Improvements in Telegraphy.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 30th June, 1896-Accepted, 1st May, 1897
CORT PETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Telegraphy.
I, SAMUEL VAN BUREN ESSICK, a citizen of the United States, residing at
Yonkers, in the County of Westchester, and State of New York, U.S.A. Inventor
do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention relates to an improvement in telegraphy and while it is applicable
to the transmission of various forms of characters it has reference more particularly
to the transmission of telegraphic characters by the use of a single electrical impulse
for each character transmitted.
My said device is particularly applicable to ocean cable telegraphy, as by its use
I am enabled to transmit an alphabet of my invention by the transmission of which
in the use of the device herein set forth I employ only one electrical impulse for each
character.
My invention will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings of
which
Fig. 1, is a diagramatic view of the system showing all its working parts.
Fig. 2, is a side view of a siphon recorder.
Referring to my said drawing A is a local battery which is utilized by the use
of the springs a and b which contact with the cylinder B through the perforation
in the upper paper ribbon C. When any one of said perforations in the paper
ribbon C is reached by said contact springs a local current is sent through the
coils c, d of a polarized relay. If contact is made through one of the right hand
perforations an impulse of a predetermined polarity e.g. a positive impulse is sent
through the coils c, d, which causes the armature e¹ to move to the right, and thus
make contact with the point f whereby a current starts from the negative end of
the battery D, which current traverses the said armature e to the screw h, thence
it proceeds by the cable, i to the coil or solenoid E at the distant station, thence
by the wire to the earth E¹, thence through earth to wire K, thence through said
wire K to the battery.
By the said operation the solenoid E is actuated thereby moving the siphon
from the limited pin m, to the limited pin n, or vice versa. When the said action
takes place, a diagonal lateral line is traced on a paper ribbon as shown where the.
letters a, b, c, d, e, occur. The said ribbon being fed forward at a predetermined
rate of speed, and the current being held in one direction by means of the said
armature e and its contact pin which remains at rest until the next perforation is
reached by the spring a. The said siphon traces a straight line on said ribbon
until the perforation connecting the spring a with the cylinder B is reached when
a reverse current traverses the coils c, d, thereby moving the said armature from
contact to contact g which operation sends a reverse current through the cable i
and solenoid E whereby the action of said solenoid is reversed and the siphon J
drawn to the other side or against limit pin m thus indicating on said paper
ribbon the beginning of a new letter.
The mechanism which moves the perforated strip C and that which moves the
strip or ribbon F should be actuated in synchronism or each should at least have a
uniform rate of speed. By this means the characters transmitted are given their
distinction, each character being distinguished from all others by the distance
between the said lateral strokes.

page_text: If it be determined that the distance between the strokes which designate the
letter a shall be the shortest, the distance between the two perforations which form
the said letter a shall be correspondingly short, thus throughout the alphabet the
distance between the said perforations shall determine the character by means of said
circuits and mechanism.
It will be seen that my invention embodies, generally stated, means for causing
impulses successively alternating in polarity in the line, each alternation, of which
represents a complete letter, which letter is determined by the time between the
successive alternation combined with a receiver controller by such successive
impulses and adapted to record a letter for each alternating impulse, which letter
is determined by characteristics, independent of the polarity of the impulses, that
is to say, by their lengths, so that at each reversal or with each successive impulse
a complete letter is transmitted and recorded, which letter is determined solely by
the time between the reversals or impulses.
In the preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings, a
perforated strip of paper is used each perforation alternating in position with the
one which immediately preceded it, and the distance between the successive
alternating perforations varying in accordance with the letter to be transmitted, a
transmitter adapted to send to line the successive impulses alternating in polarity,
and a receiver having a single arm or recorder adapted to move laterally to one side
or the other with each impulse and to record the relative time between successive
impulses to determine the letter, thus forming each telegraphic letter by a single
stroke or record to one side or the other of a given or imaginary line.
I do not confine myself to the use of perforated paper as a means of transmission
as it is obvious that embossed paper or other means of forming contact may be
used. Nor do I confine myself to an exact means of recording the characters; as
this might be done by any suitable form of pen as a substitute for a siphon or by
projecting or photographing a ray of light. Nor do I restrict myself to the use of
a relay as the impulses may be sent directly from the spring contacts a and b.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. In telegraphy the means substantially as herein described of transmitting and
recording characters, which consists in means for causing impulses successively
alternating in polarity in the line, each alternation of which represents a complete
letter, the letter being determined by the time between the successive alternation
combined with a receiver controlled by such successive impulses, and adapted to
record a letter for each alternate impulse, which letters are determined by their
relative lengths.
2. In telegraphy the means substantially as herein described of transmitting and
recording characters, which consists in a perforated strip of paper which each
perforation alternates in position with the one immediately preceding it, a pair
only of perforations being employed for a letter and the distance between cach
pair of succeeding alternating perforations determining the letter to be transmitted,
a transmitter adapted to send to line the successive alternating impulses, and a
receiver comprising a recorder adapted to move to one side or the other with each
impulse and to record the relative time between the successive impulses, whereby
each alternating impulse produces a complete telegraphic letter.
3. In a telegrapher transmitter, the combination with a perforated strip of paper,
each perforation alternating in position with the one which immediately preceded
it, a pair only of perforations being employed for a letter and the distance between
each pair of succeeding alternating perforations determining the letter to be
transmitted, of means for feeding said paper, springs of which make contact with
a conducting surface through said perforations, a local battery connected to said
springs, a relay having necessary contact points, and a line battery and conductors
connected with said points controlled thereby, so that the current is sent to line in

page_text: impulses successively alternating in polarity and of a length to correspond with the
desired letter to be transmitted, substantially as described.
4. In a telegraphic apparatus, the combination with a perforated strip of paper,
each perforation of which is adapted to send to line an impulse alternating in
polarity to the impulse preceding it, a pair only of perforations being employed for
a letter and the distance between each pair of succeeding alternating perforations
determining the letter to be transmitted, of means for feeding the paper,
conducting spring making contact by means of said perforations, a line, a battery,
conductors, and a receiving instrument adapted to record the relative time between
each successive impulse to determine the letter, whereby a complete letter is sent
and received by the action of a single electric impulse or reversal, substantially as
described.
5. In telegraphy the combination of a perforated strip of paper a means for
feeding the same, springs which make contact with conducting surface through said
perforations, a local battery one end of which is connected with one end of said
contact spring, and the other end with the other contact spring, a conductor
leading from said conducting surface through the coils of a polarized relay to the
center of said local battery a line battery grounded in the middle, one end of said
line battery connecting with one end of the contact screw, screws of said relay and
the other end with the other contact screw, and the armature which makes contact
with said contact screws being connected with the line.
6. In a telegraphic apparatus, the combination of a perforated strip of paper,
each perforation alternating in position with the one which immediately preceded
it, a pair only of perforations being employed for a letter and the distance between
each pair of succeeding alternating perforations determining the letter to be
transmitted, contact devices controlled by said perforations and connected to the
line to send impulses successively alternating in polarity in accordance with said
perforations, and a recording device controlled by said alternating impulses and
forming at each impulse a single lateral and single longitudinal line, each succeeding
lateral and longitudinal line being on opposite sides of a central line, and each
representing a complete letter, substantially as described.
Dated this 30th day of June 1896.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.