An Improved Call or Return Indicator for Use in Hotels.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 30th May, 1889-Accepted, 6th July, 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Call or Return Indicator for Use in Hotels.
I, GORDON COWAN MELHADO, of 12 Westbury Road, Brentwood, in the County of
Essex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, which has been
communicated to me from abroad by Howard Melhado of Topeka, Kansas,
United States of America, Gentleman, 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 to provide a board with indications of time and a
series of holes in line with such indications for the insertion of pegs bearing numbers
or other devices corresponding to the number of rooms in a Hotel or the like, so that
should a person stopping at the Hotel desire to be called or to return at a certain
time the peg bearing, say, the number of his room is inserted into one of the holes
in line with the indication of the time, the Porter or person in charge will know
at what time to call the person occupying the room or at what time he will
return.
The lower part of the board has twice the number of holes numbered in numerical
rotation as there are rooms in the Hotel, one half being receive pegs of rooms that
are occupied, the other half being for pegs of rooms that are unoccupied by which
means the Manager or Clerk can see what rooms are occupied or unoccupied at a
glance.
Around the board or at any part of same, spaces may be arranged for advertise-
ments.
This invention will be clearly understood by reference to the annexed drawings in
which A is that part of the board having the indications of time and the holes B in
line therewith. C is that part of the board having holes D, E, numbered in numerical
rotation for indicating whether the rooms of the Hotel are occupied or unoccupied.
F, F, are parts of the board for the display of advertisements and the like. G are
pegs for insertion into the holes B, D, E, in the board.
The manner of working the improved call or return indicator is as follows.
A person arriving at a Hotel is allotted a room, say, No. 3 and the peg hearing
that number is removed from the hole marked "3" in the series representing rooms
unoccupied and inserted into hole marked "3" in the series designating the rooms
marked occupied as indicated. Should a person already occupying room in such a Hotel
desire to be called at, say, 7 o'clock in the morning the peg marked 2 is removed from
the hole D and inserted into one of the holes B in line with the indication of time
7 o'clock, so that the Porter or Attendant in charge will know at what time to call
the person in such room. This constitutes a night call.
If a person occupying No. 2 room should go out during the day he can by shifting
the peg corresponding to the hour he expects to return, say, past 5, leave what is
equivalent to a message that he will return at that time, the appliance then serving as
a day Indicator.
When the person has been called by the Attendant, or has returned the peg is
removed and inserted in the hole corresponding to the number of the room he
occupies.
Should a great number of occupiers of rooms be required to be called at the same
time a metal or other disc having holes can be affixed to the end of the row by a
pivotal screw or any suitable means as to extend the row of holes in line with such
indication of time for the insertion of the pegs bearing numbers corresponding to the
numbers of the rooms requiring such calls or indications of returns.
The part of the board H above the call or return Indicator may have the name and
location of the Hotel marked thereon.

page_text: The pegs may support keys of the rooms in addition to answering the purposes
before described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The improved call or return Indicator constructed or arranged as described and
shown on the annexed drawings.
2. The arrangement of board having holes for the reception of pegs for indicating
the time of call or return and whether the rooms are occupied or unoccupied and
for the display of advertisements or the like, substantially as described and shown on
the annexed drawings.
3 The means by which the number of holes B in the event of a great number
of occupiers of rooms requiring to be called at the same time can be extended, as
described.
Dated this 30th day of May 1980
H. GARDNER,
166; Fleet Street, London, Agent for the said G. C. Melhado.