US1226402A - Keyless clock. - Google Patents

Description

W. J. SMITH.

KEYLESS CLOCK.

APPLICATION mso MAY 12. I916.

Patented May 15, 1917.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM 3'. SMITH, OF V/ATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR T WATERBURY CLOCK CO., OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION.

KEYLESS CLOCK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. SMITH, a subject of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, residing at Waterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improve ment in Keyless Clocks; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and 19 the characters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this application, and represent,

Figure 1 a view in front elevation of a keyless clock constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 a sectional View thereof on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 a view of the clock in front elevation with the clock-movement and the winding-and-setting ring removed.

Fig. 4 a detached View in front elevation of the clock-movement, showing the wind- 25 ing-and-setting ring applied to it in proper position. I

Fig. 5 a sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 a broken sectional View on the line 30 66 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 a detached view partly in section andpartly in elevation of the winding-arbor and the several parts mounted thereon.

My invention relates to an improvement in that class of keyless clocks in which winding and setting is eifected by means of a winding-and-setting ring confined to rotary movement in either direction, and brought into play for setting by means of a manually operated device instead of by moving the ring laterally to connect it with the dial work of the clock, the object of my present invention being to produce a simple, reliable and durable clock of the character described.

With these ends in view, my invention consists in a keyless clock characterized by having a clutch interposed between the windingand-setting ring, the winding train and the dial-work and manually operated to connect the said ring with the dial-work and to break connection with the said windingtrain. My invention further consists in a keyless clock having certainv details of con- 55 struction and combinations of parts as will Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 15, 1917.

Application filed May 12, 1916. Serial No. 97,053.

be hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims. 7

In carrying out my invention as herein shown, I employ a converting-cone 12 mounted to have rotary and sliding movement upon the reduced forward portion 13 of a winding-arbor 1 1 journaled in the rear movement-plate 15 and in the dial-back 16. The said cone 12 is provided upon its forward end with integral gear-teeth 17 forming a. combined winding-and-setting pinion always in mesh with the internal gear-teeth 18 of a winding-and-setting ring 19 confined to rotary movement in either direction and applied to the front of the clock, as will be described later on, so as to be conveniently grasped for being rotated. At its inner end, the cone 12 is formed with one member 20 of a ratchet or face-tooth clutch, the complementary other member 21 of which is nonrotatably mounted upon the said winding arbor 14 which is squared as at 22 to hold it against rotation thereupon. A helical spring 23 interpose between the dial-back 16 and the forward end of the cone l2 exerts a constant effort to maintain the said clutchmembers 20 and 21 in engagement, the forward end of the cone being formed with an annular recess 24C for the reception of the inner coils of the said spring. At its inner end, the winding-arbor 14 is squared as at 25 for the reception of a winding-pinion 26 meshing into an intermediate winding-pinion 27 (Fig. 5) held against reverse rotation by a pawl 28 and meshing into the main winding-wheel 29 on the main winding-arbor 30 which mounts a spring-barrel 31 within which the main spring is located.

The winding-and-setting pinion gearteeth 17 before mentioned, are made wide enough to also mesh without being demeshed from the internal gear-teeth 18 of the ring 19, into a pinion 32 (Fig. a.) rotating with a pinion 33 on a stud 34: in the front movement-plate 15*, the said pinion 33 meshing into the wheel 35 of an ordinary dial-train which need not, therefore, be described in detail.

Normally the helical spring 23 maintains the clutch-member 20 in engagement with the clutch-member 21, and as the combined winding-and-setting gear-teeth 17 are al.- ways in mesh with the internal gear-teeth 18 of the winding-and-setting ring 19, the clock is normally in adjustment for winding,

which is done by rotating the ring 19 from left to right, or in the clockwise CllleCtlOl'l. If the ring 19 is reversely rotated, "ratchet ing back, so called,-will take place, the faceteeth of the clutch-member 20 riding over the face-teeth of the clutch-member 21.

For the purpose of utilizing the ring 19 for setting, I employ a manual convertinglever 36 bearing upon the front faceof an annular mounting-flange 37 soldered, to an annular flange 38 formed upon the open front end of the cup-like cylindrical clockcase 39, the said flange 37 being furnished with screw-holes 4:0 for fastening the clock to thecowl-board of an automobile. The said convertingdever 36 is hung upon a pin 41 and projects inward through a slot 42 in a'bearing-ring 43 soldered to the front of the mounting-ring 37 and forming a bearing for the inner face of the windingand-setting ring 19 as seen in Fig. 2. The said lever 36 is located in the plane of the saidflange 37 and is interposed between the same and the ring 19 at a point below the center of the ring. The outer end of the said lever 36 is furnished with an operating-button 14, while its projecting inner end is formed with a cam 45 arranged toengage, when the lever 36 is swungfrom right to left on its pivot 11, with the beveled face $6 of the cone 12 so as to force the same forward against the tension of its spring 23, whereby the clutch- members 20 and 21 are disengaged and the winding train cut out of play, as it were, and whereby the gear-teeth 17 without being demeshed from the internal gear-teeth 18 are brought into mesh with the teeth of the pinion 32 which drives the dial-work. The rotation of the 1 0: winding ring 19 in one direction or the other now serves to operate the dial-work for setting the hour and minute hands 47 and 4-8. During this setting operation, the converting-lever 36 must be manually held in its setting position, as shown by broken lines in Fig. 3, against the tension of its spring 49 which is riveted to the inside of the clock-case 39 (Fig. 6) and which has its free outer end hooked under an arm 50 at the inner end of the lever 36. The spring 49 operates to restore the said lever 36 to its retired position as soon as the hand is removed from it, when the helical spring 23 acts to push the cone 12 inward and rengage the teeth of the clutch- members 20 and 21, whereby the clock is restored to adjustment for winding, and whereby the teeth 17 are demeshed from the pinion 32, thus cutting the dial-work out of play.

As shown, the winding-and-setting ring 19 has its forward end internallythreaded for the reception of the externally threaded flange of the bezel 51 which mounts the glass or crystal 52 and the dial-mat 53, all of which rotate with the winding-and-setting ring 19 into which the bezel may be said to merge so as to give the appearance of being in the same'piece therewith. For securing the ring 19 iii-place, I utilize the dial-back 16 which in turn is connected with the clockmovement in the usual manner, the rear face of the edge of the dial-back being engaged with a bearing-shoulder 5e within the ring 19 the inner edge of which is formed with a guide rib 55 entering a corresponding annular groove 56 in the forward face of the bearing-ring 43.

of, of a rotary winding-and-setting ring having an internal gear, means for connect- .ing the internal gear of the said ring with the said winding-train and with the said dial-work, including a winding-arbor -mounting a winding-pinion in mesh with a member of the said windingrtrain, a clutch mounted upon the said winding-arbor and having .a sliding member co-acting with a member of the dial-work, and means for manually operating the said sliding-clutch member.

2. In a keyless clock, the combinationl with the Winding-train and dial-workthereof, of a rotary winding-and-setting ring having an internal gear, connections between the said ring, winding-train and dial-work including an arbor, a cone slidably mounted thereupon and provided with winding-andsetting gear-teeth, a two-part face clutch one member of which is carried by the said cone andthe other member of which is fixed to the said arbor, a spring for normally maintaining the said clutch-members in engagement; and means for shifting the said cone .upon the said arbor against the tension of the said springso as to separate the said clutch-members and cut out the Windingtrain and bring the winding-and-setting teeth of the cone into operative relation with the dial-work.

3.'In a keyless clock, the combination with the winding-train and dial-work thereof, of a rotary winding-and-setting ring having an internal gear, connections between the said ring and winding-train and dial-work, including a rotary arbor, a cone slidably and rotatably mounted thereon and provided with winding-and-setting gear teeth, a two-part clutch one member of with the winding-train and dial-work therewhich is carried by the said cone and the lever adapted to co-act with the said cone other member of which is fixed to the said for sliding the same upon the said arbor arbor for rotation therewith, and a spring so as to disengage the members of the said for normally maintaining the said clutchclutch and bring the winding-and-setting members in engagement, whereby the movegear teeth of the cone into connection with ment is maintained in adjustment for windthe dial-work.

mg; and a manually operable convertlng- WILLIAM J. SMITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. O.

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