US2191612A - Electrical transmitting means for speaking announcements - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 27, 1940.

A; FINDLAY 2,191,612

ELECTRICAL TRANSMITTING MEANS FOR SPEAKING ANI I'JUNCEMENTS Filed Aug. 9, 1938 5 Sheets-Shet 1 FIC5.2

A TTORNEy Feb. 27, 1940.

A. FINDLAY ELECTRICAL TRANSMITTING MEANS FOR SPEAKING ANNOUNCEMENTS Filed Aug. 9, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 LIP RINGS 4o Pom!" comm tator opflm rims KEy 6 Trek/w: v

ELECTRICAL TRANSMITTING MEANS FOR SPEAKING ANNOUNCEMENTS ArTbR/vey Feb. 27, 1940. A. FINDLAY 2,191,612

ELECTRICAL TRANSMITTING MEANS FOR SPEAKING ANNOUNCEMENTS Filed Aug. 9, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 F l G. ll

/VVENTOR A 7'TORNEY A. FINDLAY Filed Aug. 9, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVETOR AT'roRA/Ey m nk UNITED stares ear-Em; ()FFaCE ELECTRICAL TRANSMITTING MEANS-Foe I SPEAKING ANNOUNCEMENTS Albert Findlay, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, as

Signor to John B; Eros Canada st, Westmount, Quebec, 7

Application August 9, 1933, serial No 223,931

EOlaims. (01. 179 -6) 1 (if;

The invention relates to an electrical transi mitting means for speaking announcements, as

described in the present specification and illus' trated in the'accompanying drawings that form'- part of the same.

The invention consists essentially in establishing an operating connection from an electric transmission line to a talking machine, voicing record messages denoting the time of day or night and sundry other matters, as pointed out in the claims'for novelty following a description'in detail of theparts and the operation throughout. The objects of the invention are to furnish to the public an automatieinquiry bureauin which the answers 'are preparecl previousto the interpellation of the person requiring the infor mation and delivered'in the way of an automatonsuch'. as answering the oft repeated question, what is the time of dayfwhereby the trials of the telephone operator in answering calls are very much relieved by having the uninterrupted announcements made repeatedly from minute to minute or from'second to second as desired, and always subject to tapping by any person desiring to know the time during the day or night while the telephone service is operating; and to make if required, inserts in the information that'will announce other good news to the public in the way of advertising or various pieces of informag tion usually often in the form of stock phrases,

and otherwise; and generally to add to the con Figure 3 is a diagrammatical view showingthe hollow shaft with the rod carryingv the electric eye and the commutator.

Figure 3111 is a front elevational view showing of. signal lamps with connection to amplifier.

Figure 4 shows a diagrammatical view of the wiringof the manual monitor switchboard for theoperation of the key circuit with emergency key. l g a Figure 5 shows the speaking clock amplifier circuit for the electric eye.

Figure 6 shows a diagrammatical view of the batteries for power supply.

Figure 7 shows a filamentcircuit.

anism connected to the fibre plate elevating rod.

1 nouncing table.

Figure 8 is a front elevational view showing the terminals of the amplifier. j i Figure 9 shows a planfview of the clutch mech Figure 10 is a front elevational view of the an- Figure 11 is a plan viewof the announcing table With the cover removed. 1

Figure 12 is a diagrammatical view of the wiring of the announcing table.

Figure 13 showsa commutator circuit for the peg counter. :j 3 I I Figure 14 is a frontelevational View of the commutator. I Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the various figures.

Referring to'the drawings, the illustrations" include a telephone system'which is of the standard type. For this invention, no additions are made to the telephone'apparatus and this is particularly emphasized inFigures 1 to 4, and Figures 10 and '11. Figure 1 shows'the continuouslyrotating electric eye cooperating witha-plurality of lamps arranged in a circle in two groups'for completing the call system independently of the regular service, and this cooperation is vmade through a relay system more, particularly described hereinafter through the connection made i in each instance and this connectionserves to lift the telephone receiver concerned, thus establishing a connection for the caller, and the announcement of the'time is now over a loud speaker from an announcing table by gramophone records specially recorded to encompass every twentyfour hours per day. The manual systemdescribed hereinafter is only used when adjustments are required to the automatic announcer.

In the manual system, standard types of ring- Ing box and lamp signals l6 may be used in conjunction with this invention or a switch button or lever, for it is the purpose of this invention to make use of the light. rays given out by the said lamp signals 15, thereby identifying the calling light. In the lamp signalseach group is in numerical order around the circle I! and an electric eye it revolves on a hollow arm lfipassingover the circle, thereby creating impulses in harmony with the lamps that might be lit during the revolutionof the arm. 1

i calls; second, announcing position; third, cancelling position after calls have been responded switch hooks 24 by means of a small fibre plate 25 fastened to a rod which is in turn associated with a clutch mechanism 26. When the receiver is in the lifted position, the time announcement is given and swelled over a loud speaker and the receiver is replaced by the restoring of the relay, the fibre plate 25 being one half inch away from the telephone receiverv 23 when in normal position, thereby isolating the public telephone equipment from the mechanism of this invention.

In any city there are certain demands for a service that will provide for the giving of actual clock time upon demand usually by telephone and, as the total of these demands is directly proportional to the number of connected public telephones in any particular area and the fact remains the time announcement number is always available, the same time announcement can be given to all the connected calling parties that happen to call simultaneously.

In Figure 4, the operating key 2'! is shown in its neutral position, and this key has three positions, the calling position, the neutral position and the announcing position, when the arm for the electric eye is passing over the circle it creates impulses in harmony with the lamps that might be lit during the revolution of the arm.

It will be seen that this invention provides a time service upon demand by telephone without connecting any Wires or mechanical attachments to the telephone companies equipment.

The above description refers to a manual system whereby telephone operators move the control key on the monitor switchboard to the three operating positions; first, collecting all incoming to. ,Figure 4 shows a diagram of the circuits em- Figure 2 shows a mechanical method of auto-1 matically controlling the system without the aid. of the monitor switchboard or telephone oper-' Time announcements are made by means ators. of gramophone records 28 and 2?) specially recorded to encompass every minute of the twentyfour hours per day. The manual system is only used when adjustments are required to the automatic announcer.

It will be seen from the drawings that two turntables 3% and 3! are employed and are directly connected to a drive shaft 32 so that they are pro-announcement; for example:As an advertising announcement, the cycle would be the record 2B announcing John Does Cigarette Time. The electric pick up is automatically lifted from the record and held clear of the record prevent.- ing a repetition during a cycle.

The second pick up now drops on the record 29, announcing the correct time at that particular moment, the complete announcement would then be as followszof responding to a telephone call at 10.25).

John Does .Cigarette Time-Ten Twenty- FiveDix Heure et Vinte Cinq.

Following the complete announcement, the aucuits to the announcing condition and holds the lit or not, the otherhalf are left free for in coming calls while the time announcing is being made, and as soon as the announcement iscompleted, the circuit holding the first group of telephones is released and the second group is then connected and the continuous alternating of the two circuits causes one group to be free while the other is in operation. This feature is only used as an emergency and is also duplicated on the manual switchboard.

The above circuits are controlled by a series of cams 32a and contacts, as shown on the drawings; the saidcams beingattached tothe common drive shaft 33 and a two to one ratio auxil iary shaft 34 The said shafts are directly connected to the gramophone turn-tables 35 and 36 and driven by a synchronous type of motor 3'! to assure uniformity of speed of the turn-tables.

Two special pick ups? 38 and 39 are incorporated in the device and are joined together with an equalizing arm Mi to assure accuracy of position relative to the records and the correct time, and each pick up drops on the record by means of a cam control 45 causing an announcement to be made. The cams are designed to permit the pick up 38 to drop and raise before the pick up 39 drops to make the time announcement; whenthe announcement is completed both pick ups are clear and above the records; This op eration is repeated a number of times between each successive minute thereby announcing the same time for a period of sixty seconds.

Incorporated in the announcing machine is a graduated cam 62 with sixty diiierent positions termed a sixty point shell which controls both pick ups; this snail is driven every minute from one point to the next thereby advancing the pick ups one space which corresponds to the next minute space recorded on the gramophone records. When the pick ups drop a new minute will be announced. Each gramophone record has sixty different announcement grooves and are automatically changed after the fifty-ninth an nouncement by the usual type of record changer with modifications to synchronize the changes be- '1 tween announcing periods.

A master clock 43 and a group of telephone relays transmit the one minute impulses to the driving mechanisms, Figure 12 shows the circuits employed which holds the graduated snail from advancing before the completion of an announcement should a clock impulse be sent out during the cycle of announcement. The circuit operating relay DR prevents the electric eye from col- When tator wiping brush passes over the said contacts and should battery current be on any particular contact associated with one of the operated relays, it will cause the peg counter 44 to register,

there are as many points as there are connected telephones provided for on the commutator.

Associated with the time announcement machine is an additional service whereby time announcements and advertising media is transmitted over a metallic circuit to any desired location remote from the announcing machine.

The purpose of this is to permit the use of a speaking clock in public places or residences whereby time announcements may be obtained by a push button or other means on the speaking clock that provides a direct connection to the announcement machine and functions as described for the same system of demands by telephone.

- What I claim is:

1. In an electrical transmitted speaking device, a sensitive relay incorporated in an electric eye circuit, a commutator associated with said circuit, a revolving arm carrying said electric eye circuit causing said relay to pulse whenever effected by the light rays from a group of lamp.

signals and commutating another group of individual relays, a plurality of telephones associated individually with a particular relay and lamp signal.

2. In an electrical transmitted speaking device, a sensitive relay incorporated in an electric eye circuit, a plurality of telephones, a rod having a fibre plate attached thereto adapted toraise the receiver of said telephones, and a clutch mechanism associated with said shaft, a loudspeaker announcing the time when the receiver is in its raised position and means for replacing said receiver after the'announcement has been made.

3. In an electrical transmitted speaking device,

" a sensitive relay incorporated in an electric eye circuit, a commutator associated with said circuit, lamp signals in two groups placed in a circle in numerical order, a revolving arm carrying said electric eye circuit and passing over the circle,

, thereby creating impulses in harmony with the lamps that might be lit during the revolution, of the arm.

4. In an electrical transmitting speaking device, a sensitive relay incorporated in an electric eye circuit, a plurality of telephones, electrical and mechanical means for raising and replacing the receivers of said telephones, an auxiliary circuit adapted to take the place'of said electric eye circuit, as in emergency.

- 5. In an electrical transmitting speaking device, a sensitive relay incorporated in an electric eye circuit, a commutator associated with said circuit, acoustical means for transmitting time announcements, an announcing table comprising two turn tables, a drive shaft directly connected to said turn tables and means for transmitting the impulses from a master clock to a driving mechanism for the correct time announcement. ALBERT FINDLAY.

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