Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 28th June, 1887.
Specification Accepted, 19th Aug., 1887.
[Communicated from abroad by LYNN P. TOWNLEY and WILLIAM J. WASHBURN,
both of the City of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, in the United States of
America, Electrical Engineers.]
WILLIAM HENRY MASON of Number 46 Southampton Row in the County of
Middlesex Honey Dealer 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 —
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the Instrument.
Figure 2 is a vertical section with the tube and ear tips removed.
Figure 3 is an axial section of one of the car tips and
Figure is a similar section of the other tip.
The main novelty consists in the two car-pieces or tips connected to the opposite
poles of an electric battery, so that a mild electric current shall pass from ear to ear;
the electric current passing through the head of the user.
Its curative properties are not fully brought out on first application, but each
successive application tends to increase the sensitiveness of the ear to sound
vibrations.
There are other details of the invention which will be hereinafter described and
claimed.
A is the case containing a voltaic pile which may consist of alternating plates of
copper B, and zine C. placed in pairs with felt or other absorbent material D. separating
pair from pair This voltaic pile may be constructed in any suitable manner or any
galvanic battery may be used in its place The essential thing being that a current of
electricity shall be produced.
The case A. and its cover A' may be made of any suitable material which will retain
the acid with which the absorbent material is made wet-If the case is made of
material, which is a non-conductor of electricity, or if it is lined with such material
the plates B. C. may come in contact with the case, without lessening the power of the
battery.

page_text: E. is a hole in the cover A. stopped by a screw-plug F-The hole is for the
introduction of the acid into the case. The plates B and C, except the bottom plate
or pair are bored through vertically beneath the hole E to allow the acid to pass
through them for the wetting of the felt or other absorbent material D.
G. is a conducting wire in electric connection with the upper plate of the battery
and H. is a similar wire in contact with the lower battery plate, so that the wires
constitute the negative and positive poles The wire H. is shown insulated from the
liquid and other matters within the trough (except the lower plate) by a casing of
gutta-percha or other material-The wires G and H. are wrapped with Silk or other
insulating material I is a spherical case connected to the cover A by a leg J and
having a tangential or other neck K; to which is secured the end of a flexible tube or
Jose L. This tube I prefer to make larger at the end which is secured to the neck K,
but do not confine myself to this construction. At the free end of the flexible tube L.
is an car-piece M suited to enter the orifice of the car. The ear piece or the tip m. of
the same is made of material that will conduct electricity, and the wire H is carried
up the tube and its end is in contact with said tip. The wire G. is also carried up the
tube and passes through a hole in the ear-piece M. and is in electric connection with a
flexible har N. of metal, whose other end carries another tubular or solid car-piece or
tip O. of conducting material. The bar N. may or may not be made with a slip-joint
or other joint, at n. so that it may be made longer or shorter, according to
circumstances The cur-tips are in electric connection with the opposite poles of
the battery, and when placed in the orifices of the ears, the electric currents will pass
through the head between them.
P. is a funnel-shaped mouth-piece whose inner end forms the side opening of the
spherical case, so that sounds concentrated by the mouth-piece enter the interior of the
case and pass through the neck K and tube L to the ear with which the piece M. is in
contact.
Qis a concavo-convex diaphragm or shield having its concave side inward. There
is an annular passage between the periphery of the shield Q and the inner end of the
mouth-piece P, to allow the entrance of sound, whose escape through the mouth-piece
is prevented to a great extent, by the shield Q. The shield Q is secured to the case
by a bracket-rod R or other means.
The flexible rod N. may be wrapped or coated with non-conducting material if
desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The combination of an electric battery wires extending from the poles of the
battery through a sound conducting tube and connected to ear-pieces, and a mouth-
piece in connection with the sound conducting tube.
2. The combination of an electric battery wires extending from the poles of the
battery, a chamber with a receiving-mouth and a sound conducting tube leading
therefrom to an ear piece in connection with one of the conducting wires, and another
ear piece in connection with the other conducting wire.
3. The combination of an electric battery ear-pieces M and O in electric communi-
cation with its opposite poles, a case I and sound conducting tube L through which
the wires extend, a mouth-piece P. and shield or diaphragin Q substantially as set
forth.