US281680A - Electric fire-alarm and call-bell system - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 7 4 2Sheets-Sheet 1. C. H. FRANK. V

JELEGTRIU FIRE ALARM AND CALL BELL SYSTEM. No. 281,680. Patented July 24, 1883. v

Fly. 1.

.Dindy R am Wiznesses: i I I MYL/WLQW (No Mode l.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 0. H. FRANK.

ELECTRIC FIRE ALARM AND CALL BELL SYSTEM.

No. 281,680. Patented July 24, 1883.

$4- l I V I M mm N. PHERS Pnmmm wfwnmnmn. ac

NITED STATES PATENT FF'ICE...

ELECTRIC FIRE-ALARM AND CALL-BELL S YSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Application filed May 7, 1883.

T aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES HENRY FRANK, a citizen. of the United States, residing at Amsterdam village, in the county of Montgomery and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Fire- Alarm and Gall-Bell Systems, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to provide a system of electric call or alarm bells placed in the several rooms of ahotel or other building connected witha battery, and'so constructed and connected together that in case of fire those occupying the various rooms may be alarmed or called by sounding the alarm or call bells in each room by a person in the office manipulating a switch, or, in case it is desired to call an occupant of any given room at a certain time, the same may be accomplished by completing the circuit through a contact bearing a number to correspond with the number of the room, thereby sounding an alarm or call in the desired room.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a general View of my invention, showing my improvements located in the various rooms of a hotel or building and upon different stories or floors, as indicated by the broken lines and the several references marked thereon. Fig. 2 is a semi-sectional view of the switch-board, as shown in Fig. 1, in the room marked Office. Fig. 3 is a modification of my invention, showing a different form of switch; and Fig. 4 is a detached view of one of the contacts in Fig. 3.

The arrows indicate the directions of the currents of electricity.

I construct a switch-board, I), of circular form, containing any given number of metal contacts on, (see Figs 1 and 2,) substantially of the form as shown at m in Fig. 2, provided with a small hole, a, to receive the conducting- wires 7, 8, 850., These stumps I secure in a circular form upon a disk, usually of wood, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. The upper portions, a, of these contacts on just nicely pass through the dial 1).

In the center of the disk I), I secure abinding-post, 0, provided with a hole in its lower or back end to receive the conducting-wire K. This binding-post c has a shoulder at its upper Patent No. 281,680, dated July 24, 1883,

(No model.)

I end, so as to receive'the metal lever d, which lever d is secured to the post upon the shoulder just referred to by the nut e. This metal lever d revolves freely upon this post 0, and may be placed in contact with the several points a, that. extend up through the dial I), thereby completing the circuit, as will hereinafter more fully appear. I provide this metal lever 01 with a thumb-knob, f, for the operator to manipulate the lever with. I have shown three battery-cells, ggg, in the drawings; however, under ordinary circumstances, a single cell would be sufficient. This battery I locate in the basement or in any other convenient locality. These cells are connected together with the connecting-conductors 113 Within each room of the hotel or building, as indicated by the dotted lines, (see Figs. 1 and 3,) I place in any convenient place an electromagnetic bell, n, of the usual and ordinary construction. I do not confine myself to any particular form of bell.

From the battery I run a conductor-wire,

A, to post h of the electro-magnetic bell n in room No. 1, and from this post h, I extend a conductor, B, to post on the call apparatus in room No. 2. From this post a", I extend a c011- duetor to post j on bell apparatus in room No. 3. From this post j, I extend a conductor, D, to post k on the electromagnetic bell in room No. 4; and I continue extending in the same manner conductors E, F, G, H, I, and J to their respective posts upon the several electro magnetic-bells in the several rooms, numbered 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, respectively, as fully shown in detail in Fig. 1. From the post h on the electro-magnetic bell in room No. 1 I extend to the contact-post mon disk I) the return conductor-wire No. 1, and from post i on the electromagnetic bell in room No. 2 .I extend the condo ctor-wire No. 2 to the contactpost m in disk 6, all substantially as shown; and fromthe posts 7', k, Z, m, n, o, p, and q upon their'respective electromagnetic bells in the several rooms numbered, respectively, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, I connect and extend to the contacts m the conducting-wires 3, 4., 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.

From binding-post 0 (see Figs. 1 and 2) I extend the conductor K to the battery 9.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The battery is of course supposed to be charged and the currents of electricity to flow, when the circuit is complete, in the directions indicated by the several arrows. If it is desired to call any particular roon1say, as an illustration, room No. 7 the operator turns the lever (1 directly over contact an 7, as indicated by the broken lines,and presses it down firmly. Binding-post O on electric magnetic bell in room No. 7 is connected by conductor-wire No. 7 with contact on 7 on disk I). The circuit is 110w completed through conductor-wires A, 13,0, D, E, F, G, and H to the post 0 on call-instrument in room No. 7, then through the magnets of the instrument, therebysounding the alarm and calling the occupant, and passing over return-wire No. 7 to and through contact m 7, over lover (I, post 0, wire K, to battery. As long as the operator presses the lever 17. the alarm will continue to be sounded. lVhen the lever 11 is removed from the contact m 7, the circuit is broken, the current of electricity ceases to flow and the gongs to be sounded. By a repetition of this operation with any of the contacts m, from No. 1 to 10, inclusive, the same results will be produced. This is done, as heretofore described in the case of room No. 7, by completing the circuit through the contact m and the respective wires leading to each room, and the lever (I, post 0, and wire K. In case of fire, and it is necessary to call the occupants of each room immediately, the attendant in the oflice revolves the lever d, and as it passes each contact in he presses down the lever and completes the circuit, thereby sounding the gongs upon each electric magnetic instrument in each room as long as the lever (1 remains in contact with the respective contacts 121. This operation would sound the alarms in each room at intervals.

It will be readily seen that by the use of my improvements the guests of a hotel containing many occupants in a large number of rooms may be called or alarmed, in case of danger from fire, almost instantly throughout the whole house, thereby preventing loss of life.

In large hotels each iloor may be provided with my system connected with the oflice separately, or they may all be connected to gether, as the emergencies of the case may re quire.

I have indicated in the drawings ten rooms connected with the main office. I do not confine myself to any given number of rooms. There may be ten or there may be five hundred. The operation will be the same in each case.

Figs. 3 and 4 are modifications of my inrprovements. The connections are made substantially the same as those described, and shown in Fig. 1. The only existing difi'erences consist in the arrangements of the switchboard. In this arrangement, when it is desired to sound the bell in any particular room, the plug 1), attached to the flexible conductor (1, is inserted into the hole 0 in the bindingpost corresponding to the room. \Vhen the bells in all the rooms are to be sounded, the plug is brought in contact with the bindingposts m in succession. Figs. 3 and 4 show the modifications that may be made in a switclr board. However, it is evident these modifications do not change the nature of my invention.

I11 the drawings I 112136 shown one well-known form of bell. The trembly or vibrator bell may be used. In fact, any well-known elastic bell which operates upon a closed circuit or makes and breaks in a circuit can be used.

Having fully described myinvention, what I claim new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a series of bells located in various places, and connections from the bells to one side of a battery and to a central oflice, of a switch-board, I), having contacts m forming the terminals of the various connections to the bells, and the arm (I in electrical connection with the other side of the battery, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a series of bells located in various rooms of a hotel, and having connections with the battery and aswitchboard, of a switch having connection with the battery, and a switch-board, constructed substantially as described, whereby any one of the bells may be rung independently, or all may be rung in succession, as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereofI alfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES HENRY FRANK.

\Vitnesses:

PETER J. LEWIS, JOHN V. Moimis.

Images