Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 5th May, 1886.
Complete Left, 5th Feb., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 15th Apr., 1887.
Purposes.
I, ALEXANDER BROWNE of 9 and 10 Southampton Buildings in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent do hereby declare my said invention to be as follows:
The object of this invention is to readily connect up the main telegraphic line with
any one of a number of branch lines at the same time cutting out of circuit the
batteries or instruments at the home station connected with the branch lines.
A switch board that carries out this invention, consists of a square block of wood
carrying in its centre a vertical handle-axis connected with the main telegraph line.
Around the handle-axis are circumferentially disposed spring contacts each connected
with one branch line by means of corresponding binding screws at the edge of the
block.
The handle carries a radial spring contact, which, during its revolution by hand,
may be allowed to rest upon any one of the circumferential spring contacts, or upon
a metallic plate or in any one of the intermediate non-conducting spaces. When the
radial spring contact rests upon a circumferential spring contact the main line is
placed in direct communication with the corresponding branch line; when it rests
upon the metallic plate the main line is only connected with the home station an earth
contact being made through the metallic plate; when it rests upon one of the spaces,
the home instruments connected with the branch lines are in circuit.
The circuit of the home instruments connected with the branch lines has its
separate binding screws at the edge of the block as well as a series of lever contacts
at the side of the block. Each lever works from its own centre over the requisite
number of contact pieces which are disposed in the circumference of a circle at the
centre of which the lever is free to move round. The exchange of home instruments
from one branch line to another is easily made by a corresponding movement of the
levers over their contact pieces.
BROWNE & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: DI PUITIVATION.
Improvements in Switch Boards for Telegraphic and Telephonic
Purposes.
I, ALEXANDER BROWNE, of 9 and 10 Southampton Buildings in the County of
Middlesex Patent Agent do hereby declare this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement (being a communication from abroad by Dionisio Predrahita,
Merchant, of Bogota U.S. of Columbia) :—.
The object of this invention is to readily connect up the main telegraph line with
any one of a number of branch lines at the same time cutting out of circuit the
batteries or instruments, at the home station connected with the branch lines.
A switch board that carries out this invention consists of a square or other suitably
shaped block of wood hollowed out the receive the connecting wires to the various
contacts and carrying in its centre a vertical handle axis connected with the main tele-
graph line.
Around the handle axis are circumferentially disposed spring contacts each
connected with one branch line by means of corresponding binding screws at the edge
of the block. In the intermediate portions of the circumference over which the handle
passes are insulated parts and a metallic plate.
In order to describe the invention most particularly the accompanying sheets of
drawing are referred to.
Figure 1, sheet 1, is a plan of the switch board showing its revolving handle and the
electrical connections of the main telegraphic line together with those of the (say)
five branch lines; also the five connections of the home instruments belonging to the
branch lines and the means of changing these instruments.
Figure 3, Sheet 2, is a diagram showing the electrical connections within the switch
board. Figure 2, Sheet 1, is a side view of the instrument showing the spring lever
contacts for changing the instruments in connection with the branch lines.
Figure 4, Sheet 2 is a diagram showing the arrangement of telegraph lines and
connections outside the switch board and in connection with other stations besides the
home station.
A block, preferably of wood carries in its centre the vertical axis of a handle H
connected with the main telegraph line by the binding screw M and capable of being
connected with any of the circumferential spring contacts, A¹, B₁, C₁, D¹, E¹, by the
revolution of the handle H which brings its radial spring contact into contact with
any one of the telegraphic branch lines A. B. C. D. E. that may be desired according
to the spring contact A¹, B', C, D, E¹, that the handle H is allowed to come to rest
upon. When the handle H has its spring contact upon the metallic plate the main
line is only connected with the home station, an earth contact being made through the
binding screw G at the side of the instrument. When the handle H rests upon one
of the spaces S, the home instruments or batteries connected with the branch lines
A, B, C, D, E, are in circuit. The circuit of the home instruments connected with
the branch lines A, B, C, D, E, has its separate binding screws a, b, c, d, e, at the edge
of the block as well as a series of lever contacts a, b, c, d, e, at the side of the
block shown in figure 2. Each lever works from its own centre over the requisito
number of contact pieces a², 2, c², d", e², which are d sposed in the circumference of
the circle at the centre of which the lever is free to move round.

page_text: In figure 1, is shown the main line binding screw M, the earth connection G, the
spring contact handle HL and the five spring contacts A¹, B, C, D, E¹, together with
their corresponding binding screw connections to the conductors of the branch circuits
A, B, C, D, E respectively. The binding screws a, b, c, d, e, belong to the instruments
or batteries in the branch line circuits A, B, C, D, E, one instrument or battery to
each circuit. The edge view of the lever contacts is shown in figure 1. Each works
from a centre a, b, c, d, el over the stud contacts a², b³, c², d², e²; this is more
particularly shown in figure 2. In order that the instruments in connection with the
branch line binding screws a, b, c, d, e, may be in accordance with the branch lines
A, B, C, D, E respectively the lever contacts must be in the position shown in figure 2
namely a with a, b with 63; with c², d¹ with d³, e with e²; this is the normal
position. The studs a², 62, c², d², e², are disposed as follows:-a refers to five different
metallic studs all on the upper horizontal insulated strip, 2 to five similar studs on
the next strip, c² to the five studs on the next strip d² to the five studs on the lowest
strip but one and to the five studs on the lowest strip.
In case an instrument from another branch line is required to work a given branch
line for instance the instrument in connection with E is required to work A-the
lever contact a¹ is put in an intermediate space and the lever contact el is placed on
the stud a².
?
2
The operation of the switch-block is as follows:-To connect the main line with
the branch line A the handle EI is moved so as to be in contact with the spring
contact A. The main line current then goes from M to the axis of the handle H to
the spring contact A' thence to the branch line binding screw a. The earth contacts
of the branch line instruments I, I, I³, 14, 15, are broken at
9, 9³, 7, 25, when the
main line connection is completed, and to the lever contact a¹, thence- in the normal
arrangement of the lever contacts-to the stud a² and finally to the binding screw A
which is connected to the line wire of branch line A. A similar part of the electric
current when B is to be connected with the main line is followed, the handle H. is
placed at B and the current goes from B¹ along the dotted line
to / thence
along the dotted line
course is shewn in figure 3.
-
to band and along the firm line to B. This
The telegraphic signalling instruments or batteries I¹, I², I³, I*, I³, and the breaks
7,9 1 7, 9, are shewn in the diagram figure 4.
The current in each case of the branch line circuit only proceeds from the battery I¹
say to a, a, a, A then along the telegraphic wire to the instrument at the distant
station returning through an earth plate there to an earth plate attached to the
break g'..
I am aware that many divices with a revolving handle have been used and I do
not claim that method when used alone or in combination with any other apparatus
than that included in the description and shewn in the drawings of this specification
But what I do claim is :-
1st. The employment of a revolving handle in combination with studs, binding
screws, metallic plate and arrangement for cutting out the batteries or instruments
from the circuit when the main line circuit is to be continued into one or other of
the branch line circuits.
2nd. The arrangement of lever contacts and studs on strips which enables the
batteries in connection with the branch circuits to be changed or exchanged.
BROWNE & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.