Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 16th July, 1887
Complete Left, 13th Apr, 1888
Comolete Accepted, 18th May, 1888
I SAMUEL GRATRIX of Alport Town Manchester in the county of Lancaster Lead
Merchant and Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to the speaking tubes used in houses offices, warehouses,
manufactories and other places for the purpose of communicating from one room or
floor to another, and the principal object of the invention is to enable the person
using the speaking tube to hear the replies and maintain the conversation without
having alternately to speak through the mouthpiece and then apply his ear to the
same to hear the answer.
The metallic box or coupling to which the speaking tube and the mouthpiece are
attached is also provided with a third opening at the side which is covered by a
revolving plate or disc to which is connected one end of an elastic tube having an
ear-piece at the other end.
The revolving plate, to which the ear tube is attached, is so constructed that when
the tube is allowed to remain in its ordinary vertical hanging position it closes the
side opening so that there is no communication between the speaking tube and the
ear tube, but whenever the latter is raised to place it to the ear it opens the communi-
cation with the speaking tube.
The metallic box or coupling is provided with two short tubes (one above and one
below) which are screwed outside with the same thread. The speaking tube is
screwed to one of these tubes and the other is covered by a screw cap and as the
screws are alike these two are interchangeable so as to be easily fitted to an ascending
or a descending tube.
The mouthpiece is fitted with a stopper in the form of a whistle as usual.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Speaking Tubes.
I SAMUEL GRATRIX of Alport Town Manchester in the County of Lancaster Lead
Merchant and Manufacturer 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 invention relates to the speaking tubes used in houses, offices, warehouses
manufactories, and other places for the purpose of communicating from one room or
floor to another, and the principal object of the invention is to enable the person
using the speaking tube to hear the replies and maintain the conversation without
having alternately to speak through the mouthpiece and then apply his ear to the same
to hear the answer.
:
The nature of my said invention and the manner in which the same is to be
performed or carried into practical effect will be readily understood on reference to
the annexed sheet of drawings and the following explanation thereof.
Fig. 1. on the drawings is a vertical section of the mounting of a speaking tube
with my invention shown as applied thereto, and Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof
shown partly in section.
a is a short metal tube or ferrule to which the speaking tube a¹ (shown by the
dotted lines) is attached. In the drawing the speaking tube is shown as proceeding
upwards, but I would here remark that by reversing the positions of the ferrule a and
the screw cap b on the metallic or coupling e the apparatus can be easily adapted to a
speaking tube which proceeds from below.
The mouthpiece d is screwed into the box or coupling c in the usual manner and
the latter (besides the ordinary openings to the mouthpiece and the speaking tube) is
provided with a third opening e, at the side which is covered by a partially revolving
plate or disc e¹ to which is connected one end of an elastic tube f having an ear
piece g at the other end.
The partially revolving plate e¹ is constructed with a recess or chamber h so that
when the tube fis allowed to remain in its ordinary vertical hanging position (as
shown at Fig. 2 and dotted at Fig. 1.) it closes the side opening e so that there is no
communication between the speaking tube a and the ear tube f, but whenever the
latter is raised up into the position drawn at Fig. 1, so as to place it to the ear; it
opens the communication with the speaking tube a.
The metallic box or coupling c is provided with two short tubes i and k (one above
and one below) which are screwed outside with the same thread. The ferrule a of
the speaking tube is screwed to one, and the screw cap b onto the other and as the
screws are alike these two are interchangeable (as before mentioned) so as to be easily
fitted to an ascending or descending speaking tube.
The mouthpiece is fitted with a stopper 7 in the form of a whistle as usual.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I wish to remark that I am
aware that it is not new to employ in connection with speaking tubes, a coupling
having attached thereto both a mouthpiece and a hearing tube and therefore to such
arrangement per se I lay no claim but I declare that what I claim is :-
A box or coupling for speaking tubes having an additional opening at one side
thereof in combination with a partially revolving chambered plate or equivalent
fitting, to which is attached the hearing tube, the hole and the chamber being so
arranged that when the hearing tube is out of use and hangs down in a vertical
position the opening or communication is closed and that tho act of raising the car
tube to place it to the ear shall open the said communication substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by the drawings annexed.
GEORGE DAVIES,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester,
Agent for the Applicant.