USRE4166E - Improvement in printing-telegraphs - Google Patents

Description

. 4 Sheets--Sheetv 1.

T. A. EDISON. PRINTING TELEGRAPH.

Reis'sued Oct. 25, 1870.

' 4 Sheets-Sheet 2. T. A.- EDISON.

PRINTING TELEGRAPH.

No. 4,166. Reissued 001;. 25, 1870.

4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

T. A. EDISON. PRINTING TELEGRAPH. No. 4,166. Reissued Oct. 25, 1870.

4 Sheets.-Sheet 4.

T. A. EDISON. PRINTING TELEGRAPH.

Reissued 00t.- 25, 1870.

.To all whom it may concern dlniirh $1,211.25

haunt dffirr.

THOMAS A. EDISON, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, AS SIGNOR, BY MESNEAS- SIGNMENTS, TO THE GOLD AND STOCK TELEGRAPH COMPANY.

Letters Patent No. 91,527, dated June 22, I869; reissue No. 4,166, dated October 25, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT m, PRINTING-TELEGRAPHS.

The Schedule referred to in theme Letters Patent and making part of the same.

Be it known that I, Tnomas A.En1s os, now of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented an Improvement in Printing- Telegraphs; and the following is declared to be a correct description of the same.

- This invention relates to a printing-telegraph in which an electro-magnet is employed for setting the type-wheel by a step by-stcp movement-,and another magnet is used for giving the impression upon the strip ofpaper; the special feature of my invention consisting in the combination of the foregoing parts with a circuit-changer actuated by the polarity of the current, sothat the instrument at the receiving-station is under-the control of the operator at the transmitting station, and, when pulsations of one polarity are sent, the circuit-changer causes said pulsations to operate to set the type-wheel, the printing-magnet and its branch-circuit being cut out; and, when a pulsation of the opposite polarity is sent, the circuit-changer is n oved so that the branch-circuit to the printing-magnet is closed and the circuit to the type-wheel magnet is rendered inoperative. By this means one wire may be used for operating the printing-telegraph, and several machines in one main line may be simultaneously operated, and no attendants are required at the receiving-stations; weights, springs, and clock-work are' not required, and each current acts with its full force upon the electro-rnagnet to which it is directed in the branch-circuit, so that local batteries or relay-magnets are rendered unnecessary.

I also make use of a double-acting escapementwith a type-wheel printing-mechanism and electro-magnet, operated bythe main circuit, wherebyboth the breaking and closing-stroke ot' the armature assist in the movement of the type-wheel.

'In' the drawin I A represents 1; e frame'of the apparatus, to which is attached an clectro-magnet,B B, of the usual construction. Y

G is a type-wheel, whose periphery is provided with suitable letters or other characters, which revolve upon a stud or shaft,'k.

The armature b of the electro-magnet B is attached to a lever, c, suspended upon an arbor d.

The lower end of the lever c is bifurcated, as seen in Figures 1 and 2, the two arms of carrying p'awls g h, which engage at opposite points upon the periphcry of the ratchet-wheel i, whichis fixed upon the same shaft as the. type-wheel O, and revolves with it.

It will be understood, by reference" to fig. 2, that each vibration of the lever c backward or forward will cause the ratohet-wheel t to advance in .its revolution the distance of one tooth in the same direction.

The strip of paper upon which the communications are to be printed is led from a suitable reel, not shown, over the roller 13, upon which it is held with a-sutficient degree of friction by a spring-arm, Z, provided withan 1 open slot, m, so that, when the roller i is raised by the action of the electro-magnet E upon the lever G, the strip oi paper is brought in contact with whatever lettor or character may at that time be opposite upon the type-wheel G, thereby printing the impression of said letter or character upon the paper.

\Vhen the action of the electro-magnet E ceases, the lever G is drawn back to its original position by a spring, 6.

After each impression has been made, the strip of paper-is moved forward by means of a pawlfli,

which, when the lever G is drawn back, engages with the teeth of a-ratchct-whcel, 0, fig. 3, which is secured to the roller 'i, causing the said roller to revolve and draw the paper forwarda sufiicieut distanceto produce the required space between the letters.

The edges '1' of the roller '5, are roughened to prevent the paper from slipping during the movement.

. The arrangement of the electrical connections, and" the manner in which either of the electro-magnetsB or E may be operated while the other .is caused to remain inactive, will now be described, reference being a had particularly to Figures 1, 4-, and 5.

shown as connected to ground or earth-wires f 7t, and their opposite poles to a key, 7', which is so arranged that either the positive pole of K or the negative pole of I may be placed"iri'conn'ectiou with the line-wire s at pleasure. I

The apparatus just described is supposed to be situated at the transmitting-station, and the line-wire s to extend to'the receivingrstation where the printingapparatus is supposed to be placed. g

The arrangement of the connection at the receivingstation is as follows:

L is a small electro-mag'nct, with a circuit-changer or permanently-ma'gnetized bar, a, pivoted -in-such a position that one of its extremities is free to vibrate as acted upon by the poles N N of the electro-rnagnet The positive pole of the battery I and the negative pole of the battery K are' L, its movement, however, being limited by the contact screws 1; and 10.. I 4 The circuit-changer 'or bar a to be made of magnetized steel or of soft iron, of a character to be moved by the change in the polarity of the electro-magnet. By a well-known law of magnetic action, when an electric current passes through the helices of the electro-magnetL, the bar a will be attracted by one of its poles and repelled by the other; and when the said current is reversed, or, in other words, changed from positive to negative, or from negative to positive, the bar-will be attracted by the opposite pole, and repelled by the pole which in the first placeattracted it.

The manner in which this action is applied to the operation of the apparatus will now be explained. I

Referring to fig. 4-

Suppose the battery'l to be placed .in connection with the line wire s, by means of the'keyr, the current from the, negative pole 1) passes, as indicated by the arrows,"by the wire q to the-key r, thence by the line wire s, through the electro-magnet- L, thence by wire as a the point .8, where a branch, a, goes to the contact'point w,- butas the circuit. is interrupted at this point, the currentgoes through the 'elec'tro-mag 'netyB, which actuates the type-wheel;

vAfter passing. through B two routes are open to the current, one by' wire 0, clectro niagnet E, and wire '6', and the other by wire (1, bar or switch 1!, contact point t, and wire 0'. I

As the latter route offers a very small'resistance compared with that through E, the current will take this route in preference, as shown by the arrows, and the electro-magnet E will remain inoperative.

The circuit, after being completed as above described, may be alternatelybroken and closed by means ofan ordinary transmitter, (not showu,) for the purpose of operating the armature 11, and thereby rotating the type-wheel C, the mechanism connected with which is so arranged that'the circuit requires to be closed and broken once in order to move the wheel 0 a distance equal to that between two successive letters or characters' .This insures the circuit being open whenever a letter is brought into position to allow of itsimprcssion being taken off upon the strip of paper.

. .When the type-wheel hasbee'n rotated (by operating the-transmitter) until the desired letter or character has .been brought into position opposite the roller i, the current is reversed by shifting the key '1' into the position shown in fig. 5, which disconnects the battery I and causes the current from the posi- -tive pole g of the battery K to pass through the line" wire s. I p Upon reaching the receiving-station it will for an instant take the same course as before,-but its action vlieated by-the dotted lines and arrows, fig. 5, by the wires It f, e t to, the electro-magnet E of the printing-hammer, and thence (instead of "passihfg through the'electro-magnet B) by the shortest course through the wires c d to the tongue to, thence by the'contact .pin-w and wires to x to the electro-i'uagnet L, and by the wires, key 1 and Wire L, to the zinc-pole of the battery-K, completing the circuit, and causing the armature 'H to be attracted to the magnet E, raising the lever G, and bringing the paper into contact with the letter on the type-wheel as required.

The key 'r is' then moved back into position, seen in figs. 1 and 4, which again reverses the current and causes it to take the course first described through. the electro-mague't B of .the type-wheel, but not through the electro-magnet E, the armature of which ceases to be attracted, when the lever G, with the roll "5, is drawn down by the spring 6, and the paper tionto a number of receiving stations included in the circuit, inwhich case'no batteries or operators will be required at the receiving station; but if messages are to be sent from each; station, as wellas received, then changer, and an electro-maguet to move the same, in

combination with an electric-magnet placed in the same circuit, and brought into or thrown out of that circuit, accordingto the polarity of the current and the consequent position of the saidpermanent magnet, substantially as set forth. l

3. The combination of a polarized bar or-circuitchanger with two electro-magnets, operated by a main circuit, substantially as specified, whereby either oi thetwo electro-magnets may be brought into action at pleasure, by the use ofa positive or anegative current, the other electro-maguet being at the same time inoperative, substantially as set forth.

4. Two] or more printing telegraph instruments placed in' one main circuit, and operated simultaneously by pulsations of electricity, the type-wheel being set by. pulsations'of one polarity, and the printing being efle'cted by pulsations of the opposite polarity, substantially as set forth.

Dated this 6th day of September, A. D. 1870.

THOMAS A. EDISON. Witnesses:

Gems. HJSMITH, Geo-'1. PmoKNEY.

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