Providing a Means of Communication with or between Deaf or Dumb or Deaf and Dumb People, by
Year: 1885

page_text: Providing a Means of Communication with or between Deaf or
Dumb or Deaf and Dumb People, by Exposing Letters
Consecutively, so as to Spell Words and Sentences as they
may be required
I HENRY WILLIAM EADEN of 8 Stone Buildings Lincolns Inn Barrister at Law
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "PROVIDING A MEANS OF
COMMUNICATION WITH OR BETWEEN DEAF OR DUMB OR DEAF AND DUMB PEOPLE
BY EXPOSING LETTERS CONSECUTIVELY SO AS TO SPELL WORDS AND SENTENCES AS
THEY MAY BE REQUIRED," and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The Apparatus or machine which I use consists of a case containing 28 bent
levers arranged in 4 horizontal tiers one above another each tier working upon
a horizontal wire and each lever having upon both ends of it a letter or mark
The levers in their case can be compared to the notes of an Organ with four key
boards.
in
The case consists of the following parts A rectangular bottom board of thin
plank 3 inches long and 4%, inches broad A front piece or screen rectangular in
shape made of thin plank 1/2 in. high perpendicular to the bottom board springing
from it and conterminous with one of its 41/2 edges Two side pieces also of thin
plank 1½ inch high springing from the bottom board perpendicular to it one
fastened to and conterminous with one of the 3 edges of the bottom board and
the other fastened to and conterminous with the other of such edges the two side
pieces are rectangular in shape save that for the purpose of making the machine
more portable their upper corners furthest from the screen are cut off A cover of
thin leather fastened to the outside of the screen and capable of being wrapped
round the machine when the latter is not in use or of being thrown forward and
falling under the screen when the machine is in use to the inside of the leather
I fasten a piece of thin plank so placed and so shaped as to rest when the cover is
being used upon those parts of the side pieces where the corners have been cut
away when the cover is being used it is kept in its place by an India rubber band
placed round it the object of the piece of wood fastened inside the leather is merely
to offer a suitable resistance to the india rubber band.
The measurements given in this statement are taken inside the case.

page_text: I place 4 stiff strong wires of about 1 in. diameter across the case perpendicular
to the side pieces at heights in, in, 13 in, and in, respectively above the
bottom board, and at distances 2 in. 2 in 14 in 1 in, respectively from the screen,
these wires are firmly fixed in the case when the levers are placed upon them in
the manner hereinafter appearing.
All the Levers (which I make of sheet tin) are rectangular in shape and broad
each is bent along a line in it parallel to it's ends so that one portion of each lever
when bent makes a right angle with the other portion, both portions are flat.
One portion of each of the lowest tier of levers when bent (which portion I call
the screen portion) measures 11½ in. the other portion which I call the finger
measures 2 inches.
The screen portions of the levers of the second third and fourth tier (counting
upwards) measure respectively 1 in. 13 in. and 14 in. respectively the finger
portions of the same respectively measure 1 in. 1 in. and in, respectively.
Through each lever in. from its end in the finger portion two holes are made
about in apart. The tin between these two holes is somewhat raised and the tin
immediately outside of them somewhat lowered in such a manner that a 1 in. wire
can be passed through the holes and be then parallel to the ends of the lever
so that the lever can turn freely about the wire and always be at right angles
to it.
The seven levers of the lowest tier are then threaded upon the lowest wire in
the case their angles resting on the bottom board of the screen and their screen
portions being towards the screen.
The levers of the second third and fourth tiers respectively are then threaded
upon the second third and fourth wires respectively (counting always from the
bottom board) their angles respectively resting upon the finger portions of the
levers of the first second and third tiers respectively and their screen portions
towards the screen Each of the levers of the fourth tier is immediately above one
of the levers of the third tier and this one is immediately above one of those of
the second tier and this immediately above one of those of the lowest tier. Each
set of 4 levers thus placed one above another I divide from the neighboring sets
or set by divisions or a division of sheet tin firmly fixed into the case parallel to
and of the same shape as the side pieces and perforated to allow the wires to pass
through There are thus six of these divisions Their object is to prevent
adjacent sets of levers from interfering with each other when the machine is used.
Across the top of the side pieces and perpendicular to them and at about 2 in.
from the screen, I place a cross bar of thin wood about in. broad.
Upon the finger portions of the 28 levers respectively I place the 26 letters of
the Alphabet a full stop or dot and a note of interrogation (which I call hereafter
the finger letters) respectively. These I place so as to be read by a person close to
the machine behind the screen and looking down into the machine. Upon the last
in, of the screen portion of each lever adjacent to its end I place the same letter
or mark as the lever bears at its other end. I place it so as to be visible by any
one in front of the screen and at some little distance from it (say from 1 to 6 yards)
when the finger end of the lever is pressed down and part of the screen portion of
the lever exposed above the screen these letters or marks are as large and plain as
can be written on the in, above mentioned these letters and marks I call the
screen letters.
The letters and marks I arrange upon the levers in the following manner

page_text: A given screen letter is exposed above the screen by pressing down the finger end
of that lever upon which is the same finger letter it will be observed that when
the finger end of one of the lowest tier of levers is pressed down the three letters
immediately above it are also moved and their screen letters brought above the
screen this does not matter however as these three screen letters are all behind the
screen letter belonging to the lowest lever and so are not exposed in the same way
no objection arises to the fact that when one of the second or third tier of levers
respectively is moved the two or the one levers or lever respectively above it are
or is also moved.
The various tiers of levers are prevented from having too much play by the
wires above them and the cross bar. The weight of the levers returns them to
their original positions when they have been pressed down and the pressure is
removed.
Words and sentences are formed by exposing the proper letters consecutively,
words are divided by exposing the dot. A question is indicated by exposing the
note of interrogation b. fore commencing the sentence.
The letters may be arranged in any other way than that described above. The
full stop and note of interrogation are convenient but other marks might be found
to be more so. The number of levers might be increased. Stenographic signs
might be used The materials of the machine its shape and the dimensions given
above might be replaced by others as or more suitable. None of these things are
necessarily essential parts of the invention and many machines substantially or
mechanically equivalent to the machine could be made.
The utility of the invention consists in its advantages as a means of communi-
cation with or between deaf or dumb or deaf and dumb people over the deaf and
dumb Alphabets and over writing which advantages appear from the following
among other considerations.
Many persons do not know any deaf and dumb Alphabet at all, frequently two
persons wishing to converse do not know the same Alphabet All who can read
can communicate by means of this invention.
Letters exposed by the machine are plainer and more precise than those formed
by the fingers and so the eye of the person addressed is subjected to a less strain.
Using the invention is less of a mental effort than talking on the fingers to the
person who is speaking.
With practice communication by means of this invention is more rapid than by
means of any of the deaf and dumb Alphabets.
Communication by the machine is faster than by writing and more distinct than
the hurried writing usual in conversations with deaf or dumb people.
Words and sentences are usually guessed before being completed by the machine
but written communications have to be completed.
A pencil is always liable to get out of order or be lost which is unlikely to
happen to the machine the machine being simple and strong and although in its
forin as given above small and portable yet of a size not easily lost or mislaid.
Writing to be at all distinct must be upon some fixed plane surface. The
Machine can at any time be held in one hand and worked with the other.
People object to put many remarks upon paper because they deem them too
trivial or because they do not wish them to be lying about or for many other
reasons which do not apply to communication by means of this invention.
Writing has to be passed from hand to hand which is inconvenient the machine
has not to be passed.
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
The providing of a means of communication with or between deaf or dumb or
deaf and dumb people by the aid of the Machine described above or a similar

page_text: machine or a machine substantially or mechanically equivalent thereto for exposing
letters or signs consecutively so as to form words and sentences as they may be
required used in the manner described above.