US2554809A - Double signal alarm - Google Patents

Description

May 29, 1951 E. BOURQUIN DOUBLE SIGNAL ALARM Filed July 13, 1945 IEba/w Boueouw,

IN VENTOR.

BY M I, l

HTTQQNEV Patented May 29, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

My invention relates to electric clocks and has *particularrreference to an electric clock provided with two alarms which can be set so as to operate independently at any timed interval within a twelve or twenty-four hour period.

Clocks which are equipped to set off an alarm at any given hourly period have long been known and there have also been known clocks and time pieces which could be set so as to repeat an alarm signal at stated intervals once the alarm has been released. Prior art devices, however, have failed to provide clocks equipped with a common alarm release but which are so constructed that they can be set so as to deliver two distinct alarm signals with any desired interval between,

them.

Having in view the desirability of providing a double signal alarm clock, it is therefore among the objects of my invention to provide a new and improved alarm clock in which is incorporated two separate alarm devices which can be arbitrarily set to signal at any instant through a twelve-hour period.

Another object of my invention is to provide a new and improved alarm clock incorporating alarm mechanisms which can be set independently but which are adapted to be released by a common release mechanism driven by the clock gears.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a new and improved alarm clock in which is provided two separate alarm indicating hands in addition to the hour and minute hands, all of which .rotate about a common axis at the center of the clock face.

.A further object of my invention is to provide anew and improved double signal alarm in which the signal alarms may be set separately at any desired interval and which incorporates a single shut-off button by means of which both alarms may be shut off.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth,

pointed out in my claims andillustrated in the r A great deal or attention has been given to alarm clocks in the past in order to supply a signal alarm for a great many diiferent types of circumstances. Repeating alarms have been common, that is to say, alarms which will continue to repeat the signals at predetermined intervals once the alarm has been released. Such double alarms as have so far been provided are limited in their application to repeating signals spaced relatively close together. The priorart has failed to produce a double signal alarm, both parts of which can be arbitrarily set at any point throughout a twelve-hour cycle and are entirely independent one from the other. Occasions are numerous where the same alarm clock may be needed to give out successive alarms, as for example, an early morning get-up call and alater call to awaken a deeper sleeper. alarms have been so designed that they could be reset once having been set off, an arrangement of this kind is not suflicient to satisfy all circumstances, since it may be desirable to make both settings simultaneously the night before in such a manner that the release of one will not disturb the other and so that a person, for example, affected by the iirst alarm need have no concern for the time of operation of the second alarm.

Although the principle of my invention may be incorporated in a variety of mechanical and electrical mechanisms operated by clock work, I have selected an electric-operated clock for the purpose of illustration comprising a frame or base I'U having a supporting case II on the front of which is a clock dial or face l2. A minute hand [3 and hour hand l4 rotate about the center of the clock face, as do also a fixed alarm hand I5 and a second alarm hand 16. Hourly intervals are indicated on an outer circle in order to tell the time of day by the hour and minute hands and a similar hourly circle I! of much smaller diameter is provided cooperable with the alarm hands l5 and I6, comprising alarm indices.

The clock is powered by means of a field coil 20 connected to an electric line 2i in a suitable I manner. The field coil has a core 22 attached to suitable field core elements which in turn are mounted upon a plate 24 within the casing.

A clock rotor unit 25 of conventional construction is provided positioned within a suitable aperture in the field core unit and derives its power from the magnetic field set by the field coil 20. The clock rotor unit incorporates a reduction gearing of such design that a pinion 26 .may be used to drive a suitable chain of Although single clock gears 21 including a set of reduction gears 21' shown generally by the dotted circle in Fig. 1 and of conventional form, details of which have been omitted for the sake of clarity. It is sufficient to say that the clock gears are so arranged that they are adapted to rotate an hour hand sleeve 30 having the hour hand [4 attached thereto and a minute hand shaft 32 having the minute hand l3 attached thereto.

One" of the alarm signal means comprises a shaft 34 journaled on one side at the plate 24 and journaled and axially movable at the other end ina toothed wheel 35. It will be noted that the toothed wheel is maintained rotatably in position upon a plate 35 by means of a spring Washer 31. The toothed wheel 35 meshes with a gear 38 which in turn rotates a sleeve 39 upon which is mounted the alarm setting hand l5. To position the alarm setting hand l in a desired hourly position in order to make the necessary setting, there is provided a knob 4| mounted upon a shaft 42 upon which is keyed a pinion 43 set up to mesh with a gear 44 which in turn rotates the toothed wheel 35. As the toothed wheel is rotated so that the alarm setting hand 15 points to a desired hour, an aperture 45 in the toothed wheel will take a corresponding position.

A gear 48 driven by the clock gears is in turn connected with a pinion 41 and this pinion meshes with the teeth of a toothed wheel 48 secured upon the stub shaft 3 the shaft 34 being slidable axially in its journaled supports. A projection 49 on the toothed wheel 48 is located in such a position that when rotated with respect to the toothed wheel 35 the projection will eventually fall into the aperture 45. Since the toothed wheel 48 is timed to operate with the clock mechanism, it will be so designed that it makes one complete revolution in twelve hours, making it possible to set the alarm for any time within a twelve-hour period.

A second alarm signal means is incorporated in part in a shaft 53' having thereon a wheel 50 having an aperture 5| therein and rotatably mounted upon the plates 36 and 24. On one side of the plate '36 the wheel has attached thereto a gear 52 which meshes with a similar gear 53 which in turn is operated by a pinion 54 attached to a knob 55 carried by a stub shaft 55. When the knob 55 is rotated the aperture 5! rotates together with rotation of the wheel 50. In this instance also, another toothed wheel 51 is secured to the shaft 50 and is adapted to mesh with the pinion 4'! in order to be driven thereby 'so that a projection 58 may eventually be received in the aperture 51. The shaft 50 is adapted also to shift freely in an axial direction.

A toothed wheel 60 on a sleeve 6i meshes with the gear 52 and is driven thereby. Attached to the sleeve is the alarm hand [6 which indi cates the hour for which the aperture 5! is set. It will be noted that all of the sleeves 6|, 39 and 302are concentric one within another and all concentric about the minute hand shaft 32.

To facilitate an understanding of the functions of toothed wheels 35, 43, 5t and 5! the wheels 35 and 50 may be referred to as striker c'etent releasing wheels and the wheels 48 and 51 as cam wheels.

. Normally a striker arm for an alarm member or hell 53a, here shown as an armature 10, is mounted so as to be excited by the core 22 within the field coil 21!. The armature in turn is mounted so as to operate the alarm. So that the alarm is not continuous in operation, a striker detent I2 is positioned between the core and the armature. in order to hold the armature motionless. The detent in turn is pivotally mounted at the point 13 and is pressed by a spring '14 counterclockwise about the pivot point so that a button 15 normally tends to press against a collar 16 on the toothed wheel 48. Thus whenever the toothed wheel is rotated by the clock mechanism until the projection 49 is received within the aperture 45, the toothed wheel will shift axially a sufficient distance to withdraw the detent 12 from its blocking position, thereby permitting the armature to vibrate and set off the alarm by striking against the alarm bell.

A similar detent H is provided on the opposite side and blocks operation of an armature 78 similar to the armature 12 above described. It is spring pressed against a collar 19 attached to the toothed wheel 51. The last-named detent is provided with a similar spring and operates in a manner similar to the detent 12 whenever the toothed wheel 51 rotates to a position wherein the projection 58 falls into the aperture 5 l. A transparent face or crystal 40 encloses the time and alarm hands.

In order to stop either or both alarms, there is provided a common shut-off button 80 having an outermost position wherein both armatures are released. The button is attached to a shaft 8| upon which are mounted pins 82 and 83. The pin 83 is designed to press against a stop detent 1e er 84 pivoted at the point 85 and extending transversely across shaft 8|. The lever 84 has an end 86 so positioned that it can press against the armature I8 and prevent its vibrating. As the button is p shed into a second position, the pin 82 is designed to press against a stop detent or link 81 pivoted at a point 88 and extending transversely across shaft 8! so that an end 89 of the link is adapted to be pressed against the armature I0 and prevent it from vibrating, thereby cutting off the alarm.

After both alarm signals have been shut off, the button 80 may be manually drawn or pulled outwardly for repositioning shaft 8| into its outermost and inoperative position. In this inoperative position of button 80, pressure has been relieved from the end of the levers 84 and 81 which contact the armatures, and thus the armatures are again free to vibrate at newly preselected time intervals.

There has thus been provided a double signal alarm incorporating two separate alarm signal means both of which can be set with complete independence one from the other andeither or both of which can be manually shutoff whenever desired after the alarm has been released automatically.

All modifications coming within the scope of the appended claims are embraced. thereby.

I claim:

1. In an alarm clock provided with independently operable alarm-setting hands concentrically arranged with minute and hour hands of a clock and having striker members operatively associated with the alarm hands respectively for providing two alarm signals adapted to be actuated at preselected spaced time intervals, the combination of a control means for shutting off the alarm signals at the preselected spaced time intervals and comprising a single push button having an external portion and an internal portion; pivoted members adjacent to the internal portion and extending thereacross in spaced relation, each pivoted member having an end normally positioned out of contact with a respective striker member, said pivoted members being engageable by a respective element and in successive relation for moving said pivoted members against the striker members for shutting off first one alarm and then the other alarm.

2. In an alarm clock provided with independently operable alarm-setting hands concentrically arranged with minute and hour hands of a clock and having striker members operatively associated with the alarm hands respectively for providing two alarm signals adapted to be actuated at preselected spaced time intervals, the combination of: a manually operable common shut-oil means for the two alarm signals comprising an axially movable shut-oil push rod having a portion externally of the clock and a portion internally of the clock; pivoted members extending across the internal portion in operative relationship with respective striker members, said pivoted members being successively actuated by the internal portion of the push rod for shutting oif first one alarm signal and then the second alarm signal.

3. In a clock having a base, a supporting frame, a dial and a clock mechanism including an hour and minute hand gear train, the combination of: a pair of alarm signal means comprising each a set of axially aligned actuating wheels arranged for relative axial movement at a preselected time, one of said actuating wheels being driven by the gear train, a time indicator for each signal means, a manual setting element therefor, an alarm member, a reciprocating armature normally subject to excitation by the clock mechanism adapted to cooperate with the alarm member, releasable means for inhibiting operation of the armature at other than set alarm periods comprising an element engaging said armature and the actuating wheel driven by the gear train; and a shut-off for said alarm signal means comprising a reciprocating external control common to both signal means extending from the outside into the interior of the clock, individual armature holding links having an engaged position and a disengaged position mounted adjacent the reciprocating control, said reciprocating control having a disengaged position for both links, and successive engaged positions respectively first for one link and then for the other link.

4. In an electrically operated clock having a base, a supporting frame, a dial, a field coil and an electro-magnetic field associated therewith and an electromagnetically driven gear having an hour and minute hand gear train connected therewith, the combination of: a pair of alarm signal means comprising each a set of axially' aligned actuating wheels arranged for relative axial movement at a preselected time, one of said actuating wheels being driven by the gear train, a time indicator for each signal means, a setting knob therefor; an alarm member, an armature normally subject to excitation of the field coil adapted to cooperate with the alarm member; releasable means for inhibiting operation of the armature at other than set alarm periods comprising an element engaging said armature and the actuating wheel driven by the gear train; and a shut-oilfor said alarm signal means comprising a push button common to both signal means, an extension thereon within the frame, individual armature depressing links normally released therefrom and movably mounted adjacent the extension and contacting elements on the extension having different respective positions relative to the links whereby the links are successively actuated thereby at difierent positions of the push button,

5. In an electrically operated clock having a base, a supporting frame, a dial, a field coil and an electro-magnetic field associated therewith and an electromagnetically driven gear having an hour and minute hand gear train connected therewith, the combination of: a pair of alarm signal means comprising each a set of axially aligned actuating wheels arranged for relative axial movement at a preselected time, one of said actuating wheels being driven by the gear train, a time setting indicator for each signal means, a setting knob therefor; an alarm member, an armature normally subject to excitation of the field coil adapted to cooperate with the alarm member; releasable means for inhibiting operation of the armature at other than set alarm periods comprising an element engaging said armature and the actuating wheel driven by the gear train; and a shut-off for said alarm signal means comprising a push button common to both signal means, an extension thereon within the frame, individual links pivotally mounted adjacent the extension extending into contact respectively with the armatures and pins on the extension initially positioned at unequal distances from the links and having successive positions of engagement with the links whereby said links are successively depressed to armature arresting positions at different times.

6. In a clock mechanism having a frame, a dial and a clock mechanism, the combination of a plurality of alarm signal means comprising each a set of axially aligned actuating wheels arranged for relative axial movement at a preselected time, one of said actuating wheels being driven by the gear train, a manual setting element therefor, a reciprocating alarm lever normally subject to excitation by the clock mechanism, a releasable means for inhibiting operation of the alarm lever comprising an element engaging said alarm lever and the actuating wheel driven by the gear train, and a manual shut-off for said alarm levers comprising external control means extending from outside to the inside of said mechanism and a linkage from the control means having alternately engaged and disengaged relationships with the alarm levers.

EDGAR BOURQUIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,049,914 Porter Jan. '7, 1913 1,240,482 Porter Sept. 18, 1917 2,002,433 Cowles May 21, 1935 2,026,070 Sholden Dec. 31, 1935 2,166,683 Grayson July 18, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 419,059 Great Britain Oct. 29, 1934 497,294 Great Britain Dec. 16, 1938

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