IM- PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION OF TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATIONS.”
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Luis Marie de Bejar y O'Lawlor, late of Number 355,
Strand, now of 18, Anley Road, Haminersmith, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION OF TELEPHONIC
COMMUNICATIONS.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Luis Marie de Bejar y O'Lawlor
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th November 1877.
LUIS MARIE DE BEJAR Y O'LAWLOR, late of Number 355, Strand, now of 18,
Anley Road, Hammersmith. IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE ELECTRIC
16
TRANSMISSION OF TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATIONS.”
The Invention is applicable to the telegraph apparatus known as the "auto-
quinetic," for which Letters Patent of the United Kingdom were granted to
Alexander Browne, bearing date the Fourth day of July 1873, No. 2327, and for
improvements in which Letters Patent of the United Kingdom were granted to me
and to Nicholas Antonio Calvo, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of March
1876, No. 1303.
The said "auto-quinetic" telegraph apparatus consists of certain arrangements
whereby with any number of telegraph instruments in communication with a
central station, by means of the same set of line wires, one apparatus or instrument
can never cut off or stop the transmission of signals from another that may be at
that moment operating with the station until such latter apparatus or instrument
has ceased operating.
The present Invention consists in applying to and combining with apparatus of
the above-mentioned character, that is to say, the "auto-quinetic" apparatus trans-
mitting and receiving instruments of the kind now known under the name of
telephones." When it is required to apply electric telephones as a means of commu-
[Prine Gd1

page_text: nication from several points to one central station, it is necessary under the usual
system to employ a separate conducting wire from each point to the station, but
when the aforesaid "auto-quinetic" apparatus is applied one single wire or set of
wires may be made to serve for all the telephones in the circuit, the "auto-quinetic
apparatuses at each point or station being arranged as set forth in the Specification
of the Patent granted to me and Nicholas Antonio Calvo, above mentioned, in such
manner that a message cannot be sent through any telephone while another is in
operation, and the despatch of the messages from each telephone can take place by
turn, or in rotation only, the message in course of transmission from any one
telephone to the telephone at the central station being inaudible at the telephone
placed at any other station.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Luis Marie de Bejar y O'Lawlor in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 27th May 1878.
LUIS MARIE DE BEJAR Y O'LAWLOR, late of 355, Strand, now of 18, Anley
Road, Hammersmith. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE ELECTRIC TRANS-
MISSION OF TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATIONS."
The Invention is applicable to the telegraph apparatus known as the "auto-
quinetic," for which Letters Patent of the United Kingdom were granted to
Alexander Browne, bearing date the Fourth day of July 1873, No. 2327, and also
to the improvements in the same, for which Letters Patent of the United Kingdom
were granted to me and to Nicholas Antonio Calvo, bearing date the Twenty-
seventh day of March 1876, No. 1303.
The said "auto-quinetic" telegraph apparatus consists of certain arrangements
whereby with any number of telegraph instruments in communication with a central
station, by means of the same set of line wires, one apparatus or instrument can
never cut off or stop the transmission of signals from another that may be at that
moment operating with the station until such latter apparatus or instrument has
ceased operating.
The present Invention consists in applying to and combining with apparatus of
the above-mentioned character, that is to say, the "auto-quinetic" apparatus, trans-
mitting and receiving instruments of the kind now known under the name of
"telephones." When it is required to apply electric "telephones" as a means of
communication from several points to one central station it is necessary under the
usual system to employ a separate conducting wire from each point to the station, but
when the aforesaid "auto-quinetic" apparatus is applied, one single set of wires
may be made to serve for all the "telephones" in the circuit, the "auto-quinetic
apparatuses at each point or station being arranged as set forth in the Specification
of the Patent granted to me and Nicholas Antonio Calvo, above mentioned, in such
manner that a message cannot be sent through any "telephone" while another is in
operation, and the despatch of the messages from each "telephone" can take place by
"

page_text: "
"
turn or in rotation only, the message in course of transmission from any one
'telephone' to the "
'telephone" at the central station being inaudible at the
telephone" placed at any other station.
"
"
In carrying this Invention into effect the "auto-quinetic" apparatus may either
be arranged so that "telephones" alone are employed for the purpose of transmitting
and receiving the messages, or so that certain pre-arranged messages may be trans-
mitted by means of apparatuses similar to those described in the Specification of the
Patent No. 1303, herein-before referred to, and received by means of the "Morse
or other suitable receiving instrument, other messages being sent and received by
means of "telephones when it is required to send communications which differ
from those for which the aforesaid transmitting apparatus has been adapted, or when
it is preferred to converse by their means.
In the Drawings, Figures 1, 2, and 3, Sheet 1, represent diagramatically an arrange-
ment of "auto-quinetic" line wires and apparatus similar to that described in the
Specification of the aforesaid Patent, No. 1303.
Figure 6, Sheet 2, illustrates the commutator apparatus at the central station.
Figures 7 and 8 illustrate examples of the "auto-quinetic" blocking and sending
apparatus placed at cach station along the line.
Similar letters refer to like parts in all theso Figures.
a and b are the two line wires (that is to say, a the starting wire and b the sig-
nalling wire), A. the cylinder or commutator, with its contact plates situated in the
instrument at the central or terminal station. e, f, g, three springs or slips bearing
on the said commutator cylinder and connected respectively with the line wires a
and b, and with the coil D of say an ordinary "Morse" receiving instrument, also
at the central station; B, the battery at the central station, the positive pole of
which is connected with the coil D, and the negative with the earth; o, o, represent
the driving weights of the "auto-quinetic" blocking and sending apparatuses
placed at each of the line stations. D', D', represent the coils and electro-magnets
in the same apparatuses which effect on the one hand the putting to earth of the
starting wire a, when the weight o is wound up, and on the other the liberation of
the mechanism of the blocking and sending apparatuses so as to bring the latter
into action as soon as the electric connexiou with the bobbin D at the central or
terminal station is established.
H is an attention bell, one end of the coil wire of which goes to earth, the other end
to the spring or strip 4, which rests on the commutator cylinder A. I is a battery,
the negative pole of which goes to earth, and the positive by a spring or slip 6,
with the plate 5 on the cylinder A. Thus when the cylinder or commutator A
rotates so as to cut off the communication between the starting wire a and the coil
D, and establish that between the signalling wire b and the coil D, as in Figure 2,
the plate 5 will come under the spring or slip 4, and the circuit between the alarm
bell H and the battery I will be closed, and the attention signal given.
In order to apply the "telephone" at the central or terminal station of the above.
described "auto-quinetic" arrangements, the spring or slip f is fixed on an axis J
(see also Figure 6) but so as to be completely insulated from it.
The spring or
slip e is at all times in communication with the starting wire u, and the spring f
with the signalling wire b.
Over the spring fis fixed a plate or contact maker M, which is in communication
with the "telephone" N by means of the wire P. The axis J is furnished with a
handle Q, by means of which it may be turned so as to bring the spring fin contact
with the cylinder A, or with the contact maker M, at pleasure.
To apply the "telephones" to the instruments at the stations on the line they
may be connected to the line wires by means of a metallic fork constructed as shewn
in Figure 4, in which the branch a¹ is insulated from the branch b¹. When the
branches of the fork are introduced into suitable openings in the apparatus provided
for the purpose, as for example at w, x, in Figure 7, the branch a connects one end
of the wire of the "telephone "S with the earth, and 6' connects the other end of
the wire of the "telephone" with the branch of the line wire b, when the con-

page_text: nections u, v, are closed by suitable contact makers operated by the ascent or
descent of the weight o, as illustrated, for example, in Figures 5, 7, and 8, to be
horeafter described.
I will now proceed to describe more particularly the apparatus illustrated by
Figures 6 and 7:—
In Figure 6 A. is the commutator cylinder at the central station, with its contact
plates, which is caused to revolve by the clockwork 9 whenever the dotent 10 is
withdrawn from the escape wheel 11 by the action of the coil and the electro-
magnet D on its armature 12. The springs or slips e, g,f, 4 & 6, are those referred
to under the same letters of reference in Figures 1, 2, and 3.
Figure 7 illustrates a convenient arrangement of the "auto-quinetic" blocking
and sending apparatus placed at each of the line stations, and adapted so as to
admit of the use of the "telephone" sending instruinent in combination therewith,
as herein-before described.
13 & 14 represent bars or sliders, the backs of which are formed into toothed
racks which gear into the toothed drum 15 whenever either of them is pushed
inwards. On one side of each of these bars or slides are fixed or formed a series of
projections 16, 16, of various lengths, corresponding to the arrangement of dot and
dash signals of the "Morse" alphabet necessary for transmitting any pre-arranged
signals, such as, for example, the address of the house or station where the par-
ticular apparatus may happen to be placed, together with the signals for "fire,"
"thieves," et cetera.
17 is an axis, which is connected to the toothed drum 15 by the bevil wheels 18,
19; this axis 17 has a cord wound round it, to which is attached the weight o,
which when down closes the circuit through 2, 9, and whọn raised closes that
through m, n.
D' is the coil and electro-magnet corresponding to that shewn at each line station
in Figures 1, 2, and 3. The armature 20 of this coil and electro-magnet is con-
nected with a detent 21, which takes into a notch upon the wheel 22, on the axis 17
so as to prevent the latter from revolving by the action of the weight o, unless a
current passes through the coil D'.
When one of the bars or slides 13, 14, is pushed inwards its teeth engage with
those of the drum 15, and the latter revolves, giving motion to the axis 17 so as to
wind up the weight o.
In pushing in the bar or slide the projections 16 act against the edge of the
hinged plate 23, causing it to vibrate to the left in the Figuro, so as not to close the
contact makers u, v, but when the bar or slide is moved outwards by the action of
the weight o, the projections 16 cause the hinged plate to vibrate to the right in
the Figure, thereby closing the contact makers u, v, a longer or shorter time,
according to the lengths of the projections 16, whereby the requisite dots and dashes
arc signalled to the "Morse" instrument at the central station, the contact maker v
being connected to earth, and u with the line wire b by the branch 62, as shewn in
Figures 2 and 3.
It will now be understood that with the apparatus arranged as above described,
messages may be transmitted either by the "auto-quinetic" sending instruments at
the stations on the line to the "Morse" or other suitable receiving apparatus at the
central or terminal station, or they may be sent and received by the "telephones"
as may be preferred. For example, supposing the "auto-quinetic "sending apparatus,
Figure 7, to be adapted with signals suitable to indicating at the central or terminal
station the locality from whence a message is about to be sent, and if necessary the
desire to communicate by means of the "telephone," and further that the springs e, f,
are bearing upon their contact, plate on the cylinder A at the central station, as in
Figures 1 and 6, on raising the weight o of any one of the sending instruments at
the line stations, as for example, that at X in Figure 2, the continuity of the starting
wire a is broken at p, q, see also Figure 7, and the connexion with the wire of the
coil D¹ closed at n, m, the starting wire a is thus put to earth, and the circuit closed
with the coil D. in the instrument, Figure 6, at the central station, whereby the

page_text: cylinder A is liberated by the action of the electro-magnet in the coil D upon the
detent 10, and commences to rotate by means of its clockwork, thus breaking the
communication between e and g, and closing that between and by the plate of
the commutator (see Figures 2 & 6) and the instrument at X (see Figure 2 bзing
connected to the wire b by the branch 62 is then in connection with the "Morse
instrument at the central station.
The current which passes through the coil D' in the instrument Figure 7, when
the contact makers n, m, are closed, causes the electro-magnet in D₁ to attract its
armature, withdrawing the detent 21 from the notch in the wheel 22, and the
weight o is then free to descend; in doing so it causes the drum 7 to revolve, and to
push outwards the bar or slide which had been pushed inwards, the projections
on that bar or slide act upon the plate, the contact makers u, v, are closed
accordingly, and the signal as to locality, or that indicating a desire to communicate
by the "telephone," or both signals passes or pass to the "Morse" instrument at the
central station, and if it is desired to communicate by the "telephone" the manipu-
lator at the central or terminal station then turns the axis J (see Figures 2, 3, and 6º)
by the handle Q, so as to remove the spring fout of contact with the cylinder A and
into contact with the contact maker M, as shewn in Figure 3, and his " telephone "N
is thereby put into the circuit.. Meanwhile as soon as the weight o has been raised
the "telephone" S, Figure 2, is applied to the instrument by introducing its forks
into the openings w and x (see Figures 7 and 7b) below the elevated weight, so that
when the latter is released and descends it comes to rest on the branches of the fork
(see Figure 72) closing the circuit through them with the telephone N, and a
conversation may be kept up between the two stations; but should the manipulator
at the central or terminal station desire to interrupt the communication he can do
so by turning the axis J into its first position, with the spring f bearing on the
cylinder A, as in Figure 2, and then if some other apparatus on the line is ready to
send a message it can do so. The manipulator then by turning the axis J again, so
as to bring the spring fagainst the contact maker M, as in Figure 3, can resume the
conversation with the telephone S which had been interrupted. If however one
of the weights o has been raised at a time when the apparatus at another lino
station is in communication with the central station, the closing of the contact
makers n, m, will not cause a current to pass through the coil D1 at that station
because the cylinder A at the central station will at that moment be in a position
such that the connection between the springs or slips e, g, will be broken, and the
electro-magnet D¹ will therefore not act upon its armature 20, consequently the
weight o will remain suspended, and no messages can be sent from that station until
the communication then existing between the other line stations and the central
station is broken, and the cylinder A has revolved into its normal position, shown in
Figure 6.
When the line wire a is not broken at p, q, or put to earth through n, m, the
cylinder A, Figure 6, is retained in its normal position by the stop 24 upon it
resting against the upper end of the armature 12; but if when the cylinder A returns
to the said normal position one or more of the weights o at the line stations is or are
wound up so as to put the line wire a to earth, a current passes through the coil D'
of that instrument, which having its weight wound up is nearest to the central
station, and messages may then be sent from that station to the central station, to
the exclusion of all others until the communication is purposely interrupted or until
the cylinder A has again returned to its normal position.
If it be desired to arrange the line so as to employ "telephones" only, the
"auto-quinetic" sending apparatus is omitted, and the part thereof comprising the
blocking apparatus only employed, and this may be reduced to the form shewn in
diagramn Figure 5, and more fully in Figure 8. In a suitable box is placed a
rack gearing into the wheel s. The rack carries a weight o which when down
closes the communication between the two ends p, q, of the wire a in the
instrument.
When the rack and weight are raised by a suitable handle, the weight or suitable

page_text: P
projections on the rack close or closes the contact makers m, n, and those and
will be opened, but n being in communication with the earth by the coil D¹ closes
the circuit with the coil D at the central station if the line is free, and by the
action of the electro-magnet of the coil D' on its armature 20, the detent 21 is
withdrawn from the ratchet wheel, and the rack released and left free to descend,
turning the wheels, and with it the eccentric t which presses the springs u and v
together; is in communication by the line b with the telephone N at the
central or terminal station, and with the telephone S at the station from
which the message is being sent. This communication will last so long as the
weight o and rack are descending, say, for two minutes or other predetermined
time.
When the weight o reaches & closes ? & 9 the recess in the eccentric t allows u
& v to open, whereby the communication is stopped, so as to prevent its lasting
too long, to the prejudice of others on the line who might desire to signal, but
cannot until the one doing so has finished. In this arrangement the wire a acts as
the starting wire of the cylinder A through the springs e, g, and a coil D as before,
and the rotation of the said cylinder first starts the alarm bell H by the contact of
the plate 5 and springs and, see Figures 5 & 6, and then connects the signalling
wire b direct to the telephone N by the plate, and springs f and instead of to
the "Morse" instrument as in the first case.
In either of the arrangements the cylinder A may be caused to rotate in a certain
period of time, so as to stop the communication and prevent too lengthened a use
of the line by one person.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, & the manner in which
the same is to or may be performed, I would have it understood that I do not claim
as being part of this Invention either the "auto-quinetic" apparatus & arrange-
ment of line wires or the "telephone" when separate from each other, as they are
both already known, but what I do claim is,-
First. The combination of the "auto-quinetic" system of starting & signalling
wires, commutator, & blocking & sending apparatus with the "telephone" sending
& receiving apparatus, so that either the "auto-quinetic" and Morse sending &
receiving instruments or the "telephone" sending & receiving instruments may be
employed at will, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated in Figures
2, 3, & 4, 6, 6, 7, 7a, & 7b of the Drawings.
Second. The combination of the auto-quinetic system of starting & signalling
wires, commutator & blocking apparatus, with the telephone sending & receiving
apparatus without the auto-quinetic sending apparatus,substantially as herein-before
described & illustrated in Figures 5 & 8 of the Drawings.
Third. The arrangement of the spring f on an axis J or otherwise in relation to
the commutator A, and to the contact maker M, in such manner that the manipu-
lator at the central or terminal station can put. either the "telephones" or the
Morse" or other receiving instrument into circuit with the wire b or interrupt the
circuit therewith at will, substantially as herein-before described, & illustrated in
Figures 2, 3, & 6ª of the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Luis Marie de Bejar y O'Lawlor, have here-
unto set my hand & seal, this 27th day May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred & seventy-eight.
LUIS MARIE DE BEJAR Y O'LAWLOR. (L.S.)