US1495585A - Operator-instruction circuits - Google Patents

Description

May 27, 1924. 1,495,585

C. B. FOWLER OPERATOR INSTRUCTION CIRCUITS Filed Dec. 31, 1919 L I "l AAAAA lriveflror: l W Clarence fifbwle/t k} W e 0473 Patented May 27, 1924.

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CLARENCE B. EOWLER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNO'R TO WESTERN ELECTRIC COM- IPANY INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

OPERATOR-INSTRUCTION CIRCUITS.

Application filed December31, 1919. Serial No. 348,577.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE B. FOWLER, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Operator-Instruction Circuits, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

This invention relates to a telephone exchange system and more particularly to an arrangement of circuits for instructing operators in the method of extending calls from a manual oflice to an olfice or exchange provided with mechanical switching equipment.

The object of the invention is the provision of circuits and apparatus for instructing operators in the extension of calls to ollices having mechanical equipment and in thepractice of correctly dialing the numbers of subscribers in such oflices.

One feature of the invention resides in the provision of means for indicating to an instructing operator the character of each digit dialed by a pupil operator in accordance with instructions given the latter by the instructor.

A further feature of the invention resides in the provision of a group of special trunk circuits and apparatus arranged to simulate interofiice trunks for the instruction of opperators in making the group busy test of interoffice trunks. For a complete disclosure of the invention reference should be made to the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating one specific embodiment of the genus of the invention.

The drawing discloses one cord circuit of an operators position 0 equipped with an impulse-sending device of the dial type by means of which calls may be extended to an office provided with mechanical switching equipment; the first and last trunks of the group of trunks extending to an instructing operators positlon together with apparatus.

associated therewith; and an indicating device at the instructing operators position for indicating to the instructor the digits dialed by the operator in accordance with her instructions. 1

A more comprehensive understanding of the invention may be had from a consideration of the organization of the circuits and the manner in which they are employed. It

will be assumed that an instructing operator whose cord circuit is partially disclosed at O is assigned to instruct a new operator who is provided with standard dialing cord circuits'such as disclosed at O, in the method outgoing ends interof'tice trunks such as would be employed between a manual and an automatic office. Each trunk is provided with multiple calling jacks appearing at a plurality of operators positions and with multiple jacks at a plurality of instruct'ors positions.

If when testing the first trunk circuit T of the group all of the trunk circuits are busy and consequently the sleeve relays of all trunks of the group are energized, the operator receives a group busy tone over a circuit extending from ground, through the secondary winding of the busy tone coil 2 through the outer armature and front contact of the sleeve relay 3 of the last trunk of the group, thence serially through the outer armatures and front contacts of the sleeve relays of the remaining trunks ofthe group to the sleeve 4 of jack J of the first trunks of, the group and thence through the tip of the plug, the back contact and armature of the cord sleeve relay 5 and to the test winding (not shown) of the operator's set. The operator, upon receiving the tone, is appraised of the fact that all trunks of the group are busy.

If there is an idle trunk in the group the operator does not receive the tone test since the tone circuit is open at the contacts of the sleeve relays 3 of all idle trunks. In the event that the first trunk T of the group is busy by reason of a connection thereto of another cord circuit similar to the cord circuit O, the operator will find the usual busy potential on the sleeve of the multiple jack and will receive a click inher receiver when she tests the multiple jack with the tip of thethe key 13 is thrown, a circuit is established calling plug. click she will then proceed to test the trunks in order until an idle trunk is found, when she will proceed to establish a connection therewith by inserting the calling plug of the cord circuit 0 into the jack of the idle trunk.

It will be assumed that connection is thus established with the last trunk T of the group. The insertion of plug P in the jack J of this trunk establishes a circuit for the sleeve relay 3 of the trunk which may be traced from grounded battery, through the calling supervisory lamp 6, sleeve relay 5 of the cord circuit, the sleeve of plug P and jack J and thence to ground through the sleeve relay Relays 5 and 3 are energized in this circuit, relay 5 disconnecting the tip of the plug from the testing lead 7 and connecting it to the tip strand of the cord circuit, and relay 3 establishing a circuit for the trunk signals 8 appearing before a pinrality of instructing operators positions The instructing operator, who at the time hasbeen assigned for instructing the new operator, upon noting the operation of trunk signal 8, plugs the answering plug oi her cord circuit 0 into the answering jack of the trunk circuit indicated by the operated' signal 8, and by means ct listeniiur key 9, connects her telephone set to the trunk circuit for transmitting instructions over the selected trunk circuit to the 0])9ltt't0'l'. The connection of cord circuit 0 to the trunk T causes the energiaation ot the calling supervisory relay 11 in the cord circuit 0, over the circuit extending from grounded battery at cord circuit 0, through the winding of relay 1.1, lower normal contacts of ringing key 12, and dialing key 15*, ring contacts of plug 1 and jack J lower conductor of trunlq T thence by the crossover conductor 14 to the upper conductor of the trunk, tl'irough the tip contacts oi the jack and plug at the instructing ru ierator's position to ground the trunk conductors being reversed as at to cause the cord cir cuit batteries to be connected in series for the purpose of permitting supervision in the cord circuits. he energization of relay 1i causes the shunting out oi lump (3 in flu usual manner to signal the o ierator that the connection has been cut through.

The operator thereupon throws listening: key 1:3 to connect her (not shown) to the cord circuit 0 and receives instrucliom for dialing l rom the instructor over the trunk circuit. It will be assumed, for the purpose of illustration. that the operator re ceives instructions to dial the number 25. She thereupon throws the dialing trey 13 for connecting the sender tv to the tip and ring contacts of the plug l and proceeds to set the dial for the first digit 2. is soon as Upon receiving the busy,

for the line relay 16 of the indicating device D associated with the instructing operators position, which circuit may be traced from grounded battery, through the winding of relay 16, over conductor 17, through cont-acts 18 of the dialing key 13 and thence to ground through the impulse contacts 19 of the sender S. Relay 1.6, upon energizing, establishes a circuit extending from its armature and tront contact and through the winding of slow to release relay 20. may 20, upon energizing, establishes a circuit for the second slow-to-release relay 21, which may he traced from grounded battery, through the armature and trout contact of relay 20, the winding of relay 21 and thence to ground through the back contact and armature cl relay 22. The circuits of the indicator are now prepared. for the reception oi the first series of impulses corresponding to the first digit dialed by the operator.

Upon the release of the dial of sender the dial returns to normal and in the usual manner causes two interruptions oi the impulse contacts 19. Upon the first interruption f these contacts, the circuit above traced tor the l ne relay 16 is opened and the line relay momentarily deenergiaes closing at its armature and back contact a circuit extending from grounded liia'ttery. 't-lirough the arn'iature and back contact of the upper counting relay #1, through the wind ing of the lower counting relay #1 and thence to ground at the front contact and armature ot' relay 21. The #1 counting relay,

upon energizing, prepares a locking circuit for itself extending from ground at the armature and contact o'l relay 21 through the winding of relay #1, its upper armature and front contact and the winding of the #1 counting relay to grounded battery. The #1 counting relay, however. does not energize at this time since its winding is shunted by battery connected through the armature and back contact o'l line relay ill"). As soon, however, as the circuit over conductor 17 is reestablished Following the first interruption of the circuit at impulse contacts 19 of the sender Pi, relay it; reenergizes, disconnecting ljiatlery a its armature aud back contact from one terminal of the winding oi the #1 counting relay, whereupon the counting relay energizes, opening at its armature and back con tact the circuit over which the #1 counting relay was energized and extending the initial energizing circuit through the armature and back contact of the #2 counting relay, through the winding of the #2 counting relay to ground at the armature and front contact of relay 21. Counting relay #1 also closes at this time a circuit extending from ground, through the lamp CAD 26, the lowermost armature and front contact of relay #1. the lower armatures and back contacts of the counting relays #2 and 0, through the winding of slow-toenergize relay 23, to battery at the armature of relay 16, but as there is but a short in-- terval between impulses, counting relay #2 energizes on the next impulse before lamp 26 or relay 23 have time to operate. Upon the second interruption of the circuit over conductor 17, the #2 counting relay energizes, locking up through the winding of the #2 counting relay as previously described in connection with the #1 and #1 counting relays.

Following the second interruption of the stepping circuit, relay 16 again energizes and since the dial has now returned to its normal position, relay 16 is maintained energized for an appreciable time or until the operator has set the dial for the second diglt. During this interval a circuit is established for the slow-to-energize relay 23, which may be traced from grounded battery, through the armature and front contact of relay 16, through the winding of relay 23, through the lower armatures and back 'contacts of the lower counting relays #3 to #0 inelusive, the lower armature and front contact of the #2 counting relay and through the indicating lamp 2 1 to ground. Since this circuit is maintained for a sufficient interval for the relay 23 to energize, the lamp 24 is lighted sufiiciently to give the instructor a signal that the operator has dialed the digit 2-. Upon the ener ization of relay 23, a circuit is established for the slow relay 22 which may be traced from grounded battery, through the armature and front contact of relay 16, winding of relay 22 and thence to ground at the armature and front contact of relay 23. Relay 22, upon energizing, opens the circuit for relay 21 which, after an interval, deenergizes, opening at its armature and front contact the locking circuits for counting relays #1, #1, #2 and #2, which thereupon deenergize, restoring the circuits of the indicator to normal position.

In the same manner the operator dials the second digit 55, causing the counting relays #1, #2, #3, #4 and to be energized and locked up in a circuit extending through the armature and front contact of relay 21 and, following the series of five impulses, the lamp 25 becomes lighted in series with the relay 23 to indicate to the in structor that the operator has dialed the digit 5 in accordance with her instructions. The energization of relay 23 again causes the energization of relay 22 and thereby, the restoration of the energized counting relays to their normal position.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that the indicator D is successively operated to indicate the several digits dialed by the operator and thus indicates to the instructor whether the operator is following the instructions given to her and thus affords an accurate check on the efliciency of the operator and the speed with which she carries out the instructions given to her.

What is claimed is:

1. In a telephone system, an operators position, an instructors position, means for establishing an instruction circuit between said positions, -means for transmitting dialing instructions from said instructors p0- sit-ion to said operators position, an impulse sender at said operators position, an indicating device at said instructors position and means for operating said device in accordance with the operation of said impulse sender.

2. In a telephone system, an operators position, an instructors position, means for establishing an instruction circuit between said positions, means for transmitting dialing instructions from said instructors position to said operators position, a dialing device at said operators position, an indicating device at said instructors position and means for successively operating said indicating device in accordance with successive operations of said dialing device;

3. In a telephone system, an operators position, an instructors position, means for establishing an instruction circuit between said positions, means for transmitting dialing instructions from said instructors position to said operators position, a dial-ing device at said operators position, an indi cating device at said instructors position and means for enabling successive operations of said indicating device in accordance with successive operations of said dialing device over a circuit independent of said instruction circuit for indicating the several digits of a line designation assigned by said instructor.

4%. In a telephone system, an operators position, an instructors position, means for establishing an instruction circuit between said positions, a dialing device at said operators position, an indicating device at said instructors position comprising a plurality 01 indicatin lamps and counting relays, and means for successively operating said relays to selectively light said lamps in accordance with the setting of said dialing device over a circuit independent of said instruction circuit.

5. In a telephone system, an operators position, a cord circuit thereat, an instructors position, means including said cord circuit for establishing an instruction circuit between said positions, a dialing device at said operators position, a key for associating said device with said cord circuit, an indicating device at said instructor-s position, and means for operating said inuicating device in accordance With the setting of said dialing device over a circuit independent of said instruction circuit and extending-1 through contacts ot'said key.

6. In a telephone system, an operators position, a cord circuit thereat, an instructors position, means including; said cord circuit for establishing an instruction circuit between said positions, a dialing device at said operators position, a key for associating said device with said cord circuit, an indi'atingdevice at said instructors position, and means for operating said indicating device in accordance with the setting of said dialing, device over a circuit extent: ing through contacts o'l said key and through the impulse contacts of said diat inc device.

7-. In a telephone systenr an operators position, an. instructofis position. means for establishingan instruction circuit between said positions, a dialing device at said operators position, an indicating; device at said instructofis position adapted to he operated in a cordance With impulses trans mitted by said dialing; device, comprising an impulse relay, a train of counting; relays adapted to be energized in succession in response to the operation of said impulse relay and locked in their operated positions, a group of lamps adapted to be selectively operated by said counting relays, and means eflective upon the termination of said ini-- pulses for unlocking said. counting relays i For illuminating the lamp selected by "he last energized relay of the train.

8. in a telephone exchange system, an operator s -iosition, a group of trunk circuits thereat, a sleeve relay associated with each trunk circuit, a tone circuit extending "from the sleeve terminal of the first trui circuit. of the group serially through alternate contacts of all ol said relays, and a source 0; tone current for connection to said circuit. v

9 in a telephone s toin. an operatofis position, an instructc c position, a group oi trunk circuits extending: between said pr itions, a sleeve relay associated with each trunk circuit a l uit extending from the sleeve terthe rst t unk circuit of tln rgroup touc circ m J! mural O! serially througs h alternate contacts oi all ot said relays, and a source oi tone current for connection to said. circuit.

10, In a telephone system, an operators position, an instructofis position, a group ot' trunk circuits extending between said positions, a sleeve re ay associated with each trui'il: circuit at said oi ier-atofis position. a trunk signal under the control of each relay at the instructofis position, a tone circuit extending? from the sleeve terminal oi the first trunk circuit of the group serially through alternate contacts of all of said relays. and a source of tone current for connection to said circuit.

in witness whereof, l hereunto subscribe in name this 30th day of December, A. D,

(lira RENCE B. FOWLER

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