US 4,435,795 A · Celestial clock

Abstract

A clock for automatically indicating the time of day, the data of the year, the approximate time of sunrise and sunset, the approximate hours of darkness and daylight, the positions of the sun, Mercury, Venus, the earth's moon and phases of the moon, the sign of the Zodiac and degrees of arc of the sign of the Zodiac which the earth is in, all relative to the earth in a geocentric model. The clock includes a center hub representative of the earth, about which an hour disk rotates one revolution clockwise per day, a superposed data disk, an hour pointer and data pointer for indicating the hour and calendar data. The clock further includes a cam lever that oscillates about a pivot point in response to movement about a stationary cam at one end for automatically rotating Venus and Mercury indicators about a sun indicator, and automatically rotating a moon indicator about the center hub. Sun, Mercury, Venus indicators also rotate about the center hub. The clock further includes outer planet indicators which are manually movable.

Claims27

Dependent claims

A clock for indicating daily time and the relative positions of at least two celestial bodies of the earth's solar system with respect to the earth, comprising:

an axis;
a center hub representative of the earth centered on said axis;
hour indicator means rotatable about said axis one revolution per day;
sun indicator means representative of the sun rotatable about said axis one revolution per day, said sun indicator means and said hour indicator means superimposed with respect to each other, and said sun indicator means rotatable relative to said hour indicator means;
planet indicator means representative of a planet rotatable about said sun indicator means at a rate substantially equal to the planet's natural period of revolution about the sun;
and
drive means for automatically rotating said indicator means at their prescribed rates.

4 more elements

A clock for indicating daily time and the relative positions of at least two celestial bodies of the earth's solar system with respect to the earth, comprising:

an axis;
a center hub representative of the earth centered on said axis;
hour indicator means rotatable about said axis one revolution per day;
sun indicator means representative of the sun rotatable about said axis one revolution per day;
planet indicator means representative of a planet rotatable about said sun indicator means at a rate substantially equal to the planet's natural period of revolution about the sun;
and
drive means for automatically rotating said indicator means at their prescribed rates, said drive means comprising a motor having a rotating output drive gear;
an hour indicator gear in engagement with said drive gear and attached to said hour indicator means for rotating said hour indicator means about said axis;
a stationary cam positioned at said axis having a cam profile extending around said axis;
a cam lever pivotally attached to said hour indicator means at a point remote from said cam, and having a cam engaging end in driving engagement with said cam profile so that said lever undergoes oscillating movement about said pivot point in response to rotation of said hour indicator means about said axis;
a planet indicator gear train rotatable with said sun indicator means about said center hub, and including an input gear and a planet output gear connected to said planet indicator means;
and
a planet indicator drive pawl attached to said cam lever and in ratcheting driving engagement with said planet indicator input gear for incrementally rotating said planet indicator means in response to oscillating movement of said lever.

10 more elements

A clock for indicating daily time and the date of the year comprising:

an axis;
hour indicator means including an hour disk rotatable about said axis one revolution per day;
date indicator means including a date disk superposed with said hour disk and rotatable with said hour disk about said axis one revolution per day, and additionally rotatable with respect to said hour disk one revolution every 365 days;
and
a drive means for automatically rotating said disks at their prescribed rates.

2 more elements

A clock for indicating daily time, the date of the year, the relative positions of at least two celestial bodies of the earth's solar system and the earth's moon with respect to the earth, and the phases of the moon with respect to the earth comprising:

an axis;
a center hub representative of the earth centered on said axis;
hour indicator means including an hour disk rotatable about said axis one revolution per day;
date indicator means including a date disk superposed with said hour disk and rotatable with said hour disk about said axis one revolution per day, and additionally rotatable with respect to said hour disk one revolution every 365 days;
sun indicator means representative of the sun carried by said hour disk and rotatable about said axis one revolution per day;
planet indicator means representative of a planet rotatable about said sun indicator means at a rate substantially equal to the planet's natural period of revolution about the sun;
moon indicator means representative of the earth's moon rotatable about said axis at a rate substantially equal to the moon's natural period of revolution about the earth;
moon phase indicator means including a stationary mask overlying a portion of the path of travel of said moon indicator means for obscuring from view an appropriate portion of said moon indicator means to indicate phases of the moon;
and
drive means for automatically rotating said indicator means at their prescribed rates.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Celestial clock

Life of this patent

Celestial clock

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims27