US 4,421,421 AGranted

Kinetic clock sculpture

OwnerGordon E. Bradtinventor

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Abstract

A time keeping clock that includes a kinetic clock sculpture arrangement in which the clock comprises the usual minute and hour hands journalled for rotation in clockwise directions about a common axis, and a time keeping mechanism for driving said minute and hour hands to keep time, with the clock including a kinetic sculpture arrangement comprising a relatively large, medially located, kinetic sculpture drive gear wheel that is vertically disposed and has its axis of rotation disposed horizontally and paralleling that of the common axis of the clock minute and hour hands, one or more driven gear wheels that are of a diameter which is relatively small as compared to that of the drive wheel gear, and which are disposed in coupled rotation to the drive gear wheel at spaced locations thereabout, with several of said driven gear wheels each driving a separate crank about a horizontal axis, and a drive gear wheel actuated mechanical linkage of miniature stick figure form articulated to each of the said cranks, with each of the said linkages being disposed in upright relation adjacent to and at the level of the crank to which same is articulated, with the stick figure linkages being contoured, anchored, and articulated in place for simulating front to back human like motion involving a rotation of the cranks, suggestive that they are assisting in driving the time keeping mechanism, with the kinetic sculpture also including drive gear wheel actuated cam arm and rocking beam arrangements to which similar stick figure linkages located at various positions about the clock are articulated for the same purpose.

Claims21

Dependent claims

In a clock including minute and hour hands journalled for rotation in clockwise directions in vertical planes about a common axis, that is horizontally disposed and and extends normally of said vertical planes and of the action of gravity, and a timekeeping mechanism means for simultaneously driving said minute and hour hands at 1/60 rpm and 1/170 rpm, respectively, about said common axis, including a drive shaft therefor, means for rotating said drive shaft about its axis to drive same, and driving and driven gear wheel means intercoupled with said drive shaft and said minute and hour hands respectively for rotating same about their said common axis at their said respective speeds in said clockwise direction,

the improvement comprising a kinetic sculpture arrangement therefor comprising:
a drive gear wheel having an axis of rotation paralleling that of said common axis and driven by the drive shaft and about said axis of said drive gear wheel,
a driven gear wheel journalled for rotation about its axis and being coupled to said drive gear wheel for rotation thereby,
said kinetic sculpture arrangement driven gear wheel rotationally driving a crank about a horizontal axis, to move up and down in one direction in a circular path that is vertically disposed,
said drive gear wheel being relatively large and said driven gear wheel being relatively small,
and a drive gear wheel actuated mechanical linkage of miniature stick figure form articulated to said crank whereby said crank and said linkage comprise a kinetic sculpture device,
said linkage defining a stick figure comprising:
a stick figure body including a head at one end thereof, a shoulder cross pin carried by said body adjacent said head, and a hip cross pin paralleling said shoulder cross pin and carried by said body at the other end thereof,
a pair of stick figure arms carried by said shoulder cross pin, one on either side of said body, and at like ends of said arms,
and a pair of stick figure legs carried by said hip cross pin, one on either side of said body, and at like ends of said legs,
with the said linkage being disposed in upright relation adjacent to and at the level of said crank and having the other ends of said stick figure legs thereof anchored below said crank and the other ends of said stick figure arms being articulated to said crank for following the rotation of same about said circular path,
said crank having a throw leverage that is a fraction of the radius of said kinetic sculpture arrangement drive gear wheel but exceeds that of said kinetic sculpture arrangement driven gear wheel,
and with said stick figure body, arms, and legs of said linkage being contoured, anchored and articulated in place for simulating front to back human like motion, in following the rotation of said crank about said circular path, suggestive of that said stick figure is assisting in driving said timekeeping mechanism means.

10 more elements

In a clock including minute and hour hands journalled for rotation in clockwise directions in vertical planes about a common axis, that is horizontally disposed and extends normally of said vertical planes and of the action of gravity, and a timekeeping mechanism means for simultaneously driving said minute and hour hands at 1/60 rpm and 1/720 rpm, respectively, about said common axis, including a drive shaft therefor, means for rotating said drive shaft about its axis to drive same, and driving and driven gear wheel means intercoupled with said drive shaft and said minute and hour hands respectively for rotating same about their said common axis at their said respective speeds in said clockwise direction,

the improvement comprising a kinetic sculpture arrangement therefor comprising:
a drive gear wheel having an axis of rotation paralleling that of said common axis and driven by the drive shaft and about said axis of said drive gear wheel,
a plurality of driven gear wheels journalled for rotation about substantially horizontal axes and respectively coupled to said drive gear wheel for rotation thereby,
each of said kinetic sculpture arrangement driven gear wheels rotationally driving a separate crank about a horizontal axis, to move up and down in one direction in a circular path that is vertically disposed,
said drive gear wheel being relatively large and said driven gear wheels being relatively small and disposed in coupled relation to said drive gear wheel at spaced apart positions thereabout,
said separate cranks each having articulated to same its own drive gear wheel actuated mechanical linkage of miniature stick figure form whereby each said crank and said linkage thereof comprise a kinetic sculpture device,
said linkages each defining a stick figure comprising:
a stick figure body including a head at one end thereof, a shoulder cross pin carried by said body adjacent said head, and a hip cross pin paralleling said shoulder cross pin and carried by said body at the other end thereof,
a pair of stick figure arms carried by said shoulder cross pin, one on either side of said body, and at like ends of said arms,
and a pair of stick figure legs carried by said hip cross pin, one on either side of said body, and at like ends of said legs,
said cranks each having a throw leverage that is a fraction of the radius of said drive gear wheel but exceeds that of the driven gear wheel driving same,
said kinetic sculpture devices each further comprising:
said linkage thereof being disposed in upright relation adjacent to and at the level of the crank thereof, and having the other ends of said stick figure legs thereof anchored below said crank thereof, and the other ends of said stick figure arms being articulated to said crank thereof for following the rotating of same about said circular path thereof,
and with said stick figure body, arms and legs of the respective kinetic sculpture devices being contoured, anchored and articulated in place for simulating front to back human like motion, in following the rotation of the said crank to which same is articulated, suggestive of that said stick figures are assisting in the driving said timekeeping mechanism means.

11 more elements

In a clock including minute and hour hands journalled for rotation in clockwise directions in vertical planes about a common axis, that is horizontally disposed and extends normally of said vertical planes and of the action of gravity, and a timekeeping mechanism means for simultaneously driving said minute and hour hands at 1/60 rpm and 1/720 rpm, respectively, about said common axis, including a drive shaft therefor, means for rotating said drive shaft about its axis at a speed on the order of 4 rpm, and driving and driven gear wheel means intercoupled with said drive shaft and said minute and hour hands respectively for rotating same about their said common axis at their said respective speeds in said clockwise direction,

the improvement comprising a kinetic sculpture arrangement thereof comprising:
a drive gear wheel driven by the drive shaft and about the axis of said drive gear wheel,
said drive gear wheel being vertically disposed whereby said axis thereof is horizontally disposed,
a plurality of cam studs carried by said drive gear wheel on one side thereof in substantially parallel, equally spaced, relation about the circumference of said drive gear,
said cam studs paralleling said drive gear wheel axis and being in coplanar relation in a plane paralleling said drive gear wheel,
and a cam arm disposed in said plane in overlying relation to said cam studs and having one end of same anchored for pivotal movement about an axis extending normally of said plane and spaced to one side of said drive gear wheel beyond said circumference thereof,
said cam arm having the other end of same extending to the other side of said drive gear,
said cam arm being supported against gravity by one or more of said cam studs and oscillated in said plane about said axis thereof by said drive gear wheel cam studs consecutively camming same as said drive gear wheel rotates,
and at least one cam arm actuated mechanical linkage of miniature stick figure form articulated to said cam arm whereby said cam arm and said cam arm actuated linkage comprise a kinetic sculpture device,
said cam arm actuated linkage defining a cam arm actuated stick figure comprising:
a stick figure body including a head at one end thereof, a shoulder cross pin carried by said cam actuated linkage body adjacent said head thereof, and a hip cross pin carried by said cam actuated linkage body at the other end thereof and paralleling said shoulder cross pin thereof,
a pair of stick figure arms carried by said cam actuated linkage body shoulder cross pin, one on either side of said body, and at like ends of said arms thereof,
and a pair of stick figure legs carried by said cam arm actuated linkage body hip cross pin, one on either side of said body thereof, and at like ends of said legs thereof,
with the said cam arm actuated linkage having the other ends of the stick figure legs thereof anchored below the heads thereof, and the other ends of the stick figure arms thereof being articulated to said cam arm for following said oscillations of same about said cam arm one end pivot axis,
and with said stick figure body, arms and legs of said kinetic sculpture device being contoured, anchored and articulated in place for simulating front to back human like motion, in following the oscillations of said cam arm, suggestive of that it is assisting in driving said timekeeping mechanism means.

12 more elements

In a clock including minute and hour hands journalled for rotation in clockwise directions in vertical planes about a common axis, that is horizontally disposed and extends normally of said vertical planes and of the action of gravity, and a timekeeping mechanism means for simultaneously driving said minute and hour hands at 1/60 rpm and 1/720 rpm, respectively, about said common axis, including a drive shaft therefor, means for rotating said drive shaft about its axis at a speed on the order of 4 rpm, and driving and driven gear wheel means intercoupled with said drive shaft and said minute and hour hands respectively for rotating same about their said common axis at their said respective speeds in said clockwise direction,

the improvement comprising a kinetic sculpture arrangement therefor comprising:
a drive gear wheel driven by the drive shaft and about the axis of said drive gear wheel,
a driven gear wheel journalled for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis,
means for coupling said driven gear wheel to said drive gear wheel for rotation thereby,
said kinetic sculpture arrangement driven gear wheel driving a crank about a horizontal axis, to move up and down in one direction in a circular path that is vertically diposed,
a pair of rocking beams mounted above said drive gear wheel in spaced apart relation for swinging movement about a horizontal axis paralleling said driven gear wheel axis and disposed in a vertical plane that includes said drive gear wheel axis,
said rocking beam axis being intermediate the opposite ends of the respective rocking beams,
linkage means articulated between said crank and said beams for swinging the latter about said axis thereof on rotation of said drive gear wheel,
and a rocking beam actuated mechanical linkage of miniature stick figure form disposed adjacent said rocking beams and actuated by said swinging of said beams whereby said beams and said linkage comprise a kinetic sculpture device,
said rocking beam actuated linkage defining a rocking beam actuated stick figure comprising:
a stick figure body including a head at one end thereof, a shoulder cross pin carried by said rocking beam actuated linkage body adjacent said head thereof, and a hip cross pin carried by said rocking beam actuated linkage body at the other end thereof and paralleling said shoulder cross pin thereof,
a pair of stick figure arms carried by said rocking beam actuated linkage body shoulder cross pin, one on either side of said body thereof, and at like ends of said arms thereof,
with said rocking beam actuated linkage being disposed adjacent and below like ends of the respective beams, with the stick figure legs thereof anchored below same and the other end of at least one of the stick figure arms thereof being articulated to one of said like ends of the respective beams for following the oscillation of same,
and with said stick figure body, arms, and legs of said kinetic sculpture device being contoured, anchored, and articulated in place for simulating front to back human like motion, in following the oscillations of said one rocking beam, suggestive of that it is assisting in driving said timekeeping mechanism means.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.