IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CHANGING, AN ORIGINAL DIRECTION OF MOTION TO ANY ANGLE DESIRED, APPLICABLE TO MARINE ENGINE ROOM TELEGRAPHS AND OTHER PURPOSES.”
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Arthur Mechan, Senior Partner in the Firm of Mechan
and Son, of Cheapside Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CHANGING,
AN ORIGINAL DIRECTION OF MOTION TO ANY ANGLE DESIRED, APPLICABLE TO
MARINE ENGINE ROOM TELEGRAPHS AND OTHER PURPOSES.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Arthur Mechan at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th September 1878.
ARTHUR MECHAN, Senior Partner in the Firm of Mechan & Son, of Cheapside
Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR CHANGING AN ORIGINAL DIRECTION OF MOTION TO ANY ANGLE
DESIRED, APPLICABLE TO MARINE ENGINE ROOM TELEGRAPHS AND OTHER
PURPOSES."
The object of this Invention is to obtain a change of motion at any angle from
the original, where an angular pull or push is required. For this purpose I em-
ploy a broad pinion of equal diameter in the breadth or a differential or stepped
pinion to get a quicker or a slower motion, mounted in a suitable box or other
framing, around which pinion two or more racks at any angle, as may be required,
are placed. The rack from which the original motion is transmitted drives the
pinion, which in turning drives the other rack or racks placed around it, and thus
the motion is changed from its original direction to the angle required. The racks
may be kept in position by guide rollers at back of same.
Instead of the aforesaid broad pinion and rack or racks I may employ two or
more rods of suitable length, with the ends of each rod firmly fixed to each end of
a chain or band, which chains or bands with rods attached are looped tight on a
pulley grooved spirally, which pulley may be made stepped or differential in its
diameter, the grooves being made to fit the chains or bands and to have snugs to
catch the same, so as to prevent all slip; the rods are placed around the pulley.

page_text: at any angle as may be required, all being mounted in a suitable box or other
framing. The rod from which the original motion is transmitted drives the pulley
by the chain looped on it, which in turning drives the other rod or rods similarly
attached thereto, and placed at the required angle around the pulley, and thus the
motion is changed from its original direction to the angle required.
The Invention, though applicable to other purposes, is specially applicable to
marine engine room telegraphs, for which purpose I prefer to employ two pinions
or two pulleys of equal or unequal diameters fitted in one box, so that the engineer
or attendant may reply to the order from the bridge.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Arthur Mechan in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 15th March
1879.
"
ARTHUR MECHAN, Senior Partner in the Firm of Mechan and Son, of Cheapside
Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain. IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR CHANGING AN ORIGINAL DIRECTION OF MOTION TO ANY ANGLE
DESIRED, APPLICABLE TO MARINE ENGINE ROOM TELEGRAPHS AND OTHER PURPOSES."
This object of this Invention is to obtain a change of motion at any angle from
the original, where an angular pull or push is required. For this purpose I employ
a broad pinion of equal diameter in the breadth or a differential or stepped pinion
to get a quicker or a slower motion, mounted in a suitable box or other framing,
around which pinion two or more racks at any angle, as may be required, are
placed. The rack from which the original motion is transmitted drives the pinion,
which in turning drives the other rack or racks placed around it, and thus the
motion is changed from its original direction to the angle required. The racks may
be kept in position by guide rollers at back of same.
: Instead of the aforesaid broad pinion and rack or racks I may employ two or
more rods of suitable length, with the ends of each rod firmly fixed to each end of
a chain or band, which chains or bands with rods attached are looped tight on a
plain or grooved pulley, which pulley may be made stepped or differential in its
diameter, the grooves being made to fit the chains or bands for the better guiding
of the same, and to have snugs to catch the same, so as to prevent all slip; the rods
are placed around the pulley at any angle as may be required, all being mounted
in a suitable, box or other framing. The rod from which the original motion is
transmitted drives the pulley by the chain or band looped on it, which in turning
drives the other rod or rods similarly attached thereto and placed at the required
angle around the pulley, and thus the motion is changed from its original direction
to the angle required.
This mode of changing motion I employ in the construction of mechanical order
and reply telegraphs for mines, public buildings, and factories, but more especially.
in steam or sailing vessels for the sending of messages, or for signalling from deck.

page_text: or bridge, from the engine room or steersman, or vice versa, or to or from any other
required part of the vessel or other structure or place.
The advantages of my Invention are a reduction in first cost, perfect accuracy
in the delivery of the message in a climate of uniform temperature. with a simple
means for ensuring suitable tension of the working parts under varying tem-
peratures; and lastly, a greater simplicity and durability.
And in order that this my Invention may be more fully understood I will now
proceed to describe the same in reference to the accompanying Drawings.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Figure 2 a front elevation of the broad pinion,
with three toothed racks shewn placed around it.
Figure 3 is a side elevation, and Figure 4 a front elevation, of a spirally grooved
'pulley, with three rods, attached by flexible bands or chains looped around it.
Figure 5 is a side elevation, and Figure 6 a front elevation, of two toothed
pulleys with flexible bands partially looped around them, leading and moving
upwards and downwards.
Figures 7, 8, and 9 illustrate my Invention as applied to a mechanical telegraph,
with dial and supporting columns in section; Figures 7, 8, and 9ª are sectional
plans of telegraph column bosses; and Figures 7b, 8b, and 9b are telegraph dial
sections.
In Figures 1 and 2, A, B, and C are toothed racks angled round the pinion D in
different planes, the pinion D being made long enough to receive them, and any or
either of those racks may be the acting or impelling rack giving the original
direction of the push or pull, and the other racks any other required direction of
motion differing from the original direction, leading to the place to which it is
desirable to send a message or signal.
In Figures 3 and 4, A¹, B¹, and C₁ are three rods attached to the spirally-
grooved pulley D by looped flexible metallic chains X, Y, Z, of which any or either
of them may be the impelling rod producing the original direction of the push or
pull and the others any other required directions of motion differing from the
original direction and leading to the place to which it is desirable to send a message
or signal.
The flexible bands X, Y, Z are with their ends attached to the rods A¹, B¹, C¹,
respectively by means of lugs and screws, and nuts, and check nuts, so that the
tension of the bands can be adjusted as required, and to the pulley D by snugs at
E for A', and at corresponding positions for B¹ and C¹.
In Figures 5 and 6 A and B are toothed pulleys placed side by side; X and Y
are flexible metallic chains made of such a construction as to gear with the teeth,
as shewn, and are partially formed into loops around the pulleys A and B by the
guide rollers c and d, and led downwards as shewn. X, Y, and X¹, Y¹, shew the
position of the flexible band when A and B are pulleys on an intermediate dial,
the chains are guided and held into gear with A and B by the guide pulleys a, b,
c, d, X and Y, and lead to pulleys similar to A and B in a dial above.
In Figures 7, 7a, and 7b and 8, 8ª, and 8b, I have shewn the application of my
Invention to order and reply telegraphs, the arrangements illustrated in Figures 1
to 4 being clearly shewn in either case; the pinion and toothed rack system, or the
pulley rod and flexible loop system may be used.
The Figures 7, 7a, and 7b, and 8, 82, and 8b, are different arrangements of the same
Invention in the dials; in each of the Figures A is the order rod and A¹ the reply
rod to indicate that the order has been obeyed; these gear into the pinions or
pulleys B and B by means of teeth, as in the rack arrangement, or by the metallic
flexible band, as in the rod and spirally-grooved pulley arrangement, viz., A. gearing
with B, and A' with B¹.
In Figures 7, 7, and 7b B is the order pinion or pulley cast solid with or. keyed
upon the central spindle b, to outer end of which the handle and pointer for giving
the order are attached at b; B' is the reply pinion or pulley, as the case may be,
cast with a sleeve b' and moves loose upon the central spindle b; upon the sleeve b₁
and at b¹ is fixed the pointer for indicating that the order has been obeyed.

page_text: In Figures 8, 8ª, and Sb intermediate gear is applied in order to have the rack and
rods straight instead of curved, as in Figure 7, so that pulleys B¹ and B¹ gear by
means of teeth as in wheels, or by means of flexible chains, whichever I choose,
with pulleys or pinions B and B₁₁ mounted on central spindle 6", and so on, as in
Figures 7, 7ª, and 7b.
Generally in all the Figures D is the handle for giving the order; E, E, E, are
stays to support spindles and form their bearings; F, the dial case; G, the bell;
H, the striker; K, the supporting column, made of hollow form to receive the order
and reply rods A', A', which pass down to the toothed pinions or grooved or plain
pulleys L, where the motions are changed from a vertical to a horizontal motion by
the application of my Invention as shewn.
M are the brackets for hanging pulleys or pinions L to column base; N and N¹
are the order and reply rods, their motions being changed by my Invention from a
.vertical to a horizontal motion.
In Figures 9 and 9b, instead of completing the loops with the flexible metallic
chains, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, I only partially loop them around toothed
pinions A and B by means of guide rollers, as shewn in detail in Figures 5 and 6,
and then connect both ends of flexible chain to rods with adjusting stretching
screws, as shewn in Figure 9, leading down to and connected with other short
flexible metallic chains, which lead round pulleys L, L; at column base and along
the horizontal rods N, N¹, for a distance sufficient for the length of the push or pull,
to which they are then screwed or bolted, as shewn, and thus by this arrangement
the motion is changed from a vertical motion to a horizontal. In all the Figures
the final rods N, N¹, are led to another dial similarly arranged to any of those
illustrated on my Drawings (but larger or smaller as the case may require), where
the message or order is recorded on the dial, and from which a reply is sent in the
same manner by which the order is given.
Having dow described and illustrated my Invention, its application to the con-
struction of mechanical telegraphs, the mode of working, and the benefits to be
derived from its application, I declare that I claim,-
Firstly. The combination of a broad toothed pinion and two or more toothed
racks and rods, or a broad pulley and two or more flexible chains and rods, the said
pinions and racks or pulleys and chains being kept in gear with each other and
applied for the purpose of changing direction of motion, substantially in the manner
herein described with reference to the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly. The use of a toothed pinion and one or two racks and rods (or a pulley
and one or two flexible chains and rods) in combination with mechanical telegraph
dial appliances, all constructed and operating substantially as described with
reference to the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Arthur Mechan, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this the Thirteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.
ARTHUR MECHAN.
(LS.)
Senr. Partner of the Firm of Mechan & Son,
Cheapside Street, Glasgow.