US1358785A - Typewriter - Google Patents

Description

S. A. REEVE. TYPEWRITER. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6, |917.

Patented N ov. 16, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SIDNEY A. REEVE, 0F NEW BRIGHTON, NEWl YORK.

.TYPEWRITERI Continuation of application Serial No.

has for its objects a better spacing of the characters, an automatic tempering of the 'force of the blow to suit each character, a

more attractive scri t and other advantages described below. his it accomplishes by providing for the escapeiiient ofthe carriage through a. distance the Vsame foreach and every stroke of the key-bar, in the usual manner, while simultaneously providing for a back-drive of the carriage against its nor-l mal direction of motion through a distance which is different for different characters; and finally by permitting, upon the release of the keybar, the simultaneous combination of these two provisions for motion in opposite directions into a single net motion of the carriage, usually in its normal direction, which is also different for different characters. Since the majority of charac-l ters ordinarily used are small ones, this variable spacing permits'the use of a smaller average net space per character, and hence caving of space, in terms of a given degree or' legibility. 1

I .provide for this variable back-drive in the form of an elastic resistance to the downstroke of the keybar which is felt in proportion to the amount of this variable back' drive. Hence the variable remainder of the force of the blow, which is what is left to imprint the character, becomes automatically proportioned to that remainder of each normal space, or the iiet space, which is left as net positive carriage-motion, after the variable negative motion or back-drive has been deducted. Since the facial area of the various characters is roughly proportional to their width, the varying net force of the blow, following this varying net spacing, varies approximately with'the area of symbol to be impressed upon the paper. This permits the use of fa well proportioned, shaded or bold-face font for capitals, etc., and adds to the appearance of the script and the ease of operation. The proper timing of the movement of the carriage is assured by making. the provision for the back-drive Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 16', 1920.

153,704, filed March 9, 1917. This application led September 6, 1917. Serial No. 189,904. a

in the f orm offa spring which is distorted to varying degree during the down-stroke of the keybar, which distortion is converted mto a corresponding degree of back-drive upon .release of the keybar.

This application is a' continuation of m co-pending application, Serial No. 153,704, `filed M arch 9, 1917, for improvements in typewriters. 4

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan-section along 1-1 of Fig. 2, showing that portion of my typewriter which is concerned in thelongitudinal spacing of the carriage and script, except that the central portion (within head 27) is cutv along the plane la-la.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section along 2 2 of F ig. 1, some portions being shown uncut, for clarity. I

Fig. 3 is a plan-section of a central upper portion of Fig. 2, along 3-3 thereof, with a view of the usual ,elastic carriage-propel- 1mg device included.

Fig. 41 is an elevation of the pawl 29 and its attachments, viewed as indicated by the arrow 4.- of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a section of a portion of Fig. 2 along 5-5. i

Fig..6 is a face-view of one of the typeheads actuated by the keybars 11.

In the drawings 10 is a fixed support atwhich are fulcrumed bypin 12 a plurality Y of levers or keybars 11, each fitted with a finger-head or key 13 and held by a spring land stop (not shown) in the position shown, when not depressed by the operator. These keybars are most of them arranged, by mechanism not shown, to actuate type-bars and type-heads, such as shown in Fig. 6, upon the platen of a carriage in any usual or suitable way; but some of them, being used for s ace-keys, may lack such arrangement. lereinafter the words character and printing should be understood toinclude, when proper, the ideas of space and spacing. In the arrangement chosen for illustration there are 'preferably groups of Fsuch keybars 11 on either side of a central spacing-spindle 16, but only one such group is shown. The arrangement of these and other standard parts may be any one of many, of which the one drawn is merely.

mechanism shown in the drawings is supported by a horizontally shifting frame 58 which slides to the right or left in the plane vof the drawings, under the control of the usual shift-keys (not shown), through distances corresponding to those horizontally separating the screws 51 or 52 from 53, which distances are equal to those separating the characters of the typehead Fig. 6. This shifting-frame 58 carries the Vways 72 for the carriage, the bearings 17, 24, 47 and 68, the spindle .61, the pawl 32, the support 40` and the extension 59 supporting the shafts 36, 49 and 54. It is the horizontal shifting of this frame 58 which determines which of the three characters of Fig. 6 shall be printed, and which of the three adj ustment- pieces 51, 52 or 53 shall contact with the bar 34, when a key is depressed.

The carriage 56 of the typewriter is at-` tached to the rack 14 and is urged in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3 by a strap 60 winding upon the drum 63, which latter rotates freely upon a spindle 61, fixed toy the shifting-frame 58, under the influence of a lspiral spring 62 or any other suitable elastic means for urging the carriage 56 in the direction of the arrow. The motion of the carriage is controlled by the pinion 15 on the vertical spacing-spindle 16, which latter is supported, inside the sleeve 18, by'

the fixed journals 17 and 68. On the lower end of the spindle 16 is attached an arm or head l19 carrying fixed yat each of its ends a spindle 20, 20, on each of which rotates freely a pinion 21. g

The sleeve 18 is enlarged at its lower end into a hollow head 27 which carries on its external periphery a set of stop-teeth 28 and on its internal periphery `an internal gear meshing with the pinions 21. Meshingwith the stop-teeth 28 are two escapevment-pawls, 29 and 30, the former hinged and the latter fixed to the .lever 66, by which they are so operated, through the rod 65 and the bar 64, as, to permit one tooth 28 to escape at each double stroke of a keybar 11, inthe usual manner; for the cross-bar 64 is guided in any suitable manner so as to move always parallel with itself, so as to be acted upon equally by any keybar. A spring suitably attached (but not shown) holds the varm 66 in the position shown, against a stop not shown, when not overcome by the depression of a keybar 11. The awl 29 is attached to the farther end 69 o the arm 66 so as to swing upon an axis parallel with the general direction of the arm 66, under the influence of a light spring 70V which tends to hold it in the position drawn in dotted lines in Fig. 4. The arm 66 is carried by a spindle 67 which rotates in a bearing 67.1 attached to the shifting-frame 58.

When any keybar 11 is depressed the pawl 30 engages one of the teeth 28,'holding the vdrum 27 from rotating and the carriage from moving until the pawl 29 is released I from its tooth 28. When this release occurs the pawl 29 springs out into the dottedafter its motion by just one tooth 28.

The arm 37 is attached to a rock-shaft 36 extendinoi across the machine and supported in fixed journals 47, 47. To the rockshaft -36 are also attached arms 35 carrying an impact-bar 34. One or all of the arms 35 are pressed upwardly by one or moreA springs such as 48, which are supported by a shaft 49 rotatable and adjustable by meansl of the worm-wheel 50, the worm 54 and the thumb-wheel 55.

Piercing the keybars 11 are adjustable impact-pieces 33 (shown here as screws) arranged to impinge upon the impact-bar 34 when the key is depressed. The drawing illustrates the use of threesuch impact-pieces, adjusted to three different lengths for each keybar, and assumes the presence 'of two shift-keys such as are'usual in typewriters for bringing one or the other of the impactpieces 33-which are' also given the differentiating symbols 51, 52 and 53-respectively into line with the impact-bar 34, and for bringing simultaneously the respective one of the three characters 91, 92 or 93 of the type-head 90 into line with the carriageplaten, upon occasion. But it is a feature of my invention that from certain keybars one or more such adjustable impact-pieces 33 may be absent. Also, since these impactpieces 33 remain unaltered in length, when once properly adjusted for any given machine, it may at times be preferable to make them solid parts of the keybar, and not adjustable.

Fixed to the shaft 36 is an arm 37 driv- `ing, through a ball-joint, a ratchet-rack 38 'which is held in mesh with a ratchet-wheel 25 by a spring 39 attached to a fixed support 40. The ratchet-wheel 25, which isalso controlled by a pawl v32 engaging with its teeth 31,v rotates on a spindle 23 which is supported by a journal or other support 24, and is made one with the pinion 22 which meshes with the pinions 21, 21. The lower end of spindle 16 penetrates slightly and loosely into pinion 22, to center the gear 43 therewith. The pinions 21, and in eifect 120 the arm 19 controlled by them, thus become floating p inions, since they possess no fixed support, their positions being determined solely by two or more other parts each of which is movable.

The operation of my invention is as follows. Upon the depression of any keybar 11, whether for printing a character or for spacing only, the first result is to bring the pawl 30 into interference with a tooth 28 130 until the pawl or stop 30 releases the wheel of ratchet-wheel 27, holding the latter in position against the effort of spring 62 when further motion of the keybar shall have released the pawl or dog 29 from interference with its tooth 28. Thus the carriage is held stationary while the blow is struck and the character printed. Simultaneously or slightly later the depression of bar 34 by one of the impact-pieces 33, should one be present, overcomes the spring 48 and moves the bar 38 to the left (as seen in Figs. 2 and 5) by one or more teeth, as specified later, while the pawl 32 holds the ratchetwheel 31 and the pinion 22 stationary. This last act is a function in holding the carriage stationary during the printing-stroke which is co-equal with the holding of the wheel 27 stationary by the pawl 30; for the spring 62 is simultaneously urging both the wheel 27 and the wheel 31 in a counterclockwise direction. (as'seen in Figs. 1 and 5).

In orderto complete properly the arrangement for the return-stroke of the keybar andthe movement of the carriage ready for another character, thoseV keybars (and positions of the shifting-frame 58) which print larger characters are fitted with shorter impact-pieces 33, or perhaps with none at all, whereby the ratchet 38 is moved back by a smaller number of teeth, or perhaps by none at all. Those printing smaller characters are fittedA4 with longer impact-pieces 33 and move the ratchet 38 by a larger number of teeth.

Upon the rise of the keybar the first tendency is for the spring 48 to rotate the wheel 31 and the pinion 22 in a clockwise direction (Fig. 5), moving the carriage backward against the impulse of the spring 62 through a distance which had been predetermined, during the downstroke of the keybar, the length of the impact-piece 33 in question.

against motion backward at the time, this action of spring 48 will be delayed thereby 27. If the carriage be free to move backward, then the spring 48 ma perform a portion of its function before the head 27 is released by the pawl 30 clearing its tooth 28. But whether this action vof spring 48 be thus delayed by the blocking of the carriage, or.

proceeds as rapidly as the rise of the keybar will permit, as soon as the pawl 30 has cleared its tooth 28 and the keybar shall have risen to its full height, the combined action of the spring 48 in producing a backward motion of the carriage and the release of the head 27 by .one tooth 28, permitting its forward motion under impulse of the spring 62, will result in a net forward motion of the carriage which the designer may make anything he chooses. But in any event thegspring 48 must be strong enough But this is -only a tendency.` Should the carriage happen to be blocked to overcome the spring 62if a `direct opposition of the two spring-forces should occur l at any instant. With this instruction any- This maximum space is preferably given dimensions larger than is usual in the typewriter-say, for illustration, twice the usual space. If the keybar for certain characters, such as capital M or W, lacks an impactpiece 33, or if the same has been vadjusted so as never to strike the impact-bar 34, then this maximum space will be accorded those characters upon the written page. But for each of the smaller characters the impactpiece 33 drives the impact-bar 34 down through a distance determined by the length or adjustment of the piece 33, reducing the net motion of the carriage to something less than that for a capital M or W. For, while the force with which the depression of a key is resisted by the spring 48 is adjustable by means of the thumb-wheel 55, yet the distances of motion just described are limited unchangeably, by fixed stops not shown, except as the adjustment of an impact-piece 33 may vary them. The thumb-wheel 55 adjusts the force of blow struck. The impact-` pieces 33 adjust the net distance spaced. To a degree, these adjustments are independent of each other.

For illustration, three different lengths of impact-piece 33, as shown in the drawing at 51, 52 and 53 respectively, would permit the use of three such smaller net spacings. Each of these units of space is preferably made an even fraction of that maximum space through which the carriage is released by the main escapement 29-30. In the illustrative drawings this fraction is arranged to be one-quarter;` whereupon the net space accorded to each character by the combined action of the escapement 29--30 and the back-drive 3531 will be either three, two or one quarters of said maximum space-or, if the maximum space be double that usual in typewriters, one-and-one-half, one or onehalf the space usual in typewriters, respectively-accord'ng to which ,of the three lengths of impact-piece 33 (51, 52 or` 53 respectively) has been brought into play. Or, if there were a longer impact-piece than 53 in play, this net space might bezero, or even negative.

Such an illustrative choice of dimensions wouldpermit a selection of space for each character, in the design of the machine, between four different widths. Thus if capitals M and W, with the long dash, were allotted double the width now usual 1n typewriters, such a selection might also allot to mechanism and the samel number of parts,

by choice of proper dimensions. Any desired fraction of the maximum space, or

any number of different spacings, withinpracticable limits, may be had by following these arithmetical rules below, namely:

(a) The ratio of pitch-diameters of gears 22 and 43 is to be equal to the number of different lengths ofthe impact-piece 33; and both of these quantities are to be equal to the desired dlvisor v5f the maximum space, less one. Thus, if six different spacings, equally stepped, are desired, then the dlameter of gear 43 must be ve times that of the pinion 22, with five different lengths of impact-piece 33. The teeth of ratchetwheel 25 must be given such pitch that each difference in length of impact-piece 33 corresponds to a motion of rack 38 by one tooth.

(b) The ratio of the number of teeth in the ratchet-wheel 25 to the number in ratchet-wheel 27 must be equal to the ratio of the desired divisor to said divisor minus one. That is to say, for spacing by sixths of the maximum space the wheel 25 must have'six-iifths of the number of teeth in wheel 27. The use of the proportions indicated would then result in a net spacing of the carriage by either six, five, four, three, two or one sixths of the maximum escapement 29-30.

But my invention may of course be used to develop spacing less regular than this illustration, if desired. Indeed, the backF drive derived from spring 48 is not necessarily less than the forward escapement derived from the arm 66. If the* back-drive be made just equal to the escapement, by the use of a fourth length of impact-piece 33, giving to the carriage a net displacement of zero space, a character may be used forming an element in single or double vertical ruling. In that case the'ishift of the platen by one notch, by hand, after the striking of each blow on this character, would develop a single or double vertical ruling. Or the use of such an impact-piece on the numberkeys would permit their writing either in such as m or w, one-and-onehorizontal lines or vertical columns, according to whether the typist struck a space-key, or vmoved the platen one line, after each blow. p

It would not be a departure from my invention to make the back-drive the element of fixed distance of action, and the escapement the variable element. But such an embodiment would be a partial and inferior one, losing the advantages now to be described. n

An important feature of the operation of my invention is that the keys for the larger characters, requiring wider space, will descend with less contact with, or resistance from, the impact-bar 34 and spring 48, and

so will strike the type upon the platen,

(other things being equal,) with greater force. Conversely, when smaller characters, needing less space and force, are struck the keybar will be more' or less retarded; a-nd this retardance is fairly proportioned to the lack of 'size of character involved. Thus the force of finger-tap, which the typist habitually and most easily makes the same for all characters, becomes tempered automatically to suit the-size of character printed. And this has an importance in the variablespace typewriter which is peculiar to that machine, because the characters in such a machine are necessarily made of facial area differing more widely than in the ordinary machine, wherefore the machine becomes impractlcable unless 1t embodies Some automatic tempering of the force of the blow into proportion with the area of the character struck.

It is to be understood that my invention is not confined to ,the particular form of gearing illustrated for combining the two Sources of motion, namely, the usual forward escapement and the variable backdrive received from the keybar of my machine, into a variable net forward motion of the carriage. There are many known forms of combining-gears, many of which might be useful for my purpose. My inventlon consists in the adaptation of these gears to the functions described, by theircombination with other parts as claimed, with the form illustrated preferred for simplicity and compactness. The drawings accompanying this specification show an embodiment peculiarly adapted for one particular make of typewriter, but for other makes my invention would naturally assume a quite different arrangement of parts, to fit the narrowly limited space available and to cooperate with a differentgrouping of standard parts,

It is further to be understood that my invention is applicable to other devices than typewriters, wherever a variable release or may be desired. In such case the combination of any form of motion in one direction, combined with any form of motion in the opposite direction, the two being released or set into motion simultaneously, or virtually so, will constitute an embodiment of my invention, even if such device may lack some of the features which have been assumed in the above description to be common to all typewriters.

I claim 4:

1. In atypewriter, the combination of a carriage, a key, an escapement operated by a depression of said key for permitting the movement of the carriage a fixed distance in one direction, and means operated by the same depression ofsaid key for moving the carriage a variable distance in the opposite direction, substantially as described.

2. In a typewriter, the combination of a key-bar, a carriage elastically propelled, an esca ement for the carriage actuated by the keyar, and means simultaneously actuated by the key-bar for driving the carriage later against its elastic propeller, substantially as described.

3. In a typewriter, the combination of a plurality of key-bars, a carriage elastically propelled, an escapement for said carriage actuated equally by each key-bar, an impactbar across the paths of the key-bars arranged to drive said carriage against its elastic propeller, and means varying the lost motion between any keybar and said impactbar, substantially as described.

4. In a typewriter', the combination of a key-bar,"shifting means for utilizing said key-bar for printing a plurality of characters, a carriage elastically propelled, an escapement of ixed distance for said carriage actuated by the key-bar, and means attached to said shiftingmeans returning said carriage against its elastic propeller, said return-means being actuated by the key-bar through 'distances dierent for different positions of the shifting means, substantially as described.

5. In a typewriter, the combination of a key-bar, a carriage elastically propelled, a

net escapement for said carriage actuated by the key-bar comprising a positive escapement and a means returning the carriage against its elastic propeller, and means varying the relative distances of action of the positive escapement and'of the return-motion, substantially as described( 6. In a typewriter, the combination of means for printing a plurality of characters, means for storing energy during thel working-stroke of said printing means, a carriage elasticallypropelled, an escapement for said 'carriage and means operated by said stored energy driving said 'carriage against its elastic propeller, substantially'as described. 7. In` a typewriter, 'the combination of means for printing a plurality of characters, means for storing energy during the working-stroke of said printing means, a carriage elastically propelled, an escapement for said carriage of lixed distance for all characters, and means operated by said stored energy driving said carriage against its elastic propeller through di'erent distances for different characters, substantially as described.

8. In a typewriter, the combination of means for printing a plurality of characters, a carriage elastically propelled, an escapement for the carriage operating equally for all characters, means placed in the path of said character printing means storing energy which is released upon the returnstroke of said character-printing means to drive the carriage against its elastic propeller, the lost. motion between said charac- .u

ter-printing and said back-driving means being different for different characters, substantially as described.

9. In a typewriter, the combination of a carriage elastically propelled, a type-bar, a ioating part controlling the motion of said carriage and receiving' motion from two sources, an escapement actuated by said type-bar permitting motion of said floating part in one direction, and means also actuated by the type-bar contributing motion in the opposite direction to said ioating part, substantially as described.

10. In a typewriter, the combination of a carriage elastically propelled, a rack attached to said carriage, a carriage-pinion meshing with said rack, a head iXed to rotate with said pinion and carrying a oating pinion, a .plurality of key-bars, an escapement for said carriage-pinion actuated equally by each keybar, a gear attached to said escapement meshing with said oating pinion, a third gear meshing with said oating pinion, and means whereby a key-b r drives .said third gear in a direction opp sing the elastic propeller of the carriage while also operating said escapement, substantially as described.

,11. In a typewriter, the combination of means for printing a plurality of characters, av carriage elastically propelled, a carriageescapement actuated by said printing means through a distance the same for all characters, and means simultaneously actuated by said printing-means, returning the carriage against its elastic propeller through larger distances for Smaller characters Jand through smaller distances for larger characters, substantially as described.

12. In a typewriter, the combination of means for printing a plurality of characters, a carriage elastically propelled, a carriageescapement acting through a distance the same for all characters, means storing energy from said printing-means throughout a larger portion of the working-stroke for smalkler characters, and throughout a. New York and State of NeWEYork, this fifth smaller portion for larger characters, and day of September, A. 1917 means operated by said stored energy for SIDNEY A. REEVE. driving the carriage egalnst lts elastic prov 5 peller during the return-stroke of said print- Witnesses:

lng-means, substantially as described. WALTON HARRISON,

Signed at New York city, in the county of l LESTER L. CARLAN.

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