Improvements in the Mode of and Means for Writing by Telegraphy.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Apr., 1895-Accepted, 8th Apr., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Mode of and Means for Writing by
Telegraphy. .
I, Dr. JULIUS VIKTOR FABER, of 40 Schloss-strasse, Pirmasens, Germany,
do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:—
This invention relates to an apparatus which I term the Pantelegraph which
faithfully reproduces at a great distance and without the aid of synchronous
clockwork, the simple transmission of the motion of a writing device or pencil
after the manner of Gray's apparatus for writing at a distance. This apparatus
is distinguished from other apparatus of the kind by the employment of the
following mathematical theorem, riz. that any particular point of a plane or surface
is determined by a line passing through such point (and being parallel to a
co-ordinate line) and through a circle of which the starting point of the co-ordinate
line is the centre.
According to my invention the motions of the writing point are split up into
two prime movements, one vertical and the other horizontal, but both in one plane.
These two movements are conveyed or transmitted separately to the receiver
which combines the movements whereby the original motions of the writing point
are re-produced. A transmitter and a receiver are provided in every station, and
every two stations are connected by two conductors (one for each prime movement)
the earth being utilised as "return" in both cases.
As the arrangements of lines, batteries, and distributing devices are the same or
similar in both cases, will describe the action or procedure with regard to the
vertical motions of the writing point, the combined and simultaneous action of both
sets of mechanism causing the diagonal aud curved lines to be re-produced as will
be understood.
And in order that my invention may be particularly described and ascertained
reference is hereby made to the accompanying drawings in which similar létters
and figures of reference indicate corresponding parts and which drawings are only
intended to be used as illustrating the principle of the invention.
Fig. 1 is a sectional side view of the transmitter and a current make-and-break
device.
Fig. 2. is a perspective view of the transmitter.
Fig. 3. is a front view of a portion of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of a receiver.
Fig. 5. is a view of the distributing device.
:
Fig. 6 is a diagram of lines and connections for transmitting the vertical motions
of the writing point.
The transmitter A. (as shown on the drawings) consists of a pencil or writing
point carried at the end of an arm a capable of sliding longitudinally in a disc or
drum b. This disc is pivoted to another disc c which carries a roller d. A cord e
is fastened to the arm at f and passes over the roller d and around the sleeve g of
the make-and-break device, the lower end of the cord carrying a weight as shown.
The discs b and c are provided with insulated contact pieces b¹ c'. The make-and-
break device consists of a spindle suitably mounted and carrying a sleeve g fast
thereon and two rings i. k insulated from the spindle and from each other. These

page_text: .
rings are fixed together and are mounted on the spindle so that they revolve there-
with until the contact pins are stopped by the contacts I, II, III, IV, (Fig. 6)
after which the spindle can be revolved independently of the rings i. k which
remain stationary until the motion is reversed. The ring kis electrically connected
with the sleeve g by two or more contact springs as shown. In the arrangement
shown a spring contact is fitted to the sleeve for connecting same with the
contacts m in the nonconducting ring n the whole of the contacts m being
electrically connected. It will thus be seen that on the spindle / being caused to
revolve by the cord e the continuous current from a battery is broken up into a
number of currents of short duration and it will be understood that any number
of contacts m may be used and any other form of make-and-break device may be
adopted, such as a number of wires or pins projecting from the periphery of a disc
or other well known device.
The receiver B (as shown on the drawings) consists of a writing arm o capable
of sliding in a disc p pivoted to the top of a cylindrical carrier r. The writing
armo is formed with teeth gearing with a pinion s mounted in the mouth of the
carrier as shown. A rack t gearing with the pinion is provided, the lower end of
which is mounted in a tube u formed with teeth as shown the rack being free to
revolve in the tube but incapable of movement therein longitudinally. The
carrier is fitted with a bevel wheel or other suitable means whereby the same
may be revolved. An electro magnet vis mounted at the top of the carrier in
such a manner as to attract an armature attached to the disc p whereby the pencil
in the end of the writing arm o is pressed on to the paper.
It will thus be seen that the receiver combines the two prime movements the
vertical motions by the rack t. and pinions and the horizontal motions by the
bevel wheel on the cylindrical carrier."
The movements of the receiver are controlled by two distributing devices c one
in each circuit, that is to say, one for the vertical movements and one for the
horizontal movements. As shown on the drawings, the distributing device
consists of two ratchet wheels w of different diameter mounted side by side on a
spindle, but with their teeth in opposite directions, as shown on Fig. 5. Below the
ratchet wheels, two magnets are mounted to operate upon two armatures attached
to a lever a pivoted to an arm as shown. This lever carries two spring pawls a¹,
one at each end, which are arranged to alternately engage with their respective
ratchet wheels. The coils are so wound that their respective attracting power
gains or loses strength according to the direction of the current whereby the
direction of rotation of the spindle is controlled as will be presently described.
The spindle is provided with a pinion y or bevel pinion y' (Fig. 4) which gear
with the toothed tube and bevel wheel respectively as shown.
Fig. 6. is a diagram of the parts and connections relating to the vertical
movements the action being as follows. The operator grasps the writing point of
the arm a of the transmitter A. and makes a circular movement above the paper
thereby signalling to the receiving station. The writing or drawing is then
commenced the vertical (plane) movement causing the arm a to slide in the disc b.
and drawing the cord e with it whereby the sleeve g is rotated. This establishes
electric connection between the pins k¹ and the contact pieces I IV or II III
according to whether the stroke was made in an upward or downward direction.
The current is now free to pass from the battery E to the contact II, pin k³,
disc k, and sleeve g to the spring contact which has in consequence of the
movement passed over a certain number of the contacts m proportional to the
length of the stroke and sent a number of broken currents along the line 1 through
the magnet and through the coils of the distributing device C. The lever
of the distributing device has therefore been attracted a similar number of times
to the number of contacts made between the spring contact and the contacts m
whereby the ratchet wheels are revolved a proportionate distance in one direction
only, causing the rack t to move up or down. This movement of the rack propels
the writing arm o in a vertical (plane) direction similar to the original stroke,

page_text: But the current from the battery E is of insufficient strength to cause the
magnet to attract the armature on the disc p when the writing arm a of the
transmitter is moved above the paper; and it being necessary that the armature
on the disc p should be attracted in order that the pencil in the writing arm o.
should mark the paper, an extra battery F. has to be shunted into the main
circuit simultaneously with the commencement of writing upon the paper of
transmitter. This is effected by the contacts be on the discs b & c. of the
transmitter A. which close the auxiliary circuit of the battery F. when the pencil
of the arm a is pressed on to the paper. By this means the current in the main
circuit is strengthened and flowing through the coil of the magnet v attracts_its
armature whereby the pencil on the arm o is pressed on to the paper recording
thereon a movement similar to the original movement of the transmitter.
The direction of the current alternates according the direction of the vertical
stroke, that is to say, if the stroke be made downward the current travels to the
receiver through the line 1. and if the stroke be made upward the current travels
to the receiver through the earth, or vice versa. This alternating of the current
is utilised to move the rack t up or down according to the direction of the current,
the coils of the distributing device C (Fig. 5) being suitably wound to effect this
purpose. For instance, if the transmitted stroke be made downward then the left
coil is strengthened and the right coil weakened by the current. This causes the
left end of the lever to be attracted throwing the right pawl into gear with its
ratchet wheel whereby the wheel is revolved and the rack t drawn down, the left
pawl moving out of contact with its ratchet wheel. If the stroke be made upward
then the right coil is strengthened and the left weakened and the lever attracted,
actuating the ratchet wheel as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5 the position of the
pawls being somewhat exaggerated to show how the disengaged pawl is thrown out
of gear from its ratchet wheel. The lever x is returned to its normal position (as
shown by the firm lines in Fig. 5) by a balance weight or by a suitable spring or
springs as shown at z which yields to the attractive power of the magnets when
the current is flowing through the circuit. It will thus be understood that as
soon as the current is broken, the lever a is returned to its horizontal position by
the spring or by other means, whereby the non-acting or idle pawl is prevented
from operating its ratchet wheel during the time that the acting pawl is operating
and until its armature is attracted when the spring z yields and allows the pawl
to act. The lengths of the pawls are regulated so that during the return motion
of the acting pawl, the idle pawl is moving back into contact with its ratchet
wheel, but its movement is governed by the spring 2 (or by other means) on the.
lever so that the pawl touches the ratchet wheel when the lever is horizontal,
but is unable to act on the ratchet wheel until the current is reversed and its
armature attracted as herein described.
Although I have only illustrated and described the method of transmitting the
vertical motions for the sake of clearness, it will be readily understood that the
horizontal motions are transmitted in a similar manner, the disc c being caused to
operate its make-and-break and distributing devices through the second line
whereby the bevel wheel mounted on the carrier is turned producing an exactly
similar motion with the pencil on the paper of the receiver to that made by the
transmitter.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
-
1st. An apparatus for writing at a distance, characterized by the motion of a
pencil which is converted into two motions drawn or formed as polar co-ordinates
which are singly or separately transmitted to the receiving station and re-
converted or re-constituted there into one resultant which reproduces the original
motion of the pencil at the receiving station, substantially as herein described and
shown.

page_text: 2nd. In the device above claimed, a transmitter which transposes the motion of
the pencil by the aid of a guiding rod moving in the groove of a rotary disc
according to polar co-ordinates, substantially as herein described and shown.
3rd. In the apparatus claimed above, a receiver which re-constitutes or transforms
the motions transmitted separately by the transmitter into a resultant formed after
the manner of polar co-ordinates, substantially as herein set forth and shown.
4th. In the receiver claimed above an electro-magnet V which excited by the
strengthening of the current produced by the depression of the pencil at the
transmitting station and transmitted through its two wires causes the depression of
the pencil at the receiving station substantially as shown and described.
Dated this 6th day of April 1895
GEORGE BARKER,
77 Colmore Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.
GEORGE BARKER,
77 Colmore Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.