ImprovemenTS IN ELECTRIC TIME-BALL APPARATUS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co, Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention of
“ImprovemenTS IN ELECTRIC TIME-BALL APPARATUS” A communication to
him from abroad by The Standard Time Company (Incorporated) of New
Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd November 1882.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake and Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings London "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC TIME-BALL
APPARATUS A communication to him from abroad by The Standard Time
Company (Incorporated) of New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America.
"
This invention relates to improvements in that class of time signals in which a
ball is arranged upon a vertical rod, and is held suspended by an electrical
apparatus adapted to be released at a certain predetermined time by electrical
connection with some distant point so that the fall of the ball will indicato that
particular time, which signals are commonly called "time balls"
In order to be of any practical use the ball should start instantly, and as nearly
free as possible, and move with the greatest possible rapidity from its starting point
downward. These balls are necessarily large because of the elevated position in
which they are placed, and must be heavy, first, to give the required strength to the
ball, and, secondly to ensure its rapid descent. The arrest of the ball in its descent
produces a great shock therefore the ball must be made very strong.
The object of this invention is to give the ball the greatest amount of freedom
when it begins its descent, and gradually apply a counterbalancing weight. The
said invention consists principally in a counterbalancing weight supported
independently of the ball, when the latter is raised, and an elastic device between
the said weight and ball, whereby the weight is gradually applied to the descending
ball, as hereinafter described.
In carrying the said invention into practice I provide a shaft or pole upon which
the ball is arranged to slide up and down in the usual manner, a cord, or equivalent
therefor, is attached to the ball and passes over a pulley above, thence downward
and is attached to the upper end of a rod which runs through a cylinder, to latch
mechanism hereinafter described, so as to hold the ball suspended and so that
when released the ball will fall, drawing the said rod upward through the said
cylinder.

page_text: The said cylinder, when the ball is in its highest position is supported upon a
rest; the weight of the cylinder with the piston rod counterbalances, that is to say
is about equal to, the weight of the ball. Within the cylinder is a piston through
which the said rod freely passes. On the rod above the piston is a collar and at a
short distance below the piston is a second collar.
Assuming the ball to be supended and the cylinder at its place of rest and the
rod drawn down so as to bring the upper one of the said collars to bear on the
piston, in this condition the cylinder is filled with air which may be admitted
through a small aperture at the upper end of the cylinder or through a valve in the
piston.
The device which holds the ball in suspension being released, the latter will
instantly fall and soon after its start the lower collar will be drawn up against the
piston thus bringing the weight of the ball upon the piston and drawing it with the
rod upward into the cylinder compressing the air above until the same is compressed
to an extent corresponding to the weight of the cylinder, then from that point tho
cylinder will rise with the ball as a counterbalancing weight, the ball having
attained sufficient momentum, before the entire counterbalancing weight is applied,
to carry it to its lowest point, and the weight thus applied gradually overcomes
the momentum until the ball reaches its lowest position where it stops practically
counterbalanced.
The lower collar may be adjustable relatively to the piston so that the first free
portion of the fall may be varied; the greater the distance between the collar and
the piston the greater will be the momentum which the ball will have attained before
the weight is applied.
The gradual application of the counterbalancing weight, while it permits the ball
to start perfectly free, counteracts the fall so as to entirely obviate the shock which
would otherwise arise therefrom and thus permits the employment of a heavy ball
which will act proportionately quicker than a light-ball. ---
In
Any suitable latch incchanism which will be tripped by making or breaking an
electrical circuit may be employed to hold the ball in suspension; the mechanisin
hereinafter described will be found very advantageous for such purpose.
constructing this mechanism I provide a U-shaped lever hinged at its closed end
and a second similar U-shaped lever hinged at the opposite end so as to close down
over the first lever and be engaged with a latch at its open end; the aforesaid rod,
or a cord attached thereto, passes down through the levers with a cross-piece of
sufficient length to engage the two sides of the lower lover; this cross piece is in
this position when the ball is at its highest point of suspension. The said latch is
in the electrical circuit as an armature to a magnet or otherwise, and so that either
by breaking or closing the circuit, as the case may be, the latch will be disengaged
from the upper lever in the usual manner of tripping such latches by electrical
connection, and when the levers are thus free the weight of the ball draws up the
aforesaid rod through the two levers, the. levers rising for that purpose; after tho
descent of the ball, and at the proper. time, it is again drawn up and secured as
before, to await the electrical connection which trips it, and permits the descent.
Instead of attaching the ball to the piston so that the first movement draws tho
piston into the cylinder, this order may be reversed, and the weight hung to tho
piston, the cylinder being made lighter and attached to the ball, so that the cylinder
will first move and compress the air against the piston to which the weight is
attached. Instead of air within the cylinder or weight, a spring may be applied, for
example a helical spring above the piston or between the piston and cylinder so
that the said spring will receive the first force of the falling ball in a similar
manner to the air in the air cylinder; it will therefore be understood that this
invention is not limited to the particular construction described for gradually
applying the counterbalancing weight.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
2nd May 1883.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine Lake and Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC TIME-BALL
APPARATUS." A communication to me from abroad by the Standard Timo
Company (Incorporated), of New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
This Invention relates to improvements in that class of time signals in which
a ball is arranged upon a vertical rod, and is held suspended by apparatus adapted
to be released at a certain predetermined time by electrical connection with some
distant point, so that the fall of the ball will indicate that particular time, which
signals are commonly called "time balls"
In order to be of any practical use, the ball should start instantly, and as nearly
free as possible and move with the greatest possible rapidity from its starting point
downward. These balls are necessarily large, because of the elevated position in
which they are placed, and must be heavy, first to givo tho required strength
to the ball, and second to onsure its rapid descent. The arrest of the ball in
its descent produces a great shock, therefore the ball must be made very strong.
The object of this Invention is to give the ball the greatest amount of freedomn
when it begins its descent, and gradually apply a counterbalancing weight. Tho
said Invention consists principally in providing a counterbalancing weight supported
independently of the ball when the latter is raised, and an elastic device between
the said weight and ball, whereby the weight is gradually applied to the descending
ball; as hereinafter described.
In the accompanying Drawing
Figuro 1 is a sectional side elevation of apparatus constructed according to
this Invention
Figure 2 is a view drawn to an enlarged scale of the lower part of the cylinder
and the engaging mechanism.
Figures 3 and 4 show the two parts of engaging levers detached.
A indicates the shaft or pole upon which the ball B is arranged to slide in
the usual manner; a cord 6 or equivalent therefor is attached to the said ball,
passes over a pulley a above, thenco downward, and is attached to the upper end
of a rod d which runs through a cylinder C, to latch mechanism hereinafter
described, so as to hold the ball suspended, and so that when released the ball will
fall, drawing the rod upward through the cylinder C.
The cylinder, C, when the ball is in its highest position, is supported upon
a rest as shown at c, Figure 1; the weight of the cylinder with the piston rod
counterbalances, that is to say is about equal to, the weight of the ball. Within
the cylinder is a piston f through which the rod d freely passes. On the rod
above the piston is a collar h, and at a short distance below the piston is a second
collar i.
Assuming the ball to be suspended and the cylinder at its place of rest, and tho
rod drawn down so as to bring the collar to bear on the piston, shown in
Figure 1, in this condition the cylinder C, is filled with air which may be admitted
through a small aperture m at the upper end of the cylinder, or through a valve
in the piston.
The device which holds the ball in suspension being released, the latter will
instantly fall, and soon after its start the collar i, will be drawn up against the

page_text: piston, shown in Figure 2, thus bringing the weight of the ball upon the piston
and drawing it with the rod upward into the cylinder, compressing the air above,
until the same is compressed to an extent corresponding to the weight of the
cylinder, then from that point the cylinder will rise with the ball as a counter-
balancing weight, the ball having attained sufficient momentum, before the entire t
counterbalancing weight is applied, to carry it to its lowest point, and the weight
thus applied gradually overcomes the momentum until the ball reaches its lowest
position where it stops, practically counterbalanced.
The collar i may be adjustable relatively to the piston, so that the first free
portion of the fall may be varied; the greater the distance between the collar and 1
the piston the greater will be the momentum which the ball will have attained
before the weight is applied.
The gradual application of the counterbalancing weight, while it permits the
ball to start perfectly free, counteracts the fall so as to entirely obviate the shock
which would otherwise arise therefrom, and thus permits the employment of a 1
heavy ball which will act proportionately quicker than a light ball.
Any suitable latch mechanism which will be tripped by making or breaking
an electrical circuit may be employed to hold the ball in suspension; the
mechanism hereinafter described and illustrated in figures 2, 3, and 4 will be
found very advantageous for such purpose; D is a U-shaped lever 'hinged at 5
its closed end at.Z; E, is a second similar U-shaped lever, hinged at the opposite
end at m so as to close down over the lever D as shown in Figure 2, and
be engaged with a latch at its free ond; the rod d, or a cord attached. thereto,
passes down through the levers, with a cross-piece F of sufficient length to engage
the two sides of the lower lever D; this cross-piece is in this position when the ball
is at its highest point of suspension. The latch n is in the electrical circuit as an
_armature to a magnet, or otherwise, and so that either by breaking or closing the
circuit, as the case may be, the latch will be disengaged-from-the-lever E in the
usual manner of tripping such latches by electrical connection, and when the
levers are thus free, the weight of the ball draws up the rod d through the two
levers, the levers rising for that purpose, as indicated by dotted lines Figure 2;
after the descent of the ball, and at the proper time, it is again drawn up and
secured as before, to await the electrical connection which trips it, and permits
the descent.
Instead of attaching the ball to the piston so that the first movement draws the
piston into the cylinder, this order may be reversed, and the weight bung to the
piston, the cylinder being made lighter and attached to the ball, so that the
cylinder will first move and compress the air against the piston to which the weight
is attached. Instead of air within the cylinder or weight, a spring may be applied,
for example a helical spring above the piston, or between the piston and cylinder
so that the said spring will receive the first force of the falling ball, in a similar
manner to the air in the air cylinder; it will therefore be understood that this
invention is not limited to the particular construction described for gradually
applying the counterbalancing weight.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
Foreign Correspondents and the manner of performing the same I wish it understood
that I claim
First. The combination of a time ball having a counter-balancing weight supported
independently of the said ball when the latter is raised, with an elastic device
between the said weight and ball, whereby the weight is gradually applied to the
descending ball substantially as described.
Second, The combination of a time ball, a cylinder weight, a piston in the said
cylinder in connection with the ball, and a support for the cylinder when the ball
is raised, the said piston and its rod being free to move in the said cylinder as the
ball descends, and arranged to compress the air, or a spring within the cylinder,
so that the weight of the latter is gradually applied to the descending ball,
“substantially as described.
•
'

page_text: Third. The combination of a time ball, a cylindor-weight, a piston in the said
cylinder in connection with the ball, and a support for the cylinder when the ball is
raised, the said piston and its rod being free to move in the said cylinder as the ball
descends, and arranged to compress the air, or a spring within the cylinder, so
that the weight of the cylinder is gradually applied to the descending ball, the rod
through the piston being provided with a collar at a distance below the piston,
substantially as, and for the purpose, described.
Fourth. The device for holding a time ball suspended, consisting of the two
U-shaped hinged levers D, E, through which the suspended rod or cord passos, the
cross piece F on the rod below the levers, and the latch n, to hold the said levers
engaged, substantially as described.
In witness whereof I the said William Robert Lake have hereunto set my
hand and seal this second day of May in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and eighty three