Improvements in or connected with Electric Clock Systems.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in or connected with Electric Clock Systems.
A communication from abroad by HECTOR ALAN MACDONALD, at present resid-
ing in Paris, in the Republic of France, Painter in Water Colours.
I, JAMES GRIEVE LORRAIN, M.I.E.E., M.I.Mech. E., of Norfolk House, Norfolk
Street, London, W.C., in the County of Middlesex, Chartered Patent Agent,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention (as communicated to me from
abroad) to be as follows:-
This invention relates to electric clock systems of the type in which a number
of so-called secondary clocks distributed through a town or district are operated
by a master clock at a central station. In systems of this kind a drawback
arises through the danger of currents other than those transmitted by the
master clock causing the secondary clocks to be actuated as for example by
contact of overhead clock wires with telephone wires or the like. The main
object of this invention is to overcome this drawback and the object is effected
mainly by dispensing with the use of the circuit wires which connect the said
master clock with the secondary clocks.
In carrying the invention into effect the secondary clocks are operated by what
are known as Hertzian radiations or electro-magnetic waves. At the central
station a master clock of any of the usual types is placed and at given intervals
(as for example every half minute) it closes the circuit or one of the circuits
of a Hertzian radiation apparatus so as to cause electro-magnetic waves to be
transmitted around. Any desired circuit closing device may be employed but
this invention contemplates the use of one which will close the circuit a definite
number of times and for definite periods so as to obtain a series of pulsations
differing in character from such as might be employed for other purposes. A
contemplated circuit closing device is a rotary one driven by the master clock
or by an electro-motor or a spring or a weight and giving the desired dis-
tinctive number and or duration of closings of the circuit.
The receiving apparatus consists of an electric secondary clock of any con-
venient type with which is employed a local battery and a coherer or its equiva-
lent with its usual appurtenances for receiving the Hertzian radiations and
for bringing about de-coherence and preferably also a relay and a retarding
device for the purpose of preventing the operation of the secondary clock on re-
ceipt of pulsations other than those of the distinctive arrangement or character
herein before referred to.
The action of the invention is as follows:-When the master clock causes
one of the circuits, say the primary or secondary circuit, of the Hertzian radia-
tion apparatus to be closed (say for a definite number of times each of definite
duration) pulsations are transmitted to the receiving apparatus where the said
pulsations cause the circuit to be closed through the coherer in the usual well
known manner and allow a current or currents to pass through the electro-motor
of the secondary clock so as to move the hands through the desired angular

page_text: distance. By the use of a retarding device attached to the armature of the
electro-motor or to any other convenient part the secondary clock may be
prevented from responding to short accidental transmissions or to series of trans-
missions other than those produced by the master clock.
It will be seen that the matter herein before specified refers to clock systems
in which there are no wires connecting the secondary clocks with the master
clock but by adapting a retarding device, as herein before referred to, to the secon-
dary clocks of one of the ordinary clock systems in which transmitting wires
are employed it will be seen that the drawback hereinbefore mentioned can be
overcome. This combination of a retarding device with the ordinary apparatus
of an electric clock system in which connecting wires are employed constitutes
one part of my present invention both as regards method and as regards
apparatus.
Dated this 26th day of September 1800
A communication from abroad by HECTOR ALAN MACDONALD, of Paris, in the
Republic of France, Painter in Water Colours.
I, JAMES GRIEVE LORRAIN, M.I.E.E., M.I.Mech. E., of Norfolk House, Norfolk
Street, London, W.C., in the County of Middlesex, Chartered Patent Agent,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention (as communicated to me from
abroad) 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 electric clock systems of the type in which a number
of so-called secondary clocks distributed through a town or district are operated
by a master clock at a central station. In systems of this kind a drawback
arises through the danger of currents other than those transmitted by the
master clock causing the secondary clocks to be actuated as for example by
contact of overhead clock wires with telephone wires or the like. The main
object of this invention is to overcome this drawback and the object is effected
mainly by dispensing with the use of the circuit wires which connect the said
master clock with the secondary clocks.
In carrying this part of the invention into effect the secondary clocks are
operated by what are known as Hertzian radiations or electro-magnetic waves.
At the central station a master clock of any of the usual types is placed and at
given intervals (as for example every half minute) it closes the circuit or one
of the circuits of a Hertzian radiation or other equivalent apparatus so as to
cause electro-magnetic waves or impulses to be transmitted
around. Any
suitable circuit closing device may be employed but in this invention one is
preferred which will close the circuit a definite number of times and for definite
periods so as to obtain a series of pulsations differing in character from such
as might be employed for other purposes. A convenient form of circuit closing
device is a rotary one driven by the master clock or by an electro-motor or a
spring or a weight and giving the desired distinctive number and or duration of
closings of the circuit.
The receiving apparatus consists of an electric secondary clock of any con-
venient type (such for example as a mere time dial or horodyke, or what is
known as an electric self-winding clock, or what is known as an electrically

page_text: synchronised clock) with which is employed a local battery and a coherér or:
its equivalent with its usual appurtenances for receiving the Hertzian radiations
or impulses and for bringing about de-coherence and preferably also a relay and
a retarding device for the purpose of preventing the operation of the secondary
clock on receipt of pulsations other than those of the distinctive arrangement or
character herein before referred to.
The action of the invention is as follows:-When the master clock causes
one of the circuits, say the primary circuit, of the Hertzian radiation apparatus
to be closed (say for a definite number of times each of definite duration) pul-
sations are transmitted to the receiving apparatus where the said pul
gations cause the circuit to be closed through the coherer in the usual well
known manner and allow a current or currents to pass through the electro-
motor of the secondary clock (whether such electro-motor be the dial or horo-
dyke motor, the synchronising motor, for example the one which brings the
hands or a hand to a given position, or the electro-motor which winds up a
spring or weight) so as to move the hands or enable them to be moved. By the
use of a retarding device, attached to the armature of the electro-motor or to any
other convenient part, the secondary clock may be prevented from responding
to short accidental transmissions or to series of transmissions other than those
produced by the master clock.
In
In the illustrative diagram, Figure I, 1 is the circuit closing device actuated
by the master clock at the central station from which the Hertzian radiations
or other wireless transmissions or impulses are sent. This circuit closing device,
which may be of any convenient type, is shown as arranged in the primary cir-
cuit 2 of the induction coil 3 of the Hertzian vibrator or radiation device.
this circuit is also the primary battery or other source of electrical energy 4.
The secondary circuit 5 is shown as connected to a vertical Marconi wire 6 and
earth. The apparatus so far referred to being that at the transmitting
station I shall hereinafter refer to it as the transmitting apparatus. For prac-
tical purposes it may be modified in any of the well known ways. The circuit
closing device 1 is diagrammatically shown as consisting of a very simple well
known form, and is capable of great modification for different purposes. For
example instead of consisting of six conducting segments and six insulating
segments of practically the same size, as is shown, the said segments may be
varied in number and size to any desired degree so as to give a definite series of
definite signals or circuit-closings of varying duration as may be desired.
At the receiving station, 6¹ is a Marconi vertical wire as before and 71 the
earth wire. 8 is a coherer of any suitable form serving during the period of
cohesion to close the circuit of the battery 9 in circuit 10. In this circuit is
also the sensitive relay, of any convenient type, 11 which under the influence of
the coherer closes or tends to close the circuit 12 of battery 13. In said circuit
12 is the circuit closing device 14 and the electro-magnet 15. I have spoken of
the relay as tending to close the circuit 12 it being obvious that the said circuit
will only be closed when the conducting section 16 comes during rotation under
the contact spring 17, the circuit closing device 14 being assumed to be a
rotatory one driven by the secondary clock or by any other convenient motor.
This rotatory circuit closing device 14 is for illustration shown as one having a
single conducting surface or section at its periphery so that the circuit is only
closed once during each revolution. The electromagnet 15 represents any of
the electro-magnets or electro-motors employed in connection with secondary
clocks. For example, it may represent the synchronising magnet in which case
it may attract an armature working a fork V, or inclined guide which will
bring the hands or the long hand to the twelve o'clock or zero position. Or,
it may be the winding electro-motor serving to wind up the clock mechanism of the
secondary clock, whether such motor be an ordinary electromagnet which acts
upon a reciprocating armature or be a rotary electro-motor or what not. Or,
it may be the electro-magnet which merely pushes the hands round a definite

page_text: angular distance. Decoherence may be obtained by any of the usual well known
ways as for example by means of an electromagnetic decoherer whose electro-
manet may be fed by the battery or other source of electrical energy 13.
In Figure. 2 I diagrammatically show the application of a retarding device
to the armature of the electromagnet 15. The said retarding device consists
of an ordinary dashpot 19 of any convenient form. A convenient form is one
in which the piston 19 is fitted with an orifice or orifices having a flap valve
or valves therein opening downwards so that a considerable retarding effect is
offered to movement downwards, of the armature through the resisting medium
against the action of spring 20, but little or no retarding resistance is offered
to movement upwards thereof. Such a retarding device would prevent actuation
of the secondary clock by a momentary passage of current through the electro-
magnet.
In practice I prefer to use the Hertzian or other oscillations to actuate a-
secondary clock of the kind in which the relayed current is employed either to
wind up the driving spring or weight of the secondary clock employed or to
synchronize or bring to zero position the hands or one of them of the secondary
clock, or to do both. To employ the Hertzian transmissions to actuate a secon-
dary clock of that kind which consists of a mere time dial or horodyke does
not offer many advantages except in special cases. In the majority of cases it is
more convenient to use such time dials or horodykes as tertiary clocks, these ter-
tiary clocks being connected to the secondary clocks in series or in multiple arc
by ordinary conducting wires and receiving their current through circuit closing
devices actuated by the said secondary clocks, whilst these secondary clocks
are wound or synchronized or both by wireless transmissions from the master
clock at the central station.
In Figure 3 I show my invention as employed in a typical case of a largish
town. In this case A is the transmitting apparatus embracing the master clock
and the circuit closer and other parts shown at the transmitting station of
Figure I. B is the receiving apparatus embracing the devices shown at the
receiving side of Figure I together with a decoherer and if desired a. retarding
device. C represents a self-winding clock synchronised or having its long hand
brought to position once an hour by the electro-magnet 15 of B. The spring or
weight of C is wound up by the battery 13 of B or by a battery of its own.
Within the frame of C is mounted a circuit closing device of any of the convenient
kinds for closing a circuit say every half minute through the tertiary horo-
dykes or time dials D, D, connected up in series by the wires E, E. In such
an installation there need not be more than one transmitting apparatus A but it
is contemplated that there shall be a considerable number of secondary clocks,
all actuated by wireless transmissions from A, for example one for each block
of buildings or group of houses or the like. Each of these secondary clocks will
serve to actuate a large number of tertiary clocks in the different houses or in
the different apartments of the houses of each group. It will thus be seen
that within each block of buildings or the like the transmission is by means of
wires in a well known manner, the secondary clocks in that case acting so to
speak as master clocks with respect to the tertiary clocks, and I desire it to be
understood that I lay no claim to the use of a secondary clock driving tertiary
clocks unless such secondary clock be actuated by wireless transmissions from a
primary clock. The secondary clocks in my invention instead of being actuated
by currents transmitted over wires are, it will be seen, actuated by wireless
transmissions so that the drawback referred to at the commencement of this
specification is avoided.
When the circuit closer 14 is employed on a system such as I have represented
in Figure 3, I prefer that it should be made with a single conducting section 16
as shown in Figure I; and I arrange that this conducting section 16 shall make
contact with spring 17 only at the time when the clock C is to be synchronized,

page_text: that is to say for about a minute or other short period in each hour. As the
circuit closing device 14 is driven by the self-winding clock C, preferably at
such a rate as to make one revolution per hour, it will be seen that during the
remaining part of each hour (fifty-nine minutes or whatever it may be) any wire-
less transmissions reaching B would not have any effect upon the secondary
clock as the circuit would not be closed.
In the case where the electro-magnet 15 is the motor of a self-winding
clock the conducting section 16 is arranged to make contact with spring 17
only at the time when the clock is to be wound, but if the clock is to be wound
oftener than once for each revolution of the circuit closer 14, then the circuit
closing device must have a corresponding number of conducting sections 16.
When the secondary clock consists of a mere horodyke or time dial and
such a circuit closing device as 14 is employed, the latter must be driven
by a motor of some convenient kind.
It will be obvious that such a system as I have described will be very
useful in country districts as all the villages and country houses in the said
district might be supplied with secondary clocks actuated by wireless transmis-
sions from one primary clock.
It is evident that the forms of circuit closing devices 1 and 14 will depend
upon the particular impulses or series of impulses transmitted or utilized and
such circuit closing devices will have to be designed in accordance with particular
cases. Numbers of convenient forms are well known to electrical engineers;
and many are used in multiplex telegraphy and kindred applications. Similarly
the retarding.device will have to be modified in accordance with particular re-
quirements; but dashpots are now so well known and so extensively used in con-
nection with many applications that no competent engineer will have any
difficulty in selecting the most suitable for his purpose. The design of circuit
closing devices and retarding devices will depend mainly upon the disturbing
influences that are likely to be experienced. Thus assuming that a considerable
amount of wireless telegraphy is. going on in which the equivalents of dots
and dashes are employed, circuit-closer 1 should be such that each closing
of the circuit will be for a longer period than the longest "dash" likely to be
used in telegraphy; and similarly the retarding device should be such that the
armature of the electro-magnet 15 would not be sufficiently moved during the
period of such a dash. Or, circuit closing device 1 may be arranged to make
a long contact after one or more short ones, the one or more short ones being
made insufficient to sufficiently move the armature of electromagnet 15. Care
must be taken in decoherence to arrange that said decoherence occurs at the
proper time, and so as not to interfere with the proper action of the receiving
apparatus. Such manner of decoherence is well known.
In speaking of Hertzian apparatus or of Hertzian radiations or impulses
it is not intended that the invention should be limited to the actual form of
apparatus designed or used by Hertz or to the actual kind of radiations obtained
by his apparatus. The term Hertzian is used in the wider sense which embraces
apparatus of this kind as recently developed by workers in the same field
such for example as Marconi, Ducretet, Fitzgerald and Trouton, and others, and
the electro-magnetic waves, radiations or impulses referred to are those obtained
by such developed apparatus and by such workers.
It will be seen that the matter hereinbefore specified refers to clock systems
in which there are no wires connecting the secondary clocks with the master or
primary clock; but by adopting a retarding device, as herein before referred to,
to the secondary clocks of one of the ordinary clock systems in which trans-
mitting wires are employed it will be seen that the drawback mentioned at
the beginning of this specification can be overcome. This combination of a
retarding device with the ordinary apparatus of an electric clock system in
which connecting wires are employed constitutes one part of my present in-
vention.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion (as communicated to me from abroad) and in what manner the same is to
be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The improvement connected with electric clock systems which consists
in actuating secondary clocks by means of Hertzian or wireless transmissions.
2. Employing Hertzian or wireless transmissions to close the circuit of a
battery or other source of electrical energy and enable the current in that
circuit to wind up the spring or weight of a secondary clock substantially as
set forth.
3. Employing Hertzian or wireless transmissions to synchronize a secondary
clock.
4. In a clock system in which the secondary clocks are actuated or controlled
by Hertzian or wireless transmissions the employment of a retarding device
substantially as set forth.
5. In a clock system in which the secondary clocks are actuated or controlled
by Hertzian or wireless transmissions the employment of a sensitive relay
substantially as set forth.
6. In a clock system in which the secondary clocks are actuated or con-
trolled by Hertzian or wireless transmissions the employment of a rotating
circuit closing device which shall prevent the actuation of the secondary clock
except at a given period.
7. In a clock system in which the secondary clocks are actuated or controlled
by Hertzian or wireless transmissions, the combination of a sensitive relay, a
local battery or batteries, a circuit closing device, and a synchronising electro-
magnet or motor.
8. In a clock system in which the secondary clocks are actuated or controlled
by Hertzian or wireless transmissions, the combination of a sensitive relay, a
local battery or batteries, a circuit closing device, and a winding electro-magnet
or motor.
9. The arrangement and combination of parts substantially as set forth
with reference to Figure I.
10. In an electric clock system in which the secondary clocks are connected to
the primary clock by wires, the employment of a retarding device with each
secondary clock for the purpose specified.
11. In an electric clock system in which the secondary clocks are connected
by wires with the primary clock, the combination of a secondary clock and a
retarding device for the purpose specified.
Dated this 26th day of June 1900