Applicable for use in Fog signaling.
Year: 1886

page_text: Applicable for use in Fog signaling.
I EDWARD GRIFFITH BREWER of 33 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex
Fel. Inst. P.A. do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication
to me from abroad by Louis Schoentjes, Ship Chandler, and Alfred Jess, Lieutenant
in the German Navy, both of Antwerp, Belgium) and in what manner the same
is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:―
It is often found when vessels are at sea in foggy weather, that the man on
watch does not sound the fog signal at regular intervals, this being on account of
his inability to ascertain the time elapsed between two signals, thus he sounds his
whistle, horn, bell or semaphore or other signalling apparatus at irregular intervals,
and frequently the time which elapses between two signals is sufficient to allow a
collision to take place.
To obtain more punctuality in the sounding of fog signals in accordance with
this invention a clock is employed constructed as hereinafter described, to warn the
signalman when he has to give the signal. To this clock, which is made similar in
shape to an ordinary clock, is added in addition to its ordinary works a special
mechanism. This mechanism consists of toothed wheels, pinions and levers which
are put in motion by an actuating wheel of ordinary clockwork form causing a
hammer to strike a bell at regular intervals, say for example every minute, or every
two minutes, or more or less, as desired, all as hereafter described.
This clock being placed on deck near the man on watch will warn him when he
Thus the signal may
has to act, and this in a regular and mathematical manner.
be sounded at equal and regular intervals.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a front view showing the clockwork
and the mechanism forming this invention when stopped. Figure 2 is a side view
of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a back view of the mechanism when ready to sound the
alarum the lever & just leaving the lever J¹ of the "butterfly." Figure 4 shows' a
front view of the principal parts of the mechanism when the hammer is raised
ready to strike, (these figures are full size).

page_text: Taking a good clockwork movement (a lever movement for example) the
actuating wheel is made the motor of the alarm mechanism, the nature of which
and its application by clock work constitutes this invention. The actuating wheel N
is provided with pins or studs N' on its face which pins or studs make contact
with a lever r¹ having its axis at R and cause the said axis to pivot, actuating in
its rotation two other levers 72, 73 also mounted upon same. The lever r² which
is of a square shape at its end actuates a lever 82 pivotted at S which turns with
In its turn the axis S in its rotation actuates the levers s² 83 84.
it.
Referring to what has been before mentioned respecting the lever 1 when the
actuating wheel N arrives at the half stroke of lever 1 the lever S* (the lever ²
having pushed the lever 82) releases a lever J¹ which was held by the hook shaped
outer end of St. This lever J¹ is fixed at its other end on the spindle J¹ of a
"butterfly" the axis of which carries a small pinion gearing with a toothed wheel I
in communication with other parts of the mechanism to be described.
Upon the lever J' being disengaged the wheel I turns by means of the small
pinion J on the axis of the "butterfly" (previously retained by the lever S) until
the single pin or stud i fixed on the face of said wheel I meets the lever (at
about a half revolution) previously actuated by lever r¹. This position of levers
and wheels is illustrated in Figure 3 (which is a view from beneath) showing the
clockwork mechanism ready to sound the bell. The actuating wheel before men-
tioned in continuing its rotation releases the lever which takes with it the
lever in a backward movement. This lever then leaves the aforesaid single
pin of the wheel I and the clock work will be disengaged and will go. This clock-
work is put in motion by a main spring B transmitting the motive power to
toothed wheel c fixed on the spring spindle, this wheel transmits its motion to a
pinion D fixed on axle D' which revolves a toothed wheel E causing, by means of
the pins or studs placed on its face, the arm H of the hammer to strike the bell.
This toothed wheel E imparts motion to a toothed wheel G by gearing with a
small pinion F fixed on the spindle F1 of the toothed wheel G and this latter will
act on the small pinion H fixed on the spindle of toothed wheel I. Figure 4
which is a front view showing the relative position of the levers and wheels when
the hammer strikes the bell. To allow the wheels above described to turn freely
and regularly on the axes F¹ and H¹ Figures 2 and 3, cam discs P and Q are
provided formed with notches P¹ and Q¹. The object of these discs is to keep all
the sets of levers raised during the rotation of the wheels whilst the hammer is
rising and falling to strike the bell. This result is obtained as follows; when at
rest the levers 8 and 83 are engaged in the notches P¹ and Q¹ of the discs P and Q;
when the lever s releases the lever J' the wheel I makes a half revolution and
revolves with it the disc Q mounted on its axis, and the lever 8³ takes the position
shown in Figure 3 that is to say this lever is out of the notch of the disc and rests
upon the side of the disc opposite to the notch, this lever S³ by its position keeps
the whole set of levers raised. The operation of the cam disc P is similar to that
of the disc Q but it is only used to prevent the lever S³ entering the notch Q¹ of
disc when this comes in front of said lever during the rotation of said disc Q.
For the hammer to strike; the wheel G, mounted on spindle F2, as well as the
cam P, must make two revolutions. This wheel G has 48 teeth, the pinion H of
the wheel I has 8 teeth. Thus when the wheel G makes one revolution the wheel I
makes six, thence it follows that the notches Pi and Q are at the same time in front
of their respective levers 82 83. These levers are controlled by the spring T (which
presses the axis S) and have their ends constantly pressed against their respective
cam discs in such manner that when they meet the notches of the latter they enter
them. Then the lever 8¹ at this moment at middle of its stroke being no longer
held by the levers 8³ ³ falls down gradually and catches by its square shaped end,
one of the teeth of counting wheel L instead of one of the notches M of same which
prevents its falling further and the levers are raised as shown in Figure 4. It
follows from this that by the lever S¹ being held between two teeth of the counting
wheel L the levers S2, S3 being actuated by said lever S¹ cannot descend sufficiently to

page_text: stop the movement and the cam discs P and Q continuing to revolve, release the
levers S2 S3 which in their turn actuate the lever S¹ (as it is placed on the same axis)
and disengaged it (see Figure 4). The movement continuing the same result is ob-
tained when the wheel G has completed its second revolution, but then the lever S¹
meets with a notch M' of the counting wheel and the levers S³ Ss being opposite
the notches of their respective cam discs P and Q, the lever S¹ having a longer
stroke by reason of its entering the notch M the three levers will descend their
common axes revolving with them, the lever S4 will also descend and hook on to
lever J¹ and the alarum will be stopped by the gearing of these parts. The
counting wheel L has 92 teeth and at every fourth tooth there is a deep notch M
of 2 times the length of the tooth that is to say one and a half times deeper than
the space between each ordinary tooth and in this notch the lever S¹ engages itself
as above described. There are 23 notches. This counting wheel receives motion
from a pinion K with which it gears this pinion K has 16 teeth and is mounted on
the axis D¹ of the small pinion D placed on the spindle of the wheel E, and it
receives its motion from main spring B which is communicated to it by the large
wheel C with which it gears, this wheel C is placed on the axis of the spring B.
The axis D¹ makes of a revolution while the counting wheel L advances four
teeth; on the axis D¹ as previously stated is mounted the wheel E which carries
four pins E¹ for the purpose of raising the arm U of the hammer, this wheel being
fixed on axis D' makes also one quarter of a turn The wheel E has 48 teeth and
communicates its motion to the pinion F of the axis F¹; as this pinion has 6 teeth
and the wheel E in making one quarter of a revolution advances 12 teeth, causes
the axis F¹ and its fixed pinion to make two turns during that time the hammer
rises and falls.
If for example the long hand of the dial is at any exact hour and the mechanism
hereinbefore described sounding the bell at every minute the following operation
takes place.
The main spring of the clockwork mechanism acts through intermediate wheels
upon the actuating wheel N forming part of the ordinary clockwork movement
which it is not necessary to here describe. This actuating wheel has 56 teeth and
has 8 pins thereon which are so distanced one from the other as to give the
necessary stroke for a minute that is to say 7 teeth. This wheel gives motion to
the pinion O having 7 teeth or arms upon the spindle of which the second hand is
mounted (revolving on a small dial placed upon the dial of the clock). At each
revolution of this second hand the alarum will sound, that is to say, at each minute
this being done by the actuating wheel in revolving, raising the lever 71 by means
of the pins placed thereon. This lever in its action causes the levers 7 and ³
mounted on its axis to rise also. The lever 2 meets and pushes the lever S³ which
in its turn causes the levers 81 83 and 8' placed on its axis to rise also. The lever 8ª
releases the lever J¹ which it held and then the latter revolves with pinion J. The
toothed wheel I gearing with the pinion J turns also but makes only half a
revolution by reason of its single pin i meeting the lever ³. During this motion
the levers S2 and S3 are raised over the periphery of the cam discs P and Q forcing
the lever S¹ out of the notch M on the counting wheel L in which it was engaged,
at this moment the movement is out of gear and ready to act on the striking
mechanism because the actuating wheel N continuing to revolve has advanced
7 teeth and the levers 72 and 3 by the action of lever which is in communication
with said actuating wheel being released they return to their former position, by
this the lever leaves the pin i of wheel I. The mechanism being no longer
retained, the wheel E makes a quarter of a turn and by one of its four pins raises
the arm U pivotted at W of hammer X which strikes the bell Y. The lifting back
of the hammer is performed by spring V. This mechanism is mounted with, and
in the same casing as the mechanism of the clock and when it is desired to stop it,
it is only necessary to pull the cord Z' and to hold it by its ring Z2 to the hook Z³
upon the clock casing, when the clock mechanism only is kept going, by reason of
the lever J¹ of the “butterfly" J of the sounding movement being held by a spindle

page_text: or spring Z which is pulled by the cord Z and is held in that position as long as
the cord is hooked at Z³ (Figure 1).
The mechanism above described is constructed to cause the hammer to strike the
bell each minute but it may be made so as to strike at any convenient intervals by
adding or reducing the number of pins and gearings
The mechanism hereinbefore described is equally adapted to electric clocks and
may be applied to vessels, lighthouses, lightships and signalling generally when
intermittent signals are required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim as the invention communicated to me is:-
First. The combination of the different parts described, with the object of
obtaining a striking mechanism actuated by an ordinary clock work movement
which shall strike at any required number of minutes, or any fraction of a minute
desired, substantially as hereinbefore set forth and shewn in the accompanying
drawings.
Second. The application of this striking mechanism to an ordinary clock with
the object of making it strike when desired at any required and regular intervals,
substantially as set forth.
Third. The application in the striking mechanism hereinbefore described of a
toothed counting wheel, the teeth of which are regularly divided by notches which
receive and hold a hook or lever during the interval elapsing between striking,
substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
Fourth. The combination of levers in connection with the motion of the
actuating wheel of a clock work mechanism provided with pins for the purpose
and with the object of acting on, or disengaging the said levers substantially as
herein before set forth.
Fifth. In the striking mechanism described the employment of notched wheels
or cam discs keeping and sustaining one after the other the acting levers of the
said mechanism substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth and
described.
Sixth. The whole of the striking mechanism in combination with any kind of
clockwork for the purpose of obtaining a regular alarum given at any desired
interval, to inform the signalman in foggy weather the proper intervals at which
to give his signals; this striking mechanism being able to be put in motion or
stopped without interfering with the clock; the whole substantially as hereinbefore
set forth and described.