IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO SIGNAL APPARATUS FOR USE IN BUILDINGS, VESSELS, AND OTHER PLACES OR SITUATIONS."
Year: 1881

page_text: "
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Henry Botten at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 7th February 1881.
HENRY BOTTEN, of 40, Canrobert Street, in the County of Middlesex.
IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO SIGNAL APPARATUS FOR USE IN BUILDINGS,
VESSELS, AND OTHER PLACES OR SITUATIONS."
My improvements relate chiefly to that class of signals known as pneumatic bells,
but an important part thereof relate to the method of giving or recording signals
in several different places simultaneously, and particularly on board vessels, say,
vessels of war, where it is sometimes, necessary to a great extent to destroy the
usefulness of watertight bulk heads, by making such large openings for the passage
of the signal apparatus that the water can pass from one compartment to another
in considerable quantities.
.
First, then, as regards the striking apparatus for the bell, the usual means
employed for ringing what is called a "chattering" signal, is to employ a rotary
hammer or arm with a loose head at each end; this is attached by the centre of
the arm to a spindle or arbor carrying a pinion driven by a toothed wheel, the
spindle of which is driven by means of a pinion gearing with a peculiarly shaped
toothed sector or segment.
Now I simplify this by driving the spindle of the main toothed wheel by a
common pawl or ratchet motion, such as is employed in the winding mechanism
of clocks. The pawl is pivotted to the lever, which is actuated direct from the air
bag; as it moves one way it carries round the ratchet wheel and rotary striker or
hammer, but the other way it slips over the teeth of the ratchet wheel.
mechanisin is enclosed in a close fitting case, preferably of brass, so as to keep out
air, and water, sand, etcetera; this is an important feature, as oxidation frequently
spoils the action of these bells, particularly in new buildings and at sea.
This
For the single stroke signal, I adopt a very simple arrangement. The top of the
expanding bag pushes the end of a bent and weighted lever, the other end of which
catches the end of the hammer arm, pivotted near the end, and as the bag extends
the hammer head is drawn back from the bell against a spring or equivalent until
having reached a certain point the arm slips and the head flies sharply forward
and strikes the bell. The weight or equivalent on the bent arm draws it back

page_text: again as the bag collapses till it passes the end of the striker arm, which may be
jointed for the purpose, and is ready for another blow.
The indicator (or appraatus for showing whence the signal comes) is in general
arrangement similar to those in ordinary use, but the chattering or single_stroke
signal apparatus belonging to it I prefer to operate as above described, and I use a
special apparatus for working the "shutters or signal plates upon which the name
of the place from which the signal came is depicted. I generally hinge or pivot
these so that they lie when not in use in a horizontal direction, but when one of
them is used it flies into a vertical position behind the glass window, and is clearly
visible from the front of the case. I use a curved lever pivotted at one end and
having a short branch from its centre or thereabouts, hooked at its end; this hook
catches upon the stem or boss of the shutter and holds it down until the bag
expands, brings forward the loose end of the curved lever, which releases the hook,
and a pin projecting from the side of the branch brings the shutter forward into
position behind the window. There are of course as many expanding bags and
shutters to the indicator as are required, and I generally arrange these in horizontal
rows, so that a whole row of shutters may be pivotted on one rod; the ends of a
whole row of the curved levers. also may be pivotted by one rod, which I prefer to
make capable of partially revolving, and I attach to it several arms, the end of
each projecting over the expanding bag, by preference just beside the curved arm
which actuates the shutter; a long rod hangs down from the signal apparatus and
a pin or stud projects from it where it passes each row of shutters; a suitable arm
projecting from cach rotative rod catches one of these pins, so that each time a bag
is expanded, the particular shutter belonging to it is raised and the bell rung at the
same time. '
The rods upon which the shutters are pivotted are also capable of partial rotary
motion and the bosses of the shutters are all loose upon them, but the bosses are
slotted in a direction at right angles to the rods, and a pin projects from the rod
through each of these slots, so that the shutters cannot move along the rods but
may revolve partly round on them. The normal position of these pins is such is
such that the shutter cannot be moved past the vertical position, and if the rod be
turned partly round the pin coming into contact with the end of the slot, forces
the shutter back to its-usual horizontal position. An arm projecting from each
rod and jointed to a long rod, usually vertical, enables all the shutters to be
returned to their places simultaneously, or any single one independently of all the
others.
"C
I prefer to fasten the rose into the 'push box" or box which holds the collapsible
bag and "
push" by employing a thin bridge having a short tube projecting
inwards; the bottom of this tube instead of being cut off straight is slanted or
bevelled like the commencement of an archimedean screw with preferably two
threads. Inside this tube fits a smaller tube, cemented or otherwise firmly secured
to the "rose," and having one or more, but preferably two, pins projecting at right
angles from its axis, and near its end. Small grooves are formed in the bridge and
outer tube to allow these pins to pass and to receive the rose and top; it is only
necessary to insert the smaller tube and turn it partly round, when the inclined
planes upon the bottom of the outer tube draw all firmly together.
It is sometimes convenient to have the "push" at the top of a room and worked
with an ordinary bell rope, this I accomplish by using what I call a "joist
bracket." This consists simply of a box or open bracket, within or upon which is
the collapsible bag; a lever is pivotted at one end of the box and extends across the
bag, and has a hole at the other end to which the pull rope or a wire or equivalent
from it is attached. Sometimes in order to get a parallel compression upon the
bag, I pivot one or more short levers to the cross lever and connect these to a plate
which compresses the bag. The whole bracket or bag is secured to the joist, and
by pulling the cord the bag is compressed just the same as when a simple push is
used. It is of course evident that this bracket can be fixed either to the ceiling
joist or the floor joist, and can be worked by a rope, as just described, or with the

page_text: intervention of suitable cords, wires, or rods, by a "lever pull" fixed as usual upon
the wall.
When these signals are used in large places, and particularly on board ship, it is
often of importance to be able to record the same message or signal in several
places at the same time, and where watertight bulk heads are used it is manifestly
of importance that their utility should not be interfered with by making holes or
slots in them unprotected. Now I manage this by employing a rigid rod or
equivalent to actuate all the dials in one circuit. The hands may be actuated by
the ordinary rack and pinion motion, but I prefer to make the rod round where it
passes through the dial case and use stuffing boxes to keep out damp, water, dust,
etcetera. A self-lubricating packing may be used in all boxes with advantage.
When the rod has to pass through a bulk head, I simply insert a stuffing box
through which the rod passes and the whole is secure. The advantage of this plan
over the usual one of cutting holes or slots in the bulk heads needs no special
comment. Pins projecting from the rod form a hold for the jaws of a forked lever,
by preference jointed near its lower end; this works the rod backwards and
forwards as needed. Of course other means may be employed for actuating the rod,
but the above is a convenient one to adopt. Bell cranks may be used for taking
the motion round corners or changing its direction, and I can control almost any
reasonable number of dials simultaneously by the means herein described, which is
another advantage of this system, as formerly four was the maximum limit.
I sometimes employ a chain or equivalent in place of the rigid rod, but then it
is in lengths and attached to the ends of the rack rods of the dial cases outside the
stuffing boxes; the same remark applies to the bulk heads, etcetera. When a single
chain is employed, the end must be returned to the starting point, because which
ever way it is worked a pull only can be given. When using a double line of
chain, I generally use a wheel instead of the rack; the spindle of this wheel comes
through the case (with a stuffing box, if desired), and a double ended arm or lever
is fixed on it by the centre, one chain is attached to each end.