USRE6240E - Improvement in electro magnetic fire-alarm telegraphs for cities - Google Patents

Description

W. F. CHANNI-NG & M. G. FARMER.

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Reisuedlan. 19,1875.

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EE. AEE@ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AND MOSES G.

IMPROVEMENT IN ELECTRO MAGNETIC FIITEMALARM TELEG'RAPHS FOR CITIES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 17,355, dated May 19,1857; extended seven years; reissue No. 6,240, dated January 19, 1875; application filed December 18, 1874.

DIVISION B.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM F. CHAN- NING, of Providence, Providence county, State of Rhode Island, and MosEs G. FARMER, of Salem, county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful improvements embodied in the electric telegraph and telegraphic machinery, which we call the American Fire-Alarm Telegraph; and we do hereby declare the same is fully de# scribed and represented in the following specinca-tion, and the accompanying drawings, letters, figures, and references thereto.

The invention which lit is intended to claim in this division of the reissue relates to the union with a-central station of thetwo systems called herein the signal system and the alarm systems, and not to the said systems separately; but as the function of the central oflce and the union of the two systems with it will be more readily and fully comprehended by a complete description of each of said systems separately, as well as'their connection with the central oce, we will proceed to give such a description.

The accompanying drawings represent, on a small scale, a general view of the American fire-alarm telegraph or telegraphic-alarm system in its five principal parts, namely, the signal-station, shown by'sectiou A; the central station, shown by section B; the alarmstation, shown by section C; the signal-circuit, the portion of which between the stations is shown by the lines i i" k k; and the alarm-circuit, the portion of which between the stations is shown by the lines D D' E E. These drawings also show the connection and mutual dependence of said parts.

The object of the American fire-alarm telegraph is to give an instantaneous and denite audible alarm, either general or local, in a city or town in case ol' tire.

The object of the signal-station is to audibly indicate Athe existence and locality of a fire in its neighborhood. to the central station and other signal-stations. vThe number of sigy nalstations in the fire-telegraph system should therefore be multiplied in proportion to the size of the city or town, in order to place one within a suitable distance of every house.

The object of the central station is to receive intelligence of the existence and locality of a fire from a signal-station in the neighborhood of the fire, and to give a corresponding audible public alarm, through the alarm and signal stations, by means of machinery operated or controlled by telegraphic action or iniiucnce emanating from the central station.

The object of the alarm-station, which is usually a belfry or bell-tower, is to give a public alarm by means of blows upon a bell struck by machinery, the action of which is controlled from the rcentral station by telcgraph. Instead of a bell, other suitable mechanism for producing sound may be substituted,

the same being called into action or controlled from the central station by telegraph.

The function of the signal-circuit is to connect telegraphically one or more signal-stations with a central station and with each other, or simply to connect signal-stations with each other, and to combine any o'r all of such stations into a signalsystem for signalizing alarms of tire. l

The function of the alarm -circnit is to connect telegraphically one or more alarm-sta. tions with a central station and with each other, so as to combine such stations -into an alarm system for giving public alarm in case of re.

We will now describe in detail the several parts of the machinery and apparatus belonging to the system, in order to enable those skilled in electro-magnetic mechanism to construct and use our invention.

Section A, Figure 1, represents the apparatus of a signal-station. h represents a bell or other sonorous piece of metal, which is struck by a hammer on the end ot' the armature-lever f of the electro-magnet e. g is a spring, which forces the armature-lever f back against the bell h when the electro-magnet e is discharged. c c is a break-circuit key, closing thecircuit when pressing against the anvil d.

|11. ELECTRiC- esGNALfNG.

t Systems,

Signal-box transmission,

Signals at box,

This key is operated by the action of the circuit-wheel b, which is mounted on a shaft, s, and turned or caused to rotate by means of the crank a, either with or without the intervention of intermediate gearing. Upon the circuit-wheel are two groups of teeth, which groups are separated from each other by a space greater than that which separates the individual teeth of the groups. One of these groups may, by the number of its teeth, represent the number of the lire-district in which the signal-station is located. The other groups may, by conventional agreement, represent the number ofthe signal-station itself in that district.

Instead of the arrangement for breaking and closing the circuit which has been above described, any equivalent or known form or arrangement ot' circuit breaker and spring may be used, constructed, and arranged to produce the same eect.

The signal-station consists of the signaling apparatus described, inclosed in a cast-iron box, which box is provided with a lock and key, and this signal-box may be located in or near an engine-house. It may be advisable to apply an additional contrivance, which shall close the circuit when the door of Ythe box is shut. One method of doing'this would be to connect a spring, placed upon the door by means ot' a wire, with the key C, which spring, when the door'is shut, should press upon the anvil d, or on a piece of metal in electrical connection with it. Instead ot' a closed signal-circuit, an open circuit may be used by the substitution ot' open-circuit apparatus and magnets, and the bells being struck, if preferred, by direct action instead of by the reaction of a spring.

The signal-circuit consists of electrical con-v ductors extending between and passing through one or more signal-stations, and usually through a. central station,.embracing all, and uniting all such signal-stations and the receiving-instruments at such central station into a system, for signalizing alarms ot' tire. It may consist, however, ot' conductors connecting and inchlding signal-stations alone, without including a central station, so that an alarm would be signalized from one to all the others by means ot' the circuit-wheel in the station giving the alarm,and by means ot' the magnet and bells iu all the others.

-The conductors of the signal-circuit consist usually of telegraph-wires suitably insulated. It is advisable to use duplicate wires, Fig. 1, 'i i k k', following different routes between all the stations, so as to lessen greatly the probability of interruption from accident or design. In some cases threefold or manifold wires might be used. To make interference with the circuits more difficult the use ot" the ground as part of any circuit may, with advantage, be entirelydispensed with.

In the drawings, the conductors of the sigstation with the central station, but neig borf ing signal-stations with each other.

There may be several signatcircuits radiating, like the petals of a ower, from the centralstation or otherwise, and on each ,of these signal-circuits there may be one or many signal-stations; but the whole of such circuits and signalstations, however divided or varied in arrangement for purposes of convenience or economy in construction, still constitute, if connected in function, one signal system, the essential purpose of which is to bring all parts of a municipality into communication with a center, or with each other, by the indefinite multiplication of associated signalizing-points within or over a given area. By this means a higher municipal organization may be e'ected for the purposes set forth than has heretofore been possible. In furtherance ot' this object a city or town provided with this system may be conveniently divided into several tire-districts, in each ot' which may be one or more signal-stations, duly numbered or otherwise designated.

The receiving apparatus at the central station consists, in general, of a galvanic battery, Z, or other generator of electric currents, an electro-magnet, o, with its armature, hammer, and spring p q, and a small bell, lr, or its equivalent. It' desirable, a dotand-line77 register or recording-instrument may be added in any of the well-known ways. There is also a key, m m', which is conveniently used both to correspond with the signal-stations and also to indicate, by the number, of taps on the key 'm m', and by the corresponding action of the armatures and bells in the signal-stations, the number of the signal-station which originated the alarm.

The transnitting apparatus ot' the central station consists, in general, ot' a galvanic battery, C, section B, or its equivalent, an anto-A matic or other apparatus, A A B, for connecting, at suitable times and intervals, the

alarlnbattery C with the wires E E D D' of the alarm circuit or circuits. A simple form of this apparatus may be a crank, A, a circuitwheel, A', and spring B, the circuit-wheel having a number of teeth, A', corresponding with the number of the district to be indicated on the bells, and these teeth, by the rotation of the wheel, coming into con'tact with the spring B, and thereby connecting one pole of the battery O with the alarm-circuit D D', the other pole ofthe battery C being already connected with the return part (so to speak) E E ofthe 'alarm-circuit.

Vhere a city is of great extent, or where, for any reason, it may be desirable, two or more central stations may be used instead of a single central station. Central station may also sometimes be conveniently combined with an alarm-station.

Thevalarm-circuit consists of electrical conductors, extending between and including one or more alarm-stations ,and the transmittinginstruments of the central station. These conductors are usually duplicate and well-insulated telegraphic wiresvbetween the stations, as in the signal-circuit already described, their object and eect being to establish telegraphic communication between the stations, and to connect the functions-cf the transmitting-instruments of the central station with those of the alarm -machinery at the alarmstations. There may be several alarm-cir- .cuits,each Aincluding several alarm-stations, in the same way as there may be several signa1-circuits.

In the drawings, the conductors of the alarm-circuit, Fig. l, D D E E', are represented as connecting one alarm-station with'the central station. If' more than one alarmstation is included in the same alarm-circuit, it will be understood that the conductors of the alarm-circuit will connect'not only the nearest alarm-station with the central station, but neighboring' alarm-stations with each other. WVhen two or more alarm-stations are included in the same alarm-circuit, the bells at such stations may strike synchronously, in obedience to any telegraphic impulse sent to them from thecentral station .through the proper apparatus. Where there are two or more alarm-circuits radiating from the central station, they lnaybe united at the central station so as to constitute really but a single electrical circuit, or the same electrical im-A pulse may be sent over them, each in rapid succession, whereby a great saving of `electrical power may be attained, and the practical result of nearly synchronous action at the alarm-stations be still preserved. In either case they constitute one alarm system. The alarm-circuits may be divided or varied in arrangement for purposes of convenience and economy of construction, and each circuit mayinclude any desirable number ot" alarmstations, but they still constitute, if connected with the central station, one alarm system, and a part or the whole of this system may be called into action at once, according as it is desired to give a partial or general alarm of -fire in a city, for the better accomplishment of the purposes of municipal organization set forth.

For a full and exact description of the kind of apparatus suitable to be used at the alarmstations, reference is had vto Letters. Patent No. 8,920, which were granted to Mosns G. FARMER, aforesaid, by the UnitedStates government, onthe 4th day of May, 1852. But for tlie sake of exhibiting the machinery in its connection, a simple form of the' electromagnetic alarm-bell apparatus mentioned above is represented in the drawings, ,but no detailed description thereof is deemed necessary here.

To show the operation and connection of the several parts. of our system, suppose a tire is discovered in the vicinitybf the signat- Istation represented in section A, an authorizled person (say, a watchman) opens the signal-box and turns the crank a ten or twenty times moderately fast. The teeth b b on the circuit-wheel, in the course of its revolutions, depress the key c c', and in this manner break and restore the circuit at definite intervals and a definite number of times,'the key returning by its own elasticity, and'thus closing the circuit, when not depressed by the teeth 'b' b. The breaking and restoring the circuit by the operation of the signal-wheel b and key c c causes the electro-magnet and armature at the central station, by repeated strokes on the bell lr', to indicate to the operator there the number of the district and station whence the alarm originates, and also gives the like indication at each signal-station on the line.

The operator at the central station, upon thus learning the existence and locali of the re, puts in 'motion the transmitting apparatus A A' B, and thereby causes the bells at the alarm-stations to indicate by the number of originates. The operator may also tap on the key m m the number of the signal-station originating the alarm, and thereby repeat the indications thus given on the line where the alarm originates over all the other lines, or telegraph other intelligence. The firemen may thus be able at once to take their engines by' the nearest route to the lire. been'stated that for the sake of more perfect security it is better to construct both the signal and alarm-circuits withdouble wires, running by different routes, as represented at t' i k k', and E E D D. The arrangement of these duplicate conductors may be varied for open or closed circuits in connection with the apparatus at the stations, `in modes which would readily suggest themselves to any person conversant with electro-magnetic telegraph apparatus'. The conductors of the Americanlirealarm telegraph may be carried, duly insulated on posts, through the streets, or under ground, but may be preferably carried over the tops of houses, where they are less liable to injury.

We do not claim in this division of the reissue separately the signalsystem or the alarm-system, so called, above described nor separately the inventions described relating to the circuit-wheel and accompanying mechanism constructed and arranged to automatically restore the circuit to its normal condition after being broken or closed for signalizing nor by themselves an electric circuit and one or more.sounding mechanisms, and a circuitwheel controlling the circuit to occasion the their strokes the locality whence the alarm It hasproducing by the seid mechanism a deternumber of the station at which the fire ocminate series of audible signals; nor the two cnrs, to all the signal-stations, as well as for or more groups of circuit-breaking or circuitcommunicating an alarm to the central station,

closing points, as described, the seme being as described.

reserved for otherdiisions of this reissue. WM* E GHANNING. What we do claim 1s MOSES G FARMER The fire-alarm telegraph, embracing in its construction the alarm-system for striking the Witnesses:

number of the district upon the alarm-bells, J. P. FITCH, and the signal system for communicating the J As. M. GARDINER.

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