(No Model.

)
J. HAMBLET.
ELECTRIC SYNOHRONIZING APPARATUS FOR TIME PIECES. .

No. 270,058. Patented Jan.2, 1883.

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By his - ?ttorneys EU/[es Elma 7

 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.
JAMES HAMBLET, OF BROOKLYN, NEYV YORK.

ELECTRIC SYNCHRONIZING APPARATUS FOR TIME-PIECES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 270,058, dated January 2, 1883.
Application ?led October 7, 1882. (No model.)

'10 all whom it may concern : I is formed into a toothed segment, (3. which en
Be it known that 1, JAMES HAMBLET, a citi gages with one of two pinions, W and W,
zen ot' the United States, residing in Brook mounted upon arbors w 20. Referring to Fig.
lyn, in the county of Kings and State of New 3, it will be seen that the axial length of the
York, have invented certain new and useful pinion W is a little more than twice as great 55
Improvements in Electric Synchronizing Ap as that of the pinion W, and that it conse
paratus for Time-Pieces, of which the follow quently extends backward a greater distance
ing is a speci?cation. than the pinion \V. The segment 0 is thus
My invention relates to a class of apparatus enabled to engage with the rear portion of the
l'O employed for synchronizing or adjusting to the pinion W without coming in contact with'the' to
correct time, at determinate intervals, each one pinion WV. Two radial arms, D D,'carrying
of a series of time-pieces provided with simi' upon their respective extremities horizontally
lar apparatus, all of which apparatus is united projecting pins (Z d, are rigidly attached to
by'electric conductors with a central or con the respective outwardly-ptojecting ends of
trolling station, where, at the completion of a the arbors to and 20, upon which the pinions 65
predetermined period of time, (usually at the are rigidly mounted. The relation of the di
expiration of every hour,) the electric circuit ameter ot' the pinions \V and \V to the length
is momentarily closed, either manually by a of the lever B should be such. as, to enable the
key or other circuit-closer operated by an at former to complete about one-ninth ot' a revo
20 tendant or automatically by means of a pri lution when acted upon by the segment 0, as 70
mary standard clock or regulator, some por hereinafter described,so that when the arm 1)
tion of which is arranged to temporarily close is in its normal position, as shown in the draw
the circuit at the proper time. The momentary ings, the minute-hand H ol" the clock may
closing of the circuit causes the synchronizing
freely pass beneath it.
apparatus of each secondary clock or time The operationof the apparatus is as follows:
piece to automatically adjust its minute-hand The proper time having arrived for the simul
to the zero-point upon the clock~dial, denoting taneous adjustment of the series of clocks,the
the completion of the hour, in casethe same electric circuit connected with the synchroniz
has deviated from its proper position. ing apparatus of the secondary clocks is closed
30 .The particular subject-matter claimed as either by an attendant at the central station
' new is speci?cally pointed out in the claims at or automatically by means of a standard clock,
the end of this speci?cation. some part of the mechanism of which is ar
In the accompanying drawings, illustrating ranged to close the circuit at the proper time,
my invention, Figure l is a front elevation, ' in a manner well understood. The current
and Fig. 2 a side elevation, of the apparatus thus transmitted traverses the coils of the elec 55
at each sub-station. Fig. 3 is a detached view, tro-magnet A, causing it to attract the arma
showing certain details of construction. ture a, carrying with it the lever B to the po
' In the ?gures, A represents a wooden or sition shown in dotted lines. This movement
metallic box or case situated above the clock of'the lever 13 causes, through the instrumen
.40 dial, within which the synchronizing appara tality ot' the segment 0, the pinions \V and i
tus is inclosed. to rotate upon their axes through a distance
A is an electromagnet included, together equal to about one-ninth of a complete revo
with the corresponding clocks, in the series in lution. The arms D and D, attached to said
an electric circuit formed by the wires 0 e. pinions, are thus carried downward and to
45 B is a lever fnlcrumed at I), which carries ward each other into the position shown in dot 95
the armature a of the electro-magnet A, and ted lines. It the minute-hand H ltas not de
is normally held against the adjustable stop viated more than one minute from the correct
B, with the armature a away from the poles of time in the course of its last revolution, and
the magnet A, by the tension of the spiral hence has not reached, or else has passed, the
50 spring 0. The lower extremity of the lever B zero-point upon the clock-dial, one of thcpins
 3 270,058

d or d, accordingly as the position of the hand combination, substantially as hereinbeiore set so

is fast or slow, will move the hand to the zero forth, of the pinions, the projecting arms, and
point. The circuit at the central station, hav the lever for causing the rotation of said pin
ing been momentarily closed, is again inter ions.
rupted, the cores of the electro-magnet A are 2. In a clock-synchronizing apparatus, the
demagnetized, the mechanism returns to its combination, substantially as hereinbet'ore set 35
normal position by the tension of the retractile forth,of the pinions, the arms rigidly attached
spring 0, and the minutehand H is allowed to to said pinions respectively, and the pins re
continue its movement by the ordinary action spectively attached to and horizontally pro
of the clock mechanism, having been adjusted jecting from said arms. v
to the correct time. 3. In a elock-synchronizing apparatus, the
.If it is desired to conceal the movement of combination, substantially as hereinbefore set
the arms D and D, a duplicate minute-hand forth, ot' the electro-magnet and its armature,
maybe made to revolve behind the dial, and the lever actuated by said armature, and pro
I coincident with the hand upon the face, and vided with a segment, the pinions receiving
this may be acted upon by the synchronizing motion from said segment, the arms rigidly 45
mechanism, in the same manner as the hand H attached to said pinions respectively, and the
upon the face of the dial. pins respectively attached to and horizontally
It is obvious that frictional pinions and a projecting from said arms for embracing the
20 segment having a frictional periphery may be minute-hand of a clock or time-piece and ad
employed in place of the toothed pinions and justing it to its proper position. 50
segment shown in the drawings; and also that In testimony whereof I have hereunto sub
the pinions may be so constructed and mounted scribed my name this 4th day of October, A.
as to be actuated by a suitable system of bands D. 1882. '
operated by the armature-lever, Without essen J AM ES II A M B'lilil'i.
tially departing from the principle of my in
vention. ' Witnesses:
I claim as my invention DANIEL W. EDGECOMB,
1. In a clock-synchronizing apparatus, the CHARLES A. TERRY.