Improvements in Telegraphy.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Feb., 1891-Accepted, 11th Apr., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Telegraphy.
I, JOSIAH ATKINS PARKER, Stationer, of 400 N Third Street, St. Louis, in
the State of Missouri, one of the United States of North America, 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, reference
being had to the accompanying drawings and to the figures and letters marked
thereon:-
This is a device for the more speedy and certain manipulation of the devices at
the transmitting end of the line, as will be hereinafter fully set forth.
In Letters Patent of the United States granted to M. M. Bartholomew,
No. 215,554, dated May 20, 1879, and No. 255,910, dated April 4, 1882, is described
a machine and system for rapid writing, making use of nine keys, viz., a key for
cach finger and one key for the two thumbs, and whereby the hands may be used
alternately to produce marks transversely across a paper ribbon. This machine
has been improved and perfected and is in general use for the purpose intended
under the name of the "Stenograph."
The object of my invention is to utilize this machine modified to suit the purpose.
It may be used with any, or almost any, one of the methods already known for
synchronous transmission of a number of messages over one wire or a number of
wires.
I shall describe my invention in conjunction with devices shown and described in
Letters Patent of the United States No. 161,739 granted April 6, 1875 to
A. G. Bell and assignees, to which reference is made for a detailed description of
the devices shown in said Patent. I wish it clearly understood that I do not
confine myself, in the application of my device, to the said devices of Bell or any
other special devices.
Figure 1 is a plan illustrating the invention.
Figure II is a vertical section at 11-11, Figure 1.
Figure III is a detail side elevation showing the connection of the local circuit
wire and main circuit wire respectively with the contact points.
Figure IV is a detail vertical section at IV-IV, Figure 1, showing parts in
side elevation.
Figure is a detail plan showing a modification.
1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are tlie metal stenograph keys, which are in proper position for
the thumbs and fingers, key 1 being for both thumbs, while the keys 2, 3, 4 and 5
are for the fore, middle, ring and little fingers respectively. The thumb key 1 has
a straight shank 6. The other keys are shaped or divaricate, and all have at
the front ends, plates or buttons to receive the pressure of the fingers. These
plates or buttons may be of insulating material or they may be insulated in any
manner. It is immaterial which hand is used to depress the keys, as each finger
works the same key as the corresponding finger of the other hand. In practice it
is usual to strike with the hands alternately and thus work with greater speed than
could be attained with a single hand, as one hand may be on the descent while the
other is on the ascent.
8 is an insulated plate having lugs 9, through which passes a rod 10 which forms
the pivot of the keys.
Upon the parts of the keys most distant from the finger plates or buttons are
upright metal studs 11. 12 are contact or binding screws insulated in a bracket 13.
One of these screws is over each of the key studs 11, so that on the depression of

page_text: the outer end of the key, contact is made between its stud and its proper contact or
binding screw (12).
14 is a single main line wire in electric connection with the plate 8 and con-
sequently with the keys. 15 are wires, one of which is connected with each of the
binding screws 12. The wires 15 are shown extending first to the fixed end 16 of
the vibrating spring armatures 17, 17, 17, 17 and 17, and from the point 16 to
the coil of electro-magnets 18, from thence in a wire 19 to a battery 20. 21 is a
wire extending from the battery 20 to a contact screw 22 which is grounded by a
wire 23. The contact point 24 of the screw is over the vibrating spring armature
and normally out of contact with it. 25 is the contact point of a screw 26 below the
vibrating spring armature and having a wire 27 extending to a battery 28 that is
grounded by a wire 29.
Supposing the thumb key 1 to be depressed, its stud 11 will be brought against
its proper screw 12 and an electric current will be established through the magnet
of the armature 17. This will draw down the armature against the contact
point 25 and short circuit the current, cutting out the magnet 18, when the
armature 17 will spring away from the point 25. The recoil of the armature brings
it in contact with the point 24 and the current again passes through the magnet,
this time by means of the local circuit 20, 21, 17, 15, 19; thus the armature 17 is
thrown into vibration.
Each of the armatures 17, 17, 17, etc., is tuned to a different pitch, so that the
rapidity of the pulsations imparted to the main line. (14) may vary according to
which of the armatures is thrown into vibration.
The main line 14 has branches 30 each leading to a distinct electro-magnet 31.
32 are wires leading from the magnets to a common ground wire 33. Each of
these magnets has a spring steel armature 34, 34ª, 34, 34 or 34, which is toned to
the same pitch as one of the armatures 17, 17", etc. the armature 34 being toned
to the pitch of armature 17, the armature 34" being the same pitch as armature 17",
that 34 as that 17b, and so on.
Now as the impulses in the main line are governed by the vibrations of the
armatures 17, 17", etc., only the armatures 34, 34", etc., of the same pitch will
respond effectually. 35 is a lever or pivotted bar, which may be of wood or
other light material, and which is pivotted at 36 on a standard 37. There is
one of these levers or bars associated with each of the spring armatures 34, 34", &c.,
the heavy end 38 of the bar being over the free end of the armature but not
normally in contact with it. The construction and arrangement of the parts is
such that when the armature is thrown into vibration, it will strike against the
bar 35 as it ascends and keep the end 38 elevated during the full vibration of
the armature. The lighter end of the bar 35 has a depending fork 39, whose
tines enter separate insulated or insulating cups 40 containing mercury.
The
mercury in one cup is grounded by a wire 41 while the mercury in the other
cup is in electric contact with a wire 42 leading to an electro-magnet 43 and
from that by a wire 44 to a wire 45 leading to a battery 46 having a grounded
wire 47 connected to the other pole. Each of the magnets 43 has a spring
armature 48, 48, 48, 48, or 48, supported on a fixed point at 49. The free
end of each armature 48 carries a marker or stylus 50. It will be seen that
these markers are in a line transverse to the paper ribbon 51 having precisely
the same position relatively to the ribbon that the markers have in the steno-
graph hereinbefore referred to. Thus it will be seen that if the key 1 is
depressed, the armature 48 at the receiving end will be drawn down and precisely
the same mark may be made on or in the paper ribbon as if the ribbon had
been placed in the ordinary stenograph. The same follows in relation to the
other keys as 17", 17, &c., and corresponding armatures 48", 48b, &c.
In describing the connection between the line wire 14 and the magnets 31, it is
not stated that the connecting wire 30 is in contact with the armature 34, as it is
not necessary that there should be any contact between them, contact is however
shown and this feature may be adopted.

page_text: The invention is shown and described with a single line wire 14. It is obvious.
that the device might be much simplified by dispensing with all the parts between
the wires 15 and the magnets 43 and extending all of the wires 15 as line wires to
its proper magnet and grounding the wire 14 at the transmitting station. This con--
struction is indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1. It will be observed that the
main essentials of the invention would be present in this form, namely, the use of
the modified stenograph in the transmitting of telegraph messages and the printing
of the message by a series of marks transverse to the paper ribbon at the receiving
station, the armature 48 being in connection with key 1, armature 48" in connection
with key 2, 48 with key 3, and so on.
The local circuit at the receiving station may be a closed circuit, as shown in
dotted line where the two ground lines 41 and 47 are connected together instead of
being grounded.
It will also be observed that the main essentials of this invention can be carried
out by having the message received by sound or sight, (by the use of any of the
well known instruments which have long been known for such purposes) instead of
being recorded.
The message is shown and described as received upon a travelling ribbon by
marks made in certain defined places upon the ribbon transversely considered, each
marker being over a different imaginary longitudinal line on the ribbon, but it is
obvious that the letter or sign may be indicated to the sight by the simple movement
of one or more of the markers or other indicators, or that the indicators may be
used to sound different tones, thus indicating to the car a certain letter or word by
a certain note or by two or more notes sounded simultaneously. A way of carrying
out this is shown in Figure V where the indicators are shown adapted to impinge
upon bells 52 of different tones.
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. An electric telegraph having a number of divaricate circuit-closing or breaking.
keys, each key having at the ends finger buttons for the corresponding fingers of
the right and left hands, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2. The combination, in an electric telegraph apparatus, of divaricate circuit-
closing or breaking keys, each key having at the ends, buttons for the corresponding
fingers of the right and left hands, and electro-magnets excited by the keys, and
having armatures whose levers have markers thereon, adapted to mark a ribbon in
a series of marks transverse to the ribbon, substantially as and for the purpose set.
forth.
3. The combination, in an electric telegraph, of a series of divaricate keys as 2, 3,
at the transmitting station, each key having a button at each end for the corre--
sponding fingers of the right and left hands, electro-magnets, one of which is
connected with each key and adapted to be excited by movement of the key, each
of such electro-magnets having a reed armature set to a different pitch to the
armature or armatures of the other electro-magnet or electro-magnets, a line wire.
adapted to receive electric impulses from the tuned armatures, electro-magnets at
the receiving station excited by impulse in the line wire, and having reed armatures
set to various pitch, and each armature set to the same pitch as the armature at the
transmitting station, and a recording device governed by the armatures of the
receiving station substantially as set forth.
4. The combination of the divaricate keys located in proper positions for the
respective thumbs and fingers, a number of magnets connected to the respective
keys, a number of vibrating armatures each differing in pitch from the others
and affected by the respective magnets, a line circuit running to the receiving
station and connected with a number of magnets, and vibrating armatures operated

page_text: upon by the respective magnets and set to a varying pitch corresponding with the
respective armatures at the transmitting station, all substantially as herein set
forth.
Dated this 24th day of February 1891
JOSIAH A. PARKER.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.