US763042A

US763042A - Fire-alarm apparatus.

Info

Publication number: US763042A
Application number: US17222403A
Authority: US
Inventors: Loudoun Campbell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1903-09-08
Filing date: 1903-09-08
Publication date: 1904-06-21
Anticipated expiration: 1921-06-21

Description

No. '763,042.` PATENTED JUNE 21, 1904.

L. CAMPBELL. PIRE ALARM APPARATUS.-

l APPLIoATIoN FILED SEPT, s. 190s. Nq Holm.. v 2 snn'rsnnm' 1.

VIIIIIIIII/llII/I//ll/ ams PETERs ou, Norouwa. wnmomn. o. c.

PATENTED JUNE 21, 1904..

2 sums-SHEET 2.-

@adam m @ZZ L GAMPBBLL.' HRB ALARM APPARATUS.

v APPLIOATIUN FILED SEPT. 8. 1903. y

No MODEL'.

me Nonms PETRs C0, Puomuwu.. WASHINGTON. n. c.

Patented June 21, 1904.*

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUDOUN CAMPBELL, OF WASHINGTON, `DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

` FIRE-ALARM. APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 763,042, dated June 21, 1904.

Application iiled September 8, 1903. Serial No. 172,224. (No model.)

My invention relates to lire-alarm boxes,

I and has for its object the provision of a local alarm in connection with such boxes so arranged as to insure the prompt turning in of an alarm of fire and at the same 'time affordprotection against false alarms by making certain the detection of any one turning in such false alarm.

In some fire-alarm boxes now in useA provided with local alarms it is necessary for the person turning in the alarm to depress a hook upon the interior of the tire-alarm box after the door thereof is opened. Owing to the ignorance of the public asA to the proper method of turning in the alarm of fire, it has been found that many persons omit to perform the essential function of depressing the lioolnbecause they suppose that the lire-alarm has been turned in when the local alarm sounds upon opening the door of the main box.

To obviate the foregoing difiiculties, this invention comprises a main alarm, a local alarm,

and a single lever controlling both alarms,

whereby they are sounded simultaneously.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which now follows.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective vie'w of a fire-alarm box with the main door thereof open and having my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 isv a transverse vertical section of the upper part of the main box, showing how a saddle, hereinafter described, is secured thereto. Fig. Sisafront elevation of the box with part of the casing containing the local-alarm mechanism in section. Fig. 4 is 4a horizontal section of the door of the main box and thefastening device therefor. Fig. 5. is an elevation of the bolt shown in Fig. 4. Figs. 6 and 6 are re- -spectively side and end elevations of a key hereinafter described. Fig. 7 is a front elecasing 8, carried upon the saddle.

vation of a hollow lug containing the winding mechanism of the local alarm. Fig. 8 is a plan view of said lug, and Fig. 9 is a vertical section of a box or casing whichis mounted upon the main box and contains mechanism for illuminating the vicinity of the box when the main alarm is sounded.

Lilie numerals designate similar parts .throughout the several figures of the drawings. i

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 5 designates a lire-alarm box, upon which is mounted a saddle 6, secured thereto by a bolt 7, which passesgthrough the top of the main box, the saddle, and a lug cast upon a box or Referring now more particularly to Fig. 9, it will be seen that the casing 8 contains two

springpressed rods

9 and 10, having eyes 11 and 12 at their lower ends and having their upper ends so formed that when said rods are released and forced up by the

springs

13 and 14 the end of rod 10 will imping'e against a catch 15, carried by the top 16 of the box, and force said catch' out of engagement with a lug or bar 17,carried by the box, thereby freeing the top and permitting it to be thrown back by a spring 18 upon the `pintle thereof. At the same time rod 9, `which is provided with spurs or points upon its upper end, ignites a charge of powder, which burns slowly and brilliantly illuminates the vicinity of the box.

A slide or door 20 serves to lock the spring-` pressed rods in their retracted position, as is clearly shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 692,765, issuedtoy me on the 4th day of February, 1902, for fire-alarm apparatus.

'Ihe charge of powder is contained in a small box 21, which may be readily removed and anotherfcharge inserted when it is desired to reset the box after an alarm has been turned in. Cast upon the saddle 6 are

lugs

22 and 23, into which are threaded

tubes

24 and 25, connected at the top by a horizontalA tube 26.'

Upon the upper part of the tube 24 is a casing 27, containing the mechanism for sounding the local alarm. r1`his mechanism comprises y a drum 28, mounted for rotation in said casing 27 and carryingva spur gear-wheel 29, which meshes with a smaller' spur gearwheel 30 upon a rotative shaft 31. through the wall of the casing 27 and carries upon its outer end astriker-bar 32, upon which are mounted tumblers 33 and 34, adapted to sound the bell 35 when the striker-bar is rotated, as will be readily understood.

Wound upon the drum 28 on one side of the gear-wheelv 29 is a cable 36, to the free end of which is attached a weight 36', which tends` to rotate the drum and, through the mechanism described, sound the bell. Normally the drum is held against rotation by a cable 37, attached thereto upon the opposite side of the gear-wheel 29, said cable passing over idle pulleys 38 and 39, mounted in the

Ls connecting tubes

24, 25, and 26, and being wound upon a drum 40, mounted in a recess 41 of lug 23.

As will be seen by referring to Figs. 7 and 8, lug 23 has a dovetail groove formed therein for the reception of a slide or shield 42, c arried by the slide or door 20, said shield having a keyhole formed therein, which only registers with a keyhole 43, formed in lug 23, when the slide or door 20 is locked in the lower position,

at which time the key 44 may be placed upon the angular shaft 40' of drum 40 to wind the cable 37 thereon and to wind up the weight 36. This key 44 is provided with ratchet-V teeth 45, adapted to be engaged by a pawl 46, setinto the face of lug 23, as will behereinafter described. Referring to Fig. 1, the numeral 47 designates the inner box, which carries the mechanism for sounding the main alarm, and 48 the hook, the depression of which sets said mechanism in motion. Shunt-pins 49 shunt the box out of circuit when they are pressed inward by the closing of the main door 50, and itis necessary that the door be opened a short distance before the box is shunted into circuit with lire-alarm headquarters.

To open the main door and shunt the box into circuit and to sound the main and local alarms simultaneously, the lever 51 is provided. This lever is pivoted upon a shaft 52, mounted in bearings upon the door 50and one end of the shaft carries a pin 53, (see Figs. 4 and 5,) which enters a cam-groove 54, formed in the bolt 55, which secures the main door 50. Upon the opposite end of shaft 52 is a cam 56, which when the lever 51-is pulled out and down presses against a flat spring 57, secured to the face of the inner box.

Secured to the inner face of door 50 and insulated therefrom is a lock 58, the bolt 59 of which is made to conform to the 'curvature of the hook 48 and serves to depress said hook when the door is opened, as will be set forth in the description of the operation of the device. To secure the lever 51 against accidental displacement, the spring-pressed latch 6() is provided, which engages the lug 61 when the door is closed and prevents lever 51 from be- This shaft 31 extends ing moved except bya downward andI outd ward pull. The free end of lever 51 carries

pins

6,2, 63, and 64, which engage the eyes 11 and 1,2 of

rods

9 and 10 and an eyelet 65, formed in the cable 37.

The operation of the device is as follows: When it is desired to turn in an alarm of fire, the handle of latch 60 is grasped and pulled down, which serves to release the lever 51, which is in turn pulled down and out. This action withdraws the pins carried-upon the free end of said lever from the eyes of the spring-pressed rods and the cable 27, thereby releasing the weight 36 and, through the rotation of the gear-wheels and striker-bar controlled thereby, causing the bell 35 to sound. At the same time the spring-pressed

rods

9 and 10 operate to open the top of casing 8and ignite the powder charge to illuminate the vicinity of the fire-alarm box. When the lever 51 is pulled down, as just described, the cam 56 presses against the spring 57 and corn-V presses said spring until the lever is pulled down far enough to cause the ypin 53, working in the cam-groove of bolt 55, to retract said bolt enough to release the door 50, when the spring 57 will act to force said door open, thereby permitting the shunt-pins to be forced out by springs 49' until a bar 492, carried by said pins, contacts with the ends of the bind` ing-posts 493, thereby shunting the box into circuit and depressing the hook 48 by means of the bolt 59,which normally lies in the curve of said hook. As will readily be seen, if the door 50 should now be closed by the person turning in thealarm the bolt 59 would strike the outer end of the hook 48, which has now returned to its upper position, and to prevent this the latch-bolt 66 is provided, which as soon as the lever is pulled down slips under the'cam 56, as shown in Fig. 1, and prevents the lever from being shoved up until said bolt 66 is retracted by some one in authority having akey for that'purpose.

The operation of resetting the box is as follows: The slide 20 is lirst locked into its lower position, thereby bringing the eyes of the spring-pressed rods intothe path of the

pins

62 and 63 of lever 51 and also causing the l keyhole formed in shield 42 to register with keyhole 43 of lug 23. The ratchet-key 44 is then placed upon the angular end of the shaft of drum 40 and the cablev 37 is Wound upon said drum, thereby Winding cable 36 upon drum 28 to wind up the weight 36'. Cable 37 is wound upon drum 40 until the eyelet 65 thereof is brought into the path of the pin 64, carried by lever 51. The pawl 46 engages the ratchet-teeth of key 44 to hold 'the drum 40 against rotation until lever 51 is moved into position to cause the pin 64 to enter eyelet65 of cable 37 Before this is done, however, a

key is inserted in keyhole 7 0` to retract bolt 59 of lock 58. The latch-bolt 66 is then, through the medium of a key, inserted in a IOO TIO

keyhole 71, retracted from the path of cam 56, after which door is closed. Lever 51 is moved into position to cause the

pins

62, 68, and 64 to enter the eyes of -rods 9 and l0 and the eyelet 65 of cable 37. Key 44 is then removed, a fresh charge of powder is inserted in casing 8, slide is locked in its upper position, and the top of casing 8 is closed, after whichbot 59 is thrown to cause it to enter the recess formed by the curve of the hook 48. If desired, a perforated casing 75 may be placed over bell 35.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that this invention embodies means insuring the prompt turning in of the main alarm and at the Sametime actuating a local alarm of such nature as to effectually deter malicious department without protection against falseA alarms.

While the various elements shown and described are Well ada ted to attain the end sought, it is to be un erstood that my invention is not limited thereto, for changes may be made in the details thereof without departure therefrom.

Having described my invention, what I claim isl. In a lire-alarm box, the combination, with a mail-1 alarm, of a local alarm, and a lever controlling both alarms and the door of the lire-alarm box.

2. In a fire-alarm box, the combination, with a main alarm, of a local alarm, a lever controlling both alarms and the door of the firealarm box, and means for locking said lever against accidental displacement.

3. In a fire-alarm box, the combination, with a main alarm` of a sounding and illuminating local alarm, and a lever controlling both of said alarms and the door of the Afire-alarm box.

4. In a fire-alarm box, the combination, with a main alarm, of asounding and illuminating local alarm, a lever mounted upon the exterior face of thedoor of said box, controlling said alarms, and means for locking said lever against accidental displacement.

5.y In aiire-alarm box, the combination, with main-alarm mechanism, of local-alarm mechanism, and a lever so arranged that a single movement of said lever will open Ithe doory of the lire-alarm box and set said alarm mechanisms in motion.

6. In are-alarm box, the combination,with main-alarm mechanism, of local-alarm mechanism and a lever pivoted upon the door of the box and adapted When actuated to operate both the main and local alarms and to force the door of the box'open.

7 In a fire-alarm box, the combination, with main-alarm mechanism, of local-alarm mechanism situated upon the exterior of said box and a lever carried by the door of the box adapted to simultaneously set said alarm mechanisms in motion and to open said door.

8. In a fire-alarm box, the combination,with

a main alarm, of a local alarm, and a member controlling both alarms and the door of the fire-alarm box.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

LOUDOUN CAMPBELL.

Witnesses:

JOHN M. FoLLIN,

A. M. DANIELs.