Improvements in Apparatus for the Receipt of Coin and for Per- mitting the Use of Telephonic Apparatus in Exchange therefor.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Apr., 1890-Accepted, 24th May, 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by WILLIAM GRAY, of 250, Lawrence Street, Machinist,
and CHARLES SOBY, of 249, Main Street, Manufacturer, both in Hartford,
Connecticut, United States of America.]
Improvements in Apparatus for the Receipt of Coin and for Per-
mitting the Use of Telephonic Apparatus in Exchange therefor.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex 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 my invention is to provide a telephone apparatus that usually
consists of the telephone, magneto bell and transmitter, with ineans of enabling any
one who wishes to use the telephone to call the central office in the usual manner, and
at the same time enable the operator at the central office to learn whether the fee or
toll required for the use of the telephone has been paid before the connection asked
for is made, and thus to control and compel the payment of the fee or toll before the
connections desired are made.
To this end my invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts
as will be hereinafter fully described and pointed out in the claims.
Referring to the drawings:
Figure 1 is a side view of a set of telephone instruments with part of the signal
box broken away to show construction.
Figure 2 is a detail view of the back board showing part of the mechanism.
I
Figure 3 is a detail view in vertical section through the signal box on
plane - of Fig. 1.
Figure 4 is a detail side view of the signal locking lever.
Figure 5 is a detail top view of the slide rod, and on enlarged scale.
Figure 6 is a detail view, on enlarged scale, of the lower end of the coin
channels, of the tumbler, and of the locking levers illustrating the operation of the
device.
In the accompanying drawings the letter a denotes a set of telephone instru-
ments, the back board, c the magneto bell, d the telephone, e the transmitter,
and the battery box that are of the usual form and construction and joined up in
any ordinary manner for use. In addition to these usual parts there is provided a
signal device g that, in the form shown in the drawings, consists of the bells g¹ gl
that are located for convenience in the signal box g³ arranged on top of the battery
box. The top of this signal box has an opening along the front edge of which is
arranged a sound deflector adapted to reflect the sound of the signal device moré
directly against the diaphragm of the transmitter.
The hammer i of the bell, that in the drawings is the common form of gong bell
having a push button, is held against a striking movement by the arm of the signal
locking lever that is pivotally supported on the back board, and is held in a normal
position between a spring" and the stop j³. The lower end of the lever j is rounded
and is arranged in the path of moveinent of one end of the tuinbler k. This tumbler
is held in a substantially horizontal position, preferably by gravity, with its end k¹
projecting either into a coin channel or across its lower end in such manner as to
prevent the passage of a coin out of the channel until the tumbler has been tilted 'out
of the way. The tumbler has a certain play between its normal horizontal position
and the point where it engages the arm of the locking lever.
The tumbler has a cam that, when the tumbler has been tilted short distance
by the weight of a coin, lies in the path of movement of a pin or like projection on
slide rod 7. This slide rod is mounted in bearings ", and is held in this forward
ונ6...D

page_text: position by means of a spring 1 that thrusts against one of the bearings at one end,
and against a collar 13 that is secured to the rod. This collar serves as a stop to
limit the forward movement of the rod by coming in contact with one of the
bearings.
Opposite the outer end of the rod there is preferably secured a stop that limits
the backward movement of the rod that has a limited sliding play between the end stop-
and that formed by the collar and bearing. Except when the tumbler has received an
initial movement from a coin the motion of the slide rod does not effect the tumbler
nor the signal locking mechanism, but as soon as the cam on the tumbler is moved
into the path of a pin or lug m on the slide rod 7 the tumbler is thrown far enough
by this movement of the slide rod to bring the tumbler into contact with the lower end
of the locking lever in such manner as to throw the latter to one side a sufficient
distance to unlock the signal device; in this instance it is the hammer of the bell
that is liberated by the sidewise movement of the arm of the locking lever.
The slide rod is operated from the outside of the box by means of the arm rest n
that is pivotally supported on the back board and has an arm n' that projects
towards and engages the slide rod. This is preferably operated by placing the elbow
on the pad n" and pushing downward after having placed a coil in the coin channel o,
and by this means giving an initial movement to the tumbler.
My invention may he embodied as illustrated in the apparatus shown in the
drawings and herein before described, when a bell is used as a signal device, but it is
obvious that any sound producing device may be used in place of the bell with pre-.
cisely the same result provided such signal device can be located and locked so as to
prevent its use except when released. The object of providing more than one signal
device and coin controlled signal locking device is to arrange the apparatus so that
two or more different tolls may be paid. For instance, the charge for the use of the
telephone within a certain circuit may be ten cents, in which instance one coin
channel and a signal of a certain kind and tone will be used in connection with it,
while for a larger and more extended circuit a toll of twenty-five cents may be
charged, in which case a separate coin channel, signal device, and signal locking
mechanism is provided, the signals being either different in kind or different in tone
from that provided for the other toll. In case a third amount is required as toll it
may be fixed as the sum of the other two, in which case coins can be introduced in
both channels and both signals sounded so as to inform the operator at the central
office that the tolls have been paid.
:
My invention is obviously not limited to any particular form or kind of signal
device, nor any special form of signal locking mechanism, nor precise combination of
parts in the coin operating mechanism, as other and equivalent inechanism and means:
may be combined and employed in a similar manner for producing the same result.
The method of using my improved apparatus is as follows:-A person wishing to
use the telephone calls the central office in the usual manner, talks with the operator
and asks that a certain connection be made. The operator at the central office asks
the user of the telephone to drop a coin into the proper channel and then push down
with his elbow on the arm rest, and then to strike the signal that has been released by:
this means, and the striking of such signal notifies the operator that the toll has been
paid. This enables the would-be user of the telephone to ascertain whether he can
communicate with the person or station required before he pays any toll for the use
of the wire.
As soon as the user lifts his arm the slide rod is thrown forward by the spring
lifting the arm rest, and at the same time allowing the tumblers to drop into such
position that the cam borne on the tumbler is out of the path of movement of the pin
on the rod; this sets the device so that the signal device is at once locked and
cannot be released except by the payment of another toll.
It is obvious that in the practice of my invention there may be used one or as
many more as may be needed of the coin channels adapted for coins of different sizes,
each of such channels being appurtenant to a signal locking device and a signal
device.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondents I declare that what I claim is :
1. In combination with a telephone apparatus, a signal device, a lever having an
arm interposed between the signal and its tappet, and coin controlled levers for
moving the interposed arm from between the signal and the tappet, substantially as
and for the purpose specified.
2. In combination with a telephone apparatus, a signal device normally locked, the
locking lever, the tumbler adapted to engage the arm of the lever, and with one
end projecting into or across the coin channel, the coin channel and the means for
tilting the tumbler and holding it temporarily in a fixed position, all substantially as
described.
3. In combination with a transmitter of a telephone apparatus, a signal device
located adjacent to the transmitter, the signal locking lever, the tumbler with one end
projecting into a coin channel, the coin channel and the tumbler retaining device, all
substantially as described.
4. In combination with the transmitter e of a telephone apparatus, the signal
device g located adjacent to the transmitter and the sound deflector h, the signal
locking mechanism and the coin controlled device for releasing the signal, all
substantially as described.
5. In combination with a telephone apparatus, the signal bell g' having a hammer i,
the signal locking lever ; with the arm j normally located in the path of movement
of the hammer in striking, and also having an arm j* located in the path of movement
of a tumbler k, the tumbler & having a cam normally out of the path of
movement of a tumbler operating slide, and having also a part projecting into the
path of movement of a coin, the coin channel, and a slide rod having a projecting pin
adapted to engage the cam on the tumbler, and the lever or like means for moving
the slide rod and retaining it in its backward position, all substantially as
described.
6. In combination, the transmitter of a telephone apparatus, a number of distinctive
signals normally locked against use, a coin controlled signal locking means appurtenant
to each signal, and coin channels leading to the respective signal locking means,
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 22nd day of April 1890.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.