Improvements in Speaking Tubes.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Mar., 1886.
Complete Left, 9th Dec., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 9th Mar., 1887.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Speaking Tubes.
I FREDERICK EDWIN PONTIFEX of 24 Upper Barnsbury Street in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Speaking Tubes as ordinarily used have only one opening at either end, and speaking
and listening are done through the same opening, which is very inconvenient inas-
much as every time the receiver of a message wishes to answer the sender he has to
take his car from the opening and place his mouth thereto, and is very liable to miss
part of a message. By my invention I propose to employ two openings at or near
each end of the tube-one opening for speaking through and the other opening for
listening the latter, by preference having a piece of elastic tube so that it. can con-
veniently be held to the ear, while the mouth is at the other opening. By these means
communications. can be carried on much more rapidly than hitherto, with greater
certainty, and with greater case to the persons engaged.
FREDERICK EDWIN PONTIFEX.

page_text: I FREDERICK EDWIN PONTIFEX of 24 Upper Barnsbury Street in the County of
Middlesex, 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 —
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 represents one form of my Invention and
Fig. 2 a modification thereof embodying the principal feature.
::
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In Fig. 1-A is a Junction Piece the central portion of which a screws into the
ordinary socket at the end of the sound conveying pipe. One branch of the Junction
Piece is provided with a mouthpiece a fitted with a whistle or equivalent and to the
other branch is attached a piece of flexible tube terminating with an ear piece B,
which, when not in use is closed by a plug c. To make use of the apparatus the
speaker first removes the whistle and blows down the mouthpiece to sound the
whistle at the receiving end of the tube. The speaker then removes the plug and
places the ear piece 13 to his car and his mouth to the mouthpiece a', in which position
communication can be carried on without moving the head about as is necessary
in the speaking Tubes ordinarily used. In some cases it may be found convenient to
have flexible tubes attached to both branches of the Junction Piece A. but this arrange-
ment requires the use of both hands. As it is often desirable to have one hand at
liberty for the purpose of taking down notes &c., I have designed the Junction Piece
as shown in Fig. 2 in which the receiving and transmitting branches D & E are
composed entirely of metal or other hard material terminating with ear and mouth-
pieces as in the previous case. The stem C may be attached by a flexible tube of
suitable length to the end of the sound conveying pipe so that a person sitting at a
desk or table can hold the apparatus in one hand and have the other at liberty for
writing or other purpose.
To prevent the sound traversing the wrong way (or branch) of the Junction l'iece a
midfeather or baffle-plate may be fixed as shewn at D.
CLAIMS.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In connection with a Speaking Tube a Junction or two-way piece A one of
which serves for the attachment of a mouth piece for speaking through and the other
for the attachment of an earpiece or receiver with or without flexible tubing
substantially as specified and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. In a modified form of apparatus such as shewn in Fig. 2. of the accompanying
drawings consisting of a mouth and car piece rigidly connected together so as to be
11
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In connection with a Speaking Tube a Junction or two-way piece A one of
which serves for the attachment of a mouth piece for speaking through and the other
for the attachment of an earpiece or receiver with or without flexible tubing
substantially as specified and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. In a modified form of apparatus such as shewn in Fig. 2. of the accompanying
drawings consisting of a mouth and car piece rigidly connected together so as to be
available for ue
one hand only substantially as specified.
FREDERICK EDWIN PONTIFEX.