A New or Improved Electric Alarum for use in Hotels or other Large Buildings, or otherwise.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Jan., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Oct., 1893-Accepted, 30th Dec., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Electric Alarum for use in Hotels or other
Large Buildings, or otherwise.
I, LOUIS GUSTAV WEYGANG, of No. 15 Smith Street, Guernsey, in the
Channel Islands Watchmaker and Jeweller do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is the production of a new or improved electric
alarum for use in hotels or elsewhere to obviate the less reliable services of a
servant. By the use of this invention any one in any number of chambers can be
effectually called at any predesired time.
For the purpose of this invention an ordinary clock may be used. Round the
dial of the clock a number of projecting pins are fixed, and I prefer to fix these
pins upon brass slips which may be made in two pieces, the one sliding over the
Any
other, so that the pin may be slipped back, if desired, when not in use.
number of pins may be employed, but more generally one at each quarter hour,
thus making 48 projecting pins round the dial of the clock.
The point of the hour hand of the clock is lengthened by a piece of metal
moving on a swivel; or the elongation, which I will call the tongue of the hour
hand, consists of a thin flexible piece of metal, or of a bunch of fine wires forming
an elastic metallic brush.
This metallic tongue touches the projecting pins round the dial of the clock,
and remains in contact with the same for a time depending upon the length of the
projection of the tongue beyond the pin, so that the length of the contact may be
regulated by sliding the projecting pin nearer towards the hour hand or further
away.
The projecting pins round the dial of the clock, or the metal slides to which
they are fixed, are connected with wires to a keyboard fixed in any convenient
position and marked with the corresponding hours, quarters, half, and three
quarters, or any intermediate time according to the number of pins on the dial.
This keyboard which will call the "time-board," may be fixed in any
convenient position away from the clock, or it may form the back or sides of
the clock.
On another keyboard are fixed the wires connected with the electric bells in the
different parts of the building, each wire on the board being duly numbered in
correspondence with the room or part of the building to which it leads.
A wire connects each bell with the battery.
Another wire connects the battery with the hour hand of the clock in any
convenient manner; for instance, for this purpose a grooved brass wheel may be
fixed to the spindle of the hour hand, the point of the conducting wire from the
battery resting in the groove; or the conducting wheel may be of a brush-like
nature, also the point of the conducting wire from the battery may terminate
in a bunch of fine wires, like a brush, lightly resting against the wheel. The
hour hand is generally insulated from the other parts of the clock by a part
of the spindle being formed of a non-conducting material, such as vulcanite
or glass.
The circuit may now be connected for any desired time with any number of
rooms by switching the respective wire or wires from the keyboard holding the
wires leading to the bells in the different rooms or elsewhere on to the respective
wires of the time-board, and when the hand reaches the corresponding point on

page_text: the dial of the clock the circuit is closed and the bell or bells ring for a time
depending upon the proximity of the pin and the tongue of the hour hand.
The electric current required for the purposes herein intended is generally
obtained from an ordinary battery; but in some cases I may produce it by
electro-magnetism by means of works in connection with the clock, or otherwise,
also generally employing a suitable storage apparatus to accumulate the electricity
when not in use.
I may also sometimes utilize a part of the same conduction employed for the
alarum, for a return call for service or otherwise.
Dated this 17th day of January 1893
CHARLES WEYGANG,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Electric Alarum for use in Hotels or other
Large Buildings, or otherwise.
I, LOUIS GUSTAV WEYGANG, of No. 15 Smith Street, Guernsey, in the
Channel Islands Watchmaker and Jeweller 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 :-
The object of this invention is the production of a new or improved electric
alarum for use in hotels, or elsewhere, to obviate the less reliable services of a
servant. By the use of this invention any one in any number of chambers can be
effectually called at any predesired time.
For the purpose of this invention an ordinary clock may be used. Round the
dial of the clock a number of projecting pins are fixed, and I prefer to fix these pins
upon brass slips which may be made in two pieces, the one sliding over the other,
so that the pin may be slipped back, if desired, when not in use. Any number of
these projections may be employed, but more generally one at each quarter hour,
thus making 48 projecting pins round the dial of the clock.
The point of the hour hand of the clock is lengthened by a piece of metal moving
on a swivel; or the elongation, which I will call the tongue of the hour hand,
consists of a thin flexible piece of metal, or of a bunch of fine wires forming an
elastic metallic brush. This metallic tongue touches the projecting pins fixed
round the dial, and remains in contact with the same for a time depending upon the
length of the projection of the tongue beyond the pin, so that the duration of
contact may be regulated by sliding the projecting pin nearer towards the hour
hand, or further away.
The projecting pins round the dial of the clock, or the metal slides to which they
are fixed, are connected with wires to a keyboard fixed in any convenient position
and marked with the corresponding hours, quarters, half, and three quarters, or any
intermediate time, according to the number of pins on the dial.
This keyboard, which I will call the time board, may be fixed in any convenient
position away from the clock, but it is generally fixed to the latter, forming the
back or sides of the clock.
On another keyboard are fixed the wires connected with the electric bells in the
different parts of the building, each wire on the board being duly numbered in
correspondence with the room or part of the building to which it leads.
A wire connects each bell with the battery.
Another wire connects the battery with the hour hand of the clock in any
suitable manner; for instance for this purpose a grooved brass wheel is generally
employed which is fixed to the spindle of the hour hand, the point of the conducting
wire resting in the groove and lightly pressing against the body of the wheel and
thus causing the contact with the battery. Or in place of a grooved wheel a
metallic brush-like wheel may be employed, the brush being formed of fine wires

page_text: against which the conducting wire from the battery rests. The hour hand is
insulated from the works of the clock by a part of the spindle being formed of a
non-conducting substance, such as vulcanite.
The circuit mav
now be connected for any desired time with any number of
rooms by switching the respective wire or wires from the keyboard holding the
wires leading to the bells in the different rooms or elsewhere, on to the respective
wires of the time board, and when the hand reaches the corresponding point
dial of the clock the circuit is closed and the bell or bells ring for a time depending
upon the proximity of the pin and the tongue of the hour hand.
on the
The electric current required for the purposes herein intended is generally
obtained from an ordinary. battery in the usual manner.
rooms by switching the respective wire or wires from the keyboard holding the
wires leading to the bells in the different rooms or elsewhere, on to the respective
wires of the time board, and when the hand reaches the corresponding point on the
dial of the clock the circuit is closed and the bell or bells ring for a time depending
upon the proximity of the pin and the tongue of the hour hand.
The electric current required for the purposes herein intended is generally
obtained from an ordinary. battery in the usual manner.
DRAWINGS.
The accompanying sketch representing-A the face of a clock-and B one of its
sides, will serve in further explanation of the foregoing.
Nos. 1. 2. 3. 4 are four of the 48 pieces, fixed round the face A, to which the
projecting pins p are attached.
These pieces are preferably made in two parts-a and b (D), so that the pin p
can be slipped back by the knob k. They are connected by wires to an equal
number of pieces, preferably of brass, to a time board marked with the corre
sponding hours, 1, 1 and 2, as shown on the part B, which represents one of the
sides of the clock with one half of the divisions of the dial; the other half being on
the corresponding opposite side.
$
To the spindle (C) is fastened the hour hand h h which terminates in a flexible
tongue T, the connection with the battery being by means of the grooved wheel c. w.,
a wire-W-from the battery lightly resting in the groove.
Below the connecting wheel-c -the spindle is insulated, so that the hour
wheel-h w does not communicate any current to the works of the clock.
As the hour hand travels round the flexible tongue T touches the projecting
pins-p and thus completes the connection with the corresponding piece on the time
board. For instance, the sketch shows the hour hand touching the pin at the
3rd quarter after 1 o'c., thus completing the connection with the corresponding
piece on the side B-that is, at x. If a wire or any number of wires from electric
bells connected with the battery, are switched on the piece a the circuit is closed
and the bells ring until the tongue T is entirely free of the pin p.
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:
An electric alarum substantially as and for the purposes herein before set forth.
000
CHARLES WEYGANG,
Agent for the Applicant..