US2879333A - Telegraph transmitter - Google Patents

Description

March 24, 1959 J. L DE BOO TELEGRAPH TRANSMITTER Filed March 6, 195'7 FIG. 3

mvENToR JEROME L. DEBOO ATTORNEY 2,819,333 TELEGRAPH TnANsMrrTER Jerome L. De Boo, Barrington, Ill., assignor to Teletype Corporation, Chicago, lll., a corporation of Delaware Applicaties March 6, 195i, serial No. 644,353 6 claims. (el. 11s-33) This invention relates to telegraph transmitters and more particularly to cam controlled signal generators for telegraph transmitters.

In the past signal generators have been provided which have means built into them for locking selector levers in selected positions and for preventing displacement of the selectors during the transmission interval when lthe selector levers are being actuated to effect the transmission of the message. Apparatus which was capable of performing this function utilized locking means which were rather complicated and necessitated the provision of extra apparatus over and above that necessary to transmit the signal. r

The principal object of this invention is to provide a compact and efcient cam controlled means for generating telegraph signals. l

Another object of the invention is' to provide a transmitter having in it devices which permit an overlap of the transmission of one code signal and the setting up of another code signal for transmission. y

Another object of the invention is' to provide a signal generator wherein the settabl'e interponents which actuate the contact device of the transmitter may be locked in their set positions in a simple manner.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a telegraph transmitter including a signal generator wherein the selector levers which control the actuation of the contacting device of the transmitter are locked in their set position prior to the time they are actuated to effect their transmittting operation.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention includes a transmitter having a signal generator comprising a rockable member actuated through the instrumentality of specially conformed interponents by va series of cams, each cam having means thereon for first locking the interponents in their selected set positions and then sequentially actuating the interponents tocau'se the transmission of the telegraphic code signal. The apparatus includes specially constructed interponents' which have means on them for engagement with either one side or the other of a shaft which supports the rockable member to' lock the interponent members in their set or selected position prior to their transmitting operation. y y

A better understanding of the invention may be had by reference to the followingl detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein: I

Fig. l is an elevational view of a signal generator embodying the novel features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig; lxbut showing an alternate condition of operable elements of the device shown in Fig. 1; and j Fig. 3 is a cam chart showing the sequence of operation of the cams with respect one to another.

In the embodiment of the invention described in more detail hereinafter, the details of the telegraph transmitter which cooperate with the apparatus according to the present invention, but which do not constitute a part of the States Patent combination comprising the invention, has' not been shown in the drawing and will not be described herein since they are shown and described in United States' Patent No. 2,607,848, granted August 19, 1952, to W. l. Zenner, which disclosure is incorporated herein by ref- 'erence and made a part hereof. Briefly, the apparatus embodying the preferred form of the invention includes a base portion which is provided at its forward area with 'a keyboard (not shown) of the usual form and which is adapted to house a plurality of keylevers 11 (shown in section in Fig. l) and the selector mechanism operated thereby, exemplified by the code bars 12. Mounted on the base are a signal generator 13 and related parts which are selectively controlled by the aforementioned selector mechanism of which the code bars form a part. A- motor (not shown) Afor supplying the power for operating the transmitter is appropriately mounted on the base portion to effect the rotation of the operating shaft 14. The cyclic rotation of the transmitting cams 15 carried on shaft 14 is governed by a single revolution clutch, as set forth in the aforementioned patent.

Referring now to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the keylevers 11 control the setting of code bars 12 permutatively. As set forth in said patent, the code bars 12 are normally biased rightwardly, as viewed in Fig. 1, by individual` springs (not shown), but are held in their leftward position by a bail member (similar to bail member 48 disclosed in said patent) which bears against suitable shouldered portions on the code bars 12. The code bars are normally restrained against rightwa'rd movement by' said bail member under the control of a key controlled tripoff means (not shown) of a nature substantially as disclosed in said patent.

- As more fully described in `said patent, the clutch for controlling the rotation of shaft 14 is of the single revolution type, and is normally locked againstV rotation by a release lever (not shown) controlled by a universal bar 16 upon the actuation of a keylever 11.l According to the present invention each ofthe code bars 12 is provided with a vertically projecting portion 17, the upper end of each of which portions is adapted to cooperate in abuttal'relation with a projection 18 on a specially conformed interponent member 19. The interponent members 19 are mounted on a common rod 21 appropriately located above the shaft 14, and are provided with individual cam follower portions 22 adapted to cooperate with their respective cams 15. The interponent members 19 are normally biased downwardly and clockwise rby individual springs 23. All of the-interponent' members 19 are slotted as shown at 24 to permit vertical reciprocating movement thereof by ythe cam 15. Near their upper ends the interponent members 19' are each pro'- vided with a rectangular aperture 26. These apertures 26 in the interponent member 19 are formed in the saine position in each member so that when all of the interponent members are in the 'same relative position all of the apertures in them are aligned. Since in the startstop Baudot code the stop signal is a marking pulse and the start is a spacing pulse the interponent meinbers 19 associated with the start and stop cams 15 are permanently held in their right and left-hand positions, respectively, as will be described more in detail hereinafter.

A rod 27 extends through the aligned apertures 26 in the interponent members 19 and serves to guide ythe interponent members when they are oscillated by the projections 17 or when they are reciprocated by the cams 15. Suitable guide combs 28 and 29 are provided for guiding the interponent members 19 in their movements. The lower of these combs, that is, the kcomb 29 also serves as a guide for the projections 17 on the code bars 12.

The reciprocatory motion imparted to the interponent members 19 is in accordance with the camming chart shown in Fig. 3. It will be noted that the cams assigned to the start and stop signals each has a single cam projection which cams its respective interponent member 19 upwardly in a single step whereas the cams designated 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 which transmit the significant signals are each formed with a locking projection in addition to the signal transmitting projection. It should also be noted that the interponent members 19 assigned to the start and stop signals are so shaped that the interponent members 19 for the start and stop signals are always held in either their locked or their completely operated positions. The signal transmitting projections for the code transmitting cams 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are so aligned that the transmission of the code signals will take place sequentially. The locking projections are, however, all etective to raise the interponent members 19 for each of the cams for each of the 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 signals to the locking position simultaneously. The sig-nal transmitting the portions of the cams for the code signals are arranged helically around the shaft 14 to eifect the reciprocation of the interponent members 19 sequentially in a manner well known in the art.

Each of thek interponent members 19 is provided at its upper end with a pair of upwardly projecting rocker actuating projections 37 and 38 and with a locking projection 39 which is located between the two rocker actuating projections 37 and 38. The projections 37 and 38 are adapted to cooperate with downwardly extending arms 40 and 41, respectively, of a rockable or oscillatable member 42. The oscillatable or rockable member 42 is pivoted on a pivot shaft or pin 43. It will be noted by reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings that one of the interponent members 19, that is, the interponent member associated with the stop signal has its central or locking projection 39 held in the left-hand position where it bears against the pivot shaft 43. This interponent member 19 associated with the stop signal never moves down to a position where it is unlocked from engagement with the pivot shaft 43 since the signal which it transmits is always a marking signal. This result is eected by shaping the cam 15 associated with the stop interponent member 19 so that it always holds this particular interponent member 19 in its locked position. Conversely the interponent member 19 which transmits the start signal is always locked in its right-hand position to transmit a spacing impulse or signal by so shaping the cam 15 associated therewith that this particular interponent member never moves down below the locked position and by assembling this particular interponent member with its locking projection 39 at the right side of the shaft or pin 43. Y

Since the signal transmitting cams 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 may transmit either a marking or a spacing signal depending upon the setting of the code bars 12 these cams are so formed that the interponent members 19 associated with them may be drawn downwardly by their respective springs to a position where their locking projections 39 are completely disengaged from the pivot shaft 43 to permit the setting of these interponent members 19 by the `code bars 12.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings the interponent members are shown in the positions they occupy when the apparatus is at rest. In this position interponent member 19 associated with the stop cam 15 is in its operated position and the other interponent members 19 are in their unoperated positions. In the operation of the apt paratus the code bars 12 associated with the 1, 2, 3, 4 and signals are set or positioned permutably pursuant to the actuation of a keylever 11. When this occurs the interponents 19 for transmitting the 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 pulses will be correspondingly positioned in their clockwise or counterclockwise positions to cause the locking projections 39 to be moved to a position at the right of or the 4 l left of the pivot shaft 43. Immediately after the keylevers are set the shaft 14 starts to rotate and in so doing will first release the stop interponent member 19 from its operated position and will then actuate the interponent member 19 associated with the start pulse. Simultaneously with the operation of the interponent member associated with the start pulse the interponent members 19 associated with the 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 pulses or signals will be moved to their locked positions where their locking projections 39 will be either to the right or to the left of the pivot shaft 43 as determined by the selective operation of the code bars 12. These interponents will then be locked in position and it will not be possible to change their set position until they are retracted to positions where their projections 39 will be below the pivot shaft 4 3. As the shaft 14 continues to rotate the cams 15 will sequentially move the interponent members 19 associated with the start pulse, the 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 pulses upwardly to transmit a start pulse which is spacing and then the 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 pulses which may be either marking or spacing. After each of the cams 15 has thus effected its transmission, as will be described more in detail hereinafter, the cams associated with the interponent members 19 for the l, 2, 3, 4 and 5 pulses will be retracted to their unlocked position. However, the stop and start interponent members will move back only to their locked positions since they invariably transmit the same signals. From the foregoing it will be apparent that, although the interponents may be moved vertically, in sequence, after they have been set in their set position, they are locked against movement in an oscillatory manner. With this arrangement it is possible to reset or reposition the code bars 12 in accordance with a new code combination while the signal generator 13 is operating to transmit the preceding code signal thus providing an overlap in the operation of the keylevers 11 and the transmitting signal generator 13.

The mode of operation is further illustrated in Fig. 2 where the interponent member 19 shown therein has been moved to its right-hand position and has been moved upwardly by its associated cam 15 (not shown in this iigure) thereby to cause the projection 38 to engage the arm 41 and to tilt the rockable member 42 to its counterclockwise position. The shaft 14 in returning to its rest position as illustrated in Fig. 1 will reoperate the interponent member 19 associated with the stop pulse to hold a marking condition on the line until rotation of the shaft 14 is reinitiated bythe operation of another key on the keyboard.

The rockable or oscillatable member 42 has an upwardly projecting extension 44 which cooperates with a pair of stabilizing elements or retainers 45 and 46 suitably supported on studs 47 and 48, respectively, and normally biased towards each other, and towards the extension 44 by a common spring 49. The spring 49 is stretched between a pair of appropriately formed projections on the retainers 45 and 46. These retainers 45 and 46 are alternately effective to maintain the rockable or oscillatable member 42 in either its clockwise or its counterclockwise position. For example, rockable member 42 in rocking from its clockwise position shown in Fig. 1 to its counterclockwise position as shown in Fig. 2 will urge the retainer 45 to rotate counterclockwise about its pivot stud 47 until the end 88 of the retainer 45 has slipped off of the extension 44 of the rockable member 42, whereupon retainer 46 will have dropped behind extension 44 permitting the spring 49 as shown in Fig. 2 to maintain the rockable member 42 in the counterclockwise position.

The rockable member 42 functions through a link 56 to control the transmitting contact assembly contained in the housing 57. Link 56 is articulated to the rockable member 42 in such a manner that the lefthand (Fig. 1) extremity 58 of link S6 is caused to bear normally in a V-,shaped groove 59 by means of a spring 61 stretched between the opening 62 in the rockable member 42 and a lug 63 on the link 56. The right-hand end of link 56 as viewed in Fig. 1 is articulated to an operating lever 64 of the contact assembly by engaging a notch 65 therein. Operating lever 64 is connected pivotally to the stemv of a T-shaped lever 66. Each of the arms of the T-lever 66 is provided on its underside with a contact point 67 that cooperates respectively with fixed contact points 68 carried on a bracket 69. At a point centrally located between the contacts 67, the swingable T-lever 66 is provided with a V-shaped notch 71 which cooperates with an arm of a substantially U-shaped member 72, the other arm of which cooperates with a V-shaped notch 73 in a bracket 74 mounted in the housing 57. A spring 7S having one end attached to the member 72 has the other end attached to a spring post 76. The spring 75 is thus so connected that the member 72 will be urged normally in a clockwise direction (Fig. l), urging the co-ntact points 67 toward their associated contact points 68. With the notch 71 centrally located, a balanced pressure is exerted with respect to both of the contact points 67. vIn actual practice the operating lever 66 will normally be held in such a position that only one contact pair 67-68 will be closed at a time. Thus, the operating lever 64 will be maintained in one of its two positions, or moving from one to the other, which causes the T-lever 66 to be positioned in such a position to cause one of the contact points 67 to fulcrum about its associated contact point 67. The change of selection is made in the operating lever 64 under the control of the rockable member 42 and as will presently appear, the T-lever 66 will be moved from one position to the other, and as the lever 66 is not pivoted about an external point it will fulcrum about the contact pair which is desired to be closed.

After the interponents 19 have been set and locked in their set position, the helically arranged cams for the 1, 2, 3 and 4 pulses will coact with the cam portion 22 to sequentially raise the interponents 19. If the rocker projections 37 for certain of the interponents 19 are thus aligned with the downwardly extending arm 40 of the member 42 the member 42 will be rocked in a clockwise direction. Conversely, if a rocker actuating projection 38 has been aligned with the downwardly extending arm 41 of the rockable or oscillatable member 42 then the member 42 will be rocked in a counter-clockwise direction at the time that the interponent so aligned is moved by its associated or sequentially arranged cam portion.

ln this manner the operation of the keylevers does not` necessarily have to be delayed until the generator 13 has transmitted the pulses of the code -but only needs to be delayed until the locking projections 39 on selected interponents 19 have been moved into locking association with the pivot shaft 43.

Although a preferred form of the invention has been disclosed and described herein, it is obvious that changes may be made in the details set forth hereinbefore without departing from the essentials of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. ln a transmitter, a signal generator comprising a rockable member, a shaft for oscillatably supporting said member, a series of interponent members each having elements operably disposed with respect to said rockable member, means for setting said interponent members in accordance with a predetermined code comprising settable code bars having facilities in abuttable relation with said interponent members, transmitting contact means, means controlled by said rockable member for controlling the actuation of said transmitting contact means, a series of cams, one for each of said interponent members, cam surfaces arranged on said cams for actuating said interponent members sequentially, and means operable after said interponent members have been actuated by said code bars and prior to the sequential actuation of said interponent members by said cams for moving certain of said interponent, members-.fo loc-.1r them against displacement from their setpositions afs-selected by the selective operation ofthe codes bars, wherebytransmitting under control of theselected interponent members mayY proceed while a succeeding code signal setting takes place to provide an overlap. n

2. In a transmitter, asignal generator comprising ay rockable member, a shaft for oscillatably supportingsaid member, a series of interponent members each having elements operably disposed with respect to said rockable member, means for setting. said interponent members in accordance with a predetermined code comprising settable code bars having facilities in abuttable relation with said interponent members, transmitting contact means, means controlled -by said rockable member for controlling the actuation of said transmitting contact means, a series of cams, one for each of said interponent members, cam surfaces` arranged on said-cams. foractuating said inter-1 ponent members sequentiallyp a cam surface oncertain of said camsfor actuatingsaid interponent members simultaneously after-the interponent members `have been selectively actuated by; said`code bars and prior to the sequential actuation of said kinterponent members by said cams, and interlocking means comprising cooperating instrumentalities associated with said interponent members and said rockable member supporting shaft for holding said interponent members in selected positions after their selective actuation by the code bars whereby transmitting under control of the selected interponent mem-bers may proceed while a succeeding lcode signal setting takes place to provide an overlap.l

3. In a transmitter, a signal/generator comprising a rockable member, a-shaftf for-oscillatably supporting said member, a series of interponent members each having elements operably disposed with respect to said rockable member, means for setting said interponent members in accordance with apredetermined code comprising settable code bars having facilities in abuttable relation with said interponent members, transmitting contact means, means controlled by said rockable member for controlling the actuation of said transmitting contact means, a series of cams, one for each of said interponent members, cam surfaces arranged on said cams for actuating said interponent members sequentially, and means operable after said interponent members have been actuated by said code bars and prior to the sequential actuation of said interponent members Iby said cams for moving certain of said interponent members to engage portions thereof with said shaft and to lock them against displacement from their set positions as selected by the selective operation of the code bars, whereby transmitting under control of the selected interponent members may proceed while a succeeding code signal setting takes place to provide an overlap.

4. In a transmitter, a signal generator comprising a rockable member, a shaft oscillatably supporting said member, a series of interponent members each .having elements operably disposed with respect to said rockable member, a third element on each of said interponent members disposed for locking engagement with said shaft, means for setting said interponent members in accordance with a predetermined code comprising settable code bars having facilities in abuttable relation with said interponent members, transmitting contact means, means controlled by said rockable member for controlling the operation of said contact means, a series of cams, one for each of said interponent members, cam surfaces arranged on said cams for actuating said interponent members sequentially, cam surfaces on certain of said cams for actuating their associated members simultaneously after the interponent members have been selectively actuated by said code bars and prior to the sequential actuation of said interponent members by said cams, said second mentioned cam surfaces on said certain cams being operable to move said interponent members into 7, i position Where the element disposed on said interponent members Abetween thefrst mentioned elements thereon will engage with the shaft to hold said interponent members in selected positions aftertheir selective actuation by the code bars, whereby transmitting under control of the selected interponent members may proceed-while a succeeding code signal setting takes place to provide an overlap. y

5. In a transmitter a signal generator comprising a U-shaped oscillatable or rockable member having vertically directed abutment portions, a pivot shaft for supporting said member, a series of sequentially operable cams, an interponent member individually associated with each cam, said interponent member having a pair of vertically directed elements with confronting abutment portions adapted to be selectively presented in operative relation to said rst mentioned abutment portions on the oscillatable or rockable member, each of said interponent members also having a vertically directed locking element located between the pair of vertically directed elements, cam follower portions formed on each of said interponent members for cooperation with said cams, means for setting said interponent members in accordance with a predetermined code comprising settable code bars having facilities in abuttable relation with said interponent members, means for operating said cams to actuate said interponent members sequentially, transmitting contact means controlled by said oscillatable or rockable member, and cam surfaces on each of said cams for moving said interponent members to carry the locking one of said vertically directed elements into locking engagement with the shaft which supports said rockable or oscillatable member, said last mentioned cam surfaces being etective to lock said interponent members in the positions into which they have been set by the code bars prior to the sequential operation of the interponent members to effect the transmission of signals whereby transmitting under; control of the locked and set selected,interponent members may proceed while a succeeding'code signal setting of the code bars is being effected to provide an overlap.

6. In a transmitter, a signal generator comprising a U-shaped rockable member having vertically directed abutment portions, a shaft for supporting said member, a vseries of sequentially operable cams, an nterponent member individually associated with each cam, said interponent member having a pair of vertically directed elements with confronting abutment portions selectively presentable in` operable alignment with said rst mentioned abutment portions on the rockable member, cam

follower meansv integrally formed on said interponent members for cooperating with said cams, means for setting said interponent members in accordance with a predetermined code comprising settable code bars having facilities in abuttable relation with said interponent members, means for operating said cams to actuate said interponent members sequentially,y transmitting contact means, means controlled by said rockable member for controlling the actuation of said transmitting contact means, and cam surfaces on each of said cams for moving said interponent members to position where a portion of each of said interponent members is in locking engagement with the shaft which supports the rockable member whereby vertical reciprocating movement of said interponent members is afforded to transmit a code signal while a succeeding code signal setting is set up on the code bars to thereby provide an overlap.

References Citedin the tile of this patent UNITED STATES Pitrnrsrrs 2,677,013 Zenner Apr. 27, 1954 2,781,415 De Boo Feb. 12, 1957 2,795,645 Thienemann June 11, 1957

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