US990638A - Telephone meter system. - Google Patents

Description

r G. DEAKIN'. TELEPHONE METER SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 10, 19(;i.

990,638. Patented A r.25,191 '1.

INVENTOR; mTNEssEs: 6 Dean) BY wmmw ATTYS.

UNITED STATES Panama. oFFron;

GERALD DEAKIN, 0F OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO MOMEEN 86 MILLER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A. COIARTNERSHIP.

TELEPHONE METER SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Apr. 25,1911.

Application filed September 10, 1908. Serial No. 452,473.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GERALD DEAKIN, a cit zen of the United States of America, and a resident of Oakland, county of Alameda, and State of California, have invented a' new and useful Improvement in Telephone Meter Systems, of which the fol lowing is a specification.

My invention pertains to systems for the automatic operation of central office connec-' tion counters in a telephone exchange My invention pertains to the systemsand circuits rather than to any type of meter mechanism or to any specific apparatus in which my system and circuits may be embodied, except in so far as I may modify existing circuits or apparatus for adapt-ation to my system.

I provide a system in which an electrically controlled counting device or meter is associated with a subscribers line, and is adapted by the circuits and inechanismsof the central ofiice to record one additional unit upon its counting train, upon the first answering of va called line in response to a call origmating upon the subscribers line pertaining to the meter. I provide, further, means whereby lines for terminating calls are divided into two classes, the first class of which controls the meter of the calling line to record a unit upon the meter when first answering a call, and the second class of which does not control the meter to operate.

In an automatic telephone central equipment of any of the types now widely used, a line entering the office branches into two paths, one of which passes to themultiple terminals of the connectors and carries all calls in which'that line is the called line and the second of which extends toward the selectors and remains idle or is disconnected during the continuance of calls terminating upon the line, but carries the operating circuits of the line for all calls originating upon the line, the extension to the connector multiple remaining unused in such calls.

- In my improved system of meter operation, I install a meteror a meter controlling ,relay in the call-forwarding branch of the 'fsubscribers line, thus placing it in a posivtion where 1t is inactive upon any connection in which the call-receiving branch of the line is used, In the selectors or connectors I provide relays and circuits whereby the answering of a called line will increase the current upon the calling line; I adjust the -meter or its controlling relay so as not to operate on the predetermined current value existing before the answering of the" called line and so as .to operate upon the predetermined larger current value existing after the answering of the called line. I provide upon the operating parts of the meter two electrical contacts operated successively and having the following functions: The contact first operated closes a locking circuit which holds the meter inert in its operated condition and not susceptible to further control by its line during the continuance of the then existing connection. The contact second operated removes the meter electrically from the line, leaving the line circuits clear and not modified or unbalanced dur ing the conversation by reason of the presence of the meter in association with the line; To provide forunlocking the meter at the termination of the connection, that it may return to proper condition preparatory to recordin upon an ensuing connection,

I take the locking circuit through an electrical cont-act controlled by some unit of mechanism whose condition is changed incidentally to setting up the connection and which remains in its changed condition throughout the continuance of the connection; by the return to normal condition of idleness of this unit of apparatus, the locking circuit is interrupted and the meter is restored. The apparatus unit selected would be the first automatic switch involved in the connection, and if that switch be individual to the meters line, the meters locking circuit may take a contact upon any relay armature or other moving part fulfilling the required conditions. For controlling the current values upon the meters line, I provide a relay in circuit with the called line having contacts upon its armatures to control the circuit of the calling line. To provide for the completion of connections with predetermined. lines without involving the operation of the meter, I polarize the meter or its controllin relay and provide connecting units furnis ing to the callin line current having a direction reverse as compared with the direction of the usual ourrent intended to operate the meter. Thus, 1, to extend the limbs of the calling line.

connectors selecting lines of the free class nary shall have the reversed battery connections, and connections selecting lines of the ordiclass shall have the direct battery connection adapted to operate the meter.

. In the regular operation of a telephone system in which the'basis of charge to the subscriber for service is the number of calls he shall make me given time, it is necessary to provide means whereby he will not becharged for certain calls, such as those in which he asks for information from the central olfice, those in which he makes a 15.

request for long distance service, and those in which he maywishto report telephone troubles. It is. desirable, if possible, to arrange the call recording system so that these free calls will not be recorded in the meter. I accomplish this by polarizing the meter or its controlling relay, and by arranging that all such lines as shall receive free calls, shall be reached through special connecting units, which furnish to the calling line,

upon the response of the called subscriber,

current having adirection reversed as comparedwit-h its direction in the calling line on a call which is to be recorded. Thus,

connectors having access to lines of the" free class may have the reversed battery connections, and connectors having access to llnes of the ordinary class, may'have the rent'is furnished to the calling line, so as substation to be called by not to operate the meter upon the response of a called station to which calls are'to befree.

Referring now to Fig. 1, 2 is a substation which may institute a call by removing the receiver from" the hook and so bridging the telephone set upon the line. 3-is a similar substation 2. Both are of a type of automatic telephone apparatus now 111 common use, as also is' true of the remainder of the connecting units which I show and describe in connection -with my invention herein. Upon the rising of the switch-hook at substation 2, current from the battery B or other source of central ofiice current, flows through the trip-magnet 4, the limbs of the line,'the closed telephone circuit at 2, and again to the battery B. The trip-magnet 4 being energized, closes allof the contacts shown respectively as 5,

I 5 5 and 5 These contacts are those in common use'in individual switches of automatic telephone systems, and is their. regular office in-such'systems, as it is in Fig. i I

toward some idle connecting unit. Any of the usual methods whereby theindividual switch containing the trip-magnet 4, selects and con nects with the line to an idle connecting unit containing a branched relay, such as 6, are satisfactory arrangements for the operation of my device.- For the sake 1 of'clea'rness, I have omitted from the tripmagnet 4, the means by which the contacts 5 to 5 are closed. I show in connection with the trip-magnet, however, the armature and contact 7 Whenever the trip-magnet 4 is energized, the contact at 7 is closed and so places ground upon the wire 8. No apparatus operates as a result of grounding the conductor 8 until a cooperating action shall take place.

The relay 9 is of similar character to the relay 6, both being, in general, the two relays customarily provided in a connector of an automatic telephone exchange, the regular office of such a connector being to find and connect with a called line in the multiple of lines to which the connec or has access. The relays. 6 and 9 respectively furnish current for conversation -to the substations 2 and 3.- ,Thes'e relays, as current supply bridges, are counterparts of current supply bridges in manual switchboard connecting cords, and the condensers 10 and 11 similarly interrupt theconnecting circuit, so that direct current from the relay 6 may not pass to the substation 3, and vice versa. Further, the relay 6 is that which is known in ordinary automatic practice as the front bridging relay of the connector, and the relay 9 is that known as the back bridging relay of theconnector. The relay 9 may be of whatever resistance the ordinary features of the particular system require. The relay 6, however, requires to have its windings specially related to my device, and a suggested arrangement of windings, and one .which I find satisfactory in practice, is to have the windings a bf 250 ohms each, and the windings b of 2000 ohms each.

- 12 is a polarized relay, for which I find a resistance of 50 ohms to be satisfactory. I have indicated by an arrow below the relay 12, the direction in which its armature tends to move whenever current from the relay 6 passes through the limbs of the line and the substation 2; but I arrange the adjustment of the relay 12 and'the voltage of the common battery B such that, unless the contacts 13 and 18 of the relay 9 are closed, not enough current can flow through the relay 12 to operate it; This is for the reason of the high. resistance of the windin b, but if these are placed in shunt with t e windings a a much larger current will flow -throug .the relay 12, and itwill operate,

with the results yet. to ,be described.

14 is a service rneter consisting of an elecwheels.- This train may be of any of the well-known types, arranged in a ratio of tento-one, so as to count the successive conversa- 1 individual. automatic switches.

pulses caused by the breaking of contact 19- tions and show the total count on the several wheels. Connected as shown in Fig. 1, the meter 14 will operate, if the relay 12 shall close its contact at 16 while the contact at 7 also is closed. This will result because of the winding 0 of meter 14 receiving current. The contact 17 will close as a first consequence of the movement of the armature of the meter. Thereafter, the contact at 18 will be closed, and, as a final result, the wheel 15 will be turned far enough to complete the registry of one unit on the meter train. But the closing of the contact 17 furnishes current through the winding cl and the contact 7, and the closing of the contact 18 shortcircuits the relay 12. This, in turn, permits the breaking of contact 16, but the meter still remains energized,being locked through the contact 17 until the contact 7 shall break. For the windings c and d, I have found the resistance of 200 ohms and 3000 ohms respectively to be satisfactory. {In the act of making. a call, therefore, the sylbscriber at substation 2 closes his line at the switchhook, and by means of the usual dial, interrupts the line in series of impulses at 19. The closing of the line operates the tripmagnet 4, grounds the conductor 8 at 7, and closes all the contacts 5, 5 5 and 5*. Relay 20 now is energized by current from battery B through itself to ground at 5 Trip-magnet 4- thus is cut off from the line, but as it has operated to trip or release mechanism to close contacts 5 to. 5 which contacts remain closed till released by the release magnet 22, so also it holds contact 7 closed, as is, usual in contacts associated with such tripping of The imat the substation, now operate relay' 6 of the connector, and by mechanism wh ch I do not show, but which is well known in the art, the connector responds to such impulses by moving its line wipers to find the called line. When the called line has been rung upon in the usual way and the subscriber responds at substation 3, relay 9 is energized. The closing of contacts 13 and 13 places the windings a -in shunt with the windings b in relay 6, and, as a consequence of this shunting, an increased volume or current flows to substation-2 through the relay 12. Relay 12 closes contact 16. Meter 14 operates, closing contacts 17 and 18 in the order mentioned, and counting one on the meter train. The

meter locks, as described, and the relay 12 is short-circuited, leaving the limbs'of the l1ne again balanced in resistance. The .conversatlon having been finished, the hanging up of the receiver at substation 2 opens the line, releasing relay 6 of the connector. In the usual way, through contacts not shown in Fig. 1, the connector releases andreturns to its normal position. In so doing, a ground is placed on conductor 21, energizing release magnet 22. This magnet is the usual one of individual switches in standard automatic systems, and its office is to restore the individual switch to normal condition, opening the contacts 5 to 5 and contact 7. As 7 opens, meter 14 is no longer energized by either of its windingsand so releases, restoring itself to condition to record on a succeeding. call.

The conductors f and g are a metallic circuit branch of the line leading to connector contacts, and it is over them that terminating calls are made to substation 2. The conductor it will be grounded by such a terminating call, and so will operate the relay 20, thus removing the tripmagnet 4 and the ground at B from the line while sucha terminating call is in progress. As the trip-magnet cannot operate while relay 20 is energized, no terminating call for substation 2 can operate the meter 14;

In Fig. 2, I show a connector in which the relation of battery B to the relay 6 is reversed. It is such a connector as would contain lines for whose terminating calls no charge is to be made on the meter of the calling line. The relay 6 of such a connector will give current to the calling line in a direction tending to operate the armature of the relay 12 opposite to the direction of the arrow, or, in other words, in the direction of the natural tendency of the armature when at rest. The contact 16,} therefore, cannot be closed whether the'relay 9 be opened ornot,'so that, lacking the coiiperation of the contact 16, the contact 7, though closed, can not record a call.

Having thus described my invent-ion, what I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In a meter system, a line having two central oflice branches; a meter-controlling winding included serially in one of said branches; automatic means for connectlng the line through said branch and said meter winding when forwarding a call originating upon the line; and means for increaslng the current upon the line and through sa d meter winding to an operative value for'sald meter, substantially as described.

2. In a meter system, a line having two metallic circuit branches at the central, office;

a meter-controlling winding included serially in one of said branches; means for congem-rent. value u'piin'the lineand through said I meter winding; and a called line and substa- 1 tion, said means for varying the current value through-the meter-controlling coil being controlled by the substation apparatus of said called line, substantially as described. 3. In a meter system, a meter having a controlling coil serially .in the telephone line; a locking circuit for said meter and having a contact controlled by said meter;

and another contact upon said meter short -c1r'cuiting said-line winding, substantially as described.

. 4. In 'ameter system, a meter having a polarized controlling coil serially in the telephen' ef line;a locking circuit for said meter a nd having a contact controlled by said meter and another contact upon said meter and/ short circuitingsaid polarized line winding, substantially as described.

5'. In a meter system, a telephone line; an

' *jautomatic selecting switch for connecting 5 in loe ing circuit for. said meter and having a Said lineto 'ot-hers,-a meter having a controlcoil serially in the telephone line; a

contact controlled by said meter; and means fcr' interrupting said locking circuit, said ni'eans. being rendered operatlvelby the disconnection of the selecting switch, substantially as described.

'called line; an automatic switch for connectingthem; a meter coil in said calling line; means for passing-through said coil current insufficient to operate said meter; and a relay controlled by. said called line and adapted toincrease the current in said calling line to operate said meter, substantially as described.

Signed by me at San Francisco, county of San Francisco and State of California, in

the presence of two witnesses.

GERALD DEAKIN.

Witnesses:

J OHN D. GIsH, H. B. CUTTING.

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