IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR WINDING CLOCKS OR OTHER TIME-KEEPERS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patent.
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR WINDING
CLOCKS OR OTHER TIME-KEEPERS." -A communication from abroad by
C. B. Hoard, of the United States of America.
Sealed the 24th July 1860, and dated the 21st May 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st May 1860.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR
WINDING CLOCKS OR OTHER TIME-KEEPERS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the mode of winding
clocks or other time-pieces, in which a spring without chain or fusee is used
as the actuating power of the mechanism of the clock.
And it consists in connecting with the spring of the clock an arrangement of
mechanism consisting principally of a fan or vane wheel mounted on a suitable
axle, and deriving its motion from currents of air. By the rotation of this
vane wheel, on the axle of which is a toothed pinion, power may be applied to
the spring of the clock or time-keeper, so as to wind it up, while at the same
time the spring is giving motion to the mechanism of the clock. The vane

page_text: wheel or fan is enclosed within a casing or pipe open at both ends, and so
arranged that a draught or current of air may be made to pass through it and
thereby actuate the fan or vane wheel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on t
the 21st November 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
hereafter 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR WINDING CLOCKS OR OTHER TIME-
KEEPERS," being a communication from abroad by C. B. Hoard, of the United
States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Edward Newton, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 William Edward 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 hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the mode of and apparatus
for winding clocks or other time-keepers, in which a spring without chain or
fusee is used as the actuating power of the mechanism of the clock.

page_text: The Invention further consists in connecting with the spring of the clock
an arrangement of mechanism, consisting principally of a fan or vane wheel
mounted on a suitable axle and deriving its motion from currents of air. By
the rotation of this vane wheel, on the axle of which is a toothed pinion, power
may be applied to the spring of the clock or time-keeper so as to wind it up,
while at the same time the spring is giving motion to the mechanism of the
clock. The vane wheel or fan is enclosed within a casing or pipe open at both
ends, and so arranged that a draught or current of air may be made to pass
through it, and thereby actuate the fan or vane wheel.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 represents a front elevation of the
mechanism or apparatus for winding clocks or other time-keepers, and which
is operated by currents of air for winding up the spring whereby motion is;
communicated to the clock movement; Fig. 2 represents a sectional elevation;
and Fig. 3 a plan of the same. This mechanism consists of a pipe or flue A ¡
closed at the bottom, and communicating by means of a short horizontal pipe
B with an opening in its side. Within this short pipe a fan wheel C, with
inclined vanes, is mounted on the horizontal shaft D, one end of which is sup-
ported in a bearing in the box E, attached to the upright pipe A. The other
end of the shaft D is supported in a standard F, rising from the plate G that
forms the bottom of the upright pipe A. On this shaft D is a collar H, to
prevent the shaft from moving laterally and to retain it in its boxes or bear-
ings. A toothed pinion I is also mounted on the shaft D outside of the
supporting standard F. This pinion I is connected by means of a train of
gearing to the arbor, around which the spring that communicates motion to
the mechanism of the clock is wound. The pipe A may be placed within a
flue, or the open end may be connected by an elbow with a flue in the apart-
ment in which this mechanism and the clock connected with it are placed; or
the pipe A may be placed outside the apartment, and the short pipe B may
then be made to project within the apartment. The difference between the
temperature of the air in the room into which these pipes lead and the external
air causes a current of air to pass through the channel or opening, and to
impinge on the vanes of the fan wheel C and thereby communicate to it a
rotary motion, thereby causing the shaft D to rotate and drive the gearing
whereby it is connected with the arbor of the spring of the clock. The spring
will thus be maintained in a wound state, while at the same time it acts upon
and gives motion to the clock mechanism. Any form, size, or construction of
fan wheel operated by currents of air may be substituted for or employed in
place of the fan wheel above described, and it may be arranged so that the
current of air on passing through or impinging on the vanes of the wheel from

page_text: either side, will cause it to turn the arbor around which the spring of the clock
is wound always in the proper direction to wind up the spring. The air tubes
and wind wheel instead of being placed in the same apartment as the clock
may be placed out of doors and operated by the external air, in which case the
connection with the clock spring arbor may be made with bands passed around
pulleys instead of by means of toothed gearing.
Having now described the Invention of improvements in the mode of and
apparatus for winding clocks or other time-keepers, and having explained the
manner of carrying the same into effect, as communicated to me by my foreign
correspondent, I would observe that what I claim as new and desire to secure
by Letters Patent is, combining with a clock or other time-piece a winding
mechanism actuated by any suitable contrivance, which is operated by currents
of air, whereby the spring is wound up or maintained in a wound state, as
herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.B.)