Improvements in Apparatus for Transmitting Orders from one Room to another in Hotels, Restaurants amp; like Places.

摘要

19,396. Richard, W. T., and Foster, D. B. Sept. 4. Signals, electric, indicator or visible, reply and bell.-An electrical apparatus for transmitting orders from attendants in a hotel, restaurant, or like place, to a distant position, includes a transmitter A in each room, for several different attendants and different orders, a central receiver K to distinguish between the orders, and a central separator L to distinguish between the attendants. Each transmitter A has a number of contact-devices B', B2, &c. in circuit with a battery and with separate wires leading to the receiver K. Any contact may be closed by inserting a pin F. This pin may normally hang on a switch hook, which closes a circuit through electromagnets in all the transmitters to show the word " Engaged" when any pin is removed from its hook. The transmitter A also includes a non-conducting tube C, adapted to receive a plug carried by each attendant. The tube C contains a number of equidistant contact-rings, connected by separate wires to the separator L, and aach key carries one ring, the position of which differs on different keys. The end of each key and the tube C carry a plug and spring to complete a battery circuit, when the key is completely inserted, through one of the wires to the separator L. The receiver K contains a number of rows of inclined channels M3, one row for each transmitter, and one channel for each order. The lower end of each channel is blocked by a fixed stop and a plate carried by a laterally-placed armature, on a spring.; the armature is movable by an electromagnet, in the particular circuit from the receiver, to allow the lowest of a series of discs in the channel M3 to drop out, the next disc being simultaneously stopped by a finger on the armature. When the armature is released, the discs move down to the fixed stop. The released disc drops through a vertical channel to the separator L. This has a series of inclined channels U3, one for each attendant, each provided with a laterally-placed electromagnet in circuit with one of the rings in the transmitter tubes C. When any electromagnet in the separator L is excited, it moves an armature and places a plate in the vertical channel, so as to deflect the falling disc into one of the inclined channels U3, where the disc rests against a pivoted stop 3, until this is displaced by hand when the order has been carried out. The discs remain in the lower parts of the channels U3. The discs may roll over contact-devices, to ring bells at the transmitters, indicating that the orders have been received. The separator L and tube C with its contacts may be dispensed with, if desired.