USRE6599E - Improvement in electro-magnetic house-alarms - Google Patents

Description

4Sheets--Sheet1. W.-WHITING. dead. I r

i W. G. RUSSELL &: A. FIRTH; Exrs.

Electra-Magnetic House Ala'rms.

I ReissuedAug.17,1875.

4Sheets--Sheet2.

w. G. RUSSELL & A. FIRTH, Exrs. Electra-Magnetic House Alarms. No. 6,599.

w. WRITING, decd.

Reissued Aug-.17,1875.

r z a UNITED STATES .PATEN'I OFFICE.

WILLIAM G. RUSSELL AND ABRAHAM FIRTH, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, EXEOUTORS OF WILLIAM WHITING, DECEASED, ASSIeNonsTo EDWIN T. HOLMES.

IMPROVEMENT IN ELECTRO-WIAGNETIC HOUSE-ALARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 20,970, dated duly 20, 1858'; extended seven years; reissue No. 6,599, dated August 17, 1875; application filed July 23, 1875.

To all whom itmcy concern:

Be it known that WILLIAM WRITING, counsellor at law, late of Roxbury,in1th e county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, did, in his lifetime, make an invention of-anew and useful; Improvement in Electro-Magnetic House- Ala-rms, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompapying drawings making a part of this epeciflcation, in which "zF-igure 1 is a view of a portion of a dwellinghouse with the said improved apparatus attached. Figs. 2 and 2* represent a vertical section through the room, showing the indicatnssudalarma aratus in elevation 5, 6, and:7,details to be referred to here- Figs.- after.

Previous to the invention of said WHITING an apparatus had been employed as a burglar alarm in which a single electric circuit was employed in connection .with' the windows and doors of a building, and-so arranged that the opening of any one of them should close the circuit and sound an alarm.

abouts-of the window or door so opened, and

the proprietor was left to search through the whole honse'for the intruder, who was himself perhaps alarmed and enabled to escape. Such apparatus," moreover, afl'orded no means for the disconnection of any particular portion of the house from the alarm instrument independentlyot' the other portions, so that it was impracticable to disconnect a particular room or door from the alarm instrument without disconnecting the entire house.

The objects attained by the invention of said WRITING were the production of a house-alarm which not only alarms the proprietor or guardian of the house on the intrusionot' a burglar, but at the same time indicates to him the part Suchapparatus, howeven furnished no indication of the where by the said WRITING by the employment of a series of electromagnetic circuits (one for' each distinct room or portion of the house to be guarded) in connection with an indicator for indicating the portion of the house at tacked, and with an alarm apparatus, (for several circuits of the series, the doors and windows of the house being so connected with the circuits that the opening of any one of them shall close or breakthe circuit with which it is connected, cause the alarm to besounded to all the circuits of-the series, and

indicate upon the indicator the -particular .room assailed.=*

The second of said objects was accomplished by said WHI ING'by the employment of-a switch in each of the magnetic circuits of the series which it was expedient to'disconnect from the alarm instrument that was common openings of the house controlled by said switch could be disconnected from the com mon alarm instrument without disconnecting the other circuits of the series from that instrument. v

In order that others skilled in theart might which he carried the-same into eflect, as in the same in the-following words: In the drawing, B is the indicetor, wh ichis to be protected, (as in the sleeping-room of the proprietor.) It is here shown attached to the wall of the room. It consists ofa board,

to which are secured the'electromagnets 1., 2, .3, 4, 5, and 6,- there being one magnet for each indicating-circuit. The operationof all being similar but one will be described. I may here remark that each circuit 0t wires may-protect a single window or door, or a single room or entry. The latter plan is the-one here repre sented.

Near the indicator, in any convenient-place,

is secured a shelf, 0, which supports the alarm apparatus. This consists of an electro-magnet, F,- the armaturg of which, as the magnet sounding the alarm,) which is common to theto the whole series of circuits, so that the.

understandand use the said invention, the said WRITING- represented the: manner-"in the accompanying-drawings, and described.

placed in any convenient positionin the house the magnet 1 of the indicator.

is made by the closingof the circuit of its battery, operates the hammer of abelhand causes it to ring so long as its circuit remains closed and its battery continues in operation. This ringing is accomplished by a well-known device of inserting a small piece of a non-conrducting substance in avibrati-ng arm con-- ,nected with the armature, one of the wires of thebattery being in contact. with the arm,

and the arm being connected with one end of the coil; but as the method of ringing the' leads to the bell-magnet F; and from this magnet another wire,- cflleads-to apiece of metal, I), secured to the board of the indicator B. To this piece b is pivoted at c the armature f of From the op posite pole of the battery D the wire d'leads ,toa hook or staple-at c, on the indicatorboard, against which the armature f springs back when the coil of the magnet 1 ceases to be charged. This armature'is furnished with a" small spring, i, which bears against a pin in the board, for the purpose of throwing the armature back. 'Thc'wires a a, and d, and bat-g I te'ry D, constitute the bell-circuit, which is closed when the armature-f isin the position seen in Fig.2, and the bell is rung, as before explained.

Fromvone pole of the battery E the wire h is led to the magnet 1, and from the opposite end of thecoil of this in agnet other wires and springs complete the circuit, as will be hereafter ex plained, the wire g entering the opposite pole of this battery. These wires, with the springs and boxes to be described, andthe battery E, constitute the indicator-circuit. When this circuit is closed the magnet l'is made,'and its armatnref is drawn up to it. This breaks the bell-circuit, as explained; bi1t when the current through the coil of the magnet 1 is broken the armature f is thrown'back by its springt' into contact with the staple e, and the bellcircuit is completed. A small shield, 70, on the end of the armature, covers a letter, A, attached to the upper side of the board whenever it is drawn upto its magnet, and discloses the letter whenever the armature is thrown back by its spring. Thus the bell is rung,vand a letter indicating the room is exposed to view each time the-=indicator-circuit isbroken. The manner in which this is brokem or closed by the opening or shutting of a door 'or window, willnow be explained.

In the door-frame G, Figs. I and 3, on the side to which the hinges are attached, is secured to a'metal box, m, the back part of which :may be open, apiece of non-conducting materi'ahjl, which rises vertically from the frame G.

To'thispiec'e l is attached an insulated piece of metal, A slot, 0, is cut through the front plate of the box m of a suflicient size to allow a roller, to project a short distance beyond the line of the door-frame. This roller has its axle hung in a piece to which is attached a bent spring, r. The piecenis pivoted at 'v to the sides of the box m, and is so arranged with respect to the piece a that when the roller 1) projects through the slot 0 thespringr will not be in contact with the'piece a, but rest against the upper part of the piece l, and when thefroller is pressed in by the closing of the door the end .of the spriugv shall slide down into. and in contact with the piece n, as seen in Fig. 4. In Fig. 4 is shown the manner in which i raising a window allows the roller 11 to spring out through the slot- (I may here state that a similar arrangement to that just described for the door is placed in the side of the frame of eachwindowi) A groove, 8, is cut in :the side of. the windowsash next to the box m,--ofv a suflicient width and depth to allow the roller 1) to spring .ou t

through the slot 0, as in 1 Fig. 3; but as this groove does not extend quite up to the top of the sash, the upper part atyt, which is not grooved, will press the roller back. into the box whenever the sash is shut down, and when p it is raised the roller will spring out into the groove 8 and allow the spring vto come away, from the piece a. A similar arrangementis attached to the upper sash, so that when it is pulled do'wn its roller p will spring-out. Each of the above describ'ed- 'springarrangemeutsis included in'some on'e ofv the indicator-circuits in such a'manner that whenever the springs r are in contact with the pieces n the .circuit will be closed, and when away from them will be'broken. g V The following is the arrangement here adopted: The wireg from thebattery E is attached to the box m at so; another wire, 3 is attached to the insulated piece n, and is led thence to the next box m in the circuit, (in the drawings, to the box in Fig. 4;) and from the insulatcd piece 12 of this window to the next box (if there are more of them) is led another wire, 2, and so on for each door or window of that room or circuit. From the last one the wire 2:, Figs. 4 and 2, is led to the magnet 1 of.

the indicator. Thus the circuit which makes this magnet is from the battery E through the box m, pivot v, spring 1', to insulated, piece a, when the spring is down on it; thence through the wire 3 to the next .box, and so through all the boxes in the circuit;-, and from .the piece." of the last one through .wire z to the magnet 1; thence through wire h to the opposite pole of the battery E. The wires used are coated or insulated in the.0rdinary manners, When thus arranged, it all. the doors andwindows" embraced in this circuit are shut, the circuitl will be closed, the magnet 1 will be made, and its armature fwill be drawn up to it, when the shield is will cover the indicating-letter A,and" the bellcircuit will be broken, as before explained; but on the opening of a door or window the spring 1' will move out of .contact of nection with an open bell-circuit, is theone which I prefer," but this order may bereversed, and a teries of open indicating circuits may be used in connection with an indicator and an alarm apparatus; but this'arrangement is by no means so safe as that above de scribed. Y I 7 As before stated, .each room or entry will have its own indicator circuit and magnet, and its indicating letter, label, or number; but the same battery, E, (if of suificient strength,) may be embraced in all the circuits, or as many of them as it is found convenient, and the armature of all the indicator-magnets may be embraced in'one bell-circuit by con' necting them with the wires a. and d. The wire a of the bell-circuit is furnished with a switch, 0 and the wire-h of the indicatingcircnit with a similar switch, f These are for the convenience ot'the proprietor when he wishes to open or close either circuit; as, for instance, when he rises in the morning, and wishes to render the alarm "inoperative, he turns the switch 0, when the bell-circuit will remain open, and the bell will not be rung when the doors and windows are opened. .Befure switching on the hell-circuit at night he examines to see if all the indicating'circults are closed. This he will see at a glance, for if any door or window has been left open the armature of I the magnet belonging to that circuit will not be drawn. up,and consequently the indicating-letter of that circuit will be exposed; and if the battery E has failed none of the magnets on the board will be made, and all the letters will be exposed, and if this battery should. give out in the night the bell would berungiand' give notice of it; When he finds-the indicating-circuits are all in operation he closes the switch e',a'nd then, to inform himself if the batt'ery 1)] is operative, he turns th -swi'teh f,- which breaks the circuit through thewire h, and' this causes the bell to ring if its circuit is not interrupted. He may then close the switch and retire,knowing that the whole apparatus is "in working order. As it is desirable to have it in the power of the inmates to open a door or window without sounding the alarm, each room,or, if preferred, each door and window, may be furnished with a switch similar to f, placed in such a position that by turning it the circuit will continne -mad when the roller 12' springs out-for exempts, by attaching it to one side of the box m, and turning it in contact with the in-' snlatod piece n, when the door or. window is closed again, this private switch is'turned ,in different parts of the house, so that their:-

mates may be simultaneouslyinformed of air attack, and thus render each other prompt as- In this case a switch, as at 0 may be placed near each bell, 0rfthey may all be under the control'oi' the proprietor, by means of switch 6 In lieu of the arrangemclit'shown in Fig. 4,,wherein the closing ofthe-wwindow I presses in the roller 1;, and thereby closes the 1 i circuit, another arrangement has pro'vedin lhe cavity-sis made opposite tothe roller p and of a length not much exceeding the diameter 05 the rollen'v When the window is closed, therollersprings out into tlis cavity. Instead of the wire .2 be ing attached to the piecen, it isuattached to a similar insulated piece, 0 Fig. 5, on thenp- 1 per part of the piece 1 so that when the .win

sistance.

practice still more efiicient.

(low is raised the roller 12 is pressed in and the spring 'I" slides down out of contact with the piece a, to which the .wireis connected,- and thus the circuit is broken, and continues I broken until the window is again placed inits original position. This insures not only the; v sounding of the'alarm,;but the continuance of the ringing of the bell while the windowv is. open, and renders it still more diflicnltfora burglar to meddle with the window-spring without giving an alarmgwhile in thearrange v ment represented in Fig. 4, if the lower sash be raised entirely up, the roller 12, will be again pressed in and the circuit closed andif, to,

prevent this, the groove s befcut entirely .to

the bottom of the sash, and the latter be raised entirely up, the roller might be reachedaby a stick or wedge and be pressed in, and thus the continuous ringing of the bell be prevented.

In place of the above-described rangements, I sometimes use thefollowing more simple one: Two insulated cured aspring, w, Fig. '6, in such a'manner that when the window is closed the twonrmsf V 1 and2 of the spring shall be in contactwith the insulated pieces of metal d,- but whenever the window israised the spring in will slide out of contact with one or bothot the pieces 01, and the circuit will be broken and the alarm be sounded, as before.

Onemode in which burglars sometimes enter dwellings is by removing or breaking out pets; metal, d, Fig. 6, similar to n, Fig. 3,Lare 'se-I ;I cured to the inner face of thatpart of the win; dow-frame with which the sash slides in co'ntact whenfi't is raised or lowi-redfi Toeachjof these pieces d is connected one of the (wires y and z. To the inner edge of thesash, oppo y site these pieces when the sash is closed, is'se5 H .ing from the window, or to or from a series of circuit, and the other one onto the other wire,

h, the conducting-wire f being carried across the panes of glass to be protected. I use a separate indicating-circuit for this fin e protecting-wire, so as not to interfere with the circuit passing through the window-springs. When thus arranged, any attempt at forcing in a pane of glass, or any attempt to-enter, will either break the fine wire f or cause it to pull the spring-clips 011 from the wires h, on which they have been slipped, and thus break the circuit and give the alarm. A

If preferred, this wire f may be removed out of the way except when its use is required. It may be covered with a protecting coating of some color that will render it nearly invisible at night.

I A convenient arrangement of the last-described method of protection is to attach permanently to one side of the window-frame a small spring-box, g, Fig. 7, 'in which the wire f may be coiled up by the retraction of a spring, '(in a manner similar to that used for tape measures,) one end of the coil being in contact with one of thecircuit-wires h, and a clip being attached to the other end of the wire f, so that this wire may be drawn out of the box 9 when required across the window, and the clip on the end of it may be attached to the other wire h of. the circuit on the opposite side of the window.

Instead of the .alarm apparatus above de-' .scribed, I sometimes dispense with the magnet F and battery D, and use a bell rung by mechanical power, the same being so arranged that when, by the breaking of either one of the indicating-circuits, the armature f is thrown back byits spring 72, it shall letofi a detentwhich will allow'thepower employed to ring the bell to act. f

The ways of constructing alarm-bells which are rung by mechanical power, and where the ringing is permitted by the motion-giying machinery to a detent,are well known, and need not be here described; butin my invention the motion of the detent is caused, not. V

' Witnesses to signature of ABBAHAMETRTHL.

by the actionof any part of the mechanism of the bell itself, but by the movement of the armature caused by the breaking of theelec trio circuit, in the manner substantially as described.

When a series ofindicating-circuits is employed the closing of either one of them draws up the armature, and thereby allows the movement of the detent, and the alarm apparatus is set in motion.

Under certain circumstances a separate alarm apparatus may-be dispensed with, the noise made by the armature! coming in contact with the magnets being suflicient to give the alarm. Such method, however, I do not recommend.

Hereinbefore the letters of the indicator have been represented as exposed to view by the motion of the armature of the indicatormagnets; but it is obvious that other methods of indicating may be employed, as, for instance, pointing to a word o'rletter or numher.

said WHITING is-- 1.. The improved house-alarm, substantially as hereinbefore described, consistingof the combination of the following elements, viz: first, 'a series of clectro-magnetic circuits; second, an indicator to designate the respect, ive circuits; third, an alarm apparatus common to all the'circuits of the series; fourth, the window or door springsthewhole operating, as set forth, to put in operation the alarm apparatus that is common to all the circuits of the series, and to indicate the particular circuit of the series which is'attacked.

2. The combination, substantially as before set forth, of the followingdevices, viz: the

series of magnetic circuits, the alarm appa-. ratus common to all the circuits of the'series, and the switch. for disconnecting a particular circuit of the series of. circuits from the alarm apparatus without disconnecting the remainder of the series of circuits from that apparatus. w

Witness our hands this 12th day of Julyv w. e. RUSSELL,

' ABRAHAM. FIRTH, Ewecutors of the will of-Wm. Whiting.

Witnesses to signature of W. G. RUSSELL H. H. SANBORN, WILLIAM HEDGE.

What is.claimed as the invention of the

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