Improvements in Clocks.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Nov., 1897-Accepted, 23rd Apr., 1898
Improvements in Clocks.
We, JOSEPH SCHULTE, JR., Watchmaker, and THOMAS JEFFERSON FIELD,
Capitalist, both of Monterey, County of Monterey, State of California, U.S.A.,
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 follow-
ing statement:-
Our invention relates to certain improvements in clocks and time-pieces, and
it consists essentially in a means for regulating the clock by shortening the
pendulum or balance wheel spring of a clock, in proportion as the driving spring
unwinds and becomes weaker, and also in a means for regulating the beat of the
pendulum, and in details of construction which will be more fully explained here-
after, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, on which,
Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a portion of a clock mechanism fitted with a
pendulum and our invention. Figure 2 being an elevation of a portion of a
clock mechanism, with our device applied to the balance wheel. Figure 3 is a side
section of the regulating device of Figure 2.
The object of our invention is to regulate the clock by a compensating device
which increases the rapidity of the pendulum or balance wheel beats in propor-
tion as the strength of the spring giving the impulse decreases, and in also
enabling the pendulum to automatically regulate and centre itself with relation
to the escapement wheel so that its beats will be of even duration although the
clock itself may incline a little to one side or the other.
In the drawings we have shewn a pinion A fixed upon the winding post and
driven by the direct action of the spring A¹.
B is a wheel having a toothed periphery which is engaged by the pinion A,
the train of gearing being such that in an eight-day clock, the wheel may make
a complete revolution in a week, and it may be correspondingly proportioned for
longer or shorter times.
Upon this wheel or its shaft is fixed a cam C having any suitable increase in
curvature from the centre to the end of the cam.
G is a lever, one portion of which may be fulcrumed as shewn at E, and one
end is so disposed as to rest upon the cam C.
At any suitable point the suspending flexible strip H of the pendulum rod is
connected with this lever as shewn in Figure 1, and as this strip passes through
a slit in the stud I, it will be manifest that by slipping it up or down with relation
to its point of suspension, the length of the pendulum rod will be increased or
diminished.
As this suspending strip is moved with relation to the stud, it will also be manifest
that the rod may be otherwise constructed to be lengthened or shortened, but in
the present case we have shewn our device as applied to the ordinary construction
of clocks.
The verge rod J carries a pallet at the upper end which engages the escapement
wheel, and itself engages the pendulum rod so as to give it impulses and continue
its vibration

page_text: When the clock is wound, the lowest portion of the cam C will lie beneath the
end of the lever G, and the lever thus being allowed to be depressed to its lowest
point, will carry the pendulum down so that it has its greatest length below the
stud through which it is suspended.
As the clock moves and the spring becomes weaker, the rod G is gradually
raised by the revolution of the wheel B until at the end of the allotted time, it will
rest upon the highest portion of the cam and will then have drawn the suspending
strip of the pendulum rod up through the slit in the stud, and the portion of the
pendulum rod below this point about which it vibrates being correspondingly
shortened, the vibrations of the pendulum will be sufficiently more rapid to com-
pensate for the weakening of the spring-by-its-uncoiling.
In cases where a balance wheel is employed instead of a pendulum, the lever G
may be made in any suitable way to suit the particular construction of the balance
arrangement. The lever being pivoted, as shewn at E, Figure 2, in this case, at a
point intermediate between the end which rests upon the cam C and the end which
engages with the regulator K, it will be manifest that the movement of the lever
about its fulcrum point will actuate the regulator by turning it about its point of
support, and as it engages the hair-spring of the balance-wheel, the shortening of
the latter will increase the speed of the balance wheel in the same manner as that
of the pendulum.
In the present case we have shewn this regulating arm K as connected with the
quadrant L by means of an eyelet passing through the two so that the pressure
of the arm K upon the quadrant L is sufficient to make a little friction, and thus
hold the regulator arm at any position where it may be originally set with reference
to the quadrant, at the same time allowing it to be moved for such ordinary
adjustments as may be desired. Through this eyelet passes the cup screw or pin Ŏ
which enters the frame of the clock and suspends the two parts K and L so as to
allow them both to move freely on this pin.
The automatic regulation by means of the lever G acts to move both the arm K
and the quadrant L and to thus adjust the regulating spring as before described.
In order to keep the mechanism of the escapement and pendulum central with
relation to the escapement wheel we have shewn a disc P mounted upon the same
centre with the escapement wheel Q, the stud from which the shank R is suspended
forms the centre of this disc and is also central with relation to the escapement
wheel. Extending downwardly from the disc is a shank R having at the lower
end a curved segment S. The verge rod and the pallet are fulcrumed upon the
extension R so that whatever position this part may take with reference to the other
portions of the clock, the pallet and verge rod will always remain in the same
position relative to the teeth of the escapement, and as the pendulum hangs verti-
cally from its point of suspension, it will swing with even beats in each direction,
even aithough the clock may be tilted a slight distance to one side or the other.
The curved segment S preferably forms a frictional contact with the.. corre-
sponding surface S¹ behind it, the friction being sufficient to prevent the segment S
and the connecting portion R from swinging with the movement of the pendulum,
but if by any reason the clock should become tilted a little to one side or the
other so as to be unevenly placed, the part S would slide sufficiently upon S¹ to
bring the pendulum into its normally vertical position with the escapement in
proper relation to operate with even beats.
:
U' is a spring which presses against the lever arm and serves to hold the parts
in position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our, said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
(1.) In a clock, a regulating device consisting of a fulcrumed arm, a cam con-
necting with the clock imechanism and actuated thereby, and a regulator movable
in unison with the movement of the cam-actuated arm whereby the beats of the

page_text: clock are increased in proportion as the spring which gives the impulse becomes
weakened.
(2). In a clock, the combination with a spring and the mechanism actuated
thereby of a fulcrumed lever arm having one end adapted to be moved by a cam
actuated by a moving part of the clock mechanism and a regulator connected with
and actuated by said lever whereby the pendulum or regulator is shortened
and the corresponding beats are increased in proportion as the impelling spring
becomes weaker by uncoiling.
(3.) In a clock, the combination with the coiled spring and mechanism impelled
thereby, of a fulcrumed lever, a cam with which one end of said lever arm engages
and by which it is gradually turned about its fulcrum point by the movement of
the clock mechanism, a regulator, a quadrant with which it is connected so as
to have a frictionally controlled movement about the common centre of the two, a
connection between the lever arm and the quadrant whereby it and the regulator
are automatically moved by the movement of the cam transmitted through the
lever arm.
(4.) In a clock, a regulating mechanism whereby the impulse of the escapement
is increased in proportion as the tension of the winding spring is reduced, a disc
centrally mounted with relation to the escapement wheel a pallet and verge carried
by a downwardly projecting extension of the disc, the verge connecting with the
pendulum rod whereby the tilting of the clock allows the disc and extension to
inove and arrange itself automatically with relation to the vertical position of the
pendulum.
(5.) In a clock, a disc centrally pivoted with relation to the escapement wheel,
a pendulum suspended therefrom, a pallet and verge through which connection
is made with the pendulum rod whereby the impulses of the escapement are im-
parted thereto, an extension downwardly from the disc with a segment at the
lower end and a segmental surface against which it makes contact to prevent free
oscillations, while allowing the segment to tilt from one side to the other in unison
with the central position of the pendulum rod, whereby the beats of the latter
are rendered even.