Improvements in Switches for Use at Central Stations of Telephone Systems.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Apr., 1894
Complete Specification Left, '23rd Jan., 1895-Accepted, 9th Mar., 1895
[Communicated from abroad by THE ANTWERP TELEPHONE AND ELECTRICAL
WORKS (SOCIÉTÉ ANONYME), of Antwerp, in the Kingdom of Belgium.]
Improvements in Switches for Use at Central Stations of Telephone
Systems.
1, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
This invention relates to switches for use at central stations of telephone
systems.
The improved arrangement which forms the subject of the said invention has the
effect of simplifying to a considerable extent the operations of establishing
the communication between the subscriber and the operator while reducing the
dimensions of the panels, these results being obtained by placing the jack
immediately below the annunciator to which the jack is then attached or fixed
directly so as to form one piece with it and so that the orifice of the jack shall
be situated immediately below the shutter which moreover may be raised
automatically after disengagement by the simple introduction of the plug into
the jack for putting the subscribers in communication.
In this direct combination of the annunciator with the jack the latter may be a
spring jack or of any suitable construction.
The electromagnet of the annunciator is enclosed in a tubular sheath having
secured upon its sides two bent arms or brackets which carry at their lower
extremities, suitably insulated, both the jack and the plate of the annunciator,
this plate being traversed by the front extremity of the jack which thus appears
in front of the said plate immediately below the shutter for the number of the
subscriber, articulated and engaged in the usual manner by a stud lever actuated
by the armature of the electromagnet.
The blades of the jack are fixed, with appropriate insulation from each other,
upon the lower side of the sheath so as to be presented in the desired conditions
before the rear orifice of the jack the upper side of which has a longitudinal
opening into which passes the insulated extremity of a bent lever pivoted in its
middle to a small bracket fixed upon the rear face of the said plate which has
a slit traversed by the front arm of the lever in the form of a finger, in order
to be put upon a heel piece of the shutter when the latter is turned down.
these conditions it is easy to see that if the plug is introduced it raises the
extremity of the lever which extends into the jack, causing the lever to turn so
that the said finger pressing the heel-piece of the shutter raises the latter'
automatically by the mere introduction of the plug.
In
As the orifice of the jack is immediately below the shutter of the annunciator
the operator at the central station has absolutely no need to search for the
number of the jack corresponding to the number of the disengaged shutter, such
as is inevitable with the switches heretofore used, wherein the tablet of the
annunciators is independent of the tablet of the jacks, which in the improved
arrangement forms a single tablet with that of the annunciators, so that the
movement of the operator is effected immediately and without hesitation, because

page_text: it is sufficient to push the plug below the disengaged shutter without otherwise
taking heed of the number.
This direct combination of the jack with the annunciator is therefore in itself a
cause of greater rapidity in the establishment of communications and the other
operations, the shutter being for instance automatically moved upwards by the
mere introduction of the plug. This upward movement is not only simultaneous
and effected by the same movement or operation which establishes the com-
munication, but it also permits of the suppression of the electric accessories which
have heretofore been necessary for the same purpose in the switches with separate
panels.
The improved switch with combined panels has therefore considerable advantages
as compared with the switches hitherto employed, not only as regards rapidity of
operation but also as regards mistakes, which will no longer occur at least so far as
the subscriber who calls is concerned.
Dated this 26th day of April 1894.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Switches for Use at Central Stations of Telephone
Systems.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 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:-
This invention relates to switches for use at the central stations of telephone
systems.
The improved arrangement which forms the subject of the said invention has
the effect of simplifying to a considerable extent the operations of establishing
the communication between the subscriber and the operator while reducing the
dimensions of the panels, these results being obtained by placing the jack
immediately below the annunciator to which the jack is then attached or fixed
directly so as to form one piece with it and so that the orifice of the jack shall be
situated immediately below the shutter which moreover may be raised auto-
matically after disengagement by the simple introduction of the plug into the jack
for putting the subscribers in communication.
In this direct combination of the annunciator with the jack, the latter may be a
spring jack or of any suitable construction.
In the accompanying drawing I have shown how my said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 shows the switch in vertical longitudinal section, the annunciator being
at, rest and the shutter in its vertical position before the call.
Figure 2 is a similar view the shutter being disengaged after the call.
Figure 3 represents the switch at the commencement of the introduction of the
pin and of the automatic raising of the shutter.
Figure 4 shows the pin pushed to the bottom of the spring jack and the shutter
raised and engaged again.
Figure 5 is a front view of the annunciator jack.
Figure 6 is a side elevation of the same.
Figure 7 is a longitudinal section on the line A B of Figure 5.
Figure 8 is a view from behind of the annunciator jack.

page_text: Figure 9 is a plan of Figure 5.
Figure 10 is an horizontal section on the line C D of Figure 6.
Figure 11 is an horizontal section on the line E F of Figure 5. looking
upward, and
Figure 12 is an underside plan of Figure 8.
As shown in the several figures of the drawing the electromagnet of the
annunciator is enclosed in a tubular sheath G having secured upon its sides two
bent arms or brackets C which carry at their lower extremities, suitably insulated,
both the jack M and the plate P of the annunciator, this plate being traversed by
the front extremity of the jack M which thus appears in front of the said plate P
immediately below the shutter V for the number of the subscriber, articulated and
engaged in the usual manner by a stud lever actuated by the armature of the
electromagnet.
с
The blades L and L¹ of the jack are fixed, with appropriate insulation from
each other, upon the lower side of the sheath G so as to be presented in the desired
conditions before the rear orifice of the jack M the upper side of which has a
longitudinal opening into which passes the insulated extremity x of a bent lever K
pivoted at its middle to a small bracket c fixed upon the rear face of the said
plate P which has a slit traversed by the front arm of the said lever K in the
form of a finger, in order to engage with a heel piece of the shutter V when the
latter is turned down. In these conditions it is easy to see that if the plug B is
introduced it raises the extremity of the lever which extends into the jack,
causing the lever K to turn, so that the said finger pressing the heel-piece of the
shutter V raises the latter automatically by the mere introduction of the plug B.
The several positions of the pin of the lever and of the shutter are shown in
Figures 1 to 4 of the drawing.
As the orifice of the jack is immediately below the shutter of the annunciator
the operator at the central station has absolutely no need to search for the number
of the jack corresponding to the number of the disengaged shutter, such as is
inevitable with the switches heretofore used, wherein the tablet of the aununciators
is independent of the tablet of the jacks, which in the improved arrangement forms
a single tablet with that of the annunciators, so that the movement of the operator
is effected immediately and without hesitation, because it is sufficient to push the
plug below the disengaged shutter without otherwise taking heed of the number.
This direct combination of the jack with the annunciator is therefore in itself a
cause of greater rapidity in the establishment of communications and the other
operations, the shutter being for instance automatically moved upwards by the
mere introduction of the plug. This upward movement is not only simultaneous
and effected by the same movement or operation which establishes the communi-
cation, but it also permits of the suppression of the electric accessories which have
heretofore been necessary for the same purpose in the switches with separate
panels.
The improved switch with combined panels has therefore considerable advantages
as compared with the switches hitherto employed, not only as regards rapidity
of operation, but also as regards mistakes, which will no longer occur at least so far
as the subscriber who calls is concerned.
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 correspondents, I declare that what I claim is:-
:―
First. In a switch for the central station of a telephone system the combination
of the panel of the annunciators with the panel of the jacks so as to form only a
single panel in which the orifices for the body of the jacks are placed immediately
below the shutters of the corresponding annunciators, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
Second. In a switch for the central station of a telephone system the direct
combination of each of the jacks with an annunciator so that the body shall be

page_text: fixed to the plate of the annunciator, traversing the same by its front extremity,
and that the strips of the jack shall be connected to the electromagnet, substantially
as herein before set forth and represented in the drawing.
Third. In a switch for the central station of a telephone system the jack
annunciator hereinbefore set forth comprising the arrangement of a lever pivoted
at its middle and the one arm of which at the insulated extremity projects into the
body so as to be raised by the plug and to cause the other arm in the form of a
finger to bear upon a heel piece of the disengaged shutter which is raised and thus
automatically re-engaged by the simple mechanical fact of the introduction of the
plug into the jack, substantially as hereinbefore described and represented in the
drawing.
Dated this 23rd day of January 1895
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.