IMPROVE- MENTS IN ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Matthaeus Hipp, Technical Inspector of the Swiss
Telegraphs, of Berne, in Switzerland, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHS."
Sealed the 8th February 1859, and dated the 1st October 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Matthaeus Hipp at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st October 1858.
I, MATTHAEUS HIPP, Technical Inspector of the Swiss Telegraphs, of
Berne, in Switzerland, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHS," to be as follows:-
My improvements consist in a novel method of making induction currents
subservient to the production of mechanical forces, and the overcoming of
powerful resistances in the working of electric telegraphs.
This method differs essentially from the methods hitherto in use, inasmuch
as the telegraphic signals are exclusively produced by the induction or inductive
currents at the moment of the opening or interruption of the primitive current;
the induction current produced at the moment of the closing of the primitive
current, or the establishment of the circuit, serving only to strengthen the force
of the primitive current. I have been led to adopt this system because it has.

page_text: been proved by a series of novel experiments undertaken and conducted by
myself, that the current of interruption possesses qualities for producing
forces and overcoming resistances which are superior to those of the closing
current.
The receiving apparatus to which my improvements are applied prints the
signals upon a strip of paper, as in Morse's telegraph; but instead of using only
one electro-magnet, in conjunction with a regulating spring, for the purpose of
actuating the style, as in the apparatus hitherto in use, I apply two or more
electro-magnets, between which the armature whereby the style receives its
motion can vibrate without recourse being bad to the regulating springs.
Instead of causing the style to press against and again to recede from the
strip of paper, by means of relais and by the application of a local battery, as
hitherto practised, I produce this result by the action of the wheelwork, whilst
the attraction of the armature only serves to place certain parts of the appa-
ratus in that position in which they can subsequently be acted upon by the
wheelwork. I thus dispense altogether with springs, which constitute but a
very imperfect means of regulating the functions of the machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Matthaeus Hipp in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
30th March 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MATTHAEUS
HIPP, Technical Inspector of the Swiss Telegraph, of Berne, in Switzerland,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Matthaeus Hipp, Her special licence that I, the said Matthaeus Hipp, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Matthaeus
Hipp, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said

page_text: Matthaeus Hipp, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Matthaeus Hipp, 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 (that is to say) :-
:-
My Invention consists in a novel application of the induction current, and
differs from the systems hitherto used in that the telegraphic signals are pro-
duced exclusively by the induction current at the moment of the primary
circuit being broken, and that the induction current, produced at the moment
of the completion of the primary circuit, only serves to increase or strengthen
the effect of the former. I have been led to adopt this system after the
most careful investigation of the nature of induction currents; whence I have
come to the conclusion that the induction current developed on breaking the
primary circuit, when applied in accordance with its peculiar properties, is
much better calculated to propagate telegraphic signals than any other known
kind of electricity, especially when the induction current developed on com-
pleting the primary circuit follows the former induction current in the same
direction.
For the sake of perspicuity the induction current developed on the breaking
of the primary circuit will be herein-after called the "induction current of
interruption," and the induction current developed on the completion of the
primary circuit will be herein-after called the "induction current of completion."
The receiving apparatus to which my improvements are applied prints the
signals upon a strip of paper, as in Morse's telegraph; but instead of using
only one electro-magnet, in conjunction with a regulating spring for the
purpose of actuating the style, as in the apparatus hitherto in use, I apply
two or more electro-magnets, between which the armature which actuates the
style can vibrate without recourse being had to the regulating springs. And
instead of causing the style to press against and again to recede from the
strip of paper, by means of a relay and by the application of a local battery,
as hitherto practised, I produce this result by the action of the wheelwork,
the attraction of the armature serving only to place certain parts of the
apparatus in that position in which they can be subsequently acted upon by

page_text: the wheelwork. I thus dispense altogether with springs, which constitute but
a very imperfect means of regulating the function of the machine.
In order that the nature of my Invention may be clearly understood and
readily carried into effect, I will now proceed to describe the same, reference
being had to the annexed Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon.
Fig. 1 represents the most essential portions of the manipulator which I
use for the purpose of producing the induction currents and their reversed
currents. The lever a, which has its fulcrum at 1, is alternately moved to one
side or the other by the attendant, when signals are to be transmitted, being
made of brass and furnished with a wooden handle. If we now suppose this
lever to be in contact with the regulating screw b, and therefore the circuit of
the battery B to be closed, the current will pass from the positive pole C to
the brass stud c, which is supported in such a manner that the lever a can
move freely underneath it. Against this stud c the spring d abuts, whilst
the spring e on the opposite side is at the same time pushed away from it by
the pin f, the latter being fixed to the lever a. The current passes therefore
from c, through the spring d, to the induction coil g, into the spring e, and
through the pin f and the lever a into the screw b, which leads back to the
battery. When, however, the lever a is moved in the opposite direction, the
current will pass from c to e, returning through d, and consequently through
the induction coil in the reverse direction. Hence it is evident that the
induction current becomes doubly effective; for both the induction current of
interruption and the induction current of completion immediately following it
pass through the line in the same direction; inasmuch as the primary current
which causes the induction current of completion circulates in a direction
opposite to that which originates the induction current of interruption. It is
scarcely necessary to observe that this manipulator, although it is here repre-
sented as being placed in a horizontal position, having a to-and-fro motion,
may also be arranged for an upward and downward motion of the lever,
similarly to the manipulators in ordinary use, in which case those parts which
effect the reversal of the direction of the current would remain the same.
With this manipulator is connected a contrivance, as in all other telegraphs,
having for its object, when a message is being received, to keep the apparatus
at the receiving station at rest, and to prevent it from operating; but arrange-
ments for attaining that object can be carried out in so many different ways,
and are so well known, that it would be superfluous to describe them.
The signal-receiving apparatus is shown in ground plan, in Fig. 2, where
b&b and c & c are the poles of two electro-magnets. Between these

page_text: vibrates the armature a, a', which is a magnet, and which may consist either
of a simple blade of steel, or of two separate parts, as shown in Fig. 3, in
which latter case the polarisation is effected by a magnet, B, B', which is fixed,
and therefore takes no part in the motion of the armature; and it is easy to
perceive that by means of the currents which pass through the multipliers of
the relay (Fig. 2), the armature is caused to vibrate accordingly. It is not
necessary to explain how this to-and-fro motion of the armature actuates the
printing or writing apparatus, as the arrangement is the same as in the
ordinary and known relay. On the other hand, it is in many cases of great
advantage to make the to-and-fro motion of the relay and armature directly
available for telegraphing without the intervention of another electro-magnet
and local battery, as is usually done. This can be effected by the mechanism
represented in Fig. 4, where the arm e is in such wise firmly connected with
the armature a, a', in Fig. 2, as to vibrate with it about the axis d. One end
of the arm e carries a wheel A, the circumference of which is toothed at f
& g, and which is moveable on its centre. The wheels h and h¹ form a
portion of the wheelwork, which, similarly as in Morse's telegraph, is intended
to effect the forward motion of the strip of paper upon which the message is
being printed. Now when, in consequence of the motion of the armature, the
toothed part is brought in contact with the wheel h, the wheel A will
necessarily follow its motion to the extent of its toothed surface f; the link i,
which connects the wheel A excentrically with the printing lever k, having its
fulcrum at l, will therefore be pushed forward, and the style m will make a
mark on the paper. But on the armature returning into its original position,
the wheel A will, in consequence of the contact of the toothed portion g with
the wheel h¹, bring the lever k back into the position in which it is shown in
the Drawing; consequently the telegraphic signals are, by the vibrations of
the armature and by means of the mechanical force of the wheelwork
impressed, marked, or printed upon the paper.
Having now described the nature of my improvements, and shown how the
same may be carried into effect, I wish it to be understood that what I claim
as the Invention intended to be secured to me by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent, is as follows:-
Firstly, the applying and using the induction current of interruption,
strengthened by the induction current of completion, brought into the same
direction by the herein-before described apparatus to and for the purpose of
effecting the motion of the armature of electric telegraphs in both directions,
whether by hand, as in the ordinary "Morse" telegraph, or by means of an
apparatus baving for its object the increasing of the rapidity of the signals.

page_text: And, secondly, the application and use of the means of working the arma-
ture mentioned and claimed in the first claim in combination with the
mechanism represented in Fig. 4.
In witness whereof, I, the said Matthaeus Hipp, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
M. HIPP. (L.S.)