US1416605A - Astronomical clock - Google Patents

Description

M. suLKA. ASTRONOMICAL CLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 1, 1919. 1,416,605. Patented May 16,1922

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Q r INVENTOR. K6 Michael Bulka A TTORN E Y.

M. BULKA.

ASTRONOMICAL CLOCK.

APPLICATION man mac. 1919.

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MICHAEL BULKA, OF GARDNER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO ASTRONO'MICAL CLOCK MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CELL ASTRONOMICAL CLOCK.

T 0 all 1072,0971. it may concern.

Be it known that I, M'ICHAEL BULKA, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gardner, in the county of l Vorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Astronomical Clocks, of which the following is a specifi cation. I

The object of my present invention is the provision of an improved clock for exemplifying and illustrating the movements of the earth and moon about the sun, and the movement of the moon in its orbit about the earth, and these movements in concert with the actual happenings and so as to typify the four seasons of a year.

To the attainment of the foregoing, the invention consists in the improvement as hereinafter described and definitely claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation showing the best practical embodiment of my invention that I have as yet devised.

Figure 2 is a detail front elevation illustrating the twenty-four hour hand and the year hand in proper relation to the dial complementary to said hands.

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken in the plane at right angles to Figure 1, and showing the mechanism of the clock.

Figure 4 is a detail section taken in the plane at right angles to Figure 3 and show ing the driving connections complementaiy to the earth and the moon.

Figure 5 is a detail section through the dial and the parts adjacent thereto.

Similar numerals and letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings.

The clock casing 1 is preferably, though not necessarily, of the configuration illustrated, and it carries at 2 an ordinary clock dial, and at 3 a calendar dial; the calendar dial in the illustrated embodiment being disposed above the elock dial 2.

Extending through the upper wall of the casing 1 is a vertical fixed shaft or rod 1 on i Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 16, 1922.

Application filed December 1, 1919. Serial No. 341,585.

jects and at the same time enhancing the finished appearance of the clock.

The dial 3 is provided with an inner annular portion 8, divided into segments bearing the inscriptions Spring, Summer, Autumn, /Vinter. Said dial 3 is also provided with an outer annular portion 9 bearing the names of the months arranged in regular sequence. Surrounding the outer dial portion 9 is a revoluble annuluslO on which are twenty-four divisions numbered from 1 to 12, in two series. The said revoluble annulus is turned through a complete revolution once in 365 days, and is designed to be driven byt-he year hand, hereinafter referred to. ()nehalf of the revoluble annulus 10 is darkened from a graduation VI to an adjacent graduation V1, with a view to indicating the hours of darkness. The remainder or undarkened portion of the annulus 10 is designed to indicate the daylight hours.

Movable in front of the dial 2 are the ordinary hour hand 11 and minute hand 12, and movable in front of the dial 3 aretwo hands, one of which, 13,1 denominate the twenty-four hour hand,, and the other, 14, I

denominate the year hand.

The moon 7 is carried on an arm 15 having a center of movement below the center of the earth 6, so as to permit of the moon being moved in an orbit about the earth. Tllhe earth (3 is arranged with its axis disposed at an angle to the perpendicular in conventional manner and is mounted in an annular frame 16. Coincident with the axis of the earth is a shaft 1'7 on which is a spur main clock-work and designed to be turned through four revolutions in twenty-four hours. Thesaid arbor E carries a gear 6 intermeshed with a gear 7" on an arbor F. and designed to rotate the latter. The gear f drives a gear 9' on an arbor G, and said gear 9 serves to effect the motion of the twenty-four hour hand 13. Said gear 9 drives a smaller gear It on the arbor H which carries a gear which meshes with 'a gear 7'. The gear j is movably secured to a gear Z3, and the gear ll mounted on an arbor I to rotate a gear Z and drive a shailit J, which shat't J is designed to make 366 revolutions in 365 days and carries the twenty-tour hour hand 13. The function of this hand 13 is to illustrate the rotation of the earth about its axis. The hand 13 is designed to maize one and 1/365 revolutions in twenty-tomhours, or 866 revolutions in days. and in order to compensate for the traction so that the hour hand will indicate the correct time, the revohible annulus 10 is provided; said annulus 10 being operable by the year hand let and designed to be turned through a comple revolution once in 365 days, or through 1/665 of a revolution in every twenty-four hours. The shaft J carries a gear at, and meshed with the gear m is a gear a loosely mounted on a stud The said gear 71 is inter-meshed with a gear carried by an arbor K. Said arbor I: also carries a gear 7) that is interineshed with a gear q. mounted on an arbor L. Said arbor L also carries a gear 1* that is intermcshc il with a gear a movably secured to a sleeve M, designed to turn loosely on the arbor or shaft 5. The said sleeve M carries the year hand 14L, designed in combination with the dial, 3 to show the rotation ot' the earth around the sun. Said arbor J also carries a miter gear 25 which is intermeshed with a miter gear a on a vertieal sleeve N, which sleeve N is adapted to turn about the shaft l. At its upper end the sleeve N carries a miter gear 0 which is intermeshed with a miter gear w on a horizontal sleeve 0. At the outer end of the sleeve 0 is carried a miter gear :17, and this miter gear a; is intermeshed with a miter gear y on the lower end of an upright sleeve P. This sleeve P designed to turn loosely about an arbor Y. and is provided at its upper end. with av spur gear intermcshcd with a gear Q. which is supported on the id'illllt. l6 and is inter-meshed with the gear 18 on the shaft 17 so as to rotate the earth (3 about its axis once in twentvdour hours. Atits lower end the sleeve carries a miter gear 2 and a spur gear a; said gear a being intermeshcu with a spur gear S, and the said gea r S being loosely mounted on a stud fixed with respect to the sleeve d. On the said stud. is carried a gear 7) which is intermeshed with and designed to drive a gear (1' fixed to a sleeve T which loosely surrounds the sleeve P. On the said sleeve T is the arm 15 The sleeve M carries a miter gear in mesh with a miter gear 9 on the lower end of an upright sleeve U, and this sleeve U carries a horizontally extending sleeve l to which latter is fastened the sleeve (7 receiving the rod Y, which rod carries the trame to. .imiter gear 7t is fixed to the shaft 4:. The sleeve V surrounds the sleeve 0, and said sleeve 0, in turn, siu-rtmm'ls a shaft l'V having a miter gear 2" at its inner end. and a miter gear j at its outer end. he j being intermeshed with the ar Z1. and the gear 71 being intermcshed with the gear 72.. ianiitlestly the sleeve V, swinging around the sun, brings about rotation of the near vi and driving oi? the parts connected with said gear 3'. By virtue of the gear y" and Zr being inter-meshed, the frame 16 is always held in the same position with a view to illnstra'ti the four seasons of the year.

The shaft or rod l on which the sun, carried is fixed at 5 with respect to the framework.

The manner in which the annulus 10 is driven by the year hand 1-!.- will be understood when it is stated that the said annulus 10 is provided with a small wire clamp 10* into which the year hand l t is titted. l ig. 5. Consequently as the hand 14]- mal-tes a complete revolution once in 36.3 days. the annulus 10 makes the same revolution in the .rame time.

It will be apparent trom the torcgoing that notwithstanding its capacity of iunctii'm as hereinbetore set forth, my novel clock is simple and inexpensive in construction. and. is not liable to get out of order utter a short period of use. It will also be apparem; that the clock, in addition to its educatiomil value. is adapted to form an ornamental ob ject in a classroom.

Having described my invention. what I claim and. desire to secure by Letters-Patent. is:

In an astronon'rical clock. a year hand. a t .\"enty'lour hour hand. clock mechanism for rotating said hands. a dial. and a re'a'olublo annulus associated withthe dial and having means engaged by the year hand tor the movement of th annulus by saidhand, said annulus bearing on its face figures repre sentative of the hours in a day and arranged in two series of one to twelve each in regular sequence.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature.

MICHAEL BUIJIA-

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