US280663A - Telephone switch-board - Google Patents

Description

'(No Model.)

T. J.PERRIN. TELEPHONE SWITUH BOARD.

Sewn

Patented July 3, 1883.

Six

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n J 1 o m UNITEm STATES PATENT OFF c THOMAS J. PERRIN, OF BROOKLYN, NEWV YORK.

TELEPHONE SWITCH-BOARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 280,663, dated July 3, 1883.

Application filed December 22, 1882. (No model.)

lyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Telephonic Switch-Boards, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of teleso arrange these plates in pairs that a pair representing terminals of the two wires of any two -wire circuit or terminals of the two branches of any loop-circuit will be in close proximity to and adapted for plug-connection with a similar pair of terminals of every other such circuit centering at the switch-board. I also provide such board with a separate section composed of pairsof calling-plates repre senting each loop or two-wire circuit, and arrange these pairs of calling-plates in such re lation to a plurality of pairs of terminal plates of a signaling-circuit that by the simple insertion ofaproper plugconnection any loop or two-wire circuit is placed in a complete metallic circuit including the central-office signaling-instruments. I further provide each switch-board with a listening-telephone circuit having terminal plates arranged in such relation to the line-terminal plates that bythe insertion of a proper plug the listening-telephone may be connected with any linecircuit in proper manner to enable articulate communications to be heard at the central office.

In order that my invention may be fully understood, I will proceed to give a particular description of a switch-board embodying the same, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of a switchboard having circuits and terminal plates arranged according to my invention. section of the board on line a; a." of Fig. 1. Fig.

3 is a perspective view of a double plug-c011- nector used in connecting the pair of plates. The letter A designates the switch-board. The line-terminal plates are indicated by l 1 2 2", and so on. In the present instance there are eight distinct loop-circuits connected with the board, and each loop wire or branch. is provided with four terminal plates. For instance, the two wires which compose loopcircuit one at the left are connected to the binding-posts 1 and 1, respectively. The post 1 is connected, as shown by dotted lines, with all the plates marked 1'', and the post 1 is similarly connected with all the plates marked 1". The posts 2 and 2' are in like manner connected with the plates 2 and 2", and so on.

It will be seen that in the two upper rows of plates a pair of plates of the first loop is followed by a pair of the second loop, and these by a pair of the third loop, after which comes again a pair of the first loop, and then pairs of the fourth and fifth loops in similar order. Then again, a pair of the first loop is followed by pairs of the sixth and seventh loops, and, finally, the last pair of the first loop is followed by a pair of the eighth loop. It will be observed that a pair of terminal plates of the first loop is thus brought adjacent to a pair of terminal plates of every other loop con nected to the board. Now, in the second two rows of plates there are pairs of the second loop directly under the pairs of the first loop, and pairs of the other loops intermediately arranged in order, as in the first two rows. In the third two rows, pairs. of the third loop are directly under pairs of the second loop, and so on for all the rows in a similar manner,which will now be readily understood. I11 the rows of plates following the first two rows, spaces are left vacant at the right-hand ends of the rows, because a sufficientnumber of pairs of plates have been used without filling these spaces, and thus an aggregate space is left in 5 which rows of plates for other circuits may be arranged without following the vertical serial order-as, for instance, after the pairs of the fifthloop have been arranged in the vertical se ries the pairs of the sixth loop are commenced 100 at the right and followed to the left by other pairs in order, and over the rows devoted to the sixth loop the pairs of the seventh loop are placed, followed at theleft by a pair of the eighth loop, which completes the arrangement of the pairs of terminal plates of all the loops, sothat any loop has a pair of plates adjacent to a pair of every other loop.

The connectingplug 1? is composed of two pairs, 1) and p, of metal spring-fingers, connected to an insulating-bar, I, the fingers of each pair being electrically connected. Now, suppose it is desired to connect two. of the loops-say loop one and loop six-together in metallic circuit. This is done by insert-ing the plug P, as shown, so that one pair of the fingers will be between plates 1 and 6 and the other pair will be between plates 1 and 6". The connection will then be complete, as follows Say from post 1 through the first three plates 1 and their connecting-wires, over the adjacent fingers of the plug to plate 6, thence to post 6 over the loop six and back to post 6, and thence to plate (5" over the plug-fingers to plate 1", and thence to post 1 and over loop one back to post 1. The conneetions between the plates mentioned in this illustration are shown in dotted or broken lines; but the connections bet-ween the lineterminal plates generally are omitted from the drawings to avoid confusion. They will be, however, readily understood from. the explanations which have been given.

The callingsection of the board is designated by the letter M. This section is composed of two rows of terminal plates arranged in pairs. Five of these pairs are each composed of plates marked 0 and O, and between each two of these pairs are interposed two pairs of line-plates. For instance, after the first pair of plates marked 0 O at the left comes a pair marked 1" 1, followed by a pair marked 2*" 2", and then another pair marked C 0, followed by pairs marked 3*" 3" and 45 4, and so on. The plate marked 15" is connected with the post 1. either directly or through line-plates 1, and the plate marked 1" is connected with post 1, so that these two plates form a pair of terminals for loop one, and are termed its calling-plates. The other numbered plates in these two rows are similarly connected with loops having similar numbers. The plates marked G are all connected together electrically and with the anvil of a key, K, as indicated by broken lines,

and the key is connected with a circuit-breaking wheel, W, having four breaks, to, of insulating material, so that the periphery of the wheel is composed of alternating conducting and noirconducting spaces. Upon the periphery of this wheel rests the free end of a metallic contact-arm, N, having its other end connected with one pole of a signalingbattery, 13, the other pole of which is connected with all of the plates marked 0, as indicated by brokenlines. If, now, the operator at the central office desires to call a subscriber or station on loop one, he inserts plug 1, as shown, so that two of its fingers connect plate if with a plate, (1, and its other two fingers ccnneet plate 1" with plate He then do presses key K and turns the break-wheel \V, and the making and breaking of the batterycircuit will cause the operation of a signal apparatus included in loop one, for it will be seen that each time a conducting portion oflV passes under the arm N a circuit is completed from post 1 to plate 1" over the plug-fingers to plate 0, thence over the other plates 0, the key and connections to the break wheel, through the wheel and contact-arm N to one pole of the battery, and from the other battery-pole over the plates 0 and intermediate connections to the plug, and over the plug-to plate 1", and thence to post 1. and over the loop back to post 1.

A small bell, Q, is connected in the battery-circnit at the central office, and will ring while a call is being made. The call may be answered by the called subscriber or operator by simply breaking circuit, as then, of course, the bell Q will cease to ring, and its cessation will indicate to the calling operator that the called subscriber or operator has received the call. Signaling or calling over the otherloops may be performed in a similar manner.

At the left-hand end of the calling-section is a pair of plates, marked T T, which are connected with a telephone, B. By connecting this pair of plates with the adjacent pair 0 C the telephone is placed in a derived circuit with the loop which has been plugged for signaling, and oral communication may thus be had between the calling operator and the one called.

Instead of the break-wheel, I may use any other kind of automatic circuit-breaker, and may also use any other kind of electric generator than a battery. The battery or generator may also be grounded and a single line-wire used for calling purposes, or two separate line wires, one being to ground direct and the other to ground through the battery, in the manner now well known in electrical cireuiting.

At the left of each two rows of line-terminal plates in the switch-board is a pair of plates marked G L. The plates G are all electrically connected together and to ground, and the plates L are all connected electrically together and to ground through a listening-telephone, R. It is obvious that if a plug be inserted between any pair of plates G L and an adjacent pair of line-plates, one end of the loop which the line-plates represent will be connected to ground through plates G and the other end to ground through the plates L and telephone It, and the operator may thus converse with the subscriber on the loop; or, if

the loop be connected with another, the listening-telephone will be in a derived or branch circuit with the two connected loops, and the listening operator may thus ascertain at any time whether or not comnuinication between any two subscribers has been finished.

At the right of the board I show simply a long plate, L, which is electrically connected with the plates L, forming a continuation electr ally of the plates L to such position as will readily enable connection .to be made between the circuit of L and the circuits represented by the terminals upon the right of the board. By connecting the plate L with any adjacent 5 pair of plates by means of the ,.plug, the telephone R is brought into a branch circuit, and

over it may be heard any communication going on over the loop represented by the pair of plates and a loop connected therewith.

It is obvious that the switch-board as now described is quite as applicable for use with two-wire circuits as with loop-circuits, as all that is necessary to change a loop to a twowire circuit is that the subscriber shall break his loop and connect the branches or resulting two lines to'ground.

I wish it to be understood that although I have illustrated in my drawings an arrangement of line-terminal plates-which I prefer, I do not confine myself to such arrangement, as it is only necessary that each loop or two-wire circuit shall have a pair of terminal plates adjacent to and adapted for plug-eonnectionwith a pair of terminal plates of every other similar circuit centering at the board.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim is 1. Aswitch-board having anumber'of terminal plates for each line-wire equal to half the total number of wires to be connected, each line-wire having its own section or row on the board, and its terminal plates so alternated therein with terminal plates of the succeeding wires that plug-connection may be made with any other wire, substantially as described. I

2. A switch-boardhaving anumber of terminal plates arranged in pairs for loop or complete metallic circuits, the number of pairsbeing equal to half the number of such circuits, the pairs of anyone such circuit being so alternated or arranged relatively to the pairs of every other circuit that plug-connection from the plates of any one circuit may be made to a pair of plates of any other circuit, substan- 5 tially as described.

3. In a switch -board having its terminal plates arranged as hereinbefore set forth, the combination, with the terminal plates representing the various circuits, of terminal plates connected with a listening-telephone circuit, whereby such listening-telephone circuit may be connected-to any service-circuit, substan tially as described.

4. In a switch-board for a loop or two-wire circuits, the combination, with the line terminals, of the calling-section having a pair of line-terminal or plug plates for each circuit, and a plurality of pairs of plates representing a signal-circuit, a pair of the signal-circuit plates being arranged for plug-connectionwith each pair of line-plates, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the pairs of calling-section plates, of the pair of plates arranged for connection with a telephone, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the pairs of connected calling-section plates 0 O and the in-- termediate line-plates connected therewith, of an automatic circuit-breaker and electric gen erator connected with said plates 0 0, substantially as described.

7. In a switch-board for a central telephone or telegraph office or exchange, a number of rows of contact-plates, the first and thereafter every third plate in each row forming aterminal of the line to which the row is assigned,

the intervening-plates being terminals of the succeeding lines, so that circuit may be made from the line assigned to the row'to every other line, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' THOMAS J. PERRIN.

Witnesses:

CHARLES A. RANDALL, J OHN W. HUGHES.

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