US1120356A - Perforated-tape reproducer. - Google Patents

Description

C. G. ASHLEY.

PERFORATED TAPE REPRODUCER.

APPLICATION FILED r1213. 1a, 1913.

1,120,356, Patented Dec. 8, 1914.

VITA/C5555.- [/vvE/vToR,

, UNITED STATES PATENT oEErcE.

CHARLES G. ASHLEY, DIE TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, ASSIGNOB TO GENERAL ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, LIMITED, 01? TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, A CORPORATION OF ONTARIO.

PEBFORA'IED-TAPE REPRODUCER.

Specification of Letters l'aten-t.

Patented Dec. 8, 1914.

Application filed February 13, 1913. Serial No. 748,157.

To all whom it may concern 1 Be it known that I, CHARLES G. ASHLEY,

- a citizen of the United States of America,

and a resident of the city of Toronto, county of York, and Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Perforated-Tape Reproducers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to perforating mechanisms and pertains especially to that class of such mechanisms which are electrically controlled and operated and which are utilized especially in the preparation of perforated tapes for printing telegraph systems and the like.

The principal object of my invention comprises producing a device by means of which a transmitting tape, such as. is used by well known automatic printing telegraph sys tems, may be reproduced either locally or at a distance, that such reproduced tape-may be used as a transmitting tape in the switching and manual relaying of messages.

One of the chief requirements for the proper operation of a device of this nature is that the operation of tape reproduction I be accomplished in substantially the same time interval as that required for the reception of the received printed message, that the transmitting speed need not be lowered when it is desired to produce a reproduction. of the transmitting tape. I realize this feature and the above mentioned results by providing a novel system of apparatus and circuits by means of which the weak or relatively weak line impulses are utilized to release locally stored electrical energy of suflicient power to operate the reproduction punch.

In the drawing which accompanies and forms a part of this specification, and in which like reference numerals designate corresponding parts, I have illustrated 'in diagram the apparatus and circuits of 111 improved device in such manner as to 0 early ring out the operative relations of the various parts of the same.

In the following description the apparatus controlling the reproduction of tape, or that is the apparatus which reduces the master tape to electrical impulses for the purpose of operatin the reproduction apparatus, I will call t e transmitter or transmitting apparatus. The reproduction apparatus will designate as the receiver or receivlng apparatus, and throughout the specification it should be borne in mind that the act of reproduction may be performed in the same locality as the act of transmission, or it may be performed at any distance from such act of transmission.

In the drawing the transmitting apparatus and its local circuits are shown at the right, while the receiving apparatus and its assoclated circuits are illustrated at the left, the circuits of the one bein connected with the circuits of the other t rough the conductors 21 and 22 which may or may not be line conductors as the case may be.

The transmitter 100 comprises an alternatlng current motor 12 connected through leads 10 and 11 with any source of alternatmg current. The motor bears loosely sleeved upon its shaft 7 a ratchet wheel 1 'and tape drum 3 which are rigidly attached to each other. The ratchet wheel 1 and tape drum 3 are connected to the shaft 7 by a spring 2 and are rotated by the motor 12 and said spring connection, thus the motor 12 1s merely a means for winding the spring 2 and storing energy therein to rotate the ratchet wheel and drum, consequently the motor 12, as far as driving is concerned, may 0bV1011Sly be operated either by direct or alternating current.

Armature 6 is pivoted in a slot through the permanent magnet 8 and is inclosed for a portion of its length by a coil 9 which is connected through leads 10 and 11-to a supply of alternating current. The extremity of the armature 6 which extends above the polarizing magnet 8 bears a pair of detent pawls, the relation of which to the ratchet wheel 1 is such that each vibration of the armature 6releases the ratchet Wheel 1 and allows the tape drum 3 to rotate a distance equal to' half of the distance between any two teeth of the ratchet wheel 1. The coil 9, connected to leads 10 and 11, when energized by alternating current causes armature 6 to vibrate in synchronism with the operating alternating current and releases the ratchet wheel 1 to rotate in step with the alternations of the current. The transformer 18 is connected through its primary 17 with this same source of alternatmg current and induces current in its secondary 16 which is of the same frequency as the ratchet operating current. The secondary 16 of the transformer 18 is grounded at one terminal and its other terminal is connected to a platen 13, upon which the line brushes 14 and rest with the transmitting or master tape 5 between. The tape drum 3 has a median row of teeth 4 adapted to engage the median row'of holes in the tape 5 ratchet wheel 1. Thus the tape 5, when in-z troduced between the brushes and the platenand placed so that its median rowof perforationsis engaged by the teeth 4 of the drum 3 always allowscontact of the brushes 14 and 15 with the platen 13' thrdugh the centers of a transverse row of perforations in the tape at instants when the tape drum- '3 is stationary. 'Each vibration of the armature 6 moves the tape 5.one transmitting tape unit and brings the center of another transverse row of perforations to coincide with the contact line of the brushes 14 and 15 and the platen 13.

Through resistances v voltage alternating current curb "is sent to the line conductors'21 and 22 continuously from the secondary 16 of transformer 18,

which current serves to'operate the receiv-.

' ing tape stepping device as will hereinafter be described, and further in the case where wthe transmitter and receiver are separated Y from each other by a relatively great dis- 4 tance, this current serves to maintain an electrostatically clear line, the advantage of which'is well known. Thus the transmitter com rises means for "impressing on the line con uctors at all times am alternating current of definite frequency andrelatively low voltageand at predetermined instantsde- V pending'upon the spacing of the perforations in the transmitting tape, automatically amplifying certain half waves of this constantly applied alternating current and thereby transmitting to the line current imulses of relatively high voltage, which are in phase with the constantly applied alter-v natmg current of low voltage.

$0 The receiver or tape reproducer comprises a direct current electric motor 48 upon the shaft 49 of which is sleeved frictionally a tape drum 52 and ratchet wheel 50. The tape drum 52 and ratchet wheel 50 $5 are rigidly connected together and are ordifrom the axis of the shaft 7 which is com-.

l terminal-of the condensers 43,44 45 and 46 .are'conne'cted together and to the positive terminal of battery 47. Thus the condensers 19 and 20v a lower slot through the permanent-magnet 55 and 7c is further inclosed for a length by the coil 54. v i

A pair of relays 31 and 33 are connected portion 03% its v in series and to line conductor 21. Another pair'of relays 32 and 34 are likewise connec'ted in series and to line conductor 22, and the relays thus paired are connected. together and to one terminal of the coil 54," the other terminal of which. is grounded. Relays 31, 32, 33 and 34 are polarized as indicated by. the letters near the extremities of their cores. Further, these relays are so wound as'to remain unresponsive to the curb current hitherto mentioned, but are wound to respond to the amplified currents transmitted from the secondary of transformer 18 through brushes 14 and 15. An armatut'e as" 23, 24, 25 andf26 is maintained opposite each of the relays 31, 32, 3.3 and 34 re'spectively andis held against a contact' as 35, 37, 39 and 41 respectively by means of springs 27, 28, 29 and 30- respectively.

'These contacts are all connected together and to the negative terminal or a battery or other source of direct current supply 47 9 which likewise supplies current for them tor 48 as indicated in the drawing. The armatures 23, 24, '25, 26 are' connected to one respectively, the other terminals of which 10 are all charged to the potential of the battery 47 through the arinatures 23,24, 25, 26

and contacts 35, 39, 37 41. The contacts 36 and 40 of the polarized relays 23 and 25 are connected together and to one terminal of one of a pair of punch operating magnets. as

69, the remaining terminal of which is connected to the conductor 'joining the terminals of the condensers." The contacts 38 and 42 of polarized relays P32 and 34am .likewise connected together andto oneterminal of electromagnet 68' of the -pairof punch operating' magnets, while the other terminal of this e ectromagnet is likewiseconnected to thelconductor joining the condenser termi he s.

' A bell-crank-shaped armature as 62 and 63 is maintained 0 posite the punch o erat- 3120 ing magnets 69 an 68respectlvelyan each of these armatures are normally restrained against a back sto as 66 and 67' respectively by means of t e-sp'rings 64 and 65 respective posite a die 59. A tape 56, provided with a median rowoif perforations, is carried on a 1130 y. The short arm of each of the 11% armatures 62 and 63.is pivoted'to a punch I tape reel 57 and is drawn between the guide '58 and .the die 59 by means of the teeth 51 on the tape drum 52. The spacing of the punches 60 and 61with respect to each other and the relation of the die 59 is such to the tape 56 that the operation of the punches perforates two longitudinal rows of perforations in the tape, which are spaced a distance from the central row of perforations which corresponds to the spacing of the longitudinal rows of perforations from the median row in the master tape 5. v

The operation of the device is as follows: Conceive the motor 12 to be supplied with alternating current, and the motor 48 to be supplied with direct current, and both to be operating to attempt to rotate the ratchet wheels which they bear. Then an alternating current applied to the coil 9 of the transmitter operates armature 6 to release the ratchet wheel 1 to carry tape 5 under the brushes 14. and 15 from left to right as viewed in the drawing, while an alternating current in phase with the ratchet operating current and of low voltage is sent to the line conductors 21 and. 22, which traverses but, as hitherto mentioned, does not operate po-. larized relays 31, 32, 33, 34, and which likewise traverses coil 54 of the receiver stepping device to operate armature 53 to intermittently release ratchet wheel 50 in synchronism with the motion of ratchet wheel 1. Thus operating both ratchet wheel 1 and ratchet wheel 50 in synchronism with the alternations of the curb current. As the currents operating armature 6 of the transmitter and armature 53 of the receiver are of the same frequency, it is obvious that if the tape drums 3 and 52 be of equal diameter the master tape 5' and the receiving tape 56 will be moved through equal lineal distances in the same time intervals. As the tape 5 is drawn through the transmitter, contact is made byeither brush 14 or 15 with the platen 13 as the case may be, which allows an amplified half current Wave of the curb current to traverse line conductors 21 and 22 as the case may be dependent upon which of the brushes 14 or 15 are making contact with platen 13. This am lified current traverses a pair of the polarized relays and one or the other of the pair of relays, depending upon the direction of the current flow, will be energized to induce in its core magnetism which will build up the polarizing magnetism therein to a value which will cause the armatures'associated with that re-.

lay to o erate to disconnect the condenser associate with that armature from the battery 47 and to connect this condenser in series with one or the other of the punch operating electroma ets as 69 and 68110 thus discharge the con enser through the coil of this electromagnet to operate its associated armature and perforate the tape 56. Thus the perforations in the tape 5 are repromakes contact with the platen. And as the amplified currents which operate the tape perforator are in phase with the ratchet wheel operating currents, it follows that the reproduced perforations will be spaced as the perforations in the master tape.

In the specified embodiment of my device herein disclosed Lhave illustrated but two punches adapted to reproduce the master tape, which comprises two longitudinal rows of operating perforations, but it is obvious that more line brushes may be provided on the transmitter and that the apparatus of the receiver may be duplicated to accomplish the reproduction of a master tape of any number of longitudinal rows of perforations.

Having thus described my invention, which I claim as new and desire to secure by lUnited States Letters Patent, is as folows:-

1. In a perforated tape reproducer, a mas-- ter tape, meansfor reducing erforations therein to electrical current impulses, a source of current, condensive means for storing same, a record tape, means associated therewith for perforating the same and means for utilizing said electrical current impulses to release energy from said storage means to operate said perforating means to perforate said record tape.

. 2. In a perforated tape reproducer, a first set of electromagnets, a second set of electromagnets, a plurality of tape punches operated by said second set of electromagnets, means for operating said first set of electromagnets to release condensively stored electrical energy to energize selectively the magnets of said second set of'electromagnets to operate said tape punches selectively.

3. In a perforated tape reproducer, a transmission line, means for ener izing said line with current impulses in predetermined code, means for receiving said impulses, a plurality of electromagnets, a plurality of tape punches operated thereby and means for utilizing said current impulses to release condensively stored electrical energy to energize said electromagnets selectively to operate said tape punches.

4. In a perforated tape reproducer, a transmission line, a pair 0 relays associated with-each conductor of said line, a condenser associated with each. of said relays, a pa1r of electromagnets, a tape punch associated with each of said magnets,. a source of current with which said condensers are normally connected, and means for transmitting over said transmission line current impulses to energize said relays selectively to disconnect any one of said condensers from said. source of current and. discharge said condensers through one of said pair of electromagnets to operate the tape unch which it controls.

5. Ina perfora tape reprodu'cer, a master tape,- a record tape, means for imparting intermittent motion to said master tape, means associated with said master tape moving means to move said record tape in syn- [chronism with said master tape, means for transforming the perforations in said master tape to current impulses and means for uti izing said current impulses to perforate said record tape.

6. In a perforatedtape reproducer, a mas-- ter tape, aiecord tape, means for imparting intermittent motion to said master tape, means associated with said master tape moving means to move said record tape in synchroni'sm with said master tape, means for transforming the perforations in said master tape to current impulses, a source of current supply, a means for storing the same and means for utilizing said current may ma am means associated with said master tape movmg means to move 'sald record tape lnsynchronism with said master tape, means for transforming the perforations in said 'master tape to current impulses, a plurality of electromagnets, a .plurality of tape punches operated thereby, a source of currentsupply, means for storing thesame and means for utilizing said current impulses to release current from said storing means to energize selectively said electromagnets to operate said tape punches selectively to perforate said record tape.

Signed by me at lforonto, count of York and Province of Ontario, (Jana a, in the presence of two witnesses.

A, cnannns e. ASHLEY. a; Witnesses:

ELL. Nnwsomn, H. B. Cesarean...

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