IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC CLOCKS
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Phillips Thompson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th September 1883.-A com-
munication from Alois Winbauer, a person resident at Baden, near Vicuna, in
the Empire of Austria.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, of the Agency for Foreign Patent Solicitors,
6, Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Fellow of the Institute of
Patent Agents
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC CLOCKS."-A communication from
Alois Winbauer, a person resident at Baden, near Vienna, in the Empire of
Austria.
This invention relates to improvements in self-acting electric clocks from the
following description of which it will be seen that a clock made in accordance
therewith differs from other electric clocks by the fact that for its regular winding
up only a weak current (such as generated by one or two Leclanché elements) is
required. Moreover, the circuit being closed a very brief time at every winding up
of the clock, long duration of the battery is secured. The regular speed of the hour
train is perfectly independent of variable strength of the electric current, the
whole construction, when compared with that of other electric clocks, is very
simple and may be employed, with clocks of every system and size, whatever may
be the length of the penduluin.
The construction and operation of this clock is as follows:-
On the shaft of the centre-wheel (minute-wheel), revolves loosely a disc, actuated
or propelled by a weight supported on an arm or lever secured to the back of said
disc. The weight must be heavy enough to drive the whole hour-train, and the
movement it imparts to disc is in the same direction as that of the hands of the
clock.
On the front of the disk a pawl is secured which engages a ratchet wheel, that
also revolves loosely on the shaft of the minute-wheel with a barrel fastened to it
in front. A spiral spring in this barrel transmits the traction exerted upon its
outer end, fixed on the barrel side, to the shaft and thereby revolves the same.
When the weight has travelled down far enough to nearly touch a roller inserted
in the right arm of a double-armed lever, a pin fixed on the back of the disk bears
against one arm of the forked end of a spring and forces this spring aside. In
consequence of this displacement of the upper end of the spring, a pin that rested

page_text: upon the other arm of the forked end of spring of the arm is displaced, and a
metallic lever to which it is attached is drawn down by its own gravity and by tho
tension of a spiral spring attached thereto. This pin engages the fork of the spring
and the metallic lever to which it is attached abuts against a platinum pin fastened
to an insulated terminal, that receives one conducting wire of the battery; the
second conducting wire leads to the coil of an electromagnet and from this latter
to the aforesaid inetallic lever, the circuit is closed by the contact between the
platinum pin and metallic lever and the said electromagnet attracts its armature.
This armature being fastened to the short arm of the double-armed lever, the
longer (right) arm of this lever makes a rapid upward movement and by incans of
its antifriction roller throws the weight into its original position. Generally the
lever that bears the weight, describes after the stroke of the double-armed lever, an
arc of from thirty to forty-five degrees, according to the strength of the current,
and pawl glides over five or seven teeth of the ratchet wheel, whose turning
backward is prevented by a second pawl or click. In this way the clock is wound
up anew for five or seven minutes.
To break the circuit again after the weight has been brought into its upper
position, the right or longer arm of double-armed lever bears a secrew that passes
through a slot of the metallic lever. When the armature is not attracted, the head
of this screw is separated from the metallic lever by a small interstice, but as soon
as said armature is attracted the right arm of double lever, rises and the head of
the screw carries the metallic lever upward, thereby breaking the circuit and
disengaging the pin from out of the fork of the spring. This spring in consequence
thereof, takes its original position, bearing against a steady pin, the pin of the
metallic lever again rests upon one end of the spring and the right arm of the
louble lever sinks down upon its supporting pin.
During the upward motion of the weight, the spring in barrel partly relaxes
itself and thereby rotates the shaft.