Improvements in and relating to Speaking Tubes, Chiefly Designed for Use in Cabs and other Vehicles.
Year: 1888

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by GEORGE A. BEACH, of Chicago, Illinois, United
States of America, Manufacturer.]
Improvements in and relating to Speaking Tubes, Chiefly Designed
for Use in Cabs and other Vehicles.
1, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex, 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 relates to speaking tubes for use in barouches, coupes, cabs and other
like vehicles or carriages.
The object of my invention is to provide a carriage speaking tube extending from the
seat of the carriage to the driver's seat thereof, which may be contracted or telescoped
out of the way, leaving no projecting part liable to injury or to affect the neat
appearance of the carriage, and which shall be of a simple, cheap and durable
construction and convenient to use.
My invention consists in a speaking tube composed of rubber hose, the hose being,
preferably, in two or more separate pieces telescoping one within the other, and
extending from the driver's seat, or from the vicinity of the driver's seat to the interior
of the carriage and provided with a mouth-piece at each end, the mouth-piece at the
driver's end of the tube fitting in a socket in the framework of the carriage so as to
prevent the tube or mouth-piece from projecting out in the way or injuring the neat
appearance of the carriage. The invention also consists in providing such carriage
speaking tube with one or more mouth-pieces having a hinged cap or cover provided
with a double disk whistle, one of the disks of the whistle being integral with the cap
disk, so that no part of the whistle will project beyond the hinged cap or cover of the
mouth-piece. The invention also consists in the novel devices and novel combinations
of parts and devices herein shown and described and more particularly pointed out in
the claims.

page_text: In the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a
longitudinal section of my improved speaking tube, showing the same as applied to an
ordinary coupe. Figure 2 is an enlarged section to show the construction of the
mouth-piece and whistle and of the socket in the carriage body to receive the mouth-
piece, Figure 3 is a partial vertical section on line 3-3 of figure 1. Figure 4 is a
detail perspective view of the wire spring clamp for holding the inner end of the tube
and mouth-piece. Figure 5 shows a modified form wherein the speaking tube is
composed of but two pieces of rubber hose. Figure 6 is an enlarged partial sectional
view showing the construction of the rubber hose or tubing, with its braided
silk covering. Figure 7 is a view showing another node of applying the invention to
a carriage wherein the tube extends from the driver's seat through the boot of the
carriage. This form of the invention is particularly applicable to barouches or
carriages having folding tops. Figure 8 is a detail view of the spring winding drum
shown in figure 7 for contracting the tube. Figure 9 is a modified form of the tube
wherein two telescoping sections are employed. Figure 10 shows another modified
form wherein a straight coupling is employed instead of the elbow coupling,
shown in figure 1. And Figure 11 illustrates the mode of applying the speaking tube
to an ordinary cab.
Like letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures of the drawing.
In said drawing A represents the carriage body, which may be of any ordinary form
as coupe, cab, barouche, etc. A¹ the carriage seat, A2 the driver's seat and A³ the
door of the carriage.
Bis the stationary or guiding section of the speaking tube in which the mouth-piece
section D slides or telescopes. As shown in figure 1, this guide tube B extends from
the front of the carriage body near and in easy reach of the driver's seat, under the
top or roof of the carriage. This tube B should be made of two or three-ply rubber
hose, and is, or may be, supported by the upholstering a, which thus serves to conceal
the tube from view as well as to support it. The driver's end of the tube B is secured
and firmly supported by a metallic socket or thimble, b¹, secured in a suitable hole, b,
in the frame-work A of the carriage-body. The socket has a flange, b², which is
countersunk in the frame. The thimble, 61, is shaped to receive the mouth-piece C
and constitutes the socket in which the mouth piece fits, and by which it is
concealed from view and protected from injury. The socket piece is provided with
screw-threads ³ on its sleeve portion 4, by" which it may be secured in the frame A*.
These screw-threads also serve to firmly unite the stationary tube B to the sleeve of the
thimble. A suitable cement, however, should be applied before the sleeve 64 is inserted
in the rubber hose tube B.
The mouth-piece C is secured to a sliding or telescoping section or part, D, of the
speaking-tube, which is preferably made of flexible hose, stiff enough, however, to be
readily pushed back into the tube B after it has been drawn out. This tube D is of
somewhat smaller diameter than the tube B, and is provided with a shoulder or button
enlargement, d, at its inner end, so that the friction thereof on the tube B will serve
to retain the sliding tube D in its retracted position.
The mouth-piece C is of a flaring conical or bell shape, and is furnished with a short
nearly-cylindrical rim or shoulder, c, having an inturned flange or fold, c', thus
forming a smooth rounded edge for the mouth piece, and also a seat or head for the
flange of the hinged cover F to fit or clasp over, and thus hold the hinged cover
securely closed. The rim or shoulder c is in fact made somewhat flaring, as indicated
clearly in figure 2, the outer edge of the shoulder being rounded by the fold c', so that
this rounded flaring shoulder has a kind of wedging action on the flange f of the
hinged cover, and springs the same outward as the cover is being closed. The
cover F is furnished with a hinge, f1, connected by a bracket or strap, 2, to
the mouth-piece C. The hinged cover F is furnished with a double-disk perforated
whistle. One disk of the whistle consists of the cover-disk F itself, which is furnished
with a raised center, 3, having a whistle hole or perforation, f, therein. The inner
disk f³, of the whistle is soldered upon the inside of the cover disk F, and is furnished

page_text: with a whistle hole or perforation, f, opposite the hole f in the disk F, but of
smaller diameter.
The inner or small end of the mouth-piece C is furnished with a short metal tube or
sleeve, C', soldered thereto, which is adapted to fit within the rubber hose or tube D,
and also with an outer thimble or sleeve, C, of a larger diameter, which is adapted to
fit over the hose tube D. The two sleeves C1 and C2 thus form between them an
annular chamber the thickness of the hose D, for the purpose of receiving and
securing the mouth-piece to the hose D. By simply pushing or inserting the end
of the hose into this annular chamber, a little cement of any suitable kind being
first applied, the mouth piece may be very securely, as well as easily attached to the
hose.
The stationary tube B is provided with a metallic elbow E, at its inner end, to which
a stationary tube G is attached, which extends down from the top of the carriage at
the side thereof to the carriage seat A¹. The section G is preferably made of rubber
hose, and may be attached to the elbow E in any suitable manner. It is provided at
its lower end with a mouth piece G', which is or may be in all respects similar to the
mouth piece C before described, and is provided with a similar hinged cover and
whistle. The tube G is further furnished near its lower end with a collapsible rubber
bulb, g, by which the whistle of the driver's mouth piece may be operated when desired.
The tube G extends down the side of the carriage, preferably in about the position
indicated in the drawings, and is held in place by a wire spring clamp, H, secured to
the frame of the carriage by a hinge h. The middle portion, h¹, is the pivot of the
hinge. The clamp has two vertical arms, 212, extending down from the pivot h¹, and
two horizontal arms, h3, h³, inclined toward each other. The arms ³ ³ stand in a
horizontal plane, or at about right angles to the vertical arms h² ². The horizontal
arm ³ ³ are connected to the vertical arms 22 by spring coils h* h*, which are
adopted to permit the clamp arms h³ ³ to spring or open outward from each other in
a horizontal plane. By reason of this double spring movement of the clamp arms h³½³
the mouth piece G¹ may be removed or disengaged from its holding clam readily,
whether it be pulled directly outward or up or down. The ends of the clamp arms h³½³
are furnished with curved ends or coils 15.
The mouth-piece sections D and G of the rubber hose speaking tube are, preferably,
covered with silk braidings s, as is clearly shown in figure 6. In the modification
shown in figure 5, the whistles and hinged caps are omitted from the mouth-pieces C
and G and the two mouth-piece sections D and G of the speaking tube are made of
one single piece of rubber hose, the same being made long enough to permit the
driver to pull the tube out of the guide tube B far enough to raise the mouth-piece C
into convenient position for use.
In figure
the stationary guide B is secured to and projects down through the
driver's seat A2 of the carriage. And the mouth piece sections D and G are made of
one continuous piece of rubber hose and extend down through the boot A¹ of the
carriage. In this construction stationary guide tube B' is employed, and the
continuous section D G of the tube is contracted by means of a winding drum N
actuated by a spring N¹ which serves to draw or telescope the tube within the guide
tube B. In this construction the wire spring clamp H may be secured to the front
wall of the carriage body just below the front window.
In figure 9 the section G is made to telescope within the guide section B. This
construction is a desirable one to use in carriages having folding tops and where the
speaking tube extends through the boot A* of the carriage.
In figure 11 the invention is shown as applied to an ordinary cab. In this
construction the sections D and G are made of one continuous piece of hose
and the guide tube B is secured to and projects down through the top of the cab
body A.
In operation the occupant by simply blowing through the mouth-piece G¹ or
compressing the bulb g, blows the whistle or call on the driver's mouth piece C,
when the driver lifts the mouth piece C from its socket, thus pulling out the section D,

page_text: and then opens the cover F when the driver and occupant of the carriage may
converse together through the speaking tube, with convenience.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The combination, with a rigid or nonfolding closed carriage body, of a telescoping
or sliding speaking tube B, D, G, having mouth pieces C, G¹, the stationary tube or
guide B, communicating with a hole or opening through the carriage body, and the
carriage body being provided with a socket to receive and conceal said mouth piece C,
said tube D sliding or telescoping entirely within the carriage body, substantially as
specified.
2. The combination of a carriage body, A, stationary tube B, having a thimble, b¹,
at its outer end, said tube B being secured to the top of the carriage under the
upholstery and provided with an elbow, E, at its inner end, sliding tube D, provided
with a mouth piece C, at its outer end, said carriage body being provided with a
socket to receive said mouth piece, dependent tube G, secured to said elbow and
provided with a mouth piece, G¹, said mouth piece being furnished with a hinged
cap, F, provided with a double disk whistle, one disk of said whistle being integral
with said hinged cap, substantially as specified.
3. The combination with carriage body A, stationary tube B, having thimble 6' at
its outer end, said tube B being secured at the top of the carriage under the upholstery
and provided with an elbow, E, at its inner end, sliding tube D, provided with a
mouth piece, C, at its outer end, said carriage body being provided with a socket to
receive said mouth piece, dependent tube G, secured to said elbow and provided with
a mouth piece, G', said mouth-piece being furnished with a hinged cap, F, provided
with a double disk whistle, and one disk of said whistle being integral with said
hinged cap-disk, said tube G being furnished with flexible rubber bulb, g, substantially
as specified.
4. In a carriage speaking tube, the combination, with a speaking tube, of its mouth
piece or bell, a hinged perforated cap-disk having a flange fitting over the rim of said
imouth piece, and a second perforated disk inside said cap disk and forming with said
cap-disk a whistle, substantially as specified.
5. The combination, with a carriage and carriage speaking tube, of a wire spring
mouth-piece-holder clamp, H, having a pivot portion, ³, hinged to the carriage frame,
and arms 22 and h³ ³ standing in planes at about right angles to each other and
connected by spring-coils * *, substantially as specified.
6. The combination, with a speaking tube, of a wire spring clamp, H, having
hinge h¹, arms h² ², clamp arms h³ h³, connected at an angle to said arms 2 h² by
spring coils hh, said clamp arms h³ ³ having coiled or curved ends ho ho, substantially
as specified.
7. In a carriage speaking tube, the combination, with a speaking tube, its mouth
piece or bell C, furnished with an inner sleeve, (, and an outer sleeve, C², said
sleeves (forming an annular chamber between them to fit and receive the end of
the speaking tube, substantially as specified.
8. In a carriage speaking tube, the combination, with a speaking tube, its mouth
piece or bell C, having shoulder or rim, c, furnished with an inturned flange or rim, c¹,
and a hinged cover F, having a flange, f, adapted to fit over said rim C and provided
with a central whistle perforation, and a second perforated disk inside said cap-disk
and forming with said cap disk a whistle, substantially as specified.
9. The carriage speaking tube extending from the driver's seat of the carriage to
the interior of the carriage body, and consisting in the combination with a stationary
rubber hose guide tube section B, of the sliding rubber hose section D telescoping
within said section B and furnished with a mouth piece C, fitting in a suitable socket
on the carriage within reach of the driver's seat, and rubber hose section furnished'
with a mouth piece G¹, substantially as specified.

page_text: 10. The carriage speaking tube extending from the driver's seat of the carriage to
the interior of the carriage body through the boot of the carriage, and consisting in
the combination with a stationary rubber hose guide tube section B, of the sliding
rubber hose section D telescoping within said section B, and furnished with a mouth
piece C, fitting in a suitable socket on the carriage within reach of the driver's seat,
said mouth piece C having a hinged cover F furnished with double disk whistle, and
rubber hose section G furnished with a mouth-piece G¹, substantially as specified.
Total thin 10th day of August 1888
1
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.