Edward E. Kleinschmidt

“ Doing development work for others and assigning patents for a retainer 10 did not satisfy Kleinschmidt’s ambitions. His interests being mainly in the telegraph, he set out to design and build a piece of apparatus that the telegraph companies could use. A keyboard-operated perforator to punch the Morse code in a tape for automatic transmission at high speed looked like a promising subject, since the tape punches in use at that time had a three-key arrangement—one each for dot, dash, and space. ”

“ During and after the first world war, both the Morkrum Company and the Kleinschmidt Electric Company were progressively developing and producing telegraph apparatus and bringing out new and improved operating devices to a point where conflicting patents were at issue. This meant infringement litigation which might destroy both companies. Neither company could obtain orders in sufficient quantity to make the manufacturing of apparatus profitable, and, with costly development work at hand, more capital investment was a continuous requirement. ”

“ It was after the turn of the century that telegraph engineers began in earnest to think about a system of telegraphy that would permit direct intercommunication by the printed word, and direct circuit connection to any outlying subscriber as in the telephone communication system. ”

“ Samuel Morse’s code, which was modified somewhat in several letter code compositions to facilitate its use anywhere in the world, has become an audible, easily learned international language, loved by its users everywhere. It will no doubt continue to be used for some time to come, as long as we have our railroad telegraph operators, radio amateurs, police CW systems, certain branches of the Armed Forces, and any others who converse in dits and dahs. ”

“ Thereafter, five-code-combination pulses are transmitted, followed by positive current to line, thus restoring the circuit system to a normally closed line condition.
The name “Pendel Telegraph” would make one think that the timing of the transmitter and receiver were under control of a swinging pendulum. This is not the case. However, it does have a plan for simulating the action of a pendulum by an arrangement of springs and semi-rotating weights to effect synchronism for each printing cycle; and energy is derived from a motor which intermittently winds a power mainspring to an even tension. ”

“ The standard Baudot alphabet is used, but each letter or character is prefixed by a positive starting impulse. Every time a key is depressed a universal bar is actuated which closes contacts giving the starting impulse and the distributors at both ends of the line step through six spaces. The combiner is of the electrical type invented by Baudot, and is similar to that used in Siemens’ new automatic printing telegraph. Five relays of the class used for telephone purposes are set at the receiving end, according to whether some of the stepping impulses are positive or negative. ”

“ During the second world war, son Bernard abandoned his printing establishment and started a tool and die shop, using the machinery and facilities of the Laboratories as well as space occupied by his printing shop. The B. L. Kleinschmidt Company was kept busy building tools, dies, and special devices for the war effort.
Through Bernard’s associations he learned that the United States Signal Corps needed a light-weight, transportable teleprinter for tactical field use, and he asked his father if he could show the progressive stop printer to the Signal Corps at their Chicago headquarters. ”

“ Today virtually all alternating current furnished in America is similarly checked. Practical electric time is available at the light socket almost everywhere. But there are additional benefits.
Standardizing the frequency expanded the market for current to run the increasing number of clocks in use. Yet, from the consumer’s point of view, each clock draws little current, costing but a few pennies a month. Uniform frequency also gave more even speeds in motor-driven machinery, with a resultant improvement in product. ”

“ To start the relay cascade operation, a start relay is added at both terminals and operated by a start pulse which precedes each code transmission. It seemed natural for the Krums to turn to a relay system at first, since, from his work with the three-unit-code, high-low-voltage system, C. L. Krum was experienced with the possibilities of relay operation.
The system of the relay chain in cascade operation was employed to operate a page printer using the mechanisms of the Blickensdoerfer typewriter which had a three-row typewheel. ”

“ The Morkrum company had submitted their start-stop-operated Baudot tape printer, and the Kleinschmidt company had proposed the Western Union No. 22 tape printer in a redesign to start-stop operation. Now, the new company was able to combine both plans and as a result came up with their first development, a typebar, start-stop-operated, tape printer, the No. 14 (see figure 10) . In the final design, Howard Krum and his production engineers took a large part. After tests and evaluation, Western Union’s first order was for 10,000 machines at $317.00 each. ”

“ In 1911, Western Union began investigating systems used in Europe. The first to be tested was the Creed, a system for transmitting and printing Continental or Morse code signals at high speed. After observing several other systems, the Murray Multiplex, an improved and modernized version of the Baudot Multiplex, was found to show better operating features and, due to the use of the five-unit permutation code, more efficient use of telegraph lines. ”

“ The advent of correctly timed, 60-cycle A.C. electric power, available throughout the nation, was a great boon to the designers of printing telegraph apparatus and some types of facsimile telegraph and picture transmitting systems. In prior years, overline synchronization of send and receive apparatus was always a problem and never perfect. Today, synchronizing apparatus between terminals becomes the simple matter of providing 60-cycle A.C. synchronous motors. ”

“ The Kleinschmidt printer, designed to operate at 100 to 150 words a minute, employs a new method for operating a typebar printing mechanism, comprising a type basket movable across the printed page and carrying the required set of type bars. Each type bar has a connected push rod extending to the rear of the type basket and is made operative to cause printing when a rotating finger, selectively positioned by a coded stop cage, is struck against the push rod. ”

“ The plans for a light-weight page printer were submitted to the Signal Corps as requested and were well received by their engineers. These engineers then wrote up specifications detailing their requirements for a rugged, light-weight portable set for hand-carrying through jungles and swamps, and operable under severe climatic conditions; the specifications were submitted to the Teletype Corporation, the Western Union Telegraph Company, and to the Kleinschmidt organization. Western Union did not take on the development job, but Teletype and Kleinschmidt accepted. ”

“ The successful development of apparatus for different applications useful in the telegraph field was largely due to the close cooperation between the research-development and the manufacturing departments of the organization. Howard Krum had expert engineers and designers in his department, Kleinschmidt brought his leading engineers and designers from the Long Island City plant, and there was a definite spirit of cooperation all around. ”

“ The portable teletypewriter was developed by the Signal Corps Engineering Laboratories at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, through a research and development contract with Kleinschmidt Laboratories, Incorporated, of Highland Park, Illinois.
There are three components to a complete field unit: the teletypewriter itself, weighing 45 pounds; a power unit, and a case of accessories. The 54 three together weigh 116 pounds. All units are waterproof, both to permit flotation in amphibious activities and to provide complete protection from weather. ”

“ Also illustrated is still another new Kleinschmidt device, the Model 321 Automatic Data Set, which includes not only a page printer with keyboard but a tape perforator and a tape reader, all compactly mounted in a console.
Both the Model 311 and Model 321 are compatible with existing data modems, conventional printing telegraph equipment, electronic computers, and data processing equipment. This compatibility permits their use in on-line or off-line communications and data-handling applications.
More exciting devices may be anticipated in the rapidly moving field of printed communications. ”

“ Henry Ellis Warren, a clock maker, noting the change in electric power service from direct current to 60-cycle alternating current, set about to build a motor to operate at 60-cycle speed but found that the 60-cycle frequency did not always hold to form, and when applied to running a clock, did not hold correct time. ”

“ One man can carry the teletypewriter itself, while two men can carry all three units.
The field teletypewriter in current use weighs 225 pounds and—if a vehicle is not available—requires four men to carry it. With power unit and accessories, present field equipment totals more than 400 pounds and requires seven men to carry it.
While development work for the Signal Corps was progressing, Bernard kept busy managing general operations and Edward F. took hold in the general design and devised important features that were patented in his name. ”

“ The work for Dr. Cardwell was carried on until 1903 when a working model was completed. It had a typewheel for printing and stops arranged in a circle; magnets under control of relay selection were used to set the stops according to the received code combinations. This arrangement operated well, and on a test over a Western Union circuit from New York to Baltimore it gave satisfactory results. As we have seen, 9 however, the code arrangement proved unsatisfactory for general telegraphic use.
Many customers came to the experimental shop with every type of idea imaginable ”

“ In the meantime, Walter J. Zenner had advanced and, in 1935, became Department Chief and later Vice President in Charge of Research and Development. Under Zenner’s direction a number of new devices in the teleprinter field were developed, including ultra-high-speed tape-perforating and tape-controlled transmitting devices, as well as a high-speed stock ticker operating at 900 characters per minute (introduced in 1964) to replace the earlier Morkrum-Kleinschmidt ticker which operated at 500 characters per minute. ”

“ To continue: After the sale of patent rights in Canada, Mexico, and the United States to Western Electric, there remained the European and other foreign patent rights still with the original Morkrum and Kleinschmidt investors. The International Telephone and Telegraph Company wanted these rights, and, after negotiations in New York, a price was set for their purchase through the Creed Company in London, then owned by IT&T. Edward Kleinschmidt was sent to London in 1930 to close the deal. ”

“ Direct current flows constantly 28 in one direction only, like water down a river or like the passage of time. On the other hand, alternating current changes direction regularly, like the oscillation of the balance wheel in a watch. ”

“ This was the first sale of Morkrum apparatus and provided enthusiasm for the 19 Krums for further research, which led to the substitution of a governed-motor-driven brush distributor to replace the relay cascade system. For this new plan the motor at the receiving printer operated at a slightly higher speed and was held in continuously synchronous operation with the transmitter by the periodic transmission of a correcting pulse. The new code selecting and printer control system was also adapted to operate the mechanism of the Blickensdoerfer typewheel typewriter. ”

“ The rapid evolution of computers and other high-speed switching devices has generated a need for higher speed equipment to supply input and output requirements. The changeover to electronics has realized minification, lighter weight, reduction of mechanical parts with a corresponding reduction in maintenance, quieter operation, and greater adaptability to code and language conversion. ”

“ Portable teletypewriter equipment so light that a parachutist can carry it on a jump from an airplane has been developed and adopted by the Army, promising a major advancement in military communications, the Signal Corps announced today. ”

“ They found that the start-stop, five-unit tape printer, the Model 14, developed and manufactured by the Morkrum-Kleinschmidt company, would be the best instrument to replace the old ones in the police service as well as in the telegraph business of the German post administration. ”

“ Due to multiple operations of the springs and weights used to provide synchronous action, the operating speed is limited to four or five letters per second.
In England, too, there was work being done along these same lines. Mr. H. H. Harrison, who is so well known for his contributions over the years in the telegraph field, devised printer apparatus using the five-unit 7 code which is described in Herbert’s Telegraphy, [2] as follows:
The instrument is provided with a Baudot 5-key keyboard, and has a step-by-step distributor which is mounted inside the casing. ”

“ The design of a telegraph typewriter that would be more efficient and require a minimum of maintenance service was the most important project, and Morkrum-Kleinschmidt was working with Bell Laboratories engineers endeavoring to meet all the requirements of the Bell Telephone system. A typebar printer with a stationary printing platen and moving typebar printing unit was specified. These requirements were finally met with the design of the No. 15 page printer to operate at 60 words per minute, and manufacture of this apparatus was started in 1927 (see figure 11) . The No. ”

“ As a result of the acquisition of patents of the Morkrum-Kleinschmidt Company by the Lorenz company, Siemens & Halske, and, later, the Creed company in England, all of which we have discussed briefly, teletypewriter intercommunicating expanded rapidly. ”