Spring-winding Apparatus for Printing Telegraph and other Instruments.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Mar., 1895-Accepted; 13th July, 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Spring-winding Apparatus for Printing Telegraph and other
Instruments.
I JOHN BURRY of 128 Temple Street, in Long Island City in the County
of Queens and State of New York, United States of America, Electrician, 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:-
This invention relates more particularly to that class of power-driven instruments
known as receivers or tickers in printing telegraphy. The invention is also
applicable in the automatic winding of clocks, registers, and other instruments, run,
or which may be run, by springs or weights. Ordinarily, receivers or tickers are
driven by weights or springs, which are wound by, hand from time to time, an
expensive and troublesome proceeding, when the tickers, as is generally the case,
are scattered through a city. Attempts have been made, with more or less success,
to wind these weights or springs automatically, and electro motors with. reciprocating
or rotating armatures have been proposed or used in some cases. As ordinarily
constructed, a ticker includes quick-acting escapement-operating electro-magnets
and sluggish "printing." electro magnets, and it has been proposed to use the latter
to wind the main-spring. But as the time intervals between" printing impulses
are subject to great variations in practice (though they may, and' do, when long
intervals are considered,, bear, a substantially fixed, relation to the number of
impulses for operating the escapement magnets), it sometimes happens that the
main-spring runs down, or becomes so weakened; that the type-wheel is not
properly driven thereby, or the spring may be overwound. It has also been found
that there is not flexibility enough in the spring-driven mechanism of this class of
machines. Various attempts have been made, with more or less success to over-
come the difficulties inherent in the use of the current, to do the additional work
of weight or spring-winding.
"2
The object of this invention is to use the current in winding the main-spring or
weight in an economical and efficient. manner. To this end, the invention includes
the combination with the escapement. controlling the type-carrier, of an automatically-
wound main-spring, and connections between them provided with a yielding or
resilient member; it also includes a friction device Between the main-spring and
escapement, so that the strain, on the latter will have a maximum; it also includes
a device for storing and restoring the surplus energy of an automatic spring-winding
mechanism, which acts intermittently or at intervals; and various combinations of
devices, all as hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims
concluding this Specification.
The preferred form of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing,
forming part hereof, wherein :—
Fig. 1 is a plan view of said form of the invention showing a type-wheel, an
escapement wheel, gearing, and springs for driving said parts, a fly-wheel
connected with the main-spring, and electro-magnetically operated' spring-winding
means..
Fig. 2 is a side view of the lever, pawl, and natchet, for turning the shaft of the
main-spring; and
Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevation, on line 2, 2, of Fig. 1, showing the escapement
wheel, the main-spring gearing, printing-magnets, and lever.

page_text: The reference A indicates the side frames of a ticker, in which are journalled
the shafts 2, 3, and 4. On the shaft 2 are the type-wheel 5, the escapement
wheel 6, and the loose gear 7, which is connected to the shaft by means of the
spring 8, coiled about the shaft, and fast thereto and to the gear. The ratchet
wheel 9, main-spring 10, and sleeve 11, are fast on shaft 3, while the gear 12 and
fly-wheel 13 are loose thereon. The main-spring 10 is not fast to the gear 12, but
its outer convolution rests against the rim of drum 14. The spring 15 is fast to
the sleeve 11, and to the hook or pin 16 in the side of the fly-wheel 13. A pin 17
in shaft 3 co-acts with pin 16, whereby the forward motion of the wheel turns
shaft 3, and winds the spring 10. The sleeve 11 is adjustable on the shaft, so that
the tension of spring 15 may be adjusted. The armature 18 of the printing-
magnets P is carried by the shaft 4, which also has a lever 19 fast thereto.
A suitable pawl 20 is pivotted in the forked end of the lever, and is held in
working position by a spring 21, which is fast at one end to the lever. A suitable
detent a may be used to prevent back motion of the wheel 9. A spring b may
return lever 19 to its lower position.
are
The operation of the described parts is as follows:-Whenever a prolonged or
printing impulse is sent over the line, the magnet P attracts armature 18 to itself,
thereby raising the free end of lever 19, and causing pawl 20 to actuate the ratchet
wheel 9, shaft 3, and fly wheel 13. The pawl 20 moves wheel 9 forward a tooth or
so, and winds the spring 10 to that extent; the turning of shaft 3 winds the
spring 15 also, the wheel 13 not moving, owing to its inertia ; as soon as the pull
of spring 15 overcomes the inertia of wheel 13, the latter moves forward, as, or
after, pawl 20 ceases to act; pin 16 strikes the pin 17, the momentum of wheel 13
turns shaft 3, and still further winds spring 10. This construction avoids undue
shocks and strains in the instrument. Of course, if the "printing impulses
unusally frequent, there may be an overwinding of the spring 10 by the pawl 20,
in which case the outer end of spring 10 slips along the inner face of drum 14, this
construction being equivalent to a friction clutch, and answers very well in the case
illustrated. The spring 10 acts, through gears 12 and 7 and spring 8, to turn
shaft 2 and wheel 6. In case the spring 10 is wound faster than its force is
expended in turning the type wheel, the spring 8 is wound to a greater or less
extent, (it is normally under tension),-thus distributing the stored power. In case
the mainspring 10 slips in its box, the spring 8 drives the type-wheel. Thus, the
described construction renders the whole instrument fully flexible, or capable of
meeting the various and varying conditions of its work.
The electro-magnets and pallets for controlling the scape-wheel 6 are not shown,
nor are any of the usual details of instruments of this class shown, since these form
no specific part of the present invention. However, this invention is not limited to
the precise details, nor to the arrangement thereof shown, nor to this particular
class of instruments, for many changes in details and arrangement may be made
without departing from the spirit thereof. For instance, the work to be done by
the mainspring may be comparatively heavy, so heavy, in fact, that the friction
between its outer convolution and the drum, would not be sufficient; in such case, a
suitable friction clutch could be used to attain the same end.
It may be remarked, in conclusion, that in applying the invention to a clock, the
minute hand may be arranged to close a circuit one or more times during the hour,
and so wind the main-spring by the invention described. In clocks and chrono-
graphs for registering meridian passages of stars, &c., the seconds pendulum is made
to close an electric circuit during each of its movements, and it would of course be
easy to arrange the same to wind a spring.
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 1
claim is
1. In a printing telegraph or other machine, the combination with the escape
ment, of an automatically-wound main spring and gearing containing a spring

page_text: connecting the main-spring and escapement, and operating the escapement wheel,
substantially as described.
2. In a printing-telegraph or other machine, the combination with the escape-
ment, of an automatically wound main spring, loose in its box, and gearing between
said spring and said escapement, substantially as described.
3. In a printing-telegraph or other machine, the combination with the escape-
ment, of a main-spring, an intermittently-acting automatic spring-winding mechanism
therefor, and a momentum-device for continuing the spring-winding, substantially
as described.
4. In a printing telegraph or other machine, the combination with the escape-
ment, of a main spring, an intermittently acting automatic spring-winding mechanism,
a momentum device for continuing the spring-winding, and a spring connecting said
device with said mechanism, substantially as described.
5. In a printing-telegraph or other machine, the combination with the escape-
ment, of a main-spring, means for automatically winding it at intervals, connections
having a resilient member between said spring and escapement, and a momentum
device for continuing the spring-winding, substantially as described.
6. In a printing-telegraph or other machine, the combination with the escape-
ment, of a main-spring, a shaft to which it is fast, means for automatically turning
said shaft at intervals, to wind said spring, a momentum device loose on said shaft,
a spring connecting it therewith, for continuing the winding of said spring, and
gearing frictionally connected with said main-spring, and connecting it with said
escapement, substantially as described.
7. In a printing-telegraph or other machine, the combination with the escape-
ment, of a main spring, a shaft to which it is fast, means for automatically turning
said shaft at intervals to wind said spring, a momentum device loose on said shaft,
a spring connecting it therewith, for continuing the winding of said spring, means
for limiting the forward motion of said device and unwinding of said connecting
spring, and gearing frictionally connected with said main spring, and connecting it
with said escapement, substantially as described.
CM 1001
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.