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US 4,723,232 AGranted
Pendulum indicator horological device
OwnerWilliam B. Beebeinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A clock is provided with a pendulum suspended generally upwardly from the face of the clock and an electromagnet means is provided adjacent to the periphery of the face to catch and hold the pendulum bob momentarily to indicate at least one aspect of the time such as the minutes past the hour. Preferably the electromagnet is carried on a rotating support progressively around the peripheral portion of the clock face to alter the time indication. A lighted hand may be used to indicate the time in hours. In some embodiments the pendulum may swing outwardly beyond the face of the clock.
Claims35
A time keeping device comprising:
- (a) a surface incorporating time sequence indicia,
- (b) a pendulum bob suspended from a support positioned upwardly of the indicia incorporating surface, said pendulum bob being formed from a magnetizable material,
- (c) electromagnetic means positioned adjacent a peripheral portion of said time sequence indicia incorporating surface in a position to influence the end of an oscillation of said pendulum,
- (d) means to effectively move the electromagnetic field of said electromagnetic means along said indicia incorporating surface, and
- (e) means to activate the electromagnetic means when the pendulum means is near one end of its oscillation and substantially adjacent to a time indicia and to deactivate said electromagnetic means after a predetermined period to allow the pendulum bob to continue its oscillation.
2 more elements
A time keeping device comprising:
- (a) a time indicating clock face,
- (b) a clock mechanism having hour indicator means and minute indicator means,
- (c) a pendulum bob suspended from a fixed point located above said mechanism, said pendulum bob adapted to swing freely from said fixed point in an oscillatory fashion,
- (d) means to rotate said hour indicating means and said minute indicator means adjacent to said time indicating clock face, and
- (e) magnetic means to attract said pendulum bob to a position over one of said indicator means, to hold said pendulum bob in said position and to release said pendulum bob from said position.
2 more elements
A time keeping device comprising:
- (a) clock mechanism having a clock face, hour indicator means and minute indicator means,
- (b) means to drive said hour indicator means and said minute indicator means with respect to said clock face,
- (c) a pendulum bob suspended from a point fixed above said clock mechanism and adapted to swing freely from said fixed point in an arc which nearly brushes the surface of the clock face, and
- (d) magnetic means to repeatedly and in sequence
- 1. attract said pendulum bob to one of the said indicator means,
- 2. capture said pendulum bob within the magnetic field created about said magnetic means,
- 3. hold said pendulum in a position in front of the clock face at a point substantially in front of said indicator means, and
- 4. release said pendulum bob from said position.
5 more elements
A method of indicating the progression of time with a pendulum comprising:
- (a) moving an electromagnet in a path adjacent to a linearly extended time indicia at a predetermined rate,
- (b) oscillating a magneticaly permeable pendulum bob substantially transversely of said extended time indicia,
- (c) periodically activating said electromagnet from a power source to attract said electromagnet to a position adjacent to said time indicia,
- (d) maintaining activation of said electromagnet for a predetermined time period and with a strength sufficient to stabilize said pendulum bob in a substantially motionless position adjacent said electromagnet at least momentarily, and
- (e) deactivating said electromagnet after stabilization of said pendulum bob to allow the pendulum bob to swing away from said electromagnet in a substantially straight trajectory reoriented with respect to said time indicia with respect to its previous oscillatory trajectory.
2 more elements
A time keeping device comprising:
- (a) a surface incorporating spacially extended time indicia,
- (b) a pendulum bob suspended from a point fixed above the spacially extended time indicia surfaces,
- (c) electromagnetic means to:
- (i) attract said pendulum bob toward the time indicia,
- (ii) capture said pendulum bob within the magnetic field created about said electromagnetic means,
- (iii) hold said pendulum in a position adjacent to an indica of said extended indicia,
- (iv) release said pendulum bob from said position,
- (d) repeat step (c) repeatedly and in sequence at serially spaced locations along the time indicia.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.