An Improved Electric Alarm and Announcing Clock for Hotels and Factories.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 13th May, 1891-Accepted, 20th June, 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by S. SCHUBARDT, of Eisleben, Germany,
Assistant.]
An Improved Electric Alarm and Announcing Clock for Hotels and
Factories.
I HUGH DONALD FITZPATRICK of 70 Wellington Street Glasgow Lanark-
shire, Registered 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 alarm or announcing clock, by which, in any
number of rooms and at any desired times, bells can be rung, independently of one
another.
The new invention is distinguished by a clockwork, the dial plate of which is
fitted with any number of contact-pins, to be combined as required. The hour
hand of the clock has an extension piece with a flexible or spring point, which, in
going round, touches one or several of the contact-pins. By this means, bells may
be rung either in a single distant room or, at the same time, in any number of
rooms at the hour indicated by the contact-pins.
On the drawings annexed hereto Figs. 1, 2 & 3 show in front elevation three
different forms of the new alarm-clock and more especially those parts which
constitute the novel features of the invention.
Referring to Fig. 1, of the drawings:-The hour hand A of the clock, which
is connected, by the conducting wire b, with a galvanic battery or other generator
of electricity B, is fitted with a metallic extension piece or spring a, which, while
it passes over the dial-plate, touches a ring C of insulating material. On this
ring C there are a number of holes c exactly corresponding with the hourly and
half-hourly divisions of the dial-plate. The insulating ring C is enclosed by
another, outer, insulating ring D, to which there is fixed as many perforated metal
plates, d, d, etc., as will correspond to the number of rooms to be alarmed by the
clock.
In the example Fig. 1. there are supposed to be 12 rooms (Nos. 1 to 12), the
electric alarm or call bells of which are shown one beside the other, in order to
give a clearer apprehension of the operation of the apparatus. A conducting wire
is led from each of these bells to a metal strip e, fastened to the insulating plate E,
which latter is connected with the source of electricity B. Each of the
bells (1-12) is also connected by a conducting wire with one of the series of
pinching screws (e¹ to e¹²) fastened to the plate E. The same or other wires go
from the screws to the metal plates (d'-d²). Into any of the holes c of the
ring Care placed metal pins F, and also, in the small holes y of the plates (d'-d¹³)
are placed other pins f. To the pins F, f, are fitted small connecting wires y',
indicated in dotted lines.
With this arrangement, if, for instance, it is desired to ring the bells 2, 5, 7 and 9
at 3 o'clock, the bells 1, 3 and 10 at 4 o'clock, the bells 8 and 12 at 6 o'clock and
the bells 4, 6 and 11 at half-past 4 o'clock, it is necessary to put a contact pin F
into that hole of the ring C, which corresponds with the third hour and the pin f
on the other end of its connecting wire y', into one of the holes in the metal
plate d
When this is done the conducting pin of another connecting wire y'
is put into the same plate d², and the pin on the other end of this wire, into the
metal plate d. In the same way the plates and d', and d' and ', are connected
by two more wires y¹.
Now, as soon as the hour hand A indicates the third hour, the lengthening
spring a of the hour hand will touch that contact-pin F in the ring C which

page_text: corresponds with the third hour, when, at once, the circuit will be completed and
the electric current will flow into the metal plates d², d³, d' & ', and from along
their corresponding connecting wires a to the bells 2, 5, 7 & 9.
The bells will
now ring until the spring a leaves the contact-pin F, which it does by bending
up at the point or it may be made to override it.
In the same way contact-pins F may be put at 4, 4, and 6 o'clock and the
plates d', and do be connected with the 4 o'clock pin, the plates d', do and du
with the 4.30 pin and the plates d, and d, with the 6 o'clock pin. When the
hour hand reaches IV, the bells 1, 3 and 10 will ring, when it reaches IV.30 the
bells 4, 6 and 11, and when it reaches 6 o'clock the bells 8 and 12.
When the clock is to be used for alarming people in hotels, the boots should be
able to tell from his room, whether the party to be wakened has risen or not.
To do this there is provided a small side-board G to which a metallic pillar ġ is
fitted. On the pillar g rests a beam H, one end of which conducts the current, to
the spring, which is connected, by means of a wire, with the conducting plate e,
the other end of the beam supports an iron bolt i, which goes into the centre
of the wire-spool J. The spool J is connected, by conducting wires, with the
pillar and the source of electricity B, as shown.
-
As the clock is connected by the wire with the battery B, the current of
electricity will pass from the battery to the spool J; from thence into the pillar g
and the balanced beam H, then through the spring to the bell and back again
through the clock.
The passage of the current through the spool J causes the soft. iron bolt i to be
pulled into the spool and to strike on a glass-plate on the bottom of the spool thus
producing a sound. At this moment the parts are so arranged relatively to one
another that the contact between the beam H and the spring is broken, and
therefore the current is interrupted and the bell will cease to ring.
When the
circuit is broken the beam will return to its horizontal balanced position, and the
circuit will then be again closed and the bell in the room of the guest will again
ring. At the same time the iron core of the electro-magnet in the boots' room,
by knocking against the glass plate, will announce that the guest has not yet risen,
his bell not having been stopped. Should several guests have to be wakened in
different rooms at the same time, the electro-magnet will, of course, not be quiet
until every guest has stopped his bell.
For the arrangement as before described, it would be necessary to connect the
clock with every one of the wires leading to the different rooms. To avoid this
rather complicated work the modified arrangement shown at Fig. 2 may be used.
In this arrangement the hour hand A has the extension spring piece a and the
dial-plate is enclosed by an insulating ring C, fitted as before with holes e in which
to put the contact-pins F. The bells in the guests' rooms are connected with one
another on an excliange board K. On one end of every connecting wire y is a
contact-pin F, while on its other end there are attached a number of smaller wires,
each of which ends in a contact pin f.
With
If the guests in the rooms represented by the bells Nos. 1, 4, 6 and 9, for
instance, want to be wakened at 10 minutes to: 4, it is necessary to put the pin F
into the corresponding hole in the ring C and the pins f of the smaller wires into
the holes of the board K corresponding with the rooms 1, 4, 6 and 9.
this arrangement when the hand Atouches the pin F, the current will, as before,
run through the conducting wire "y at the end of which it will be divided into
four currents, which will ring the bells in the rooms as required. This arrange-
ment may be combined with the usual electric and other fittings the same as or
similar to Fig. 1.
If the bells are always to be rung at the same time, and any changing of
contact pins is thus rendered unnecessary, the arrangement shown at Fig. 3 might
be preferred. This arrangement is simply a reversal of the previous one, for
in place of having contact pins there is fitted, to the clock a number of hand
with but only a single contact-spring.

page_text: If, for instance, over 6, 8 or 10 rooms of a mill workmen are distributed
who are to be called for commencement at VI o'clock, for breakfast at VIII
and VIII-30 o'clock, for dinner at XII and I o'clock, for tea at III:30
and IV o'clock, and for closing at VI o'clock, the clock should have seven hour
hands. There is also fitted over the original dial-plate another smaller one with
its figures in reversed succession. The spring L, beneath the clock, is connected
with the source of electricity. The extra hands are so fitted to the hollow
spindle of the clock, which carries the ordinary hour hand, that whilst they
may be turned round, they are fitted with sufficient tightness to resist the
spring without losing their position. In unison with the hour-spindle, the
seven extra hands move round and touch the contact spring L one after the other
in the succession required. They thus make the bells ring in all the rooms, in
which, at the same time, the certain hours are or may be announced by a clock.
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. An electric alarm or announcing clock, having an insulating ring C provided
with holes or equivalents c, corresponding with the divisions of the dial-plate, the
hour-hand A. being connected with the source of electricity and having an extension
spring a, which, in moving round, touches pins F placed in said holes
said pins
being suitably connected with the bells to be rung, substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings annexed.
C,
2. The modified arrangement of electric alarm or announcing clock having
several rigid contact hands and a single spring-contact L, substantially as herein-
before described with reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings annexed.
3. The combination with a clock made in accordance with claims 1 or 2 of a
contact making and breaking device H, i, J, substantially as and for the purposes
hereinbefore set forth.
Dated this 12th day of May 1891.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.