Improvements in or connected with Electric Signalling or Communicating Apparatus.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Apr., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 16th June, 1894-Accepted, 21st July, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Electric Signalling or
Communicating Apparatus.
We, CHARLES STUART JONES, of Spithead, Boot Dealer, and HENRY CHARLES
COLLIER, of The Quay, Hotel Proprietor, both in Dartmouth, in the County of
Devon, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
'
This invention relates to electrical signalling or communicating apparatus and
has for its object to provide means whereby the single operation of a circuit closing
device shall cause a repeated signal to be given in contradistinction to the arrange-
ment now generally employed, wherein it is necessary to operate the circuit closing
device for each signal.
According to the said invention we provide a pendulous circuit closing device
through which a current is designed to flow and the swinging arm of which when
oscillating is adapted to make contact with a fixed contact piece, and to close the
circuit at each oscillation. In practice I prefer to suspend a weight from the end
of the pendulum by means of a chain.
The arrangement is very advantageously employed for signalling the opening of
a shop or other door, a projection on the door being adapted when the door is
opened to strike the swinging arm or a projecting part thereof, and to cause the
swinging of the same. It is to be understood, however, that our invention is also
applicable for other purposes, for instance, it may be used in connection with a
burglar alarm apparatus and adapted to be operated by the opening of a window
or door, or it may be used in conjunction with an ordinary electric bell the
movement of the press button serving to cause the oscillation of the swinging arm.
By varying the length of the swinging arm and the weight thereof, it will be
obvious that the number of oscillations and consequently also the number of times
the circuit is completed at each operation of the device may be varied.
Where several of such apparatuses are employed in one building it is obvious
that pendulum or other indicators may be employed for showing which circuit
closing device has been operated and in constructing such an indicating apparatus
I prefer to arrange the indicator pendulums one behind another.
Dated the 25th day of April 1894
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Electric Signalling or
Communicating Apparatus.
We, CHARLES STUART JONES, of Spithead, Boot Dealer, and HENRY CHARLES
COLLIER, of The Quay, Hotel Proprietor, both in Dartmouth, in the County of
Devon, 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 electrical signalling or communicating apparatus and
has for its object to provide means whereby the single operation of a circuit
closing device shall cause a repeated signal to be given in contradistinction to the

page_text: arrangement now generally employed, wherein it is necessary to operate the circuit
closing device for each signal.
According to the said invention we provide a pendulous circuit closing device
through which a current is designed to flow and the swinging arm of which when
oscillating is adapted to make contact with a fixed contact piece, and to close the
circuit at each oscillation. In practice we prefer to suspend a weight from the
eud of the pendulum by means of a chain.
The arrangement is very advantageously employed for signalling the opening
of a shop or other door, a projection on the door being adapted when the door is
opened to strike the swinging arm or a projecting part thereof, and to cause the
swinging of the same. It is to be understood, however, that our invention is also
applicable for other purposes, for instance, it may be used in connection with a
burglar alarm apparatus and adapted to be operated by the opening of a window
or door, or it may be used in conjunction with an ordinary electric bell the
movement of the press button serving to cause the oscillation of the swinging arm.
To enable our invention to be fully understood we will describe how it can be
carried into practice by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a front elevation shewing an electric signalling circuit closing device
or apparatus constructed according to our invention applied to a door and adapted
to he operated by the opening of the said door.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.
Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3, Figure 2.
Figures 4 and 5 are views of details of the said apparatus.
Figure 6 is an elevation shewing our apparatus applied to a window having
sliding sashes, and,
Figures 7 and 8 are respectively a front elevation and a vertical section of our
apparatus adapted to be operated by a spring push button.
Figures 9 and 10 are views showing our apparatus adapted to be operated by
door pull and bed or cord pull respectively.
a
Similar letters of reference indicate similar or corresponding parts throughout
the drawings.
a is the swinging arm or pendulum of our circuit closing device and b is the
fixed contact piece with which the said arm when oscillated is adapted to make
contact. The part with which the pendulum makes contact being arranged
across the path of the latter as shewn clearly in Figure 3. The arm a is pivotted
to a bracket c, which bracket and the contact piece form the terminals of an
electric circuit in which is arranged an electric bell or other suitable signalling
apparatus. d is the weight attached by means of a flexible or movable connection
such as a chain e with which the lower end of the arm a is advantageously provided
whereby when the said arm is set swinging the tendency of the said weight to
continue moving after the arm has stopped against the contact piece b ensures the
contact being repeated several times and a consequent repetition of the signal by
the bell or other device in the circuit.
In the arrangement illustrated by Figures 1 and 2 is the projecting arm
attached to a door g which when the latter is opened serves to operate the
pendulum a. Figures 4 and 5 are respectively an end elevation and a plan of
the arm f. In order that the arm shall operate on the pendulum a only during
the opening of the door and not during the closing of the same, the said arm fis
provided with a pivotted tripping piece which is weighted so as to be normally
vertical and which when the door is opened strikes against an upper extension a
of the pendulum a and moves it as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 2
the said piece being prevented from turning upon its pivot i by its upper portion
bearing against a projection on the arm. When the door is closed, however,
the piece
when it strikes the extension a' of the pendulum a turns upon its
pivot as shewn by the dotted lines in Figure 4 and rides over the said part a
without affecting it.
In the arrangement illustrated by Figure 6, k is the arm on a sliding window

page_text: sash the said arm when the sash is in its closed position as indicated in the
drawings bearing against the extension a¹ of the pendulum a so as to normally
maintain the latter in an inclined position so that when the sash is opened by
being moved in the direction of the arrow the weight d at the lower end of the
said pendulum will cause it to oscillate and make contact with the contact
piece b.
In the arrangement illustrated by Figures 7 and 8 m is the spring press-button
adapted to operate against the extension a' of the pendulum a the stem n of the
button being cranked as indicated by the full lines in Figure 8 or straight as
indicated by the dotted lines in the same figure.
When our invention is used in connection with a door pull or bed pull as
shewn in Figures 9 and 10 we use a lever such as o carrying a pivotted tripping
piece which when the lever o is pulled outwards operates the pendulum but
which on its return movement does not act upon the said pendulum. A spring
serves to retain the lever o in its normal position. In the case of the door pull
a knob
is fixed to the lever o as shewn in Figure 9 and in the case of a bed
pull the lever is provided with an arm r to which a cords can be attached as
shewn in Figure 10.
Although we have described the pendulum a as arranged to make contact with
a contact piece placed across its path we can in some cases arrange the said
pendulum to make a passing contact. This is advantageously effected by means
of a spring contact piece arranged at the side of the path of the pendulum against
which the said pendulum momentarily rubs as it oscillates past it.
In this case
it will be obvious that the flexible connection e for supporting the weight d can be
dispensed with."
By varying the length of the swinging arm a and the weight d and its
connecting chain e it will be obvious that the number of oscillations and conse-
quently also the number of times the circuit is completed at each operation of the
device may be varied.
Where several of our apparatuses are employed in one building it is obvious
that pendulum or other indicators may be employed for showing which circuit
closing device has been operated and in constructing such an indicating apparatus
we prefer to arrange the indicator pendulums one behind another.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. In electric signalling or communicating apparatus a circuit closing device
consisting of a fixed contact piece, a movable contact piece adapted to be oscillated
so as to make a series of contacts with the fixed contact piece and means for
imparting movement to the movable contact piece substantially as and for the
purpose described.
2. In electric signalling or communicating apparatus a circuit closing device
consisting of a fixed contact piece and an oscillating contact piece the fixed
contact piece being arranged across the path of oscillation of the former which
is provided with a weight attached by a flexible or movable connection substantially
as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
3. The combination with a circuit closing device of the kind described in the
second claiming clause of an arm adapted when moved in one direction to operate
the movable contact piece but when moved in the opposite direction to escape it
substantially as described with reference to Figures 1, 2, 4 and 5 and Figures 9
and 10 of the accompanying drawings.
4. The combination with an electric circuit closing device of the kind described
in the second claiming clause of an arm adapted to normally hold the movable
contact piece in an inclined position substantially as described with reference to
Figure 6 of the accompanying drawings.
5. The combination with an electric circuit closing device of the kind described

page_text: in the second claiming clause of a spring push button substantially as described
with reference to Figures 7 and 8 of the accompanying drawings.
6. The manufacture and use of the improved electric signalling or communicating
apparatus herein before described and illustrated in Figures to 5, Figure 6,
Figures 7 and 8, Figure 9 and Figure 10 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 16th day of June 1894.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.