Improvements in and connected with Electrical Annunciators.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 9th May, 1896
COMPLETE DI ECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Electrical Annunciators.
A communication by HENRY BUCKNER HIGGINS, of Minneapolis, in the County
of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, United States of America, Expert
Accountant.
I WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool and 6 Bank Street,
Manchester both in the County of Lancaster, 118 New Street, Birmingham in
the County of Warwick and 31 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
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 :-
This invention relates to improvements in electrical annunciators, and consists in
the features of construction hereinafter described and claimed.
In the drawings ;
Fig. 1 is an elevation of the annunciator with the face removed to show the
interior mechanism, the connected signal bell and recorder, and detail of the central
rear portion, and diagrammatic illustration of the battery and connected wiring;
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the preferred form of dial or face, the full lines showing
its position when registering with one series of inscriptions upon the plate in
the rear, and the dotted lines the position of the other series of inscriptions on the
rear plate, into registering position with which the dial may be moved in the
operation of the apparatus ;
Fig. 3 is an elevation of a modified form of annunciator having a dial face which
may be shifted vertically so as to bring its openings into registering position with
the different series of inscriptions upon the rear face. One series of these
inscriptions is shown in full lines with which the openings register. The dotted
lines indicate the inscriptions of other series concealed by the dial in the position
in which it is shown;
Fig. 4 is a detail of the recorder ;
Fig. 5 is a sectional view, and
Fig. 6 is a partial plan detail of the push buttons or circuit closers.
In the drawings A represents the annunciator made up of the base 2, adapted to
be secured to any suitable support by means of screws 4. Upon this base the
plate 6 is secured by means of the screws 8. Fis the clock work mounted upon the
plate 6, comprising the coil springs 10, the gear wheels 12, 14 and 16, the bevel
pinion 18 mounted upon the central shaft and the winding key 20. Operated by
means of this mechanism is the shaft 22 carrying the indicator needle 24 on the
front end, and on the rear end the switch arm 26. G is the electric magnet
having the cores 32 and the windings 34, and provided with the armature 28
mounted on the pin 30. The armature is provided with the spring 38 which tends
to draw it away from the magnet, and a dog 36 adapted to engage the gear wheel 16
when drawn toward it by means of the spring 38. The armature also carries
the insulated metallic strip 40 normally making contact with the screw 42,
adjustable in the post 44, and also adapted when oscillated in the opposite
direction by the magnet G, to make similar contact with the adjustable screw 46
and the post 48.
Arranged centrally on the base 2 as shown in Fig. 1 is the make-and-break

page_text: mechanism, comprising a series of springs 50, substantially radially arranged
thereon, and insulated upon supports 52 to make electrical contact with the
pins 54, and through them with the insulated metallic ring 56, to which the pins
are secured, but adapted to be thrown out of contact with said pins by the switch
arm 26. The automatic recorder C is connected to the case of the annunciator by
riveting its sides thereto as shown in Fig. 1. The recorder is made up of the
following parts: The type-cylinder 62 mounted upon the countershaft 60, which is
journaled in the side 64 of the recorder and carries a bevel gear 58 which
meshes with a bevel gear 18 of the annunciator mechanism so as to be driven
thereby. Immediately above the type-cylinder and having journal support in the
side 64, is the ink roller 68, by means of which the ink is applied to the type-
cylinder in the ordinary way. Arranged beneath the type-cylinder is the
magnet 74, the coils of which are connected by means of the wire 88 with the
magnet G of the annunciator so as to be simultaneously energized. Interposed
between the magnet and the type-cylinder is the armature 70 having pivotal support
upon the wall 64, and held normally away from the magnet by the spring 71. The
paper tape 76 running from the tape wheel 66 is carried between the type-cylinder
and the armature as shown in Fig. 4, being directed in its course by the hooks or
guides 72 carried by the armature. The type cylinder is also provided with points
or teeth to engage the tape and to carry it along in its rotation between the guides.
The spring 71 besides drawing the armature away from the magnet bears upon the
tape so as to press it upon the type-cylinder and take the imprint of the notation
which is in position when the annunciator is operated, the inscriptions upon the
cylinder corresponding in character and arrangement with the inscriptions upon the
annunciator dial, so that when an indication is made by the annunciator the parts
will have operated in unison so that the corresponding inscription upon the type-
cylinder is presented to the tape and when the current is broken the magnet 74 is
de-energized and the armature strikes the paper against the inscription thus
presented to it, and becomes imprinted to make the record.
In Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings is shown the construction of the circuit closer or
push button 78. This consists of a double pole magnet push button 99, in which
when the button 102 is depressed, the armature 104 makes contact against the
cores 100 of the magnet, which project through the wooden base 101 of the
button. The armature and button are normally held out of contact with
the magnet by the spring 103 secured to the base 101. The current is conducted
to the spring and through it to the armature, which when it touches the magnet
cores allows the current to enter them, and pass thence through the connected
windings, and off through the circuit made thereby. The circuit thus made is
therefore held closed until broken at some exterior point whereby the magnet will
be de-energized, and permit the spring 103 to pull the armature 104 away from it,
thereby breaking the circuit.
The push button 78 is located at the room or station in which the call is to be
made, which when pressed closes the circuit through the batteries 81, the main
wires 82, the button, the branch wire 84, the corresponding spring support 52, its
spring 50, its pin 54, ring 56, wire 86, post 48, magnet G, wire 88, printing
magnet 74, and wire 106 to the battery 81. By this current the magnet G is
energized, which then attracts the armature 28, carrying the dog 36 out of
engagement with the gearwheel 16, permitting the clock work F to start.. The
shaft 22 of the clock work rotates the indicating needle 24, and contact breaking
arm 26, until the arm presses the spring 50 corresponding to the push button
operating away from its pin 54. By the breaking of the current the magnet G
is de-energized, and the spring 38 draws the armature 28 away from the magnet,
and thrusts the dog 36 again into engagement with the gear wheel 16, thereby
stopping the clock work, and further movement of the needle 24 and arm 26.
The needle then indicates the call corresponding with the button operated and the
arm 26 holds the spring 50 out of engagement with its pin, thus breaking the
magnet circuit but closing a new one through the spring 50, the arm 26,

page_text: the wire 90, the post 44, the screw 42, the insulated armature strip 40, the wire 92,
the bell E, the wire 94 and the battery 81. The bell circuit is also established
through the push button as follows; Through the wire 82, the push button, wire 84,
spring 50, pin 54, ring 56, wire 86, post 48, screw 46, insulated strip 40, wire 92,
bell E and wire 94 to the battery. After the arm 26 has carried the spring out of
contact with its pin the bell may be rung without starting the machine, by again
depressing the button and establishing a circuit by the wire 82, the push button,
wire 84, spring 50, arm 26, wire 90, post 44, insulated strip 40, and thence through.
the bell to the battery, as in the previously described circuit.
The burglar alarm service is provided with circuit closers at the points of possible
attack or breaking in, and are operated by any such breaking or injury so as to
close their circuits and make the indications and records in the same manner as
with the other services which are actuated by push buttons. These connections
are substantial duplications of the connections for the house service as illustrated
in Fig. 3, which shows conventionally the working of the different series, the circuit
closers H representing the house service, D the dinner service, and B the burglar
alarm service.
Since the recorder magnet 74 is connected in series with the magnet G of
the annunciator by the wire 88, it follows that when the magnet G is energized, the
magnet 74 is also energized, attracting the armature 70 from its pressure of the
paper tape 76 against the type cylinder, and causing the hook 72 to guide the paper
from the cylinder 62. When the magnet G is de-energized, causing the clock work
to stop, the recorder magnet is also de-energized, allowing the armature 70 to be
lifted by the spring 71 thus striking the paper tape.76 against the type cylinder 62,
thereby printing the call appearing on the dial, and also pressing the paper upon
the small points 107 on the tape wheel, so that the next rotation of the wheel will
pull the paper along until it is taken from the points by the hook 72. In the
drawings are shown the circuit connections of the machine, recorder and bell.
After one of the push buttons 78 has been depressed and the machine has been
started, and before it has made its indication the current flows through the signal
circuit in that one of the wires 82 which is connected with the push button
depressed, and through the button, wire 84, post 52, spring 50, pin 54, ring 56, and
wire 86, to the post 48, where the current divides, one part flowing through the
wire 88 to and through the recorder magnet 74, and by wire 106 to the battery 81.
The other portion of the current passes through the post 48, the screw 46, insulated
strip 40, wire 92, bell E, and wire 94 to the opposite pole of the battery 81. The
circuit as divided, having in one branch a repeatedly broken or interrupted current,
such as that passing through the bell E, would, if the bell, machine magnet and
recorder magnet were connected in series at each break of the current, permit the.
tension springs 38 and 71 to pull their attached armatures 28 and 70 from the
magnets G and 74, and into engagement with the gear wheels 16 and type wheels 62.
This would in the first instance repeatedly stop and interfere with the action of the
indicator, and in the second would blur the paper tape as it passes under the type
wheel. But by using instead of a series circuit a circuit divided just before the
current passes to the machine and recorder magnets, causes a continuous current to
flow through them until broken by the arm 26, when it makes contact with the
spring 50, corresponding to the depressed button 78, and also permits a portion of
the current at the same time to pass through and operate the bell mechanism E.
Two styles of annunciators are shown in Figures 2 and 3, fitted with an improved
dial, which serves to multiply the possible indications of the annunciator. This
dial is composed of two plates, the front plate 5 having no indications printed
thereon excepting those which are to be subject to indication at all times. For
example, as shown in Fig. 2, the notations "back door" and "front door" are
printed upon this plate. The plate is slotted as at 7 to permit the printed notations 9
upon the rear plate 11 to be seen therethrough. The front plate is stationary, but
the rear plate 11 in the circular form shown in Fig. 2, is mounted to rotate parallel
upon the central shaft, and in the rectangular annunciator shown in Fig. 3 is movable

page_text: by means of a hand wheel 13 actuating a gear wheel 15, which in turn, engages a
rack 17 upon the rear plate. The notations 9 on the rear plate are disclosed by
shifting it, so that they will register with the openings in the front plate. Connected
to the rear plate 11 by the arm 19 is the switch J, with its main arm 21
turning on the post 23, and the outer end rubbing successively upon the
posts 25, 27 and 29 in its rotation. These posts are connected respectively as
shown in Fig. 3 by the main wire 31, with the battery 81, and by the multiple
wires 33, 35 and 37 with the burglar, house and dinner services, so that as the rear
plate is shifted, showing either the burglar house or dinner indications, the switch J
is shifted accordingly, connecting the machine in correspondence with the indications
exhibited to the burglar, house or dinner services. The annunciator with the
detachable dial may also be connected up without the switch J when the main
wire 31 would be run to all of the push buttons directly. When so connected, the
different services would be numbered, 1, 2, 3, etc. and the person calling would give
that number of rings corresponding to the service in which the calls were classed,
whereupon the attendant would cut in any such service, and observe the indication
of the needle or drop.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion 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. In an electrical annunciator having an electric circuit composed of the main
line and a plurality of branch lines in multiple therewith, a motor driven circuit
changer for successively changing the circuit of said main and branch lines, and the
electric magnet located in said main line for controlling the movement of said
circuit changer, and the recorder operated by mechanical connection with said
circuit changer and having located in said main line its electro magnet which
controls the recording operation.
2. In an electrical indicator, the combination of a slotted front plate, an annotated
rear plate with a plurality of sets of service notations thereon, means for shifting
said rear plate so that the sets of notations severally register with the slots in
the front plate, and a switch whereby other services are electrically cut out and
that service cut in which corresponds to the set of notations then registering with
the slots of the front plate.
.3. In an electrical indicator, the combination of the main line, a plurality of
normally open branch lines in multiple therewith, circuit closers in said branch
lines, means for automatically breaking connection between said circuit and its
branches, a recording device, and a motor driven shaft in mechanical connection
with the pointer of said indicator, and actuating said recording device.
Dated this 4th day of November 1895.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.