Improvements in and connected with Multiple Switchboards.
Year: 1899

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by ACTIENGESELLSCHAFT MIX & GENEST, Electrical
Engineers, of 67, Bulow Strasse, Berlin, W., in the Empire of Germany.]
Improvements in and connected with Multiple Switchboards.
I, HERMANN OPPENHEIMER, Electrical Engineer, of 55 Redcross Street, Barbican
London, EC., in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The present invention relates to a multiple switchboard, the annunciators of
which have been so arranged that special test or local jacks can be dispensed with,
end that the testing can be done with the ordinary subscribers' jacks. This is
accomplished by alocating to every operator's working place 100 jacks, arranged
in such a manner that in certain definite cases, the full hundreds follow in a
certain systematic sequence, although irregular in point of numericals, while
every 2 adjacent working places combined have all jacks following in the natural
numerical sequence.
The system adopted is figuratively speaking, making two steps forward and
one step backward, but in the long run, more steps forward than backward.
Supposing there are 12 switchboards which represent the operators' working
places, each two working places having 12 strips of springjacks.
Amongst these
strips of jacks, there is one strip which will be utilised on each working place as
a test jack. The springjacks are so arranged that always two working places
have in the lowest row the springjacks 1, 2, 3, and 4, in the middle row 5, 6, 7,
and 8, and the top row, 9, 10, 11 and 12. It will be seen that by arranging the
springjacks so that 1, 5, and 9 are built up on the top of each other, 2, 6, and
10, 3, 7, and 11, and 4, 8, and 12 respectively, and so on right through the whole
system, always spread over two operator's working places it is obvious that from
each operator's working place, all springjacks are either on her own working
place, or on that half of her fellow-operator's working place, which lies nearest
to her own on the right and on the left also.
Taking as an example, the operator's working place II here there will be found
the spring jack strips 3, 4, 7, 8, 11. and 12, and on the left-hand adjacent half
of the operator's working place I, is to be found springjack strips 2, 6, and 10,
while on the half to the right, there will be found 1, 5, and 9.
It is therefore possible for the operator at working place II to reach and
attend with ease to all the 12 springjack strips. In the same- manner, all the
following switchboards or working places for the operators are arranged with the
only exception of the first and last working places in the exchange, which
naturally must use the full set of springjack strips of the switchboard or opera-
tor's working place II or XI respectively, supposing that 12 operators and work-
ing places, or 12 switchboards are in use.
Each operator's working place or switchboard contains 600 subscribers' jacks,
and 100 annunciator movements. The switchboard of operator No. I contains
annunciators from 1 to 100, that of No. II the annunciators from 201 to 300,

page_text: that of No. III from 101 to 200, that of No. IV from 301 to 400, that of No. V
from 401 to 500, that of No. VI from 601 to 700, that of No. VII from 501 to
600, that of No. VIII from 701 to 800.
This arrangement of the numbering of the annunciator movements denotes
at the same time the number of the springjack strip on each switchboard which
serves as a test-jack, as the full hundreds of the annunciator movements corre-
spond with the units employed in numbering the springjack strips in each switch-
board. For instance in switchboard No. I, which carries annunciator movements
1 to 100, the spring jack strip 1 serves as test-jack. In switchboard No. II, which
carries the annunciators 201 to 300, springjack strip No. 3 serves as test-jack.
In switchboard No. III which carries the numbers 101 to 200, No. 2 would be
the test jack, and in switchboard No. IV which carries 301 to 400, No. 4 would be
the test-jack, and so on.
This systematic although numerically irregular arrangement as alluded to at
the beginning of the description, is carried through the whole system, and repeats
itself in each four switchboards so that switchboards I, II, III, and IV form a
group demonstrating the system, and V, VI, VII, and VIII a group, and IX,
X, XI, and XII, a group respectively.
The whole arrangement has the advantage that special test or local jacks can
bé dispensed with entirely, that the ordinary subscriber's jack can be used as a
testjack, and that each operator has control over all subscribers in the whole
exchange, without being inconvenienced in any way. The expenses for local
test jacks, the wiring of same, the necessity of providing room for same is all
lone away with, and it will be specially in smaller exchanges where the obvious
advantages over other systems are apparent, as the proportion of those jacks
which can be dispensed with, is incommensurately large to the small number of
subscribers connected to the exchange.
Dated this Third day of August 1899.
Improvements in and connected with Multiple Switchboards.
I, HERMANN OPPENHEIMER, Electrical Engineer, of 55 Redcross Street, Barbican
London, E.C., in the County of Middlesex, 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 present invention relates to a multiple, switchboard, the annunciators of
which have been so arranged that special test or local jacks can be dispensed with,
and the testing can be done with the ordinary subscribers' jacks. This is ac-
complished by alocating to every operator's working place 100 annunciators,
arranged in such a manner that in certain definite cases, the full hundreds follow
in a certain systematic sequence, although irregular in point of numericals, while
every 2 adjacent working places combined have all jacks following in the natural
numerical sequence.
The system adopted is figuratively speaking, making two steps forward and
one step backward, but in the long run, more steps forward than backward.
The switchboard is shewn on accompanying tracing with 12 working places.
The working places are marked I to XII. The springjack strips on every 2
working places are marked 1 to 12. Amongst these strips of jacks there is one
strip which will be utilised on each working place as a test-jack. The spring-
jacks are so arranged that always two working places have in the lowest row, the

page_text: springjacks 1, 2, 3, and 4, in the middle row 5, 6, 7, and 8, and the top row 9,
10, 11 and 12. It will be seen that by arranging the springjacks so that 1, 5,
and 9 are built up on the top of each other, 2, 6 and 10, 3, 7, and 11, 4, 8, and 12
respectively, and on right through the whole system, always spread over two
operators' working places, it is obvious that from each operator's working place
all springjacks are either on her own working place, or on that half of her fellow-
operator's working place, which lies nearest to her own on the right and also
on the left.
Taking as an example, the operator's working place II. Here there will be
found the springjack strips, 3, 4, 7, 8, 11 and 12, and on the left-hand adjacent
half of the operator's working place I, is to be found springjack strips 2, 6, and
10, while on the half to the right, there will be found 1, 5, and 9.
It is therefore possible for the operator at working place II to reach and attend
with ease to all the 12 springjack strips. In the same manner, all the following
switch-boards or working places for the operators are arranged with the only
exception of the first and last working places in the exchange, which naturally
must use the full set of springjack strips of the switchboard or operator's working
place II or XI respectively, supposing that 12 operators and working places, or
12 switchboards are in use.
Each operator's working place or switchboard contains 600 subscribers jacks,
and 100 annunciator movements. The switchboard of operator No. I contains
annunciators from 1 to 100, that of No. II the annunciators from 201 to 300, that
of No. III from 101 to 200, that No. IV from 301 to 400, that of No. V from 401
to 500, that of No. VI from 601 to 700, that of No. VII from 501 to 600, that of
No. VIII from 701 to 800, etc.
This arrangement of the numbering of the annunciator movements denotes at
the same time the number of the springjack strip on each switchboard, which
serves as a test-jack, as the full hundreds of the annunciator movements corre-
spond with the units employed in numbering the springjack strips in each switch-
board. For instance, in switchboard No. I, which carries annunciator movements
1 to 100 the springjack strip 1 serves as test-jack. In switchboard No. II, which
carries the annunciators 201 to 300, springjack strip No. 3 serves as test-jack.
In switchboard No. III which carries the numbers 101 to 200, No. 2 would be
the test-jack, and in switchboard No. IV which carries 301 to 400, No. 4 would
be the test-jack, and so on.
This systematic although numerically irregular arrangement as alluded to at
the beginning of the description, is carried through the whole system, and repeats
itself in each four switchboards so that switchboards I, II, III, and IV form a
group demonstrating the system, and V, VI, VII, and VIII a group, and IX,
X, XI, and XII a group respectively.
The whole arrangement has the advantage that special test or local jacks can
be dispensed with entirely, that the ordinary subscriber's jack can be used as a
test-jack, and that each operator has control over all subscribers in the whole
exchange without being inconvenienced in any way. The expenses for local
test jacks, the wiring of same, the necessity of providing room for same, is all
done away with, and it will be specially in smaller exchanges where the obvious
advantages over other systems are apparent, as the proportion of those jacks which
can be dispensed with, is incommensurately large to the small number of sub-
scribers connected to the exchange.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. Multiple switchboards without separate test or local jacks, constructed so
that each 100 annunciators alocated to an operator's working place, are arranged
in such a manner that its full hundreds within the groups as described, are follow-
ing each other in a specific sequence, fully as described, and the arrangement

page_text: of spring jacks in such a manner that always 2 adjacent switchboards or operator's
working places contain in the natural sequence of the numericals, all springjack
sets connected to the exchange, in accordance with and fully as described.
Dated this tih dar of Var 1900
HERMANN OPPENHEIMER.