Year: 1886

page_text: We JAMES PAYN BREWER, Detective, and WILLIAM CLEMENTS SMITH, Electrician,
both of New Haven, in the County of New Haven in the State of Connecticut, in
the United States of America, 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:—
Our invention relates to improved apparatus for communicating with policemen
while on their beats from a directing-station, the object being to improve the
general efficiency of police service.
1
With this end in view our invention comprehends an apparatus consisting of
visual signals distributed throughout a field under surveillance and adapted to be
electrically operated, a common directing-station, and electrial connections for the
operation of the signals therefrom.
Our invention further comprehends visual signals distributed throughout a field
under surveillance and adapted to be electrically operated, a common directing-
station for the signals, electrical connections for the operation of the signals there-
from, annunciating apparatus located at the station and connected with the field,
and telephonic or equivalent means for communication between the station
and field.
Our invention further consists in an apparatus having certain details of con-
struction and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed
out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a diagram showing visual signals
distributed throughout a field of surveillance, connections between the several
signals and a directing-station, and call-boxes and telephones located in such
connections, both at the signals and at other points therein. Fig. 2. is a detail
diagram showing one arrangement for the connections within the directing station;
and Fig. 3. is a view, partly in elevation and partly in vertical central section, of
one form which our improved signal may assume.
The diagram shown by Fig. 1 of the drawings represents signals A, located at
the intersections of the streets of a field of surveillance, and each provided with
independent electrical connection, through lines, B, with a direction-station, C,
preferably located in the center of the field. Call-boxes D and telephones E are

page_text: located in the several lines B, both at the signals and at other points along the
lines, which, as shown, are in some cases extended and grounded beyond the
Bignals.
As shown by Fig. 2 of the drawings, each line leads into a spring-jack, F, thence
through relay-magnets G, and thence to, a light battery, H, connected with a
switch-key, I, arranged for engagement with a terminal of a line, J, leading to the
ground, and with a terminal of a line, K, leading to a heavy battery, L, from
which lines are extended within the range of the switch-keys of all the lines
leading to the signals. The terminals of the said ground and heavy-battery lines
are placed so that the switch-keys engage with one before entirely leaving the
other, whereby interruption of the circuits is avoided. Each of the relay-magnets
controls an armature; M, provided with a spring, N, and located in a local circuit, O,
including a bell, P, a register, Q, and a battery, R, and closed through terminals S,
with which the armatures are engaged when released by the demagnetization of
the relay-magnets. The spring-jacks are used in conjunction with a plug, T,
having plates U and V, insulated from each other, and respectively grounded
through a line, W, and connected with a telephone, X, through a line, Y, as shown.
That form of signal represented in Fig. 3 of the drawings is provided with a
colored glass globe Z, secured to a fixture, A¹, located upon a tube, B¹, fitting over
and adapted to be vertically adjusted upon the supply-pipe C₁ of a gas-burning
street-lamp, the burner D¹ of which is enclosed by the globe when the tube is
raised, and exposed when it is pulled down, in which latter adjustment of the tube
the globe is retired within the casing E¹ of the signal. Weights F¹, connected with
the tube by means of cords G¹, running over pulleys H¹, mounted in brackets I¹,
secured to the said casing, are employed for raising the tube for displaying the globe,
and hooks J¹, secured to the tube, are provided for drawing it down for retiring the
globe. The lower end of the said tube is provided with a collar, K¹, which is
engaged, when the tube is pulled down and the globe retired, by a latch, L¹,
pivotally mounted in a frame, M¹, secured to the pipe C₁, and provided with a
button, N¹, as shown.. An armature, O¹, connected with the latch aforesaid, and
controled by a spring, P¹, attached to an adjustable screw, Q¹, mounted in a
frame, R¹, secured to the said pipe, is located in the presence of the poles of an
electro-magnet, S¹, included in the circuit through the directing-station and signal.
A circuit is normally closed through the said electro-magnet, the call-boxes on the
line, the spring-jack, the relay-magnet, the light-battery, and the ground, and the
latch is normally engaged with the collar of the tube, whereby the globe is kept
out of sight within the casing as shown by the broken lines in Fig. 3 of the
drawings.
The current of the light-battery is not sufficiently powerful to cause the electro-
magnet to operate its armature in disengaging the latch from the collar of the
tube, but only powerful enough to operate the relay located in the line. Therefore
when it is desired to operate one of the signals the officer on duty at the directing-
station momentarily shifts the switch-key of such signal to close a circuit, through
the heavy battery, without, however, breaking the circuit through the line of the
signal. With the heavy battery in the circuit, the electro-magnet of the signal
attracts its armature, and thus operates the latch in releasing the tube, which is at
once raised by the weights for displaying the globe, which surrounds the burner of
the lamp. As soon as a policeman sees the signal, to which his attention will be
attracted, if at night, by the color of the light, he at once operates the call-box at
the signal, or the call-box most convenient at the time, and thus breaks the circuit
through the line in which the call-box operated is located, and demagnetizes the
relay-magnet in such line and releases the armature held by the same, permitting
it to close the local circuit, which is followed by the sounding of the bell and the
operation of the register, which indicate to the offercer by the number of strokes
upon the bell and the number recorded the location of the call box being operated,
for the several call-boxes are constructed and adapted to strike a different number
upon the bell and record a different number on the register for each box. After

page_text: receiving the policemens signal through the bell and register the officer inserts the
plug into the spring-jack of the line in use, and thus connects the telephone with
such line and cuts off the relay-magnets and light-battery from it without inter-
rupting the circuit through the former. Then the officer talks with the policeman
signaled, who has meanwhile placed a telephone in connection with the directing-
station. After the policeman has received instructions the telephones are taken
out of circuit, the globe of the signal operated is retired by the policeman, who
pulls the tube down, by means of the hooks until the latch re-engages with the
collar located upon its lower end, and the signal is left with a circuit closed through
its electro-magnet, the call-boxes on the line, the relay-magnet, the light-battery,
and the ground.
Upon occasion the policeman may operate the signals direct, and the buttons
upon the latches are provided for facilitating such operation. Upon occasion also,
the policeman may call up the directing-station by operating the call-boxes at the.
several signals, or in the lines of the same.
The utilization of the line-wires for the location of call-boxes and telephones or
call-boxes alone at convenient points increases the efficiency of the service and
promotes the public safety generally, and arrangements may be made for their use
by citizens, as well as members of the police and fire service.
It will thus be seen that by means of our invention policemen may be speedily.
and silently signaled and directed while in any part of the field under surveillance
from the directing-station, and also that upon occasion the directing-station may
be communicated with from the field by members of the police or fire service, or by
citizens.
It is apparent that the apparatus herein shown and described may be modified
without departing from our invention. Thus several signals may be located upon
one line, instead of each signal having independent connection with the directing-
station, and instead of operating the signals on closed circuits they may be operated
upon open circuits. The call-boxes and telephones may be dispensed with, if
desired, or the former may be used in conjunction with a code of signals without
the telephones. Again, when a signal is located near a telephone, such telephone
may be used, instead of locating a special telephone at the signal. The signal
proper may be retired, as well as displayed, by the use of suitable mechanism set
into operation by an electric current controled at the directing-station. Further-
more, our invention comprehends all forms of visual signals when distributed
throughout a field of surveillance and arranged to be operated electrically from a
directing-station, whether the signals are designed for use by day or by night, or
both, and whether the signal is made of glass or other material, or is given by the
modification of the flame of a light. We would therefore have it understood that
we do not limit ourselves to the exact construction shown and described, but hold
ourselves at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the
spirit and scope of our invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1st. An apparatus for communicating with policemen while on their beats from
a directing-station, consisting of electro-magnetically-operated visual signals dis-
tributed throughout the field under surveillance, a common directing-station, and
electrical connections between such signals and the directing-station, substantially
as set forth.
2nd. An apparatus for communicating with policemen while on their beats from
a directing-station, consisting of visual signals distributed throughout the field
under surveillance, and adapted to be electrically operated, electrical connections
between the signals and a directing-station, communicating apparatus located at
the station and connected with the field, and telephonic or equivalent means of
communicating between the station and field, substantially as set forth,

page_text: 3rd. An apparatus for communicating with policemen while on their beats from
a directing-station, consisting of visual signals distributed throughout the field
under surveillance, and adapted to be electrically operated, electrical connections
between the signals and the directing-station, call-boxes and telephones located in
said connections, and annunciating and telephonic apparatus located at the directing-
station and connected with the said call-boxes and telephones, substantially as
set forth.
4th. An apparatus for communicating with policemen while on their beats from
a directing-station, consisting of visual signals distributed throughout the field
under surveillance, and adapted to be electrically operated, electrical connections
between the signals and a diricting-station, call-boxes and telephones located in
such connections, annunciating and telephonic apparatus located at the station,
light batteries for operating the said annunciating apparatus, and a heavy battery
for operating the signals, and switched into circuit upon occasion, substantially as
set forth.
5th. An apparatus for communicating with policemen while on their beats from
a directing-station, consisting of visual signals employing colored lights distributed
throughout a field under surveillance, and adapted to be electrically operated, a
common diricting-station, and electrical connections between the signals and
directing-station, substantially as set forth.
6th. An apparatus for communicating with policemen while on their beats from
a directing-station, consisting of visual signals employing colored shades adapted
to be electrically operated, and applied to street-lamps distributed throughout the
field under surveillance, a common directing-station for such signals, and electrical
connections between the signals and the directing-station, substantially as set
forth.
7th. A visual signal consisting of a movable globe, a burner, electrically-controlled
mechanism for keeping the globe in normal retirement, and weights for operating
the globe to inclose the burner when it is released through the said mechanism,
substantially as set forth.
8th. A visual signal consisting of a globe attached to a fixture located upon a
movable tube inclosing the supply-pipe of a gas-burning street-lamp, a burner, a
latch engaging with the tube for holding the globe without the range of such
buruer, electro-magnets, and an armature for controlling the latch in its engagement
with the tube, and means for raising the tube for inclosing the burner by the globe,
substantially as set forth..