Improvements in Means for Automatically Cutting out and Restoring to Circuit Instruments or Apparatus in Telephone, Telegraph, Fire-alarm, Electric Light, or similar Electric Systems.
Year: 1889

page_text: Improvements in Means for Automatically Cutting out and Restoring
to Circuit Instruments or Apparatus in Telephone, Telegraph,
Fire-alarm, Electric Light, or similar Electric Systems.
I, ANTHONY BERNERD FERDINAND, residing at Number 93 Jefferson Avenue, in
the city of Oshkosh, in the county of Winnebago, and State of Wisconsin, United
States of America, Electrician, 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 :-
My invention relates to electric systems, whereby any instrument device or station
on a line may be cut out when desired for a given length of time, and automatically
restored, with the resistance of said instrument device or station practically eliminated
during the period of cutting out, all as will be more fully set forth hereinafter, my
invention being illustrated as applied to a telephone system, though applicable to
telegraph, fire alarm, electric light and analogous electric systems.
In the drawings:
Figure 1 is a front elevation of my device electrically connected to a telephone.
Figure 2 is an elevation of the principal mechanical elements of my device, with
one of the front plates and its front attachments removed.
Figure 3 is a detail section on the line 3-3 of Figure 4.
Figure 4 is a detail section on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a detail section taken on line 5-5 of Figure 6.
Figure 6 is a detail section on the line 6-6 of Figure 2.
Figure 7 is a diagram view illustrating the use of my device, and indicating the
various circuits.
A is the back-board of my device, carrying a small dynamo or generator B, which
may be a hand generator with crank a, as shown, or a series of batteries, so long as
the same will generate a strong current of electricity greater than the ordinary
currents used to operate the telephones on the line. This generator B has two

page_text: binding posts he, the former being connected by wire d to a contact point on the
back-hoard A, while the post r is connected by a wire e to that portion D of the main
lina which goes out from the instrument E, or station. Above the contact point (
just described, is another contact-point C, from which a wire fruns to the electro-
magnets G from which a wire g runs to the ringer-coils of the magnets on the
telephone E, and from said ringer-coils a wire gruns to the contact-spring e of
the telephone, below the telephone switch e, which latter is connected to the said
portion D of the main line, and ahovo this telephone switch (in the arrangement
shown in the diagram Figure 7) is the other contact-spring e, connected by wire y',
hand telephone, wire y, microphone Y, and wire h, to the before named contact-
point C. Between the contact points C and O there is located a switch C, pivoted
at o' to the back-board A, and which is normally held in contact with the contact-
point C by means of a spring e, the free end of the switch Chaving a thumb-piece b',
by means of which it may be pressed down, away from contact with the point C, and
into contact with the point C, when desired, and said switch C is connected directly
to the portion D' of the main wire which enters the instrument or station.
Fis a box or casing supported on the back-board A and containing the principal
mechanical elements of my device, shown in detail in Figures 2 to 6, as well as the
electro-magnets G hereinbefore named.
His the rear plate of my clock mechanism, and 1 is the front-plate of my time-
clock, which latter is of ordinary construction, except in the attachments and con-
nections hereinafter set forth. H is the front plate which protects the whools and
attachments at the left-hand side of my device, and this plate and its front attachments
are removed in Figure 2 to show the construction and arrangement of the parts
behind it, which parts bear a general resemblance to the striking mechanism of a
clock, and like such include a train of gear-wheels, a main-spring and its wheel, and
a fan. Jis the main-spring wheel, and J' the main-spring, the ratchet on said
wheel, the pawl, and the pawl-spring, said wheel J being mounted on the shaft J³,
which is the winding-shaft of this part of the mechanism, all as shown in Figures 1
and 2, but not seen in Figure 6, which latter shows shaft K having a pinion & which
is in mesh with the teeth of said wheel J, and which shaft also carries toothed
wheel K having four pins ¹, projecting laterally from near its circumference, at
equal distances apart. Above and to the left of this shaft K is shown another
shaft L, provided with a pinion I in mesh with the teeth of the wheel K³, and also
bearing a toothed wheel and beyond this a plain wheel M, having a notch m in its
periphery. Above and to the right of shaft L is another shaft N, having a pinion n
in mesh with the teeth on wheel M, and hearing a toothed wheel N whose rim bears
a pin n on one side, and another n on the other side, both projecting laterally.
Above and to the right of the shaft N is another shaft ○ having a pinion O' in mesh
with the wheel N₁ and beyond this a fan O'.
P is the rock-shaft journalled in the plates H H³, and carrying, near its rear ond a
curved lover P having a lug, bend or pin p at its free end, adapted to engage with
the notch m in the wheel ML on shaft L, and near its front end this shaft P carries a
shorter straight lever P, baving an arm or lug pl at its free end for engagement with
the pin n on the rear side of the wheel N¹. A short distance balow the rock-shaft P
is another rock-shaft Q, similarly journaled, and carrying three lovers, the roar one Q
having an arm at its free end adapted to boar up against the underside of the described
curved lever P, and at the proper time lift said lever P1 froe from engagement with
the notch m in the wheel M, while near its front end this rock-shaft carries another
lover having an upwardly bent end q', for engagement, at the proper timo, with
the pin n which projects from the front side of the rim of the wheel N', as herein-
after described, and about midway between the lovers Q' and Q, the rock-shaft Q
carries another levor, Q³, projecting in a contrary direction from said other lovers, and
carrying at its free end a rod, wire, cord or chain, r, to whose lower end is connected
an armature lever R, of soft iron, located as shown just above the electro-magnets G G,
and within their field of attraction, which armature lever is pivoted in the frame R',
and adjusted in the required normal position, away from the magnets, by means of the

page_text: spring extending from the short arm R2 of the armature lever to a screw ² in the
upright arm of the frame R', while another adjusting screw passes up through a
lug on said arm and bears against the underside of said short arm R³, so that a turn
of the screw will either relax or tighten the spring r¹, while a turn of the screw
will increase or lessen the space between the electro-magnets and the armature. I
have shown the armature as a plate secured to the lower side of its lever, but the
whole lever may be of soft iron if preferred.
S is another rock-shaft located to the right of the shafts P and Q, and this
shaft S carries a lover S¹ whose ends bears upon the lever Q³ which connects
with the armature lever, and a curved lever S projects from this shaft S in the
opposite direction from lever S¹, and is preferably forked at its free end, to which
is pivoted, at s¹, an arm S³, having a depending latch 2 (preferably projecting through
the fork described) and weighted, as shown at at its free end, or in place of said
weight, or in addition thereto a rod of wire may project up from near the end
of the lever S² and be bent over, so as to limit the upward movement of the arm S³,
and the drop of lever S is limited by a pin S' on plate H.
Back of the plate I (Figure 2) is an ordinary clock mechanism, the parts of
which showing in the drawing not being lettered, as there is no peculiarity about
their construction. The dial and hands of this clock are removed, and on the hour-
hand shaft T there is mounted a toothed wheel T' capable of independent rotation on
said shaft, and having a rear extending circular flange t, and rear hub t', and back
of this, and between it and the plate I is a friction disk T rigidly secured to shaft T,
as by pin to, and having a forward extending circular flange 2 on its periphery of
greater diameter than the just named flango t of the wheel T¹, and to the inner
side of this flange there are secured a series of springs t³ ³ whoso free ends bear
against the flange of the wheel T', and the pressure or tension of these springs is
regulated by the set-screws passing through said flange *, and bearing against
said springs t³.
The plate I is provided with guides or loops for the reception of a rack-bar I',
having a series of teeth on its underside designed to mesh with those on the wheel T¹,
and on its upper side a tongue, for engagement with the latch above it.
From the rear side of the front plate H₁ there projects a stud h¹ (at the point
indicated in Figure 1) and this stud is fitted with a sleeve / from which rises a rod
or bar which extends up high enough to come in the path of the pins k¹ on the
wheel K above, and be moved thereby, at the proper times, the sleeve h² acting
as a rock-shaft, and the bar having suitablo graduations marked thereon, for the
correct vertical adjustment of the loop h, which is connected, by link 12, with tho
end of the rack bar I¹.
The shaft K, already named, projects through the front plate H' and there receives
the commutator U, having on its periphery, sections of insulating material uu, alter-
nating with the plane surfaces of the metal of which the commutator is composed,
there being shown, in this instance, four of these insulating sections, though the
number would depend upon the size and arrangement of the device. Projecting
from the front-plate H¹, and properly insulated therefrom at " is a post v bearing a
contact spring V, whose free end bears upon the periphery of the commutator, and
w is another post projecting from the front-plate H, (and similarly insulated there-
from at ¹) and bearing a contact spring W, whose free ond bears upon the metallic
hub U of the commutator. From the post u a wire j runs to the portion D of tho
main-line, and from the post wa wire i runs to the portion D' of said main line.
The operation of my device is as follows: Suppose there are a number (as ten) of
stations or telephones, on a line, and No. 2 wishes to talk with No. 5, No. 2 turns the
magneto-crank of his telephone (or station) and rings the signal necessary to call
No. 5. and No. 5 answers the signal by ringing back, and then takes down his hand
telephone X from the telephone switch e, which breaks the connection at contact-
spring (and consequently breaks the connection with the electro-magnets G of
No. 5's device, which were in circuit with said contact-spring e³, as shown by Figure 7),
et

page_text: and makes contact with contact-spring of his magneto-holl, and connection by
wires y', y, h, contact-point C' and switch with the portion of the main line
which runs into No. 5's instrument. Then No. 2, presses down on the thumb-piece b
of his switch and forces the latter down on the contact-point C, thereby breaking
connection at the contact-point C¹ between the main line, and his electro-magnets G,
and making connection between his generator B, and the portion of the main
lino (through switch (", contact-point C, and wire d), and similar connection between
said generator B, and the portion of the main line (through wire), simultaneously,
and while No. 2, is thus holding down his switch (in contact with contact-point C,
as described, he turns the crank a, or otherwise generates a strong current of electricity
from his genorator B, which passes along the entire main line (D and D') and
energizes the electro-magnets G on all the stations (except No. 2 and No. 5)
sufficiently to draw down their armature-levers R, which are held up by the
springs with sufficient resistance to overcome the attraction of any weaker current
of electricity than that gonerated by the generator B. I have already described
how the connection with the electro-magnets G of No. 5 has been broken, and
honce it is obvious that this strong current from No. 2's generator can not affect
them, and the connection with the electro-magnets
as described, and hence this strong current will only
of those instruments or stations which it is de-ired
No's. 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10).
of No. 2 has been broken,
affect the electro-magnets (
to cut out, (in this instance
"
I will now describe how the instruments of the last named "numbers" aro
affected.
As the magnets G are energised by the strong current from generator B, the
armature lever It is drawn down, and with it the rúd or other connection r attached
to lover on rock-shaft Q, thereby raising lever (on same rock-shaft up against
lover P, and raising the latter on its rock-shaft P so as to lift its bent end, or pin p
out of the notch m in the wheel M, while at the same time, this notion of the rock-
shaft P raises its other lever, thereby releasing pin on the wheel N', from
contact with the end pl of said lever 1, and thus (as the spring is understood to
be always kept wound) permitting said wheel N to revolve and setting the train of
mechanism all in motion simultaneously therewith, which motion will continue until
the wheel AI has made one entire revolution, when the pin pat end of lever P¹ will
again drop into the notch m, which lowers the lever Pagain into the path of the
pin n on the wheel N', and said wheel N is so timed that said pin n will always bo
at the same point of its travel at the completion of every revolution of the wheel M,
and hence in contact with the end p' of lover 1". While the said wheel ML is making
one revolution, the wheel K makes one-eighth of a revolution, and one of the pins &
on said wheel K', which at the commencement of motion is in close proximity to the
bar, is thus moved against this bar and pushes it over, on its rock-shaft or
bearing, until the said one-eighth revolution has been accomplished, at which time,
the said pin clears the top of the bar and this movement of the latter has drawn,
through link 1, on the rack-bar 1, until a certain number (depending on the adjust-
ment of the loop hon bar h) of the teeth of said rack-bar are caught in mesh with
the teeth on the wheel T', which wheel (by reason of its clock being kept wound) is
understood to be always normally revolving in the direction of the arrow shown on
the clock plate I, but being held to the shaft T only by the friction of the springs t³
against the wheel flange as hereinbefore explained, the said wheel T is readily
reversed when the rack-bar 1' is drawn back, as just described, and as said rack-bar is
being thus drawn back, by the action of the pin 4' of wheel K' against the bar h³
linked to said rack-bar 1', as stated, the tongue which projects up from said rack-bar
bears against the vertical edge of the latch and thereby raises said latch and the
Intch-arm S pivoted to the end of the levor S, and passes by said latch, which latior
drops back to position by gravity, ready to be acted upon, as heroinafter described, in
the return movement of the rack-bar 11.
The whool K', whose one-eighth revolution has just been described, is mounted, as

page_text: stated, on the shaft K which carries the commutator U, whose periphery, as will be
remembered, is in this instance, divided into eight alternate divisions of metal and
insulating material, the letter marked u, and the former being continuous with the
metal of the body and hub U of the said commutator, and as the commutator is fast
on tho shaft K, it follows that when the wheel K¹, also fast on said shaft, makes the
described one-eighth revolution, the commutator will do the same, and thereby change
from its normal position (shown in Figure 7 where the contact-spring V (whose post v
is insulated) rests on one of the insulated divisions 1 of the commutator) and move
one-eighth of its revolution, in the direction of the arrow, so that the end of this
contact-spring V will then rest on the motal of the commutator, and as the other
contact spring W presses against the metallic hub of the same, there will be a direct
short circuit, on the main-line (from the portion D', through wire i, contact-spring W,
commutator UU, contact-spring V and wire j, to the portion D) so that the electric
current passes along the main line without entoring the telephones or stations thus
cut out, and escapes the resistance which would otherwise be caused thereby.
I have shown and described how the various specified telephones or stations on the
main line could be automatically cut out, and I will next describe how my device
automatically restores their circuits to their normal condition. When the said
telephones or stations are cut out it will be remembered that the teeth of the rack-
bar I are in mesh with those of the wheel T', and the bar has been drawn over to
the left by the pin on wheel K', and the rack-bar I', necessarily drawn the same
way with its tongue on the left hand side of the latch s, or adjacent to the rounded
or beveled side of said latch, and the wheel T is revolving in the direction indicated
by the arrow on plate I. As the tongue of the rack-bar I is drawn, by said
motion of the wheel T¹, to the right, against the said beveled edge of latch s², the
latter is raised, raising with it the lever S³ fast on rock-shaft S, and thereby said shaft
is turned and the lover S₁, also fast on said shaft, is depressed, bearing down on the
lever fast on the rock-shaft Q, and turning said shaft, thereby raising the levers Q
and Q also fast on the said shaft Q. The lever Q' as it rises, lifts the lever P¹ fast
on tho rock-shaft P above, (as before described) and frees the end of pin p of said
lever P¹ from the notch m in wheel M, and at the same time the lever P* also fast (as
described hereinbefore) on said shaft P is lifted free from contact with the pin n², on
the wheel N¹, and this enables the said wheels M and N', and their connections to
begin to revolve, while, simultaneous with the raising of the just described levers the
lever Qfast on the shaft Q has been raised, as stated, so that its bent end q will lio
in the path of rotation of the pin n¹ on the outside of the said wheel N¹, and therefore,
the described motion of said wheels M and N' only lasts until the said pin n¹ comes
against the said end q' of the lever Q (which would be after about the one-sixth
revolution of the wheel N', in the illustration given) at which time the pin or end p
of lever P¹ is resting on the periphery of the wheel M at some distance from the
notch m, and the pin n² on the wheel N is also some distance from the pin or end pl
of the lever P2, and the parts remain in this position until the wheel T" has drawn the
rack-bar I along far enough for its tongue to pass under and beyond the point of
the latch, when the latter and its lever S will drop back to the position shown in
Figure 2, and this causes the lever S' to raise and releases the pressure on lever Q³,
whereupon levers Q' and Qalso drop by gravity, and the wheels M and N¹ resume
their movement, which is continued until the notch m in the former wheel comes
under the pin or end p of lever P', when the said pin or end falls into the said notch,
and the lever P' drops thereby, turning the rock-shaft P, and lowering the lever P³,
simultaneously, the pin or end pl of said lever Ps, thereby again coming against the
pin n on the inside of the wheel N¹, and this movement of the wheel N' is
accompanied by corresponding motion of the connecting gearing, (pinion n, on the
shaft N of said wheel N¹, wheel M and pinion L' on shaft L, and wheel K' on
shaft K), and as said shaft turns, the commutator U on said shaft turns with it,
bringing one of the insulated divisions u under the end of the contact-spring V
(which was previously resting on one of the metal divisions of the commutator's

page_text: poriphery) and thus the short circuit previously described of which said contact-
spring formed a part is broken, and the electric current on the main ling must now
pass through the circuit which includes the electro-inngnets G.
In the diagrain view, Figure 7, I have shown the magneto-generator Z, its
wires, connecting with the portion D of the main line, and a shunting device
and, merely that there might be no question of the operativo features of my device,
but all this is so well understood by those familiar with the art, that I do not doom any
extended description thoreof necessary. Though especially described with reference
to telephone systems, it will be understood that my invention is adapted equally well
for use on a telegraph system, for instance, when it may be advisable for any reason
to cut out an instrument or station at any time.
Another use of my invention would be in electric fire or police alarm systems, for
cutting out any particular alarm, or station, in the one instance, or any particular
light or lamp in the other instanco. In adapting my dovico to such purposes cach
electric alarm, or electric lamp for instance would have two wires connecting it with
the two described contact springs V and W, or said alarms or said lamps might be in
series and a group of them have the just described connections with the said contact
springs, and my two described clock-work mechanisms are capable of performing their
independent functions of cutting out, and restoring the instruments, stations, alarms,
or lights, or groups of the same, by the substitution of any suitable actunting power,
or motive force in place of the described supplementary generator having an
abnormally strong current, though I prefer the use of such supplementary generators
as set forth.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In an electric system, the combination with the main line, and instruments or
devices located thereon, or connected therewith, of mechanisin for automatically
cutting out said instruments or devices, and other mechanism; mechanically con-
nected to the last named mechanism for restoring the instruments or devices so cut
out, at the expiration of a predetermined interval.
2. In an electric system, the combination with the main line, and instruments or
stations thereon, of supplemental generators, adapted to be electrically connected to
said main lino, and generating stronger currents than those which operate the
instruments, electro-magnets, and arinatures attracted thereby under the action of a
current from one of said supplemental generators, and mechanism, connected to said
armatures, and adapted for automatically cutting out the instruments or stations on
the line other than those which are to communicate with each other, and eliminating
their resistance.
3. In an electric system, the combination with the main line, and instruments or
stations thereon, of supplemental generators adapted to be electrically connected to
said main line, and generating stronger currents than those which oporate tho
instruments, electro-magnets and armatures attracted thereby under the action of a
current from one of said supplemental generators, and mechanism, connected to said
armatures, and adapted for automatically cutting out, for a predetermined time, the
instruments or stations on the line other than those which are to communicate with
each other, and automatically restoring their circuits to their normal condition at tho
expiration of said period.
4. In an electric system, the combination with the main line, and instruments or
stations thereon, of a supplemental generator adapted to be electrically connected to
said main line, and capable of generating a current of electricity greater than the
ordinary currents used to operate the instruments on said line, electro-magnots
normally electrically connecto to said main line and the instruments thereon, and
armatures within the field of attraction of said electro-magnets only when the latter
are acted upon by the said strong current, mechanism mechanically connected to said

page_text: armatures for automatically cutting out said instruments and bearing a device for
making a shorter and more direct temporary circuit on the main line at any point
where an instrument is cut out, practically free from resistance at such point, suitable
switches and electric circuits, and other mechanism, mechanically connected to the
last named mechanism for restoring the normal circuits at such point or points, at the
expiration of a predetermined time.
Dated this 5th day of February 1889.
ANTHONY BERNERD FERDINAND.
By Jensen & Son,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Patent Agents.