Los Angeles herald., 1892-05-17
IT DOES THE HELLO ACT.
An Invention Which Is Wonder
fully Interesting.
Every Telephone User will Have His
Own Central.
An Invention for Making Automatic Tel
ephone Connections-What 1t
will DO-A Description
of the Machine.

w hoV WILL UCCOLDo VI tuo ICio 81 :
For her occupation will soon be gone
Here is young fellow from Chicago i
the city with an invention which wi
enable every user of a telephone to hav
his own central Office and not be both
cred with calling up central and thel
again calling up the person he wants t.
talk to. The young man who has tn
iavention here is Mr.. M. G. Harris,
lively young fellow who is not selling
his patent, but simply exhibiting it t.
any one who is interested in such things
He is at room in the Workman blocl
on Spring street, and will be glad to ex
plain the affair to any one who calls OF
him. The invention is the property o
the Stronger Automatic Telephone Ex
change company of Chicago, and is mar
velously interesting. The object OF the
company is to introduce system OF tel
ephone communication which will dc
away with the central Office.
The telephones in use are not changed
in any degree, but the Stronger ma.
chine, which takes the place of the
human operator at the switchboard, is
connected with the phone and makes
all number connections automatically
HOW IT is DONE.
On the telephone shelf is a row oi
keys, five in all. They are marked units,
tens, hundreds and thousands, the fifth
key being the release key. The sub
ecriber taps out the desired number on
the keyboard, which, registering on the
machine automatically, connects the
wire of the subscriber with that of the
phone he desires to reach. The con-
nection is made simultaneously with the
taps on the keyboard.
The subscriber wishing to place his
transmitter and ear phone in connec-
tion with those of another can do 30 by
successfully pressing the keys which
cause the circuit closer to move. If the
man at telephone No. 2S8 wishes to place
himself in connection with telephone
No. 315, he will do go by pressing the
key marked hundreds three times, then
the key marked tens once, and then the
key marked units five times. His cir
cult closer ia then in contact with wire
terminal No. 315.
The person at telephone No. 315 will
take down his ear phone, and the two
are then able to converse with each
other.
The whole mechanism of the Strow-
ger patent takes up space of 6x4x4
inches. A hollow cylinder, constructed
of glaes or any other suitable non-con-
ductor, is the central figure in the ma
chine. The cylinders are provided with
perforations arranged in transverse and
vertical rows. From the inside of the
cylinder and through the perforatione
extend the wire connections to the
main line wires. Their uee is to con-
duct the electricity, when in contact
with the circuit-closing needle, to and
by way of the line wires to the desired
sub.station. The terminals of the con-
nectiors are within the cylinder.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION.
A circuit-closing arm in made in parts,
of which one is a circuit-closing sleeve,
firmly attached to the lower end of
sleeve rod. Within this circuit-closing
sleeve is closely fitted circuit.cosing
needle held in such manner as to be in
perfect electrical contact with the wire
terminal by a spring. A rod is located
along the axial line of the cylinder and
is free to rotate and to move longitude
nally.. The lower end of this rod is
sleeved and into this is inserted the up.
per portion of ratchet rod. This
sleeve construction allows the ratchet
rod to have longitudinal motion only,
thereby keeping the ratchet teeth con-
tinuously toward it's attendant pawl.
The ratchet rod is provided outside of
the cylinder and conveniently below it
with series of ratchet teeth, by means
of which the rods are moved longitude
nally. Two wheels, through which the
rods extend with feather and
groove connection, are made in con-
tact with the ratchet teeth and levers
having pawls pivoted in their ends.
Each lever has a vibratory movement
and is oscillated by the alternate ener-
giving and de-energizing of their respect
i've magnets, thereby imparting motion
to its adjacent ratchet-teeth and conse-
quently the circuit-closing needle. Each
pulsation OF the push button at the SUBJ
station made at the will of the operator
causes through the channels thus de-
scribed the circuit-closing needle to move
from row to row and from wire to wire.
Each key is connected by wire with it's
respective lettered magnet at the central
office, and when pressed an electrical
circuit ia established, it being understood
that both ends of the wi,e are grounded
or connected with return tap and also
that battery is used to generate the
electricity. This battery is located at
the sub-station between the keys and the
ground. Each perforation of the cylin-
der is numbered with respect to an
initial or starting point on the cylinder.
When any supposed conversation is
ended the person hangs up his ear
phone and presses the release key.
This causes the magnets to be energized,
attracting the armatures, thereby with
drawing the several pawls flom their
engagement with ratchet teeth. and
allowing the circuit closer to fall and re-
turn to it's initial point.
Another remarkable part of the
machine is a patent index or register.
There can be but one connection at a
time, but the number of the second ap-
plicant for connection is shown on the
dial.
Mr.. Harris is here for his health,
which is greatly benefited; it is likely
that he will remain here, fact which
all who meet him will hope to see veri-
fed, as he is thorough going business
man.