IM- PROVEMENTS IN INSTRUMENTS OR APPARATUS FOR PREPARING THE STRIPS CF PAPER OR OTHER MATERIAL EMPLOYED FOR CONVEYING SIGNALS IN ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH APPARATUS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Pearson Hill, of No. 47, Kensington Park
Gardens, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN INSTRUMENTS OR APPARATUS FOR PREPARING THE STRIPS CF
PAPER OR OTHER MATERIAL EMPLOYED FOR CONVEYING SIGNALS IN ELECTRIC
TELEGRAPH APPARATUS."
Sealed the 11th May 1869, and dated the 14th November 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Pearson Hill at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th November 1868.
I, PEARSON HILL, of No. 47, Kensington Park Gardens, in the County
of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN INSTRUMENTS OR APPARATUS FOR PREPARING THE STRIPS OF
PAPER OR OTHER MATERIAL EMPLOYED FOR CONVEYING SIGNALS IN ELECTRIC
TELEGRAPH APPARATUS," to be as follows:-
My Invention has for its object the construction of apparatus of a
comparatively simple nature and of casy manipulation for perforating,

page_text: puncturing, or indenting the required signs, symbols, or letters upon
strips of paper or other material for conveying electric telegraph signals,
whereby the whole of the perforations required for one letter or symbol,
as also all other perforations for guiding or other purposes, are pro-
duced at one operation. For this purpose I arrange side by side a
sufficient number of punches to produce all the varieties of letters or
symbols required. These punches are acted upon by a lever through
the intervention of a series of perforated plates constructed on the
jacquard principle, in such manner that by bringing a certain plate
between the lever and the punches only those of the latter are acted
upon, so as to perforate the paper which represent the letter or symbol
required, a fixed stop. preventing the lever from moving further than is
desired. The punches are, by preference, carried loosely by means of
shoulders or notches in a plate actuated by a spring which withdraws
them from the paper after the punching has been effected. The per-
forated plates may be actuated in various ways for bringing the required
one between the lever and the punches; thus in one arrangement I
place them round the circumference of a disc which is rotated by a
handle working round on the face of a dial, upon which are marked the
various letters of the alphabet or other symbols, so that by turning
the handle to the particular letter required the corresponding plate is
brought between the lever and the punches; the lever is then moved so
as to act upon the latter; and in order to insure the exact correspondence
of the plate and punches a tapering pin attached to the lever is made,
as this is moved, to enter a corresponding hole in the disc carrying the
plate, and another hole in the plate itself. This pin also prevents the
motion of the lever before the perforated plate is brought into position,
and it is made of such a length that the lever must always be moved
the proper distance for actuating the paper in the manner hereafter
described before the disc can be turned to bring another plate into use.
The paper to be perforated is made to pass between two plates having
perforations corresponding with all the punches; it is fed forward, after
being perforated, to an extent varying with the length of the letter or
symbol by the following arrangement:-The lever acting on the punches
carries a spring connected by a rod to a pawl in gear with a ratchet
wheel imparting motion to a pair of nipping or feeding rollers between
which the paper passes. The pawls has an arm connected thereto, the
extent of whose motion is regulated by a series of projections or
indentations on a disc carried by the spindle that rotates the perforated

page_text: plates. These projections are so formed as to allow the pawl to pass
over such a number of teeth of the ratchet wheel as will, when the
lever is restored to its former position after acting on the punches, cause
the paper to be carried forward a distance corresponding with the length
of the letter or symbol just impressed plus the space between it and the
next following letter or symbol.
Instead of placing the spring upon the lever, as described, it may be
arranged to act directly upon the pawl for the backward motion thereof,
while its forward motion is effected by a loose rod or chain connected to
the lever.
In place of the before-described arrangement of the punches and
perforated plates a number of punches might be arranged on the
circumference of the disc, grouped for cach symbol, and be brought
under the action of the lever in a manner similar to that above
described.
In place of rotating the disc and working the lever by hand, one or
both may be worked by clockwork or other motive power, in which case
stops must be provided marked with the different letters or symbols,
which on being depressed or otherwise moved would arrest the disc in
the requisite position and at the same time bring the lever into action.
The reel of paper may conveniently be placed in a recess or drawer
beneath the machine, from which the end is led over guides or rollers to
the perforating apparatus.
In order to prevent the tearing of the paper by the jerk of the forward
motion one of the rollers over which the paper passes is actuated by a
spring which can give way to a slight extent when from the vis inertia
of the reel or from other causes the tension on the paper would
otherwise be excessive. A shoot is provided, leading from the punches
either to a drawer or to the outside of the machine, through which the
portions of the paper punched out pass so as to prevent their fouling
the machine.
In order to indicate readily which end of the perforated paper has
to be fed into a transmitting machine I so construct the cutter for
separating the strip after the perforations are made that it will cut
a V or other peculiarly shaped end on the
paper.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Pearson Hill in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 14th May 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PEARSON
HILL, of No. 47, Kensington Park Gardens, in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-cight, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Pearson Hill, Her special
licence that I, the said Pearson Hill, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Pearson Hill, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
INSTRUMENTS OR APPARATUS FOR PREPARING THE STRIPS OF PAPER OR OTHER
MATERIAL EMPLOYED FOR CONVEYING SIGNALS IN ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH APPARATUS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Pearson Hill, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Pearson Hill, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to
say:
My Invention has for its object the construction of apparatus of a
comparatively simple nature and of easy manipulation for perforating,
puncturing, or indenting the required signs, symbols, or letters upon
strips of paper or other material for conveying electric telegraph signals

page_text: whereby the whole of the perforations required for one letter or symbol,
as also all other perforations for guiding or other purposes, are produced
at one operation. For this purpose I arrange side by side a sufficient
number of punches to produce all the varieties of letters or symbols
required. These punches are acted upon by a lever through the
intervention of a series of perforated plates, constructed on the jacquard
principle, in such a manner that by bringing a certain plate between
the lever and the punches only those of the latter are acted upon so
as to perforate the paper which represent the letter or symbol required,
a fixed stop preventing the lever from moving further than is desired.
The punches. arc by preference carried loosely by means of shoulders or
notches in a plate actuated by a spring which withdraws them from
the paper after the punching: has been effected. The perforated. plates.
may be actuated in various ways for bringing the required one between.
the lever and the punches..
Figures 1 to 3 on Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings shew one
arrangement of my improved apparatus; Figure 1 shews a plan, partly
in section, of the same; Figure 2 shows a sectional elevation on line
X, X, Figure 1; and Figure 3 shews a sectional elevation on line Y, Y,
Figure 1. Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts in each of.
the Figures.
In this arrangement the before-mentioned perforated or jacquard
plates A, A, are arranged to project round the circumference of the
disc B, being continued beneath the disc, as indicated. at Figure 1,. near
the centre of which disc they are fixed thereto, the outer ends being.
capable of a certain amount of downward spring action limited by the
pins C, C. The disc B is carried by the vertical spindle D, which passes:
through the top of the casing E and is there provided with a hinged
handle F which in being moved round over the dial F to any particular
letter or symbol marked thereon brings the jacquard plate A for
producing such letter over a series of punches at G. The rim of the
dial F is notched, as shewn in Figure 3, in order that the handle E in.
entering such notches shall hold the particular jacquard plate in the
exact position required. The punches G, which are arranged in three-
rows, the middle row of which punches the guiding holes, are carried
by a spring arm H and work through a guide I, between the lower
surface of which and the plate J the paper strip K to be perforated
passes. The plate J has perforations corresponding with the punches

page_text: into which these latter pass when depressed. Such depressing of the
punches is effected by the lever L hinged to the casing E at L', which
lever in being pressed down by the hand of the operator, after the required
plate A has been brought between it and the top of the punches, causes
those punches to be depressed that are covered by the metal of the plate,
while those punches over which one of the holes in the plate are situated
or which are not covered at all by the plate are not acted upon, so that
only the first-mentioned punches are caused to perforate the paper strip
and thus to produce the required letter or symbol. In order to keep
the jacquard plates accurately in position corresponding with the
punches to be acted upon while the lever is being depressed, this latter
carries a pin which in passing down with the lever enters holes b, b,
formed in the disc B and plates A and thus holds the latter. This pin also
serves to prevent the lever L from being depressed until the plates A
have been brought into proper position. A stop M prevents the
lever L from being depressed beyond the point required for effecting
the perforation of the paper, and a spring N connected to an arm N¹
on the lever serves to raise the lever back into its original position
after the punching has been effected. The paper strip K passes from
the reel O contained in a drawer at the bottom of the casing, first
over a roller P carried by the spring P¹ (in order to prevent the tearing
of the paper by any sudden jerk of the feed rollers), and then under
the roller Q to the punches, whence it passes between the feed rollers
R, R', (of which R' is indicated in red lines in Figure 2) which nip
it, and of which R' is actuated in the following manner so as to feed
the paper forward a distance corresponding to the length of the letter
punched plus the space between two letters. The lever L carries a
spring S connected by means of the rod T to a spring pawl U in gear
with the ratchet wheel V on the same spindle as the feed roller R³, so
that the downward motion of the lever causes the pawl to pass over
the teeth of the ratchet wheel, while the upward motion of the lever
causes the pawl to turn the ratchet wheel and with it the feed rollers.
The spring pawl U is carried by an arm W turning on the spindle of
the ratchet wheel, and having a lateral projecting part W' which
passes over the notched cylinder a carried by the spindle D. This
cylinder. has a number of notches or projections equal in number to
the jacquard plates A, and each varying in height according to the
length of the letter represented by the plate A situated immediately
above it. These notches when brought round by the turning of the

page_text: spindle D to the point where the corresponding plate A is acted upon
by the lever prevent the downward motion of the pawl over the teeth
of the ratchet wheel beyond a certain distance by the arm W₁ coming
in contact with the particular notch, as indicated in Figure 2, so that
the lever L in rising will move the feed rollers and consequently the
paper strip through a distance corresponding with the length of the
letter just punched. As before stated c is a stationary pawl in gear
with the ratchet wheel V to prevent any backward motion thereof
while the pawl U is moving down over the same preparatory to the
next forward motion. The small picces of paper punched out are
caused to pass down a shoot d, shewn in red lines in Figures 2 and 3,
out of the casing.
Instead of placing the spring S upon the lever L as described, it
may be arranged to act directly upon the pawl for the downward
motion thereof, while its upward motion is effected by a loose rod or
chain connected to the lever.
In place of the before-described arrangement of the punches and
jacquard plates, a number of punches might be arranged on the circum-
ference of the disc grouped for cach symbol and be brought under the
action of the lever in a manner similar to that above described.
In place of rotating the disc and working the lever by hand, one or
both may be worked by clockwork or other motive power, in which
case stops must be provided marked with the different letters or symbols,
which on being depressed or otherwise moved would arrest the disc
in the requisite position and at the same time bring the lever into
action.
Figures 1 to 9 on Sheets II., III., & IV. of the Drawings show
another arrangement of the perforating machine; Figure 4 shews a plan
of the same; Figures 5 and 6 shew side views of the machine respectively
at X and at Y, Figure 4; Figure 7 shews an end view, partly in section
at Z, Figure 4; and Figures 8 and 9 shew detached details respectively.
of the jacquard plates and of the ratchet mechanism for feeding, the
paper forward.
In this arrangement the perforated or "jacquard" plates A, A, A,
instead of being arranged round the circumference of a disc, as in the
former case, are all placed one above the other, like cards in a pack,
inside a box B, carried by an arm C. Each plate is connected by a rod
D, D, to a separate bell crank E, E, which is actuated so as to push

page_text: forward the particular plate out of the open end of the box B, as indi-
cated in Figures 4 and 6, by depressing one of the finger keys F, F,
arranged similar to those of a pianoforte, each key being marked with the
letter of the alphabet or other symbol corresponding with that represented
by the jacquard plate actuated. In order to arrange the connections of
the rods D to the plates A so that they shall not interfere with each other
the arms A', A', of every set of four consecutive plates are arranged, as
shown at Figures 4 and 8, so as not to lie directly beneath each other
when in the pack. The arm C carrying the plates A turns on the same
fulcrum G as the punching lever H situated as before over the punches I,
which lever carries the arm C by means of a bracket J in such a manner
that when the lever is depressed the arm C follows its downward motion
(either simply by its own weight or by the action of a spring) until the
jacquard plate that has been pushed forward rests upon the top of the
punches and thus arrests the motion of the arm; the depression of the
lever I upon the projecting jacquard plate then forces down the parti-
cular punches required, which are thus made to perforate the paper K,.
as in the previous arrangement. The three punches of the middle row
shewn in Figures 4 and 7 as projecting beyond the punches of the two
outer rows, and which serve to punch the guiding holes representing the
space between every two letters, are made of sufficient length to be acted
upon by the lever every time without the intervention of the jacquard
plate.
Various arrangements may be employed for bringing the lever into
action otherwise than by working it by hand, such as by atmospheric
pressure or by the arrangement shewn in the Drawings, in which the
depression of the finger key for pushing forward the required jacquard
plate at the same time causes the lever H to be brought into action. For
this
purpose the free end of the lever H is connected by a connecting rod L
to a crank pin m on the face of a space wheel M made to gear with the
fly wheel N either by means of an india-rubber rim or by being formed
with Robertson's grooved frictional gearing surfaces, so that when the
space wheel is put in gear with the fly wheel (receiving continuous
rotary motion from any suitable source of power) it is caused to perform
one rapid revolution, thereby depressing the lever H and causing it to act
upon the punches, and afterwards restoring it to its normal position.
The putting in gear of the space wheel and the arresting its motion when
it has performed one revolution is effected by the depression of a finger

page_text: key in the following manner :-The space wheel has a boss m¹ with a
flat surface, against which presses the spring O in such manner as to
tend to turn the wheel in the direction of the arrow (Figure 7), and
thereby to throw it in gear with the fly wheel. The space wheel is
however prevented from obeying such impulse by a stud m² resting
against the pallet p on the lever P; this lever is fixed on a spindle Q
passing underneath all the keys F; beneath each of which is the arm R¹
of a tappet R also fixed on the spindle, and so formed that by depressing
the key the tappet is also depressed and thereby turns the spindle Q and
with it the lever P so as to release the stud m² from the pallet p,
whereupon the space wheel is free to follow the impulse of the spring O.
The tappets R are acted upon by springs S, which raise them again on
the releasing of the finger key, and thus bring the pallet p back into its
former position so as to intercept the motion of the space wheel on com-
pletion of a revolution. In order to insure such stopping of the space
wheel, should the lever P not regain its position sufficiently quick, a
second pallet p₁ is formed thereon to receive the stud m² as it comes
round, from which it will fall on to the pallet p when the lever P regains
its position. In place of bringing the punching lever H into action by
the depression of the finger keys, as described, it may be independently
actuated by means of a separate lever or key on the spindle Q to be
depressed by the free hand of the operator. The advance of the paper
strip K after a letter or symbol has been punched in it is effected as in the
first-described arrangement by means of a spring pawl T actuated by a
spring U carried by the lever H and in gear with the toothed wheel V
which is in gear with the feed rollers W, between which the paper is
nipped and fed forward, the extent of motion of the paper in proportion
to the length of the letter punched being as before regulated by causing
the spring U and pawl T to partake of only a certain portion of the
downward motion of the lever. Such regulation of the motion of the
pawl is also effected by the depression of the particular finger key by the
following arrangement:-The pawl T is connected to a bell crank a, on
which is formed the curved rack 6, the teeth of which catch against a
stud on the lever c, which lever is carried by a spindle c¹ passing under
the finger keys, beneath each of which it carries the arm c¹ of a tappet c.
Upon the under side of the keys F are formed studs f (of different
lengths, as shewn more clearly in Figure 6), varying with the length of
the letter represented by the respective key, so that on depressing a key
the tappet e, and with it the lever c, will. also be depressed to an extent

page_text: proportionate to the length of the letter, and will thus allow of the pawl T
being moved over a greater or less number of teeth on the wheel V before
its motion is stopped by one of the teeth of the rack 6 coming in contact
with the stud on the lever c. The tappets e are acted upon by springs g
which raise the same and with them the lever c after having been
depressed. In order to prevent more than one finger key being depressed
at one time I employ a similar arrangement to that used for that purpose
in Wheatstone's A, B, C, telegraph apparatus (not shown on the
Drawing) consisting of a chain passing along underneath all the keys,
and having sufficient slack only to allow of the depression of one key,
whereby the chain is pressed down between two bars or rods, across
which it passes. The paper strip K is led from the reel over guide
rollers i, j, to the punches, of which the roller i is, as in the first arrange-
ment, carried on a spring arm so as to yield to any sudden jerk. The
punches I are carried, as in the first arrangement, by a spring arm k, as
shewn in Figures 5 and 6, the punches being held in position by means
of thin plates entering notches in the sides thereof and secured at the
ends to the spring arm. 1 (Figures 5 and 7) is an angular cutter for
separating the paper strip after the message has been punched therein,
the angular incision made by which readily indicates the direction in
which the paper has to be fed into the signalling instrument.
In both the before-described arrangements of the punching apparatus
in order not to subject the thin jacquard plates to the considerable
pressure which the punching lever has to exert in depressing the spring
arm which withdraws the punches after they have passed through the
paper, the lever may be provided with a finger pressing directly on the
spring arm so that no pressure shall come on the jacquard plates but what
is necessary for forcing the punches through the paper.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do
not limit myself to the arrangements thereof shewn on the accom-
panying Drawings, as various other modifications may be adopted
without departing from the nature of my Invention; nor do I claim
otherwise than in combination with the arrangement of jacquard plates,
punches, and lever as described, the use of a series of finger keys for
selecting and bringing into action the requisite punches, as I am aware
that an arrangement of finger keys has already been proposed for a similar
purpose; but what I claim is,-

page_text: First. Constructing and using machinery or apparatus for perforating
paper for conveying electric telegraph signals wherein a series of plates
acting on the jacquard principle are consecutively interposed between a
series of punches and a lever or pressing instrument acting upon such
punches so as to cause the lever to bring into action only such of the
punches as are required for producing a particular letter or symbol and
the necessary guiding holes, substantially as herein-before set forth.
Second. Effecting the forward motion of the paper by a ratchet wheel
and pawl mechanism so arranged and actuated either directly or indirectly
by the pressing lever that the motion imparted to the ratchet wheel shall
always be proportionate to the length of the lotter or symbol previously
punched, substantially as herein-before described.
Third. Separating the paper strip in which a message has been punched
by means of a cutting instrument so formed as to make an angular
incision in the paper for the purposes set forth.
Fourth. Carrying one of the guide rollers over which the paper strip
passes from the reel to the punches upon a spring arm, substantially as
and for the purposes set forth.
Fifth. I claim in combination the general arrangement of perforating
apparatus for punching simultaneously the guiding and telegraphing holes
in the strip of paper or other material, as herein-before described with
reference to the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Pearson Hill, have hereunto set my
hand and scal, this Thirteenth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.