US673418A - Apparatus for use in wireless telegraphy. - Google Patents

Description

No. 573,418. Patented may 7,1901. .1. ausm/. 1 APPARATUS FUR USE IN WIRELESS 'I'.ELElI-IAPIIYv (Anuman -med sept 2 1899;) (no nodal.) 1

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NITED STATES PATENT Ormea.

JOHN HURRY, OF FORT LEE, NEW JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR USE IN WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,418, dated May '7, 1901.

Application lled September 2, 1 89 9.

To CLZZ 7,071,077?, t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN BURRY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Fort Lee, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inApparat-us for Use in Wireless Telegraphy, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to apparatus for use in the art of transmitting and receiv-` ing signals by means of oscillations or manifestations of the ether, whether on sea or on land, and more particularly to apparatus at the receiving-station.

In Letters Patent of the United States, dated the 13th day of July, 1897, bearing No.1 586,193, and granted to Guglielmo Marconi, a complete system of wireless telegraphy, popularly' so called, is disclosed, wherein several forms of receiving apparatus are described. In Letters Patent of the United States, dated June 27, 1899, bearing No. 627,650, and granted to said Marconi, modified forms of the receiving apparatus are shown. In the apparatus shown in said Letters Patent (and in all improvements thereon with which I am acquainted) it is not possible to use the ordinary dot-and-dash or Morse system of signaling, owng'to the fact that the imperfect electrical contact or contacts employed are automatically restored to their normal condition of high resistance as soon as a circuit of a given strength is once established through them. From this it results that several vibrations of the Morse receiver represent a dot and a greater number of such vibrations represent a dash, though of course at the sending-station the key is (or may be) operated as in ordinary telegraphy.

One object of the present invention is to cause the vibrations of the Morse receiver at the receiving-station to harmonize with the movem ents of the key at the sending-stationthat is, the movements of the armature-lever ot the receiver relay or sounder will be practically synchronous with the movements of the lever of the sending-key, or a dot sent will be a dot at the receiver and so also for a dash.

Many forms of imperfect electrical contacts have been made, proposed, or used, some of Serial No. 729,280. (No model.)

which are self-recovering or self-restoring to a normal condition of poor conductivity, and some are quick and some are slow to recover said normal condition. Others are quick to recover for a time and then lose that power in a measure and have to receive additional treatment or rest before they regain that power, and yet others gain or lose such power during use.

One object of the present invention is to provide intervals of time in which the imperfect electrical contacts shall be cut off from the collector of the oscillations or manifestations of the ether, during which time the said contacts may be restored to their normal condition of poor conductivity (or the reverse) either by self-recovery or by means appropriate to the particular kind of contact in use.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the description hereinafter.

In the said Letters Patent to Marconi are described several forms of receiving apparatus, one as having the receiving devices connected with the secondary of an inductioncoil, another as having complete metallic local circuits, another as having the terminals of the metallic part of the local circuit one in the air and the other inthe earth, (or water,) and a third as having both metallic terminals in earth or water The apparatus forming this invention and hereinafter described may be used in each of the cases just referred to above, and this fact should be borne in mind in the description hereinafter given of a specific instance or application of the invention and alsoiu the construction of the claims.

According to the present invention a number of imperfect electrical contacts are arranged in multiple at the receiving-station and means are provided for progressively switching less than the whole number of said imperfect electrical contacts into and out of the local circuit, whereby each of said contacts is out of circuit for portions of the time, during which portions of time it may automatically recover itself or may be restored to its normal or imperfect condition by means adapted to that end and depending upon the `nature of the imperfect electrical contacts used in the particular case. By preference but one imperfect electrical contact is in circuit at one time, and also at least three such contacts are employed at the receiving-station, said contacts being arranged as above set forth. Circuit-completing connections areV legraphy, IA provide a relay or sounder and a' battery with the coilsof the magnet and the cells of the battery in series and in a circuit connected to the collector or the conductor therefrom. The self-induction of the magnetcoils prevents the oscillations or etheric manifestations from being grounded or short-circuited through the relay and battery. The arrangements are such that the battery-current goes through the electrical contacts whenever these are in circuit with the battery and have hadtheir resistance reduced by the action of an oscillation from the distant sending-station; but the lresistance through the coils of the magnet of the relay or sounder and through an unacted-upon imperfect electrical contact and the battery is so great as to practically have open circuit-that is to say, the magnet is not strong enough to attract the armature-lever of the relay to itself; but once an oscillation reduces the resistance of a contact the battery-current becomes strong enough to cause the magnet to attract the armature-lever, and so to operate the line or other circuit. If, as is intended, the

receiving instrument be operated at such a speed that more than one imperfect contact (in the preferred arrangement) be switched in during the sending of a dot, the interval between the cutting out of one contact and the cutting in of the next is so slight that the magnet does not have time to become discharged, and so does not release .the armature-lever. Of course when a dash is transmitted and received the same fact holds truej for the greater number of contacts so cut out and in.

A particular form of the invention will now be described in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part of this speciication, in which- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic View, and Fig. 2 is a View, partly diagrammatic and partlyv in elevation, of the preferred form of the invention.

The refe-rence 1 indicates a conductor having one end connected to a brush 2. The other end of said conductor may beV connected to or may form a collectoi` for the oscillation or manifestations of the ether.

3 is a sunflower having three segments 4 5 6, which areinsulated from each other and from a metal shaft 7, on which a trailer 8 is securely fastened, as by a hub 9 and set-screw 10. The said brush 2 bears upon the hub 9. The brush, hub, trailer, and segments named? are of conducting material.

l1 12 13 are three imperfect electrical contacts, of which Contact 11 is connected with segment 4, contact 12 with segment 5, and

contact 13 with segment 6 by electrical con- Y ductors, as will shortly appear.

Each of the contacts 11 12 13 shown in the drawings is formed of a non-conducting tube 14, preferably of glass, metal trunnions 15, and metallic powder or grains of metal 16. The grains of metal are loose and inV such a condition that when the tube 14 is tapped or j arred or shaken they may move. The plugs 17,which are contin nous with trunnions 15, are of the same diameter as the tube and are sealed in place. The trunnions or journals 15 rest in bearings 18, preferably of insulating material. If of metal, the bearings 18 should be insulated. Intermediate the journals 15 and the plugs 17 are cylindrical parts 19, on which brushes 2021 bear. The metal brushes or springs 20 21 are secured to arms or lugs 22 on the arms or standards, in which the bearings 18 are formed, and are insulated therefrom if said lugs 22 themselves are not of insulating ma terial. The brush 2O for the contact 11 is connected with segment 4 by a` conductor 23 and screw 24, the brush 2O for contact 12 with segment 5 by conductor 25 and screw 26, and brush 2O for contact 13 with segment 6 by a conductor 27 and screw 28. The brushes 21 of the contacts 11 12 13 are connected together and to the return, as the earth, by conductors 29 30, or the local circuit or return thereof maybe otherwise completed, as above intimated. The magnet 31 of a relay or sounder is connected with brush 2 by a wire 32 and with one pole of a battery 33 by a wire 34. The other pole of the battery is connected with the said return or circuit-completing connections, as wire 30, by a conductor 35. The armature-lever 36 of the relay or sounder vibrates between contact-s 3738, which may be in a local or a line circuit, (not shown,) an adjustable spring 39 being employed, as usual, to move the lever 36 away from magnet 31.

The imperfect electrical contacts herein shown are agitated or shaken to'restore them to their imperfect condition by rotating them in their bearings 18, and thisis conveniently and automatically done by means of mutilated disks mounted upon the shaft 7. For this purpose the bearings 18 of the contacts 11 12 13 are arranged in line with each other adjacent to and parallel with the shaft 7, and the shaft is provided with three disks 40 41 42, on the periphery of which are soft-rubber segments 43. Each segment 43 extends-over or covers substantially two-thirds of the periphery of the disk on whichit is placed, leav- IOO IIO

lated portions of the disk peripheries is shown in Fig. 1 more particularly. From the described arrangement' of the mutilated portions 44 45 46 it follows that each contact is rotated by the corresponding disk during nearly two-thirds of the time, and the segments 4 5 6 and connections therefrom to the contacts and the portions 44 45 46 are so placed relatively to each other that each por tion 44 45 46 is opposite its contact 11 12 13 during the time the trailer 8 is on the corresponding segment 4, 5, or 6. The trailer 8 is driven at a high rate of speed-say two thousand turns per minute-and thus passes rapidly from one segment to another of the segments 4 5 6, and the mutilated disks rotate with equal rapidity and rotate and shake the contacts 11 12 13. The etheric oscillations started at a distant or sending station are col lected, intercepted, or picked up at the receiving-station in any suitable Way and conveyed by the Wire 1 to the brush 2, and thence pass through shaft 7 and trailer 8 to Whatever segment or segments of the sunflower the trailer may be in contact with or over which it may pass While the production of the oscillations may last, and so pass to the imperfect electrical contact or contacts in succession and to earth or other return. The passage of the oscillatory current through the contacts 11 12 13 decreases the resistance thereof to such an extent that the current through the relay becomes strong enough to cause the lever 36 to be drawn over against stop or contact 37, and the lever 36 there remains as long as the sending-key is held down to cause sparking or oscillations at the sending-station, notwithstanding the fact that the trailer 8 may pass from one segment to another during such time. Whenever the key at the sending-station is released or opened, the oscillations cease, and at the receivingstation the imperfect contacts, which are continuously restored to their normal conditions by the rotation of the tubes 11 12 13 by the disks on shaft 7, break the circuit through the relay practically, whereupon the spring 39 draws the lever 36 over against contact or stop 38. From the foregoing it will be seen that the length of time thatthe armature-lever 36 remains in contact With the stop or contact-point 37 depends upon the time the key at the sending-station is held closed, whence it is obvious that signals may be sent in the Way common `in ordinary telegraphy by dot and dash, and that the apparatus described translates the oscillations into dot and dash at the receiving-station.

While I have shown and described three imperfect electrical contacts at the receivingstation, my invention is not limited to the use of this number, nor is it limited to the use of imperfect electrical contacts of the kind heretofore described, for it is obvious that my system of using a number of such contacts in alternation-that is, of using less than the Whole number and of progressively changing those in use and disnse--may beused in the case of contacts which are selfrestoring Without departing from the scope of my invention. Also my system may be used in order to open a circuit instead of closing one, (the case illustrated in the drawings and hereinbefore described,) in which case the contacts Would increase instead of decreasing their resistance under the inuence of the oscillations of the ether.

Of course suitable capacities or condensers may be or are. used Wherever the situation permits or demands them; but I have not deemed it necessary to show them.

What is claimed is- 1. In Wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor, a number of imperfect electrical contacts, a su nflower, means for electrically connecting the segments of the sunfiower and said contacts by pairs, a trailer connected with said Wire or conductor and coacting with said sunflower, and circuit-completing connections from said contacts, substantially as described.

2. In Wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor, a number of imperfect electrical contacts, means for progressively connecting and disconnectingless than the Whole number of said contacts with and from said conductor, and means acting on each of said contacts while it is not in circuit With said conductor to restore it to nor mal condition, substantially as described.

3. In wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor, a number of imperfect electrical contacts, means for progressively connecting and disconnecting said contacts one at a time With and from said conductor, and means for acting upon each of said contacts While it is not in circuit with said conductor to restore it to normal condition, substantially as described.

4. In wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor, a number ot` imperfect electrical contacts, asunflower, means for electrically connecting the segments of the suniiovver and said contacts by pairs, a trailer connected with said conductor and coacting with said suniiower, circuit-completing connections from said contacts,and means for acting upon each of said contacts while it is not in circuit With said conductor to restore it to normal condition, substantially as described.

5. In wireless telegraph y, the combination of a conductor, a number of imperfect electrical contacts, means for progressively co`nnecting and disconnecting less than the Whole number of said contacts With and from said conductor, and circuit-completing connections from said contacts, With a relay or sounder and a battery electrically connected with each other and With said conductor and circuit-completing connections, substantially as described.

6. In wireless telegraphy, the combination of a conductor, a number of imperfect electrical contacts, means for progressively connecting and disconnecting said contacts one at a time with and from said conductor, and circuit-completing connections from said con- TOO IIO

tacts, with a relay or sounder and a battery electrically connected with each other and with said conductor and the circuit-completing connections, Substantially as described.

7. In Wireless telegraphy, the combination of a conductor, a number of imperfect electrical contacts, a sunflower, means for elec-` trically connecting the segments of the sun-1 flower and said contacts by pairs, circuit-completing connectionsfrom said contacts, and a trailer connected with said conductor and co-` acting With said sunflower, with a relay or sounder and a battery electrically connected trical contacts, means for progressively con-` necting and disconnecting said conductor with and from less than the Whole number o'f said contacts, circuit-completing connectionsl from said contacts, and means for acting upon each of said contacts While it is not in circuit with said conductor to restore it to normal condition, with a relay or sounder and a battery electrically connected with each other and With said conductor and said circuitcompleting connections, substantially as described.

9. In Wireless telegraphy, the combination of a conductor, a number of imperfect electrical contacts, means for progressively connecting and disconnecting said conductor with and from said contacts one at a time, circuit-completing connections from said contacts, and means for acting upon each of said contacts Whileit is not in circuit with said conductor to restore it to normal condition, with a relay or sounder and a battery. electrically connected with each other and with said conductor and said circuit-completing connections, substantially as described.

10. In Wireless telegraphy, the combination of a conductor, a number of imperfect electrical contacts, a suniiower, means for electrically connecting the segments of the sunflower and said contacts by pairs, circuit-completing connections from said contacts, and a trailer electrically connected With said conductor and coacting with said suniiower, with a relay or sounder and a battery electrically 'connected with each other and with said conductor and said circuit-completing connections, substantially as described.

11. In wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor, a number of rotatable imperfect .electrical contacts, means for progressively connecting and disconnecting less than the Whole number of said contacts with and from said conductor, circuitcompleting connections from said contacts, and means for rotating each of said contacts While it is disconnected from said conductor, substantially as described.

12. In wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor, a number of rotatable imperfect electrical contacts restorable by agitation to normal condition, means for progressively connecting and disconnecting said contacts one at a time with and from said conductor, circuit-completing connections from said contacts, and means for ro- 'rating each of said contacts While it is not in circuit With said conductor, substantially as described.

13. In wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor, a number of rotatable imperfect electrical contacts restorable by agitation to normal condition, a sunilower, means for connecting the segments of the sunflower and said contacts by pairs, a trailer connected with said conductor and coacting with saidv suniower, circuit-completing connections from said contacts, and means for rotating each of said contacts While it is not in circuit with said conductor, substantially as described.

14. In' Wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor, a sunflower, a trailer electrically connected with said conductor and coacting with said suniiower, a rotary shaft on Which said trailer is fast, a number of independently-journaled imperfect electrical contacts restorable to normal condition by agitation and arranged adjacent said shaft with their axes parallel thereto, means for connecting said contacts with the segments of the sunflower by pairs, circuitcomplet-ing connections from said contacts, and means carried by said shaft for rotating each of said contacts While it is not in circuit with said conductor, substantially as described.

15. In Wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor, a sunflower, a trailer electrically connected with said conductor and coacting with said sunflower, a rotary shaft on which the trailer is fast, a

-number of independently-journaled imperfect electrical contacts restorable to normal condition by agitation or shaking and arranged adjacent said shaft With their axes parallel thereto, means for connecting the segments of the sunflower and said contacts electrically by pairs, circuit-completing connections from said contacts, and a number of mutilated disks on said shafts arranged to rotate the contacts While they are not in circuit with said conductor, substantially as described.

16. In Wireless telegraphy, the combination of a conductor, a number of rotatable imperfect electrical contacts restorable to normal condition by shaking or agitation, means for progressively connecting and disconnecting less than the Whole number of said contacts With and from said conductor, circuit-completing connections from said contacts, and means for rotating each of said contacts While it is not in circuit with said conductor, with a relay or sounder and a battery electrically connected with each other and with said conductor and said circuit-completing connections, substantially as described.

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- each of said contacts while it is not in circuit with said conductor, with a relay or sounder anda battery electrically connected with each other and with said conductor and said circuit-completing connections, substantially as described.

18. In wireless telegraphy, the combination of a conductor, a suniiower, a trailer electrically connected with said conductor and coacting with said sunflower, a rotary shaft on which said trailer is fast, a number of independently j ournaled 'imperfect electrical contacts restorable to normal condition by agitation or shaking and arranged adjacent said shaft with their axes parallel thereto, means forconnecting the segments of the sunflower and said contacts by pairs, circuit-completing connections-from said contacts, and means carried by said shaft for rotating each of said contacts while it is not in circuit with said conductor, with a relay or sounder and a battery electrically connected with each other and with said conductor and said circuit-coinpleting connections, substantially as described.

19. In wireless telegraphy, the combination ofa conductor, a suniiower, a trailer electrically connected with said conductor and coacting with said suniiower, a rotary shaft on which said trailer is fast, a number of independently-journaled imperfect electrical contacts restorable to normal condition by shaking or agitation arranged adjacent said shaft with their axes parallel thereto, means for connecting the sunflower-segments and said contacts by pairs, circuit-completing connections from said contacts, and a number of mutilated disks on said shaft arranged to rotate said contacts while they are not in circuit with said conductor, with a relay or sounder and a battery electrically connected with each other and with said conductor and said circuit-completing connections, substantially as described.

20. The combination of a tube of insulating material, metal plugs in each end thereof, metal powder or grains between said plugs andin said tube, journals connected with said plugs, bearings for said journals, and circuitterminals or contact-brushes bearing on parts integral with said plugs, whereby a circuit may be established through said tube and the tube may be rotated in order to agitate the metal grains or powder to restore the same to normal condition, with a rotatory mutilated disk arranged to rotate said tube in said bearings, substantially as described.

21. In wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor, a sunflower, a

trailer electrically connected with said conductor and coat-ting with said sunflower, a shaft on which the trailer is fast, a number of imperfect electrical contacts restorable to normal condition by agitation or shaking, and arranged adjacent said shaft, means for `electrically connecting` the sunflower segments and said contacts by pairs, circuit-completing connections from said contacts, and means actuated by said shaft for agitating or shaking each of said contacts while it is not in circuit with said conductor, substantially as described.

22. In wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor, a number of imperfect electrical contacts restorable to normal condition by agitation or shaking, a rotary shaft adjacent to which said contacts are arranged, means for progressively connecting and disconnecting said conductor with and from less than the whole number of said contacts, and means operated bysaid shaft for agitating 4or moving each of said contacts while it is disconnected from said conductor, substantially as described.

23. In wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor, a number of independentlyrotatable imperfect electrical contacts restorable to normal condition by agitation or shaking, a rotary shaft adjacent to which said cont-acts are arranged with their axes parallel thereto, means for progressively connecting and disconnecting said conductor with and from less than the whole numberof said contacts, and means carried by said shaft j for rotating each of said contacts while it is IOO not in circuit with said conductor, substantially as described.

24. In wireless telegraphy, the combination of a conductor, a number of imperfect electrical contacts restorable to normal condition by agitation or shaking, a rotary shaft adjacent to which said contacts are arranged, means for progressively connecting and disconnectingless than the whole number of said contacts with and from said conductor, circuit-completin g connections from said contacts, and means operated by said shaft for agitating or moving each of said contacts while it is not in circuit with said conductor, with a relay or sounder and a battery electrically connected with each other and with said conductor and said circuit-completing connections, substantially as described.

25. In wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor, a brush electrically connected with said conductor, a trailer electrically connected with said brush, a three segment suniiower with which the trailer coacts, three imperfect electrical contacts, electrical connections between each of said segments and a corresponding contact, and circuit-completin g connections from said contacts, substantially as described.

26. In wireless telegraphy and the like, the combination of a conductor, l a brush with l which the conductor is electrically connected,

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a trailer withr which the bru'sh is connected electrically, a rotary'shaft carrying said trailer,a three-segment suniower with which the trailer coacts, three imperfect electrical contacts restorable to normal condition byl agitation or shaking and arranged adjacent to said shaft, electrical -connections between? each segment and a corresponding contact, circuit-completing connections from said contacts, and means operated by said shaft for agitating or shaking each of said contacts while it is not in circuit with said conductor,

substantially as described.

27. In wireless telegraphy, the combination of a conductor, a brush electrically connected therewith, a trailer electrically connected with the brush, a shaft carrying the trailer, a three-segment sunflower withwhich ftheg trailer coacts, three imperfect electrical contacts restorable to normal condition by agii tation or shaking and arranged adjacent to said shaft, electrical lconnections between each segment and a corresponding contact, and circuit-completing connections fromsaid contacts, with a relay or sounder and a b atl tery electrically connected with each lotherv and with said conductor and said circuit-com- 3 pleting connections, substantially as described.

2S. In wireless telegraphy, the combination of a conductor, a brush electrically connectg ed therewith, a trailer electrically connected f with said brush, a three-segment sunowergj Iwith which the trailer coacts, three imperfect i electrical contacts,'electrical connections between each segment and a corresponding contact, and circuit-completing connections from said contacts, with a relay or sounder and a battery electrically connected with each other and with said conductor and said circuit-'completing connections, substantially as del scribed.

29. In wireless telegraphy, the combinationcontacts, and mutilated disks on said shaft arranged to rrotate each contact while it isout of circuit with said conductor, with a relay or sounder anda battery electrically connected with each other and with said conductor and said circuit-completing connections, substantially as described.

Signed at New York, in the county of New f York and State of New York, this 1st day of September, A. D. 1899.

' JOHN BURRY.

Witnesses:

CHAs. A. BRODEK, RICBARD W. BARKLEY.

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