Improved Electrical Means or Mechanism for Driving Clocks and other Mechanism.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 24th June, 1892
Complete Specification Left. 20th Mar., 1893-Accepted, 17th June, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Electrical Means or Mechanism for Driving Clocks and
other Mechanism.
I, HERMANN ARON, of No. 6, Lützowstrasse, Berlin, in the Kingdom of
Prussia, in the Empire of Germany, Dr. Philosophy and Professor, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
My invention relates to improved means for electrically winding up the weight
employed to drive a clock, or clock-work or other mechanism.
The
The said means consist of an electro-magnet, which may consist of an iron bar
cr core, or of a horse-shoe magnet. To one of the poles of said magnet, an
armature is applied, the other end of which is pivoted at some distance from the
pole; with horse-shoe magnets, the said pivot or hinge may be located at the other
pole. The said armature is insulated from the magnet and those parts connecting
and guiding the armature. To the free end of the said armature, a conductive
spring is secured, slightly rising from the upper surface of the armature.
weight, which, by its gravity, imparts motion to the driving gear, carries a rod
pivoted to the arm of said weight and guided within an insulated lug or sleeve.
When the said weight has run down, the lower end of the said rod will make
contact with the spring, and if, on the point of contact, a grain of dust or the like
should happen to lie and prevent the metallic contact, the said rod will move
further down and deflect the spring, whereby the rod will be caused to slide on the
inclined surface of the same, and, by the said sliding motion, the dust or impurity
will be shifted aside.
By making contact with the spring, the said rod of the driving weight closes
the circuit of the electro-magnet, which, accordingly, attracts its armature; the
latter, striking against the lower end of said rod in its upward throw, lifts the
weight, which, as the armature is stopped by the magnet, still continues by inertia
its upward throw and thereby lifts its rod out of contact with the armature and
breaks the circuit. The said armature, accordingly, drops again from the magnet,
but the weight is wound up.
This construction of parts, though of great simplicity, has, nevertheless, been
found of little use in practice. For if, by any reason whatever, the electromotive
power, at the moment of contact, should be deficient or below its normal state, the
armature would be but slowly raised, thereby failing to throw the rod and weight
upward with sufficient force to make them continue their throw by inertia.
Accordingly, the rod would not leave the spring, the circuit would not be opened
and the armature would remain attracted to the magnet; the clock, consequently,
would stop, even if the electromotive power reaches again its normal state.
current, continuing to flow through the circuit, would keep the armature attracted,
and the wire of the magnet would be burned by the heat developed.
The
To avoid such failures of the system, I have provided the following means:-
The current is fed to the said rod by means of a sliding spring, which rests
against the said rod at a point above the guide. If the armature has lifted the
rod up to a certain predetermined extent, the said contact-spring reaches and slides
over a piece of insulating material connected or flush with the said rod; the
circuit, thereby, is interrupted and the armature will fall off, even if the lower end
of said rod should remain in contact with the spring of the armature.
An insulating piece, arranged in the rod above the point of contact of the
spring, keeps the current out of the weight and clock-work or driving gear driven
by said weight.

page_text: The action of the current is as follows:-
The wire of the coil of the said electromagnet is connected at one end with one
pole, say the positive pole, of the source of electricity, the other end of said wire
being connected to the armature. The other pole of the source of electricity is
connected to the contact spring resting against the said rod. Supposing the weight
to be at its wound up position, it will gradually run down, carrying along with it
the rod. The spring, while resting against the said rod, keeps the surface of said
rod clean by frictional or sliding contact. When the weight has run down, the
lower end of said rod makes contact with the spring of the armature, and closes
the circuit. The current now flows from the positive pole through the magnet coil,
the armature, the rod, and spring to the negative pole.
Besides the advantage obtained of regularly opening the circuit subsequent to
its having been closed, this improved construction offers the further advantage
that closing and opening the circuit is effected at different portions, the circuit
being closed hy a bearing-contact and opened by a sliding contact.
The spark
caused by interrupting the circuit cannot oxidise the contact where the circuit is
closed, because, when the contact is broken between the spring and end of the rod,
the spark between the other spring and side of rod has already disappeared, at
least the greater part.
The portion of the rod, where the sliding contact is interrupted, will be kept
clean of oxides by the friction of the spring during the time when the circuit is
open.
Dated this 23rd day of June 1892
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Electrical Means or Mechanism for Driving Clocks and
other Mechanism.
I, HERMANN ARON of No. 6 Lützowstrasse, Berlin, in the Kingdom of
Prussia, in the Empire of Germany, Dr. Philosophy and Professor 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 :-
My invention relates to improved electrical means or mechanism for driving]
clocks and other mechanism.
The said means consist of an electro-magnet a, which may consist of an iron bar
or core, or of a horse-shoe magnet. To one of the poles of said magnet, an
armature is applied, the other end of which is pivoted at some distance from the
pole with horse-shoe magnets, the said pivot or hinge e may be located at the
other pole. The said armature is insulated (as at d and e) from the magnet and
those parts connecting and guiding the armature. To the free end of the said
armature, a conductive spring is secured, slightly rising from the upper surface
of the armature. The weight, which, by its gravity, imparts motion to the
driving gear, carries a rod i pivoted to the arm of said weight and guided within
an insulated lug or sleeve k. When the said weight has run down, the lower
end of the said rod i will make contact with the spring g, and if, on the point of
contact, a grain of dust or the like should happen to lie and prevent the
metallic contact, the said rod will move further down and deflect the spring,
whereby the rod will be caused to slide on the inclined surface of the same,
and, by the said sliding motion, the dust or impurity will be shifted aside.
By inaking contact with the spring y, the said rod i of the driving weight closes
the circuit of the electro-magnet a, which, accordingly, attracts its armature
the latter, striking against the lower end of said rod in its upward, throw,
lifts the weight, which, as the armature is stopped by the magnet, still continues

page_text: by the inertia its upward throw and thereby lifts its rod i out of contact with the
armature and breaks the circuit. The said armature, accordingly, drops again
from the magnet, but the weight is thrown up.
This construction of parts, though of great simplicity, has, nevertheless, been
found of little use in practice. For if, by any reason whatever, the electromotive
power, at the moment of contact, should be deficient or below its normal state, the
armature would be but slowly raised, thereby failing to throw the rod and
weight upward with sufficient force to make them continue their throw by
inertia. Accordingly, the rod i would not leave the spring, the circuit would not
be opened and the armature would remain attracted to the magnet; the clock,
consequently, would stop, even if the electromotive power reaches again its
normal state. The current, continuing to flow through the circuit, would keep the
armature attracted, and the wire of the magnet would be burned by the heat
developed.
To avoid such failures of the system, I have provided the following means:-
The current is fed to the said rod by means of a sliding spring 1, which rests
against the said rod at a point above the guide k. If the armature has lifted
the rod i up to a certain predetermined extent, the said contact-spring / reaches
and slides over a piece of insulating material m connected or flush with the said
rod the circuit, thereby, is interrupted and the armature b will fall off, even if
the lower end of said rod should remain in contact with the spring g of the
armature.
An insulating piece, arranged in the rod n above the point of contact of the
spring, keeps the current out of the weight and clock-work or driving gear driven
by said weight.
The action of the current is as follows:-
The wire of the coil of the said electromagnet is connected at one end with one
pole, say the positive pole, of the source of electricity, the other end of said wire
being connected to the armature b. The other pole of the source of electricity is
connected to the contact spring resting against the said rod i. Supposing the weight
to be at its wound up position, it will gradually run down, carrying along with it the
rod. The spring, while resting against the said rod, keeps the surface of said rod
clean by frictional or sliding contact. When the weight has run down, the lower
end of said rod i makes contact with the spring g of the armature b, and closes
the circuit. The current now flows from the positive pole through the magnet coil,
the armature, the rod i, and spring to the negative pole.
Besides the advantage obtained of regularly opening the circuit subsequent to
its having been closed, this improved construction offers the further advantage
that closing and opening the circuit is effected at different portions, the circuit
being closed by a bearing-contact and opened by a sliding contact. The spark
caused by interrupting the circuit cannot oxidise the contact where the circuit is
closed, because, when the contact is broken between the spring g and end of the
rod i, the spark between the other spring and side of rod has already dis-
appeared, at least the greater part.
The portion of the rod where the sliding
clean of oxides by the friction of the spring
open.
contact is interrupted will be kept
during the time when the circuit is
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
Improved electrical means or mechanism for driving clocks and other mechanism,
consisting of an electromagnet; an armature pivoted at one end and arranged to
be attracted by said electromagnet, when energised; a weight for driving clock-
work.or train of wheels; a conductive rod carried by said weight and making
contact with the armature, when the weight is run or nearly run down; an
insulated piece in or on the surface of said rod, and an electrical contact

page_text: sliding against the said rod, said contact being connected in series with the
contact between the rod and armature and so arranged to interrupt the circuit
and cause the armature to fall from the magnet, when the said sliding contact is
bearing against the said insulated piece, all substantially as herein before described
and shown.
Dated this 14th day of March 1893.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.