US784273A - Clock striking mechanism. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED MAR. 7,1905.

R. NUSSBERGEP.

CLOCK STRIKING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 28-1904.

3 BHEETBSHEET 1.

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CLOCK STRIKING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 28.1904.

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PATENTED MAR. '7, 1905.

R. NUSSBERGER.

GLOGK STRIKING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 28.1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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JMVML UNITED STATES Patented March '7, 1905.

RICHARD NUSSBERGER, OF ZURICH, SIVITIZERLAND.

CLOCK STRIKING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. '7 84,273, dated March '7, 1905.

Application filed June 28, 1904. Serial No. 214,527.

To (all whom, it may coltccrn:

Be it known that l, RICHARD NUssB nnenn, a citizen of the Republic of Switzerland, residing in Zurich, in the Canton of Zurich, Republic of Switzerland, (whose ost-oflice address is Engweg No. 7, Zuricln) have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Striking Mechanism for Clocks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the acconn'ianying drawings, and to characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this speciiication.

I have applied for patent in Germany on June 29, 1903.

In the braking and releasing devices hitherto used for the rack and striking-gear in rack striking-clocks pawls have been mostly used which were under the action of springs. The employment of springs, however, has the disadvantage that their power decreases with time and their action easily becomes unreliable, so that with such striking-gears interruptions are often occasioned.

In the brake and releasing device forming the subject of the present invention the above mentioned disadvantages are avoided in that no springs at all are employed and that the braking-lever stops the action of the rack and also the striking-gear.

In the accompanying drawings, which reppresent one form of carrying the invention into effect, Figure 1 is a front view of the device in the position when striking is about to occur. Fig. 2 is a plan, and Fig. 3 is a front view of the arrangement in its normal position. Fig. 4 is a section on line A B in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a view of the divided disk from the rear.

The spindle of the minute-wheel is marked 1 and that of the hour-wheel 2. At the side of and above these two shafts there is secured on the front plate 3 a guide-plate f, in which the rack 5 works. The latter is kept in place in the guide by pins 6, projecting therefrom on each side of the guide, and by means of a headed screw 9, which passes through a slot 9* in the rack. The rack is provided with twelve teeth 7, with which the pin 8 of the lifting-pawl 10 is intended to gear. This pawl is secured on the shaft 11, which is so driven from the striking-gear (not shown) that at each rotation of the shaft a blow is given by the striking-gear. The pawl 10 is also provided with an arm 12, having a projecting lateral pin 13, the object of which will hereinafter be described.

Behind the rack 5 a braking-lever15isjournaled on the frontplate 3 by means of a pin 14, the front end 16 of which lever is bent downward. The braking-lever 15 also carries a pin 17, which when the mechanism is in the position shown in Fig. 3 engages with one side of the rack. Over the spindles 1 and 2 a pawl 18 is journaled on the brake-lever 15, and this pawl in consequence of a stop-pin19, projecting from the brake-lever, can only move to the left. In the position mentioned the point of pawl 18 stands within the range of travel of two diametrically-disposcd pins 21, which project from a rcleasingwheel 20, fixed upon the spindle of the minute-wheel, and these pins at the rotation of said spindle in the direction of the arrow successively lift the brake-lever 15, it being impossible for the pawl to swing out to the right in consequence of the projecting pin 19 engaging a shoulder formed upon the upper end of the pawl 18. \Vhen, however, there is a rotation of the minute-wheel spindle in the opposite directiointhe pins 21 in their movement cause the pawl 18 to swing out to the left, and so no movement is communicated to the lever 15.

In front of the hour-wheel 22 and upon its shaft there is a divided disk 23, which is provided with a number of projecting pinsarranged in sets 2 and The pins 25 serve for striking the hours. The distance a of that pin 25 being placed the nearest to hub of disk 28 from the hub is equal the distance a between two vicinal teeth of rack 5, Fig. Fur ther, the distance between two vicinal pins 25 relating to the radius of disk is also equal to this distance a. The pins let serve for striking the half-hours and are placed in a circle around the spindle of hour-wheel. The radius of this circle is equal to distance between the 100 outermost pin 24% and the center of the hourwheel.

On the rack 5 is secured a spring-arm 26, the

(normal) position, as shown in Fig. 3, with the pin 17 of the brake-lever 15 engaging the rack 5, preventing it from dropping down in consequence of the inclined position of the brake-lever 15, by the running of the clockgear (not shown) the shaft 1 of the minutewheel turns with the releasing-wheel 20, whereby one of the pins 21 comes beneath and engages the pawl 18, thereby lifting the brakelever 15, so that the braking-pin 17 is drawn away from the rack 5, and the latter, together with the arm 26, descends until the head 27 of the arm 26 contacts with the shaft 2 of the hour-wheel. It will drop this distance at the twelve-oclock position. (See Fig. 1.) This movement by a pin 28, arranged at the lower left end of the rack 5, releases the arm 12 of the lifting-pawl 10, Fig. 3. This pawl would now be caused to constantly rotate by the action of the striking-gear acting upon the shaft 11, but that after a very short rotational movement the pin 13 on the arm 12 contacts with the front arm 16 of the raised brakelever 15, Fig. 1. As soon as the spindle l of the minute-wheel has turned so much farther that the pin 21 passes from under the pawl 18 the brake-lever "falls back again into its earlier position, whereby the arm 16 releases the pin 13, so that the striking-gear now comes into action. In consequence of the rotation of the shaft 11 with the wheel 10 the pin 8 is caused to engage with the uppermost tooth of the teeth 7 of the rack 5 and raises the rack by one tooth, and when the pin is withdrawn from the tooth the rack is retained in that position by the pin 17, which thus operates as a brake. This winding up of the rack takes place successively with each of the twelve notches until at last the pin 28 again comes in front of the arm 12, and so stops or brakes the striking-gear. After the accomplishment of a half-revolution of the spindle of the n'1inute-wheel (a half-hour) the second pin.21 of the releasing-wheel 20 comes into gear with the pawl 18 and effects in a similar manner a successive release of the brake-lever 15, rack 5, and striking-gear. Since, however, the divided disk 23 on the shaft of the hour-wheel has meanwhile madev one twentyfourth of a revolution, the nearest of the pins 24 lying to the left comes per 'mndicularly under the end 27 of the arm 26, and since the pin 24: is distant by the length of eleven tooth divisions of the rack 5 from the highest point of the shaft of the hour-wheel the rack 5 falls one tooth only, by reason of the end 27 of the arm 26 engaging the pin 2% in question,

and thus when the rack is raised. by one tooth the pin 28 will again come in front of the arm and stop the striking-gear. 'lhcrefi'ire when the brake-lever 15 is released the arm 26 will be allowed to fall on a nearer or on a more distant pin of the spindle of the hourwheel, and according to the distance it falls the striking-gear will remain active for a correspondingly longer or shorter time and the number of strokes will be greater or less. If it is desired to set the clock and the minutehand or the spindle of the minute-wheel be turned, (no matter in which direction,) then the pin-disk 23, fixed on the spindle of the hour-wheel, makes a COII'OSDODtllDg rotation in consequence of the wheel transmissions in the driving-gear in reduced measure, and it is enabled to do this by means of the springlike construction of the arm 26. It gives way as the striking-pins pass its end. Thus while a relative turning between the shaft of the hour-wheel or the hour-hand of the clock and the pin-disk, likewise carried on the spindle of the hour-wheel and regulating the strikinggcar, is ordinarily not possible an incorrect striking of the hour is also not possible.

The hour-wheel 22 could be substituted by the divided disk 23,\vhich in such a case would be toothed, and the head 27 must be placed on the inner side of the lever 26. The hour-wheel 22 and the divided disk 23 could also be fixed one on the other. It is clear that the arrangement could be employed also for clocks striking the quarter, in which case an extra pin must be placed on the disk 23 between each two adjacent pins 24 and A correct striking of the hour is also enabled when setting the hands during the striking of the hour. The invention is also applicable to clock-towers.

\Vhat I claim is- 1. In braking and releasing mechanism for the rack and striking-gear in rack strikingclocks,the combination of a striking-gear with a vertically-movable rack, a guide for same, a braking-lever arranged in an oblique position, means upon said lever for engaging the side of the rack and braking it in each of its positions by pressure exerted in a horizontal direction, and a bent part at the end of the said brake-lever, adapted to brake the strikinggear, substantially as described.

2. In braking and releasing mechanism for the rack and striking-gear in rack strikingclocks, the combination of a striking-gear, with a vertically-movable rack, a guide for same, a braking-lever arranged in an oblique position, a bent part at the end of said brake-lever, a disk mounted upon the spindle of the hourwheel, a set of pins projecting from said disk in a spiral line, and a second set of pins projecting from said disk in a circle, substantially as described.

3. In braking and releasing mechanism for the rack and striking-gear in rack strikingclocks,the combination of a striking-gear with a vertically-movable rack, a guide for same, a 1 also limiting its movement, substantially as disk mounted upon the spindle of the hourdescribed.

wheel, a set of pins projecting from said disk In testimony that l claim the foregoing l. in a spiral line, an arm secured to said rack have hereunto set my hand this 15th day of adapted to engage every successive half-hour June, 190st.

with one of the pins on said disk and thereby x i j T 1 w a limit the fall of the rack and a second set of LUbbBERGLR' pins pro ecting from said disk in a circle for Vitnesses:

engaging at every successive quarter-hour HERMANN HUBER,

IO with the arm projecting from the rack and. Josmrii SIMON.

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