US1932763A

US1932763A - Mechanism for high speed tickers

Info

Publication number: US1932763A
Application number: US610804A
Authority: US
Inventors: Erwin P Bancroft
Original assignee: International Communications Laboratories Inc
Current assignee: International Communications Laboratories Inc
Priority date: 1932-05-12
Filing date: 1932-05-12
Publication date: 1933-10-31
Anticipated expiration: 1950-10-31

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet l E. P. BANCROFT MECHANISM FOR HIGH SPEED TICKERS Filed May l2, 1932 INVENTOR ERwlN n sANcRoFT BY //Qfgad/ ATTORNEY Oct. 3l, 1933.

OCt. 31, E p BANCROFT MECHANISM FOR HIGH SPEED TICKERS Filed May l2, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ERWIN E BANCROF' lav/66a plz ATTORNEY Patented ct. 314, 19,33

MESHANESM FR HIGH SPEED TICKERS national Communications Laboratories,

Inc., Newark, N. J., a corporation of New York Application May 12, H32. .Serial No. 610,804

19 Claims.

My Vinvention relates to Yiinprovenients in .telegraph Iprinters and especially to vsuch printers used -in :high speed systems.

The object of my invention is to .providea device .whichis capable `oi? operation at highspeeds, which is quiet and reliable, and in whichshocks usually associated with rapid operation have been reduced to a-minimuin.

The device is oi the well-known start-stopitype and is arranged `to tbe loperated by code signals consisting .of a start ,impulse followed by six Vselecting impulses and a stop impulse, all of equal length.

Iuse a .type .wheelwhich is rotated undercontrol .oi a plurality .of rotatable slidable cams, similar to those described in my U..S. Patent No. 1,927,597, which are adjusted inaccordance with received signals, as described infrny U. 3S. Patent No. 1,931,699.

L The `earns are arranged in two groups, one of the groups controlling the primary or group move,- ment of the type wheel, so that thecharacters may be associated witha yprinter hammer in predetermined groups. The other group of cams 2 controls the secondary :movement of the wheel so that a particular character of the selected group may be located before the printer hammer and the hamr ier, when operated, Vwill record the individual character of the group .with which -it is aligned.

in the arrangement chosen tor illustrate my invention, the iirst group of cams is .arranged to control the position of a slidable rack which, in turn, is coupled to the type wheel by suitable differential gearing and serves to locate thetype wheel in any of eight different positions, as ,determined vby the received signals. The second group of. cams controls the position of a lever connected to the dilerential gearing in such a G way as to locate-the .type wheel in anyone of four positions intermediate the positions determined bythe rst group of cams. The type .wheel may thereby be positioned to any one of -thirtytwoV chosen positions. The controls may be arranged -to operate simultaneously, as shown in the illustration, so that the actual jmovement of the type wheel is a composite of the movement determined by the individual controls; or, if desired, the controls may be arranged to operate in sequence in any order desired.

Various features of my invention will be point.- ed out in the detailed .description Yto follow. My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein: V A

Fig. lshows the .development-of Athe surface .0I the rotatable switching device;

Fig. 2 -shows the essentiaL-features ofthe .printf ing device; Aand FIn describing :my invention vlwill'arst -referlto Fig. 1 and fdeseribe the @operationof :the slidable switches .which :form .paths for V.the guiding pins `and L80 of .Fig.;2; after which the effect produced by these guidi-ng pins will b e described in detail in connectionwith Eig. f2. .'Ihe guiding pins .'ZO andiSO of =Fig. 1 areshown in `dotted circles and .positioned y*so that their cci-operation with the various p aths may be readily understood.

vReferringto Fig. l, whichgshows `thedeveloped i surface of Cylindrical .switchingcam r1.,.

Slides

21, 2,2, '2.3, ,2.4, 25 and :26 are .arranged to :be .moved to the vright or le-t by the wedges .3;1, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 436, A,mounted thereon, .depending upon which 4path *the wedges follow .in passing through the guide zmemberlB.

The member 13 iis xedly mounted on `the frame (not shown) `-in such .a position that, as the cylinder y1 rotatesythewedges 311to 3.6 on'the ends of slides .21 Ito .26,.1espectivel3/T., will .pass :through the grooved portion 15 .of .member 13 and .at one instant vbe centered between their extreme rightand leit-.hand positions.

.Located ust past Vthis centering point isa knife-edged switch 14 carredzby the armature 10 of the receiving relay which v responds vto the incoming signals .andiis provided with `.windings 8 and 9. The switch 14 is arranged to guide the slides 2l Ato 2.6 into either ,their .leftorrrighthand positions inaccordance ivithfthe positioning of armature 1.0 at the time the' points of the wedges `pass :the -point of .thetsw-itch 14, inthe manner described `in U. S. .Patent No. 1,931,099, above referred t0..

If, as the member 1 rotates, the switch 14 is in the position shown, when the wedge .33 vpasses the ,narrow kportion vof the groove 15 it will be guided into the groove 16 and force .the Slide .'23 to Vthe left, placing the switch .40, carriedthereby,'in fsuch a `position .as to open a path .for pin 70 (shown in detail in -Fig.;2,) to the. right. The switch 14 Will be in the `position shown When a marking signa-ijs received.

If a spacing signal .had been received, :the switch 14 would have vbeen'n'ioved to the left, in which case Wedge 3.3 would have been guidedgto the right .through kgroove 17 :Slide 23 wouldthcn be in the position shown, and the path for the pin 70 would be to the left. Thus., `'theOperation vor" the receiving relay ito marking or spacing will '110 determine which of the two paths, to the right or left of switch 40, the pin 70 will follow.

In the same way switch 14, in conjunction with wedges 34 and 35, will determine the positions of slides 24 and 25 in accordance with the signals received at the time these wedges pass the narrow portion of the groove 15. Slide 24 carries two switches 41 and 42 which serve to further control the path open to pin 70. Slide 25 carries four

switches

43, 44, 45 and 46 which further control the path open to pin 79. By moving the

slides

23, 24 and 25 in combinations, eight different paths can be opened for pin 70 and thus eight different nal positions, 51 to 58 inclusive, can be determined by the proper combinations of signals through the receiving relay.

The set of slides 21 and 22 and their associated switches 27, 28 and 29, when operated in combinations, determine in which one of the four

final positions

64, 65, 65 or 67 the pin 80 will come to rest at the completion of the operation of drum 1. Y

The movement of the pin 70 in assuming any position 51 to 58 inclusive causes a corresponding primary movement` of the type wheel. The movement of the pin in assuming any position G4 to 67 inclusive causes a corresponding secondary movement of the type wheel. The primary movement causes the type wheel to rotate, to select one of eight groups of four characters each. The secondary movement of the type wheel causes an individual character in the selected group to be aligned with the printer hammer. The position assumed by the cam 37 on slide 26 causes the operation of either the upper or lower printer hammers, shown in Fig. 2.

Referring to Fig. 2, the member 1 is mounted upon a normally at rest shaft 2, which is coupled to a normally rotating shaft 15 by means of a clutch 3 of any standard form, such as that disclosed in United States Reissue Patent No. 17,725 to F. G. Creed, granted July 8, 1930. Shaft 15 is driven, by any well-known means, such as a constant speed motor, at a speed corresponding with the frequency of the received signals as is well known in the art.

The clutch is operated by the armature 4 of the magnet 5, when it is energized by the signal relay 20 in response to spacing signals, that is, when the armature 10 is attracted by the core of winding 8. In response to marking signals the armature 10 is attracted by the core' of winding 9.

The pins 79 and 8O follow designated paths on member 1, as determined by the position of the slides 21 to 25 under control of the guiding switch 14, which in turn is under control of receiving relay 20 in response to marking and spacing signals, as described in connection with Fig. 1.

The rack 71, which carries the pin 70, is provided with teeth 72 which engage the gear 73 mounted on shaft 74. Shaft 74 is iournaled in suitable bearings not shown. Gear 73, in turn,

, meshes with gear 75, rigidly fastened to shaft 76, which also carries gear 77 rigidly attached thereto. Gear 77 meshes with gear 78, rigidly fastened to shaft 84, which also carries the type wheel having two rows of type on its periphery. Shaft 84 is mounted in suitable bearings in line with the axis of shaft 74. The type wheel 85, through the gearing just described and the rack 71, will be turned and positioned in accordance with the positioning of pin 70 by the set of switches on member 1.

Lever 81 is pivoted to rotate about the axis of shafts 74 and 84 and carries on one end a bearing 83 for shaft 76. Pin 80 is mounted on the end of lever 81 opposite the bearing 83. Pin 89 is under control of switches on member 1, as shown and described in connection with Fig. 1. The movement of pin 80 causes the shaft 76 to swing about shaft 74 as a pivot. Since gears 73-75 and 77-78 are other than unity ratio, the swinging of shaft 76 about bearing 74 will cause shaft 84 to rotate with respect to gear 73. It will thus be seen that type wheel 85 may be made to assume four positions with respect to gear '73 in accordance with the positioning of pin 89 in any of the

paths

64, 65, 65 or 67 of Fig. 1, in the manner previously described.

By choosing the proper gear ratios and the vlength of the arms of lever 81, the four positions of the type wheel 85 determined by the movement of pin 80 may be so chosen as to be intermediate those determined by the movement of rack 71 so that, when combined with the positions assumed in accordance with the movement of rack 7l, thirty-two different positions of the type wheel are obtainable.

Rack 71 and gears 73, 75, 77 and 78 are so arranged that the eight positions of the rack 71, as determined by the settings of the selector cam slides 23, 24 and 25, divide the circumference of the type wheel 85 into eight divisions, while the position of the lever 81, as determined by the setting of the cam slides 21 and 22, divides each one of the eight divisions again into four parts.

In addition to the two sets of slidable switches on the rotatable member 1, a third switch 26 (Fig. l) is used to determine which of the two printer hammers 93.and 98 is to be operated. If the switch 26 is moved to the left, cam 37 will move to the left to co-operate with lever 92 to operate print hammer 93. If switch 26 is moved to the right, cam 37 will move to the right to co-operate with lever 97 to operate print hammer 98.

If the printer hannner 98 is operated, the printing will occur from the upper row of type, whereas if the hammer 93 is operated, the printing will occur from the lower row of type.

The printer hammers 93 and 98 are operated by the arms 92 and'97, respectively, which are mounted on the shaft or bearing 95, and a shaft 96 serves as a stop to limit the movement of the arms in the direction toward the printer hammers. A tension spring 94 connects with printer hammer 93 and arm 92, while spring 99 connects with hammer 98 and arm 97.

The tape 100, passes between the type wheel 85 and the ends of the

hammers

93 and 98, and is fed in a manner well known in the art.

If the cam 37 is positioned to the right it will engage the lower portion 91 of the arm 97 and cause it and the upper portion l97 to move about the bearing 95, thus causing the upper portion and the hammer 98 to draw away from the paper.

Whenthe cam 37 disengages the portion 91 of the arm it and the upper portion 97 will move in the Opposite direction under the tension of spring 109. This will cause the upper portion 97 and the hammer 98 to move forward. When lever 97 is stopped by pin 96 the hammer 98 will continue forward, due to its inertia, and strike the paper slip against the type wheel 85, thus impressing on the tape a character in the upper row of type on the type wheel 85. Due to spring 99 the hammer 98 is immediately returned to rest against lever 97.

In case the cam 37 is positioned to the left it will engage the lower endV 90 of the armi and operate the upper portion 92 to causea character in the lower row to be impressed on the tape 100 in the manner described in connection with the impression of a character in the upper row.

In the illustration of my invention shown in Fig. 1, relay 2O is shown as consistingv of two windings 8 and 9. As already explained, current through winding 8 will move the armature of relay to the left and the current through winding 9 will move the armature to the right. Other methods of operating armature l0, which are well known in the art, canY be substituted for the one disclosed. For example, winding 8could be replaced by a spring attached to armature lll-which would normally tend to move the latter to the left, or the entire relay 20 could be-replaced by a polar relay whereby current of one polarity through the winding of the relay would move armature 10 in one direction and current of the opposite polarity would move it in the reverse direction.

As already explained, my device is arranged to Y be operated by code signals consisting of a start i impulse followed bysix selecting impulsesand a stop pulse, all of equal length. In operation, the first or start pulse of the code will move armature 10 to the left, thereby completing the circuit for magnet 5 and causing the release of clutch 3. The release of clutch 3 will start the switching member l into rotation, at the same time positioning the switch member 14to the left. Since the mechanism is started into operation by the receipt of the start impulse and since some time must necessarily be consumed between the actual beginning of the start impulse and the beginning of the rotation of the member l, the latter will actually start-to rotate at a time corresponding,

r approximately, with the middle portion of the J start impulse.

The switch members 31 to 36 inclusive are so located on member 1 that they will pass the switch member 14 on armature 10 at a time corresponding to the middle portionV of the signal impulse associated therewith. It'will f thus be seen that the switch member 14 will be positioned either to the right or to the left, in accordance with the signal received before the switches 3l to 36 pass the point thereof. As

I member 1 rotates, therefore, the switches 3l lto 36 inclusive will follow the path or paths determined by the position of theswitch 14 and, thereby, cause the slides 21 to 26 to assume positions as determined by switch member 14. As shown in Fig. 1, pins and Si) follow the paths formed l by the operation or non-operation of the slides `following the paths formed by slides 23 to 25 determines the primary movement of the type wheel.

The nal position assumed by the pin in following the paths formed by slides 21 and 22 determines the secondary movement of the type wheel.

Immediately following the final positioning of the type wheel, the cam 37, depending upon its position, engag one or the other of the controlling arms or 91 tor cause the operation of

hammer

98 or 93.

When the mechanism is brought to rest at the completion offa character selection by the stop 4 engaging clutch 3, pins 70 and 80 are located in the predetermined positions 51 to.58 and 64 to 67, respectively. To position these pins in accordance with a succeeding signal it is first necessary to return each pin to its neutral position. This is accomplished, for pin 70, by cams 6? and 61 and, for pin 80, by

cams

62 and 63. By this means the type wheel is always restored to a neutral position from its last selected position before being moved to a new selected position. The motion of the type Wheel is, therefore, of anoscillatory nature. rather than continued rotation.

The selecting operations are all` positive in character, once the position of thereceiving relay has been determined by the incoming signals, since the .positioning of all the selecting elements, as well as the type wheel, is accomplished under power of the driving motor. This is of considerable advantage in reducing the chances-for erroneous selections, as well as in reducing the noise of operation Instead of providing contacts on the receiving relay to operate the magnet 5 for controlling the clutch 3, the magnet 5 may be omitted and the clutch mechanically operated by the armature 11 105 ofv the receiving relay, as shown in U. S. Patent No. 1,931,099, above referred to.

What is claimed is:

1. In a telegraphprinter, the combination of a rotatable wheel having a plurality of characters, two sets of rotatable cams, means controlled by one set 01" saidcams for causing said wheel to rotate'a distance equal to the space occupied by a group or groups of characters, and means controlled by the other set of cams for causing said wheel to rotate a distance equal to the space occupiedby one or more characters in a group.

2. In a telegraph printer, the combination of a type wheel rotatable in ytwo directions and provided with characters, two sets of rotatable cams. means controlled by the conjoint action of said cams during their rotation for causing said type wheel to rotate in either or both directions.

3; Ina telegraph printer, the combination of a rotatable type-wheel, two sets of rotatable cams, i25 means for'adjusting the positions of said cams, v means controlledby one set of cams according to their adjustment `to-cause a large degree oi rotation of said type wheel, and means controlled by the other set of lcams according to their'v adjustment to cause a lesser degree of rotation of' said by the iirst of said sets of cams to cause a primary M5 movement of said type wheel according to the adjustment of said rst set of cams, and means controlled by the second set of cams to cause a secondary movement of said type wheel according to the adjustment of the second set of cams, the

combined primary and secondary movements serving to move said type wheel to position type thereon in line with said printer hammer accoi-ding to the combined adjustment of both sets of cams.

6. In a telegraph printer, the combination of a type wheel movable to assume diierent positions, two sets of adjustable cams, means controlled by the rst set of cams for causing a primary movement of said type wheel in accordance with the adjustment of the first set of cams. and means controlled by the second set of cams for causing a secondary movement of said type wheel in accordance with the adjustment of the second set of cams, the combination of both of said movements determining the position to be assumed by said type wheel.

7. In a telegraph printer, the combination of means for receiving signals, a plurality of adjustable cams, means controlled by said receiving means for adjusting said cams, a movable type wheel, and means controlled by the adjustment of said cams for moving said type wheel in accordance with the received signals, two printer hammers, means for operating either one of said hammers for causing the recording by said type wheel of the received signals.

8. In a telegraph printer, the combination of a guide provided with a plurality of paths and having a member for following said paths, aimovable type wheel, means including a switch for determining which of said paths is to be followed by said member, the path followed by said member controlling the degree oi movement of said type wheel.

9. In a telegraph printer, the combination of a plurality of slidable cams mounted on a rotatable member, a guide provided with a plurality of paths controllable by said cams, a type wheel and a controlling device therefor, means for causing said cams to operate in varying combinations during the rotation of said member, the operation of said cams causing said controlling device to follow a path according to the combination in which said cams are operated and to control the operation or" said type wheel.

10. In a telegraph printer, the combination of a rotatable member provided with slidable switches, a receiving relay responsive to incoming f signals for causing the operation of saidswitches, a type wheel, means controlled by the operation of said switches during the rotation of said member for controlling the operation of said type wheel.

11. In a telegraph printer, the combination of a rotatable vmember provided with slidable switches, means responsive to incoming signals for causing the operation of said switches, a type wheel, means controlled by the'operation of said switches during the rotation of said member for controlling the operation of said type wheel.

12. In a telegraph printer, the combination of a gear operated type wheel, a rotatable mem-f ber provided with slidable switches, means responsive to incoming signals for causing the operation of said switches, the operation of said switches determining the operation of said type wheel.

13. In a telegraph printer, the combination of a plurality of adjustable cams, a type wheel movable to different positions, a set of gears, means controlled by the adjustment of said cams for operating said gears to determine the position to be assumed by said type wheel.

14. In a telegraph printer, the combination of a plurality of adjustable cams, a movable arm and a slidable rack, a type wheel movable to different positions by means of differential gears means controlled by the adjustment of said cams to move said arm and slide said rack to cause the operation of said gears to position said type wheel in accordance with the adjustment of said cams.

15. In a telegraph printer, the combination of a type wheel movable to diierent positions, two movable arms, gears having other than unity ratio, means for moving said arms to cause the operation of said gears to determine the position to be assumed by said type wheel.

16. In a telegraph printer, the combination of a type wheel movable to different positions, two movable arms, gears having other than unity ratio, a plurality of adjustable cams, means controlled by the adjustment of said cams to move said arms, the movement of which causes the operation of said gears to position said type wheel in accordance with the adjustment of said cams.

17. In a telegraph printer, the combination of a type wheel movable in two directions, two movableY arms, gears which co-operate with one another and with said arms, a set of rotatable adjustable cams, means controlled by the adjustment of said cams to move said arms, the movement of which causes the operation of said gears to move said type wheel in either or both directions during the rotation of said cams.

18. In a telegraph printer, the combination of a movable type wheel, means comprising a plurality ofadjustable cams for causing said type wheel .to move to a position in accordance with said adjustment, two printer hammers, means for causing the operation of either of said hammers to co-operate with said type wheel after it has moved to its adjusted position.

19. In a telegraph printer the combination of a type carrying member movable in a plurality of directions, a plurality of cam members, a plurality of cam followers cio-operating in controlling the movement of said type carrying member, and means responsive to a signal impulse for determining which cams will engage said cam followers.

ERW'IN P.,BANCROFT.

lof,