IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHS AND IN APPARATUS ADAPTED THERETO
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Nicoll Talbot of the City and State of New
York United States of America, Lawyer for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN AND CONNECTED WITH ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHS AND IN APPARATUS
ADAPTED THERETO
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Nicoll Talbot at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th February 1882.
CHARLES NICOLL TALBOT, of the City and State of New York, United States
of America, Lawyer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH ELECTRIC
TELEGRAPHS AND IN APPARATUS ADAPTED THERETO."
In many towns and cities, especially in the suburbs there are dwellings and
small manufactories that do not require messenger or telegraph facilities sufficiently
often to make it worth whilo for each person to have a call box.
The same is
true in buildings containing offices, and under all such circumstances telegraph and
messenger service would be a great convenience.
I provide one signal box for the use of several persons, families or business men,
the same being located at a convenient place for the use of such parties, and I
provide means by which the person requiring the service will be indicated at the
signal box, so that on the arrival of the messenger at the signal box he will be
enabled to know who wants him or what is wanted.
In carrying out my Invention I find it advantageous to employ a signal box
having the capacities hereafter set forth,
By this arrangement there might not be any charges to subscribers except for
actual service called for by him, her or them.
The various signal boxes in a city or given district are all numbered or desig-
nated in such a manner that when the door of the box is opened and the crank or
handle pulled down, a set of electric pulsations will be sent to the main or central
office indicating that particular box so that a messenger can be sent off to such
box.
The means for giving these electric calls, usually consists of a circuit make and
break wheel or slide that is operated by moving the handle.

page_text: It is also customary to provide a bell and electro-magnet and to use a circuit
breaking device operated by the door, so that when the door is opened the circuit
is closed to the bell and magnet the distant operator can telegraph back so that
the person operating the call box can wait a moment and see whether his call has
been understood and a messenger sent. I do not limit myself to any particular
kind of electric call or answering signal as employed in connection with this
apparatus.
The peculiar feature of the call box is a provision by which the person sending
the call can leave in the box a device by which the messenger on coming to the
box can tell what is wanted. This is accomplished by each person in the par-
ticular district having a numbered key or check card or similar device and placing
the same in the call box so that the messenger on arriving at the box and opening
the same would know where to go to obtain his instructions, this however
might be tampered with or removed by a second person coming to the same
signal box.
I avoid this by making a receptacle below the instrument in the call box and
providing a slit through which the card message, numbered check, telegram, or
other thing intended for the messenger can be inserted into the box and will fall to
the bottom.
The messenger has a key by which to open the door of this receptacle so as to
ascertain what is wanted, and either go to the place designated for instructions or
take the telegram to the general office to be sent or deliver the note card or message
to the place designated.
It is preferable to introduce a glass into this door or sides of the box so that
the messenger or sender can see whether there is anything remaining in the box.
In instruments that are provided with a flap or cover to the slit in the letter
box, the electric signalling device may be operated by the flap itself or the opening
and closing of the door of the box may operate the electric call so that the person
leaving the call will only need to raise the flap or move the door to give the signal
to the inain office.
If the signalling box is provided with numbers or multiple calls operated by
push buttons or other devices the person sending in the call may indicato at tho
signal box the thing wanted by a pre-arranged code and the messenger or
express man would have to go to the signalling box to find out where the call
came from.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Charles Nicoll Talbot in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th August 1882.
ss
CHARLES NICOLL TALBOT, of the City and State of New York United States
of America, Lawyer IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH ELECTRIC
TELEGRAPHS AND IN APPARATUS ADAPTED THERETO,"
In many towns and cities, especially in the suburbs, there are dwellings and
small manufactories that do not require messenger or telegraph facilities sufficiently
often to make it worth while for each person to have a call-box.
The same is true in buildings containing offices and under all such circumstances
telegraph and messenger service would be a great convenience.
I provide one signal box for the use of several persons, families or business-men,
the same being located at a convenient place for the use of such parties, and I
provide means by which the person requiring the service will be indicated at the
signal box, so that on the arrival of the messenger at the signal-box he will be
enabled to know who wants him or what is wanted In carrying out my
Invention I find it advantageous to employ a signal-box having the characteristics
hereinafter set forth.
In the Drawings
Fig. 1. is an elevation of a signal box according to my Invention and
Figure 2. is a vertical section of the same.
The various signal boxes in a city or given district are all numbered or designated
in such a manner that when the door a. of the box B is oponed and the crank
or handle b. pulled down, a set of electric pulsations will be sent to the main or
central office, indicating that particular box, so that a messenger can be sent off to
such box,
The means for giving those electric calls usually consist of a circuit make-and-
break wheel or slide that is operated by moving the handle.
It is also customary to provide a bell D and electro-magnet E and to use a
circuit breaking device d. operated by the door a. so that when the door is opened
the circuit is closed to the bell-magnet and the distant operator can telegraph
back, so that the person operating the call-box can wait a moment and see whether
his call has been understood and a messenger sent.
I do not limit myself to any particular kind of electric call or answering signal
as employed in connection with this apparatus.
The peculiar feature of the call-box is a provision by which the person sending
the call can leave in the box a device by which the messenger, on coming to the
box, can tell what is wanted.
This might be accomplished by each person in the particular district having a
numbered key or check-card or similar device, and placing the same in the call-
box, so that the messenger, on arriving at the box and opening the same would
know where to go to obtain his instructions.
This, however, might be tampered with or removed by a second person coming
to the samo signal-box.
I avoid this by making a receptacle m. below the instrument in the call-box and
providing a slit at o. which is covered by the door a. when said door is shut, and
through which the card, message, numbered check, telegram or other thing
intended for the messenger can be inserted into the box and will fall to the
bottom.
The messenger has a key by which to open the door n. of this receptacle, so as
to ascertain what is wanted and either go to the place designated for instructions

page_text: or take the telegram to the general office to be sent, or deliver the note, card or
message to the place designated.
It is preferable to introduce a glass into this door n. or in the sides of the box, so
that the messenger or sender can see whether there is anything remaining in
the box.
If the signaling-box is provided with numbers or multiple calls operated by
push buttons or other devices, the person sending in the call may indicate at the
signal box the thing wanted by a pre-arranged code, and the messenger or express
man would have to go to the signal-box to find out where the call came from.
In instruments that are provided with a flap or cover to the slit in the letter
box the electric signalling device may be operated by the flap itself or the opening
and closing of the door of the box may operate the electric call so that the person
leaving the call will only need to raise the flap or move the door to give the signal
to the main office.
By the use of a box such as described herein, there might be no charges to
subscribers except for actual service called for by them.
I claim as my Invention
The combination, in a box for telegraphic messenger service, of an electric
calling device, b. within the box, a receptacle m. for a message, a separate door n.
for said receptacle m. an opening o. in the case through which the message or card
is passed into the receptacle m. and a door a. that gives access to the electric
calling device, and also covers the opening o. when shut, substantially as set
forth.
In witness whereof I the said Charles Nicoll Talbot, have hereunto set my
band and seal this 26 day of July A.D. 1882.
140 Nassau F
ew York N.Y.
J. HAIB
33
"
»
Et
Witnesses
CHAS. H. SMITH,
"TAGIYI THOOTH STUHA
(07).