Apparatus for Counting or Recording Telephonic Conversations.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Feb., 1895-Accepted, 18th May, 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Counting or Recording Telephonic Conversations.
I, JOHN EDWARd Kingsbury, of 79 Coleman Street, in the City of London,
Manager (a communication to me from abroad by the Western Electric Company
of Chicago, Illinois, United States of America) do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
.
This invention relates to apparatus for counting or recording telephonic
conversations, its object being to register each use of a subscriber's telephone line
in which the subscriber is actually placed in position to communicate with the
party called for.
Heretofore numerous attempts have been made to register or count the time or
duration of use or the number of times of use of a telephone line, with the object
of establishing a fixed rate or "toll" for each use of the telephone. These prior
systems have commonly failed, to a greater or less extent, either because they
registered only the use of the telephone without reference to the actual establish-
ment of communication between subscribers, or because, in order that cognizance
should be taken only of connections in which the subscribers actually entered into
communication, the automatic operation of the instrument has been discarded and
the registration left optional with the subscriber. Thus, for example, each use of
a telephone at a substation may be automatically counted or registered by means
of suitable mechanism connected with the telephone switch hook or other part
which is necessarily moved in the use of the telephone, or mechanism may be
placed either at the exchange or at the substation to register the completion of
connection between two telephone lines. In the first instance the counter would
register the use of the instruments without reference to the actual establishment of
communication between subscribers, as in case the subscriber called for were found
busy or absent, and would also fail to discriminate between connections originating
at the same substation and those originating elsewhere directed to this substation ;
in the latter instance the apparatus might possess only the defect of registering
each completed connection without reference to the subsequent transaction of
business.
The object of the present invention is to provide a registering or counting
apparatus "a toll counter"-adapted to be manually operated by a call-
initiating subscriber together with apparatus for compelling the subscriber to
operate his counter after the establishment of the desired connection before
communication with the distant station shall be possible. To this end at the
substation a device is provided to alter the electrical condition of the telephone
line when the toll counter is operated; and mechanism at the exchange controlled
or actuated by means of the alteration of the electrical condition of the line, and
arranged to prevent telephonic communication over the line until actuated in
consequence of the operation of the toll counter. In conjunction with this
mechanism at the exchange, however means is provided whereby the operator may
establish telephonic communication with the line, in order to receive calls for
connections and to place the line in connection with the desired substation.
To be more specific, with the toll counter at the substation a key is provided for
opening or closing the line circuit, or a connection thereof, when the toll counter
is operated; and at the exchange a relay which may be controlled by the key at
the substation to alter the line connections at the exchange in such manner as to

page_text: prevent communication over the line until the relay is properly actuated, as, for
In
example, by including a great or infinite resistance in the line circuit.
combination with this device the usual link conductors for connecting lines
together are employed and a key by which the operator may complete connections
between lines regardless of the interposed obstacle; this key may preferably be
the operator's listening key, the obstacle created by the relay becoming effective
only after the disconnection of the operator's telephone.
In one form of the invention the key connected with the counter at the
substation is constructed to open the normally continuous line circuit
momentarily when the counter is operated. The relay controlling the obstruction,
or that device which is provided to prevent the transmission of telephonic current
over the line, is included, together with a battery, in a bridge between the
conductors of the plug circuit by means of which connection is made between the
lines, and controls contact points arranged to open or break the plug circuit at.
some point when the relay magnets are excited, but to close the break in the plug
circuit after they are momentarily demagnetized. The connection of the
operator's telephone with the plug circuit is controlled by the usual listening key,
which has, however, in addition to its ordinary switch contacts, another set of
switch springs adapted to break the plug circuit when the telephone is
disconnected, the separable contacts of the listening key and those controlled
by the relay being in parallel branches of the plug circuit, so that either
pair may complete the plug circuit while the members of the other pair
are still separated. In the operation of this device the subscriber signals, the
operator makes connection with the line, receives the order, tests and completes
the connection with the line called for, in the usual manner. Having ascertained
the subscribers to be actually in position to communicate with each other, she
orders the call-initiating subscriber to operate his toll-counter. The call-initiating
subscriber must then perform this operation in order to momentarily open the
line, whereby the relay is demagnetized and permits the contact points which it,
controls to close the branch of the plug circuit or to remove the obstacle in that"
branch thereof. The operator may then disconnect her telophone, leaving the
connection complete between the substations. If, however, the subscriber shall have
failed to operate his counter as directed, communication, with his correspondent
will be impossible, one branch of the plug circuit being open at the listening key
and transmission of telephonic current through the other branch being prevented
by the obstacle therein.
The counter is thus called upon to register only actual conversations, and these
only at the substation from which the call proceeds; while at the same time the
subscriber is compelled to register each conversation which he initiates.
The invention comprises also certain minor features of construction and
arrangement of the apparatus, for preventing interference with the operator's test
system from the battery included in the line.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and may be more
fully described in connection therewith.
Of these drawings Figure 1 is a simplified diagram of the circuits and apparatus
of the invention, divested of all mechanism not directly concerned in the
operation of the counter.
Figure 2 is a diagram of the operator's plug circuit complete, comprising not
only the apparatus involved in the operation of the counter but the usual calling
keys, clearing-out annunciator and testing apparatus, and the device for preventing
interference with the test arising from the presence of the battery in the plug
circuit.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of the main relay.
Figure 4 is a front elevation of the same.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of an auxiliary relay adapted to be used in
connection with the main relay shown in Figures 3 and 4.
Figure 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the auxiliary relay.

page_text: Figure 7 is a perspective view of the listening key from one side, and
Figure 8 is a perspective view of the other side thereof.
I will first describe the invention with reference to the simplified diagram in
Figure 1.
The telephonic apparatus at the substation may be of the usual character,
comprising a telephone a and transmitter a', a generator a² of signalling current
and bell a³, arranged in different branches of the line circuit, and an automatic.
telephone switch at adapted to connect the telephonie or signalling apparatus into
the line circuit, according to the position of the switch. Each substation is also
provided with a counter which is represented as comprising only a registering
ratchet wheel actuated by a pawl 62 connected with a switch key included in
the line circuit. The switch key when depressed separates from its normal resting.
contact, thus opening the line circuit, and at the same time causes the pawl to
engage another tooth of the ratchet wheel and thus in its return to rotate the
latter through a small arc and to register or count one. The apparatus at the.
substation is connected by line wires 1 and 2 with spring jacks c and c' and with a
self-restoring annunciator d upon a multiple switch board at a telephone exchange;
the spring jacks c and c¹ are assumed to be located upon different sections e and e¹
of the switchboard, the annunciator d being upon the section e. Each spring
jack comprises a line spring f and a thimble f¹ which constitute the line terminals
of the jack and are connected with the conductors 1 and 2 of the line, and two.
local springs and f³ which constitute the normally separated terminals of a
local circuit including the restoring magnet of annunciator d together with a
battery g. Each spring jack is also provided with a test ring f' connected with.
the local spring f.
The operator's apparatus is shown only at switch board e', and there only one
set of plugs is shown. These are plugs i and i. Each of these plugs comprises a
tip registering with the line spring f, a sleeve 3 making connection with the
line thimble, and a short insulated ring i adapted to cross together the local
springs and f³ to complete the local circuit and reset the annunciator d. The ·
tips of the plugs are connected together by conductor 5, and the sleeves 1³ by
conductor 6.
The operator's listening key k is connected with conductors 5 and 6. This key,
although represented only by its switch springs, will be easily understood, being
of. common construction. It is shown in Figures 7 and 8, but its connections may
be most easily followed in the present figure. It comprises essentially four switch
springs k, k2k and k, all of which rest upon corresponding anvils ko, ko, k² and k³,
from which they are adapted to be separated when the plunger of the key is thrust
downward; the spring k¹ carries a contact stud which connects it with the spring k
at the same time that these springs are lifted from their resting anvils. The
anvils k', constitute the terminals of an operator's telephone and also of a
battery m; two condensers are included in the circuit 7 with the telephone,
for the purpose of preventing flow of battery m through this instrument, and two
retardation coils m' m² are included in the battery circuit 8 to prevent the shunting
of telephonic current through it. The anvil is connected between the telephone
and condenser by a wire 9 in order that circuit may be complete from that side
of the telephone to the tip of the plug while the telephone is in circuit, for testing
purposes. The magnet of the main relay n is included in the bridge 8 containing
battery m.
It is preferred that the main relay n should not control the continuity of the
plug circuit directly, but rather through the instrumentality of an auxiliary relay o,
since by this means one main relay n can be used in connection with each operator's
telephone, an auxiliary relay o of cheaper and simpler construction being provided
for each plug circuit. This relay is shown herein as a self-restoring drop
provided with contact points o' and o³ between which its shutter o² vibrates. The
construction of such instruments being well known, the operation of this may be
understood from the diagram, but the device will be fully explained in connection

page_text: with Figures 5 and 6. When the armature of of the magnet is attracted the
shutter o² is released and closes upon contact point o³.
The resting anvil n¹ of relay n is connected by conductor 10 with one side of
battery m, while its lever is connected by a conductor 11 through the magnet of
relay o; the other terminal of the latter extends to its forward stop o' whence its
circuit is normally complete through conductor 12 to contact k, thence through
conductor 5, line 4, line 3, conductor 6 and conductor 8 to the other side of
battery m. The resting stop o³ of relay o is connected by conductor 13 with
conductor 5 of the plug circuit.
To follow the operation of the invention, assume that subscriber at station A
desires to communicate with subscriber at A'. The call-initiating subscriber
rotates his generator, his telephone being still upon the switch hook, and thus
operates his annunciator d upon switchboard e¹. The operator then inserts plug i
into her spring jack c', thereby continuing the circuit of lines 1 and 2 to con-
ductors 5 and 6 whence it is completed through her telephone l, her listening key k
being in the position shown. The insertion of the plug i into jack o' raised the
line spring from its resting stop and thus disconnected the annunciator d, while
at the same time the local circuit, including the restoring magnet of this
annunciator, was closed, whereby the indicator of the annunciator was reset; the
test rings were also electrified to a difference of potential from the earth by
contact with the terminal f³ of battery g. The circuit of battery m was also
completed through conductor 8 to the contacts k³ and k of the listening key,
thence over the lines and through the telephone at the substation. By the flow of
current in this circuit the magnet of relay n becomes excited and its lever is
caused to assume the position shown in the drawing, opening the circuit through
relay o.
The operator having received the order for the desired connection, tests in the
usual manner, that is, by applying the tip of plug ¹ to the test ring of spring-
jack 3 belonging to station A. Having found the line not in use, she inserts the
plug fully into the springjack tested and signals to substation A¹.by means of
21
the usual signalling apparatus, not shown in this drawing. When the subscriber
at station A¹ has responded to the signal and removed his telephone from the hook
the subscribers are connected through a circuit which may be traced as follows:
From station A over line 1 to conductor 5, through contacts k³k, a portion of
conductor 7, including condenser l', conductor 9, contacts ¹, contacts k k², the
remainder of conductor 5, to the tip of i, thence over line 4, through the telephone
at substation A', returning over line 3, conductor 6 of the plug circuit and
conductor 2 of line to station A. The operator's telephone is bridged across this
circuit through the remainder of conductor 7 and contacts. When the
operator, by listening at her telephone, has assured herself that subscribers at
stations A and A' are actually in position to communicate with each other she may
order subscriber at station A to operate his counter, after which she will disconnect
her telephone. The subscriber must then depress the key 63 in order to open the
line to interrupt the current from battery m, in which operation the wheel b' is
turned through one tooth and caused to register the conversation. The inter-
ruption of current of battery m permits the magnet of relay n to become
demagnetized; its lever is thus released and falls back against contact n¹, closing
conductor 10 to conductor 11 through relay o, contact o' and lever o², conductor 12,
contacts, conductor 5 of the plug circuit to conductor 4 of line to station A¹,
thence returning through conductor 3, conductor 6, contacts to battery m.
The relay o is thus caused to release its shutter and the latter closes against its
resting anvil o. By this means a short circuit is created from conductor 5 through
conductor 13, contacts o³ o², conductor 12, to spring of the listening key k. The
operator then depresses the plunger of her listening key, whereby the telephone is
disconnected and at the same time the contact points kk are separated, thus
opening the listening key branch of conductor 5 of the plug circuit. The con-
ductor 5 is now complete, however, through the springs k³ k', conductor 12,

page_text: contacts of o* and conductor 13, so that the subscribers are enabled to carry on
conversation with each other.
It will be noted that if, after being ordered to register, the call-initiating
subscriber had neglected to push his key he would be entirely disconnected from
his correspondent, the conductor 5 of the plug circuit being open both at the
contacts of the listening key and at the contacts of o³ of the relay o.
It is
thus obvious that the subscriber is compelled to register his use of the telephone
after he is assured that his correspondent is prepared to converse with him.
I will now describe in detail the different pieces of special apparatus required
in this invention, and afterward will trace the complete plug circuit.
The relay n, shewn in Figs. 3 and +, comprises essentially the magnet n³ and ·
relay lever n³; the latter plays between a fixed forward stop at and a rear contact
or resting stop n' fixed in the frame of the instrument; an insulated extension,
preferably a pin no of hard rubber, projects from the forward extremity of the
armature lever n³ through an opening in a face plate n°; upon this plate other
contact points are carried, adapted to be controlled by the movement of the pin n³.
The pin n as it vibrates is arranged to engage alternately the extremities of
pivotted bell-crank levers n' n³ which are normally pressed toward the pin by
retractile springs n³ n10 respectively, and are held against stops n" n. In the
normal position of the relay armature the lever n³ rests against its anvil n', and
pin n' lifts the lever n' from its stop n¹, the lever n³ resting upon its anvil n".
In Figs. 5 and 6 is shown the auxiliary relay o, of which one is provided for each
plug circuit.
This relay is substantially a self-restoring annunciator of slightly modified
construction, its shutter or forward armature serving to control contact points in
place of operating a signal indicator. It is provided with a main magnet o³ and an
auxiliary or restoring magnet o"; the main magnet has a pirotted armature o*
which carries an arm furnished at its extremity with a catch which engages an
iron shutter of which constitutes the armature of the restoring magnet o. Before
this shutter of two light springs o' are fixed vertically, held rigidly at their lower
extremities and tending away from the shutter but normally bearing against a
transverse bar o of insulating material. Upon the shutter is fixed a light cross
bar or arm o² which is adapted to engage these two springs o¹, making contact with
both of them and thus crossing them together, as long as the shutter is in its
position of engagement with the catch; the shutter is also provided with the
usual "night bell spring" o³. When the main magnet o is excited armature o* is
attracted and releases the shutter o', which falls outward; the cross o* between
springs o' is thus removed and the circuit between the latter is broken, while at the
same time the night bell spring o³ is closed to the shutter. When the magnet of
is excited the shutter o again drawn up into engagement with the catch,
and crosses springs o' together and disconnects the circuit of night bell
spring o
The listening key shown in Figures 7 and 8 is substantially the same as that in
common use, with the addition of a contact spring k² and its anvil on one side
of the key. When the plunger k is depressed the wedge connected therewith.
is thrust between the curved extremities of switch springs k¹² and k¹¹¹ and lifts
them. The metallic stud carried by spring k¹ then makes connection with spring k*
and lifts the same from its anvil A; the rubber stud k upon spring kengages
spring and lifts the latter from its anvil 8; the spring k is lifted from its
anvil k, and spring 12 is closed upon its contact k¹6.
In Figure 2 two plug circuits are shown connected with a single relay n and a
single operator's telephone set l. Each pair of plugs provided with a relay o, a
listening key and also with a clearing-out annunciator p of the self-restoring
type.
The principal circuits of the plugs i may be traced through the conductors as
Lefore with reference to Figure 1. The tips are united through conductor 5,
including the contact springs of the listening key, and the sleeves are united

page_text: directly by conductor 6. The conductors 7 and 9, together with the connections
from conductor 7 to the contact points 7 and 8, are common to all the pairs of
plugs belonging to one operator; the conductors 11 of the different plug circuits
are individual but are connected to a common point, the lever n³ of relay n. The
remainder of the circuits are individual,--that is, separate conductors are provided
for each plug circuit.
Each plug circuit includes a pair of calling keys r, each provided with contact
springs which are adapted to disconnect the remainder of the plug circuit from
one of the plugs and to connect the terminals of that plug with the poles of a
generators of signalling current for signalling to a substation. The clearing-out
annunciator p is connected by means of conductor 14 in a bridge between the
conductors 5 and 6 of the plug circuit, this bridge being completed through the
contacts when the telephone is not in circuit. The local or restoring
circuit 15 of the clearing-out annunciator p including the battery t and the self-
restoring coils of this annunciator, is controlled by spring and its contact 4,
which are closed together, and thus act to reset the annunciator, when the operator's
telephone is brought into connection with the plug circuit. The night bell
springs of the clearing-out annunciator are included in a local circuit 16 of
battery through the restoring magnet of relay o; by this device, when the
clearing-out annunciator is thrown at the completion of a connection, the relay o
is automatically restored to its normal condition.
Since the presence of battery m in the plug circuit would interfere to some
extent with the operator's busy test, unless a special device were provided to
obviate this, the contacts n² n" and n³ n" have been arranged whose function it is
to protect the telephone from discharges of the condensers 11. It will be
observed that ordinarily the condenser is charged from battery m through the
circuit 8; under this condition if the test plug were applied to a grounded test-
ring, the condenser would discharge through the telephone to earth and would
produce in the telephone a click which might be mistaken for a busy test. The
spring or lever 18 of relay n is therefore arranged to be normally closed upon its
anvil and in this position it closes a short circuit 17 about the telephone 1. The
lever n' is normally separated from its anvil n, but is adapted to close thereon in
the first movement of lever n³, and before lever 18 has separated from its anvil ;
and springs 7 n 12 control a circuit 18 from the other pole of battery m to the
conductor 9-the circuit being through conductor 18, contacts n n¹, conductor_11,
magnet of relay o, contacts of o², conductor 12, contacts and conductor 9. The
telephone is thus normally protected by a short circuit 17, and the condenser l¹ is
discharged through the instrumentality of contacts n' n¹² before the short circuit 17
has been broken at contacts n³ n11.
Thus all interference with the test from battery m is obviated.
It will be understood that I do not desire to limit myself to a specific form for
the mechanism which I have herein described. Many modifications may be made
without departing from the spirit of this invention. Thus the utility of the
invention is obviously not limited to counting the number of times which a
telephone line is in use, but may be employed to register or record the duration or
time of a conversation, or for any other purpose in which. it is desired that the
subscriber shall operate a particular instrument before he shall be enabled to
communicate with his correspondent.
"
Thus, for example, the switch key 63 may be combined with "penny in the slot
apparatus of the well known type, and be operated only when a coin has been
inserted; in this case the registering or recording will be effected by the collection
of the coins.
It is also plain that the actual breaking of the plug circuit, in order to prevent
the transmission of telephonic current between the substations before the operation
of the counter, is unnecessary it being sufficient to interpose in the plug circuit,
or in any branch connected therewith, any of the well-known devices for preventing
the transmission of current over an extended branch of a circuit.

page_text: Having now particularly described. and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination with a telephone line of a registering or recording instru-
ment at the terminal station thereof and means for operating the register, a device
for altering the electrical condition of the line when the registering instrument is
operated, a device adapted to prevent the transmission of telephonic current
through the telephone line in its normal condition but to be actuated by the said
alteration of the electrical condition of the line to permit telephonic currents to
circulate in the line, whereby communication over the telephone line is prevented
until the register is operated, substantially as described.
2. The combination with a telephone line of a registering instrument at th
terminal station thereof, an instrument adapted to prevent the transmission of
telephonic current through the line, electrically controlled in the operation of th
register to permit the transmission of telephonic current in the line circuit,
substantially as described.
3. The combination with a telephone line uniting two stations, of a registering
instrument at one of the stations, and a relay intermediate between the two stations
adapted in its normal position to interpose in the line circuit a device to prevent
the transmission of telephonic current between the stations, the relay being
electrically connected with a key adapted to be actuated in the operation of the
register, said key controlling the relay to permit the transmission of telephonic
currents in the line when the key is operated substantially as described.
4. The combination with a telephone line uniting two stations, of a manually
operated registering instrument at one of the stations, a relay adapted to normally
interpose in the line circuit a great resistance but to complete the line circuit as.
to telephonic currents in its alternate position, and a key connected with the
registering instrument adapted to be actuated thereby, controlling said relay,.
substantially as described.
5. The combination with two telephone lines extending from substations to a
central station and united thereat by a plug circuit or "link conductors," of a
registering instrument at one substation, a relay at the central station normally
interrupting the plug circuit, the relay being electrically controlled by a key
connected with the register to close the line circuit when the register is operated,.
substantially as described.
6. The combination with two telephone lines extending from substations to a
central station, of a plug circuit uniting the lines at the central station, a manually
operated register at one of the stations, a switch at the central station controlling
the continuity of one of two parallel branches of the plug circuit, a relay con--
trolling the continuity of the other parallel branch, said relay being controlled by
a key adapted to be actuated in the operation of the register, whereby the subscriber,.
after having ascertained that his correspondent at the distant substation is in
position to communicate with him, may be compelled to operate his register in order.
to converse with the subscriber at the distant station, substantially as described.
7. The combination with telephone lines extending from substations to a central
station, of a plug circuit uniting two lines into a complete circuit, a manually
operated register at one of the stations, an operator's listening key or switch for
connecting the operator's telephone with the line, a switch upon the listening key
controlling the continuity of one of two parallel branches of the plug circuit, and
a relay controlling the continuity of the other parallel branch thereof, said relay
being adapted to be electrically controlled by a key actuated in the operation of
the register to close the corresponding branch of the plug-circuit substantially as.
described.
8. In combination with telephone lines extending from substations to a central
station and united there by a plug circuit, a manually operated register at one of
the stations, a switch controlling the continuity of one of two parallel branches of

page_text: the plug circuit, an automatic relay controlling the other branch connected together
with a source of electric current with the telephone line and adapted to complete
the branch of the plug circuit which it controls when its magnet is momentarily
demagnetized, and a key actuated in the operation of the register to momentarily
open the line circuit, substantially as described.
9. The combination with a number of plug circuits, of a single main relay and
a source of current connected therewith, an auxiliary relay in each plug circuit
controlling the continuity thereof and controlled by the main relay, and means for
connecting the main relay with any plug circuit, substantially as described.
10. In combination with a number of plug circuits, an operator's telephone and
a battery and main relay in parallel branch circuits, a listening key for each
plug circuit adapted to connect the telephone and battery in a bridge between
the conductors of the corresponding plug circuit and provided with switch springs
arranged to open the plug circuit when the telephone is disconnected and an
auxiliary relay for each plug circuit controlled by the main relay and adapted
to close a normally open branch of the plug about the said contacts of the listening
key substantially as described.
11. The combination with an operator's telephone, of a battery and relay in a
parallel circuit therewith a short circuit about said telephone controlled by said
relay and means for connecting the plug circuit with a completed line, substantially
as described.
1
Th 1
J. E. KINGSBURY.