Abstract: A device for setting the time of actuation of a buzzer or other signal generator in an alarm clock comprises a flexible stem of a manually operable knob, rotatably journaled in two mounting plates, which carries a pinion normally engaging gear teeth of a disk freely rotatable about the hour shaft of the clockwork, the disk being under axial spring pressure urging it against an adjacent hour wheel which has one or more cutouts adapted to receive respective sawtooth-shaped cams on a confronting disk face when the wheel reaches the selected angular position. The user may turn the knob in either direction to advance or delay the selected time setting, except that any delay of 12 hours or more from the time of resetting is prevented by the interengagement of a steep cam flank with an edge of the associated cutout. If the user neverless turns the knob beyond that limit, the stem yields laterally and disengages its pinion from the disk teeth to obviate any damage to the mechanism.

Abstract: An electronic clock emitting half-hourly time signals corresponding to sh' bells comprises an electromagnetic striker driven by a crystal-controlled oscillator via a multistage binary frequency divider whose last several stages, with the exception of the penultimate stage, have outputs interconnected by a logical coincidence gate to generate a succession of output pulses occurring in pairs during the first half of every cycle of a square wave emitted by the final stage. This square wave steps a motor which drives an associated clockwork entraining a multibank rotary switch and alternately closing, for short periods on the full hour and on the half hour, respective contacts which transmit the square wave to a control circuit including an electronic pulse counter.

Abstract: A rotary pendulum without time-keeping function, comprising an inertial body suspended from a clockwork housing of a preferably electronically driven timepiece through the intermediary of an elongate torsion spring, is periodically accelerated by the impact between a vane on the spring and radial camming teeth of an impeller wheel frictionally entrained on a horizontal seconds shaft of the timepiece via a spiral spring anchored to that shaft. The vane, near the upper end of the torsion spring, oscillates only through a half-cycle limited on the return swing by an abutment on the clockwork housing. The inertial body is secured to a latch member at the lower end of the torsion with the aid of a coupling ring on which a drag ring is rotatably mounted, the latter carrying a radial fin engageable with a fixed stop pin as well as with a peripheral lug on the coupling ring whereby the body can turn through almost two full revolutions before being positively arrested.

Abstract: An electronic clock emitting half-hourly time signals corresponding to the strokes of ships' bells comprises an electromagnetic striker driven by a normally blocked astable multivibrator whenever the closure of contacts operated by an associated clockwork, stepped by a crystal-controlled square-wave generator, coincides with a half-circle of predetermined polarity of the generated square wave. The multivibrator has a period of approximately 3/4 the duration of a half-circle of the square wave whereby not more than two pulses energizing the striker mechanism can be emitted by it during an unblocking half-circle so that strokes occurring at the ends of a second, third and fourth hour of a four-hour watch will appear in distinct pairs while those on the preceding half-hours will form one or more pairs followed by a single stroke after a larger time interval.

Abstract: A signal-generating system for a striker clock comprises a clockwork-driven hour disk (12) having conductor tracks which coact with respective contact springs of an hour switch (13) whose pattern of energization changes from one quarter hour to the next, thereby calling forth different numerical values which are stored in a first read-only memory (18) and determine the number of strikes to be emitted in any 15-minute interval when a switch (8) coupled with the minute shaft of the clock is briefly closed. A flip-flop (23) set upon such closure starts a periodically pulsed binary counter (25) which works into a comparator (20) also receiving the numerical value read out from the first memory (18); when the count matches that value, the comparator resets the flip-flop and the counter. The reading of the counter is further transmitted to a decoder (30) addressing a second read-only memory (31) which actuates selected sound emitters (37a-37f) the requisite number of times.

Abstract: An alarm clock has a clockwork which drives a 12-hour display and a waking contact which is settable over a 12-hour range. The contact works into a mono-flop or flip-flop to generate a signal in each successive 12-hour cycle at the time set by the contact and this signal is applied to a flip-flop which can energize a signal generator via circuitry ensuring the application of only one signal from the timing flip-flop during each 24-hour period.

Abstract: A programmer for a household appliance, such as a washing machine or a dishwasher, comprises a disk-shaped carrier 41 and a position indicator 43 synchronized therewith, the indicator working into a comparator 36 also receiving a signal pattern from a read-only memory 35 addressed by a counter 30 which advances under the control of a timing circuit. The latter comprises a frequency divider 20, driven by alternating current from a utility network, certain of whose stages work into a set of AND gates 22-24 that are unblocked by signals read out from the memory in various program phases. The incrementation of the program may be temporarily inhibited by additional logical circuitry 80-83 responsive to external parametric conditions, such as the temperature of the liquid level in the controlled appliance. Unwanted phases of a maximum program recorded on the program carrier 41 may be skipped under the control of a plug-in key card 64 or a selector switch 95.