US639527A

US639527A - Drop-restoring device for telephone-switchboards.

Info

Publication number: US639527A
Application number: US612841A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frank B Cook
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1894-11-30
Filing date: 1896-11-20
Publication date: 1899-12-19
Anticipated expiration: 1916-12-19

Description

No. 639,527. Patented Dec. l9, I899.

- F. B. 600K.

DROP RESTORING DEVICE FOR TELEPHONE SWITCHBOARDS.

(Application filed Nov. 20, 1896.)

(No Model.) 7

now had to the accompanying drawings, in

and operated for restoration by my improved NITED STATES FRANK I3. COOK, OF

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DROP-RESTORING DEVICE FOR TELEPHONE-SWITCHBOARDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 639,527, dated December 19, 1899.

Original application filed November 30, 1894, Serial No. 530,441. Divided andthis application filed November 20,1896. Serial To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK B. COOK, a citi-- zen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drop-Returning Devices for Telephone-Switchboards, of which the following is a specification.

This application is a division of Serial No. 530,441, filed November 30,1894.

My invention relates more particularly to means whereby annunciator-drops of a telephone-switchboard may be restored to their normal position.

My invention has for its object the provision of a simply-constructed device which is of compact form and capable of simultaneously restoring to their normal position a number of annunciator-drops usually arranged in vertical rows upon the face of the switchboard.

My invention consists in certain details of construction whereby the foregoing object is accomplished, including the idea of separability of the connecting parts between the various annunciator-drops arranged in vertical rows, whereby the parts of the simultaneous restoring device are attached to the various drops, so that when the drops are positioned the restoring device as a Whole is also connected together into the position to be operated, whereby to simultaneously restore the drops of any given vertical row.

In carrying out my invention I separate the drop-restoring apparatus into parts or separate members which are assembled upon each of the ann unciator-drops,whereby when the drops are arranged in position in vertical rows upon the switchboards 'tne separable parts of the drop-restoring apparatus are positioned together in such a manner that all the drops of each vertical row are capable of restoration simultaneously from one point of operation.

My invention also has certain other objects in view; and it consists in certain features of construction to be described, reference being Which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a number of annunciator-drops assembled in position (No model.)

apparatus. Fig.2 is a side or edge View of same. Fig. 3-is a top edge view looking down upon the drops and restoring apparatus. Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line y y of Fig.

3. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of oneseparable lifting member. Fig. 6 is an en larged detail sectional view on the line a: a: of Fig. 2.

In the operation of a telephone-exchange switchboard it is well known that the annunciator-drops are arranged in what maybe termed vertical rows, one drop for each line, and that these drops are caused to fall when a signal is extended over the corresponding line. It is also necessary when self-restoring drops are not employed to manually restore each drop after it has displayed the indicatingnumber to a normal position in readiness to be again operated when a signal is extended. In order to expedite the restoration of the drops, it has heretofore been customary to employ means whereby all the drops on any given section of switchboard may be simultaneously restored from one point of operation. This plan or method of restoring drops has been also employed to a considerable extent in What are known as hotel annunciator systems, as well as for elevators and other like devices.

Each horizontal row of annunciator-drops 12 are mounted upon a base-strip 13, and these strips are in turn secured the one above the other on the frame of the switchboard. Each annunciator-drop 12 is provided with a separable lifting member 14, Fig. 5, consisting of the lifting rod or rods 15, projected from the lifting and holding lip 16. The lip 16 may be made of soft metal having sufficient flexibility to permit it to be bent and adjusted to the required thickness of the drop-shutter.

It Will be observed that each drop has a lifting member 14 interposed and held separably connected with the lifting member of the next succeeding drop in the vertical row, and thus the several separate lifting members constitute, in effect, a continuous lifting member extending from the lever 17 to the uppermost drop of the vertical row and carrying lifting and holding lips 16 to engage the shutter 19 of each drop. A spring 20 bears upon the uppermost lifting member 14,

and thus exerts a pressure which tends to cause the lifting members to assume positions with their lips 16 out of engaging position with the shutters, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. A cross-bar 20 serves as a stop to limit the downward movement of the lifting members, the lug 1S engaging said cross-bar. \Vhen the lever 17 is manually pressed downward, the lifting members nnitedly act as a 0011- tinuous member to raise all thelips 16 of that vertical row and engage any shutter 19 which may have fallen in that vertical row, and if more than one has fallen they are raised simultaneously. The lifting-lip 16 also serves to hold the shutter 19 in a vertical position momentarily until the annunciator-hook 21 has engaged the shutterto lock it in position. This result is accomplished by reason of the length of the lip 16, which extends when raised to restore a shutter above the pivot 22 of the shutter, and therefore hoids the shutter closed from the time the lip 16 reaches a level with the pivot 22 during the balance of the upward movement, the time the lip is stationary, and after the downward movement is started until the lip assumes a position below said pivot.

It will be observed that the lifting-rods 15 are extended through channels in the dropplate 23, as shown in Fi 6, and that each of the lifting members are held movably in position.

From the above description it is evident that the restoring device need not be manually held until the indicator is looked, as in some annunciators, nor need the indicator be thrown above or beyond its normal position to allow time for a catch to operate While the indicator is returning to its normal position, as in other annunciators. iVhile I have shown and described such a device, I do not wish to be understood as limiting my in vention' to the idea of separable parts, it being evident that certain features of my invention may be used in connection with other than separable parts.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An annunciator-drop-restoring device consisting of a plurality of separable lifting members, one member assembled upon each annunciator-drop, whereby when the drops are positioned upon the switchboard-frame the said lifting members are connected in a manner to form a continuous lifting member for each vertical row of drops upon the board, and means for operating the continuous lifting member from one point to restore all the fallen drops of the vertical row simultaneously.

2. In a restoring device for the pivoted shutters of annunciators, the combination with a reciprocating lifting-rod an d man uallyoperated lever for actuating said rod, of a series of engaging members each consisting of a forwardly-extended portion projected from the lifting-rod and an upturned lip, which lip engages the face of the shutter and slides downwardly along said face when the liftingrod is released, whereby the shutter is momentarily held in a stationary position after the lifting rod is released, and a latch for oilgaging the shutter, the engagement of which is insured by holding the shutter momentarily in the stationary position aforesaid.

3. An annunciator-drop-restoring device consisting of a plurality of separable lifting members, one member assembled upon each annuneiator-drop, whereby when the drops are positioned upon the switchboard-frame the said lifting members are connected in a manner to form a continuous lifting member for each vertical row of drops upon the board, together with a pivoted lifting-lever positioned below the lowermost drop of a vertical row and adapted to engage the continuous lifting member when manually operated to restore all the fallen drops simultaneously from one point of operation.

4:. In a restoring device for annunciators adapted to engage and restore the shutters while being moved manually in one direction, means-for engaging the face of said shutters said means having a portion of their movement parallel to the engaged faces of the shutters thereby holding them in a stationary position momentarily after the restoring device is released and moving in the other direction.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK B. COOK. Witnesses:

J. B. WEIR, OHAs. O. BITLKLEY.