Improvements in Printing Telegraphs.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 30th June, 1891-Accepted, 8th Aug., 1891
Improvements in Printing Telegraphs.
I, HENRY VAN HOEVENBERGH of No. 44 Broadway, New York City, State
of New York in the United States of America Electrical Engineer do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:—
My invention relates to that class of printing telegraph instruments in which a
revolving shaft, carrying a type-wheel escapement wheel and other attachments
necessary for its proper operation is controlled by currents of electricity transmitted
over a telegraph line.
The object of my invention is to provide a simple and reliable instrument which
can print upon a slip of paper or equivalent material intelligence transmitted from
a distance without danger of disarrangement of its parts by continued or severe
working; that shall contain no superfluous working parts; that shall not be easily
affected by induction, and that may be operated by a single main battery placed at
any point in the line. The transmitting instrument is under the control of the
receiving operator as well as the transmitting operator, so that the former may
arrest its action whenever he desires.
The instrumentalities used for accomplishing these results are comparatively few
and simple. Upon a base, preferably of cast iron, are mounted two supports.
These hold the end bearings of the shaft, carrying a type wheel, an escapement
wheel, two friction flange clamps, and an arm with a light steel spring. One of the
friction clamps is rigidly fastened to the shaft, the other being free to slide upon it
longitudinally, but compelled to revolve with it by means of a pin working in a
groove in the shaft. A gear wheel is clamped between the two friction clamps, the
loose one of which is pressed against it by a spring, two washers of cloth or other
suitable material separating the rubbing surfaces, and providing the necessary
friction. The teeth of this gear wheel engage with those of another gear wheel
situated underneath it, and fastened to a shorter shaft, to which also is fastened a
pulley.
When power is applied, if nothing is interposed to prevent, the upper or
It
type-wheel shaft will be carried with the gear wheel by means of the friction.
is held, however, by an anchor escapement working into the escapement wheel,
and rocking upon its bearing to allow the escapement wheel, with the shaft and
type wheel, to escape the circumferential distance of one half tooth on cach
actuation of the anchor lever. There is an arm rigidly fastened to the rear end of
the shaft, carrying a spring or trailer which presses upon the periphery of a segment
wheel fastened to the frame of the instrument. This constitutes a main line circuit
breaker. Other forms of circuit breakers answering the same purpose may however
be used. This segment wheel is cut into insulated sections, each one of which is
connected by a wire to the spring of one of a number of finger keys. Usually there
will be twenty eight such sections and keys. Each alternate spring is normally
pressed upward against a metal bar, making an electrical connection with it. The
remaining alternate springs are pressed normally, out of contact with the metal bar
with which they make connection when pressed downward. One of the main wire
connections comes to this bar. The other main wire is connected to the frame of
the machine, and is therefore in electrical connection with the segment arm.
Both the escapement magnet and the print magnet are wound with two windings.
Each winding of each magnet is connected to a similar winding in the other
magnet, and one winding is connected to the front contact of a common Morse
relay, and one to the back contact. As these windings conduct the local current
around the magnet cores in different directions, it is evident that a current sent

page_text: .
first through one and then through the other would have the effect of a reversed
current on the iron of the cores, though the current itself is not reversed. The
escapement magnet and its armature may be polarized by a permanent magnet.
The magnet that operates the press mechanism has only an ordinary iron armature
and is not polarized.
The instrument as thus organised will act either as a transmitter or receiver, the
change from one to the other being made simply by the movement of a circuit-
closing switch.
When acting as a transmitter, the combined operation of the relay
and the circuit-breaking arm on the shaft result in a continued revolution of the
shaft, and a continued vibration, or opening and closing of the current on the main
line. The manner in which this is effected can be understood by a reference to the
drawings accompanying this Specification, in which
Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved instrument, the key board being
omitted;
Figure 2 is a theoretical diagram shewing the electrical connections; and
Figure 3 is a detailed view shewing the unison device and inking brush.
.
A (see Figure 2) is the controlling relay, the magnet coils of which are in circuit.
in the main line. From the front and back contacts a and a' of this relay wires
pass to coils and of the escapement magnet C; thence to coils cand e of the
same magnet; thence to coils d and d of the press magnet D; thence to coils e
and e' of the same magnet. Emerging from this coil the two wires join at the
point running thence to the local battery g. From this local battery a wire h
runs to the armature lever of the relay A. There are thus two independent circuits
from the relay lever to the point f
The main or line circuit, starting from the main battery M B, which may be
situated at any point on the line, runs first to the coils of the relay A, thence to
the shaft B and trailing spring E. This spring E revolving with the shaft B,
presses in succession upon each block of the segment wheel F. From each one of
the metallic blocks of the segment wheel F, a wire runs to the spring of a key j
or j of the key board G. These keys are of two classes. The keys of class jare
normally pressed against the metal contact bar forming their upper limits, making
electrical contact therewith, and having an insulated limit underneath. The
alternate keys on the contrary, are normally out of contact with the metal bar
until depressed, when they make electrical contact with it. Thus as long as the
keys maintain their normal positions, the effect is precisely as if cach alternate
segment of the segment wheel was insulated, the main line circuit being open when
the trailing spring E presses against it. When thus organised, and power is
applied to the pulley H, (see Figure 1) tending to make the type wheel shaft
revolve in the direction indicated by the arrow, the operation of the instrument
when transmitting is as follows:-
The spring E being upon a segment connected with a closed key, the current
from main battery M B, acting in the relay magnet A, causes it to attract its
armature and close the local circuit through the contact point a', coils b, c, d, and e'..
This rocks the polarized escapement lever K, in one direction allowing one tooth of
the escapement wheel L to pass, and the type wheel shaft to revolve the distance
of one twenty-eighth of an entire revolution (presuming that twenty eight types are
used). This permits one letter of the type wheel, or carrier to pass the impression
roller or platen, and the trailing spring E to pass from one segment of the segment
wheel to the next one. The effect upon the press magnet D will be described
hereafter.
"
As the trailing spring E now rests upon an open" segment of the segment
wheel, that is, one connected with a normally open key, the main circuit is now
opened, and the relay armature lever falls against its back contact a. This closes
the local circuit through the contact point a, coils b, c, and d', e.
As the current
now traverses the coils in a direction the reverse of that first described, the effect
upon the iron of the cores of the magnets is precisely the same as though the
battery had been reversed, although as a matter of fact this has not been done.

page_text: The polarized armature K is therefore rocked to its opposite limit, allowing the
shaft to again move the same distance as before. The trailing spring E now rests
upon a "closed" segment of the segment wheel, closing the main-line circuit, when
the operations just described arc repeated. This results in a rapid and regular
revolution of the shaft, and a steady vibration or opening and closing of the current
on the main line.
While thus revolving, if one of the keys, for instance; be depressed the revolution
continues until the trailing spring reaches the segment of the segment wheel that is
connected to the depressed key. As this segment is then converted from a closed
to an open segment, the revolution of the shaft will be stopped at that point, as the
main line circuit will be held open, and the relay lever will remain against its back
contact. As soon as the key resumes its normal position, the revolution will be
resumed. If, now, key be depressed, the trailing spring will find that the key
has been converted from an open to a closed circuit key, and the revolutions of the
shaft will be arrested at that point, the relay armature remaining against its front
contact a'.
As before explained, the influence of the current traversing the different windings
is the same upon the magnet cores as if the local current had been reversed at each
alternate impulse. These impulses, sent in quick succession, have no effect upon
the unpolarized armature of the press magnet and its comparatively heavy
impression lever J, held by its spring at some distance from the cores of the
magnet. When however one of these impulses is prolonged by the depression of a
key, the cores have time to receive their maximum charge of magnetism, and the
lever to respond, raising the impression roller L and pressing the paper strip
represented by the dotted lines in Figure 3 against the type wheel and imprinting
the character that is then opposite the roller. Thus, by touching the lettered keys
in the proper order and holding each one long enough for the impression to be
effected, any communication may be quickly spelled out. Any ordinary feed device
may be used.
To arrange for receiving, the button of the switch M is depressed. This
closes the main line circuit shunting or cutting out the segment wheel trailing
spring and keyboard. A button is also provided for similarly operating the
switch M to put the instrument into condition for sending. When receiving, main
line vibrations are received from some other instrument on the line acting as a
transmitter. These vibrations are received upon the main line relay A the lever of
which sends the local circuit alternately through the circuits a fand a¹ f. This
rocks the escapement lever as before described until the desired letter is brought
opposite the impression roller when a prolonged completion of the local circuit
causes the impression to be taken.
With all printing telegraphs of this class it is necessary that the type wheel of
the receiving instrument should be started in unison with that of the transmitting
machine in other words that the same letter upon each wheel shall pass the
impression roller at the same instant. This is effected by means of the lever N.
Normally this lever rests upon a back stop n¹ being held there by its weight.
When in this position it does not in any way affect the working of the instrument.
When it is desired to bring the receiving type wheel into unison with the trans-
mitter, the operator presses the lever N toward the type wheel shaft. This causes
the latch n to slip into the notch of the press lever J. The beak or projection I
of the lever N is then in the path of the unison pin m on the type wheel shaft B.
When by reason of the revolution of the shaft the two come into contact, the shaft
will be held in such position that the dot or zero of the type wheel will be opposite
the impression roller. When the dot or zero key is depressed and the press lever
rises the unison lever N will not only be released but will be struck by the press
lever and thrown back so that the projection I will be out of the path of the pin m.
As the transmitting operator always starts by making a few dots, the shaft will be
released at this point.
In this arrangement of apparatus the receiving operator can stop the transmitter

page_text: at any time by simply depressing the button or key O which opens the main line
and stops the revolution of the transmitting shaft. The transmitting operator then
sees that something is wrong by reason of his instrument failing to work and setting
his switch at "receive" allows the other operator to transmit to him the process
being precisely that by which one Morse operator "breaks" another.
To supply ink to the type wheel I use a brush suitably charged with ink I prefer
to employ a thin oblong brush of camel's hair cut diagonally across its width as
shown in Figure 3. This is open to none of the objections incident to the use of an
inking roller and greatly improves the impressions from the type wheel.
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
1. The combination substantially as set forth of a rotatable type wheel, a
segment wheel transmitting keys.connected with the individually insulated segments
of the segment wheel, a trailer moving with the type wheel and traversing the
segment wheel, a neutral relay, the trailer and relay being connected with the main
line, a type wheel controlling magnet a press magnet and two local circuits
respectively connected with the front and back stops of the relay and both
connected with the relay armature lever, the type wheel magnet and press magnet
being both included in both local circuits.
2. The combination substantially as set forth of a rotatable type wheel, a
segment wheel alternate open and closed transmitting keys connected with the
individually insulated segments of the segment wheel a trailer moving with the
type wheel and traversing the segment wheel a neutral relay the trailer and relay
being connected with the main line a type wheel controlling magnet, a press magnet
and two local circuits respectively connected with the front and back stops of the
relay and both connected with the relay armature lever, the type wheel magnet and
press magnet being both included in both local circuits."
3. In a printing telegraph, the combination substantially as set forth of the
neutral main line relay two local circuits respectively connected with the front and
back stops of the said relay and both connected with the relay armature lever, the
polarized magnet having two separate and distinct windings and the neutral magnet
having two separate and distinct windings, one winding of each magnet being
included in one local circuit and the other winding of each magnet being included
in the other local circuit.
4. The combination substantially as set forth of a rotatable type wheel a segment
wheel alternate open and closed transmitting keys connected with the individually
insulated segments of the segment wheel, a trailer moving with the type wheel and
traversing the segments, escapement devices controlling the movement of the type
wheel, a neutral relay, the relay and trailer being in the main line, a polarized
escapement magnet having two separate and distinct windings, a neutral press
magnet having two separate and distinct windings and two local circuits
respectively connected with the front and back stops of the relay and both con-
nected with the relay armature lever one winding of each magnet being included in
one local circuit, and the other winding of each magnet being included in the other
local circuit.
5. The combination substantially as set forth of a rotatable type wheel, a segment
wheel, alternate open and closed transmitting keys connected with the individually
insulated segments of the segment wheel, a trailer moving with the type wheel and
traversing the segments, escapement devices controlling the movement of the type
wheel, a neutral relay, the relay and trailer being in the main line, an escapement
magnet having two oppositely wound windings, a neutral press magnet having two
oppositely wound windings, and two local circuits respectively connected with the
front and back stops of the relay and both connected with the relay armature lever,
oue winding of each magnet being included in one local circuit and the other
winding of each magnet being included in the other local circuit.

page_text: 6. The combination substantially as set forth with a type wheel or carrier of a
main line circuit breaker actuated with the said type carrier, the transmitting keys
connected with the circuit breaker, a main line relay, two local circuits respectively
connected to the front and back contacts of the main line relay and both connected
with the relay armature lever and type carrier and press magnets included in both
local circuits.
7. The combination substantially as set forth with a type wheel or carrier and
impression devices of a main line relay, two local circuits respectively connected
with the front and back contacts of the said relay, and both connected with the
relay armature lever and type carrier and press magnets included in both local
circuits.
8. The combination substantially as set forth of a type wheel or carrier and
impression devices, a main line relay, two local circuits respectively connected with
the front and back stops of the said relay and both connected with the relay
armature lever, a polarized type carrier magnet having two separate and distinct
windings and a neutral press magnet having two separate and distinct windings one
winding of. each magnet being included in one local circuit and the other winding
of each magnet being included in the other local circuit.
9. A unison device for printing telegraphs consisting of the lever N having a
latch n and beak I in combination with the press lever having a notch o and the
unison pin on the type wheel shaft.
Dated this 30th day of June 1891
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents: