US902275A - Bank of locking switch-keys. - Google Patents

Description

E. R. CORWIN & c. A. BALS. BANK OF LOOKING SWITGH KEYS. I LPPLIUATIOH FILED MAR. 28, 1908.

902,275. I Patented Oct. 27, 1908.

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In verziors:

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ELMER R. CORWIN AND CHARLES BALS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS 'lO CORWIN TELEPHONE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,A CORPORATION 'OF ILLINOIS.

BANK OF LOGKIN G SWITCH-ICEYS.

ivo. 902,275. Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Oct. 27, 1908.

I Application filed March 28, 1908. Serial N 0. 423,885.

To allv whom it may concern: v a plunger 36 made of insulating material, for

Be it known that we, ELMER R. CORWIN l operating the said contact members, eachofi and Crmnens A"."BALs, both unansorthb thepliingers 36 36 being connected by a ver- United States of America, and residents of tical bar 37 which extends through the top Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented plate 35, with a push-button 38 the dep'resa new and useful'Bank of Looking Switchsion of which depresses the plunger 3.6 and Keys, of which the following is a specificathereby operates the switch-contact memtion, reference being bad to the accompanybers as will be hereinafter described. Each ing drawings illustrating same. of the plungers 36 36 has a rod 7 extending Our invention relates to banks of switch keys of the push-button type, wherein any into one of the strips 33 33, referably as spring 8 encircling same to automatically raise the plunger 36 out of connection with the corresponding set of spring-contact members when the push-button 38 and the bar 37 ally locked in depressed position, the de ression of any other push-button of the bank releasing the first depressed push-button, the last depressed push-button being automatically looked in depressed position until reare released. To accommodate the rods 7 7 l push-button that is depressed is automatici shown in Fig. 2, the said rod 7 aving a coil leased by the depression of another pushi the strips 33 33 are drilled on their top edges button. with holes slightly larger than the rods 7 7,

The principal objects of our invention are and with larger holes 9 9 extending upfrom to provide a simplified construction in such the bottom edges thereof to meet the smaller a bank of locking keys to provide an imholes at the top edges, to form bearings for proved arrangement for automatically operthe rods 7 7 at the top edges only of the ating the locking bars of the several keys of strips 33 33. I This construction in the stri s I the bank; to provide an improved ringing ar- 33 33 gives a free action to the rods 7 7, as t 1e rangement for each of the keys of the bank; latter do not bear against the interior porv to provide improved means for operating the tions of the strips 3333 along the entire several phu'igers of thervarious keys of the length of the inserted end portions of the bank, upon their release by the various lockrods 7 7. ing bars; to provide improved means for The top plate 35 is provided with suitable numbering or lettering each of the keys of holes 10 10 for mounting the bank in place. the bank and to provide improved means On the underneath side of the plate 35 is se- Whereby the operation of the various keys, cured a strip 11 of felt, or some other pliable when released, is practically noiseless. material, for deadening the sound of the therethrough, from the corresponding bar 37 5 I Other objects will be apparent from the striking of the collars 12 12 of the bars 37 37 following specification. when the latter are released and forced up- .In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side eleva ward b the coil springs 8 8. The collars 12 tion of a bank of locking switch keys con 12, pro erably formed of sheet metal and each structed in accordance with the p'resent'in having a tongue portion 32 riveted to the vention, with portions shown in cross-section corresponding bar 37, are secured aroundthe to show the interior construction of the appabars 3-7 37 underneath the felt strip 11 to ratus; Fig. 2 is a right-hand end View of the limit the upward movement of the push-butbank of switch keys shown in Fig. 1, with tons 38 38, when the bars 37 37 are released. portions shown in cross-section to show the It will readily be seen that the felt strip 11 interior construction of the apparatus; and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the bank of switch 37 37 noiseless, as it forms a cushion for each keys shown in Figs. 1 and 2,. Like characof the collars 12 12 when the bars 37.37 are tors refer to like parts in the several figures. I released. I Y,

The bank of keys illustrated comprises one I Each of the group of switch contacts comor more spring-contact mounting strips prises spring members 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17, carried by formed'sheet-metal portions 34 34 I the spring members 15and 16 being adapted secured to the ends of the strips33 33 and to to enga e the spring members 14 and 17, rethe top plate 35, preferablyby screws. Each spectivel when the corresponding plunger of thest-rips 33 33 carries a plurality of sets 36 is depressed to locking osition, and the v of spring-contact members, each sethaving spring member 14 being ar apted to engage no practical ymakes the operation .of the bars ice which is mounted to one plurality of transverse ss ss oi the .to move the side bars 2O 20, as a unit, in the direction 01 arrow the spring member 13 when the plunger 36 is depressed still further. The spring member 15 is made somewhat longer than the spring member 16, so that it will. engage the Llargc upper portion 18 of the plunger 36 be- -fore the spring member 16 would engage the portion 18 it the plunger 36 were depressed far enough, so as to throw the spring member 14 into contact with the spring member 1.3 without operating the spring members 16 and 17 after they have come into contact with each other. This construction gives an easier action to the push-buttons 38 38 when same are depressed to cause the spring members 14 14 to engage the respective spring members 13 13.

The sheet-metal end portions provided with notches near their upper ends 111 which are s'lidably mounted longitudinal side bars 19 19, the latter being locking bars 29 39 suitably riveted to the side bars 19 19. Each of the transverse bars 20 20 is for lockin one or more oi" the push-button keys bank in depressed position.

Each of the bars 37 Wis provided with two notches 21 22 therein, to accommodate the corresponding locking bar 20, the latter notch 22 being beveled at its upper edge to permit the depression of the push-button 38 bars 19 19 and the locking 28, against the act-ion oi-the lca'l' spring 24 of the end portions 34 and which bears against the transverse bar 25 carried by the side bars 19 19. The transverse bar 25 is preferably similar to the locking bars 20 20. The end strip 3 1 to which the spring member 24 is mounted is provided with a set screw- 26 and a lock nut thereon, which set screw may be adjusted through the strip 34 against the s ring member 24 to adjust the tension. ot the latter against the bar 25 as desired.

. y The depression ot any one 01' the push-bun tons 3 33 causes the beveled portion oi" the lower notch 22 oi the corresponding bar 37 to engage the corresponding locking bar 20 and thereby move the side bars 19 19 and the locking bars 20 20 as a. whole in the direction 01' arrow 23 until the locking bar 1291s able to drop into the notch 11 and thereby allow the spring member i l to .lorco the side bars 19 19 and the locking bars J9 ".39 as a whole in the direction 01' arrow 37 so that the locking bar 39 rests in the notch 21 ot the dc pressed push button key. in this locked position the spring members 15 and 16 ot the depressed key cngz'ige the contact. members 14 and 17, respectively, but the contact mcmer 1a does not engage the contact member 13. ll thedepressed. key is now further dc pressed. the contact member 14 will be caused to engage the contact member 13. In telephone systems this latter depression 01' the 34 34 are held together by a key generally closes a ringing circuit, while the former depression of the key, or the depression to locking position, generally closes a talking circuit. Now, it any of the other keys of the bank is depressed to locking position, as just described, the side bars 19 19 and the locking bars 20 20 will be moved as a whole by such depression in the direction oi arrow 23 so that the locked key will be released and forced by the correspondin coil spring 8 to the position shown 1n the rawi ings, the latter depressed key now being l locked by its locking bar 20 in a depressed l position. It will readily be seen that by this construction the depression of any one of the keys of the bank to locking position will release any of the other keys of the bank which i have previously been locked in depressed po sit-ion, and. that any 01'' the keys of the bank, whether locked or not, can be still ltll'tllOl depressed to a position which causes the correspending contact member 14 to engage the contact member 13 of the key.

For numbering each of the push-lnitton keys 38 38 animal cap provided, to lit over a head 29on the corresponding bar 37 to hold a number disk 39 and a transparent disk 31 in place, prcl'era bly as shown in Fig. 1. This construction permits olreadily removing or changing the nun'ibers oi the va- 95 rious keys ol the bank, which a very dcsirablc feature in intcrcommunicating telephone systcnis where the iinnibcrs of the various keys at the several stations have to be arranged to correspond with the numbers of 100 the lines or stations of the system.

The spring- contact members 13, 1 1, 15, 16 and 17 of the various keys of the bank are all suit-ably mounted to die strips 33 33 by screws or bolts, and are insulated from each 10! other and from the stri s 33 by suitable insulating washers and ushings 39.

The wiring for the various keys of the bank is connected to the connection terminals provided at the lower ends of the various springcontact members of the several keys.

We do not wish to limit this invention to herein shown, as many modifications may be made therein without departing from the 11 scope of the appended claims.

\ What we claim as our invention l 1. A bank ol switch keys cinnprising a plul rality ol' push-buttons, a plunger for each ol l the push-buttons adapted to be 0 erated l2 thereby, a set of spring-cont act mem )ers for each of the plungcrs adapted and arranged to be controlled thereby, a vertical bar for each of the keys connecting the push-lnitton with the plunger, notches in each of the said vertical bars, one being beveled at its upper surface, a plurality of longitudinal side bars slidablymounted, a plurality of transverse locking bars carried bythe said side bars, the

l bars being adapted to normally 1ft said locking .said locklng' bars and said side bars as a unit whereby any of the push-button keys which I. to control respective switch said vertical bars.

rest'in the notches of'the'said vertical bars, I transverse bar of the locking bar unit to opa leaf spring near one end of the bank of keys I erate the latter when released by the depres} adapted to bear against one of the said transsion of any of the said plungers, and an ad verse bars for forcing the latter as a. unit into j ustment screw for the said leaf spring wherethe said notchesof-the said vertical bars, and 1 by the tension of same actin a coil spring acting on each of the said plunl locking bar unit may be adjusted as desired. gers to operate-same when the latter are re-' l 3. A switch key of the character described eased, the depression of any one ol the push-. comprising a noncondueting plunger, switchuttons causmg the beveled surface of the I be operated by notch associated therewith to operate the 1 the plunger, switches adaptedtobecontrolled so as to disengage the said locking bars from 5 the various notches of the said vertical bars operates both of the switch-co V L es, and means may have been in depressed position are rel vhereby a stillfurther depression of the plunleased, the said push-button which is being epressed being automatically locked. in depressed position when depressed i'arenough l to allow the said locking bars to be forced by I thesaid leaf spring into the notches of the su'bsl'aribe our names in t1 mom hers still further to control an additional switch.

1e presence of two subscribing Witnesses; this 25th day of M arch,

2. A bank of locking switch keys having a I 1908 pluralityof longitudinal sidebars and a plu- ELMER' R; CORVYIN. rality of transverse locking bars comprising r GHARLESA; BALS. a unit, operable as such, a plurality of plun- Witnesses:

gels in looking relation with the saidtransl HARRY B. DAVIS, verse locking bars, a leaf spring acting on a l FRANK J. RYAN.

by the switchcontact members, meansger operates only one of the switch-contact As inventors of theforegoing wehercunto

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