US2470600A

US2470600A - Electric chime device

Info

Publication number: US2470600A
Application number: US700133A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gisbert L Bossard
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1946-09-28
Filing date: 1946-09-28
Publication date: 1949-05-17
Anticipated expiration: 1966-05-17

Description

May 17, 1949. cs. L. BOSSARD I ELECTRIC CHIME DEVICE Filed Sept. 28, 1946 I [N V EN TOR.

Patented May 17, 1949 UNITED STATES OFFICE ELEC RIC DEV Gisbert L. Bossard, Cleveland, Ohio Application September 28, 1 $l 46, Serial No. 700,133

-6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a signal device, particularly of the type comprising an electromagnetically actuated chime.

It is the object of the invention to so construct a signal device of this character as to facilitate the assembly and mounting thereof with the consequent reduction in cost, but more particularly to improve upon the tone quality and volume.

One feature of the invention resides in the mounting of the actuating unit whereby the entire operative structure is carried directly upon the front housing cover as distinguished from the usual support thereof upon the side walls or back plate. This is accomplished by providing the housing cover with inwardly extending bosses to which the operative structure may be directly and readily secured as hereinafter described.

A further feature of the invention resides in the provision of a series of vibration emitting apertures formed in the side walls of the housing cover, which comprises a resonator chamber, in such relation to the respective tonal bars as to minimize any dampening effect thereon and eliminate the necessity of accurate tuning of the bars with respect to said chamber. Thus, the desired resonance is obtained with improved tone quality and reduced dampening effect, as well as increased volume by mounting the tonal bars in centered spaced relation to the multiapertured walls of the resonanc chamber.

A further feature of the invention resides in the provision of a dust cover of insulating material removably secured over the back of the housing cover for enclosing the resonance chamber and sealing the operative structure therein, but wherein said back cover is apertured to expose a terminal plate for convenient wiring without opening up the chamber. This avoids the possibility of bunching wires during installation inside the resonance chamber and against the tonal bars, completely insulating said wiring from the resonance chamber and operative structure therein.

A further feature of the invention resides in the mounting of the resonance bars upon supporting straps through the medium of rubber or like grommets, said grommets and the bar supported thereby being so formed as to permit of only a knife-edge supporting contact therebetween. Such knife-edge contact serves to minimize the dampening of the tone, leaving the entire area of the bars exposed for vibration and thereby increasing th tonal volume of the bars which is desirable in a signal device of this character.

The full nature of the invention will be underbe c nven nt plan view showingthe dust cover in one of the grommets and the tonal bar carried thereby.

in the drawings there is shown a signal device in the form of an-electromagnetically actuated chime having a front housing cover l0 formed with walls II to embrace a resonance chamber. The upper and lower end Walls are provided with ears [2 for convenient mounting of the device upon a suitable su port such a a verticalwall.

Each of the side walls II have formed therein three apertures indicated atl3'inter'mediate the ends thereof and separated by the spacing bars l4, and the front wall is formed with inwardly ex end n sfs s l a The electromagnetic actuating unit H is provided with. outwardly extending supporting feet It adapted to be secured to the bosses l5 through suitable rubber grommets. Said unit embodies a pair of solenoids each having a plunger'tube I 9 in which the striking plungers 2B are actuated electromagnetically in the nanner more particularly set forth and described in my application for Letters Patent, Serial No. 690,874; filed August l6, i946 entitled Electromagnetic device. The upper striking plunger is'arranged for double action to strike the tonal bar 2| upon its solenoid being energiged, and the tonal bar 2;. upon being ds eer iz d. as a esu o sp n when? lower strikingplunger is singie actingfstriking the tonal bar 22 when the solenoid is energized and being snubbed when it is deener'gized. Said unit carries on the rear face thereof a terminal plate 23 having terminal connections 24 for electrical connection with the electrical wiring25.

Said .unit and tonal bars are sealed within the resonance chamber by a dust cover 26 clamped to the walls ll by the ears 21, excepting f or the exposure through the aperture is therein of the terminal plate 23. Thus, the electricjalwiring' 25 .cvnnee d 9 h f i m plate without removing the dust cover which also protects the operative structure within there'sonance chamber from interierence thereby.

Mount d upon t bosses l5 th fi'i a Pa of transversely arranged supporting straps 29, one above and one below the actuating unit. The ends of each of said straps are reduced at 30 and slightly rounded to receive a rubber grommet 3|, said reduced ends 30 terminating in a bent over tip 32 for locking the respective grommets thereon. Said straps support the

tonal bars

21, 22, the bar 2| being supported by the corresponding ends of said straps in position to be struck by the upper plunger 20. The bar 22 is supported by the corresponding opposite ends of said straps in position to be struck by either the upper or lower plungers 26. Said straps are arranged to support said bars inwardly a distance from their opposite ends approximately one quarter of their length so that about half the length of each bar spans the distance between their supporting straps 29. Said bars are also supported in spaced relation to the side walls ll directly opposite the apertures [3, with said apertures arranged to span the central portion thereof.

For improving the tonal qualities and volume of the bars 2|, 22, the grommets 3| are formed as shown in Fig. 5 to provide a knife-edge support, said bars as indicated at 33, having a circular aperture of an inner diameter less than the outer diameter of the opposed flanges of the grommets but greater than the inside diameter of said flanges. Said grommets may be of rubber or other flexible or resilient material such as to permit freedom of vibration of the bars relative to their fixed Supporting straps, and furthermore, having a minimum of contact with said bars. Such mounting, by increasing the freedom of vibration correspondingly increases the tonal qualities and sound volume. Inasmuch as the major vibration of the bars is centrally thereof, the series of apertures 13 are positioned directly opposite thereto, permitting of ready passage and escape of the sound waves through the side walls of the cover with a minimum of interference.

From the above, it will be apparent that the two units of the operative structure may be conveniently mounted within the housing or removed therefrom if necessary, one comprising the electromagnetic actuating unit mounted upon the bosses l5, and the other comprising the tonal unit mounted upon the bosses it. With said units mounted in place, and the dust guard 26 clamped to the housing, the operative structure need not be further disturbed in the mounting and wiring of the device for use.

Whereas, the invention has been disclosed herein in the form of one modification, it is obvious that variations thereof may be employed within the scope of the appended claims. For example, wherein the tonal bars are shown herein of equal length but of different thickness to give off different tones, they may be of the same thickness but of different lengths in which case it is preferable to offset the straps 29 to accommodate such variation of length. Also, wherein said supporting straps 29 are shown herein as being independently mounted, they may be in the form of a supporting plate having projecting reduced strap portions 30 for supporting the tonal bars in the desired spaced relation relative to the striking plungers. Other variations in the structure over that herein shown can likewise be utilized without distinguishing from the invention as claimed. For example, wherein the apertures l3 are shown herein as grouped centrally of the side walls of the resonator chamber, they may be arranged in spaced relation so that the end portions of said walls are each provided with such 4 aperture to lie opposite each end of the respective tonal bars and thereby each utilizing a one quarter wave.

The invention claimed is:

l. A signal device comprising a front cover having walls thereabout embracing a resonance chamber, the side walls thereof being provided with a plurality of spaced apertures, inwardly extending bosses carried by said front cover, an electromagnetic actuating unit secured to one set of said bosses and provided with a pair of striking plungers, a pair of mounting straps secured to the other set of said bosses on opposite sides of said actuating unit, and spaced tonal bars carried by opposite ends of said straps positioned to be struck by said plungers, said bars extending parallel with and spaced from said walls opposite said apertures.

2. A signal device comprising a front cover having walls thereabout embracing a resonance chamber, inwardly extending bosses carried by said front cover, an electromagnetic actuating unit secured to one set of said bosses and provided with a pair of striking plungers, a pair of opposed tonal bars positioned to be struck by said plungers mounted on the other set of said bosses within the walls of said front cover, and a back cover for enclosing said units apertured to expose the wiring connections of said electromagnetic actuating unit.

3. A signal device including a support, a pair of spaced tonal bars, each bar having an aperture therein, a bracket on said support for mounting said bars, a grommet interposed between said bracket and each of said bars extending through the respective apertures therein, said bars being of a thickness and each of said grommets being formed with oppositely inclined flange portions embracing said apertures, said apertures of a diameter relative to the spacing and inclination of the flanges of said grommets for effecting a knife-edge supporting contact between said grommets and the opposed edges of the apertures in said bars.

4. A signal device including a support, a tonal "bar adapted to be carried by said support, said bar being apertured, a yielding grommet mounted on said support extending through said aperture and formed with oppositely inclined flanged portions engageable with the opposite peripheral edges thereof for knife-edge supporting contact therewith whereby the inner surface of said aperture will be spaced therefrom.

5. A signal device including a support, mounting straps secured to said support, the opposite ends of said straps being reduced and terminating in a deformable interlocking tip, a resilient grommet mounted on each of said reduced ends and locked thereon by said tip, and a pair of opposed tonal bars apertured adjacent their opposite ends carried by the correspondingly reduced ends of said straps and embraced by said grommets Within said apertures.

6. A signal device including a support, a pair of spaced mounting straps secured to said support, the opposite ends of said straps being reduced and terminating in a deformable interlocking tip, a resilient grommet mounted on each of said reduced ends and locked thereon by said tip, and a pair of opposed tonal bars apertured adjacent their opposite ends carried by the correspondingly reduced ends of said straps and embraced by said grommets within said apertures, the inner surface of said apertures being spaced from said grommets by a knife-edge contact be- 5 6 tween the opposite edges thereof and the inner UNITED STATES PATENTS biased surfaces of said grommets.

GISBERT L. BOSSARD. Number Name t 2,189,181 Rittenhouse Feb. 6, 1940 REFERENCES CITED 5 2,194,507 Lord et a1. Mar. 26, 1940 2,333,875 McMullen Nov. 9, 1943 figi f are in the 2,417,037 Zuckerman Mar. 4, 1947