US2281775A - Telegraph printer - Google Patents

Description

May 5, 1942. J. w. LONG ET AL TELEGRAPH PRINTER Y 16 Shee s-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 13, 1958 INVENTORS J. W. LONG G. l. ROBERTS ff 22m/MLK BY ATTORNEY May 5, 1942. J. w; LONG Em 2,281,775

TELEGRAPH PRINTER Filed Sept 13, 1958 16 Sheets-Sheet 2 0 J.W. LONG l. ROBERTS ATTORNEY May 5, 1942. fJ. w. LONG ET AL 2,281,775

TELEGRAPH PRINTER F'iled Sept. l5, 1958 16 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS J.W. LONG G. l. ROBERTS ATTORNEY May 5, 1942. J, w. LONG ETAL TELEGRAPH PRINTER Filed sept. 15, 1'938 l sheets-sheet 4 www May 5, 1942. 1 W, LONG Em 2,261,775

TELEGRAPH PRINTER J. W. LONG ET AL TELEGRAPH PRINTER May 5, 1942. 2,281,775

Filed Sept. l5, 1938 16 Sheets-.Sheet 6 ATTO R N EY J. w. `LCNC; ET AL` 2,281,775

TELEQRAPH PRINTER May V5, 1942.

Filed Sept. 15, 193s le sheets-sheet 7 la n ' jA ATTORNEY May 5,41942. J. w. LONG rAL 2,281,775

TELEGRAPH PRINTER Filed sept. 13, 1938- 1e sheets-sheet 8 F|G 2| 2.2%r f252 253 xNvEN-roRs J.w. LONG 607 G. l. RoBER-rs v r ATTORNEY May 5, 1942. J. W. LONG ErAL 2,281,775

l TELEGRAPH PRINTER Filed Sept. 13, 1938 16 Sheets-Sheet 9 l5., 39B 393 'Iasi-gw' 39| d a99-994%@ was 394 3 l `404 40e 387 397 4o? 39e 9 323 322 F I G. I 524 583 [327 53o] 53| I 36e G5-27HII|H|I|A lilllll. 'Q 'lll' 523 5 557 JH. l 526,9.

, 522 slm-'rl I r 534 INVENToRs EL-; /56 J w LONG G. l, ROBERTS ATTORNEY May 5 1942- J. w. LONG E-rAL 2,281,775

TELEGRAPH PRINTER Filed sept. 415, 193s 16 sheets-sheet 1o' FIG. 32A ,F|G. 33

INVENTORS J.W. LONG G. l. ROBERTS ATTORNEY May 5, 1942- J. w. LONG ET AL 242812775.

TELEGRAPH PRINTER Filed Sept. 13, 1938 16 Sheets-Sheet 11 'Affili/4 Maly 5, 1942.

J. w. LONG ETAL TELEGRAPH PRINTER Filed Sept. 13, 1938 Wil-i255 1e Sheets-sheet 12 FIG. 49

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d c p eQsa a 69 Q l .INVEN-roRs J. W. LONG G. l. ROBERTS 'www ATTORNEY May 5r W. LONG ETAL TELEGRAPH PRINTEk'iV Filed Sept. 13, 1938 16Sheets-Sheet 13 FIG. 5I

May 5, 1942. f

.1. w. LoNG :TAL 2,281,775 TLEGRAPH PRINTER Filed Sept. l5, 1938 16 Sheets-Sheet 15 451 ATTORNEY Maly 5, 1942. J. w. LONG rs1-AL 2,281,775`

TELEGRAPH PRINTER Filed Sept. 13, 1958 16 Sheets-Sheet 16 FIG. 68 FIG. 70

als aas I 'e3-1 asa ATTORNEY Patented May 5, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TELEGRAPH PRINTER James W. Long, Plainfield, and George I. Roberts, Cresskill, N. J., assignors to The Western Union Telegraph Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 13, 1938, Serial No. 229,672

53 Claims.

The present invention relates primarily to telegraph printers and more particularly to that type of telegraph printer commonly known and referred to as stationary platen page printers, such printers obviously, as the name implies, having a stationary platen and a to and fro moving printing unit, usually moved step by step from left to right to elTect letter spacing and in one continuous movement from right to left for the beginning of new lines of print.

It has been general practice in the past to employ a different type of printer or receiver for each of the various types of telegraph services, each type of recorder not being suitable or adaptable for use on the other types of services. Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a telegraph printer of improved design and construction and increased efciency, which, without any or a few minor changes may be equally well employed in a plurality of different types of telegraph services, such as projection service, bulletin, or news printer service, ordinary message service, etc. Obviously, the advantages of such a printer are many and some of the more important ones are: the printers can be more efficiently manufactured and in larger quantities with a resulting lower cost per unit, fewer spare parts and printers required to be kept on hand; exibility, in that a printer may be changed from one type of service to another, resulting in a general over-all increased eiiiciency of all the telegraph services.

In accordance with the above, another object of the invention is to provide a telegraph printer,

the functions or operations of which, such as 1 line feeding, printing, returning the typewheel car to a start position to start a new line of print, commonly referred as to typewheel car return, letter space feeding, or typewheel car feed to effect letter or word spacing may be easily varied so that they may occur separately in response to associated signals or more than one of such functions be performed in response to a single signal. An example of such an arrangement is where a typewheel car return funcsame signals used to control a tape printer; or

those wherein such signals as typewheel car return and/or line feed signals are not present.

Another object of the invention is to provide a stationary platen page printer with a typewheel positioning mechanism of novel design, improved emciency and simplified construction capable of operating at a high rate of speed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a printer capable of printing intricate tabulations and manifold or duplicate copies.

Another object of the invention is to provide a telegraph printer, the size of the type of which and the letter spacing thereof, can be easily and readily changed.

These and other more speciic objects of the invention will appear hereinafter in conjunction with the detailed description thereof, and are dened by the scope of the appended claims.

The selector mechanism of the printer in general comprises the means by which the received electrical permutation signals are translated into representative mechanical combinations of setting of selective elements for controlling the operation and functions of the printer. As fully described hereinafter in the detailed description thereof, the signals employed with the preferred embodiment of the printer are of the simplex or start-stop variety. Such signals, as is well known in the art, comprise successive groups of impulses each group of which is made up of a start impulse or signal of one line condition which s followed by a deiinite number, usually live impulses as in this case, of permutations of two different line conditions, which inturn are followed by a stop or rest signal or impulse of a definite line condition and opposite to that of the start impulse, The start impulse and the ve variable impulses are usually of the same length, while the length of the stop impulse varies, depending on the time between successive signal groups, its length decreasing and approaching the length of the start or one of the variable impulses as the printer approaches its maximum speed of operation. As is the general practice, the start impulse is an open line condition and the rest impulse a closed line condition, and such conditions are usually respectively referred to as spacing and marking signals, impulses, or conditions. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to operate in conjunction with this specic arrangement of signals, but may be readily adapted to operate under the control of other type signals such as polar signals of opposite polarity and also of signals of the same polarity but of different values.

The start impulse of a code group which controls the start of the selector mechanism, being received on the selector magnet, initiates the rotation of a frictionally driven so-called pilot sleeve normally tending to rotate from power supplied thereto from an electric motor which also furnishes all the other power for operating the printer. The frictionally driven pilot sleeve in turn through an adjustable means releases the selector sleeve for rotation. The adjustable means disposed between the pilot sleeve and the selector sleeve comprises the means whereby the release of the selector sleeve relative to the release of the pilot sleeve may be varied. This arrangement, usually referred to as an orienting device, compensates for variable line or other conditions which may vary the length and/or effectiveness of the start impulse to permit the selector cams to be operative n their associated elements during the midportions or most effective portions of their associated signal periods. The selector cams in rotating sequentially cooperate with a set of five latches equal in number to the variable impulses of each code group which are arranged on the floating principle, whereby in cooperation with the selector magnet armature they are allowed to pivot about one or the other of two pivot points, depending upon the condition of their associated signal impulse. As the latches pivot about one of the two points, they unlatch associated selectors, and when pivoted about the other one of the two pivot points they retain their associated selectors in a latched position. A transfer cam released in timed relation with the positioning of the selectors operatively engages the unlatched ones of the selectors and transfers the selection set up therein to a set of transfer levers, and then relatches the unlatched selectors in their normal position. Four of the five transfer levers control the discs of a drum-type typewheel stop unit of the type well known in the art, and as the four discs'are movable into one or the other of two positions, sixteen combinations of settings of the discs in the drum may be obtained. Thus any one of sixteen so-called stop members arranged around the periphery of the stop unit are selectible one at a time. A frictionally driven shaft rotatable in the stop unit may therefore be stopped by a selected stop member in any one of sixteen angular positions.

The horizontal shaft of the stop unit is connected through two sets of universal joints, a sliding or telescoping connection and two bevel gears to a substantially vertical typewheel shaft. A typewheel on the typewheel shaft has the type and symbols arranged in four rows around the periphery thereof, each peripheral row having sixteen type elements or positions therein. The bevel gears connecting the typewheel and the drum shaft have a one-to-one ratio and therefore the typewheel is capable of being stopped in any one of sixteen angular positions. The fifth one of the transfer levers controlled by the ifth impulse of the coole together with so-called shift and unshift signals, each one of which comprises a complete code combination, control the movement of the typewheel in a vertical direction to determine which one of the four peripheral rows thereon will be moved to a printing position. The unshift and shift signals control the vertical position of the typewheel in such a manner that after the receipt of one or the other of the signals, all subsequent printings are from the first and second or the third and fourth peripheral rows on the typewheel respectively, while the fifth impulse of each code group through the instrumentality of the fifth transfer lever causes the typewheel to be positioned so that a position in either one or the other of the first and second or the third and fourth peripheral rows will be in printing position. The typewheel if in any other than its lower position is returned to its normal lower position after cach printing operation and elevated to the desired level or left in its lower position for each succeeding printing operation.

A horizontal cylindrical printing platen roller holds the recording paper in operative relation to the typewheel and the typewheel slides back and forth in front of it to effect letter spacing and typewheel car return. The printing operation is effected by rocking the typewheel against the platen and line feed by rotating the platen.

The five transfer levers in addition to controlling the discs of the drum stop unit are differently notched and selectively control a series of pivot levers. The pivot levers in turn control the operation of a set of so-called pivot point slide bars. Cooperating with the pivot point slide bar are a set of so-called oating or function control bars, one of the ends of each of which receives a definite motion on each cycle of operation of the printer. The other ends of the floating bar are secured to various function operating links and levers and the slide bars determine whether the oating bars pivot idly about the ends attached to associated operating levers or at substantially their midpoints and in so doing perform associated printer functions.

A more complete and thorough understanding of the invention will be had from the following detailed description thereof when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in the latter of which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention taken from such a position as to show the top, front and right hand sides of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the invention with some of the parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is an elevational View of the right hand end of the machine with some of the parts broken away;

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of the function control floating levers and the operating means therefor;

Fig. 5 is a rear elevational View of the invention with a few parts broken away;

Fig. 6 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation taken substantially on line -S of Fig. 2 approximately through the transverse center of the machine;

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on line 'l--l of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a View partly in section and partly in elevation of the selector cam shaft and some of the associated elements taken substantially on line 8-8 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view of the pilot sleeve friction clutch taken on line {ih-9 of 8;

Figs. l0 and 11 are fragmentary front and end views respectively, partly in section and partly in elevation of the selector magnet and the mounting arrangement therefor;

Fig'. 12 is an elevational view showing some of the elements of the orienting mechanism;

Fig. 13 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation of the typewheel stop unit;

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary front elevational view partly in section showing particularly one of the elements of the selecting mechanism and its associated and cooperating members;

Figs. 15, 16 and 17 are fragmentary front elevational views partly in section showing various operated positions of one of the selector elements and its cooperative members;

Fig. 18 is a perspective view of the transfer cam assembly;

Fig. 19 is a semi-diagrammatic view in elevation showing the arrangement of the notches in the transfer levers and their relation to the pivot levers;

Fig. 20 is an exploded diagrammatic View showing the outline and relative setting of the selector cams and the elements mounted on the selector cam sleeve;

Fig. 21 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation of the transfer cam assembly together with the driving clutch and tripping means therefor;

Fig. 22 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on line 22-22 of Fig. 21;

Fig. 23 is a fragmentary elevational view partly in section showing the latch employed for preventing rotation in a reverse direction of the transfer cam assembly;

Fig. 24 is a fragmentary plan view of some of the elements employed for suppressing the print and letter spacing operations;

Fig. 25 is a sectional view taken on line 25--25 Of Fig. 24;

Figs. 26 and 27 are front and perspective views respectively of the elements of Fig. 24;

Fig. 28 is a fragmentary side elevational view partly in section showing the pivot levers, the pivot point slide bars, the floating levers in section and some of their cooperating elements;

Figs. 29 and 30 are fragmentary plan and front elevational views respectively of the elements of Fig. 28;

Fig. 31 is a fragmentary side elevational view partly in section of the elevator slide bar lever with some of its associated elements;

Fig. 32 is a fragmentary front elevational view partly in section of the shift control mechanism;

Fig. 33 is a fragmentary side elevational view partly in section of the elements shown in Fig. 32;

Figs. 34, 35 and 36 are fragmentary side elevational views showing various operated positions of some of the shift control elements;

Fig. 37 is a fragmentary plan view of the elevator slide bar lever and associated elements;

Fig. 38 is a fragmentary elevational view of the elevator slide bar lever operating elements;

Fig. 39 is a perspective view of some of the elements of the shift control mechanism;

Fig. 40 is a side elevational view partly in section of the typewheel, typewheel shaft and associated elements;

Fig. 41 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 4|-4I of Fig. 40 substantially through the center of the typewheel shaft;

Fig. 42 is a side elevational view of the typewheel shaft elevator latch;

Fig. 43 is a plan view of an arm movable with the typewheel car;

Fig 44 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on line 44--44 of Fig. 40;

Fig. 45 is a developed view of the typewheel showing the arrangement of the type elements thereon;

Fig. 46 is a fragmentary elevational view partly in section showing the universal joints and associated elements employed in rotating the typewheel shaft;

Fig. 47 is a semi-diagrammatic view of the pivot point slide bars illustrating the manner in which they cooperate with the floating levers;

Fig. 48 is a developed view of the notched discs and guide plates of the typewheel stop unit showing the manner in which the notches cooperate with the stop elements;

Fig. 49 is a timing chart of the various operating cams on the operating cam shaft sleeve;

Fig. 50 is a semi-diagrammatic vievv of the floating levers showing the manner in which they cooperate with the pivot point slide bars;

Fig. 51 is a fragmentary plan View partly in section of the print and letter spacing mechanisms;

Fig. 52 is a front elevational view of the elements of Fig. 51;

Fig. 53 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 53-53 of Fig. 52;

Fig. 54 is a front elevational View of the typewheel car letter spacing feed rack and associated elements;

Fig 55 is a front elevational view of the disengaging bar for the typewheel car letter spacing feed pawls with associated operating and control mechanisms;

Fig. 56 is a plan view partly in section of the typewheel car letter spacing feed pawls taken substantially on line 56-56 of Fig. 54;

Fig. 57 is a left hand end view of the floating levers showing their attached links and controlled elements;

Fig. 58 is a perspective view of the control for the bell signal;

Fig. 59 is a front elevational view of the typewheel shaft elevating bar and associated operating elements;

Fig. 60 is a sectional view taken substantially on line BEI-66 of Fig. 59;

Fig. 61 is a front elevational view showing the typewheel shaft elevator latch operating bar;

Fig. 62 is a right hand end elevational View of the elements of Fig. 61;

Fig. 63 is a fragmentary side elevational view partly in section on the line feeding mechanisms;

Fig. 64 is a rear elevational view partly in section of a part of the elements employed in the automatic typewheel car return function;

Fig. 65 is a plan view partly in section of some of the automatic typewheel car return function control elements;

66 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 66--55 cf Fig. 65;

Fig. 67 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on line 61-61 of Fig. 65;

Figs. 68 and 69 are plan views partly in section of the ribbon feeding mechanism;

Fig. 70 is a fragmentary left hand side elevational view of a part of the ribbon feeding mechamsm;

Fig. 71 is a sectional view taken substantially on lines 'll-ll of Fig. 68; and

Fig. 72 is a front elevational View of the ribbon feeding mechanism.

Power supply As is the general practice in practically all telegraph receivers of this general type, all of ing several of the receivers connected in series or in parallel. Referring to Figs. 2, 3 and 5, fractional partsof the motor M are shown which is located at the rear left hand side of thereceiver. The motor rests on a set of collars such as 5l,

only one of which is shown in Fig. 3, and is attached to a motor sub-base 52 by screws such as 53 extending through the collars 5l. The subbase 52 is in turn supported on a series of co1- lars such as 5!! and is attached to the main base plate 55 of the entire receiver by screws such as 5l. The motor M is of a substantially constant speed and maybe a synchronous motor driven from a well regulated alternating current supply or it may be a direct current motor and kept at substantially constant speed by any one of severalk regulating devices of the type well known in the art.

Attached by a set screw 59 tothe left hand end of the motor shaft 53, as shownin Fig. 5, for rotation therewith is a helical pinion gear 6i. The gear meshes with another helical stop unit gear E52 located thereabove, which is pivotally supported on a typewheel stop unit shaft 53. The shaft 53 is suitably supported, as hereinafter described, from a vertical mounting plate 64 which is attached to the base 55 and extends lengthwise along the rear of the machine. The stop unit gear 62 in turn meshes with an idler gear 66 which is attached by screws 6l to a collar 68 pivotally supported on a stud 69 extending horizontally from the plate 64. The idler gear @6 in turn meshes with a second idler gear 'll attached by screws I2 to a collar 'i3 pivotally supported on a stud 14 extending from the plate te. Meshing with the idler gear 'Il is an operating cam shaft gear 16 which is attached by screws El to a collar 18 .which is in turn secured to the operating cam shaft 8| for rotation therewith by a set screw 19, Figs. 5 and 6'. Also meshing with the idler gear 1|, Fig. 5, is a third idler i2 pivotally supported in the same manner as idlers 66 and 'H from a stud 83 in the plate M. The idler gear 82 meshes with and drives a selector cam shaft gear 84 which is attached by screws, such as 85, Fig. 8, to a collar 8l, which in turn is secured by a set screw 88 to the selector cam shaft 89 for rotation therewith. Thus, as the motor M is constantly rotating the stop unit gear 62, the operating cam shaft 8l, and the selector cam shaft 89 are also constantly rotating and they serve to operate their associated groups of mechanisms, as will hereinafter be described.

Selector The selector mechanism and the manner in which its component elements cooperate with one another to transfer the electrical impulses comprising each group of signals into mechanical settings of the selectors will now be described.

The selector-magnet Ell, Figs. 1, 2, 3, 10 and 11. is composed of two individual coils mounted in a substantially vertical position on a magnet base 92. The magnet base 92 together with the magnet coils si, Figs. 10 and 1l, are attached by screws 93 to a horizontal section of a substantially U-shaped magnet yoke or cradle 9d which is pivotally supported at its upper ends on the inner ends of two trunnion screws @t and 97. The screws 96 and il? are supported in opposed vertical sections of a selector magnet mounting bracket i8 which is attached by screws such as 99, Fig. 3, to a set of posts Il extending horizontally from the front of a vertical mounting plate ft2, Figs. 2, 3 and 5, at the rear right hand corner of the machine. The screws Slt, extending through elongated slots M3, Fig. l0, in the bracket 93 permit adjustment of the entire selector magnet assembly relative to their cooperating members. Such an arrangement also has the advantage in that it enables the entire selector magnet assembly to be readily removed when requiring adjustment, repairs or replacement.

The trunnion screws 96 and 9"! are hollowended and have pivoted therein and. extending therebetween an armature lever pivot rod 04, Fig. 11. Aflixed to the pivot rod HM for movement therewith is an armature lever m5, Figs. 10 and 11, which carries an armature H31 in operative relation with the pole pieces of the selector magnets 9|. A threaded stud 108, is supported in a vertical position from the mounting bracket 98 and has thereon a self-locking nut m9. The self-locking nut H39, together with a flange lll integral with the stud m8 cooperate with a rightwardly extending arm |l2 of the armature lever Hit to limit the movement thereof. A leftwardly extending arm H3 of the armature lever cooperates in a manner hereinafter described with a group of :live selector lever latches H5, only the lower part of one of which is shown in Fig. l0. A substantially vertical upwardly extendingv arm Ht of the armature lever has adjustably attached thereto by screws lll an anvil I i8.

As hereinbefore described, a closed line condition exists during marking or rest impulses and obviously during such impulse the selector magnet 9i is energized. This places the armature lever H35 in the position shown by the full outline thereof in Fig. l0 with the anvil l I8 attached to the arm IE5 thereof in the path of, or in engagement with the end of a pilot sleeve stop arm H9. The pilot sleeve stop arm H9 tends to rotate with the constantly rotating selector cam shaft 89 through a friction clutch hereinafter described, and is held from rotation during rest intervals by the engagement thereof with the anvil l is. During spacing or open line condition the ends H3, H2 and the anvil Hi8 of the armature 06 take the position represented by clot dash outline thereof in Fig. l0. The movement of the armature anvil H8 from its marking t0 a spacing position is laccomplished by a retractile spring IZI one end of which is attached to the arm l l2. The other end of the spring IZI is anchored to an adjustable thumb screw lEZVsupported in the horizontal section H23 of the selector magnet cradle 94. By adjusting the thumb screw l22 the retractual force on the armature lever Iii may be varied to compensate for variable line or other conditions which may affect the magnetic strength of the selector magnet 9|. A threaded horizontal stud |25 supported in the selector unit mounting bracket 98 and extending

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