Improvements in Electric Alarm and Call Clocks.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Dec., 1891-Accepted, 16th Jan., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electric Alarm and Call Clocks.
We JOSEPH LOUIS CLERC, JEAN PICKARD, and IRÉNÉE ROUGEANT, of
Toulouse, France, Manufacturers, 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 new or improved system of electric alarm and call clock is based on the
principle of two circuit-breakers, one of which is mechanical and the other
automatic, setting at work one or more bells near or at any given distance from
the apparatus.
This new or improved electric alarm or call clock is intended for use more
particularly in hotels and other large establishments, but it may be advantageously
adopted in private houses. It is composed:
1. Of a time-niece moved by clockwork
The clock dial is made of any insulating material, upon which are fixed metal
knobs A. B intended to be used as points of contact placed at the hours and half-
hours.
The hour hand C carries a very thin silver blade D, which, as the hand moves
round, rubs against the knobs A B one after the other. A conducting wire E
connects this blade D with the first knob G of the bell.
The notice board is a pannel of wood or other insulating material upon which
the 12 hours of the days are represented; on the right and left of each hour are
placed metal knobs H I, the knob H on the left indicating the hour, and the
knob I on the right, the half-hour. These knobs are connected with those of the
clock by conducting wires L passing inside the notice board and by outer wires
running from the notice board to the clock with knobs M fixed above the frame
and acting as points of junction between the outer and inner wires. These con-
ducting wires L are represented in the drawing by dotted lines showing the inner
wires, and by full lines showing the outer wires; underneath each of these two
knobs H I are two metal fingers NO fixed to the same pin, and describing the
segment of a circle, the fingers communicating with the negative pole of the
battery by means of a connecting wire P and connecting the knobs H I of
the notice board with such negative pole; this connection is formed by placing
one of the blades NO upon one of the knobs HI of the hour or half-hour. At
the side of each hour figure there are also two hooks R S upon which the tickets T
hereafter mentioned are to be hung.
Upon the notice board there are, besides the hour figures, as many hooks V, as
there are rooms in the hotel or establishment; upon these hooks are hung tickets T
bearing the numbers of such rooms, or plain blank tickets upon which any message
or order may be written.
The electric battery is composed of one or more elements according as one or more
bells are to be rung. The positive pole X is connected with the 2nd knob Z of
the bell or bells. The negative pole P is connected directly with the notice board
and runs through the interior of the same; it is thus placed in constant communi-
cation with all the fingers or circuit breakers, and as the knobs HI are already
connected with the knobs A B placed each at its hour or half-hour respectively
all round the dial, the consequence is that the electric fluid is carried from the
battery to the contacts of the dial every time that one of the fingers NO is placed
upon one of the corresponding knobs H I; so that when the blade D of the hour
[Price 6d.

page_text: hand C touches the contacts of the dial corresponding with the fingers N or O
(placed in the position for establishing cominunication), the circuit is fully
established and the bell or bells are rung.
The apparatus works in the following manner; the service of a commercial
hotel being taken as an example. A traveller occupying the room No. 15 wishes
to be called up the following morning at half-past nine and to have some hot water
at the same time. He goes to the office of the hotel, in which our apparatus is
fixed, and gives his order to the person in charge. This person immediately takes
a ticket T No. 15 and places it upon the hook S at the right of the figure IX on
the notice board; he then takes a blank ticket or a slip of paper or other suitable
material, and writing upon it "hot water, No. 15" places it also upon the hook S;
(it is evident that these orders may even be written upon the numbered tickets T ;)
he now brings forward the finger O to the knob 1, and the operation is terminated.
It will thus be observed that in case there is no one in the office, the traveller may
himself make his order known. The apparatus then works as follows: as the clock
moves, the hour hand C will come to half-past nine; at that time the blade D will
come in contact with the knob B of half-past nine and complete the circuit. Upon
this, the bell will begin to ring and continue for a certain given time but will stop
as soon as the finger O is put out of contact with the knob I, consequently the
person who breaks the communication will see, upon the hook S, the ticket 15 and
the order "hot water No. 15 and will thus know that the person occupying room
No. 15 must be called, and hot water taken up to him. It will be easily under-
stood that this operation may be repeated every hour and half-hour in the same
manner, and also that the hooks RS must be large enough to hold any number
of tickets desirable, inasmuch as several persons may have orders for the same
time.
The advantages of our alarm and call clock are therefore considerable; the bell
or bells may be set in motion every hour or half hour without winding up any
mechanism or clockwork, all that is required being to establish simple contacts by
means of the above described interruptors.
Upon the same principle as many bells may be set in motion as the service
requires, and the movements may be extended to the quarters before and after the
hour, all that is necessary being to place other knobs on the dial and on the notice
board, exactly the same as for the hours and half-hours.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :
1. The system of electric alarm and call clock above described, and characterized
by the fact of its being based upon a double circuit breaker, one of which being
mechanical, and the other automatic.
2. The mechanism and arrangements above described for the purpose of attaining
the results herein mentioned without restriction to details, it being clear that the
same ends may be accomplished upon the principles herein set forth without
adopting mechanism similar in every detail.
Dated this Fifth day of December 1891.
A. H. REED,
Agent for Applicants.