IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING MECHANICALLY IN VESSELS OR IN MINES FACTORIES OR OTHER ESTADI ISHMENTS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Chipperfield of Sekforde Street Clerkenwell in
"
the County of Middlesex for an Invention of IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
SIGNALLING MECHANICALLY IN VESSELS OR IN MINES FACTORIES OR OTHER
ESTADI ISHMENTS "
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Chipperfield at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th May 1883.
RICHARD CHIPPERFIELD of Sekforde Street Clerkenwell in the county of
Middlesex "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING MECHANICALLY IN VESSELS,
OR IN MINES, FACTORIES OR OTHER ESTABLISHMENTS
"
In the apparatus employed for signalling mechanically, as from the bridge of a
steam vessel to the engine room, or to other situations, it is necessary to provide
for communicating not only the movement which sends the signal but also a return
movement to work a repeater shewing that the signal is duly received and
attended to. The object of my invention is to simplify the mechanical connexions
employed in such cases, and I effect this by so arranging the mechanism of the
sending and receiving instruments, that one set of connexions, whether it consist
of a travelling band or a revolving spindle or a set of pull or push rods, serves
to communicate both the signalling and the repeating movements. In order to
illustrate the arrangement which I adopt for this purpose, I will assume that on
the bridge of a steam vessel, there is a sending instrument connected by a vertical
I fix on
rotating spindle with a similar receiving instrument in the engine room.
each end of the vertical spindle a bevil wheel, and in each of the instruments
I provide two bevil pinions kept apart by a sliding sleeve, so that if either is in
gear with the bevil wheel, the other is out of gear One of these pinions is
worked by a handle; the other carries an index.. The handle is provided with a
spring catch engaging in one or other of a number of notches by which it is held
in position, and the spring catch is connected to the sliding sleeve in such a
manner that when the catch is engaged in a notch, the pinion worked by the
handle is out of gear with the bevil wheel, but the pinion of the index is in gear
with the wheel; when, on the other hand, the spring catch is disengaged so as to

page_text: give freedom for moving the handle, the pinion of the handle is put in gear with
the wheel and the index pinion is put out of gear. In this condition of the
gearing, the officer moves the handle of the sending instrument to some particular
signal on his dial, and this movement is communicated to the index of the receiving
instrument. The engineer, seeing the signal thus indicated, then moves his handle,
and this causes the index of the sending instrument to move, thus apprising the
officer that his signal is attended to.
In a similar manner, when, instead of a vertical rotating spindle, connexions of
other kinds are employed, I arrange in each instrument a signalling handle with
spring catch and an index, the one of which is always engaged with the
connecting mechanism when the other is disengaged from it, and the engagement
and disengagement being effected by movement of the spring catch, so as to operate
as above described.
Several sets of instruments may be thus worked with one set of connexions, any
one of them being used as a sender, while some other one is used as a receiver. It
is of advantage in such case to provide a bell or gong to be struck when the index
moves, so as to call attention audibly to the signal sent.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the couditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said -Richard Chipperfield in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd November 1883.
"
RICHARD CHIPPERFIELD of Sekforde Street Clerkenwell in the County of
Middlesex IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SIGNALLING MECHANICALLY IN VESSELS
OR IN MINES, FACTORIES OR OTHER ESTABLISHMENTS
·
"
In the apparatus employed for signalling mechanically, as from the bridge of a
steam vessel to the engine room, or to other situations, it is necessary to provide
for communicating not only the movement which sends the signal, but also a
return movement to work a repeater shewing that the signal is duly received and
attended to. The object of my inventon is to simplify the mechanical connexions
employed in such cases, and I effect this by so arranging the mechanism of the
sending and receiving instruments, that one set of connections, whether it consist
of a travelling band or a revolving spindle, or a set of pull or push rods, serves to
communicate both the signalling and the repeating movements. In order to
illustrate the arrangement which I adopt for this purpose, I will assume that, on
the bridge of a steam vessel, there is a sending instrument connected by a vertical
rotating spindle with a similar receiving instrument in the engine room. . I fix on
each end of the vertical spindle a bevil wheel, and in each of the instruments I
provide two bevil pinions kept apart by a sliding sleeve, so that, if either is in
gear with the bevil wheel, the other is out of gear. . One of these pinions is worked
by a handle; the other carries an index. The handle is provided with a spring
catch engaging in one or other of a number of notches by which it is held in
position, and the spring catch is connected to the sliding sleeve in such a manner
that when the catch is engaged in a notch, the pinion worked by the handle is out
of gear with the bevil wheel, but the pinion of the index is in gear with the wheel;
when, on the other hand, the spring catch disengaged, so as to give freedom for
moving the handle, the pinion of the handle is put in gear with the wheel and
the index pinion is put out of gear. In this condition of the gearing, the officer
moves the handle of the sending instrument to some particular signal on his dial;
and this movement is communicated to the index of the receiving instrument.
The engineer, seeing the signal thus indicated, then moves his handle, and this
causes the index of the sending instrument to move, thus apprising the officer that
his signal is attended to.
In a similar manner, when, instead of a vertical rotating spindle, connections of
other kinds are employed, I arrange in each instrument a signalling handle with
spring catch and an index, the one of which is always engaged with the connecting
mechanism when the other is disengaged from it, the engagement and disengage-.
ment being effected by movement of the spring catch, so as to operate as above
described.
Several sets of instruments may be thus worked with one set of connections, any
one of them being used as a sender, while some other one is used as a receiver.
It is of advantage in such cases to provide a bell or gong to be struck when the
index moves, so as to call attention audibly to the signal sent.
The accompanying drawings illustrate the construction of a sending apparatus
according to my invention, such as might be placed on the bridge of a steam vessel
to communicate with the engine room. Fig. 1 is a front view shewing the dial
marked in the ordinary way with the various signals required, these being by
preference marked on opal glass or other translucent ground so that they can be
seen at night when illuminated by a light within the casing. Fig. 2 is a vertical

page_text: •
section, and Figs 3 and 4 are respectively parts of the elevation and plan of the
back of the casing shewing several of the notches for holding the signalling handle
in position. The signalling handle A from which projects an index a is fixed on a
sleeve B which fits on a square or polygonal part of the spindle C, or it may be a
round part with a key or feather, so that the spindle must turn with the sleeve
but be free to slide within it longitudinally. In a slot of the handle is mounted a
catch lever D the edge of which at d can enter any of the notches cut in the
circular edge of the casing E. The lower end of the lever D bears against the end
of the spindle C. On this spindle is fixed a bevil pinion Fand loose on the spindle
A third bevil
is another bevil pinion G separated from F by a sliding sleeve H.
pinion K is fixed on the upright spindle L which, either directly or through inter-
mediate gear, is in connection with a similar spindle in a receiving instrument.
On the boss of the pinion G is fixed the repeating index M, and a spring N presses
against G so as to move it towards the right. A stud O with a tapered point
projects forwards so as to enagage between teeth of the pinion G when it is in the
back position as shewn in Fig. 2. It being understood that there is a receiving
instrument similar to the sending instrument and that the upright spindle of the
receiver is connected to the spindle L. of the sender, so that the one revolves
uniformly with the other, the action is as follows. The person sending a signal
presses the catch lever D against the handle A and thereby releases d out of a
notch and at the same time pushes the spindle C towards the left in opposition to
the spring N. By this movement of the spindle, the pinion F is pushed into
gear with K. and the pinion G is pushed out of gear and its teeth are engaged by
the stud O which prevents it from turning. The parts being thus in the condition
shewn in Fig. 2, the operator moves the handle A round until its index a points
to the signal on the dial which he desires to send, and thus he turns the spindle L,
which causes the index M of the receiving instrument to turn to a corresponding
division of the receiving dial. The sender, then letting go the handle, the spring N
pushes the spindle C to the left thus moving the pinion Fout of gear, disengaging G
from O and moving G into gear, also causing d to engage in a notch. The person
who receives the signal, then by working his receiving instrument as above
described as a sender, causes the spindle L to revolve and this, by means of the
gearing K and G, moves the index M till it points to the same signal as a, the
first sender being thus informed that the right signal has been received.
.
Although I have described the change of connection for sending and receiving
as being effected by means of bevil pinions moved into or out of gear, this could
obviously be effected by gearing of other kinds or by pulley and strap or rod
connections provided with suitable clutches, so arranged that normally the indices M
of both the sending and receiving instruments are in mechanical connection with
each other through the intervening spindles straps or rods, while the handle A of
each instrument is normally disconnected from the intermediate gear, but that the
act preparatory to moving either handle A moves the clutches, so as to connect A
to the intermediate gear and disconnect M therefrom. This clutching and
unclutching movement, like the engagement and disengagement of the pinions F
and G, has the effect of utilising the one set of intermediate gear for sending a
signal and for receiving its repetition, and therefore dispenses with the second set
of connections usually employed for such instruments, and avoids the double risk
of their derangement. The instruments may, as usual, be provided with bells
sounded by the movement of their indices so as to give an alarum apprising the
attendant that a signal is sent.
Having thus described the nature of my invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I claim in respect of apparatus for signalling mechanically
in vessels, or in mines, factories or other establishments;-
First. Connecting the signalling handle and the receiving index of each instru-
ment to the intermediate gear which connects the two instruments, by shifting
bevil gear or by clutches, or their equivalents, so arranged that the act of engaging
the handle of either instrument disengages the index of that instrument, and that

page_text: the act of stopping the handle at a signal disengages it and re-engages the index,
a single set of intermediate connecting gear being thus utilised both for sending a
signal and for communicating its repetition, substantially as herein described.
Second. The construction of mechanical signalling apparatus, substantially as
herein described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
In Witness whereof I the said Richard Chipperfield have hereunto set my hand
and seal this thirty first day of October in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty-three..