US2721441A - Switch and alarm clock - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 25, 1955 R. L. BOYLES 2,721,441

SWITCH AND ALARM CLOCK Filed Nov. 12, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor: Robert JV. B y P by RM (1. M K |-lis Attorney.

Oct. 25, 1955 R. L. BOYLES 2,721,441

SWITCH AND ALARM CLOCK Filed Nov. 12, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 7/ M A? F/ 2 f" Inventor: Robert L. Boyles,

His Attorney.

Oct. 25, 1955 R. BOYLES SWITCH AND ALARM CLOCK 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 12, 1952 Inventor; Feob art I... B

oyles,

His Attorney.

United States Patent Office 2,721,441 Patented Oct. 25, 1955 SWITCH AND ALARM CLOCK Robert L. Boyles, Framingham, Mass., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application November 12, 1952, Serial No. 320,034

12 Claims. (Cl. 5819) My invention relates to clocks with which there are combined alarm and switching mechanisms, together with manual and automatic controls therefor of the general type described in the United States Letters Patent No. 2,421,986, June 10, 1947, to Bohman, and in my application Serial No. 271,833, filed February 15, 1952, now Patent No. 2,638,004 granted May 12, 1953, both assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. The Bohman patent described a clock having an alarm and switching mechanism with a control for setting the time for automatic closing of the switch and subsequent sounding of the alarm, and a control for opening and closing the switch manually independently of the automatic control. My application above referred to provides a third control for the switch by means of which it may be manually closed to open automatically at a predetermined adjustable time. The present invention combines the operations of the previously mentioned devices, simplifies the controls therefor, and includes other features for improving the performance and reducing the cost of manufacture.

The features of my invention which are believed to be novel and patentable will be pointed out in the claims appended hereto. For a better understanding of my invention reference is made in the following description to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. l is a front perspective somewhat expanded view of a preferred embodiment of my invention. Fig. 2 is a front view of the device of Fig. l with certain parts broken away showing the mechanism in a switch closed position and conditioned for an automatic switch opening operation. Fig. 3 is a front view of the operating mechanism of Fig. 2 showing the position of parts following an automatic switch opening operation. Fig. 4 is a rear perspective view of the clock device showing the driving motor, the audible alarm, the alarm set and shutoif control in the alarm on" position, and the alarm release holding the alarm from operation but ready to be released at alarm time. Fig. 5 shows the alarm shutoff control of Fig. 4 in alarm off position. Fig. 6 is a rear view of the alarm shutoff and alarm release parts in the same positions as in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 77 of Fig. 6 and including a showing of the alarm release and switch operating cams. Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the alarm release taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 6.

Referring now primarily to Fig. l, the clock motor is represented as being of the self-starting synchronous electric motor type having a magnetic field stator 9 and an energizing coil 10, the latter being connected across an alternating current supply 11. A rear plate 12 of the clock supports a resilient magnetic vibrator 13 adjacent coil 10 which extends generally between the ends of the coil so as to carry leakage flux when the coil is energized. The left end of magnetic vibrator 13 Which is riveted to plate 12 is not in direct magnetic connection with the motor field core. The free right end of the vibrator 13 is bent down to be normally spaced from the core structure at the other end of the coil (see Fig. 4),

but may vibrate against a magnetic part 14 when the motor is energized and the vibrator 13 is free to vibrate at the alarm time thus to sound an alarm. By this arrangernent the leakage fiux taken by the vibrator may be limited to that necessary to vibrate member 13 so that the efficiency of the motor is not unduly impaired thereby.

The motor includes a rotor and gear reduction chamber 15 shown in Fig. 4 and from which comes a shaft on which there is a gear 16 shown in Fig. 2. Gear 16 drives through gears 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 to a friction clutch at 22 which permits clock setting. The driven side of clutch 22 is on the minute hand shaft 23. Back gearing 24, 2-5, 26 and 27 drives the hour hand shaft 28. The second hand shaft 29 is driven with gear 17.

Gear 26 drives a cam gear 30 at one revolution in twelve hours for operating the automatic alarm and switch closing operations. The forward side of gear 30 has a pair of double sloped cam projections 31 and 31a thereon degrees apart and at different radii. The rear side of a similar adjacent gear 32 has similar cam projections on its rear face. These cam projections are formed by pressed out portions of the gear wheels as best shown in Fig. 1. Gear wheel 32 is normally stationary, is geared to an alarm time setting hand 33 indicating on the clock dial and to a setting shaft 34 and button 34a by means of which the cam wheel 32 and the hand 33 may be set to any desired position to indicate the time during a l2-hour period when the alarm is to sound.

The connection between gear 32 and the hand 33 is through a gear 35 loose on the shaft of gear wheels 25 and 26 and through a gear 36 on a hollow shaft 37. Hollow shaft 37 is normally held from turning by friction between it and the front clock plate 38 through which it passes. This arrangement permits the cam wheel 32 and the alarm time to be set with good accuracy. Once each twelve hours the cam projections on gears 30 and 32 which are at equal radii from the axis of rotation come into engagement. Gear 32 is spaced from front plate 38 by a bushing (see Fig. 7) and does not have endwise movement. Gear 39 together With a bushing 39, disk 40, and a shaft 41, to which they are secured, are free to move endwise but gear 30 is kept pressed toward gear 32 by a spring 42 about shaft 41 compressed between the backplate 12 and disk 40. Gear 32 can rotate on shaft 41 and the shaft may move endwise therethrough, and the latter is long enough to have hearings in front and backplates while moving endwise for the purposes to be described. By having two sets of cams at different radii and 180 degr ees apart, the end thrust occurring during a camming action is balanced on opposite sides of the shaft.

It is now seen that once every twelve hours, at a time depending upon the setting of cam gear 32, gear 3t) together with parts 39, 40, and 41 will be slowly pushed to the rear and return forward, while the cam projections in gear 30 are being driven past those of the same radii in gear 32. The rearward movement of shaft 41 performs signal initiating operations. Incidentally, these cam projections 31 and 31a have the same slope on both sides (see Figs. 1 and 7), so that the alarm time setting can be made by rotating gear 32 in either direction. Likewise the clock may be set in either direction notwithstanding the fact that either of such settings may carry the engageable cam projections past each other as in an automatic alarm operation. The clock motor torque requirements for operating this type of cam are relatively low.

When the shaft 41 is thus pushed to the rear, its rear end engages a resilient alarm release (see Figs. 4, 6, 7, and 8) member 43 having its lower end riveted to the rear of the rear plate 12 and its upper end acting as a removable stop beneath an alarm shutoff lever 44. The lever 44 is pivoted at 4-5 to the backplate 12 and when rotated counterclockwise as viewed in Figs. 4, and 6, its upper end engages beneath a projection 46 of the magnetic vibrator 13 and lifts the free end of such vibrator sufficiently to prevent its vibration. When lever 44 is thus moved to the alarm shutoff position, alarm release member 43, unless prevented, moves beneath lever 44 and holds such lever in the alarm shutoff position until such time as shaft 41 is moved to the rear against release member 43 to push it from under lever 44. The lever 44 is biased towards alarm on position by the vibrator when energized.

In order to move shutoff lever 44 to the shutofi position to stop the alarm when sounding, or to hold it in the shutoff position to prevent the sounding of the alarm when it would otherwise sound, as when the alarm release member 43 is pushed to the rear, I make use of the alarm setting shaft 34-. This shaft extends from the operating button 34a at the front of the clock through the front and rear clock plates, and is movable endwise to a limited extent as well as rotatable. The setting shaft 34 is normally urged towards the front of the clock and geared to gear 32 as shown in Figs. 1 and 5 by a compression spring 47. It may, however, be pushed to the rear by pushing on the button 34a and when thus pushed its rear end engages against a cam surface 48 at the lower end of lever 44, rotating such lever to alarm shutoff position if not already in such position. Shaft 34 has a detent groove 49 out about it adjacent its rear end so that when thus pushed to the rear to alarm shutoff position, it resiliently locks with the cam end of lever 44 as shown in Fig. 5 and the parts are thus held in the shutoff position until shaft 34 is forcibly pulled forward again.

The gear 34b which meshes with gear 32 for alarm time setting purposes preferably remains in mesh with gear 32 and does not move endwise with shaft 34. This avoids gear meshing difficulties and reduces the chances of the accidental changing of the alarm setting. Gear 341) is retained in its axial position, and a releasable spline arrangement seen at St in Fig. 5 is used for engaging and disengaging shaft 34 to and from driving relation with gear 34b as shaft 34 is moved endwise from and to shutoff position. Preferably, there are suitable operating instructions at the front of the clock adjacent knob 34a as indicated in Fig. 1 to guide the user. Figs. 4 and 7 show the shaft 34 in the out alarm set position, and Fig. 5 shows it in the "in" alarm shutoff position. The free rotary movement of shutotf lever 44 is limited, in a clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 4, by the rear end of shaft 34, and in the opposite direction by the vibrator 13 and, hence, cannot get out of operating position. In Fig. 4 it will be noted that a clock setting shaft 51 extends to the rear. This is the shaft on which gears and 26, Fig. 1, are fixed.

The switch contained in the clock is represented as a single pole, single throw switch having the movable contact 52 and the stationary contact 53 (Fig. 1). The switch may be of the enclosed type if desired. This switch is in a control circuit connected across the clock motor supply 11 and in which there is an outlet 54 in which a radio set or any other appliance may be connected. The switch in question has two automatic controls and a manual control. One of the automatic controls is for closing the switch at a predetermined set time determined by the setting of alarm cam 32, and operating through the disk 40, and the switch lever having the two parts 56 and 57 both pivoted at 58 and connected by the ten sion spring 59 which normally holds part 57 against a stop finger 78 on part 56. The portion 57 which may be termed the switch end of this articulated lever is made of insulating material and has a switch operating finger 66 which opens and closes the switch by pressing down and releasing the lower contact 52, which is normally resiliently biased to closed position against the upper contact 53. When the lever comprising parts 56 and 57 is operated to close the switch automatically in response to the camming action at 39 and 32, it acts as a unit or as if made in one piece, and this action will now be described.

In the first place in order to perform this automatic switch closing operation, the portion 56 of the lever must be in a raised position resting on a ledge at 61 as shown in Fig. 1. This ledge is formed in a turned out section of plate 12. The lever part 56 is suflieiently flexible that it may flexed slightly to the rear off of the ledge and when this happens, it drops down and rests on a lower stop part 62 of the ledge member. The lever part 56 is shoved off ledge 61 by disk 40 during the time it with shaft 41 is moving to the rear preferably shortly prior to the automatic release of the audible vibrator alarm previously explained. Thus two signal initiating operations are performed by the rearward movement of shaft 41. In moving to the rear, disk 40 engages against a bent-over portion 63 of lever part 56 such that the lever is shoved off the ledge. When 56 is thus shoved off the ledge 61, the finger part 60 of lever section 57 is raised sufficiently to close the switch if it is otherwise conditioned for such automatic switch closing operation. The weight of lever part 56 and the upward tension of switch contact 52 rotate the combined lever about pivot 58 to accomplish such automatic switch closing operation.

The time relation between the automatic release of the audible alarm vibrator 13 and such automatic closing of the switch during the rearward movement of parts 30, 39, 40, 41 and 43 is determined by the relative dimensioning and positioning of parts and is easily subject to variation. For the slope and dimensions of the cam parts 31 and 31a represented, the rearward movement of cam wheel 30 requires approximately an hours time. The automatic switch closing operation may be made to occur before or after the release of the audible alarm, and the time between the occurrence of each may be readily adjusted. One way of adjusting this time relation is to make the alarm release 43 adjustable. Thus, in Fig. 6 the part 43 is riveted to the backplate at 43a and is frictionally held from rotating about the pivot by friction at 4312. Thus, by adjustably rotating part 43 about its pivot 43a, the shaft 41 may be made to engage part 43 at different lateral positions thereof. If the plane of part 43 is set at a slight angle away from degrees to the axial movement of shaft 41 as represented in Fig. 8, the shaft 41 will contact release plate 43 sooner or later, depending upon the lateral position of 43. Thus, in Fig. 8, if 43 is moved to the left, shaft 41 in moving toward it will contact it sooner.

Another way to do this is by bending the part 63 towards and away from disk 40. Thus, if it is desired that the switch shall close ten minutes before the audible alarm is released, the parts will be designed for that result and if when assembled the period is found to be twenty minutes, the part 63 may be bent away from it) slightly to cause the switch closing to occur later in the operation.

In conditioning the mechanism for such automatic switch closing operation, the lever member 56 must be raised from part 62 to ledge 61. Among other things the manual control shaft 64 is used to accomplish this. The shaft 64 is rotatively and slidably mounted in the plates 12 and 38 and has a pointer thumb piece 65 at the front of the clock by means of which it may be operated. Near the rear end of shaft 64 there is a lever 66 pivoted on the axis 58. A forward extending finger 67 of this lever extends in operative relation to the right of an upward extending portion 68 of lever member 56. A rearward extending finger 69 of lever 66 is shaped as a cam to be engaged by the rear end of shaft 64 when the latter is pushed to the rear. This causes lever 66 to be rotated counterclockwise from the position shown in Fig. 1 during which finger 67 thereof engages part 63 and, assuming that lever part 56 is resting on the lower step 62, the lever 56 is rotated counterclockwise sufiiciently to raise its right end above ledge 61, whereupon it moves over the ledge by its own resiliency, and rests lightly against a stop portion 76 until such time as shaft 64 is pulled forward again. Then lever part 56 drops down slightly to rest on ledge 61. Preferably a spring 71 is used to bias lever 66 in a clockwise direction to an out of the way stop position when not in use. The raising operation of lever part 56 as just described is suflicient to raise part 63 above and clear of disk 40, so that if desired the lever 56 may be raised and the switch opened immediately after it is closed automatically, and the lever reconditioned for the next following alarm period by pulling the shaft 64 forward again. In such a case the part 63 will come to rest on the periphery of disk 41' which then temporarily serves the function of ledge 61 with the switch open until such time as 46 moves towards the front again. As moves out from under 63, the lever part 56 drops down on ledge 61 also with the switch open. The fully raised position of lever part 56 is shown in Fig. 3.

In case no automatic switch closing operation is desired, lever part 56 may be left in its lowered position on stop 62 or the shaft 65 may be left in the pushed-in position. From the explanation given it will be seen that both the audible alarm and automatic switch closing operation may be had, or both may be omitted at the alarm time and either one may be used without the other.

In Fig. l the shaft 64 is represented as being in its forward position, lever 56 is raised and in its cocked position ready to close the switch when shoved off ledge 61. The shaft 64 slides through but is splined to a hollow shaft 72. The spline is indicated at 72a. When shaft 64 is pushed to the rear it is held in this position by reason of the end of cam part 69 of lever 66 pressing against the side of shaft 6 near its end (see Fig. 3) as in the case of shaft 34 and cam part 44 shown in Fig. 5, but a detent groove is unnecessary.

The manual operation of the switch and the automatic switch opening operation are controlled by cam lobe parts 73 and 74 on hollow shaft 72 operating on a finger 75 of switch operating lever part 57 and by a friction disk sector 76 on hollow shaft 72 which may be rotated into driving engagement with a friction wheel 77 driven by the clockwork. are parts of a one-piece plastic molding. The purpose of making the switch operating lever into two articulated parts 56 and 57 is so that the part 57 may be operated through the cam parts 73 and 74 to perform certain switching operations, to be described, without disturbing the setting and function of lever part 56. It was pointed out previously that lever parts 56 and 57 acted as a single lever for the automatic switch closing operation. This is also true with respect to the cocking of lever part 56 as it is raised from 62 to 61. However, when operating the switch through cam lobes 73 and 74, part 57 acts as a single lever by itself independently of lever part 56. It is noted that lever part 56 has a finger 78 extending over the top of lever part 57 to the right of pivot 58, and that the tension spring 59 tends to hold finger 78 in engagement with part 57. Hence, these parts cannot move relative to each other in one direction because of the stops and will move relative to each other in the opposite direction only when the tension of spring 59 is overcome. Thus, in Fig. l, lever part 57 can only rotate clockwise with respect to part 56, and only then by increasing tension in spring 59, and this is what happens when shaft 72 is turned in either direction from the position short n to engage cam lobes 73 or 7 4 with finger 75. Either of such The parts 73, 74 and 76 operations raises finger and allows the switch to close, lever part 56 being held stationary against stops such as 62 and 61.

The automatic switch opening operation of the switch will now be described. The hollow shaft part 72 does not move endwise but may be rotated by the thumb piece whether the shaft part 64 be in or out. The friction wheel sector 76 is in alignment with a beveled surface friction wheel 77 continuously driven by the clock and when shaft 72 is turned counterclockwise from the off position represented in Fig. l, sector 76 is rotated into frictional driving engagement with wheel 77. In such manual engagement operation the sector 76 may be slipped on the wheel to any desired rotary position up to the point where sector 76 is rotated counterclockwise against the post 58 as a stop as shown in Fig. 2. When sector 76 is thus engaged with wheel 77, the sector is urged against the wheel by reason of a spring 79 which resiliently presses the shaft 64 towards the right-hand end of a bearing slot 80 in front plate 38. Wheel 77 is driven in a counterclockwise direction from the clock through a gear 81 and gear 27 at a suitable, desired speed. In the example given wheel 77 rotates at such a speed that it will require 60 minutes for the sector 76 to be driven clockwise from the fully engaged position shown in Fig. 2 until it is disengaged. In setting the sector 76 it is rotated into engagement with sector 77, the manual rotation is continued by slipping sector 76 on wheel 77 to any desired engaging position and then released, and then wheel 77 drives the sector 76 to the disengaged position in a time up to 60 minutes, depending upon the manual setting. As sector 76 is turned counterclockwise from the off position, cam lobe 74 engages and lifts finger 75, rotates lever section 57 clockwise, and allows the switch to close. This switch closing operation occurs just as sector 76 is first engaged in driving relation with wheel 77, and the switch is held closed for all driving engagement positions of sector 76 on wheel 77. Thus the switch may be closed manually to be opened automatically at a selected time thereafter. For this manner of using the device the lever section 56 should be in the raised or cocked position, as otherwise the switch will be closed. However, sector 76 may be set with the shaft 64 either in or out. It follows that starting with the parts in the conditions represented in Fig. 1, the switch will be closed automatically at or about the next alarm time. Then, if desired, sector 76 may be set to open the switch automatically, and then the shaft 64 pushed in to raise and cook lever part 56 and pulled out again so that the switch will open automatically. In this way the switch is kept closed between the two automatic operations. If the shaft 64 is pushed in first before sector 76 is meshed with wheel 77, the switch will open as lever part 56 is raised. Hence, after the switch has been closed automatically, the mechanism may be conditioned to open the switch automatically either with or without momentarily opening the switch in such conditioning operation.

The same shaft parts 64 and 72 are used for manual operation of the switch. Thus, if the shafts be turned clockwise from the central position shown in Fig. l to on position, cam lobe 73 raises finger and closes the switch if open or keeps it closed if closed. The parts 73 and 75 are shaped to serve as a detent in such manual on position to maintain this on position until manually changed. For manual on and off control of the switch, the shaft 64 is pushed in and left that way so lever part 56 will be raised and all automatic switch closing operation suspended. Then the switch is manually opened and closed by simply turning shaft 64 between the off and on positions. If the shaft were not pushed in and the switch is open as represented in Fig. 1, it would be closed at the next alarm period and then remain closed even though shaft 64 were in the off position.

Suitable operating instructions such as indicated in Fig. 1 are preferably included on the clock dial adjacent the two knobs 34a and 65. The particular design which has been explained is particularly suited to serve to turn on a radio set or some other electric appliance in the morning at or near the alarm time, and also as an audible alarm clock. The manual on, automatic off obtained by the use of sector 76 and associated parts is particularly suited for turning off a radio or lamp in the evening after a person has gone to sleep, and for such use it may be termed a sleep switch. The manual on and off control is useful for many purposes when manual control is desired.

It is seen that all controls are accomplished from two control knobs 34a and 65 by reason of the multiple functions that may be performed thereby. Thus, knob 65 selectively controls the sleep switch action and its time adjustment, the manual on, off action, and the cocking of lever 56, and permits or prevents the automatic on operation of such lever.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a timer, a clock for operating said timer, an audible alarm, a switch, means for automatically operating said switch and releasing said alarm in a predetermined time relation and at a predetermined time as determined by said clock comprising a shaft which is movable endwise, cam means having a normally stationary part which is rotatively adjustable and a part which is rotated by said clock for moving said shaft back and forth endwise at the alarm time as determined by the adjustment of the normally stationary cam part, switch operating means actuated by the endwise movement of said shaft in one direction for causing the operation of said switch, alarm releasing means actuated by the endwise movement of said shaft in the same direction for causing the releasing of said alarm, the relative positions of said two means with respect to such endwise movement of said shaft being adjustable for determining the time relation between the operation of said switch and the sounding of said alarm.

2. In combination with a clock, movable means in said clock for automatically performing a signal initiating operation at a predetermined adjustable itme, a shaft, a normally stationary rotatively adjustable wheel coaxial with said shaft, a gear wheel driven by said clock, adjacent to and coaxial with said first mentioned wheel, said two wheels each having a pair of double sloped cam projections on the sides thereof which are adjacent and face each other, the cam projections on each wheel being at diametrically opposite points and at different distances from their axes, such distances being the same for the two wheels, one of said wheels being movable in an axial direction to actuate said movable means, resilient means for biasing the axially movable wheel towards the other wheel such that their spacing is determined by their cam and their relative rotative positions and the axially movable wheel is moved away and towards the other wheel once each revolution of the clock driven wheel relative to the other wheel, whereby in adjusting the time for the automatic operation the normally stationary wheel may be rotated in either direction by any desired amount and the end thrust for moving said axially movable wheel endwise in either direction is continuously balanced on opposite sides of the, axis of said shaft.

3. In combination with a clock, first and second movable means for automatically performing first and second signal initiating operations, the time of performance of said operations being adjustable with respect to clock time and with respect to each other, an axially movable shaft having one end thereof adjacent said first movable means, a projection on said shaft adjacent the second movable means, said first and second movable means being operated to perform their automatic operations by the endwise movement of said shaft in the same direction and the resulting movement of the end of said shaft and projection against said first and second movable means, cam means driven by said clock, the operation of which is adjustable with respect to clock time, for moving said shaft endwise in the direction to perform said automatic operations once in a given period of time such as twelve hours, resilient means for opposing such movement and moving said shaft in the opposite axial direction, and means for adjusting the axial position of contact be tween first movable means and the end of said shaft relative to the axial position of contact between the second movable means and said projection to adjust the relative time of occurrence of the first and second automatic operations during the same endwise movement of said shaft.

4. In combination with an electric clock, an alarm having a magnetic vibrator which is energized when the clock is energized, a lever rotatable between an alarm off position where it holds said magnetic vibrator from vibration and an alarm on position where said vibrator is allowed to vibrate, said lever being biased towards alarm on position by said vibrator when energized, an alarm release member resiliently biased to rest against said lever when in the alarm on position and to move under and retain said lever in the alarm off position when moved to such position, a shaft which is movable endwise against said alarm release member to move it from under said lever, clock operated cam means for so moving said shaft at a predetermined adjustable time, resilient means for moving said shaft in the opposite direction and normally retaining it out of contact with the alarm release member, and manual alarm shutoff means for moving said lever from alarm on to alarm off position and at will retaining said lever in alarm off position.

5. In combination with a clock, a switch, time controlled means operated by said clock for closing said switch at a predetermined time and manual means for closing and opening said switch independently of such time controlled means, and a two-part articulated pivoted lever through which said controls operate on said switch, the two lever parts being pivoted on the same axis, stops on the lever parts for limiting relative rotation of said lever parts in opposite directions, a spring connected between the lever parts for yielding holding the stops in engagement but allowing the lever parts to rotate relative to each other when the spring is tensioned, said two-part lever acting as a single lever without relative rotation between its parts when the switch is closed automatically in response to the time control means, and one of said parts acting alone without movement of the other part when the switch is closed and opened by said manual means.

6. In combination with a clock, a switch therein having two operating positions, a two-part articulated lever for operating said switch between its two positions, automatic time control means operated by said clock and operating on a first part of said lever for operating said switch from one operating position to another operating position, and manual means operating on a second part of said lever for operating said switch from either operating position to the other, the two parts of said lever being pivoted on the same axis, stops on said lever parts which limit rotation of one lever part relative to the other in opposite directions and a spring tensioned between said lever parts for holding such stops in engagement but allowing relative rotation of such parts by a further tensioning of said spring, said articulated lever acting as a single lever without relative rotation of its parts when operated automatically by said time control means and the second lever part acting alone without the first lever part when operated by said manual means.

7. A clock, a switch therein, a pivoted lever for operating said switch, said lever being rotatable and biased to rotate from a cocked position to a switch operating position and in so doing to operate said switch, a ledgelike stop for said lever at its cocked position, said lever being flexible in a direction at right angles to its plane of rotation so as to be flexed sideways and pushed off of the ledge stop and when so pushed moves to switch operating position automatically, an axially movable shaft in said clock having a projection thereon which is normally positioned adjacent one side of the cocked position of said lever, adjustable time controlled means operated by said clock for slowly moving said shaft and projection axially from its original position to another position and back to original position, the first such movement pushing said lever off of the ledge stop if in the cocked position, manual means for cocking said lever by rotating it from switch operating position towards cocked position, such lever cocking operation rotating the lever sufliciently beyond the cocked position as to clear said projection whereby the lever may be cocked immediately after an automatic switch operation before the projection has returned to its original position, and in which case the projection temporarily serves as a cocking stop for said lever.

8. A clock, a switch in said clock, a pivoted lever for operating said switch, a manually operated rotary shaft having cam means thereon cooperating with said lever for operating said switch, said switch being open when the shaft is in a central rotary position and closed when the shaft is rotated in either direction from said central position, a friction wheel driven by said clock, and a friction wheel sector on said shaft which may be rotated into driving engagement with the clock driven wheel by manual rotation of said shaft in one direction from its central switch open rotary position, the engaging surfaces of wheel and sector slipping during such manual engaging operation and the direction of rotation of said clock driven wheel being such as to return the shaft to the central switch open position and disengage the driving connection with the clock in a time determined by the manual sector engaging setting of said shaft from its central rotary position.

9. A clock, a switch in said clock, a pivoted lever for operating said switch, a manually rotatable shaft, cam means on said shaft cooperating with said lever when the shaft is turned for opening and closing said switch, the shaft having a central rotary position where the switch is open and ranges of rotary movement either side of said central position Where the switch is closed, the rotary movement of said shaft from and to and on one side of the central position serving for closing and opening the switch manually, and the rotary movement of said shaft from and to and on the other side of the central position serving to close said switch manually and to open it automatically at a predetermined selected time after closure, said clock containing a constantly driven friction wheel and said shaft having a friction wheel sector thereon which is out of driving engagement with the clock driven wheel when the shaft is in the central switch open position but which is rotated into driving engagement with the clock driven wheel when the shaft is manually turned in one direction from the central position,

the engaging surfaces of sector and wheel slipping during such manual engaging operation and the clock driven wheel driving the sector and shaft towards the central position when not manually restrained.

10. A clock, a switch therein, a pivoted lever for operating said switch, said lever having a cocked position when the switch is normally open, and is biased to another position when the switch is normally closed, time controlled adjustable means operated by said clock for releasing said lever when in cocked position to allow it to move to switch closing position, a manually operated shaft having both rotary and axial movement, the axial movement thereof serving to cock said lever when in the uncocked condition, a pair of cams on said shaft for alternate cooperation with said lever when said shaft is manually rotated in opposite directions from a given central rotary position to close the switch when the lever is in the cocked position, said lever having relatively movable articulated parts which permit such manual closure of the switch when the lever is cocked, a friction wheel constantly driven by said clock and a friction wheel sector on said shaft which sector is set into driving engagement with said friction wheel when said shaft is rotated from said central rotary position in one direction, the engaging surfaces of said wheel and sector slipping during such setting, said shaft then being rotated to switch open position by the clock in a time dependent upon the extent of such setting.

11. A clock, a switch therein, time controlled adjustable automatic means operated by said clock for causing the closing of said switch when open, another time controlled adjustable automatic means operated by said clock for opening said switch when closed, and common manual means for opening and closing said switch and selectively conditioning said two automatic means for their respective automatic operations.

12. A clock, a switch therein, a pivoted lever for operating said switch, said lever having a cocked position when the switch is normally open, and is biased to another position when the switch is normally closed, time controlled adjustable means operated by said clock for releasing said lever when in cocked position, a manually operated shaft having both rotary and axial movement, the axial movement thereof serving to cook said lever when in the uncocked position, and a cam on said shaft for cooperation with said lever when said shaft is rotated from and to a given position to close and open the switch when the lever is in the cocked position, said lever having relatively movable articulated parts which permit such manual operation of the switch when the lever is cocked.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,145,083 Dynes Jan. 24, 1939 2,421,986 Bohman June 10, 1947 2,467,936 Hummel Apr. 19, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 258,056 Switzerland Apr. 16, 1949

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