Improvements in Telegraphy.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Nov., 1893-Accepted, 6th Jan., 1894
Improvements in Telegraphy.
I, PATRICK BERNARD DELANY, Electrical Engineer, a citizen of the United
States, residing at South Orange, in the County of Essex and State of New Jersey,
U.S.A., do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
The object of my invention is to provide a mechanical system to take the place of
hand transmission over ocean cables and long and difficult land lines. I am aware
that heretofore mechanical systems of transmission for ocean cables have been.
proposed, such systems being mainly adaptations of the well known Wheatstone
automatic system.
As in such cases, I also purpose effecting the automatic transmission by means of
a perforated ribbon. In my system the ribbon is perforated as heretofore, in two
lines on opposite sides of its longitudinal centre, which however is unperforated and
therein differs from the ribbons used with Wheatstone transmitters. All the
perforations in one line represent dots, and all those in the other line dashes. The
letters are made up by the proper combinations of such dot and dash perforations,
preferably according to the continental code. The letters and words are uniformly
spaced. I effect the perforation of the ribbon in a novel and efficient manner by
means of electro-magnetically actuated punches controlled by keys, one key being
used for dashes, another for dots and the third for spaces. The ribbon is auto-
matically intermittently fed a uniform distance after each perforation, and as
required to give the proper spaces between letters and words. The ribbon thus
prepared is passed through a transmitter, having contact devices that respectively
complete two local circuits through the two rows of perforations, and the local
circuits control electro-magnetic transmitters, one of which sends negative currents
to line, which may indicate the dashes, and the other positive currents, which may
indicate the dots. The electro-magnets and their armatures which effect this
automatic transmission may be similar to ordinary sounders, and if desirable, to
effect a greater delicacy and precision of action, I may interpose between their
circuits and the contact devices controlled by the perforations in the ribbon,
sensitive relays of relatively higher resistance. The ribbon having been accurately
prepared the succession of impulses representing the dots and dashes of the message
will be thrown upon the line in proper order, and with mechanical precision, both as
regards the duration of the impulses and the length of the spaces.
mission be through a sub-marine cable, it may be received upon a siphon recorder
which will operate in precisely the same manner as if the impulses respectively
representing dots and dashes had been transmitted into the cable by the use of two
keys as is the ordinary practice at the present time.
If such trans-
The duration of contact between the cable and the battery or earth may be
regulated by adjustment of the transmitter magnet levers and the springs, so as to
obtain with greater exactness the best conditions for fast signalling.
If the above described system of transmission be practised over land lines with
chemical reception, the result is practically the same, the negative impulses
representing the dashes being manifested or developed in one line on the receiving
paper, and the positive impulses representing dots being manifested in another
line.
In either case it is desirable that the sending operator be able to cut in upon the
mechanical transmission by the perforated strip to interpolate some communication,
explanatory or otherwise, and to permit of this I may provide the armature lever of

page_text: each of the magnets that act to throw the impulses upon the line, with an ordinary
button so that it may be used as a transmitting key, the two buttons being arranged
side by side so that they may be operated in the manner ordinarily practised for
manual transmission over sub-marine cables. Or I may interpose ordinary keys in
the local circuits of these magnets placed in normally open shunts around the
contact devices controlled by the perforated transmitting ribbon. Of course in the
event of such manual transmission the automatic transmitter devices should be
stopped or could continue to run without interruption, but the ribbon then passing
through them should be unperforated. My system is adapted to such an operation
as will presently appear. In transmission, over sub-marine cables, the limit to the
speed of transmission, due to the retardation of the cable, is such that the circuit
may be completely occupied by a single operator, working manually, or the prepared
ribbon may pass directly from the perforator to the transmitter. In transmission
over long sub-marine cables, the speed owing to retardation is considerably below
the ability of the operator, but notwithstanding the fact there are numerous delays
incidental to direct manual transmission arising from illegible manuscript and
interruptions of various kinds, which delays taken in the aggregate represent serious
waste of time daily. With present automatic systems so far as is known to the
applicant there are also serious delays consequent upon the accumulation of several
messages upon a single reel, and intermittent breaks caused by changing of the
reels supplying the transmitter. The business of a day is thus necessarily chopped
up into many short stops rendering filing and subsequent identification laborious.
All these delays and annoyances I propose to obviate by the introduction of a take
up mechanism between the perforating and transmitting instruments so that an
operator may perforate in excess of the carrying capacity of the cable, and provide
an accumulation or reservoir of matter for transmission thus eliminating from the
transmission all the incidental delays above referred to, not a moment of the cable's
carrying capacity need be lost and the entire business of a day may be run through
in one continuous ribbon. This interposed mechanism may be of any suitable
character to accomplish the purpose suggested, the primary feature of the invention
being the possibility of accumulating between the two instruments a sufficient length
of the prepared ribbon to allow the operator intervals of time during which he may
suspend the manipulation of the perforator.
In my improved system, it is therefore apparent that the mechanical transmission
is similar in kind to that of hand transmission, except that it is more perfect and
accurate and produces uniform results as regards reception, irrespective of the
idiosyncrasies of the work of the operator. This is an important feature of
sub-marine cable telegraphy where the peculiarities of a transmitting operator's
manipulation have to be understood and allowed for in translating the message
from the record on the receiving ribbon.
It will be observed that in the system above outlined, there is no mechanism to
be mechanically operated by the perforated ribbon and no mechanically operated
contact devices controlled by arms or levers operated by the ribbon. The local
contacts that control the circuits of the transmitting magnets are completed merely
by contact fingers, under which the ribbon runs, falling or being pressed into the
perforations and establishing contact of the proper duration with a contact surface
beneath the ribbon. These contacts complete local circuits provided with ample
battery power and in which the instruments are so adjusted that the ultimate
contact by which impulses from the inain battery are sent into the cable is certain,
firm and practically uniform as regards duration, force and character of contact.
The system is hereinafter more specifically described in connection with the
accompanying drawings, in which,
Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the organization by which the
ribbon is perforated.
Figure 2 a similar view showing one arrangement for transmission.
Figure 3 a similar view showing an arrangement for transmission and chemical
reception.

page_text: Figure 4 a like view indicating the perforator, the transmitter and the interposed
mechanism by means of which an excess of prepared ribbon may be accumulated
between the two instruments.
Figure 5 indicates a section of the ribbon upon which the matter transmitted
has been recorded by an ordinary siphon recorder. This is a representation of an
ordinary recorder receiving ribbon, the action of the recorder in receiving
according to my system being the same as with the present system of manual
transmission, except as regards greater accuracy of the received signals or
characters.
Figure 6 is a side view, transverse to the ribbon, showing the punch magnets,
punches and dies.
Figure 6
transmitting keys.
shows the two transmitter magnets modified to serve as ordinary
Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 2, except that the contacts through the
perforations in the ribbon control local circuits that operate two relay
magnets OO, whose armature levers control the transmitter magnets K K¹.
The perforating devices for preparing the ribbon are shown clearly in Figure 1.
The keys for the dots and dashes are respectively marked by those characters,
and are each connected with one side of a local battery L B. The opposite pole
of the battery is connected through the coils of a feed magnet A. The circuit
then branches, one branch passing through the magnet B and thence to the anvil
of the dash key. The other branch passes through the magnet C and thence to
the anvil of the dot key. The spacing key, which is marked "space" is connected
through the coils of the magnet A. and thence to one side of a local battery I b
the opposite pole of which is connected with the anvil of the key. These three
key buttons are arranged in the form of a clover leaf so that the space key may be
reached with equal facility from either of the character keys. Of course the
current for this circuit might be taken from the battery L B, but I prefer to use
a separate battery as illustrated. The armature lever of each magnet B C carries
or actuates a perforating punch cb the two punches being arranged in a parallel
line transverse to the ribbon D to be perforated. These punches work into or
against corresponding dies and the paper ribbon passes between the punches and
the dies. Such a construction is of course obvious and well known, and detailed
illustration is unnecessary. The ribbon travels in the direction indicated by the
arrow from a roll suitably mounted, passes under the punches and between the
feed wheel and roller fe. f is preferably a thin wheel or disk and has a finely
toothed or serrated edge, and is fast upon the shaft F. The roller e is carried by
a swinging frame E, and depressed by a spring E¹ against the disk f. The
armature lever A' of the feed-magnet A carries a pawl a that, when the lever is
actuated by its spring, drives a ratchet wheel a¹ fast on the shaft F, and also a
stop a that prevents the wheel being moved in excess of the required distance by
the impact of the pawl. A detent pawl as prevents back motion. The operation
of this part of my invention is as follows:-
When either the dot or dash key is depressed the feed-magnet A is energized
and also the punch magnet B or C, as the case may be. The corresponding punch
is actuated to perforate the paper and when the key is raised the armature lever A¹
is thrown by its spring and the paper is automatically drawn forward the required
distance to afford the proper space between the perforation just made and the
succeeding perforation, indicating the next dot or dash of the letter. When the
letter is completed, the space key may be depressed once to form the space between
it and the following letter; and when the word is completed the space key may be
depressed twice. Thus the space between letters is double the space between
the elements of a letter and the space between words is exactly double the space
between letters. The serrated wheel accurately draws the ribbon forward without
any slip or lost motion. Obviously the perforations must occupy accurate relations
to each other and all peculiarities of "style" of the operator are eliminated from
the prepared ribbon. In the drawing the letters perforated in the ribbon are

page_text: marked a, b, c, &c. The ribbon should be carried along straight in practice,
the apparent curve being merely to permit more full illustration of the feeding
mechanisın.
Of course the punches might be arranged to emboss the ribbon instead of
perforating it.
A perforated ribbon thus prepared may be used for transmission and chemical
reception as shown in Figure 3, where M B is a split main battery grounded in the
middle and having its opposite poles connected with contact fingers 9 g, between
which and a contact drum g' the prepared ribbon is drawn. The line at this end is
connected with the drum. At the receiving end it is connected with a contact
finger whose mate is grounded. The chemically prepared receiving ribbon
runs between these fingers and a metallic drum h. The circuit is closed through
the chemically prepared paper and metallic drum whenever a finger g drops into a
perforation and makes contact with the drum g'. The two pairs of fingers are
springs and press always towards the drums. When current of one polarity passes
from the line a dot will be produced under the end of one finger and when current
of opposite polarity passes from the line a dot will be produced under the other
finger.
In Figure 2, I have shown my system for submarine cable transmission. The
perforated ribbon passes between a pair of contact fingers ii and a metal drum i'
connected with one pole of a local battery I, the opposite pole of which is connected
by branch circuits through the coils of two transmitter magnetą K K¹ and thence
to the respective contact fingers i i. Each time that one contact finger makes
contact with the drum through a perforation in the lower row of perforations the
magnet K is energized and a current of one polarity is sent to line, and produces
the record of a dash at the receiving recorder or other instrument; and each time
that the other finger enters a perforation in the upper row the magnet K¹ is
energized and a current of opposite polarity is sent into the line to produce a dot
record or signal at the receiver. The arrangement of main battery and contacts
for producing this reversal or change of poles is an ordinary one.
The impulses thus automatically sent into the line are sent in the same order and
produce the same general effect, though a more uniform and accurate effect, as is
produced by the manipulation of two keys in the ordinary way in cable telegraphy.
A portion of a cable recorder strip with the letters a, b, c, d, e, indicated thereon is
shown in Figure 5.
It will be perceived that by this arrangement 1 avoid the use of lever contact
mechanism, the operation of which is effected through the medium of the
perforations in the transmitting ribbon as in the well known Wheatstone system,
and yet maintain a uniform character and duration of the main line contacts.
In Figure 4, I have shown one way of accumulating the prepared ribbon between
the perforating apparatus and the transmitter. X represents the transmitter and
Y the perforator. As the prepared ribbon leaves the perforator it passes over a
suspended pulley L connected to a cord that runs over one or more fixed pulleys
and is connected to a counterbalance weight L'. The parts are so balanced that
when the limit of the take-up is reached the paper, pulley and cord will almost
counterbalance the weight L, and preferably the weight of the cord L per unit of
length is twice that of the perforated ribbon. The ribbon is drawn forward by
the transmitter. With such an arrangement the perforating operator may prepare
the ribbon in excess of the capacity of the transmitter for the purpose herein before
referred to.
Should the operator have occasion to interpolate some instructions or communi-
cation he suspends the perforation and stops the transmitter. Then by the
manipulation of the armature levers of the transmitter magnets K K¹ as ordinary
telegraph keys, he may transmit in the ordinary way now practised.
To conveniently adapt the armature levers to be used as ordinary keys, they
may be constructed and arranged as shewn in Figure 6. They are preferably
placed side by side and a depending arm M attached to each lever is provided with

page_text: an ordinary key button, the buttons being side by side and in proper relation to the
base board.
From the foregoing it appears that this system has capacities and advantages
not, so far as I am aware, heretofore attained. Obviously, the mere details of the
apparatus may be varied in a variety of ways without departing from the principles
and mode of operation of my invention.
In Figure 71 have shown an organization similar to that illustrated in Figure 2,
except that the local circuits completed by the contacts through the perforations
in the ribbon control intermediate magnets or relays (O', the armature levers of
which control the electric circuits having the sources of energy and 12 that
effect the operation of the transmitter magnets K K' as hereinbefore described.
This arrangement possesses many advantages admitting as it does of the use of
comparatively high resistance winding of magnets O O₁ rendering them less liable
to be affected by change of resistance caused by dust or fibre which might possibly
enter between the wires of the trailing fingers and the drum. The armatures of
these magnets may be adjusted very delicately so that they will respond quickly to
the closing of the circuit through the perforations, and on leaving their back stops
break the circuits of K K which are of comparatively low resistance operated by
currents of sufficient power to give them an amplitude of movement obviating all
possibility of arcing at their back contacts where the main current is sent into the
cable, and at the same time insuring firm pressure at the points of contact so that
all the signals will be reliably transmitted. Another important advantage of this
arrangement of intermediate magnets lies in the margin of adjustments at the
contact points of both intermediate and final magnets admitting of a wide range of
regulation in the length or duration of impulses sent into the cable and the duration
of connection of the cable with the earth.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The combination with the dot, dash and space keys, of the punches, their
magnets, the feed magnet, its paper feeding or drawing devices, and the local
circuits of said magnets controlled by the keys, substantially as set forth.
2. The combination of the dot, dash and space keys, the punches arranged in a
line transverse to the ribbon, their actuating magnets. the feed magnet, and its
paper drawing or feeding devices, two circuits, one for the dot and one for the dash
key, each including the feed magnet and one of the punch magnets and controlled
by its key, and a third circuit including the feed magnet and controlled by the
space key, substantially as set forth.
3. The combination of the dot and dash keys, the dot and dash punches arranged
in a line transverse to the ribbon, an actuating maguet for each punch, the circuits
of said magnets respectively controlled by the corresponding key, and means for
feeding the ribbon step by step in unison with the manipulation of the keys,
substantially as set forth.
4. The combination of the dot, dash and space keys, the dot and dash punches
5 arranged in a line transverse to the ribbon, an actuating magnet for each punch,
the circuits of said magnets respectively controlled by the corresponding key, and
means for feeding the ribbon after the actuation of each of the three keys,
substantially as set forth.
5. The combination of the prepared ribbon having perforations representing dots
0 in one line and dashes in another, two local contact devices making electrical
contact through said perforations, one through each row of perforations, two trans-
mitting magnets controlled respectively by said contact devices, a main battery,
and contacts and circuit connections by which a current of one polarity is sent to
line when one magnet is energized and a current of the reverse polarity when the
55 other magnet is energized, substantially as set forth.
6. The combination of the transmitter drum, the two transmitter contact fingers,

page_text: each adapted to be operated by one line of perforations in the prepared ribbon
which passes between the fingers and drum, a local circuit for each contact finger
including the drum, a transmitting magnet controlled by each local circuit, a main
battery, and contacts and circuit connections by which a current of one polarity is
sent to line when one magnet is energized and a current of the reverse polarity
when the other magnet is energized, substantially as set forth.
7. The combination of two transmitter magnets, one for sending dot impulses
and the other dash impulses into the line, and a transmitter controlling said magnets
by electrical contacts made through two lines of perforations in a ribbon, one
representing dots and the other dashes, the magnets being respectively energized
accordingly as the transmitter is actuated by perforation representing a dot or a
perforation representing a dash, substantially as set forth.
8. The combination of the transmitter devices operated by electrical contacts
through two rows of perforations in a transmitting ribbon, one row representing
dots and the other dashes, a main battery, said transmitter devices having two
transmitter magnets, respectively controlled by said rows of perforations, one for
sending into the line a current of a polarity representing a dot and the other a
current of opposite polarity representing a dash, and a key attachment to the
armature lever of each magnet, substantially as set forth.
9. The combination of the transmitter magnets, one for sending dot impulses and
the other dash impulses into, the line, two local circuits controlled by electrical
contacts brought into action by made through two lines of perforations or inden-
tations in a transmitting ribbon, one representing dots and the other dashes, a relay
in each of said local circuits, and two other local circuits controlled by the armature
levers of said relays and respectively including the two transmitter magnets,
substantially as set forth.
1. The combination of mechanism for preparing a ribbon for automatic trans-
mission, an automatic transmitter, and interposed ribbon take-up devices, whereby
the ribbon may pass direct from the preparing mechanism through or over the
take-up devices to the transmitter, and a margin or excess of prepared ribbon
'accumulated between the transmitter and preparing mechanism, substantially as set
forth.
11. The combination of an automatic transmitter having transmitter magnets
such as K K', mechanism for perforating or preparing a ribbon for automatic
transmission, and take-up devices between the transmitter and said preparing
mechanism, substantially as set forth.
12. The combination of an automatic transmitter, having transmitter magnets
such as K K', mechanism for perforating or preparing a ribbon for automatic trans-
mission, take-up devices between the transmitter and said preparing mechanism,
and key attachments to the armature levers of said magnets, subtantially as set
forth.
13. The organization for preparing a ribbon for automatic telegraphic trans-
mission, substantially as shown in Figure 1.
14. The organization for transmission, substantially as shown in Figure 4.
Dated this 9th day of October 1893.
PATRICK BERNARD DELANY.