AN IMPROVED MECHANICAL RECORDER.
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Julius Sax, of 108, Great Russell Street,
Bloomsbury, in the County of Middlesex, Telegraphic Instrument
Manufacturer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MECHANICAL
RECORDER.'
"".
Sealed the 22nd December 1870, and dated the 25th June 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Julius Sax at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th June
1870.
I, JULIUS SAX, of 108, Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, in the
County of Middlesex, Telegraphic Instrument Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED MECHANICAL
RECORDER," to be as follows:-
:-
A printing instrument so constructed as to record messages consisting
of certain letters, signs, or figures which may comprise words or
sentences. The velocity of its working being increased by additional spiral.
rows of pins or stops upon its barrel. The instrument being also capable..

page_text: of producing from one to any number of such letters, signs, or figures at
the same time according to the number of type wheels and augmentation
of power used as further described. Across the length of a metal frame
is pivotted a barrel which has one or more type wheels fixed or mounted
at one of its extreme ends, while its opposite end has a pinion gearing it
into a train of clockwork wheels which keeps it revolving when in action;
upon the periphery of the barrel and running the whole length of it in
a spiral form are pins or stops which must agree in number to the
letters, signs, or figures upon the type wheel or wheels. The barrel may
have one row of these spirally placed pins or more according to the
velocity with which it is required to be worked; for instance, if the
instrument should be required to be worked at the rate of 15 words a
minute, one row of pins would be sufficient; if 30 words (double the
speed) two rows of pins or stops; in which case there must be two sets
of letters, signs, or figures upon the type wheels to correspond with the
pins upon the barrel.
.
Underneath the barrel and at right angles with it are fixed one or
more rows of keys or levers, like the keys of a pianoforte, these keys
are fixed so as to be parallel to each other, and the distances to corre-
spond with the distances between the stops on the barrel, each row of 2
keys having one common axle upon which they are worked underneath
the row or rows of keys; a metal (or other) bar is fixed to prevent them
when pressed down going beyond a certain limit, another bar being
placed at the top to prevent them rising above a certain height; on this
bar is a scale denoting the letter or sign of the key immediately under 2
it, which may if preferred be marked on the keys themselves, each key
or lever having a spring underneath which keeps it pressed against the
top bar. These keys or levers have hooks at their ends immediately
under the barrel and turned towards it, so that if either of the keys or
levers should be pressed down in front upon the bottom bar the hook at 8
the other end of the lever would rise up in front of the pin on the barrel
and stop the barrel in a certain position, and as each pin corresponds to
the letters or signs upon the type wheel by pressing down the key of the
required letter or sign the stop on the barrel causes its corresponding
letter or sign always to be brought into position. The under part of the 3
front of the keys or levers is also made with a hook which catches under
a projection forming the top part of a rocking piece, this projection having

page_text: been filed to the necessary angle, so that when a key is pressed down upon
the bottom bar its projecting hook would by its action drive back the
rocking piece and catch itself underneath the projection on its top, re-
maining in this position until released in a similar way by the pressure on
the top of the next key, which would again by its hook underneath drive
back the rocking piece, catch under the projecting piece at the top of
the rocking piece, and remain in position until again released by the
pressure of the next key, which thus pressed down releases the former.
The rocking piece runs the whole length of the range of keys and moves
upon pivots which are fixed on each side of the bottom ends, the
elevation and depression of the keys causing the backward and forward
movement of the rocking piece. Inside the metal frame (the side where
the type wheels are) an upright bar is pivotted; this bar has an arm
fixed upon it which reaches to the end of the rocking piece, and lays
against it, being kept in the position of pressure against the rocking
piece by a spring outside for that purpose, so that when the rocking
piece is caused by the pressure of the keys to move backwards and
forwards in the way before described, it would give the same oscillating
movement to the bar by means of the arm pressing against it through
the spring; this movement to and fro of the upright bar gives the same
movement to an eccentric or cam fixed upon an axle which is pivotted
horizontally to this bar on the outer frame, one end of the axle being
pivotted to the outer frame, and the other end to an angle piece directly
under the rocking bar; upon the extreme end of this axle is an upright
piece of metal, having a pin on the face of it; this pin fits in a slit at
the top of this rocking bar, so that the to-and-fro movement of this bar
will also cause the to-and-fro movement of the eccentric or cam under-
neath which is one end of a lever; this lever is fixed upon an axis, and
running parallel with the axis carrying the eccentric or cam, the other
end of the lever being inserted in the hole of a sliding piece placed under
the centre of the type wheel or wheels, and at right angles thereto, so
that when one side of the lever is depressed by the movement of the
eccentric or cam it raises the other side, and so lifts up the sliding piece
that the top part of it comes into contact with the type wheels and
immediately under them. The top part of the sliding piece is padded
with a soft material so that the paper bands passing over
a better impression of the letters or signs which happen to be imme-
diately above it, the bands or strips of paper passing over the pad of the
it
may
receive

page_text: sliding piece and under the type wheels is carried over a drum placed at
the back of the pad and turning on an axis; this axis carries a ratchet
wheel, and underneath this ratchet wheel is a click connected with the
upright bar, which has an arm pressing against the rocking piece, as
before described, so that the backward movement of this rocking piece is
conveyed to the drum through the ratchet wheel and click, thus causing
the drum to revolve by each of these backward movements, and thereby
advancing the paper which is guided over the pad immediately under
the type wheels step by step. The forward movement of this rocking
picce as conveyed through the eccentric and lever raising the sliding
piece carrying the pad which has the band of paper to receive the
impression from the type wheel or wheels, while its backward movement
carries off the bands or strips of paper by means of the drum and rollers
which keep the strips of paper pressed between. Over the type wheels
is suspended a frame in which is an axis carrying a drum, the frame
being hinged so as to allow the drum to lie upon the type wheels. This
drum is hollow and is made to contain ink; upon its periphery there are
small holes drilled through which the ink exudes, and to prevent its
oozing out too rapidly and unequally the outside of the drum is covered
with felt which absorbs the ink and supplies the type wheels. In order
to provide for a repetition of letters or signs a separate key or lever is
fixed to move the arm laying upon the rocking piece without moving
the rocking piece itself, so that when this lever or key is pressed down it
will by means of the eccentric or cam raise the pad on the sliding piece,
carrying the paper to receive a second impression of the required letter
or sign upon the type wheel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Julius Sax in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th December 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JULIUS 30
SAX, of 108, Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, in the County of
Middlesex, Telegraphic Instrument Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of June, in the year

page_text: of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Julius Sax, Her special licence that
I, the said Julius Sax, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Julius Sax, 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 "AN IMPROVED MECHANICAL RECORDER,'
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Julius Sax, 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 Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
"
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Julius Sax, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
-
The improved mechanical recorder is a printing instrument con-
structed to record or print telegraphic messages consisting of certain
letters, signs, or figures which may comprise words or sentences. The
velocity of its working being increased by additional spiral rows of pins
or stops upon its barrel. The instrument being also capable of producing
from one to any number of copies of such letters, signs, or figures at the
same time, according to the number of type wheels and augmentation of
power used as further described.
Across the length of a metal frame is pivoted a barrel a, Fig. 1,
which has one or more type wheels 6 fixed or mounted at one of its
extreme ends, while its opposite end has a pinion c gearing it into a
train of clockwork wheels d which keeps it revolving when in action.
Upon the periphery of the barrel a and fixed the whole length of it in a
spiral form are pins or stops e, which must agree in number to the
letters, signs, or figures upon the type wheel or wheels b. The barrel
may have one row of these spirally placed stops e or more, according to

page_text: the velocity with which it is required to be worked. For instance, if the
instrument should require to be worked at the rate of 15 words a minute
one row of stops would be sufficient, if 30 words (double the speed) two
rows of stops; in which case there must be two sets of signs or letters
upon the type wheels 6 to correspond with the stops e upon the barrel a.
Underneath the barrel are fixed one or more rows of keys or levers f,
∙Figs. 1, 3, 4, and 5, like the keys of a pianoforte; these keys fare fixed
so as to be parallel to each other and the distances to correspond with the
distances of the stops e on the barrel a above, each row of keys having
one common axle upon which they are worked. Underneath the row or
rows of keys a metal (or other) bar is fixed g to prevent them when
pressed down going beyond a certain limit, another bar h being placed
at the top to prevent them rising above a certain height. Upon this bar
is a scale denoting the letters or signs of the levers or keys, see Fig. 1,
or such might be placed upon the top of the levers themselves. Each
key or lever has a spring i underneath which keeps it pressed against the
top bar ; these keys or levers have hooks j at their ends immediately
under the barrel a and turned towards it (see Figs. 4 and 5) so that if
either of the keys or levers should be pressed down in front upon the
bottom bar the hook j at the other end of the lever would rise up in front
of the stop e on the barrel a and stop the barrel in a certain position, and
as each stop corresponds to the letters or signs upon the type wheel by
pressing down the key of the required letter or sign the stop on the barrel
causes the corresponding letter or sign always to be brought into position.
The under part of the front of the keys or levers are also made with a
hook k which catches under a projection / forming the top part of a
rocking piece m, this projection having been properly eased or rounded
off so that when a key is pressed down upon the bottom bar its projecting
hook would by its action drive back the rocking piece, and catch itself
underneath the projection on its top, remaining in this position until
released in a similar way by the pressure on the top of the next key which
would again by its hook underneath drive back the rocking piece, catch
'under the projecting piece at the top of the rocking piece and remain in
position until again released by the pressure of the next key, see Fig. 5,
where one key is down and locked under the rocking piece m. The next
key as shewn by the dotted line being just in the act of releasing the
former.
The rocking piece m runs the whole length of the range of keys and

page_text: moves upon pivots which are fixed upon each side of the bottom ends,
the elevation and depression of the keys causing the backward and
forward movement of the rocking piece. Inside the metal frame (the
side where the type wheels are) an upright bar n is pivoted; this
bar has an arm o fixed upon it which reaches to the end of the
rocking piece and lays against it, being kept in the position of pressure
against the rocking piece by a spring p for that purpose, so that when
the rocking piece is caused by the pressure of the keys to move back-
wards and forwards in the way before described it would give the same
oscillating movement to the bar by means of the arm pressing against it
through the spring, see Fig. 4. This movement to and fro of the upright
bar gives the same movement to an eccentric or cam q, Fig. 3, fixed
upon an axle, which is pivoted horizontally to this bar on the outer
frame, one end of the axle being pivoted to the outer frame and the
other end to an angle piece directly under the rocking bar. Upon
the extreme end of this axle is an upright piece of metal having a
pin on the face of it r, this pin fits in a slit at the top of the
rocking bar, so that the to-and-fro movement of this bar will also
cause the to-and-fro movement of the excentric or cam q, underneath
which is one end of a lever 8, this lever is fixed upon an axis,
and runs parallel with the axis carrying the eccentric or cam q, the
other end of the lever being inserted in the hole of a sliding piece t
under the centre of the type wheel or wheels, and at right angles
thereto, so that when one side of the lever is depressed by the movement
of the eccentric or cam it raises the other side, and so lifts up the sliding
piece that the top part of it comes into contact with the type wheels b
and immediately under them, see Fig. 3. Another mode of raising the
sliding piece t so as to take the impression of the figures or signs upon
the type wheel is to prolong the arms and have an adjustable weight
at the end of it, see Figs. 10 and 11, so that the tendency of the weight
would always be to raise the sliding piece against the type wheel, in
this case the cam or eccentric would be under the arm, so that when
the upright piece n returns it would support the weight or raise it, and
thus depress the sliding piece t.
The action would therefore be as
follows: By pressing down a key the movement of the rocking piece m
would act upon the upright arm n, and by this means remove the
highest point of the eccentric from under the arm s, thus causing the
side of the arm to drop and raising the sliding piece t, while the return

page_text: movement of the rocking piece allows the highest point of the eccentric q
again to rest under the arm, raising the weight and depressing the
sliding piece away from the type wheel. The top part of the sliding
piece is padded with a soft material, so that the paper bands passing
over it may receive a better impression of the letters or signs which
happen to be immediately above it: By this method the paper is printed
direct by the levers. In this same instrument the impressions are some-
times taken by clockwork power, see Fig. 9, so made that when the
keys are pressed down the forward movement of the rocking piece
releases an escape which carries a cam or eccentric upon the same
axis. This cam lifts up the sliding piece t by each half revolution or
revolution, as the case may be. The band or strip of paper passing
over the top part of the sliding piece and under the type wheels is
carried over a drum u placed at the back of the pad and turning on an
axis, this axis carrying either a ratchet or a tooth wheel, as required.
The upright bar n also carries an arm v, this arm
either a click, which when pushed forward would
has on its extremity
pass over one tooth
of the ratchet wheel, and by going backward turn the drum part of a
revolution, so dragging the strips of paper forward step by step, or this
arm is sometimes joined to a short piece of metal wo, which forms
the escape to a train of wheels, so that when the upright bar n is pressed
forward through the rocking piece m, which causes the sliding piece t
to rise up and take the impression of the type whcel the paper would
be at rest, but the backward movement caused by the spring p allows
an accentric x to escape half a revolution, thus pushing the drum u
forward, carrying the paper and keeping it ready for the next letter.
There are also two rollers y which keep the strips of paper pressed upon
the drum by spiral springs z, as shewn at Fig. 3. Over the type wheels
is suspended a frame, in which is an axis carrying a drum a', the frame
being hinged so as to allow the drum to lie upon the type wheel. This
drum is hollow and made to contain ink, upon its periphery there are
small holes drilled, through which the ink exudes, and to prevent its
oozing out too rapidly and unequally the outside of the drum is covered
with felt, which absorbs the ink and supplies the type wheels. In order
to provide for a repetition of letters or signs a separate key or lever is
fixed (with the word repeat engraved upon it or at the side of it) this
moves the arm u laying on the rocking piece without moving the
rocking piece itself through a piece of metal projecting downwards b',

page_text: as shewn in Fig. 4, so that when the lever or key is pressed down it will
by means of the eccentric or cam raise the sliding piece and the pad
carrying the paper to receive a second impression of the required letters
or signs upon the type wheel, while the type wheel remains stationary
in its position.
In witness whereof, I, the said Julius Sax, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
JULIUS SAX. (L.S.)