US155031A - Improvement in watch-regulators - Google Patents

Description

F. KEEPING.

Watch-Regulators.

No.155,03l. Patented Sept.15,1874.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FOSTER KEEPING, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATCH-REGULATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 155,031, dated September 15,1874; application filed June 13, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FOSTER KEEPING, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Balance-Spring- Regulating Attachment forWatches, of which the following is a specification:

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents a top view of a watch mechanism with my balance-spring-regulating attachment applied thereto, and Fig. 2 is a side view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The object of my invention is to provide for watches an attachment for regulating the balance-spring in connection with -the hands in exact proportion to the distance towhichthey;

are moved forward or backward on the dial, so as to admit thereby the mechanical regulatin g of the watches without opening the inner cap and interfering with the interior part of the watch mechanism. My invention consists of a pinion which is keyed to'the sethand square, for gearing with an intermediate spur-wheel at the end of a spring slide-piece when the same is carried forward, which wheel gears also with a sector-shaped wheel of the balance-spring, for regulating the same by turning the hand-square.

In the drawing, A represents any watch mechanism, whether of a cylindrical, stemwinding, or other construction. A small pin ion, B, is keyed on the set-hand square, and intermeshes with a gear-wheel, O, turning on a shaft applied at the end of a slide piece, D, when the same is carried toward the pinion. Slide-piece D is guided by slots a on screws .or lugs 11 of hand-square bar'D its opposite end being extended to the outside of the watch-case and acted upon by a band-spring, D which forces it away from the arbor-pinion B, until the pressure of the springis overcome and the intermeshing of pinion B and gear-wheel 0 produced. Gear-wheel O intermeshes also with a toothed sector, E, to which the balancespring is attached in the customary manner by studs. WVhen, therefore, the slide-piece is carried forward and the hands turned ,byrthe key, pinion B causes the turning of wheel 0, and of sector-wheel E. When the watch is running too fast or too slow, the balance-spring may be regulatedrsimultaneously with the setting of the hands to the correct timeand 'in' exact proportion thereto. In this manner, every person, whether conversant with the regulating mechanism of a watch or not, may readily, and without any danger ofinjuring the delicate parts of the work, produce'the regulation of the balancespriug, and thereby that of the watch, by

.simply pressing on the slide end and setting the hands in forward or backward direction. The sector shape of the wheel prevents injury to the spring, as it allows only the gearing and regulating to a certain degree, being thrown out of gear to either side when, by accident or mistake, the slide-piece is pressed forward and too greata distance of the hands set on the dial. In this case the carrying back of the sector to its intermeshing position with the slide-wheel is required.

Instead of slide gear-wheel, any other suitable iutermediate device for adjusting the balancespring may be used, provided the communication of the hand-arbor with the balance sector-wheel is established.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent A regulator for watches, composed of a spring slide-piece, carrying gear-wheel intermeshing with toothed sector of balance-sprin g, and with pinion attached to set-hand square, substantially as herein described.

FOSTER KEEPING.

Witnesses:

T. B. MosnER, ALEX. F. RoBER'rs.

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