Improvements in Electric Time Calls.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Apr., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 5th Jan., 1892-Accepted, 6th Feb., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electric Time Calls.
I, RICHARD VARLEY Jr. of Knickerbocker Road, Englewood in the State of
New Jersey, United States of America, Manufacturer of Insulated Electric Wires
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
-
This invention is especially adapted to hotels where it is desired to arrange for
calling the guests at certain hours. I make use of a time mechanism such as a
clock and connected with the same a circuit closing device that revolves once in
twenty-four hours and as this circuit closing device is moved a spring upon the
same comes into contact successively with circuit closing pins or buttons arranged
at distances apart corresponding to quarter hours or other measures of time. If
the apparatus is arranged for quarter hour indications there will be ninety-six of
these circuit closing pins around in a circle over which the circuit closing arm with
the spring revolves.
An annunciator board is provided with as many pins as there are contacts in the
circular range and these are arranged regularly to represent hours, and quarter
hours successively and there are wires from these pins on the annunciator to the
pins in the circular range of contacts.
A bell or similar electric alarm is arranged in an electric circuit and there are
bars or branches of this circuit adjacent to the pins of the annunciator and these
pins of the annunciator are adapted to hold one or more circuit closing checks and
these checks are to be numbered corresponding to the rooms where the call is to
be given.
When one or more checks are put upon the annunciator pins or holders they
close the metallic circuit at the annunciator to the particular contact pin in the
circular range, hence when the revolving arm reaches that pin the circuit will be
closed through the pin and arm to the bell or signal which will continue to sound
until the checks are removed from the check holder, in doing which the circuit
will be broken at the annunciator and the bell will stop ringing and these checks
can be taken by a bell boy or attendant who goes to the rooms in succession
according to the numbers upon the checks to call the occupants of such rooms.
By this means risk of mistake is reduced to a minimum and there is no noise or
disturbance at the rooms themselves except that occasioned by the bell boy or
attendant in calling the parties.
1201
RICHARD VARLEY, JR.
By Brewer & Son,
Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electric Time Calls.
1, RICHARD VARLEY, Jr., of Knickerbocker Road, Englewood, in the State of
New Jersey, United States of America, Manufacturer of Insulated Electric Wires,
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 device is especially adapted to hotels where it is desired to arrange for

page_text: Electric devices that have been used for ringing a bell in the guest's room auto-
matically at a given hour, are objectionable, because the occupants of adjoining
rooms are often disturbed and where checks are used to indicate the rooms where
persons are to be called, difficulty has arisen in connecting a number of checks to
one time signal and some checks may be attended to and not others.
The object of this invention is to avoid the before mentioned difficulties and it
consists in combining with a clock movement, an electric alarm and conducting
check holders each adapted to receive one or more metallic checks by the placing
of which check upon the holder allotted to a given time of day or night, closes the
circuit so that the alarm is rung automatically when the clock arrives at the
corresponding time, and it will continue to ring for a given time unless all the checks
are removed from that particular holder.
In the drawing
Fig.
is a diagramatic elevation of the apparatus and some of the circuit
connections.
Fig. 2 is a section in larger size of one of the check holders.
Fig. 3 shows the check separately with the holder in section.
Fig. 4 represents a modification of the check holder, and
Fig. 5 is an elevation of the check for the holder, shown in Fig. 4.
A. time movement of any desired character may be used. I have represented
at A the dial and hands of a clock and in cases where the dial is divided into
twenty-four, the circuit closing arm B may be on the same arbor as the hour hand,
but where the time movement is divided into twelve hours, the circuit closing arm
should be geared to the same as represented by dotted lines in Fig. 1 so that such
circuit closing arm revolves only once in twenty-four hours and around the circle
described by the arm B there are to be contact pins C of the desired number. For
instance, if the call time is divided into half hours there will be forty-eight of such
contact pins C; if divided into quarter hours there will be ninety-six. Usually
ninety-six of such contact pins is sufficient so that the alarm may be given at any
fifteen minutes during the twenty-four hours as hereafter described.
Upon the circuit closing arm B is a spring 2 preferably of platina and it is
attached to the rear side of such circuit closing arm and the end of such spring
comes into contact successively with the pins C and as the clock movement
progresses the spring is bent sufficient to allow the arm to pass on and the spring to
separate from contact with one pin and straighten out flat against the side of the
arm and then at the proper time come into contact with the next pin and according
to the length of this spring 2 so the same will remain in contact with one of
the pins a greater or less period of time and the alarm will be rung for a shorter
or longer time. At D I have represented an alarm. It may be of any suitable
character. It is represented as a circuit breaking alarm so that the vibrations of
the hammer open and close the circuit and the bell will remain ringing during the
time that the spring 2 is in contact with one of the pins C and the circuit is other-
wise closed as hereafter mentioned by a check H.
I provide an annunciator frame or board E and there are perforations through
the same for the sliding check holders G. Each of these check holders is provided
with a spring 3 by which it is drawn inwardly, and the check holder is of
conducting material and adjacent to the check holder and preferably upon the face
of the annuncistor board is a contact strip 4 but the check holder in its normal
position does not come into contact with such
strip.
There are to be as many check hollers as there are contact pins C and each
contact pin is connected by a conductor preferably flexible with its contact pin,
and these check holders are arranged in a convenient manner to correspond to
the hours of the day. For instance, if there are eight check holders in the top
line and they are allotted to the hour of one o'clock and two o'clock and to the
one quarter, one half, and three quarter hours, they will be marked accordingly
upon the face of the annunciator board so also the second line may be for the
hours and quarter hours from three o'clock to four and three quarters, and so

page_text: on as shown in Fig. 1. In this case there will be twelve lines and the marks
can be either for a twelve hour dial or for a twenty-four hour dial upon the
clock. As before mentioned neither of the check holders touches its contact
strip when in a normal position, but when a check is put upon the holder the
check closes the electric circuit. The checks may be of any desired shape but
they must be of metal. I prefer to use the checks H having upon their
surfaces numbers corresponding to the numbers of the different rooms in the
hotel or building, and ench check should be slotted to set upon the sliding
check holder so that when a person desires to be called, the check H with the
number corresponding to his room is taken from a rack or holder and applied
upon the sliding check holder corresponding to the hour at which the guest is
to be called and the spring of the holder draws the check back against the
contact strip hence when the clock arrives at the time corresponding to the
check upon the annunciator board where the check has been applied, the spring 2
of the arm B when it comes into contact with the pin C that is connected to
that particular sliding check holder, the circuit from the battery K is closed
and the current from said battery passes by the wire 6 through the electric
magnet of the alarm D and by the wire 10 to the arm B and from there the
current passes through the arm B, spring 2, contact pin C, wire 7 to the corre-
sponding sliding check holder G and through such check holder and the check H
to the contact strip 4 and from there by the wire 8 to the other pole of the
battery and the alarm will continue to ring as long as the spring 2 is against
the contact pin C but it will be apparent that the alarm will not be rung except
where a check intervenes between the holder G and the contact strip 4 because
at this point the electric circuit is broken and it makes no difference how many
checks H with different numbers may be introduced upon the sliding check
holder because they will all be pressed into contact and close the circuit with
the strip and as soon as the bell-boy or other attendant removes the checks
from the check holder, the alarm ceases to ring, and by the checks with the
numbers upon them he can pass to the respective rooms and call the guests
with reliability, because he does not require to remember the respective numbers
because he can take the checks with him. In this manner the guests can be
called with reliability without one person being disturbed by the alarm in
another room and there is little or no risk of any appointment being over-
looked.
A projection or wire G² may be provided adjacent to each check holder,
such wire being connected by the strip 4 or otherwise; and such check holder
will be stationary and project as at G and the check H can be slipped upon
the same as shown in Fig. 4 in which case the first check unites the contact
strip and check holder G electrically, and if other checks are added they
only need be hung on the holder. In this manner the spring and movement of
the check holder may be dispensed with, and the parts G, G may be made
as spring wires or the checks may be provided with spring wires or rings to
pass over the parts G', G', in which case such parts G¹, G² may be rigid.
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 1
claim is:
First. The combination with a clock movement and an alarm, of a revolving
circuit closing arm, contact pins for the same, an annunciator board and check
holders adapted to receive several checks and connected respectively with the
contact pins and circuit wires, and a portable circuit closing check adapted to being
received by the check holder and to close the metallic circuit, so that the alarm is
rung when the moving arm of the clock comes in contact with the pin at the
designated hour, substantially as set forth.
Second. The annunciator board having check holders each adapted to the
reception of a number of portable circuit closing checks, a clock movement, an

page_text: alarm, an electric circuit and contact pins and an arm actuated by the clock
movement for closing the circuit and ringing the alarm through the agency of the
circuit closing checks, substantially as set forth.
Third. An annunciator board having contact strips 4 in combination with the
separate check holders and circuit connections and the circuit closing checks
adapted to being placed on the holders to close the electric circuit by contact with
the same and with the strips, substantially as set forth.
Fourth. The combination with a time movement and a circuit closing arm, of a
range of contact pins, a spring upon the end of the arm and an annunciator and
sliding check holders and circuit closing checks, substantially as set forth.
Fifth. The combination with the annunciator board and the stationary contact
strips of the check holders and the portable circuit closing checks, such check
holders being adapted to receive one or more of the circuit closing checks and an
electric circuit closed by such checks and an electric aların mechanism connected
with the check holders, substantially as set forth.
1000
RICHARD VARLEY, JR.
By Brewer & Son,
Agents.
RICHARD VARLEY, JR.
By Brewer & Son,
Agents.