Improvements in Electric Indicators for Bells, Telephones, Alarms and the like.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Nov., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 21st Aug., 1896-Accepted, 21st Nov., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electric Indicators for Bells, Telephones, Alarms
and the like.
I, STANLEY WALTON of 59 Inverine Road, Old Charlton in the County of
London Electrician do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
"
According to one improvement I make use of an electrical principle, usually
quoted as "Oersted's Experiment or as "Ampère's Rule." I make a coil of a
few turns of covered wire, the ends of the wire being suitably attached to binding
screws or knobs, on a baseboard. This coil may be flattened for convenience, and
fastened to the base-board by one of its flat sides. Two small permanent magnets
are prepared so as to form an astatic couple parallel to each other, and are held in
their relative positions by a small spindle made to revolve between centres. Or
the two magnets may be held in their relative positions by a piece of metal or other
material which itself evolves round a spindle fixed in the base-board. One of
these magnets is arranged to revolve between the flat sides of the coil, the other
magnet, at the same time revolving outside the coil, on the side away from the base-
board. A stop is so arranged on the base-board as to prevent the magnets from
turning farther than necessary, this stop in some cases being of soft iron to hold
the magnet temporarily, also in some cases moveable so as to be placed beyond the
field of the small magnets. To one of the magnets is fastened a signal, either
directly or indirectly, in such a way that when the magnet turns, the signal either
appears or disappears as may be arranged. When an electric current is sent
through the coil, the magnets are deflected and the appearance or disappearance
of the signal conveys the requisite information to an attendant or guard.
According to another improvement, the electric current passes through a medium
of one colour or appearance and changes it into another colour or appearance
which may be made to return to the first colour or appearance by the attendant
switching off the current or reversing its direction according as may be arranged.
In both the above improvements several of the indicators may be enclosed in one
case with glazed apertures through which the appearance or disappearance of the
various signals may be noted.
Dated this 19th day of November 1895.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electric Indicators for Bells, Telephones, Alarms,
and the like.
I, STANLEY WALTON of 65 Priolo Road, Old Charlton, in the County of
London late of 59 Inverine Road Old Charlton in the County of London
Electrician 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 :-
According to one improvement I make use of an electric principle usually
quoted as "Oersteds Experiment" or as "Ampère's Rule" according to which :-
an electric current passing along a wire causes a magnetic needle, freely
D
OJ1

page_text: suspended near it, and parallel or nearly parallel to it, to be deflected through a
definite angle to the right or to the left of its former position according as
the current flows along the wire in one direction or in the opposite direction,
and according as the wire is placed above or below the plane of the needle's
oscillation.
I make a coil a of a few turns of wire, the ends of the wire being suitably
connected either directly or indirectly to binding screws or knobs bb on a base-
board or frame. The turns of wire forming the coil are preferably insulated from
one another by a covering of cotton or silk or shellac varnish or other suitable
substance. This coil a may be flattened for convenience and fastened to the base
board by one of its flat sides. Two small permanent magnets c c are prepared so as
to form an astatic couple they are held in their relative positions and parallel to
one another by a small spindle d which oscillates about its axis. The spindle may
pass through holes in the magnets, or the magnets may pass through holes in the
spindle or the spindle and magnets may be connected together in any other way.
The oscillation of the spindle on its axis causes the two magnets to oscillate in
two parallel planes, to which planes the spindle is perpendicular. Or the two
magnets c c may be held in their relative positions by a bent piece of sheet metal
or a piece of metal tube or a piece of glass tube e or other suitable material which
itself oscillates around a spindle fixed in the base board Fig. 4. One of the small
magnets is arranged to oscillate in a plane between the flat sides of the coil, the
other magnet at the same time oscillating in a parallel plane outside the coil on the
side away from the base-board.
Instead of two magnets arranged astatically one magnet only may be used
and the action of the earth's magnetism thereupon neglected.
This single
magnet oscillates preferably between the flat sides of the coil so as to be acted
upon by the electric current in the wires on both sides of it according to Ampère's
Rule.
:
Instead of a permanent inagnet an electro-magnet may be employed, Fig. 9. and
instead of an astatic couple of permanent magnets an astatic couple of electro-
magnets may be employed. An electro-magnet for this purpose may be made by
winding a short piece of copper or other metallic wire upon a short length of soft
iron wire in such a way that the two ends of the wire where the winding commences
and ceases are at the middle point of the soft iron wire these two ends are bent
in opposite directions perpendicular to the iron core and being then cut off at a
short distance from it form a spindle round which the electro-magnet oscillates and
through which the electric current flows. An astatic couple of electro-magnets
may be made in a similar way, one length of copper or other metallic wire being
wound on both soft iron wires, the winding commencing and ceasing at their middle
points. Or two single electro magnets, made as described above, may be connected
together by a junction of two of the short ends left after winding.
A stop is so arranged on the base-board as to prevent the magnet or magnets
turning farther than necessary. This stop in some cases is of soft iron to hold the
magnet or magnets temporarily, also in some cases it is moveable so as to be taken
away from the field of the small magnets. Figs. 1. 5. show a stop of soft iron f
fastened perpendicular to a small rod of brass g. To the same rod g is fastened
the arm which is held by the spring i in the position shown. In this position the
stop is perpendicular to the base-board and holds attracted the magnet c when it
has been deflected by the electric current. When the arm his pulled, against the
spring, down through 90° Fig. 5^ the stop flies parallel to the base-board, but in
starting to that position it tends to pull the magnet c farther over.
prevented by the brass pinj against which the magnet now comes and which allows
the soft-iron stop f to be pulled by the arm h away from the field of the magnet c
which is now free to return to the position shown in Fig. 2. When the arm his let
go the spring returns it and the stop f to the position shown in Fig. 1, the magnet
remains in the position shown in Fig. 2 until it is again deflected by the electric
current. The base board is usually fastened against a wall so that the magnet
This is

page_text: or magnets oscillate vertically. By arranging that the centre of gravity of the
magnet or magnets is slightly lower than the centre of oscillation, the magnet or
magnets when released always return to the position shown in Fig. 2. The magnet
or magnets may however be returned to the position shown in Fig. 2 by arranging
the wires so that the pulling of the arm h sends a momentary electric current in the
opposite direction through the coil which will now deflect the magnet in the
opposite direction until checked by the brass pin k. Figs. 6 and 7 show one
method of doing this:- is the wire by which the electric current enters, m is the
wire by which it leaves, n is one end of the coil o is the other end of the coil,
a represents the coil, pq are two wires or spring strips fastened to an oscillating
disc which is actuated by the arm h. Fig. 6 shows how the current may be directed
through the coil in one direction Fig. 7 in the opposite direction.
When returning the magnet to its position in Fig. 2 by reverse current, the coil
is preferably fan-shaped instead of parallel. Fig. 8 shows such a coil, the
lines rss correspond to the two extreme positions of the magnet. The fan-
shaped coil is useful also under other circumstances.
The parallel coil a in Figs. 1. 2. 6. 7. is shown divided. Suppose the wire be
wound say 10 times round a mould of the shape shown in Fig. 3. If now five of
these turns be taken between thumb and finger of one hand and the other five be
taken between thumb and finger of the other hand, a slight pull will divide the two
fives about inch apart, leaving a convenient space for the spindle d as shown
in Figs. 1. 2. The wire leading from one half of the coil to the other half is shown
in each of the four figures-in these figures therefore a is a divided-coil, not two
separate coils.
It has been shown that the soft-iron stop f holds the magnet c, which has been
deflected, until it is released by pulling down the arm h. A person may thus ring
a bell by touching an electric button and may remove the finger immediately,
leaving the bell still ringing, for the mutual attraction of the magnet c and the
soft-iron stop f can put and hold in contact two wires or metal strips which
complete a new circuit for the electric current. Pulling down the arm separates
the stop from the magnet and at the same time separates the two wires or
metal strips, and the circuit being thus broken the bell ceases to ring.
To the magnet or to one of the magnets is fastened directly or indirectly a
signal (e.g. a red disc t) in such a way that when the magnet moves in one
direction the signal appears, and when the magnet moves in the other direction the
signal disappears behind a screen, the appearance or disappearance of the signal
conveys the requisite information to an attendant or guard.
According to another improvement, the electric current passes through a medium
of one colour or appearance and thus changes it into another colour or appearance,
which may be made to return to the first colour or appearance by the attendant
switching off the current or reversing its direction according as may be arranged.
By means of an induction coil and a vacuum tube or vacuum bulb I obtain a
glow or light which is tinted according as the vacuum tube or bulb contains rarefied
vapour of one chemical or of another. By breaking the electric contact the
glow or light disappears. The circuit being made by the person ringing the bell
or alarm the glow appears. This glow appearing in proximity to a name or
number indicates the locality of the person requiring attention. The name or
number may be placed behind the vacuum-tube or bulb in a case or frame so as
to be invisible when the glow is not present to light it up. In this case the mere
fact of a name or number being visible shows the locality of the person requiring
attention. The glow remains only so long as the circuit is unbroken. In order
that the person ringing the bell or alarm may remove the finger from the electric
button or push, a new circuit may be instantly completed as explained above; and
this may keep the bell ringing as well as maintain the glow, or the glow may
remain and the bell cease to ring according as may be arranged.
In either of the improvements described above several of the indicators may be
euclosed in one case or fiame.

page_text: I do not restrict myself to the exact details and arrangements herein shown and
described, as the same may be varied and the apparatus modified in various ways
according to circunstances without departing from my invention, but
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
-claim is :-
6
1. In electric indicators for bells, telephones, alarms and the like the use and
employment of the electric principle usually quoted as Oersted's Experiment" or
as "Ampère's Rule" herein described and shown.
2. In electric indicators for bells, telephones, alarms and the like, the use and
employment, according to Ampere's Rule of a permanent magnet, or of an
electro-magnet or of an astatic couple of permanent magnets or of an astatic
couple of electro magnets together with a coil of wire, as herein described and
shown.
3. In electric indicators for bells, telephones, alarms, and the like, the use and
employment, according to Ampère's Rule, of one or more permanent magnets or
electro magnets together with a coil of wire or coils of wire.
4. The divided coil, as illustrated in Figs. 1. 2. 6. 7 and described, to be used in
combination with one or more permanent magnets or electro magnets, as herein
described and shown.
5. The fan-shaped coil, as illustrated in Fig. 8. and described, to be used
in combination with one or more permanent magnets or electro magnets, as herein
described.
6. The method of obtaining continuous ringing of bell or alarm, by using
a magnetic stop f removeable at pleasure, or fixed, in combination with one
or more permanent magnets or electro magnets and a coil of wire or coils of wire,
as herein described and shown.
7. The use and employment of a reverse electric current for the purpose
described.
8. The method of reversing the electric current shown in Figs. 6. 7. and
described, to be used in combination with one or more permanent magnets or
electro magnets and a coil of wire or coils of wire.
9. The methods of making an electro magnet and an astatic electric couple
herein described and shown, to be used in combination with a coil of wire or coils
of wire, according to Claim 3.
10. In electric indicators for bells, telephones, alarms, and the like, the use and
employment of an induction coil together with a vacuum tube or vacuum bulb to
obtain a glow or light as herein described.
11. The method of obtaining a continuous glow either with or without a
continuous ringing of bell or alarm, as herein described.
Dated this 20th day of August 1896.
W. W. SPENCE,
Agent for Applicant.