US2682655A - Bell-buzzer construction - Google Patents

Description

June 29, 1954 Filed April 3, 1950 A. C. GROHSGAL BELL-BUZZER CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ,fl.0.6{r0kayal INVENTOR I BY I] 1 Y I I ATTORNEYS.

A. C. GROHSGAL BELL-BUZZER CONSTRUCTION June 29, 1954 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 3, 1950 13.65 Grahajy'al INVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 29, 1954 UNITED STATES ar OFFICE BELL-BUZZER CONSTRUCTION Application April3, 1950, Serial No. 153,66'7

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a construction for an electric signalling bell, buzzer, or bell-buzzer combination adapted for use inthe home, office, shop, or other locations.

In many structures, such as older homes, electric bells or buzzers are generally mounted on the surface of a room wall with such fastening means as wood screws, with the wiring leading to the device being frequently exposed. However, in newer structures such asthe newer type ofiice buildings and residences, bell wiring is concealed in conduit tubing extending to outlet boxes recessed in the interior walls or partitions of the structure, the bell or buzzer being mounted upon said boxes with machine screws.

These completely different conditions of mounting have, heretofore, to my knowledge required different types of bases or back plates for the bells or buzzers, and the commercial field heretofore has had no electric signalling devices adapted for universal mounting, so that a signal device is designed for either surface mounting or switch box mounting as necessary by reason of the particular mounting conditions.

One important object of the present invention is to provide an electric signalling device wherein said device will be designed in such a manner as to be capable of being mounted either upon the surface of a wall or upon an outlet box, this universally mountable device being highly desirable for the purpose of reducing manufacturing costs. In this particular art, where devices of the type stated are manufactured in considerable quantities and under conditions which dictate the necessity of reducing costs to an absolute minimum,

a saving in manufacturing costs is of great importance even though seemingly infinitesimal.

Another important object is to provide an electric signalling device wherein, in a bell construction, the housing or cover therefor and the tonal element are resonated to each other so as to create a mellow signal in contrast to the harsh sound of door bells as commonly constructed.

Still another important object is to provide a back plate construction for electric signalling devices of the type stated that will be adapted for the mounting of a bell only, bell and buzzer combination in side by side relationship, or buzzer only at a central location on said back plate.

witli the foregoing and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts, hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claim, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed;

Referring to the drawings- Fig. l is a side elevational view of the back plate and. outlet box on which said plate is mounted, an electric bell mechanismbeing shown in side elevation and the cover being shown in longitudinal section;

Fig. 2 is a section taken substantially on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section substantially on line 3--3 of Fig. 1 on a somewhat reduced scale.

Fig. 4' is a. perspective view of the back plate.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective View of the cover showing the means for attachment of. the cover to'the-backplate.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the mounting base is of steel construction, preferably, and comprises an elongated rectangular plate 2 carrying at its perimeter a substantially perpendicular reinfcrcing and spacing. flange 2". Aperipheral contact flange I is carried by the spacing flange 2' and extends outwardly therefrom at the edge thereof remote from the plate 2. Intermediate the ends of the plate, a pair of upstanding gripping lugs 3 of flared formation (see Fig. 1) are formed upon the opposite longitudinal edges of said contact flange I-.

Entering one end of the plate 2 is a flanged recess 5 the fiange of which merges into the flange I. A keyhole slot 4; is. provided in the peripheral flange I, within the confines of the recess 5. Adjacent the other end of the plate 2 is a perforated dimple 6, the bottom of which lies in the plane of thehange I. The slots and opening 5 are for receiving fastening means for attaching the mounting base either to a wall surface or outlet box as desired.

Formed in the plate 2 at diiferent corners.

thereof said body are the openings 1, 3, and s respectively for the passage of a common lead, bell lead, and buzzer lead respectively, extending from a source of electricity to the terminals provided therefor upon the signal mechanisms.

In the center of the plate 2 I provide the open ing Ill flanked by a pair of smaller openings II, the, opening, It being adapted for receiving a bobbin core when the back plate is to support a buzzer only, center openings II receiving small pins extending from a bobbin mounted above the opening Ill for preventing rotation of said bobbin.

Adjacent one end of the plate 2, there are formed therein the'core-re'ceiving opening I2 and anchor pin openings I3 for mounting of the bell 3 bobbin or coil, there being formed in the plate 2 adjacent said openings 52 and I3 the opening M flanked by the anchor pin receiving openings l5 for mounting of the coil of a buzzer when the plate 2 is to support a bell-buzzer combination.

In the present instance there is illustrated a bell buzzer combination, but it will be understood that this is shown purely for the sake of example, the plate being equally well adapted, as apparent from the above description and from Fig. 4 of the drawings, for mounting of a bell only (opening [4), or buzzer only (opening Ill).

For supporting the tonal element of the bell, the plate 2 is formed with the outstruck upstanding bracket [6 of inverted U shape, formed with the openings I I for receiving fastening elements.

Considering now the construction of the actuating mechanisms for the bell and buzzer of the illustrated example, it will be appreciated that these are identical in all respects with the exception of the armature formation thereof. Accordingly, angular brackets l8 are positioned over the openings l2 and M respectively, these angular brackets having at their upper ends the outwardly and upwardly extended extensions 1 9 for attachment of the armatures and contact springs.

Supported upon the lower end of the brackets l 8 are the bobbins or coils 20, the cores of which project through the openings l2 and I4 and are peened over the edges of said openings for fixed mounting of the coils and brackets upon the plate 2.

Secured to the upper ends of the coils 2B are the fiber plates 2| these being extended laterally beyond the coils at one side for mounting on the laterally projecting portions of said plates of conductive terminals 22 having the inturned end wings 23 gripping the fiber plates 2|. The terminals 22 are formed with the central threaded openings receiving the terminal screws 24.

Secured to the front portions of the respective plates 2| and having their upper ends spaced above said plates are the contact brackets 25. These brackets at their free ends overlie the free ends of contact springs 26 fixedly secured at their other ends to the extensions [9 of the supporting brackets i8. Rigidly secured to the contact springs 26 adjacent the last-named ends of said springs are the armatures 27, 28 of the buzzer and bell respectively.

The armature 2? of the buzzer terminates below the bracket 25 of the buzzer, but the armature 28 of the bell is integrally formed with the elongated horizontally extending striker 29 having the boss 38 formed in its bottom surface for striking the folded tonal element 31 which is U-shaped in cross section. Fastening means 32 fixedly sesure said tonal element to the supporting bracket i B in a position in which it is elevated above the plate 2 as best seen from Figs. 1 and 3.

In the illustrated example, the bell-buzzer combination is mounted upon a conventional outlet box 33 having the usual knock-outs 34, this outlet box being of the type that is mounted in recessed position within a room wall as is common in newer structures.

A buzzer lead 35 extends through the opening 9 from the outlet box 33 and is secured by the terminal screw 24 to the buzzer terminal. A bell lead 36 extends through the opening 8 and is secured by the terminal screw 24 to the bell terminal. A common lead 31 extends through opening '1 from the outlet box and is attached by terminal screw 38 to the plate 2, the said plate being formed with an apertured boss 39 in one corner,

4 into which said screw 38 is threaded. The boss 39 is provided so as to permit the terminal screw 38 to be turned home to its full extent without coming into engagement with the surface of a wall or the like on which said mounting base is mounted in a surface-mounting arrangement.

As a means for mounting the mounting base upon a conventional outlet box 33, I provide the machine screws 40, 4! extending through the opening 6 and keyhole slot 4 respectively, the outlet box 33 having the inturned end wings 42 formed with threaded screw-receiving openings in which the machine screws 40, 4| threadedly engage for rigid attachment of the mounting base to said outlet box.

If the mounting base were to be mounted in a surface mounting arrangement, the user would simply substitute wood screws for the machine screws 40, H, and position the flange I of the mounting base directly against the surface of the room wall, threading the wood screws into the room wall for rigid mounting of the mounting base directly thereupon.

It may be noted, in this connection, that the mounting base is so formed as to be adapted for either surface mounting or outlet box mounting, as necessary or desired. In either instance an efficiently mounted mounting base results, the back plate having no projections on its underside which would prevent its being readily mounted upon a wall surface, and being at the same time mountable upon any conventional outlet box.

Considering now the cover portion of the electric signalling device, this is formed of plastic material preferably, and in general comprises a box-like cover 43 covering the mounting base and signalling mechanism supported thereupon completely.

The bottom or plate-engaging edge of the cover 43 is molded with a peripheral rib 44, open at opposite sides of the cover as readily seen I from Fig. 5, to provide flared spaces 45 in which engage the gripping lugs 3 of the mounting base. Mounting of the cover 43 upon the mounting base is achieved simply by pressing the opposite side walls of the cover inwardly, these having a certain amount of resiliency by reason of the inherent characteristics of the material of which they are made, after which the cover is positioned upon the peripheral flange 1 and released, the flared wings 3 now engaging in the spaces or recesses 45 provided therefor to mount the cover upon the mounting base in its proper position. The cover is otherwise wholly free of connections to the mounting base.

Formed in the top portion of the cover 43, above the tonal element 3|, is the opening 46 for passage of the sound waves, this opening being crossed by a plurality of parallel ribs 41 providing a protective grill work. Integrally formed upon the cover 23 and depending from the edge portion of the opening 46 is the skirt 48 disposed above and shaped to the general outer configuration of the tonal element 3 l as readily seen from Figs. 1 and 2, said skirt 48 terminating a short distance above said element and having the clearance notch or recess opening 49 through which extends the striker 29 of the bell mechanism.

It is an important characteristic of the invention that the particular formation and arrangement of the cover or housing 43 relative to the tonal element 3| resonates the cover to the tonal element to produce a mellower tone than that commonly produced by electric signalling bells.

The resonating of the cover 43, to the tonal element 3! is accomplished by relating the thickness of the cover to the vibrations of the tonal element in a manner to cause the period of vibration of said cover to be attuned closely to ,that of the tonal element. This resonating characteristic of the cover is enhanced by providing the skirt 48 and thus defining an interior cubic resonance chamber immediately adjacent the tonal element 3! which is absorbed by certain sound waves emanating from the tonal element.

What is claimed is:

In an electrical signalling device a mounting base, a bracket carried by the base and extending perpendicularly therefrom adjacent one side mounted on said mounting base andenclosing the signaling means, a skirt carried by the cover and extending toward the base for defining a resonance chamber adjacent said tonal element, said skirt having a recess opening therethrough to accommodate the striking means, and said cover having an opening extending therethrough and. communicating with the resonance chamber through which may escape sound produced by the tonal element.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,014,444 Miller Sept. 17, 1935 2,070,020 Miller Feb. 9, 1937 2,120,153 Rittenhouse et a1. June '7, 1938 2,126,433 Voightlander Aug. 9, 1938 2,140,577 Gaynor Dec. 20, 1938 2,194,507 Lord et a1 Mar. 26, 1940 2,333,515 Brewer et a1. Nov. 2, 1943 2,391,698 Grohsgal Dec. 25, 1945

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