IMPROVEMENTS IN TELEPHONE TRANSMITTERS
Year: 1885

page_text: I RODERICK PRYOR of the Firm of Miles Bros and Co of 79 Gracechurch Street
in the City of London Merchant do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN TELEPHONE TRANSMITTERS" a communication to me from
abroad by Messra Miles and Coy of Christchurch New Zealand Merchants to be as
follows:-
:
This invention has for its object improvements in telephone transmitters and
consists in substituting mineral ore for the substances at present in use in such
instruments.
Telephone transmitters are generally made with permanent or electro magnets,
carbon in various forms, diaphragms and induction coils. This invention relates
to battery telephone transmitters, in which any or either of the foregoing appli-
cations are dispensed with:-mineral ores being used instead of carbon or other
substances for contact makers and tension regulators. Chalcopyrite being non-
oxidizing, non-sparkling and varying the electric current according to pressure is
very suitable for telephone apparatus. It may be used in any of the various forms
in which carbon and other substances have heretofore been used, such as in
granules, blocks, pencils, plates, buttons or knobs with or without a diaphragm.
Dated this 26th day of August 1885.

page_text: Improvements in Telephone Transmitters.
I RODERICK PRYOR of the firm of Miles Bro® & Co of 79 Gracechurch Street in
the City of London Merchant 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:―
-
Telephone transmitters are generally made and constructed with the use of
permanent and electro magnets, carbon in various forms diaphragms, and induction
coils, but this invention relates to battery telephone transmitters, dispensing with
any 'or either of the foregoing applications, I find I can use mineral ores instead of
carbon as contact makers and tension regulators. I find chalcopyrite being non
oxidizing non sparking and varying the electric current according to pressure to be
the most practical for telephone purposes. I also find that it may be used in
various forms and I have obtained good results from it: in sundry shapes as
granules, blocks, pencils, plates, buttons or knobs with or without the use of
diaphragm.
*
annex drawings of constructions which have given me very satisfactory results.
N° 1 represents a telephone transmitter consisting of a plate or button attached
by means of a spiral spring to the bottom or back of the case. Through the spring
I pass one or more pencils or buttons or knobs or surfaces fixed to an adjusting
screw with pencil or pencils or buttons & forming an electrode the plate or button
the other. Or the pencils or buttons & may form separate electrodes the plate or
button collecting and transmitting the current from the one to the other. The
plate or button may also be suspended by means of springs attached to it and to
the side of the case, in place of the spiral spring.
N° 2 represents a plate or button suspended by side springs (or it might be by
means of spiral springs as in N° 1) under which I use two pencils or buttons or
knobs or surfaces insulated from each other fixed to and insulated from an
adjusting screw. The electrodes are formed as in N° 1:
.
No 3 is a modification of N° 2 in which I am enabled to adjust the pencils or
buttons & separately. 2.1.
No 4 represents two plates or buttons or pencils or surfaces attached by means
of springs or elastic substance to the case vibrating against each other each one
forming a separate electrode,
The plate or button in these various forms of construction may be made of
metal, and the pencils buttons & of mineral ore or vice versa or both plate or
button and pencils or buttons & of ore only.
The novelty of this invention for which I claim protection is the use of any
mineral ore in its natural state or any artificial imitation of which any part or
parts or any mineral ore may form its component part or parts in the use of and
for the purpose of forming a telephone transmitter which transmitter may be
constructed as follows:-a plate or button suspended by means of spring or springs
or elastic substance in connection with one or more plates or pencils or buttons or
knobs or surfaces the plate or button forming an electrode the pencils or buttons &

page_text: the other, or the pencils or buttons & forming separate electrodes the plate or
button collecting and transmitting the current from one to the other.
The plate or button is made of mineral ore preferably of chalcopyrite the
pencil or pencils or buttons & of metal or vice versa or both plate or button and
3 pencil or pencils or buttons & of mineral ore only, thus dispensing with the
use of permanent or electro magnets carbon in various forms diaphragms and
induction coils.
I claim also the use in telephone transmitters of chalcopyrite substantially as
herein described.