US3597918A

US3597918A - Digitally indicating clock-timer

Info

Publication number: US3597918A
Application number: US863886A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ralph C Robinson
Original assignee: General Time Corp
Current assignee: GENERAL TIME INSTRUMENTS Inc A CORP OF DE
Priority date: 1969-10-06
Filing date: 1969-10-06
Publication date: 1971-08-10
Anticipated expiration: 1988-08-10
Also published as: CA930181A; GB1308509A; FR2064145B1; DE2048837A1; FR2209142B1; FR2209142A1; DE2048837B2; FR2064145A1

Abstract

A digitally indicating clock-timer having endless loops of tape, each carrying a cycle of numerals for direct time indication, with the tapes being driven by drums of small diameter which are coupled together by geneva-type mechanisms so constructed that each tape is advanced one unit only upon completion of passage of a complete cycle of numerals on the tape of next lower order. In the preferred embodiment, such ''''cycle stepping'''' is achieved by employing two geneva stages in series with one another. The tape is disposed in a folded, reentrant arrangement for maximum compactness with the driving drums in alignment in central position. A transparent guide member enables illumination of the tape by transmitted light. A synchronous motor serves to drive the minute tape via a timing train and geneva mechanism for stepped advancement of the ''''minutes'''' drum. An hour wheel coupled to the minutes drum, and cooperating with an alarm set wheel under the control of a function lever, serves to operate a switch for turning on the associated radio and, a short time thereafter, for sounding an alarm. A settable ''''sleep'''' lever cooperating with the timing train permits the user to fall asleep with the radio on with subsequent automatic turnoff. The ''''sleep'''' lever, by disabling of the alarm, also serves upon actuation of the associated ''''drowse'''' button, to give the user the option of a few minutes of additional sleep after the alarm goes off. The tape display and driving arrangement and a particular form of positive locking geneva mechanism have features of general utility not limited to clocks or timers.

Description

United States Patent [72] Inventor Ralph C. Robinson Mooresville, N.C. [2|] Appl. No. 863,886 [22] Filed Oct. 6, 1969 [45] Patented Aug. 10, 1971 [73] Assignee General Time Corporation Stamford. Conn.

[ 54] DlGlTALLY lNDlCATlNG CLOCK-TIMER 14 Claims, 33 Drawing Figs. [52] U.S.Cl. 58/125 [51] Int. Cl. ..G04b 19/02 [50] Field of Search 58/125, 126, 2, 6A, 7,19, 50,125 C [56] Relerenees Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,667,210 4/1928 Leon 58/50 1,998,763 4/1935 Janson 58/125 2,040,421 5/1936 Almquist.... 58/125 2,072,457 3/1937 Larrabee.... 58/125 X 2,645,896 7/1953 Uhlig et a1. 58/125 FOREIGN PATENTS 834,890 12/1938 France 58/125 339,871 9/1959 Switzerland 58/125 Primary Examiner-Richard B. Wilkinson Assistant Examiner Stanley A. Wal Au0rneyPennie, Edmonds, Morton, Taylor & Adams ABSTRACT: A digitally indicating clock-timer having endless loops of tape, each carrying a cycle ofnumerals for direct time indication, with the tapes being driven by drums of small diameter which are coupled together by geneva-type mechanisms so constructed that each tape is advanced one unit only upon completion of passage of a complete cycle of numerals on the tape of next lower order. In the preferred em bodiment, such cycle stepping" is achieved by employing two geneva stages in series with one another. The tape is disposed in a folded, reentrant arrangement for maximum compactness with the driving drums in alignment in central position. A transparent guide member enables illumination of the tape by transmitted light. A synchronous motor serves to drive the minute tape via a timing train and geneva mechanism for stepped advancement of the "minutes" drum. An hour wheel coupled to the minutes drum, and cooperating with an alarm set wheel under the control ofa function lever, serves to operate a switch for turning on the associated radio and, a short time thereafter, for sounding an alarm. A settable sleep" lever cooperating with the timing train permits the user to fall asleep with the radio on with subsequent automatic turnoff. The sleep" lever, by disabling of the alarm, also serves upon actuation of the associated drowse" button, to give the user the option of a few minutes of additional sleep after the alarm goes off.

The tape display and driving arrangement and a particular form of positive locking geneva mechanism have features of general utility not limited to clocks or timers.

(a y A ata Patented Aug. 10, 1971 9 Sheets-Sheet 2 nvmewraz. @4424 a AOB/A/J'O/V,

Patented Aug. 10, 1971 3,597,918

9 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Aug. 10, 1971 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Aug. 10, 1971 3,597,918

9 Sheets-Sheet 7 if @a, %//Z-4/4 @7211 Patented Au 10, 1971 3,597,918

9 Sheets-Sheet 8 DIGITALLY INDICATING CLOCK-TIMER It is an object of the present invention to provide a digitally indicating clock-timer which enables a direct'reading time display which is highly legible, being positioned right at the face or front panel of the clock, and which permits direct illumination by transmitted light at any desired light level, as contrastedwith digital display of the card-flipping type in which the numerals must be recessed to permit clearance for flipping and in which the light level is limited to that achievable with reflected light. It is a related object to provide a digitally indicating clock-timer which employs numerals which are large and easily read, considering the compactness of the enclosure in which the device is housed. It is more specifically an object of the invention to provide a digitally indicating clock-timer in which the numerals are imprinted upon tape driven by drums of relatively small diameter and in .which the drums are coupled by specialized geneva mechanisms for prompt andldecisive stepping in one order only at the end of a complete cycle on the tape of next lower order, with no response to nonsignificant drum revolutions. In short, the mechanism approaches the simplicity of direct drum display'within a headroom which is only a fraction of that which would be required by direct drum display ofnumerals of equivalent size and with the numerals flatly positioned in the viewing plane.

It is an object of the invention to provide a digitally indicatingclock-timer which is particularly well suited for integration with a clock radio for turning on the radio at a preset time and for sounding an alarm a short time thereafter. It is more specifically an object of the present invention to provide a digitally indicating clock-timer having indicating .tapes displayed at a front panel driven by stepped drums. which drums are located in alignment rearwardly of the front panel and in which auxiliary, forwardly offset drums are used for direct display of the seconds" and alarm set" functions and in which a time set wheel and alarm set wheel are located forwardly of the driving drums for direct fingertip access for setting purposes.

it is another object of the present invention to provide an alarm set wheel and an hour wheel having cooperating cams or the like for triggering at a preset time and in which the hour wheel is driven in one-minute steps rather than being continuously driven by the synchronous drive motor.

It is yet another object to provide, in a clock-timer, a geneva stage for driving the minutes drum via a friction, for exam ple of the detent type, thereby to permit manual setting of the time indication, with the geneva stage being so constructed as to achieve rapid indexing of minute numerals combined with a large positive locking angle to resist the frictional torque and thereby avoid any possibility of jamming the stage when setting torque is applied to the output clement,

It is an object of the invention in one of its aspects to provide a novel fun ti n sel ct r arrang ment in which a select r lover s movabl etw en on. off, "au o nd ala m" positions to provid maximum choice and flexibility f the mode of operati n of the clock but in which the arious modes of operation are brought ab ut. with digital displ y, us ng a mechanism which is simpler an more reliable than ha u for onvent on l "clock hand display. in this onn cti n i i an object to pro ide a digitally indicating clock-tim r in whi h the sec nds drum. alarm s t rum. time set whe l and alarm set wheel are symmetrically distributed on opp sit sides f the digital time display to provide a plea ing and alan appearanc and-with the a sociat d mech nisms at ach ide being coupled by a simplified arrangement of orossishafis so that the control me hanism; al hough divided, may be a simple and. inexpensive as that f c nventional clocks wher ll f the mechanism may be closely integrated at a ingl l ati n.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provid a digitally indicating timer for controlling an a so iated radi which includes a "sleep" lever for. enabling the user to fall asleep with the radio on. with subsequ nt automatic turnoff, and which al o inclu s a r wse utton for op ra ing he 7 taken along the line 1.6 16 in FIG,

.have a few minutes of additional sleep.

It is, generally stated, an object of the present invention to provide a digitally indicating clock-timer which is ideally suited for use in controlling a bedside radio but which is not limited thereto and in which the digitally indicating drive and display may be employed for many other designs of clocks or timers covering a wide range of price and size, or for other devices requiring display of numerals in successive orders, wherever digital display is desired. In this connection, it is an object to provide a digitally indicating clock-timer which may be manufactured and assembled at low cost using inexpensive plastic components which operates freely and which hence may be driven from a low power source and which does not require exercise of exacting tolerances in the manufacture or assembly of the parts.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the attached detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which:

FIG. I shows a bedside radio alarm clock employing the features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the mechanism employed in FIG. I with the housing removed and with certain portions broken away for maximum visibility;

FIG. 2a is a view on a reduced scale of the development of the tapes employed in the construction of FIG. 2;

FIG. 3 is a front view, in elevation, ofthe mechanism shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective of the drive train and geneva drive mechanism for the drums associated with the respective loops of tape as well as the train for driving the hour wheel which is associated with the alarm set wheel;

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the drum and tape assembly;

FIG. 6 is'a transverse section looking along the line 6-6 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view based upon FIG. 6 and showing the first geneva switchover;

FIG. 8 isa fragmentary horizontal section taken along the line 8-3 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a detailed fragmentary section of the minute drum "friction" looking along the line 9-9 in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a vertical section taken between the "minutes and tens-of-minutes" drums looking along the line 10-10 in FIG. 2;

FIGS. 1 I, I2 and 13 show geneva profiles looking along correspondingly numbered section lines in FIG. 4;

FIG-l4 shows an alternate form of dividing stage employing meshed gears;

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary sectional view taken through the alarm set wheel, alarm drum and hour gear looking along the line 15-15 in FIG, 4;

FIG. 16 is a transverse section showing the alarm set friction FI 17 i a per p ctive view of the function selector mechanism. implifi d an slightly distorted. with parts roken away. to r v al he operating r lationship F G. i a stop motion view of the function selector mechanism in the radio, on condition looking along the line 8*18 n G. 2;;

FI v1. i a view similar to FIG, 18. scale, showing the selector mechanism FIG. 20 is a stop motion view similar selector lever in the auto latched condition;

FIG, 21 is a view similar to IG. .2 but howing the trip lever following dropoff for turning on oftho radio switch:

FIGS, 22, 23 and 24 are stop motion views showing the selector lever in the alarrn position with the trip lever latched, and in the first and second positions of dropoff respectively;

FIGS. 25, 26 and 27 are fragmentary sections taken through he alarm s cams corresponding to FIGS. 22.24 respective ly:

and slightly reduced in in the "off condition;

to FIG. .1 showing the condition with the trip lover in FIG. 28 is a vertical section taken along the line 28-28 in FIG. 2 showing the sleep lever in profile prior to actuation; I FIG. 29 is a stop motion view based upon FIG. 28 showing the effect of moving the sleep lever from the "off" position to the zero reference position;

FIG. 30 is a view similar to H0. 29 but showing movement ofthe sleep lever to the end ofits range corresponding to a 60- alternative or equivalent constructions which are included within the spirit and scope ofthe invention.

Turning now to FIG. 1 there is shown a clock radio 40 contained in a flat rectangular housingor enclosure 41 having an upper wall 42, a lower wall 43 and a front panel 44. The front panel 44 has provision for digital display of the time as in- .dicated at 50 through a horizontal set of apertures 51, 52, 53

which display the minutes, tens-of-minutes and hours respectively. A further aperture 54 provided direct reading of seconds." An adjacent knob or wheel 55 projects through the panel and is manually movable for setting the time. At the left of the digital indication is an aperture 56 which shows the preset time for sounding of the radio and alarm with an ad jacent adjusting knob or wheel 57 for changing the alarm setting.

Projecting through the front panel is a selector lever 60 which is rockable upwardly and downwardly within a slotol .for setting in any one of four positions which have been designated on," of auto," and alarm. The on and off" settings permit direct on-off control of the radio. The

"auto" setting causes the radio to turn on at a preset time. Moving the lever 60 to the "alarm" position causes the radio to be turned on at a preset time followed, a few minutes thereafter, by sounding of an alarm device such as a conventional buzzer blade;

Where it is desired to fall asleep with radio music, but with automatic shutoff ofthe radio occurring after a preset interval a sleep control lever 70 is provided which is rockable within a slot 71, lever 70 having an "off position and scale calibrated from 0 to 60 minutes. A "drowse" button 75 is provided at'the top of the housing and may be pressed to turn off the alarm, when it sounds, for a short time interval to secure a few minutes of additional drowsy sleep.

Enclosed within the right-hand portion of the housing is a radio having a dial 80, a movable pointer 81 thereon, a tuning control 82 and volume control 83. The construction of the radio is beyond the scope of the present invention and it will suffice to say that the radio control switch to be described serves to turn the radio on and off under manual or automatic control as desired.

Turning next to FIGS. 2 to 5, the clock-timer is shown, minus the enclosure mounted in a frame 90 having

parallel plates

91, 92, 93, 94, with a backplate 95, and interconnected by suitable posts or spacers to provide a compact and integrated timing unit.

Brackets

96, 97 on the end plates serve as a m unting f r th f ont p n 44- For the purpose of driving the clock-timer, a motor 100 of the conventional AC synchronous type, with a buzzer blade B, is provided having an output pinion 101. The output pinion meshes with a gear 102 which i o pl y a shaft 103 to t seconds dr m 10 Pr v ding r ct indi t o f seconds through the aperture 54. The seconds drum carries a pinion 305 which serves as the inp t l m nt t a g n ag ha ing a five -s ation o tput elem t. r s h el which will later be discussed in greater detail, It will suffice for the present to say that the geneva output element 106 has an integral shaft MW which terminates in a "friction 1108 in the form of a star wheel having cooperating pawls 109 (see H65. 8 and 9). The pawls are formed integrally inside ofa drum 110 having an integral output gear 111 and integral setting gear 112. The gear 112 meshes with the time setting wheel 55 mounted on a stub shaft 113, 'the wheel 55 projecting through the front panel for easy access as shown in FIG. 1. i For the purpose of steppingly driving the drum of next higher order at a reduced or divided speed, the minutes drum 110 includes a pin 114 which forms the input element of a geneva stage having a six-station output element or star wheel 115. lntegrally included on the output element 115 are pins, three in number, indicated at 116 forming the input element of a second geneva stage having a four-station output element 117. The latter is integral with a tens-of-minutes drum 120.

Similarly, for establishing a speed dividing ratio tothe next drum in the series, the drum 120 carries pins 121 which constitute the input element of a geneva stage using a star wheel 122 having six stations. Directly coupled to the star wheel 122 are pins 123 of a second geneva stage having a star wheel 124 with four stations. The star wheel 124 is integral with an hour drum 130.

in accordance with the present invention, each of the drums H0, 120 and drives an endless loop of tape having a cycle of numerals thereon, in successive orders, for direct time indication, with the tape being substantially longer than the periphery of the drum in a low integer" ratio, and with the number of stations in the geneva output stage being equal to the number of numerals on the tape multiplied by the ratio of drum periphery to tape length. Thus referring to FIG. 5, and taking the minutes drum 110 by way of example, the drum serves to drive a tape having a set of numerals l to 9 plus zero (see FIG. 2a), the tape being in the form of an endless loop having twice the length of the periphery ofthe drum 110, making the periphery-to-tape length ratio one-half. Thus the IQ numerals on the tape, multiplied by one-half, equals 5, which is the number of stations in the associated geneva output element 106.

For the purpose of reducing the required headroom, the tape is disposed about the drum 110 in a reentrant C" formation, with the drum occupying a central position. More specifically in carrying out the invention, the tape 140 is trained about a vertical guide member 141 which spans all three ofthe tapes and which has upper and lower curved guide surfaces 142, 143. Tangent with respect to the guide surfaces 142, 143, and spaced rearwardly therefrom, are

idler rollers

144, 145 mounted upon shafts 146, 147. The upper and lower passes of the tape thus may lie adjacent, and parallel to, the top and bottom walls of the enclosure. For the purpose of maintaining synchronism between the drum 110 and the tape 140, the drum is provided with sprockets 148 which engage sprocket holes 149. I

The adjacent tens-of-rninutes tape, indicated at 150 is trained about the drum 120 to form the tape into the same reentrant, C configuration. However, in the case ofthe tape 150, the tape is three times the length of the periphery of the drum 120, resulting in a length ratio of one-third. It is one of the features of the construction that two complete cycles of numbers in the series from I to 5 and 0 are carried by the tape I50 making a total of 12 numerals which, when multiplied by the length ratio (one-third) results in a geneva output element, or star wheel, 117 having a total of four stations. The tape is disposed about

idler rollers

151, 152 mounted upon shafts 153, 154. Sprockets 158 engage sprocket holes 159.

Turning to the final tape in the series, which is the hours tape indicated at H60, such tape is, in accordance with the invention, chosen to produce a length ratio of one-third which, when multiplied by the number of numerals on the tape (13- see FIG. 2a), result in the use ofa geneva output element 124, integral with the drum 130, having four stations as shown. As in the case of the previous tapes, the tape is folded reentrantly and is supported upon idler rollers 161,162 which are in align, ment with the

idler rollers

151, 152 and carried upon the same housing,

' between the

drums

110, 120 of 1:8.

drum 130 is provided with sprockets 168 which engage 1 sprocket holes 169 formed inthe tape. j

Forthe purpose of guiding the tapes smoothly in parallel paths forpurposes of display, the vertical guide member-141 is formed with shallow grooves or tracks defined by spaced ridges transparent or translucent plastic material having one or more lamps 171, generally aligned with the viewing windows in the front panel, forilluminating the numerals on the tapes by transmitted'light. Preferably the tapes are made of flexible plastic with translucent numerals on an opaque background,

. half) results in a tape cycle speed of minute, or minutes per cycle, appropriate for the minutes 170. Moreoven'the guide member 141 is formed of 1 although opaque numerals on a translucent background may be employed as a matter of choice. The portionsof the panel which separate the windows, 51-53 serve to which is transmitted through the sprocket mask any light holes 149-469.

Conveniently, the edges of the guide member 141 may be formed withprotuberances 172 which engage registering openings formed in the edges of the

frame plates

92, 93 so that .the guide member is firmly locked between the frame plates;

moreover, the frame plates thus complete the ends'of a, light defined in part by the upper and lower edges of the guide member, and may be painted white, to improve the efficiency of illumination.

7 Further in accordance with the present invention an overall geneva drive ratio between the adjacent drums is determined taking into account the value ratio of the numerals on the tapes, the periphery-to-tape length ratios, and the ratio of the number of numerals on the adjacent tapes. More specifically,

a geneva ratio, GR is chosen in accordance with the following relationship:

GR=VR(Ll/L2-(Nl/N2), where VR is the value ratio, Ll and N2 are the length ratio and numeral positions on the tape of lower order and L2 and N2 are the length ratio and numeral positions corresponding to A, the tape of higher order. With respect to the geneva .mechanism between the minutes drum 110 and tens-of- I minutes drum 120, the value ratio of the numerals is 1:10. The length ratios, as previously stated, are one-half and one-third, respectively. The number of numeral positions on the tapes are 10 and I2, respectively. Entering these amounts in the relationship set forth above results in an overall drive ratio GR in thepresent example must be 1:8 and since S2, as previously'determined, is four then (P1-P2/S1).=l/2

' This relationship is satisfied by employing a single pin and six stations in the first stage, and three pins for driving the fourstation output member 117 in the second stage.

The overall ratio of reduction between the tens-of-mi'nutes drum 120 and the hour drum I30, and the'number of pins and stations to be used in the auxiliary geneva stage, is determined in the same way. The value ratio between the tens-of-minutes numerals and the hours numerals is l:6..The length ratios L1,

L2, in the case of the

drums

120, 130 are both 1:3. The number of numerals N1, N2, on both of the tapes is 12. This results in an overall geneva ratio OR of 1:6. Since the number ofgeneva stations on the drum 130 has been previously determined as four, then Such relationship is satisfied by employing afirst g enevastage of two pins and six stations and by employing two pins at the input of the second stage, just as has been shown in the drawings;

By adhering to the procedures set forth above, operation of the digital tape display assembly is as follows: The motor 100,

' withits gearing 101'. 102, drives the seconds drum 104 at the rate of l revolution per minute. Driven through the

geneva stage

105, 106, the minutes drum rotates at an average speed of H5 r.p.m. Multiplying this by the drumto-tape ratio (oneone-tenth cycle per tape. By reason of the 1:8 reduction from drum 110 to drum 120, drum 120 rotates at an average speed of H40 r.p.m. Multiplying this by the length ratio gives a tape cycle time of ill 20 minute. Since there are two cycles on the tape 150, the numeral cycle time is l/60 cycle per minute, or 60 minutes per cycle, which is appropriate for the tens-of-minutes tape. By reason of the final 1:6 reduction, the hours drum rotates at an average speed of H240 r.p.m. With a length ratio of 1:3 the tape cycle time is 1/720 cycle per minute equal to 12 hours per cycle.

In accordance with one of the aspects of the present invention, means responsive to the periodic advancement of the minute drum 110 are provided for operating an electrical circuit to turn on the associated radio, and for operating an alarm movement of the hour wheel 189 at a preset time, an alarm set drum 190 is provided having cam surfaces 191, which cooperate with cam follower surfaces 192 on the hour wheel. As shown in FIG. 15, the hour wheel has a shaft 193 which is axially slidable and which is biased, by a leaf spring 194, in a direction to keep the cams in engagement.

For the purpose of setting the phase position of the alarm set drum 190, an alarm set knob or wheel 57 (see also FIG. 1) is provided which is accessible through the front panel and which is directly keyed to the alarm set drum 190. Such keying is brought about by forming the hub of the drum into a hexagonal cross section as indicated at 196 to mate with a correspondingly shaped hole at the center of the alarm set wheel 57. in order that the alarm set drum may be retained at the set position, a friction" is provided in the form of a set of stationary detent teeth which cooperate with pawls formed on the interior of the alarm set drum. Thus as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the frame plate 92 has an integral, axially extending flange 197 which projects into the interior of the alarm set drum andwhich has, formed on its outersurface, a set of teeth 198. The teeth are engaged by flexible pawls 199 formed integrally with the alarm drum. To set the time of turning on the radio, or for sounding of the alarm, the alarm set wheel 57 is rotated with fingertip pressure until the set time appears in the viewing window 56. This establishes the desired relative phasing of thecam and cam follower surfaces 191, 192 so that, as the set time approaches, the cam surfaces begin to ride up on one another to produce progressive axial movement of the hour wheel 189 toward the position which is shown by the dotdash outline in FIG. 15.

By reason of coupling of the gearing to the minute drum, the advancement of the hour wheel is not continuous, as in conventional alarm mechanisms, but is on the contrary in the form of successive steps, one occurring each minute. As will be seen, this is of advantage in producing finite steps of endwise crowding movement of the hour gear 189 against the trip lever which it engages thereby bringing about a more decisive dropoff of the trip lever from its cooperating stops to perform the desired control functions. A further important advantage which resides in the direct coupling of the hour wheel to the minute drum is that it permits simultaneous coordinated setting of the hour wheel and minute drum 110, as well as the associated

drums

120, 130, by manual turning of the time set wheel 55 without requiring any corresponding rotation of the motor, drive train, and geneva which serve to drive the minute drum under normal conditions. Thus it will be noted, in connection with FIG. 8, that rotation of the time set wheel 55 acting upon the circular rack 112 onthe minutes drum not only directly rotates the minutes drum but also, through circular rack 111, rotates the input gear 181 of the hour wheel gear train so that the hour wheel is locked into synchronism with the drums and with the tapes which are keyed to the drums. Since the

geneva

105, 106 is effectively locked against actuation backwardly," the teeth 108 (see FIG. 8) which are on the hub of the output element 106 remain stationary so that the pawls 109, which form a part of the drum, clock idly over the teeth until the desired time setting is achieved.

In carrying out the invention means including a trip lever having cooperating stops are provided for sensing the relative crowding movement of the hour gear which occurs at the preset time so as to produce dropoff of the trip lever accompanied by successive angular indexing movements which are utilized to turn on the radio switch, and the alarm device in spaced succession. Thus, referring to FIG. 17, a trip lever 210 end of the mechanism, a second circular rack 215 is mounted upon an elongated shaft 216 which carries a control cam 217 at its opposite end. Cooperating with the control cam is a I radio switch 220 having a lower blade 221 and an upper blade 222, the lower blade 221 being extended, as shown, to serve as a cam follower for the cam 217.

Arranged in the path of movement of the trip lever 210 is a stationary stop 230 having a first step 231 and a second step 232. To control dropoff from the

steps

231, 232 and hence to control the mode of operation of the control switch and buzzer blade, and, indeed, for disabling the switch and buzzer blade when desired, a function lever is provided which is settable at selected levels in the path of downward movement of the trip lever. The function lever, indicated at 60, is pivoted for rocking movement about the shaft 211, making the function lever coaxial with the trip lever 210 which it controls. So that the function lever, in its various positions, may obstructingly support the trip lever 210 against downward movement, the trip lever is provided with an integral pin 235. which overhangs the lever. To hold the lever 60 in its set position, a

detent 240 is used in the form of a small pivoted arm having notches 241-244 for reception of a pawllike projection 245 integrally. fonned at the rear end of the function lever 60, the

member 240 being biased by a spring 246 to provide a desired level of detent force. In order that the detent mechanism might be independent ofthe biasing force of the spring 214 on the trip lever, such spring is, as shown, anchored at one end on the function lever.

With the function lever set in the off" position, as illustrated in FIGS. 17 and 19, the cam 217, at the end of the cross-shaft 216, is oriented so that a cam projection 217a (see FIG. 19) bears downwardly against the switch blade 221 thereby separating the contacts 220. With such contacts in series'with the power circuit of the radio, opened, the radio will remain turned off. Any endwise crowding movement of the i hour wheel 189 which may occur at the time for which the alarm drum happensto be set will result in axial movement of the trip lever, but such movement will be idle since the pin 235 on the trip lever is "hung up" on the function lever.

In'order to insure that, when the function lever is in its "of position, the buzzer blade B of the alarm will also be silent, an alarm shut-off lever 250 is provided having a cam follower arm 251 which engages the cam 217 and a blade engaging arm 252 which extends at right angles under the tip of the buzzer blade. Thuswhen the function lever, and the cam 217 which it controls, are in the of "position, the cam follower arm 251 is upraised forcing the associated arm 252 upwardly against the buzzer blade to raise the latter away from the magnetic influence ofthe motor.

When it is desired to turn the radio on, the function lever 60 is raised to its uppermost, or on" position which raises the trip lever 210 by reason of engagement with l the I pin 235 thereon resulting in rocking at the circular racks 213,215 so that the shaft 216 and cam 217 are indexed clockwise. This rocksthe high point 217a of the cam away from the switch blade 221 so that the cam presents a fiat 217?) to the blade, permitting the blade to rise thereby to bringthe contacts 220 into engagement to turn the radio on. Such indexing movement of the cam 217 does not affect the height of the cam follower arm 251 on the alarm shutoff lever 250 so that the buzzer blade continues to be held in its disabled position.

In order to turn the radio on at a preset wakeup time, without however actuating the buzzer blade, the function lever 60 is moved downwardly one step from its off position into its auto" position. This movement lowers the trip lever onto the step 231 which puts the trip lever into a condition of readiness for dropping off of the step upon being pushed by the hour gear upon reaching the preset wakeup time. Thus, as shown in FIG. 20, movement of the function lever into the auto" position seats the trip lever in latched position on the step 231, with adequate clearance below the pin 235 on the trip lever to permit the trip lever to index downwardly in the direction of the second step 232. The indexed rocking of the cam 217 which accompanies the setting of the function lever in the auto position brings the high point 217a of the cam downwardly against the switch blade 221 to open the contacts. The cam follower arm 25] on the alarm shutoff lever 250 remains unaffected, and the buzzer blade therefore continues to be held in its disabled position.

Upon passage of time, the hour gear 189 rotates around into a position where the cam follower 192 engages the cam 191 on the alarm set drum, thereby crowding the hour wheel 189 endwise inthe direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 26. The hour wheel 189, advancing in one-minute steps, reaches a point where the resulting step of endwise movement is sufficient to cause the tip 212 on the trip lever to clear" the first step 231, thus permitting the trip lever to index clockwise until the pin 235 thereon bottoms on the function lever 60, which is the condition shown in FIG. 21. The resultant rocking at the circular racks. accompanied by counterclockwise indexed rocking of the shaft 216 and cam 217, brings the high point 217a ofthe cam into an angled, or nonaligned, position with respect to the switch blade 221, thereby permitting the contacts 220 to close, turning on the radio. Continued rotation of the hour wheel 189 will occur, with increasing engagement of the cam surfaces 191, 192, and with additional endwise crowding movement of the hour wheel 189, but this will be ineffective to produce further indexing of the trip lever since the trip lever is hung up on the function lever and thus blocked against any further dropoff. As shown in FIG. 21, even though the contacts 220 close, the cam follower arm 25] continues to be held in its upraised position for continued disabling of the buzzer blade.

When it is desired to have the alarm sound to insure that the sleeper is awakened shortly after the radio turns on, the function lever is moved downwardly an additional step from the auto" to the alarm position as illustrated in FIG. 22. Under such circumstances, the function lever is at a sufficiently low level so that the trip lever has complete freedom of movement and may drop off of both of the

steps

231, 232 at the preset time in spaced succession. When the function lever is lowered into the alarm position shown in FIG. 22, the tip 212 of the trip lever is seated upon the first step 231. As the preset time is approached, the cam surfaces 191, 192, crowd the hour wheel 189 endwise so that the trip lever 210 drops from the first step 231 as shown in FIG. 23. The resulting indexing of the cam 217 in the counterclockwise direction permits the contacts 220 to come together to turn on the radio,just as in the case of the condition shown in FIG. 21. However, in this instance, the stop pin 235 on the trip lever remains unobstructed, and the further crowding movement of the hour wheel 189, as the

cams

191, 192 come increasingly into engagement, results in dropoff of the trip lever at the second step 232 accompanied by an additional step of indexing movement of the trip lever and its associated cam 217. This additional (counterclockwise) movement of the cam 217 causes the cam follower arm 251 to reach a point of dropoff indicated at 2170 on the cam, permitting the cam follower arm to :move downwardly accompanied by retreating movement of the arm 252 downwardly away from the buzzer blade, lowering the buzzer blade into its active, or sounding position. The user of the clock, upon being awakened, can then shut off the buzzer blade by moving the function lever upwardly into its auto" position or he can shut off both radio and buzzer blade by moving the function lever upwardly into its off position,

- thus reestablishing the condition discussed in connection with- FIG. 19.

It will'be noted that the wide range of control functions have been accomplished both reliably and simply, using a minimumnumber of parts-and those of low tolerance requirementseven though the function lever, alarm set drum and associated trip lever are located at one end of the mechanism with the switching and control functions being accomplished at the other end.

Further in accordance with the invention, a sleep" control member is provided cooperating with a disc which is coupled to the minutes drum 110 for periodic advancement and which is settable into an overlapping relation with the disc to provide a desired length of sleep" interval during which the radio plays and following which the radio is automatically turned off. More specifically in accordance with the invention, a sleep control member is provided which, during the .sleep" interval turns the radio on. by acting upon the second one of the two contact blades so that contact may be made regardless of the set position of the regularly controlled contact blade.

Thus, referring to FIGS. 17 and 28, a sleep control lever 70 is provided'pivoted about a shaft 260 and having a first arm 261 and a second arm 262. The-arm 262 carries an opposed pair of frictionally engaging elements 262. Arranged in the path of movement of the friction engaging elements is a sleep disc 265 which is mounted at the end of the cross-shaft 186 which drives the hour gear 189. The associated gearing is such that the disc rotates at a rate of one-third revolution per hour. The sleep lever 70 is maintained in its upraised position by a spring 266 which maintains the friction elements 263 out of effective engagement with the disc 2 65. lnterposed between the sleep lever 70 and the switch contact is a sleep actuator lever 270 having a first arm 271 and a second arm 272. The lever is pivoted for rotation about a shaft 273 and is upwardly biased by aspring 274. integrally formed on the arm 262 of the sleep lever is a cam surface 275 which engages the cam follower surface 276, the surfaces being faced sufficiently abruptly so that the actuator lever 270 undergoes its entire range ofmovement incident to movement of the sleep lever from its off position to a zero reference position which establishes the beginning of the time scale. For pressing the upper blade 222 of the switch downwardly to engage the contacts during the sharp downward'movement of the lever 270, a transversely extendingpin-277 is provided at the upper end of the arm 272.

The effect of moving the sleep lever 70 from its off position to its zero reference position is shown in FIG. 29. Here it will be noted that the friction elements 263 advance into initial engagement withthe disc 265. At the same time, rotation of the arm advances the cam surface 275 against the cam follower surface 276v so that the lever 270 rocks counterclockwise bringing the pin 277 down against the blade 222 to close the Afterthesleep lever has been set to the selected time interval, for-example, a full 60 minutes, the subsequent rotation of the shaft 186 and the sleep disc 265 thereon, step by step with advancement of the minute drum 110, causes the friction elements 263 to be walked in the clockwise direction as indicated by the dottedarrow in FIG. 30 until the zero reference position is reached, illustrated in FIG. 29, whereupon the friction elements clear" the disc 265 permitting the sleep lever to be drawn into its upraised of position illustrated in FIG. 28. The return movement is accompanied by dropoff at the cam surfaces 275, 276, thereby permitting the actuator lever 270 to rotate clockwise under the influence of the spring 274 to release the upper switch blade 222 so that the contacts are opened to turn off the radio.

The step by step advancement of the sleep disc 265, brought about by its direct coupling to the minutes drum provides more decisive and precise release of the sleep lever, for turning off the radio, then is possible where the disc is continuously driven.

In accordance with one of the aspects of the present invention, the sleep lever is coupled, not only to the radio controlling contacts, but also to the buzzer blade disabling member and a drowse button is provided for pressing the sleep lever into the sleep range by a predetermined small amount of time, on the order of 10 minutes, so that when the buzzer sounds to awaken the sleeper at a predetermined time the sleeper may, by pressing the drowse" button, disable the buzzer blade for the predetermined short period of time to achieve a few minutes of drowsy sleep. At the end of the drowse period, when the sleep lever is walked" to its released position, its upward movement, from reference to off position, serves to release the buzzer blade so that it may again sound, the drowse function being repeatable as often as desired.

Referring to FIG. 31, the parts are in the condition immediately following the sounding of the alarm. That is, the cam follower arm 251 on the alarm shutoff lever 250 has cleared the point of dropoff 217c of the cam 217 (see also FIG. 24) so that the arm 252 has been lowered out of engagement with the buzzer blade B, freeing the buzzer blade for vibration. The drowse" button, indicated at 75, has a pad abutment 75 at its lower end which is in alignment with the arm 261 of the sleep lever 70. Moreover, the alarm shutoff lever 250 is provided with a third arm 253, formed integrally therewith, which lies in the path of movement of the pin 277 on the actuator lever 270, which is the same pin that operates the switch contacts. Consequently, when the drowse button 75 is pressed downwardly into its bottomed position, the sleep lever is rotated counterclockwise, to its reference position accompanied by engagement of the pin 277 on the lever 270 with the third arm 253 on the alarm shutoff lever 250, thus rocking the shutoff lever so that the arm 252 thereon crowds upwardly against the buzzer blade B lifting it out of the magnetic influence of the motor and shutting off the sound. The final portion of the movement of the drowse button 75 causes the sleep lever to be moved downwardly into its 10-minute position illustrated in FIG. 32, accompanied by engagement of the friction elements 263 with the sleep disc 265. The radio contacts, during the drowse cycle, remain closed and the radio continues to play softly. At the expiration of the 10 -minute drowse interval, the sleep lever is restored to its 10position where it is free to be drawn upwardly by the return spring 266. The resultant dropoff at the cam surfaces 275, 276 frees the lever 270 so that the pin 277 thereon moves clear of the arm 2530f the alarm shutoff lever dropping the arm 252 away from the buzzer blade so that the buzzer blade may resume sounding. The sound may be terminated by moving the function lever to the auto" position or, indeed, to the of or on" positions whichever may be desired.

Preferably the drowse button 75 is provided with a detent 75b so that it remains extended even though the sleep lever 70 is moved downwardly to initiate a sleep cycle.

While it'is one of the features of the invention that two successive geneva stages are employed between successive tape drums, the second stage being effective to advance the drum of higher order by a one numeral increment and the first stage v than a geneva stage without departing from the teachings of the present invention. For example, instead of the

auxiliary geneva stage

121, 122 employed between the

drums

120, 130, a gear reduction may be used to provide the necessary dividing ratio. Thus, instead of employing the pins 121 on the drum 120 a gear 121a may be used as shown in FIG. 14. Similarly, the star wheel 122 which cooperates with the pin may be replaced by a meshing gear 122a. Where it is desired to continue to use two pins 123 for driving the star wheel 124 on the hours drum, the gears 121a, 122a may have the same reduction ratio as the geneva stage 121, I22 for which it is substituted. However, if it is desired, in the interest of further simplification, to utilize only a single pin I23 in the second geneva stage, this may be done provided that compensation occurs by making the ration of the gears 121a, 122a 2:3 (corresponding to a reduction of 1%:1) as shown in FIG. 14, The use of such auxiliary gearing to replace a geneva stage has the advantage of reducing the peak torque loading which the drive motor is required to overcome. It will, similarly, be apparent that the.

auxiliary geneva stage

114, 115 between the minutes and tensof-minutes drum may, ifdesired, be replaced by gears having a 1 :6 speed reduction ratio without departing from the present invention; alternatively, if the pins 116 are reduced to l, a 1:2 gear will suffice.

Still other means may be used, if desired, for effectively throwing away" the redundant revolutions of the'drum of lower order in accordance with my teachings, for example, the

pin which drives the star wheel associated with the drum of higherorder may be movable into an abled" position at the completion ofa cycle of numerals on the drum of lower order and restored to a disabled" position during the nonsignificant revolutions of the drum of lower order.

. It will be apparent that while I have discussed and shown certain preferred embodiments, it will be understood that minor changes may be made without departing from the invention. For example, while I have shown a series of window apertures 51-53, a single, elongated aperture,'while not as desirab|e, may be used. And while I referred to a drowse button" 75, it will be apparent that this is a general term and that any equivalent member may be used to depress the sleep lever. Similarly while the term lever has been used for convenient, for example as applied to the function lever 60, it will be apparent that such member need not, as a matter of necessity, be pivoted and that the member 60 could be mounted for translation upwardly and downwardly without affecting the result. Also, while a buzzer blade constitutes a common form of alarm, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to use with a buzzer blade and that other alarm sounding clock, radio timer, or the like driven by an AC motor, it is not necessary to use-an AC motor and any .desired drive may be employed in which the shaft I03 which actuates the initial genera mechanism is synchronously driven with respect to passage of time. Indeed, while the drum and tape display is ideally suited for order-by-order direct indication of time, the tapes may be calibrated and the geneva reduction ratios accordingly adjusted, for decimal or other specific successive orders of numerals. In this connection, while it is preferred to have a simple periphery-to-tape length ratio of, say 1:3 or l:2, as here employed, it is not necessary that the numerator ofthe ratio be one, and the numerator may be some other small integer without in any way affecting the invention or the procedures employed in arriving at the fruits of the invention.

Where gears (FIG. I4) are used as an auxiliary dividing stage, the numerator and denominator integers determining the dividing ratio may be somewhat higher than where a geneva mechanism is used (but still to be considered low) since the number of gear teeth may be adjusted to compensate for an unusual periphery-to-tape length ratio.

While it is one of the features of the construction that a single set of contacts suffices for the switching function, with the blades of such contacts being individually controlled, the term switch as used herein shall include within its scope the possible use of more than one set of contacts connected in parallel with one another.

It is one of the features of the present invention that a

special geneva construction

105, 106 is employed for indexing the minute drum in order to obtain rapid indexing movement of the minute numerals combined with freedom from jamming when torque is applied backwardly through the geneva connection incident to settling ofthe minutes drum by the time set wheel 55. It will be recalled, in connection with FIG. 6, that the minutes drum is forcibly moved during a setting operation accompanied by idle clicking at the driving friction. The friction consists of pawls 109 on the drum which are in detenting engagement with a circle of teeth 108 on the hub of the geneva output element 106. The output element of the geneva mechanism is called upon to resist the setting torque, which torque tends to'drive the geneva mechanism backwardly" from output to input.

While it is true that conventional geneva mechanisms are inherently irreversible and include a locking provision to prevent rotation of the output member except during actual indexing, the indexing angle and the locking angle are substantially equal, so that positive locking is achieved only at the expense of requiring a large indexing angle. In a digitally indicating clock or timer the positive locking required to resist torque applied backwardly through the mechanism results in such a large indexing angle that the minute numerals are advanced slowly, and are hence obscured over a major portion of the cycle, rather than being indexed rapidly,'from one to the nest, into viewing position.

In accordance with the invention, therefore, a geneva mechanism is provided having a pin and disc input and having a rotatable output assembly including an index member in the plane of the pin and an adjacent locking member in the form of an escaloped polygon presenting arcuate edge portions for engaging the periphery of the disc, with the index member being distinguished by use of short radial notches in the vicinity of the axis for rapid indexing upon engagement by the pin .and with radially extending spokes interposed between the notches presenting lateral surfaces for positively blocking the output assembly against rotation during. the intervals immediately preceding and immediately following the indexing stroke. Thus referring to FIGS. 6-8 which show a geneva mechanism consisting of an input and an output I06, the input has a rotatable carrier 300 carrying a short pin 301 which is transported in a circular orbit with the pin arranged parallel to the axis. In the present instant, the carrier function is performed by one side of the seconds" drum I04. Integral with the carrier 300 is a locking disc 302 which has a radius smaller than the pin radius and which is arcuately relieved, as indicated at 303, in the vicinity of the pin. In the output assembly 106, positioned in the plane of the pin, is an indexed member or star wheel 310. Adjacent the indexed member, and secured to it, preferably by molding integral with one another, is a locking member 312 which lies in the plane ofthe disc 302 and which is in the form of an escaloped polygon presenting arcuate edges mating with the periphery of the disc. The indexed member 310 is distinguished by the use of short indexing station notches 311 which are positioned closely to the axis and which have a radial extension, indicated at r, which is extremely short, thereby to secure a minimum indexing angle, indicated at a.

In carrying out the invention, the engagement ofthe locking member 312 with the periphery of the disc 302 is not relied of numerals on the tape of lowerorder and for input element atall other times.

upon during the time'jus t prior tofa nd just following the dexing stroke, when a geneva mechanism is most vulnerable to jamming. instead, the indexing member is provided with relatively narrow, spokelike extensions 313 interposed between the shallow notches 311 and which present

lateral surfaces

314, 315 which are dimensioned to be in blocking engagement with the pin as the pin respectively approaches and leaves the regionof indexing. In short, the indexing member, itself, perduring that critical time just is achieved (FIG. 7) which may be several times larger than theindexing angle. it may also be noted that the speedup in the indexing movement of the minutes drum is reflected in, a

[While it would be possible to use geneva mechanisms of .such jarnproof design in the other geneva locations, it is not necessary to do so since the

geneva mechanism

105, 1 06 which drives the minutes drum is the only one in the system which is subject to substantial amounts of torque backwan dly-through the mechanism.

lclaim as my invention;

' I. In a digitally indicatingclock or the like, the combination comprising a'plurality of drums, individual endless loops of tapel trained about the respective drums ,"n'umerals in' successive orders,'each drum having a periphery which is shorter than the length of the associated tape in a convenient low-integer ratio, geneva mechanism between drums of successive order having an output elem'cnt connected to the drum of higher order and an-input element coupled to"the drum of lower order, and means interposed between the drum of lower order and the input element for actuating the input element to produce a step of movement of the output element only upon completion of passage of a cycle disabling the 2. ln a digitally indicating clock or the like, the combination comprisinga plurality of drums, individualendless loops of tape trained about the respective drums and bearing cycles of numerals in successive orders, each drum having a periphery and bearing cycles of tape trained aboutthe respective drums and bearing cycles of numerals in successive orders, each drum having a periphery proportional speedup'in indexing of thedrums of higher order.

' which is shorter than the length of the associated-tape, geneva mechanism between drums of successive order having an output element connected to the drum of higher order and an input element coupled to the drum of lower order, and means interposed between the drum of lower order and the input element for actuating the input element to produce a step of movement of the output element only upon completion of passage of a cycle of numerals on the tape of lower order, each drum having sprockets for engagingsprocket holes in the tape for maintenance of synchronism therebetween.

5. in a digitally indicating clock or the like, the combination 1 comprising a plurality of drums arranged and to end, endless loops of tape on the respective drums bearing cycles of numerals representative of minutes, tens-of-minutes and hours in successive orders, each drum having a periphery which is shorter than the length of the associated tape, geneva mechanism between drums of successive order having an output element connected to the drum of higher order and'an input element coupled to the drum of lower order, the output element having a number of stations'equal to the number of numerals on the tape of higher order multiplied by the length ratio of the drum of higher order, and means interposed between'the drum of lower order and the input element for acl tuating the input element to produce a step of movement of the output element incident to completion of passage of a cycle of numerals on the tape of lower order and for disabling the input element atall other times, the tens-of-minutes tape having two complete cycles thereon and of the same length as the hours tape.

6. in a digitally indicating clock or the like, the combination comprising aplurality of drums, individual endless loops of tape trained about the respective drums and bearing cycles of numeralsin successive orders, each drum having a periphery which is shorter than the length of the associated tape in a convenient low-integer ratio, and geneva mechanism consisting of a plurality of geneva stagesbetween the drums of successive order and of such ratio as to produce a step of movement of the drum of higher order upon completion of a which is shorter than the length of the associated tape in a convenient low-integer ratio, geneva mechanism between drums of successive order having an output element con- .'nected to the drum of higher order and an input element coupled to the drum of lower order, the outp utelement having a number, of stations equal to the number of numerals .on the v i tape-of higher order multiplied by the length ratio of the drum 1 of higher order, and means interposed between the drum of lower order and the input element for actuating the input element to produce a step of movement of the output element incident to completionof passage of a cycle of numerals on the l tape of lower order and for disabling the input element at all other times.

3. in a digitally indicatingclock or the like, the combination comprising a plurality of drums, individual endless; loops of tap rained about he respective dr ms and bearing y les of numerals in suc essive or er ach dr m having a p riph ry which is shorter than th ength of th associa ed t pe in a number of revolutions of the drum of lower order corresponding to completion of the cycle of numerals on the tape of lower order.

7. in a digitally indicating clock or the like, the combination comprising a plurality of drums, individual endless loops of tape trained about the respective drums ancl bearing cycles of numerals in successive orders, each drum having a periphery which is shorterthan the length of the associated tape in a convenient low-integer ratio, geneva mechanism between drums of successive order including a first stage and a second stage in series with one another, the first stage having an input element connected to the drum of lower order and-the second stage having an output element connected to the drum of higher order, the output element having a number of stations equal to the'numbcr of numerals on the tape multiplied by the drum periphery-to-tape length ratio, the first geneva stage being selected to produce drum-to-drum dividing ratio equal to the order-to-order value ratio of the numerals on the tapes multiplied by ratio oflength ratios and the ratio of the number chnvcnion low=in ger ratio. genev mech nism be w e drums of successive order having an output clem nt c nnoted to the drum of highe or er and an inpu element coup ed to the rum of lower rder. th output element havi g number of stations equal t the numb r of numera s on the ape of higher ordermu tiplied by the length ratio f th rum of higher order. and aux liary divider mean nt rpo d betw en the drum oflower or er and'tho input element for turning the input element to produce a step of movement of the output element incident to completion of passag of a.

cycle of numerals on the. tape of lower order. sai auxiliary divider m ans b ingin th form ota stage of stepd wn gearing- 4. in a digitally indicating clock; or the like. the com ina ion comprising a plurality of drums. individual endless loops of of numerals on the respective tapes.

8. in a digitally indicating clock or the like, the combination comprising an enclosure of rectangular configuration having top and bottom walls, a plurality of loops of tape arranged side by side in respective orders and each carrying a cycle of nu morals thereon, eans at the front of the housing defining a horizontal viewing window. means for guiding the tape vertically past the window, means for guiding runs of the tape ad jacent and generally parallel to the top and bottom walls. the tape being folded reentrantly into a "C configuration, each of the tapes having a driving drum nested in the reentrant porion thereof. and means including geneva mechanisms inter posed between the ends of the drums for driving the drums in series from lowest to highest order.

9. in a digitally indicating clock or the like, the combination comprising an enclosure of rectangular configuration having top and bottom walls. a plurality of endless loops of tape arranged side by side inrespe'ctive orders and carrying a cycle of numerals thereon, means at the front of the enclosure defining a horizontal viewing window, a vertical guide member for guiding the tapes past the window and having rounded entry and exit surfaces, means including horizontal rollers toward the back of the enclosure for guiding runs of the tape generally parallel to the top and bottom walls.'the tape being folded reentrantly about the idler rollers into "C? configuration,

.each of the loops of tape having a driving drum nested in the than the length of the tape means including geneva mechanisms interposed between the adjacent driving drums for driving the drums in series from lowest to highest order. means in front of the guide member for defining a window for viewing of a horizontal line of numerals, the tapes and guide member being translucent. and a light source behind the win dow for illuminating the numerals on the tapes.

ll. In a digitally indicating clock or the like, the combination comprising a plurality of endless loops of tape arranged side by side in respective orders carrying cycles of numerals thereon, the tapes being formed of translucent plastic, a vertical guide member having tracks on the front surface thereof for display of the tapes, means defining a horizontal window for viewing of a single line of numerals on the tapes, the guide member having rounded surfaces along its upper and lower edges for substantially horizontal tape entry and exit, idler rollers spaced rearwardly from the upper and lower edges and about which the loop of tape is trained in reentrant C" configuration, each of the tapes having a driving drum nested in the reentrant portion thereof, means including geneva mechanisms interposed between the ends of the driving drums for driving of the drums in series from lowest to highest order.

said guide member being formed of translucent plastic material and having a light source mounted behind it for illumination ofthe numerals in the window.

12. In a digitally indicating clock or the like, the combination comprising a plurality of endless loops of translucent tape arranged side by side in respective orders each carrying a cycle of numerals thereon, a vertical guide member having a face and having upper andlower edges each ofthe tapes having a driving drum arranged behind the guide member and with idler members for maintaining the tapereasonably taut and in driving engagement with the drum, the drum having sprockets and the tapes having sprocket holes. means including geneva mechanisms interposed between the ends of the drums for driving the drums in series from lowest to highest order, the face of the guide member being formed into recessed parallel tracks defined by upraised ridges for guiding the respective loops of tape side by side, the tapes and guide member being formed of translucent material, means including source of light behind the guide member for transmissibly illuminating the numerals on the tapes, and a mask having apertures in horizontal alignment for viewing a line ofthe numerals displayed by the tapes separated by bridging portions for masking of the sprocket holes.

13. In a digitally indicating clock or the like, the combination comprising an enclosure of rectangular configuration having top and bottom walls and a front panel, a plurality of loops of tape arranged side by side in respective orders and each carrying a cycle of numerals thereon. means for guiding a vertical run of ta e behind the front panel. aligned apertures in the front pane for viewing a horizontal row of numerals on associated drum to and through an aperture in the front panel for setting of the drum to a desired reference position.

' 14. In a digitally indicating clock, the combination comprising a plurality of endless loops of tape arranged side-by-side for indication of hours. tens of-minutes and minutes, the front panel means defining apertures for display of a horizontal row of numerals reading directly in terms of time, a row of drums spaced rearwardly from the front panel for driving the respective tapes, geneva mechanisms interposed between adjacent drums for coupling the same, a seconds drum arranged forwar'dly of the row of drums in the direction of the front panel for direct viewing through an aperture formed in the front panel. a synchronous motor and drive train coupled to the seconds drum. and geneva mechanism having an input element connected to the seconds drum and an output element connected to the minutes drum for driving of all of the drums in series relation.

Claims

1. In a digitally indicating clock or the like, the combination comprising a plurality of drums, individual endless loops of tape trained about the respective drums and bearing cycles of numerals in successive orders, each drum having a periphery which is shorter than the length of the associated tape in a convenient low-integer ratio, geneva mechanism between drums of successive order having an output element connected to the drum of higher order and an input element coupled to the drum of lower order, and means interposed between the drum of lower order and the input element for actuating the input element to produce a step of movement of the output element only upon completion of passage of a cycle of numerals on the tape of lower order and for disabling the input element at all other times.

2. In a digitally indicating clock or the like, the combination comprising a plurality of drums, individual endless loops of tape trained about the respective drums and bearing cycles of numerals in successive orders, each drum having a periphery which is shorter than the length of the associated tape in a convenient low-integer ratio, geneva mechanism between drums of successive order having an output element connected to the drum of higher order and an input element coupled to the drum of lower order, the output element having a number of stations equal to the number of numerals on the tape of higher order multiplied by the length ratio of the drum of higher order, and means interposed between the drum of lower order and the input element for actuating the input element to produce a step of movement of the output element incident to completion of passage of a cycle of numerals on the tape of lower order and for disabling the input element at all other times.

3. In a digitally indicating clock or the like, the combination comprising a plurality of drums, individual endless loops of tape trained about the respective drums and bearing cycles of numerals in successive orders, each drum having a periphery which is shorter than the length of the associated tape in a convenient low-integer ratio, geneva mechanism between drums of successive order having an output element connected to the drum of higher order and an input element coupled to the drum of lower order, the output element having a number of stations equal to the number of numerals on the tape of higher order multiplied by the length ratio of the drum of higher order, and auxiliary divider means interposed between the drum of lower order and the input element for actuating the input element to produce a step of movement of the output element incident to completion of passage of a cycle of numerals on the tape of lower order, said auxiliary divider means being in the form of a stage of stepdown gearing.

4. In a digitally indicating clock or the like, the combination comprising a plurality of drums, individual endless loops of tape trained about the respective drums and bearing cycles of numerals in successive orders, each drum having a periphery which is shorter than the length of the associated tape, geneva mechanism between drums of successive order having an output element connected to the drum of higher order and an input element coupled to the drum of lower order, and means interposed between the drum of lower order and the input element for actuating the input element to produce a step of movement of the output element only upon completion of passage of a cycle of numerals on the tape of lower order, each drum having sprockets for engaging sprocket holes in the tape for maintenance of synchronism therebetween.

5. In a digitally indicating clock or the like, the combination comprising a plurality of drums arranged end to end, endless loops of tape on the respective drums bearing cycles of numerals representative of minutes, tens-of-minutes and hours in successive orders, each drum having a periphery which is shorter than the length of the associated tape, geneva mechanism between drums of successIve order having an output element connected to the drum of higher order and an input element coupled to the drum of lower order, the output element having a number of stations equal to the number of numerals on the tape of higher order multiplied by the length ratio of the drum of higher order, and means interposed between the drum of lower order and the input element for actuating the input element to produce a step of movement of the output element incident to completion of passage of a cycle of numerals on the tape of lower order and for disabling the input element at all other times, the tens-of-minutes tape having two complete cycles thereon and of the same length as the hours tape.

6. In a digitally indicating clock or the like, the combination comprising a plurality of drums, individual endless loops of tape trained about the respective drums and bearing cycles of numerals in successive orders, each drum having a periphery which is shorter than the length of the associated tape in a convenient low-integer ratio, and geneva mechanism consisting of a plurality of geneva stages between the drums of successive order and of such ratio as to produce a step of movement of the drum of higher order upon completion of a number of revolutions of the drum of lower order corresponding to completion of the cycle of numerals on the tape of lower order.

7. In a digitally indicating clock or the like, the combination comprising a plurality of drums, individual endless loops of tape trained about the respective drums and bearing cycles of numerals in successive orders, each drum having a periphery which is shorter than the length of the associated tape in a convenient low-integer ratio, geneva mechanism between drums of successive order including a first stage and a second stage in series with one another, the first stage having an input element connected to the drum of lower order and the second stage having an output element connected to the drum of higher order, the output element having a number of stations equal to the number of numerals on the tape multiplied by the drum periphery-to-tape length ratio, the first geneva stage being selected to produce drum-to-drum dividing ratio equal to the order-to-order value ratio of the numerals on the tapes multiplied by ratio of length ratios and the ratio of the number of numerals on the respective tapes.

8. In a digitally indicating clock or the like, the combination comprising an enclosure of rectangular configuration having top and bottom walls, a plurality of loops of tape arranged side by side in respective orders and each carrying a cycle of numerals thereon, means at the front of the housing defining a horizontal viewing window, means for guiding the tape vertically past the window, means for guiding runs of the tape adjacent and generally parallel to the top and bottom walls, the tape being folded reentrantly into a ''''C'''' configuration, each of the tapes having a driving drum nested in the reentrant portion thereof, and means including geneva mechanisms interposed between the ends of the drums for driving the drums in series from lowest to highest order.

9. In a digitally indicating clock or the like, the combination comprising an enclosure of rectangular configuration having top and bottom walls, a plurality of endless loops of tape arranged side by side in respective orders and carrying a cycle of numerals thereon, means at the front of the enclosure defining a horizontal viewing window, a vertical guide member for guiding the tapes past the window and having rounded entry and exit surfaces, means including horizontal rollers toward the back of the enclosure for guiding runs of the tape generally parallel to the top and bottom walls, the tape being folded reentrantly about the idler rollers into ''''C'''' configuration, each of the loops of tape having a driving drum nested in the reentrant portion thereof, means including geneva mechanisms interposed between the ends of the drums for driving the dRums in series from lowest to highest order.

10. In a digitally indicating clock or the like, the combination comprising a plurality of loops of tape arranged side by side in respective orders and carrying a cycle of numerals thereon, a forwardly facing guide member having tracks arranged side by side thereon for displaying tapes, each of the tapes having a driving drum arranged behind the guide member and having a periphery which is substantially less than the length of the tape, means including geneva mechanisms interposed between the adjacent driving drums for driving the drums in series from lowest to highest order, means in front of the guide member for defining a window for viewing of a horizontal line of numerals, the tapes and guide member being translucent, and a light source behind the window for illuminating the numerals on the tapes.

11. In a digitally indicating clock or the like, the combination comprising a plurality of endless loops of tape arranged side by side in respective orders carrying cycles of numerals thereon, the tapes being formed of translucent plastic, a vertical guide member having tracks on the front surface thereof for display of the tapes, means defining a horizontal window for viewing of a single line of numerals on the tapes, the guide member having rounded surfaces along its upper and lower edges for substantially horizontal tape entry and exit, idler rollers spaced rearwardly from the upper and lower edges and about which the loop of tape is trained in reentrant ''''C'''' configuration, each of the tapes having a driving drum nested in the reentrant portion thereof, means including geneva mechanisms interposed between the ends of the driving drums for driving of the drums in series from lowest to highest order, said guide member being formed of translucent plastic material and having a light source mounted behind it for illumination of the numerals in the window.

12. In a digitally indicating clock or the like, the combination comprising a plurality of endless loops of translucent tape arranged side by side in respective orders each carrying a cycle of numerals thereon, a vertical guide member having a face and having upper and lower edges, each of the tapes having a driving drum arranged behind the guide member and with idler members for maintaining the tape reasonably taut and in driving engagement with the drum, the drum having sprockets and the tapes having sprocket holes, means including geneva mechanisms interposed between the ends of the drums for driving the drums in series from lowest to highest order, the face of the guide member being formed into recessed parallel tracks defined by upraised ridges for guiding the respective loops of tape side by side, the tapes and guide member being formed of translucent material, means including source of light behind the guide member for transmissibly illuminating the numerals on the tapes, and a mask having apertures in horizontal alignment for viewing a line of the numerals displayed by the tapes separated by bridging portions for masking of the sprocket holes.

13. In a digitally indicating clock or the like, the combination comprising an enclosure of rectangular configuration having top and bottom walls and a front panel, a plurality of loops of tape arranged side by side in respective orders and each carrying a cycle of numerals thereon, means for guiding a vertical run of tape behind the front panel, aligned apertures in the front panel for viewing a horizontal row of numerals on the tape, each loop of tape having a drum for driving the same, the drums being arranged in alignment spaced rearwardly from the front panel, means including geneva mechanisms for coupling the drums for driving of the same from lowest to highest order, the drum of lowest order having a setting gear thereon, a setting wheel meshing with the setting gear, said setting wheel being dimensioned to span the distance from the associated drum to and through an aperture in the front panel for settIng of the drum to a desired reference position.

14. In a digitally indicating clock, the combination comprising a plurality of endless loops of tape arranged side-by-side for indication of hours, tens-of-minutes and minutes, the front panel means defining apertures for display of a horizontal row of numerals reading directly in terms of time, a row of drums spaced rearwardly from the front panel for driving the respective tapes, geneva mechanisms interposed between adjacent drums for coupling the same, a seconds drum arranged forwardly of the row of drums in the direction of the front panel for direct viewing through an aperture formed in the front panel, a synchronous motor and drive train coupled to the seconds drum, and geneva mechanism having an input element connected to the seconds drum and an output element connected to the minutes drum for driving of all of the drums in series relation.