A NEW METHOD OF USING THE ELECTRIC CURRENT OR -A communication. CURRENTS FOR TELEGRAPHIC AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Talbot Pitman, of the American and European
Patent Offices, 67, Gracechurch Street, in the City of London, for the
Invention of "A NEW METHOD OF USING THE ELECTRIC CURRENT OR
-A communication.
CURRENTS FOR TELEGRAPHIC AND OTHER PURPOSES.
-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Talbot Pitman
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 20th June 1856.
1, JOHN TALBOT PITMAN, of the American & European Patent Offices, 67,
Gracechurch Street, in the City of London, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "A NEW METHOD OF USING THE ELECTRIC CURRENT OB
CURRENTS FOR TELEGRAPHIC AND OTHER PURPOSES," a communication from a
foreigner resident abroad, to be as follows:-
The Invention consists, first, in employing for telegraphic & other purposes
the positive and negative current through electro-magnets, the poles of which
are in juxtaposition, the latter being rendered by change of polarity alter-
nately mutually attractive and repellant; thus enabling me to combine the
local and relay magnets, or to use the combination simply as a relay with
considerable increase of power.
Second, in the modification in the use of currents, resulting from placing the
ends of a curved or rectangular armature opposite to the poles of the movable

page_text: magnet; this armature being acted upon by the approximation of the movable
magnet or axis restraining the latter at the will of the operator until the
circuit in the movable magnet or axis is broken.
Third, in the employment of a current from one battery through the coils of
both magnets in direct order to make them respectively attractive, or through
one of them in inverse order, to render them respectively repellant, the circuit
of the other battery, local or main, being, when made, oppositely directed. The
use in this arrangement of a spring as a repelling power when the magnets
are attracted will permit all the local batterics to come in to aid the main
circuit.
Fourth, in the use of a break piece, a spring, or its equivalent, to suspend
the action of one of the magnets in order to counteract or control the inductive
influence in cases where a change of polarity is required.
Fifth, in using (with or without the aid of a spring) the repellant instead of
the attractive power, thus working from absolute contact.
And, sixth, in dispensing with the ordinary exterior battery, and employing
as a substitute the magnetism of the earth, by placing in the earth, at the ends
of the line respectively, plates of copper and zinc, & connecting them by wires
with the instruments.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Talbot Pitman in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 20th December 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
TALEOT PITMAN, of the American and European Patents Office, 67, Grace-
church Street, in the City of London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Iler most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Talbot Pitman, Her special licence that I, the said John Talbot
Pitman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Talbot Pitman, 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

page_text: and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A
NEW METHOD OF USING THE ELECTRIC CURRENT OR CURRENTS FOR TELEGRAPHIC AND
CTHER PURPOSES," a communication, upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said John Talbot Pitman, 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 sanie 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 John Talbot Pitman, 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 had to the Drawings; Fig. 1 representing
the vertical plan of the instrument as a receiving magnet for telegraphic
purposes; Fig. 2, the side view of the same.
The Invention consists in employing for telegraphic, and other purposes.
the positive and negative current through electro-magnets, the poles of which
are in juxtaposition, the latter being rendered by change of polarity alternately
mutually attractive and repellant; thus enabling me to combine the local and
relay magnets, or to use the combination simply as a relay with considerable
increase of power.
In the modification in the use of currents resulting from placing the ends of
a curved or rectangular armature opposite to the poles of the moveable magnet;
this armature being acted upon by the approximation of the moveable magnet
or axis, restraining the latter at the will of the operator, until the circuit in
the moveable magnet or axis is broken.
In the employment of a current from one battery through the coils of both
magnets, in direct order, to make them respectively attractive, or through one
of them in inverse order, to render them respectively repellant, the circuit of
the other battery, local or main, being, when made, oppositely directed. The
use in this arrangement of a spring as a repelling power, when the magnets
are attached, will permit all the local batteries to come in to aid the main:
circuit.
In the use of a break piece, a spring or its equivalent, to suspend the action;
of one of the magnets, in order to counteract or control the inductive influence
in cases where a change of polarity is required.
In using (with or without the aid of a spring,) the repellant instead of the
attractive power, thus working from absolute contact.
The instrument may be described as follows:-P is the base, on which are

page_text: placed the several parts that constitute the instrument. II, II, are two helices
or coils, prepared in the usual way, that is to say, that one of the poles may be
positive, whilst the other is negative; h is another helix or coil, on a straight
axis and prepared in like manner for opposite poles. These two electro-
magnets have their poles placed in juxtaposition. The last-mentione.l or
straight magnet is suspended, so that it may have a vibratory movement,
approximating to contact, and receding from the first or stationary one. In
order to secure quickness or celerity of movement, I make the helix of the
straight magnet hollow, and suspend only the axis, which is the form now
represented. A is a curved or bent armature of soft iron, belonging to the
vibrating magnet or straight axis, and is provided with an adjusting screw a,
by which it can be advanced or drawn back. The stationary magnet has also
an adjusting screw 6 for like purpose. B, C, are two posts, the first of which,
ns will be seen, is used in the form of this instrument to furnish a support to
the axis of the suspended or moveable magnet. A small bar or rod r is
attached to some part of the frame of the vibrating magnet or axis, so as to
participate in the vibratory movement. This rod or bar has a projecting
platina point on one side as at G, opposite to a similarly pointed screw fixed
in the post B. On the other post C is a spring e', or break piece, terminating
in proximity to a second platina point on the vertical bar or rod. This latter
spring has an adjusting screw D. Still further up may be seen a small helical
or other form of spring F, having one end fastened to the vertical rod r, and
the other indirectly to an adjusting screw c. The base or platform is furnished
with thumb or binding screws, numbered 2, 3, 4, 5, and there is also a thumb
screw in the post B, with respect to the latter, however, insulated. This is
number one in the Drawing.
I will now proceed to describe the operation of the instrument, and at the
same time explain the uses of such of the parts as require explanation. L
represents a battery, which we will assume is the local one; and in like
manner M, that belonging to the main line. Connect, for example, No. 2
thumb screw with the platina pole of the local battery, and No. 1 with the
zinc pole. Trace the circuit which will be found to pass through the stationary
magnet, but before reaching the other pole of the battery the current under-
goes salternate separation and union, by means of the spring or break piece e¹, in
other words, the circuit is perfected, only when the spring is in contact with
the vertical bar or rod, so that it can pursue its path across to the thumb screw
No. 1, and thence to the other pole of the battery. The axis of the suspended
magnet being subject at this moment to no other influence, is simply an
armature for the fixed magnet, and obeys its call. Just before contact in its

page_text: vibration, it causes the vertical rod to leave the spring so adjusted for the
purpose, but the acquired momentum suffices to carry the aforesaid axis to the
pole of the stationary magnet, where it is retained by inductive influence until
the latter is in turn destroyed in manner now to be described, presupposing
the connections of the main battery as follows:-Connect No. 2 thumb screw,
the same as connected with the platina pole of the local, with the zinc pole
of the main battery, and No. 3 with the key, and the latter with the remaining
pole of the battery. Trace the circuit, which according to theory will be from
No. 3, through the straight magnet, and thence in opposite direction to the
alternate local current through the stationary magnet, and thence to No. 2,
and so to the battery. This main current passes through the straight magnet
in a direction so as to produce, in conjunction with the passage through the
stationary one, repellant poles. Suppose the main circuit broken, and therefore
inoperative, the axis of the straight magnet, as before remarked, being an
armature to the stationary one, moves toward the latter to absolute contact.
Here no influence has been allowed save the inductive influence which is
destroyed by the slightest cause. The most inconsiderable power aided by the
spring, together with the advantage gained by absolute contact, is sufficient to
effect this. The armature or moveable axis recedes by the action of the main.
current, and the invariable armature, so termed, to distinguish it from the
one which is alternately a magnet or armature, comes to the assistance and
restrains it till commanded by the operator to return to a new contact with
the poles of the stationary magnet.
In order to put this instrument in. use in connection with a register, one of
the wires of the latter is attached to No. 1 thumb screw, and the other to
No. 4, the circuit being opened or closed as the vertical bar vibrates between
the platina pointed screw in post B and spring e'.
The other methods of employing the electric current will be briefly described.
Imagine the two helices II, II, of the stationary magnet, so wound as to
produce the poles, and the vibrating magnet likewise so prepared, that its poles
may be similar.
Let the stationary magnet be connected with the local
battery and the suspended one with the main; now, if we pass the current
in one direction, through the moveable swinging magnet, so as to make its
poles dissimilar to those of the stationary one, the poles of the two magnets
will be mutually attractive, and as a consequence those of the moveable will
approach those of the fixed magnet; reverse the current of either by means
of a suitable key, and the two magnets before attracting will now be repellant,
the poles being similar. This motion is produced and action imparted to any
machinery connected therewith. The same result obtains if the helices should

page_text: be wound in the more ordinary method, that is to say, each having its poles
unlike. The change of polarity in the moveable magnet should be relatively
the same as before.
Having sufficiently described my Invention, what I claim and desire to
secure by Letters Patent are,-
First, employing the electric currents through two electric magnets, the
poles of which are in juxtaposition, one being suspended on an axis, and for
telegraphic purposes, substantially in the manner or methods described in the
foregoing Specification.
Second, the collocation of the ends of a curved or rectangular armature
opposite to the poles of the vibrating magnet, to be acted upon in the
approximation of the latter, and in its turn restraining the moveable magnet
till its current is broken; all as illustrated or described, or essentially the
samo
Third, the working from actual contact, by employing a break piece that
Jeaves only the inductive influence in the stationary magnet, to be overcome by
the main battery and assisting spring.
Fourth, using the more constant local current to draw up the armature that
makes the contact for registering purposes in lieu of the main current, which
is liable to prove inefficient.
Fifth, the provision for adjusting the position of the stationary magnet and
curved armature, it being important that these should be brought into exact
position relative to the axis of the suspended or vibrating magnet..
In witness whereof, I, the said John Talbot Pitman, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
JOHN TALBOT PITMAN. (L.S.)