US266056A - Mechanical telephone-exchange - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I. G. IE" SHAVER.

MECHANICAL TELEPHONE EXGHANGE.

- N0.266,056. Patented 0ot. 1'7, 1882.

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G. P. SHAVER.

MECHANICAL TELEPECNE EXCHANGE.

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UNITED STATES PATENT @Errea GEORGE-F. SHAVER, 0F ERIE,PENNSYLVANIA.

MECHANICAL TELEPHONE-EXCHANGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 266,056, dated October 1'?, 1882,

Application filed July 17,1382. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. SHAVEE, a citizen ot' the United States, residing at Erie, in the coullty of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certaill new alld useful Improvements ill Mechanical Telephone EX- changes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a l'ull, clear, and exact description of the illven tion, such as will ellable others skilled ill the art to wllich it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention collsists in providing means for establishing a central station for mechanical telephone-lines.

So far as I am aware, a system of mechanical telephone-lines with a central statioll has heretofore not been established, and for this reason the use ofsuch telephones has beell very limited. It is well known that mechanical telephones are very efficient as sound-conveyers; but as their use has been limited to a sillgle wire or lille they have not gone into as gelleral use as they would have done had they been considered as capable of operation in a gen eral system witll a celltral station, as are electric telephones. The means whicll are essential ill order to establish a system ot' mechanical telephone-wires with a central station are naturally as follows: nlealls for hanging the wire so as to turn abrupt angles without affecting the conduction of sound, so that all the lines can be carried to a colnlllon point or station, and so that any one of these converging lilies may be connected with any other one ill such a manner as to make the communication perfect from any one llne to another; also, means wllereby three or lnore of the lilies can be connected together, so that a person at the end ot' one line can colnlnllllicate witll persons at the ends ot' two or lnorc lines at the same time. A system of wires llavillg these means would be adequatefor all general requirements. Much of the success ot such a system mllst depend upon the line-hanger or angle-hanger, for witllollt this beillg efficient the central statioll could not be approached and entered by but few lilles ill cities or large towns; but the device by which various ot' the converging lines can be connected (which device, ill electrical telegraph or telephone parlance, is known as a switch-board, alld therefore may with propriety be so named here) constitutes the really essential feature of a central station.

In another application for a patent I have showll all allgle-hanger, which iills the requirelnents above named, as essential for erecting the system of wires alld conducting them all to a central ot'ce. In order to construct a proper switch-board for use at the central otiice, l have simply embodied the principles on which the angle-hanger works in a mechanism capable ot' performing the functions required. Ill one sense this switch-board is a mere elaboration ofthe angle-hall ger. I have showll ill the accompanying drawings various modifications, but they all are based on the same initial priuciple. In fact, Ido not conceive how a switchboard for a central office or station for this class of telephones can be constructed which does not embody in solne form this feature-- viz., the elaboration (more or less) otl all allgle-t'astellillg which divides the angle illto a series ot' obtuse angles. e

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings as follows: Figure l is a perspective view of a series of switchboards arl ranged ill a colnlnoll rack or frame. Fig. 2 is a top view ot1 the device sllown in Fie. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a switch-board formed ot' a series ot' angle-fastenings attached to a central post. Fig. 4 is a perspective ot the device showll in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a perspective view, showing` a modification ot' the switch-board shown ill Figs. l and 2.

rIhe devices sllown ill Figs. l and 2 I considel the most practicable. That shown ill Fig. 5 is nearly the same, and that shown ill Figs. 3 and 4, while perfectly practicable, is not as etlicient when a largellulll bel'ot' changes are made. However, much dcpellds upon the iornl ot' the roolll occupied by the station andthe arrangement ofthe converging lines; but it shollld be remarked that the form shown ill Figs. land 2 is universal ill its application.

Before going further it should be remarked that the various lines converging at the central statioll terminate in that station and are eacll supplied with a telephone. The best arrangement is for all these telephones to be arranged ill rows aroulld the room, butthey may all be banked upon one side ot' the roolll. They should all be easily accessible for use by the IOO attendant. The wire in each ot1 these telephones passes through the diaphragm and terminates in a hook, (see T, Fioj. 3.) The switch-board should occupy a central position in the room; orit all the telephones are banked on one side of theroom the switchboard should occupy a central position opposite them, or in front of them.

Let us now suppose that A desires to communicate with I. Iile will call the central ot ice, and the attendant will go to the telephone on the end ot` his wire and ask whatis wanted, and will be informed that communication with B is desired. The attendant will then hook onto the hook on As telephone a wire that connects with the switch-board, and also connects Bis telephone to the switch-hoard. The connection, when made, will be like that shown by the wires or and y in Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5.

The switch-board shown in Figs. l and 2 is constructed as follows: A is a hoop, otl wood ormetal, as desired. A series ot' guys, E E,&c., are connected with this hoop, and run toward the center, like spokes. They may be of wire or cord. They all connect with a ring, D, ot' wire, which should probably be about the size ofthe line-wire. The guys E are drawn tight evenly all around. The hoop A is held iirmly iu a frame-work, B B B, by clampingserews U, resting,however,on brackets b'b, &c. A little play heilig allowed within the frame, the hoop'can be thrown from side to side slightly before clamping it. The wiresa andg/ connect with the ring D at the angles d formed by the guys. This connection can be made by a hook or otherwise, and there may be as many ot' these wiresas there are angles, it' desired; but I prefer to have them hook on and then use only as many as are needed at atime. As shown in Fig. 2, the two telephones in communication are on the same wall ot' the otlice and near together. It' they were on opposite walls, the line y would be connected to the ring D near the point where the wire .r is attached. lVherever the telephone to which y connects may be located, that wire should he placed so that it would run tangent to the hoop in an opposite directionthat is, so that its tension will oppose the tension ot' the wire rr. Now, it will be seen that a vibration lengthwise on the line a' will be communicated to the ring D, which in turn will give it to theline y; or, in other words, the lines a and 1/ and the ring D lorm a continuous line passing around a very abrupt? or acute angle, which turn is divided into a series ot' obtuse angles. Now, in place ot' the wheel an angle-hanger could be used, as shown in Figs. 3 and Ll; or theriug D can be omitted and the guys E be provided with hooks and the wiresal and y bel joined and put into the hooks on the guys, as is shown in Fig. 5. This is all the moditication The anglein Figs. 3, Ll, and 5 amounts to.

hangers shown in Figs. 3 and LI are the'same as those shown in the application for apatent above referred to. After the wires a and i/ have been attached to the switchboard prop erly they must be drawn taut. This may be done by the adjustment of the hoop in the frame by the screws C, or some similar device by which the hoop can be rmly held at one side of the frame-work; or the wires may be provided with devices t'ortightening them. In theconstruction shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the cams C are intended to serve the purpose of tightening the lines after connection. Athird or fourth or more lines can be connected with the ring D and receive the message passing over x and y, it' it should 'be desired to put so many lilies in intercommunication. By having several hoops, as in Fig. l, or several angle-hangers, as shown in Fig. 3, several pairs ot' lines may be put in communication at the same time.

That I claim as new is l. In a system ot' mechanical telephone-lines, the combination, with a series ot converging lines at the pointot' convergence thereof", ol" the following elements: a sexies ot' telephones which are severally connected with the said several converging wires, and are provided with means, substantially as shown, i'or connecting therewith an extension-line, an anglehanger located centrally with relation to said converging lilies and their attached telephones, and, finally, the lines a' and 1 1/ for connecting two of said telephones together through said angle-hanger, substantially as aud i'or the purposes set forth.

2. In asystem ofmechanicaltelephone-lines, the con'ibination, with a series of converging lines at the point of convergence, ot' an anglehangcr located centrally with relation to said line termini, which is provided with branch lines and 1, which can be attached and detached from any of said line termini, and thereby f'orm a circuit with any two ol" said lines, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

3. A universal angle-hanger i'or u se as a switch-board for a system ot' mechanical telcphone-lines, which consists of a hoop, A, guys E, and ring l), arranged together, substantially as and for the purposes set t'ox th.

4. In a system ot' mechanical telephone-lines, the combination ot' a universal angle-hanger constructed substantially as herein shown, and mounted in aframe,with means, substantially as shown, for securing the same at various points within said frame for the purpose ot' drawing the connected lines taut, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature in presence ot' two witnesses.

F. SHAVER. Witnessts:

JNo. K. HALLooit, W. lt. EDELEN.

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