IMPROVEMENTS IN TELEPHONES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Alabaster of South Croydon in the County of
Surrey, Tom Ernest Gatehouse of Camberwell also in the County of Surrey
and Harry Robert Kempe of Barnet in the County of Middlesex for an
invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN TELEPHONES
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Alabaster, Tom Ernest
Gatehouse and Harry Robert Kempe at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents on the 7th June 1882.
HENRY ALABASTER of South Croydon in the County of Surrey, TOM ERNEST
GATEHOUSE of Camberwell also in the County of Surrey and HARRY ROBERT
KEMPE of Barnet in the County of Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN TELEPHONES
"
Our invention relates to a novel construction and arrangement of a telephonic
receiving instrument and to the combination therewith of any known transmitting
instrument. At each end of a suitable case we fix a plate and stretch between
these plates an iron or steel wire round which are closely wound two coils of
insulated wire. One of these coils, which may be of coarse wire, connects the poles
of a local battery, the other coil, which is preferably of fine wire is connected to
the line at its one end and to earth at its other end. When electrical undulations
produced by pulses of sound on a transmitting instrument of any known kind are
sent along the line, the iron or steel wire of the receiving instrument above described
is acted on and its plates are caused to vibrate reproducing the sounds which
actuate the transmitter. It is convenient to enclose the two plates of the instru-
ment in casings and lead from these casings flexible tubes so that the sounds can be
conveyed to both ears. A transmitting instrument of any known kind can be
connected into the wire of the local battery, and this transmitter will serve for
sending to the distant station. Instead of employing only one wire to connect the
plates several wires may be used each doubly coiled as above described, by wires
connecting respectively to the local battery and to the line. Also instead of
employing only two plates, several pairs of plates may be employed each pair
connected by one or more iron wires coiled as above described, and these plates
may be placed face to face at each end of the casing the wire for the outer plates
in each case passing freely through holes in the inner plates. In some cases the
iron wire may have only one insulated wire coiled on it, the said wire being
connected to the line and to earth directly or through a local battery or transmitter
or both. The iron or steel wire may be attached at its one end to the casing of the
instrument and at its other end to a single plate.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Alabaster, Tom Ernest Gatehouse and Harry Robert Kempe
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th December 1882.
HENRY ALABASTER of South Croydon in the County of Surrey, TOM ERNEST
GATEHOUSE of Camberwell also in the County of Surrey and HARRY ROBERT
KEMPE of Barnet in the County of Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN TELEPHONES
"
Our invention relates to a novel construction and arrangement of a telephonic
receiving instrument and to the combination therewith of any known transmitting
instrument. At each end of a suitable case we fix a plate and stretch between these
plates an iron or steel wire round which are closely wound two coils of insulated wire,
One of these coils which may be of coarse wire connects the poles of a local battery,
the other coil which is preferably of fine wire is connected to the line at its one end
and to earth at its other end. When electrical undulations produced by pulses of
sound on a transmitting instrument of any known kind are sent along the line, the
iron or steel wire of the receiving instrument above described is acted on and its plates
are caused to vibrate reproducing the sounds which actuate the transmitter. It is
convenient to enclose the two plates of the instrument in casings and lead from
these casings flexible tubes so that the sounds can be conveyed to both ears. A
transmitting instrument of any known kind can be connected into the wire of the
local battery, and this transmitter will serve for sending to the distant station.
Instead of employing only one wire to connect the plates several wires may be used
each doubly coiled as above described, by wires connecting respectively to the local
battery and to the line. Also instead of employing only two plates, several pairs
of plates may be employed each pair connected by one or more iron wires coiled as
above described, and these plates may be placed face to face at each end of the
casing the wire for the outer plates in each case passing freely through holes in the
inner plates. In some cases the iron wire may have only one insulated wire coiled
on it, the said wire being connected to the line and to earth directly or through a
local battery or transmitter or both. The iron or steel wire may be attached at its
one end to the casing of the instrument and at its other end to a single plate.
Fig 1 of the accompanying drawings represents a telephonic receiving instrument
according to our invention with its connections shewn diagrammatically. The
instrument as shewn in Fig 1 consists of a thin wire A of iron, steel or other
magnetic metal attached to two discs D D which may be of thin wood or of metal
or of other more or less sonorous material; on the wire A is wound in the first
place an insulated conducting wire W completing the circuit of a local battery B
in which circuit may be introduced any known telephonic transmitting instru-
ment T; also on the wire A is wound in the second place an insulated wire X
forming part of the line circuit L L' communicating with a distant station. When
electrical impulses are set up in the line L L' at the distant station by a telephonic
transmitter, sounds corresponding with those that caused the impulses are emitted
by the instrument shewn in Fig 1. The instrument may be connected as shewn
diagrammatically by Fig 2. The discs D D may form the ends of sound boxes SS
having flexible tubes leading from them to funnel mouths E E that can be held to
both ears. Also the one wire W may include in its circuit the primary coil of an
inductor I the other wire X including in its circuit the secondary coil of the
inductor I. Fig 3 shews a convenient form in which the instrument may be made.
In this case the iron or steel wire A is enclosed in a wooden casing C to which one
end of the wire may or may not be attached the other end being attached to the
disc D which is clamped to the casing by an ear piece M.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of our invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed we would have it understood that we make no general claim to
the use of an iron or steel wire coiled with a conducting wire for producing sounds
under the influence of electric currents, but we claim :-
The construction of telephonic receiving instrument consisting of a magnetic wire
attached to a sonorous disc or plate and wound with a primary coil connected to a
local battery and with a secondary coil connected to the telephonic line wire
substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof I the said Tom Ernest Gatehouse have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Fifth day of December in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty-two.
TOM ERNEST GATEHOUSE. (L.S.)