U.S. patent number 3,628,322 [Application Number 05/033,369] was granted by the patent office on 1971-12-21 for biblical timepiece.
Invention is credited to Pauline M. McDuffee, Samuel E. McDuffee.
United States Patent |
3,628,322 |
McDuffee , et al. |
December 21, 1971 |
BIBLICAL TIMEPIECE
Abstract
A clock, watch or the like having a dial on which time may be
measured by the Roman system and at the same time, time may be
measured by the system laid down in the Bible. Roman time is
measured by the conventional 12-hour dial which is traversed by a
minute hand once each hour and by an hour hand twice for each 24
hours. Biblical time is measured in hours, watches, days of the
week, days of the month and months of the year, and the dial of the
invention is traversed by a plurality of hands, one of said hands
traversing the dial once each hour; another hand once each 12
hours; another hand once each 24 hours, (which are divided into 12
hours of the day and four watches of the night); by another of said
hands once each 7 days to continuously designate the current day of
a 7-day week; by another of said hands once each month to
continuously designate the current day of the month and by another
of said hands once each year to continuously designate the current
month of the year.
Inventors: |
McDuffee; Samuel E.
(Wrightwood, CA), McDuffee; Pauline M. (Wrightwood, CA) |
Family
ID: |
21870032 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/033,369 |
Filed: |
April 30, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
368/28;
968/207 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G04B
19/26 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G04B
19/26 (20060101); G04B 19/00 (20060101); G04b
019/24 () |
Field of
Search: |
;58/3-5,42.5-43,58,127 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Wilkinson; Richard B.
Assistant Examiner: Simmons; Edith C.
Claims
We claim:
1. A timepiece for keeping time by Biblical chronology
comprising:
a dial providing circular time measuring tracks including:
a day of the week track divided into seven equal parts each
designating one of the days of a week; and
a night watches and day time hours track half of which is divided
into four equal parts, each designating one of the four watches of
the evening (night), and half of which is divided into 12 equal
parts, each designating one of the 12 consecutive hours of the
morning (day or sunlight) time; and
a conventional, time regulated power driven mechanism providing a
series of hands mounted concentrically with said dial and
coordinately rotated to sweep the areas of said dial occupied
respectively by said tracks, said hands including:
a weekday indicating hand sweeping the area of said day the week
track and traversing said track one each week;
a night watches and day hour indicating hand sweeping the area of
said night watches and day time hours track and traversing said
track once each 24 hours; and
a day of the Biblical month track divided into 30 equal spaces,
each of which designates one of the days of a Biblical month of 30
days;
said mechanism including a day-of-the-month indicating hand
sweeping said day-of-the-month track and traversing said track once
each 30 days;
said hand being rotationally adjustable at the end of the month
having only 29 days, to properly start the following month by
indicating the first day thereof on said track.
2. A timepiece as recited in claim 1 wherein said dial includes
a month of the year track divided into 12 equal spaces each of
which designates one of the months of a year of 12 months, and
wherein said mechanism includes
a month of the year indicating hand sweeping said month of the year
indicating track and taking 1 year to traverse said track;
said hand being rotationally adjustable at the end of a year having
13 months, to properly start the following year by indicating the
first month thereof on said track of the Biblical year.
3. A timepiece as recited in claim 2 wherein said mechanism
includes
a Roman time hour indicating hand sweeping said Biblical month of
the year indicating track and traversing said track twice in 24
hours thus telling Roman time hours of the day
said track also bearing the names of the 12 Biblical months, said
month of the year hand thus simultaneously telling one said track
the number of Biblical name of the month of the Biblical year.
Description
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
While time has been kept by timepieces such as clocks, watches
chronometers and hour glasses from time immemorial, no timepiece
has heretofore been provided which is adapted for keeping time in
the manner laid down for man in the Holy Scriptures. We have
studied time for 20 years and have discovered that God is the
originator of a perfect timekeeping system, this system measuring
time from the first day of creation which day was called Evening
and Morning. On the fourth day, God created the Moon, Sun and Stars
for man' s use in reckoning time. This method is properly termed
solar-lunar time, or lunar-solar time.
A study of Genesis proved to us that Adam used this system and
reckoned the 930 years of his life by it. Noah also reckoned the
years of his life by this system and labored 120 years, so
measured, in preparing the Ark of safety that carried mankind from
the world that was before the flood to this world that now is.
Moses used this time reckoning system of God to bring the tribes of
Israel out of Egypt. He continued to use this system to reckon the
40 years that the children of Israel remained in the wilderness. By
this system each day was reckoned as beginning in the evening and
extending through the next morning to the following evening. The
week was reckoned as a 7 -day period including 6 secular days of
labor and a sabbath of rest. Each month had either 29 days or 30
days and each year included 12 months or 13 months depending upon
the needs of the system in which time was reckoned by the Moon and
the Sun. The Moon was appointed for setting apart seasons and
months, and ruled the evening portion of the day whereby that
portion was divided into four watches presided over by the Moon,
which is called the "lesser light."
The Sun was of course a vital part of God' s time reckoning system
and was used for signs, seasons, and days. It provided the light of
the day time (daylight) of each day and the day time was divided
into twelve hours as referred to in John, chapter 11, verse 9. It
provided reflected light for the Moon and Stars. God's
time-reckoning system made use of both the Moon and Sun.
At this waiting, by visible proof and Biblical proof, this
lunar-solar time can be found and reckoned by a timepiece as time
was kept from creation until it was lost shortly after the fall of
the temple about 70 A.D.
It is an object of the present invention to provide such a
timepiece which will enable a person to govern himself or herself
in keeping with Biblical time.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a
timepiece by which a person may constantly be reminded of the
Biblical creation week, the day of the Biblical month, the month of
the Biblical year, as well as the hour of the day time and the
portion of that hour which has expired and, during the night
portion of each day, the watch of that night and the relative
portion of that watch which has expired in the context of Biblical
teaching.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a timepiece
which will simultaneously indicate the Roman hour of the day
(divided into two 12-hour periods starting respectively at midnight
and noon) and the Biblical month of the year, by its Biblical name
in a circular track.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a face view of the preferred embodiment of the Biblical
timepiece of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a transverse diametral sectional view of FIG. 1 taken on
the line 2--2 thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As shown in the drawings, the timepiece 10 of the invention, which
may be a watch or a clock, includes a shell 11 having a dial 12 and
a transparent crystal 13. Mounted on a central shaft 14 is a hand
15, vehicle other hands 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 are mounted
respectively on tubular shafts 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29 which are
telescopically and concentrically associated with shaft 14.
The dial 12 has an outer circular track 30 which is graduated to
indicate an elapse of 60 minutes each time the hand 15 traverses
this track. In other words, the hand 15 traverses the track 30 once
each hour. Just inside the outer circular track 30 is a circular
track 31 which is graduated to indicate the passage of 12 hours
each time this track is traversed by the hand 16. Also sweeping
over the area of the track 31 is hand 20 which traverses this track
once a year and indicates by its position, any time during the
Biblical lunar year, the current Biblical lunar month of the
Biblical lunar year.
Spaced concentrically inwardly from track 31 is a circular track 32
which is divided circumferentially into 30 equal spaces bearing the
numerals from one to 30 which indicate the days of a month of 30
days. This track is swept over by hand 19 which traverses this
track once each 30 days, the position of this hand over this track
indicating the current day of the month.
Disposed just inside the track 32 is a circular track 33 the area
of which is swept over by hand 17 and which traverses track 33 once
each 24 hours. The track 33 is divided horizontally into upper and
lower semicircular halves, the upper half being divided into 12
equal spaces each of which represents one of the 12 "daytime" hours
of the day. The lower half of track 33 is divided into four equal
spaces each of which indicates one of the watches of the "night
time" hours of the day which, as indicated on the dial in FIG. 1,
are referred to as "1st Watch," "2nd Watch," "3rd Watch" and "4th
Watch," each of these watches covering one-quarter of the night
time (evening). The location of hand 17 over circular track 33 at
any time during the day or night designates the time of the day,
either in terms of the current hour of the "daytime," as referred
to in the Bible, or with reference to the current "night watch,"
and the position of hand 17 indicates which watch is current and
approximately what portion of it has already expired.
The innermost circular track 34 on dial 12 is divided
circumferentially into seven equal spaces each of which bears one
of the numerals 1 to 7 inclusive and designates one of the days of
a 7 -day week. The end of hand 18 overlies track 34 and traverses
this once each 7 days. The position of this hand over this track
indicates the current day of the Biblical week.
The shafts 14 and 25 to 29 inclusive are gear driven by a spring or
motor driven power mechanism 35 of conventional construction
mounted within the shell 11 so that said shafts rotate in
coordinately timed relation to produce the respective rates of
rotation in said shafts indicated above. The individual hands 15 to
20 inclusive are frictionally mounted on said shafts for manual
rotational adjustment as is necessary for keeping the timepiece 10
in approximate chronological harmony with lunar-solar time set by
the relative movements of the Moon and Sun.
Biblical time, which the timepiece 10 of the present invention was
conceived for keeping, divides the year into 12 months, certain of
which months are 30 days in length and other 29 days in length. The
year is made up normally of 12 of these months with the addition of
a 13th month when this becomes necessary to readjust the timepiece
10 to lunar-solar time. The timepiece 10 by virtue of the
adjustability of the hands thereof is readily adaptable to making
these adjustments.
While the invention is diagrammatically illustrated in the drawings
and refers to frictional mounting of the hands on their respective
shafts to facilitate periodical rotational adjustment of certain of
said hands as required in bringing the timepiece 10 into congruity
with lunar-solar time, it is to be understood that a more
sophisticated mechanism operated through separated conventional
setting crowns would be preferable in actual practice to effect
such adjustments.
The dial 12 of the invention also provides a circular track 36
which is concentric with and lies between tracks 31 and 32. The
track 36 divided circumferentially into 12 equal spaces, each of
which is disposed in radial alignment with one of the
circumferential spaces in circular track 31 disposed between an
adjacent pair of the hour-month designating numerals occupying
track 31.
Each of the above-mentioned spaces into which circular track 36 is
circumferentially divided is occupied by the Biblical name of the
month of the Biblical year designated by the numeral in track 31
which immediately follows, clockwise, said names in circular track
36.
Thus the hands 16 and 20, sweeping circular tracks 31 and 36 as
they do, simultaneously indicate the Roman hour of the civil day
(divided into two 12 -hour periods starting respectively at
midnight and noon) and the Biblical number of the Biblical month of
the Biblical year.
The mechanism 35 embodies conventional gear connections between
shafts 14, 25, 26, 27 28 and 29, the ratios of which are determined
by the relative respective periods of rotation of said shafts
which, of course, are identical with the periods of rotation of the
hands 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 mounted on said shafts and
described hereinabove. The provision of such gear connections
between said shafts necessary to rotate the same at the fixed
relative rates indicated is wholly within the skills of any
competent watchmaker. It is not therefore deemed essential to a
disclosure of the present invention full enough to enable a skilled
watchmaker to make the same, that this go into the details of
mechanism 35. For the watchmakers purposes, it is sufficient to
point out in the following diagram the rotational drive ratios
between the respective adjacent hand bearing shafts of the
timepiece 10.
Period of Drive Ratios Between Hand Shaft Revoltuion Adjacent
Shafts
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15 14 1 hour 12 to 1 16 25 12 hours 2 to 1 17 26 24 hours 7 to 1 18
27 7 days 30 to 7 19 28 30 days 12 to 1 20 29 12 months
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