US1672957A - Signaling system - Google Patents

Description

June 12, 1928.

S. P. SHACKLETON S IGNALING SYSTEM Filed March 15, 1927 Service Ta 6 z s fight Inwmd IN V EN TOR.

azislmmm ATTORNEY Patented June 12, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1 1,672,957 PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL P. BHACKLETON, OF WYOMING, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN TELE- PHONE AND TELEGRAPH COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SIGN ALING SYSTEM.

Application filed March 15, 1927. Serial No. 175,582.

This invention relates to telephone trans mission circuits, and more particularly to signaling arrangements associated therewith.

In telephone practice, difliculty is experienced due to poor insulation of conductors, and particularly of conductors contained in central otfice cabling. This causes faulty op eration of lamps or other signals at telephoneswitchboards. This dilhculty is more pronounced under certain atmospheric conditions, and undesired grounded circuits which maintain the lamps or signals in false operated condition occur as a result of such leakage.

It is one of the objects of this invention to provide a simple and efficient si naling circuit which will obviate this diflicu ty.

Another object consists in providing a discharge tube in connection with the signalingcircuits, such, for example, as a neon tube or other tube having similar character istics, which will cooperate with said cir' 'cuits.

Other and further objects will appear more fully from the following detailed de scription, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which one embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

In the drawing, a telephone transmission or toll line is indicated as terminating at different ositions in a telephone switchboard. T e toll line which is shown for the purpose of illustration, has its conductors represented by the character 5. O The trans mission line 5 has a plurality of jacks, as shown by the designations 6, 7, 8 and 9, multipled thereto. bignaling lamps 10, 11, 12 and 13 are associated, respectively, with each of the jacks 6, 7, 8 and 9 for each position. The lighting of lamps 10, 11, and 13 indicate an incoming coil, and the key 14 may be employed in connection with the group of lamps to transfer calls from one position to the other by extinguishing a lamp in one position and lighting a lamp at another position. A group of busy signals is associated with each position, as indicated at 15, 16,17 and 18. These signals may be used'inconnection with the jacks 6, 7 8 and 9, respectively. The signals are represented as being discharge tubes, such as a neon or other tube which will present high resistance under normal conditions, but when a poten* tial is impressed across the tube sufiicient to break down its high resistance, the How of current is established through the tube which maintains a comparatively low resistance therein. A. relay 19 is operated in response to an incoming call over the toll conductors 5 under control relays energized by the transmission of ringing current over the said conductors, as will presently appear. The relay 19 maintains the signals 15, 16, 17 and 18 in operated conditionduring the call. ( jontactsprings 20 and 21 are associated with the armature olrelay 19 and serve to momentarily establish ground potential on the battery side of the tubes to etl'ectively short-circuit them and reestablish the normal high internal resistance of the tubes upon the de-energization of relay 19 at the termination of a call.

In the operation of the improved system, the transmission of ringing current over the line conductors 5 causes the operation of ringing relay 22which is bridgedacross said conductors through leads 23 and back contact of relay 24. The energization of relay 22 closes a circuit from its grounded contact, conductor 25, winding of relay 26, conductor 27 to battery through the right contact of relay 24. The closure of this circuit causes the energization of relay 26, which completes a circuit through its make contact from ground, right-hand winding of relay 28 to battery, thus operating the latter relay. The energization of relay 28 closes a locking circuit from ground through its left-hand Winding and make contact over conductor 27, contact of relay 24 to battery. A circuit is also closed at this time from battery, closed contact of relay 24, conductor 27, left make contact of relay 28, transfer key 14, conductors 29 and 29, filaments of lamps 10, 11 and 13 to ground, thereby causing the illumination of said lamps. The energization of relay 28 also closes a circuit through its right make contact from battery, conductor 30, winding of relay 19 to ground. This circuit causes the operation of relay 19, which completes a circuit from ground through its front make contact, over conductors 31 and 32 and through signals 15, 16, 17 and 18 in parallel to battery, causing each of these signals to operate and indicate a busy condition.

In response to the lighting of lamps 10 and 11, the operator will insert a plug with the customary cord circuit in jack 6. Buttery is connected to the sleeve of this plug, and a circuit is completed over the sleeve of jack 6, conductor 33, Winding-of relay 24 to ground. The closureoif this circuit causes the operation of relay 24 which closes its contacts and opens the circuit by which ringing relay 22 is energized, and also the circuit over which lamps 1O, '11 and 13 are lighted. The opening 01' these circuits causes the de-energization ot' 'relay22 and theextinction of lamps 10, 11, and 13. The operation of relay 24; also causes the deenergi'zation ol' relays 26 and 28; Relay 19 which was energized by a circuit controlled by these relays, is now maintained operated by relay 24,1) a circuit from battery, front contact of re ay ll, conductor 30, winding of relay 19' to ground.

The incoming call will be completed at the position Where jack 6 is located, when possible, or transferred by means oi" key l i to some other position where it can be completed in a well understood manner.

"At the completion of the call, the cord circuit is dissociated from the jack in'which it is plugged and the circuitby which relay 24 was energized willbe broken, this relay releasing. The release of relay 24 causes the release of relay 19of the signaling circuit. Relay 19, upon'releasing, closes a short-cir cuit from ground through its armature and upper make contact, spring '20, spring '21, conductor 32' to battery. This circuit is only momentarily established, but sufficient time is allowedto lace ground potential on the battery sideo the tubes to effectively, shortc'ircuit them and reestablish the normal high internal resistance of the tubes. The normal high resistance. characteristics, of the tubes are thus re-established, and the false andcontinued operation of the tubes by a grounded circuit caused by leaka e through adjacent conductors is eliminate lVhile there is shown and described herein a certain preferred form of the invention by way otillustration, it will be understood that it is not limited or confined to the grecise details of construction herein descr1 ed and delineated, as modification'and Variation may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is: '1. A signaling circuit including a plural ity of discharge tubes connected therewith, a relay associated with the signaling circuit operable to establish a current path over one side thereof to cause the simultaneous operation of said tubes, and meansresponsive to the release of said relay for short-circuiting said tubes over the other side of said circuit.

2. A signaling circuit including a plurality'ot discharge tubes connected therewith, relay means for closing said signaling cirsaidtubes associated cuit to operate said for cuit, and means controlled by the release of I the relay means for momentarilyiuiming said short circuit. i

3. A signaling circuit including a plural-' ity of-neon tubes connected therewith, a relay associated with the signaling circuit operable over one side thereof to cause the simultaneous I o eration of said tubes, and means responsive to the release of said rela for short-circuiting said tubes over the other side of said circuit.

4.. A signaling circuit having a plurality ofdischar'getubes connected therewith, said discharge tubes tern of 'hi resistance, a relay associated wit the s sling-circuit operable to impress suficient otentnl on one side thereof to operate t e discharge tubes, and means res onsive to the release of said relay for short circ'uitin'gsaid' dis: charge tubes over the other side of the signaling circuit to reestablish their Te s'istance.

5. A signaling system com rising a rality' of pairs of conductors evil; 9. le covering, a series of discharge til es connected in parallel to each pairof conductors, a relay associatedwith eachpair of conductors and operable to establish scumrg yath over one side thereof to cause the Sim meous operation of said-dischargwubes, and means responsive to the release of Said relay for short-circuiting said discharge tubes over the otherside of said circuittol'turn them to normal condition nidiprevem their continued operation b a ounded circuit rovided by leakage tlirou adjacent 601iuctors in the ca 1e;

6. A signaling system comprising a pinrality of pairs of conductors avijpgla Gable covering, a series of discharge ues connected in parallel to each pair of conductors, said discharge tubesbeing normall'y ofhigh resistance, a relay associated with eaehpa r of conductors and operable to iIIi fesss'dfficient potential over one side ereof to cause the simultaneous operation o' fsai'dfdischarge tubes, by breaking down the high remally high resistance connected in parallelto each pair of oonduotors'relay mea s as sociated with each palr'of conductors To! closing a circuit thereover to operate its as sociated tubes, a short circuit for said tubes associated with each pair of conductors and means controlled by the relay means for momentarily closing the short circuit to permit the return of the discharge tubes to normal condition and prevent their false operation by any grounded circuit which may be provlded by leakage through adjacent conductors in the cable.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 14th day of March 1927.

SAMUEL P. SHACKLETON.

Images