US739114A - Telephone-lock. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED SEPT. 15, 1903.

w. H. SCOTT. TELEPHONE LOCK. APPLICATION FILED B12111, 6, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

l0 IODEL.

No. 739,114. A I'PATENTED SEPT. 15, 19703.. W. H. soon.

TELEPHONE LOCK.

' APPLICATION rum) SEPT- 6.1902.

IO-KODEL.

To all whom, it mag concern:

V UNITED STATES Patented September 15, 1903.

PATENT- OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. SCOTT, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE CONTROLLER COMPANY OF AMERICA, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

TELEPH ONE-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 739,114, dated September 15, 1903.

' Application filed September 6, 1902. Serial No. 122.392. (No model.)

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. Scorr, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of St. Louis, State'of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Telephone-Locks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure l is a sectional plan view. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, the door or end of the casing being removed. Fig. 3 is a front elevation. Fig. 4 is a detail View, partly in section, on the line 44 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a side elevation showing a-modified construction. Fig. 6 is an elevation, partly in section, at right angles to the view shown in Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a rear elevation.

My invention relates to improvements in telephone-locks.

My primary object is to provide a construction by means of which the receiver is locked upon the receiver suspension-hook although the said suspension-hook may be left free to operate.

A further object is to provide means whereby the locking mechanism can be released by an authorized person without the necessity of depositing a coin or token; and a still further object is to provide an improved and convenient means for mounting the mechanism upon a support.

To these ends and also to improve generally upon devices of the character indicated my invention consists in the various matters hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, 1 indicates a telephone-box of any usual or preferred construction, and 2 the receiver suspension-hookextendi'ng from the same, the receiver being indicated as 3. A box or casing 4, suitably supported at the side of the telephone-box, as bybeing connected to a wall or other support 5, contains the hereinafter-mentioned locking mechanism and is provided with a coin slot or raceway 6.

The locking mechanism (illustrated in Figs.

1,2,3,and 4) is particularly adapted for use in connection with telephones having a receiver of the well-known type usually found upon Bell telephones,such receiver being supported in the bifurcated end of the suspension-hook,

and this form of mechanism will be first described in this specification. The casing is provided in its front wall with a horizontal slot '7, and pivotally supported to rotate through said slot is a spider-plate 8, havingv arms 9, these arms successively projecting beyond the casing as the plate is rotated and being spaced from each other a sufficient distance to permit the telephon e-receiver 3 to lie between any adjacent arms. Pivotally supported within the casing is a locking-lever 10, which has a coin-receiving arm 11, projecting upon one side of the pivot and extending under the raceway 6, and has also a locking-arm 12, which when the parts are in normal position lies slightly above the plane in which the arms of the spider-plate rotate. A finger or projection 13 depends from the free end of the locking-arm 12, and when the said arm is in normal lockin g position said finger lies in the path of travel of and slightly in advance of one of the arms 9 of the spider plate or receiver locking element. The casing 4 is so positioned with relation to the usual telephonebox that when the receiver is supported in the fork of the suspension-hook 2 one of the arms although the hook itself isleft perfectly free to vibrate. In this manner, as the movement of thesuspension-hook is in no wise limited by the present mechanism, after the receiver is removed the user of the mechanism canvibrate the hook at will in order to attract centrals attention. The locking-lever is also provided with a stop-arm 14:, which extends under the locked arm 9 of the spiderplate and is adapted to engage said arm when the locking-arm of the lever is thrown upwardly, and to thus limit the initial movement of the locking-lever, so that said lever will not initially be thrown into such a position that the coin is deposited from the coin-receiving arm 11.. The parts being in the positions illustrated in Fig. 1 and by full lines in Fig. 2, the receiver is locked upon the suspension-hook, and the telephone cannot, of course, be used. hen a coin is deposited in the raceway 6, it falls upon the coin-receiving arm 11 of the locking-lever and elevates the locking-arm 12 of said lever to carry the projection or finger 13 above and out of the path of travel of the arm 9 of the spider-plate, which has been locked, this movement of the lookinglever being checked when the stop-arm 14 engages the arm 9. The parts remain in this position with the coin supported upon the coin-receiving arm 11 until the receiver is removed from the suspensiomhook. As the receiver is pulled outwardly to release the same from the hook the arm 0 of the spider-plate in advance of the receiver is forced to move, and the arm of said plate with which the stoparm 14 has been in engagement is carried beyond the said stoparm, and the locking-lever is left free to be fully moved by the coin, so that the coin is deposited from the coin-receiving arm in a manner which will at once be apparent, the locking-lever returning to normal position as soon as the coin has dropped from the said arm 11. When the user has finished with the telephone, the receiver is placed upon the hook in the usual manner, and as it is being placed upon the arms 2 of said hook it engages one of the arms 9 of the spider-plate and rotates said plate until one of its arms has been brought into locking position with relation to the locking-lever, the outer free end of said locking-lever being beveled, as shown at 15, in order to permit unrestricted backward rotation of the said spider-plate. The arms of the spider-plate are so related to each other and to the receiver suspension-hook that in any position of the plate one of said arms is always in position to be struck by the receiver as the same is being hung upon the hook. Thus, even if the user of the telephone should accidentally engage the spider-plate and rotate the same, the plate is at all times in such position that the receiver can be placed upon thehook and locked in position.

The present apparatus includes mechanism whereby the locking-lever can be operated by an authorized person to release the receiverlocking member without depositing a coin or token. An electromagnet 16 is suitably supported in the box or casing 4, and its armature 17 is formed by or attached to one arm of a releasing-lever 18, the other arm of said lever extending under the stop-arm 14 of the locking-lever. A supporting-arm 19 is pivotally mounted in the casing and is provided with a substantially horizontal portion 20, whose end is beveled on its under side, as shown at 21, and extends over the lockingarm 12 of the locking-lever, said supportingarm 19 also having a substantially vertical portion 22, which lies in the path of travel of the curved ends 23 of the locking-arms 9. The magnet is connected to a battery in any suitable manner, and the circuitfrom said battery includes a push-button or other switch which can be located at any convenient pointas, for example, under the counter of the store in which the telephone is placed.

If the proprietor desires to use the telephone, it is only necessary for him to press the pushbutton or otherwise complete the circuit through the magnet and the releasing-lever will then be rocked in a manner which will be apparent, one arm of said lever during this rocking movement engaging the stop-arm 14 of the locking-lever and raising the lockingarm 12 of said lever above the horizontal portion 20 of the supporting-arm 19, the said supporting-arm rocking backwardly as the locking-arm 12 engages the beveled face 21 in order to permit the passage of said lockingarm. As soon as the locking-arm 12 has been raised above the supporting-arm 19 this supporting-arm falls into normal position, and when the current through the magnet 16 is broken and the lever 18 falls the locking-lever is supported in inoperative position upon the supporting-arm 19. The spider-plate is thus free to be rotated to permit the withdrawal of the receiver from the suspensionhook; but as the receiver is withdrawn from the suspension-hook the arm 9 of the spiderplate which has been locked by the lockinglever strikes the portion 22 of the supportingarm and throws said arm backwardly to remove the support from the locking-lever, whereupon the locking-lever falls into normal position, ready to lock the spider-plate as soon as the receiver is replaced upon the suspension-hook.

Some telephones are provided with receivers of the type illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 i. e., the receiver suspension-hook is not forked, but terminates merely in a finger 24, and the receiver is provided with an eye 25 adapted to receive said finger 24. My present locking mechanism can be well modified to cooperate with receivers of this type, the salient features of the apparatus being merely a fork adapted to receive the receiver or some portion of the same and some means for locking this fork, one arm of the fork serving to prevent separation of the receiver from the suspension-hook and the other arm lying in such position that it is engaged by the receiver as said receiver is replaced upon the hook, so that the operation of replacing the receiver upon the hook serves to return the fork to locked and locking position.

In the modification shown in Figs. 5 and IIO r 6 a pivoted plate 26 is provided with arms 27 and 28, which produce the fork within which the eye 25 of the receiver is received, said arms lying at the side of the suspension-hook when the mechanism is in position with relation to a telephone and the arm 28 lying in the path of outward movementof the said eye, so that the receiver cannot be removed from the hook when the said plate 26 is locked in the position indicated. Arms 27 and 28 extend from one side of the pivotal point of the plate 26, and upon the other side of said pivotal point the plate is provided with a projection 29, which lies in a recess 30 in the locking-arm 31 of a locking-lever 32, the fingers or projections and 34 upon the said locking-arm producing the walls at the ends of the said recess. The said lockinglever is also provided with a coin-receiving arm 35,which lies under the raceway. When a coin is deposited, it falls upon the said coinreceiving arm, and the locking-lever is rocked to bring the stop-finger 33 in engagement with one side of the projection 29, the movement of the locking-lever to bring the said stop finger or arm to this position being sufficient to carry the locking-finger 34 out of the path of movement of the projection 29,

but being insufficient to permit the coin to be discharged from the coin-receiving arm 35. WVhen the parts are brought to this position, the receiverlocking element is free to be moved, and as the receiver is taken from the hookthe eye 25 engages the arm 28, and the plate 26 is therefore rocked, this movement servingto carry the projection 29 out of engagement with the stop-finger 33,whereby the locking-lever can complete its movement and rock sufficiently to discharge the coin from the coin-receiving arm. As the plate 26 is rocked, as just indicated, the arm 27 is advanced, the parts lying in the positions indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 6, and as the re ceiver is replaced upon the hook the eye 25 engages the arm 27, and thus causes the plate 26 to be rocked into normal locked position, all as will be fully understood.

It will be readily apparent that as the plate 26 is rocked in order to permit the receiver to be withdrawn from thehook the spring 26? is thrown past the line of centers, and thus yieldingly so holds the plate that the arm 27 is presented in its advanced or elevated position. Such spring action is so well under-. stood by those familiar with mechanics that it is believed that further explanation of such action is unnecessary in this specification.

In order to prevent any possibility of slipping the eye 25 between the arm 28 and the .finger 24 of the suspension-hook, I bend the the path of withdrawal of the eye 25, and the receiver is therefore securely looked upon the hook, although the hook is still left perfectly free to vibrate. I also preferably bend the end of the arm 27 backwardly, as shown at 38, so that when the parts are thrown into unlocking position, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 6, the bent end 28 of the arm 27 extends to the lowermost position of the suspension-hook, thus making it impossible to replace the receiver upon said suspensionhook without engaging the said arm 27.

Preferably the rear face 39 of the casing is inclined or beveled, as shown in Fig. 2, and .this is secured to a correspondingly-inclined bracket-arm 40, the bracket being fastened uponthe wall or other support 5-in any suitable or convenient manner. In this manner any necessary adjustment of the casing, both vertically and horizontally, can be readily obtained. Preferably the said rear wall 39 of the casin g is provided with outer flat portions 41 and intermediate depressions 42, and the bracket arm or portion 40 is a piece of strap .metal. Screws or other suitable securing members 43 are seated in the casing-wall 39 upon opposite sides of the said strap and in the flat portions 41 of the wall, and screws or other securing members 44 are also seated in the said wall, and'engage opposite sides of the strap, said screws 44 being so positioned that their heads (or washers engaged thereby) bear upon the strap over the depressions 42. The heads of all of the screws (or washers engaged by said heads) bear upon the edges of the strap, and the casing can therefore be adjusted along the strap as desired. The

portions of the strap across the depressions 42 are by the clamping action of the screws bent to enter said depressions, and the casing is therefore firmly secured in position. In setting up the box or casing the bracket and the box are placed together and moved with relation to each other and to the wall until the box has been brought into the desired relation to the receiver. The position of the bracket is then marked upon the wall and the position of the box is marked upon the bracket. The parts are then removed from the positions in which they have been temporarily held and the box and bracketfastened together, after which the bracket is fastened upon the wall or other support. By reason of providing the flat surfaces 41 upon the outer sides of the depressions 42 the box and bracket are forced to lie in the proper relationship to each other. Were these flat portions not provided, the strap 40 would tend to curve by reason of having portions forced into the depressions 42, and after the strap and box had been fastened together the box would not bear the same relationship to the receiver which it had borne when the partswere adjusted prior'to being fastened together. I am aware that many minor changesin-the ICO construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of my device can be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without in the least departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

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

1. The combination with a telephone -receiver and its movable suspension-hook, of a releasable locking element out of the path of movement of said hook for locking said receiver upon its said hook; substantially as described.

2. The combination with a movable telephone-receiver suspension-hook, of a releasable loeking-arm obstructing the passage of the receiver from said hook and movable into position to clear said passage, said arm when in position to clear said passage lying out of the path of movement of said hook, and means for locking said arm in obstruct-ing position; substantially as described.

3. The combination with a movable telephone-receiver suspension-hook, of a releasable locking-arm below said hook and movable into and out of position to obstruct the passage of the receiver from said hook, and means for locking said arm in obstructing position; substantially as described.

I. The combination with a supportingstructure, of a telephone-receiver suspension-hook movable with respect to said supporting structure, a locking-arm upon said supportin g structure and movable into and out of position to obstruct the passage of the receiver from said hook, and means for locking said arm in obstructing position, said arm lying out of the path of movement of said hook when out of obstructing position; substantially as described.

5. The combination with a telephone-receiver and its suspension-hook, of a releasable locking element movable into and out of position to obstruct the passage of said receiver from its said hook, and means whereby said locking element is automatically locked in obstructing position as said receiver is placed upon said hook; substantially as described.

6. In a telephone-lock or the like, a supporting structure, a plate movably supported thereon,two arms upon said plate and. adapted to receive the receiver between them, and means for locking said plate; substantially as described.

7. The combination with a telephone or the like and its receiver snspension-hook,of alock comprising a movable plate, arms thereon adapted to receive the receiver between them, one of said arms closing the space in advance of the receiver when said receiver is upon the hook and the other of said arms, when the plate has been thrown by the removal of the receiver, lying in the path of movement of the receiver as the latter is replaced upon the hook, and means for locking said plate; substantially as described.

8. The combination with a telephone-receiver and its suspension-hook, of arotatable plate provided with locking-arms adapted to obstruct the passage from said hook, and means whereby said plate is free to rotate in one direction and is locked against movement in the other direction; substantially as described.

9. The combination with a telephone-receiver and its suspension-hook, of a rotatable plate, locking-arms thereon adapted to 0bstruct the passage from said hook, and a locking member adapted to cooperate withany of said arms; substantially as described.

10. The combination with a telephone-receiver and its suspension-hook, of a rotatable plate, locking-arms thereon adapted to obstruct the passage from said hook, a locking member in the path of movement of said arms and locking the plate against movement in one direction, and means whereby said plate is freely rotatable in the opposite direction; substantially described.

11. The combination with a telephone-receiver and its suspension-hook, of a rotatable plate, locking-arms thereon adapted to obstruct the passage from said hook, and a movable locking member in the path of movement of said arms and locking said plate against movement in one direction, one of said cooperating plate-locking elements having an inclined surface toward the other thereof to cause the said locking member to be thrown to permit free rotation of the plate in the opposite direction; substantially as described.

12. In a telephone-lock or the like, a movable locking element providing a stop for the hereinafter-mentioned stop-arm and movable from lockin g and stop-arm-arresting position, and a locking-lever cooperating with said locking element, said locking-lever including an actuating-device-receiving arm, a lockingarm upon one side of said locking element and a stop-arm upon the other side of said element; substantially as described.

13. In a telephone-lock or the-like, a movable locked element, a locking member therefor, means adapted to momentarily act upon said locking member to throw the same into unlocking position, a movable supporting member separate from said locked element and adapted to hold said locking member in such unlocking position, and means whereby said locked element in its movement serves to throw said supporting member from supporting position; substantially as described.

14. In a telephone-lock or the like, a locking member, means for throwing the same into unlocking position, and a yielding supporting-arm in the path of movement of said locking member from locking position for supporting the same in unlocking position; substantially as described.

lIO

15. In a telephone-lock or the like, a movable locked element, a locking member therefor, means for throwing said locking member into unlocking position, a yielding supportthrown from supporting position as said ele- Io ment is moved; substantially as described. In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses,

ing-arm in the path of movement of said this 29th day of August, 1902-. locking member for supporting the latter in unlocking position, and a part upon said supporting-arm in the path of movement of said locked element, whereby said arm is WILLIAM H. SCOTT. WVitnesscs:

GALES P. MOORE, GEORGE BAKEWELL.

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