US2944111A - Printing telegraph apparatus - Google Patents

Description

y 5, 1960 J. HANDLEY 2,944,111

PRINTING TELEGRAPH APPARATUS Original Filed Jan. 21, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 FIGB.

H L34 Inventor A ttorn e y y 5, 1950 J. HANDLEY 2,944,111

PRINTING TELEGRAPH APPARATUS Original Filed Jan. 21, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor JJ/A/V EV Attornev y 5, 1960 J. HANDLEY 2,944,111

PRINTING TELEGRAPH APPARATUS Original Filed Jan. 21, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventor J. /V [V A #torn e y July 5, 1960 J. HANDLEY PRINTING TELEGRAPH APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Original Filed Jan. 21, 1955 FIG.4.

FIGS.

.1 0 I. m U n 1 United States Patent PRINTWG TELEGRAPH APPARATUS John Handley, Pnrley, England, assignor to Creed &

Company Limited, Croyden, Surrey, England, a British company Original application Jan. 21, 1955, Ser. No. 483,313. Di-

vided and this application De'c. 23, 1957, Ser. No. 704,583

1 Claim. (Cl. 178 -35) This invention relates in general to printing telegraph apparatus and in particular to a mechanism for positioning a telegraph type carrier. its principal object is to provide new and improved type-carrier positioning mechanism of the aggregate motion type which is reliable and accurate.

In telegraph apparatus of the above character, signal combinations are received and stored on control plates, which through aggregate motion mechanisms and gear trains, selectively position the type carrier in accordance with the received signals. In prior-art telegraph apparatus employing aggregate motion mechanisms, backlash is present in the linkages, resulting in faulty or improper setting of the type carrier.

According to the present invention, this type-carrier positioning difiiculty is overcome by providing an aggregate motion mechanism which is devoid of backlash and thus is reliable and accurate in positioning the carrier. More specifically, the positioning of the type carrier is controlled by gear trains driven by links, which through spring-loaded rocker arms controlled by rocker cams and associated control plates, smoothly respond to code settings without extraneous movements or backlash.

The present invention is a division of my copending application for Printing Telegraph Apparatus, Serial No. 483,313, filed January 2, 1955. The manner in which the noted signal combinations are received and stored on the control is described in the above noted application and will not be described herein.

Other objects and features of this invention will become apparent and the invention will be better understood from reference to the accompanying drawings comprising Figs. 1 to wherein:

Fig. 1 shows a plan view of a teleprinter, certain parts of which are removed to show the operation of the aggregate motion mechanism;

Fig. 2, taken along lines II-II of Fig. 1, shows a portion of the control plates, rocker arms and earns;

Fig. 3, takenalong lines IIIIIl of Fig. 1, shows a portion of the type carrier and associated gear trains;

Fig. 4shows the aggregate motion mechanism of Fig. 1, and- Fig. 5 shows a pictorial representation of a number of control plates positioned according to a received signal combination.

A general description of the invention will now be given by referring to the various figures to show their particular operation.

Referring now to Fig. 5 of the drawings, five control plates 34, 36, 38, 40 and 42 are selectively positioned, by individual code speakers, in an advanced or retarded position in accordance with the received signal combination. The operation of the code pecker is described in the noted application. When these control plates are operated they will be moved in the direction indicated by arrows A. Five cam followers or type setting rockers 99 to 103 have a forward end which engages respectively corresponding control plates 34 to 42, when operated. The other end of each type setting rocker has a link, such 2 944,l ll Patented July 5, 1960 ice 2 as 111 to 113, associated therewith, these links being connected to the aggregate motion mechanism of Fig. 4.

When shaft 19 rotates, the type-setting rockers associated with an operated control plate is prevented from following their cams, but the remaining rockers follow the profiles of the associated printing cams 104 to 108, and impart movement to their associated links, thereby operating the aggregate motion mechanism of Fig. 4.

When the aggregate motion mechanism is operated, longitudinal movement is imparted to shafts 121 and/or 131 which are connected to the gear assembly shown in the right-hand side of Fig. 3. This causes rotation of gear 139 which selectively positions the type carrier associated therewith. As will appear hereinafter, the aggregate motion mechanism has the links spring-urged against the cam followers which are in turn urged against corresponding cams.

A detailed description of the invention will now be given:

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, two sets of five interleaved control plates 34 to 43 are shown, the interleaving permitting alternate settings of successive signal combinations. As hereinbefore pointed out, the setting of the control plates is described in the copending application.

Referring to Fig. 2, the control plates 34 to 43 are mounted so that they may slide inrails 44 and 45. When a signalcombination has been set up on one set of control plates, and shaft 19 rotates, selected ones of the links 111 to 113 move the aggregate motion mechanism of Fig, 4.

Rocker 99 is allowed by its associated cam to drop 3 units of length, thus permitting link 111 to move 4 units, provided that control bar 42 has not been operated. The other rockers 100-103, however, are allowed to drop 6 units by their respective cams, when no control bar is operated. Their associated links 112-115 are thus allowed to move 8 units each.

Links 111 and 112 are connected to each end of the first summation rocker 116. The centre of this rocker 116 and the end of link 113 are connected to the ends of the second summation rocker -1-17. The centre of the rocker 117 is pivoted midway between the centreand the end pivot of the arm 118, which is connected by link 119 to cross arm 120. The centre of cross-arm is pivoted on the rack 121, and pulled by spring 109 under link i119.

Consider now that the rocker 99 is released allowing link 111 to move 4 units to the right in Fig. 4, all the other rockers 100-103 and links 112-115 retaining their unoperated positions. This movement of link 111 causes rocker 116 to pivot about point 401, so that the end of the rocker 116 attached to link 111 (i.e. 405) will move four units, and the centre of rocker 116 (i.e. point 406) will therefore move two units. Rocker 117 which is attached to the centre of rocker 116 is therefore caused to pivot about point 402 and its centre will move up one unit. The centre of rocker 117 is attached to the midpoint of arm 118 which is therefore caused to pivot about point 403 so that the end of arm 118 moves two units. This movement of two units is transferred through link 119 to the cross-arm 120 which pivots about point 404. The centre of the crossarm 120 therefore moves one unit, as does also the rack 121 to which it is attached. Rack 121, through gears 122, 123-424, 125126, 127 and 128 (Figs. 1 and 3) turns the type wheel 129 (Figs. 1 and 3) (which is made of nylon) in an anticlockwise direction one sixteenth of a revolution, ie, one position.

Considering now the case in which rock-er 100 alone is released, the link 112 will move 8 units as the cam permits twice as much movement as the first cam controlling rocker 99, but all the other rockers 99 and '101 to 103 and the links 111 and 113 to 115 will retain their unoperatcd 3. positions. In this case rocker 116 is caused to pivot about point 405 and its centre will move 4 units. This movement is twice that caused by the movement of link 111. in the case described above, and is transferred through the' same mechanism as described there to rack 121'which is moved two units. The type wheel 129' is therefore caused to move two positions. I

If rockers 99 and 100 are both released together the type wheel moves one'plu's two to position three i.e. three sixteenths of a revolution anti-clockwise" If the rocker 101 is released alone, link 113 willmove 8 units. Link 113 is attached to rocker 117 at point 402 and therefore causes rocker 117 to pivot about point 406.

The centre of rocker 117 will therefore move 4 units, and this movement is transferred through arm 118, link 119 and cross-arm 120 to rack 121 which-also moves 4 units. The-type wheel 129 is therefore moved four'positions or one quarter of. a revolution anticlockwise.

Then links 101. and 99' released together, four plus one, would move the type wheel 129 five positions, links 100 and 101, together, two plus four, would move it six posi tions, and if links 99, 100 and 101 are released together, one plus two plus four, the type wheel would turn seven sixteenths' of a revolution anti-clockwise and move seven positions. Links '99, 100 and 101 thus give a choice of any one of eight positions, referred to as -7.

When rocker 102 alone is released, link 114 is allowed to move 8 units and links 111--113 and 115 remain in their unopera'ted positions. Link 114 is attached to the short end of rocker130 at a point immediately beneath but quite independent of point 401. Rocker 130 pivots about point 403 and causes the end of its long arm to move 16 units in the opposite direction, i.e. to the left in Fig. 15. This movement is transferred through link 131 to cross-arm 120 which in this case will pivot about point 407, i.e. the junction between link 1119 andcross-arrn 120. "The centre of cross-arm' 120 will therefore move 8 units in the opposite direction to the movements caused by'links 111"to 113, and the type wheel 129 will be turned half a revolution in a clockwise direction.

Operationof the rockers 99 to 101 in conjunction with 102 subtract from this half revolution clockwise by their anti-clockwise movements to mark the intermediate positions between the eight mentioned above and sixteen. It will be seen that the clockwise movements are urged by spring 110 under link 131 in the opposite direction to link 119 and spring 109.

a l 4 When a figure shift signal is received it is necessary to lift the type wheel 129 to a third or fourth level of type. The figure shift signal, in a manner which is described in the cognate complete specification already referred to, allows another type-setting rocker 141 (Fig. 1) to drop as it follows the contour of its associated cam. This operates link 143 (Fig. 1), which is connected to the 4 other end of summation rocker 132. Link 143 moves rack 133 through twice the distance moved in response tomovement of rocker 103 and brings the type wheel 129 up to print from the third level of type. When type-setting rockers 103 and 101 are operated together 'the type wheel 129 is lifted to bring the fourth level of type into printing position.

The position of the type selected may not be quite correct owing to slight inconsistencies in the mechanism, and a number of correctors have to be provided to overcome these inconsistencies.

- which might result from varying clearances between the 1 provided to take up .any play in the gears so that the links bring the type wheel to the correct position.

, While the principles of the invention have been described above in connection with specific embodiments, and particular modifications thereof, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only byway of example and not as a limitation on the scope of the invention. r

What I claim is:" In printing telegraph'apparatus, a plurality of control plates and means for operating them in accordance with received telegraph signal combinations, a type carrier, a plurality of cams and associated cam followers for. respective control plates, each cam follower including 1 means controlled by the operation of its associated control The fifth rocker 103 moves link 115 8 units, which plate for preventing the cam follower from following the contour of its associated cam, an aggregate motion mechanism and means linking it to the type carrier and to the cam followers for controlled movement to selectively. position the type carrier in accordance with the received signal combination, and anti-backlashmeans urging eachcam follower against its associated cam.

ReferencesCited in the file of this patent r V UNITED STATES PATENTS Oberman May 8, 1951 2,562,825 Segaar July 31, 1951 has; J: J

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