USRE8896E - Improvement in automatic signal-boxes for fire-alarm telegraphs - Google Patents

Description

M. G. CRANE & 'E. ROGERS, Assignors, by mesne assignmen ts; to the GAMEWELL FIRE ALARM TELEGRAPH G0. Automatic Signal-Box for. Fire-Alarm Telegraphs.

Reissued Sept;

" of the door of the box.

THE GAM E'WELL FIRE ALARM TELEGRAPH COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

UNITED STATES PATENT OF-FIoE ASSIGNEE, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF MOSES G. ORANEJAND EDWTN ROGERS.

IMPROVEMENT m AUTOMATIC SIGNAL-BOXES FOR FIRE-ALARM TELEGRAPHS.

Sepcificalion forming part of Letters Patent No. 92,275, dated July 6, 1869; Reissue No. 4,513, dated Augustv 15, 1871 Reissue No. 8,896, dated September 16, 1879; application filed August 13, 1879.

vMassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Automatic Signal-B ones for Fire-Alarm Telegraphs, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof. 1

Figure l is a front elevation of the box with cover removed. Fig. 2 is a plan view with the top. removed. Fig. 3 is adetachcd section on the line 00 m, Fig. 1.

' Similar letters of reference denote the same parts in; the several figures of the drawings.

Ourinvention relates to that class of electric telegraph 'apparatusemployed for indicating the location of a fire by means of suitable signals transmitted to a central station or other point remote from the transmitting apparatus.

Such apparatus is generally composed of a train of gearing driven by a spring or weight,

a break-circuit device operated by th'e' gearing and electrically connected with the main line of the telegraph system, and means for start ing the apparatus in motion to automatically.

sound an alarmor transmit .a signal. This operative mechanism is inclosed within a suitable box, and hence such'apparatus' is tecllnic ally known as an.'automatic' signal box for fire-alarmtelegraphs. v

Much difficulty has heretofore been experienced in the use of these boxes by careless, inexperienced, or designing persons interfering withthem while transmitting or indicating a signal, and-thereby so falsifying and v confusing the signals as to render it uncertain and sometimes impossible to tell from what locality or district thealarm is being sent.

One object of our invention is to overcome this defect by providing the box with means by which it is rendered impossible for a see- I ond signal to be given before the first one has been fullycomp]eted,-thereby producing what maybe called local non interfcrencc-that is to say, non-interference with the box giving a signal. I v It is sometimes desirable to reset the motor Fig. 4 is a front view:

by which the signaling mechanism-is operated for the purposeof continuing the signals; but this must be done when the signals are not being transmitted, in order to prevent local interference with the mechanism, and the accomplishment of this resultconstitutes another part of our invention.

The invention further consists in automatic ,firealarm-telegraph apparatus provided with alocal'non-interference device, and with means for arresting the movement of the signaling mechanism when the signals have been completed. 1

'Havin-g invented these principles of opera 1 tion in an automatic fire-alarm-telegraph apparatus, we will now describe a mechanism by which they in ay be practically carried out. This mechanism also involves severalother valuable features of invention in telegraph apparatus, which wedesire to protect by Letters Patent, among which are the following, to wit First,

the combination, in an automatic signal-box for a fire-alarm telegraph, of acireuit-wheel actuated by a motor, a spring, or weight,

through the means of a reciprocating gearsector, the teeth of'which sector engage directly with a pinion upon the shaft of the cir- I cuit-wheel, whereby motion is communicated directly/to the circuit-wheel from the motor, instead of being transmitted to it through a train of gearing, avoiding thereby the loss of powerfrom friction, the wear, the increased cost, and liability to derangement from rust, moisture, 850., necessarily incident to a geartraiu interposed between the motor and the circuit wheel, the pinion into which the sector thus meshesbeing so arranged uponand connectcd, to the circuit-wheel shaft that it (the pinion) will rot-ate freely in one directionwithout rotating the said shat't, but will catch to the shaft, or to a wheel upon the shaft, and v carry the shaft with it when rotated in the opposite direction; second, the combination, with the esoapement-whcel of the gear-train, of a pallet having a reciprocating fly for regulating the motion of the circuit whecl; third,

the combination, with. the gear-sector above referred to, of fixed stops for the purpose of limiting in one or both directions the rotation of the shaft on which the sector-gear is mounted fourth, the combinatiomjwitli the lever-weight and gear-train, of springs so interposed between the weight and the first or main gear as to prevent sudden or concussive strain upon the gear-teeth when the weight begins, to fall; fifth, the combination, with the [weighted lever, of means for preventing it I from being operated or lifted when the circuitfingers of the eircuit-whcelare passing over the breaks thereof, and for allowing it to be lifted when the fingersare passing over .the blank or unbroken portion of the perimeter of the circuit-wheel. l I

In the drawings, A denotes the box contain.

ing the meehanism; I) b, the arbor or pillarplates of the gearing; c, a shaft of the gearin g, carrying acircuit-wheel, (1, whose rotation makes and breaks the circuit formed by said wheeland main-circuit wires.

- The shaft 0- also carries a gear-wheel, e, fixed upon it, and a pinion, f, arranged to turn freely on the shaft in one'direction, but locked to and moving with the wheel when turning in the opposite direction. This is efl'ected by means of a'eatch or pawl, g, fixed to the pinion, and

a click or spring-pawl, h, fixedto .the wheel 0, theelick slipping over the pawl when the wheel rotates in one direction, and slipping down in front of theteeth when the wheel rotates in the opposite direction.

i is a gear-sector engaging with the pinion f, and hung by means of an arm, K, to the main driving-shaft l, upon which it is fixed.

:3 The shaft 1 also carries, at its outer end, a

lever-arm, m, upon which the weight n is hung,

for actuating the gearing,

. The sector-arm K and the weighted arm n,

together, form a lever, of which shaft l is the fulctunnand, under the influence of the weight,

operates 'to rotate the circuit-wheel through the medium of the sector, the pinion f, and the gear-wheel e.

Upward movement of the lever-arm c-tlirows the sector down, (the pinion f tnrnin g loosely,) and when the lever-arm, after being raised, is

I released, the Weight upon the arm automatically imparts such rotation through the sectorgear to the gear-shaft and circuit-wheel.

To retain the sector-teeth in engagement with the' pinion, and to limit the number of rotations of the circuit-wheel, the extent of movement of the sector-arm is limited, the

arm K striking against, a pillar, 0, when the weight is raised to set the train, and against another pillar, p,,when the weight runs down,

the weight, when released after being raised, always actuating the train and rotating the circuit-wheel until the sector-arm strikes the post 12. As the weight is thus brought to a sudden stop, it is liable, through its momentum, to injure .the' teeth in the train unless some provision is made to lessen the shock. To accomplish this one or more springs are interposed between theweight and the pawlwheel h.

In the drawings two suehsprin gs are shown, the weight n being-directly hung to a spring, q, and the clickh being formed upon the end of a spring, r, each spring yielding to the momentumof the weight when the sector-lever steps, such momentum beingthus spent upon the springs instead of upon the gears of the train.

One or more springs may be difl'erently disposed for this purpose, though the arrangement shown is simpleand effective.

The .circuit-wheel dis metal-surfaced, and the metal is broken by'insulated spaces corresponding to the station of the signal-box.

, The wheel shown in the drawings designates station 32, there being three insulated pieces or breaks in the metal perimeter of the wheel, denoting the number 3, separated by short spaces of metal from each other, and .by a longer space of metal from two similar spaces or breaks,'the rest of the surface of the wheel being'oe'eupied by a long space of metal.

On the surface of the wheel rests a-series of spring-fil'igers, 8, one or more for each wire 1? of the main circuit, one of which fingers rests upon the surfaeeof the wheel, and one being in line with the insulated spaces or breaks, so

that such breaks pass under the fingers as the wheel revolves. When the fingers are both in contact withtheconnected metal of the wheel the circuit is closed, and as the wheel rotates the circuitis broken as often as one of the breaks or' insulated "spaces comes under the outer finger, the number of short interruptions between the insulated spots denoting the first number of the station, the longer space between the first and second series of insulations making, the interruption'between the signals, to enable the numbers to be dis-. tinguished, and the contact of the outer finger with the insulated pieces of the second series determining the second number of the station fiom whence the signal is sent, the contact'of the finger with the long'blank space of thewheel-perimetcr making the long interval between the success ve signals given from the box. v

To regulate the've-locity of the circuitwheel,

or to render the movement uniform and'regnlar, an est-.apement'shaft, u, is geared to the circuit-wheel shaft by a pinion, v, said shaft 4/.

bearing an escapemeut-Wheehrb', with the teeth of which the teeth of a pallet, m, engage, said pallet being fixed upon a rocker-shaft, g which has projecting from it the two blades of a reeip rocating or vibrating fly, z.

The weighted lever is raised from the outside of the box by means'of a lever, a, the mechanism through which this is eii'ected being as fol lows: The lever in has projecting from it a pin, 1), and when the weight has descended this pin comes directly over a lifter, c, on the end of the lever id. The lever a? is hung upon the inner surfaeeof door of the signal-box by a screw; pin, and at theend opposite the lifter c it has a projecting fingenpiece, 0', extending through a curved slot, f ,,in the door, as seen reduced at 1), this slot being covered iipon the inside of the door by a guard-plate, which excludes dust and rain. The lever a is held in its normal position by a spring, 71 in which position the lifter c is at its lowest point. If the tin ger'piece c is now depressed, the lifter u will raise the lever, and thus set the weight so that it will act upon the train of gears and rotate the circuit-wheel, as before described, the lever a being returned to normal position by the spring It, as seen, as the projection e is released from the lingers.

To prevent theobstruction of the movement otthc lever in while the iusnlations or breaks of the circuit-wheel are under the fingers s, which olistruction would cause a false signal to be given by false interruptions, and which false interruptions might be caused by lifting the weight while the fingers s and breaks were passingin contact, the pin b is so arranged that it can only be operated by the lever a when the weight has run down, or during the the pin projects out into the path of the lifter c. When the weight is raised the circuitwheel is in position to commence to signal as soon as the weight is released and begins to fall, the lifter being returned to normalposition by the spring b the lifterswingin g upon a pin,o",'and being pressed out by aspring,p", which spring allows the, lifter to fall back, as in descending it passes incontact with the pin W, as will be readily understood. l'n this position the pin is borne inward by its spring, and rests against the plate i and cannot be touched by the lifter. v I

The breaks or insulations in the circuit wheel having passed the lingers s, the .pin is brought against the upper incline, m and pressed out thereby; and while the wheel rotating, until the breaks again reach the tingers, the weight may be raised by the litter, the pin sliding back out of the pathof the lifter when the breaks again approach the springs, and so on' until the weight has fully descended, thus allowing the weight to be fully reset at any time while the signal is not being transmitted, and preventing any interruption in'the descent of tbe-vweight'wliile the signal is being transmitted.

What is claimed is- 1. The combination, with the signaling mechanism of a ilre-a-larin-telegraph box oi an actuator for releasing or startle the mechanism in motion to make a signal, and moon anism to prevent the actuator from interrupting the signal or interfering with the signaling mechanism until the signal has been completed, for the purpose specified.

2. An automatic fire-alarm-telegraph' box,

consisting in the combination of gearing op-' erated by a motor, a break-circuit or signaling mechanism electrically connected with the wires in the fire-alarm circuit, an actuator forreleasmg-or starting the signaling mechanism lll-llJOtlOll to make a signal, and mechanism to prevent the actuator from interfering with or interrupting the signals if operated while a signal is being made, for the purpose specified.

3. The combination, with the signaling mechanism of a tirealarm'telegraph' box and the actuator or starting device, of mechanism arranged in position to be operated by the pull for starting the signaling mechanism. in

motion, and when so ope-rated disconnects the pullfrom the signaling mechanism until the signal has been completed, for the purpose specified. J

4.1he combination, with the signaling mechanism of a tire-alarmtelegraph box and the'pull or starting device,of mechanism set within the path of the pull to be operated thereby for starting the signaling mechanism to make a signal, and by the same operation to be thrown or moved out of operative connection with the pull until the signal has been completed, for the purpose specified.

islhe combination of the circuit-wheel d', shaft a, pinion f, vibrating gear-sector 'i, driving-shaft Z, mechanical motor at, and windinglever m, said gear-sector meshing lirectl j into the pinion f, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. The combination, with the signaling meehanism'of a fire-alarm-telegraph box. and the actuator for starting such mechanism 111 motion for mahing'a signal, of mechanism interposed between the starting device and sig naling mechanism, which, when operated by the pull for starting the signaling, moves out of operative connection with the pull until. the

signal has been completed, when it is automatically reset within the path of the pull to again receive its action, for the purpose specified.

7. In combination with the weighted lever and the gear-train operated by the lever, a spring or of springs interposed between the weight and the rotating gears, substan tially as described.

thin combination with the gear-train and an escapement and pallet connected thereto,

a reciprocating iiy placed directly on the pallet-shatt, substantially as described.

9. In combination with the settinglever a and the slot through which the iinger'piece of the lever traverses, the stationary guardplate g, substantially as described.

10. In combination with the lever a, the swinging or spring lifter '0", -substantially as shown and described. I

11. In combination with the weighted lever, the slidepin b, so arranged that while it may 7 be actuated by the lifter whenever the signal is not being transmitted, it can not be operated while the signal is in course of transmission.

12. The combination, with the signaling mechanism of afire-alerm-telegraphapparatus, of an actuator and. a catch, against which the aetuatorbears to start the signaling m'eehan: ism in mot-ion to make a signal, and which is automatically thrown out of the path of the actuator until the signal has been completed,

for the purpose specified.

THEGAMEWELL FIRE ALARM TELEGRAPH .00., By CHARLES BELL, President.- Witnesses:

B.'S. CLARK, E. A. ELLSWORTH.

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