Patent GB-1160617-A (GB)
Title: Settable Automatic Call Repertory Device
Inventor: DEMEULENIERE ROBERT OSCAR
IPC: H04M1/274
Filed: 1967-10-09
Abstract: 1,160,617. Repertory diallers; keyseriders. R. O. DE MEULENAERE. 2 Feb., 1968 19 Oct., 19671, No. 46076/67. Heading H4K. A repertory dialler has each number of the repertory stored by a corresponding stack of discs, each disc storing one digit of the number, and the capacity of the stacks is such that a, given maximum number of digits may be stored but that the device is released and restored to the ready condition at the end of the last digit sent of a number less than the maximum number. A release button can at any point interrupt sending and restore the dialler to ready condition. The dialler can send automatically from its repertory by rotating the finger wheel 9 of an impulse transmitter (not shown) or by depressing successive buttons of a keyset transmitting codes (shown as a row of buttons above the finger wheel 9). The mechanism.-A differential gear-wheel 13 between crown wheels on gears 4 and 42 is mounted rigidly on a differential shaft 14. The gear wheel 42 is fast with a ratchet-wheel 43 and can drive or be driven by gear 12 fast on the finger wheel shaft. The gear 4 is fast with a sleeve carrying cams 5, 6 and 7; the cam 7 being spring-coupled to a masking cam 8 free for rotation relative to 7. Mounted on the differential shaft 14 for rotation therewith is a keyset button selector 19 with associated ratchet 18, a ratchet 17 and an associated flange plate 40, a cam 20 driven through a pin-and-slot connection with drive-plate 24, and sets of digit storage stacks comprised of digit discs 15 interleaved between separator plates 16; the stacks being put under some compression so that the separator plates which are positively indexed on the differential shaft grip the digit discs frictionally to allow the digit discs to be positioned in selective angular positions relative to the separator plates. A shaft 24 mounts the ratchet pawls 26, 37 and 38 and cam followers 25, 39, and 34, a follower such as 34 being provided for each digit storage stack 15, 16. The shaft 24 is flat sided and by pivoting of a block 27 engaged on the shaft the shaft may be rotated to lift pawls and followers into a disengaged position. The cam follower 25 can, similarly, rock the shaft 24 to disengage the ratchets and the followers 34 to a partial extent. The cam follower 39 controls a switch A which for automatic sending directly connects the motor to drive gear 3. For registration of digits switch B controlled by follower 25 is in series with A, as is switch C operated by pressure on the finger stop of the finger wheel. A manual lever 23 can move the keyset pushbutton selector drum 19 along the differential shaft 14 to be in a position in which ratchet-wheel 18 is out of alignment with ratchet 26, the drum being thereby made inoperative and the mechanism being in a condition to send automatically by operating the finger wheel and producing impulses. This position is labelled "dial central". In the position of the manual lever 23 labelled "electronic central" the ratchet 26 is in alignment with ratchet-wheel 18, the drum is then operative to select and actuate buttons of the keyset to send codes while drive to the impulse wheel is disconnected. A manual lever 22 engages or disengages the ratchet of ratchet-wheel 17 to condition the mechanism for automatic sending from the repertory or registration of digits in the repertory, respectively. A manual lever 41 by rotating shaft 24 lifts the cam followers and pawls to release the device and cancel a number being sent automatically. To select a number from the repertory push-buttons such as 30 are provided, the buttons having a guide portion 31 sliding over a post. Registration of digits.-A digit storage stack 15, 16 is chosen by pressing the associated select button such as 30, a camming finger 32 on the button shifting a slide plate 29 common to all select buttons and offering a finger which engages with the cam follower 34 of the selected digit stack and slides it along shaft 24 against the restoring force of a spring until the follower 34 lies above the first digit disc of the stack. From this position the follower 34 engages between the separator plates. On release of the select button 30 the plate 29 restores and in so doing lifts the cam follower 39 which in its normal position engages in the aligned notches in cam 7 and spring loaded mask 8. Lifting of follower 39 allows the mask 8 to snap into its advance position to hold the follower in its raised attitude operating switch A. Drive is therefore assured for one revolution of gear-wheel 4, the notch in mask 8 being gathered by follower 39 before it falls into the notch of cam 7 when A is released to disconnect the motor. The motor is not energized, however, until the finger-wheel 9 has been turned to indicate the first digit for registration, the finger stop making contacts C which in series with A connect the motor. Movement of cam 5 off-normal drops follower 25 and makes contacts B in parallel with C to hold the motor running. Since the motor is initially disconnected the rotation of the finger wheel produces a corresponding rotation of the gearwheel 42 and a corresponding half-rotation of the differential shaft. When the motor starts and follower 25 drops, a rigidly associated pawl engages ratchet-wheel 43 to lock the dial against return motion. The motor drives gear 4 through 360 degrees and the differential shaft back through 180 degrees and during this rotation the pawl 34 will engage one or other of two diametrally opposed notches in the first memory disc 15 of the stack, and the disc will be held by the pawl while the rest of the stack continues to complete its 180 degrees rotation. Cam 5, by opening switch B, stops the motor at the end of one revolution of the cam and follower 39 also falls into the aligned notches of cam 7 and mask 8 to open contacts A. Cam 5 also withdraws the pawl from ratchet-wheel 43, allowing the finger-wheel 9 to restore, and lifts the pawl 34 out of reach of the notch in the memory disc 15 so that the disc stays in position relative to the separation plates 16. Restoration of the finger wheel returns the differential shaft by half as much so as to leave the stack of memory discs displaced by 180 degrees from its initial position before dialling and the follower 34 finds an escape notch in the adjacent separator plate 16 which allows the follower 34 to pass through and lie above the next memory disc. The escape notches are alternately on opposite diameters to enable the follower 34 to progress from one memory disc to the other with successive half-revolutions of the differential shaft 14. When the shaft 14 returns under drive from the restoring finger wheel a cam 20 lifts follower 39 so that cam 7 and mask 8 latch switch A in readiness for the next digit. When the last digit is registered in such fashion, the manual lever 22 is shifted from Register to Automatic thereby leaving the switch A in sole command of the motor. Since A is made the motor will set a further disc with zero displacement of its slots and, should the resulting attitude of the stack be upside-down with respect to its required starting attitude, an additional disc is also set with zero displacement. This function is achieved by cam 20 with two lobes which deflect follower 39 to switch on A, one of the lobes corresponding to the correct starting attitude of the stack being somewhat advanced so as not to operate A if it does not pass under the follower after the motor has stopped. Automatic sending of impulses.-With lever 22 in the Automatic position the pawl 37 is placed in position over ratchet-wheel 17. A wanted number from the repertory is chosen by pressing the associated select button 30 to engage the associated follower 34 on the first memory disc 15. Return of the button 30 lifts follower 39 to latch switch A to drive the motor for one revolution of the cam 7, the follower 34 dropping in due course into the notch of the memory disc 15 opposite to the notch which was engaged in setting the disc and in so dropping the follower allows rotation of the shaft 24 to allow pawl 37 to drop into ratchet-wheel 17 so as to lock the differential shaft 14. The remainder of the rotation of the gear-wheel 4 is transmitted through the differential to gearwheel 42 which winds up the finger wheel to the extent of the registered digit. When the rotation is complete the motor is cut off by cam 7 and mask 8 allowing follower 39 to drop and open switch A, while cam 5 raises the ratchet pawls to allow the finger wheel to restore and transmit the requisite impulses. Return of the finger wheel also restores the differential shaft 14, the follower 34 escaping through a separator plate notch to work with the next memory disc. On restoration of shaft 14, cam 20 reconnects the motor by lifting follower 39 and the next digit is sent. When the last digit has been sent the following memory disc or discs are set in zero position so that the motor cycles until cam 20, as explained above, disconnects the motor with the digit storage stacks in the correct attitude to start a further transmission. Automatic sending of codes.-Lever 23 when moved into its "electronic central" position shifts the keyset button selector drum 19 so that ratchet wheel 18 lies beneath pawl 26. The drum 19 has two diametrally opposed sets of ten staggered slots, each set being used alternately for alternate digits. When automatic sending is started from a repertory select button such as 30 the mechanism operates in the same manner as for sending impulses except that when the follower 34 descends into a notch in a memory disc the pawl 26 descends on to ratchetwheel 18 at the same time as pawl 37 descends on to ratchet-wheel 17. Descent of pawl 26 allows one of ten feelers to engage in one of the slots in drum 19 depending on the angular position of the drum at the time and the so-selected feeler operates the corresponding push-b