US900238A - Telegraph-key. - Google Patents

Description

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JAMlJS Z. TUCKER AND LAWRENCE V. TUCKER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSUHI.

TELE GRAPH-KEY.

Specification of Letters Patent. i Application filed December 16, 1907. Serial No. 406,742.

Patented oct. c, 190s.

To all whom it may concern:

Bc it known that we, JAMEs Z. TUCKER and LAWRENCE V. TUCKER, citizens of the4 United States, residing at St. Louis, in the county ci St. Louis City and State oi Mis souri, have invented certain new and useful lniproi-einents in .lelegraph-leys; and we do declare the lollowinvr to be a full, clear, and exact' description ci the invention, such as will enrble others skilled in the art to .p

' on account ofioperators leaving their keys soI open by mistake. These errors sometimes cause serious accidents and frequently cause much delay to trains and messages. -As is well known, almost all telegraphsystems are rung with their instruments in series, and when one key is open, the instruments beyond on the line are all'cut out.

lt .is the object of our invention to providev a key of this character which will automatically close and prevent delays and accidents resulting therefrom.

ii/lith this object in View, the invention consists oi certain novel features of construction, con'rbination and arrangement of parts as will be described hereinafter' and particular-ly pointed out in the appended claims.

in the accon'ipanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a key'showing in dotted lines the position when in use and infull lines the position when closed; Fig. 2 is a side elevation; and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof. on line X-X of Fig. 1..

Referring more especially to the drawings, l represents a suitable frame which has projecting from its sides a air of ears, 2, having threaded apertures, 3, t rough which the adjusting screws, 4, are ladapted to pass. The adjusting screw isrovided with a lock nut, as is common in a such constructions, and the ends of the adjusting screws are hollowed out to receive the pintles or stub shafts, 5, of the lever, 6. This lever is vpreferably of a type used in ordinary keys and has at one end an adjusting screw, 7, and at the other end a platinum -point contact, 8, which is Fig.. 4; is a transverse section adapted to engage a similar contact, 9, carried by a metall-ic stud, 10, Whichis passed through an insulating bushing, 11, mounted in the frame andthrough a Contact plate, 12, which has a binding post, 13, thereon'lorined in the opposite terminal of the circuit. A suitable s irai spring, 15, is carried by the frame an enga es an adjusting screw, 16, threaded in the ever 6, 'forward its pivotal oint.

Pivoted on the upper side of the lever 6 is a lever, 17, having at .one end a 'linger piece, 18, which normali lies adjacent the button, 1.9, carried by the lever, (i, and at its opposite ond is provided with a do'wnwardly projectm ing arm, 20, which engages the forward hooked end of a terminal member, 21, which is normally thrown into contact with the notched end of the member, l2, by a spiral s ring, 22, carried on the underneath. side ol" tlie frame and4 having an eye-bolt connection with said' terminal member. lever is closed, the circuit is from the bindin post, 13, through the member, 12, termina member 21, lever 6. on the frame 1, and out to line.`

In operation, theoperator grasps the button 19, and presses the finger piece, 18, away therefrom by the middle linger. This opera tion carries the terminal member, 21, away from the notched end and thus breaks the circuit and to complete the circuit it is necessary to Work the lever and contact the platinunr onts before described. As soon as the midd e ringer is released from the linger piece, or the operators hand removed from the but ton, the terminal member, 2l, is iorced back into engagement with its contact, and the circuit. again completed onto the next station. The end of the member, 21, is hooked so as to prevent the depending arm from slipping oli of it and Athereby displacing the parts.

erating lever, a ringer piece carried by said lever at one end adapted to be engaged by a lil/'hen the depending arm from the other end of the witnesses. levr adapted to slidably engage said termi.- JAMES Z. TUCKER. nal member t0 throw the same out 01 engage- LAWRENCE V. TUCKER 5 ment with the Contact efce, :md means for VVnesses:

adj usting the operating Rver. HENRY R. PICKER, In testimony whereof We have hereunto r GEORGE FELTROP.

finger of the operator to operate the same, a, set our hands in presence of two subscribing

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