A New or Improved Method of Re-transmitting Telegraphic Messages, and Apparatus for use in connection with the said Method and for other purposes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Dec., 1897.
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Sept., 1898-Accepted, 17th Dec., 1898
DI MULTICAL
A New or Improved Method of Re-transmitting Telegraphic Messages,
and Apparatus for use in connection with the said Method and for
other purposes.
I, JOHN RYMER-JONES, of the Telegraph Works, Silvertown, Essex, Electrical
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In order that the nature of my invention may be readily understood I shall
proceed to briefly describe one way in which I contemplate carrying it into effect
and I shall at the same time describe the nature of certain apparatus which form
a part of my invention.
In carrying my invention into practice I may cause the signals received from
one circuit, such for example as a submarine cable, to actuate a cable relay, and
this in turn I may cause to actuate a neutral relay, which latter I may cause, by
means of a local battery, to actuate the electro-magnets of an electro-magnetio
perforator, and also start the tape which has to be perforated. The tape thus
perforated can then be fed through an automatic transmitter in the usual well-
known way.
Such a method of retransmission as I have here indicated has great advantages
over the "human relay" method.
A convenient form of cable relay to employ in connection with my present
invention is that set forth in the specification accompanying my Letters Patent
No. 5040 dated the 24th day of February 1897, and in addition to employing it
as herein before mentioned I may employ it to work an automatic switch or four-
way commutator so that after the transmission of a batch of messages in one
direction the arrangement may be reversed for transmitting messages in the
opposite direction.
A convenient form of switch or commutator for this purpose may consist of an
insulating barrel having around its circumference two nearly semicircular wires
of platinum which although in the same line are not continuous but are separated
by small gaps at their two ends so as to be insulated one from the other. At
points equidistant from each other four fixed contact springs rise from a clock-
work frame in a circle round the barrel and the top ends of the springs press
against the above mentioned platinum wires encircling the barrel. Two opposite
springs are connected respectively to cable 1 and cable 2 while between them,
one on each side of the barrel, are placed two other spring contacts connected
respectively to the cable relay and transmitter. When the barrel is turned round
by the clockwork cable 1 is switched to the relay through one segmental platinum
wire, while at the same time the second platinum wire connects the local trans-
mitter to cable 2. On moving the barrel round a quarter of a revolution these
connections are reversed i.e. cable 1 is connected to the local transmitter and
cable 2 to the relay. If now the armature lever of an electro-magnet of this
switch be momentarily attracted, a detent attached to the said armature lever
is withdrawn from an engaging arm and this arm is moved round by the clock-

page_text: out of order, and it is therefore considered a great advantage to be able to
dispense with it. When preparing the tape leisurely at the station of origin,
a defective perforator may speedily be replaced, but at the translating station
the perforator must be of the simplest and most reliable construction because
defects will interrupt working on both cables.
"
Although the spacing between the elements of letters can be brought about
automatically after every dot or dash signal, the very important diffi-
culty of producing the additional spaces between letters and words would remain
to be overcome were a step by step form of perforator employed. This difficulty has
been met by Messrs. Taylor & Dearlove by employing elaborate apparatus working
synchronously with the transmitter at the sending station and controlled by the
received signals, but in my invention the simple expedient of allowing the strip
to run continuously during the reception of a message effectually gets over all
difficulty as to spacing.
In an alternative means for automatically perforating the tape with a message
as fast as it is received at the intermediate translating station, the perforation
takes place while the tape is carried along at a regular speed by means of a
clockwork train, or electric motor, instead of moving step-by-step, but in this
form there are however two important differences in construction from that
herein before described, namely that the cutters do not revolve and that they are
moved towards the tape instead of the tape being moved towards the cutters. In
this form the cutters placed at the ends of the two armature levers of the electro-
magnets, are placed in front of the rollers which draw the paper tape from the
wheel. This allows the cutters to pass through the tape without tearing or
stopping the paper supply as would be the case were the rollers placed in front
of the cutters. The time during which a perforation is taking place is very
short, but in consequence of the tape being uninterruptedly moved forward by
the rollers, there being a small amount of slack which might bend downwards
and prevent the cutters wholly clearing the tape when being withdrawn. This
is avoided by a narrow ledge, or table, placed between the rollers and the cutters,
over which the slip passes, so that it cannot follow the downward 'movements
of the cutters. Being thus prevented from bending downwards, it bends up-
wards into a cavity made large enough to accommodate it. Immediately after a
cutter has been withdrawn, the tape is free to move forward unimpeded, and
the small amount of slack which accumulates, while the cutter stops its progress,
may be drawn forward by another pair of rollers placed in front of the cutters
before another perforation takes place.
These last mentioned rollers have not the same gripping force as those which
drag the tape from the wheel; and although they can easily draw the slack tape
along they are incapable of tearing it away from the cutters or breaking it. In
fact directly the paper is held back by a cutter these rollers stop. I anticipate
that within the usual limits of speed, no appreciable amount of slack will accumu-
late behind the cutters, and that space intervals between a succession of perfora-
tions will be remarkably uniform, so that a light straight spring placed above
the cavity for possible slack will suffice or even prove unnecessary in practice.
In both the forms of automatic perforator constructed for use at a translating
station and hereinbefore described, the clockwork, or electro-motor, which draws
the tape along, is started by an electric current preceding the message. While
signals are passing, the tape continues to run, but stops soon after signals cease.
This may be brought about by the well-known device sometimes employed for
a similar purpose in the construction of Morse recording instruments.
The rotary cutters employed may be of the form of an annular saw or of that
of a rose bit or reamer or the like, and they may be furnished with cutting
edges parallel to their geometric axes.
Rotary cutters as aforesaid may be employed according to my invention in a
contemplated form of electro-magnetic perforator for terminal stations. In this
step by step" manner-that is
case the perforation of the tape is effected in a

page_text: A New or Improved Method of Re-transmitting Telegraphic Messages,
and Apparatus for use in connection with the said Method and for
other purposes.
I, JOHN RYMER-JONES, of the Telegraph Works, Silvertown, Essex, Electrical
Engineer, 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: -
In order that the nature of my invention may be readily understood I have
appended hereto certain drawings illustrative of my invention and showing how
the same is to be or may be carried into effect.
In these drawings,
Figure I is a side elevation of apparatus employed at an intermediate station
and which consists of a commutator, clockwork for driving the same and electro-
magnetic detent for bringing the said clock work into action and a relay for
closing an electric circuit through the said electro-magnetic detent when
desired.
Figure I is a plan of the electro-magnetic detent shown in Figure I.
Figure II is a diagram illustrating the connections between the cables and
showing how either may be placed in connection with a transmitter or relay.
Figure III is a side elevation of a form of perforator hereinafter to be described.
Figure IV is a plan thereof.
Figure Va detail view showing the tape in position.
Figure VI is a side elevation of a perforator having non-rotating cutters and
adapted for a continuously travelling tape.
Figure VII is a plan thereof.
In carrying one part of my invention into practice I may cause the signals
received from one circuit, such for example as a submarine cable, to actuate
a cable relay, and this in turn I may cause to actuate a neutral relay, which
latter I may cause, by means of a local battery, to actuate the electro-magnets of
an electro-magnetic perforator, and also start the tape which has to be perforated.
The perforated tape can then be fed through an automatic transmitter in the
usual well-known way.
.
Such a method of retransmission as I have here indicated has advantages over
the "human relay" or other known methods.
A convenient form of cable relay to employ in connection with my present
invention is that set forth in the specification accompanying my Letters Patent
No. 5040 dated the 24th day of February 1897, and in addition to employing it
as hereinbefore mentioned I may employ it to work an automatic switch or four-
way commutator so that after the transmission of a batch of messages in one
lirection the arrangement may be reversed for transmitting messages in the
opposite direction.
A convenient form of switch or commutator for this purpose may as shown in
Figures I and II consist of an insulating barrel 1 having around its circum-
ference two nearly semicircular wires of platinum or strips of other metal 2, 3
which although in the same line are not continuous but are separated by small
aps 4, 5 at their two ends so as to be insulated one from the other. At points
quidistant from each other four fixed contact springs 6, 7, 8, 9 rise from a
lockwork frame 10 in a circle round the barrel 1 and the top ends of the springs
ress against the above mentioned platinum wires encircling the said barrel.
Two opposite springs are connected respectively to cable A and cable B while
etween them, one on each side of the barrel, are placed the two other spring

page_text: between the ends of the cutters. A.metal guide 27 at the end of the armature.
lever; through which the tape moves in the said slot has a hole through it
immediately opposite to each of the two revolving cutters. These holes 28, 29
have a larger diameter than the cutters, so that the latter' may pass freely through'
the metal guide when perforating the tape. The two sets of perforations in the
tape regulate and control the passage of currents of opposite polarity when
translation from the first into the second circuit takes place. The cutters may
be driven by bands 30 from pulleys 31 on a shaft 32 driven by an electro-motor 33
or by a spring or weight. Instead of the paper tape moving forward step by
step as in the known forms of perforator; its progress is continuous and prac-
tically uninterrupted so that "spacing" is regulated entirely by the 'intervals
of time between signals. In other words both signals and spaces are controlled
by the tape at the station of origin. This is considered a very important
feature, because the ordinary meclianism, by which the tape is fed forward step-
by-step while being perforated, is very liable to get out of order, and it is there-
fore considered a freat advantage to be able to dispense with it." When pre-.
paring the tape leisurely at the station of origin, a defective perforator may
speedily be replaced, but at the translating station" the perforator must be of
the simplest and most reliable construction because defects will interrupt work-
ing on both cables.
*...'
Although the spacing between the elements of letters' can be brought about
automatically after every "dot" or "dash" signal, the important difficulty of
producing the additional spaces" between letters and words would' remain to be
overcome were a step by step form of perforator employed: This difficulty has
been' met by Messrs. Taylor & Dearlove by employing elaborate apparatus work-
ing synchronously with the transmitter at the sending station and controlled by
the received signals, but in my invention the simple expedient of allowing
the strip to run continuously during the reception of a message "effectually gets"
over all difficulty as to spacing.
In an alternative apparatus shown in Figures VI and VII for automatically'
perforating the tape with a message as fast as it is received at the intermediate
translating station, the perforation takes place while the tape 20 is carried along
at a regular speed by means of a clockwork train, or electric motor 33, instead
of moving step-by-step, but in this form there are however two important differ-
ences in construction from that herein before described, namely that the cutters 34,
35 do not revolve and that they are moved towards the 'tape instead of the tape
being moved towards the cutters. In this form the cutters placed at the ends
of the two armature levers 36, 37 of the electro-magnets 38, 39, are placed in
front of the rollers 40 which draw the paper tape from the wheel. This allows
the cutters to pass through the tape without tearing or stopping the paper
supply as would be the case were the rollers placed in front of the cutters. The
time during which a perforation is taking place is very short, but. in consequence
of the tape being uninterruptedly moved forward by the 'rollers, there is a small
amount of slack which might bend downwards and prevent the cutters wholly
clearing the tape when being withdrawn. This is avoided by a narrow ledge
or table 41 through which the cutters pass and over which the slip passes, so
that the latter cannot follow the downward movement of the cutters. Being
thus prevented from bending downwards, it may bend upwards into a cavity 42
made large enough to accommodate it, but this need not necessarily be provided.
for. Immediately after a cutter has been withdrawn, the tape is free to move
forward unimpeded, and the small amount of slack if any which may accumulate
while the cutter stops its progress may be drawn forward by another roller 43
placed in front of the cutters before another perforation takes place.
These last mentioned rollers have not the same gripping force as those which
drag the tape from the supply wheel; and although they can easily draw the.
slack tape along they are incapable of tearing it away from the cutters or break-
ing it.
In fact directly the paper is held back by a cutter these rollers stop.

page_text: equal to 10,000 revolutions per minute, a speed which can be easily obtained by
means of an electro-motor.
I desire it to be understood that in so far. as my apparatus is concerned I do
not limit myself to the precise constructional details set forth as it is obvious
to anyone skilled in the art that such details may be varied to an indefinite
extent and that the elements mentioned may be combined in various ways.
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. The new or improved method of re-transmitting telegraphic messages sub-
stantially as set forth.
2. The employment of rotary cutters for perforating tapes substantially as
set forth.
3. In the employment of rotary cutters moving the same to and from the
tape substantially as set forth.
4. In the employment of rotary cutters, moving the tape to be perforated to-
wards and from the said cutters substantially as set forth.
5. In perforating tapes for the purposes set forth, causing the said tape to
travel continuously.
6. The method of utilizing a continuously travelling tape substantially as set
forth.
7. Employing an increased deflection of a relay to operate a switching or
commutating device substantially as set forth.
Dalad th: 92.1 Cantanha 1000