the throwing in and out of gear, with the
bevel wheels e¹ and the instant forward motion of the auxiliary minute hand without
recoil whenever the gearing takes place.
A
By pressing the crown of the stein winding watch down a second time the
lever F is moved over the tapering end of the hollow arbor D as shewn in Fig. 3
so that the same is depressed against the tension of the spring d³ the bevel
wheels e e¹ thrown out of gear with each other and the auxiliary minute hand
stopped. The teeth of the gear wheel d on the hollow arbour D have to be wide
enough to keep said gear wheel always in gear with the transmitting centre
wheel d, whether the hollow arbor is in raised or lowered position as shewn
respectively in Figs. 5 and 6.
By pressing on the crown a third time the lever F is moved, so as to engage by
its hook-shaped end, the heart-cam and return thereby the auxiliary minute hand
to the starting point. This takes place simultaneously with the return of the

page_text: quarter second hand to its starting point. In this position of the lever F the
hollow arbor D is retained in the depressed state as shewn in Fig. 5.
The auxiliary minute hand of the timing attachment of the stop watch thus
works in conjunction with the quarter second hand and indicates the full minutes
while the quarter second band indicates the quarter seconds so that regattas or
races can be timed with great convenience without requiring the counting of the
rotations of the quarter seconds hand.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention 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 the centre wheel of a watch movement, of an inter-
mediate spring pressed arbor having a pinion gearing with the centre wheel, an
auxiliary arbor having a similarly toothed bevel wheel, a heart cam and a minute
hand, a lever adapted to engage the upper end of the intermediate arbor and
mechanism, substantially as described for operating the lever so as to start stop or
return the auxiliary minute hand, as set forth.
2. The combination with the centre wheel of a watch movement of an inter-
mediate hollow arbor having a pinion gearing with said centre wheel and a
minutely toothed bevel wheel, a fixed spindle on which the hollow arbor is
supported, a spring bearing on the lower end of said arbor, an arbor carrying the
auxiliary minute hand and having a minutely-toothed gear wheel and an operating
lever whereby the minute hand is started stopped or returned.
3. The combination with the centre wheel of a watch movement of an inter-
mediate hollow arbor, having a conically bevelled cap at the upper end, a pinion
gearing with the centre wheel and a minutely toothed bevel wheel, a fixed spindle
for supporting the hollow arbor, a lifting spring bearing on the lower end of the
hollow arbor, an auxiliary arbor having a minutely toothed bevel-wheel a minute
hand and a heart cam an operating lever having a hook shaped end substantially
as set forth.