Improvements in Telephonic Appliances.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in Telephonic Appliances.
JOSEPH DEVONPORT FINNEY ANDREWS, 45, Fulham Park Gardens, Fulham, S.W.,
Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My present invention relates to improvements in telephones.
When I wish to place several telephones situated in different places in com-
munication with one another I provide each telephone with as many contacts
arranged in circles or rows as there are telephones to be communicated with & I
number the contacts I connect the corresponding contacts of every telephone
together by an independent line.
I provide a contact bar at each instrument which can be brought into com-
munication with any one of the contacts, this contact bar being for the purpose
of connecting the home instrument to any of the other telephones.
I construct the contact bar preferably by piercing a strip of metal with holes
corresponding in number to the number of the pushes that are or can
be placed in communication with other telephones. The push would preferably
be a knob with a stem held in the position of rest by a spring, the stem would
be provided with a conical end which would pass easily through the hole corre-
sponding to it in the bar. The bar would be held in position by a spring so that
the centre of the holes would be slightly to the one side of the centre of the
push cone, the relative position of the holes in the bar to the cones of the pushes
would be the same with all pushes & in the same direction.
When a push is depressed the cone would impinge on one side of the hole &
move the bar at right angles to it, & when the cone has passed through the hole
the bar would resume its former position. On the pressure being removed from
the push the cone would catch on the bar & make contact with it. Should another
push be depressed while one is caught in connection with the bar, the same
action would be repeated & the push previously depressed would be released."
To facilitate the release, in the event of any slight inaccuracy of the holes corre-
sponding with the pushes I may slightly round or bevel the edges of the cone &
also the hole so that when the cone & the hole are at nearly the releasing point
the spring of the push would be able effect a release.
Or I may provide a second cone on the stem preferably of insulating material
which would be slightly larger than the previous one, & on the button being
depressed would impinge on the side of the corresponding hole in the bar &
move the bar so that the first cone clears.
I may arrange that, by depressing the push further that it would be brought
into contact with a contact in direct communication with the battery so as to
effect the ringing of the bell at the distant telephone.
I may construct my bar in any other form which would effect the same end
&I may employ any other form of push than a cone such as an inclined plain.
On hanging up the receiver on the hook now usually provided, the hook would
actuate the bar, so that it would release the bar. I may combine my system of
:

page_text: contacts & bar in the form of a portable or hand telephone & in this case the
contacts would be arranged in a row along the handle, the bar & connections
being within the handle. I would construct the handle of a piece of solid insu-
lating material & I would drill into it a hole for each push & a long slot in
which the bar can work freely & a hole or slot passing through all the push holes
for the battery contact. The bar or an attachment to it, would protrude at the
end of the hand appliance & it would be provided at the point with a loop to
hang it on the hook & thus effect the release of any pushes that may have been
depressed into contact with it.
I may employ a separate ringing push or magneto of the known kind & in
this case I may prefer to employ a fixed line bar & arrange the pushes to be
pressed against it & held there by the person speaking instead of being caught
on to it. In any of the above devices I may arrange the pushes in circles &
employ a wheel arranged to oscillate on a centre for the pushes to connect with
on a fixed wheel, ring or disc, for them to impinge against, I may employ more
than one row of holes or other means of catching in a bar or disc for the pushes.
Instead of pushes I may employ fixed line contacts & a bar or worm working
on a centre with a contact to meet them, the bar or arm would be moved into
connection with the selected contact & when the speaking is completed the
receiver on hand telephone would be hung upon the bar or arm & cause it to
return to zero by its weight.
JOSEPH DEVONPORT FINNEY ANDREWS, 45, Fulham Park Gardens, Fulham, S. W.,
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: →
My present invention relates to improvements in telephones. When I wish
to place several telephones situated in different places in communication with
one another I provide each telephone with as many contacts arranged in circles
or rows as there are telephones to be communicated with, and I number the con-
tacts and I connect the corresponding contacts of every telephone together by an
independent line.
I provide a contact bar at each instrument to which connection can be made
by any one or more of the contacts, this contact bar being for the purpose of
connecting the home instrument to any of the other telephones.
I construct the contact bar, disc or plate preferably by piercing a strip of
metal with holes corresponding in number to the number of pushes that are or
can be placed in communication with other telephones. The push would prefer-
ably be a knob with a stem held in position of rest by a spring, the stem would
be provided with a conical end which would pass easily into the hole corre-
sponding to it in the bar. The bar would be held in a position by a spring or
by a weight so that the centre of the holes would be slightly to one side of the
centre of the push centre. The relative position of the holes in the bar to the
pushes would be the same with all pushes. When a push is depressed the conical
end of it would impinge on one side of the hole and move the bar at right
angles to it, and when the cone has passed through the hole the bar would resume
its former position. On the pressure being removed from the push the cone

page_text: ould catch on to the bar and make contact with it. Should another push de
epressed while one is caught in connection with the bar the same action would
repeated and the push previously depressed would be released. To facilitate
his release in the event of any slight inaccuracy of the holes corresponding
ith the pushes I may slightly round or bevel the edges of the cone and also
he hole, so that when the cone and the hole are at nearly releasing point, the
pring of the push would be able to effect a release. Or I may provide a second
one on the stem, preferably of insulating material, which would be slightly
arger than the previous one and on the button being depressed would impinge
n the side of the corresponding hole in the bar, and move the bar so that the
irst cone clears.
I may arrange that by depressing the push further that it would be brought into
contact with a contact in direct connection with the battery so as to effect the
ringing of the bell at the distant telephone, and I may construct the bar in any
other form which would effect the same end, and I may employ any other form
of push than a cone such as an inclined plain. On hanging up the receiver on
the hook now usually provided the hook would actuate the bar so that it would
release the pushes. I may combine my system of contacts and bar in the form
of a portable or hand telephone, and in this case the contacts would be arranged
in a row along the handle, the bar and connections being within the handle. I
would construct the handle of a piece of solid insulating material and I would
drill into it a hole for each push and a long slot in which the bar can work
freely and a hole or slot passing through all the push holes for the battery con-
tact. The bar or an attachment to it would protrude at the end of the hand
appliance and it would be provided at the point with a loop to hang it on the
hook and thus effect the release of any pushes that may have been depressed into
contact with it.
I may arrange a separate ringing push or magneto of the known kind and I
may prefer to employ a fixed line bar and arrange the pushes to be pressed
against it and held there by the person speaking instead of being caught on
to it. In any of the above devices I may arrange the pushes in circles and
employ a wheel arranged to oscillate on a centre for the pushes to connect with
or a fixed wheel, ring or disc, for them to impinge against I may employ more
than one row of holes or other means of catching in a bar or disc for the pushes.
In Fig. 1, I illustrate a combination of pushes F only one of which is shown
with a disc "B" common to several pushes. Each push consists of stem "C"
provided with a metal cone "D" at one end an insulation cone "E" at a short
space from "D" and a knob "F" at the other end "G" is a metal bearing for
the stem to which connection of the line wire is effected by any suitable means.
OH is a spring pressing between the knob and the fixed bearing G. The disc is
mounted on an axil I in a bearing and it is pierced with holes J Fig. 2 each
of which faces a push but a little to one side of it and it is held in this position
by a stop K in an oblong hole L and a spring M or a weight. When the push F
is pressed the cone D will pass through the hole J and by virtue of the action
5 of the spring M the disc B would resume its position after the cone has passed
through the hole which would thus become locked in position. If the push be
pressed still further the cone E will impinge upon the hole and move the disc
round and as the cone E is slightly larger than the cone D the disc would be
turned beyond the position the cone D had turned it whereby any push that had
50 been previously pressed would be released. Any cones being held by this disc
would also be released if the receiver telephone were hung upon the hook N or
any other hook that might be geared with the disc to produce the same effect.
By pressing the push F until the cone 1) meets the plate which is a terminal
of the battery a current would be put direct to line for the purpose of ringing
55 and as the cone E is of insulative material and against the disc B, the disc B
would be insulated from the circuit. Instead of employing the cone E to effect
the more certain release of the studs or pushes engaged with the disc B I may

page_text: arrange the plate O so that it will move downwards under the pressure of the
pushes and by means of an insulated pin P turn the disc B so that it will
release any pushes or studs that may be held by it.
Instead of arranging the studs to engage into a disc I may employ a plate or
a rod B as shown in Fig. 3 which I may arrange in bearings C. It would remain
in its lowest position by virtue of its weight on a spring not shown, and when
a cone impinges upon it, it moves vertically to accommodate it. The action will
otherwise be the same as in Fig. 1 & 2.
In some cases I may prefer to effect the more certain release of the contact
studs from the disc or bar by making the cone as shown in Fig. 4 where it has a
bevel A which would assist it in releasing when another push is about to pass
through the hole. Or I may make the cone as in Fig. 5. Here the cone is a
double cone and it will be held by the disc or rod B more by friction than by
positive grip.
Instead of cones I may employ pushes inclined as shown in Fig. 6. B is the
rod, discs or plates. A are bearings with pin pushes C through them. When
pushed towards. the plate B the stem C would engage in the corresponding hole
in the plate B and pass through it by raising the plate sufficiently. The pin
would then by held in position by the weight of the plate or by the force of a
spring on the plate. If another push were made to enter a hole in the plate
the push that had previously entered would be released and would fall away by
its own weight or by a spring. In some cases I prefer to hold the push in con-
nection with the line bar plate or disc by the finger, more especially in the case
of hand telephones as shown in Figs. 7 & 8 which represent the part longitudinal
section and cross-sections of the handle of such an instrument G is a bearing with
the contact stud C passing through it, a push F mounted on the stud and a
spring His arranged to pass between the bearing and the push as in the case of
Fig. 1. The pushes F and the bearings G are fitted in holes in a solid block of
insulating material, the bearing being held in position by a screw X passing
through the insulating block and screwing into the bearing at right angles to the
axis of the contact stem C whereby the bearing is held in position in the hole.
The head of the screw X is fitted with another screw Y for the purpose of con-
necting the circuit wire. The contact stud when pressed impinges upon the line
bar B which is inserted in a groove in the insulating block and is pressed
towards the contacts by a spring S. When at rest this bar makes contact on to
the terminal contact of the home line of the instrument HL and when pressure
is put on to the line bar by one of the pushes the circuit becomes broken
between the home line and the line bar and the line to which the contact belongs
connected onto it. The spring S is held in position by a pin P' which forms a
continuation of a straight wire spring U which is bent at right angles at V and
terminates between two contacts W & R, one of which W, is connected to the
battery terminal and the other to the home receiver. By means of a push this
spring may be pressed from connection with R to connection with W for the
purpose of ringing after a line has been selected I may employ the arrangement
shown in Figs. 7 & 8 for fixed telephones as well as hand.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
inventions, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
First. Effecting the connections of several lines for the purpose of inter-com-
munication with the home instrument by actuating upon the contacts connected
with the lines instead of with the lever or contact of the home instrument as in
other instruments substantially as described and illustrated.
Second.. Effecting the retention of the connection after a push has been
pressed by making the line bar disc, ring or plate catch onto the contact push or
stud substantially as described and with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6.
Third. Effecting the greater certainty of the release of the contacts from the

page_text: line bar and effecting the disconnections of the push from the line bar during
the period of calling substantially as described with reference to Figs. 1 & 3.
Fourth. Effecting the connection of contacts with the line bar and the reten-
tion of same in contact by inclined pushes substantially as described and illus-
trated in Fig. 6.
Fifth. The construction of the spring contact push as described and illustrated
in Figs. 1, 3, 4 & 5.
Sixth. The construction of a hand or other inter-communication telephone in
which the line pushes are retained in contact with the line bar by pressure sub-
stantially as described and illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8.