Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 89.djvu/750

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��Popular Science Monthly

��The signaling apparatus is placed in the center of the orchestra wlicre the leader stands. Signals are Hashed on both back and front simultaneously. All signals are in the regular musical terms. In order that the leader and orchestra members shall not be caught unawares l)y a sudden change in music to fit a corresponding change on the screen, a warnijig signal is provided. This con- sists simply of a red light on top of the signal box. The method of controlling the warning liglit is the same as for the other cues. Organ, trumpet or drum can have separate signal lights attached to their music stands. With Mr. Lawton's electrical orchestra director it is possible to alter the music to fit a scene ever\ five seconds. Few scenes are of such short duration as that.

���Ordering Meals Electrically in Quick Lunch Restaurants

EATING in (luick-lunch res- taurants amidst a l)al)el of discordant sounds from crashing tlishes and shouts from frenzied waiters is a torture about to be eliminated. An electrical system of ordering for lunchrooms, clubs, res- taurants and iiotcls has been devised. When an order is given the waiter will go to one or more sending stations con- \- e n i e n 1 1 >• placed and there pusii a button which will (jjK'rate an annuncia- tor installi'd in the kitch- en and teJl the kitchen hands just what food is wanted.

The send- ing station consists of a metal panel carrying a number of

��Press thr "Folk uikI Ucmis" l>iiltun iind the "Pork nml Beans" liRht flashes up in the kitchen. Thus you can now order your own meal in n certain CliicnKO lunch- room, or u waiter can order it noiselessly

��electrical push-buttons. Over each button is a name-plate into which can be placed a celluloid strip on which is written the particular dish which the l)ush-button is to represent.

From the sending stations cables are brought into the kitchen to form electri- cal connection between the push-buttons and the receiving station which is in the form of a cabinet, the front face of which contains as many electrically- operated indicators as there arc push- buttons in each sending station. Each time the waiters press any of the buttons of the sending stations, the correspond- ing indicators in the kitchen register the number of orders for each dish, the in- dicators advancing one number each time the buttons are depressed.

As long as any orders remain un- filled for any of the dishes indicated on ilie receiv- ing station panel, a tiny red light Hashesat the lower left- hand corner of each unit. .\s the or- ders are filled and passed out 1(1 tlu' dining-room or unchroom, the cooks press the correspond- ing push-buttons once for each dish, and the r(d light disappears.

The operating cur- rent is supplied by a storage battery. Two batteries arc inslallid: while one is serving the system, the other is being charged.

As many as one hun- dred i)ush-buttons can be arr.nigi-d on a panel of a sending station where the list of dishes on the menu is vcr\ \'aried and ex(ensi\e.

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