AN IN & OUT PUSH INDICATOR
Year: 1885

page_text: I NORCLIFFE GEORGE THOMPSON of 4 Queen Victoria Street, London in the
County of Middlesex Electrical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for AN IN & OUT PUSH INDICATOR to be as follows:-
The object of this form of Indicator, is to indicate at the entrance of any
building if the person called on is in or out. The general arrangement will be as
follows A board, on which is fixed the indicator in question as well as numerous
contact breakers or pushes, is placed in the entrance of the building; each push on
being pressed can form electrical connection through the Indicator and a battery,
and also through the Indicator and by conductors, through a switch fixed in any
room and back to another battery. There are therefore two circuits, and either
one, or both, can be completed; but if the person to whom the push refers, bas
broken circuit by means of the switch placed in his room, then only one circuit
will be completed. The effect of completing either circuit is to make a disc marked
In or Out as the case may be appear at the Indicator hole. In some cases only,
one battery will be used, one circuit formed and half the Indicator arrangement
employed, and then the discs will only show Blank and In or Blank & Out.
My Indicator in connection with the above arrangement, is constructed as follows
-Two Discs a a Figs. I & II fixed to their respective spindles. b. b Figs. I & II are
fixed side by side on to one common pin c Figs. I & II Those parts of the
spindles through which the pin runs, are made of soft iron and form two separate
armatures d. d.
These armatures are actuated individually by 2 magnets or 2 solenoids e. e.
Figs. I & II as shewn and in cases where only one disc and spindle is used by one
magnet or one solenoid. The armature of each spindle can be bent at any angle
to the spindle, & vice versa the magnets or solenoids could be placed at any angle
to the armature; also the spindles and dises can be made to either rise to or fall
from their common central position x. x shewn at dotted line, by the action of the
magnets or solenoids when actuated by the current.
In either case the normal position of the discs and spindles when not actuated
by the magnets or solenoids, can be established either by the action of gravity or
by means of springs ff Fig. L so that their normal position will be one of
equilibrium when not under the magnetic influence.

page_text: One of the magnets or solenoids will form part of a circuit, completed by pressing
any one of the pushes, providing the corresponding switch is on, and the other
forms part of a circuit, through the same push & back direct to a separate battery
but has no connection with the former. When the single arrangement is employed
the latter circuit & parts forming it will not be required, so that the push need only
be a single contact breaker instead of the double one shewn on drawing Fig. III.
A stationary disc g Figs. I & II. is also fixed in the common central position on
line xx behind the moveable discs or disc. The action will be as follows-when
connection is made by any one of the room switches shewn at hh Fig. IV on
drawing and the push representing it ii Fig. V. is pressed, both discs will either
rise or fall as desired and when connection is broken at the room switch, one disc
only will rise or fall. The lettering is so arranged on the discs that either switching
on or off in the room will indicate out or in as desired i.e when the push repre-
senting that particular switch is pressed.
If the discs fall by the action of the magnets or solenoids, the front moveable
disc will be a blank, or can have a name or number written on, but will not be
marked in or out but if the discs rise, the back fixed disc will be the blank and
similarly when the single arrangement is used either the fixed back disc or the
front moveable disc may be a blank, according as the moveable disc rises or falls.
My claims are―
1st General arrangement of Batteries, Pushes, and room switches in conjunction
with my indicator, either with a single circuit or double circuit as described.
2nd The employment of solenoids or magnets for actuating one, two, or more
discs as specified.
.
3rd The method of indicating & use of a stationary disc behind the moveable
discs or disc.
4th The employment of a differentially wound solenoid for actuating one two or
more discs as specified.
5th The employment of a differentially wound magnet, actuating a permanent
magnet in place of armature for effecting the same purpose as in claims 2 & 4.
Dated this 29th day of September 1885.
Dated this 29th day of September 1885.
:
N. G. THOMPSON.

page_text: NORCLIFFE GEORGE THOMPSON, 4 Queen Victoria Street London E.C. Electrical
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 :-
The object of this instrument is to show at any time one of any two or more
indications such as In or Out, Stop or Go On &c &c.
Its special application will be domestic & when so, I propose to fix in the hall or
other convenient place one or more of the above indicators, secured to a board on
which are fixed any number of pushes.
I also place a battery or batteries in any suitable spot from which I lead wires
to the Indicator board, and also to switches placed in the several rooms of the
building.
Each of these switches is in direct electrical communication with the corre-
sponding push on the board, and with the indicator. The pushes can be named or
numbered for reference to the rooms in which a switch is placed or to the inmate
to whom the switch belongs: any number of such pushes can have communication
with any one indicator, but each will have its special reference to one switch only
and be independent of the others, so that any visitor in the hall below in which
the indicator may be placed, by pressing one of the pushes & watching the
Indicator will be immediately informed if the person to whom the push refers is
In or Out or will receive any other information, as may be decided on; the
appearance of the different indications being determined by the above mentioned
switches.
The construction of my Indicator will be as follows
A metal armature A made in any convenient form, such as a plate or bar is
pivoted on a pin or between centres in the vicinity of one of the poles of an electro-
magnet B in such a way that it shall be attracted to the magnet when the latter is
excited by an electric current. To this armature is secured an arm C carrying an
indicating disc or plate D which can be fixed at any convenient angle to the
armature and moves in common with it.
For two indications, as usually required & as shewn in the drawings, two
magnets B & E with corresponding armatures and indicating discs are required,
and for each additional indication another set including magnet, armature and disc
will be necessary.
The whole of the above may be fixed to a board and enclosed by a case, in the
cover of which an aperture is cut, in such a position that any one of the indicating
plates may be brought opposite to it by exciting the magnet controlling that plate
or vice versa may cause some of the plates to recede from the aperture bringing
other plates into view. As soon as the electrical current ceases to pass round the
magnets, the plates or discs will rise to or fall into their original position either by
the force of gravity or by means of springs as shewn.

page_text: The electrical circuit for working this indicator is completed in either of the
following ways,
1st as in fig. I by a lead from battery F which divides into two paths at each of
the pushes G, G, and from thence by special leads H, H, to magnet B &
by K. K to their respective switches L, L, in one case returning direct to
battery from the magnet B and in the other by a common lead from the
switches L, L, through magnet E back to battery: Either of the pushes
in question on being pressed completes temporalily either one or both
of the above circuits; that is if the switch L corresponding to the push
which is pressed, makes contact both circuits leading from the push will be
completed, and if the switch circuit is broken, the circuit through magnet B
only will be completed.
A slight deviation from this arrangement can be made by using two batteries one
to work the circuit round the magnet E & and the other to work the circuit round
the magnet B; the pushes and switches having the same functions as in the
preceeding case.
2nd as shewn in Fig. II by a lead from the battery M to the pushes N, N, &
from thence to their respective switches O, O, returning by one of two paths
through either magnet P or Q to battery according as the switch is set. On
one of the pushes in this arrangement being pressed only one of the magnets
is excited at a time and according to the position of the switch corresponding
to the push which is pressed.
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,
1. The combination or arrangement of an armature or armatures and magnets
with switches pushes and batteries for indicating purposes as described.
2. The combination or arrangement of parts of indicating apparatus, and
circuits connecting the same, with one or more batteries as and for the purposes
set forth.
Dated this 22nd day of June 1886.