Iм- PROVEMENTS IN PRINTING TELEGRAPHS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George May Phelps, of Brooklyn, in the State
of New York, United States of America, for the Invention of "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN PRINTING TELEGRAPHS."
Sealed the 14th October 1873, and dated the 14th July 1873.
PROVISIONAL ·SPECIFICATION left by the said George May Phelps
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 14th July 1873.
I, GEORGE MAY PHELPS, of Brooklyn, in the State of New York,
United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
PRINTING TELEGRAPHS," to be as
follows:-
IN
In this machine there are three electro-magnets, and the line circuit
passes through them all. The pulsations of electricity employed to set
the type wheel are alternated in polarity, and act upon an armature
intervening between the poles of two of the magnets, to move the same

page_text: first one and then the other, and by wedge acting pallets or escape-
ments move or control the movement of the type wheel.
The reverse pulsations alternating rapidly do not allow sufficient
energy to accumulate in the third magnet to move its armature until
a slight pause occurs and the magnetism becomes sufficient to move a
the armature and liberate the mechanism that prints, and then draws
the paper away from the type wheel. By this device the printing is
effected more reliably and rapidly than by the direct action of an armature
lever, because the mechanism that effects the printing is uniform in
its action, instead of depending to a certain extent upon the power of 1
the electric current acting in the electro-magnet, as heretofore, and
the pressure pad and paper are also drawn back from the type wheel
before the mechanism is stopped, so that the impression cannot be
blurred by the movement of the type wheel.
The motor acts upon an escapement wheel to propel the pallets:
when the circuit pulsations cease, and a screw and lever are employed
in connection with the same to stop all the type wheels at the unison
point, ready to start again together when the movement of the
impression levers has released the unison devices.
i
The paper feed is completed in advance of the impression, so as not
to blur the printing.
The electro-magnet that liberates the printing mechanism has
elongated poles extending from the cores, and a non-magnetic tube
around the core to prevent too rapid action.
In some cases the type wheel is connected with a slowly revolving
unison wheel, that is, provided with a stop to arrest the movement of
the type wheel, and this stop is turned back to zero, or point of
beginning, each time the impression lever is actuated.
In other cases the unison stop is operated by an electro-magnet by
reversing the polarity of the current. In this case the type wheel is
set by retractile spring and single magnet.
The machine contains one type wheel, with the required figures or
fractions, or two type wheels with a shifting impression pad.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George May Phelps in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 9th January 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, George
MAY PHELPS, of Brooklyn, in the State of New York, United States
of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said George May Phelps, Her
special licence that I, the said George May Phelps, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George May Phelps,
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
PRINTING TELEGRAPHS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said George May Phelps, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said In-
vention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George May Phelps, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being made to the Drawings here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):-
In this machine there are three electro-magnets, and the line circuit
passes through them all. The pulsations of electricity employed to set
the type wheel are alternated in polarity, and act upon an armature
intervening between the poles of two of the magnets to move the same
first one way and then the other, and by wedge acting pallets or escape-
ments move or control the movement of the type wheel.

page_text: The reverse pulsations alternating rapidly do not allow sufficient.
energy to accumulate in the third magnet to move its armature until
a slight pause occurs and the magnetism becomes sufficient to move
the armature and liberate the mechanism that prints, and then draws
the paper away from the type wheel. By this device the printing is 5
effected more reliably and rapidly than by the direct action of an
armature lever, because the mechanism that effects the printing is:
uniform in its action instead of depending to a certain extent upon the
power of the electric current acting in the electro-magnet, as heretofore,
and the pressure pad and paper are drawn back from the type wheel 1
before the mechanism is stopped, so that the impression cannot be
blurred by the movement of the type wheel.
The motor acts upon an escapement wheel to propel the pallets
when the electric pulsations cease, and an unison stop is employed in
connection with the same to stop the type wheel of each instrument 1
at the same point, ready to start again together when the movement of
the impression levers has released the unison devices.
The paper feed is completed in advance of the impression so as not
to blur the printing.
The electro-magnet that liberates the printing mechanism has a
clongated poles extending from the cores, and a non-magnetic tube
around the cores to prevent too rapid action.
In the Drawing Fig. 1 is a side view of this printing telegraph
instrument complete; Fig. 2 is a plan of the same; and Fig. 3 is an
elevation of the instrument with slight modifications.
The two spring barrels a, b, are mounted in frames c, and connected
by suitable clockwork or trains of gearing, one with the shaft d, upon
which is the crank pin and roller e, and the other with the shaft i of
the type wheel f. Upon the shaft i is an escapement wheel k, and the
pallets and armature m swing upon the pivots n and allow the spring
and train of gearing to move the type wheel around one letter or
character at a time.
The magnets o, p, r, are in the main line circuit connected to the
binding screws 3 and 4, and pulsations are sent over the line alternately
of opposite polarity, hence the polarized armature m will be moved
first one way and then the other, and great rapidity of movement can

page_text: be obtained in setting the type wheel through the agency of the
escapement wheel and train of gearing, or in cases where the spring (a)
and train of gearing are dispensed with the pallets may be wedge
acting, so as to rotate the type wheel.
If the pallets and pallet wheel are of the character to form what is
known as a recoil escapement, the pallets may be moved by the pallet
wheel and gearing after the line is free from electricity, and the type
wheel will be revolved by the train of gearing until arrested by the
unison stop, in which condition it will remain until the instrument is
again operated. By this means the "dead beat" escapement is dispensed
with, the unison stop arrests the movement of the clockwork preventing
the same running down and bringing all instruments in a line to unison
on an open circuit, the clockwork also aids the movement of the
armature, and greater speed is attained with less battery power.
8
.
The printing roller s is upon a levert that has a fulcrum at 6, and a
slot 7 for the crank pin, or crank pin and roller e.. Upon the shaft d is
an arm u, and v, v³, are the swinging pallets actuated by the armature x
of the magnet 7.
These parts form a let-off mechanism for the shaft d
and arm u.
In the normal position the arm u and shaft d are arrested.
in their revolution by the pallet v, and at this point the crank pine is in
such a position to the levert that the impression roller and strip of
paper are away from the type wheel, hence the same will revolve without
inking the paper. As soon as a pause occurs in the alternate pulsations
transmitted, so that the magnet r accumulates energy enough to attract
the armature x, the pallet v releases the arm u, and the clock movement
gives the same, and the shaft & about one-half a revolution, and the arm
is stopped against the pallet v¹. In this movement the roller & has been
moved up and the paper impressed against the type, and the roller s
carried down again sufficiently to free the paper from the type, because
the crank pine in its half movement has passed beyond its lowest
point.
The pulsations can now be repeated to set the type wheel for the next
letter, and so soon as the magnet r is sufficiently demagnetized the
armature x recedes, releasing the arm u from the pallet v¹, which arm
makes about a half revolution and stops again against the pallet v. In
this movement the impression roller, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is carried
away the greatest distance from the type wheel and brought slightly:

page_text: back, and the paper is fed also by the pawl s¹, giving the rollers a
partial revolution. The strip of paper passes through a guide 10 and
beneath a yielding roller 11 that presses it upon the roller 8.
In Fig. 3 the construction and operation of the parts are substantially
similar to that before described, only the escapement detent vis separate
and operated by the short arm v² of the escapement in order that the
arm u may make about three-quarters of a revolution instead of only a
half revolution, and a second lever t¹ is employed to operate the pawl 8'
and paper feeding roller s², and the shape of this lever and the location
of its fulcrum 26 are such in relation to the crank pin e that the said
lever t¹ completes its movement from said crank pin e before the lever t
reaches its extreme movement, thereby the feeding of the paper is
complete before the impression is made of the paper upon the type.
The adjustment provided in the lever by the screw 30 and arm 44, as
seen in Fig. 3, allows the position of the impression roller to be varied
in relation to the actuating crank pin to give more or less pressure of
the paper on the type.
In consequence of the joint action of mechanism and magnetism in
effecting the printing great rapidity and reliability arc ensured, and a
comparatively weak electric current can be employed.
The type wheels of all the instruments in one circuit may be brought
into unison by the device shown in connection with the instrument
Figs. 1 and 2; the unison device is omitted from Fig. 3 in order to show
other parts more clearly, and in Figs. 4 and 5 said unison device is
shown by side and plan views respectively, and detached from other a
parts of the instrument; the escapement wheel k is removed from the
shaft in these two Figures.
Upon the type wheel shaft i is a pinion ³, and this rotates the wheel
23 through the intermediate gearing 24, 25, said type wheel shaft and
gearing revolving in the direction of the arrows Fig. 4. The wheel is
loose upon the shaft, but tends to revolve said shaft by frictional
contact with the disk 2, the parts being pressed together by the spring
26, and at the outer end of said shaft it is an arm 27, secured firmly to
and moving with said shaft.
Upon the type wheel is a pin 18, and as said type wheel is revolved
the end of the arm 27 is slowly turned by the gearing &, 24, 25, & v³;

page_text: towards the path of said pin 18; but as the type wheel is seldom
revolved more than once (unless designedly as hereafter explained)
without an impression being taken, the end of said arm 27 is moved
away from the path of said pin 18 each time an impression is taken,
because the arm of the printing lever & strikes against the lower end
of the arm 27, turning said arm away from the pin 18 or the path
described by it.
If it is designed to arrest the movement of the type wheel and bring.
the type wheels of other instruments into unison therewith said type
wheel is rotated more than once by pulsations sent through the magnets
o, p, as before explained, and by the gearing *, 24, 25, & ³, the shaft **
is rotated sufficiently to bring the end of the arm 27 into the path of
the pin 18, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and said arm stops the type wheel
when the pin strikes said arm, and by continuing the pulsations over the-
line the other type wheels are rotated until the type wheel of each
instrument is arrested and brought to the same point by its pin 18
striking against the arm 27.
When a pause occurs in the transmission of pulsations the printing
magnet in each instrument acts and operates the printing mechanism, :
and the arm that is attached upon the same fulcrum shaft as the.
levert in its movement strikes against the lower end of the arm 27 and
moves it back to its normal position away from the pin 18, as shown in
Figs. 1 and 2, and liberates the type wheel. It is to be understood that
the shaft ** and arm 27 are firmly connected together and are the only:
parts moved backward when the arm 27 is moved by the printing lever,
and that said arm and shaft are held in the position to which they are
moved by the spring 26 pressing the wheel against the disk, and
that when the type wheel is again rotated the shaft is gradually turned.
and the end of the arm 27 moved towards the path of the pin 18..
The magnet is made with the cores w that project laterally as arms
20¹, and the cores are surrounded by a brass or other non-magnetic
metallic tube w³, the object being to slightly detain the magnetism in
the core so that the magnet will not respond as rapidly as it would if
the helix was shorter or the armature opposite the end of the core, and
the brass tube w³ also aids to detain the magnetism, the object being to
prevent false printing when the transmitting instrument is operated
slowly

page_text: the armature for moving or controlling the movement thereof, substan-
tially as set forth.
Sixth. A magnet with a non-magnetic metallic tube surrounding the
corc, in combination with the printing mechanism for the purposes and
as set forth.
In witness whereof I, the said George May Phelps, have hereunto
set my hand and seal this Seventeenth day of December, A.D.
1079
GEO. M. PHELPS. (L.S.)
Witnesses,
CHA. H. SMITH, 121, Nassau St., New York.
GEO. T. PINCKNEY,
"
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