United States Patent 1191

[11]

Masuyama

[45] Nov. 11, 1975

3,918,249

[54] CUCKOO CLOCK

[76] Inventor: Isao Masuyama, 5075, Ohaza,

lshioka, Ibaragi, Japan
[22] Filed:
July 26,1974
[21] Appl. No.: 492,248

[5 7]

[52]
[51]

US. Cl. .................................................. .. 58/12

Int. Cl.2 ........................................ .. G04B 21/08

[58]

Field of Search ......................... .. 58/78, 12-13

[56]

References Cited
UNITED STATES PATENTS

2574.704

11/1951

2,677,228

4/1954

Paul et al ...............

..

Paul et al .............................. .. 58/12

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS

l33247

8/1929

Primary E.\'aminerLawrence R. Franklin

Switzerland ........................... .. 58/12

ABSTRACT

A cuckoo clock having a bird-displacing mechanism

which enables a normally closed aperture to open
when the clock tolls a time and enables the birds
body to fully come out of the aperture. Said aperture
is normally covered with a plate but when the clock
tolls a time, said plate is projected outwardly in a hori
zontal plane from the casing which houses the clock
mechanism. Then. a perch plate for the bird slides for

ward in the horizontal plane, fully exposing the bird.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures

US. Patent

Nov. 11,1975

Sheet10f2

F m.

FIG. 2

~ 14

3,918,249

U.S. Patent

Nov. 11, 1975

Sheet2 0f2

3,918,249

3,918,249

shaft 15, while the other end of the rod 16 is rotatably

CUCKOO CLOCK
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In conventional cuckoo clocks, when the clock tolls
a time, the head and face of a bird appears in an aper

mounted on a crank pin 17.

As it is best seen in FIG. 3, a chain 18 1 to which the

weight 10 is secured, is trained about a chain wheel 19

5 journaled in the frame 11, the aforesaid weight 10 serv

ture provided in a cover plate of the housing of the

ing as drive for the bird 5 to move in or out of the cas

clock, with the major portion of the body of the bird

being positioned hidden inside the casing of the clock.

ing and through the aperture 3.

Rigidly mounted on the shaft of the chain wheel 19
is a gear, which is in meshing relation with a pinion 21.
Mounted on one end of the shaft of the pinion 21 is a
crank arm 22, on the other end of which is rigidly at

_ However, the bird which is always inside the clock

housing is neither attractive nor gives a sufficiently

vivid impression to a viewer. Yet, there has never here
tofore existed a cuckoo clock which enables a bird to
fully come out of the housing when the clock tolls a

tached the crank pin 17.

Rigidly mounted on the other end of the shaft of the

time.
The aim of the present invention is therefore to pro
vide greater reality to the cuckoo clock as well as pro
viding a greater attractive quality to the vclock itself.

pinion 21 is an intermediate or idler gear 23, on the re

verse side of which is attached a pin 24, as best seen in

FIG. 4.

An inverted, generally V-shaped forked bracket 25 is

rotatably mounted on the frame 11 in a manner such
that an opposite or free end of the forked ankle bracket

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention,there is provided

25 comes to bear against the pin 24. The position of the

a cuckoo clock which comprises a bird-displacing

mechanism so adapted that when a normally closed ap~

bracket 25 with respect to the intermediate gear 23 is

such that opposite ends of the forked bracket 25 are

erture is opened at the tolling or striking of time, sub

stantially the entire body of the bird is fully exposed
and is positioned outwardly of; the aperture, perching

positioned in diametrically opposite points relative to

the intermediate gear 23.
25

A Z-shaped lever 27 is mounted on a shaft 26 of the

bracket 25, and has a free end engaging an L-shaped

rocker arm component 31 by way of a channel member

itself on a cover plate which is also exposed to the out- 1

side of the aperture.

28, a vertical shaft 29 and a forked lever 30. The L

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate a preferred

30

shaped rocker armvcomponent 31 is adapted to be ac

tuated by means of a clock mechanism (not shown), at

embodiment of the cuckoo clock according to the pres

ent invention, wherein,
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the outline of
the clock of the invention;

a given time, for example, at one oclock, two oclock

or three oclock or every 30 minutes. A torsion spring

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part of

In FIG. 3, there is shown a butter?y member 33 and

32 shown best in FIG. 2 acts to normally urge the win

dow 4 in the closed position.
a whistle 34.

the clock;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the part shown in FIG.
2; and,

With the mechanism thus described, the bird 5 is

caused to move so as to appear in or disappear from the

1 FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the essential part as

aperture. The operation of the mechanism will now be

viewed in the direction of arrow 12 in FIG. 3 with por 40

described.

tions removed for clarity.

_ It is assumed that the bird 5 is initially positioned in

'

'

side the casing 1 and the window 4 is kept closed by the

spring 32, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 2. At the
preselected tolling time, usually on the hour, the rocker
arm component 31 is actuated by the clock mechanism

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 generally

represents a casing which houses therein a clock mech 45

(not shown). The movement of rocker arm component
anism, and also includes a frontal cover plate, 2 a win
31 causes the bracket 25 to move by way of the forked
dow aperture 3 in the cover plate, 2 a window 4, a bird,
lever 30, the vertical shaft 29, the channel member 28,
5 a perch plate 6 onto which the bird 5 is attached and
the Z-shaped lever 27 and the shaft 26. Thus, the pin
a clock dial plate 7.
24 is released from engagement with the end of bracket
Reference character 8 designates a first weight for
25. The weight 10 acts on the intermediate gear 23 by
actuating the hands of the clock. Reference character

9 designates a second weight for sounding a whistle at

tolling time and reference character 10 represents a
third weight for causing the bird 5 to move in and out
of the casing 1.

way of the chain wheel 19, the gear 20, and the pinion
gear 21 to turn the same.

55

Referring now to FIGS. 2 through 4, there are shown

a frame 11 attached to the casing 1, a support 12 at
tached to the frame 11, and four rollers 13 mounted on

the support 12. Therollers 13 are each provided with

an annular groove proximate the mid portion, thereof
so that the perching plate 6 for the bird 5 may slidably

22 completes a rotation through 180. Thus, the perch

ing plate 6 is urged outwardly of the aperture 3 due to

move in the horizontal direction as viewed in FIG. 2,

with its side edges engaging the grooves of the respec

tive rollers 13.

'

"

Rigidly attached to the perching plate 6 are two pro

jections 14, through which passes a shaft 15. One end
of a connecting rod 16 is rotatably mounted on the

Accordingly, when the pin 24 provided on the inter

mediate gear 23 is disengaged from the end of the
bracket 25, the intermediate gear 23 is caused to rotate
substantially through 180, and when the pin 24 on the
intermediate gear 23 engages the other end of the
bracket 25, the rotation of the intermediate gear 23 is
stopped. During the above movement, the crank arm

65

the connecting rod 16, thereby forcing the window 4

downwardly, whereby the bird 5 attached to the perch
ing plate 6 is fully exp6ed and is positioned substan
tially completely outside of the frontal cover plate 2.
This is shown by phantarn line in FIG. 2. Concurrently

3,918,249
3

position in which said bird is substantially com

with the bird-s appearance outside the aperture-3, the

whistle 34 is sounded to toll a given time;

pletely exposed exteriorly of said housing, said

plate means moving said'door means from said first

'Upon completion of the time, announcement, the,

vposition to said second position and moving said

bird through said'aperture while sliding between
said first and second positions;
drive means for reciprocally sliding said plate means

rocker arm component 31 is again actuated, tomove

the bracket 25, whereby the pin 24 is released from the

other end of. bracket 25 and the crank arm 22 rotates

nearly through 180. The rotational movement is trans-2

smittedto the connecting rod 16, whereby the connect

ing rod ,176 is actuated to retract the perching plate 6
from the aperture 3, and then the window 4 is closed
under the action of the spring 32. Thu,s,_one cycle of
advancing and retracting movement of-ythe bird 5 is
completed.

. y from said ?rst position to said second position com

prising a gear train, a rotatable crank arm con

nected at one end to a shaft of said gear train and

rotatably coupled at the other end to a ?rst end of

a connecting rod, the second end of said connect

ing rod being rotatably, coupled to said plate

.8 ._

, As is apparent from the foregoing, according to the

means;

present invention, the bird-displacing mechanism is

locking means coacting with, said gear train to permit

provided with a perching plate 6 for the bird 5, a sup.

port 12, a connecting rod 16, a crank pin, 17. and a

said crank arm to rotate through 180 increments

and to lock said gear train at the ends of said incre
ments, said ends of said increments corresponding
to said plate being positioned in said ?rst and sec
ond positions, respectively;tand
7
means for releasing said locking means at preselected

crank arm 22, in combination.

' '

Althoughvthe cuckoo clock of the present invention

is so arranged that when the bird 5 is exposed from the _

aperture 3, the whistle, 34 is sounded for tolling a time,

no description is given as to the operation of the whistle

time intervals, whereby said bird is displayed from

said'first position to said second position and back
to said ?rst position at the tolling time of said

34,,because it has no direct relation to the present in

vention.

'

The present invention utilizes a crank mechanism to 25

cuckoo clock. ,

cause theabird toadvance in or retract from the aper

ture,v However, such mechanism for displacing the bird

2. The bird displacing mechanism of claim 1, wherein

there is further included a rocker arm pivotally coupled

is not to be understood as limitatjve tothe crank mech

anism, since one may avail himself of equivalent mech

to the gear trainof the clock for angular displacement

thereby at preselected tolling times and a linkage sys

anisms, such as a pantograph mechanism, a rack and

tem comprising a forked lever in engagement with and

pinion mechanism, a spiral screw mechanism and the

driven by said rocker arm, a shaft secured to and mov

able together with said forked lever, said shaft being I

angularly movable about its own longitudinal axis, a
i What is claimed is:
I
_
_ .
slotted, channel member secured to said shaft and an
1. In a cuckoo clock, a bird-displaying mechanism
comprising:
35 ,gularly movable together with said shaft and a Z
like.

shaped lever having a ?rst end positioned in and driven

by the slot in said channel member, the opposite, sec
ond end of said Z-shaped lever being drivingly secured

a clock housing having an aperture in the 'frontwall

thereof;

,I v

door means pivotally mounted on'said front wall ad

to said locking means.

jacent said aperture to move between a ?rst posi

tion closing said aperture and a second vposition

.40

3. The bird displacing mechanism according to claim

2, wherein said locking means comprises a V-shaped
bracket secured proximate the apex thereof to said sec
ond end of said Z-shaped lever at said output end of
said linkage system and a pin integral with the portion

45

of the geartrain that is engaged and disengaged, said

opening said aperture, said door means including

means biasing said door means to said ?rst posi

tion;

'

'

a bird;

plate means supporting said bird;

pin being arranged to sequentially and alternately abut

means constraining said plate means to slide between

a ?rst position in which said bird is completely con

the two free ends of said V-shaped' bracket.

'

cealed behind said closed aperture and a'second

.50

55

60

65

>i<

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION
PATENT NO.

391F219

DATED

November 11, 1975'

INVENTOR(S) :

Isao Masuyama

It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent
are hereby corrected as shown below:

Page 1, left column, add:

-- 5g For-eign implication Priority Data

July 30, 1972

Janan Lr8~=l563

Signed and Sealed this

'
__

[SEAL]

second
I

Of March 1976
-

AIICSI.

RUTH C. MASON

Arresting Officer

C. MARSHALL DANN

Commissioner uflalents and Trademarks

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION
PATENT NO.

3918219

DATED

November 11, 1975

INVENTOR(S) :

Isao P'fa-suyaf?a

ltris certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent
are hereby corrected as shown below:

Page 1, left column, add:

-- [3-97 Foreign implication Friority Data

July 30, 1973

Janan

LLE-?ll?}

Signal and ,Scaled this

_

second Day of March 1976

[SEAL]

Attest:

RUTH C. MASON

Arresting Officer

C. MARSHALL DANN
Commissioner of Pate" is and Trademarks