Improvements in Electric Signalling Apparatus.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electric Signalling Apparatus.
I, FELIX BENEDICT HERZOG, Electrical Engineer, of 51, West 24th Street,
New York, U.S.A., do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates generally to annunciators, although part thereof is applic-
able only to annunciators of the class described in my previous Patent, 1301
of 1898. This class embodies an annunciator in which the indication is given
by means of a discoloration produced upon a plate or disc of a suitable electrode,
platinum, for instance; when this is immersed in a solution which acts as au
electrolyte when a suitable current is passed through the line which terminates
at the distant circuit controlling point at one end thereof, and terminates at the
annunciator in the disc referred to, whereupon if a suitable connection for the
negative pole, as, for instance, another similar disc, is added, and the said solution
is decomposed, a suitable deposit of one of the elements of the solution, either
solid or gas, is deposited upon the positive or room indicating pole or disc;
ordinarily, there will be added to the above means for hastening the normal
rate of disappearance of the indication from the pole as described in the said
patent.
Annunciators as in common use are formed of mechanical devices controlled
by an electro magnet, so that when operated the position of the mechanical parts
will be changed to indicate the operation, and this changed condition will
continue until the apparatus is re-set, which is commonly done by means of some
manually operable part. An objection to this form, which a part of this of the
present invention is intended to remedy, is that if the said indication is, not
forthwith restored, and during the absence or inattention of the operator a
second indication is made from another line, it will be impossible by inspection
to determine which is the last, or rather, which has not yet been attended to.
Annunciators of the class described in my former invention, to a great extent
and in some circumstances entirely remedy this fault, because the electrolytic
stain is arranged to fade quickly, so that no re-setting is ordinarily necessary,
but an objection arises in some instances in that the very fact of this disappear-
ance makes it impossible to count upon this annunciator for use where it is
essential that the apparatus shall show all indications that have been made within
a given period, where this period is longer than the time during which the
indications are arranged to disappear.
I propose to make an annunciator in which both of these requirements are
successfully met, and this I do by combining as one apparatus, elements of each
of these two classes, interconnected electrically, as, for instance, in series or in
parallel, so that the one indicator will indicate until restored, whereas the other
indicator will only indicate the calls which have come in within the given short
interval. I am obviously not restricted to any one particular form of either of
such indicators, as long as the general characteristics described are maintained.
My invention further consists in a special form of indicator of the electrolytic

page_text: class, which may be used in such combination, but which I mean to cover for
independent use as well.
The annunciator described in the patent referred to was particularly adapted
for large aggregations, as for instance in a large hotel, whereas the present
invention, although adapted to such larger use, has been designed primarily
for smaller annunciators, in which the element of cost is more important. I have
aimed to make such an annunciator so that it shall be exceedingly cheap to
manufacture and difficult to get out of order, as well as simple to repair.
Generally stated, the main feature is that all of the discs, as well as a short
section of the outgoing connecting wires, are mounted upon what I term the base,
the latter being so arranged that it may be immersed bodily into the electrolyte,
which is contained in a suitable vessel, complete in itself. This arrangement
may be carried out in various ways, at first blush differing greatly from each
other, but all of them being obviously alike in that they possess the same
characteristic of enabling the base to be manufactured independently of the
receptacle, each being practically complete of itself. I shall describe particularly
one form of such arrangement, it being understood that although the various
points referred to specifically possess advantages of their own, yet when considered
as a combination they may be widely varied without departing from my invention.
A jar of any suitable size and usually having rather a wide mouth in proportion
to its height, is adapted to hold the liquid, and to sustain upon its neck a flange
or projection of any suitable character, formed upon the base which fits into the
jar, although of course the base might be long enough to rest upon the bottom
of the jar or upon projections formed upon the inside thereof, or upon some
piece inserted therein, or the upwardly leading connecting wires, or any other
device might be used to suspend this base from the top of the jar, or from some
external part, as, for instance, the lug formed upon the back piece to be described
hereafter. This base consists of some substance not materially acted upon by
the solution, either when at rest or during the disturbance caused by the passage
of the current there through. I have found the most desirable material for use
in a solution composed mainly of potassium iodide, to be of opal glass, such as is
commonly used for white lamp shades, because the iodine deposited will not
affect the vitreous body, whereas it would affect most forms of porcelain, or any
other material which is white, thus affording a contrast to the dark deposited
stain. This base I prefer to arrange as a box, with a front, two sides and bottom,
and a top which shall extend to beyond the line of the box body sufficiently to
form a flange for supporting the base upon the neck of the jar while its body
enters the same, and I pierce the front with a number of holes, through which
fine platinum wires are passed so as to connect on the front ends with the discs
which are to form the indicating electrodes, while their back ends are fastened
to the wires which lead to the distant stations, directly or through an intermediate
switch-board. Within this box, I also arrange the two tubes described here-
after, and I then cover the wires by filling up up the box with a composition or
cement of any suitable character, that is, one not affected by the solution, as,
for instance, beeswax and resin, in approximately the proportions of two of wax
to one of resin. The top of the base which as described formed the flange has
also an opening large enough to permit the wires referred to as well as the
negative pole wire to pass through so that the only exit for the wires shall be
this hole, thus making it possible where it is desired to keep the jar free from
outspraying solution to mount a rubber gasket around the base and under the
flange so that the flange will be protected from breakage by this interposition
of rubber between it and the mouth of the jar. In such case I usually arrange a
cap adapted to screw over the mouth of the jar, and thus to fasten down the base
in a manner which, generally stated, resembles arrangements in common use in
preserve or milk jars.
The negative pole may be formed by a disc located anywhere within the
solution, but for reasons connected with economy and the use of current I

page_text: prefer to make this a piece of fine platinum wire connected externally to the
negative pole of the source of current internally leading into the solution from
the cemented box through an additional hole pierced in the front of the base
and preferably below any of the other discs and in such-position with respect to
them that the bubbles of gas which rise from a negative pole during operation
shall not tend to rise vertically into the positive discs, thereby acting mechanically
to sweep away the deposit thereon. A very good position for this wire with
reference to the discs is to arrange the latter in two vertical rows, and the orifice
for the wire between these holes but somewhat lower than the lowest, this arrange-
ment being particularly felicitous in view of the fact that a very good location
for the blower tube to be described hereafter is in the same place, and when so
placed a very simple and economical arrangement is to wind the wire one or two
times around the projecting end of this tube. The object of this tube is so that
when air is blown through it from without, the air will arise in bubbles to
agitate the liquid so that the discolorations will disappear almost instantly when
such an arrangement is desired for commercial reasons. In the event of the use
of the rubber gasket already described, it will obviously be advantageous to
provide another orifice or vent-hole for the air which would thus be blown into
the jar during each operation of the tube, and I consider it an advantageous
arrangement of such vent device to fix a short length of tube so that the tube
itself shall pass through the hole in the top of the base through which have also
been passed the blow-tube and the connecting wires while the top and bottom
of this tube are respectively bent so that the latter will emerge as near the top
of the jar as possible, in other words just below the flange of the base; which
arrangement renders it practically impossible that any of the liquid in the
jar shall be spurted out accidentally if the air is blown in too sharply. Preferably
this blower connects externally with a bulb of rubber, which may be pressed so
as to exhaust its air and blow into this tube, in this event, what corresponds to a
valve would generally be used to prevent the liquid within the jar from rising
into the bulb when the pressure is released, and I have found it advantageous
and economical in manufacture to substitute for such a valve a number of fine
holes so placed that they cannot readily be all closed simultaneously by the fingers
of the operator when pressing the bulb, as the result of such simultaneous, closure
would probably be to cause the liquid to rise..
The apparatus as thus far described is rendered commercially more available
by the addition of the following features:-A backing or bracket, arranged to be
fastened to the wall or placed upon a horizontal surface as a table shaped to
keep the bottle from shifting side-wise, and has at the upper end the forwardly
projecting arm or lug adapted for the suspension therefrom of the wires leading
into the annunciator, sufficient slack being given them, and suitable devices being
added to enable the base and jar jointly to be swung outwardly far enough to
enable the jar to be withdrawn when it is necessary to clean it or replenish the
solution or repair the base, all without disconnecting the wires. Such an
arrangement is easily formed by means of an elbow piece, one leg of which has
the wires pass through it into the jar, whereas the other leg directs the wires
into a suitable receptacle in the base where they are connected to an intermediate
switch-board, the screws of which are protected against accident by the con-
fioration of the wall-piece described. The point of support between the remov-
able annunciator thus described and the wall-piece is preferably arranged-as by
hook piece so that the annunciator when necessary may be swung away from
as well as lifted bodily off from the extending lug whenever it is necessary to
remove the entire annunciator to a greater distance from the wall-piece, as for
instance when it is desired to obtain access to the switch-board for the sake of
making new connections or for any other purnose. I may add to the bottom
of the wall-piece any suitable screw or catch device designed to lock the
annunciator iar in place against accidental disturbance thereof.
I shall now describe some details of importance in connection with the

page_text: annunciator itself. I have heretofore found it impossible to manufacture plati-
num discs which should not be exceedingly fragile without using either platinum
of too great a thickness to be commercially possible by reason of cost of this
metal, or else to use pieces of satisfactory thinness in connection with a supporting
base of hard rubber or some other composition, loosely inserted under the disc.
It is very important for distinctness of observation that a small and hence a cheap
disc should be convexed, and as the metal which I propose to use is much too
thin to stand up under the strain necessarily given to it by the connecting wire,
I have arranged to form these discs by first cementing the sheet of celluloid and
then cutting circular discs of this, and convexing them in any well-known
manner. Where the solution used liberates an indicating element of different
specific gravity from that of the solution itself, or where gas is apt to rise during
the liberation, the deposited stain will either fall by gravity or be raised from
the disc by the mechanical action of the gas too quickly to permit of satisfactory
use of the apparatus under ordinary commercial conditions, and I have heretofore
provided against this by encircling each disc with a glass bulb, open in front,
to permit the liquid to reach the disc, but I have now devised a much simpler
plan, which consists in causing a ledge to rise up below and over each disc, thus
acting as a shed and retainer, both for the heavier substance (as the iodine)
and the lighter gas, and a still further improvement consists in causing these
ledges to be pressed or formed directly upon the surface of the base and integrally
therewith. I have also found a very advantageous arrangement applicable to a
limited number of indications to be the arrangement of the discs in the two
vertical rows described, the discs, however, being arranged in different horizontal
planes, and the numbers which correspond to the discs are arranged in a vertical
line between these two rows of discs, and a still further improvement consists in
arranging these numbers so that although in one row they will read alternately
right and left to correspond to the alternation of the discs described, and these
numbers may be fornied into or marked upon the open space between the discs,
or they may be so arranged upon a separate strip of glass which is shaped to fit
into a depression in the base, and is attached to the base by resting upon the
upper edge of the outer expansion of the blower tube, while the upper end of
the glass is kept in place by an elastic band.
Among modifications and improvements not yet referred to, I call attention
to the fact that the form of receptacle is a great improvement over the cell form
described in the patent mentioned, in that it is impossible for the solution to
leak out, if the apparatus has not been properly set up, and that no amount of
carelessness can result in a disaster such as that arising from an uneven screwing
up of the front glass in the cell form where it would usually crack the glass and
permit the escape of liquid.
Of course, in connection with the negative wire a suitable bell or other device
may be used to give an indication that some portion of the apparatus has been
put to use.
Instead of having the flanges or ledges to protect the disc from the gas, depres-
sions may be arranged in the front of the base and the disc mounted on the
bottom of these, and thus the walls of the depression will serve the purpose of
the ledges, and the essential character of this portion of the invention will be
preserved in that the protecting parts are made integral with the substance
which forms the front late, and as to this feature it is obviously not necessary
that the entire box should be of one piece with the front, although broadly
considered I wish to claim as an element of an exceedingly cheap form of manu-
facture a single piece which embodies all the essential elements of this portion of
the structure. As the object of the side walls anart from improving the appear-
ance is mainly to support the cement I may substitute for these any suitable lug
or flange and as the object of the cement is to protect the wires I might substitute
for this a form of construction in which the base consists essentially of a smaller
bottle, with holes opening outwardly and adapted to be immersed in the jar.

page_text: Inasmuch as the function of the blower is to agitate the qua
modification of the form described in which the leading-in wires are adapted
to hang from the ceiling or from a wall-bracket and the entire jar may be
aken in hand by the operator and swung violently to and fro so as to produce
the agitation in this manner, the wires being sufficiently long to permit of such
operation, and in this case it is obviously necessary that the jar itself shall be
supported either directly by additional wires or cord or by having some species
of fastening device such as a clamp adapted to hold the two parts together. This
arrangement will render the blower and bulb unnecessary but there are times
when it may be convenient to use either form for agitating the liquid, and I
contemplate covering any modification of this general arrangement.
I also contemplate arranging a number of jars with suitable connecting devices
and a common bell or indicator, where this is found desirable, so that in this
manner a large capacity machine may be readily built up of the smaller units.
I also modify the discs described in various ways, one of which is that I use
discs of cheaper metal or substance (as carbon, for instance) either alone or
covered with a moderately closely woven texture (as black silk, for instance)
and arrange the solution so that when decomposed it will show a gas clinging in
small bubbles to the outer surface of the silk, which is held tightly against the
metal terminal. Among solutions which produce bubbles which by reason of
their shape catch the light so as to produce an effect of great contrast to the
black, I have found an aqueous solution of gum arabic to give very satisfactory
results. I have also found that I can produce a very novel result by forming the
terminals so that they project slightly and then drawing a sheet of silk over the
5 entire group, with the result that the apparently even black surface suddenly
gives an appearance of having been touched with white paint in front of the
operated terminal.
1000
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.,
Chartered Patent Agent.
Improvements in Electric Signalling Apparatus.
I, FELIX BENEDICT HERZOG, of 51, West 24th Street, New York, United States
of America, 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:―
My invention relates generally to annunciators, although part thereof is applic-
able only to annunciators of the class described in my previous Patent, 1301
of 1898. This class embodies an annunciator in which the indication is given
by means of a discoloration produced upon a plate or disc of a suitable electrode,
platinum for instance; when this is immersed in a solution which acts as an
electrolyte when a suitable current is passed through the line which terminates
at the distant circuit controlling point at one end thereof, and terminates at the
annunciator in the disc referred to, whereupon if a suitable connection for the
negative pole, as, for instance, another similar disc, is added, and the said solution
is decomposed, a suitable deposit of one of the elements of the solution, either
solid or gas, is deposited upon the positive or room indicating pole or disc:

page_text: ordinarily there will be added to the above means for hastening the normal
rate of disappearance of the indication from the pole as described in the said
patent.
Annunciators as in common use are formed of mechanical devices controlled
by an electro magnet, so that when operated the position of the mechanical parts
will be changed to indicate the operation, and this changed condition will
continue until the apparatus is re-set, which is commonly done by means of some
manually operable part. An objection to this form, which a part of this
present invention is intended to remedy, is that if the said indication is uot
forthwith restored and during the absence or inattention of the operator a
second indication is made from another line, it will be impossible by inspection
to determine which is the last, or rather which has not yet been attended to.
Annunciators of the class described in my former invention to a great extent
and in some circumstances entirely remedy this fault, because the electrolytic
stain is arranged to fade quickly, so that no re-setting is ordinarily necessary,
but an objection arises in some instances in that the very fact of this disappear-
ance makes it impossible to count upon this annunciator for use where it is
essential that the apparatus shall show all indications that have been made within
a given period, where this period is longer than the time during which the
indications are arranged to disappear.
I propose to make an annunciator in which both of these requirements are
successfully met, and this I do by combining as one apparatus, elements of each
of these two classes, interconnected electrically, as for instance, in series or in
parallel so that the one indicator will indicate until restored, whereas the other
indicator will only indicate the calls when have come within the given short
interval. I am obviously not restricted to any one particular form of either of
such indicators, as long as the general characteristics described are maintained.
My invention further consists in a special form of indicator of the electrolytic
class, which may be used in such combination, but which I mean to cover for
independent use as well.
The annunciator described in the patent referred to was particularly adapted
for large aggregations, as for instance, in a large hotel, whereas the present
invention, although adapted to such larger use, has been designed primarily
for smaller annunciators, in which the element of cost is more important. I have
aimed to make such an annunciator so that it shall be exceedingly cheap to
manufacture and difficult to get out of order, as well as simple to repair.
Generally stated, the main feature is that all of the discs, as well as a short
section of the outgoing connecting wires, are mounted upon what I term the base,
the latter being so arranged that it may be immersed bodily into the electrolyte
which is contained in a suitable vessel complete in itself. This arrangement
may be carried out in various ways, at first view differing greatly from each
other, and all of them being obviously alike, in that they possess the same
characteristic of enabling the base to be manufactured independently of the
receptacle, each being practically complete of itself. I shall describe particularly
one form of such arrangement, it being understood that although the various
points referred to specifically possess advantages of their own, yet when considered
as a combination they may be widely varied without departing from my invention.
In the form embodied, it comprises a base, fitted with electrodes, and adapted to
be supported in a transparent jar filled with electrolytic fluid, all so arranged
that when a circuit is closed at a distant point, one of these electrodes, suitably
connected with the circuit so closed at such distant point, will be changed in
appearance, so as to be visible through the jar and serve as an annunciator.
This change in appearance may be caused by a deposit, as of iodine from one of
its salts (preferably potassium iodide) decomposed by the passage of the current,
or it may be caused by an aggregation of bubbles of gas, as well as by other
means.
In the drawings Figure 1 is a side view, partly in section, of one embodiment

page_text: 0
he jar form of the new annunciator; Figure 2 18 a m
are alternative forms of the connections
of its elements. Figures 3, 4, 5 & 6 are views of modifications of the
icating elements, and Figures 7 &
essary for combining the magnetic and electrolytic forms in an operative
mbination.
The electrolytic operation of the annunciator is constructed as follows:-The
se, 32, is a hollow column of opal glass, having no back, and having a flange
ad, 35, adapted to support this base from the rim, Q', of the jar, 40, within
hich it is inserted when the apparatus is operating. A groove on the flange
p admits a soft rubber ring gasket or packing 34, serving to make a better
nd watertight fit. between the rim of the jar and the flange of the base. The
ange has an opening, 37, through which the wires and blow tube emerge.
The front of the base is pierced for each outlet, J, and a soft rubber plug, J,
fitted into each hole. Through each such plug passes a fine platinum wire, 48,
and on the outer end thereof a knot or turn, J", serves to hold in place a
cushion, 45, of inert material, as glass, rubber, celluloid, etc., and over this a
disc, F, of platinum, the latter being adjusted so that sufficient pressure or
other contact extends between it and the knot, J", on the platinum wire, to insure
a good electrical connection. The inner end of the wire is soldered or otherwise
fastened to a wire, X', of cheaper material, as copper, and this may be anchored
by a turn around the blower tube, D", and then carried upward through the
hole, 37, in the flange head, thence through the elbow, 17, and its extension, 18,
the several similar wires being advantageously twisted into a cable, 55. This
cable terminates in a suitable junction board, 53, preferably bearing a suitable
connecting plate and its screws for such line. As shown, each such plate is made
angular, with one screw, 51, at one face, 52, for connection to one of the lines, 56,
leading to the distant button, and another screw, N', at the other face connecting
to the wire, leading to the corresponding disc in the jar, as already described.
L' represents a suitable washer.
After the wires have been properly connected within the base, this is filled
with a filling-up cement, 66, as wax and rosin, so as to keep the fluid from the
connections. The various discs placed on the front of the base ordinarily are
used for connection with the line wires, while the connection for the negative
wire, or common return, K', may often be more advantageously made at the
35 back as here shown, while the negative wire is 62, and its external connection, 65,
may lead to a suitable bell, not shown, but which would be looped in between
these wires.
Any material that is not acted upon by the solution, or by the action of the
passage of the current, or by the subsequent chemical action of the deposit wil
40 answer for the base-I have found glass with a white substance, as paint, on the
inner side, or better still, opal glass, solid, as specially suitable for use in connec
tion with deposits of a contrasting color, as, for instance, iodine, but whe
deposits of a light color, as gas bubbles, are used, either with the black fabri
covering or without it, I have found black vulcanite or insulating composition
45 of various kinds satisfactory.
50
The blow tube may emerge below the base, or this may be pierced for th
purpose, and in this event the negative terminal, instead of being placed
the back as in the drawing, may be formed of a wire, 61, which leads out of t
same hole.
It would not be commercially possible to use a sufficient thickness of pu
metal to stand the strain when the solution used is of a character requiring
electrode of a material so expensive as platinum.
In order to locate any desired index numbers or marks in proper proxim
to the corresponding discs, and at the same time provide a convenient form
55 changing them when desired, such marks, here shown as letters, are etched
otherwise placed on a strip of glass, 30, fitted into a suitable recess, 31, in
center of the face of the base, and supported in a suitable manner, as in

page_text: notch, 29, cut in the top of the projecting angle of the blow tube, D¹¹, the upper
end being held in place by a rubber band (71). Suitable flanges (38-39) are
formed on the base, to keep this band from slipping down. In order to enable
air to be blown into the tank to hasten the disappearance of the stain by agitating
the liquid, a blow tube, D, is provided, terminating below in the angular pro-
jection, 28, with opening 291, and ending above in the air bulb 251 fitted with a
valve, or, preferably as shown, with a number of small vent holes, 25, so placed
that the fingers of the operator cannot close all simultaneously (thus preventing a
suction acting). To prevent danger of breaking the main tube, this is preferably
not carried to the top, but an air space, 66, is provided, formed by the top of the
cement filling in the elbow and the bottom of the stopper, 23, which is fitted with
projecting neck, 24, upon which the bulb is fixed. Ordinarily the junction at
the rubber gasket is not air tight, thus permitting air to be expelled when the
bulb is pressed, but when desired this part may be made air tight, and in that
case a suitable vent tube, 73, is provided; as for instance by being led from
the inside of the jar from above the level, 70, of the fluid through the elbow,
and emerging on the outside. In order to hold together the jar and the base, a
suitable locking piece is provided, as the screw cap 42 adjusted to screw onto the
neck, 41, of the jar.
The elbow is adapted in addition to the functions described, to support the
annunciator as follows: An extension, 10, carries a pin, 15, adapted to fit a
slot in an extension, or arm 4, projecting out horizontally from the top of a
bracket-piece, 1; a flange, 3, developing into walls (not shown) forms a box to
protect the cables 55 & 56, and junction board 53, while a front plate, 67, turned
into a flange, 68, protects these parts from any chance spraying of the solution
in the jar a hole, 69, admitting the cable, 55. A bottom extension, 2, is fitted
with screw holes, 10, by which the bracket may be screwed to a table or shelf,
while holes 11 in the back are for use when the device is to be screwed to the
wall. The extension, 2, swells out into the side pieces, 5, to prevent lateral
motion of the jar. The extension, 18, of the elbow also forms the channel, 19,
for supporting the cable, 55, and carries a lug, 20, to hold the plate, 67, in
place, and has formed on it the piece, 22, to guide the cable, 55, when the bottom
the jar is swung forward for the purpose of enabling the jar
to be detached for the purpose of connecting up the junction box,
removing the cap for manipulation of the liquid, or repairs to the base or
discs, etc. The parts are all so proportioned that after the jar is swung forward
the cap may be screwed loose and lifted with the base, the angle of necessary
motion being such that the fluid cannot spill. A screw, 8, fitting in hole, 9,
keeps the jar from forward motion. Holes 13, 14, permit the external wires
to be led to the junction board from above or below, according to the direction
of their run, while lugs, 12, are adapted to hold the bracket from the wall far
enough to permit the external wires to be hidden behind the bracket. The
platinum discs may be advantageously located so that they alternate as shown,
whereby a narrow number strip may be made to hold large sized numbers in
sequence in one line.
of
A further improvement consists in covering a group or all of the electrode
discs or tips with a close-fitting sheet of textile fabric, of a dark color; there-
upon the operation of a terminal will be indicated by an evolution of gas in
front of the terminal, and clinging to the fabric. This makes it possible to
substitute cheaper material than platinum for the discs. I make the solution
so that a very heavy deposit of gas bubbles of minute size will form the indica-
tion. I have discovered that the degree of brilliancy or visibility, as well as the
permanence of the mass of bubbles after cessation of the current, depends largely
upon the relatively small size of the individual bubbles, and this varies with
the character of the ingredients. I therefore add to a cheap decomposable liquid
as ordinary water (and salt solution), substances which will decrease the normal
size of the bubbles, increase the number thereof, or in any other way increase

page_text: e visibility or lengthen the existence of the indication.
crease the viscosity or conductivity will act to so increase the visibility, and I
ve found that of such substances many gums act advantageously, and I have
und that gum arabic gives an excellently brilliant grouping. By arranging
er the discs as. a group a piece of black silk, of medium closeness of weave,
shown by 70', I obtain a black back-ground for the bubbles, which will in part
rm or be visible from the front, although the electrodes are directly behind it.
is not
his arrangement works at its best when the negative electrode is at some angular
istance from the positive. I prefer silk only for solutions by which
ffected. I have also modified this arrangement by covering buttons individually,
s in 70
One of the points in this general form of annunciator is that the base may be
manufactured independently of the jar as a separate piece of merchandise. The
base may, of course, be made to rest on the bottom of the jar, or upon a projection
therein, or it may be suspended from the wires directly from the elbow piece.
I have found that ordinary porcelain will, in time, be affected by the action of
the fluid, whereas, opal glass will not be so affected, and is white enough to
For the negative dise I may substitute a
contrast well with the iodine stain.
wire leading out from below, as for instance, from the hole through which the
blow tube projects, and then upward between the rows of discs (as in 6), whereby
the bubbles of gas formed during action will not sweep away the iodine deposited
on the positive poles, and the current required will be comparatively small,
because the pole is at about the same distance from all of the negative discs.
A further improvement in the buttons of the sheet platinum type consists in
forming the support of inert material, as of a thin sheet of vulcanite or hard
rubber, convexed by pressure, thus making a button which shall appear solid,
whereas it is really made of foil, and so thin that it could not stand the strain of
the pull which the wire must exercise upon it, in order to insure good contact
therewith.
The jar form described is, for small annunciators, an improvement over the
clamped cell form of my patents, because no leakage can take place as the result
of carelessness in screwing up, nor is there any danger of breakage as the result
of uneven pressure in clamping on a glass in the cell form. Instead of the
ledges, G, which keep the heavy iodine from dropping and the gas of the
5 electrolysis from rising, I may arrange depressions or wells on the inner side of
the jar itself, directly opposite the location of the discs, or, I may add an inter-
mediate plate, as 78 of Figure 4, the perforations of which protect the discs
located within these perforations, or I arrange depressions in the base itself, as
in Figure 5, and the essential feature of this part of my improvement will be
10 preserved if these retaining parts are made integral with the base or jar body,
or with one another, instead of being independent pieces for each disc, as in my
former patent.
It is obviously not necessary that the entire box be of one piece, with a front
although broadly considered, I wish to claim as an element of an exceedingly
45 cheap form of this device a single piece, which embodies all the essential features
of this portion of the structure. As the object of the side walls is mainly t
support the cement, I may substitute for these any suitable lug or flange; and
as the object of the cement is to protect the wires, I might substitute for thi
form a construction in which the base consists essentially of a small tube or bottle
50 with holes in the sides adapted to sustain the discs, and all arranged to be inserte
in the jar. Instead of using the blower to agitate the liquid, I have designate
a modification in which the leading in wires are made sufficiently flexible, an
the annunciator is so supported by them or otherwise that the entire annunciat
may be lifted up and shaken until the liquid in it is agitated enough to produ
55 the dissipating effect upon the stain.
I also contemplate reversing the position of the opening of the jar or vess
and changing the corresponding parts so that the base or column leads up fro

page_text: below, the blow tube alone, if such be added, emerging from the top. I also
contemplate locating positive discs on the sides on which the negative is shown,
and when desirable, connecting them in multiple, as in Figure 6, that is, arrang-
ing the discs so that they may be seen from several sides, but in this event I
must, of course, discard the bracket which supports the annunciator described,
unless the two sides of the base are used.
Figure shows the co-operation of the magnetic with this electrolytic form of
the annunciator. Three magnets, 79, connected with three distant sub-stations, 83,
respectively control a drop mechanism of any approved character commonly
used in annunciators, and having as a function that upon attraction of the arma-
ture the drop will indicate that fact by a change of position, and will retain that
changed position until restored by an operator at the receiving station, although
the current which first caused the drop to make the indication has ceased. These
magnets have a common return, 86, which leads to the battery, 82, and may or
may not lead to an intermediate bell, 81, designed to call the attention when
any of the group have been operated.
For each circuit, 87, a branch line, 88, leads to a disc, 80, these discs being
arranged as individual indications, or grouped in the electrolytic annunciator
shown, or arranged in any other way. A common negative 84, co-operates with
these, and the said battery, 82, in the ordinary manner described in my previous
patent. The operation of the parts described will then be that upon the actua-
tion of the circuit closer at the sub-station, the magnet and the disc connected
to the corresponding line will both operate, the former permanently retaining
an indication of its operation, and the latter giving merely an automatic dis-
appearing signal. The magnet would ordinarily be wound to a resistance high
enough to balance that offered by the solution, so as to secure a proper division
of the current for the purposes aimed at.
Figure 8 represents another form of the foregoing, the variation being that
the magnets, instead of being arranged in parallel with the discs respectively,
are arranged in series.
1 do not wish to confine myself to this specific or any other electrolytic annun-
ciator in this connection, but claim broadly the combination of any two forms of
indicating devices which differ in operation as to duration of indication, when
such are arranged in pairs of elements, one of which is automatically restored,
whereas the other requires restoration on the part of the receiving operator.
I wish particularly to use this in connection with telephone central apparatus.
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 —
I. An annunciator comprising a base which carries electrodes, their conducting
wires, and means for protecting the latter from the solution, and a vessel con-
taining solution and arranged and adapted to have the base immersed therein
above the level of the wires.
II. An annunciator base comprising a column, electrodes and wires mounted
thereon, together with means for keeping the column immersed in solution con-
tained in a transparent jar, and means for protecting the wires from the electro-
lyte.
III. An annunciator comprising a base arranged and adapted to hold electrodes
on its front; side walls to the base, means for leading in the connecting wires
vertically, and means for protecting the leading in wires from the fluid.
IV. In combination the jar, the base with its electrodes, a locking device
as a cap for joining these and a passage through the cap for the outgoing wires.
V. An indicating device comprising an electrode, a covering of fabric, an
electrolytic solution within which it is immersed, and an opposite electrode on
the other side of the textile, all co-operating so that gas bubbles as an indication
will be located over the textile.

page_text: VI. A solution for an electrolytic annunciator, comprising a gum soluble
in the conducting fluid used and added for the purpose of affecting the appearance
of the group of gas bubbles.
VII. In an electrolytic annunciator, a negative electrode, arranged as a con-
ductor, lying parallel to and between two rows of positive electrodes.
VIII. In an electrolytic annunciator, a support for the electrodes, and pro-
jections for retaining the deposit; said support being integral with the base.
IX. In an electrolytic annunciator, two or more adjoining positive electrodes,
each placed below the level of projections formed integrally with one another
and serving to retain the products of the electrolysis.
X. An annunciator with elements which remain operated until restored manu-
ally, and, connected to each of these, an element controlled simultaneously with
the first named element, and organized to be automatically restored after a
given time.
XI. An annunciator comprising for each of several lines two elements, simul-
taneously controlled by the current, to change their appearances respectively,
the one of these being constructed to remain changed until manually restored,
and the other being constructed to be restored automatically forthwith.
XII. An annunciator having double indications, the one electro-magnetic, and
the other electrolytic.
XIII. An annunciator comprising double indications the one magnetic and
the other electrolytic, together with a return brauch belonging to each of these
groups; and each of these groups being arranged in multiple with the other, as
to eacli separate indication.
XIV. An element for an electrolytic annunciator, comprising an electrode and
a covering of fabric for the same,
XV. An element for an electrolytic annunciator, comprising an electrode or
several of such, an electrolyte adapted to produce a light-colored deposit, and
a covering of dark fabric for the electrode.
Dated this 12th day of April 1900.
FELIX BENEDICT HERZOG.