Improvements in Coin Controlled Telephone Registers.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 31st July, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 30th Apr., 1900-Accepted, 16th June, 1900
PROVISIONAL
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Coin Controlled Telephone Registers.
We, TOBIAS JOSEPH HOCK Jr. and EMIL HAPPERSBERGER, both of 5S, Sixth
Street, San Francisco, Cal., U.S.A., Inventors, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to telephones which can be operated by the insertion
of a coin into a slot; the object of the invention being to provide means for
registering the number of persons using the instrument.
The invention comprises a suitable framework in which a series of discs or
rings are revolubly mounted so that figures upon their faces shew through an
aperture in the frame or casing as they move past it.
The discs are turned intermittently by means of a pawl, or series of pawls,
depending from a lever pivoted at the centre of the discs and projecting from
a slot in the casing. The slot is kept covered during the movement of the
lever by a shield secured thereto. The pawls operate upon pins or projections
on the discs, and a detent, also depending from the lever, engages a rack in such
manner that the lever cannot be returned to its normal position until it has
reached the limit of its travel, at which point, however, the detent is raised
by a pin, or otherwise suitably disengaged, so as to permit the return of the
lever.
Contact blocks are secured in the casing in such position that when the lever
has reached the end of its travel, the shield thereon makes electrical contact,
through the blocks, with the chief office.
The mechanism for releasing the lever consists of a detent having one end
hooked to enter a notch in the boss or circular pivoted end of the lever, and
its other end projecting through an opening into a chute down which coins fall
when inserted. The coins, in falling, strike the end of the detent, depress it,
and raising the hooked end out of the notch release the lever.
1000
P. R. J. WILLIS,
Agent for Applicants,
Improvements in Coin Controlled Telephone Registers.
We, TOBIAS JOSEPH HOCK Jr. and EMIL HAPPERSBERGER, both of 58, Sixth
Street, San Francisco, Cal., U.S.A., Inventors, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Our invention relates to an apparatus which is especially designed to regisier

page_text: the number of coins which are placed in a telephone or other apparatus of this
description and at the same time to indicate that a coin has been placed in the
slot and registered for purposes of communication.
It consists essentially in details of construction which will be more fully
explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is a view shewing my invention applied to one form of mechanism.
Fig. 2 is an end view of the hand-lever and its connections. Fig. 3 is a modifica-
tion of the actuating device.
The object of our invention is to construct a register which we have here
shown as applicable for use in connection with coin controlled telephones and
by which the apparatus remains disconnected and incapacitated for use until a
coin has been placed in the proper chute and which will then release the instru-
ment, so that it can be operated and will register the fact when the operation
has been completed. The construction is also such that the full stroke of
the registering mechanism must be made before the parts can return to their
normal position.
Various forms of registering devices may be employed in conjunction with our
apparatus, the essence of the register being the arrangement of a series of wheels
or discs each carrying numbers from "1" to "10" and a means for inter-
mittently advancing the first until the ten figures have been successively exposed
and then acting to move a figure upon the second and so on in the usual manner
for registers.
In the present case we have shown a series of superposed dises A, lugs B
upon the discs, and a pawl C, which is turnable about the common centre of the
discs so as to engage with the lug corresponding with one of the numbers on
the inner disc at each reciprocation of the lever which carries the pawl until the
disc has completed a revolution when a slot in the periphery of the disc allows
the pawl to drop and engage a lug upon the second disc, so as to advance it
one figure and so on throughout all the discs to the periphery. The pawl C
is long enough to engage with all of the concentric-figured numbered discs and
is fixed upon the lever arm D, the fulcrum of which is here shewn as being
centrally of the discs. Around the fulcrum-point and, as here shewn, forming
a part with the pawl lever is a circular disc or head E. In the periphery of
this disc is a notch F, and this notch is normally engaged by a hook-lever G
fulcrumed at H, so that one end of the lever will engage with the notch in the
periphery while the other end is controlled by the action of the coin. This
control by the coin may either be effected by the weight of the coin striking
the end of the lever-arm, or, as shewn in Fig. 3, it may be effected by forcing
the coin between a lever D' and a fixed point, as it is inserted into the chute,
through which it is guided to the receptacle and to which it eventually passes.
In every case the movement of a lever acts to release the pawl carrying lever D
or and allow it to complete its movement.
Fixed with suitable relation to the registering mechanism and also to the
lever D is a segmental rack I, the teeth of which are presented so as to be engaged
by a pawl J, which is carried by the lever arm D. The lever arm D projects
through the side of the containing case at any suitable or convenient point, so
that it may be grasped by the hand of the operator when he desires to complete
a call, and when ever the coin has been dropped into the chute, as described,
and the pawl carrying lever D released the lever may then be moved about in
the arc of a circle sufficient to advance the registering discs and at the same
time to indicate at the central office that the coin has been inserted. This
indication is made by the completion of an electric circuit and the usual light
or other signal at the central office. It is effected by means of a curved strip L,
which is carried by the lever D, and the end of this strip forms a contact with
the free end of a spring-plate 4, one end of which is fixed and connects with a
circuit wire 2, while the other end is free and lies in the plane of a contact 5,
to which the other circuit wire. 3 is connected. The curved strip L being

page_text: carried down by the lever D, engages the free end of the spring plate 4, and
presses it against the contact 5, which establishes a circuit and produces a light
or other signal in the central office when the lever has fully completed its stroke.
The strip L also acts as a guard and closure for the slot in which the lever D.
moves, and thus prevents any tampering with the mechanism through this opening.
In order to prevent the lever D being drawn back without fully completing its
stroke, the pawl J, carried by the lever D, is arranged to engage with the curved
rack 1 in such manner as to allow the lever D to be moved forward after it has
been released by the coin controlled lever G, but which will prevent the lever
being drawn back until it has completed its full stroke and has formed the contact
by the arm L, as previously described. At this instant the pawl J is raised
by an incline at the end of the curved rack I, and when thus raised it is
engaged by a holding arm 0, which retains it out of contact with the rack I,
and thus allows the lever D to be drawn back. When the lever is thus drawn
back so far that the pawl C will engage another of the lugs B, the pawl I is
disengaged from the device which holds it by the action of a presser rod P,
which is carried by the lever D and is slidable in a guide on the lever.
the lever is drawn back the end of this rod strikes a stop Q and is thus forced
forward until it disengages the contact with the holder O, and disengages the
pawl J, allowing it to again drop into contact with the rack I in readiness for
another stroke of the lever D. In this manner each time that a coin is intro-
duced into the apparatus it acts either by gravitation or pressure upon the
lever G and through this lever to disengage the lever D, by which the indicating
discs are revolved, as previously described.
As
The pawl C carried by the lever D, is pressed downwardly by a spring, as
shewn at R, so as to ensure its engaging with the lugs upon the discs at each
movement of the lever, and the discs are in turn prevented from returning by
springs S, which engage with notches a in the discs for that purpose.
Although we have described the invention as especially applicable to coin con-
trolled telephones, it will be manifest that the device will be equally useful in
conjunction with any similar apparatus which is controlled by the introduction
of a coin and in which it is desirable to register the operation.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is ;-
(1) In an apparatus of the character described, a series of registering discs,
a pawl carrying lever fulcrumed so that by its forward and backward movement
it advances the discs to register the movements, a pawl and ratchet mechanism
by which the lever is prevented from returning until the forward motion is com-
pleted, a latching lever by which the lever is retained in its normal position
when it has been returned thereto, said latching lever being disengaged when a
coin is introduced into the apparatus.
(2) In an apparatus of the character described, a series of registering discs,
a pawl carrying lever fulcrumed so that by its forward and backward movement
it advances the discs to register the movements, a pawl and ratchet mechanism
by which the lever is prevented from returning until the forward movement is com-
pleted, a guard plate carried by the lever and forming a closure for the slot
through which the lever projects, electrical contacts, one of which is in the line
of travel of the guard plate and a switch actuated by said guard plate at the
end of its forward movement to close the circuit.
a
(3) In an apparatus of the character described, a series of registering discs,
pawl carrying lever fulcrumed so that by its forward movement
it advances the discs to register the movement, a "stop mechanism carried by
the lever, by which the latter is prevented from returning until the forward
movement is completed, contact points with which wires form a central office
connect, a spring switch-plate, one end of which is permanently connected with

page_text: one of said contact points, and the other end movable in line with the other
contact point, a plate connected and reciprocable in unison with the movements
of the register actuating lever, said plate acting to force the free end of the
spring plate against said other contact point whereby a circuit is completed and
the central office notified after the coin has been introduced and the forward
movement of the lever completed.
בד
1
1 1000
P. R. J. WILLIS, -
Agent for Applicants,