Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-06-12

are created upon the circuit Ebeyo: These
tions caused by the souud-that is. they are
represented graphically by similar curves.
The undulatoTy current passing through the
copy the motion OF the armature, C. A similar
sound TO that uttered into A Is then heard to
To simplify: In the fifth claim and the part of
the specification quoted above, the applicant
declares that his invention consists in this In
being uttered or otherwise Communicated
through q receiver and by reason of their force
being made to impinge upon an armature, inn
part TO IL the vibrations OF the air; that these
motions OF the armature cause corresponding
undutattons In the electrical current, 80 that at
the end Of the circuit similar vibrations are
given TO another armature, through II TO the
surrounding air and
THROUGH THE AIR TO THE HUMAN EAR.
Thus voice is communicated TO the electrical
current, and reproduced at the end OF the wire
in the air, and all this by reason OF the dis
covered fact that vibrations In the ar caused
by sound are 90 similar to the und ulations I'm
the electrical current that vocal sound, OF
from air to the electrician current, and de-
hvered again through the air by means
OF receiving and q delivering or emitting arma-
ture.
The great discovered fact was that the vibra-
lions In the air are similar in form 70 the fol-
snd asas a iS @ ~ sh
innate vibrations.
It follows that as are the vibrations SO are the
whatever pitch or ioudness, whether constant
or varying In pitch or loudness, whether caused
by single or by successive sounds We think
this q sufficient description OF the process and
apparatus, and OF the whole discovery patented,
and that II neither required nor did 1t require
any substantial changes by the amendments
subsequently made, matter from what
source suggested or desired.
Another objection urged by the defense was
lions and Illustrated by figure is not capable
OF transmitting articuiate speech. There
affdsvits to this effect. but the affidavits I'm
favor OF the capabilify are very strong and
satisfactory, and the court itself, through Its
own senses, was convinced that the transmits
by means OF the Bell apparatus, as exhibited
The fact that Bells invention certainly dates
rom January 20, 1876, and that IT covers n
speaking telephone transmitting articulate
speech, by means of an undulatory, oscillatory
or vibratory current OF electricity, renders Il
unnecessary TO pass upon the evidence relating
10 the tergiversations and claims OF Gray; the
alleged frauds OF Bell in advancing his applica-
Lon tor q patent, the illegal conduct and con-
f1icting statements OF Examiner Wilbur and
many alleged vices and Irregularities, the evil
oence OF which forms the bulk OF the record,
ana apparently the main defense in the case.
Al the same time II is proper TO say that in all
the evidence We have found nothing that shows
that Bell has done or caused TO be done any
thing inconsistent with his right to be called an
honest man, with clean hands.
IL he availed himself of Information derived
nied on the same day as his Bells application
(which, however, does not appearL he had a
right to do SO to enable him to restrict and limit
anu clearly define his application, the In
formation shown to have been furnished was
furnished under the authority OF rule 33 of the
Patent office for such purpose.
We will next consider the second ground Of
defense, which is that the invention OF Bell
lacked novelty, because 1t mad been anticipated
That keiss made grea: strides toward the dis
coxery OF the great fact or law saoseq GENTLY
admit Of doubt.
THAT HE FAILED TO REACH 1T
Is equally beyond question. at f. impossible
to transmit speech electrically by means OF
that operation, tor the reproduction of articula-
ton requires the reproduction not merely of
the number Of sonorous vibrations, but what is
technically known as their form or character
The electrical changes on the line which are
to convey this characteristic from the trans
mitter TO the receiver cannot do that unless
they take note OF that characteristic and bear
Its impress This is as certain as any elemen-
tary proposition OF geometry"
Reiss apparently had no idea OF operating
through continuous, uninterrupted current,
which should be undulatory, /. e. should be
plastic. impossible, and should be the medium
OF receiving freely and continuously and repro
ducing exactly the vibrations In the air accom-
panying sound by the corresponding disturb
ances In the electrical current without any i'm.
Permission OF the flowing OF the current.
Reiss discovered that by means Of the cleo
trical current sound could be received, trans
tones that was transmitted, and exclusively by
means of an Intermittent make and break cur
rent-a current incapable Of conveying the
and, therefore, incapacitated TO convey articu-
late speech. His apparatus appears to have
boen devised In the attempt to transmit speech
by electricity, but the attempt was an acknowl-
edged failure. His apparatus, under the infiu-
snce Of the voice or other sounds, simply broke
frequency corresponding to the pitch of the
sounds. Prot Trowbridge says
In the Enthusiastically or the annual report OF
1S6O-61, is an account given by Refss imself
OF his Invention and apparatus. 1t WAS pre-
sented 70 the court as translated in the bio
graphical sketch OF Philip Ress by Silvanus p
Thompson, published in London in 1883. Upon
asuggestion that the translation might be i'm
perfect, we ordered that the memoir be OBJ
tanned from the Congressional Library, and
should be translated into English by J. Hanno
Deifer, professor OF German in the Tulane Uni
description OF his invention and apparatus as
given in the two TRANSACTIONS. While differing
In the words used in the two renderings. they
agree In making Reiss state that
HE USES AN "INTERMIrTENT CURRENT,
and that "each sound wave effects an opening
and closing Of the current" This Is made even
more palpable by his illustration OF his appa-
ratus or instrument This is entirely incon-
sistent with any idea of q continuing current
which should undulate, l. e., be Increased or d.
mintshed merely by an apparatus so con-
structed as to be susceptible OF being put in mo-
ton by the vibrations OF the air produced by
sound and should freely receive convey and de-
liver single or successive sounds by reason of
being SO constructed as to be capable OF being
started and continued in motion just SO long as
the vibrations OF the air lasted. He did not APP
ply to his instrument the law-indeed, he seems
not to have designed his instrument with any
reference to the law-that the vibrations in one
medium had an exact correspondence to the
fluctuations in the other, not only for an in
slant, but for any period OF time.
The merit and as We think, the originality of
the Bell invention consisted in the discovery of
this law and in the construction OF his app;i-
ratus SO that when the sound caused aerial
movements or vibrations they might, without
any intermtssiOn OF the current be freely trans
ferred or translated into electrical fluctuations
which again at the end of the circuit would
freely reproduce the aerial vibrations and thus
convey, single or combined, transmitted sounds
TO the ear and continue to convey them with
out Interruptions rs originally uttered, whether
single, combined or successive.
A great fact Ia proof Of the correctness OF this
deduction is, that the instruments invented by
Reiss and his methods were described in many
scientific papers and works, aud were well
known in the scientific world, and the instru-
Vienna and Frankfort, and had been exhibited
deposited In the Smithsonian institution, and
yet before 1870 there was no speaking telephone
In use, nor any pretense OF any.
The various reproductions OF Reiss and HIS
methods all were based upon the same defective
electrical means-an intermittent circuit break
ing current, and all were practical failures for
the admission OF SnAnah until Rofi's ynofhod