Year: 1885

page_text: I, JOHN GILLETT LIVESAY of Cromartie House, Ventnor, Isle of Wight, Civil
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Contact makers for electric bells as at present made consist of a spring button
which upon being pushed in,makes contact and completes the circuit thereby
ringing the bell-Usually only two or three buttons at the most are provided for
a room and therefore a person wishing to ring the bell generally has to rise and
walk some distance-It is not advisable to greatly increase the number of these
push buttons as each one is liable to get out of order.
By my invention what may be called a continuous contact maker is provided-
My contact maker consists of two metallic wires carried side by side but not
touching each other inside a flexible tube, say of india rubber, in such a manner
that when the tube is pressed upon the wires are brought together and contact is
made A convenient way of doing this is to divide the tube into two equal parts
by means of a longitudinal diaphragm which is split down the middle-The two
wires are inserted one into one half and the other into the other half of the tube
being normally kept from touching each other by the split diaphragm. When
however the tube is squeezed so as to elongate the diameter in which the
diaphragm is situated the split opens and allows the wires to be pressed into
contact. When the pressure is taken off the elasticity of the tube makes it resume
its former shape and contact is broken-The wires may be formed of spiral springs
to assist in, doing this.
These contact makers may be used at any point of their length and may be
carried all round a room forming a beading on the walls or along the top of the
back of a row of seats or in any other convenient position..
DL1
tion 100%
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Electric Bells.
I JOHN GILLETT LIVESAY of Cromartie House, Ventnor, Isle of Wight, Civil
Engineer 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:—
Contact makers for electric bells as at present made consist of a spring button
which upon being pushed in makes contact and completes the circuit thereby
ringing the bell. Usually only two or three buttons at the most are provided for
a room and therefore a person wishing to ring the bell generally has to rise and
walk some distance. It is not advisable to greatly increase the number of these
push buttons as each one is liable to get out of order.
By my invention what may be called a continuous contact maker is provided.
My contact maker consists of two metallic wires carried side by side but not
touching each other inside a flexible tube, say of india rubber, in such a manner
that when the tube is pressed upon the wires are brought together and contact is
made. A convenient way of doing this is to divide the tube into two equal parts
by means of a longitudinal diaphragm which is split down the middle. The two
wires are inserted one into one half and the other into the other half of the tube
being normally kept from touching each other by the split diaphragm. When
however the tube is squeezed so as to elongate the diameter in which the
diaphragm is situated the split opens and allows the wires to be pressed into
contact. When the pressure is taken off the elasticity of the tube makes it
resume its former shape and contact is broken. The wires may be formed of spiral
springs to assist in doing this.
These contact makers may be used at any point of their length and may be
carried all round a room forming a beading on the walls or along the top of the
back of a row of seats or in any other convenient position.
A short length of a contact maker formed in the above manner is shewn on an
enlarged scale at Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing annexed.
In Figure 1 the wire spirals are shown separated the one from the other by the
split longitudinal diaphragm. In Figure 2 the tube is shown as being compressed
so as to separate the parts of the diaphragm the one from the other and to bring
the two wire spirals into contact the one with the other.
When the tube is relieved from pressure it regains its original form and the
conductors return to the positions shown at Figure 1.
Other ways than that shown of carrying two wire conductors within a flexible
tube so that normally the two conductors are kept apart one from the other may
be adopted.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1. A continuous contact maker composed of a flexible tube having within it two
conductors which normally are held apart from one another but which can be
brought into contact by compressing the tube at any part of its length substantially
as described.
2. A contact maker formed substantially as herein before described and
illustrated in the drawing annexed.