US1633288A - Electric bell - Google Patents

Description

1 1 6332138l June 21, 927 L. E RICHMCND f ELECTRIC: BELL med July 24. 192e` :s sheets-sheet 1 rigs Juney 21, Y1927. 1,633,288

L.. E. RICHMOND ELECTRIC BELL Filed July 24. 192'0 s. sheets-Smmu 2 June 21 1927.

- L 1,633,288 L. E. RICHMOND ELECTRIC BELL Filed July 2 4 1920 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented June 21, 1927.

g UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS E. RICHMOND, `or CLEVELAND, OHIO, AsvsIeNoR, BY MEsNE ASSIGNMENTS, To THE AUTOCALL COMPANY, OE SHELBY, OHIO, A CORPORATION OE OHIO.

ELECTRIC BELL.

This invention relates to electric bells, such as are used for signal and alarm systems. n

One object of the invention is to provide an improved elect-ricbell having an exposed gong and providedy with operating mechanism which is enclosed within a sealed casing so as to be proot against water, moisture, gases, fumes, and the like. A further ob'- ject of the invention is to provide a bell of this kind adapted to receivegongs of varying sizes and consequently' of more or, less powerful and penetrating' sound, and which bell is also adapted for direct connection to a wall or other supporttor open wiring, or to an outlet or junction box tor conduit wiring. K

A further object of the invention is to provide 11a waterproof bell which is suitable for ilse'e'ither as a vibrating or as a single stroke bell, and either with direct or alternating current, and which is eflioient as re# gai-ds the magnetic field and effects when used with alternating current. A further object ot'the invention is tor provide an electric bell whose working parts are supported by a frame ot snnple vconstruction capable oil beiner assen'ibled without soldering. rivet-` ?1 b ing, welding, or other expensive operations.

Furtl'icr objects of thev invention are in part obvious and in part will appear more in detail hereinafter.

1nr the drawings, 1 represents a central sectional elevation through one form ot' bell embodying the invention.,v and showing the same attached to a junction box; F iff. 2 is a similar section through another form of bell base; Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the bell; Fig. 4 is a detail elevation illus` trating a portion of the bell base shown in Fig. '2; Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the bell with the junction box and other parts omit ted to expose interiorparts; F ig.l 6 isa fronty elevation ot' the junction box shown in ig. 1; F ig. 7 is a` detail rear elevation illustratinfrY the vibrating contacts; F 8 is a detail sectional view onv` the line 8--8, Fig. 1; Fig. 9 is a detail vside, elevation illustrating the means for securing together the belll casing and junction box or bell base; Fig. 1() is a detail view of the armature arm and contactsv thereon; Fig. 11 is a -detail sectional' view on the liney l1-11, Fig. 1, looking in the direction ofthe arrows Fig. v12 isa de- Dvided and this application filed July 24,

Serial N o. 398,644.

tail perspective view or' the magnet frame; Fig. 13 is a similar view illustrating the parts of said trame prior to assembly there on; and Fig. 14 is a. sectional view of the compression contact.

The bell illustrated in the drawing comprises a hollow casing or frame 1 having an inner chamber 2, and which may be of any suitable shape but which is shown as ot' generally circular :form in front elevation, as shown in Fig. 3. The front of said casing is closed by a wall 3 having a` vertically`extending centrally disposed thickened portion or rib 4. The annular wall or flange 5 ot the casing, at its rear edge, is formed to lit either a shallow base or closing plate 6 for open wiring, or the wall of a conduit or outlet box 7, as may be desired. Those parts which are to be secured directly to the wall or other support, such as the base 6 and box 7, are provided on their rear faces with several shallow sj'iacing` pads 8 and near their upper portions with perforated ears 9 to receive bolts for securing them to the support. On either side said base 6 and box 7 are also provided with screws 10 pivoted thereto on pins 11, said screws having nuts 12 held permanently thereon by suitably deforming they outer ends of the screws. lVhen the bell casing is pushed into place on its seat on the base 6 or box 7, as the case may be, said screws are swung into position be.

tween the ears 13 on the bell casingv and the nuts larescrcwed up to securely fasten the parts.4 This connection is easily made and enables the bell mechanism to be readily 'removed from its supporting part, when desired. In installing a' signal system the full wiring system can be first laid in place with all junction boxes or wall bases closed by blank plates, asr is usual, and the bells can be later installed as desired or when needed by merely removing the blank plates and putting the bells in place.

Base 6" near its bottom and on its inner` facev is preferably provided with a rib or raised portion 14, forming a pocket or recess 15 adjacent to the openings 16 for the lead wires; Conduit box 7 may be provided with onel or more openings for lead wiresv closed by ordinaryknock-outs 17 or threaded to receive conduit, as indicatedV at 1S, as desired. Indeed, .any arrangement is suitable in' which ythe connection ofthe conduit to thel junction bot: may be made water-tight, 18 represents a sealing gasket.

ilo the front wall ot the casing is secured the gong i9. Said gong is preterably prot; 1 @i n f )assed through the oneninoin said a )ron t, ,L l1

and then into the bell casing. The apron thereby serves as en additional gong support.

Gongs ot various sizes may be readily secured to the same bell casing, the only essential recuirement being that the upper rim portion ot the gong which is to be struck Jy the hammer or clapper should always lie at the same point7 regardless et the size et the gong. Various sizes ot `gongs may be attached by locating several threaded openings 2* i'or receiving the bolt Q3, and the corresponding openings in the tongue 25, at ditt'erent elevations along the rib 4, or, ditlerent sizes ot aprons may be used for the ditierent gongs.

The upper portion ot the box or casing is provided with an inner cross wall Q5 and two pa allel vertically extending inner side walls 2T forming a nari'ow outer chamber :2S opening out through a vertical slot 29 in the trent casing wall. A vertical portion ot the wall 2G serves as a seat to receive and support a bearing for the shaft o't` the striking hammer or clapper 30. Said bearing comprises two hollow members 31, 32 provided respectively with an interlocking' rib and groove, as shown at 335 and held together and to the wall 26 by bolts Bil. Mounted to rotate in an opening between said bearing members is a short shaft 35 provided with a non-circular reduced portion 3G to which is secured the shank ot the clapper or hammer. Said shank is slotted longitudinally at its end and is slipped laterally into place on the shaft, after which it is secured in place by peening over the ends of the shank or soldering or welding it in place, as desired. On either side ot said shank the shait and bearing members are provided with interlocking collars and grooves 37 Iforming a tortuous passage way to prevent entrance ot moisture into the chamber 2, the joints being further sealed it desired by felt washers 37a.

rl"he clapper or hammer on its outer end is provided with a striking head 38 formed by perforating an enlarged circular portion ot' the shank and securing thereto by a. rivet 39 one or more washers l0, as may be desired. This construction enables the weight of the hammer to be adjusted by using the proper number and weight ot washers tor any particular size ot gong or strength of bell stroke desired.

Shaft 35 has secured thereto a bail Lil, which may be made ot strong wire or rod and which is in general ot U-torm, the arms ot said bail being passed through and secured in openings in the ends ot the shaft. rlhis bail terms an operating connection trom the mechanism in cavity 2 to the hammer or clapper 30.

.lllithin the cavity 2 is located an electromagnet so arranged as to be capable ot actuating the bell hammer when energized by current passing through its coil. Said electromagnet is preferably so constructed and its coil is so wound as to be capable ot operation upon either alternating current cir cuits ot relatively high voltage or upon direct current circuits. As illustrated7 the electromagnet comprises a coil l2 wound about one ot the legs or poles 43 ot' a magnet core whose other leg is indicated at lit. T he magnet core shown is ot Utorm, its legs i3 and i-fl and base l5 being integral with each other and being made up in laminated form as shown in Fig. ll to reduce eddy current eiects and enable the coil to lie indefinitely on closed circuit without undue heat-ing. The laminations ot the core are held together and to the bell casing or box by a support-ing trame 4G. Said supporting trame comprises two like side members provided with ears al through which screws 47a are passed into the bell casing, while the laniinations ot' the core are secured between the side members otl the frame by rivets 4S.

The side members ot the magnet trame are held together by a cross bar or member 49;/ the joint between said trame member and said cross bar being ot peculiar form. As indicated in Figs. l2 and 13 each side trame member near the outer end ot its leg is pro vided with corner notches 50 and between the same and at a lower level with an opening 5l.. The cross bar 19 is blanhed out so as to provide at each end a pair ot short tongues 52 extending beyond the shoulder 53, and between said tongues with a longer tongue 5a whose outer end is depressed below the body or t-he bar. The two trame parts are assembled by passing the tongues 5lot a cross bar through the openings 5l in the traine parts and with tongues 52 entering the notches 50 until the shoulders 53 abut the side tame parts. lVhile holding the parts in this position the ends ot the longer tongues 5s are bent over as shown at l-ig 'l27 thereby iirmly and solidly unit ing the parts, but permitting a slight amount ot yield so that the trame readily accommodates itself to t-he laminations which it is to hold.

The projecting legs of the side trame parts serve as vsupports for an armature arm, for which purpose they are provided with elongated openings 56. The armature arm comprises a metal strap 57 bent'in'to U-form and having an armature portion 58 formed by securing between the arms of said U a series of laminations. At the lower end of said armature is a cross pin 59 whose opposite ends extend through the elongated openings 56. The upper end of the U-frame of the armature arm indicated at 60 lies opposite and behind the bail 4-1 of the bell clapper.

As will be observed the legs or poles of the magnet core lie perpendicular to the front. wall or base of the bell casing, while the neutral portion of the core lies parallel thereto. rlhe magnet core is therefore located in an efiicient position as regards concentration of the magnetic flux, so that leakage. of magnetism to surrounding masses of metal is reduced or minimized. At each energization of the electromagnet by passing current through its coil the armature 58 is attracted and swings to the left in Fig. 1 from the dotted line to the full line position, the upper endof said armature arm cooperating' with the clapper bail to throw the -clapper upwardly and engage the gong.

Pin 59 has loose sliding motion horizontally in the elongated slots 56, so that the lower end of the armature invariably settles with full contact against the lower pole or leg of the core. When the core is cle-energized, however, the armature swings away from the core, due to the weight of the clapper, and the pin 59 moves inthe slots 56. n

Preferably the armature is so arranged that in its final positionon energization it contacts directly with the upper magnet pole, so' as to produce a practically completely closed magnetic field. Also, the contacts on the armature at the upper magnet pole are of special form designed to withstand the heavy blows encountered in the extremely heavy service to which the bell is subject and to prevent freezing or sticking ot' the armature to the magnet core by the effects of the residual magnetism. In the present instance the contacts comprise one or more small masses of suitable non-magnetic metal, Such as a phosphor bronze composition, as indicated at firmly secured to the laminations of the armature in intimate electrical contact therewith. The attachment is preferably made by a welding operation, such as by holding small pieces of phosphor bronze metal against the laminations of the armature and welding the same thereto by an acetylene or Oxy-hydrogen flame, after which the contacts are ground or filed off to a. fiat contacting surface. On its backward movement the armature arm swings to the right in Fig. 1, while the clapper or hammer drops. To deaden the sound the casing wall may be provided with a cavity to receive a felt cushion 61 against which the hammer seats in its retracted position.

The bell may also be provided with means for limiting outward movement of the ar ature away from its coil, to prevent said armature from moving to a. position beyond the effective pull of the coil. rlhis result may be accomplished by securing beneath the screws 34 a metal strip`62 whose lower end serves as a stop or abutment for the armature member 57. The outward swing of the armature arm can be readily adjusted by bending this metal strip inwardly or outwardly, as shown by the dotted lines Fig. 1.

The electrical connections to the coil are preferably so arranged that the wiring to the shallow base 6 or junction box 7 can be first completed and the electrical connection to the coil is thereafter made. by merely attaching the bell casing with the mechanism therein directly to the base or junction box. For this purpose the bell casing is provided at suitable places in its cavity 2, for example one on either side of the magnet frame, with compression contacts 65', from each of which contacts a wire leads to the magnet coil, said contacts being mounted on brackets 69. One of said contact-s is shown in detail in Fig. 14. It comprises ai tubular base 66 of insulating material in which is located a plunger 67 pressed outwardly by a spring 68. Said spring seats against a conducting base 70 connected by the lead wire 71 tothe coil. Plunger 67 normally extends slightly beyond the edge of the wall of flange 5. Similar compression contacts 7 2 are located within the conduit box 7 or shallow Abase 6, as the case may be, and in such position as to register with those in the bell casing when the casing is applied to thebase. Therefore. mere' attachment of the bell casing' to the base or conduitbox completes the electrical circuits. The contacts in the shallow base maybe simple resilient spring strips, as shown at 72a, F ig. 2.

WV hen a shallow base is used the lead wires running to the compression contacts therein are passed through the openings 16, after which the cavity 15 in said base is iilled with wax or similar easily melted insulating material, as at 73, Fig. 2, which not only secures the lead wires in place but also seals the openings 16 against the entrance of moisture.

lVhen the circuit connections pass directly through the coil the bell is what is known as a single stroke bell and produces a single stroke of the gong each time the circuit is completed, the hammer dropping back when the circuit is broken. Under some circumstances vibrating action, or in other words, rapidly repeated bell strokes are desirable. For this purpose the bell mechanism may be provided with contact mechanism in the bell circuit actuated by movement of the armature arm, so as to rapidly make and break the circuit. As illustrated the frame bridge member 49 may serve to support an insulating` block 75 secured thereto by screws 76a. In a recess of said block is secured a spring metal strip 7G having a contact 77 co-operating with a contact 78 on an insulating block T9 carried by the armature arm. rllhe contacts '77, 78 are included in the circuit to the coil by running one of the Wires from the compression contact to the strip 76 and from the contact 'it to the coil. Spring arm T6 is bent so that by its oivn resiliency it has a tendency to folloiv the armature arm in its movement. Indeed, were the armature arm moved slowly to the left in Fig. l contacts T7, T8 Would not separate. I-Iotvever, ivhen the coil is energized the armature arm moves to the left very rapidly and at a speed faster than the spring arm T6. Therefore, the circuit is quickly brolren. The rebound. of the hammer from the vibrating gong throws the armature arm back again so that the armature contact T8 meets the approach` ing spring Contact TT thereby again complet ing the circuit and producing another action. rlhis arrangement is found to produce very rapid vibrating action Without chatter. Spring contact arm 76 may be reinforced to increase its resiliency by a supplemental hacking spring S9, although this is not essential.

rihis application is a division of my prior application for electric bells, filed May 8, 1919, Serial No. 295,688.

That I claim is:

I. An electric bell, comprising a hollow casing' having a vertical front Wall and a rearwardly extending peripheral Wall forming a chamber, an electro-magnet Within said chamber secured to the front Wall with its core extending` rearwa dly therefrom, an

armature member swinging in a vertical plane, the ripper portion of said front Wall receding to form an outer recess, a striker, means for actuating said striker, said striker projecting forwardly in said recess from the receding portion of said front wall. f

2. An electric bell, comprising a hollow casing having a vertical front Wall and a rearwardly extending peripheral Wall forming chamber, an electro-magnet within said chamber secured to the front ivall with its core extending rearwardly therefrom, an armature member swinging in a vertical plane, the uppe1 portion of said front Wall receding to form an outer recess, a horizontal packed shaft mounted on the receding 'portion of raid front wall and :arrying a striker extending forwardly in Said recess, and bail operating means carried by said shaft Within said chamber for actuation by said armature member.

3. An electric bell, comprising a hollow casing having a vertical front Wall, a striker in front of said Wall, electroanagnetic means within said casing for operating said striker, a gong protecting apron shield on the casing, and cooperating means spaced on said shield and Wall for securing gongs of various sizes to said wall beneath said shield each with a portion thereof properly related to the striker.

l. An electric bell, comprising a hollowv casing having a vertical front Wall, a striker in front of said Wall, electro-magnetic means Within said casing for operating said striker, a gong protecting` shield carried by the casing and having a portion depending in front of the front wall thereof, the casing and shield being provided With a plurality ot spaced opposed openings to receive securing means for gongs of various sizes.

In testimony whereof I hereby afiix my signature.

LOUIS E. RICHMOND.

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