GB2388444A

GB2388444A - Cylindrical clock with a helical arm

Info

Publication number: GB2388444A
Application number: GB0200796A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Darwen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-01-15
Filing date: 2002-01-15
Publication date: 2003-11-12
Also published as: GB0200796D0

Abstract

A clock has a cylindrical sleeve (4, fig 2) which houses a rotating helix (1, fig 1), the sleeve carrying markings 12,13 along its length which when read in conjunction with the helix can indicate the time in one or more geographical locations.

Description

lIEL1X CLOCK This invention relates to a helix clock.

Dial clocks are devices for measuring the passage of time whereby the circumference of a disk is divided into uniform sections and marked with the numeric sequence of a conventional time period; usually 12 hours and/or 60 minutes. From the centre of the disk or 'dial' radial arms or 'hands' rotate, passing in uniform speed across the marked time sections thus indicating the passage of time - either hours, minutes or seconds depending on the speed of rotation of the arm. Commonly all three of these time periods are indicated by the presence of three arms on the same clock face. The indicating hands are attached to the spindles of a device called a movement', which creates the rotational force that moves the hands (the 'movement' usually being concealed behind the dial).

Dial clocks of this kind are two-dimensional representations of the passage of time and show the time in only one of the world's time zones at any one time. To know the time in any other of the world's time zones it is necessary to refer to another clock that is adjusted to the other time zone in question or an arithmetic calculation must be made where the difference in hours between the two time zones is known.

An object of this invention is to represent the passage of time in three dimensions and as a consequence of this innovation to allow for the simultaneous representation of many time zones on only one device and for those time zones to be read off from the movement of only one moving 'arm'.

Accordingly, the present invention provides an indicating arm that takes the form of a single revolution of a helix - a helix being the locus of a point that moves around and along the curved surface of a cylinder: The ratio between the two types of movement remains constant. The lead is the movement along the axis of the cylinder for one revolution. On the outside and along the length of the cylinder the 1 2-hour analogue time- period is marked. The length ofthis marked section is equivalent to the 'lead' of one revolution of the helix.

One end of the helix is extended laterally to the central axis of the cylinder where it is then attached to the spindle of a 'movement'. As the helix is rotated by the 'movement' it will pass along the length of the marked time period and in one full rotation will pass from one end of the marked time period to the other end, thus indicating one whole cycle of the time period in one full revolution of the helix. The clock is then ready to commence the cycle and thus the time period again.

( By marking another 1 2-hour time-period along an adjacent length of the cylinder 30 degrees from the original a second time zone will be indicated by the helix arm as it passes along its length. This can be repeated along other lengths of the cylinder showing the hour in as many time zones as are marked around the cylinder.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a single revolution right hand helix ( 1) connected at its base by an arm (2) that is itself attached to the spindle of a 'movement' (3), which in turn rotates the arm and the helix every twelve hours.

Figure 2 shows a transparent cylinder (4) marked along its length with the conventional analogue time period of twelve hours (5).

Figure 3 shows the helix arm in place inside the cylinder and indicating the time as being just after 4 O'clock (6). The black arrow marks the direction of rotation of the helix.

Figure 4 shows the clock four and a quarter hours later with the helix indicating the time as being half past 8 O'clock (7). The black arrow marks the direction of rotation of the helix. Figure 5 shows the existing hour markings as representing the time zone that includes the city of London (8) and an additional time zone 30 degrees round the cylinder and representing the time zone that includes the city of Paris (9). The helix arm is simultaneously indicating that the time in London is half past 8 O'clock (10) and that the time in Paris is half past 10 O'clock ( 1 1). The black arrow marks the direction of rotation of the helix.

Figure 6 shows the clock one and three quarters of an hour later with the helix simultaneously indicating the time in London as being a quarter past 10 O'clock and the time in Paris as being a quarter past 11 O'clock. The black arrow marks the direction of rotation of the helix.

Claims

l i CLAIMS

1 A clock comprising an hour hand in the form of a helix and where the twelve-

hour time period is marked along the length of a cylinder containing the helix. As the helix rotates in the cylinder each part of the helix's length will in-turn pass over the length of the cylder's marked tune period, indicating the passage of time. Other identified world time zones are marked along the length of the cylinder and when the number order in these other time zones are adjusted relative to one another and to the position of the helix-arm the time is be read off simultaneously in the different time-zones by the movement of the helix-arm.