Improvement in or relating to Coin-controlled Telephones.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Nov., 1898-Accepted, 14th Jan., 1899
[Communicated from abroad by CITRISTEN HEIBERG KAIRS, of No. 39, Niels
Juels Gade, Christiania, in the Kingdom of Norway, Procurator.]
Improvement in or relating to Coin-controlled Telephones.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of The Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 322, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, 6, Lord Street,
Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, and
Lower Temple Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Civil Engineer,
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 automatically operated telephones of that construction,
in which the connection with the central station is interrupted after a certain
period of time by means of an hour-glass. The connection is effected either by
the actuating material of the hour-glass (quicksilver) or by a current-connecting
mechanism attached to the said hour-glass. The characteristic feature of the
invention is a device by means of which the hour-glass after the same has been
brought by the insertion of a coin into the current conducting position, can be
brought into the horizontal position, so that in such a case the flow of the actuating
material ceases, and the object of this device is to enable a temporary interruption
of the connection to be effected, if it appears that the number called is already
occupied. The user of the apparatus can then after a few minutes again effect
connection with the central station without putting in another coin and without
losing unnecessary time.
In the accompanying drawing,
Figure 1 shews the position of the parts when the connection is closed and
Figure 2 the position when the same is temporarily interrupted. The hour-
glass can be brought into both positions illustrated only after the insertion of a
coin by means of a crank handle, connected through the coin with the axle of
the hour-glass. Before the insertion of the coin, the hour-glass takes the position.
shewn in dotted lines in Figure 1. The hour-glass A is provided with two hooks
or projections B which are either attached to arms fixed upon the axle of the
hour-glass as shewn in the drawing, or connected firmly with the hour-glass
vessels in any suitable manner. In a slot C of the housing D there is placed an
adjustable push button E, to which the spring hook F and the slide H are firmly
attached. If the hour-glass is turned out of the position shewn in dotted lines in
the direction of the arrow by means of the crank handle already mentioned, the
piece B presses back the spring hook F and can then assume the position shewn
in full lines, in which position the hour-glass presses with the lowermost point B
upon the hook F until so much of the sand or the quicksilver or other material
in the hour-glass has flowed from the upper into the end vessel, that the lower
half of the hour-glass over-balances the upper half, and the glass is brought into
the position shewn in dotted lines. Whilst the apparatus is in the inclined

page_text: position (Fig. 1) there is current connection, either through the fluid in the well
known manner or by means of outside current connectors. In the latter case
the current connection may conveniently be made through a connecting spring G
against which the other point B of the hour-glass rests. If the greater part of
the sand or fluid has flowed out of the upper part of the glass, the over-balancing
of the hour-glass overcomes the friction between the point B and the spring G
or the resistance of the spring, and the hour-glass takes the position shewn in
dotted lines, that is to say, the current is interrupted. If it appears after calling
the central station that the requisite connection cannot be obtained, the user
simply pushes the button e downwards into the position illustrated in Fig. 2: the
hour-glass follows, the current connection is temporarily interrupted and also
the further flow of the sand or fluid is prevented, and it is possible to again call
the office after the lapse of a few minutes without inserting a new coin. This opera-
tion can be repeated several times, although each operation involves some loss
of time. If the current connection is effected through the hour-glass fluid itself,
the spring G may be omitted. In this case the passage of the hour-glass from the
inclined into the vertical position will take place after the lapse of half the time
allowed for a single use of the apparatus. By means of such an arrangement
of the apparatus, the user can be prevented from commencing a new conversation
without the insertion of a fresh coin after the ending of a conversation which has
taken more than half the time allowed. The slide serves to close the slot C.
Moreover the same can also be used to cover the coin slot I, so that this latter is
only open when an opening K in the slide corresponds with the coin slot.
Hereby is prevented the insertion of coins, when for instance, the hour-glass has
been left by a previous user in the position shewn in Fig. 2, in which the coin
holder connected therewith is underneath the coin slot. If the current connection
is effected through the fluid, an inclined position for the apparatus during the
current flow is not necessary. If the hour-glass is required to take a perpendicular
position during the current connection, the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 3
must be made use of, in which the spring hook F limits the motion of the hour-
glass in both directions. An inclined position for the hour-glass is, however,
preferable even in the case of this mode of connection, because it can thereby be
secured, that when the glass overbalances, a bell indicates to the user that the
time has nearly elapsed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
The improvement in telephones in which the current is connected and inter-
rupted by a revoluble hour-glass, consisting essentially in means whereby the said
hour-glass can be temporarily placed in a horizontal position; consisting essentially
of a hook F within the housing, attached to a slide H, which hook holds the hour-
glass fast in the current-conducting position, and which is adjustable by means
of a button. E projecting beyond the outside of the housing, so that the said hour-
glass can be brought into the horizontal position by the displacement of the hook,
in order thereby to get a temporarily interruption of the connection without
further flow of the actuating material, substantially as described.
11.
141
1000
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
322, High Holborn, London, W.C., Patent Agents for the Applicant.