A New or Improved Switch to be used for a System of Two or More Speaking Tubes.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Sept., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 25th May, 1891-Accepted, 4th July, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Switch to be used for a System of Two or More
Speaking Tubes.
I, HAHNEMANN ADOLPHUS CUTMORE, of Melbourne, in the Colony of Victoria,
A NEW OR
Electrician, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
IMPROVED SWITCH TO BE USED FOR A SYSTEM OF TWO OR MORE SPEAKING
TUBES" to be as follows
-
My present invention relates to a new or improved switch or speaking tubes
specially applicable to bank managers tables and other situations, where it is only
necessary to call up" in one direction, a modification of apparatus is, however,
applicable where it is required to call up in both directions.
The object of the invention is to enable one mouth piece to be employed in
connection with a system of two or more tubes.
In carrying out my invention, I arrange two or more tubes which constitute a
system, one end of which will be in connection with my switch arranged upon an
office table, or in front of a false drawer therein, whilst the other ends of the tubes
are led away to their several destinations.
The switch consists of a fixed circular plate iermed the base plate to which the
tubes leading to the table are connected. A disc termed the switch plate is
arranged to work upon the aforesaid base plate; it is retained upon the latter by
means of a central bolt which passes through both plates as also the table.
In lieu of said bolt, I may project a stud from the under side of the switch plate,
to fit into a socket formed in the base plate. There is a set screw projected through
the lower end of said socket and tapped into the stud so as to keep the switch plate
upon the beforementioned base plate.
A stand tube swivelled in a union, is arranged upon the aforesaid switch plate to
carry the receiver and transmitter described in my Patent No. 4737 dated
18th March, 1889.
Said stand tube is provided with a point indicator which shows when communica-
tion between the transmitter and the speaking tube is cut off.
Several notches are made in the base plate to receive one end of a flat spring clip,
which is secured to the upper face of the switch plate by means of the before-
mentioned centre bolt and a binding screw, or by two set screws.
In operation, when it is desired to call up one of the speaking tubes, the spring
clip is lifted so as to free the point thereof from the notches, and the switch plate is
then turned round on the centre bolt or stud until the stand tube falls over the tube
to be called into communication and the point of the spring clip falls into the
corresponding notch.
All the other tubes are thus cut out of communication whilst one is in use.
If the tubes are required to be made capable of being called up from either end,
the switch plate is provided with whistles and indicators, one for each tube, which
passes through the base plate, otherwise the construction is the same.
Dated this Fifth day of August 1890.
HAHNEMANN ADOLPHUS CUTMORE.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
A New or Improved Switch to be used for a System of Two or More
Speaking Tubes.
I, HAHNEMANN ADOLPHUS CUTMORE of Melbourne in the Colony of Victoria
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 :-
This invention relates to improvements in or connected with speaking tubes and
will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which
Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section, upon line 11 of Fig. 2, and
Fig. 2 a plan of a speaking tulu uppa atus with a switch plate by which a single
month-piece is lapted to communicate with tubes leading to various apartments.
Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 2.
Like letters represent like parts throughout the drawings.
A is the month-piece and B the compressible bulb of the general signalling device
for communicating with the various tubes. This portion of the apparatus is com
neeted by a bent rigid tube (with the switch-plate D. E is the ear-piece connected
by preferably a flexible tube E' with the plug of a two-way cock and so arranged
that when the ear-piere E is Efted up and applied to the car of the speaker with his
mouth in front of the month-piere A the plug of the cock E is so turned as to
establish communication between the month-piece A and the pipe (whereas when
the ear-pier E hangs down as in Fig. I the cock is closed and communication
between A and C is cut off.
The
The switch-plate consists of a fixed circular plate secured by screws or other
equivalent means to the wooden or other plate or support F which may lie in a
horizontal plane and he supported on the top of a pillar or column or may be placed
upon the wall in a vertical plane. The fixed plate F may have an annular grouve
in which may fit an annular projection of the switch-plate D so that the latter when
held against the plate F. as by means of the screw D and nuts D¹ Dª minkes an
air-tight joint between the two plates: the plates D and Fanay however fit close
enough together to make a sufficiently air-tight joint without the annular groove and
proje tion and the apparatus shown in the drawings is formed in this manner.
switch-plate D is provided with a number of recesses D1 corresponding with the
number of communication tubes G connected to the fixed plate and into these
recesses a ball held by a spring against the back of the plate so as to project
a small distance through it, enters, thus forming a check upon the switch-plate D
and to a limited extent locking it in each of the positions required. The switch-
plate may be conveniently turned by the handle around its centre thus carrying
the tube and month-piece arrangement around till it corresponds with the tube G
which communicates with the required apartment. Thus in Fig. 2 the tube C is
shown in the position to correspond with that tube (which communicates with the
cashier and to onable the operator always to bring the mouthpiece conveniently to
him, the tube is connected by any suitable swivel arrangement (" with the
switch-plate D.
The cup D is for the purpose of supporting the indicating devices H', whon in the
position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, but if preferred its screwed stem may be
used for securing the plates D and together.
The switch-plate D is provided with whistles or other signalling devices H 50
arranged that when the pipe C coincides with one pipe the signalling devices H
will correspond with all the other pipes of the switch-plate; by this arrangement n
signal can be given from the other end of any one of the pipes G but to indicate
which of these it is which has signalled an indicating device ', which is here shown
as consisting simply of a hinged flap or plate adapted to close the opening in the
whistle I or to fall back upon the cup D when a signal is given, may be employed.

page_text: This arrangement of indicating device while suitable for use with a horizontal
switch-plate would not do for a vertical plate unless the flaps were all hinged at
their lower edges. After the flap has been thrown back it may be replaced in its
normal position by the operator. Should the signal be given through the pipe G
with which the pipe C corresponds an audible signal will be made through the
general signalling device B which thus serves the double purpose of giving such a
signal from the remote station or upon compression and blocking the whistle with
the finger of conveying a signal to any of the remote stations with which the
apparatus communicates.
The signalling device B in Figure 1 consists simply of the rubber ball B carried
in the cup B and communicating with the pipe C and any couvenient form of
whistle or signalling device B which upon the passage of a puff of air will give an
audible signal. When using this apparatus to send a signal to the remote station
the whistle B is closed by the finger or thumb of the operator and the ball B
compressed thus moving the air in the pipe and giving the signal through a similar
apparatus B B or H at the remote station.
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 speaking tube apparatus the combination with two or more tube terminals G
and an adjustable switch-plate or disc such as D of a mouth-and-ear-piece-carrying-
branch such as C substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
2. In speaking tube apparatus the combination with two or more tube terminals G
and fixed plate such as of a rotatable plate or disc such as D having recesses D'
adapted to receive a spring-controlled check ball F substantially as described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. In speaking tube apparatus the combination with two or more tube terminals G
switch plate or disc such as D and mouth-and-car-piece-carrying branch C of a
signalling device such as B B or H. H' substantially as described and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
4. In speaking tube apparatus the combination with two or more tube terminals G
and adjustable switch plate or disc such as D of a mouth-and-ear-piece-carrying
branch such as C and swivel joint such as C substantially as described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
5. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete speaking
tube apparatus substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
1001
Dated this 20th day of May
1001
H. A. CUTMORE.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.
H. A. CUTMORE.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.