US1599107A - Antitampering device for receivers - Google Patents

Description

Patented sept. 7,1926. Y

` UNITEDQSTATES 'PATENTOFFICB' DELMAB A. WHITSON, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO\THE STENTOR- vPHONE COMPANY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION 0F CALIFOR- ANTITAMIPERING- DEVICE FOR RECEIVVERS.

Application filed March'22, 1924. Serial No. 701,053.

`My present invention being referred to as an anti-tampering device for receivers, it may-be understoo'drto be an object of thisV invention to provide a means and a `method for preventing unqualified or unauthorized kpersons from ,gaining access to delicate.instrumentgsuch as telephone' receivers, whether for the purpose of attempting to repair the samer or for 4kany other purpose, such as the substitution of inferior or less costly parts for those to'which the favorable reputationV of y an instrument maker may be due. p It is a particular object of this" invention to provide a construction or a method of closure suitable for use in connection with instruments such 4 as loud speaking radio receivers, or the" like, and effective to afford to a manufacturer positive assurance as to whether or not a case or housing` element enclosingl an instrument, which may have been returned as defective, has, in fact been opened; and,`in a preferred embodiment of my invention, I may employ a case oi housing element or` a kcover element provided witha spring catch in a wholly iiiac-cefssiblepposition, this spring catch being preferably adapted toprevent relative translatory movement, of said case or housing and optionally provided with additional vmeans, adapted to `,prevent a*V relative rotation thereof. f Itlis anobje'ct of this invention to provide aninstrument of the general character referred to Vwith an anti-tampering device vcomprising a `catch which may automatically engage a keeper Whenevera case or housing is Vput in place, but which `can there- ,after be removed, Without damage, only by `a suitable application of a soldering iron, or other means for a local application of heat, to a specifi-c sp'otintendcd to be known only to a manufacturer and his employees Vor agents; and apreferred vembodiment of my inventionmay comprise a cover element, to which the essentialsof aninstrument may be secured,V and a cooperating cup-shaped case provided linitsbottom or base with `a slightly eccentric `and yielding pin having ahead vadapted to engage and interlock with a; substantially central aperturcd `element Whichfmay be vrigidly .or resiliently and `either Adirectly or indirectly connected with said cover,-both said baseuand said pin being preferably tinned with a silver or hard solder in advance of the securing of said pin to said base, as by means involving the use of a ther objects of my invention will appear from the following description of an illustrative embodiment thereof and from the appended claims, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in whichlEig.l 1 is a substantially central vertical section through a receiver provided with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially as indicated by the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Figs 3 and t are slightly enlarged vdetailed views showing advantageous relationships of securing elements hereinafter reierred to.

in Figs. 1 and 2.o-f thedrawings, I show my invention as appliedV to a: receiver 11,

which may be a loud speaker of a type now in common use. The loud speaker 11 may comprise a mounting and cover element 12, to which the operating parts of the instruments Ymay be attached. These operating parts may include coils 14, supported from the.' mounting or cover element 11 by a'suitable'bracket 15. An armature 16V may `vibrate the diaphragm 17 by means of the rod 18 and thereby produce sound. To protect the operating parts ofsuch instruments itis usualto employa suitable case 'or hous-7 ing, whichinay be in the' form of a cup 20 provided with a base or lbottom 21 and ai cylindrical wall 22. `Ar`The case 20 may enclose any desired instrument or instrument-s and the edge 25 may engage spacing arms or lugs 26 and may rest inside an annular confining lip 27.

VThe parts just mentioned are in current use, and they form a part of my present invention only in the sense that they constitute an rorganization to which this invensecured eccentrically to the 'bottom 21 of the i .cup 20 by soldering. When the cup 20 is in place, as in Figs. 1 and 2, the pin may be arranged to extend through a substantially iii) central aperture. 3G, which may be provided in a keeper member rigidly or resiliently and directly or indirectly connected with the cover or mounting element l2. In this instance, it is very convenient to provide the aperture SG in a keeper arm 37 Which is shown as being a part of the terminal bracket 3S of the speaker ll. rIhe axis oi' the pin 30 and the aperture 3G being relatively offset slightly, as shovvn, when this pin is projected through the aperture (which 'occurs when the cover is put in place) that portion of the aperture 36 indicated at li() may rest in contact With the neck 32 of the nin 30, and the shoulder il of the pin may engage the upper surface otl the arm 37 as shown in Fig. 3. The engagement betiveen the shoulder il and said surface holds the cup securely in place; and, if desired, the dimensions may be such that a resilient bottom 2l must be sprung upwardly to cause engagement bet-Ween the shoulder 111 and the arm 37, this construction being effective to prevent all danger of the pins being` jarred from engagement.

As shotvn in Fig. d, to provide guidance for assembling and to prevent subsequent relative rotation, a. lip or projection t5 may be stamped in one of the lugs 96, and a suitable notch 46 may be formed in the vvall 2Q of the cup Q0. Then the projection and the slot 46 engage, the pin and a 3c ture are properly aligned. `When the cup 20 is being installed in place, the cover is held so that the pin 30 assumes the position as indicated b y the dotted lines 50 in Fig. rThe projection 45 and the slot t6 being then aligned, the cup is forced in place; the conical portion Se at this time enters the aperture 36, and the pin may yield laterally or it may spring the arm 3.7 to the left. as the pin is moved inwardly. Then the head has passed'tlnough the aperture 3G, the arm 37 may spring bach to the position shown and thereby lock the cup 2O securely in place.

Then it is necessary to remove the cover for the purpose of adjustment or repairs, an authorized person may do so by applying heat to the bottom of the cup 2O adjacent to the pin 30, a solderinO iron being very suitable for this purpose. The application o1 heat melts the solder and detaches the pin 30 from the cup, thereby allowing the cup to be removed. Before the cup is replaced, the pin may be again soldered in place, in order that the cup may again be rendered tamper-proof.

Although, I have herein described one complete embodiment of my invent-ion, it will be understood that various features thereof might be independently employed` and also that various modifications might be made by those skilled in the art, without the slightest departure from the spirit and scope of my invention, as the same is indicated above and in the following claims.

I claim as my invention l. in an anti-tampering device for enclosing instruments, the combination of a meinber; a case associated with said member; and means for preventing said member and said case frombeing separated, said means being caused upon local application of heat to render separable Without ,damage said member and said case.

2. In an anti-tampering device for enclosing instruments, the combination of: a cover member; a case associated With said cover member to enclose instrument mechanisni; and means for preventing said cover member and said case from being separated, said means being caused only upon local application of heat to render separable ivithout damage said member and said case.

3; n an anti-tampering device for cnciosing instruments, the combination of: a cover member; a case associated with said cover member; and means for preventing said member and said case from being separated, said means comprising a soldered connection between contiguous portions of said member and said case, said solder being caused upon local application of heat to soften and render separable without damage said member and said case.

li. ln an anti-tampering device for enclosing instruments, the combination of: a cover member; one element of a catch secured to said cover member; a case associated With said cover member; a second element of a catch associated with said case and adapted to engage the iirst named catch element for preventing said cover member and said case from being separated, one of said catch elements being secured to its supporting member with solder, the softening of said solder by application of heat being alone suliicient to render said cover member and said case separable Without damage to parts.

5. In an anti-tampering device for enclosing instruments, the combination of: a cover member; one element of a catch secured to said cover member; a case associated With said cover member; a second element of a catch associated with said case and adapted to engage the iii-st named catch element for preventing said cover member and said case from being separated, the second named catch element being secured to said catch with solder, the softening of said solder by application of heat being alone sutiicient to render said cover member and said case separable Without damage of parts.

6. In an anti-tampering device for enclosing instruments, the combination of: a case element; a cover element normally extending over said case elementi; and resiliently related interlocking elements respectively secured to said case element and said cover element, said interlocking elements being inaccessible from the exterior of tlie case and being arranged to function Without injuring any of the parts of tlie combination.

7. In an anti-tampering device for enclosing instruments, tlie combination of: a case element; a cover eleinentnornially extending n over said case eleinentgand resiliently related interlocking elements respectively secured to said case element and said cover element, one of said interlocking elements being a resiliently supported catch, said interlocking elements being inaccessible from tlie exterior of the case and being arranged to function Without injuring any of tlie parts of tlie combination. n

8. In anfaiiti-tanipering device for enclosing instruments, tlie combination of: a case.

i element; a cover element normally extending over said case element; and resiliently related interlocking elements inaccessible from tlie exterior of the ease respectively secured to said case element and saidrcover element, one of said interlocking elements being a resilieiitly supported eatcli extending inwardly from tlie base of said ca-se and tlieotlierV being a keeper secured to said cover and adapted to engage said catcli.

10. In an anti-tampering device for enclosing instruments, tlie combination of: a case element; a cover element normally extending over said case element; and resiliently related interlocking elements inaccessible frointlie exterior of tlie case respectively secured to said case element and said cover element, one of said interlocking elements being a resiliently supported catcli extending inwardly from tlie base of said case and the other being a keeper, secured to said cover and adapted to engage said catch, eitlier said case or said keeper being eccentrically positioned. 1

11. In an anti-tampering device for enclosing instruments, tlie combination of: a case element; a cover element normallyl extending over said case element; resiliently related interlocking elements inaccessible from the exteriorv of tlie case respectively secured to said case element and said cover element; and nieans for preventing relative f rotation of said case vand said cover, said means being arranged to function Without injuring any of the parts of the combination.

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