US670408A - Signaling apparatus for telephone-stations. - Google Patents

Description

m. 670,408. Patented Mar. I9, I901.

TLW. LUABIN G. SIGNALING APPARATUS FOB TELEPHONE STATIONS.

A mati'mi filed oct: 27, 1900.

(No Model.)

UNiTED STATES ATENT FFICE.

"THOMAS W. IJOARING, OFCLEVELAND, OH-IO, Assieuon T THECUYA HOGA TELEPHONE COMPANY, 0 SAME PLACE.

'YSIGNALINGAAPPARATUS FOR TELEPHONE-STATIONS.

- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.- 670,408, dated March 19, 1 901.

Application filed October 27,1900. Serial No. 84,689. (No model.)

To all whnin it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS W. LOARING, a citizen of the United States of America, and

a resident of the city of Cleveland, State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Signaling Appliances for Subscribers Telephone-Stations, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to improvements in signaling apparatus, and more particularly to im provemen ts in apparatus designed for sending selective signals from the subscribers station of a telephone system, the objectof my invention being the provision of simplified and reliable calling appliances for the sub scribers stations which are adapted to actuate responsive signal-receiving apparatus at the central oifice.

In a telephone system now in common use the selective calls or signals are sent to thecentral oflice through the uiedium of magneto generators or induction-coils, which being associated with switch mechanism of somewhat complex character may be caused to transmit the signaling-current to associated polarized relays disposed at the central office, the said relays being adapted alternatively to be actuated by such currents. The mechanismhitherto employed for eifecting thetransmission of the requisite signaling-currents has necessitated the employment of a large num-.

ber of switch-contacts, which in practice have been found frequently to get out of order, renderingthe subscribers station apparatus temporarily inoperative. The switch-contacts, moreover, were found not infrequently to remain abnormally closed, thereby short-circuiting the signaling-battery when the same was employed and renderingits renewal necessary. The apparatus of my invention is materially simplified, the number of contact parts being greatly reduced, while difiiculties developed in the use of prior apparatus are entirely obviated.

I will describe myinvention in'its preferred embodiment as applied to atelephone callbox for the subscribers station, wherein a battery and induction-coil in connection with the simplified switchwniechanism of my in'' vention are employed for transmitting the calling-currents fronrthe subscribersstation.

vice is employed for connecting the call ap- 6o pliance with the external circuit.

My said invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of-this specification, in connection with which I will set forth more particularly the construction and operation of the preferred embodiment of the invention. I Figure 1 of the drawings illustrates a subscribers telephone call-box equipped in ac- 7o cordance with my invention, the call-box being shown open and a small portion of the V apparatus being-broken away more clearly to illustrate the construction. Fig. 2 is adiagram setting forth the circuit arrangement of the telephone call-box and indicating as well the signal-receiving apparatus at the central cfiice, and Fig. 3 is a detail view illustrating the reversing-switch mechanism.

The same characters of reference are employed in the several figures of the drawings to indicate the same part or parts.

- The telephone call-box of Fig. 1' is equipped with the usual local battery b, which, in connection with the induction-coil d e, serves to transmit signaling-currents of high potential over the external circuit to the selective signaling-drops or polarized annunciators f, g,

h, and '11, disposed at the central office. These latter we may consider as being upon diflt'er-- 0 cut sections of a telephone-switchboard, as is required in a well-known system of telephony.

Associated with the induction-coil and battery are a number of switch-contacts a, c, m, an 1",adapted, respectively, to be operated 5 by he corresponding push-buttons A, O, M, and R, mounted upon and having plungers extending through the lid of the call-box. A polarized call-bellj is also placed upon. the I lid of the-box, by which signals may be rerd o ceived at thesubscribers station in the usual manner. j supportgd upon the switch-hook k is seen the telephone-receiver Z, which normally maintains the calling-circuit closed within the .box. Y

In the upper portion of the call-box are seen two relays n and 0, which normally maintain one side of the line open, the latter relayalso controlling the circuit through hell j, which is normally closed.

engage an upwardly-extending insulatingstop q, carried upon spring 3. Springs 3 and t are normally maintained in contact; but they are caused to separate by the depression of the spring 0 or m, spring 3 being carried downward into engagement with stripp. At this time the extended end of spring 0 or m is also brought into electrical contact with spring 6. The depression of any of the springs a, c, m, or 'r through the agency of their respective push-buttons serves to close the batterycircuit through theind notion-coil and actuate one or other of the relays. The relay n is energized by pressing button A or C and.

will establish connection with the left-hand. line a: of ,the external circuit appearing at binding-post it. This is accomplished by the action of its L-shaped armature, which serves to engage contactspring n with its coacting spring 12. The relay-armature, it'will be seen, is loosely held in position. bya screw at the end of the relay, upon which it is. free to rock under magnetic influence. Similarly relay 0 is energized upon pressing button M or R, thus serving.- to establish connection with the external grounded circuit between springs o' and 0" and also, asexplained, opening the normally closed bell-circuit between springs 0 and o ,which otherwisewould shortcircuit the callingcurrent within the box. The secondary windinge of theinduction-coil is connected between one side y of the line and the normally open relay'contacts n and 0.

Binding-post w is connected to ground and.

with relay contact-spring o.

.Quite obviously the circuits of the/telephone-call-box could be but imperfectly set forth upon Fig. 1, and accordingly Fig. 2 willbe referred to in order that I may make clear the arrangement and operation of said device. i

The annunciatorsf and g are connectedhetween the limbs :20 and y of the line and are adapted respectively'to be actuated by currents. of negative and positivepolar-ity. Similarly the annnnciato'rs handtare con the induction--coil. ifrom the negative pole of'the battery by conthe resulting signaling-current.

outtonsR or M are pushed, similar circuits nected in a branch 2 between line y and ground and may be alternatively operated by currents of opposite polarity. These currents are generated inthesecondary e of the induction-coil, which, however, it must be remembered, is normally upon open circuit. Assuming'then that the annunciator f, which to carry out the illustration we will say is disposed upon the A section of the switchboard and is to be actuated, the subscriber will depress button A and contact-spring a will be engaged with strip 19, closing the circuit of battery I) through the primary (1 of Circhit may be traced ductor 1 to relay n, conductor 2, contacts a p, winding 01, from left to right, conductor 3, contacts 8 t, and conductor 4 to the positive pole of the battery b.

The relay is excited I to attract its armaturenvhich closes the line circuit'h: between contacts n and n. Upon releasing the button A the circuit is ab-= ruptly broken and current of high potential is generated. in the secondary e and. trans mitted. toline a; 1;, thus serving'to throw the drop f and signal the operator at board A. The relay is sufficiently sluggish in its action to permit the passage of the signaling-current before the line-circuit is opened. Pressing the 0 button, it will be seen, serves to send a. current of opposite polarity over the same circuit to operate drop g. Thus the circuit may be traced from. the battery through relay n, conductors 2 and 5, springs c and t, conductor 6, winding d, from right to left, strip p,spring s, an'd'conductor 4 to the battery. The-separation of springs s t, effected in the manner described by actuating either of the contact-springs c or m, which are providedwith laterally-extending ends, serves to reverse the flow of the current in the wind-ingd with a corresponding reversal of When. the

are established through the relay 0, which is actuated to open. the grounded bell-circuit and simultaneously close the circuit between conductor y and grounded binding-pnst w. it will. not be necessary, it is thought, to trace these circuits. step by step, since the polarized annunciatorz' or it is operated in the same manner as is annunciatorf or g.

The apparatus employed in my improved call-box, it will be seen, is greatly simplified as compared with that hitherto devised. By this construction I amable to effect themseessary circuit changes with one-third the number of. contact parts previously required and also insure the requisite opening of the line and bell circuits.

That my invention is susceptible of other applicationsand of modifications not herein described willbe. apparent to those. skilled in art. I; have merely setforth the same in this specification in its preferred form. r

I therefore claim, and desire tosecurefby Letters Batent, the following: 7

1. In a call-box for subscribers telephonestations the combination with a source of electrical energy, of a plurality of switches m, r, s and t controlling said source of energy, whereby selective signals may be transmitted, and a relay 0 associated therewith controlling the continuity of the line-circuit, substantially as described.

2. In a call-box fol-subscribers telephonestations the combination with asource of electrical energy ofasignal-sendinginduction-coil associated therewith, a plurality of switches m, 1', s and t controlling said source of energy, whereby selective signals may be transmitted, and a relay 0 associated therewith controlling the continuity of the line-circuit, substantially as described.

3. The combination in apparatus of the class described, with a signal-generating coil, of a plurality of signal-sending switches, a source of electrical energy adapted to be connected by said switches with the said coil, and electromagnetic apparatus adapted to complete the line-circuit when the flow of current is established in the said coil, substantially as described.

4. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a local battery 12 of a signaling-switch r controlling the flow of current from said battery, a signal-sending coil (Z, c, associated therewith, whereby selective signals may be transmitted, a signal-receiving device j, and a relay 0 controlling the circuit continuity of the line and of the signalreceiving device, substantially as described.

5. In a signaling appliance for subscribers telephone-stations the combination with a plurality of signaling-switches for sending separate selective signals, of a reversing-switch associated with a portion of said signal-sending switches and adapted to be actuated thereby, electromagnetic apparatus constituting a source of electrical energy for sending signals,

associated with said switches, and a relay device adapted to close the signaling-circuit when the signal-sending switches are operated, whereby the appropriate signal-receiving device connected with said appliance may be actuated, substantially as described.

6. In a call-box for subscribers telephonestations the combination with a plurality of signal-sending switches as a, c, m and r, for sending separate selective signals, of a reversing-switch s, 15 associated with switches c and m and adapted to be actuated thereby,

an induction-coil d e, a source of electrical energy and relays n and 0 adapted alternatively to close separate signaling-circuits when the signal-sending switches are operated, whereby the appropriate signal-receiving device connected with the call-box may be operated, substantially as described.

7. In a signaling appliance for subscribers telephone-stations the combination with a pl 11- rality of signal-sending switches for sending separate selective signals, of a reversingswitch associated with a portion of said signal-sending switches and adapted to be actuated thereby, an induction-coil, a battery adapted to be connected therewith, a subscribers call-bell and a plurality of relays adapted alternatively to close separate signaling circuits through the secondary winding of the induction-coil, and to remove the subscribers call-bell from circuit when the signal-sending switches are operated, whereby the appropriate signal-receiving device connected with said signaling appliance may be actuated, substantially as described.

Signed at Cleveland, Ohio, this 24th day of October, 1900.

THOS. W. LOARING.

Witnesses:

ESTELLE HOFFMAN, ALBERT LYNN LAWRENCE.

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