US121971A - Improvement in protective electric telegraphs - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATEs PATENT OFFICE,

JOSEPH W. STOVER, OF BOSTON, AND MOSES G. CRANE, OF NEWTON, MASS.

IMPROVEMENT IN PROTECTIVE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHS.

Specification forming part of Leiters Patent No. 121,971, dated December 19, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOSEPH YV. STOVER, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk, and MOSES G. CRANE, of Newton, in the county oi' Middlesex, all in the State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Protective Telegraphs 5 and we do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with the drawing which accompanies and forms part of this specitication, is adescription of my invention sutiicient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

Our invention relates to the organization of a protective telegraphic alarm system, designed particularly for use in protecting banks and other depositories of money and valuables from the operations ot' burglars and for enabling alarms to be given from such buildings, through a system common to all, to a central or other policestation. Our invention consists, primarily, in a system of telegraph-wires running from buildings to be protected to 011e or more police or other stations, and forming metallic circuits by being turnished with battery-power from a central point, each building having, in addition to its connection with the main circuit, a local battery or batteries for local circuits within the building, there being combined with such main and loca-l circuits, and within each building to be protected, an automatic signalbox containing clock-work actuated by a spring, and arranged to actuate a rotating electric-circuit breakin g-wheel (connected with the main circuit) to open and close the main circuit a definite number otl times, dependent up4 on the location of the box, the clock-work being alternately held and released by an electro-magnetic armature connected with the local circuit. The wires oi`- each local circuit extend around the room or building' to be protected, in accordance with the exigencies oi' each particular building, so that, for instance, the pressure ofthe foot upon certain parts of the tloor, the opening otl a window or door, the displacement ot' particular pieces ot' turniture, or other irregular or unauthorized movements or actions will break the circuit and set the alarm in motion, by releasing the armature of the automatic box, the alarm being silently but with certainty communicated through the main circuit to the central. or police station, an electro or mechanical gong-striker being at such station and being automatically struck in accordance with the number of the box from which an alarm may be given.

The drawing represents at A the interior mechanism of a signal-box, and at B the connections oi' the wires vforming the main and local circuits.

a denotes the box, b, the magnet of the local circuit, c c, the wires, and c the battery thereof. j denotes the armature ot' the local-circuit magnet. The circuit is kept, normally, closed and the armature drawn up to the magnet 5 but it' the circuit be in any way broken the released armature will be drawn from the magnet by a spring, g. The magnet is connected with a clockwork or gear and escapement-train, h, which is actuated by a wound spring, '17, wound up by an arbor, It, this mechanism carrying a rotary main-circuit breaking-and-closing insulated wheel, Z, upon or in the metallic periphery of which are insulated spots or breaks m. This wheel is connected with the main-circuit wires a by spring-iingers o, which bear upon the periphery, and as the wheel is rotated the main circuit is intermittently broken and closed in accordance with the number of breaks in the wheel, which number indicates the number ot' the box, each break of the main circuit causing the gong at the central or police station to be once struck, and the number ot' breaks in the wheel indicating the number of breaks th at must occur in the main circuit, (for whenever the local circuit is broken the wheel Z makes a complete rotatioin) and the consequent and correspending number of blows that must be given to the gon The retraction ofthe armature by the spring releases the clock-work, and the restoration oi'l Athe local circuit, by the removal of the cause which broke it, again causes the circuit to be closed, the magnet attracting the armature and bringing a stop-pin, p, extending from the armature-lever into a position to be struck by a pin, e, extending from the geanwheel y, when, in the course of rotation of said wheel, the two pins come together. When the local circuit is broken the movement ot' the armature-lever, effected by the spring g, carries the pin p below the pin z, and the released gear-train is then set in motion by the stress of the spring. The wires of the local circuit or circuits extend through the building or rooms to be protected, with connections with such doors, windows, iioors, or other parts to be guarded, in such manner that irregular or unauthorized entrance or movement ofthe guarded parts shall interrupt the connection and break the circuit. In the daytime, or when it is unnecessary or inconvenient to have the local circuit connect with the alarm mechanism, it or any part of it may be cut out7 by means of a switch, q, by which the local current may be confined to the immediate battery and magnet. The closed condition of the local circuit lmay always be known by the position of the armature. To know the condition-of the main circuit a test-magnet, r, may be used, with a gong, s, and an armaturelever, t, and test-switch u. When the test-switch is thrown into connection with the test-circuit wires o a connection will be formed between the magnetic coil w and the main-circuit wires, causing the magnet r to attract the armature-lever t and the hammer w to strike the gong or bell. A galvanometer may be placed in the mainv circuit and within the building to be protected, such galvanometer indicating at all times the electrical condition of the line and the strength of the battery circuit. A thermometer or heat-regulated mechanism may be connected with the local circuit, so that the development of a certain heat, or of heat to a certain temperature, will Ibreak the circuit and give the alarm, thus insuring an alarm in case of fire.

In cutting out parts of the local circuit, for use of the portions protected by the cut-out, in business hours, such cut-outs are preferably constructed and arranged to be operated only by authorized persons, by the use of peculiar keys held only by persons having the right to use them.

It will thus be seen that, by means ofa local circuit, (composed of the local wires, local magnet, and local battery) connection with each building and with a clock-work, and, through such clock-work and a rotary main-circuit breakin g-and-closing wheel, with the main-circuit wires and an alarm-gong at a central or police station, an alarm may be communicated from any building to a central station, such alarm being effected by the tampering` with any doors, windows, or other parts connected with the local circuit, such local circuit remaining normally closed, and, by

being'broken, setting the alarm and main-circuit breaking-wh eel in motion and signalizin g the center or police station. It will also be seen that, by a series of circuit breaking wheels having various or variously arranged breaks, any number of buildings may be thus brought into this protective system. The alarm-box may be located at any convenient position in a banking-house or other building, and, by means of a lever, j, the armature f may be thrown down from the magnet to break the main circuit, this being done by a teller or other bank-officer or attendant within a protected building whenever, for any cause, he may desire to send an instantaneous message to the police or other stationfor an ofcer; as, for y instance, to eiiect the arrest of the presenter of a forged check which may be detected by a teller.

scribed.

A Morse register may be placed in the police or the center station to receive and note the number of the boX from which any alarm is sent.

An electro-magnetic watch-clock may be used with this system, placed at the center office, and so arranged as to record at regular intervals signals to be sent by watchmen in buildings, the clock being inaccessible to them, and indicating any remissness or insuring their vigilance or recording their negligence.

We claim- 1. The combination of a local circuit, a clock mechanism, and a main circuit, the clock mechy anism beingthe means of communication between the local circuit and the main circuit and having a rotary main-circuit breakin g-and-closing wheel, which at each break of the local circuit is caused to intermittently break and close the main circuit, and by such breaking and closing to effect an alarm at the central office, substantially as described.

2. A signal-box containing a local-circuit magnet, an armature effecting connection and disconnection between such magnet and the gear or clock train, (the armature being normally closed against the magnet,) a gear-train actuated by a spring or weight and set in motion by release of the armature, and a rotating' main-circuit breakin g-and-closing wheel actuated by the ge ar-train 3. In combination with the local circuit normally closed, the main circuit and the gear-train and main-circuit breaking-and-closing wheel, the cut-out switch or switches, substantially as shown and described.

4. In combination with the local and main circuits and connecting mechanism, arranged substantially as described, the test-circuit and the gong struck by the hammer projecting from the test magnet armature lever, substantially as shown and described.

5. In combination with the local circuit, normally closed, and the main circuit and gear-train, and the rota-ry main-circuit breaking-and-closing wheel, the stop on the armature-lever and the stops on the gear-wheel y, so arranged that by the breaking of the local circuit the gear-wheel is liberated and rotates, but at the end of one rotation is arrested, substantially as shown and described. I

6. The general construction and arrangement of the system, substantially as shown and de- JOS. W. STOVER. MOSES Gr. CRANE.

Witnesses FRANCIS GoULD, M. W. FROTHINGHAM. (50)

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