US2015783A - Call control apparatus for automatic telephone plants - Google Patents

Description

I CALL CONTROL APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE PLANTS Filed ,April 7 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 at 1, 1935. H. BRODER 8 00k. 1, 1935. BRQDER 2,015,783

CALL CONTROL APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE PLANTS Filed April 7, 1954 2 Sheets$heet 2 cit Patented Oct. 1 1935 PATENT OFFICE CALL CONTROL APPARATUS FOR AUTO- MATIC TELEPHONE PLANTS Hans Broder, Zurich, Switzerland Application April 7, 1934, Serial No. 719,500

- a In Germany March 25, 1933 9 Claims.

This invention relates to an auxiliary arrangement for automatic telephones by means of which the subscriber has a control of all calls required by him from any exchange within his system in that the following data are recorded:

the number of the required connection, the date and time when the connection is established, the termination of the call and the amount payable therefor.

Call control apparatuses for automatic telephones are already known, for example one in which a recording device is actuated by a separate source of power, whereas the other part of the device which serves for supervising or 1 controlling the recording of the number or payment for the call is fitted in or on the existing telephone.

The invention is distinguished from the known constructions in that two recording strips contained in rolls of the recording device are provided, one of which is automatically thrown out of the apparatus in the form of a ticket after the recording, whereas the other is again wound after the printing. The printing of the recording strips is effected by means of a fourpart printing mechanism, comprising numbers, charge, hour and date. The numbers are controlled during the adjustment of the adjusting disc and the charge after the establishment of the connection by the exchange-by a supervising mechanism in the circuit leading from the telephone, Whereas the time is set by means of a clockwork and the date by external action. For this purpose a drive, actuated by a coordinfate control switch, acts on the recording deby way of example in the accompanying drawings, in Which:- v i Fig. l is a circuit diagram.

Fig. 2 shows the printing mechanism in side elevation.

Fig. 3 shows the group of Maltese cross wheels for actuating the printing and ticket severing mechanisms.

When the receiver is removed from the fork I of the telephone an auxiliary switch 2 is closed, so that a coil 3 of a relay 4 receives current from a transformer 5 and attracts an armature 6 until its movement is checked by a nose 1. Thus, the switch 8 is closed and current flows from the transformer 5 over the switch 8 through the limiting resistance 9 and the switch I back to the transformer, the telephone being closed, practically no current flows through the exciter windings II and I2 connected in parallel.

The number is then selected by inserting the finger in the hole in the disc I3 through which V the desired number is visible, turning the number disc I3 in clockwise direction up to the finger abutment I4, then withdrawing the finger from the disc I3, whereupon the disc automatically returns into its initial position. During 10' this procedure the following takes place:- When the finger disc I3 is moved out of its inoperative position, the contact It] is opened so that current flows through the exciter windings II and I2. The winding II magnetizes its magnet with the result that the nose I is pulled back in opposition to the action of the spring I5, so that,'underthe action of the still excited coil 3, the armature 6 continues its movement and arrives in its extreme position in at the same time compressing the spring IS. The winding i2 causes at the same time a lifting of the armature I! which with its thrust pawl rotates through a fraction of a rotation the ratchet wheel I8 of the clutch shaft I9 and thereby this shaft, in opposition to the action of a spiral spring 20,- a locking pawl, not shown in the drawing, preventing the backward movement of the clutch shaft I9. The clutch shaft I9 has, at the place where the thrust rods 2| of the number printing mechanism bear, a plurality of notches corresponding to the number of thrust rods and arranged mutually displaced so that only oneof the thrust rods2l is held in the direction of engagement with the coordinate ratchet wheel 22, whereas all other rods point past their ratchet wheels 22; moreover, when the clutch shaft is in its inoperative position, all the notches are so situated that none of the thrust rods lie in the direction of engagement. 40

By the above described first part rotation of the clutch shaft I9 this shaft is brought into such a position that the first thrust rod by engaging in the notch is directed towards its coordinate ratchet wheel 22. The ratchet wheel 22 and the number printing wheel 23 rigidly connected therewith are looselymounted on a shaft 24 which is fixed and non-rotatable. Each number printing wheel 23 is connected with a shaft 24 through the intermediary of a spiral spring printing wheels is such that one number printing wheel is provided for all the digits of the highest subscriber number.

If the return movement of the adjusting disc l3 now takes place, a switch 21, owing to its repeatedly opening according to the number'to be adjusted, causes the telephone potential to be put on to the high ohmic exciter coil 28 connected1in parallel therewith a corresponding number of times that is, if the number 5 is adjusted by means of the finger disc, the coil 28 will be excited successively five times during the return movement of the disc and attract the armature 23 a corresponding number of times, a switch 33 being closed for an instant each time. Each time the switch 30 is closed, however, it closes the circuit from the transformer 5 to the exciter coil 3| of the number switching mechanism of the number printing device. The armature 32 is thus attracted each time and lifts all the thrust rods 2|, but at this stage only the first of these rodscomes into engagement with and rotates the first number wheel 23 in five steps such a distance that the number 5 is opposite the control strip. When the adjusting disc [3 reaches its inoperative position, the switch Ill again shorts the windings H and I2, the core I! drops back, but the clutch shaft remains in its position, being held by the pawl, not shown in the drawings, and is ready, during the following adjustment of the second figure of the number to be called to bring the second thrust rod into engagement and so forth in the manner described until the entire number selection has been carried out by the caller, after which the number called is situated in the number printing mechanism opposite the control strip. This condition remains during the conversation which then follows and only changes when the person called again places his receiver on the fork. By this operation the switch 2 opens again and the armature 6 is pulled back by the spring 16 as the coil 3 loses its excitation. A checking mechanism 33 comprises a small flywheel with internally arranged free wheel, which couples the fly-weight with the shaft 16 only during the return movement of the core 6 by means of a rack fitted on its free end. The return movement of the core 6 is considerably retarded in the beginning because the inertia of the fly-weight must first be overcome. The counting current impulses, occurring from the exchange in the meantime immediately after the hanging .up of the receiver and produced in the known manner, are transmitted from the exchange to the subscriber over the telephone line 34, 35. The transmission of the counting current impulses is effected from an exchange arranged for automatic charge recording either by direct current, in that cadence direct voltage is put on the lead 36 and earth, or with alternating current by direct or indirect transmissionof alternating current impulses on the leads 34, 35. However, switching arrangements are also known wherein the transmission of the impulses takes place simultaneously over the leads 34, 35 and earth 66, especially in extended automatic telephone installations. The additional arrangement for the automatic charge indication is described for the last mentioned typeof transmission. In the case of purely direct current transmission the winding 36 is replaced by a direct current winding, one end of which is earthed and the other end connected to the middle lead of the alarm mechanism in the station. If the transmission is effected with al-- ternating current over'the leads 34, 35 the parallel connected inputs of the condensers 31 and the outputs of the windings 36 lie directly on the leads 35, 35. In any case the remaining equipment remains the same. The exchange transmits the charge impulses in dependency. 5

Suppose the counting impulses are transmitted in the form of .alternating current, the coils 36 of the alternating current relay are connected over the condensers 3! to the leads 34, 35 and earth 40 so that they only respond to the charge 10 signal impulses. At each impulse the armature 38 is attracted and closes the two switches 39 and 56 successively for the duration of the impulse. The switch 39 produces a current path from the transformer 5 over the still closed switch 15 8 and the alternating current exciter coils 4| back to the transformer. At each impulse the armature 32 is therefore attracted and, through the intermediary of the ratchet wheel 43, rotates the charge printing wheels 44 and 45 one tooth 2 against the action of a spiral spring (Fig. 2) arranged in their interior. The charge printing wheel 45 is not directly coupled with the ratchet wheel but with the wheel 44 and rotates one figure when the wheel 44 has performed a complete rev- 25 olution. This arrangement enables the charge to be directly adjusted for example in dollars and cents in the charge printing mechanism, because the number of current impulses indicates the number of charge units to be paid (1 charge unit=l0 cents).

The switch 5!], however, operates in synchronism with the switch 39 and again supplies current to the relay 4 rendered currentless by the replacing of the receiver and performing its returning movement, the switch 39 preventing the final dropping of the relay until the armature 38 drops owing to the counting impulses not taking place and opens the switch 553; the final dropping of the core 6 then commences because the counting operation is terminated, the charge adjusted in the charge printing mechanism standing opposite the control strip. If the charge signal takes place before the replacement of the receiver, the switch 50 remains inoperative because the relay 4 is still excited and consequently. the core 6 cannot drop.

The instant the pawl 5! mounted on the core 6 and pressed outwardly by the spring 52 comes into contact from above with the upper spring of the switch 53, this switch is closed for an instant whilst the pawl 5| is forced back and then, after again springing forward, continues its downward movement together with the core 5, in order to open the switch 8 shortly before the termination of this movement. The temporary closing of the switch 53 excites the magnet 54 which now momentarily attracts its core 55. This core depresses the lever 56 so far that the switch 51 closes the circuit of an electric motor 60 58. This motor now rotates the likewise coupled notched .disc 59 from which the catch 6|] is disengaged during the lowering of the lever 56. The spring 6i presses the lever 56 upwards. The catch 60, owing to the rotation of the disc 59, can no longer engage in the notch and slides on the circumference of the disc until it engages in the notch and opens the switch 57, thereby stopping the motor.

During the rotation of the motor the recording 7 of the adjusting springs takes place in the following manner:-

Fig. 2 shows in section the control strip 62 with the coordinate storage roll 63, the ink band 64 with pulleys 65 and 66 and the control strip 75.

change after the replacement of the receiver,

t1 remaining; in the ap ratus with the storage roll 623 and winding roll (:39.

.The motor drives successively three systems by means of three Maltese cross wheels Iii, l2, 1?. (Fig! hat o e than e sy te is never driven at the same time. The Maltese cross wheel'iil, firstly comingintoengagement causes, by means of a mechanical transmission a sudden lowering of the rollers H, thereby effecting the printing of the recorded number on the control strips. The second Maltese cross wheel 12 then comes into engagement and, by mea e t r d W el tran is ion causes the feed of the three strips, Strip 62 isfed the length of a ticket and appears projecting from theapparatus, the strip 61 is fed the distance of one line and the ink band 6 4 only a fraction of the distance of one line, Finally the third Male tese cross wheel 13 comes into engagement and actuates the shear blade (4, whereupon the ticket drops into the receptacle 15. At the same time the pawls of the clutch shaft l 9 and those of the number and charge printing mechanisms 22 and 4,3 are mechanically disengaged so that the charge and number printing mechanisms are returned into their zero position under the in-.

fluence of their springs. The circuit of the, motor is then automatically interrupted in the manner above described, and the whole apparatus is ready for recording a fresh connection.

order to prevent the hindrance of the run-. ning down of the controlling device and the establishment of a fresh connection before the n rol pparatus has come to a standstill in the event of the receiver being again removed immediately after being replaced on the telephone, in other words to ensure that the leads 34 and 35 are cut out by the switches 48 and 49 when the receiver is replaced. and remain so until the controlling apparatus has run down and is again in its inoperative position, the, following pro-,- Vi PIl is m e i a The return movement of the relay 4 taking place asabove. described after the replacement of the receiver is; mechanically connected by the axle l6 and spring slip clutch 11 with the notched disc 18 loosely mounted on the axle [6,. During the attraction of the core 6 the slip clutch TI. rotates in clockwise direction, but cannot rotate the notched disc because the pawl 80; actuating the switch 19 opposes such movement. HOW'. ever, as soon as the core 5, drops, the slip clutch rotates with the notched disc in anti-clockwise direction and lifts the pawl 80 which then opens the switch 19 and, through the intermediary of the lever system 8|, the switches 48 and 49. The

open switch 19, which is connected in series with the switch 2, prevents the running down move-. ment of the core 6 from being influenced when the receiver is again removed from the telephone. If counting impulses are received from the exthe core is returned each time into its upper extremeposition under the action of the switchtll V; and of the checking mechanism 33. The pawl 80- always again engages in the. notch and the switch 19, owing to its instability, prevents the operation of the number disc. When the counting impulses cease and the core 38 drops, the

switch 50 remains open during the dropping of the relay. The pawl then keeps open the st m emWine' n ts ext p sit onsequently, the switch 53 starts the motor, The winding 46 remains in this circuit during the whole time the motor receives current, attracts the core 4'! and inturn continues to hold open the three switches49, .48 and 19 under the action of the rods 81 until the whole apparatus has run down and is in its zero position, Whilst the motorstill running, the core 6 arrives in its extrerne lower position and the pawl 85 engages in its notch, because a complete inoperative movement of the core 6 corresponds to a complete roicti n 1? e n tched. i 8- To enable the apparatus to be controlled, for example after the exchanging of the control Str s or a ter e i ti s h d t a p e bu ton era ien s rovid d T press button 8 wh n act ated clo es a circu Q e i a ierrner 5, winding 54,, press button switch 85, switeh 86 eek to t e re i iqrmer 5. Thu the same operation is initiated as when the switch 53 sup l s ur n o t e coi 54, that i th motor s swi hed i and o n t t r tat n. e ec s the print n o the cont l s ps, hen their feed and severing of a ticket and finally its own cutti out T e w tc 8 howev r, s m an cally connected with the, switch 8 in such ainang at the p atus. ca l b u d t run down by the press button when the receiver restson its fork If this is not the case, the switch 2 is, closed and the core 6 attracted, the

switch 8 closed and the switch 86 open so that the depression of the button 84 remains'inefiective. i

The recording of the time and date is effected independently of the telephone arrangement in that the number wheel 83 carrying the time marks is rotated by a clockwork, whereas the date number wheels. 82 are set each day by hand. The driving spring of the clockwork is maintained in wound condition either by hand or by the motor through the intermediary of a clutch arrangement. As the printing and delivcry of a receipt only takes place after the replacement of the receiver, the time control always only indicates the termination of the conversation.

The apparatus is particularly suitable for telephone subscribers who place their telephone at the disposal of the public. It should soon pay for itself in restaurants, hotel and business houses, because, owing to the perfect printed controland recording, differences, disputes and losses through unauthorized use-are eliminated The invention can be evidently employed in the form described only for automatic telephones which, however, will be. used everywhere in the near future. The apparatus described maybe connected to existing: telephone installations, without. any alterations being necessary.

1. An auxiliary arrangement for automatic telephones, comprising in combination with theexchange circuit, the receiver rest and the dialling mechanism, an engaging circuit connecting said rest with said exchange circuit, a switch in said engaging circuit adapted to be operated by the removal of i the receiver from said set to close said engaging circuit, dialling circuits connected, with said dialling mechanism, controlling means connected up in saidengaging circuit and said dialling circuits controlled by said controlling meansjfor connectingsaid dialling circuits with said exchange circuit when said engaging-circuit ..Q .Q. wel n m Pr n me h nism nnected up'in said dialling circuits adapted to be set to correspond with the number dialled, a charge indicating circuit connected with said controlling means, means in said dialling circuit for further influencing said controlling means to connect said charge indicating circuit with said exchange circuit, -a charge printing mechanism arranged in alignment with said call number printing mechanism in said charge circuit adapted to be set by impulses sent through said exchange circuit, a date and time printing mechanism in alignment with said printing mechanisms, a pressure plate extending over all of said printing mechanisms, two superposed strips with an interposed ink band extending between said printing mechanisms and said pressure plate, means for intermittently feeding said strips over said mechanisms, means for lowering said plate to print the figures set thereon simultaneously on both of said strips, an electric motor adapted to successively operate said printing means and ticket feeding means, means for controlling said motor, means actuated by said engaging circuit controlling means for temporarily connecting said motor in said exchange circuit on the interruption of said controlling means, and means for stopping said motor and interrupting the connection between said motor and said exchange circuit.

2. In an auxiliary arrangement as specified in claim 1 the engaging circuit control means, comprising in combination a transformer connected in the exchange circuit, a coil connected up in the engaging circuit and with said transformer adapted to be excited on the closing of said engaging circuit, an armature adapted to be attracted by said coil, a nose adapted to arrest the displacement of said armature, and a switch adapted to be closed by said armature to connect the dialling circuit with the exchange circuit.

3. In an'auxiliary arrangement as specified in claim 1 the control means, comprising in combination a coil connected up in the engaging circuit, an armature adapted to be attracted by said coil when the engaging circuit is closed, a

nose adapted to arrest the movement of said armature, an exciter magnet in the dialling circuit adapted to attract said nose and liberate said armature to close the charge circuit with the exchange circuit.

4. In an auxiliary arrangement as specified in claim 1 the dialling mechanism, comprising a Winding connected up in and excited by one of the dialling circuits, an armature carrying a thrust pawl adapted to be shifted by the excited winding, a ratchet wheel adapted to be rotated through a fraction of a rotation by said pawl, a clutch shaft carrying said ratchet wheel having a plurality of mutually displaced notches, a plurality of thrust rods of the number printing mechanism corresponding in number to'the number of notches in said clutch shaft and adapted to successively engage in said notches according to the rotation of said shaft to assure their operative position at each excitation of said winding, call number printing Wheels each cooperating with one of said thrust rods, a switch on the dialling disc connected up'in the second of said dialling circuits, said switch adapted to be repeatedly opened during the rotation of said dialling disc according to the number being dialled, a trans former in said second dialling circuit, a high ohmic exciter coil connected up in said second dialling circuit and adapted to become excited at each closing ofv said switch, a second switch adapted to be actuated at each closure of said dial switch, an armature carrying all of said thrust rods, an excitercoil adapted to be connected with said transformer by said second switch to attract said armature as many times as said second switch is closed, and printing wheels one opposite each of said thrust rods and adapted to be rotated through a part revolution by their respective thrust rod when in inoperative position each time said last mentioned armature is attracted.

5. In an auxiliary arrangement as specified in claim 1 the controlling means including a winding and an armature, the means for connecting the charge indicating circuit with the exchange circuit comprising a spring adapted to return said armature into its initial position, a checking mechanism adapted to check the return movement of said armature to maintain said charge indicating circuit in connection with the exchange circuit.

6. In an auxiliary arrangement as specified in claim 1 the charge printing mechanism, comprising in combination a coil connected up in the exchange circuit, means for maintaining said coil in connection with the exchange circuit after the interruption of the engaging circuit, an armature adapted to be attracted by said coil by impulses sent through the exchange circuit, a pawl carried by said armature, a ratchet wheel engaging said pawl, and a charge printing wheel mechanism connected to said ratchet wheel and adapted to be adjusted by said pawl and ratchet wheel according to the number of impulses sent along the exchange circuit.

7. In an auxiliary arrangement as specified in claim 1 the motor controlling means, comprising in combination with the motor and the controlling means, which means include a coil and an armature, a shaft carrying said motor, a clutch disc having a notch in its circumference on said shaft, a catch normally engaging said notch to stop said motor, a lever carrying said catch, a circuit connected to said motor, a switch in said circuit, a spring controlled pawl on said armature adapted to momentarily close said switch and consequently said motor circuit when said armature is returned into its initial position, an exciter coil in said magnet circuit adapted to be excited when the magnet coil is closed, a core on said lever adapted to be attracted by said motor circuit coil to rock said lever, and disengage said catch from said notched disc, a second switch on said lever in said motor circuit adapted to connect said motor in said motor circuit, and a spring adapted to press said lever upwards to cause said catch to reengage in the notch in said disc on the completion of a revolution, and to thereby disengage said second switch and interrupt said motor circuit.

8. In an auxiliary arrangement as specified in claim 1 the printing and ticket feeding means, comprising in combination a storage drum for the superposed ticket strips, guide rollers adapted to guide said strips between the pressure plate and the printing mechanisms, a shaft carrying the motor, a winding drum on said shaft adapted to rewind the lower ticket strip, a notched disc on said shaft, a spring controlled catch adapted to engage said notched disc at the end of each revolution and arrest the rotation of said shaft, three Maltese cross wheels successively driven by said motor rollers cooperating with one of said wheels to lower said pressure bar, a toothed wheel transmission driven by the second Maltese cross wheel to feed the ticket strips, and a shear blade adapted to be actuated by the third of said Mal-- tese cross Wheels to cut a printed. ticket 011 the end of the upper ticket strip.

9. In an auxiliary arrangement as specified. in

claim 1 a controlling apparatus, comprising in combination a control circuit between the motor with the exchange circuit, a hand operated press button. switch normally interrupting said control circuit but adapted to close said circuit to engage said motor when the telephone is not in use.

HANS BRODER.

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