IMPROVEMENTS IN CLOCKS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Herbert John Haddan, of Kensington, Middlesox, for an
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CLOCKS." A communication from abroad
by Auguste Dardenne, of Mariembourg, Belgium.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Herbert John Haddan at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th August 1881.
HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of Kensington, Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CLOCKS." A communication from abroad by Auguste Dardenne, of Mariembourg,
Belgium.
.
This Invention consists in automatically winding up clocks by means of a
current of air acting on a helix, the movement of the helix being transferred on a
device, which allows of keeping a clock, whose time of motion is not limited, in
motion for a certain time under its limity of motion, the clock being kept going
by its moving weight notwithstanding the cessation of the air-current.
The clockwork differs from those in general use by giving the minutes by means
of two wheels, one of them being an escapement wheel, and in the application of
the winding-up device or "remontoir." This latter device is obtained by the
rotation of a helix actuated by a current of air, which may be produced by the
draught of a chimney or tube; the axle of the helix is provided on one of its ends
with a pinion commanding a wheel which is supported by an axle, the latter being
also provided with a pinion which moves another wheel; to this latter wheel a
pulley is secured having a common axle with the above wheel. Over this
pulley passes the chain of the clock. The axle of the helix bears also another
wheel, flat on its circumference, upon which the leather-trigger of a brake acts.
The brake, a lever on an axle, is controlled by a rigid rod for stopping the
movement of the helix and of the whole winding mechanism.
A pawl applied to one of the wheels actuated by the helix axle prevents the
device from turning inversely if the air flows back.
"
The whole "remontoir or winding-up device is separated from the clockwork
proper by a plate or sheet of metal for preserving it from the influence of the air
current.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Herbert John Haddan in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th February 1882.
HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of Kensington, Middlesex.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
CLOCKS." A communication from abroad by Auguste Dardenne, of Mariembourg,
Belgium.
This Invention relates to clocks intended to be self winding by means of air,
reference being had to the accompanying Drawings. Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal
section of the whole of the clock; Fig. 2, a front view of the screw and brake;
and Fig. 3, a front view of the escapement movement. Two distinct parts
compose this improved clock, one being the clock work proper, the other the
winding mechanism. I will first describe the clock work proper. The clock
consists of a wheel A driven by a pulley a, a, over which passes the driving chain.
The wheel A, A', drives an escapement wheel with flat bevelled teeth C, C¹, by
means of a pinion B, said escapement wheel moving an anchor D, D', which only
admits of forward escapement without backward motion. The anchor transfers
its motion to the pendulum E, E', by means of an articulated arm formed by two
rods g, g', united together and with the pendulum by two screws. The axle of
wheel A, A, gears into an ordinary wheel-work F, which transfers the motion to
the hands.
This clock differs from ordinary clocks by its giving the minutes by means of
two wheels, viz, A, A, and the escapement wheel C, C. The winding mechanism
is driven by an air current passing between the blades of a screw G in the direction
shown by the arrows, on the accompanying Drawings, said air current being
produced by the draught of a chimney or tube. The screw G is enclosed in a
circular chamber or box and mounted on an axle I, I', which is provided at one of
its extremities with a pinion J gearing into a wheel K, K¹.
The wheel K, K¹, is mounted on an axle, which carries at one of its extremities
a pinion L moving the wheel M, M¹, to which a pulley N, N¹, is secured.
The axle 0, 0, of the wheel M, M, passes through the centre of the pulley N,N',
over which passes the driving chain of the clock work.
The axle I, I', carries a wheel P, P', with a smooth circumference, on which
acts the leather shoe Q of a brake, the lever R of which turns on an axle S, S',
and is driven by a rigid rod T, T', terminating at its extremity T¹ by a rectangular
bend.
For preventing the screw G and mechanism from being moved in the inverse
sense by an accidental flow of air in the opposite direction a click V is adapted on
the wheel K, K¹, so as to prevent the latter from turning backward.
The part of the winding mechanism which is constituted by the screw G and
the brake devices P, P, Q, R, S, S', T, is isolated from the other parts of the
apparatus by a circular plate U, U₁, which protects the latter from the chimney
draught.
The clock-work and winding mechanism act together as follows:-
The clock work proper and the winding devices are connected by means of the
endless chain W, which passes over the pulley N, N³, of the winding mechanism
and over the driving pulley a, a¹.
The chain W carries at one of the extremities of its course a motive weight X
and at the other a counterweight *.
If the screw is revolved it moves the winding mechanism and causes also the
pulley N, N¹, to revolve and to raise the chain W with its weight X, thereby
moving the pulley a, a¹, and the whole clockwork.

page_text: If the air current continues to act on the screw the weight X is lifted as high as
to touch the rigid rod T, T, of the brake and causes the latter to act on the wheel P,
thereby stopping the screw.
The pressure of the brake on the pulley P will be the more energetic the stronger
the air current is.
.
The above described movement is so calculated that the clock is wound up for
24 hours if the air current ceases instantaneously.
By altering the construction in the following manner the clock may be made to
run for eight days after the current of air has ceased to flow. This modification
consists in the addition of two wheels b, b', c, c¹, which would have to carry the
pulleys d, d', e, e¹, over which the endless chain W would have to pass in the same
manner as over the others. In this case the pulleys a, a, N, N', are useless and
therefore omitted. They are replaced by the pinions f,f¹, which drive the
wheels A, A¹, and M, M².
Without departing from the nature of the present Invention, this automatic
winding mechanism may be applied to other systems of clocks, driven by weights
or springs, and the propelling screw may be replaced by any other suitable device
for receiving the power of the air current and applying it for the purpose