IMPROVEMENTS IN COMBINED FIRE-ALARM AND TIME-DETECTOR APPARATUS
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake and Co., Patent
Agents, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare
the nature of my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN COMBINED FIRE-ALARM
AND TIME-DETECTOR APPARATUS and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
"
This Invention relates to a combined fire alarm and time detector.
It is important where automatic fire alarms actuated by electric thermostats are
employed, to have a means of testing the circuit, and this means of testing the
circuit ought to be combined with a time detector or watchmans clock, so that not
only the presence of the watchman in making his rounds shall be recorded but also
the fact that each circuit is in proper working condition. There are, however,
some difficulties about this, for the testing connection ought not to start the alarm.
In the Drawing is illustrated an arrangement of several electric thermostatic
circuits, which may be considered to be the circuits of the different floors of the
saine building. They are lettered A, B, C, D and E. In each circuit is a push
button P, which makes a connection between the wires of the circuit.
T indicates the thermostats, placed between the two wires of the circuit, and
serving to connect them in case of fire.
Findicates the battery, Q one of its main wires, and H the other.
I indicates the registering clock which is a cylinder contrived to revolve once in
twelve hours. This cylinder is adapted to carry a paper register divided by lines
into hour spaces for the fractions of an hour. There is a space provided longi-
tudinally of the cylinder for receiving an indicating mark for each of the different
circuits. Alongside of this cylinder are arranged a series of electrical magnets Q
having puncturing arms arranged with their markers in line parallel to the axis of
the cylinder, such as are ordinarily employed in chronographs. There is one of
these magnets for each of the circuits. They connect with the main wire H on
one side and respectively with the wires L, M, N, O, aud P, leading to the respective
circuits on the other side.

page_text: Between the clock and the various circuits is located an annunciator R having
a series of pivotted indicators (one for each circuit) with the numbers of the
circuits upon them, and each of the wires L, M, N, O and P is connected with an
electro magnet which, when excited, tends to draw its indicator into a proper
position to be observed; but these pivotted indicators are so arranged as to operate
slowly or sluggishly, so that the mere pressure of the push button in closing the
circuit for testing, will not throw its indicator up, while the connection made when
a thermostat is called into operation will be of greater duration and keep the
annunciator magnet excited long enough to throw its indicator into position for
observation. Usually the annunciator indicators are released when the button is
pushed, because they are wanted to indicate speedily. In this case their operation
is reversed so that they may act sluggishly.
Between the clock and the battery is located the alarm-bell S which is of the
vibrating type, and provided with a heavy hammer, so that an instantaneous closing
of the circuit for testing will not give to the hammer sufficient vibration to strike
the alarm bell; but a thermostatic closing of the circuit which continues for some
time will do so. The chronograph-magnets Q, are sensitive to a momentary
connection of the circuit.
The manner in which this apparatus is used is as follows:-If the thermostats
work to close the circuit they will throw up their respective indicators so as to
indicate in which of the circuits the fire has occurred and will also strike the alarm
bell; but if the watchman is making his rounds and there is no fire, he simply
touches the push button on each circuit, and an instantaneous current runs through
the circuit, not exciting the magnets of the annunciator R sufficiently to throw the
annunciator up, and not exciting the magnets of the alarm bell sufficiently to
cause that to work, but sufficiently exciting the chronograph magnet Q connected
with the circuit on which the push-button has been pressed, to make a mark upon
the divided dial paper of the clock. This stroke gives a perforation or mark
which will show the time of the testing of the circuit, and which serves the
double purpose of checking the faithfulness of the watchman and the working
condition of the apparatus.
This form of chronograph-clock in connection with its accompanying electro-
magnetic indicating apparatus has been in use since 1869 as a watchmans time
detector, but it has not hitherto been combined with a thermostatic alarm apparatus,
and it will be observed that in order to make the combination in such manner that
the testing of the wires and the presence of the watchman at a certain place to
make the record of his rest and of his presence in such manner that the alarm shall
not be set off, it is requisite that the chronograph-magnets Q shall be sensitive to
instantaneous impulses, while the annunciator magnets do not act to set the
indicators of the annunciator until the electric contact has been continued for some
time, and that the alarm apparatus shall also operate comparatively slowly.
In referring to these two modes of action I describe the chronograph-magnets as
quick, and the annunciator and alarm apparatus as sluggish. It is also novel,
I believe, to place on one circuit a manual circuit-closer, an annunciator, a chrono-
graph recorder, an alarm, and a series of thermostatic circuit closers.
It is obvious that a bell arranged to strike different strokes for each circuit
would be an annunciator as well as an alarm, and would embody in itself the
combination of alarm and annunciator of this Invention.
The peculiarity of this combination of watchmans time detector and automatic
fire-alarm is that the same wire and battery serve for the two things, namely, to
give an alarm in case of fire, and to check the inspection visits of the watchman
from time to time; and not only that, but to test the condition of the circuit for
the transmission of the fire-alarm in case of fire by the necessary use that is made
of it by the watchman. This grouping of thermostats and key upon the remote
parts of a circuit, and the alarm indicator, and chronograph at or about a central
point, form a part of this Invention.

page_text: It is obvious that the objects of this grouping in having the circuit serve two
purposes, each auxiliary to the other, will be accomplished whether the intermediato
circuit be open or closed; but for general purposes I prefer the open circuit on
economical grounds although this grouping may be made on a closed circuit where
one is already in existence, or where a person should prefer it, or may be made
upon a combination-circuit one part of which is open and the other part closed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First. The combination with an electrical chronograph-clock, adapted to receive
from several circuits and record instantaneous connections of the said circuits inado
by a push-button in each circuit, of the sluggishly moving annunciator R, tho
sluggishly acting alarm S, and a series of thermostats arranged within each circuit
substantially as described.
Second. The combination, with a watchmans electrical time-detector having a
central chronograph-clock and several circuits, each adapted to be actuated by its
own push-button and each provided with its independent chronograph recorder
adapted to make a record for each circuit of a series of thermostats in each circuit,
n series of sluggish annunciator-indicators one for each circuit and a sluggishly
acting alarm, substantially as described.
Third. The combined automatic fire-alarm system and watchmans time-detector
consisting of an electric circuit or series of electric circuits communicating with a
central station, at which central station is a watchmans electrical register, alarm
apparatus and indicating apparatus, each of the electric circuits connecting with
the central station having arranged upon it, at points remote from the central station,
thermostats and a circuit key, whereby the rounds of the watchman and his record
of those rounds on the chronograph are made to serve as tests and records of tests
of the electrical efficiency of the circuit for fire-aların purposes, substantially as
described.
Dated this 5th day of August 1984
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.