US1254290A - Telephone meter-service system. - Google Patents

Description

H. n. smoun. TELEPHONE METER SERVICE SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 3. I913- LQMQW. Patented Jan.22,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

M/ITNESSES H. D. STROUD. TELEPHONE METER SERVICE SYSTEM.

I APPLICATION FILED APR. 3. I913. LQEQQQU,

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- Patented Jan. 22, 1918.

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HOLD D. STROUD, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB T0 AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC COMPANY OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 015 ILLINOIS.

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To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAROLD D. STRoUD, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Telephone Meter-Service Systems, of which the following is a specification.

phone systems, and more particularly to an arrangementin an automatic telephone sysis the provision of a spring-operated register which is normally locked and which is released upon the response of the called subscriber, and is again locked when the conversation is completed.

A still further feature of my invention is the provision of a time meter associated with each of the automatic switches which are employed in establishing a connection,.

the purpose of which meter is to register the exact time that these switches remain in operative condition, it being often advisable to know just how much certain switches are operated-that is, to know the total length of time a switch is busy during a certain given period.

These and other objects of my invention will be more readily understood by refer- Specification of Letters Patent.

My invention relates to registers for tele- Patented Jan. 22, 11918.

Application filed April 3, 1913. Serial No. 758,635.

switch D for controlling all the plungers of a group of line switches to which a switch C belongs. This group of line switches has common access to trunk lines leading to first selectors which are adapted to extend the connection to second selectors such as the second selector F. From the second selector F the connection is extended to a connector such as the connector H (Fig. 2), through the medium of which the line is connected by way of certain springs of the line switch 0 to the called subscribers substation A.

The telephone may be of any suitable automatic common battery type. As herein represented it consists of a receiver 18, transmitter 19, ringer 20 and condenser 21. Being an automatic telephone it is also provided with the impulse springs 22 and 23 and an impulse wheel 25 which has a plurality of teeth 24 upon its periphery. This wheel is secured to a shaft 26 upon which is also secured a dial (not shown). This dial is provided with finger holes around its edge for convenience in rotating, and the impulse wheel 25, upon returning to its normal position by means of a spring after being pulled around corresponding to the digit to be called, opens and closes the impulse springs 22 and 23 a corresponding number of times. I

The line switch C, which is individual to the line of the substation A, and the master switch D are modified forms of the general type of line switch and master switch disclosed in British patent to R. WV. James No. 26,301 of 1906, being of the particular type shown in British patent to S. G. S. Dicker No. 10,926 of 1911. As herein represented, the line switch C comprises among other details a plunger (not shown) attached to the end of a plunger arm 27. This plunger arm is controlled by amagnet 28 which also controls the armatures 29 and 30. The magnet 28 is composed of four distinct windings, a pull-down windino 31, a hold-down or cutofi' winding 32, a line winding 33 and an auxiliary winding 34. The magnetic circuit of the windings 31 and 32 are kept separate from the windings 33 and 34. The plungers of the line switches normally engage with a so-called plunger guide shaft which is controlled by the master switch D, the function of which shaft is to maintain the idle plungers opposite an idle trunk.

The first and second selectors E and F are of the type disclosed in British patent vertical and rotary magnets 37 and 38 and the release magnet 39. These selectors are also provided with the usual sideswitch.

,, The connector H is of the general type disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 815,176, grantedMarch 13, 1906, to Keith, Erickson and Erickson, the circuits, however, being modified, as shown in said British patent No. 10,926 of 1911, in order to adapt the switch for operation in a two-wire system. Like the selectors, the connector is provided with a shaft (not shown) which carries the wi ers 13, 14 and 15 onto the desired contacts. his shaft is raised and rotated by means of the vertical, and rotary magnets 40 and 41. The side switch is controlled bythe private magnet 42 in the usual manner. This connector is also provided with a socalled back-bridge relay 44 which is the means of providing talking battery current to the called subscriber, and which also operates upon the response of the called subscriber to cause the battery current in the calling subscribers line to be reversed to operate the polarized magnet J, which latter operates its armature at this time to release the escapement of the time-piece K and thus starts to record the length of time the subscribers are conversing. Ringing current is supplied to the called subscribers line by means of the relay 46 and the ringing machine RG. Connected across the line is the usual line relay 48, which is energized immediately when the line connection is extended to the connector. For the purpose of releasing the connector there is provided the usual release magnet 49.

The line switch C'- is in every respect like the line switch 0, and although the master switch which controls the plungers of the group of line switches to which the switch C belongs is not shown, it can be of the same time as that shown at D in Fig. 1. The meter mechanism and telephone at the substation A are the same as the meter and telephone shown at the substation A.

The operation of such a system is well known and understood to those skilled in the art, and as the particular construction and operation of this system forms no part of my present invention it is not thought necessary to explain the same further in detail.

The principal feature of my invention lies in the meter arrangement for the purpose of measuring the actual time which is taken up by one subscriber conversing with another. This arrangement consists of a polarized magnet J in series with one side spring-driven watch movement. It should,

however, be capable of registering the maximum total time which the telephone is liable to be used during a somewhat extended period, say, for instance, a month. Upon the calling subscriber taking his receiver off the switch hook a current is sent through the polarized magnet. in the direction to keep its armature drawn down so as to continue in engagement with the escapement of the time-piece. The armature is thus attracted until the flow of current is reversed at the connector switch upon the called subscriber answering the call. This reversal of current is controlled by the energization of the so-called back-bridge relay 44. This relay, upon energizing, closes a circuit through the battery-reversing relay 45 from ground G through the side switch wiper 73, relay 45 and springs 126 to the battery B. Upon the relay 45 energizing it forms a locking circuit for itself, said circuit extending from ground G through the side switch-wiper 73, relay 45, through the front contact of the spring 79 and through the side switch wiper 74 to the battery B. Upon the relay 45 becoming energized the springs 102 and 103 break away from their back contacts and close their front contacts, thus transferring the negative line to the positive pole of the battery and the positive line to the negative pole of the battery through the line relay 48. The flow of cur rent thus reversed operates the polarized magnet J at the calling substation so as to attract its armature to release the escapement of the time-piece K and thus hold it until the connection is released. It is thus seen that the calling subscribers register begins to operate only when the called subscriber responds, so that the subscriber is not charged with the time takento set up connection or for the called subscriber to answer, but is charged only from the time the conversation begins.

Upon the subscribers completing their conversation the central office apparatus is restored to normal'condition by the calling subscriber hanging up his receiver in the usual and well-known manner. Battery current then ceases to flow through the polarized magnet J at the calling telephone and its armature is accordingly allowed to return to its normal position into engagement with the escapement of the time-piece K to thus stop the operation of the meter. It will be noticed that the operation of the meter is dependent upon the reversal of curisle aaaaaee I called subscriber removes his receiverfrom the switch hook, and comes to rest only when the calling subscriber hangs up his .receiver to release the connection. desired that the called subscriber shall be able to bring the meter of the calling subscriber to rest upon the hanging up of his receiver, the front contact of the spring 79 of the relay 4 5 of the connector switch may be omitted. Without this contact the relay 45 will be energized when the called subscriber hangs up his receiver. This will restore the, current in the calling line to its normal direction, whereby the armature of the magnet J will be brought into engagement with the'escapement of the time-piece K and it will be brought to rest notwithstanding that the calling subscriber may not yet have hung up his receiver.

In order to determine the time during which each switch in the system is in use a register similar to the one shown at the substation A is associated with each switch,-

and these are represented at K, K, K and Y K by an escapement wheel and lever. Un-

locking magnets 58, 62, 62 and '71 are associated with these registers, but these magnets difier from the magnet J by reason of the fact that they are not polarized. The

. unlocking magnet 58, which is associated (iii with the line switch C, is connected with the D .spring 9, so that as soon as this line switch is operated to'connect with an idle trunk line, this spring comes into contact with the spring 8 and thus closes the circuit of the magnet 58. It is obvious that this circuit will be closed as long as this line switch is in operated condition, but as soon as the line switch is released this magnet will be deenergized and the meter again locked. In a similar manner the unlocking magnet 62 of the first selector is energized as soon as the slow acting relay 36 is energized, so as to close the circuit of the said magnet 62 through the springs 60 and 61 to ground G 'Ihis slow acting relay 36 is energized in a well known manner as soon as the first selector is seized, for upon the springs 2, 3, t, and 5 of the line switch being pressed toether, and the connection extended to the first selector E, the line relay 35 becomes energized and closes the circuit from ground G through itsfront contact and through the slow acting release relay 36 to the battery lead 100. In a similar manner the unlocking magnet 62* of the second selector is energized as soon as connection is extended.

If it'is' responding meter. It will thus be seen that I have devised a very simple and eificient arrangement for measuring the exact length of time that each of these switches is in use.

While I have illustrated the registering devices associated with the substation and with the automatic switches in connection with an automatic telephone system of a particular type, it is, of course, understood that my invention is not limited to use in such a svstem. The registering device at the substation may be employed with any automatic system of a wellknown type, and in its broader aspect my invention may be em-- ployed in connection with either manual or semi-automatic systems. Furthermore, the

meter device associated with the automatic.

switches can, of course, be associated with automatic switches of any desired type.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a telephone system, an automatic switch,,means for seizing said switch, means for operating said switch and for releasing the same, a time register associated with said switch, means for starting said register inoperation when said switch is seized, and means for stopping said register when said switch is released, whereby said register automatically records the length of time that said switch is in use.

2. In a telephone system, an automatic normally locking said register against operlltl ation, a magnet controlling said locking" means, means for energizing said magnet when said switch is seized to thereby release said register, and means for denergizing said magnet when said switch is released to thereby again lock said register.

3. In a telephone system, a plurality of subscribers lines, a series of automatic switches for use in establishing a connection between two of said lines, a time register associated with each of said switches, means normally locking said time registers against operation, means for unlocking a time register as soon as its associated switch is seized, and means for again locking said time register when its associated switch is released.

4. In a telephone system, subscribers lines each provided with an individual line or Mid trunk selecting switch, a time register associated with each switch, means controlled over a calling line for operating its individual switch upon the initiation of a call and-for releasing the operated switch when disconnectlon is desired, and a circuit for controlling the operation of the associated time register, said circuit being closed when the associated switch is operated and opened when it is released.

Signed by me at Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, this 26th day of March, 1913. HAROLD D. STROUD.

Witnesses: v

- ALEX E. WALKER, ARTHUR J. RAY.

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