US1307068A - von marchthal - Google Patents

Description

E. M. VON MARCHTHAL.

METHOD OF JUSTIFYI NG LINES IN WRITING MACHINES. APPLICATION FI LED NOV\2.19l5- RENEWED NOV-14,]918- I 5 N 1,307,068, Pafunted June 14, UL).

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

E. M. VON MARCHTHAL. METHOD OF JUSTIFYING LINES IN WRITING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED NOV.2. 1915. RENEWED NOV. 14.1918.

Patented June 17, 1919.

2 SHEET$-SHEET 2.

EDUARD. MAREK iv ox MARCHTHAL, or VIENNA, AUSTRIA, ASSIGNOR T0 SIEMENS &

HALSKE AKn NeEsELLscHArT, or BERLIN, GERMANY,'A CORPORATION or GER- eone.

METHOD J USTIFYING- LINES IN WRITING-MACHINES.

-" Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 1'7, 19119.

Original application filed April 9, 1912, Serial No. 689,459. Divided and this application filed November 2, 1915, Serial No. 59,232. Renewed November 14, 1918. Serial No. 262,605.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDUARD MAREK' voN MARCHTHAL, a citizen of the Empire of Austria, and residing at Vienna, Austria, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of J ustifyingLines in Writing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a method ,of justifying lines in writing machines.

When written matter comprising justified lines is to be produced each line must first be written experimentally. The amount by which it is too short, e. the shortage, is then distributed as uniformly as possible among the word-separating spaces, 2'. e. space-bars, in the line. Now the feed mechanisms of machines which produce written matter are, in general, pawl-and-ratchet mechanisms; neither the breadth of the written letter nor that of the word-separating spaces can be of any desired size, but must always be a multiple of the pitch of the ratchet. This impairs the perfection of the justification; for example, if a shortage equal to seventeen times the unit feed is to be distributed among five space-bars, each space-bar must be increased by 17/5 of the,

unit feed. This is only approximately possible; each space-bar must be enlarged either three or four units of feed; in the former case the line would be two units of feed too short, and in the latter three units of feed too long.

Now an important object of my invention is to provide that all the lines are madeexactly equal in length without material differences in the sizes of the space-bars being obtained.

To this end, I not only make the enlargement of each individual space-bar as approximately equal to the requisite amount (shortage divided by number of space-bars) as the pitch of the feed ratchet allows, but I determine that requisite amount afresh each time after a space is'made. Whether the next higheror the nextlower value of the requisite amount is selected for the size of the space is unimportant. In this manner tlie"g1'eatest uniformity of the space-bars among themselves iso'btained which is possible-underthe given conditions; that the shortage to be filledup, is distributed withwill be understood from the fact that after the last space but one has been made, the shortage still left is apportioned, according to the invention, to the last space-bar. The apparatus by means of which I carry out my novel method is more particularly claimed in my co-pending application Serial No. 689,459, filed April 9, 1912, from which the present application has been divided. For

the sake of a clear understanding I have embodied the, description and illustration thereof in the present application. My invention is applicable to all machine in which written characters are assembled to form lines z for type-writing, type-setting, type-casting or type-embossing machines, thus for writing-machines in the widest sense of the word. Most of those which operate at all with justification are provided with automatic devices for the purpose. Such a device is adjusted at the beginning of each line to both the amount of the shortage and to the number of the spacebars, and then each individual space-bar is automatically enlarged by the quotient obtain'ed from these two amounts as exactly as the feed mechanism admits thereof. .According to my invention after one'space-bar has. been enlarged each of the remaining space-bars is adjustedto' the shorta e still to be distributed and to the number 0 available space-bars. brought about manually or automatically.

Other objects of the invention will be understood from the detailed description here inafter when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof, wherein several embodiments of the invention are represented by way of example. In said'drawings':

Figure 1 is an elevation showing one form of my improved justifying mechanism. Fig. 2 is a like view of another form, Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views showing modified forms of justification levers, and Fig. 5 is an elevation showing another form of my justifying mechanism.

'Referring firstly to Fig. 1, the toothed rack 1 is for feeding the finished written This adjustment may be matter and is thus connected, for example,

machine. A spring, notshown, tends to pull itin the direction of its arrow, but a springpressed pawl 2 holds it. If a word-separating space is to be made, by pressing a key a slide 7 which is pressed in its normal position by a spring, not shown, acting in the direction of the arrow toward the justification lever 8. As soon as the pawl 6 engages with the rack 1 and the pawl 2 is disengaged therefrom, the more powerful carriage-spring drives the slide 7 until a stop or collar 9 abuts against the fixed bearing 10. When the key 3 is released the pawl 2.

again engages with the rack 1,.the pawl 6 is disengaged therefrom, and theslide 7 is again placedby its spring against thelever 8. The movement which the slide has executed together with the rack 1 is the feed motion of the carriage; it is equal to the distance of the, stop 9 from the bearing 10.

When the lever 8 is in its zero position, i. e. vertical, the point of the slide 7 and its collar 9 are located in the positions shown in dotted lines. Pressure on the key 3 then produces a normal word-separating space whose size is designated m. By rocking the justification lever 8 this normal space is increased by the amount 7'. The justification lever 8, under the influence of a spring 11, bears. against an adjustable stop 12. This is adjustable in two directions, i. e. vertically and horizontally and is shifted to the left according to the shortage and downward according to the number of the spaces. .Its zero position is coincident with a line through the center of the fulcrum of the lever 8. The distance 8 by which it is shown shifted laterally on the drawing is the shortage; if there were only one spacebar in the line, this space-bar would haveto be enlarged the entire amount 8,- the stop 12 would then have to be brought into alinement with the slide 7, e. into the vertical position designated a. If there are two space-bars the stop 12 will be shifted down ward out of its zero position twice the amount, 2'. e. to the line 'b. The lever 8 bearing against it will then allow the slide s 7 a supplementary movement 1' as a simd. Its position at the line 9- corresponds to 'e i an adjustment for seven" space-bars. The

stop 12 is fast on a slide"13:which' when .being vertically adjusted" slides on a guide bar 14. This 1s attachedto a toothed rack.

15 which can be shifted horizontally.

By means of my improved mechanism for automatically ad usting the dimer 8, whenever a word-separating space made,

115 has a second .toothingm15 the pinion 27 on the shaftfl imeshesz Be- 2'. e. at each pressure on the key 3', the shortage -rack 15 first moved backward, thus shifted to the right, the amount which the space-bar is to be enlarged, and secondly, the slide 13 is adjusted vertically on its bar 14 the unit of length corresponding to one space-bar. The rack 15 is shifted by means of the drag slide 16 which slides on the slide 7 and is pressed by the spring 29 against a stop pin 18 carried by the slide 7. When the justification lever 8 is in its zero position the drag slide 16 bears against a fixedly mounted sto 17 Therefore, when the lever 8 is rocke this slide 16 moves with the slide 7 the distance 1 determined by this rocking movement. While this slide 7 travels the other portion m of its path the drag slide 16 bears firmly against the stop 17 and the spring 29 is compressed. Owing to the pressure on the key 3 a second three-armed lever 30 is moved which controls two spring-pressed pawls 19 and 20 in like manner as the lever 4. The fixedly fulcrumed pawl 20 normally holds the rack 15, against the pressure of a spring, not shbwn, acting in the direction of the arrow. The pawl 19 is pivoted on the drag slide 16. The three-armed lever 30 first allows the pawl 19 to engage with the rack, then disengages the pawl 20 therefrom, whereupon the rack 15 participates in the motion of the drag slide 16 and moves to the right the amount by which the space-bar is to be increased. As soon as the key 3 is released the pawls 2 and 20 are engaged, the pawls 6 and 19 are disengaged and the slide 7 and drag slide 16 return into their rest positions.

In addition to the levers 4 and 30 a rocking lever 21, carrying a spring-pressed pawl '22, is connected with the key 3. This pawl engages with the ratchet 24. By pressing the key 3 the pawl 22 is eaused to engage with the next tooth of the ratchet, while the ratchet is held by a spring-pressed retaining pawl 23. When moving backward the key 3 rotates the ratchet 24 clockwise one tooth against the action of a spring, not shown, acting in the direction ofthe arrow. The ratchet is connected by gearing 24' with the long pinion 25.meshing with the rack 26 attached to the slide 13. The ratios of transmission are such that when the ratchet 24 is fed one tooth the slide 13.-.-is shifted upward'one unit of length corresponding to the displacement of -the stop 12 for one word-space. The pinion 25 is so widethat the word-space rack 26 remains in mesh with it when the stop 12 is shifted laterally as far as possible. 1

'Bejsfides' "tl1e ratchettoothin 15' the rack with which forebe'ginning each line the stop 12 is ad'usted by rotat ng this shaft 28 and also the s aft 24 of the ratchet24. Thie pawls 22 and 23 memes can be disengaged from the ratchet- 24- by these or connecting-rods, not shown, but indicated by, and moving in the direction of their arrows. The key 3 is actuated by the pressure'of a finger or by. the controllingmembers of the machine.

lever 8 from the stop 12. Fig. 2 shows an embodiment in, which the slide 41 correcause only after this completion does the.

sponding to the slide 7 contacts withthe justification lever only at the moment of feed and cannot lift it from the stop 12. The carriage-rack 1 and the shortage rack 15 which shifts the justification lever 8 are influenced by spring pressure in the direction indicated by their arrows opposite to the direction of their feed motion. The feedmotion 0f the rack 1 is directly produced by the pressure on the key 3. This key moves the lever 40 which drives the rack 1 through the medium of the spring-pressed pawl 45, whereupon the rack is held in its new osition by a spring-pressed retaining pawf: 46.

When the lever 40 is tilted over so farthat it contacts with the slide 41 the rack 1 has moved the length of a normal space. The slide 41 is then axially shifted farther until it abuts against the stop or shoulder 50 of the justification lever 8.

' A rod 42, connected with a second lever 44, is pivotally' connected to the lever 40. By providing a loop 43 at one end of the-rod 42 so much play is provided that thelever 44 participates only in the secondpart of the motion which occurs when the slide 41 is shifted. A spring-pressed pawl 47 pivoted to the end of the lever 44 then slides over the teeth of the rack 15 which in the meantime is held by .a spring-pressed retaining pawl 48. When the key 3 is released the lever 44 is pulled back by a spring 44 against its stop 49' and drives with it the rack 15 which is fed back the amount by which the space has bden enlarged. It is thus only adjusted when the rack 1 has completed its motion. That is necessary beslide 41 bear against the; shoulder 50, and the latter must remain at rest until this moment. Another difference in the mode of operation of the embodiments according to Figs. 1 and 2 is due to the springs of the two racks in Fi -1 acting in'the direction of'the feed mot1on, and in Fig. 2 opposite thereto. Now if a s ace-enlargement equal to two and a half times the pitch, for example, is adjusted by the-lever 8, in the illustrative embodiment according to Fig. 1 a space-enlargement equal to three times the itch will be produced, and in that accordmg to Fig. 2 one 'of only twice the pitch.

This difference is however immaterial; a defect would arise only if the one rack were fed the next higher and the other the next smaller amount. In thedescribed embodiments such an error can arise only owing to special coincidences. Namely, when the pawls of the racks meet so exactly with the points .of the teeth that it is uncertain into which gap they will fall, the least imperfection in the pitch or in the mounting of the racks might cause the pawl of the one rack to fall into the preceding gap while that of the other fell into the following. This source of error is obviated in the embodiment according to Fig. 5 described hereinafter.

In the two illustrative embodiments according to Figs. 1 and 2 regard has been had to its being desirable to provide that the spring of the carriage-rack cannot act on the justification lever. This spring is generally very powerful; particularly the impact of the carriage accelerated by it Wouldgreatly impair the exactitude in the limitation of the. motion and, in addition,

The justification lever here designated 55 can be adjusted in the above described manner by the stop 12. The slide 7 for limiting the motion of the carriage does not, however, abut against the lever itself but against a curved arm 56 connected with it and so formed that whenever the lever is adjusted, this arm allows the slide to move the requisite distance. When the direction of motion of the abutting point of the slide is in alinement with the fulcrum of the lever 55, reaction on this lever or its adjusting members is impossible.

An additional improvement is shown in Fig. 4. The curved arm 56 is here stepped. By correctly designing these steps the movements of the slide 7' can beso limited that they correspond to the pitch of the rack; the pawls will then always certainly fall into the gap.

Besides other improvements Fig. 5 shows the employment of such a justification lever. The justification lever 60 is here formed as a link in which slides a guide block 61 revolubly mounted on-the slide 62 'movable vertically along the bar 63. This bar is mounted on the rack 15 by which it can be shifted horizontally. The justification lever 60 is adjusted bythe guide block 61 in the same manner as the justification lever 8 in Fig. 1 by the stop 12. The employment of the guide block and link, however, has the advantage that the position of the justification lever is secured in both directions of motion. For limiting the feed of the carria e rack 1 the stepped segment 64 is used, and for limiting the feed of the rack the stepped segment 65. These two segments are integral one with the other and can rock about the same axle 66 as the justification lever 60. They are not, however, connected rigidly with this lever but so that 'a small amount of reciprocal rotation is possible. The justification lever has an arm 67 having a slot 68 in which a pin 69 of the stepped segment 64'can move. The pin 69 is normally held by a spring 109 against the top end of the slot 68. WVhen the justification lever 60 is placed into a predetermined position a small movement of the two stepped segments is nevertheless possible, the purpose of this movement being to prevent the two stops 70 and 71 striking on the edges of the steps. The stop 70 is fast on a lever 72 fulcrumed on the axle 74. The other end of this lever pivotally carries a spring-pressed pawl 76 which, like the spring-pressed retaining pawl 77, coacts with the rack 1 of the carriage. A slide 80 controls both of these pawls by its pins 82 and 83, and in the nor mal position of the mechanism the pawl 76 is prevented from engaging with the rack by the pin 82.

Now if the rack 1 is to be fed the distance of a word-separating space, by moving a rod 86 downward the two-armed'main lever 87 fulcrumed on the pivot 92 is rocked. This main lever is pivotally connected to the slide 80 and pulls it upward. The pawl 76 is first engaged with the rack 1, and then the pawl 77 is lifted therefrom by the pin 83. The carriage-spring, not shown, acting in the direction of the arrow, now presses on the pawl 76 and so on the lever 72. This lever yields to the pressure until its stop 70 abuts against the stepped segment 64 and the carriage-rack 1 moves forward, the length of the path traveled by the rack 1 depending on the adjustment of this segment. When the main lever 87 and the slide 80 return into their normal position the pawl 77 is first engaged with the rack 1 and then the pawl 76 is lifted therefrom. The rack l is thereby held, the lever 72 however is returned by a spring 88 into its normal position deter- I mined by an adjustable stop 90.

A similar device, by which the rack 15 is shifted corresponding to the adjustment of the stepped segment 65, will now be described. The lever 73 fulcrumed on the axle 75 carries the stop 71, and also the spring-pressed pawl 78 which, like the spring-pressed, retaining pawl 79, can cooperate with the rack 15. Normally the pawl 78 is engaged with and the pawl79 disengaged from the rack 15. The pressure of the spring, not shown, acting in the direction of the arrow on the rack 15 is imparted by the pawl 7 8 to the lever 73 which engaged therefrom.

is thereby pressed against its stop 91 against theunfluence of a spring 89. 'As soon as the main lever-1'87 is rocked for the purpose of making a space between two words, the slide 81 pivoted to it descends and its pin 85 allows the pawl 79 to engage with the rack 15, and the pin 84 subsequently disengages the pawl 78 therefrom. The lever 73 is now tilted over by the spring 89 until its stop 71 abuts against the stepped segment 65. When theslide 81 returns into its normal position the pawl 78 is enga edment so that the stops 70 and 71 do not abut on an edge of the steps will now be de' scribed. Integral with the stepped segments is a toothed se ment 93 whose curved edge is provided with notches 110 so arranged that a detent 94 can enter into one of them when a readjustment of the stepped segments 64 and 65 is necessary. Such a position is shown in they drawing. The detent 94 is attached to the bell crank 95. This is movedthrough the medium of a spring 96 by the main lever 87, and before one of the pawls 77 and 78 is disengaged the detent enters into the notch opposite to the toothed segment 93. The detent strikes slantwise on the one edge of this notch of the toothed segment which yields under its pressure and is rocked. The stepped segments 64 and 65 are thus so adjusted that the stops 70 and 71 certainly strike on a face and not on an edge, the spring 109 being tensioned when the toothed segment 93 is rocked. If the stepped segments are already so adjusted by the justification lever 60 that the stops 70 and 71 impact full ,on a face, the detent 94 is stopped by one of the curved parts 111 at the edge of the toothed segment 93. In this event, in consequence of the flexibility of the spring 96 the main lever 87 is not checked. The bell crank 95 is returned into its normal "position by a weak spring 97 against the stop pin 98.

For vertically shifting the slide 62 to the next smaller number of spaces a rack 99 is attached to it, similarly as in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1. This rack meshes with the wide pinion 100 driven by the bevel gears 10]., 102. These gears are driven through the medium of the spur gear 103 by the spur gear 104 coupled with a ratchet 105. This tends to rotate clockwise under the influence of a spring, not shown. as indicated by the arrow, but is held by the double pallet 106. Attached to the main escapee lever 87 is a spring 107 which, whenthis lever moves, presses on'the double pallet 106 and tilts it so that its other pallet is engaged. The ratchet 1 05 rotates a small distance just suflicient to bring the double pallet when returning into its normal position into engagement With the next tooth. This return movement takes place under the influence of a spring 102 when the main lever 87 releases the double pallet. Owing to the ratchet 105 rotating one tooth the slide 62 is moved downward one unit of length corresponding'toone space.

Owing to the step-shaped formation of the segments 64 and 65 a certain engagement of the pawls with the racks 1 and 15 is guaranteed. The danger of the stops 70 and 71 so abutting on the edges of the steps that the one step can just remain suspended on the edge, while the other can slide on to the next lower step, is obviated by the readjusting device comprising the toothed segment 93 and the detent 94. v

The limitation of the feed movements by steps and their read ustment by the detent 94 also renders inoperative the small movements which the rack 15 and the rack 99 execute before the feed motion of the carriage rack 1 is complete. These small movements are unavoidable; they occur when the pawl- 79 is being engaged and the pawl 7 8 disengaged, in consequence of the play. which the pawl 79 must have to assure its certain falling into a gap; in the same manner such a sinall movement occurs in the case of the r ack 99 owing to the change ofthe teeth of the double pallet 106. Owing to these movements of the racks 15 and 99 the justification lever 60 is shifted a small distance; this can however readily be kept so small that the stops 7 0 and 71 are not placed opposite another-step.

Another difference of the last described embodiment as compared with those shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is that the rack 15 isnot shifted by the carriage-rack 1 or by a part connected therewith, but its motion is directly limited by the justification lever. To this end, the entire mechanism serving for regulating the motion of the carriage is repeated for the rack 15. Owing to the independence of the motions of the two, great freedom is obtained in the construction of the justification members.

The herein described process and the mechanism for carry ng it into practice can be usefully and correspondingly employed when the lines are first made too long and then brought to the correct length by diminishing the word-separating spaces.

I claim i j A method of justifying lines comprising characters separated by Word-separating spaces, consisting in making the first space in the line as equal in size as possible to the requisite amount obtained by dividing the total shortage by the total number of spaces in the line, in then making the second space as equal in size as possible to the requisite amount obtained by dividing the remaining shortage by the total number of spaces less one, and so continuing until all spaces but one are exhausted, the shortage left after the last space but one has been adjusted being apportioned to the last space.

EDUARD MAREK VON MARCHTHAL.

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