US631466A - Clock-dial. - Google Patents

Description

No. 63l,466. 6 Patented Aug. 22, 18-99.

A. c. HOWARD.

CLOCK um.

(Application flied Ibpt. 17, 1896.) (Ni ufldfll.) 4 Sheets$heet I MAW- 155555 I! n .QMA /PWMIL 'No. e3|,4ss. Patented Aug. 22, I899.

A. C. HOWARD.

CLOCK DIAL.

(Application filed Sept. 17, 1896.)

(No Model.) 4 Sheats--Sheet 2.

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A. C. HOWARD.

CLOCK DIAL.

(Application filed Sept. 17, 1896.)

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No. 63l,466.

Patented Aug. 22, I899. A. C. HOWARD.

CLOCK DIAL.

(Application filed Sept. 17, 1896.)

4 Sheats-Sheet 4,

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE...

ALBERT C. IIO\VARD, OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

CLOCK-DIAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 631,466, dated August 22, 1899. Ap lication filed geptember 17, 1 Serial No. 606,083. (no model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it knownthat I, ALBERT O. HOWARD, a citizen of the United States, residingat Brookline, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Clocks and atches, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in explaining its nature.

The invention relates to the construction and arrangement of the operative parts of a clock or watch movement whereby a central winding-arbor is adapted to receive the power employed in operating the movement and is also used as a support for a dial having the hours indicated upon its face and arranged to be intermittently turned at the end of each hour, as hereinafter specified, which dial is employed in connection with a stationary minute-dial having in its upper part a hole through which each hour of the hour-dial may be seen as it is brought successively into view, the said hole being in the circle of the minute-figures thereon. The said windingarbor also supports a minute-hand which is used in conjunction with the minute-dial and which is adapted to be turned on the shaft. Thearbor is also employed for winding the power. In the drawings I have represented the power as a spring; but I do not confine myself to this means for operating the movement. The hour-dial may make one full revolution in every twelve hours, in which case the clock will show twelvehour time, or one full revolution in every twenty-four hours, in which case it will show twenty-four-hour time. For indicating twenty-four-hour time two dials may be used instead of one, in which event one dial will indicate the first twelve hours and the other the second twelve. This construction is preferred where it is desirable to show larger figures for indicating the hour than can be obtained where all the figures for the twenty-four hours are upon one dial.

In the drawings, Figure l is a View in elevation of a clock having the features of my invention. Fig. 2 is a view in vertical central section thereof. Fig. 3 is a View in vertical central sectionv illustrating a modification, to which reference is hereinafter made. Figs. and 5 represent hour-dials used in the construction illustrated in Fig. 3. Figs. 6 and 7 represent segment-gears for operating said dials.

A is the central winding-arbor. It extends centrally through the watch or clock, is adapted to be turned at one or both ends, has between the plates B C engagement with a winding-spring D or other operating power, and is supported by said plates B G and the plate E. Upon it is mounted the long sleeve f, which carries at its outer end the minutehand F. This sleeve is arranged to turn upon said winding-arbor and has at its inner end a pinion or gear j", which forms one of a train extending to the gearf upon said windingarbor, and which has the usual ratchet engagement with the wheel f operated by the spring or other power, whereby it is caused to be turned by such power, but is disengaged from it during the reverse movement of the arbor in winding. There is mounted upon the sleeve f another sleeve g, which isfastened to the sleeve f and which has attached to its inner end a pinion g. This pinion meshes with the pinion on the short shaft 9 which carries an intermittent gear gfiwhich engages the intermittent internal gear g of the rotary hour-dial G. This dial is free to turn upon the sleeve 9 and upon its face has indicated the hours from 1 to 12 or from 1 to 24:, as may be desired. Of course the intermittent gearing is varied to these conditions, so that it operates either to fully turn the dial once in every twelve hours or once in every twenty-four hours. In front of this hour-dial G is the fixed or stationary minute-dial II. This is represented in Fig. l and is graduated and numbered as therein shown, and is used in conjunction with the minute-hand F. It has in line with the indicating-figures h thereon an aperture or hole h through which one of the numbers of the hour-dial G is constantly visible, the said number being in line with the circle 7t of the minute-indicating figures. The dial Gis intermittently rotated once in every hour, being turned suiiiciently to bring the hour in line with the hole h of the min Lite-dial at the beginning of each hour, and then remaining stationary until the beginning of the next hour, when the new hour is turned into view and the old hour out of view.

In Figs. 3, -l-, and 5 I have represented for showing twenty-four-hour time the two dials G G These dials are used in lieu of the dial G, and the dial G has the aperture m between the figures indicating the first and twelfth hour. Each of these dials G G makes a complete revolution, but in successive order, one remaining at rest while the other turns, with the exception that both move an hour-space when the aperture m, succeeding the hour 12 of the front dial, is being moved into line with the aperture h of the minute-dial, when the rear dial is moved sufficiently to bring the hour 13 into line with both apertures. These dials are intermittently turned and they each have an internal gear. The internal gear of the dial G is operated by the gear m, which meshes therewith and which is carried at the end of the short shaft m and the intermittent gear m which is engaged by the intermittent gear m" on shaft m the said intermittent gear m being turned by a pinion extension m of the pinion g. The dial G2 is intermittently turned by the gear 072 at the end of the short sleeve m mounted on shaft m which sleeve carries at its other end an intermediate gear m which is operated by the intermittent gear on, actuated by the said pinion extension m It will be understood that the gears m m are sector-gearsthat is, have periods of rest and periods of action, each one having a rest for half a revolution and action for half a rcvolutionand the end tooth of one and the first tooth of the other are in line with each other, so as to cause the joint operation of the two dials necessary to bring the aperture and the figure 13 sim ultaneously in line with the aperture h of the minute-dial, as above specified. It will thus be seen that during the rotation of the dial the hours from 1 to 12 are exposed through the aperture it of the minute-dial and that this is engaged by the rotation of the dial G which brings the hours from 13 to 2st in line with the aperture m of the dial G and the aperture 71 of the minutedial.

By the use of two dials the size of the figures indicating the hours may be made considerably larger than where the twenty-fou r hours are indicated by one dial, and are therefore morereadilyvisible. By usingacentralwinding-arbor having power attached to its rear end unlimited space is provided for the spring or other device employed for furnishing such power and the clock or watch can be made to run with one winding as long as may be desired. By combining a stationary minutedial with an aperture in line with its indi- "ding-figures and a rotary hour-dial behind it, arranged to present the indicating-figures of each hour in said aperture, the time can be read in the same way as it is now read on rail road ti1ne-tablesthat is, 12.01, 13.02, 12.05, and so on. It also becomes possible to easily employ twenty-four-hour time instead of twelve without requiring any larger dial than is used for the twelve-hour time or than is used for the minute time.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States 1. In a clock or watch having a stationary minute-dial provided with an aperture to expose the rear dial, a winding-arbor with power attached to one end thereof passing through the center of said minute-dial and having a minute-hand connected thereto, in combination with an hour-dial normally stationary and mounted concentrically about said arbor and in rear of said minute-dial, and a train of gears including intermittent gearing connected both to said arbor and said hour-dial, whereby said hour-dial is rotated intermittently, as set forth.

2. In a clock or watch having a central winding-arbor and a minute-hand connected thereto, a stationary minute-dial having an aperture in line with the indicating-figures thereon and two dials concentric therewith and located back of said minute-dial but normally stationary, the foremost of said dials having an aperture, and means whereby said foremost dial is rotated intermittently while the rear dial is stationary to bring its aperture in line with the aperture of said minutedial, and thereafter it shall remain stationary while said rear dial is rotated one revolution intermittently, as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination in a watch or clock of the hour-dial G having the aperture m, the hour-dial G and means substantially as specified for turning said dial in successive order and for bringing the aperture of the first and the first hour of the second dial simultaneously or substantially simultaneously in line, the same comprising a gear on each of said dials and the intermittent gearing m, m in connected with the first of said dials and theinterinittent gearing 77L ,77t m connected with the second of minute-dials and means for simultaneously turning the intermittent gears m, m as and for the purposes described.

ALBERT In presence of- J AMES A. LOWELL, J. M. DOLAN.

O. HOlVARD.

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