IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRO-MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH PRINTING INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Geminiano Zanni, of Ironmonger Lane, in the
City of London, and County of Middlesex, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRO-MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH PRINTING INSTRUMENTS."
Sealed the 23rd April 1869, and dated the 27th October 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Geminiano Zanni at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th October 1868.
I, GEMINIANO ZANNI, of Ironmonger Lane, in the City of London,
and County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ELECTRO-MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH PRINTING
INSTRUMENTS," to be as follows:-
The Invention has for its object improvements in electro-magnetic
telegraph printing instruments.
Hitherto in electro-magnetic. telegraph printing apparatus magnetic
coils have been employed in connection with clockwork driven by springs
or by weights.
Now, according to this Invention it is proposed to work electro-
magnetic telegraph printing instruments by means of electro-magnetic

page_text: coils without the aid of the ordinary clockwork whether driven by
weights or by springs. The electro-magnetic coils employed are such
as are in general use in electro-magnetic bell apparatus, and they work
in connection with a battery or batteries the earth or a compound
magnet. Two sets of electro-magnetic coils are employed, the one
set is for the purpose of giving action to drive the type wheel, and the
other set acts to lock the type wheel and hold it correctly in position
while the printing is taking place, and it also serves to bring down
the block or presser upon the strip of paper, and thus cause the printing
to take place. The type wheel is mounted upon an axis carried by the
framing or case of the instrument and also upon the same axis is
mounted a ratchet wheel having as many teeth as there are characters
or signs upon the type wheel, and this ratchet wheel receives a step
by step motion from the action of one set of the electro-magnetic coils
in the following manner:-Midway between two or more electro-
magnetic coils is fixed a standard or support carrying near its upper
end a pin or axis upon which a horizontal bar or armature is mounted;
this bar is caused to vibrate upon its axis to a slight extent in either
an upward or downward direction accordingly as it is influenced by the
one or the other of the electro-magnetic coils between which it is
mounted. At one end of the vibrating bar or armature just described
a clawker or driver is carried, which by acting upon the teeth of the
ratchet wheel gives motion thereto, as well as to such other parts as
are mounted upon the same axis. An arm attached to or carried by
the vibrating bar or armature already described serves to act upon
a suitable "break for alternately making and breaking the circuit of
the electric currents of the one set of electro-magnetic coils and then of
the other, and thus imparting to the bar or armature its vibrating
action. By these means it will be readily understood that a continuous
motion always in the same direction is imparted to the type wheel and
parts connected therewith. Upon the same axis as the type wheel and
connected thereto is a larger wheel or dial which has formed or placed
thercon characters similar to those of the type wheel, but so much
larger as for them to be clearly seen through a small opening formed
in the case so as only to expose one letter or sign at a time, any letter
or sign so exposed shewing the attendant that a similar letter or sign
on the type wheel is in correct position for printing. The attendant
having ascertained this then by pressing down a suitable key (which may
if desirable be mounted upon a suitable keyboard) and by doing so locks

page_text: the type wheel so as to secure it from further movement, and by the
same action breaks the circuit of the electro-magnetic coils, which
before such action of the attendant continued to drive the type wheel;
and makes contact with the clectro-magnetic coils, which act upon a
lever or armature to which is connected a block or pressing piece which
then slides in guides. downwards and presses the paper strip on to the
type, letter, or sign which is for the time being uppermost. The strip
of paper to receive the impression of the type as is usual in printing
telegraphs is drawn off a reel or pulley through a narrow slit in the
end of the box or case of the instrument by means of feed rollers
between which the strip of paper is passed. Upon the axis of one of
the feed rollers is mounted a ratchet wheel, which after each printing
of a letter or sign takes place is driven or fed forward by a clawker
or driver attached to the lever or armature which works the printing
block. This action takes place as soon as the attendant removes the
pressure from the key or stud which then allows the key or stud again
to rise by the action of a spring which also then breaks contact with
the last-mentioned electro-magnetic coils, and again puts in position
those first-mentioned to act as before, causing the currents to flow
alternately through the one set and then the other again to move
forward the type wheel. The standard or frame on which the type
wheel is mounted also carries an inking roller which rests upon the
face of the type, which it successively supplies with ink as they arrive
near to the point or position where the impression is taken.
5 SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,,
filed by the said Geminiano Zanni. in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 27th April 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEMINIANO
ZANNI, of Ironmonger Lane, in the City of London, and County of
Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-second. year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs. and suc...
5cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Geminiano Zanni, Her special

page_text: licence that I, the said Geminiano Zanni, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Geminiano Zanni, 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
ELECTRO-MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH PRINTING INSTRUMENTS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Geminiano Zanni, 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 Geminiano Zanni, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
The Invention has for its object improvements in electro-magnetic
telegraph printing instruments.
Hitherto in electro-maguetic telegraph printing apparatus magnetic
coils have been employed in connection with clockwork driven by:
springs or by weights.
Now according to this Invention it is proposed to work electro-
magnetic telegraph printing instruments by means of electro-maguetic
coils without the aid of the ordinary clockwork, whether driven by
weights or by springs. The electro-magnetic coils employed are such
as are in general use in electro-magnetic bell apparatus, and they work
in connection with a battery or batteries and the earth, or with a com-
pound magnet. Two sets of electro-magnetic coils are employed, the
one set is for the purpose of giving action to drive the type wheel, and
the other set acts to lock the type wheel and hold it correctly in position
while the printing is taking place, and it also serves to bring down the
block or presser upon the strip of paper, and thus cause the printing to
take place. The type wheel is mounted upon an axis carried by the
framing or case of the instrument, and also upon the same axis is
mounted a ratchet wheel, having as many teeth as there are characters

page_text: or signs upon the type wheel, and this ratchet wheel receives a step-by-
step motion from the action of one set of the electro-magnetic coils in
the following manner Midway between two or more electro-magnetic.
coils is fixed a standard or support carrying near its upper end a piu or
axis, upon which a horizontal bar or armature is mounted; this bar is
caused to vibrate upon its axis to a slight extent in either au upward or
downward direction, accordingly as it is influenced by the one or.
other of the electro-magnetic coils between which it is mounted. At one
end of the vibrating bar or armature just described a clawker or driver is.
carried, which by acting upon the teeth of the ratchet wheel gives
motion thereto as well as to such other parts as are mounted upon the
same axis. An arm attached to or carried by the vibrating bar or
armature already described serves to act upon a suitable "break" for
alternately making and breaking the circuit of the electric currents of
the one set of electro-magnetic coils and then of the other, and thus
imparting to the bar, or armature its vibrating action. By these means.
it will be readily understood that a continuous motion always in the
same direction is imparted to, the type wheel and parts, connected there-.
with. Upon the same axis as the type wheel, and connected thereto is a
larger wheel or dial, which has formed or placed thereon characters.
similar to those of the type wheel, but so much larger as for them to be
clearly seen through a small opening formed in the case so as only to
expose one letter or sign at a time; any letter or sign so. exposed
showing the attendant that a similar letter or sign on the type wheel is
in correct position for printing. The attendant having ascertained this.
then by pressing down a-key (which may if desirable be mounted upon
a suitable keyboard), and by doing so, locks the type wheel so as to.
secure it from further movement, and by the same action, breaks the.
circuit of the electro-magnetic coils, which before such action of the..
attendant continued to drive the type wheck, and makes contact with
the electro-magnetic coils, which act upon a lever or armature to which
is connected a block or pressing piece, which then slides in guides.
downwards and presses the paper strip on to the type, letter, or sign
which is for the time being uppermost. The strip of paper to receive
the impression of the type, as is usual in printing telegraphs, is drawn
off a reel or pulley through a narrow slit in the end of the box or case of
the instrument by means of feed rollers, hetween which the strip of paper
is passed. Upon the axis of one of the feed rollers is mounted a ratchet
wheel, which after each printing of a letter or sign takes place is

page_text: driven or fed forward by a clawker or driver attached to the lever or
armature which works the printing block. This action takes place as
soon as the attendant removes the pressure from the key or stud, which
then allows the key or stud again to rise by the action of a spring, which
also then breaks contact with the last-mentioned electro-magnetic coils,
and again puts in position those first mentioned to act as before, causing
the currents to flow alternately through the one set and then the other,
again to move forward the type wheel. The standard or frame on which
the type wheel is mounted also carries an inking roller, which rests upon
the face of the type, which it successively supplies with ink as they
arrive near to the point or position where the impression is taken.
And in order that my Invention may be more clearly understood and
readily carried into effect I will proceed, aided by the accompanying
Drawings, more fully to describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side view; Figure 2 is a plan; and Figure 3 is a section
on the line 1, 1, of Figure 2, of an electro-maguetic telegraph printing
instrument constructed according to my Invention; Figure 4 is an
elevation of some of the parts.
a is a type wheel mounted on the axis a, upon which is fixed a
ratchet wheel b receiving motion from a clawker or driver c carried by
the arm c¹, to which the armature c is fixed. The arm c¹ is mounted
at one end upon an axis of motion, and is operated in one direction
by a pair of electro-magnets d, d, to drive the ratchet wheel b and
consequently the type wheel a', whilst a spring c acts upon it in the
other direction to place it in readiness for acting upon another tooth of
the ratchet wheel when required. Instead however of operating the
arm c', and consequently the driver or clawker c as above described, the
arrangement described in my Provisional Specification and shewn at
Figure 5, may be employed. In this case the arm c¹ is mounted upon
a centre of motion about midway of its length and between two or
more electro-magnets d*, d*; the bar c' is caused to vibrate in the one or
the other direction according as it is influenced by the one or the other
of the electro-maguets d*, d*, between which it is mounted. An arm c³
is attached to or carried by the vibrating bar c', which acting against
one or the other contact pieces c, c, alternately makes and breaks the
electric circuit of the one set of electro-maguets and then of the other,

page_text: thus imparting to the bar cits vibrating action. Upon the axis a of
the type wheel is mounted a bevilled pinion a, which by gearing into
a bevilled wheel as fixed on the axis a gives motion to a hand or
pointer a, also fixed on such axis and pointing to letters or signs on a
fixed dial e. If desired instead of giving motion to a hand or pointer,
as above described, such hand or pointer may be fixed direct on the
shaft or axis a, or a dial may be mounted on the shafts a or d, instead of
the hand or pointer, and in the latter case the case of the instrument
would be arranged so that only one letter on the dial would appear at
a time through a suitable opening formed therein for that purpose. is
a block or pressing piece, which at the desired times is caused in the
following manner to press the strip of paper g on to the type wheel a', and
thereby cause a letter to be printed. The block or pressing piece fis
carried by a lever f', which is pin-jointed at one end to the standard a;
whilst it is guided in its motion at the other end by passing through a
suitable slot formed in the standard . The lever f is by a link f
connected to the arm or lever f³, which is mounted on a pivot or pin
joint at f, and carries an armature f³, which when an electric current
is caused to pass though the coils of the electro-magnets k is attracted
to such electro-magnets, and thereby causes the block or pressing picce f
to descend on to the strip of paper to print a letter or other sign.
The strip of paper g is wound around the reel or pulley g', whence it is
led under the guide rollers g, g³, to the feed rollers g', go, and thence
through a suitable opening in the case as shewn, the roller g' receiving
motion at the times desired in the following manner :-Ou the axis of
the feed roller g' is fixed a ratchet wheel g°, which receives motion from
a click or driver h formed on or carried by a link ' connected to one
end of a lever he mounted on an axis of motion ³, and connected at its
opposite end by a link to the arm or lever f³; a spring catch g' is
caused to act against the ratchet wheel go to prevent its rotating in the
wrong direction. The strength of the springs c', f, acting on the arms
or levers c¹, f, is regulated by set screws i, i, as shown, or by other
suitable means. An inking roller j is held by a spring against the
type wheel a', so as to supply the type with ink as they successively
come into contact with such roller j.
In working the apparatus I employ a "relay," such as that shewn at
Figure 6, which acts to connect with the local battery and to reverse

page_text: .connected to the line wire and the ends of the coils m, m, are connected
with the contact pieces p, p, which are also connected with the local
battery, thus by the action of the relay the instrument is connected with
and worked by the local battery, as will be readily understood. The
type wheel a¹ is prevented rotating beyond the required distance at cach
motion of the click or driver c by means of a spring acting against
a roughened disc or wheel a', as shewn, or by other suitable means.
I will now proceed to describe the mode in which the apparatus is
caused to act when sending and receiving a message. The operator
with his left hand turns the knob m*, upon the axis of which is formed
or fixed a screw thread m', which gives motion to a train of gearing
communicating motion to an arm revolving loosely around the
axis a. Upon the hollow axis m³ of the arm m² is fixed a "make-and-
break" wheel m*, as shewn, which by the contact piece m alternately
makes and breaks the electric circuit through the instrument, and
thereby causes the pointer on the instrument at the other end of, the
line to move in unison with the arm m². When such arm m² has arrived
at the letter or sign desired to be transmitted it comes in contact with
the lower end of the depressed key n corresponding with such letter, and
thereby reverses the electric current through the instrument and causes
it to pass through the coils &, whereby the pressing piece fis caused to
descend on to the type wheel a and print the letter at one or both
ends of the line, after which by the action of the mechanism before
described the paper gis advanced a distance for another letter or sign
to be printed thereon. The keys are depressed by the operator as
desired, and are again raised when pressure is removed therefrom by
the springs n'.
If desired instead of employing the arrangement of keyboard just
described for causing the electric current to pass through the one or
the other set of electro-magnets I sometimes employ only two keys, the
one key being used to cause the electric current to pass through the
set of electro-magnets acting upon the type wheel a', and the other to
reverse the current and cause it to pass through the other set of electro-
magnets acting upon the pressing piece f; or if desired a jointed arm
may be mounted upon the hollow axis m³, which when the end thereof
has arrived opposite the letter or sign to be transmitted is then depressed
so as to touch a suitable contact piece and reverse the electric current;
or any other suitable arrangement may be adopted for this purpose.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which I carry the same into effect, I would have it under-
stood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein shewn
and described, as such may be varied without departing from the
peculiar character of my Invention; but what I do claim is the novel
combination and arrangement of electro-magnetic telegraph printing
apparatus, whereby such apparatus is operated by means of electro-
magnetic coils without the aid of the ordinary clockwork, in manner
substantially as herein shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Geminiano Zanni, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
3
GEMINIANO ZANNI. (L.S.)
Witness,
B. J. B. MILLS,
Patent Agent,
35, Southampton Buildings.