US97466A - Improvement in watch-winding attachments - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES y PATENT OEEICE.

G. II. WILSON, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO HENRY WIM. DEE AND LOUIS DEE, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATCH-WINDIING ATTACHMENTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 97,466, dated November lill, 18139.

To all whom it may concern:

Be tknown that I, GEORGE HENRY WIL- SON, of London, England, have invented eertain new and useful Improvements in VVatohes and other Time-Keepers; and I do hereby declarethat thefollowing isa true, full, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the annexed drawings-that is to say:

The primary object of my invention is to-wind and to set or adjust the hand from the outside, and thereby to avoid the'necessity otl opening the ease, and to dispense with thekey-hole usually required to effect these operations, by which all chance ot' dust or dirt getting into the works during these operations is prevented, while at the same time I dispense with the use ot' a key.

The first part of my invention consists in a disk, which forms part ot' the ordinary hinged or swinging back of a watch and the medium for winding the watch.

In carrying out this improvement the portion of the watch which is made to revolvesay, the back of thecase-earries a wheel which gears into another wheel on the mainspringarbor. I in troduee a' friction-plate between the revolving back and the dome, and to prevent any dirt getting into the watch from between the revolving back of the case and the dome I form a rim or ring round an aperture in the frictionplate,in which the wheel carried Aby the back revolves, and I apply below the dome a plate having a circular aperture', which exactly its over a cup or ring round the wheel on the mainspring-arbor. The rim or ring ou the friction-plate prevents the ingress of dirt; but should any get past this rim it is stopped by the cup or ring round the wheel on the main spring-arbor. To prevent accident by winding the wrong way, the under rim of the revolving back is toothed, and a spring or pawltakes into the teeth as the revolving back is moved round. For this purpose Iattach aspring-pawl to the inside ofthe revolving back to take into ratch-teeth on the edge of the friction-plate. This part of my invention will bel understood by Iigures l to l() of the accompanying drawinn-s.

tIligures l to 7 show a watch in which the winding is effected by rotating the back. Fig. l is an inside 'view ot' the back, and Fig. `2 is a section. Fig. 3 is a face view, and Fig. 4 a section, ofthe upper plate ot' the watch. Fig. 5 is a view ofthe back or outside face; Fig. 6, a section, and Fig. 7 a view ot' the inside face ot' the dome. a is the back of the watch; b l), the band; c, the dome, (l, the friction-plate, and c the upper plate. The back a. is free to rotate on its center, where it carries a wheel, f, which gears into a wheel, g, on the mainspringarbor. The frictioxrplate d is introduced between the rotating back a and the dome c. 7L is an aperture in the friction-plate d, and in the dome c, in which aperture the wheelfrevolves. .i is a rim or ring on the plate (l around the aperture h to prevent ingress ot' dirt. k is a plate below and attached to the dome c. This plate k has a circular aperture, l, which lits over a cup or rim, m, round the wheel g on the mainspring-arbor., This cup m prevents any dirt which may get past the ringe' getting into the works. n n are ratchet-teeth on the edge ot' the friction-plate d. A spring-pawl o on the i-nside of the revolving back a takes into these teeth. In winding the watch, if the operator attempts'to turn the back a in the wrong direction it is stopped by the pawl o. The manner in which the winding can be effected by winding the dome is simply to place the wheel fon the under side ofthe dome.

Fig. 8 shows how the winding may be ei fected in at'usee-watch, in which case the wheels f and g must continue to move when the watch is going. In this case I employ a separate disk, j, between the dome c and the back a. fis a wheel carried on the inside ot' the revolving diskj, and gearing into a wheel, g, on the fnseearbor. The winding is effected by rot-ating the disk j.

Figs. 9 and 10 show an arrangement, chiefly for fusee watches, in which the winding is et'- fected by causing the back a to turn not on its axis butvon a pin p. The back a. carries between itselt' and the dome a curved rack, q, which gears into the wheelg, which is mounted loosely on the fusee-arbor. The wheel g carries a pawl,r, which takes into aratchet-wheel, s, xed on the arbor. t is a stud outside the back to be used in moving the same. In moving the back a into the position seen in Fig. 10 the rack q causes the wheel g to rotate, and the pawl 'r takes into the ratchet-wheel s, and

thereby rotates this wheel and partly winds the mainspring.; but in returning the back into its normal position, Fig. 9, the pawl r rides over the ratchet-teeth, and the wheel s, with the arbor, does not turn.

The invention relates, secondly, to setting or adjusting the hands without opening the case ofthe watch; and it consists of a circular plate, wheels, ratchet, detent, and springs. An arm or slide piece resting against the detent projects through the case, and when pressed releases a circular plate, which also projects through the case. By then rotating this` circular plate a ratchet-wheel thereon actuates a spring-pawl on a toothed-wlieel, so that rotary motion is imparted to this wheel. This motion is transmitted by an intermediate wheel to the wheel carrying the minute-hand. In some cases I arrange the mechanism so that when the circular plate is pressed it comes against a wheel, and when then revolved the inotionis transmitted to the wheel carrying the hand. This part of my invention is represented in Figs. 11 and 12.

Fig. 11 is a face view of the watch with the dial-plate removed. Fig.12 is a similar view of a modified arrangement. In Fig. 11, u is a detent, and 'v its spring. w is an arm or slide piece resting against the detent, and extending through the edge of the watch-case. The detent bears, as shown, upon and holds a circular plate or disk, which partly projects through the edge of the case. By pressing the arm w to release the disk x, and by then rotating this disk, a ratchet-wheel, y, thereon actuates a pawl, z, on a toothed wheel, 1, there` byimparting rotary motion to this wheel. This wheel 1 gears into another wheel, 2, and this wheel in its turn gearsinto wheel 3, carrying the minute-hand,while a pinion, 4, on the spindie of the wheel 2 gears into a wheel, 5, carrying the hour-hand. Should the operator turn the disk :v in the wrong direction, the pawl e rides over the teeth of the wheel y, and the wheels 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 do not turn. This arrangement applies to duplex striking and chronometcr watches, in which the hands ought not to be moved backward. For watches in which the hands may be moved in either direction I prei'er the modification shown in Fi g. 12. Here the disk :v is carried on the end of a spring-arm, 6, which in the normal position keeps the disk pressed out, as shown, so that the wheel l does not gear with the wheel 2; but when the disk is released from the detent u, as before explained, and the disk is pressed inward to cause the wheel 1 to take into the wheel 2, and by simultaneously rotating the consists of a snail-piece and a bearing-spring to press thereon. The snail-piece is attached to the barrel or other arbor, and as the mainspriug is being wound up the pressure of the bearing-spring on the snail-piece increases. The force ot' the mainsprin g is thus regulated, because as the power of the mainspring decreases the pressure of the bearing-spring decreases in proportion. The snail-piece and the bearing-spring are each provided with a stop or projection. These stops moet when the mainsi'iring is sufficiently wound, and the breaking ot' the mainspring by overwinding is thus obviated. This will be found of great advantage in watches wound by rotating part of the case, as hcreinbet'ore described, because in winding the watches in this manner the operator doos not so readilyT feel when the watch is suiiiciently wound as he does in winding by means of a key in the ordinary manner. This part ot' my invention is represented iu Figs. 13 and 14. Fig. 13 shows the parts in their position when the mainspring is down or unwound, and Fig. 14 shows them when fully wound. 7 is the mainspring-arbor, and S is the snail-piece thereon. 9 is the bearing-spring,

which is lixed at 1() to the main wheel or barrel 11 of the watch. 12 is the stop on the snailpiece, and 13 the stop on the spring. These stops 12 and 13 meet, as seen in Fig. 14, when the mainspring is fully wound. Instead of the main wheel 11 gearing into the wheel 14 of the ordinary train, I interpose intermediate wheels, 15 and 16, in order that about threeqnarters of a turn of the barrel-arbor may sutice to wind the watch.

What 1 claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,-

1. The rotating disk forming part of the ordinary hinged or swingingback or cap of a watch, and the medium for winding the watch, as described. Y

2. In combination with the rotating back, as described, the toothed friction-plate d, as and for the purpose set l'orth.

3. -In combination with a. projecting plate or disk, whereby the hands can be set and ad,- justed, a detent, u, spring fv,and projecting arm w, as shown in Fig. 1l, arranged and acting' in the manner and for the purpose herein described.

4. A snail-piece, S, with stop 12 on the`mainspring-arbor, in combination with a bearingspring, q, with stop 13, Figs. 13 and 14, as and for the purpose described.

ln witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of August, 1868.

G. H. \VILSON.

Witnesses l'. (J. NEWBURN, E. M. DANIEL,

Bol/t of 13G Fleet Street, London.

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