US2044470A - Impulse sender - Google Patents

Description

June 16, 1936. V U 2,044,470

IMPULSE SENDER Filed April 12, 1953 2 SheetsSheet 1 FIG.

[omuwmuubum- //v l/ENTOR L. 05 VA UX ATTORNEY Jime 16, 1936. v DEVAUX 2,044,470

IMPULSE SENDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 12, 1955 INVENTOR L. DEL AUX ATTORNEY Patented June 16, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ern Electric Company,

Incorporated, New

York, N. Y., a-corporation of New York Application April 12, 1933, Serial No. 665,686 In France September 16, 1932 10 Claims. (01. 177-380) This invention relatesto impulse sending devices and more particularly to automatically operated pulsing devices of the type whereby a plurality of sets of impulses may be transmitted by a single manual operation to effect an automatic telephone connection.

The establishment of a telephone connection by a subscribed in a large automatic area necessitates the manipulation of a finger actuated device some seven or eight times depending upon the number of digits which constitute the telephone number of the subscribers line with which connection is desired. This manual'operation of the telephone dial is tiresome and particularly so in cases where a subscriber is called upon to communicate with'a large number of clients or customers daily or several times daily.

It is accordingly the object of this invention to simplify the establishment of automatic telephone manual operation to cause an impulse senderoi' the dial type to function to transmit a complete set of impulses corresponding to the telephone number of a subscribers line.

For this purpose, the invention, according to another of its features, provides the use of cards on which the subscribers numbers may be set up by means of suitable perforations; these cards are adapted to be introduced in a special device for exploring the perforations of the card and controlling automatically the sending of impulses according to the disposition and the number of these perforations.

These cards can be assembled by 'means of a binding device permitting the assembly of a large number of cards, thus giving the facility of call' ,ing automatically, by means of the device of the to those used in statistical machines and their exploration is made by means of mechanical feelers. A practical form of the invention consists in having the card explored by one or several feel- -as lines, reticulations, letters, figures, etc.

ers which cause a mechanical or electrical action when they meet a hole on the card.

One of the features of the invention resides in a device acting as a binder for assembling a large number of perforated cards, while presenting the possibility of separating any of these cards, without detaching it from the binder, in order to introduce it into the impulse sending device, for the purpose of sending impulses corresponding to'the perforations on the card. I

Such cards are very inexpensive, they occupy very little space and they can be prepared in as large a number as maybe required, since several separate packs of these cards may be used with the same impulse sendingdevice. The cards may bear, in addition to the perforated calling num her, the name and address of the subscriber as well as any other useful information, thus adapting these cards to replace theusual telephone directory. For this purpose, the cards may be suitably disposed.

According to another feature of the invention, the card to be explored is placed in a receptacle, the bottom of which is provided with slots allowing the passage of feelers adapted to explore the various columns of the card to find the perforations which constitute the subscriber's number to be called.

According to another feature of the invention, the perforation of the cards can be facilitated by providing the cards with suitable indications such For instance, the perforations could be made in the suitable meshes of the reticulations. To facilitate the operation of perforating in precise places, the centre of reticulations provided for such perforations, can have a small hole to act as a guide for the perforating tool which would then be equipped with a central needle.

According to another feature of the invention, the receptacle is provided with a cover serving to maintain the card to be explored in place; this cover is provided with slits placed perpendicular to the slots allowing the passage of feelers for the purpose of determining the exact position of any feeler or stylus considered, when the latter is engaged in a perforation of the card to be explored.

According to another feature of the invention, the number of impulses transmitted depends upon the position of every feeler, after it has travelled its whole way by means of a suitable mechanism. The mechanism can be so arranged that when no hole is perforated in one or several columns of the card, no signal or impulse is sent.

V the accompanying drawings in which:

The invention is capable of many diflerent embodiments and in order that its nature may be fully understood, there is given herein below, by way of example, a detailed description ofan embodiment, the principle of which consists in providing a plurality of feelers or, styli which are successively brought into an exploring position and to cause the apparatus to count the number of steps that every feeler or stylus would have to cover after it has been stopped bya perforation, and to actuate the impulse sending mechanism according to this number:

The following detailed description is based on Fig. 1 shows one type of card for the impulse sender;

Figs. 2 and 3 show a type of-binder used for uniting a certain number of cards;

Fig. 4 represents the upper part of an impulse sender incorporating features of the present 'invention; ,1,

Fig. 5 shows in detail the'feelers-used to explore the perforations of a card; and

Figs. 6, '7 and 8 represent details of the impulse sending mechanism.

The call transmitter operating mechanism of this invention is housed in a casing 10 shown in Fig. 4, the upper portion of which is provided with flat surfaces forming bases .H' and In for receiving a bundle or set of cards SC as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 with the separated card such as SCI for example resting on the base "I. The cover plate l3.shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is hinged to the casing 10 and may be moved to rest in a. fiatwise position'on the base III for holding the. separated card SCI firmly in adjusted position on this base. The cover plate l3 may thenbe locked in its closed position by the use of an ordinary latching device, not shown, and may be provided with an opening to permit at any time the identification of the card on the base Ill.

The base In is provided with a plate l5 having parallelly disposed slots through which feeler members I! shown in Figs. 5 and 6 extend for engaging perforations such as 16062 in the coordinate inscribed columns on the card SCI upon the operation of. their supporting arms IS in a manner that will be hereinafter described in detail. feeler members I! being normally held from contact with the card by tension springs 2| shown in Fig. 5.

Cover plate I3 is provided in its under side with a plurality of ratchet shaped teeth 12!,

12B, 12D, 12H, 12K, 12M, '12P, 'IZT, 12W and. TZIIQ shown in Figs. 4 and 5 disposed at right I angles to the slots IS in the base l0 and therefore to that 'of the direction of movement of feeler;.members l1, thes e teeth being provided to serve as stops for the arms l9 whenever the feeler members I! engage the teeth 'l2llQ, 12W, 121, etc... through the card perforations, which engagement is eflected upon the operation of arms l3 subsequent to the tensioning of associated flat springs 22:}, 22M, 221 2, 22y3, 22y4,22y5 and 22116 in a manner that will be hereinafter described in detail.

Springs 221:, 221, etc., are pivoted as at 23 on the arms [3. These springs engage at one end the downward extending portions 24 of feeler members I! and their other ends are disposed in operable relation with their respectively associated cams 2527, 25:, 25.122, 2523, 253:4, 252:5 and 25x disposed in helical relation on a rotatable shaft 2, a complete turn of shaft 26 being effective to cause the feeler members i! to successively engage the underside of the card SCI placed on the base. l0 against the tension of their-retracting springs 2|. 1

The arms l9 which correspond in number to that of the ordinate inscribed columns on the 5 card are mounted for pivotal movement on the shaft 2|] and each of these arms is operatively connected to an angularly shaped lever 4L by a tension spring 43 shown in Fig. 6, these levers being in turn loosely mounted on shaft 20.

Each angle lever 4i is provided with a pivot 40 for mounting a roller 39 engaging the periphery of a cam 38 through the tension of a retractile spring 42 having one end hooked toone arm of angle lever 4| and its othertend to any conven- 15 ient portion of the casing III as shown in Fig. 6, movement of cams 38 being effective to impart collectively oscillatory movements to the arms [9 and the feeler members i! carried thereby to permit these feeler members to successively en- 20 gage under control of the helically disposed cams 25:0, 25ml, 25x2, etc., any hole from I to ll as IGUQ which may be punctured in the ordinate columns of the card..

The cams 38 are securely mounted on a rotat- 25 able shaft 34 which is operated through a oneway clutching device in the form of a ratchet of a pinion 32 loosely .mdimted on the shaft 34.

Pinion 32 .engages with a gear at securely mounted on the shaft portion of a pinion 32 in turn 35 engaging a gear toothed sector 28 mounted on a shaft 29. This shaft is actuated by a manually operable lever member 3 l the operation of which in the direction indicated by the arrow is effective to tension a motor spring 33*, the ratchet wheel being rotated in the direction of pawl 33 and therefore ineffective to impart movement to shaft 34 during the downward movement of handle lever 3|. r

The movement of lever 3i and the gear sector 28 inthe direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow under the tension of motor spring 33 causes the engagement of ratchet wheel 80 with the pawl 33 carried by the worm gear 35 for rotating the shaft 34 and the cams 38 carried thereby under control of a governor 31 through the engagement of a worm 3G with worm gear 35, the gear ratio from gear sector 23 and pinion 32 on shaft 34 being such as to impart to this shaft and the cams 38 an angular movement of 2520 degrees or seven turns for a forty-five degree angular movement of sector 23.

The cam shaft 26 is operatively connected to shaft '34 by an intermittent gear mechanism shown in Fig. '7 consisting of a one-toothed driv- 60 ing gear 48, secured on shaft 34 and a seventoothed star wheel 49. Star wheel 45 is secured on a spindle 83 together with a spur gear 34 in turn engaging another spur' gear 35 securely mounted on shaft 26,-the operation of this gear 5 mechanism being effectiveto operate the shaft 26 and the earns 251:, 252.1, 251:2. etc; carried thereby intermittently as to tension one of the springs 22y, 221, 22:42, etc. upon each complete turn of cams 38 and therefore for each complete 7 oscillatory movement of arms [3, the tensioning of these springs being effected upon the return movement of angle levers H to normal position.

v On shaft 23 and adjacent each. angle lever H is securely mounted a ratchet toothed sector 62 75 manually operable lever 3|.

engagement. with its respectively associated ratchet toothed sector 62 under the tension of a fiat spring 41. Pawls 46 are each provided with an upward extending portion 86 for engagement when in normal position as shown in Fig. 8 with pins 45 carried by angle levers 4| and pins 44 carried by the arms I 9, the pins 44 serving to hold' the pawls 46 out of engagement with the sectors 62 through the tension of retractile springs,

acting against the tension of springs 41, andp'ins 45 serving to limit the disengaging movement of pawls 46 and thereby positioning the angle levers 4| with respect to arms i9. It is to be noted, however, that upon the relative movement of angle levers 4| under control of cams 38 with respect to their associated arms l9, pawls 46 are moved free from pins 44 for engaging the ratchet shaped. toothed sectors 62 under the tension of springs 41'and thereby rotating the shaft 20 and the gear sector 63 which in turn actuates a pinion 50 secured to the main shaft of the call transmitter 5| shown in Fig. 8 for setting its impulse mechanism and winding its motor spring in the ordinary manner an amount corresponding to the relative movement of angle levers 4| with respect to arms i9, such relative movement being due to the stopping of these arms when the feeler members I! engage the teeth 'IZBQ, 12W, 12T, etc., through the perforations of the card and the continued movement of angle lever 4| under control of the cams 38 against the tension of rectractile springs 42 and 43.

Gear sector 63 carries a pin 54 provided for controlling the engagement of a pawl 52 with a one-toothed disc 53 secured at the end of shaft 34. The engagement of pawl 52 with disc 53 is effective to momentarily arrest the movement of shaft 34 and the cam 38 in the position shown in Figs. 6 and 8, as to permit the pinion iii? to return to normal position under the tension of the call transmitter motor spring where the pin 54 reenegages the pawl 52 for disengaging it from the disc 53 and thereby permitting the continued movement of shaft 34 and the cams 38 under control of governor 31 timed substantially to the rate of speed of call transmitter 5|, the cycle of operation above described being repeated during the'complete return movement of handle lever 3| to normal position. I

In a typical example of operation the downward movement of handle lever 3| and gear sector 28 actuated thereby is effective to rotate the shaft 29 for tensioning the spiral motor spring 30. The movement of. gear sector ,28 rotates the pinion 82, the gear 8|; the pinion 32 and the ratchet wheel 30 in a direction ineffective with respect to pawl 33 carried by worm gear 35. The cams 38 and the governor 31 therefore are notoperated during thedownward movement of However, upon the retuinmovement of-lever 3| to normal position underg thetension of motor spring30 andthe consequentfreverse movement of pin'ion 32 and theratchet wheel 80 through the g'eartrain above described, this ratchet'wheel engagesthe pawl 33' for" actuating the worm gear 35 and thereby its supporting shaft 34 under.control ofgovernor 31; i

The movement of shaft 34 and the cams 38 in the direction indicated by the arrow is effective to impart oscillatory movements to' angle levers 4| and to their respective associated levers l9 connected thereto by. the tension springs 43, the

gear ratio from sector 28 to shaft 34 as above mentionedv is such as to impart seven turns to shaft 34 for a forty-five degree angular movement of gear sector 28, the cams-38 therefore imparting seven complete oscillatory movements to angle levers 4| and the arms l9 upon each operation of handle lever 3|. shaft 34 is effective to impart through theGeneva gearing mechanism above described an intermittent movement to shaft 26 and the cams25az, 25.1:I, 25.1:2, etc. carried thereby for tensioning the springs 22y, '22yl; 221/2, etc. in sequence corresponding to the position of cams 250;, 25ml, 25:02, etc., for successively engaging the feeler members ll with the under disposed surface of card SCI and consequently in the teeth 72L 12B,

12D, etc. against the resistance of their retractile springs 2|. But it is to be noted that only one of the feeler members I! is rendered effective with respect to the punctured card for each collective oscillatory movement of angle levers 4| and that of arms I9 for each turn of earns 38 through the tensioning of their associated springs 22y, 22yl, 221 2, 221/3, etc. by the cams 25:0, 25:1:I, 25x2, 25x3, etc. as the case may be. As shown in Figs. 5 and 7 the cams 25x6, for example, is positioned as to tension its associated springs 221/6 and thereby forcing its associated feeler member I! against the under surface of the card so as to cause the engagement of this feeler member in the tooth or stop 'IZUQ shown in Figs. 4 and 5 corresponding to that of the punctured hole |6|1Q in the card so as to prevent any further movement of this arm while its associated angle lever 4| continues its movement under the action of its operating cam 38 against the tension of retractile springs 42 and 43. Upon a relative movement of angle lever 4| with respect to arm 49, the spring 41 shown in Figs. 6 and 8 forces the pawl 46 in engagement with its associated ratchet toothed sector 62 for rotating the gear sector 63 secured on shaft 20 and thereby ro-,

tating the pinion 5|) securely mounted on the operating shaft of call transmitter 5| for operating it, an angular distance corresponding to the effective movement of angle lever 4|, that is, from the 'point wherein the pawl 46 engages the ratchet toothed segment 62 as defined bythe perforations IBIIQ in the card to the limit of movement of angle lever 4| under control of cam 38.

Upon the operation of gear sector 63 and the engagement of pawl 52 with the one-toothed ,disc 53, the movement of shaft 34 and thatof the cams 38 carried thereby is prevented until the pinion .50 on the dial shaft is returned to its normal non-operated position under. the tension of its own motor springwhen the pawl 52 The rotation of preparing the device 4 carried by said mounting for securing said card on said base, said plate having indentations registering with the coordinate columns inscribed on said card, a cam shaft, a plurality of feeler members positioned by'the movement of said cam shaft and operable in line with the ordinate columns inscribed on said card for successively engaging the indentations insaid plate according to the perforations in said card, and means automatically operable upon the engagement of K said means with said indentations for causing "spring means for operatively connecting said members to said elements, a plurality of cams for actuating said members relative to the engaged positions of said elements as defined by the perforations in said card, and means foractuating the call transmitter shaft upon the engagement of said elements.

3. In a device for controlling the operation of a call transmitter having a variably rotatable shaft, a card having a plurality of perforations represeting a predetermined number, a mounting for said card, a plate for securing said card on said mounting, a plurality of normally ineffective feeler members, means operable for successively rendering said members effective with respect to said card, a camming mechanism for imparting oscillatory movements to said members collectively to cause the effective feeler member to engage a perforation in said card, and a gearing mechanism operable upon the engagement of said feeler member with said card for actuating the call transmitter shaft according to the position of the engaged perforation in said card.

4. In a device for controlling the operation of a call transmitter having a variably operable shaft, a card having perforations disposed in coordinately inscribed columns, the ordinate columns representing a number and the coordinate columns representing the number of digits included in the number, a mounting having a base for receiving said card, a plate-for securing said card on said base, feelerlmembers normally ineffective 'with respect to said card, supporting arms for said members, means for actuating said arms a number of times corresponding to the number of digits in the number and at a distance 7 corresponding to said ordinate columns, said plate having ratchet teeth registering with the coordinate columns inscribed on said card for engagement with saidfeeler members for stopping the movement of said arms, a plurality of rotatable cams, lever members actuated by said cams, yieldable means operatively connecting said arms to said lever members for moving said lever members with respect to said arms, and means operable upon the relative movement of said arms and said levers for actuating the call transmitter shaft according to the perforations in said card. i f

5."1he combination'wltE'a call transmitter having a variably operable rotating shaft, of a card having perforations along coordinately inscribed rows representing the digits included in a predetermined number, a mechanism operable according to the perforations in said card for actuating the transmitter shaft, said mechanism including a plurality of pivoted arms, a feeler member carried by each of said arms, a plurality of pivoted levers, spring means operatively connecting each of said arms to each of said levers, a rotatable shaft, a plurality of cams carried by said shaft for actuating "said levers, spring means normally holding said feeler members in position inefiective with respect to said card, means actuated by said rotatable shaft for successively I engaging said feeler members with said card, a

plate having ratchet elements for stopping the movement of said arms upon the engagement of said feeler members in the perforations in said card, and clutch mechanisms operable upon the relative movement between said arms and said levers for operating the call transmitter shaft according to the position of the engaged perforations in said card.

6. In a device for controlling the operation of a call transmitter having a variably operable shaft, a card having perforations in coordinately inscribed columns, a mounting having a base for receiving said card, a plate for securing said card on said base, a plurality of pivoted arms, a plurality of ,lever members, one for each ofsaid arms, a ratchet element carried by each of said arms, a roller carried by each of said members, a cam engaging each of said rollers for actuating said arms in the direction of the ordinate inscribed column on said card, ratchet elements carried by said plate and cooperating with the first mentioned ratchet elements for positioning Y said arms according to the perforations in said card, means operable automatically upon the continued movement of said levers with respect to said arms for operating the call transmitter shaft according to the stop position of said arms, means for returning said arms to normal position upon a predetermined movement of said cams, and a plurality of means for controlling the operation of said cams.

7. In a device for controlling the operation of a call transmitter having a variably operable element, a stationary card having perforations in coordinately inscribed columns representing digits, a mounting having a base for receiving said card, a plate for securing said card on said base,. said plate having a number of ratchet teeth corresponding to the coordinate columns inscribed f on said card, a plurality of pivoted-arms, a plurality of normally ineffective means carried by said arms operatively associated with said plate, a camming mechanism for collectively actuating number of perforations on said card, another camming mechanism intermittently operable for said arms a number of times corresponding to the rendering one of said means effective upon each 60 collective movement of said arms for successively engaging the perforations in said card and the corresponding teethin said plate for arresting the movement of said arms, and means automatically operable upon the stopping operations of said arms for successively actuating the call transmitter shaft according to the perforations in said card. y v

8. In a device for controlling the operation of a call transmitter having a variably operable ele- 70 ment, a card having a plurality of perforations representing digits contained in a predetermined number, a mounting having a base for receiving said card, a plate hinged to said mounting for securing said card on saidbase. said plate hav- 75 ing a row of equally spaced ratchet teeth in its able means for controlling the operation of said side adjacent said card and coinciding with said camming mechanism.

perforations, normally inefiective feeler members 10.,In a device for controlling the operation for engaging the teeth in said plate upon their of a call transmitter having a variably operable to cause the latter when rendered eifective to encard on said base, said plate having ratchet 10" mechanisms automatically operating upon the levers, one for each of said arms, a plurality 01' 15 of said plate and the continued movement of the to each of said arms, means including a cam second mentioned means for controlling the shaft for actuating said levers, and other shaft, a operation of said gearingvmechanism for variably plurality of cams disposed in helical relation on 0 actuating the call transmitter operating element said shaft, gearing mechanism operatively conaccording to the position of the perforations on necting said cam shaft with said other shaftfor said card. intermittently actuating the last mentioned shaft, 9. In a device foroperating a call transmitter spring means tensioned by said helically disposed mechanism for actuating said members, means automatically.operable upon a relative movement ating element according to the relative movement 7 LUCIEN DEVAUX. 35

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