IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC CLOCKS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical
Draughtsman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC
CLOCKS.”—A communication from abroad by Charles Ferdinand
Mildé and Louis Charles Vimard, both of Paris, in the Republic of
France."
R OVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 25th February 1878.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC
CLOCKS." to be as follows:-

page_text: moro particularly those clocks used on board ship. By means of this
apparatus great advantages are obtained, amongst others the motive
power is constant, and this force being very powerful it allows of the
employment of balance wheels of larger diameter and much heavier
than ordinarily. The daily winding up of the clock is rendered
unnecessary, the cost of working is insignificant, and correct time may
bo transmitted to all parts of the ship. The train of wheels for com-
municating motion to the hour and minute hands is driven by a central
spur wheel which is connected with the mainspring. This mainspring
is enclosed in a box and is made fast to the arbour on which the central 1
wheel is mounted loosely, and this box is made fast to a ratchet wheel,
the rotation of which serves to wind up the spring and thus maintain its
action on the clockwork gearing.
A balance wheel and escapement aro provided as usual for controlling
tho motions of the clockwork, and the maintaining of the mainspring 1
in action is effected by the aid of an electro-magnet. This electro-
magnet is mounted on the pillar plate of the clock, and its opposite poles
are brought into connection with the battery by a suitable arrangement
of conducting wires. One of these wires instead of leading directly to
tho battery is divided and the ends are secured by clamping nuts carried
by insulated plates on the pillar plate. A cock or bracket piece affixed
to this pillar plato supports a pivot pin which forms the fulcrum for
the armature of the electro-magnet, which armature is fitted with
an adjustable counterpoise weight. This pivot pin also serves as a
fulcrum for an arm, the free end of which is connected with a screwed
rod which enters a tapped socket formed on the armature to receive it,
and thus the arm and armaturo are rigidly connected together. Pressing
against this arm and lying in the same plane therewith is a second arm
working upon a fixed fulcrum and carrying at its free end a pawle,
which pawle is caused to engage with the teeth of the ratchet wheel a
before metioned. The effect of this arrangement is that each time
that the armature is attracted by the electro-magnet the pawle will bo
brought into action and caused to pull round the ratchet wheel and
thereby wind up the mainspring to a certain limited extent.
For making and breaking contact a double cam is employed which is a
driven by the clockwork. On this cam bears an arm keyed to an arbor
mounted on one of the insulated plates before mentioned. This arbor
carries at its upper end a catch and also an elastic contact picco which

page_text: is intended, when contact is required to be made, to rest against a metal
pin projecting from the arm of a similar arbor mounted on the other
insulated plate before mentioned. This arm carries also a locking pin
for securing the catch whereby the parts just mentioned are looked. A
tendency is given by means of a spring to throw the contact pin against
the clastic contact piece, and on the arbor of the stud pin arm is a
tooth which is intended to be acted upon by an elastic driver carrier by
the armature for the purpose of returning the stud pin arm to its locked
position. As the larger radius of the cam bears upon the arm which is
held in contact therewith, the arbor of that arm will be rocked and
consequently the catch will be disengaged from the stud pin. The
contact pin and elastic contact piece will then approach each other and
contact being thereby made the circuit will thereby be completed, a
current of electricity will then flow through the electro-magnet and the
armature being thereby attracted the pawle will be caused to pull round
the ratchet wheel the distance of one or more teeth, and thereby par-
tially wind up the mainspring. The continued rotation of the cam will
allow the elastic contact piece to fall back and thereby break contact,
this will release the armature and allow of its being forced back to its
former position. In moving back the armature will by reason of its
clastic driver striking against a tooth on the arbor of the stud pin arm ·
rock that arm into the position where it will be locked by the locking
catch.
For the transmission of intermittent currents by means of the appa-
ratus just described for the purpose of regulating or marking a group of
clocks, the pillar plate is provided with clamping screws for connecting
therewith wires from a second battery, one screw being insulated and
the other not; the insulated screw carries an elastic contact piece against
which the armature strikes as it approaches the electro-magnet.
this means a current in pulsations is established through the pillar plate
and armature, suitable from operating clocks at a distance from the regu-
lating clock.
By

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 25th August 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Ohancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-threo, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special
licence that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, 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 ELECTRIC CLOCKS," being a communication to me from
abroad by Charles Ferdinand Mildé and Louis Charles Vimard, both :
of Paris, in the Republic of France, upon the condition (amongst other)
that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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 Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby
declare 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, reference being had to the Drawing hero-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to

page_text: more particularly those clocks used on board ship. By means of this.
apparatus great advantages are obtained; amongst others, the motive.
power is constant, and this force being very powerful it allows of the :
employment of balance wheels of larger diameter and much hoaver than
Cordinarily. The daily winding up of the clock is rendered unnecessary,
the cost of working is insignificant, and correct time may be transmitted
to all parts of the ship.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a back view of a clock
_constructed according to this Invention, the case being removed to shew
the interior arrangement; Fig. 2 is a side view of the clock inverted, tho
case being removed to expose the mechanism, and Fig. 3 is a side cleva-
tion taken at right angles to Fig. 2.
Figures 4 to 9 inclusivo are detached views of parts of the mechanism
for breaking and making electric contact.
•
: The main spring of the clock is enclosed in a box r, to which one end-
is connected, while its other end is connected to the centre wheel c.
This wheel is loose upon the arbor c❤ which carries the minute and hour
hands as usual. The spring box is made fast to a ratchet wheel R
fixed on the arbor c* and concentric therewith, which wheel R by its .
rotation (effected as will be hereafter described) serves to move forward
the hands of the clock, and at the same time to wind up the spring, :
and thus maintain its action on the clockwork gearing.
. The rotation of the centre wheel c is controlled' by the following
arrangement :- Into the wheel c gears a pinion on the arbor d, which
"arbor carries a wheel D that gears into a pinion on the arbor of tho
wheel F. The escapement G acts upon this wheel F, and it is itself
controlled by the balance wheel H.
•
.
The maintaining of the main spring in action is effected by the aid
of an electro-magnet E. This electro-magnet is mounted on the pillar
plate A of the clock, and its opposite poles are brought into connection
with the battery by a suitable arrangement of conducting wires. One
of these wires instead of leading directly to the battery is divided and.
the ends are secured by clamping nuts f, h, carried by insulated
plates p, q, on the pillar plate A. A cock or bracket piece A' affixed
to the pillar plate A supports a pivot pin which forms the fulcrum for
the armature L of the electro-magnet, which armature is fitted with an
adjustable counterpoise weight. This pivot pin also serves as a fulcrum

page_text: for an arm I, the free end of which is connected with a screwed rod i
which enters a tapped socket i formed on the armature L to receive it,
and thus the arm I and armature L are rigidly connected together.
Pressing against this arm and lying in the same plane therewith is a
second arm J, which works upon fixed fulcrum J', and carries at its |
free end a pawle j, which pawle is caused to engage with the teeth of
the ratchet wheel R before mentioned. The effect of this arrangement
is that each time the armature L is attracted by the electro-magnet the
arm I will be vibrated, and by the pressure of this arm on the arm J
the pawle will be brought into action and caused to pull round the 1
ratchet wheel, and thereby wind up the mainspring to a certain limited
extent, at the same time moving forward the minute and hour hands.
.
For making and breaking contact a double cam c² (Fig. 5) is
employed. This cam is mounted on an arbor which is driven by a spúr
wheel on the arbor d gearing into the pinion d, Fig. 1. Upon this cam c³ 1
bears an arm x (see Fig. 5) keyed to an arbor mounted on the
insulated plate q before mentioned. This arbor carries at its upper end a
catch u, and also an clastic contact picco t, which is intended, when
contact is required to be made, to rest against a metal pin y projecting
from the arm of a similar arbor A, mounted on the other insulated 2
plate p, before mentioned (see Fig. 7). This arm carries also an
insulated stud pins for receiving the catch u, whereby the parts just
mentioned are locked. A tendency is given by means of a springs,
which presses against the pin of a disc carried by the arbor (Figures
7 and 9) to throw the contact pin y against the clastic contact piece t 2
(Fig. 1). On the arbor / of the stud pin arm v is a tooth ŋ which is
intended to be acted upon by an clastic driver a, Fig. 1, carried by the
armature L for the purpose of returning the stud pin arm to its locked
position. As the larger radius of the cam c², Fig. 5, is brought to bear
upon the arm (Figures 4, 5, and 6), which arm is held in contact with 8
the cam by the spring 1, the arbor / will be rocked, and consequently
the catch u will be disengaged from the stud pin s. The contact pin y
and elastic contact piece will then approach each other, and metallic
contact being thereby made, the circuit will be completed. A current
of electricity will then flow through the electro-magnet and the 3
armature being thereby attracted the pawlej will be caused to pull
round the ratchet wheel R the distance of one or more teeth, and
thereby partially wind up the mainspring. The continued rotation of
.

page_text: the cam c' will allow the elastic contact piece & to fall back and thereby
break contact; this will release the armature and allow of its being
forced back to its place of inaction by the pressure of the spring e upon
the arm I. In moving back, the armature L will by reason of its elastic
driver a striking against the tooth on the arbor of the stud pin
arm v rock that arm into the position where it will be locked by the
locking catch u.
For the transmission of intermittent currents by means of the
apparatus just described for the purpose of regulating or working a
group of clocks the pillar plate is provided with clamping screws for
connecting therewith wires from a second battery, one screw being
insulated and the other not. The insulated screw M carries an elastic
contact piece m, against which the end of the armature L strikes as it
approaches the electro-magnet. By this means a current in pulsations
is established through the pillar plate and armaturo, suitable for
operating clocks at a distance from tlie regulating clock.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "Improvements
in Electric Clocks," as communicated to me by my foreign corre-
spondents, and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect,
I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters
Patent I claim, the novel arrangement of apparatus above described
whereby clectro-magnetism is applied for maintaining the motive power
of clocks.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have here--
unto set my hand and scal, the Ninteenth day of August, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
threc.