An Electric Contact-maker for Ringing Bells and for other analogous purposes.
Year: 1893

page_text: te of Application, 20th Mar., 1893--Accepted, 20th May, 1893
COMPLETE SERCITATION.
An Electric Contact-maker for Ringing Bells and for other
analogous purposes.
1, JAMES ROBERT MANN, Major General, retired from Her Majesty's Royal
Engineers, residing at No. 120, Cromwell Road, London, S.W. 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:
"
My invention consists in an extremely simple and inexpensive construction of
electric contact-maker, which may be actuated by the pulling of a cord from any
direction whatever, whether in the horizontal or vertical range; so that whilst it is
capable of taking the place of the ordinary push-piece," it is also under the easy
command of a person, or of several persons, wherever situated, in the same apart-
ment, without requiring the use of an inconvenient length of double conducting
wire with pear-shaped push-piece, which is liable to derangement, and is incapable
of adjustment in length, according to varying necessities.
In the accompanying drawings of my invention,
Figure 1. is a plan of the contact-maker, with the cover removed, and
Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the complete instrument.
It will be seen from Fig. 1, that the electric terminals are attached in the
usual way to a base, of non-conducting material; and a reference to Fig. 2 will
shew the manner in which the terminal plates are continued upwards, in a
curved form, until they nearly meet at the top, following in their curve the
comout of the inside of the cup-shaped cover which is fixed over them, and is
attached to the base before mentioned. The cover is provided with a hole at
the top, through which a short piece of cord or cat-gut or other similar durable
material passes; the end of this cord is attached to a metal ball, inside the cup;
this bail is less in diameter than the distance between the two terminals, and
consequently it cannot touch both terminals at the same time, unless the cord
is drawn tight, by means of the ring or hook on its outer end. It will be
apparent that a slight pull on the cord will raise the ball, which will then be
compelled, by the form of the interior of the cup, to place itself between the
terminal plates, and thus to complete the circuit by coming into contact with
both, at the same time. The amount of play allowed to the terminal plates is
limited by the size of the cup, but sufficient play is allowed to permit the ball
to move slightly, whilst pressing against the two terminal plates, thus producing
a small amount of friction, which insures the making of a perfect contact. The
form of the interior of the cup admits of the contact-maker being attached to
either a horizontal or a vertical surface, as may be found most convenient, as
in either case the ball must roll away from one if not from both of the terminals,
unless it be pulled by the cord.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
An electric contact-maker, consisting of a ball or other piece of metal attached
to a cord in such manner that the pulling of the cord brings the ball into contact
with the two terminals, and completes the circuit, substantially as described.
D
لرعد
3
1 1100