US1042790A - Telephone-meter. - Google Patents

Description

R. B. HEAD. TELEPHONE METER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 23, 1911.

Patented Oct. 29, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

R. B. HEAD.

TELEPHONE METER.

APPLICATION IILED FEB. 23, 1911 1,042,790. Patented Oct. 29, 1912.

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RALPH B. HEAD, OF DENVER COLORADO.

TELEPHONE-METER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 29, 1912.

Application filed February 23, 1911. Serial No. 610,306.

uses wherein it is desired to place in the hands of the subscriber or user the control of the registration of the number of times he has used a certain intermittently operated utility subscribed to or rented by him.

fiche invention will therefore be described with reference with reference to its general use, as well as to its specific use, in connection with telephone systems.

The principal object of the invention when applied to a telephone system, for ex ample. is to automatically register at a given subscribers telephone each call in response to which a proper connection has been made with any telephone and refuse to register each call in response to which a proper con' nection with any telephone has not been made.

The invention therefore consists in the construction of parts and in their combination for the purpose specified substantially as hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings which form -a part of thi specification Figure 1 represents the improved meter in side eleyatien,the casing being in Vertical section; FBI. 2 1s alike view of the same showine t; 7 p

the movable parts of the meter in one {305% I lien oscupled y them during the up of the meter; Fig. 3 ,is' an underside pl themeter, ,the casing being in h g section; Fig. lig

iot' to invention resides in the construct on; and a nisterron an end elevation. of the l instrument, the casing being in transverse in the plane trolled system giving to the subscriber or user of a telephone or like instrument, the control of the registration of the number of times that he has used the telephone or like instrument. In accomplishing this there is located at the subscribers station an instru ment substantially such as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which requires that the subscriber shall set an actuating means in a certain position without operating the meter. Then when the subscriber has obtained his telephonic connection, or has accomplished. whatever other purpose be desired, overthe particular system in which the meter is incorporated, the op orator at the distant station will actuate any suitable means, preferably electromagnetic means, for releasing the actuator set by the subscriber so that it may return to normal position and in returning tonormal position actuate the counter of themeter. This invention also contemplates sounding a nal at both ends of the line when the meter has been actuated. It also contemplates the return of the actuator to normal position through the agency of the operator distant station when he has been unable to make the desired connection and without actuating the counter of the meter. This failure to get the connection will also he signified by the failure of the signals to sound. Obviously, these purposes may he accomplished by mechanisms of various signs and construction and coupled various electrical systems. In the panying drawing and in this spe" attempt will be made to disclose in d, general way an apparatus which i be capable of accomplishi ll i Y be typical of such apparatus.

lit the drawings 16 refers to any suitable form oi": case for housing the meter and its actuating parts. 11 refers to a frame mountsoconstructed to 100 ed within the casing and form a suitable support for the various parts of the metenactuating and controlling device. To one arm of this frame there are connected polarized Hectic- magnets 12 and 13, whose permanent. magnet appears at If -Tliese magnets have protruding cores or poles at 16 and 17, respectively. The frame ll has another arm 18, extending horizontally below the magnets, and at the at the forwarders-fl of this arm there is an upright 11% post 19. On this post is pivoted the arma ture of the polarized magnets. Upon the plate 20 are formed bosses 21 and 22 pitted in the usual-manner to receive the points of the pivot bearings carried by the post 19, as at 23 and 24. The lower pivot 24 is preferably formed upon a projection extending horizontally from the lower end of post 19 through an aperture '25 in'the armature 20.

This projection forms a support for the circuit maker, whose terminals are indicated at 26 and 27, respectively. To hold the armature 20 in normal position and to re turn it to said position after actuation, any suitable spring may be'used such as the areshaped plate sprin 28, secured .at its middle to the upper end 0 post 19. It is also preferable to perforate the'armature 20 for the reception of the pole-pieces 16 and 17, as

' 30 for operating the wheels of the counter the counter case.

is seen in Fig. 4, and it is actuated by the curved arm 31, pivoted to the underside of The counter 29 may be supported upon a projection of arm 18, as represented at 32. Referring to Fig. 4, it is by the swinging of arm 31 on its pivot to draw the crank 30 to the left that the counter is operated.

The' actuator ofthe meter, which is to operate the counter when the desired connectionwith the station called has been established and which has to return to normal without operating the counter when such connection has not been made, s shown in the drawings as having a carri' e 32 provided with upwardly, extending headed pro.- jections 33 and 34, the heads of which are located in run-ways formed in the lower surface of the arm 18. This run-wayopens into a bore made longitudinally of the arm 18, in which'is located a spring 35, prefer-' ably, about the core or rod 36. Extending upwardly from the headed project-ion 33 is a perforated post '37 through which the rod 36 may pass and between this post and the opposite 'end of the bore in arm 18 the spring 35 is confined. This spring, as will appear. is for the purpose of returning the carriage 32 to normal position, Fig. 1. To the fartherend of the carriage 32 there is hinged for lateral movement a spring-arm 38, which carries at its free end on a vertical axis a roller 39. The farther end-offthe arm 18 is downwardly inclined and terminates at again affect the position of the carriage no 'j matter how often it may be pressed. until when desired, shall engage with the actuating arm 31 to operate the counter. The means shown in the drawings'for driving the carriage 32 inward consists of a pushbutton 41 at the inward end of which is a rod 42 mounted to-ride through an opening in the lug 43, which extends downwardly from the arm-18 of the frame 11. A spring 40 encircles the rod 42 for returning the push-button to normal position and a screw 3 I as 44 is located in the lower endof the stud 4 3 and has its upper end extending into a slot on the underside of the rod 42 to hold the push-button in a certain fixed relation to the carriage 32. At the inner end of the push-button 41. on its upper side there is mounted a pawl 45 for engagement with the forward end of the carriage 32. This pawl 9 is mounted on a horizontal pin 46 between projections of the pushrbutton and is engaged by a spring located about. said pin, which spring. allows aside-wise movement of the pawl upon the pin 46 and also returns the pawl to the operative position seen in Fig. 1, when in the actuation of the mechanism it has been'moved from such position. To provide for the free lateral movement of the pawl 45 the aperture therein, by which it is mounted on pin 46, is vertically enlarged, at the side toward said spring, as' indicated in Fig. 8., v

It is intended that when the ush-button is pressed inward the pawl 45 shall drive in- I end of armature 20 the push-button may return to its normal position and will not the carriage shall have been returned to its normal position through the movement of the armature 20, actuated by its cont-rolling magnet's. To accomplish this a plate 47,. such as represented in detail inFig. 7, is provided. This plate has in it an L-shaped slot 48 for the reception and guidance of the pawl 45. To effect this object the guidingplate is pivoted at its inward end to a lug 49 on the stud 43 and at its outer end it is supported on a pin'50, mounted in a projection 51 from the frame 11. A spring, as 52, is mounted between the head of the pin 50 and the outer end of the plate 47 for 110M? @135 ing said plate against a lug 53, which pro jects downwardly from the carriage 32, and serves to return the plate 47 to the position such as will permit the pawl 45 to spring back into the L-shaped slot when the carriage has-been returned to normal position.

In the operation of this service-meter uponpushing the button-11 inward, pawl 45 engages with the carriage 32 and drives it forward until the wheel 39 has passed beyond the lower end of the armature and has sprung upward in position to be held by the armature 20 so long as said armature remains in normal position. As the push-button is pressed inward the pawl follows the long arm of the L-shaped slot until the wheel 39 has passed up behind the armature 20 and closed the circuit between contacts 26 and 27, when the pawl will he forced over into the short arm of the L-shaped slot by the spring upon pin 16. Then upon the release of push-button 41 its spring will return the button to normal position, Fig. 1. In this return movement the pawl 45 rides along the underside of plate 47 and will continue to ride along the underside of said plate in subsequent operation of the button until the carriage 32 has been released and returned to normal position. The carriage in returning to normal position will, by means of the lug push the plate 47 laterally at its outer end until it brings the outer end of the L-shaped slot '1 over the pawl 45, then said pawl will spin, up into said slot and be in position to age engage and drive the carriage 32.

To pita ale t'or so directing the return of the laterally mmiing arm 38 with. its projecting. actuating pin 40 in a manner such that it' connection has been made with the distant telephone it shall actuate the counter and when such connection has not been made it shall return without actuating the coun ter. means are provided for tilting the armature 20 to one magnet or the other, according to the circumstances just specified. Such tilting of the armature will permit the roller 39 to move off at one side or the other of the downward projection of the armature 20. It said roller moves ofi the plate 20, toward the side of the case where the counter 29 is mounted, then the pin 40 will in passing from position seen in .Fig. 2 engage with the curved arm 31 which in turn will swing the crank and actuate the counter. If the. roller is thrown off the lower end of plate 20 to the opposite side, then the pin will be carried past the arm 31 without actuating it, as is clearly seen from the position of parts in Figs. 3 and 4. To insure this a downwardly projecting flange 54 is provided on the inward end of the arm 18. To provide for return- 65 ing the springarm 38 into alinernent with the carriage 32 any suitable spring may be employed, such for instance as a wire 55 secured to the underside of the carriage 32 and passing at its inner end through a loop on the underside of the arm 38. t This spring will insure the proper locationof the roller upon the lower end of the armature 20 when the carriage has been pushed inward in setting the meter for actuation by the operator at the distant or central station.

Vhen the meter is used in a telephone system the circuit closed by the wheel 39 between the terminals 26 and 27 is the same circuit as that closed by the telephone book in taking down the receiver, substantially as indicated at 56. Therefore it will be seen that the subscriber in order to get his connection must set his meter in position to be actuated by the operator at central.

The control from the distant station, as has already been intimated, is by means of the polarized magnets. -This control may be effected over any suitable circuit, such, for instance, as that typified in Fig. 3, wherein at the distant station there may be located a polarity switch 56 for throwing the current either in one direction or the other from a source of current indicated at 57 through the magnets 12 and 13, depending upon whether the positive impulse is to cause the actuation of the counter or whether a negative impulse is to effect such actuation.

Any suitable connection may be made with the counter for giving a signal at. one

or both ends of the lineto'indicate the operation of the counter. The means by which this signaling may be eti'eeted is typified in Fig. 1. wherein a signal-bell is represented at the local station and another as at the distant station, the source of current being indicated at 60 and the circuit closer indicated at 61 for operation by a finger 62 carried by the crank 30 of the counter 29.

Thus it may be seen that .with an apparatus, in a telephone system, such as above outlined a telephone subscriber, for example, will have an absolute check upon the central station with respect to the number of calls with which he should he charged. No attempt has been made to illustrate this servicemeter as actually coupled into an existing telephone system, or in any other system, where service of a general utility is to be checked up, since such circuiting would depend upon the particular use to which the apparatus may be applied and is within the province of the skilled electrician.

The invention claimed is,-

1. In an electrically controlled meter, the combination with the counter, of an automatic actuator therefor, a push-button independent of the actuator for advancing said actuator to set ,itin operative position, a spring for returning the push-button alone to initial position, a pawl carried by the push-button for engagementwith the actuator and means for putting the pawl out of operation until the actuator returns to initial position.

2. In an electrically controlled meter, the combinationwith the counter, of an automatic actuator therefor, a push-button for advancing said actuator to set it in operative position, a spring for returning the pushbutton to initial position, a spring pawl on the push-button in position to engage the actuator to advance it, and a slotted guiding plate for throwing said pawl out of operative position on the return of the pushbutton to initial position.

3. In an electrically controlled meter, the combination with the, counter, of an automatic a-c tuator therefor, a push-button for advancing said actuator to set it in operative position, a spring for returning the push-button to initial position, a spring pawl on the pushbutton in position to engage the actuator to advance it, a slotted guiding plate for putting said pawl out of operative position and means moved by the actuator on its return to initial position for setting said plate into position for restoring the pawl to operative condition.

4. In an electrically' controlled meter, the

' combination with polarized .electro-magnets',

a ircuit-con troller therefor at a distant statiiin, a'tilting armature for actuation by'said' magnets, a counter, a reciprocating carriage carrying a pin for actuating said counter, manual means for advancing said carriage, automatic means for returning aid carriage, and a holding device on the carriage for engaging the tilting armature.

5. In an electrically controlled meter, the combination with polarized electro-magnets, a circuit controller therefor at a distant station, a tilting armature for actuation by said magnets, a counter, a reciprocating carriage, manual means for advancing said carriage, automatic means for returning said carriage, a spring arm hinged to said carriage, a pin carried by the free end of said arm for actuating said counter, a roller on the free endthe actuating arm of said contour, a roller' on the free end of said spring arm for engaging with said armature to hold the carriage, in advanced position, and means for guiding said pin into or out of engagement with the actuating arm of the counter when the carriage is returning toinitial position. In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' RALPH B. HEAD. Witnesses EDW. F. LARSEN, J. P. HYMER.

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