A New or Improved Device for Indicating the Duration of Telephonic Conversations.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Sept., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 23rd June, 1896-Accepted, 1st Aug., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Device for Indicating the Duration of
Telephonic Conversations.
I, ROMAIN VAN KERCKHOVE, Commercial Agent, of Lokeren, Belgium, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
The object of my device for indicating the duration of telephonic conversations
is to give warning to the person employing the telephone, in cases where payment
is made for each unit of time that the telephone is used, that the time allowed is
about to expire and that his connection will be cut off unless a further payment
is made.
i
In order that the apparatus constituting my invention may be understood I shall
proceed to briefly refer by way of a type or example to one form thereof. The
apparatus consists of a species of watch of about three inches in diameter and some-
what resembling externally an aneroid barometer. The front consists of a 'dial under
glass divided into degrees indicating minutes according to the tariff employed in the
case in question and a needle under the glass which can be easily moved over the
scale by means of an external button or the like. This needle is normally actuated
by clockwork contained in the interior of the apparatus. When the time allowed
for telephonic conversation commences the needle is moved round by hand until it
touches a stop at the commencement of the scale. The needle is now set in motion
to travel over the scale by means of the clockwork, and at say one minute before the
termination of the period allowed a bell is struck so as to give a signal. Half a
minute later the signal is again sounded say by two strokes, and again half a minute
afterwards say by three strokes.
The needle still continues its journey over the scale over another course equal to
the first while the bell signal again acts as in the first case or period. A stop
prevents the needle travelling beyond the last division corresponding with the second
unit of time for conversation.
.:
If the person employing the telephone wishes to prolong his conversation the needle
is returned to its starting point.
Assuming that the time allowed for each payment is three minutes the first stroke
of the signal will take place after two minutes of conversation and this will be followed
by two strokes after two and a half minutes and by three strokes after three minutes.
Then if the conversation be continued there will be a single stroke at the expiry of
five minutes, two strokes at the expiry of five and a half minutes and three strokes
after the expiry of six minutes from the commencement of the conversation.
Suitable devices are employed for the attachment of the apparatus to a wall or other
support.

page_text: A New or Improved Device for Indicating the Duration of
Telephonic Conversations.
I, ROMAIN VAN KEROKHOVE, Commercial Agent, of Lokeren, Belgium, 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:
The object of my device for indicating the duration of telephonic conversations
is to give warning to the person employing the telephone, in cases where payment
is made for each unit of time that the telephone is used, that the time allowed is
about to expire and that his connection will be cut off unless a further payment
is made.
In order that my invention may be readily understood I shall proceed to describe
by way of a type or example one form thereof, the said form being the one which
I have so far found to give the best results in practice. In order that the said
example may be more fully and readily understood, I have appended hereto a sheet
of drawings illustrating in what manner the same is to be or may be carried into effect.
In the said drawings similar letters of reference indicate similar parts.
In the said drawings Figure 1 is a face view with the dial removed so as to show the
clockwork underneath and Figure 2 is a similar view with the dial in position.
Referring now to the figures, 1 is an arbor pivotted between the bottom plate 2 and
the plate 3 mounted on posts. It carries the escapement wheel 4 actuating an
escapement anchor and balance wheel through a train of wheels as in an ordinary
clock. On the arbor 1 is also mounted the ratchet wheel 6 designed to be driven
by the pawl 7 attached to the disc 8 turning on the,.arbor 1. This disc carries an
arm 9 to which is attached the weight 10.and it also carries with it the arm 11 fixed
to it by the screw 12. This armı 11 has two teeth 13 and 14 which serve to move
the hammer 15 by means of the lever .16 to strike the gong 17.
On the cover or dial 18.of.the instrument (see Figure 2) is a button or finger
piece 19 by means of which the mechanism herein before.referred to can be moved
and to which is rigidly attached the pointer or needle :20 moving freely on the
arbor 1. 21 is an arm which is integral with the pointer and which comes in
contact with the weight 10 so that in turning the pointer or needle in the direction
.of.movement of the hands of a clock the said,weight is raised to a height corresponding
with the division on the scale. to which the pointer is brought by hand in order that
the gong shall be struck after a lapse of time corresponding with the said portion to
which the pointer is brought.
The action of my device is as follows. Let us assume that in the typical case
illustrated, the distance between the two teeth 13 and 14 is such that the interval
between the two strokes is half a minute, and that the scale is so divided that the
divisions represent minutes and that the mechanism takes one minute to traverse
the distance corresponding with each division of the scale. Let us assume also that the
time to be allowed for a conversation is 5 minutes. The button is now turned so as
to bring the pointer to division 5 of the scale. In doing so the arm 21 will be moved
so as to raise the weight angularly to a certain.height, that is to say to such a height
that its descent will occupy 5 minutes. When the button is released, the weight will
begin to descend and the pawl 7 will drive the wheel 6 so as to angularly move the
arm 11 in the opposite direction to that of the hands of a clock. At the end of
4 minutes the tooth 13 will cause the gong to be struck and thus give warning that
the period allowed for conversation is about to expire and at the end of 5 minutes the
tooth 14 will give the second stroke to the gong and show that the said period has
expired.

page_text: It is obvious that the interval of time between the strokes of the signal may be
modified by altering the distance between the teeth 13 and 14, other things remaining
the same, and that the number of strokes on the gong may be increased by increasing
the number of teeth. It is also obvious that a spring may be employed instead of the
weight for driving the mechanism, and this is desirable when the instrument has to be.
placed in a horizontal position.
It is frequently convenient to adapt an adjustable stop to the scale so that the
movement of the pointer over the scale may be arrested at any desired point.
I desire it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise structural
details herein before set forth and illustrated, as, the principle of my invention being.
understood, persons skilled in the art to which it appertains will be able to modify
the details to an indefinite extent without departing from the spirit of the said
invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The new or improved device for indicating the duration of telephonic conversa-
tions substantially as set forth.
2. The arrangement and combination of parts substantially as set forth with
reference to Figures 1 and 2.