MENTS IN ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHING
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Archibald Brooman, of 166, Fleet Street,
in the City of London, E.C., Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVE
MENTS IN ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHING."-A communication.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Archibald
Brooman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 9th November 1858.
I, RICHARD ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, E.C., Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHING," (communicated to
me from abroad,) to be as follows:—
The objects of my Invention are two-fold, first, the so arranging. of the
battery force that electric currents can be transmitted to any required distance
without limitation by the action of counter currents when the circuit is broken;
and, secondly, the causing of the transmitting currents to record a fac-simile
of the written or printed message.
Scientific research and practical experience have proved that where an
electrical circuit is broken, a reactionary movement ensues throughout the
entire circuit, and that the duration of this reaction is in proportion to the
length of the circuit; hence, as in the instance of the Atlantic cable, when the
circuit is broken and closed by the instrument for the purpose of making a

page_text: signal, or recording a letter, a long period of time must elapse before the act
can be practically repeated, not until the counter currents have come to rest
and the conductor forming the circuit regained its normal condition. To
avoid this delay and enable the operator to transmit a message with all the
speed that the mechanical manipulation of the instrument will admit of, I so
arrange the battery currents that the circuit is always closed, and never
broken. This proposition is more particularly predicated on the supposition
that the currents transmitted perform their functions of record by magnetic
action. When we connect two distant points by a conductor, so as to bring
both within one common electrical circuit, and cause this circuit to traverse at
either point bodies susceptible of being effected by electrical action, as in the
case of induced magnetism in iron bars, or the deflection of the needle, the
dynamic effect of the one, or deflection of the other, will be as the quantity or
intensity of the electric current.
If in order to establish a practical electric current through such a cable as is
laid down between Valentia and Virgin Bay it is necessary to employ a battery
force of 50 cells, a certain dynamic result will be obtained, which for purposes of
illustration we will suppose to be equal to the moving of an armature through
a given space under a resistance of one pound; now, if we adjust this
armature so that a force of two pounds is required to move it, it is evident
that while the circuit is active, it is under a continuous tension without being
disturbed, and that to overcome its resistance we must add battery force. If
, we can increase and decrease the battery force and leave the circuit intact, the
armature will act and react without any counter currents being induced. To
accomplish this result, I divide the battery into two or more groups, one of
which is at all times in perfect circuit, but without sufficient power to affect
the armature, while the other groups are brought into circuit by means of the
transmitting instrument, and act as recording currents. Having thus secured
a positive and continuous transmission of electric currents, I propose to cause
them to record the telegrams as fac-similes of their original structures, so as to
secure the transmission of messages, whether written or in printed form, with
great expedition and absolute accuracy. To accomplish this, the message or
* letter to be telegraphed is written with an ink having sufficient body to permit
of a transfer to metal surfaces. The message thus prepared is transferred to a
metal roll or cylinder, and then returned to its writer. The roll is made to
revolve by the descent of a weight acting through a train of wheels; electrically
insulated from, but attached to the frame of the roll is a lever, one end of
which bears a small roll which rests upon the larger one, and the opposite
end is connected with the circuit. The condition of this arrangement is such

page_text: that when the small roll is in contact with the clear surface of the large one,
the electric circuit is complete, but the moment the inked part of the roll
passes under the point of contact, the circuit is broken. The fulcrum on
which the lever works has a determinate lateral motion, which moves the
lever from one end of the transfer roll to the other, under such conditions of
time as compared with the revolutions of the roll, as to secure perfect
contact with its entire surface. The apparatus thus described is denominated
the transfer instrument.
The receiving instrument or recording instrument is composed of a roll.of
the same diameter and length of that in the transfer instrument, with the.
same lever arrangement, except that the roll end of the lever is provided with
a stylus on the roll end, and a soft iron armature at the other. Beneath the
armature is placed an electro-magnet, with. its. coils in the electric circuit.
Now, it will be evident that when the lever roll is in contact with the clear
surface of the transfer roll at one point, the current will be passing the electro:
magnet coils at the other point, and a descent of the armature follow, which
will cause the stylus to bear upon the roll, and if transfer paper be on its
surface a black mark will result, and as often as it alternates in its contact
with clear and ink surface, so the transfer stylus will note and duplicate
its motion.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Archibald Brooman in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 9th May 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, E.C.,
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Richard Archibald Brooman, Her special licence that I, the said Richard
Archibald Brooman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, my executors, adminis-
trators 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.

page_text: of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Íslands, and Isle of Man, an In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHING," (a communication,)
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard Archibald
Brooman, 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 Richard Archibald Brooman, 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, that is to say:-
The objects of this Invention are twofold, first, the so arranging of the
battery force that electric currents can be transmitted to any required distance
without limitation by the action of counter currents when the circuit is broken;
and, secondly, the causing of the transmitted currents to record a fac-simile of
the written or printed message.
Scientific research and practical experience have proved that where an
electrical circuit is broken a reactionary movement ensues throughout the
entire circuit, and that the duration of this reaction is in proportion to the
length of the circuit; hence, as in the instance of the Atlantic cable, when
the circuit is broken and closed by the instrument for the purpose of making a
signal or recording a letter, a long period of time must elapse before the act
can be practically repeated, not until the counter currents have come to rest,
and the conductor forming the circuit regained its normal condition. To
avoid this delay and enable the operator to transmit a message with all the
speed that the mechanical manipulation of the instrument will admit of, I so
arrange the battery currents that the circuit is always closed, and never
broken. This proposition is more particularly predicated on the supposition
that the currents transmitted perform their functions of record by magnetic
action. When we 'connect two distant points by a conductor so as to bring
both within one common electrical circuit, and cause this circuit to traverse at
either point bodies susceptible of being affected by electrical action, as in the
case of induced magnetism in iron bars, or the deflection of the needle, the
dynamic effects of the one or deflection of the other will be as the quantity or
intensity of the electric current.
If in order to establish a practical electric current through such a cable as
is laid down between Valentia and Virgin Bay it is necessary to employ. a

page_text: battery force of 50 cells, a certain dynamic result will be obtained, which for
purposes of illustration we will suppose to be equal to the moving of an
armature through a given space under a resistance of one pound. Now, if we
adjust this armature so that a force of two pounds is required to move it, it is
evident that while the circuit is active it is under a continuous tension without
being disturbed, and that to overcome its resistance we must add battery force.
If we can increase and decrease the battery force and leave the circuit intact,
the armature will act and react without any counter currents being induced.
To accomplish this result, I divide the battery into two or more groups, one of
which is at all times in perfect circuit, but without sufficient power to affect
the armature, while the other groups are brought into circuit by means of the
transmitting instrument, and act as recording currents. Having thus secured
a positive and continuous transmission of electric currents, I propose to cause
them to record the telegrams as fac-similes of their original structures, so as to
secure the transmission of messages, whether written or in printed form, with
great expedition and absolute accuracy. To accomplish this, the message or
letter to be telegraphed is written with an ink having sufficient body to permit
of a transfer to metal surfaces; the message thus prepared is transferred to a
metal roll or cylinder, and then returned to its writer. The roll is made to
revolve by the descent of a weight acting through a train of wheels.
Electrically insulated from, but attached to the frame of the roll is a lever, one
end of which bears a small roll, which rests upon the larger one, and the
opposite end is connected with the circuit. The condition of this arrangement
is such that when the small roll is in contact with the clear surface of the
large one, the electric circuit is complete, but the moment the
the roll passes under the point of contact, the circuit is broken. The fulcrum
on which the lever works has a determinate lateral motion, which moves the
lever from one end of the transfer roll to the other, under such conditions of
time, as compared with the revolutions of the roll, as to secure perfect contact
with its entire surface. The apparatus thus described is denominated the
transfer instrument.
inked part of
The receiving instrument or recording instrument is composed of a roll of
the same diameter and length of that in the transfer instrument, with the same
lever arrangement, except that the roll end of the lever is provided with a
stylus on the roll end, and a soft iron armature at the other. Beneath the
armature is placed an clectro-magnet, with its coils in the electric circuit.
Now it will be evident that when the lever roll is in contact with the clear
surface of the transfer roll at one point the current will be passing the electro-
magnet coils at the other point, and a descent of the armature follow, which

page_text: will cause the stylus to bear upon the roll; and if transfer paper be on its
surface, a black mark will result, and as often as it alternates in its contact
with clear and ink surface, so the transfer stylus will note and duplicate its
motion.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
First, the grouping of the batteries of electric telegraphs in such a manner
that a continuous circuit of comparatively weak force is maintained by one
grouping, while the action of another is brought into the same circuit as an
auxiliary by means of the transmitting instrument, as herein-before described.
Secondly, I claim the transferring of written or printed matter to the surface
of a metal roll or cylinder, substantially in the manner and for the purpose
herein-before described.
I also claim the recording roll and its stylus arrangement, substantially as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Archibal Brooman, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of May, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-nine.
R. A. BROOMAN. (..)