US654758A - Apparatus for telephone-switchboards. - Google Patents

Description

Patented July 3|, 1900.

J. JJOCONNELL. APPARATUS For: TELEPHONE SWITGHBDARDS.

(Application filed May 12, 1899.)

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J. OCONNELL. APPARATUS FOR TELEPHONE SWITCHBUABDS.

(Application filed May 12, 1889.)

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i STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH J. OCONNELL, or OIIIOAGOJLLINOIS, 'Assieivoa TO THE WESTERN- ELECTRIC COMPANY, or SAME PLACE.

APPARATU FOR ,TELEPHONE-SWITQHBOARDZs.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 654,758, dated July 31 1900; Application filed May 12, 1899. Serial Ila. 716,528. (No model.)

'15 L122 whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, JOSEPH J OCoNNELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illi- 5 nois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Telephone- Switchboards, (Case No. 2,) of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact de:

scription. h

I My invention relates to apparatus for telephone-switchboards;audits object is to pro- Vide improved mechanism associated with a connecting-plugfor accomplishinga number 'of useful functions in the course of connectr ing and disconnecting telephone-lines.

' My invention contemplates, first, switching mechanism associated with the seat wherein the connecting-plug normally rests forautomatically including a source of signalingcurrent in circuit with one of the contacts of the plug when the latteris lifted from its seat preparatory to making a connection and for removing said source of signaling-current from circuit when the called subscriber answers the signal by removing his telephone from its hook.

Another feature of my invention consists in means for controlling the operators telephone-circuit.

0 My invention is especially applicable to telephone-exchange systems wherein trunklines are employed between the different boards, one end of the trunk-line terminating before an answering or supervising operator 5 who answers the calls of a number of subscribers whose lines terminate at her board and the other end of the-trunk-line terminat: ing at the board of a receiving operator, or,-

as she is sometimes called, a trunk oper- 40 ator, who merely makes connections between the trunk-lines and other telephone-lines at the order of the supervising operator. To prevent confusion, it is intended that the answering operator only and not the receiving operator shall converse with subscribers whose lines are connected by the trunk-line, and I have provided in connection with the trunk-line plug at the board of the receiving operator, an arrangement of mechanism con- 5o trolled by the cooperation of-the plug with the scat wherein it rests when not in active use,

whereby the telephone of the receiving operator, which is the instrument with which the busy test ordinarily is made, is automatically connected with the cord-circuit when the plug is lifted from its seat preparatory to making a connection, so that the busy test may quickly be made. I have further provided means for automatically cutting out or removing the operators telephone from cir 6o cuit by the act of inserting the plug in a V spring-jack. Again, my inventioncoritemplates the provision of means for indicating the length of time which is required to get a response from a subscriber after the connecting-plug has been inserted in his spring-jackthat is, for indicating how long a time the ringing-current has been maintained upon his line. In connection with the above a further feature of my invention consists in the provision of means for automatically counting the number of connections which are made at any given board or with any given group of plugs,an electrically-operated counting device being included in a circuit which is controlled by the insertion of the plug in a spring-jack. A

My invention consists, further, in certain combinations of electrical and mechanical mechanism for accomplishing the functions set forth above, together with other functions incidental to the operation of the telephoneexchange system, all of which will be more fully set forth by reference to the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic View indicating by means of conventional symbols the telephone-exchange apparatus of my invention. Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are detail views illustrating certain portions of the apparatus in the'positions or relations which they occupy at difierent stages of the operation of making a connection. Fig. 5 is a detail view of an electrically-operated counting 5 device intended to be used in connection with the other apparatus of my invention, and Fig. 6 is a detail view of an electrically-controlled time-indicator.

Similar letters of reference are used to des- 10o ignate the same parts wherever they are shown.

another switchboard D at which the telephone-line of subscriber B terminates. The trunk-line a, as is usual, terminates at the answering-switchboard in a spring-jackb, the two conductors aa of the trunk-line beingconnected to the line-springs b 12 respec tively, of said spring-jack. At switchboard D the conductors 'aa are connected withith'e contact portions 0 respectively, a of the When the plug is not in trunk-line plug 0. service for connecting lines, it rests in a'verticall y.-n1ovable seat cl, which m ay be mounted upon -thepivoted arm (1. Two plungers e e are conuected' with the arm (1, whereby the downward mo'vement of said arm by th I weight 'of the'pl'ug or the upward movement switch-contacts 'E.

thereof-by thesprin g a will cause said plun- *g'e'r's to move downward or upward in-an ob-- viou's manner, The plunger e engages "and operates-asst of'switch-con tacts E. Similarly the'plungere' engages and operates a set of The set E consists of contactsprings f 9h 11, mounted substantially parallel to one another, anda contact stud or point 10. The contact-spring It tends naturally'to "en-gage the spring g but when the plug rests in its socketthe plungerc forces i't downward and breaks this engagement, also fo'rcingthe spring 1' downward, which other-,

wise would engagethesprin g h and which does do so at certain times when not prevented The spring '9 carries aninsulatinfg-lugl, which projects toward the spring f. No'rmally thespring f does notem gage thefcon'tact poin-t is; but when the spring h engages the spring gthe insulating lu'gl upon the latter presses against the springf and forces it against its contact-point'k. 'An electromagnet F is associated with the mechanism E the armature of which magnet is 'providedwitha detent m, which is adapted norinally-to engage the projecting end of con- -tact spring 'h and maintain the same in a 5 depressed condition independently of the plunger-c, as shown inFi'gs. land 2.

The mechanism E-is similar to mechanism E, being provided with springs f, g, h,and

engaged from its contact-point.

t", corresponding to the springs f, g, h, 'and 'g'yan'd the contact-point 7c and insulatingstud lffcorrespondi-ng to the parts and Z, respectively, except that the spring f. is norin-ally in engagement with its contact-point =1o',"i wihile'in the apparatus E thesituation is reversed-that is,;the spring is normally dis- A magnet Fis associated with the mechanism 'E, the armature of which magnet is likewise providedwith -a detent m for engaging the projecting end of contact-spring h.

The mechanism E diifers from 'the' mec'hs "anisin E'in that an additional spring n and n and forcing it downward upon its contactpoint, as showninFigs. 1', 2, and'3.

The'contactmechanism E E is included in the trunk line circuit, the continuity of conductor a being controlled by contactsprings g and h, while the continuity of conductor a is similarly controlled by contacts'prin'g's g h. This will be obvious upon a .Whilelhave spoken of the trunk-line as a continuous line and have given the letters a" a to the conductors which constitute the same, it is shown as dividedinto twoparts at the'switchboard D byfa repeating-coil G, one side of which repeating-'coil"-that is,the portions ppbeing includ'ed-in'that part .of the trunk-line which extends to'the 'spring jack at the 'answeringboard, and: the *other'portions p p of 'therepeating-coil being includedinthat part" of the trun'kdine "which extends to the plug a. The parts of the'trunkline, while thus mechanically separated, and, indeed, electrically separated. :so far as direct currentsare-concerned, really'constitute, in eifect, a continuous line when alternating, pulsating, or varying currents, such as'telephonic vOice-currentsflare transmitted over it. Such an arrangement is not unusual, and the relations of the twogpa'rts of the trunkline to one another are well under'stoodby those skilled in the art. "A battery?" is shown included between the portions 9 0 to-siupply current forthes'ubscribers transmitter in accordan'ce-withthe well-known operation of the centralized-batterysystem. The conductor between the portions p and' p isgrounded at s. A relay t is included inthe circuit of battery rgthis relay serving to control *the 'clearing-out-signal lamp t,"whic'h derives its current from battery it. An order-wire telephone-circuit H extends from switchboard O toswit'chboard D, wherebythe operators may communicate with one another.

The above description of certain parts of the apparatusshown will be sufficient foundationfora description of the operation of the system whereby-an idea of my invention may be more readily obtained than byamere description of the electrical vconnections. I wi-ll't-herefore proceed to describethe dinerent steps'which are taken in establishing a connection between subscribers A andB.

Supposethat subscriber Aihas called for connection with subscriber B. Operator 0, knowing that Bs line terminatesat board D, informs the operator'there by means or the order-wireHwhat connection is "desired and is informed in return what trunk-lineshemay use to extend'subscriber As line. If trunkline in, is tobe used, operator O makes the connection at spring-jack b, using an ordi- In ary pair of plugs and their cord-circuit, such ICC 7 springs h h.

as every answering operator is provided with, and which includes the usual telephone and signaling apparatus incidentally employed in connecting and disconnecting lines. This is well known and does not enter directly into the system of myinvention. Hence for clearness all of it, excepting the pair of plugs, has been omitted from the drawings'and need not be further described. The mechanism E E is normally in the position shown in Fig. 1; but as soon as the plug 0 is lifted from its seat the plungers c e are raised, permitting contact-springs i 11 to engage with contact- Contact-spring 11 is connected to ground at 8 through the operators telephone t'?, and a retardation-coil and spring h being connected with the tip of the plug 0 through conductor a, when the operator makes the busy test and touches the tip 0 of the plug to the test-ring of the called-subscribers line if the line is busy-that is, if

the test-ring is connected with a grounded battery in accordance with the usual busytest systemcurrent will flow through .conductor a, contact-spring h, contact-spring 2', telephone '5 to ground, giving the busy signal. If the caIlcdsubScribers line he not busy, the plug is inserted, and the act of insertion causes several changes in the condi tion of the apparatus, as follows: First. Current flows from the grounded battery a through a conductor to and the coils of magnet F to the contact portion c -of the plug and from thence to the test-ring of the called-subscribers spring-jack and through the usual cut-off relay to ground, thus establishiug the busy signal at all of the multiple spring-jacks of the called-subscribers line in the well-known way.

Second. The circuit including magnet F being controlled by registering-contacts of the plug and spring-jack is thus completed, and magnet F is energized and attracts its armature, withdrawing detent m and permitting spring h to fly back, so that said spring disengages itself from contact-spring tand strikes contact-spring g above it, and, further, through the medium of the insulatinglug Z, pushes contact-spring f into engagement with its stud 70, as shown in Fig. 3. Contact being broken between springs h and 2', the operators telephone 11 which is connected with and controlled by the spring 7;, is thus automatically cut off from the circuit. ,As before stated, her telephone is intended only to be used in making the busy test and in conversing with the operator at switchboard C, this latter operator being the only one who is required to converse with the subscribers. Current from battery to now finds path through resistance 20 to contact-spring f, contact-spring f, contacfipoint 70, through a time-indicator 00, (including a lamp w,) and counting device x to ground at 0: The counting device 00 which is shown in detail in Fig. 5, consists merelyin an arrangement ofindicati'ng-disks like those of an ordinary cyclometer operated by the armature of an electromagnet, so that each energization of the magnet willregister once upon the dial. The time-indicator shown in Fig. 6 is in the nature of a stop-watch and is connected with an armature of an electromagnet in such a manner that it can run only when the armature is in an attracted positionthat is, when current is flowing through the magnet-coil. The electromagnets of both of these instruments are included in the circuit from battery u, controlled by the contacts f lo and f 70. Upon this circuit being closed by the energization of magnet F and the consequent engagement with one another of contacts f and 7c the counting device 00 will therefore register ,the connection and the time-indicator will begin to run and the lamp :0 will burn until the circuit is broken. I will describe the breaking of this circuit hereinafter.

Third. Ringing-current will flow from a generator y through the coils of magnet F to contact-spring '5, spring h, conductor a to the sleeve-contact c of the plug, whence it will flow out over the subscribers line, through his bell, and back over the other side of the line to the tip of the plug, conductor a, spring'h, spring g, through the portion of repeating-coil G to ground at s. Thecurrent through magnet F is not suflicient at this time to energize it and the subscribers bell continues to ring until he answers by removing his telephone from its hook. When he doesthis, it reduces the resistance of the circuit and permits more current to flow, energizing magnet F, which attracts its armature, and thereby withdraws the detent m from contact-spring h. This permits the spring to fly upward and assume its normal position, whereupon its contactwith sp'ringc' is broken and the generator cutout of circuit. The spring 77/ now presses upward against the contact g, completing the circuit of bat tery 'r to line, and the raising of the contactspring g causes the insulating-button Z, carried thereby, to engage the contact-springf and raise it from its contact is, as shown in Fig. 4.. The contact-spring It, relieved from the downward pressure of the insulating-but ton 0, carried by the spring 71, springs upward, separating itself from its contact-anvil n and breaking the contact between them. The breaking of the electrical contact between the spring fand its anvil kcuts off the branch circuit including the counting device, signal-lamp w, and time-indicator, so that the time-indicator, being deprived of current, will cease to run. The time during which currenthas been flowing in this branch circuit is therefore the length of time which has been taken in getting response to the call, and this is shown by the indicator, which began to run when the circuit was established atcontactsfk at the time the callingplug was inserted and ceased to run when the flow IIO of current was stopped by the breaking of the I circuit at contacts f k at the time the called ize'd battery 1' through the portion of the repeating} coil G, cont-act-spr-ing 9, contact spring h, conductor a to the tip of the plug,

' out, over the subscribers line, through his transmitting instrument in the usual manner, back over the other side of the line to the sleeve-contact c of the plug, conductor a, 7 spring h, springg through the relay t, and

the portion p of the repeating-coil G, and back to the other side of the battery. The line of subscribers A and B are thus connected tlgough the trunk-line at switchboards O and r While the plug a is inserted in thejack of the called line, current from battery it flows through the helix of magnetFand by wayof the thirdcontact c of the plug and test-ring of the jack to ground through the cut-oflf re-v lay'in the usual manner 3 but the signal-lamp t included in this circuit is shunted by the lowresistance w until the called subscriber responds, the contacts m, which control this shunt, being pressed together by the insulatin Figs. 1, 2, and 3. When the called subscriber answers, the magnet F is energized, as before described, to release the springs I are brought about electrically are the releasing of the contact-springs h h byelectroinag nets F F. The other circuit changes are pro duced by the mechanical connection between thecontact-springs and the movable plug 0.

It will be evident that the. ideas I have above set forth maybe embodied in telephone- Y exchanges ditfering widely as to their specific construction and that numerous modifications may be made from the form shown in the drawings without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I therefore claim 1. An apparatus for telephoneswitchboards, consisting'of a connecting-plugand its cord-circuit, a seat wherein the plug is adapted to rest when not in use, switch-contacts and means for setting the same conftrolled by the coeperation of the plug with its'se-at, an electromagnet having an armaf ture for releasing said switch-contacts, and means for energizing said magnet, substan-' jtially as set forth.

ing-button 0,carried by the spring h,as shown 2. The combination with'a telephone-line,

of a plug and 'its cord-circuit, said plug becontrolled thereby, so'that they take the position as shown in Fig. 4 and the shunt of the lamp, which includes the resistance w and is controlled by contacts at n, is broken, these contacts being separated, as hereinbefore described; but the signal-lamp t is not yet illuminated, because, although the shunt controlled by contacts n n is broken, yet a second shunt, including a low resistance 29, is immediately closed by the relay t, this relay be -v ing excited V by the current from battery 1' through its helix and outover the line, as previously traced. When, however, the subscriber B has finished using his telephone and hangs up his receiver upon its hook, this circuit through relay t is broken at the switchcontacts of the telephone-hook at the substation, so that the relay t becomes deenergized and allows its armature to fall back. The shunt of the lamp including resistance 15 is I thus broken an d'the lamp is illuminated.

V claiming this broadly. I believe, however,

. the cord-circuit by means of a plug-seat I am aware that means for automatically ringing thecalled subscriber upon the insertion of the connecting-plug into the springjack of his line has been accomplished heretofore, andI do not wish to be understood as that I am the first to accomplish the automatic connection and disconnection of the generator and the operators telephone with switch. Heretofore the circuit changes necessary for the automatic connection and-disconnection of the generator have been efiected by means of contact-springs, which were 5 ing adapted for Insertion In said springack, aseat wherein said plug is adapted to rest when not in active use, a set of switch-con ,tacts controlled by the coeperationof said I plug with its seat, a; source of signaling-currcnt, means controlled by saidswitch-contacts for connecting the same to the cord-circuit, wherebysaid source of current is con-, 1 nected with the cord-circuit and through the latter with the telephone-line when the plug is lifted from' its seat and inserted in the {spring-jack, an electromagnet connected or adapted to beconnected with the telephoneline, mechanism adapted to be influenced by said magnet to change the relations of said switch-contacts to remove the source of siganaling-current from circuit, and means controlled at the subscribers station for energizing said magnet, whereby said source of signaling-current is cut out when the subscriber answers, substantially as described. 3. The combination withaconnecting-plug adapted for insertion in a telephone-line spring-jack, of a seat wherein said plug is adapted to rest when not in active use, a set of switch-contacts controlled by the cooperation of said plug with its seat, a source of signaling-current and a circuit controlled by said switch-contacts for connecting thesame with the cord-circuit, whereby said source of signaling-current .is connected with the plug when the latter is lifted from its seat preparatory to making a connection, an electromag:

net, circuit-changing mechanism adapted tobe influenced thereby to cut out said source of signaling-current, and means for energizing said electromagnet, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with a telephone-line extending from the subscribers station and terminating in a spring-jack at the central ofiice, of a plug and its cord-circuit, said plug being adapted for insertion in said springjack to connect the cord-circuit with the telephone-line, an electrically-operated time-indicating device, means controlled by registering-contacts on the plug and spring-jack for operating said indicating device, and means controlled by the subscribers apparatus for preventing the operation of said timeindicating device, whereby said device is operated during the time between the insertion of the plug and the operation of said subscribers apparatus, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with a connectingplug, of a seat wherein the same is adapted to rest, a switch-contact adapted to occupy alternative positions, controlled by the cooperation of the plug with its seat, a detent for retaining the spring in one of its alternative positions independent of the plug, an electromagnet having an armature adapted to release said contact, and means for energizing said magnet, substantially as described.

6. .The combination with a connecting-plug and its cord-circuit, of a seat wherein said plug is adapted to rest when not in active use, a contact-spring, mechanical means for movlng said contact-spring out of its normal position, said means being controlled by the cooperation of the plug with its seat whereby said spring is bent out of its normal position when the plug rests in its seat, contacts with which said spring is adapted to engage in alternative positions, a detent adapted to maintain said spring in an abnormal position independently of the means controlled by the plug and its seat, an electromagnet and means adapted to ,be influenced thereby to disengage said detent from said contact-spring, a circuit including said magnet, and a source of current and registering-contacts on the plug and spring-jack for controlling said cir: cuit, whereby the spring is released from said detent by the insertion ofthe plug in the spring-jack, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination with a connectingplug, of a seat wherein the plug is adapted to rest when not in use, two independent sets of switch-contacts, a telephone-circuit controlled by one set of contacts and a signalingcircuit controlled by the other set of contacts, means associated with the plug -seat for changing the relations of both sets of contacts and for setting the same, electromagnets associated one with each set of switch-contacts, armatures for said magnets adapted when moved to release the contacts previously set, and means for energizing said electromagnets, substantially as described.

8. The combination with a connectingplug, of a movable seat wherein the same is adapted to rest when not in use, two independent sets of switch-springs, both adapted to be set by the movable plug-seat, independent electric circuits controlled by each of said sets of switch-springs, electromagnets associated one with each of said sets of switchsprings, mechanism operated by said magnets for releasing the switch-springs, and means for energizing said electromagnets, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 9th day of May, A. D. 1899.

JOSEPH J. OCONNELL Witnesses:

DE WITT O. TANNER, .GEORGE P. BARTON.

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