Enabling them to be Used only on Prepayment for such Use.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd June, 1837
Complete Left, 2nd Mar., 1888
Complete Accepted, 6th Apr., 1888
Enabling them to be Used only on Prepayment for such Use.
I, CHARLES LIONEL WINGFIELD FITZGERALD, of 109 Farringdon Road, in the
City of London, Chairman of the Consolidated Telephone Construction and Main-
tenance Company Limited, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as
follows:-
My Invention has for its object to provide means in connection with telephonic
instruments so that they can only be used after a coin or coins in payment for such
use has or have been inserted into a receptacle therefor and so that the operator at the
Exchange can interrupt the use at the lapse of any particular time allowed to the
user in consideration for such payment.
According to my Invention I fit preferably within the case of the telephonic
instrument à receptacle for a coin (or coins) which is utilized as the means for com-
pleting the communicating circuit of the instrument. After the insertion of the coin
the user of the instrument can communicate with the Exchange or other place in the
line. In proximity to a moveable part of the receptacle I arrange an electro-magnet
which can be magnetized by a current from the exchange or distant station so that it
attracts an armature in connection with the said moveable part and releases the coin
and breaks the circuit and prevents further use of the telephone until another coin is
placed in the instrument. The slit for the entry of the coin and the outlet therefor
from the receptacle can be made of such size that the one admits only coins of the
proper thickness and the other retains only coins of the proper diameter. The coins
act on a spring or springs to complete the circuit. There is provided a suitable
receptacle for the coins which have been deposited. I prefer to place the apparatus
I have described inside the door of the casing of the call bell or telephone instrument,
but I do not limit myself to such placement I may make the apparatus to act by one
coin at a time being inserted or by several coins, such as for instance by one silver
coin or by several copper coins.
Dated this 2nd day of 1007
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Agents for the said Charles Lionel Wingfield Fitzgerald.

page_text: Improvements in or Additions to Telephonic Instruments for
Enabling them to be Used only on Prepayment for such Use.
I CHARLES LIONel Wingfield FITZGERALD of 109 Farringdon Road in the City
of London Chairman of the Consolidated Telephone Construction and Maintenance
Company Limited 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 :-
My Invention has for its object to provide means in connection with telephonic
instruments so that they can only be used after a coin or coins in payment for such
use has or have been inserted into a receptacle therefor and so that the operator at
the Exchange can interrupt the use at the lapse of any particular time allowed to the
user in consideration for such payment.
According to my Invention I fit preferably within the case of the telephone
instrument a receptacle for a coin (or coins) which is utilized as the means for com-
pleting the communicating circuit of the instrument. After the insertion of a coin
of any pre determined value or a predetermined number of coins the circuit is com-
pleted so that the user of the instrument can communicate with the Exchange or other
place in the line. In proximity to a moveable part of the receptacle I arrange an
electro magnet which can be magnetised by a current from the Exchange or distant
Station so that it attracts an armature in connection with the said moveable part and
releases the coin and breaks the circuit and prevents further use of the telephone
after the lapse of any time allowed for communication so that until another coin is
placed in the instrument its use cannot be continued. The slit for the entry of the
coin and the outlet therefor from the receptacle can be made of such size that the
one admits only coins of the proper thickness and the other retains only coins of
the proper diameter.
The coins act on a spring or springs to complete the circuit or they may act as
bridge pieces to complete the circuit. There is provided a suitable locked receptacle
for the reception of the coins which have been paid for the use of the instrument. I
prefer to place the apparatus I have described inside the door of the casing of the
call bell or telephone instrument, but I do not limit myself to such placement. I
may make the apparatus to act by one coin at a time being inserted or by several
coins such as for instance by one silver coin or by several copper coins and I may
arrange it for one charge or for several different charges for different distances or for
different periods of use of the instrument.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the several
figures on the annexed sheets of drawings the same letters of reference indicating
corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figures 2 and 3 represent respectively in front elevation transverse section and
horizontal section so much of a telephonic instrument as is necessary to illustrate my
Invention Figure 4 being a detail shewing a modification of the coin receiving
portion of the instrument. Figure 5 is a diagram shewing the course of the currents
when a relay is combined in the instrument as shewn in Figures 1. 2 and 3 and
Figure 6 is a similar diagram shewing the course of the currents when the relay is
omitted.

page_text: In the door or cover A or other suitable portion of the case of the telephone
instrument there is provided a slit or opening B into which the coin or coins in
payment for the use of the instrument must be passed before the instrument can be
used.
The coin or coins introduced at the slit B passes or pass into a channel a formed in
and extending through the bottom of a piece or so that the said piece C forms a side
of the said channel. The said piece C is suspended by any connection which will
allow it to move (such as the centres c) from its normal position (vizt. that in which the
coin or coins is or are retained in the channel) to a position in which the coin or coins
is or are released for instance if the side only be moveable it will be moved so as to
widen the channel and release the coin or coins or if the whole of the channel be
moveable it may be brought opposite an opening in the horizontal partition D through
which opening the coins are discharged into the receptacle E beneath.
The instrument illustrated in Figures 12 and 3 is arranged for the reception of
three separate penny pieces in payment for use of the instrument (but of course it
may be arranged for other coins or for a greater or lesser number of coins as
required). The slit or opening B is of a size to admit of only one penny at a time
being passed therethrough. The first penny introduced will fall in the arrangement
illustrated to the bottom of the channel and rest upon the partition D the second penny
will rest upon the first one and the third penny will rest upon the second one as shewn
by dotted lines in Figure 2.
In the side of the piece C is an opening through which a projection carried on or
part of a spring F enters the channel a so that the coins in their passage through the
channel by coming into contact with the projection of the spring will cause the said
spring to project from the side of the piece C. This spring is arranged at such height
on the piece C that the two first coins introduced will only cause it to project as the
coins are passing and then to retract but as the third coin introduced is supported at a
position opposite the said spring by the two coins previously introduced the spring
will be maintained by the said third coin in its projected position for com-
munication and until the coins are discharged from the channel a. The spring when
in its projected position is brought into contact with a point d carried on a bridge
piece d² screwed to the piece Cand electrically connected by the wire 1 with the
automatic switch G. A circuit is thus completed with the call bell or other signal at
the Exchange Station which circuit is indicated by arrows 2 in the diagram Figure 5
in which H represents a magnetic electric generator; I an induction coil; K the
transmitter L bells, M a relay and N an electro-magnet for operating the coin
receiving piece C-G is an automatic switch and F the transmitter, p is the primary
wire of the induction coil and s is the secondary wire thereof. The spring F being
in contact with the point d a current may be sent through the line wire to sound the
bell at the Exchange Station by turning the handle of the magnet apparatus in the
ordinary manner and upon receipt of a reply signal from the central station which
will be transmitted to the bell L by passing a current in the reverse direction to that
indicated by the arrows 3 in the diagram Figure 5 the receiver may be removed from
the switch G and a conversation carried on in the usual manner. The circuit for
maintaining the conversation between the near and the distant stations is indicated by
arrows 3 and 4 Figure 5. When the time of use of the instrument allowed for the
payment made has expired the operator at the central station will transmit a current
through the relay M as shewn by arrows 5 to excite the electro magnet N and thus
attract the armature N¹ fixed on the lower end of the piece C and release the coins
which will in the arrangement shown be done by bringing the open end of the
channel a opposite the opening b in the partition D whereupon the coins contained in
the said channel will pass into the receptacle E beneath. The current through the
magnet N being discontinued the piece C will return to its normal position under the
action of a spring C¹ Figure 1 and 2 and the spring F will be brought out of
contact with the point d and the circuit with the central station consequently will
be broken and will remain so until the required further coin or coins is or are
introduced into the channel a.

page_text: The modification of the coin receiving piece illustrated in Figure 4 consists in
providing means whereby coins of different values may be introduced into the
channel a to pay for the use of telephone lines communicating with different districts
or for different periods of use. For example the charge for one district may be six
pence for the use of the telephone for a certain length of time and the charge for the
use of the same telephone for another district may be one shilling.
I provide on a bracket f screwed to the partition D of the Telephone four pins or
projections gg g² g² wbich pass through holes in the piece C into the channel a.
The upper pins g g are arranged at such a distance apart that in the example
mentioned a shilling introduced at the slit B will not pass between the said upper
pins but will be retained thereby and force outwardly a spring such as that
hereinbefore described to make contact to complete a circuit by which the operator
at the central station will know that a shilling has been paid and that he may
make the connections for the district or for the period for which the charge of
one shilling was required to be paid.
If it be required to engage the telephone for a district for which six pence is
charged a six penny piece is introduced at the slit B and it will pass by the
projection gg but will be retained by the lower projections g² g and will cause a
spring to make contact to complete a circuit by which the operator at the central
station will know that he may make the connections or allow the period proper to the
charge of six pence.
Or if desired on the proper coin or coins being paid the different circuits for
stations at different distances can be completed.
Instead of a spring or springs being used to complete and interrupt the circuit
or circuits the coin or coins may itself or themselves act as bridges to complete the
circuit when they are inserted and to break the circuit when they are released as
herein before described. The arrangement Figure 4 may of course be made for more
than two different charges by correspondingly increasing the stops and circuit
completing devices to properly intersept the coins and complete the proper circuits.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. In combination or connection with telephonic instruments or circuit or circuits.
a moveable or in part moveable receptacle for coins and a spring or springs for com-
pleting the circuit or circuits when the proper coin or number of coins is inserted and
an electro-magnet for causing the release of the coin or coins to break the circuit or
circuits substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In combination or connection with telephonic instruments or circuit or
circuits a moveable or in part moveable receptacle for the coin or coins with contacts
so arranged that when the proper coin or number of coins is inserted the proper circuit
is completed and an electro magnet for causing the release of the coin or coins sub-
stantially as and for the purpose hereinafter described.
3. The arrangement and combination of parts constituting the means for securing
prepayment for the use of telephones for a given period substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.
4. The arrangement and combination of parts constituting the means for securing
prepayment to the proper amounts for the use of telephones for different periods or
for different distances or circuits substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated
in Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.
Maah 1000