US2811584A

US2811584A - Automatic alarm system

Info

Publication number: US2811584A
Application number: US377803A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harry E Williams; Raymond L Williams
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1953-09-01
Filing date: 1953-09-01
Publication date: 1957-10-29
Anticipated expiration: 1974-10-29

Description

Oct. 29, 1957 H. E. WILLlAMS ETAL 2,811,584

AUTOMATIC ALARM SYSTEM Filed Sept. 1, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

' flmer 5 MM MMS de BY FA mien 0 A. WILL/19015 THE/A 8712' ORA E Y.

Oct. 29, 1957 H. E. WlLLlAMS F -ITAL 2,811,534

AUTOMATIC ALARM SYSTEM Filed Sept. 1, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mai Oct. 29, 1957 H. E. WILLIAMS ETAL 2,811,584

AUTOMATIC ALARM SYSTEM Filed Sept. 1, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 29525 Zap-ram IWDL United States Patent 9 AUTOMATIC ALARM SYSTEM Harry E. Williams and Raymond L. Williams, Pacific Palisades, Calif.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvernents in automatic alarm systems and has for its principal object a construction of this character that is simple and efficient yet economical in manufacture. Another equally important object of this invention is the provision of associating a conventional telephone hand set and an automatic phonograph record player in a simple and efficient alarm system that involves a very low operating cost.

Still another equally important object of this invention is the provision of an alarm system utilizing a conventional telephone wherein the telephone receiver is never in an inoperative position for normal use.

Another object of this invention is the provision of an alarm system utilizing a telephone wherein the telephone is automatically placed in operation and, after sounding an alarm, returned to its normal inoperative position. Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangementof parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred form of construction and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the cabinet embodying our invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cabinet opened to show the mechanism of our invention therein;

A Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the top shelf and dial holder of our invention;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to Fig. 3, but showing the receiver button lever being depressed;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the center shelf, and telephone holder and phonograph record player embodied in our invention;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the top shelf of the cabinet with the telephone base thereon and the hang-up lever of our invention in operative position;

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatical sketch of the battery circuit embodied in our invention;

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatical sketch of an electrical circuit embodied in our invention;

Fig. 9 is a cross sectional view of the dial lever housing .26; and

Fig. 10 is a cross sectional view of the operating mechanism housing 23.

For the successful operation of our automatic alarm system we employ the use of a conventional telephone and automatic phonograph record player, which instruments per se do not constitute any part of our invention. The invention lies in the novel combination and arrangement of parts which incorporate the use of such telephone and phonograph record player.

In operation, using as an example a business establishment, the doors and windows of the establishment are wired with an electrical circuit, sometimes called taping,

and which process is well known in alarm systems. This circuit is connected to the operating mechanism of our invention, and upon the breaking of such circuit, the phonograph and the telephone are placed in operation. The central telephone operator is called directly and a short three-minute recording is played from the phonograph record player into the mouthpiece of the telephone informing the telephone operator of a burglary or unlawful entry taking place. The operator immediately relays the call to the police.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, a sound proof cabinet is indicated as at 10. This cabinet is accessible through a door 11 hinged to the cabinet in any approved manner, such as by hinges 12. Within the cabinet 10 are a plurality of slidable shelves 13 and 13', upon which is adapted to be positioned the mechanisms embodied in our invention.

in operation, a conventional telephone hand set 14 is. placed within the cabinet 10. The telephone receiver 15 is removedfrom the telephone base and placed with the mouthpiece 16 thereof on a small speaker 17 of an automatic phonograph record player 18. This phonograph is supported on the slidable shelf 13 which has been drawn out from within the cabinet 10. On the turntable of the phonograph is carried a phonograph record 19 and the tone arm 20 of the phonograph is placed on the initial recording thereof, after which the shelf 13 is slidably replaced in the cabinet 10, as viewed in Fig. 2.

The base portion 21 of the telephone set 14 is then placed on the top shelf 13 adjacent a control panel 22 and operating mechanism housing 23. The dial 24 of the telephone 14 is dialed to operator, and a dial lever 25, carried by the control panel 22, is inserted in one of the finger openings to hold the dial in that selected position. This lever 25 is carried by a housing 26 attached to the control panel 22, and which housing 26 has a downwardly and outwardly extending guide finger 27 through which the lever 25 is adapted to slidably project. At the top of the lever 25 is a finger tab 28 extending upwardly through a slot 29 formed in the housing 26 and by which the lever 25 may be slidably projected from within the housing 26. Also containedin this housing 26 is an electromagnetic coil 30 having an armature 31'which is adapted to project into a notch 32' formed in the bottom side of the lever 25 when such lever 25 is projected from Within the housing 26 and inserted into a predetermined finger opening of the dial 24. Such insertion of the lever 25 into the dial 24 is against the action of a spring 33 having one end connected to one end 34 of the lever 25 and having its opposite end connected to the housing 26 as at 35. The operation of such lever 25 and coil 30 will hereinafter be described.

A receiver lever 36 pivotally carried as at 35 by a partition 23 in the housing 23 projects through a slot 36 formed theerin and is depressed, against the action of a spring37, down upon the telephone receiver button 38 of the telephone 14 and thereby holds the telephone 14 in a normal inoperative position. The end portion of the lever 36 within the housing 23 is tapered downwardly and outwardly, so as to provide a bearing shoulder 39 which, when the lever 36 is depressed, will engage the armature 40 of an electromagnetic coil 41 secured to the housing 23 adjacent the end portion of the lever 36. The lever 36 will be held in its depressed position, holding the telephone 14 in a normal inoperative position, until the coil 41 is energized. The method of energizing such coil will hereinafter be described.

Also pivotally carried by the housing 23 and operating in the slot 36 is a hang-up lever 42. This lever 42 has its inner end portion tapered in an opposite direction to that of the lever 36, that is, upwardly and outwardly,

which also provides a bearing shoulder 39'. Secured to the partition 23' in the housing 23 above the end portion of the lever 42 is a second electromagnetic coil 43 having an armature 44. Connected to the lever 42 as at 45 is a spring 46, which tends to pull the lever 42 in a depressed position with respect to the receiver button 38 of the telephone 14. Resisting this spring 46 is the armature 44 which, when the electromagnetic coil 43 is deenergized, engages the end portion of the lever 42 and secures it in a raised position, as shown in Fig. 10.

The function and purpose of these levers 36 and 42 as well as that of the electromagnetic coils 41 and 43, will be hereinafter described. I

A toggle switch 45' is carried by the control panel and which, when all the doors and windows of the establishment are closed and locked, is turned on. If the taping circuit is complete by reason of the closed condition of all doors and windows, the turning on of this switch will produce nothing. However, it a door or window is open, when this switch 45 is turned on, a light 47 on the control panel 22 will be energized and indicate such fact.

On the bottom shelf of the cabinet 10, as viewed in Fig. 2, is a 6-volt storage battery 48. This battery 48 is connected in circuit, as shown in Fig. 7. with the electrical system of the establishment in such a manner that if such system is inoperative when the toggle switch 45 is turned on, the battery circuit will be effective and ring a bell, warning of such a condition.

Upon successful completion of the above conditioning tests, the alarm system is energized by pushing the electronic starting button 49 on the control panel 22.

In Fig. 8 is a suggested circuit diagram which embodies all the necessary indicia showing the parts and their connecting circuits. In such circuit diagram there is indicated a master release relay, which, upon the break ing of the taping, is energized. When this master relay is energized, it energizes the amplifier of the phonograph and a 30-second timing motor which releases first the receiver lever 36, which has been depressed upon the telephone receiver button 38, then the motor relay, and then the dial lever 25. Thus it can be seen that upon energizing the master relay, the coil 41 is energized and the armature 40 is pulled away from the bearing shoulder 39 and, under the action of the spring 37, the receiver lever 36 is lifted, placing the telephone 14 in condition for dialing. The dial lever coil 30 is then energized and it releases the dial lever 25 to the action of the spring 33, and the dial lever 25 is then raised and the dial returns to normal'position, thus completing connec- 1 tion to the telephone operator. At the time the motor relay is energized it starts the motor for the turntable of the phonograph 18. The motor in operating the turntable causes the recording 19 to be played into the mouthpiece 16 of the telephone 14, relaying the recorded message to the operator.

Upon movement of the tone arm over the recording a predetermined distance, it energizes a cut-off switch which in turn energizes a hang-up circuit. Th s circuit breaks contact for the whole alarm system and operates the coil 43, so as to release the hang-up lever 42 to be depressed, under action of the spring 46, down upon the receiver button 38 of the telephone 14, to place the telephone 14 in its normal inoperative position.

Should it be found that the alarm system has not been operated, upon return of the owner of the establishment to the premises where located, the circuit electronic switch 49 is turned olf, the receiver button lever 36 raised, the mouthpiece 16 removed from the speaker 17 and replaced on the telephone cradle, and the telephone 14 may be placed on top the cabinet 10 ready for normal use.

It is apparent from the foregoing description that our new and improved alarm system provides a silent, quick, efficient means of reporting a burglary. The alarm system is fully automatic and operates at a cost that enables ali to have benefits of such an alarm system.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. An alarm system in which there is a telephone transmitter comprising a conditioning mechanism for holding said transmitter in a predetermined non-transmitting position, said conditioning mechanism including a slidable dial lever having operative connection to said telephone transmitter to hold the same in a predetermined nontransmitting position, a pivotal receiver button lever having one end thereof engaging a portion of said transmitter for holding the same in a non-transmitting position, means carried by said dial lever and said button lever for moving the same out of operative engagement with said dial and said receiver button of said transmitter, latch means operatively connected to said dial lever and said button lever for latching the same in operative engagement with said dial and said receiver button, electromagnetic means for releasing said dial lever and said receiver button lever from latched operative connection with said transmitter to place the same in a transmitting condition, a sound reproducer operatively related to the receiver of said transmitter, an electric circuit for said system, a timing motor in said circuit for successively operat-. ing said electromagnetic means and said sound reproducer, and a circuit breaking means in said circuit for deenergizing said sound reproducer and to return said telephone transmitter to a non-transmitting position.

2. An alarm system in which there is a cradle-type dial telephone, means for maintaining an operative circuit to said telephone after the receiver has been removed from the cradle, means for holding said dial in a predialed position, means carried by said first and second means for moving the same out of operative engagement with said telephone, latch means operatively connected to said first and second mentioned means for latching the same in operative engagement with said telephone, means for successively releasing said latching means of said first and second mentioned means for conditioning said telephone for transmitting, a sound reproducer operatively related to the telephone receiver, means for energizing said sound reproducer after said first and second mentioned means have been released, an electric circuit for said first and second mentioned means and said sound reproducer, and means for reestablishing an operative circuit to said tele phone after a predetermined period of energization of said sound reproducer.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,672,612 Luse May 10, 1927 2,090,574 Davidson Aug. 17, 1937 2,188,055 Marsh et al. Jan. 23, 1940 2,371,051 Kendig Mar. 6, 1945 2,518,174 Picking et al; Aug. 8, 1950