Improvements in Recording Apparatus for Ships' Telegraphs.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Nov., 1894
Complete Specification Left. 8th Aug., 1895-Accepted, 28th Sept., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Recording Apparatus for Ships' Telegraphs.
I ELLIS FLETCHER of 36 Dale Street Liverpool in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The invention relates to ships' and like telegraphs, and the object is to provide
apparatus for keeping a record of signals sent and received, and of the actions
performed in connection with the said signals, together with the times at which the
signals were given and the actions performed.
The invention consists essentially in the combination of the usual or any
suitable signal transmitting and receiving apparatus; steering and engine con-
trolling mechanism; and a clock or timekeeper with a band of paper or the
like to which motion is given by the said signal transmitting and receiving
apparatus, and steering and engine controlling mechanism; and with printing
mechanism for recording on the band or paper the signals given, and receivel,
the actions performed, and the time thereof.
The various portions of the apparatus are of any usual or suitable construction,
connected and geared so as to act in unison.
the 7th day of November 1894.
J. JOHNSON,
Agent.
Improvements in Recording Apparatus
I ELLIS FLETCHER of 36 Dale Street, Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
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 invention relates to ships' and like telegraphs, and the object is to provide
apparatus for keeping a record of signals sent and received and of the actions
performed in connection with the said signals together with the times at which the
signals were given and the actions performed.
The invention consists essentially in the combination of the usual or any suitable
signal transmitting and receiving apparatus, steering and engine controlling
mechanism, and a clock or timekeeper with a band of paper or the like to which
motion is given by the said signal transmitting and receiving apparatus, and steering
and engine controlling mechanism, and with printing mechanism for recording on
the band of paper the signals given and received, the actions performed and the
time thereof.
The various portions of the apparatus are of any usual or suitable construction
connected and geared so as to act in unison.
DRAWINGS

page_text: 66
"
The
receiving apparatus by means of a lever as shown by the dotted lines, or by a pulley
and chain, or other suitable device. The signal transmitting and receiving
apparatus may be that used in conveying orders for steering or for operating the
engines. The apparatus is shown as applied to the main engines. On the shaft b
is a spur wheel c which gears into a pinion d. In the apparatus shown, the pinion
rotates nine times for the spur wheel, so that nine orders can be given.
pinion d which turns on a stud is provided with a crank d¹ connected by a rod d² to
a bell crank lever e on a stud è. e² is a tappet on the free end of the bell crank
lever e, held in position by a pin e³ and spring e. The said pinion d is also con-
nected by the rod d² to a link connected to a ratchet lever and pawl f*. The
ratchet lever moves freely around a shaft g. The pawl takes into a ratchet
wheel secured to the said shaft g. On the said shaft g is a drum 9* within the
frame. is a shaft carrying a roll of paper h' which is led over guide rollers h³
to a winding-on-shaft h³. The winding on shaft h³ is carried in slots * in the
frame a so that the paper wound on it rests on the drum 92 and is always moved a
uniform distance by the friction between it and the said drum at each motion of
the said drum. i is a shaft carrying cams j and k, and the said cams are connected
by a pulley and chain or other device as shown by the dotted lines to the weigh
shaft or other convenient part of the reversing gear of the main or steering engines
as required so that as the engines are caused to move " ahead or "astern," or
to port or "starboard," the said cams will be caused to turn in one direction
or the other. When the reversing gear or the rudder is central the cams are in
the position shown. The cam j is made with two recesses j1 & j2, and acts on one
end of a bell crank lever carried by a stud l. On the other end of the lever' is
a tappet, similar to the tappet e² above described. The said lever' is coupled
by a rod 3 to a ratchet-lever free to move around the shaft On the lever 14 is
a pawl which takes into the teeth of the ratchet wheel gl. The cam k is made
with two depressions k¹ & k², and acts on a bell crank lever m carried by a stud m¹.
The said lever m is coupled by a rod m² to a crank n on a shaft n¹.
The
shaft n carries a quadrant n' which has on it type surfaces n³ bearing the words
"ahead," " stop," astern," or other terms as required. By having more than
three acting surfaces on the cam k a quadrant bearing a greater number of type
surfaces for orders may be used. o is a clock having a face with raised figures
forming a printing surface, and two hands with printing surfaces o'. This clock is
of any usual or suitable construction such as is used for printing the time on a
moving band of paper. On the shaft 6 is a printing wheel 61, bearing, in this case,
nine orders, one being "stop," and of the others, four for "ahead," and four for
"astern." When applied to steering engines, the orders would be varied to suit.
p is a shaft carrying loosely a pad p' in front of the clock face. p, p³, are hammers
secured to the shaft p for striking against the pad p' and paper h¹ in front of the
type or printing wheel b' respectively. arm by which the shaft is actuated.
spring, and g² stop for retaining the shaft in its normal position. shaft carrying
hammers,, for striking against the pad p and paper in front of the quadrant n
respectively. s arm by which the said shaft is operated. spring and s² stop for
retaining the said shaft in its normal position. t springs for retaining the ends t¹
of levers and m against the cams j and k. u inking riband.
66
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
g.
When the shaft bis turned in one direction or the other to give an order, the
pinion d is caused to revolve and by means of the ratchet wheel g¹, cause the
paper to move forward, at the same time the motion of the said pinion operates
the hammers p², p³, by means of the tappet e acting on the arm q so as to mark the
order and the time of giving the order on the roll of paper h¹. The engineer or
steersman when he sets his engines in action moves by means of the said engines the
cams j and k so as to cause the paper h¹ to advance a step forward by the connections
to the ratchet wheel gl. At the same time the said cams give motion to the
hammers,, by means of the tappet 2 and arms so as to record the direction in
which the engines have moved together with the time at which they moved.

page_text: As the cam is moved in one or other direction the end of the lever / enters on:
or other of the depressions or j to be again raised on further movement of the
cam and so through the tappet 2 actuate the arm s.
The motion of the cam
causes the end of the lever m to rest on the surface of the cam or on one of the de-
pressions k¹, and so move the quadrant n³ into position to record the corresponding
motion of the engines.
It will be obvious that the construction and arrangement of the mechanism may
be considerably varied without departing from my invention.
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 !
claim is:
First. The improvements in recording apparatus for ships telegraphs substantially
as herein set forth.
Second. The combination of a ships signalling apparatus, steering and engine
controlling mechanism, and a clock or timekeeper with a travelling band of paper
or the like and printing mechanism for the purpose set forth.
Dated the 7th day of August 1905.
J. JOHNSON,
4 Clayton Square, Liverpool, Agent.
J. JOHNSON,
4 Clayton Square, Liverpool, Agent.