Watches and Clocks on the Breaking of the Main Spring.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Mar., 1886.
Complete Left, 19th Nov., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 11th Feb., 1887.
Watches and Clocks on the Breaking of the Main Spring.
L, ALBERT JOHN MORCOM, Watchmaker and Jeweller, of Nampean, St. Stephens,
St. Austell, in the County of Cornwall, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to prevent damage being caused to the movement of
watches and clocks, should the main spring break, and it consists in the use of an
improved large wheel and a new safety wheel and pinion which can be adapted to all
going larrel watches and clocks.
The teeth of the barrel wheel are formed in the middle of the width of its edge or
periphery, and with it gears a wheel firmly secured to a pinion having ratchet teeth,
the wheel and pinion being mounted to always revolve with their arbor. Below the
top wheel another wheel of the same size is mounted loosely on the same arbor, and
its teeth engage the centre wheel pinion as in ordinary watches and clocks of this
class. A small space is left between the teeth of the two wheels, to permit the teeth
of the top wheel to revolve freely above the bottom wheel and also above the
centre wheel pinion. The bottom wheel carries a click or pawl acted upon by a
spring and engaging the teeth of the ratchet pinion carried by the top wheel, so that
as long as the latter is caused to rotate in the proper direction under the action of the
going barrel wheel, the top and bottoni wheels will revolve together, and the
bottom wheel gearing with the centre wheel pinion will actuate the movement, but
upon the direction of rotation of the going barrel wheel being reversed by the
breaking of the main spring in the barrel, the movement of the top wheel will also be
reversed and the ratchet pinion and click will allow this top wheel to revolve without
carrying the bottom wheel with it, the click simply slipping over the teeth of the
ratchet pinion.
By this means the watch or clock movement will remain stationary and no damage
be caused thereto by the breaking of the main spring.

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Watches and Clocks on the Breaking of the Mainspring.
.
1. ALBERT JOHN MORcon, Watchmaker and Jeweller, of Nampean, St. Stephens,
St. Austell, in the County of Cornwall, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
:...
This Invention has for its object to prevent damage being caused to the
movement of watches and clocks should the mainspring break, and it consists in the
use of an improved large wheel and a new safety wheel and pinion which can be
adapted to going barrel watches and clocks.
The teeth of the barrel wheel are formed in the middle of the width of its edge or
periphery, and with it gears a wheel firmly secured to a pinion having ratchet teeth,
the wheel and pinion being mounted to always revolve with their arbor. Below the
top wheel another wheel of the same size is mounted loosely on the same arbor, and
its teeth engage the centre wheel pinion as in ordinary watches and clocks of this
class. A small space is left between the teeth of the two wheels, to permit the
teeth of the top wheel to revolve freely above the bottom wheel and also above the
centre wheel pinion. The bottom wheel carries a click or pawl, acted upon by a
spring and engaging the teeth of the ratchet pinion carried by the top wheel, so that
as long as the latter is caused to rotate in the proper direction under the action of
the going barrel wheel, the top and bottom wheels will revolve together, and the
bottom wheel gearing with the centre wheel pinion will actuate the movement, but
upon the direction of rotation of the going barrel wheel being reversed by the
breaking of the mainspring in the barrel, the movement of the top wheel will also be
reversed, and the ratchet pinion and click will allow this top wheel to revolve
without carrying the bottom wheel with it, the click simply slipping over the teeth of
the ratchet pinion.
By this means the watch or clock movement will remain stationary, and no damage
be caused thereto by the breaking of the mainspring.
The arbor or safety wheel will also wind the watch if fitted with a square.
Reference is hereinafter had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings whereon like
parts are indicated by similar letters.
The upper figure represents a general plan of the safety mechanism; the central
figure is a perspective view of the barrel wheel and arbor with the safety wheel
and loose wheel, the barrel wheel and safety wheel being shown in gear with each
other. Of the three lower figures that to the left is a plan of the safety wheel
ratchet wheel and arbor the middle figure represents an elevation of the safety
wheel, ratchet wheel, and arbor, and the figure to the right shows the loose wheel
click and spring in plan.
In each of the figures where the respective parts are represented A is the
harrel wheel B is the safety wheel; C is the loose wheel is the centre wheel
and pinion E is the ratchet wheel; F is the click spring and G is the click.

page_text: The teeth of the barrel wheel A are cut or otherwise formed upon or secured to
the middle of its width or periphery, and these teeth and the teeth of the safety
wheel B are respectively of such form and dimensions that they may gear together.
The safety wheel and the ratchet wheel are secured upon an arbor upon which is also
loosely mounted the loose wheel C, to which the click and the click spring F are
attached. The wheels B and C are of equal diameters; is kept in position by a
collet, while its teeth engage with the pinion on the centre wheel D. The click G
engages with the teeth of the ratchet wheel and consequently the wheel rotates
with the safety wheel B so long as the rotation of the latter is in the proper direction,
but should the rotation of the going barrel and therefore that of the safety wheel be
reversed, the safety wheel will revolve without causing the loose wheel to rotate as
herein before described.
I desire it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise details, or the
arrangement thereof hereinbefore described, as these may be considerably modified
without departing from my invention. For example, it is evident that the positions
of the ratchet wheel and of the click and spring may be reversed that is to say, the
ratchet wheel may be attached to the wheel C instead of to B and the click and spring
to the wheel B instead of to C. Moreover, it is not essential that the teeth of A
should be on the centre of the periphery, if care is taken that they do not engage
with the teeth of the loose wheel, although it is desirable that the teeth should occupy
the centre of the periphery of the barrel. I desire it also to be understood that I
do not claim the elements or details of the mechanism as my Invention, except as
hereinafter more particularly set forth.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:
(1) As a safety mechanism for preventing damage to the movement of a watch or
clock upon
the breaking of the mainspring: the combination and arrangement and
adaptation thereof, of a loose wheel and safety wheel concentrically mounted and
inter-connected or engaged by a ratchet wheel and click, with a barrel wheel having
teeth upon its periphery capable of engaging with the safety wheel and not with the
loose wheel substantially as hereinbefore described, and as illustrated by the
accompanying Drawings.
(2) In a safety mechanism for preventing damage to the movement of a watch of
clock upon the breakage of a mainspring; the combination of the safety wheel with
the loose wheel, the ratchet wheel, and the pawl or click and spring; substantially as
hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the accompanying Drawings.
(3) In safety mechanism for preventing damage to the movements of watches and
clocks on the breakage of the mainspring, a barrel wheel having teeth upon a portion
only of its periphery, and so arranged that the teeth will engage with the teeth of
one only of two contiguous concentric wheels; substantially as hereinbefore
described, and as illustrated by the accompanying Drawings.
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicant.