IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ELECTRIC PRINTING TELEGRAPH INSTRUMENTS, AND IN THE TRANSMISSION OF ELECTRIC CURRENTS THEREBY.
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Bristow Hunt, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's
Inn, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ELECTRIC PRINTING TELEGRAPH
INSTRUMENTS, AND IN THE TRANSMISSION OF ELECTRIC CURRENTS THEREBY.
"
A communication from abroad by George Lee Anders, of
Boston, County of Suffolk, and Ebenezer Baker Welch, of Cam-
bridge, in the County of Middlesex, both in the State of Massa-
chusetts, U.S.A.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Bristow Hunt at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th September 1871.
I, BRISTOW HUNT, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the
5 County of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ELECTRIC
PRINTING TELEGRAPH INSTRUMENTS, AND IN THE TRANSMISSION OF ELECTRIC
CURRENTS THEREBY," (a communication to me from abroad by George

page_text: Lee Anders, of Boston, County of Suffolk, and Ebenezer Baker
Welch, of Cambridge, in the County of Middlesex, both in the State
of Massachusetts, U.S.A.,) to be as follows:-
The Invention consists in arranging the parts of a printing telegraph
instrument, and the transmission of electric currents, so as to effect
the transmission of two separate and distinct messages simultaneously
over one wire.
And the Invention consists further in the arrangement of two
printing apparatuses in one instrument, and their magnetic attachment
included in one circuit.
Upon the base of the telegraph instrument is placed a permanent
magnet, also two electro-magnets, one responding to the positive
current and the other to the negative one; these latter actuate two bent
levers which are pivotted to a standard raised from the base. One
wire connects each of these magnets with the ground, and a second wire
connects each of them with the line.
!
A type wheel is mounted upon a shaft, and revolves about the centre
of an upper platform. The type wheel is provided on its periphery
with thirty letters or cyphers, and moves correspondingly, and in exact
positions to a type wheel on a like instrument at the distant station.
To. the upper portion of a vertical spindle is secured a crank or
eccentric which transmits a reciprocating motion to a slide plate in
such a manner that for every revolution of the type wheel the spindle
accomplishes thirty revolutions, and therefor transmits thirty double
oscillations to the slide plate. There is another sliding plate on the top
of this first sliding plate, which when a current is passing through the
electric magnets before mentioned is locked with the lower sliding plate,
the length of the stroke however being terminated by two catches
pivotted to the upper plate, and which when lowered rest against two
stops on the lower plate, and are thereby compelled to follow the
motion of the latter, but when raised they are free of said stops. To
the upper plate are attached two presses which hold the paper against
the type wheel, also two pins which vibrate two bell-crank levers, to
the longer arms of which are fastened feed plates, when an impression
is desired. The catches above mentioned are raised or lowered (by ;
means of the bent levers passing through slots in the lower plate) as
the armatures are attracted or repelled by the currents in the electro-

page_text: magnets, but while the one is effected only by the positive current the
other is sensitve only to the negative one.
Suppose a positive electric current to be transmitted from the distant
station, the armature of the lever connected to one of the clectric
magnets being drawn down and its other end raised, throws one catch
of the upper plate from its retaining stop, and causes the lower sliding
plate to act upon the upper sliding plate, so as to throw by means of
one of the pins above mentioned one of the bell-crank levers towards
one of the presses and feed a strip of paper towards the type wheel,
where it is held by the press to receive the impression of the selected
letter.
When two of these instruments are suitably connected together, that
is, by wire for land and by cable for sea or water telegraphs, the
commutator. of one instrument will transmit positive currents and
effect the operation of the presses, responding to positive currents in
both instruments; and the commutator of the other instrument will
transmit negative currents, and effect the operation of the presses
responding to negative currents; thus all the letters of one message are
selected from the type wheels by negative electric. pulsations, and the
letters of the other message are selected by currents of a positive
polarity.
Both the type wheel shaft and the spindle which actuates the lower
sliding plate are connected with the motor, commutator, and keyboard
of a telegraphic machine.
25 SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,.
filed by the said Bristow Hunt in the Great Scal Patent Office
on the 15th March 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BRISTOW
HUNT, of No. 1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of
0 Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the

page_text: thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Bristow Hunt, Her special licence
that I, the said Bristow Hunt, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Bristow Hunt, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF ELECTRIC PRINTING TELEGRAPH INSTRUMENTS, AND IN THE
TRANSMISSION OF ELECTRIC CURRENTS THEREBY," (a communication to me
from abroad by George Lee Anders, of Boston, County of Suffolk, and
Ebenezer Baker Welch, of Cambridge, in the County of Middlesex,
both in the State of Massachusetts, United States America,) upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Bristow Hunt, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Bristow Hunt, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement in writing, and on reference being had to the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, that is to say:—
The Invention consists in arranging the parts of a printing telegraph
instrument, and the transmission of electric currents, so as to effect the
transmission of two separate and distinct messages simultaneously over
one wire, and in the arrangement of two printing apparatus in such
instrument, and their magnetic attachment included in one circuit.
The Invention will be readily understood on reference being had to
the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and to the following description
or explanation thereof, that is to say:―
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawings Figure 1 represents a plan
view, and Figure 2 an elevation, of an electric printing telegraph
instrument constructed according to this Invention.

page_text: a represents the base of the instrument upon which is placed a
permanent magnet 6 and two pairs of electro-magnets c, d, the former
responding to the positive current and the latter to the negative one.
The magnets c, d, actuate two bent levers e, e¹, which are pivotted to a
standard projecting from the base; they are each connected with
the ground wire G by a wire k, k¹, and with the line L by a wire 7, l'
t represents a type wheel mounted upon a shaft h, and which revolves
about the centre of an
upper platform m. It is provided on its
periphery with thirty letters or cyphers and moves correspondingly, and
in exact positions to a similar type wheel on a like instrument at the
distant station. To the upper portion of a vertical spindle or shaft i is
secured a crank or eccentric n, which by means of its pin transmits a
reciprocating motion to a sliding plate o in such a manner that for
every revolution of the type wheel, the spindle accomplishes thirty
revolutions, and consequently transmits thirty double oscillations to the
sliding plate. Both the shafts h and i are shewn as broken off, but (in
practice) they are connected with the motor, commutator, and key
board of a telegraph machine. p represents a second sliding plate placed
above the first one o, and which, when a current is passing through the
magnets c, d, is locked therewith; the length of the stroke however
being determined by two catches 8, s¹, pivotted to the plate p, and
which when lowered rest against two stops u, u', on the plate o, and are
then compelled to travel with the same, but when the catches 8, 8³, are
raised they are free of the stops. The catches 8, s¹, are raised and
lowered by the levers e¹, e, (which pass through slots y, y', in the
plate o) as the armatures are attracted or repelled by the currents in
the electro-magnets, but while the one is affected only by the positive
current the other is sensitive only to the negative one.
To the plate p
are attached two presses ", "¹, which press or hold the paper strips 2, 2',
on which the messages are to be printed against the type wheel,
and two pins w, w, which vibrate two bell-crank levers x, x', to
the longer arms of which are attached feed plates when an impression
is desired.
For the sake of example a positive electric current is supposed to be
transmitted from the distant station; the armature of the lever e being

page_text: by means of the pin w the bell-crank lever x towards the press v, and
feed a strip of paper towards the type wheel, where it is held by the
press to receive the impression of the selected letter.
When two of these instruments are suitably connected together the
commutator of one will transmit positive currents and effect the
operation of the presses responding to positive currents in both
instruments, and the commutator of the other will transmit negative
currents and effect the operation of the presses responding to negative
currents; thus all the letters of one message are selected from the type
wheels by negative electric pulsations, and the letters of the other
message are selected by currents of a positive polarity.
Having now described the nature and object of the said Invention
for "Improvements in the Construction of Electric Printing Telegraph
Instruments, and in the Transmission of Electric Currents thereby,"
together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be 1
performed or carried into practical effect, I would remark in conclusion
that I claim as the Invention (communicated to me by the above-
named George Lee Anders and Ebenezer Baker Welch),―
1: The transmission of clectrical currents in one circuit, when a
current in one direction secures the selection and impression or 2
printing of a letter, sign, or character of a telegram; and when
transmitted in the opposite direction secures the selection and
impression of a letter, sign, or character of another and separate
telegram, substantially as set forth.
2. The transmission of electric currents transmitted through a circuit, 2
when they effect the operation of one or the other of two printing or
impression mechanisms, according to the direction of the currents in a
printing telegraph instrument, substantially as specified.
3. Two impression mechanisms or their equivalents, attached to one
or more type wheels in a printing telegraph instrument, when operating 3
in one circuit, substantially as set forth..
4. The use of two strips of paper or their equivalent, on a
printing telegraph instrument, substantially as shown and described.

page_text: 5. The printing of two separate and distinct messages simultaneously
in a printing telegraph instrument by means of one circuit, substantially
as set forth.
In witness whercof, I, the said Bristow Hunt, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.