An Improved Apparatus for Telegraphing Pre-arranged Orders or Messages.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Dec., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 5th July, 1889-Accepted, 10th Aug., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Telegraphing Pre-arranged Orders
or Messages.
I JOHN FARQUHARSON of Pomona House Kings Road Fulham London Electrical
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
An apparatus for sending pre-arranged orders or messages on board ship or other
places where the same orders are frequently given. The apparatus consists of a
sending instrument worked by hand, and an indicating instrument worked electrically.
Each of these instruments has similar orders on a circular dial supplied with a
movable finger and so arranged that when the finger of the one is moved by hand to
any desired order, the finger on the other is moved by electro-magnets to the same
order. The invention for which claim is made is. First: A new method of regu-
lating the speed at which the finger of the sending instrument can be moved so as
to allow the electro-magnets time to act. Secondly: A new method of regulating
the speed of the finger of the indicator so that any desired number of orders may be
indicated by a single revolution of the finger. The means employed in the first part
of the invention for regulating the speed at which the finger of the sending instru-
nent can be turned is as follows. A hand lever is fixed to the spindle which carries
the finger. On one side of the lever is a closed cylinder fixed to the case of the
instrument having a piston connected to the lever so that the piston shall move with
the lever. The closed cylinder may be filled with air, gas, oil, glycerine or other
fluid which does not freeze at atmosphere tempretures. The speed of the finger is
regulated to any desired amount by varying the area through which the contents of
the cylinder can escape before the piston.
The second part of the invention for regulating the speed of the finger of the
indicating dial is as follows: The finger is fixed to the outer end of a spindle having
a spiral grove or groves on its circumference of suitable pitch for giving axial
motion to the spindle by lateral motion of the nut. A second spindle connected to
electro magnets suitably placed for giving it axial motion has a screw thread on its
circumference and provided with a nut only admitting of lateral motion. The two
spindles may be placed in line or parallel to each other. The two nuts are connected
together the lateral motion of the first nut is regulated by the pitch of the screw
thread. The second nut turns the finger at a speed regulated by the pitch of
the spiral.
Dated this 10th day of December 1888
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Telegraphing Pre-arranged Orders
or Messages.
JOHN FARQUHARSON of Pomona House, Kings Road, Fulham, London, Electrical
Engineer, 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 :-
The apparatus consists of a commutator worked by hand, for directing an electric
current to either of three electro magnets as desired, and a dial shewing the pre-
arranged orders or messages. The apparatus used at the sending and receiving
stations comprise both the above mentioned parts; the commutator of the one being
connected by line wires to the magnets of the other so that orders or messages sent
can be repeated back to the sender.

page_text: The novelty of the commutator part consists of a method of regulating the rate at
which the electro magnets can be worked to insure their proper action without the
spring gear and flies hitherto used.
For this purpose I use. a cylinder or dash-pot with piston A Fig. 3. The cylinder
may be filled with air, glycerine, or other suitable fluid.
The piston is geared to the hand lever L Fig. 2 and its speed regulated by the area
through which the air or other fluid in the cylinder is allowed to escape. The novelty
in the indicating part of the apparatus consists in the method of working or turning
the indicating finger P Fig. 2, so that any desired number of orders may be shewn
on the dial without the use of wheel and pinion gear.
For this purpose I use a compound nut N Fig. 2 having two threads of different
pitch; lateral motion is given to the nut by a screw thread on the uagnet spindle F
Fig. 1. The spindle S which carries the indicating finger P Fig. 2 has a thread of
large pitch which fits one end of the compound nut N. If the pitch of its thread be
equal to the total lateral motion of the nut the indicating finger will make a complete
revolution of the dial and indicate as many orders as magnet impulses required to
produce the lateral motion of the nut and which can be varied by the pitch of the
thread on the spindle turned by the magnets; the magnet and finger spindles may be
placed parallel or in line as shewn in the drawing. E E E Fig. 1 shows the electro
magnets in position round the spindle for moving the nut. L Fig. 2 is the hand
lever for working the transmitter and is geared to the commutator bridge T and to
the piston of the dashpot A. Fig. 3 shews the commutator in plan; III are con-
nected electrically to the turning magnets. R R R to battery. 000 to line. Ta
bridge connecting battery to line and magnets in series thus forming a complete
transmitter for giving or repeating orders from any station.
1 declare that what I claim is
1. The use of a dash-pot or air cylinder for regulating the speed of the
commutator.
2. The use of a compound nut for turning a spindle.
3. The arrangements of the parts shewn in the drawing for making each apparatus
a transmitter and receiver.
Dated this 5th day of July 1889.
JOHN FARQUHARSON.