US799658A - Telephone signal apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

s m ,w m/ m a/e /O nm .ZI A Mm rno,W m N m N ,L w m w H l@ mr l E m T w x e m 2 w w M m ,ww w ml m S. MN U M KN P w ma. QN r MAm AN- G? E UNL Ai al LIN l .So PEm %N DHLw QN s No. 799,658. PATENTED SEPT. 19, 1905. D. F. LAUGHLIN. TELEPHONE SIGNAL APPARATUS.

APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 13.1905- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Witnesses' Inventor,

l by

jwZ-zzg A Zim,

`\ Attorneys UNITED sTATEs 'PATENT oEEIoE.

DAVID FRAME LAUGHLIN, OF CLLYDE, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR F .ONE-HALF T() FRANKLIN H. BUTLER, OF CLYDE, KANSAS.

TELEPHONE SIGNAL APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 19, 1905.

Application iiled .Tune 13, 1905. Serial No. 265,062.

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID FRAME LAUGH- LIN, a citizen of the Unitedv States, residing at Clyde, in the county of Cloud and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Telephone Signal Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to selective signaling systems, and has for its principal object to provide what may be termed a sympathetic system, wherein the vibrations of duplicate pendulums subject to the same influence are employed for the purpose'ot` closing electrical circuits.

It is well known that simple pendulums of precisely the same construction and subjected to the same iniiuences will have the same am-y plitude of vibration and will move through equal arcs in the same time. This fact is taken advantage of in the present instance by employing at a number oiI stations pendulums oi' diiferent character-that is to say, the responsive pendulum at each station diifers either in length, weight, or size from all of the other pendulums in the remaining stations, and at a central station are arranged a number oi' calling-pendulums that are duplicates oi' those in the remaining stations. The term calling-pendulum is employed throughout the specification and claims tov designate a pendulum which is set in motion at the central station for the purpose of calling another station, and the term responsive 'pendulum is employed to designate a pendulum which vibrates sympathetically with the calling-pendulum, and is moved at a distant station to control the circuit at that station.

The principal object of the invention, there-l fore, is to provide a simple form oi' selective signaling system, whereby any selected Station may be placed in communication with another without the knowledge of any of the intervening stations, this being of especial value on party-lines where in ordinary systems a call made by one subscriber is sounded at all of the other stations along the line.

With these and other objects in View, as.

will more fully hereinafter appear, the invention consists in certain novel features of con- 5o after fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being undery through said electromagnet.

struction and arrangement of parts hereinstood that various changes in the form, proportions, size, and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrilcing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a diagram of a selective signaling system larranged in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the selecting devices employed at each substation. Fig. 3 is a'sectional elevation of the same. Fig. 4 is a detail view of a calling mechanism employed at a central station.

Similar characters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several gures of the drawings.

All of the local stations are shown as bridged between two main wires 1 and 2, and at station A in Fig. 1 the `parts are in the normal position with the receiver-hook down and the talking-circuit disconnected. `At station B the selective circuit is shown as connected andthe talking-circuit bridged between the main-line wires. i

The receiver-hook 3 is pivoted at 4, and it carries at a point intermediate of its length a contact-plate 5, that is insulated from the remaining portion of the hook. Bearing against this contact-plate are two contacts 6 and 7, the contact 6 being connected by a local wire 8 to the main-line wire 2 and the contact 7 being connected by a local wire 9 to the main line 1, and in said local line 9 is connected an electromagnet 10, there being one of such magnets at each of the stations, and the circuit, as indicated at 1, being normally closed Within the field of force of the electromagnet 10 is a pendulum 11, which mayr carry an armature 12. The construction of this portion of the mechanism will be more fully described hereinafter.

The rear end of the receiver-hook is bent downward, forming an arm 13, that is pro vided with a shoulder 14, having a small block of insulating material vin its upper face, and this block is arranged rto receive the front end of a circuit-closing arm 15. The arm 15 is pivoted for swinging movement in a vertical plane and always tends to reassume the same plane, so that when moved outward from the shoulder during a selecting operation it will move inward in order to be in position to be IOO rengaged by said shoulder, as more fully described hereinafter. This arm when released from the influence of the receiver-hook or when allowed to move downward with the receiver-hook when the receiver is removed will engage a contact-arm 16, andthis will lose the calling and talking circuits of the At a convenient point in the local station is arranged a call-bell 17, one binding-post ot' Which is connected by a Wire 18 to the mainline Wire 1. From the other binding-post extends a Wire 19 to a contact 20, that is engaged by the receiver-hook when the outer end of the latter is depressed. The circuit is continued when the receiver is on the hook through thehook and through a contact 21 and Wire 22 to the circuit-closing arm 15, and if the latter is in engagement With the contact-arm 16 the circuit Will be completed through the latter and through Wire 23 to the main-line wire 2, so that it' the arms 15 and 16 be engaged While the receiver is still on the hook the calling-circuit Will be established.

One binding-post of the receiver R is connected by a Wire 24 to the contact-arm 15 and `the opposite binding-post is connected by a wire 25 to the secondary of the inductorium I and thence to the main-line Wire 1. If the contact-arm 15 is down in engagement with thecontact-arm 16, the receiver-circuit Will be established from main-line Wire 1, Wire 25, the secondary, the receiver, Wire 24, contact-arms 15 and 16, Wire 23 to main-line Wire 2.

The primary circuit includes a transmitter T, a Wire 26, battery B, and contacts 27, that are normally disengagedfrom the receiverother responsive pendulums at all of the other.

stations in the line. It may be longer or shorter or it may have a'different period or amplitude of vibration or it may be of different width, and thus be more or less retarded by the air.

Each of the pendulums may be formed of soft iron or may carry a soft-iron armature arranged Within the field of force of the electromagnet- 10, and when the latter is energized the pendulum Will be attracted and when denergized the pendulum will start its movement toward the position of equilibrium and pass beyond the same by virtue of its acquired velocity. When the lirst half of a complete period has been reached, the electromagnet is again energized and the pendulum 1s once more attracted, the magnet belng kept energized during the Whole of the second haltI period of movement and then denergized exactly at the completion of such half period. It may require two or three 'or even more movements to effect the desired amplitude of vibration of the pendulum; but in each case the energizing and denergizing of the electromagnet must occur exactly at the comple-v tion of half periods of movement of said pendulum. When the pendulum has finally acquired its predetermined amplitude ot' vibration, it Will strike against the contact-arm 15 and move the same from the shoulder 14 of the receiver-hook, the contact-arm moving by gravity into engagement with the contact-arm 16, and thus, as before described, completing the calling-circuit, so that a current sent along' the line Will cause the sounding of the bell 17.

To effect movement of the pendulum, the

central station is provided with a set of calling-pendulums 11', there being a calling-pendulum the eXact duplicate of each responsive pendulum. These calling-pendulums may be arranged in Aany suitable manner, and when any particular substation is to be called its duplicate calling-pendulum at central is arranged Within the field of force of an electromagnet 30. This electromagnet 30 is a du plicate of all of the other electromagnets 1() in the line, and all of said magnets are connected in the same circuit and all subjected to precisely the same influences. The electromagnet 30 is placed opposite the desired callingpendulum and a circuit is then closed through a source of electrical energy 31 by a suitable key or switch 32. As a result every electromagnet along the line is energized, including the electromagnet 30, and the single'callingpendulum and every one of the responsive Y pendulums will be attracted.

When the callingpendulum has reached the limit of its movement in the direction of the magnet, the circuit is immediately opened. It has been stated that all of the responsive pendulums are attracted; but in no case,with the exception of the responsive pendulum corresponding to the calling-pendulum, has any pendulum arrived at its exact period when the current is cut off. The calling-pendulum and the duplicate responsive pendulum then start at precisely the same time on the second half period of movement and move in unison until the second halt' period has been accomplished, While the operator watching the calling-pendulum may close the circuit and again energize all of the electromagnets.

While all of the responsive pendulums have started on their second half period during the movement of the selected responsive pendulum, the movement is irregular and occurs either before or after the correct time, and this is accentuated when said pendulums arrive at the end of their rst halt' periods, the second closing of the electromagnet occurring at the proper time for the selected responsive.

IOO

IIO

IZO

ISO

pendulum, but not at a time which will permit proper action of the non-selected responsive pendulums.

-In operation any substation will call central by short-circuiting the line 18 19 through a battery 34 by aswiteh 35. He then removes his receivel` from the hook, and thus allows the contact-arm 15 to descend into engagement with the contact-arm 16 and 'completes the talking-circuit. The subscriber then asks for the required number and the central-station operator moves the electromagnet 30 in front of the desired calling-pendulum and starts the movement, as before described,until the responsive pendulum at the selected station strikes the arm 15 and causes it to fall into engagement with the arm 16, thus establishing a calling-circuit at the selected station, and a current then sent along the line will energize the calling-bell ofthe selected station. The subscriber at the called station then removes his receiver from the hook and by closing the primary circuit is enabled to converse with the calling subscriber.

It will be observed that with an apparatus of this character all of the telephone instruments in the line are disconnected and will not be injured during an electrical storm, and, further, that any substation may be called up without the knowledge of any of the other stations.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is-r 1. In signaling apparatus, a pair of superposed contact members, a receiver-hook having its inner end arranged to form a support for the upper member, the removal of the receiver from the hook permitting such upper member to descend into engagement with the lower member, and the replacing of the receiver serving to separate said members, and

posed contact members, a receiver-hook having at its inner end an insulated support for the upper member, and provided with apendent arm arranged in a plane oblique to the vertical plane of said upper member, and an electromagnetically-controlled pendulum for moving said upper member from its support.

4. In signaling apparatus, a lower contact member in the form of a bar having an inturned arm at one end, a second contact member arranged above the iirst and adapted to engage said arm to close a circuit, a pivotallymounted receiver-hook having at its inner end a support for said upper member, and provided with a pendent inclined arm to permit rengagement with said upper member after a circuit-closing operation, and an electromagnetically controlled pendulum for moving said upper member from its support.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto axed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

DAVID FRAME LAUGHLIN.

Witnesses:

W. D. GROFF, JOHN G. NICHOLAS.

Images