US139690A - Improvement in printing and dial telegraphs and circuits therefor - Google Patents

Description

H. D. ROGERS.

Printing and Dial Telegraphs and Circuits Therefnr. No. 139,690. PatentedJune10,l873.

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Printing and Dial Telegraphs and Circuits Therefor.

N0. 139,690. Patentedjune10,1873.

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UNITED STATES PATENT CFFICEI.

HIRAM D. ROGERS, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN PRINTING AND DIAL TELEGRAPHS AND CIRCUITS THEREFOR.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 139.690, dated J une 10, 1873 {application filed May 24, 11573.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HIRAM D. ROGERS, of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Telegraph Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following L tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, in which drawings- Figure 1 represents a plan view of what I term my improved combination instrument.

Fig. 2 a side, and Fig. 3 a plan, view of a printing-telegraph instrument embodying my improvements thereon. Fig. 4 shows the arrangement of numerals upon the type-wheel,

. and illustrates the strip of copper or other ductile material ready for attachment to a wheel to form my improved type-wheel.

claims:

A in Fig. 1 is any suitable base, upon which is secured a printing or dial telegraph instrument, or one that is a combination of both.

' The one here shown is a dial instrument of the kind known as the Gilliland instrument. Upon this base are also secured the Morse sounder G, a key, D, and switches d and e. The line enters and leaves the instrument by the posts 0 b, the location of which is not material.

The operation of the combination is readily seen by following the circuits, as shown in The switch d being turned so as to close the circuit to the key D, the switch F closes the circuit either through the sounder G or dial instrument B. These two switches are here shown so that the key D may be entirely cut out of the circuit without interfer- "ferred, however, one switch only may be used,

the circuit proceeding directly from I) to key D; thence to a switch located at, say, point G, the circuit going thence through the sounder or through the dial or printing instrument to post 0, according to the position of the switch. p

This combination is especially useful for railroad, municipal, and private lines, where there may be some stations at which there are Morse operators, and other stations with which it is desirable to maintain communication at which the amount of business would not justify the expense of an operator. All stations can be provided with this instrument and brought into communication with each other, as by simply turning one switch the line becomes either a regular Morse line or a printing and dial line, capable of being used by any one who can read.

For use in this combination I have devised the form of a transmitter, shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The general construction of this transmitter" is the same as shown in the transmitter described in Letters Patent, owned by me, but differing in the following particulars: The handled is made in two parts, hinged at f, so that the outer end has a slight up-and-down motion, while the whole handle is practically rigid when swung around horizontally. A spring, g, is fixed underneath the hinge, so as to normally keep the outer piece in the same plane as the inner piece. Upon the frame -L of the transmitter is fixed the bracket 10, having an anvil, h, immediately beneath a corresponding contact-point on the arm J. It follows, hence, that it the switch t be turned onto the point 12, the circuit will be through the spring 1 and break-wheel H; but if it be turned onto the point m, from which a a wire leads to the anvil h, then the circuit can be completed or interrupted through the anvil and contact-point, and the transmitter becomes a regular Morse key. it is also evident that these devices may be modified without departing from the spirit of this portion of my invention. For instance, the switchi may be dispensed with, the circuit-wires being branched instead, one'leading directly to the spring and one to the anvil. instead of being hinged, the arm J may be made of a strap of springy metal, or a small. Morse key could be attached directly upon the break-wheel H.

Figs. 2 and 3 are plan and side views of the Gilliland instrument referred to, further perfected by having a printing attachment added. .M is an electro-magnet, operated directly, or through a relay, by the main-line circuit, and it in turn operates, through its armature U, pivoted at u, the escapement mechanism turnin g the dial-fingers and type-wheel. This type-wheel is secured to a prolongation of the shaft used in the Gilliland dial instrument. N is the electro-magnet operating the printingarmature O and printing-pad t, pivoted at '0. Instead of the electro-magnet being placed horizontally, it may be vertical, in which case the armature 0 would be straight instead of bent. This magnet is actuated by a local circuit controlled automatically by a circuitbrcaker, as follows: Upon the outer end of the dial and type-wheel shaft is secured a star ratchet-wheel, 19, having a number of small V-shaped teeth upon its periphery. These teeth are cut thereon in such relation to the figures and letters of the type-wheel that whenever thetype-wheel is arrested one of the interdental spaces shall be in position to let the small teat or projection upon the under side of the spring or strip 8 fall therein. The spring or strip 8 is of metal, and hinged loosely to the post q, and rests, when permitted by the wheel 1), on the top of the post 1". The circuit of the local printing-battery to the magnet N is made through the posts 1 and q and strip 8. It, then, 10 be rapidly rotated, as it will be when the type-wheel is being turned to a selected letter, the teeth upon the wheel will keep the strip 8 vibrating rapidly, so that the circuit through N will be so rapidly made and broken that the magnet N will not have time to become magnetized and attract its armature to effect the printing. Whenever the type-wheel, however, is momentarily stopped at a selected letter, the

. strip 8 will remain upon the posts and close the circuit to N a sufficient time for it to become magnetized, attracting, consequently, its armature, and effecting the printing of the selected letter. Local circuit-breakers or relays have been before used in this connection, but an objection against them has existed in that when the instrument was not in use the local circuit was left closed, entailing a great waste or useless consumption of the local battery. My improvement in the circuit-breaker obviates this difficulty. Upon the circuit-breaking wheel, at a point, 01:, arranged thereon in such relation to the type-wheel that whenever the zero-point, or point of beginning on the type-wheel, is over'the printing-pad, the point 00 on the break-wheel shall be under the teat or point of the spring 8. The wheel is left raised or plane, no teeth being cut for a space equivalent to that occupied usually by two teeth, so that, after the operator is through with the immediate use of the instrument, if, as is usual, the type-wheel be thrown to the zero or starting point, the plane surface elevates and holds up the strip 8 from contact with post 1", thus keepingthe local circuit broken,

and avoiding the battery consumption due I to a continuously-closed circuit. Another form of circuit-breaker, embodying the same principle, is shown at Fig. 5, in which A is a metallic wheel, having insulated spaces B upon its periphery. The number of metallic spaces left thereby is equal in number. to the letter spaces on the type-wheel, so that the spring or strip E shall rest upon one of them whenever the type-wheel is stopped, it being understood that the wheel A is on the type-wheel shaft in place of the ratchet-wheel 1). Upon the point on this wheel corresponding to the zero-point on the typewheel, there is a double insulated space, C, so that when the instrument is stopped and the type-wheel at the zero-point, the spring E rests on C, breaking the circuit of the local printing-battery L B, the circuit of which is shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5, it being understood that the printing-magnet is included therein.

In order to avoid the delay incident to having all the letters and numerals stretched out in rotation upon the face of the type-wheel, I arrange them as shown in Fig. 4--that is, the face of the wheel is made somewhat wider than usual, and the numerals are arranged thereon underneath the letters. The figures are arranged under such consonants as will, under no circumstances, form an intelligible word when a numeral embracing several figures is printed. By this arrangement the speed of a step-by-step instrument is practically increased twenty-five per cent., as four revolutions of the type-wheel can be made in the same time, and by the same number of electrical'impulses, as three could be if the numerals and letters followed each other in regular order. In using a type-wheel so arranged, a like arrangement must be made on the transmitter, shown in Fig. 6.

Ordinarily the type-wheels of printing-telegraphs are made of steel, on which the letters and figures are cut, and consequently they are very costly, and their expense forms a con siderable item of the expense attendant upon the manufacture of printing-telegraphs. In order to lessen this expense, I construct my wheel as follows: Upon a flat strip of copper or other ductile material, of the width desired for the type-wheel face, and of a length equal to the circumference thereof, the letters and figures are raised by embossing, casting, striking up, electrotyping, or other suitable way. This strip is then bent around and soldered upon the face of a type-wheel frame, either solid or skeleton.

A cheap and durable wheel may be-made in like manner, or the wheel may be entirely of rubber.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim,and desire to secure by Letters Pat ent, is 1 1. The arrangement,in one main-line circuit and upon one base, of the dial or printing telegraph instrument, a Morse receiving-instrument, and a circuit-breaking device,substantially as herein set forth.

2. The combination, with the flexible arm of the transmitter, of an anvil, so arranged that the transmitter serves either as a dial or printing transmitter, or as a Morse key, substantially as set forth.

3. In combination with a printing-telegraph, a circuit-breaker, operating the printing-circuit, arranged to keep such circuit broken at a designated point, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with the printing-magnet of a telegraph instrument, of the posts q splring s, and wheel 19, substantially as set ort 5. The circuit-breakin g wheel 10, having the 6. The type-wheel having the numerals arranged upon its face below, and in the relation to the letters thereon, substantially as set forth.

7. The method of constructing the typewheel, substantially as set forth, by first formin g the characters upon aflexible strip, which is then affixed to the type-wheel frame, as herein described. y

8. A type-wheel formed by the union of a lettered strip of metal or other material and a frame, substantially as set forth. i

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 8th day of March, 1873.

HIRAM D. ROGERS.

Witnesses:

E. P. BRADSTREET,

A. DRAHMANN.

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