Page:United States patent 1108529.pdf/11

 instrument. The operation of such a receiving instrument as that set forth in said patent is dependent upon the analysis of the telegraphic code characters and the conversion of the components or signals of these code characters into representative functions or movements, the sum of which movements for any code character represents, and controls the selection of, a corresponding letter, figure or other language character. An important feature, however, which distinguishes any improved receiving instrument from that disclosed in said prior patent is that each series of signals contained in a code character, beginning with the first signal of the character, has a characteristic movement, these movements being of successively increasing values for the different series of signals. Because of this every code character representing a letter, figure, etc. is instantly convertible into another and different character selected by adding to the sum of the movements representing the first code character a movement representing the additional signal element of the other code character.

The machine used in the present system, as well as that disclosed in my prior patent, is preferable on in which the selection of each letter, figure or other character of the language into which the telegraphic signals are to be converted is determined by the number of signal components in each code character, by the value of each such component, and by the position of each component with respect to the others of its code character. In the ordinary telegraphic codes, most of the code characters are composed of combinations of two electric signals separated by breaks in the circuit, these two signals being of different values, that is, having different time-constants. In the Morse code two other electrical signals are used and messages transmitted by the Morse system have four different electrical signals the time-constants of which are of four different values, each of which signals, in my invention, is utilized to control a different function or movement, each of which functions or movements is the representative of its particular electrical signal. These functions or movements is the representative of its particular electrical signal. These functions or movements have such relative values that when they are combined each combination will have a different characteristic or value from every other and will be representative of a different letter, figure or other character of the language into which the code characters are to be translated. Each of these electrical signal components of the code characters is preferably represented by a different character-selecting component, and the character-selecting components will usually be arranged in rows or groups which rows or groups correspond in number to the maximum number of signal components of any of the code characters, the maximum number of signal-components in any character of the Morse code being six, whether such components be dots or dashes or a combination of dots and dashes. For the purpose of choosing character-selecting components corresponding to the positions of the electrical signal components constituting the different code characters, a selector is preferably employed which has a traveling or step-by-step movement, the subdivisions or steps of which movement correspond to the periods or positions of the different signals of the code characters. This selector will be returned to normal or zero position after the reception of each code character, regardless of the number of signals constituting such code character, and hence regardless of the number of steps such selector has advanced. In order that a telegraphic message may be properly translated into corresponding language characters, words and sentences, it is important to consider the complementary or non-electrical components of the code-characters&mdash;that is, the breaks in the circuit between the dashes, etc.&mdash;and to consider the relative values of these breaks, and in my system the lengths or time-constants of these breaks are employed to govern the selection of such space or other device as it may be necessary to operate in order properly to separate letters, words and sentences. I therefore employ as the preferred means for translating into language characters telegraphic messages sent either through a natural or an artificial medium, a receiving instrument containing selecting means having two sets of opposite or reciprocal functions, one function being the control or selection of one or more devices governed by one signal element and by the time-constants thereof, and the other function being the control or selection of one or more devices governed by the complementary signal element and by the time-constants thereof, every function or operation necessary to the analysis of a telegraphic message and to the conversion of it into terms of language being governed in substantially the manner disclosed in said prior patent by some one of these reciprocal and differential controlling or selecting functions of a translating receiver operable by every combination of signals capable of being telegraphically transmitted to represent a message.

Other features of the present invention relate to improvements in the analytic mechanism for separating the various code characters into their constituent elements; to synthetic mechanism for choosing character-selecting components corresponding to such constituent elements or components of the code characters received, and for combining such character-selecting components to