US716801A - Electric bell. - Google Patents

Description

FRANK W'. WOOD, OF NEYVPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA.

ELECTRIC BELL.

SPFGFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 716,8()1, dated December 23, 1902. Application led September 21 1902. ASerial No. 121,886. (No'model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK W. WOOD, a citizen of the United States,'residing at Newport News, in the county of Vl/Tarwick and State of Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electric Bells, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric bells, and more especially to such bells intended for use on shipboard and in other places where the bells are exposed. to the injurious eects of the weather, moisture, dust, and other harmful matter, agents, or materials. In practice it has been found that the electric bells used on board ship and on the seashore quickly become uncertain and erratic in operation and are apt to be soon rendered entirely inoperative owing to the corrosive and oxidizing ei"- 'ect of the saline atmosphere and the destructive action of the moisture to which they are subjected. Also electric bells that are used in mills, factories, mines, and similar places are liable to be rendered ineective or unsatisfactory in operation owing to the accumulation of dust and the like, and in similar manner and owing to analogous causes electric bells located in various different places and employed for numerous different purposes prove inefcent and unsatisfactory. It has been sought to remedy or. prevent these evil results .by inclosing the hammer actuating mechanism in a casing sealed against the enf trance of moisture, dust, and the like and so connect the hammer therewith that while the hammer is free to oscillate to vring the gong it will not permit the entrance of moisture, dust, or other injurious or deteriorating matter to the interior of the casing. It is to electric bells of such type'that my invention relates; and it has for its object to provide a bell of the class referred to in which all the hammer-actuating parts, including the adjusting mechanism and the electrical connections, are wholly inclosed within the casing and are also carried by the cover plate of said casing, to provide improved means for journaling the rock-shaft on which the armature and bellhammer are mounted, to increase the` resiliency of the contact spring, and thereby otter the least resistance to the action of the armature and bell-hammer, and,

finally, to improve the construction and render more eflicient the operation of this class of bells generally. y

To these ends my invention consists in the features and in the construction, combina* tion, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, andparticularly pointed out in the claims following the description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

Figure l is a view in elevation with part of the gong broken away. Fig. 2 is a view of the inner face ot' the cover-plate, showing the bell-operating mechanism mounted thereon. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the yoke that straddles the poles of the magnet.

Referring to the drawingsthe numeral l indicates the body of the casing which incloses the actuating mechanism of my improved bell, said casing being preferably constructed of metal Yand comprising a cylindrical sheet 2, closed at its rear end by a back 3, which may either be cast integrally with the shell 2 or be attached thereto in an air-tight manner by any preferred means. Formed on the periphery of the shell 2 at a suitable point is an externally-threaded nipple 4l, through which the line-wires 5 and Bare inserted and ledv into the interior of the casing. The linewires are passed through a soft-rubber plug 7, which tits closely in the thimble or nipple 4, andafter the plug has been fitted in place an interiorly-threaded ferrule or collar 8, provided internally with an annular shoulder 9, is screwed over the nipple, the shoulder 9 litting over the outer end of. the rubber plug and compressing the latter in the nipple, thereby causing said plug to closely t within the nipple and tightly clamp the wires, whereby moisture, air, dust, and the like is effectually prevented from gaining access to the interior ofthe casing at this point. The body of the casing is provided with laterallyprojecting perforated ears or lugs 10, through which may he passed screws for attaching the bell to any suitable support.'` The front of the casing is closed bya co ver-plate l1, which preferably consists ci' a fiat metallic disk which is secured to the body of the casing by screws l", a gasket or packing-ring 13, of

rubber or other suitable material, being interposed between the cover-plate and the outer edge of the shell 2, whereby when the screws 12 are tightened up the gasket is tightly clamped between the two and forms a hermetically-sealed joint. Fitted in or formed centrally on the outer side of the cover-plate is a hollow post 14, internally threaded at its outer end, and on said outer end thereof is secured a gong l5 by means of a screw 16.

Arranged on the inner side of the coverplate 11 is an electromagne't 17, which is fixed at one end to said plate by a screw 18, which passes through the bridge piece 19, said bridge-piece being insulated from the coverplate by a piece of insulating material 2O and the screw 18 being also insulated from the cover in any suitable manner. The opposite end of the magnet is secured to the coverplate by a yoke 21, which straddles the two poles or ends ofthe cores of the magnet, said yoke being provided with a right-angular lug 22, which is attached to the cover-plate by screws 23. The said yoke is also provided With a bracket-lug 24, which is bent up at a right angle to the yoke, as shown and for the purpose hereinafter explained. Fastened by screws 25 to the outer side of the cover-plate is a bracket 26, in the free end of which is screwed a bearing-screw 27, in the inner end of which is formed a conical socket or stepbearing. A jam-nut 28 is fitted on the bearing-screw, by means of which said screw may be locked in position after having been adjusted. A rock-shaft 29 is rotatably fitted in a packed perforation 29 in the cover-plate and is provided with conical or pointed extremities, one of which is journaled in the stepbearing in the bearing-screw, and the other end is journaled in a similar step-bearing formed in the bracket-lug 24. By means of the bearing-screw 27 the rock-shaft may be readily journaled in place and the bearing may be accurately adjusted to secure freedom of oscillation of the bell-hammer. The bellhammer comprises a hammer-head 30, formed or iixed on the end of an arm 3l, the other end of which terminates in a perforated boss or enlargement 32, which is iitted on the rockshaft and xed thereto by a set-screw 33. By means of the set-screw 33 the hammer may be adjusted on the rock-shaft to cause it to strike the gong in the proper manner. After the rock-shaft and hammer have been properly adjusted by means of the screws 27 and 33 such adjustment is not thereafter apt to need readjustment.

Attached to the inner side of the cover-plate by screws 34 on one side of the electromagnet are two plates 35 and 36, which are insulated from the'cover-plate and attached to the coverplate on the other side of the magnet by screws 37, and insulated from the cover-plate is a plate 38. The plate 35 is provided with an inwardly-projecting and perforated lug 39, through which passes a threaded shank or stem 40, one end of which is bent laterally or at a right angle, as at 4l. In the end of the bent portion or arm 4l is fitted a platinum contact 42. Jam-nuts 43 are screwed on the shank 40 on each side of the lug 39 and operate to prevent accidental displacement of the shaft 40 or its overhanging arm 4l. A screw 43 is screwed into the lug 39 and serves as a binding-post for electrically connecting one of the terminals, as 44, of the electromagnet with the contact 42. The plate 36 is provided with a threaded stem or stud 45, on which are screwed nuts 46,and forms a binding-post for the connection of one of the line-wires, as 5, and for the other terminal- 47 of the electromagnet. The other line-wire 6 is connected to a binding-post 48 on the plate 38 by nuts 49, and said plate is provided with an inwardly-projecting lug 50, through the inner yend of which passes an adjusting-screw 51, which is locked in its adjusted position by a jam-nut 52.

Fixed on the rock-shaft 29 is one end of an armature 53, which is disposed opposite the poles of the magnet, and fixed to the armature 53 and insulated therefrom is a strip of resilient metal 54. As shown, said strip is secured to the armature by screws 54' intery mediate its ends, one end 55 of the spring being slightly offset to overhang the free end portion of 'the armature and to normally rest against the platinum contact 42. In order that such end of the strip, or the contactspring, as I term it, may have increased resilience, so that it may offer but little resistance to the movement of the armature when the latter is released by the magnet,and hence will exert but slight resistance to the action of the tension-spring presently to be described, said end 55 of the metallic strip is made thinner than the remaining portion of said strip and is also preferably made of less width,whereby when the armature is released by the magnet it is free to complete its full stroke so far as is permitted by the arm 4l. Furthermore, by making the contact-spring highly resilient in the manner described the tension-spring need not be made so strong as would otherwise be necessary, and I am also enabled to effect a very close, accurate, and delicate adjustment between said contact-spring and the contact 42. The other portion of the metallic strip is bent near the pivoted end of the armature to form a substantially U-shaped loop 56 and is then bent at approximately a right angle to the armature to form the tension-spring 57. The free end of the tension-spring 57 bears against the end of the adjusting-screw 5l and operates to swing the armature to and normally hold it in the position shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. By turning the screw 5l in one directionor the other the tension of said spring can be regulated so as to quickly retract the armature from the magnet when the circuit is broken and at the same time not offer un- IOO IIO

due resistance to the action of the magnet when the circuit is closed and the magnet energized.

The operation of my improved bell will be` readily understood. lt the circuit be closed through the line-wires, it maybe traced as follows: Entering by the line-Wire 5 it passes through the binding-post to the terminal of the helices of the magnet, through said helices, and bythe other terminal to the binding-post 39, from the latter through the shank or stem 40, arm 4l, and contact 42, thence through the contact-spring and tension-springe?, through the post 50, plate 36, and binding-post 48, and back by the return-Wire. The circuit is thus completed through the electromagnet energizing the latter and attracting the armature. Then the armature is attracted by the magnet, the contact-spring is separated from the contact 42, thus breaking the circuit, whereupon the tension -spring retracts the armature and moves the contact-spring back into engagement with the contact 42, thus again closing the circuit and causing the magnet to again attract the armature. The armature is thus caused to vibrate as long as the circuit through the line-wires is maintained closed. The bell-hammer being mounted on the rockshaft on which the armature is fixed will of course be vibrated with the armature and strike `the gong. It will be noted that no openings are left at any pointof the inclosing casing for the entrance of moisture, dust, or the like, and as all the actuating parts of the apparatus are inclosed in said casing they are safely and etfectually protected. It will also be noted that all the electrical connections, bindingfposts, and the like, as well as the ad j usin g de vices, are inclosed within the casing and that every part .of the apparatus is carried by the cover-plate of the apparatus'.

` Owing to this construction the various parts of the bell may be very easily assembled and fixed in position and may be adjusted and the l connections made before being placed in the inclosing casing. To readg` ust any of the parts, it is only necessary to remove the coverplate, and all the parts being carried by said cover-plate they are immediately and conveniently accessible. As shown, the bellhammer is entirely covered by the gong, whereby it is protected from injury or accidental displacement.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- I. An electric bell comprising a Water-tight casing inclosing the bell-hammer-actuating mechanism and provided with a removable cover-plate, the bell-ringing mechanism and the bell being carried by the cover-plate alone, substantially as described.

2. An electric bell comprising a Water-tight casing inclosiug the bell-hammer-actuating mechanism and provided with a removable cover-plate, the bell-hammer-actuating mech- I anism being attached to the'inner side of the cover-plate and the gong and hammer to the outside of said cover-plate, whereby the bell and bellringing mechanism may be removed With the cover-plate from the casing, substantially as described.

3. An electric bell comprising a water-tight casing provided wit h a removable cover-plate, the bell-hammer-actuating mechanism, the binding-posts and the adjusting devices being all inclosed within the casing and carried by the cover-plate, substantially as described.

4. In an electric bell, the combination with a Water-tight casing provided with a removable cover-plate, of a gong attached exteriorly to the cover-plate, bell-hammer-actuating mechanism arranged within the casing and carried by saidremovable cover-plate, a rock-shaft forming a part of the bell-ringing mechanism and extending through the coverplate, 'and a bell-hammer fixed on said rockshaft and wholly covered by said gong, substantially as described.

5. In an electric bell, thefcombination with a water-tight casing provided with a removable cover-plate, of a gong attached exteriorly to the cover-plate, an electromagnet attached to the inner side of the cover-plate, a rock-shaft journaled at its opposite ends in bearings attached to the opposite sides of the cover-plate,'and passing through the latter, an armature inclosed Within the casing and fixed on said rock-shaft, a bell-hammer fixed on' the outer end of the rock-shaft and Wholly covered by the gong, an electric circuit including therein the electromagnet, and circuit making and breaking mechanism included in said circuit, substantially as described.

6. In an electric bell, the combination with a water-tight casing provided with a removable cover-plate, of a gong attached. eXteriorly to the cover-plate, an electromagnet attached to the inner side of the cover-plate, a yoke also attached to the inner side of the cover-plate and straddling the poles of said magnet, said yoke having a right-angular lug provided with a step bearing, a bracket attached to the outer side of the cover-plate and provided with a step-bearing, a rock-shaft eX- tending through the cover-plate and having conical ends journ'aled in said step-bearings, an armature and bell-hammer respectively fixed on the inner and outer ends of the rockshaft, an electric circ uit including therein the electromagnet, and circuit making and breaking mechanism included in said circuit, substantially as described.

7. In an electric bell, the combination with a water-tight casingprovided with a removable cover-plate, of a gong attached exteriorly to the cover-plate, an electromagnet attached to the inner side of the cover-plate, a rock-shaft passing through the cover-plate and journaled in bearings attached to the in- IOO IIO

Io and an electric circuit including therein in series the eleetromagnet, the said shank, and the contact and tension springs, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Witi5 FRANK W. WOOD. Witnesses:

C. A. HOFFMAN, J. E. WARREN.

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