Improvements in or relating to Electrical Fire and Burglar Alarms.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Dec., 1894-Accepted, 26th Oct., 1895
COME DEL DECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Electrical Fire and Burglar Alarms.
A communication from SIEGFRIED SPIEGEL, of Breitegasse No. 15, Vienna VII,
Gentleman, MARC TAUSSIC and ISAAC WOLF, both of Luftbadgasse No. 19,
Vienna VI, Manufacturers
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, 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 an automatic electric fire and buglar alarm specially
suitable for use in large buildings such as savings-banks, factories, workshops and
the like.
It is so arranged as to give electrically an immediate indication, at any place
removed from the building where it is in operation, of an outbreak of hire or an
attempt at burglary, by a self-acting arraugeinent, and it is especially characterised
by great simplicity and certain action.
On the accompanying drawings ;-
Figure I shows a side elevation of the apparatus and diagram of the leads,
Figure is a plan view of the apparatus.
The principal part of the apparatus is located in a box or caso K which is
secured to the wall above the place to be made safe, or on the object itself, or again
within the said place to be protected, at any place desired.
In this box or case there are two contacts, one to indicate any outbreak of fire,
the other any attempt at burglary.
The contact arrangement or device for fire indication is constituted by two
upright standards b and c and a lever dh. The stand b carries the lever dh which
is pivoted on the pin &, the arm d being provided with a contact-plate e, while the
other end of the lever is counterweighted This end is connected with a spiral
spring (or a rubber spring) connected with a cord gunning over rollers along
the wall whereof the end is wound round the drum of a small winding apparatus
with the aid of which and the spring fit can be kept tight. The cord is wound
so tightly that the lever-arm is maintained out of contact with c. From the
coid at desu ed intervals run as branches the fuses or quick-inatches Z which may
be for instance about three feet long and may be provided at any part of the
building where there may be special risk of fire to be guarded against
The contact dovice or arrangement to guard against burglary consists of a strip
of wood A which on the one hand by means of rubber supports or feet, and on the
other hand, by means of a set-scron St, is supported at some little distance away
from the bottom side of the box oi case K. Upon A again rests by means of
coiled springs Sp the wood strip B carrying the stand with a lever & pivoted on
the support thereon.
The left arm of the lever / cairies the electro-magnet armature and the right.
alm carries a screw m fitted with an cyclet, and below the armature and secured
upon the strip B, is the electro-magnet n. Between the armature and the
pivoting point a screw o fitted with a platinum-point is screwed through the
lever k, and is intended to act in connection with a contact-plate 9 beneath it
made adjustable by means of a set-sciew and carried by a stand p which also
catrics, above the lever A, another set-screw acting downwards so as to limit its
upward movement, the left arm of the lever k is continued by a very fine flat

page_text: spring fitted with a platinum points which on the smallest tiembling or shaking
18 set swinging, and thereupon is brought into contact with the spring contact
plate carried by the stand and made adjustable by means of the set-screw v.
Attached to the eye at the lower end of the set-screw m at the right hand end of
the lever is the coiled spuing w which may be thereby tightened up according to
circumstances so as to keep the lever duly balanced
Fixed to the top of the box, outside, are the four terminals al a 2 a 3 a 4,
whereof a is connected with the standard p, a 2 with the standard b, a 3 with
the electro-magnet. n, end a 4 with stand Fin the also, the electro-magnet » 18
connected with stand and stand p connected with the support .
The external connections comprise a sounder G, the electric batteries EE 2,
and two disconnectors C' C2 connected together by a wire; also a conducting
wire led from a to the zinc-pole Z', a second wie 2 from a 2 led to the
sounder G, a third 3 from a 3 to the zinc-pole Z2 and another maiked 4
from 4 to the disconnecting apparatus C. The wire connecting C1 and C2 18
put by the wner into communication with the wire conductor 2, the wire y lends
from the car hon pole K2 to the second disconnector C2; and lastly the other
carbon-pole K' of the battery is in communication with the sounder G.
The battery, disconnectors, and sounder are located in the room of the person
charged with the attendance on the apparatus, which works as follows,-
In case of an outbreak of file in the place where the box or case K is fixed, the
cord which is suitably disposed in the space thus protected, 18 burnt; and
thereby the lever arm d and its contact plate e falls on a aud closes the circuit
The clectic current flows at once from the battery from Z through the
conductor and by terminal a', stand c, lever arm d, stand b, terminal a 2, and
wire 2, setting the sounder G in action and thence returning to the battery.
:
With any attempt at burglary, the second contact apparatus is brought into
operation in the following way, it being assumed that the disconnectors are
thrown into circuit Then should any person make any attempt to handle the
article protected the shocks or tiembling movements arising therefrom, however
small they may be in themselves are communicated to the apparatus owing to the
extreme sensibility thereof and to the spital springs between the wooden strips A
and B and further communicated to the lever k. Further the fine sping is set
in vibration and as soon as it touches the contact spring t it completes the cucuit, so
that the electric curent energises the electro-magnet n which immediately attracts
the armature, whereby the lever-arm is drawn down, the contact-sciew o is
brought to touch the contact-sping 9 and the sounder is promptly set in motion.
Starting from the cucut includes the lever A, stand, teiminal at, conductor 4,
the connecting apparatus CC 2, the conductor y, the battery E', thence through
conductor 3, terminal a 3, the coils of the electro-magnet n to u and t, and further
by the eneigising of n, the amature 7 is attracted and, by means of the lever A,
o is depressed into contact with 7, establishing the following course for the cuitent
2 by the spring and stand p, to the terminal a' and lead 1 to the battery E 2,
and by the sounder G, and part of wine 2, through conductor 2, the disconnector C',
and we 4 to terminal a4, and thence by i, & and o
By means of the two disconnectors C¹ C³ the current may be turned off from
the electro magnet and bell separately, but one disconnector alone may be
employed.
Ilaving now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
Lion as communicated to me by my loreign correspondents, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim 18,-
1. In an electric fire-alarm the combination with a cord or thread such as g with
or without the fuses Z of a contact lever such as d held by the cord or thread so
as to keep a circuit opon until the cord or thread is buint though or severed by
the fire when the lever is released and completes an electrical circuit setting au
audible alarm in action substantially as described.

page_text: 2. The combination with a fire-alarm of the kind referred to in Claim 1 of a
contact arrangement for giving an indication of any attempt at burglary by means
of the same audible alarm as is used in case of fire and comprising a contact
lever () mounted on an easily-vibrated plato B and carrying an electromagnetic
armature (1) and a vibrating contact spring (r) as well as a further contact
screw (o) which screw by the circuit closure effected by the contact spring (r)
with a second contact spring (t) fastened beneath it causes an electric current to
pass through an electromagnet and 18 consequently drawn down on the fixed
contact piece (g) and thereby closes the electric circuit through the sounder (G)
substantially as described.
3. The fire and burglary alarm constructed arranged and operating substantially
as and for the purposes described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 24th day of December 1894.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.