US315313A - mcduff - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. E. MQDUFP & J. F. DOHERTY.

ANNUNOIATOR.

No. 315,313. Patented Apr. 7, 1885.

w @Q) @@EQD@ @(9 cw @Q) cw WJZ'NEEEZE. [NV NZ- 4wofm z 4 (No ModeL) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

1 J. E. MGDUPP 82; J. F. DOHERTY.

- ANNUNGIATOR.

No. 315,313. Patented Apr. 7, 1885.

(N0 Modeli) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 J. E. MQDUFP & J. P. DOHERTY. ANNUNOIATOR.

'No. 315,313. Patented Apr.7, 1885.

WITNZEEEE: IN IZYTU I Wfi y gw UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES E. MODUFF AND JOHN F. DOI-IERTY, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO PERLEY \V. CAMERON, OF SAME PLACE.

ANNUNCIATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 315,313, dated April 7, 1885.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, J AMEs E. MODUFF and JOHN F. DOHERTY, of the city and county of Providence, and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Annunciators, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to electric annunciators for hotels and other similar places; and the object of our invention is to produce an annunciator which shall automatically sound a call or alarm bell at any required period of time.

To the above purpose our invention consists in the provision of an annunciator in which the closing of one or more electric circuits for the purpose of sounding an alarm or call bell is effected by clock-work, as hereinafter described and claimed.

It is frequently the case that guests at hotels and other places desire to be called at certain hours for the purpose of taking trains or meeting other periodical engagements, and hence such establishments requiresome means whereby the guest shall be certainly called at the time named; but heretofore there has been much uncertainty in obeying the order as given, owing to the fact that the matter has been left largely to the memory of employs.

As the result of our invention hotels and like establishments may be providedwith a simple and efficient apparatus which may be set, simultaneously with the guest s order, to give the required call without fail at the time stated in the order.

In order that our invention may be fully understood, we will now proceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, which clearly illustrate our invention, and in which Figurel is a front view of our improved annunciator. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the same. Fig. 4 is a detached view ,of one of the circuitpins.

The annunciator illustrated in the above drawings as embodying our invention consists, essentially, of a suitable framein which is mounted a clock, a call-bell, and a series of circuit-pins,-the clock and bell being placed permanently in circuit with a suitable battery, and the circuit-pins being so arranged that by turning they shall place the circuits in condition to be closed automatically by the clock at given periods of time.

A designates the frame, which may be of any suitable or preferred form.

B designates the battery; 0, the clock, and D the bell, the latter being of the usual or any preferred form of electric bell.

E designates the circuit-pins, which may be of other than the precise form shown. The bell D carries the two binding-posts d d, to the former of which the wire w, which runs from the battery B through the binding-post b to the bell, is connected, while to the latter, (1, is connected the wire w, which leads from the bell to the clock C, if the clock be entirely of metal, and to the arm a, hereinafter described, if the clock be not entirely of metal. The pins E may be of substantially the form shown in Fig. 4c, and carry each on its inner end a metal cross-bar, 6, while upon its outer end, which is formed with a handle or fingerpiece, the pin may carry a small pin, 6, to receive a tag, 6 which designates one of the room-numbers. These tags when not in use are hung upon pins 0 at the lower front part of the frame, as is shown in Fig. 1. Each of the pins E is surrounded by a coiled spring, 6 which serves to force the pin inward.

f designates a series of continuous metal strips which are secured in vertical position upon the rear side of the frame A, and f des ignates a series of strips which are similarly secured to the rear side of the frame A, and each of which is composed of four separate sections, as shown in Fig. 2, there being two strips f between each pair of strips f.

Upon the back of the clock C is secured a ring, F, of non-conducting material,which carries a series of raised contact-points, (indicated by black dots in Fig. 2,) the number of which points corresponds to the total number of the sections in the strips f, and each section being electrically connected with one of the said contact points. Each of the continuous strips f is electrically connected by a branch wire, with a wire, which leads through a binding-post, b, to the battery B.

Upon the rear end of the arbor of the hourhand of the clock (3 is mounted an arm, 0, which passes successively in contact with the several contact-points on the ring F as the clock runs. As shown in Fig. 3, a metal roller, 0, may be secured to the outer end of the arm 0, so as to lessen the friction between the arm and the contact-points on the ring It. By means of the pieces a upon the rear side of the frame A the strips ff are so secured as to leave a considerable space between the strips and the frame, and in this space the required movements of the pins E occur.

When a guest desires to be called at any particular time,thepin E for thattime is drawn outward and turned till its cross-bar 6 moves from its normal vertical position to a horizontal position. The pin is then released and its spring 6 serves to force the extremities of the bar 6 against the strip f and the corresponding section of the strip f. The position of the pin E is now such that when the arm 0 passes into contact with the corresponding contact-point the bell D will automatically ring. The bell-boy will, upon hearing the bell ring, go to the annunciator, and upon loolring at the pin for the time of the alarm will ascertain from the tag the number of the room and will then proceed to call the occupant of that room. Thus it will be seen that the device operates certainly and that it may be set simultaneously with the call-order. It is not essential that the particular form of clock shown in the drawings should be used, nor that the bell be attached directly to the frame, as shown.

Any suitable or preferred style ot'clock may be used, and the bell may be located in any convenient place, as circumstances may require. The particular arrangement shown in the drawings and described above is, 110wevcr, one which embodies most clearly the essence of our invention. It will also be seen that it will require a considerable length of time for the arm to travel over each contact alarm being heard than would be the case were the period of contact only momentary. The size of the contactpoints may be varied according to requirements.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination, with the pins E and the strips ff, mounted in a suitable frame, of a clock provided with the ring F, having a series of contact-points, and an arm secured to the hour-hand arbor of the clock and arranged to move into engagement with the contact-points, all substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, with the frame A, the clock 0, carrying the arm 0, the ring F, having the raised contact-points, and the bell D, of the strips ff, the pins E, provided with the cross-pins c, the springs c, the pins 0, and the disks c and a suitable battery and connections from the battery to the clock, bell, and stripsf, and from the strips f to the coni tact-points of the ring F, as described.

JAMES E. BIC/DUFF. JOHN F. DOHERTY.

Witnesses:

J. A. MILLER, J12, M. E. Bmcrr.

point, so that there is greater certainty of the U

Images