US1687280A - Speaking panel for jails or the like - Google Patents

Description

, Oct. 9, 1928.

B. W. BROCKETT SPEAKING PANEL FOR JAILS OR THE LIKE Filed Jan. 17, 1927 Patented @ct. 9, 1928.

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BLUFORD W. BROGKETT, OF CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OI-IIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE VAN DORN IRON WORKS COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION 'OF OHIO.

SPEAKING PANEL FOR JAILS OR THE LIKE.

Application filed January 17, 1927. Serial No. 161,599.

The invention relates to combination vision ard conversation or speaking panels for the V 'ting booths oi" jails or other like institutions, or indeed, for use in any place where it is desired to provide for both visibility through a wall and the transmission of sound therethrough, but to prevent the passage of articles through the panel, such as the passage of tiles saws, narcotics, or like articles from visitor to prisoner in a ail, or access by a thief to the contents ofthe cashiers booth in a bank.

The objectot the invention is to provide a very simple and inexpensive construction for this purpose one in which no material obstacle is presented to visibility or to the passage of sound, such as the voice, but in which it is impossible to pass articles through the panel, and at the same time an arrangement which can be made and assembled at low cost and withoutresort to complicated constructions, and, moreover, an arrangementwhich can be readily'adapted to any ordinary size windows in speaking panels now in existence.

In the drawings, which represent one suitable embodiment of the invention, Fig. 1 is a front elevation; Fig. 2 is asectional plan view on the line 22, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail sectional plan view on a larger scale on the line 3-3, Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view of the wire mesh expanded and betorethe same is .bent to V-florm; Fig. 5 is an elevation, showing a modification; and Fig. 6 is a seetional plan view on the line 66, Fig. 5.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the arrange-- ment there shown includes two conversational or visiting booths of a jail, or in other words is fitted for simultaneously carrying on two conversations, each between a prisoner and his visitor. 1 indicates parallel side walls or partitions dividing the space into compartments paired on opposite sides of portions of a wall 2 which separates each prisoner from his visitor. This wall is suitably formed of hardened steel plates or the like to pre vent escape and at approximately head level is provided with a window or windows to enable the prisoner and visitor to readily see each other. This is commonly and conveniently accomplished by providing a series of small openings in the plate of the wall 2 in which glass windows 3 are mounted, the moldings and glass securing means being so arranged to prevent their being tampered with and the openings being of such size as to prevent escape even if the glass is broken.

According to the present invention one or more of these small windows is arranged to pern a the passage of sound therethrough. 'lhis is accomplished by providing an opening in the glass which is filled with suitable material arran ed to provide tortuous passages for sound waves, but to prevent in all respects the passage of articles such as tools or narcotics through the wall. In the arrangement shown the speaking panel has its glass pane termed in two parts or members, 3, 4:, the edgesyot' which are suitably set in the wall plates, which may be channeled or provided with suitable moldingsor securing strips as desired. The two glass plates are oi such thickness and width asto leave a long narrow recess between them, the edges 0t whichare of V-shape in cross section, as

shown in Fig. 3, and are respectively convex v "and concave to mate together if brought into contact. In the space between them is placed a mass ott toraminous material, such as a fairly heavy gauge wire gauze of open mesh,

to the shaping of the edges of the glass members. If this metal mass is made and tightly pressed together to closely fit in the space between the glass members the openings or recesses in and around the wires of the gauze tarnish plenty of space for the passage or sound waves, but the arrangement neverthe less provides no straight channels through the wall and, especially when the gauze is bent into the form shown in Fig. 3, prevents'the passage of articles through the wall. Moreover, to further impede the passage of articles through the wall a series of thin metal plates, say of brass or the like, marked 5 in Fig. 4, may be inserted into place between the accordion folds, or in other words may be interleaved with the wire gauze plies. When in the courseof bending the mass to the storm shown in Fig. 3, these plates are edge.

bent, it is absolutely impossible to find any path through the wall for the insertion of a thin article between plies.

Of course, the width of the metal speaking portion must not be so great as to enable its central portion to be pushed outwardly by force perpendicular to the wall, although it should be remembered that at top and bottom the folds of the metal gauze enter the channels or recesses of the metal wall plates and re-enforce the structure against bending, the strength being remarkably increased when the metal inserts are used and are extended at their ends into the wall plate channels.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, which represent a modification, the glass members 3 and a may each be formed of two layers parted along the plane 7 and each bevelled along its This provides a simple method of forming the V-shaped configuration for the edges of the glass. To further protect the glass their V-shaped edges may be protected by bronze'or other metal plates, such as indicated at 8, and having flanges extending around the edges of the glass as at 9.

What I claim is:

1. A speaking panel forjails or the like, comprising a plate provided with an opening, said opening being closed by foraminous material in sheet form with the sheets extending generally transversely to the plane of the plate and the edges of the sheets being pre sented to the opposed surfaces of the plate.

2. A speaking panel for jails or the like, comprising a plate provided with an opening, said opening being filled with parallel plies of foraminous material with their edges presented to the opposed plate surfaces, the several plies extending generally transversely to the plane of the plate.

3. A speaking panel for jails or the like, comprising a plate provided with an opening, said opening being filled with parallel plies of. foraminous material, bent into tortuous form with their edges presented to the opposed plate surfaces.

l. A speaking panel for jails or the like, comprising a plate provided with an opening, said opening being filled with parallel plies of foraminous material with their edges presented to the opposed plate surfaces, the several plies extending generally transsignature.

versely to the plane of the plate, and imperforate re-enforcing sheets interleaved with some of said plies.

5. A speaking panel for jails or the like, comprising a plate provided with an opening, said opening being filled with parallel plies of foraminous'materialbent into tortuous form with their edges presentedto the opposed plate surfaces, and imperforate reenforcing sheets interleaved with some of said plies.

6. A speaking panel for jails or the like, comprisin a relatively thick plate provided with an opening, and foraminous material filling said opening and extending outwardly in each direction to the surface of the plate.

7. A. speaking panel for jailsor the like, comprising a glass plate including two members separated by a slot, and the space between the edges of said members being filled with foraminous material.

8. A speaking panel for jails or the like, comprising a glass plate including two members separated by a slot, the edge of one plate being convex and the edge of the other plate being concave to approximately mate with each other, and the space between the edges of said members being filled with foraminous material.

S).v A speaking panel for jails or the like, comprising a glass plate including two members separated by a slot, the edge of one plate being convex and the edge of the other plate being concave to approximately matewith each other, and the space between the edges. of said members belng filled with foraminous material in sheet form, the sheets being bent to conform to the shape' of the edges of the and forth into parallel plies, and imperfo rate metal sheets between said'plies.

In testimony whereof I hereby affix my BLUFORD w. BROCKETT.

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