US1851688A - Illuminated clock - Google Patents

Description

March 29, 1932.

YH. E. WARREN ILLUMINATED CLOCK Filed Jan. 29, 1929 Inventop 1 Henry E.\X/ar-r-en,

His Attorney.

Patented Mar. 29, idff y instaan UNITED sraras PATENT carica HENRY E. WARREN, OF ASHLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB T WARREN TELE- CHECK CDHPANY, 0F ASHLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF IAINJE l ILLUMINATED CLOCK Application tiled January 29, 1929.

My invention relates to means for illuminatin indicating devices and particularly to the il umination of clocks of the electrically operated type. The primary object of the invention is to provide simple, reliable and inexpensive means for attractively illuminating the indicating dial and pointers of clocks and analogous indicating devices. Where the clock or other device is electrically actuated or requires an electrical connection to a source of supply for any other reason I utilize such circuit connection for energizing an incandescent lamp for illuminating the device. Provision is made for easily turning the lamp oli' and on without interfering with other circuit connections to the device. Provision is also made to facilitate lamp renewals without opening the case of the device or otherwise disturbing other parts of the mechanism.

The features of the invention which are believed to be new and patentable will be pointed out in the claims appended hereto. For a better understanding of my invention reference is made in the following description to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1

represents a sectional view through an electrically motor driven clock to which my invention has been applied, and Fig. 2 shows a 3@ face view of such a clock.

Referring to the drawings and in particular to Fig. 1, I have represented a -synchronous motor driven clock mechanism such as is described in my United States Patent 1,615,664, January 25, 1927. rlhe mechanism is contained in a suitable casing 10 which preferably has a glass cover 11 the inner surr'ace of which is slightly concave and a back closure 12. The clock mechanism is suitably supported by means of the plates 13, 14 and serial m. 335.964.

contained in a metal chamber 19 which also contains the rotor of the motor as described 1n my previous patent. 20 is a clock hand setting shaft. 2l is an indicator which may be seen through an opening 22 from the front of the clock for indicating failures in the source of supply such as would require the clock to be reset. This indicator is mounted' on a shaft 23 and is controlled by an overbalanced magnetic armature member 24 which` is normally held in one position by the magnetism in the field of the motor when the motor is energized but which rotates by gravity to another position when the motor is deenergizcd as described in my previous patent. It will be understood that the circuit terminals 25 to the motor field coil 17, the clock hand setting shaft 20 and the indicator shaft 23 extend through the rear clock plate 13 and the closure plate 12 so as to be easily 70 reached from the rear when the clock case is closed.

To this clock mechanism l appl the features comprising my inventiom l/hunted in the upper portion of the clock plates is a removable lamp holder comprising a metallic screw threaded thumb nut 26 adapted to he screwed into a correspondingly threaded opening in the rear clock plate 13 together with a forwardly extending metallic rod 27 @5* which carries a lamp socket at its forward end. The lamp socket comprises a metal shell 28 into which a small incandescent lamp 29 is screwed or otherwise securely inserted andan insulating base 30. rlhe rod 27 eX- @5 tends through the base 30 and is provided on the front end with a holding nut or rivet head to which is connected the spring contact member 31 serving as the central Vterminal connection to the lamp.` Circular openings are provided in the plate 14 and in the clock dial in order that the lamp 29 may be moved forward to bring the lamp filament adjacent to the front of the clock dial for effective illumination. A circular opening is also provided in the rear closure plate 12 so that by unscrewing the thumb nut 26 the lamp holder and lamp may be withdrawn from the rear of the case for yinspection or lamp re- 1Q@ Fig. 2 and serves as the front insulating support for the lamp holder. It prevents the shell 28 from comingin Contact with plate 14. Secured to the insulating support 32 is a spring terminal clip 33 which serves as the `other terminal for the lampand abuts against N a shoulder at the rearofthe lamp shell when the lamp holder is screwed' into the position represented in Fig. 2. 1 f

The lamp preferably contains a rugged low voltage lilament adapted for long life and receives its energizing current from the motor circuit through transformer action. For this u transformer. l

energized and the 'from the front of the clock. In addition to g 5 tallic portion of purpose a few turns of insulated wire 34 are wrapped about the motoreld coil 17 and one end of this wire is connected to some methe clocksupport as shown at 35 and the other end of the wire is secured to the insulating member 32 in electrical contact with the lamp terminal 33.- The lamp circuit may be traced as follows: from 35v through the clock'franie to 26, through-26 and 27 to the lamp terminal clip 31, through the lamp filament to shell 28 and through chp 33 back to the secondary winding 34 of the When the* electric motor is lamp holder is positioned as shown with the lamp circuit closed, a low voltage, suitable for energizing the lamp, 1s induced into the lamp circuit without interfering with the motor operation and without increasing the current 'consumption of the entire device to any noticeable extent. To disconnect the lamp, the lamp holder is unscrewed a small amount until the lamp cir! cuit is broken between the clip 33 and the rear shoulder on the lamp shell 28. V

. To provide a pleasing clock face appearance and an effective illumination of the clock dial and pointe-rs I prefer to provide a sil'- vered reflecting surface 36 on the interior of the outwardly0 bulging glass cover over that peripheral portion which extends beyond the' extremities of the dial, and a reflecting surface 37 on the outwardly flared portion of the clock dial extension. This arrangement cuts off the direct rays of the lamp 29 from an observer but effectively distributes the illumination to all parts of the clock face. It also gives a pleasing appearance to the clock face whether the lamp is on or od since the peripheral band 36 appears as a mirror surface the use of the lamp for illuminating purposes it also serves as a signal to indicate the ability or inability of the electric motor to supply powelfor actuating the clock.

It will be evident that the same invention is applicable to other electrically energized indicating devices and certain features of the invention are applicable to devices whether electrically energized or not. Low voltage taps to the coil 17 instead of a transformer action could be utilized "for 'energizing' the lamp circuit vvand this wouldserve in cases where the coil is energized by direct current.

' The`appended claims are intended to cover all modificationsv and applications coming yvithin the true spirit andscope of the inven- 1on. Y

What I claim as newand desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States, is:

1. An indicating,devicehaving'a circular indicating dial-an outwardlybulged circular glass cover for said device through which the dial may be observed, an outwardly lared dial plate forming aback supportjor' the glass cover at its peripheryand havingan outer reilectmg surface surrounding said dial on its flared portion, a mirror surface onthe inside of said glass cover opposite to said refleeting surface, and an incandescent lamp for illuminating the dial positioned to the front of said dial and back of said mirrored sury face, said mirrored surface substantially preventing observation of the lamp and reflecting surface and presenting the appearance of an ornamental band about the dial to an observer viewing said device through the glass cover.

2. An indicating device having a circular indicating dial, an outwardly bulged circular glass cover therefor through which said dial may be observed,said'cover being of slightly larger diameter than the dial, alight reflecting surfaceon the inside of said glass cover over that portion extending beyond the extremities of the dial, and an incandescent lamp positioned to the front of said dial and back of said reflecting surface forilluminating said dial, said reflecting surface distributing the light from the lamp over said dial, substantially preventing direct observation of the lamp and presenting the appearance of an ornamental band about the clock dial to an observer viewing said device through the Ilass cover.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-second day of- January, l

1929. l r, v HENRY E. VVARRE.4

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