IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO CALL AND OTHER BELLS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Wilson, of the City of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Ironmonger, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
APPLICABLE TO CALL AND OTHER BELLS."-Partly a communication from
abroad by Nathaniel Levy Bradley, Walter Hubbard, and William Levy
Bradley, all of West Meriden, Connecticut, in the United States of
America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Wilson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 22nd
December 1864.
I, ROBERT WILSON, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Ironmonger, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO CALL AND OTHER BELLS," to be as follows:―
This Invention relates to call bells, door bells, house bells, signal bells on
railway trains, railroads, and steamboats, bells on omnibuses and other vehicles,
alarum bells, musical bells, church bells, gongs, and all other bells that remain
stationary, whilst the clappers are struck against them to produce the ringing
sound, and consists in the employment and use of a lever working on a fixed
bearing, or between fixed bearings on a frame, either inside or on the outside
of the bell, according to which plan is most convenient, to the end of one arm

page_text: of which lever the clapper is affixed so as to hang away from the bell, and
always to fall into the same position by its own gravity, the other arm of the
said lever being cranked or bent to any required angle with the clapper arm,
in order to enable a spindle or rod to be connected to its end for actuating the
clapper. The spindle or rod may have a button or knob attached, which when
pushed in or depressed will cause the clapper to strike the bell, and by
changing the relative position of the rod or spindle with the clapper arm, the
pulling out of the knob or button may cause the clapper to strike the bell.
These improvements entirely obviate the necessity of using springs, which
are always liable to get out of order, and as the clapper only strikes once for
every touch of the knob or button, this arrangement is particularly applicable
to musical bells, which may be worked by levers connected to keys on a
keyboard in the same manner as playing the pianoforte.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filer
by the said Robert Wilson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 22nd
June 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
WILSON, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Ironmonger,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent bearing date the Twenty-second day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Robert Wilson, Her special license that I, the said Robert Wilson, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert
Wilson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
'with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO CALL
"AND OTHER BELLS," (partly communicated to me from abroad by Nathaniel L.
Bradley, Walter Hubbard, and William L. Bradley, all of West Meriden, Con-
necticut, in the United States of America, and partly my own Invention,) upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Robert Wilson, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the

page_text: .
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the late of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Wilson, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This Invention relates to call bells, door bells, house bells, signal bells on
railway trains, railroads, and steamboats, bells on omnibuses, and other
vehicles, alarum bells, musical bells, church bells, and all other bells that
remain stationary whilst the clappers are struck against them to produce the
ringing sound, and consists in the employment and use of a lever working on
a fixed bearing, or between fixed bearings on a frame, either inside or on the
outside of the bell, according to which plan is most convenient, to the end of
one arm of which lever the clapper is affixed so as to hang away from the
bell, and always to fall into the same position by its own gravity; the other
arm of the said lever being cranked or bent to any required angle with the
clapper arm, in order to enable a spindle or rod to be connected to its end
for actuating the clapper. The spindle or rod may have a button or knob
attached, which when pushed in or depressed will cause the clapper to strike
the bell, and by changing the relative position of the rod or spindle with the
clapper arm, the pulling out of the knob or button may cause the clapper to
strike the bell.
These improvements entirely obviate the necessity of using springs, which
are always liable to get out of order, and as the clapper only strikes once for
every touch of the knob or button, this arrangement is particularly applicable
to musical bells, which may be worked by levers connected to keys on a
keyboard, in the same manner as playing the pianoforte.
That this Invention may be the more readily seen and understood I have
hereunto annexed a Sheet of Drawings illustrative of my improvements.
Fig. 1 represents a side view, partly in section, and Fig. 2 is a front view,
partly in section, of a call bell having the improvements applied thereto.
A is the pedestal or stand which supports the bell B; the clapper C swings
upon pins which work in bearings or studs E projecting from the stand or
pedestal. The clapper C is provided with a short arm F, set at any required
angle with the clapper arm, to which short arm the spindle G is linked loosely,
so as to allow a considerable amount of play in the joint; H is the knob or
button connected to the top of the spindle G, for actuating the clapper C.
By pressing down the knob or button II the clapper C is caused to rise and

page_text: strike the bell, and thus produce the ringing sound, whilst (owing to the
spindle G being connected loosely to the short arm of the clapper lever) the
clapper itself immediately after striking the bell falls to a position clear of
the bell, and thus does not interfere with the vibration, which would be the
case if the clapper was to remain in contact with the bell. The dotted lines
(Fig. 1) illustrate the position which the clapper assumes immediately after
striking the bell.
Fig. 8 is a side sectional view, and Fig. 4 is a rear or back view of a signal
bell for use on railroads, and for other stationary purposes. I represents a
wooden or other framework to which the bell J is affixed in any convenient
manner. The clapper K secured to the clapper lever L works upon a stud M
affixed to the framework I, and is provided with a short arm N bent to any
required angle, to which short arm a wire, rope, or chain O may be connected
loosely, so as to allow a certain amount of play in the joint, the other end of
the said wire, rope, or chain being attached to an actuating lever P. When
the signal bell is struck by means of the lever P being pulled back to the
position illustrated by the dotted lines, the clapper K immediately after
striking the bell assumes the position represented by the dotted lines, and
thus does not interfere with the vibration of the bell. It should be under-
stood that instead of an actuating lever the signal bell might be worked with
an ordinary bell pull, or even with a knob or handle, which would depend
upon the use to which it is applied. For all stationary purposes where space
is of value this signal bell is peculiarly applicable, as it lies in a small compass,
but in some situations it may be found necessary to counterbalance the weight
of the actuating wire, rope, or chain by a weight attached, either to the
clapper lever, or connected to a chain and passed over a pulley, or in any
other suitable manner.
Fig. 5 represents a signal bell suitable for use on board a steamboat for the
person in command to communicate with the engine driver, which bell is
precisely the same in its working parts as the call bell illustrated by Figs. 1
and 2. The spindle Q may be prolonged to any length, provided that it is
counterbalanced by the weight of the clapper R, or by a weight attached to a
chain passing over a pulley, or in any other convenient manner.
Fig. 6 is a front view, partly in section, and Fig. 7 is a side view, partly in
section, of a bell suitable for use on railway trains, omnibuses, and other
vehicles. The bell S is supported upon a stud T affixed to a metal plate, for
the purpose of fixing it to any part of a railway train, omnibus, or other
vehicle. The clapper lever U works upon a pin V in a slot cut through the
stud T, and to the slot W at the end of the short arm of the clapper lever the

page_text: wire, cord, leather strap, or other actuating means may be connected for
ringing the bell. ✗ represents a knob or handle, to the spindle of which the
other end of the actuating wire, cord, or strap may be affixed, but care should
be taken in fixing the bell to place a stud or other suitable stop at the end of
the spindle to prevent the handle or knob being pulled out beyond a certain
distance, and to see that when such handle is pulled out to the fullest extent
that the clapper is not held against the bell, for if such is the case the
vibration of the bell will be interfered with and the sound destroyed. The
dotted lines represent the position the clapper will assume after striking
the bell if fixed properly. When the handle or knob X is pulled out,
the momentum imparted to the clapper causes it to strike the bell, although
to all appearances the clapper does not touch the bell when the handle or knob
is pulled out to the fullest extent, but owing to the actuating wire, cord, or
strap being connected to a slot at the end of the short arm of the clapper
lever the clapper is allowed to go forward to strike the bell, and then by its
own gravity to fall to a position clear of the bell. Although a knob or handle
has been mentioned, it should be understood that there are several methods of
actuating the bell, but whatever plan is adopted, care should be taken to have
a proper stop applied, so as not to allow the clapper after striking the bell to
remain in close contact therewith, and it may be stated that the bell, illustrated
by Figs. 6 and 7, may be fixed upon any part of a railway train, omnibus,
or other vehicle, as the actuating cord, wire, or strap may be attached to bell
cranks, or passed over pulleys to suit the locality in which it is necessary to
place it.
Fig. 8 is a front view, partly in section, of a church, alarum, or other bell
having my improvements applied thereto. a is the framework; to which the
bell 6 is affixed in a rigid manner, so as to remain stationary whilst the
clapper is struck against it to produce the sound. The clapper c swings in
bearings formed in supports, and by means of the rope d connected to the
short arme of the clapper lever the clapper may be caused to strike the bell
upon the inside. If deemed desirable, the clapper c might be swung in a
swivel connected to the top of the interior of the bell, and thus the clapper
might be turned round, so as to strike the bell upon a different surface,
instead of always striking upon the same spot.
Fig. 9 illustrates a front view of a church, alarum, or other bell fixed in
the same manner as the one shewn in Fig. 8, but which is arranged for the
clapper to strike it upon the outside, the mode of operating the clapper
being precisely the same as in Fig. 8.
Fig. 10 is a side view of a method of mounting the clapper for striking a

page_text: stationary bell. 9 is the clapper, which swings upon a joint h working in
bearings in the two supports i, i; this view is equally applicable in explaining
how the clapper is mounted in Figs. 8 and 9.
Figs. 11 and 12 represent side views, and Fig 13 is a plan of an arrange-
ment for working musical bells. k is a bell which is precisely the same in
its working parts as the call-bell illustrated in Figs 1 and 2. is a lever,
which works upon a pin or fulcrum m, and is always kept up to the horizontal
position by the spiral spring n, and is connected to a finger piece o, thus
forming a complete musical key. The weight of the clapper p causes the
knob or button q to rise, and always to press against the lever l; r is a pad or
cushion attached to the lever l, which, when the finger is removed from the
key presses against the edge of the bell and instantly stops the vibration and
sound. Fig. 11 shews the positions of the lever, cushion, and clapper when
in a state of rest, and Fig. 12 illustrates the positions of the lever, cushion,
or pad, and of the clapper when the bell is being sounded by the depression
of the finger piece. It will be readily understood that by placing a series of
such bells together that a complete musical instrument would be formed, over
which the performer would have as much control as over an ordinary
pianoforte.
The advantages of these improvements consist in no springs being required,
in the simplicity of the different working parts, and in the impossibility (with
fair play) of being put out of order.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
Invention, and the best method with which I am acquainted for carry-
ing the same into practical effect, I wish it to be distinctly understood
that the improvements in call-bells, illustrated by Figs. 1 and 2, have been
communicated to me from abroad, that I do not confine myself to the precise
details, relative proportions, or dimensions herein-before described and set
forth, as the same may be considerably varied without departing from the
Invention, and that I claim,-
Firstly, the different methods of mounting and actuating the clappers of the
various bells illustrated in the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, and as
herein-before described and fully set forth, or any mere modification of
the same.
Secondly, the method of arranging and working musical bells, illustrated
by Figs. 11, 12, and 13 of the Drawing hereunto annexed, as herein-before
described and fully set forth, or any mere modification of the same.
Thirdly, and lastly, the general arrangement, combination, and construction
of the various parts of the different bells illustrated in the accompanying

page_text: Sheet of Drawings, as herein-before described and fully set forth, or any mere
modification of the same.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Wilson, have hereunto set my
band and affixed my seal, this Twenty-first day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
ROBERT (L.s.) WILSON.
Witness,
JOHN G. WILSON,
Practical Mechanical Engineer
and Patent Agent,
24, Market Place, Manchester.