US326743A - Safety-check for music-boxes - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

0. H. JAOOT.

SAFETY CHECK "FOR MUSIC BOXES.

Patented Sept. 22, 1885.

WITNESSES [NVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE-O O. HENRY J ACOT, OE HOBOKEN, NE\V JERSEY.

SAFETY-CHECK FOR MUSIC-BOXES.

QPECIPICATION 'formi 1g part of Letters Patent No. 326,743, dated September 22, 1885.

Application filed April 23, 1885. (N0 model) T 0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES HENRY J ACOT, of Hoboken, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Safety-Checks for MusicBoXes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a part of a musicbox to which my improvement has been applied, parts being broken away. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same, parts being broken away. Fig. 3 represents a modified form of a ratchet-wheel, shown in connection with its gear-wheel and paw], the shafts being shown in section. V

The object of this invention is to provide automatic safety-checks for musicboxes, by the use of which the cylinder will be stopped and held should it escape from the control of the escapement by accident, or when the said escapement is being adjusted or disconnected, the said cylinder being thus prevented from being revolved so rapidly by the spring as to expose the pins and the teeth of the comb to the danger of being broken or otherwise injured.

The invention consists in the combination, with the cylinder-shaft of a music-box, of a ratchet-wheel, and a double pawl having a weighted arm, whereby the said shaft will be stopped and held should its speed be unduly increased, as will be hereinafter fully described.

A represents the bed-plate. B is the drum containing the driving-spring 0, attached to the shaft D, which revolves in bearings at tached to the bed-plate A, and which is turned to wind up the spring 0 by a crank, E, working loose upon the shaft D, and connected therewith by a pawl, F, and ratchet-wheel G, so that the said crank in its forward movement will carry the said shaft with it, but can be moved back without turning the shaft.

To the shaft D is attached a larger gearwheel, H, the teeth of which mesh into the teeth of the pinion-wheel I, attached to the shaft J. The shaft J revolves in bearings attached to the bed-plate A, and upon it is placed the cylinder K, to which are attached the pins L that operate the teeth of the comb M attached to the bed-plate A. To the other end of the shaft J is attached a large gearwheel, N, which is connected by a train of gear-wheels, O, with and drives the escapement-fans P, that control the speed of the mechanism.

The shaft J is made to carry the cylinder K with it in its revolution by a pin, Q, attached to the gear-wheel N, and which enters a perforation in the end of the said cylinder.

To the inner side of the gear-wheel N is pivoted a wheel, It, having upon its side as many inclines or shoulders as the instrument is constructed to play airs, and against which rests an inclined projection, S, attached to the end of the cylinder K, so that the said cylininder can be adjusted to change from one air to another by turning the said wheel R.

The mechanism for turning the wheel R is not shown in the drawings, as there is nothing new in its construction or operation. The cylinder K is held forward, holding the projection S against an incline of the wheel R by a spiral spring, T, placed upon the shaft J, and interposed between the end of the cylinder K and the pinion-wheel I. In the outer side of the gear-wheel N, near its rim, is formed an annular groove, U, having a recess, V, in the shoulder at its inner side.

To the bearing of the fan-driving gear wheels 0, or other convenient support,is pivoted the three-armed lever W, one arm of which is provided with a laterally-projecting pin, X, which enters the groove U, and at each revolution of the cylinder K, and thus at the completion of each air drops into the recess V and stops the movement of the said cylinder. The second arm of the lever W projects into such a position that the slight rise of the said arm caused by the dropping of the pin X into the recess V will cause the said arm to engage with a radial pin, Y, attached to the fan-shaft, and thus stop the fans.

Z is a spring which presses against an arm of the lever NV in such a direction as to cause the pin X to drop into the recess V when the revolution of the gear-wheelN brings the said recess opposite the said pin. The third arm in the construction or operation of the mechanism.

To the outer side of the gear-wheel N, or to the cylinder-shaft J, is attached or upon it is formed a ratchet-wheel, b, which can be made with teeth, as shown in Fig. 2, or can be formed by attaching a circle of pins to the said gear-wheel, as shown in Fig. 3.

To the bearing for the shaft J or other suitable support is journaled a pawl, c, which is made with a hook, arm, or shoulder, (1, upon its lower part, and projecting nearly at right angles with the upper or main part or arm, 0, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

To the double pawl a d or to its journal is attached a weighted lever, e, of sufficient gravity to swing the said pawl back when the hook d is released from a tooth or pin of the ratchet-wheel b by the forward revolution of the said wheel. I

If desired, the weighted. lever 6 can be replaced by a spring as its mechanical equivalent.'

With this construction, when the mechanism is running at its ordinary speed, each tooth of the ratchet-wheel b strikes the lower arm, d, of the pawl c, and swings the upper arm of the said pawl inwardin front of a succeeding tooth of the said ratchet-wheel, but releases the said arm d before the said tooth of the ratchet-wheel 1) comes in contact with the said upper arm of the pawl, when the said pawl is instantly returned to its normal position by the weighted lever e, or an equivalent spring; but should the cylinder escape from the control of fan-escapement the rapid movement of the said cylinder will bring the tooth of the ratchet-wheel b in contactwith the upper arm of the pawl before the said arm can be withdrawn from the sweep of the said tooth, and the ratchet-wheel b, and with it the cylinder-shaft J, will be stopped and held until the mechanism can be put in order.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The combination, with the cylinder-shaft of a music-box, of a ratchet-wheel, b, and a double pawl, c d,having a weighted arm, substantially as herein shown and described. whereby the said shaft will be stopped and held should its speed be unduly increased, as set forth.

O. HENRY J ACOT.

Images