IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH APPARATUS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer & Patent Agent, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH APPARATUS."-A communica-
tion from abroad by Mr. Ludovic Guyot d'Arlincourt, of 29, Boulevart
St Martin Paris in the Empire of France, Proprietor.
Sealed the 5th November 1861, and dated the 18th May 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th May 1861.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 58, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer & Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH APPARATUS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved printing telegraph, in which the
ordinary manipulator & receiver are replaced by one apparatus, which may
be used both as manipulator and receiver when required. This improved
telegraphic apparatus is composed of a wheel or disc, on the periphery of which.
are disposed characters, designs, typographic or otherwise; rotary motion is
imparted to this wheel by means of clockwork regulated by an electric escape-
ment or retarding apparatus. On the other hand, a system of clockwork
regulates the advance of a strip of paper or other fabric, at suitable times,

page_text: which comes in contact with the printing wheel. When the wheel turns by
the combined effort of the clockwork and the electricity, and a letter on said
wheel stops a suitable time opposite the paper strip, a pad is caused to press
the paper against the letter, thereby printing the character on the paper; the
parts are so arranged that the paper can only advance a certain distance for
each letter, so as to produce on the paper strip a regularly printed dispatch the
same as ordinary type printing. The motion imparted to the pad & paper
strip is quite independent of the motion of the printing wheel, & is produced
by an electro-magnet, which is subject to the current received through the
intermediation of the printing wheel in such manner that when the wheel
turns regularly, the interruptions of the current succeed each other so rapidly
as to avoid magnetising the electro-magnet of the printing apparatus. The
magnetism of the electro-magnet and the attraction of its armature can only
take place when the wheel remains before the letter to be printed; the circuit
of the current is then closed for a longer time, and the armature attracted,
causing the disengagement of the clock work which operates upon the paper
strip and pad. The principal feature of this Invention is, that the various
motions of the telegraphic apparatus are effected by the aid of clockwork
instead of entirely by electrical agency, which fails in such extended applica-
tions to effect.the required action.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th
November 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, -in-the- County of Middlesex, Engineer
and Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Clark, Her special licence that I, the said William Clark,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Clark, 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

page_text: mity of a lever G³, pivotted at g, the other extremity of which bears on the
projecting part g of part 7. The mechanism U is put in motion by a spring
or weight and a suitable combination and number of parts; its motion
is arrested by cam C immediately either of the keys fis depressed, as the
latter also in rising raises the pin g³, which serves as a detent and produces
the impression of the corresponding letter in the receiving instrument.
Receiver or writing mechanism. The mechanism of the receiver is similar
to that usually employed in apparatus of the same kind, and consists of a
printing wheel I, having letters corresponding to those of the manipulator.
An inking roller E and striker M, actuated at the desired moment by a cam N,
acting on spring m. The cam N, keyed on the same disc as o, is actuated by
n clock movement V, fixed at the back of the front plate. The delivery of
the paper
is effected by rollers P, P¹; the latter, on being actuated by.cam O,
displaces catch o, and is then returned to its former position by spring o³, so as
to enable it to act on the teeth of wheel R, for the purpose of imparting a
rotating movement thereto in the desired direction. The motion of wheel I is
determined by that of the escapement wheel Q, actuated by the clock move-
ment U, which drives the bevil gearing K and L. The escapement pallets q,
as also the forked one q', are governed by the extremity of the armature T¹ of
the electro-magnet T. The rotation of wheel I and rollers P, P₁, is effected
by the aid of catches set in motion by means of mechanism V, in part
separately represented in front view at Fig. 5, Sheet 2, this consisting of a
wheel D, furnished with a circular groove d, having two radial notches or
extensions, one towards the centre of the wheel, the other in the opposite direction
in the circumference of the groove; d³ is a lever with friction roller keyed on
the same axis as d', the fork d² of which receives rod s of armature S¹, con-
trolling the position of in the groove in such manner that when the arma-
ture S¹ of the electro-magnet S, Fig. 3, is attracted, the lever d³ leaves the
_notch in the larger circumference of the groove d; if, on the contrary, the current
is interrupted and the pallet S¹ is returned by its spring, the lever d³ rests in
the notch nearest the centre. The wheel D is geared by means of a circle of
teeth with a flyer V¹, having near the pinion a steel point v, with two projec-
tions serving to stop the gearing when the lever d³ is in one or other of the
notches, & d forms a stop.
Accessory parts for establishing the current.-To connect the different parts
together and establish electrical communication between them, the following
parts are employed :-X, Fig. 3, manipulating wheel for distributing the
current, furnished with thirteen undulations; Y, wheel for interrupting the
person manipulating, of rather smaller diameter than the two others; Z, wheel,

page_text: also having thirteen undulations for distributing and interrupting the current
on the line wire; it is of the same diameter as wheel X; 1 is a spring taking
the pole of the battery of the line, and transmitting the current of electricity to
wheel Z; 2, spring which alternately touches the wheel Z for distributing the
current of the line, and wheel Y for interrupting the correspondence; 3,
spring intermittingly touching wheel X, and distributing the current which
works the manipulator; 4, spring coming in contact with 3, when the manipulator.
is being worked, conducting the current to the coils of the electro-magnet T
by part 5, the square part 6 of which oscillates by means of a spring 1, fixed
under lever 7, on the screws of bridge piece A, see Figs. 2 & 3; 8, spring
in contact with spring 2 when manipulating, conveying the current by metal
rod 9 to the line by column 11, when lever 7 is at rest, which is the case when
the apparatus is used as a receiver of messages. The current passes from
column 11, which communicates it to binding screw 10 by two springs insu-
lated on part 7, then to binding screw 12, fixed on part 6,, passing thence.
through part 5 to the coils T of the receiver. When it is wished to interrupt
a person sending a dispatch the person receiving sends a current, the springs
2, 3, cease to touch the wheels X, Z, but effect contact with the intermediate
wheel Y, the current from line 11 passing by the springs in contact with it to.
part 9, and thence by springs 8 & 2 to wheel Y by its contact with springs
3, 4, and by parts 7, 6, 5, to coils T, which attract the armature T¹ as long as
the person wishing to interrupt the message maintains a current on the line,
which prevents the escapement wheel Q working. I would remark that the,
spring 8 should always touch the spring 2 before 4 touches 3, as, if this latter
contact took place, the manipulator would commence working before the
wheel Z (which communicates the current to the line) is in contact with
the pile or battery, and the receiver would then be always behind the
manipulator.
Manipulation. When working, each of the keys f, in bearing on a corre-
sponding lever f¹, raises the extremity of this. lever, which raises the circle G,:
causing the lever G' to oscillate on its centre g, which produces pressure on
part 7; this part 7 serves to establish communication between springs 3 & 4,
the copper pole of the battery then communicates through the same part to
wheel X, and thence by springs 3 & 4 and lever 7 with spring under-
neath; then by plate 6 & band 5 to the coils of receiver T, and so to the zinc.
pole. When the lever 7 is lowered in manipulating it establishes a current
in the line wire in the following manner :-The copper pole enters at the;
binding screw of spring 1, passes into wheel Z, springs 2 & 8, & rod 9, thence.
traversing lever 7, until it reaches the column 11 of the line. The telegraphic

page_text: apparatus being connected together, the manipulation is effected in the simplest
manner; it suffices to press on the key corresponding to the letter to be
transmitted, which instantly raises the extremity of a lever f¹, furnished with
its pin f. The clockwork or mechanism of the maintaining power U then
rotates needle C, which comes in contact with pin f, for establishing a current
for printing, which causes the striker M to press on the letter of wheel I,
corresponding to that of the key which has been pressed on. The transmission
of succeeding letters is effected in an exactly similar manner. By alternately
pressing down each of the keys of the needle C. will be arrested, and the
escapement Q, pressing on the pallets q, q, by means of a small spring in
box L', fixed on axis I'; hence the two wheels X and Z, which are fixed on the
same axis as the needle C, will be arrested in their course, but a little before
their proper time, so as to obtain a lengthened contact when on the cross or
But when the lever is depressed for the first time contact is established
as follows: The needle C being stopped at the cross by keys f, before springs
2, 3, are in contact with wheels Z; X; when pressure on the key is removed
the needle advances a little, the needles also advance, and springs 2, 3, then
touch wheels Z, X, in such manner that contact is established with the wheels
when the lever of contact is lowered. In order to return to the cross the
button is pressed, bearing on lever h¹, Fig. 2, which acts in its turn on
spring, which closes the circuit; it is again opened by the pallet of the
receiver; when its position is changed said lever continues its course, and
displaces the pallet or armature by means of a metal rod h³.
zero.
Printing apparatus.-This apparatus is based on the principle that it
requires a certain time to magnetize the electro-magnet when the current
passes to it; while the manipulator is working the current passes too quickly
into the electro-magnet to attract the pallet, it is only when the latter is
arrested that it is attracted, and the impression takes place.
The current is distributed as follows:-The current from the copper pole,
after reaching the armature S¹ of the receiver, passes thence by the insulated
metal conductor s¹ to the coils, and so to the zinc pole. When the current is
interrupted in the coils T of the printing apparatus by the manipulator, the
gearing regulated by the moving power V should be arrested, which is effected
by the arrangement of. wheel D, herein-before described. In order to easily
regulate the action of the apparatus, I have adapted a special insulated button i,
which bears on lever 7; when it is lowered in this manner the tension of the
springs may be increased or diminished by means of the buttons placed at the
front part of the printing apparatus.
Having described the nature of this Invention, and the manner of performing

page_text: the same,
I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
berein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is, the particular arrangement of
apparatus herein-before described and represented in the Drawings annexed,
which constitutes both a manipulator or sending and receiving instrument, the
advantages of which combination are, the facility of controlling the dispatches
sent, & also avoiding the use of ordinary manipulating and receiving instru-
ments, which are two distinct and separate apparatus.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
JAMES DAISH,
53, Chancery Lane, W.C.
W. CLARK. (L.S.)