IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC BELL FURNITURE
Year: 1884

page_text: FREDERICK KING and WILLIAM. PHILLIPS MENDHAM both of the, Western
Electrical Works, Narrow Wine Street in the City and County of Bristol,
Manufacturing Electricians, do hereby declare the nature of their invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC BELL FURNITURE to be as follows:-
1
Complaints are frequently made as to the liability to accident by breakage of
the stranded cord by which the pear pressell or push button is suspended from the
rosette placed against the wall and into which the line wires in an electric bell
circuit are led. Persons unaccustomed to the use of electric bells often violently
pull the cord in a downward direction instead of merely pressing the ivory button
in the suspended push or pressell, to make the necessary contact, the result being,
the cord is often broken under the strain and communication thereby destroyed.
The object of our invention is to provide such means that whether the cord be
pulled or the ivory button in the suspended pressell or push be pressed the bell
will be caused to ring.
This we accomplish preferably in the following manner; the stranded cord
leading into the rosette we pass through a tube preferably of some insulating
material and place a block of ebonite or some other insulating material at one end
of the tube, a spiral spring being fitted, round the tube between the block at one
end and a washer at the other end, which washer may be fixed to the rosette. The
object of the spring is to provide against the cord being broken by a sudden jerk
and is so arranged that it forms part of the circuit for the current, one end being
connected to the line wire, the other end being connected to one strand of the
hanging cord.
The second strand is connected to a stud on the block, which stud as the cord
is pulled rubs against a spring against which, it is always in contact and to
which the other line wire is attached. An additional stud in electrical connection
with the first mentioned stud is fixed at the other end of the block so that when
the block is caused to move it may rub.against another spring which is also
connected to the line wire.
It will thus be seen that should the button be pressed in the ordinary way
the circuit is completed in consequence of one stud being always in contact with
one of the springs.
If on the other hand the hanging. cord be pulled the tube and block move in the
direction of the pull and the second stud is caused to rub against the second spring
so completing the circuit.
11
1

page_text: We FREDERICK KING and WILLIAM PHILLIPS MENDHAM both of the Western
Electrical Works, Narrow Wine Street in the City and County of Bristol,
Manufacturing Electricians do hereby declare the nature of our invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC BELL FURNITURE and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following t
statement:-
Complaints are frequently made as to the liability to accident by breakage of the
stranded cord by which the pear pressell or push button is suspended from the
rosette placed against the wall and into which the line wires in an electric bell
circuit are led.
Persons unaccustomed to the use of electric bells often violently pull the cord in
a downward direction instead of merely pressing the stud in the suspended push or
pressell, to make the necessary contact, the result being, the cord is often broken
under the strain and communication thereby destroyed.
The object of our invention is to provide such means that whether the cord be
pulled in a downward direction or the stud in the suspended pressell or push be
pressed the bell will be caused to ring.
This we accomplish in the following manner:--the stranded cord leading into
the rosette we pass through a tube of some insulating material and place a block
of ebonite or some other insulating substance at the upper end of the tube, a spiral
spring being fitted round the tube between the block above and a washer below,
which washer may be fixed to the rosette. The object of the spiral spring is to
provide against the cord being broken by a sudden jerk and is so arranged that it
forms part of the circuit for the current, one end being connected to the line wire,
the other end being connected to one strand of the hanging cord. The second
strand is connected to a stud on the block, which stud as the cord is pulled rubs
against a spring against which it is always in contact and to which the other line
wire is attached. An additional stud is fixed at the opposite end of the block so
that when the block is caused to move it may rub against another spring which is
also connected to the line wire. The block at the end of the tube is provided with
a projection which passes through the side of the rosette to act as a guide to the
movable block and tube to insure contact being made between the two springs.
Referring to the drawing A is the tube of insulating material through which the
stranded cord B is passed. C is the block to which the tube A is fixed and
preferably of the same insulating material. D, D¹ are the screws to which the
wires in the stranded cord B are fixed. E, E¹ are the studs in metallic connection
with each other, which during the movement of the block make contact between
the two springs F, F¹, the stud E being always in contact with the spring F and
the stud E¹ making contact with F¹ only when the block C is pulled against the
spring G.
The stud E is also in metallic connection with the screw D. H, H¹ are the
screws which connect the line wires from the electric bell and battery to the
springs F and F'.
I is the rosette containing all the above mentioned contacts and springs. J is a
pressell fitted with its spring and plate, all of ordinary construction, for making
contact between the wires in the stranded cord, one wire being connected to the
spring K pressing against the stud L and the other wire being connected to the
plate M. It is obvious that a contact maker of any other pattern may be used at
this end of the stranded cord or double wire,

page_text: It will thus be seen that should the button L be pressed as in the usual way the
circuit is completed, the current passing along the spring F from the line wire
attached to the screw H, thence to the screw D along one strand of the double
cord B to the contact spring K and plate M through the other strand to the
screw D¹ thence along the spiral spring G to the flat spring F' and return line wire.
If on the other hand the hanging cord B be pulled, at any part of its length,
the tube A and block C will move in the same direction as the pull and the
stud E¹ will thus be caused to rub against the spring F¹ which spring and line wire
is then placed in electrical connection with the spring F with its line wire in
consequence of the two studs E and E¹ being in metallic connection with each other
and the bell, by the circuit being thus completed is caused to ring.
It is obvious that wherever the rosette I containing the several above mentioned
contacts and springs be placed, if the pull given to the tube with its spring be in
the direction of its length, the bell will be caused to ring.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
:-
Firstly. The combination of movable contacts mounted on a base (for use with
electric bells) with any contact maker, suspended therefrom or attached thereto by
wires, within or by which the electrical circuit may be closed, substantially as
herein before described.
Secondly. The construction of movable contacts mounted on a base (for use
with electric bells) in combination with any contact maker, suspended therefrom or
attached thereto by wires, within or by which the electrical circuit may be closed,
substantially as herein before described.
Thirdly. The construction of movable contacts mounted on a base (for use with
electric bells) used in combination with any contact maker, suspended therefrom or
attached thereto by wires, within, or by which contact maker the electrical circuit
may be closed, in which the spring for releasing or separating the contacts forms
part of the electrical circuit between the contact maker and the movable contacts
or contact piece mounted on the base substantially as herein before described.
Fourthly. The use of movable contacts mounted on a base, in combination with
an electric bell system, to which in addition to the movable contact pieces
contained thereon is attached by wires a contact maker, substantially as herein
before described.
Fifthly. The use of a spring in connection with movable contacts mounted on a
base (for use with electric bells) which in addition to being used for separating the
contacts contained thereon forms part of an electrical circuit between a contact
maker and the movable contacts mounted on the base, substantially as herein before
described.
Dated this Creond day of Otahon 1001