Name/Title
Alexander Graham Bell Patent – Telegraphy (No. 174,465), March 7, 1876Description
This is a patent document for Alexander Graham Bell’s invention, titled "Telegraphy," with patent number 174,465, granted on March 7, 1876. The patent includes technical diagrams illustrating different aspects of telegraph signal transmission, with a focus on waveforms, coded signals, and electrical circuits used to improve telegraphic communication. The document features handwritten signatures of Bell and witnesses.Context
This patent is part of Alexander Graham Bell’s foundational work in telecommunications, leading to his invention of the telephone. The diagrams illustrate methods for transmitting multiple signals over a single telegraph wire, a concept that played a key role in early voice transmission technology. This document represents a historic milestone in the development of modern communication systems. Lewis H. Latimer recalled that in Boston in 1876, Bell hired him to draft drawings for a patent application. It is unclear which of Bell’s drawings he worked on, but this may have been one of them.Collection
Latimer Family Papers (1870-1996 ) [QPL Full Collection]Inscription/Signature/Marks
Transcription
Header:
"A.G. BELL.
TELEGRAPHY.
No. 174,465.
Patented March 7, 1876."
Technical Diagram Labels:
"Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3" (Illustrate different telegraphic signal patterns)
"Fig. 4" (Shows waveform representations of signals)
"Fig. 5" (Depicts an electrical circuit diagram for telegraph transmission)
Signatures:
Inventor: A. Graham Bell
Witnesses: Gardiner G. Hubbard, Thomas Watson