Improvements in Bells and Bell Indicators.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 17th July, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 7th Apr., 1891-Accepted, 30th May, 1891
Improvements in Bells and Bell Indicators.
We, FREDERICK JOSEPH JEFFERY, of 18 Tavistock Road, Stoke, Devonport,
in the County of Devon, Watchmaker, and HENRY JAMES HARRIS SIMMONDS,
of Waterloo Street, Stoke, aforesaid, Carpenter, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows :-
This invention, which relates to bells and bell indicators, consists in mechanism
or apparatus arranged to be set in operation to ring by pulling or agitating the
usual bell pull or pulls and to indicate simultaneously the apartment or apartments
whence a summons proceeds.
According to this invention one bell or gong serves for two or more apartments
and is fixed to a frame or case fitted with the aforesaid mechanism and with
indicators, and situated in any convenient place or position for inspection by the
person or persons whose duty it is to attend to such calls.
For each bell pull there is in the said case a lever to which the bell wire is
attached. Each lever is hinged at one end in the case and rests at the other end,
which is free, on a fixed support extending horizontally across the case.
Normally resting on the levers and maintaining them in a depressed position,
that is to say, in contact with the support aforesaid, is a bar to which are rigidly
secured arms extending backwards therefrom and hinged to the case, the arms and
rod, consequently, constituting a hinged frame.
Opposite the free end of each lever is a slot cut in the face of the case and in
each slot is hinged a disc bearing a number or otherwise marked to indicate a
different apartment. Each disc when tilted on its hinge into the case lies on the
end of the lever to which it appertains. When, now, a bell wire in any one apart-
ment is pulled the corresponding lever in the case is moved on its hinge and the
indicating disc at the end is tilted so as to protrude outwards through the slot and
display the number or other indication it bears appertaining to the apartment
whence the summons proceeds. Simultaneously the gong on the indicator case is
sounded.
Under one arrangement the hammer of the gong is attached to the armature of
an electro-magnet and as the hinged frame in the indicator case is raised by the
lever operated through the bell pull, as aforesaid, an electric current is completed
by bridging over by means of the bar of the frame a break in the circuit between
the poles of a battery, and the gong is sounded by the vibration of the hammer
while the strain on the bell pull is continued. When the bell pull is released the
circuit is broken by the withdrawal, by gravitation, of the hinged frame and the
ringing ceases.
Instead of being electrically agitated, the gong hammer may be actuated by
means of a coiled spring and a train of clockwork normally restrained by a paw]
counterbalanced by the hammer head which pawl, when the hinged frame is raised,
releases the clockwork and while the strain on the bell pull continues the gong
hammer rocks on a pivot and vibrates against the gong. When the strain on the
bell pull ceases the mechanism in the case returns to the normal position.
The indicator disc, however, remains protruded through the slot in the face of
the case until tilted back by hand into the case, and this is so whether the gong be
sounded electrically or as last described.

page_text: Each lever in the case is independent of the others and is actuated separately.
Dated this 15th day of July 1890.
NICHOLAS WATTS,
Bristol Bank Buildings, Bristol, Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bells and Bell Indicators.
We, FREDERICK JOSEPH JEFFERY, of 18 Tavistock Road, Stoke, Devonport,
in the County of Devon, Watchmaker, and HENRY JAMES HARRIS SIMMONDS,
of Waterloo Street, Stoke, Devonport, in the County of Devon, Carpenter, 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, which relates to bells and bell indicators, consists in mechanism
or apparatus arranged to be set in operation to ring by pulling or agitating the
usual bell pull or pulls, and to indicate simultaneously the apartment or apartments,
whence a summons proceeds.
According to this invention one bell or gong serves for two or more apartments
and is fixed to a frame or case fitted with the aforesaid mechanism and with
indicators, and situated in any convenient place or position for inspection by the
person or persons whose duty it is to attend to such calls.
For each bell pull there is in the said case a lever to which the bell wire is
attached C each lever is hinged at one end in the case, and rests at the other end,
which is free, on a fixed support extending horizontally across the case A.
Normally resting on the levers and maintaining them in a depressed position,
that is to say, in contact with the support aforesaid, is a bar to which are rigidly
secured arms extending backwards therefrom and hinged to the case, the arms and
rod, consequently, constituting a hinged frame B, opposite the free end of each
lever is a slot cut in the face of the case, and in each slot is hinged a disc D bearing
a number or otherwise marked to indicate a different apartment. Each disc when
tilted on its hinge into the case lies on the end of the lever to which it appertains.
When, now, a bell wire in any one apartment is pulled the corresponding lever in
the case is moved on its hinge and the indicating disc at the end is tilted so as to
protrude outwards through the slot and display the number or other indicator it
bears appertaining to the apartment whence the summons proceeds. Simultaneously
the gong on the indicator case is sounded.
Under one arrangement the hammer of the gong is attached to the armature of
an electro-magnet and as the hinged frame in the indicator case is raised by the
lever operated through the bell pull, as aforesaid, an electric current is completed
by bridging over by means of the bar of the frame a break in the circuit between
the poles of a battery, and the gong is sounded by the vibration of the hammer
while the strain on the bell pull is continued. When the bell pull is released the
circuit is broken by the withdrawal, by gravitation, of the hinged frame and the
ringing ceases.
Instead of being electrically agitated, the gong hammer may be actuated by
means of a coiled spring and a train of clockwork normally restrained. The main
wheel arbour is a fixture and the arms of the hinged frame is set on the square of
the arbour, so that when any one of the levers are raised it lifts the hinged frame
(which is simply acting as a key) and the arbour is a fixture to the wheel, the bell
rings in pulling it up, and also when it is released.
The indicator disc, however remains protruded through the slot in the face of
the case until tilted back by hand into the case, and this is so whether the gong be
sounded electrically or as last described.

page_text: Each lever in the case is independent of the others and is actuated separately.
Having now particularly described the nature of our said invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim to be new is :-
1st. The hinged frame marked on drawing B.
2nd. Transverse bars or levers marked C.
FREDERICK JOSEPH JEFFERY.
HENRY JAMES HARRIS SIMMONDS.