US426266A

US426266A - William gray

Info

Publication number: US426266A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1890-04-22
Anticipated expiration: 1907-04-22

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. GRAY. COIN GONTROLLED APPARATUS FOR TELEPHONES.

No 426,266. Patented Apr. 22,1896.

WI 1 i i \W @125 ib'SWVW (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. W. GRAY. COIN CONTROLLED APPARATUS FOR TELBPHONES. No. 426,266. Patented Apr. 22, 1890.

(WWW! w gxwmoawflvfl v W UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

XVILLIAM GRAY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES SOBY, OF SAME PLACE.

COIN-CONTROLLED APPARATUS FOR TELEPHONES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 426,266, dated April 22, 1890.

Application filed August 12, 1889. Serial No. 320,449. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: there is provided a signal device g, that in Be it known that I, ILLIAM GRAY, of the form shown in the drawings consists Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of the bells g g, that are located for conof Connecticut, have invented certain new venience in a signal-box g, arranged on 5 and useful Improvements in Coin-Controlled top of the battery-box. The top of this sig- Apparatus for Telephones, of which the folnal-box has an opening, along the front edge lowing is a full, clear, and exact description, of which is arranged a sound deflector h, whereby any one skilled in the art can make adapted to reflect the sound of the signal deand use the same. vice more directly against the diaphragm of m The object of my invention is to provide a the transmitter. The hammer z of the bell, telephone apparatus, that usually consists of that in thedrawings is the common form of the telephone, magneto-bell, and transmitter, gong-bell having a push-button, is held with means of enabling any one who wishes against a striking movement by the arm j of to use the telephone to call the central ofiice the signal-locking lever j, that is pivotally I 5 in the usual manner, and at the same time supported 011 the back board and is held in a enable the operatorat the central office to normal position between a spring j" and the learn Whether the fee or toll required for the stop 9' The lower end of the lever j is use of the telephone has been paid before the rounded and is arrangedin the path of moveconnection asked for is made, and thus to ment of one end of the tumbler 75. This tum- 20 control and compel the payment of the fee bler is held in a substantially horizontal poor toll before the connections desired are sition, preferably by gravity, with its end it made. projecting either into a coin'channel or across To this end my invention consists in the its lower end in such manner as to prevent novel construction and combination of parts, the passage of a coin out of the channel until 25 as will be hereinafter fully described, and the tumbler has been tilted out of the way. especially as the same is particularly pointed The tumbler has a certain play between its out and distinctly claimed. normal horizontal position and the point Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side where it engages the arm of the locking-lever. view of a set of telophone-instruments with The tumbler has a cam 71;, that, when the 0 part of the signal-box broken away to show tumbler has been tilted a short distance by construction. Fig. 2 is a detail view of the the weight of a coin, lies in the path of moveback board, showing part of the mechanism. ment of a pin or like projection on a slide- Fig. 3 is a detail view in vertical section rod Z. This slide-rod is mounted in bearings through the signal-box 011 plane 0c 00 of Fig. 1. Z, and is held in this forward position by 35 Fig. 4 is a detail side view of the signal-lockmeans of a spring Z, that thrusts against one ing lever. Fig. 5 is a detail top view of the of the bearings at one end and against a colslide-rod and on enlarged scale. Fig. 6 is a lar Z that is secured to the rod. This collar detail view, on enlarged scale, of the lower serves as a stop to limit the forward moveend of the coin-channels of the tumbler, and ment of the rod by coming in contact wit-h 40 of the locking-levers, illustrating the operaone of the bearings. Opposite the outer end tion of the device. of the rod there is preferably secured a stop In the accompanying drawings, the letter a Z, that limits the backward movement of the denotes a set of telephone-instruments, b the rod, that has a limited sliding play between back board, 0 the magneto-bell, (Z the telethe end stop and that formed by the collar 45 phone, 0 the transmitter, and f the battery and bearing. Except when the tumbler has box, that are of the usual form and construcreceived an initial movement from a coin the tion and joined up in any ordinary manner motion of the slide-rod does not affect the for use. In addition to these usual parts tumbler nor the signal-locking mechanism;

but as soon as the cam on the tumbler is moved into the path of a pin or lug m on the sliderod Z the tumbler is thrown far enough by this movement of the slide-rod to bring the tumbler into contact with the lower end of the locking-lever in such manner as to throw the latter to-one side a sufficient distance to unlock the signal device. In this instance it is the hammer of the bell that is liberated by the sidewise movement of the arm 7" of the locking-lever.

The slide-rodl is operated from the outside of the box by means of the armrest n, that is pivotally supported on the back board and has an arm n, that projects toward and engages the slide-rod. This is preferably operated by placing the elbow on the pad n and pushing downward after having placed a coin in the coin-channel o, and by this means giving an initial movement to the tumbler.

My invention may be embodied as illus trated in the apparatus shown in the drawings and hereinbefore described when a bell is used as a signal device; but it is obvious that any sound-producing device may be used in place of the bell with precisely the same result, provided such signal device can be located and locked so as to prevent its use except when released.

The object of providing more than one signal device and coin-controlled signal-locking device is to arrange the apparatus so that two or more different tollsmay be paid. For instance, the charge for the use of the telephone within a certain circuit may be ten cents, in which instance one coin-channel and a signal of acertain kind or tone will be used in connection with it, while for a larger or more extended circuit a toll-of twenty-five cents may be charged, in which case a separate coinchannel, signal device, and signallocking mechanism is provided, the signal being either difierent in kind or different in tone from that provided for the other toll. In case a third amount is required as toll it may be fixed as the sum of the other two, in which case coins can be introduced in both channels and both signals sounded, so as to inform the operator at the central ofiice that the tolls have been paid. a

My invention is obviously not limited to any particular form or kind of signal device nor any special form of signal-locking mechanism nor precise combinationof parts in the coin-operated mechanism, as other and equivalent mechanism and means may be combined and employed in a similar manner for pro dueing the same result.

Themethod of using my improved apparatus is as follows: A person Wishing to use the telephone calls the central office in the usual manner, talks with the operator, and asks that a certain connection may be made. The operator at the central office asks the user of the telephone to drop a coin into the proper channel and then push down with his elbow on the arm-rest, and then to strike the signal that has been released by this means, and the striking of such signal notifies the operator that the toll has been paid. This enables the would-be user of the telephone to ascertain whether he can communicate with the person or station required before he pays any toll for the use of the wire. As soon as the user lifts his arm'the slide-rod is thrown forward by the spring, lifting the armrest and at the same time allowing the tumblers to drop into such position that the cam borne on the tumbler is out of the path of movement of the pin on the rod. This sets the device so that the signal device is at once looked and cannot be released except by the payment of another toll.

It is obvious that in the practice of my invention there may be used one or as many more as may be need ed of the coin-channels adapted for coins of different sizes,each of such channels being appurtenant to a signallocking device and a signal device.

No claim is made in this application for these means and combinations thereof, as the same form the subject-matter of another pending application for Letters Patent by me, being Serial No. 334,347, filed December 20, 1889. 1

I claim as my invention- 1. In combination with a telephone apparatus, a signal device, a lever having an arm interposed between the signal and its tappet, and coin=-controlled levers for moving the interposed arm from between the signal and the tappet, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In combination with a telephone appa rat-us, a signal device normally locked, the locking-lever, the tumbler adapted to engage the arm of the lever and with one end proj ecting into or across the coin-channel, the coin-channel, and the means for tilting the tumbler and holding it temporarilyin afixed position, all substantially as described.

3. In combination with a transmitter of a telephone apparatus, a signal device located adjacent tothe transmitter, the signal-locking lever, the tumbler with one end projecting into a coin-channel, the coin-channel, and the tumbler-retainin g device, all substantially to described.

4. In combination with the transmitter e of a telephone apparatus, the signal device g, located adjacent to the transmitter and the sound-deflector h, the signal-locking mechanism, and the coin-controlled device for releasing the signal, all substantially as described.

5. In combination with a telephone apparatus, the signal-bell g, having a hammer 2', the signal-locking lever j, with the arm j, normally located in the path of movement of the hammer in striking, and also having an arm j, located in the path of movement of a means for moving the slide-rod and retaining tumbler k, the tumbler 7c, having a cam 70', it in its backward position, all substantially 1c normally out of the path of movement of a as described. tumbler-Operating slide, and having also a part projecting into the path of movement of WILI GRAY a coin, the coin-channel, and a slide rod hav- Vitnesses: ing aprojeeting pin adapted to engage the CHAS. L. BURDETT, 0am on the tumbler, and the lever or like CHARLES SOBY.