Untitled record

No. 55,378.

Patented June 5, 1866,

G. SIMPSON.

Burglar Alarm.

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N. PETERS. Photo-Lithographer, Washington, D. C.

United States Patent Office»

GEORGE SIMPSON, OF WATERBURY, VERMONT.

IMPROVED BURGLAR-ALARM.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 55,378, dated June 5, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, George Simpson, of the town of Waterbury, in the county of Washington, in the State of Vermont, have invented a certain new and useful Pocket or Portable Burglar-Alarm; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which—

Figure 1 shows a side view or section of the apparatus for striking a light. Fig. 2 shows a plan or top view of the alarm mechanism and candle-lighting apparatus. Fig. 3 is a side view, showing a lighted taper. Fig. 4 represents the interior of a room occupied by a retired traveler on its being attempted to be entered by a burglar or assassin.

The object of my invention is to secure the life and property of persons traveling and stopping at houses among strangers, by giving instantaneous alarm and striking a light if a door or window is opened.

My invention consists in the simplified arrangement of clock-work for giving an alarm, in combination with the peculiar construction and arrangement of mechanism for lighting a taper.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will describe it in detail, referring to the drawings and the letters marked thereon.

The clock-work A consists of the plates, spring, cog-wheel a, arbor and ratchet-wheel b, check-finger c, stop d, crown-wheel e, verge/, and hammer g, the verge and hammer being both attached to one shaft, in which also there is a pin, h, to hold the clock-work wound up. This clock-work may all be contained within the circumference of an ordinary-sized watch, and, when used for my purpose, placed in a thin metal case, B, either square or oval, of sufficient size to contain it and the alarm-bell G.

On one side of the clock-work and bell is a partition, j, to divide off a narrow space, D, .into which the taper /and the apparatus K is placed for lighting it, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, which will be hereinafter more fully described.

In the center of the narrow box D, near the bottom, is placed longitudinally a straight rod, I, on which is a sliding head, E, into which is fitted a taper-holder, m, made so that it will turn down and allow the taper to be held in a horizontal position when the lid F is closed and held by the hook-catch o. When the taper i is placed in the socket of the holder m the small screw n is turned with a watch-key to hold it from pulling out as it is being withdrawn from between the plates that ignite it. To place the taper in its place to be lighted it is necessary to liberate the spring p, so as to lift the top hinged plate, q. Then, by inserting the rod H into the hole under the rod I, turn the taper down to a horizontal position and force the head E against the spiral spring r until the head passes the catch s on the end of the.lever I, where it will remain until let go by the action of the pin t on the cog-wheel a of the clock-work A. The taper i is then resting on the roughened surface of the stationary plate u. Then let the roughened surface'of the hinged plate q onto the taper, and it will be held to press lightly upon it by the spring p being placed under the pin v, the rod H being taken out and the lid F closed and held by the catch o, which is operated to open the lid F automatically by the small pin w, connected with the lever I. The clock-work being wound up with a clock-key, the hammer g is resting ou the inside of the alarm-bell C, the verge or escapement being held in the crown-wheel e by the lever K in the stud J being turned so as to hold against the pin /tin the verge-shaft.

A person being provided with the apparatus, as above described, on retiring at night in a hotel or anywhere among strangers, places the taper in'position for lighting, winds up the alarm, places the box on a chair or table near the head of his bed, and connects the lever K with the door and windows by means of a cord, •x, so that by the least opening of either it will let off the alarm, and at the same time strike a light sufficient to enable him to defend himself.

Thus it will be seen that any one provided with my simple pocket or portable burglaralarm can defend himself when exposed to house-robbers in his room at night.

I do not pretend to be the discoverer of striking a light by automatic means, nor do I claim, broadly, the invention of springing an alarm by the opening of a door or a window, for this has been done by alarm-clocks and

55',37§ by various other fixed and stationary devices; but,