AN AUTOMATIC SIGNALLING ELECTRICAL PRESS BUTTON
Year: 1885

page_text: We, FELIX THACKERAY HAIG, of 6, Kemplay Road, Hampstead, Major General,
Retired List; GEORGE BROADLEY HOWARD, of Oakhurst, Garlies Road, Forest
Hill, in the County of Kent, Clerk in Holy Orders; BASIL FENWICK HOWARD, of
Oakhurst, Garlies Road, Forest Hill in the County of Kent, Electrical Engineer;
and THOMAS LIVINGSTONE HAIG, of 6 Kemplay Road, Hampstead, in the County
of Middlesex, Electrical engineer do hereby declare the nature of our invention for
"AN AUTOMATIC SIGNALLING ELECTRICAL PRESS BUTTON " to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to automatically make and break an electrical
circuit slowly any required number of times, after one single pressure or pull of
the hand on a rod of wood or of any other suitable material; thus sending a signal
which may be received on any instrument for receiving signals by electricity, such
as an electric bell.
The following refers to the drawing which shows the apparatus so constructed
as to automatically make and break an electrical circuit three times, the interval of
time during which the circuit is closed and the interval of time during which the
circuit is broken being practically the same:-
A, A is an outside case of wood, or of any other suitable material.
B is a rod of wood, or of any other suitable material, which will be afterwards
referred to as the press button B.
C, C, D¹ is an outside case of wood, or of any other suitable material, upon
which A, A. is screwed.
D and E are two round heads of a pair of bellows, made of wood, or of any
other suitable material.
h is a hole in the head D by which air, or any other fluid that the bellows may
be filled with, may make its egress or ingress from or into the bellows.
vis a valve for opening, or nearly closing the hole h.
n, n are the sides of the bellows, made of some thin, air tight, elastic substance
e.g. gutta percha tissue.
The two heads D, E and the elastic substance n, n form the bellows.
S is a spiral spring which tends to keep the bellows open and at the same time
to keep the sides from bulging inwards.
e is a metal contact spring, fastened to the head D, which presses slightly against
the inside of the case C, C, D¹.
f, f¹ and f' are three metal contacts.
g and g¹ are two metal terminals.
The terminal g is in metallic connection with the contacts ƒ, ƒ¹ and ƒ³ by the
4

page_text: The terminal g' is in metallic connection with the spring S by the wire k, and
the spring S is in metallic connection with the contact spring e by the wire l
A generator of electricity and the instrument or instruments for receiving the
signal or signals are to be connected with the terminals and g¹ in such a manner
that if the contact spring e touches any one of the contacts f, f¹ and ƒ³, an |
electrical circuit will be closed and an effect produced on the instrument or
instruments for receiving the signal..
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
A sharp and sudden pressure of the hand is to be applied to the press button B
so as to cause the bellows to become rapidly closed.
Now as the bellows are closing the valve v opens by the pressure of the air, or
other fluid inside the, bellows, thus allowing this air, or other fluid, to escape
through the hole h.
As the head D (on the closing of the bellows) moves towards the head E, which
is fixed, it carries the contact spring e in succession over the contacts f. f¹ and on
to f; but as the head D is moved rapidly, the contact spring e is carried
so rapidly over the contacts f, f¹ and f³ that the time the circuit is broken
when the contact spring e passes from the contact f to f¹, or from f¹ to fƒ³ is so
small that the effect on the instrument or instruments for receiving the signal is
practically the same as if the circuit had been only once made and not ever
broken. This then produces practically one effect on the instrument for receiving
it, or, in the case of more than one instrument, on each of the instruments.
Now directly the bellows are closed the pressure of the band must be taken off
the press button B. The bellows now open by the action of the spring S; but
not rapidly, for the valve v closes over the hole h by the pressure of a small spring
upon it, and on account of the pressure of the air, or other fluid, outside the
bellows. This valve vis made not to quite close up the hole h, so that the fluid
outside the bellows can leak slowly into the bellows, thus allowing them to open
slowly. The rate at which the valve v is made to admit the fluid into the bellows
can be adjusted so that the bellows can be made to open at any desired rate. Now :
as the bellows open slowly, the head D rises (the head E being fixed, let it be
remembered) carrying the contact spring e off the contact f³, on which it rested
when the bellows were closed, thus breaking the circuit, the effect produced by the
circuit being closed, now ceases and is not renewed until the contact f¹ is reached
by the contact spring e. It is now renewed until the contact spring e passes off
the contact f¹. It now ceases until the contact f is reached by the contact
springe and is then renewed until the contact spring e passes off the contact f.
Thus three distinct effects are produced on the instrument or instruments for
receiving them.
Any number of these effects may be produced by altering the number of contacts
over which the contact spring e may pass. And also these effects may be varied
by altering the ratio of the length of time of the effects to one another, by altering
the ratio of the lengths of the contacts and spaces between them to one another.
Dated this eleventh day of Nasambon 100K

page_text: We, Major Genl. F. T. HAIG R.E. of 6, Kemplay Road, Hampstead, Middlesex;
GEORGE BROADLEY HOWARD, Clerk in Holy Orders, of Oakhurst, Garlies Road,
Forest Hill, Kent; BASIL FENWICK HOWARD, Electrical Engineer, of Oakhurst,
Garlies Road, Forest Hill, Kent, and THOMAS LIVINGSTONE HAIG, Electrical
Engineer, of 6, Kemplay Road, Hampstead, Middlesex, do hereby declare the
nature of our invention for AN AUTOMATIC SIGNALLING ELECTRICAL PRESS
BUTTON, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of this invention is to automatically make and break an electrical
circuit slowly, i.e. at distinct and sensible intervals, any required number of times,
by a single pressure of a button, or pull of the hand on a handle; thus sending a
signal which may be received on any signal-instrument such as an electric
bell, &c.
The following explanation refers to the accompanying drawing, which shows the
apparatus so constructed as to automatically make and break an electrical circuit
three times
A is an outside case made of some suitable material. B is a rod of some suitable
material, and will be afterwards referred to as the plunger B. D is a metallic case
which may be made of tin, or of any other suitable material, and is fixed to a
strip of metal F, which again is fixed to the case A. C is a guide, through
which B easily slides, and this guide is to be fixed perpendicular to the metal
strip F, and to fit easily in.a hole through A. E and e are two heads of a pair of
bellows. e¹ is a hole in the head e, by which air, or any other fluid, may make its
ingress or egress into or from the bellows. d is a valve for opening, and nearly
closing the hole e¹. ii are the sides of the bellows, made of some thin, air tight,
flexible material. The two heads E, e, and the sides i i form the bellows. g is a
spiral spring which tends to keep the bellows open. b, 61, 611 are three metal
contacts soldered on to the metal case D, and separated by some insulating
material a, a, a which with the contacts presents an even surface. c is a metal
contact spring which is fastened to the head e, and presses slightly against the top
insulator a, when the bellows are open. k and k¹ are the two metal terminals of
the apparatus. The terminal k is in metallic connection with the contacts b, b¹, b¹¹
by being metallically connected with the metal case D.
The terminal k is in metallic connection with the spring g, and g is in metallic
connection with the contact spring c.
A generator of electricity, and the instrument or instruments for receiving the
signal or signals, are to be connected with the terminals k and ³, in such a manner
that if the contact spring c touches any one of the contacts b, b¹, b¹¹, an electrical
circuit will be closed, and an effect produced on the signal-instrument.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
A moderately sharp pressure of the hand is to be applied to the plunger B, so
as to cause the bellows to be rapidly and completely closed. Now as the bellows
are closing, the valve d opens by the pressure of the air (or other fluid) inside the

page_text: bellows, thus allowing this fluid to escape through the hole e¹. As the head e (on
the closing of the bellows) moves towards the head E, which is fixed, it carries the
contact spring c over the contacts b, b¹, in succession, and so on to b¹¹. It is there-
fore evident that contact will be thrice made and twice broken during the passage
of the spring to 6: but, as this is done very rapidly, the effect on the signal-
instrument or on each of them, if there be more than one, will be practically
continuous. Directly the bellows are closed, the pressure of the hand must be
taken off the plunger B. The bellows then open, by the action of the spring 9;
but not rapidly, for the valve d closes over the hole e¹ by the pressure of a small
spring on it, and on account of the pressure of the air or other fluid outside the
bellows. It is however constructed so as not to quite close up the hole e³, so that
the fluid outside the bellows can leak but slowly into them, thus allowing them to
open slowly. The rate at which the valve admits the fluid into the bellows can be
adjusted, so that they can be made to open at any desired rate. As the bellows
open, the head e rises, carrying the contact spring off the contact 611 (on which it
rested when the bellows were closed), thus breaking the circuit. The effect on the
signal-instrument therefore temporarily ceases, and is not renewed until the spring
reaches b¹. It is then renewed, and continues until c passes off the contact 6', when
it again ceases until 6 is reached. After passing 6 it ceases altogether until the
plunger is again depressed. Thus three distinct effects are produced on the signal-
instrument (or instruments); and any number of these effects may be produced
according to the number of contacts over which the contact spring c is made to
pass. The effects may also be varied by altering the ratio of the lengths of the
contacts and spaces between them to one another.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
A method of making a numerical signal by a single push, or other action of the
hand, by means of electrical action controlled by the slow ingress or egress of a
fluid into or from a bellows or cylinder.
F. T. HAIG, MAJOR GENERAL.
GEORGE B. HOWARD.
B. F. HOWARD.
T. L. HAIG.