US1190973A - Transmitting means for wireless telegraphy. - Google Patents

Description

0. M AGNER. TRANSMITTING MEANS FOR WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY.

APPLICATION FILED mu; 8. 191

Patented July 11, -1 T v ZSHEETS-SHEET' WITNESSES 'ATTORNEY C. M. AGNER.

TRANSMITTING MEANS FOR WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8, I9I4.

1 1 90,973 Patented July 11, 19-16.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N 3 CflZ/i /zefi WITNESSES Q r I 4 INVENTOR) i A g p I BY {0 4. I

ATTO R N EY TRANSMITTING Means FOR WIRELESS TELEGRAPHX.

, 311 D ST TES PATENT OFFICE,

GHESTER"MILLER AGNER, or sacnammrro, CALIFORNIA;

i To all whom it may concern Be itknown that I, CHESTER M. AGNER,

.a citizen of the United States, residing at Sacramento, in the county of Sacramento and State of Californla, have invented anew and useful Transmitting Means for .VVireless Telegraphy, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to improvements in transmitting means for wireless telegraphy, and its object is to provide. a

--meanswhereby certain signals may be sent out from a'station in charge of persons unskilled in telegraphy.

Many ships are not required to beprovided with wireless outfits, and, therefore,

Y may be sent out, and in additon nals similarly to .the sending of signals by the ordinary key. The automatic transmit- -driven member which have no means when in distress of communicating with other vessels or stations. For such ships the present invention affords a means whereby the recognized thereto such information as the location of the vessel and the character of the distress. and the whole apparatus is of a natureyrequiring no skilled attention or the presence of a trained operator, since it may be put into commission by any person of intelligence without any pretact may sendingcircuit in a manner to send out sigter of signals is provided with a suitable I outfit of interchangeable blocks properly marked andreadily applied or removed,

.. QZ1Cl1 block conta ning a word or legend showing the information it IS capable of sending, and the automatic side of the send ;ing apparatus 1s appropriately extensive for the inclusion of as much information as is necessary. 7 V

The apparatus also includes a suitable motor whichmay be indicative of any driving power by which the block carrying part of the sending apparatus is given a motion Specification of Letters latent. i

distress call as shown in Fig. 4,

be established and broken in thecausing the sending out of signals in the desiredorder with repetitions of as long as may be necessary.

The invention will. be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a'part of this specificatlon, with the further understanding that while the drawings show a practical form of the invention the latter is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing. of the drawings, but may be changed and modified so long as such changes and modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is an elevation partly broken away showing a sending disk with some contact blocks thereon. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the structure of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is station. Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspec= tive view of a portion of the sending wheel Fig. 5 is a with some parts broken away. section on the line 55 of Fig. 1 but drawn on a larger scale. .Fig. 6 is a similar section of a somewhat modified form of the wheel." Figs. '7 and 8 are diagrammatic representations of different forms of current collecting means which may be employed.

Referring first to Fig. 3, there is shown a wheel or disk 1 mounted on a shaft 2, and this disk or wheel is assumed to be provided with a suitable number of contact blocks 3, or contact blocks 4 as indicated in Fig. 6, the contact surfaces of either of the blocks 3 or 4 being the same; that is, they are made up of conducting-surfaces 5 and electrically insulating portions 6. The blocks 3 or 4 may be made of metal" and the wheel or disk 1 may be made ofmetal, in which case the blocks are always in electrical contact with the wheel,and the shaft 2 maybe made of metal electrically connected with the dick 1. The insulating portionsfi are formed of any suitable material or' composition customarily employed" for the purpose, and may be in the. form of sheets or strips as indicated, inset into" the peripheral portions of the blocks 3-'or 4. Since the disk 1 is circular, the blocks-3 and 1 conform to the curvature of the peripheral portion of the disk where'they are carried in a manner to be described.

Arranged to engage the peripheral pon,

Patented July 1 1,. 191;6. Application filed June 8, 1914. Serial No. 843,787. i

the signals is a diagram illustrating the sending no i tions of the blocks 3 or 4 is a collecting roller 7 which may be taken as indicative of any suitable current collecting device arranged to engage the exposed faces of the blocks 3 or 4. Referring once more particularly to Fig. 3 a conductor 8 is indicated as extending from and connected to the collector 7, and this conductor is connected to one side of a battery 9, or other suitable source of electric energy. The other side of' the battery is connected to one end of a conductor 10, the other end of which is connected to one side of a relay 11, and this relay is connected by a conductor 12 to a brush 13 either bearing directly upon the shaft 2 or upon a collecting disk l-l best shown in'Fig. 2.

The relay 11 is provided with an armature 15 movable between contacts 16 of platinum or silver in a circuit comprising a conductor 17, a battery 18, and one winding 19 of an induction coil 20. The other winding 21 of the induction coil 20 is connected on one side of a comluctor 92 leading to an aerial 23. The other side of the coil 21 is connected to a conductor 24 leading to a ground 25 which may be the hull of the ship upon which the outfit is installed, or the device may be otherwise grounded. The relay circuit permits the use of a large induction coil and heavy charging current therefor without producing destructive sparking at the type or sending wheel. The conductors E22 and 24 have continuations teri'uinating in a spark gap 26 as is Clltjttillnll'). and are also bridged by a condenser 27, all as usual in wireless outfits.

The disk 1 is provided on its periphery with a channel 28 having marginal inturned flanges 29 on opposite sides. At some appropriate point in the continuity of the channel the flanges are omitted to provide an entering portion 30, whereby the blocks 3 or 4, as the case may be. maybe introduced into and moved along the channel to appropriate points. At one end of the channel there is provided a stop member-31 which will represent the terminal point of travel of the blocks in one direction around the disk, while the blocks are being put into place.

In the form of block best shown in Figs. 4 and 5 each block is of appropriate length and curved in the direction of its length in conformity with the curvature ofthe channel 28 and has longitudinal grooves 32 on opposite faces to receive the flanges 29, so that the blocks once seated in the channel 28 cannot escape therefrom. The grooves 32 in the structure best shown in Figs. 4 and 5 are about midway of the height of the blocks 3, so that a portion of these blocks project radially outwardly beyond the outer edge of the disk 1, and attached to each block is a manipulating handle 33, whereby the block is readily applied to and removed from the disk. Of course, the handle 33 may be omitted but it is a convenient attachment 'to the block. i

There is provided what may be termed an end block 3 which may be located at the end of the series of blocks remote from the stop 8]., and this end block is provided with a thumb screw 34 threaded through an ap r0- priate portion of the block and provided with a clamp nut 35, so that the block may be forced tight against the flanges 29 to hold the series of blocks from longitudinal movement. Space blocks 4 with insulated surfaces are also provided and serve to separate words, numbers, etc. Insulation at the beginning of each block 3 and 4 serves to sepa-.

rate the letters where a block includes but a single letter or the like. The entering ortion ot' the periphery of the disk -1 is of sullicient length to receive the longest block employed without interference from the flanges 29.

The collecting roller 7 is shown in Fig. 1 as mounted on one end of a rock arm 36, which arm is under the controlof a spring 37, and in the particular showing of Figs. 1

and 2 the shaft 9. is jonrnaled 1n bearings :38 surmounting standards 39 rising from a base 40. The arm 36 is pivoted between ears +1 on the base 4-0, and the spring 37 is interposed between the base 40 and the arm 36 thereby maintaining the roller 7 in constant engagement with the peripheral, portions of the series of the blocks 3. Since the roller 7 must be insulated from the disk 1, the arm 36 may have a section f insulating material -12 interposed therein, and the conductor S electrically connected to the roller 7 in any suitable way.

Instead of mounting the roller 7 upon one end of a rock arm it may be mounted on one end of a. rod 43 carried by a post 44 and urged against the disk 1 by a spring 45 surrounding the rod 43. Instead of mounting the rod 43 upon a. post 44 it may rise from a block 46 made fast to the base 40 in undcrriding relation to the roller 1. The first described mounting for the roller is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and the other forms are shown in Figs. 7 and 8, respectively. These various illustrations of mounting of the roller indicate that such mounting may be quite widely varied without affecting the operation of the device.

In Fig. 6 the blocks 4 are of rectangular cross section, while the channel in the peripheral portion of the disk 1 may be deeper than in the structure of Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5, this channel being shown at 28 of Fig. 6, and is provided with inturned flanges 29 exterior to the blocks 4, so that the collecting roller 7 must enter between the flanges -29 in order to make contact with the conduct-' ing portions of the blocks 4.

The disk 1 is rotated by any suitable shaft 47 carries a worm ttZ-engaging a worm ".wheelii9 on the; shaft2-,-thus imparting to this shaft a slow rotative movementwhich be continued indefinitely after the de- -viee is once started, and so long as the power the motor is available.

-. It'is'assumed'that the equipmentdiagr'ame 'mati'cally represented in Fig.3. is installed I upon some vessel which does; not come with- .inthe requirementslof the law demanding-a 'fwirelessoutfit with skilled -operators,-.and

'.'which types 'of vessels,"therefore, havehere tofore not providedawireless' equipments; where the presence ofone. or two skilled joperators is needful. r f e u suitable blocks. 3 ore are chosen,.the'proper blocks being easily picked out from the blocks'supplied'with the equipment by the .words or, legends thereon which are readily The equ pment of the present-invention supposed to be under the control of'the captain-of the vessel or some. other respon; 'sible person, and in the event of accident readable. If'the accident he of such a nature [as to place the vessel in-imminent danger -:-of loss, the person in charge selects blocks it the first-of which may be that correspond 1 may contain to the call S. O. S.- The nextblock the telegraphic signal for the particular vessel. The next series of blocks are'chosen to'show the latitude and longitude of the vessel, and other blocks may be chosen'toindicate the condition of the ves- -sel,-such as Sinking or Burningflor some other wordof which the equipment may contain a suitable supplyv Any other words may be added indicating the urgency of the case. Having-set up the series of blocks in the periphery of the wheel, the operator has but to start the motor, 'whereuponthe wheel will begin and continue to turn at a suitable speed-causing makes and breaks in the electric circuit corresponding .to the telegraph code and wireless signals will be caused and whereby i lllWGSSGlS carrying less than the number of f continue so long as maybe needful, and all this without any attention whatever from the attendant.

The present invention provides a means freighters, small steam ships, and

passengers demanding the presence of wire its less operators may be equipped at a moderate expense with a wireless outfit enabling the commander of the vessel to avail himself-0f the advantages of wireless telegraphy for summoning assistance in case of danger demanding such assistance, and this without the necessity of any skilled assist position less telegraphy.

ant'spor'any skill at allwith wire- Besides a supply oil blocks"arrangedto send out summons essary information, the equipment 'mayinclude other blocks containing information which experience may teach isof value; Of

course, the present invention does "not de-' mend-the employment'ot a receiving set, and lie record he kept of vessels equipped with sending 'setsonly, other "vessels provided with receiving sets Willa-at oncelmow thecharacter of the vessel; sending out the call forhelpri The-present "invention does-not include (any; improvements in the, sending apparatus aside from the disk'land theparts directly associated 'therewith,and so. far as the apparatus for producing ether waves is conce'rned any suitable aiwangement may be employed. .What is claimed is LIA" wireless telegraphic transmitter,

Icomprising a- ;rotatable carrier and interchangeable contaet members, the I carrier havingafiperipheral channel for the recep-,

tion of the contact members serially and at one end having permanent stop means for the contact members, and said contact members each having conducting and insulating portions together representing complete words, numbers, or the like, or recognized abbreviations thereof, and another memconstitutingja stopmember for the end of for help and the nec her adapted to theperipheral channel and the series of contact members remote from the permanent stop.- v

2. A wireless telegraph transmitter-comprising a rotatable disk or carrier having a peripheral groove or channel, blocks interchangeably adapted to the channel and provided with conducting and insulating por tions corresponding to chosen telegraphic symbols, tatable carrier and blocks in the transmitter circuit, said disk or carrier having block.

retaining means at theperipheral channel portion, and said retaining means having its circumferential contlnuity broken to provide forthe insertion into and removal'ol. the blocks from the channel.

3Q A wireless telegraph transmitter comand means for coupling up the roprising arotatable disk or carrier with a per f ripheral channel having inturned marginal flanges with the continuity of the flanges broken at a predeterminedpoint' to provide an entranceand exit opening for the channel, and blocks adapted to the channel to move lengthwise therein, said disk'having a stop in the channel adjacent to the .entrance opening, and one of the blocks being provided with retaining means for engaging the disk or carrier to hold the block in to preventescape of the other blocks,

4. A wireless telegraph transmitter comprising a rotatable disk having a peripheral channel, blocks adapted to the channel and provided with conducting and insulating surfaces, means on the carrier for prevent ing movement of the blocks circumferentially of the channel beyond a predetermined point, and one of the blocks having clamping means for holding it and the blocks between it, and the means on the car rier for preventing movement of the blocks.

5. A wireless telegraph transmitter comprising a rotatable disk having a peripheral channel, bl0cks adapted to the channel and provided with conducting and insulating surfaces, means on the carrier for preventing movement of the blocks circumferenforegoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

Y CHESTER MILLER AGNER,

Witnesses:

1. M. MCCARTHY, W. A; Gn'r'r.

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