IMPROVEMENTS IN ALPHABETICAL ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHIC INSTRUMENTS and
Year: 1885

page_text: COMPETE SPECIFICATION.
I, RICHARD CYDWELYN WILLIAMS, of 47, St Paul's Road, Sparkbrook, Birmingham
in the county of Warwick, gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN ALPHABETICAL ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHIC INSTRUMENTS and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
5.ascertained in and by the following statement :—
The object of my invention is to increase the celerity of transmission and simplify
the construction of Alphabetical Electric Telegraphic Instruments, and thereby to
economise time and labour in their use, and expense in their manufacture, and at
the same time to render them less liable to derangement.
Any one of my improvements may be separately, or two or more of them
jointly, applied in combination with instruments and systems hitherto in practical
use, according to varying circumstances and the requirements and qualifications of
those who may use the instruments.
Dial and Index or Pointer
(Represented by figure 1 on the accompanying sheet).
The dial contains a number of letter spaces equal to the product of multiplication
of two numbers in sequence, for example, the number of letter spaces might be 30,
(as shown in the accompanying figure No 1) this number being the product of 5
multiplied by 6, or it might be 42, which is the product of 6 multiplied by 7.
I divide the dial with 30 letter spaces into six sections by placing marks upon it
at equal distances from each other, and I prefer the form and position of these marks
to be as shown in the drawing, but the marks might be placed either under or
above the central letter, the first or the final letter of each section.
If there were 42 letter spaces the dial would be divided into 7 sections, and in ·
other cases the number of sections would correspond with the greater of the two
numbers in sequence the product of multiplication of which gives the number of
letter spaces upon the dial.
The index or hand by which the letters are pointed out has five radii, marked r
upon the drawing figure 1, equidistant from each other, in the case of a dial with 30
etter spaces; and, in other cases, the number of radii would correspond with the
esser of the two numbers in sequence the product of multiplication of which gives
he number of letter spaces upon the dial
D

page_text: '
When this. dial and index or pointer are used in conjunction with a winch
transmitter, I prefer to arrange the escapement so that the motion of the index may
be in the contrary direction to that of the hands of a clock.
It will be seen that, in whatever position the index may be placed, only two at
a time of its radii can be adjacent to sectional marks upon the dial, and these 5
sectional marks contain or form the boundaries of one and the same section; for
instance, in the drawing of the dial figure 1, the section contained between sectional
marks adjacent to radii of the index is section A to E. At each step in a "step by
step" motion of revolution, though the index only moves at each step a distance
equal to a single letter space, first one and then another of the sections of the dial 1
will be pointed out, and all the sections will be pointed out in succession by radii
of the index coming successively into juxtaposition to the marks which contain
each section.
Letters are indicated by the index being caused to advance and then stop for an
instant with two of its radii near or adjacent to the sectional marks which contain
the section in which the letter to be indicated is placed, the letter being finally
indicated by the index being stopped a second time when it has advanced so that
one of the radii which before pointed out the section points to the letter itself.
It will be seen that, by the use of this dial and index, any letter could be indicated
by a maximum of eleven steps; any section being indicated by, at most, six steps,
and only five steps intervéning between any of the sectional marks and the furthest
removed of the following five characters.
I will now explain the particular means and mechanism which I prefer to employ,
and, which serves both for transmitting and receiving.
The battery may be interposed anywhere on either the up or down line, the
circuit being completed in the usual manner, and a point of advantage in respect of
batteries is that it is not necessary that they should be paced at each station.
Figure 1 represents the top-Figure 2 a longitudinal section and Figure 3 a plan
of the instrument.
r
The index is propelled by pulsations or currents all in the same directión upon
the line wire, but which are caused to traverse the wires of the electro magnets
alternately in opposite directions.
The electric currents aro automatically transmitted, the circuit being broken at
each movement of the propelling spindle..
The propelling spindle (a) is insulated at its bearings, and divided and insulated
at its centre, and at its two extremities 'supports' soft iron armatures (marked b in
figure 2 and 3) to which contact springs are attached (marked c in the drawings).
The soft iron armatures are made temporarily magnetic by the inductive action of
a permanent magnet in the usual manner the poles of the permanent magnet are
shown and marked d in figure 2. The two insulated ends of the propelling spindle
are connected respectively with the opposite ends of the wire with which the
electomagnets are wound.
The two springs and the armatures to which they are attached extend at right
angles from the propelling spindle and parallel to each other.
Two conductors (e'. e".) connected respectively with the "up" and "down line
.wires by the binding screws ff are arranged as shown in figures 2, 3 and 4
so that when the two springs attached to the propelling spindle are carried to either
side, one of them is connected by means of the conductors with the up, and the
other with the down, line, and when, by the passage of a momentary current, the
springs are carried to the opposite side, the spring which before was connected with
the up line is then connected with the down line, and vice versa with respect to
the other spring. The polairty of the electromagnets being now reversed by the
passage of a current (in the opposite direction to that of the preceding one) throug
the wire with which they are wound, the springs (c) are carried back to their firs
position; and a motion from side to side is continued till interrupted for the purpos
of indicating a letter.

page_text: One of the conductors (e') is connected with one of the pole screws (0) of the
instrument direct, and the other conductor (e") is connected with the opposite pole
screw (p) in the following manner :-
By means of a spring it is put in connection with the index spindle (g), which
carries, at the end of it nearest to the dial, five light arms (h), radiating from it at
the same point; and in the same plane with these, and insulated from each other,
six springs (i) are ranged, as shown in figure 3. One by one each of these springs
are brought into contact with one or other of the radiating arms (h). These
springs are connected respectively to six binding screws (k), inside the case of the
instrument, these being connected with springs which press upon the ends of the
six keys (m) except when the keys are depressed, when the contact is broken; All
the keys are in circuit with each other and with a central binding screw (t) which
is connected to the second pole screw of the instrument.
The five arms (h) radiating from the index spindle (g) are placed so that when
either of them is in contact with either of the springs (2) and its corresponding
binding screw under one of the keys, two of the radii of the index are in
juxtaposition to the section of the dial which corresponds in position with the key
above the said binding screw. When, therefore, a key corresponding in position
with any particular section of the dial is depressed, and the circuit between the
said key and the binding screw beneath it is thereby broken, the radii of the index
are arrested so that two of them are in juxtaposition to the aforesaid section of the
dial.
The method of manipulation is as follows:-The transmitting agent first
depresses the key which corresponds in position with the section which contains
the letter to be indicated; and then, if the letter is situated at either extremity of
the section, he depresses the key next to it, on the same side as the letter to be
indicated; if the letter is situated in the centre of a section, after depressing the
key corresponding with the section, he depresses the key opposite to the same; and
if the letter is situated in an intermediate position in a section, like c, after
indicating the section as before, he depresses the key next but one, on the same side
as the letter.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. The division of a dial into sections, and the use of an index'or pointer with
more arms than one, for the purpose of indicating letters or signs of a code.
2. The automatic reversal of the direction of alternate currents through the wires
of electromagnets or coils, the direction of the currents upon the line wires being
unchanged; and the mechanism for effecting this, substantially as I have described.
3. The method of arresting an index or pointer in a required position simply by
preventing the circuit from being completed when the index has arrived thereat,
and without interposing any thing to arrest a moving part of the instrument; and
the arrangement of springs and keys, which I have described, for effecting this.
4. The automatic transmission of the currents necessary for giving motion to the
index, without the use of an adjustable spring.