Improvements in Printing Telegraphs.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Oct., 1891-Accepted, 7th Nov., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by MOSES GERRISH FARMER, of Eliot, York County,
Maine, United States of America, Electrician.]
Improvements in Printing Telegraphs.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co. Patent Agents
45 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare th.
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 present invention comprises a novel application of the induction coil or
principal of induction to the operation of printing telegraphs, according to which I
have produced a simple and economical system or combination of instruments for
transmitting and printing despatches, which is better adapted for general use, such
as for rail roads and the like, than the more complicated systems which have been
proposed, and which require on the part of the operators comparatively little
previous knowledge or skill for its manipulation.
The invention is mainly distinguished by the following characteristic features, I
employ an induction coil with primary and secondary circuits. The secondary
circuit is connected to the main line over which induced currents only pass, and in
the main line are polarized relays for each instrument or station that control the
escapement or other means employed for rotating the type-wheel. The primary
battery at each station, which is in operation only in transmitting, simply induces
the currents that perform the work or control the action of the instruments.
My invention will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in
which
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the main operative parts of the receiving and
printing mechanism of the invention.
Figure 2 is a diagramatic illustration of the printing devices.
Figure 3 is a diagramatic illustration of the parts comprising the invention
connected by the proper circuit wires.
At each station is a transmitting and receiving mechanism associated in one
instrument. The former comprises essentially a series of keys, A, B, alternately
connected to the positive and negative poles of a primary battery C. With each
key, as A, is associated as its anvil a flexible or pivoted strip or bar F, and similarly
associated with the keys B are the strips or bars G. The strips F, G are normally
in contact with bars or stops of any other proper kind H, I, respectively, and are
in contact with their respective keys only when the latter are depressed. If the
keys A are connected to the positive pole of the battery the bar or stops H with
which the strips F are normally in contact is connected to the negative pole and
the bar I to the positive pole.
In conjunction with the keys I employ a sun-flower or circuit disc K, composed
of a circular series of metallic plates secured to an insulating base, and over these a
contact arm or trailer K¹ is arranged to be rotated by any convenient mechanism
such as is ordinarily used for this purpose, for example, a ratchet-wheel R and two
magnets m, m' that actuate pawls m" that engage with said ratchet-wheel.
The trailer K' is connected to the middle of the battery, and the contact plates
over which it sweeps are alternately connected with the positive and negative
battery poles through the strips F, G, and bars H, I respectively. Therefore if no
key be depressed the movement of the trailer around the disc will close one half of
the battery cells and then the other alternately in opposite directions through the
circuit of which the trailer forms a part. This fact is taken advantage of in making
the alternately reversed currents induce currents from a primary coil T in a
secondary T¹, and causing these induced currents to actuate à polarized relay W

page_text: that controls the two branches of a circuit containing a local battery t and the
magnets m, m¹. A single current impulse in either direction will, therefore,
advance the trailer one step, but the movements are so proportioned to the width
of the plates L, M, that each single impulse moves the trailer from one plate L, to
another as M.
The trailer K' is conveniently mounted on a shaft K", Figure 1, on which, or in
gear with which is a type-wheel P and the ratchet or escapement-wheel R, and it
will be understood that when the proper relations between the numbers of the
contact plates L, M, characters on the type-wheel, and teeth of the ratchet-wheel
are observed, the position of the trailer will determine what character is brought to
the printing point.
S is the printing magnet and S¹ the printing lever or hammer operated thereby.
The paper S is drawn by any proper devices for this purpose between the hammer
and the type-wheel, and when the magnet S is energized the paper is forced
up against one of the letters on the type-wheel, which are inked by the inking
roller s.
The operation of the instrument is as follows:-Assuming the circuit conuections
to be established, by proper switches which I have not deemed it necessary to show
in detail in this case, to bring the line into condition for sending a despatch, the
trailer is moved on to one of the plates of the disc K, say, one of the plates L. The
trailer being connected to the middle of the battery, and each plate L to the
negative or zinc pole of the same through a wire L', the strip or lever F and the
bar H, a current will flow that induces a current in the coil T¹ and, according to its
direction shifts the polarized relay W on to one of its contacts and advances the
trailer one step or on to the next plate M. By following the connections above
described, it will be seen that this sends a current in the reverse direction through
the primary and secondary coils and the polarized relay, and that thereby the
tongue of the relay will be drawn over to the opposite side and another impulse
given to the trailer.
If any key, as one of the keys B, be depressed to print the letter which it
represents, the trailer and type-wheel revolve without interruption until the former
leaving one of the plates L moves onto the plate M, connected with the strip or
lever G of the particular key depressed. Such strip or lever by the depression of
its key is carried away from the bar I by which it was normally connected with the
positive battery pole, but by contact with its key it is now connected with the
negative pole of the battery. The trailer, however, by its contact with
the preceding plate L has sent a current to the negative pole so that it now sends
another current or impulse in the same direction. This does not move the relay W,
and, consequently the trailer and type-wheel come to a stop with the desired letter
at the printing point. This stoppage may be caused to operate the printing magnet
by such a device as the pallet X which I have shown in Figure 2. This pallet
rests upon a toothed wheel on the shaft of the type-wheel as the escapement or
ratchet wheel R. While this pallet is borne upon one of the teeth of the wheel R,
it is raised out of contact with a fixed stop or pin r. When, however, it falls
between two of the teeth of the said wheel, it turns so far as to bring its free end in
contact with pin r, by which means a local circuit containing the printing magnet S
and a battery is closed. During the normal operation and movement of the
wheel R, the pallet is not permitted to remain in contact with the pin p¹ for a
sufficient length of time to energize the printing magnet.
This apparatus in practice will be provided with some form of unison device but
as these are well-known and generally used in instruments of this kind I have not
illustrated any particular form herein.
The instrument at the distant station is the same as that shown. When not in
use or when receiving, the circuit of the primary battery C is broken, and the
relay W operated by the secondary impulses that come over the line from the
transmitting instrument.
It will be understood that in lieu of a single divided battery two independent

page_text: batteries may be used, and that in other and similar immaterial respects the
apparatus herein shown and described may be modified and varied without departure
from the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is :-
First. The combination in a printing telegraph mechanism, with a primary
battery, step-by-step mechanism adapted to reverse the current of the same, and
keys for reversing the order of the connections of any part or branch of the battery
circuit controlled by the step-by-step mechanism, of a secondary line circuit in
inductive relation to the primary circuit and a polarized magnet or relay therein
for actuating the step-by-step mechanism as set forth.
Second. In a printing telegraph mechanism, the combination of a primary
battery, a number of circuit branches corresponding to the characters to be printed
and connected alternately to opposite poles of the battery, a trailer connected to the
middle of the battery and means for moving the same step-by-step over the
terminal plates of the said branches, a primary coil in circuit with the trailer, a
secondary line circuit, a polarized magnet or relay therein for actuating or
controlling the step-by-step mechanism of the trailer, and character keys for
reversing the order of connection of each of the branches of the battery circuit, as
set forth.
Third. In a printing telegraph mechanism, the combination with a primary
battery circuit the current in which is reversed by the movement of the operative
parts of the instrument, a secondary line circuit in inductive relation to the same,
a polarized maguet or relay therein for actuating or controlling the action of the
instrument, and circuit reversing character keys for arresting such action, as
set forth.
Fourth. In a printing telegraph instrument, the combination of a sun-flower
circuit disc branch circuits connected with the plates thereof and leading alternately
from opposite battery poles, a trailer arranged to sweep over the plates of said disc
and connected to the middle of the battery, character keys adapted to reverse the
connections of each of the branch circuits, a secondary line circuit in inductive
relation to the trailer circuit and a relay therein for actuating or controlling the
movement of the trailer.
Fifth. The combination with a step-by-step mechanism actuated or operated by
induced currents in a line circuit, a primary battery and circuit adapted to be
reversed by said step-by-step mechanism for inducing the currents in the secondary
circuit, character keys adapted to reverse the connections of any circuit or branch
closed by the step-by-step mechanism, whereby two consecutive currents of the
same direction may be produced in the primary circuit, as set forth.
Dated this 6th day of October 1891.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.