US454016A - o connell - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets--Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

. J. J. OOONNELL.

METALLIC CIRCUIT TEST AND TIME SIGNAL FOR TELEPHONE EXCHANGES.

1 PatentedJune 9,1891.

-Zzvizwforx 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

. J. J. OGONNELL. v METALLIC GIRGUIT TEST AND TIME SIGNAL EoE TELEPHONE EXCHANGES.

No. 454,016. Patented June 9,1891.

T. Wjirwxx as.

Fries,

JOSEPH J. OCONNELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE *ESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

METALLIC-CIRCUIT TEST AND TlME-SIGNAL FOR TELEPHONE EXCHANGB SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 454,016, dated June 9, 1891.

My invention relates to telephone-exchange apparatus, and .more especially to the system known as the multiple switchrboard I sysr tern. The principal object of my invention is to provide ready means for testing a line called for at one-board to determine whether said line is 'connecteitoriirnse:atany other of the boards.

My invention also includes a time-signaltransmitting device, by means of which any subscriber by simply taking down his telephone and listeningmay know the time of day.

These results lave been heretofore accomplished in various ways. Myinvention therefore is limited to the apparatus and combinations of the devices herein described and claimed.

go I My invention consists, first, in inducing vii bratory currents upon the metallic circuits by means of a primary Winding upon the cores of the individualannunciators, battery, and a rheotome, and preferably resistance being 3 5 included in the primary circuit, the metallic circuits being each provided with a single branch circuit to ground at the subscribers station thereon, The operator at any board; by means of a telephone included in a ground- 40 circuit,- may by completing this ground-circuit through his telephone, so as to include a portion of any metallic circuit to be tested, determine whether the linetested is busy.

If the line is in use, the individual annunciator will not be in circuit, and hence there will be no buzz heard in the telephone. If, however, the line is free, a buzz caused by the induced current upon the line will be heard in the telephone. Thus, briefly stated,

the test consists in determining the presence or absence of the vibratory current upon the Applieationfiled October 4, 1.888. 'Renewed April 18 1891. Serial No. 389,453. (No model.)

thereby operate therelay to shut out for the moment resistance included in another local circuit containingbattery and a vibrator and converters for inducing vibratory currents upon the telephone-lines. The resistance being thus removedfrom the local primary circuit at proper times, the strength of the induced current will be increased at those times, and the subscriber listening athistelephone and-noting the signals bliLlS caused Will know the time of day.

My time-signal system is especially adapted to be used in connection with my test system herein described, since the local primary circuit including the primary coils of'the. individual annunciators may be utilized as apart of the time-repeating signal-circuits.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, which is illustrative of my invention, I have shown threetelephonelines connected each with a diiferent spring-jack switch on each of two multiple switch-boards, the subscribers apparatus in detail of one of the lines, the testing apparatus at one of the switchboards, the primary circuit, including the rheotome, battery, and the extra windings, on the individual annunciators of the three telephone-lines, and the local circuit of a relay, including battery and a, circuit-closer, the relay being connected with the primary circuit in such manner as to shut out the resist ance included therein whenever the relay is closed. Fig.2 is a vie'willustrative of the manner of operating the local battery-circuit. 5

Apparatus adapted to transmit time-signals is also shown more in detail in Letters Patent No. 328,055, granted John M. Oram October 13, 1885. The telephonecircuit a may be traced from ground at the subscrilr loo ers station thereon through spring jack switch I on the first board, and thence normally through the spring-jack c on the second board, and thence through the secondary winding of the individual annunciator (1,'and thence to the ring or test-piece of each of the 5 switches c b, and thence to the subscribers station and through the generator and bell at like manner connected through spring-jack switches is Z, the individual annunciator m, and thence to the test-pieces of said springjack switches Z k. The local primary circuit 0 includes an extra w nding on each of the annunciators d h m. A rheotome j,included in this circuit with battery q, causes a vi- 2o bratory current to be continuously sent through the primary coils of the annunciators or converters (Z h m. The resistance '1', included in circuit 0, is designed more espe cially as a part of the time-repeating apparatus. I have shown the lines a and e looped together by means of loopplugs and cords, the pair of loop-plugs being inserted in springjack switches a g of the lines at thesecond board. When thus inserted, it is evident that, the two lines will be looped together, forming one complete metallic circuit, while the individual annuneiators d h will be disconnected therefrom. When thus disconnected, no current will be induced upon either of the lines a e from the primary circuit 0. 'At the first board I have shown a ground-circuit s, in-

eluding a telephone and resistance t, the terminal n of this circuit being in the form of a thimble and adapted to be closed upon the 40 test-piece or any one of the spring jack switches b f 7c of the first board. 1

In order to test any line, it is only necessary to touch the terminal a to the test-piece of the spring-jack of the line and listen at the ,-telepl1oneincli1dcdin ground-circuit 3. Thus suppose the operator desires to test line a.

By simply touching terminal n to the testring of switch b the electrical condition of line a may be determined by simply listening at the telephone includedin circuit s. If a plug be inserted in a spring-jack of the line-for example, as shown at switch c-thc converter (1 will be out of circuit and no sound or buzz will be heard. If, however, theline should 5;. not be in use, the annunciator (1 would be in circuit, and the operator listening at the telephone would hear the buzz caused by the vi bratory current induced on the line through the medium of the annunciator d, acting for the time being as a converter or inductioncoil. Suppose terminal a touching test-ring of switch b, and suppose the plug removed from switch 0. The circuit then formed would be from ground atsubscribers stat 'LJll on line a over the limb of themetallic circuit a, in-

cluding the spring and contact of each of the switches b c, thence throurrh Hm snenmlmv taining the annunciator (l.

winding of the annunciator (I, thence to the test-piece of switch I), thence to the terminal nyand thence through circuit 8, including the telephone; and thence to ground, completing the circuit. Resistance t is preferbbly in-' cluded in the circuit s, as it is desirable in metallic-circuit systems to have no more connection with the ground than is necessary. The operator listening at the telephone under these conditions will hear the buzz or hum caused by the vibratory current induced upon line a through, the medium of the annuneiator-coils of the annunciator d of the line. If a plug be inserted-in any one of the springjack switches d c of the line, the portion of line a leading to the subscribers station thereon will beopen to the portion of said line con- Hence when the test is made no complete circuit will be found through the annunciator (I and no sound will be heard in the telephone.

I will now describe the operation of the timere'peating apparatus. The armature-lever of relay 0 is included in a shunt-wire around resistance r. The circuit-closer w is operated in the usual way by clock-work and I closed at such intervals as to indicate, for ex ample, the zero-second of each minute, the minutes, and the hours of the day, forenoon and afternoon, according to any well-known code. I have not deemed it necessary to show clock-work for doing this work, since for the purpose of illustrating this invention it might be considered as closed by hand. Every time the circuit-closer w is closed the armature-lever of relay '0 is operated to close the shunt around resistance r. The resistance included in the local circuit of battery .q'is thus abruptly diminished, thereby abruptly increas ing the current sent through the vibrator p and the primary coils of the converters. Suppose, then, the plug removed from switch cof line a, and suppose the subscriber at the station on line a wants-to find out the time. He takes down the telephone, and the telephone is then in metallic-circuit including the secondary'winding of converter (l. Now while the subscriber is listening we will suppose the circuit-closer w to be closed at the sixtieth second of each minute for a tenth of a second, and then after a space of half a second closed a number of times corresponding to the hour of the day, and at'tera short space a number of times to indicate the minutes. The subscriber listening at his telephone will hear an increased tone at each closing of the circuit-closer w, and he may thus note the hours, minutes, and seconds, or whatever signal may be indicated.

In Fig. 2 I have illustrated the seconds-hand of a clock connected in a local circuit cont-aining an elcctro-magnet, the armature of which is connected with a detent of a circuitcloscr w in such manner that said circuitcloser will be actuated to close the local circuit through the relay '0 at the end of each minute. Suitable contact-teeth w, w", and

p w are.provided,which, coming against the contact 1n the local circuit, close the same at intervals determined by the spacing of the .teeth. Tlhe teeth may.-be arranged in the usual manner, so that the hours, minutes, and

seconds'may be indicated. Thus-the teeth I limit myself to the construction shown.

. Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by'Letters Patenting being in acircuit including a battery and 1. The combination, with the individual annunciator-of a metallic multiple switch-board telephone-line circuit, of an extra winding on the core of said annunciator, said extra windrheotome, a telephone included in a groundcircuit havinga terminal adapted to be closed to a test-piece of the telephone-circuit, and a ground connection for the telephone-line circuit at the subscribers station thereon, whereby on closing the terminal of the groundcircuit containing a telephone to the terminal of the line the operator listening at the telephone in said ground-circuit may hear the hum caused by the vibratory current induced upon the line.

2. The combination, with a metallic circuit provided with a ground branch at the subSGl'LbBliSnstatiom thereon and extendin g through the spring and contact of two or more switches on difierent switch-boards of a telephone-exchange thro gh the individual annunciator of the line an thence to a testpiece of each of the spring-j ack switches, of

a local battery-circuit including a primary winding provided on the core of the said'individual annunciator and the rheotome, a ground-circuit proyided with a movable terminal adapted to be closed upon the testpiece of the spring-jack switch, and a telephone included in said-ground-circuit, whereby enclosing the'termina'l of the ground-- circuit to the test-piece of the spring-jack. switch the electrical condition of the line may be determined,substantially asand for the purpose specified. 3L The combination, with several metalliccircnit telephone-lines, each including. a different individual annunciator and each in cluding'a different spring-jack switch on each of two or more multiple switch-boards, of an extra winding on the individual annunciators, and'an electric circuit common to said extra windings, including a rheotom'e, whereby vibratory currents are induced upon the lines, substantially as and for the purpose spcified.

4. A localpattery-circuit containing a rheotomeaudthe primary coil of each of severalconverters, a difierent metallic circuit connected through the secondary coils, respectively, of said converters, telephones, one in each of said metalliccircuits, artificial resistance included in the local battery-circuit, and mechanism adapted to shunt said resistance at intervals to indicate the time of day, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. The combination, with a battery-circuit including a circuit-closer and a relay-coil, of a local primary battery-circuit including a rheotome and the primary coils of several converters and resistance, a shunt-wire around said resistance, including the armacure-lever of the relay, metallic circuits, one for each of 'the converters and including the secondary coil thereof, andtelephones, one in each of the metallic circuits, whereby on closingthecircuit-closer the resistance is shunted out of the local primary battery-circuit to abruptly increase the vibratory current induced upon the metalllc circuits, thereby indicating to one listening at the telephone in any metallic circuit the time or times of the closing of the circuit-closer.

In witnesswhereof I hereunto subscribe my name this30th daylof August, A. D. 1888.

JOSEPH J. OCONNELL. Witnesses;

GEORGE P. BARTON, ELLA EDLER.

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