A NEW AND IMPROVED METHOD OF COMMUNICATING THOUGHTS, INFORMATION, AND INTELLIGENCE TO AND FROM DIFFERENT PLACES AT A DISTANCE PROM EACH OTHER BY MMEANS OF SIGNS, BY LIGHTS AND OTHERWISE
Year: 1801

page_text: TO ALL AND SUNDRY WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME,
JAMES BOAZ, Manufacturer, in Glasgow, sends greeting.
WHEREAS the King's most Excellent Majesty, by Letters Patent under.
the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing
date the Third day of December, in the forty-second year of His reign,
gave and granted unto the said James Boaz, his executors, administrators,.
or assigns, and every of them, by himself or themselves, or by his and their.
deputy and deputies, servants or agents, or such others as he, the said James
Boaz, his executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree,
and no others, from time to time, and at all times thereafter during the term
of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend his Invention of "A NEW AND IMPROVED METHOD OF COMMUNICATING
THOUGHTS, INFORMATION, AND INTELLIGENCE TO AND FROM DIFFERENT PLACES AT A
DISTANCE PROM EACH OTHER BY MMEANS OF SIGNS, BY LIGHTS AND OTHERWISE," within
England, Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all His Majesty's
Plantations and Colonies abroad, and on the seas, rivers, and lakes, ports, and.
harbours thereof, in such manner as to him, the said James Boaz, his execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, should in his and their discretion seem meet,
and that the said James Boaz, his executors, administrators, and assigns, should
and lawfully might have and enjoy the whole profit, benefit, commodity, and
advantage from time to time coming, growing, accruing, and arising by reason
of the said Invention, for and during the term of years therein mentioned; to
have, hold, exercise, and enjoy the said licence, powers, privileges, and advan-
tages therein granted or mentioned to be granted to the said James Boaz

page_text: his executors, administrators, and assigns, for and during and unto the full
end and term of fourteen years from the date of the said Letters Patent
and immediately ensuing, and fully to be complete and ended, according
to the Statute in such case made and provided; in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso that if the said James Boaz should not particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of his said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under his hand
and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within one calendar month next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent, and all
liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, should utterly cease
and determine, and become void, as by the said Letters Patent, relation being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Boaz, in compliance with the
said proviso, in the said Letters Patent contained, and the purport and true
intent and meaning thereof, and of His Majesty's said most gracious inten-
tions, do, by this instrument in writing under my hand seal duly executed,
describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, as follows, that is to say:
T
My Invention consists in representing at pleasure by means of lights or
luminous bodies, and also by means of opaque bodies, or by means of both
combined, any letter of the alphabet, or any numerical figure, or any
appearance or appearances which it may be desirable to exhibit as a 'sign,
symbol, or signal, such as a circle, semicircle, or segment of a circle, a square,
one side of a square, or two or three sides of a 'square, a cross, a triangle, and
other such like: "This may be effected in various ways, and by a smaller or
larger number of lights or bodies, but perhaps in regard to luminous bodies,
and, where correct circular appearances are not necessary to be represented, as
simple a mode as any is the following:-Take five and twenty lamps, dispose
of them on a board or frame, so as to form a square, that is, by fixing them in
five rows, and five lamps in each row, at equal distances from each other. Affix
a-cover or blind (made of any opaque substance) before each lamp, of a round
or rather an oval shape, having a handle or neck made so as to move back-
wards and forwards, or up and down round a pin, nail, or pivot 'fixed in the
board or frame. Fix a small line (made of small twine or rope, according to the
size of the machine, or of catgut, or a small metal chain, or any other pliable
and' connecting 'substance) around the handle or neck of each of these covers
or blinds. Connect each of these lines with a 'pulley at one side of a board
or frame raise this board or frame perpendicularly upon a square or oblong

page_text: frame; fix on this last square or oblong frame as many thin oblong pieces of
wood or metal as there are lamps and lines attached to them, such thin or
oblong pieces of wood or metal moving upon two pivots in the side of the
square or oblong frame in which they are placed, and these thin or oblong
pieces of wood or metal being placed in their frame in such manner as that
their oblong direction may run from side to side of their frame, upon the
pivots fixed in which they move, and so that each of these thin oblong pieces
may, when not pressed upon, as after mentioned, remain perpendicular to its
frame, and all of them when at rest may be parallel to each other; one of the
lines affixed to the lamp covers or blinds, and connected with its pulley, being
fixed to the upper edge of one of these thin oblong pieces of wood or metal;
that is, the one extremity of such line being affixed to the handle or neck of
the lamp cover or blind, and the other extremity being affixed to the upper
edge of one of the thin oblong pieces of wood or metal; then upon turning
the thin or oblong pieces of wood or metal, so as to make it incline, the
lamp cover or blind will be drawn up, and by thus making as many of the thin
oblong pieces of wood or metal incline, as lamps are wanted to be uncovered,
the letter of the alphabet or figure wished to be represented will be made to
appear. In order the more easily to give the necessary inclination or turning
to these thin oblong pieces of wood or metal, (which, seeing they act by their
inclined position, shall be called incliners) place a piece of wood or metal
nearly of the same size with the incliners, so as to be easily moved back-
wards and forwards (in grooves, for example,) in the frame in which the
incliners are placed at right angles to them, and so that the upper edges
of such pieces of wood or metal may come near to the under edges of the
incliners, by fixing in such pieces of wood or metal pins or teeth, (made
of wood or metal), the piece of wood or metal having such pins or teeth
being pushed in, (and which shall be called the pusher, seeing it acts by
being pushed in,) the pins or teeth which are fixed in it striking against
the under edge of the incliners, give them the inclined direction which is
necessary to pull the lines affixed to the lamp covers, and thus by affixing
in each of these pushers as many pins or teeth as lamps are meant to be
uncovered, and so that these pins or teeth may strike against the under edge
of the incliners, (connected as they are by means of lines and pulleys with the
covers or blinds of the lamps meant to be uncovered,) as many lamps will be
uncovered as are necessary to represent the letter of the alphabet or other sign
or appearance meant to be exhibited, and by having a double set of lamp
covers or blinds, and lines and pullies, that is, by having lamp covers or blinds
behind as well as in front of the board or frame, and lines and pullies to

page_text: connect them with the incliners, in the same manner as the covers or blinds
in front are connected with the incliners, the same lamps may be rendered
visible behind which are made visible in front of the board or frame, or other
lamps may be rendered visible behind which are not made visible in front of
the board or frame. Upon drawing back the pusher, the lamp covers or blinds
fall down by their own weight and cover the lamps, and the incliners also
resume their former position. For the greater facility and ease in producing
the desired effect, there may be a pusher having pins or teeth fixed therein, as
aforesaid, for each letter of the alphabet, and for each numerical figure or
other sign or appearance wished to be represented, and these pushers may
farther be marked on the outside of their frame, from whence they are pushed
in with the letter of the alphabet or numerical figure, or other sign or appear-
ance, which upon being pushed, in they represent by means of the lamps
which they uncover; and a handle or knob may be fixed to the end of the
pusher at which the letter or figure or sign is marked, for the greater con-
venience in pushing it in and pulling it back; and the letter, figure, or sign
may be marked upon the handle or knob. Cranks will do equally well as the
thin oblong pieces of wood or metal which form the incliners to which the lines
are attached, which connect them with the lamp covers or blinds; but thin
oblong pieces of wood or metal are suggested, as being more simple in their
configuration and construction, and these thin oblong pieces of wood or metal,
or cranks acting as incliners, may be placed in a perpendicular as well as in a
horizontal direction. Instead of lines and pullies, the lamps too might be
uncovered and again-covered, by means of wires and keys pressing upon them
as in a piano-forte; but lines and pullies are suggested as being more simple
in their construction, and less liable to go out of repair; various other modes
of construction might also be easily adopted to produce the same effect; for
instance, in place of having lamps with covers or blinds, and lines and pullies,
and incliners and pushers, the lamp might be made with an opaque and a
shining side, and by means of a screw or screws, as well as by means of lines
and pullies, the lamps may be made to turn so as to exhibit their opaque or
shining side, that is, to be made visible or invisible at pleasure.
In order to comprehend this Invention more distinctly, a Drawing is
annexed (marked Figure 1), agreeably to the description first given, in which
the machine is supposed to represent the letter H. The black square represents
the board or frame, behind which the lamps are placed, having a hole or
aperture, through which each lamp shines, that is, having as many holes or
apertures in it as there are lamps affixed behind it; the oval green figures
represent the lamp covers or blinds, the green lines represent the lines attached

page_text: to the lamp covers and incliners, the five yellow dots at the bottom of the
black square represent the pullies, (which tho' only five in appearance, repre-
sent twenty-five pullies, the number of pullies being equal to the number of
lamps and incliners;) the oblong pink or red figures, immediately below the
black square, represent the incliners; the black oblong figure at the bottom
of the whole represents the pusher with its pins or teeth, which striking against
each of the five outward, incliners, and three of the middle ones is supposed
to uncover each of the five outward lamps, and three or the middle ones at
right angles to the former, and thereby represents the letter H; the small
white circles with the pink dots representing the lamps supposed to be
uncovered, and the oval green figures raised upwards, shewing the lamps covers
or blinds of the lamps supposed to be uncovered, while the other oval green
figures represent the other lamp covers or blinds supposed to shut the holes or
apertures and cover the lamps, by remaining down from their own weight.
To prevent these lamp covers from going wrong, by rising too high upon being
pulled up, small pins are placed (represented by small yellow dots) to
confine them to their positions when raised, and other pins are placed
(also represented by small yellow dotts) to prevent them from falling
too low. In order to give additional power or glare to the light, the
lamps may be made with reflectors, or a lens or refractor may be
placed before each lamp. The pink frame with black edges, attached to the
black square in the annexed Drawing (Figure 1), represents those lenses or
refractors, so placed in a frame as that a lens or refractor may come before
each lamp, the frame in which they are placed being attached by hinges to the
black board or square in which the lamps are placed, so that the frame
containing these lenses or refractors may be opened and shut at pleasure.
The annexed Drawing, Figure 1, supposes the lamps to be first covered, and
then such of them to be uncovered as represent the letter H, which is meant
to be represented; but it is evident that the same effect might be produced by
having all the lamps uncovered in the first instance, and then covering all of
them but those necessary to represent the appearance of the letter. Five and
twenty lamps with their covers or blinds are also here represented, and the
same number of lines and pullies and incliners are also supposed to be repre-
sented, but nine lamps with their covers or blinds, and as many lines and
pullies and incliners, (as represented in the annexed paper of Drawings, in the
Figure marked Figure 9, where the letter H is also supposed to be represented,)
would produce nearly the same effect, and a similar effect may be produced
by a greater or a smaller number of lamps than five and twenty (as many
pushers being always made use of as there are letters of the alphabet or

page_text: separate signs meant to be represented), so that it is not in the number lamps
made use of, or in the particular configuration or construction of the machine
that the Invention consists; but it is being able to represent by means
of lamps or luminous bodies (and also by means of opaque bodies or by
both combined, as, after mentioned,) any letter of the alphabet and any
numerical figure, or any appearance or appearances, to be used as signs,
signals, or symbols; for, although lamps are supposed to be made use of,
candles or phosphoric substances would produce a similar effect, though, perhaps,
in an inferior degree; and one large lamp may be so placed or suspended as to
produce a similar effect upon mirrors or reflectors, which might be covered or
uncovered at pleasure, as the lamps above mentioned. It is also obvious, that
almost any form, figure, or shape may be represented by the disposition or
arrangement of lamps or luminous bodies, rendered visible or invisible at plea-
sure, in the manner that has been described; but it is further obvious, that by
combining the representations of two or more letters or figures together, as many
different varieties of signs or appearances may be produced as there are com-
binations of letters or figures, which may be represented separately. In order
the more easily to comprehend the form of the lamp covers or blinds above
described, two Drawings are given of the same in the annexed paper of
Drawings, viz, Figure 5, in which a front view of the lamp cover is seen, with
A
its line attached to it; and Figure 6, in which a side view is given of it.
Drawing is also given in the annexed paper of Drawings of the incliner, viz,
Figure 7; the whole Figure taken together represents the incliner as made of
a thin piece of wood or metal; the black part of it représents the crank, which
may accomplish its purpose equally well with the thin piece of wood or metal.
A Drawing is also given in the annexed paper of Drawings, viz. Figure 8, of
a smaller frame, in which the lamps may be first fixed, which smaller frame
may be easily made to slide into a case, or in grooves, behind or before, or may
be otherwise attached to the larger frame in which the lamps are placed in the
rows in which they are wanted. The Drawing marked Figure 13 in the
annexed paper of Drawings shews the manner in which the pushers may be
placed in their frame, running in grooves or cases. The whole machine may,"
for the sake of preservation, be inclosed in a box or case, which box or case
may, for the sake of convenience, run on castors, and the machine may be
raised to the top of its box, cither by means of a pulley or by the hand, if of
small dimensions. A representation of the machine, and its box, is given in
Figure 10 of the annexed paper of Drawings, shewing a front view of the
ends of the pushers, and a lateral view of the lamps. The description hitherto
given relates to the modes by which any letter of the alphabet and any

page_text: numerical figure, or any appearance or appearances necessary to be used, as
signs, signals, or symbols may be effected by means of lamps or luminous
bodies. I now propose to shew how these effects may be produced by means
of opaque bodies. For this last purpose, take a frame having bars or divisions
running either in a perpendicular or horizontal direction in the frame. For
instance, take a square or oblong frame, having four rims or sides, place
horizontally in it five bars or divisions, place at equal distances, on each of
these bars, five boards or thin pieces of wood or metal, of any shape or size
thinner than the bar to which they are to be attached, leaving a space between
each board or piece of metal. When the boards or pieces of metal aro
parallel to each other, and present their edge or their side to the front of the
frame or bars, they are not seen at a distance, the whole exhibiting at a dis-
tance only the appearance of the bars. The boards may be so constructed as
always to remain of themselves in this position (that is to say), let the boards be
fixed by means of pivots or hinges to the upper side of the front of the bars, the
pivots or hinges being placed on the board, not at its middle, but near one edgo
of it. so that the greater weight of that part of the board, the edge of which is
farthest from the hinges or pivots, would bring that part of it downwards, and
make the board hang perpendicularly, were it not for the bar below to which it
is attached, which bar below being made broader, or as broad as the breadth
of that part of the board the edge of which is farthest removed from the
hinges or pivots, catches such part of the board, and keeping it in a horizontal
position prevents it from falling, as it otherwise would do to its perpendicular.
In order to raise the board, fix to it in that part of it the edge of which is
least removed from the hinges or pivots a line (made of rope or twine or other
pliable substance, according to the size of the machine), and connecting it with
a pulley at the under part of the frame, affix the extremity of such line to the
upper edge of the incliner, as in the preceding part of the description. The
pusher, upon being pushed in, will produce its effect, as in the former part of
the description, by bringing the incliner to its inclined position, which will
raise the board with which it is connected by the line and pulley, as above
mentioned; and here, as in the former case, there being an equal number of
boards and lines, and pullies and incliners, and as many pushers as there are
letters, numerical figures, or signs meant to be represented, the letter, numerical
figure, or sign wished to be represented, may be exhibited at pleasure by the
opaque body in the same manner as by the luminous body, by pushing in the
pusher; and upon pulling back the pusher, the boards will fall down by their
own weight, and the incliners will then also resume their former position. The
same effect may be produced by making each board turn horizontally on a

page_text: pivot in the horizontal bars. And in order to turn each board so as to make
it present its flat surface or its thin edge at pleasure to the front of the frame
or bars, let a small wheel be fixed to the pivot, the edges of which may be
grooved; the better to keep the lines to be attached to them in their proper
position; affix at opposite sides of the groove in this wheel the ends of two
lines, so that the one line upon being pulled will turn the wheel one way, and
the other line being pulled will make it turn the other way; pass these lines,
the ends of which are so fixed in the groove of the wheel through two pullics,
placed in such manner on the bars as that the lines may be pulled opposite
ways. The lines dropping to the bottom of the frame or bars will then be
passed through two corresponding pullies at the bottom thereof, and the end
of the one line being fixed to the upper edge of the incliner, and the end of
the other line being fixed to the under edge of the incliner, the incliner upon
receiving its inclined position by means of the pusher will turn the board, so
that its flat surface or its thin edge may be presented to the front of the frame
or bars at pleasure. And in this construction, there being no other means to
make the boards resume their first position, the under edge of the incliner
should, in this mode of construction, be made heavier than the upper, so that
the pusher being pulled back, the weight of the under edge of the incliner
may bring it to its perpendicular position, and thus turn the board to its
original position. For the sake of strengthening the frame in which the
boards are placed, perpendicular as well as horizontal bars may be used and
fixed together as they pass each other at right angles; and it may be easily
perceived, without any particular description, how the boards may be moved
by means of pivots placed in the perpendicular bars, or be made to move
round the perpendicular bars connected with the incliners by means of lines
and pullies in the manner which has been mentioned.
What has been hitherto stated, regards the modes by which any letter of
the alphabet or any numerical figure, or any appearance or appearances
necessary to be used as signs, signals, or symbols may be represented by means
of lamps or luminous bodies, or by means of opaque bodies separately; but I
now propose to shew how these effects made be produced by means of luminous
bodies and. opaque bodies combined. For this purpose, apertures must be
made in the boards above described, and lamps must be placed in the aper-
tures of these boards, in such manner, as that the lamps remaining stationary
do not interfere with the movements of the boards; this may be effected by
means of a small seat or rest attached to the bar to which the boards are fixed,
as represented in Figure 12 of the annexed paper of Drawings. The flame or
light of the lamp will then be seen through the aperture of the board, when its

page_text: flat surface is presented to the front of the frame or bars. And in order to
prevent the flame or light from being seen when the thin edge of the board is
presented to the front of the frame or bars, let a thin piece of wood or metal
rather larger than the aperture in the board (as represented in Figure 11 of
the annexed paper of Drawing) be fixed at right angles to the board below the
aperture, so that when the thin edge of the board is presented to the front,
the thin piece of wood or metal is raised up and hides the lamp, and thus the
lamps are visible through the apertures of the boards only when the flat
surfaces of the boards are presented to the front of the frame or bars.
In order that the nature of this Invention may be the better understood, a
Drawing is given in the annexed paper of Drawings, viz, Figure 2 of the
machine, as shewing its combined effects by means of opaque and luminous
bodies; the Drawing, as in the first part of the description, represents the
machine as forming the letter II, the blue lines in the Drawing, running per-
pendicularly and horizontally, exhibit the frame and bars; the black squares
represent the boards with their flat surfaces in front of the frame, or bars
forming the letter H; the small white oblong spaces in these black squares
represent the apertures in them through which the light or flame of the lamps
is seen represented by the small red figure on the white oblong squares; the
small brownish figures appearing under these white oblong spaces represent
the thin edge of the thin piece of wood or metal which covers the lamps when
the thin edge of the boards is in front of the frame or bars; the black oblong
figures represent the boards, having their thin edges in front of the frame
or bars; the small brownish elevations, rising from these black oblong figures,
shew the thin pieces of wood or metal which hide the flame or light of the
lamps when the thin edge of the boards is in front of the frame or bars.
The red lines represent the lines fixed to the boards and incliners connected by
their pullies; the yellow dotts at the bottom of the barrs represent these
pullies; the red figures immediately under these dotts represent the incliners,
and the black oblong figure at the bottom of the whole represent the pusher
with its teeth or pins, which producing its effect upon the incliners connected
by their lines and pullies with the boards, exhibits by means of the soards or
lamps, or both combined, the appearance of the letter H.
Two Drawings are also given in the annexed paper of Drawings of a board
with its lamp turning horizontally upon a pivot, viz, Figure 3 and Figure 4.
Figure 3 represents a front view of the board and lamp, so that when the
flat surface of the board is in front, the flame or light of the lamp is visible;
Figure 4 represents a side or lateral view of the board and lamp, so that when
the thin edge of the board is in front, the light or flame of the lamp is in-

page_text: visible, and the lamp, according to the mode of construction, is fixed in the
board, and turns with it. These same Figures (viz, Figures 3 and 4) also
shew that lamps, with an opaque and a shining side, mentioned in a previous
part of this description, may be made to turn by means of lines and pullies, so
as to exhibit their opaque or their shining side, that is, to be made visible and
invisible at pleasure; and the said paper of Drawings hereunto annexed is
signed by as relative hereto.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Boaz, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, at London, this Second day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and two.
Inrolled the same Second day of January, in the year above written.