IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC CLOCKS
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Gustav Maximilian Herotizky
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st August 1883.
GUSTAV MAXIMILIAN HERIOTIZKY of Hamburg Germany. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ELECTRIC CLOCKS
"
This Invention relates to improvements in electric clocks which are driven by
electric elements, and the objects of my improvements are first, to give automatically
once every minute an impulsion to the pendulum, and second to regulate the
function of the electric current by means of the swinging pendulum.
The rod of the free swinging pendulum is provided with a dial, the hand of which
is turned by means of an angle-lever engaging or acting upon a ratchet wheel,
which is fastened to the arbor of the hand. The angle lever is arrested at overy
oscillation of the pendulum by a weight suspended by a thread and thus causes the
hand to pass all points of the dial during one minuto and consequently to indicato
the seconds. A lever also fixed to the band-arbor comes once every minute in such
a position as to close for a moment the contact of an electric current passing
through a coil, the core of which thus magnetized attracts a swinging lever or
armature; when the electric current is interrupted again, the swinging lover falls
down and touching a bracket of the pendulum rod gives a fresh impulse to the
pendulum, but simultaneously turns the minute-wheel of the clock, with which it
communicates by a connecting rod, wire or thread and a weight lever provided
with a ratchet pawl. The minute-wheel communicates its rotation in tho well
known manner to the hour wheel.
The striking works when required are easily connected with the dial train.
The minute wheel bears one two or more projections according to the clock; to
strike every hour, half an hour or quarter of an hour. Such a projection touching
(during the rotation of the minute wheel) an arm of a three armed lever causes
D...Al

page_text: the latter to swing and thereby to approach two springs, the poles of an electric
current passing a coil, ench other so far, that a pin attached to the pendulum will
close the current at every oscillation of the pendulum. The core of the bobbin
thus magnetized attracts at every oscillation of the pendulum a swinging lever
which strikes the bell and also turns a ratchet wheel by means of a pawl connected 5
with the striking wheel; the latter causes by its grooves the three armed lever
to return into its normal position and thus to interrupt the striking.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed_
by the said Gustav Maximilian Herotizky in the Patent Office on the
1st February 1884.
GUSTAV MAXIMILIAN HEROTIZKY, of Hamburg, Germany;
ELECTRIC CLOCKS"
………..IMPROVEMENTS. IN
This invention relates to improvements in electric clocks, which are driven by
electric elements, and the objects of my improvements are, first, to give,
automatically, once every minute, an impulse to the pendulum; and secondly,
to regulate the function of the electric current by means of the swinging
pendulum.
I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings,
in which
Figure 1 is a front view of an electric clock constructed according to my
invention, Figure 2 is a side elevation, and Figures 3 to 9 are detailed views.
Similar letters refer to like parts throughout the several views.
The pendulum A is suspended from the arm a; a disc b, indicating the seconds,
is attached to the rod of the pendulum. The bracket be fastened to the disc b
carries at its extremity the pivot pin 63 of the bell crank lever b 6. The pawl b
engages with the teeth of the ratchet wheel b' and is attached to the extremity of
the arm of the bell crank lever; the other arm, b, touches (when the pendulum A
swings to the left) the weight, b, suspended on a thread; this stop or weight
causes the point of the pawl, be, to be released, and to slide over the teeth of the
ratchet wheel, 67, which is arrested by the ratchet P. When the pendulum returns,
that is, when it swings in the direction indicated by the arrow, the lever b₁ b³
tends to go back to its normal position, thereby the ratchet bª engages with the
teeth of the ratchet wheel b7 and effects a partial rotation whereby the hand b¹
fixed to the axis of the ratchet wheel, indicates at the disc b that a second has
elapsed.
The lever c also fixed to the arbor of the ratchet wheel b7 serves to close the
electric current of a suitable battery, which passes through the electro magnet C
in the following manner. This lever c rotating with the wheel 67 is once every

page_text: minute in such a position as to touch the arm c8 of the bell crank lever c c³, which
is pushed by the spring c towards the rotating contact lever c. When the
pendulum A swings in the direction of the arrow, Figure 1, the lever c6 c³ is turned
by means of the lever c pushing forward the arm c³, thereby the projection c³ of
the lever cc comes into contact with the spring c¹, both being connected to the
positive and negative terminals of the electric current passing the electro magnet C,
the current is thereby closed, and kept closed by the arresting bell crank lever ca
until the pendulum A returns to the left hand side, and the arm c attached to the
rod of the pendulum touches the pin c of the lever ; then the latter is released
from contact with the arm cs and the current consequently interrupted.
The electric current directed by the contact of arm c³ and spring c' causes the
electro-magnet C to become magnetised, which simultaneously attracts the
armature-plato d' of the inclined lover d and thereby raises the lever d, resting
ordinarily on the projection d. By the interruption of the current, the lever d
descends again, and its finger d' makes contact with the bracket, or arm, d³, of the
pendulum rod, thus effecting a frosh impulse to the pendulum. While the lever d
was lifted, the counterweight f₁ raised the longer arm of the lever f with the
pawl fattached thercon The lover d in descending draws with it the raised
arm of the lever f, both levers being connected by the thread or wire f. Thereby
the pawl engages with the wheel f³ on the spindlo of which the minute hand
of the clock is fixed, and so advances the minute hand. The rotation of the minute
wheel communicates by the well known means to the hour wheel.
An electrical striking mechanism is easily connected with the dial train. A lever
with three arms, e e¹ e³, is attached to the frame behind the dial. The minute
wheel is provided with one projection when the clock is desired to strike
every hour; in a striking train of every half hour the wheel f³ bears two, in a
striking train of every quarter of an hour, four projections e'. The projection e¹
touches during the rotation of the wheel f³, for a moment, the movable incline e³
of the arm c². In consequence thereof, the arm e³ is lowered, and the other arm e¹
raised, whereby the pin c³, fastened to the extremity of e', quits the groove of the
disc e, the projections of which regulate the number of strokes of the bell. The
arin e thereby swings in the direction of the arrow and depresses the arm g' of the
double armed lever g g', which in its normal position is kept raised by the weight
of the arm g. The arm g¹ is provided with a recess g² into which engages (in this
position of the lever g g¹) the pin g', fastened to a bracket of the pendulum rod.
The lever g g, which is pivotted to a swinging bracket z, is consequently drawn
by every stroke of the pendulum in the direction opposite to the one indicated by
the arrow, to the spring g³, and pushes it towards another spring el. These springs
form the respective poles of an electric current, passing the electro magnet, E,
which, being thus magnetised, attracts the armature g of the lever g, whereby
the hammer of lever strikes the bell g' at every oscillation of the pendulum A.
The motion of the lever g also effects the rotation of the ratchet wheel e', fixed to
the arbor of the disc e, consequently the latter is turned until the pin e falls
into the next groove of this wheel, and the lever e e¹ e returns to its normal
position (Figure 6) whereby the arm g' of the lever g g¹ is raised again, thus
disengaging the pin from the recess g³, whoreby the electric current is
interrupted.
Having thus described my invention and in what manner the same is advan-
tageously carried into effect I would have it understood that what I desire to claim
and secure by Letters Patent is :-
-
First In an electric clock the combination with a pendulum and an electric
circuit, of the ratchet wheel b', the bell crank lever 65, the pawl be, the suspended
weight band the stop device consisting of the parts c, c, cs, c³, and c¹ or their
equivalents, all connected and relatively arranged and operating substantially as
herein set forth and illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Second-In an electric clock, the combination of the electro-magnet C with the
pendulum A, the ratchet wheel b', the lever c, the angle lever cc, with contact c³

page_text: and spring c7, the contact spring c¹ and the arresting lever c³, substantially as and
for the purpose herein described and illustrated.
Third in an electric clock the combination of the pendulum A having the
bracket and the inclined lever d, with armature d and pin or roller d, the
electro magnet C, and the stop d' substantially as herein set forth and illustrated.
Fourth In an electric clock the combination of the minute wheel f³ with the
electro-magnet C, the lever d, the thread f, the lever f, the count erweight f¹, and
the ratchet pawl substantially as set forth and illustrated.
Fifth In an electric clock the combination of the electro-magnet E, the
armature go, the lever g6, the pawl 98, the ratchet wheel e', the disc e, the 1
lever e. e. e, the minute wheel ³, the lever g. g'. provided with the recess g³,
with the contact springs g³, 23, the pendulum A, and the pin g, substantially as
and for the purpose specified with reference to the accompanying Drawings.
=
In witness whereof I the said Gustav Maximilian Herotizky have hereunto set
my hand and seal this Twenty ninth day of January in the year of our Lord 1
One thousand eight hundred and eighty four.
דוATTA
BAATEIDLAN
HEROTIZAT (L.S.)