IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SOUNDING BELLS ON LIGHTHOUSES, FLOATING LIGHTS, BUOYS, AND LIKE FLOATING BODIES
Year: 1861

page_text: LEITERS PATENT to Charles Oliver, of Old Boswell Court, in the County
of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
SOUNDING BELLS ON LIGHTHOUSES, FLOATING LIGHTS, BUOYS, AND LIKE
FLOATING BODIES."
Sealed the 5th November 1861, and dated the 13th May 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Oliver at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 13th
May 1861.
I; CHARLES OLIVER, of Old Boswell Court, in the County of Middle-
sex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPA-
RATUS FOR SOUNDING BELLS ON LIGHTHOUSES, FLOATING LIGHTS, BUOYS, AND LIKE
FLOATING BODIES," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for sound-
ing bells on lighthouses, floating lights, buoys, and like floating bodies.
For these purposes a maintaining power is used, by preference a weight,
which as it descends gives motion to a barrel by means of the chain or
rope to which it is attached, in the ordinary manner of giving motion
to a train of wheels. On the axis of the barrel is a cog wheel which gives
motion to a pinion on another axis, on which, in addition to the pinion
above mentioned, there is a cog wheel, which receives motion from
its axis when it is turned by the barrel, but not when its axis is turned
to wind up the chain or rope on to the barrel. This cog wheel when
actuated by the barrel gives motion to a pinion fixed on the axis of an
escapement wheel. The clapper or hammer is suspended within the
bell, and it receives motion by means of a connecting rod, which at one

page_text: end is attached to an arm or projection from the upper part of the rod
of the clapper or hammer; the other end of the connecting rod is attached
to one end of a lever which turns on a centre intermediate of its length;
this lever is weighted and has a tendency to fall and aid the swing of
the pendulous rod of the clapper or hammer. The teeth of the escape-
ment wheel act in succession on a projection from the under side of this
lever, so as to cause the lever to vibrate, and the clapper or hammer to
swing and strike the bell at the escapement of each tooth of the escape-
ment wheels. In order that but one tooth only of the escapement wheel
may be permitted to pass at each vibration of the lever, the farther end
of this lever is attached by a connecting rod to an arm on an axis, so
as to give that axis a rocking motion; this axis is notched where the
teeth of the escapement wheel come, in such manner that when the
notch is presented a tooth of the escapement wheel can pass, but when
the unnotched surface of the axis is presented to the escapement wheel,
as it is when the projection before mentioned is so placed as to allow
teeth to pass, it prevents the escapement wheel running down.
When applying bells to buoys or such like floating bodies, heavy
spheres are used to strike the bells; such spheres are placed in troughs,
so arranged that the spheres may roll away from and to the bells as the
buoy or floating body is moved by the water; and in order that the
spheres may not remain in contact with the bells, there are springs
employed between the spheres and the bells; such springs have openings
through them to admit of the spheres striking the bells, when the springs
are bent by the action of the bells against them.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Oliver in the Great Seal Patent Office, on the
13th November 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
OLIVER, of Old Boswell Court, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Charles Oliver, Her special licence that I, the
said Charles Oliver, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Charles Oliver, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,

page_text: 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
APPARATUS FOR SOUNDING BELLS ON LIGHTHOUSES, FLOATING LIGHTS, BUOYS, AND
LIKE FLOATING BODIES." upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Charles Oliver, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Oliver, do hereby declare the
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 thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus for
sounding bells on lighthouses, floating lights, buoys, and like floating
bodies. For these purposes a maintaining power is used, by preference
a weight, which as it descends gives motion to a barrel by means of the
chain or rope to which it is attached, in the ordinary manner of giving
motion to a train of wheels. On the axis of the barrel is a cog wheel
which gives motion to a pinion on another axis, on which, in addition
to the pinion above mentioned, there is a cog wheel which receives
motion from its axis when it is turned by the barrel, but not when its
axis is turned to wind up the chain or rope on to the barrel. This cog
wheel when actuated by the barrel gives motion to a pinion fixed on
the axis of an escapement wheel. The clapper or hammer is suspended
within the bell, and it receives motion by means of a connecting rod,
which at one end is attached to an arm or projection from the upper
part of the rod of the clapper or hammer, and the other end of connect-
ing rod is attached to one end of a lever, which turns on a centre inter-
mediate of its length; this lever is weighted, and has a tendency to fall
and aid the swing of the pendulous rod of the clapper or hammer. The
teeth of the escapement wheel act in succession on a projection from the
under side of this lever, so as to cause the lever to vibrate, and the clapper
or hammer to swing and strike the bell at the escapement of each tooth
of the escapement wheels. In order that but one tooth only of the
escapement wheel may be permitted to pass at each vibration of the
lever the farther end of this lever is attached by a connecting rod to
an arm on an axis, so as to give that axis a rocking motion; this axis

page_text: "
is notched where the teeth of the escapement wheel come, in such
manner that when the notch is presented a tooth of the escapement
wheel can pass, but when the unnotched surface of the axis is presented
to the escapement wheel, as it is when the projection before mentioned
is so placed as to allow teeth to pass, it prevents the escapement wheel
running down.
When applying bells to buoys or such like floating bodies heavy
spheres are used to strike the bells; such spheres are placed in troughs
so arranged that the spheres may roll away from and to the bells as the
.buoy or floating body is moved by the water; and in order
that the spheres may not remain in contact with the bells there are
springs employed between the spheres and the bells; such springs have
openings through them to admit of the spheres striking the bells when
the springs are bent by the action of the balls against them.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention I will proceed
more fully to describe the manner of performing the same,
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section of apparatus combined
according to my Invention and suitable for being fixed to a lighthouse;
Figure 2, a plan of part of the apparatus.
a, a, is the framing; b, is a bell; c, the hammer or clapper; d, is a
connecting rod which connects an arm c¹ of the hammer or clapper with
the lever e, the action of which will be hereafter described; f, is a
weight connected with a chain or cord g, the end of which is con-
nected to the frame of the pulley thence under the pulley f', and
thence is wound on the drum or barrel i, on which is a cog wheel j
which gives motion to the pinion k on the axis l, which is the axis by
which the barrel is turned by means of a suitable key placed on the end
when the cord or chain is to be wound thereon, when the pinion gives
motion to the cog wheel j on the axis of the drum or barrel i; on the
axis is a cog wheel m which is retained from moving on the axis
when that axis is being driven from the barrel or drum i, but when
the axis is being turned by a handle to wind up the cord or chain
then the axis can be turned without moving the cog wheel m, that cog
wheel being only held to the axis by a spring catch m¹, taking into
a ratchet wheel m² fixed on the axis 1, so as to allow the axis to turn
in one direction without actuating the cog wheel m.
The cog wheel m,
when put in motion by the axis l, gives motion to a pinion on the axis o,
on which is fixed a tappet wheel p, which acts on the tail of the lever e
which is weighted at its other end, hence the lever e is moved each
time a tooth of the tappet wheel passes and acts on the tail of the lever e,

page_text: which as before explained gives motion to the clapper or hammer of the
bell. The lever e, by an arm e', gives motion to a connecting rod e
attached thereto, and it by its other end being attached to an arm on
the axis q gives motion to that axis; this axis at the part q' is
enlarged as shewn, and on one side of it there is a notch formed so as
to permit at tooth of the tappet wheel to pass when that side of the
axis is presented to it, but the tappet wheel is stopped when the
notch in the side of the axis is not towards the tappet wheel.
Figure 3 shews a vertical section of apparatus for carrying out the
second part of my Invention; r, r, is the framing, which is fixed to a
buoy or other floating body; s, s, is a bell carried by the framing; t, is
a trough in which a heavy sphere is placed, and is capable of rolling
to and fro. At each end of the trough is placed a spring w, which has
a hole through it so that when the spring is moved towards the bell a
part of the sphere will be through the spring and will strike the bell,
and then the reaction of the spring will move the sphere from contact
with the bell. The movement of the buoy or floating body will cause
the sphere to roll to and fro in the trough, and when it strikes the
spring at either end of the trough that spring by being deflected will
admit of the sphere striking the bell; here the motion of the buoy or
floating body will constantly cause the bell to be struck, and with more
or less force according as the buoy or floating body is more or less acted
on by the water.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim
to any of the mechanical parts separately, but what I do claim is,-
First, the combination herein described with reference to Figures 1
and 2 of the Drawings.
And, secondly, I claim
the combination herein described with
reference to Figure 3 of the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Oliver, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
CHAS. OLIVER. (L.S.)