IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSMISSION OF ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHIC DESPATCHES
Year: 1868

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,.
on the 24th December 1868.-A communication from abroad by
Henri Gensoul, of Paris, in the Empire of France.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PREPARATION AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSMISSION
OF ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHIC DESPATCHES," a communication to me from abroad
by Henri Gensoul, of Paris, in the Empire of France, to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the rapid transmission of electric
telegraphic despatches, for the accomplishment of which end it is
proposed to adopt a stenographic arrangement of the letters of the
alphabet, single letters being not only indicated by certain conventional
signs, but also such combinations of two or more letters as most
frequent occur in the common words of the language adopted.
According to one mode of carrying out this Invention, the despatch
to be transmitted is first printed upon a strip of metallised paper in
non-conducting ink by the aid of type worked by three series of keys,

page_text: each series being composed of two rows containing four keys in each
The signs which are printed by the type on the paper in trans-
verse lines consist simply of broad and narrow square dots used either
singly or in various combinations of not more than four, and with the
spaces or internals between the dots differently disposed according to the
particular letters or combinations of letters required. This printed
despatch is then conveyed to the transmitting instrument, wherein tracer
points are caused to traverse along each line of signs previously printed
in non-conducting ink on the metallised paper, and thereby as is well
understood direct the corresponding currents along the line wire, the
message being received and recorded by the well-known Morse
understood direct the corresponding currents along the Ime wire, the
message being received and recorded by the well-known Morse
instrument.
According to another mode of transmitting electric telegraphic
despatches, the use of paper having the despatch printed thereon as
herein-before described is entirely dispensed with, the message being
composed and transmitted direct in one and the same machine as herein-
after described.
The printing machine already referred to consists of a revolving inking
roller supplied continuously on its surface with non-conducting ink from
an ink reservoir. Above this ink roller are suspended loosely from a
horizontal rod forming a fixed fulcrum a number of arms, the extreme
ends or faces of which form printing surfaces or type, each of a
rectangular form. These type are disposed in pairs, each pair working
between guide bars, and both the type in each pair being close together,
so that if the two are caused to print simultaneously a broad rectangular
dot equivalent to the combined width of the two types will be printed,
but if one only of the pair be caused to operate then a narrow dot of
half the width of the broad one will be printed. On the boss of each
type there is formed a short spur, which is acted upon by its own key in
the keyboard, consequently by depressing the keys in their proper order
or combination the required signs will be printed. The impression is
produced by the type when acted upon first coming in contact with the
surface. of the inking roller so as to take up ink therefrom, and
then passing onwards to the strip of paper and making the impression
thereon, that portion of the strip which is being printed being supported
on a suitable printing table or surface. An intermittent rotatory
motion is imparted to the inking roller, and an intermittent forward
motion given to the paper after each impression by the aid of gearing

page_text: worked by a counterweight and drum, an escapement motion acted
upon by the keys allowing the gearing to turn one tooth after each
impression. If the ink employed be not sufficiently fluid when in a
cold state, it may be kept liquid by the application of heat supplied by
gas jets situate under the ink reservoir and inside the inking roller, the
type being also kept hot by other jets for that purpose. If desired the
paper may be printed direct on the iuking roller by having a species of
stencil plate laid over the roller, such plate having square holes cut
therein corresponding to the type; the paper is then passed over the
stencil plate, and the type which are brought into action by the keys
impress the corresponding portions of the paper through the holes in the
stencil plate against the surfaces of the inking roller. The roll of paper
having the despatch printed thereon in conventional signs as above
described is next conveyed to the transmitting or sending instrument
herein-before referred to. In this instrument the paper is drawn by a
continuous motion across an adjustable flat table, and whilst it is passing
over this table metallic tracers are caused to pass along each line of signs
and to break the electric communication with the line wire at those
parts where the non-conducting ink intervenes between the metal table
and the tracer. These tracers are attached to an endless metal chain
or band carried on a pair of adjustable pullies which are caused to rotate
in concert with the forward movement of the paper. As the tracers are
moving across the paper transversely at the same time that the paper is
being fed onward, it is necessary in order to insure that the path of the
tracers shall be along the transverse lines of impressions that the tracers
should move at a slight angle to the direction of motion of the paper,
since if they moved at right angles thereto their actual path across the
paper would be in an oblique direction. The adjustment of the table
admits of the tracers being always brought exactly over the lines or rows
of signs in case of any irregularity in the spaces between the several
lines.
When it is desired to transmit a message direct without the use of
paper and the printing process a number of discs or segments, each of
the width of the type before referred to, and similarly arranged in pairs,
are strung on to one common axis; upon which each disc or segment is
free to turn slightly when acted upon by its key, a small projecting arm
or spur being fitted to or formed on each dise for the end of the key to
operate upon. These discs may be composed of any good non-conductor,

page_text: with the exception of that part which corresponds to the type which
should be a conductor and in electrical communication with the centre
of the disc or its axis; or vice versa, the disc may be a conductor and the
type portion a non-conductor. On depressing one or more of the keys
the small conducting or non-conducting portions, as the case may be, of
some of the discs will be brought into line immediately under the path
of a tracer carried by an endless chain or band as before described.
As this tracer moves from end to end of the series of discs or segments
it follows that the electric current will be established and broken in
accordance with the arrangement or order of the conducting portions
of such discs or segments and will pass along the line wire to the
receiving instrument, where the message will be recorded in the well-
known manner.
For greater security the keys in the last arrangement may be
lengthened sufficiently to operate simultaneously upon a printing
machine of the construction herein-before described, so that a printed
record of the transmitted message may be produced simultaneously with
the transmission of such message.