Patent GB-842869-A (GB)
Title: Door chime mechanism
IPC: G10K1/07
Filed: 1956-06-18
Abstract: 842,869. Hand operated chimes. TALL, M. June 18, 1956, No. 18830/56. Class 13. In a door chime device in which a striker-bar 49 is pivotally mounted between a pair of chime bars 17, 18, the striker bar 49 is moved initially in the same direction and strikes the chime-bars in the same order independently of whether the link 12 is pulled, as by a knocker, or pushed, as by a push-button. The chime-bars 17, 18 are supported by ears struck up from the base-plate 40, from which they are insulated by rubber washers 43. The striker-bar 49 is pivotally mounted at 47 on a bridge member 48 spotwelded to the base-plate 40 and carries a strikerhead 50, of nylon or the like, in the form of a rod having a reduced cross-section intermediate its ends held by a member 50a struck from the body of the striker-bar 49. Downwardly-bent ears 51 of each side of the striker-bar engage a rubber bumper 53 mounted on an ear 52 struck up from the base-plate so as to limit the duration of contact between the striker-head and the chime-bars. A bell-crank 54, having three arms 55, 56, 57, is pivotally mounted at 47; a strong tension-spring 58, connected between the ear 41 (supporting the chime-bar 17) and the arm 57, normally holding the bell-crank 54 in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. On the arm 55 of the bell-crank there is pivotally mounted an arm 60 extending through a slotted ear 61 struck up from the striker-bar 49, which arm 60 carries a compression-spring 62. A yoke member 63 (Fig. 14) is pivoted on the sides of the bridge-member 48 by a pin 67a (Fig. 2), a dog 68 on leg 64 of the yoke member being normally in engagement with the arm 56 of the bell-crank 54, and a dog 69 on leg 65 with the arm 57 thereof. A small tongue 70 (Fig. 14) is struck from the leg 64 and is pressed inwardly to pass through one of the holes 71 in the link 12. If the link 12 is pushed, the dog 68 moves the arm 56 of the bell-crank 54 downwards (Fig. 1), and if it is pulled the dog 69 moves the arm 57 of the bellcrank 54 upwards; in each case the bell-crank 54 is rotated counterclockwise. The angle between the arms 55 and 60 will thus increase and the spring 62 will be compressed until, as the arms 55 and 60 pass dead-centre, the spring 62 swings the striker-bar 49 clockwise with a rapid snap-action and the striker head 50 impinges on the chime bar 18. The tensionspring 58 then rotates the bell-crank 54 clockwise and when the arms 55 and 60 again pass dead-centre, from the opposite direction, the compressed spring 62 swings the striker-bar 49 counterclockwise with a rapid snap-action to strike the chime-bar 17. The use of the bumper 53 and ears 51 can be avoided by the modification of Fig. 16. A bracket 100 is struck up from the base-plate and is provided with a threaded hole 101 through which passes a threaded rod 102 provided with a fixed collar 103 and a knob 104. The free end of the rod 102 is screwed into one end of a spring 95, the other end of which is secured to the lower end of the striker-bar 49. The effective length of this spring is adjusted by screwing the rod 102 further in or further out of the spring, thus altering the force with which the striker-head strikes the chime-bars. The chime device may be combined with a wicket mechanism.