Improvements in Type Printing Telegraph Apparatus.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Jan., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 10th Oct., 1889-Accepted, 16th Nov., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by the Firm of SIEMENS & HALSKE, of 94, Markgrafen
Strasse, Berlin, in the Empire of Germany, Electrical Engineers.]
Improvements in Type Printing Telegraph Apparatus.
I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL of No. 28 Southampton Buildings Chancery Lane in the
County of Middlesex Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows :—
This invention relates to apparatus consisting of one sending instrument connected
by electrical conductors with one or with a number of receiving instruments, these
instruments being so arranged, that, on deprossing a finger key of the sending instru-
ment corresponding to a letter or symbol, a type wheel in each of the receiving
instruments turns until the corresponding letter or symbol type is brought immediately
over a travelling paper strip and is impressed thereon.
The sending instrument has a number of finger keys arranged in a circle, and so
mounted that on depressing any one of the keys a pin is caused to stand up in the
path of a revolving arm. This revolving arm carries a contact spring bearing against
à stationary disc which has alternate conducting and non conducting portions of its
periphery, in number equivalent to that of the keys. The arm also carries a second
contact spring which is acted on only when the arm is stopped by a pin raised on
depressing a key. Thus as the arm is made to revolve uniformly by clockwork, a
succession of electric impulses are transmitted to the receiving instruments, one at
each contact of the first spring with the disc, these currents being weak because they
have to pass through a resistance carried on the arm. When, however, the second
contact spring is pressed by meeting one of the key pins the current is short circuited
so as to escape the resistance, and thus a strong electric impulse is sent to the
receivers.
In each receiving instrument there is a type wheel moved by clockwork and timed
to the movement of the transmitting arm by an escapement and anchor moved by the
armature of an electromagnet excited every time a weak impulse comes from the
transmitter. There is also another electro-magnet which is not excited sufficiently to
attract its armature except when a strong impulse comes from the transmitter. When
it is so excited its armature moves a roller over which the paper strip passes so as to
press the paper against that type of the type wheel which is then presented towards it.
Thus according as one key or another of the transmitter is depressed the type wheel
revolves till the corresponding type is presented to the paper and this type is impressed
on the paper. The paper roller has on its axis a ratchet wheel which as the roller
moves away from the type wheel is acted on by a stationary pawl turning it one tooth
and 50 advancing the paper strip the width of an impression. The armature lever
which carries the paper roller also removes a detent which holds the type wheel at
zero, thus allowing the type wheel to rovolve until the desired type is presented to the
paper and is impressed and then to continue its revolution until it comes to its zero
position when it is again held by the detent, which is moved into position by friction
on the surface of the revolving spring drum. The disc of the transmitter, instead of
baving insulated portions of its periphery may have its periphery divided into contacts
connected alternately with opposite poles of the battery or source of electricity, so that
positive and negative currents are alternately transmitted as the arm revolves round
the disc. In this case, the escapement magnet of each receiver has a polarised armature
attracted alternately opposite ways.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Type Printing Telegraph Apparatus.
I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in
County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, 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 to apparatus consisting of one sending instrument connected
by electrical conductors with one or with a number of receiving instruments, these
instruments being so arranged that, on depresssing a finger key of the sending
instrument corresponding to a letter or symbol, a type wheel in each of the receiving
instruments turns until the corresponding letter or symbol type is brought immediately
over a travelling paper strip and is impressed thereon.
The sending instrument has a number of finger keys arranged in a circle and so
mounted that on depressing any one of the keys a pin is caused to stand up in the
path of a revolving arm. This revolving arm carries a contact spring bearing against
a stationary disc which has alternate conducting and nonconducting portions of its
periphery in number equivalent to that of the keys. The arm also carries a second
contact spring which is acted on only when the arm is stopped by a pin raised on
depressing a key. Thus as the arm is made to revolve uniformly by clockwork a
succession of electric impulses are transmitted to the receiving instruments, one at
each contact of the first spring with the disc these currents being weak because they
have to pass through a resistance carried on the arm. When however the second
contact spring is pressed by meeting one of the key pins the current is short
circuited so as to escape the resistance and thus a strong electric impulse is sent to the
receivers.
In each receiving instrument there is a type wheel moved by clockwork and timed
to the movement of the transmitting arm by an escapement and anchor moved by the
armature of an electromagnet excited evory time a weak impulse comes from the
transmitter. There is also another electromagnet which is not excited sufficiently to
attract its armature except when a strong impulse comes from the transmitter.
When it is so excited, its armature moves a roller over which the paper strip passes
so as to press the paper against that type of the type wheel which is then presented
towards it. Thus according as one key or another of the transmitter is depressed the
type wheel revolves till the corresponding type is presented to the paper and this type
is impressed on the paper. The paper roller has on its axis a ratchet wheel which as
the roller moves away from the type wheel is acted on by a stationary pawl turning it
one tooth and so advancing the paper strip the width of an impression. The armature
lever which carries the paper roller also removes a detent which holds the typo wheel
at zero, thus allowing the type wheel to revolve until the desired type is presonted to
the paper and is impressed and then to continue its revolution until it comes to its zero
position when it is again held by the detent, which is moved into position by friction
on the surface of the revolving spring drum.
The disc of the transmitter instead of having insulated portions of its periphery,
may have its periphery divided into contacts connected alternately with opposite poles
of the battery or source of electricity, so that positive and negative currents are
alternately transmitted as the arm revolves round the disc. In this case the escape-
ment magnet of each receiver has a polarised armature attracted alternately
opposite ways.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is an elevation of the receiving instrument
and Fig. 2 is a plan of the sending instrument according to this invention, the other
figures shew details and modifications hereinafter referred to. In Fig. 1. F is a barrel
for a spring or weight to work clockwork which is geared to a type wheel R tending
to drive it in the direction of the arrow.
The circumference of th wheeel R carries types of letters, figures &c. which are
inked from an ink roller f. The wheel R is geared to an escapement wheel the rotation
of which is checked by an escapement anchor E connected to the spring armature A,

page_text: ."
of an electromagnet M, which when alternately excited and not excited causes the
anchor E to oscillate permitting the wheel R to turn one type division round at each
which is
oscillation. A strip of paper from a paper roll P passes over a roller
mounted on the end of a lever D carrying a spring armature A facing the poles of a
second electromagnet M. Whenever this magnet is excited it attracts its armature A*
causing the lever D to make a stroke and the roller p to press the paper against the
type on R which is then presented towards it. On the return stroke of the lever D a
stationary pawl & acts on a ratchet wheel S on the axis of the roller p, causing it to turn
one tooth, thereby advancing the paper strip to receive a succeeding impression. A
lever shewn in front view at Fig. 5 has its lower end engaged in a groove of the
barrel F the frictional drag of which tends to move the upper end of in the way of
an arm a attached to the type wheel R. When the lever D makes its upstroke for
printing, a stud v projecting from its acts on the horizontal arm of pushing out of
the way of a and so leaving the type wheel R free to revolve. The rate at which the
lever is moved back by its friction on F to a position to intercept the arm a is such
that the wheel R is free to make two complete revolutions before being again stopped
by intercepting a, the wheel being then stopped always in the same position by the
arm a resting on r until ris again moved out of the way by the printing movement
of the lever D. The electro magnets M' and M' are of such size and so coiled that M'
attracts its armature A, when it is excited by a current which is only a fraction of that
necessary to make M attract its armature A². In order therefore to work the
receiving instrument it is necessary to transmit a number of weak currents exciting
the magnet M and permitting the type wheel to turn so far as is required and then
to send a current sufficient for the magnet M to effect an impression on the paper strip
as above described. For the purpose of sending such currents the sending instrument
is arranged as shewn by Fig. 2. In the centre of a circular key board, having keys
inarked with the letters figures &c. there is a stationary disc S having its circumference
notched so as to form a succession of conducting and nonconducting divisions
corresponding in number with the keys. An arm Cis caused to revolve by suitable
clockwork, this arm having a spring contact c¹, which bears against the edge of the
disc S. The disc S being connected to a battery B while the boss x of the arm Chas
bearing against it a rubber y connected to the line L, a current is transmitted every
time the contact c¹ passes over a tooth of the disc S. This current however having to
pass through a resistance W is so much weakened that though it can work the magnet M'
of the receiver it cannot work the magnet M².
In connection with each key there is a stud 6 which when the key is depressed is
raised so as to come in the way of the revolving arm C and stop it, but in so stopping
it, it presses against a spring contact c² whereby the current is short circuited instead
of passing through the resistance W, and thus a strong current is transmitted to work
the magnet M of the receiver. Thus the depression of any key permitting the arm C
to revolve until it reaches the stud belonging to that key has the effect of transmitting
a number of weak currents which allow the type wheel of the receiver to move until
the type corresponding to the depressed key is presented towards the paper, and then
by the stopping of the arm C at the desired place a strong current is transmitted to
effect the impression. As shown in Fig. 3 the escapement anchor E may be worked
by a polarised armature acted on by a magnet excited alternately by + and-currents
every stroke both up and down permitting the type wheel to turn one division.
as shewn in Fig. 4 the disc S may be arranged to transmit + and -currents
alternately. Although only one receiving instrument and one transmitting instrument
have been described above as being connected together, obviously there might be
several receivers connected to the line from one transmitter, or several transmitters
connected to the line for one receiver.
Also
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim in respect of type printing telegraph instruments, is :-
1 A receiving instrument wherein a type wheel revolves a distance determined by

page_text: the transmission of a number of weak electrical currents to an electromagnet, and an
impression is caused by the transmission of a strong current to another electromagnet,
substantially as described with reference to Fig. 1.
2. A sending instrument wherein a contact arm in moving round a disc makes a
series of contacts transmitting weak currents through a resistance, until on being
stopped at a point determined by the depression of a key, the resistance is cut cut of
the circuit, and a strong current is transmitted substantially as described with reference
to Figs. 3 and 4.
Dated this 10th day of October 1889
ABEL & IMRAY
Agents for the Appliant.