A DIRECT PRINTING TELEGRAPH WITHOUT RELAIS AND LOCAL BATTERY
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Meinrad Theiler, of 1, North Terrace, Westminster
Road, London, Mechanic, for the Invention of "A DIRECT PRINTING
TELEGRAPH WITHOUT RELAIS AND LOCAL BATTERY."-A communication. from
Franz Theiler, of Einsiedeln, in Switzerland.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Meinrad Theiler at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 22nd
September 1857.
I, MEINRAD THEILER, of 1, North Terrace, Westminster Road, London,
Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A DIRECT
PRINTING TELEGRAPH WITHOUT RELAIS AND LOCAL BATTERY," (a communication
from Franz Theiler, of Einsiedeln, in Switzerland,) to be as follows:-
In this, as in Morse's apparatus, a strip or tape of paper is put forward in a
slow and regular motion by means of a series of wheels actuated by weights
or springs; on this strip or tape of paper are imprinted with a needle the
dispatches in points and lines, whereby the writing lever is set in motion by
an electro-magnet. Now, this Invention. relates to an improved arrangement
by which the writing lever is acted upon by mechanical power of the wheel-
work, and consists in the application of a mechanical resistance to a wheel
lever or other part of the mechanism moving at a sufficient velocity. This
resistance, which may be modified or reduced in its strength according to
circumstances, causes the axle of a wheel or lever which is fitted in the

page_text: writing lever to make a particular movement in the direction of the writing
lever, besides the general one round its axis. The establishing, modifying, or
breaking off of this mechanical resistance is effected by one or more electro-
magnets, which are affected through the direct current of the line without
having recours of a local battery.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Meinrad Theiler in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd March 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MEINRAD
THEILER, of 1, North Terrace, Westminster Road, London, Mechanic, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Meinrad Theiler, Her special licence that I, the said Meinrad Theiler, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Meinrad
Theiler, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and 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 Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A DIRECT PRINTING TELEGRAPH
WITHOUT RELAIS AND LOCAL BATTERY," (a communication from Franz Thieler, of
Einsiedeln, in Switzerland, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Meinrad Theiler, 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 same 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 Meinrad Theiler, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention consists in an improved method of arranging a printing
telegraph. A telegraph apparatus constructed according to the Invention

page_text: resembles a Morse's telegraph apparatus, in that by it the signals are received
and registered as a series of marks formed on a strip of paper, which passes at
a uniform velocity through the apparatus. In Morse's apparatus the lever
which carries the marking instrument is brought down upon the paper by the
attraction of an electro-magnet, but according to the Invention this lever is
actuated by the following combination of parts:-There is centred in it at its
end an axis, to which rotatory motion is given by a train of wheels, and this
axis also drives at a considerable velocity a wheel, lever, or other mechanism;
so long as all these parts run freely or without interference, the marking lever
retains its lowest position, in which its own weight assisted by the stiffness of
the paper keeps it; but the apparatus is so arranged that from time to time
resistance can be applied by means of electric apparatus in communication
with the line wire of the telegraph to the revolution of these parts, and
consequently of the axis centred in the marking lever, and this axis then
immediately tends to follow the driving instrument, and so raises the lever
and a mark is made; when the resistance is removed the lever falls back
again.
And in order that the said Invention may, be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE. DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a front view of a telegraphic apparatus arranged according to
the Invention; Figure 2 is a front view with some of the parts removed;
and Figure 3 is a plan of the same. a is a chain wheel which receives motion
from the endless chain 6 passing over it; this chain descends on each side of
the wheel a through the base of this instrument, then round two suspended
pullies, to one of which the actuating weight is attached, and over another
chain wheel c. On the side of the wheel c ratchet teeth. are cut, into which
the catch d drops, to prevent it turning under the influence of the actuating
weight, but it can be turned from time to time by means of a key applied to
the axis when it is necessary to raise the weight. On the side of the chain
wheel a a toothed wheel e is formed, which drives the pinion f mounted on
the same axis with the toothed wheel g; this communicates the motion to the
pinion h, thus driving the toothed wheel i on the same axis, and from this
by wheels and pinions mounted on the axis j and k, as is clearly shown by the
Drawing, the fly is driven, and this in revolving, as is well understood,
regulates the speed of the train of wheels. The toothed wheel i also drives a
pinion m, the axis of which is centred in the back plate of the frame, but

page_text: passes through a comparatively large hole in the front plate, and is centred
beyond it in the lever n, which is mounted on the axis o, and is capable of a
very limited rotation round it, and in this motion it is actuated by means
which I will now proceed to describe. p is a toothed wheel not fixed on the
axis of the pinion m, but pressed by a spiral spring against a disc I, which' is
fixed thereon, so that if this wheel be held from revolving it offers a resistance
to the revolution of the pinion m, and this resistance causes this pinion to be
raised by the wheel i, at the same time raising the lever n so as to print a
mark on a strip of paper.
I will now explain the apparatus by which the wheel p is from time to
time held from revolving, according to the signs to be marked on the paper.
The wheel P drives a pinion, the axis of which is centred at one end 'in the
back plate of the frame, and at the other end it passes through a guide hole in
the piece s fixed to the back plate, and is capable of sliding longitudinally for
a short distance. t is an arm on this axis, the end of which in revolving
passes close to the fixed metal ring u; v is a magnetic bar centred at w, and
capable of moving from side to side in a horizontal plane between the poles of
the two pair of electro-magnets x, and it does move in this way backwards
and forwards each time that the current in the line wire in connection with
the electro-magnets is reversed; w¹ is a regulating spring in connection with
the magnetic bar w. Each time that the end of the magnetized bar v moves
towards the back of the machine it brings the end of the arm t in contact
with the ring w, and so stops both it and the wheel p, and causing the rising
of the marking lever n, as before described, each time that the bar v moves
in the opposite direction it draws with it by its magnetic attraction the axis
on which the arm t is mounted, and so again freeze the wheel p.
On the axis of the wheel i which is continued through the front plate of the
frame, a paper roller g¹ is mounted, and the strip of paper to receive the
marks passes, as is shewn by the Drawing, between this and the upper paper
roller z, which is carried by a frame mounted on an axis at its further end;
but as these parts are similar, to the corresponding parts of a Morse's apparatus,
they need not be further described.
In order to prevent the speed of the train of wheels from being materially
affected by the additional friction put on when the arm t is in contact with the
surface u, there is mounted on the axis of the fly a disc, against which an
arm a* rests, being being kept up against it so as to offer a uniform resistance
by the weight of another arm 6* on the saine axis with the arm a*, and this
.resistance is always on, except when the lever m is raised, and then this lever
coming in contact with the arm 6* lifts the arm a* out of contact with the disc

page_text: on the axis of the fly, and so the removal of this resistance compensates for the
resistance put on to raise the lever m. Figure 4 shews a method by which a
spring may be employed to give the regulated resistance required, and in this
case a projection from the marking lever in rising lifts the end of the spring.
In place of employing two pair of electro-magnets to actuate the apparatus, it
is preferable on short lines to employ a single magnet, or a pair of magnets,
as is shewn at Figure 5. Sometimes I replace the revolving arm t, Figures
1 and 3, by a plain wheel, as is shewn at Figure 6, and then I apply friction
directly by means of the tail of the armnature of the electro-magnet to the
periphery of this wheel.
A slightly modified arrangement of the apparatus is shewn at Figures 7
and 8, which show respectively a side view and a plan of the parts affected
by the modification. h is a pinion, corresponding with the pinion h in
Figures 1 and 3, and i is a wheel for driving the flyers as before, but the
other parts of the apparatus, in place of being driven from the same wheel,
are driven by a corresponding wheel a which turns with friction on its
axis; this wheel drives two pinions b and c on two axes, which also carry
toothed wheels d and e, and these drive worms f and g, and so give motion to
two plain wheels h and i, between which the tail attached to the magnetic bar,
actuated by the electro-magnets, works as is shewn by the Plan, Figure 9,
and stops either one or the other of the wheels h and i, according to the
direction in which the current is passing through the electro-magnets, and as
the axis of the pinion c is centred in the marking lever, as before this lever
is raised, and a mark made each time that the wheel is stopped. The
magnetic bar has a regulating spring attached to it in the usual manner. In
this arrangement, as one or other of the wheels h and i is at all times held, it
is not necessary to apply any regulated friction to the axis of the fly.
In place of the wheels h and i flies may be employed, as is shewn at
Figure 10, so as to produce a dead stop in place of a stop by friction.
In witness whereof, I, the said Meinrad Theiler, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
JNO. ALCOCK.
MRD. THEILER. (L.S.)