US2470047A - Portable string of sound producing devices - Google Patents

Description

y 1949. a. J. NICORVO 2,470,047

PORTABLE STRING OF SOUND PRODUCING DEVICES Filed June 23, 1948 INVENTOR [Fly/A J. NICd/EVO ATTORNEY Patented May 10, 1949 PORTABLE STRING OF SOUND PRODUCING DEVICES Edwin J. Nicorvo, South Amboy, N. J.

Application June 23, 1948, Serial No. 34,676

8 Claims.

This invention relates to novel devices and more particular to audible devices which find particular use at. the Christmas season. In one of its more particular aspects the invention is directed to portable strings or sets of electrically operated bells especially useful in the Christmas season, on Christmas trees, over fire places, on

the outside of homes, etc., for either or both audible and visual decorative purposes and also to novel parts thereof.

Some illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings.

wherein Fig. 1 is an essentially diagrammatic view, with the bell and support assembly shown in section of one of the embodiments, of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an individual assembly of bell, support and electrical actuator.

Fig. 3 is a demountable and readily replaceable modification of the individual assembly-shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view showing a socket and the screw base for supporting and electrically coupling thereto the demountable modification shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an essentially diagrammatic foreshortened view showing the solenoid windings in parallel relationship to each other.

As shown in Fig. 1, there is provided a male plug or connector I whose housing carries a pair of male contacts l2 and I3; and a female plug l4 whose housing l carries a pair of contacts l6 and I1. The ends of an electric conductor l8 are supported by the respective plugs l0 and I4 and are electrically connected to the respective contacts l3 and I6. Located in the plug housing H and having one terminal thereof electrically connected to the contact I2 is an interrupter H of suitable design. The ends of an electric conductor 20 are supported by the respective housings H and I5 and are electrically connected to the respective contacts l2 and H. A plurality of windings 2| of individual solenoids 2| are electrically connected in series and to the conductor l1 and to the other terminal of the interrupter l In one of the preferential embodiments of the invention there are employed five of said solenoids only one complete one being shown in Fig. 1 and the windings of the other four however being illustrated. Each set of windings 2| is wound around a hollow cylinder support 23 having an opening therethrough. Extending through said hollow cylinder 23 is an elongated movable core 24 having a pair of stop flanges 25 and 26. Supported by the conductors which extend from the 2 termini of the individual solenoid windings 2| is a dielectric housing which is essentially a cylinder 21, a closure cap 28 secured each end thereof. Struck out of and depending from the lower cap 28 is an ear 29 having an opening therethrough.

A bell 30, having a free swinging striker 3| suspended from the upper part thereof, is disposed below the car 29 and has a loop support 32 at the central upper end thereof. A ring connector 33 extends through said loop 32 and the opening in said ear 29 so that said bell 30 and striker 3| are supported for free swinging motion. Coupled to the lower end of said movable core 24 is one end of a flexible string or wire 34 whose other end is coupled to one side of the bell 30, or it may be connected directly to the striker 3|. Any other type of bell as striker assembly may be used as for example the conventional spherical bell with ball striker therein generally termed a sleigh bell. When such a bell is used it is simply string suspended from the core 20. A plurality of and preferable five of said assemblies as shown in Fig. 2 and a cross section of which is shown in Fig. 1 are employed, with the windings thereof being in series and in a circuit such as that shown in Fig. 1.

Such a string or set of bells is portable, may be arranged on the branches of a Christmas tree or in any other desirable location. Then the plug I0 is grasped by one hand and the male contacts |2 and I3 may be inserted into an ordinary live female plug generally found in the base-board 0! a home or the like to become electrically coupled with a sgurce of electric energy. Passage of current will take place in the circuit from said source of electric energy through contact l3 conductor l8, the windings 2|, the interrupter l9 and contact 2, back to the source of energy. In the course of passage of current through the windings 2| of said circuit the core 24 of each of the sole noids is actuated upwardly. Upon upward movement of the core 24 there is an upward pull on the string 34 which is transmitted to the bell 30 to swing the bell about its loop 32, whereupon the free swinging striker 3| of the bell 30 swings against the bell 30 to provide a musical note or ring. The interrupter IS in the circuit serves to make and break the circuit at desired intervals and the number of makes and breaks per unit of time may be controlled by the particular design of the interrupter l9.

With the type of wiring diagram shown in Fig. 1 it is possible to connect a number of strings to each other by inserting the male contacts of one string into the female contacts of another string.

While the windings 2| of any string are in series they are in parallelacross the main circuit. If desired, a simple two wire system may be employed with each of the windings 2| and the male and female contacts beingin parallel relationship to each other. In that system, like the system shown in Fig. 1, the windings 2| are in series with the interrupter Ill and the contacts l2 and I3, but diflers from the system of Fig. 1 in that the windings 2| are in parallel with each other.

It is also within the purview of this invention to provide a plurality of electric sockets 35, which as shown may be of the screw type 38. They may be substituted in the positions of the solenoid windings in the various circuits hereinbefore described. When such arrangements are employed there may be coupled with said sockets. novel devices. The novel devices consist of a solenoid assembly which may be located in a screw base 40 with one end of the winding 2| being connected to a central contact 4| of the screw base and insulated from a screw contact sleeve 42 electrically connected to the other end of winding 2|. The sleeve 42 terminates in a knurled flange 43 carrying a depending loop 44, extending through the loop 32 of the bell II. The assembly as shown in Fig. 3, may be screwed directly into 'the socket 36 in the same manner as in the ordinary incandescent lamp screwed into its socket.

Also if desired, the individual sockets I may each contain a circuit interrupter I! and in such a case, I prefer that these sockets be arranged in parallel relationship to each other. The circuit interrupters l9 when so employed are plurality of bell elements, striker elements for said bell elements, means movable uponthe electrical energization of said windings, said means other and with said contacts and said circuit differently timed so that the various bells are actuated to ring at different times. The interrupters is used inthe various modifications of this inventionare electrothermal responsive and are preferably of the bimetallic type which due to the rise in temperature of their bimetallic element upon the passage of current in the circuit including the solenoid windings. automatically break that circuit, and upon cooling automatically make the circuit. For my purposes, I may employ those of the well-known Twinklebutton type.

While the invention has been described in detail it is not to be limited thereby, because various changes and modifications may be made therein.

I claim:

1. A portable electric decorative set of bells comprising a connector having a pair of electrical contacts capable of being eleetricallycon nected to an ordinary live electric female plug in a home, a plurality of solenoid windings, a plurality of bell elements, striker elements for said bell elements, means movable upon the electrical energization of said windings, said means associated with said bell elements and striker elements for moving one of said elements relative to the other, circuit making and breaking means, each of said windings, said circuit making and breaking means and said contacts being in series, said circuit making and breaking means being automatically operable to'make and break the circuit made when said contacts are electrically connected to said live female plug.

2. A portable electric decorative set of bells comprising a connector having a pair of electrical contacts capable of being electrically connected to an ordinary live electric female plug in a home, a plurality of solenoid windings, a

making and breaking means, said circuit making and breaking means being automatically operable to make and break the circuit made when said contacts are electrically connected to said live female plug.

3. A portable electric decorative set of bells comprising a connector having a pair of electrical contacts capable of being electrically connected to an ordinary live electric female plug in a home, a plurality of solenoid'windings in parallel with each other, a plurality of bell elements. striker elements for said bell elements, means movable upon the electrical energization of said windings, said means associated with said bell elements and striker elements for moving one of said elements relative to the other, circuit making and breaking means, each of said windings, said circuit making and breaking means and said contacts being in series, said circuit making and breaking means being automatically operable to make and break the circuit made when said contacts are electrically connected to said live female plug.

A portable electric decorative set of bells comprising a connector having a pair of electrical contacts, a plurality of solenoid windings, a plurality of bell elements, striker elements for said bell elements, means'movable upon the electrical energization of said windings, said means associated with said bell elements and striker elements for moving one of said elements relative to the other and electrothermal responsive means for automatically making and breaking an electric circuit, each of said windings being in series with said electrothermal responsive means and said contacts.

5. A portable electric decorative set of bells comprising a male plug having a pair of electrical contacts capable of being inserted into an ordinary electric female plug in a home, a plurality of solenoid windings, a plurality of bell elements, striker elements for said bell elements, means movable upon the electrical energization of. said windings, said means associated with said bell elements and striker elements for moving one of said elements relative to the other, electrothermal responsive means for automatically making and breaking an electric circuit, said electrothermal responsive means being coupled with said male plug, each of said windings being in series with said electrothermal responsive means and said contacts.

6. A portable electric decorative set of bells comprising a male plug having a pair of electrical contacts capable of being inserted into an ordinary electric female plug in a home, a plurality of solenoid windings parallel with each other, a plurality of bell elements, striker elements for said bell elements, means movable upon the electrical energization of said windings, said means associated with said bell elements and striker elements for moving one of said elements relative to the other, electrothermal responsive means for automatically making and breaking an electric circuit, said electrothermal responsive means being coupled with said male plug, each of said windings being in series with said electrothermal responsive means and. said contacts.

7. A portable electric decorative set of bells comprising a connecter having a pair of electrical contacts capable of being electrically connected to an ordinary live electric female plug in a home, a plurality of solenoid windings, a plurality of housings, said solenoid windings disposed in said housings, a plurality of hell elements, striker elements for said bell elements, means movable upon the electrical energization of said windings, said bell elements swingably supported by said housings, said means operatively connected to said bell elements for actuating said bell elements upon movement of said means, circuit making and breaking means, each of said windings being in series with said contacts and said circuit making and breakingmeans, said circuit making and breaking means being automatically.

operable to make and break the circuit made when said contacts are electrically connected to said live female plug,

-8. A portable electric decorative set of bells comprising a connecter having a pair, of elec- 6 trical contacts, a plurality of solenoid windings, a plurality of housings, said solenoid windings located in said housings, a plurality of bell ele ments, striker elements for said bell elements, said bell elements being swingably supported by said housings, means movable upon the energization of said windings, said means operatively connected to said bell elements for actuating said bell elements upon movement of said means, and electrothermal responsive means for automatically making and breaking an electric circuit, each of said windings being in series with said electrothermal responsive means and said contacts.

mwm J. NICORVO.

REFERENCEQ CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

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