Year: 1888

page_text: I, HERSCHEL PORTER COPELAND of 74 South Arlington Avenue, East Orange,
County of Essex and State of New York, United States of America, Electrician, do
hereby declare the naturo 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:
The object of my invention is to provide means whereby beginners in telegraphy
may be relieved of the necessity of depending solely upon sound in transmitting
telegraphic messages, and may be guided to some extent by the eye.
In practice, my invention can also be used advantageously by skilled operators for
preserving a record of messages in the transmitting office for future reference. Such
a record might serve to settle disputes between senders and receivers in a conclusive
manner.
By the use of the apparatus which I have invented, an unskilled operator in the act
of sending a message to a distant station writes out in the Morse or any other code
the message which he sends. The message is received at the distant station upon
suitable instruments designed for that purpose.
The pen employed may be a fountain pen or an ordinary pen having a handle or
holder provided with suitable means for making electrical connections, as will be
described hereinafter. Any kind of ink may be employed, and the writing may be
done upon paper or any other good receiving surface. If preferred, a stylus or pencil
Bay bo substituted for the pen.
The receiving apparatus at the distant station may be a sounder or a recording
apparatus of any of the well known types. The character of the receiver has nothing
to do with my present invention.
Both the sending and receiving stations are provided with similar apparatus,
including one of my pens and also a suitable receiver.
In the drawings which illustrate my invention;
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my telegraphic pen.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof.
Fig. 3 shows a detail.
io ahows the circuit and

page_text: casing may be made of hard rubber, as is usual in such pens. The pen h is, in this
instance, an ordinary writing pen. b and c are electric circuit wires which are
connected at one end of the holder with conducting plates or rings d and e, respectively;
and at the other end with a push-button o. and contact piece p, respectively. Any
of the well-known means may be provided for relieving the wires from strain, and, if
desired, they may be attached at different points along the casing. This is shown in
Fig. 5. The holder is provided with the usual cap m which has rings d', e¹, of
conducting material corresponding with the plates d and e already mentioned. When
the cap is in place, the corresponding plates make contact with each other in an
obvious manner.
The rings and el are respectively connected with electric circuit
wires which form part of an insulating cord, and which are also a part of the same
circuit in which the wires b and c are included.
It is evident that when the cap is on, at A, there will be a circuit for the batteries W
and Y in Fig. 4, which will be open only between o and p.
In Fig. 3 I have shown the construction of the cap m and the end of the holder
over which it fits, in detail. I have arranged a spring i, secured at one end to the
ring d, in the cap projecting into the chamber of the cap and up into a slot where it
terminates directly over a portion of the other ring e, which is the terminal of the
other pole of the battery. Now, when the cap is in place, the spring is held out of contact
with ring e', but when the cap is removed, the circuit automatically closes, so that
when the pen holder is disconnected and used for other purposes the circuit is closed
to receive a signal or call.
Now, suppose an operator wants to send a message; he takes the pen a, sees that
the cap, m is in place, and holds the pen in a position for writing, placing his
forefinger on the button o. He then writes in the Morse or other characters whatever
message he desires to send, and, in doing so every time the pen makes a mark upon
the paper or other receiving surface, he presses the button o into contact with
This causes a closure of the electric circuit and a corresponding action upon the
sounder or other receiving apparatus at the distant station. The duration of the
closure will, of course, be greater when a dash is written than when the pen simply
makes a dot. In this way, the proper signal will be received, or the proper record made
at the receiving station, while at the sending station a record will also be kept which
will be valuable to any operator whether skilled or unskilled, and a beginner will have
the advantage of being guided by his eye in the sending of a message.
The ring or circuit-closer n, is designed to be placed over the end immediately over
the button o, in such a manner as to press the latter against the corresponding contact.
This keeps the circuit closed, so that a call can be received from a distant station,
while at the same time the pen may be used as an ordinary pen to record the message
received should there not bo a recording instrument at the receiving station.
is
While I have illustrated the connections as being made with the line through the
cap m and the parts connected therewith, yet it will be understood that I can make
these connections in any other convenient way if requisite or desirable. The special
feature of my pen is the construction whereby the pair of terminals, o, P,
conveniently located for being operated when the pen is used in ordinary writing.
However, I do not wish to confine myself to the specific location illustrated, although
I prefer that arrangement of the parts.
It is obvious that the cap m carrying the line may be detached, and the pen be then
used as an ordinary writing pen either portable or for the desk, in which case the
circuit would be closed to receive a signal by the spring in the cap, as before
described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is ;-
1. A telegraphic pen or pencil constructed and arranged substantially as and for
the purpose set forth.
2. In an electric circuit, which includes a suitable receiving apparatus, a transmitting

page_text: pen or pencil provided with circuit terminals, one of which is movable and located
upon the pen or pencil so as to be moved in the act of writing.
<=
3. A telegraphic pen or pencil having terminals for connection with a circuit and
also having a pair of terminals, one of which is movable and located so as to be moved
with relation to the corresponding terminal when the pen is used.
4. A telegraphic pen or pencil having two pairs of terminals, the members of each
pair being connected with corresponding members of the other pair, and one of the
members of one pair being movable, as and for the purpose set forth.
5. A telegraphic pen or pencil, having two pairs of terminals, the members of one
pair being relatively fixed and those of the other being relatively movable, in
combination with a cap for the said pen or pencil having terminals which correspond
to those which form the pair whose members are relatively fixed, the cap terminals
being joined to the wires of an electric circuit, as set forth.
6. A telegraphic pen or pencil having a pair of relatively movable terminals, one of
the said terminals being located in position to be operated by the index finger in
writing.
7. A telegraphic pen or pencil having a pair of relatively movable terminals, one of
the said terminals being located in position to be operated by the index finger in
writing, in combination with a cap, or circuit-closer adapted to press the movable
terminal into contact with the corresponding terminal.
Th0th Jan AD 1000
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicant.