IMPROVEMENTS IN SIGNALLING APPARATUS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Froderic Newton Gisborne, of Ottawa, in the Dominion
of Canada, but temporarily of Coleman Stroet, in the City of London,
Engineer and Electrician, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SIGNALLING
APPARATUS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederic Newton Gisborne
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th July 1880.
FREDERIC NEWTON GISBORNE, of 'Ottawa, in the Dominion of Canada, but
temporarily of Coleman Street, in the City of London, Engineer and Electrician.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SIGNALLING APPARATUS."
The object of this Invention is to provide a signalling apparatus suitable for
transmitting messages by visible signals from a shore station to ships at sea, and
from one station to another, where the electric telegraph is inadmissible.
It is well known that the system of signalling employed in the navy presents
great difficulties, inasmuch as in calms, or when the wind sets either in the direction
in which the message is to be transmitted or in the opposite direction thereto, the
flag and pennant employed become invisible. Again several movements are required
to produce one signal, and consequently the transmission of a message is a tedious
operation.
To avoid these difficulties without interfering with the accepted code of the navy
I employ symbols representing the ball, flag, and pennant, and these are used either
as solid figures in black on a white ground, or white on a black ground, or as
transparencies which when illuminated will be visible at night, or the symbols may
be painted solid on a transparent ground, and used to throw shadows on an
illuminated surface.
The apparatus will consist conveniently of a vertical screen composed of wood-
work and fixed to a turntable which may rest upon any suitable foundation.
Behind this screen will be a hut or chamber in which the signalling mechanism is
mounted, and where the attendant may find shelter. In the screen three horizontal
openings are made, one above the other, and behind each of these openings a four
sided prism or box is mounted on a horizontal spindle. Supposing the screen to
be painted white I paint the four sides of the boxes to correspond therewith, but

page_text: on three of the sides of these boxes I paint in block the symbols to be employed
in signalling. Thus on one side of each box will be painted the symbol of a ball,
on another that of a pennant, and on a third that of a flag, the fourth side being
left blank.
"
The spindles of theso boxes I fit with a group of spur wheels of equal number,
and pitch, and corresponding'in number with the signals intended to be transmitted.
The spur wheels I so arrange as to gear with the teeth of one of a series of racks
which are set in front of these groups of spur wheels, and are intended each to act
on the three boxes simultaneously and turn them round either to the same or
varying extent, according to .the letter intended to be signalled. To provide for
this each rack is furnished with three groups of teeth, either of the same length or
of different lengths, which coming into action by the lifting of the rack bar will
-impart-to-the-respective boxes.an amount of axial movement corresponding to the
number of teeth traversed past the spur wheels. The racks may be actuated-by
rock lovers or by a shifting quadrant lever engaging with teeth at the back of the
racks.
It will now be understood that by giving rotary motion simultaneously to all
the boxes any desired signal which the apparatus is capable of making may be
given at one operation, and that without the risk of any mistake occurring, as the
operator has merely to work that portion of the mechanism which answers to the
letter he is required to signal..
For night use the boxes will be fitted with reflector lamps which may hang from
the spindles of the boxes, leaving the same free to turn.
It will be convenient to show above the screen a disc which can be turned, and
will-indicate-from-its-position--when_the_apparatus is in action and when the
signalling has ceased.
By mounting this apparatus upon a turntable it admits of adjustment to face all
points of the compass.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Frederick Newton Gisborne in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 10th January 1881.
FREDERICK NEWTON GISBORNE, of Ottawa, in the Dominion of Canada, but
temporarily of Coleman Street, in the City of London, Engineer and Electrician.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SIGNALLING APPARATUS."
The object of this Invention is to provide a signalling apparatus suitable for
transmitting messages by visible signals from a shore station to ships at sea, and
from one station to anothor, where the electric telegraph is inadmissible.
It is well known that the system of signalling employed in the navy presents
great difficulties, inasmuch as in calms or when the wind sets in the direction in
which the message is to be transmitted or in the opposite direction thereto the flag
and pennant employed become invisible.
Again several movements are required to produco one signal, and consequently
the transmission of a message is a tedious operation. To avoid these difficultios
without interfering with the accepted code of the navy I employ symbols repro-
sonting the ball, flag, and pennant, and these are used either as solid figures in black
on a white ground, or whito on a black ground, or as transparencies which when
illuminated will be visible at night. Or the symbols may be painted solid on a
transparent ground and used to throw shadows on an illuminated surface.
The apparatus will consist conveniently of a vortical screen composed of wood-
work and fixed to a turntable which may rest upon any suitable foundation.
Behind this screen will be a hut or chamber in which the signalling mechanism is
mounted, and where the attendant may find shelter. In the screen three horizontal
openings are made, one above the other, and behind each of these openings a four
sided prism or box is mounted on a horizontal shaft. Supposing the screen to bo
painted white I paint the four sides of the boxes to correspond therowith, but on
three of the sides of these boxes or prisms I paint in black the symbols to bo
employed in signalling. Thus on one side of each box will be painted the symbol
of a ball, on another that of a flag, and on a third that of a pennant, the fourth
side being left blank.
The shafts of these boxes I fit with a group of spur wheels of equal number and
pitch, and corresponding in number with the signals intended to be transmitted.
The spur wheels I so arrange as to gear with the teeth of one of a series of rack
bars which are set in front of these groups of spur wheels, and are intended each to
act either on one, two, or three of the boxes, and turn them round according to tho
letter intended to be signalled. To provide for this each rack bar is furnished
either with one, two, or three groups of teeth of equal or of different lengths, which
coming into action by the lifting of the rack bar will impart to the box or boxes
geared therewith an amount of axial movement corresponding to the number of
teeth traversed past the spur wheels. The rack bars may be actuated by
independent rock levers or by a shifting quadrant lover engaging with teeth at the
back of the rack bars.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my improved
signalling apparatus, Fig. 2 is an irregular vertical side section of the same, and
Fig. 3 is a back sectional elevation taken through the centre of the turntable.
A is a flat screen forming the face of a hut which encloses the signalling
mechanism, and provides for the attendant the requisito shelter from the weather.
In the face of this screen are three horizontal oblong, rectangular openings which
are closed by three four-sided prisons or boxes B, B¹, B². Theso prisms carry on
three sides the three familiar devices used in marine signalling, any one of which

page_text: Bides may be brought up at the pleasure of the attendant flush with the screen to
fill up the openings made therein, and present a signal or a plain surface, as the
case may be, to the sight of a distant spectator.
These prisms consist of hollow boxes with open ends mounted on shafts b which
have their bearings at the back of the screen.
Keyed to each of these shafts is a series of spur wheels b¹, or in lieu thereof I
may use clongated pinions.
Gearing into the teeth of the wheels bare rack teeth c carried by vertical rack
bars C, the number of which will correspond to the number of signals intended to
be transmitted. In the Drawings I have only shown six of these rack bars, as that
number will suffice to explain the construction of the signalling mechanism and the
-mode-of working the same.
The rack bars C are supported by and are free to slide in-fixed-guides.C!.attached
to the framing of the screen A.
At the back of these rack bars are rack teeth c¹, which are intended to receive
the teeth of a sector rack operated by a lever D which is mounted on a horizontal
rock shaft D' carried by suitable bearings provided to receive it.
The lever D is free to slide laterally on its shaft over a feather with which the
shaft is provided, in order that its sector rack may be brought into line with either
of the rack teeth c¹ of the rack bars C for the purpose of raising one of those bars
and producing the signal which that bar is intended to bring into view.
The feather in the shaft D' ensures the rocking of the shaft when the lever is
brought into action, and a sliding bolt d entering a notch in a disc d' keyed to the
shaft D will retain the signal in position until it is required to be changed. The
attendant will then have simply to withdraw the bolt, and the raised-rack bar will
fall by its own weight, at the same time restoring the prisms or four sided boxes
to the non-signalling position.
The groups of teeth c on the rack bars are so arranged as to ensure that the
lifting of each rack bar shall produce a given signal.
Thus it will be necessary for a certain number of the bars to rack round one
prism only, for a certain number of rack bars to rack round two prisms only, and
for the remainder of the rack bars to rack round the threo prisms, but to a differing
extent, in order that the one may shew a ball, another a flag, and the third a
pennant, the order of their presontation being determined by the signal to be
transmitted.
From the foregoing it will be understood that by my Invention a signal is
produced by one movement of a single rack bar, and that without the risk of any
mistake occurring, as the operator has merely to work that portion of the mechanism
which answers to the letter he is required to signal
For night use the boxes will be fitted with reflector lamps, which may hang
from the shafts of the boxes, leaving the same free to turn, the signalling sides of
the boxes being furnished with tho devices in a transparent medium, such as colored
glass, which for protection by day may be covered by a shutter bearing a corre-
sponding device in black.
Access may be gained to the interior of the boxes for the purpose of adjusting
the lamps by means of a door fitted to their blank sides, as shewn at Fig. 3.
It will be convenient to shew above the screen a disc or semaphore which can
be turned, and will indicate from its position when the apparatus is in action and
when the signalling has ceased.
This disc is shown at E as mounted on a vertical shaft E¹ which receives an
axial motion from a horizontal rack e gearing into a pinion e' on the shaft E. The
rack is slidden to and fro by means of a lever c² pendent from a fixed fulcrum and
connected by a looped rod with the rack.
F is a turntable which forms the floor of the signalling apparatus, and is furnished
with a centre pin f that rests in a socketted plate carried by the timbers consti-
tuting the foundation for the structure; fl are anti-friction rollers which bear
upon a circular rail G fixed to the foundation timbers. Within this rail and concentric

page_text: therewith is an annular rack H also carried by the foundation timbers. Into the
teeth of this rack gears a worm wheel h which is driven by the worm of a winch H'
mounted on the turntable. By means of this winch the apparatus may be adjusted
to faco all points of the compass in turn, and thus to present to any moving body
a full view of the screen.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of “ Improvements in
Signalling Apparatus," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect,
I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I
claim,―
The arrangement of mechanism above described, or any mere modification
thereof, whereby two or more symbols or devices constituting a composite signal
may be be brought into view simultaneously or by ono action of the signalman,
and that without risk of error in composing the signal.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Newton Gisborne, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Tenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty,
F. N. GISBORNE. (L.S.)