US1480613A - Typewriting machine - Google Patents

Description

Jan.a 15, 1924.

A. E. HOWELL TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed Feb. 27, 1920 s Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan 15, 1924.

A. E. HOWELL TYPEWRITING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheei- 2 Filed Feb. 2'7 1920 Jan. 15,

A. E. 'HO'WELL TYPEWRITING MACHINE s Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 27. 1920 m y m WW7 I n W. J f 4 w 7 f Patented Jan. 15, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR E. HOWELL, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO UNDERWOOD TYPE- WRITER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION 01? DELAWARE.

TYPEWRITING MACHINE Application flled February 27, 1920. Serial No. 861,783.

To all whom it mag concem:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR E. HOWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing in Brooklyn Borough, in the county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Typewriting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to typewriting' machines, and is herein disclosed as applied to an Underwood standard typewriting machine adapted to write leaders or rows of dots, stars, dashes or underlining characters, without the necessity of separately and manually actuating the proper key-lever for each dot or dash or other character of the row.

According to the present invention, the usual key or keys for typing the desired character may be actuated as usual in ordinary writing; but, when it is desired to write a leader or row of the characters, a finger-piece may be depressed to make effective connections which will operate the desired leader-type by any suitable source of power.

' As herein disclosed, the usual key-levers of the typewriting machine which are used to type these characters may be provided with tails or devices, which are normally out of the way of power-driven actuating members, but which may be selectively operated by said members through the source of In'the form of the invention herein, illustrated, the source ofpower is shown as a ower.

shaft, comprising star-wheels forming the operating members for the key-levers andactuate in this manner, a single star-wheelmay be adapted to beshifted to any one of a plurality of positions, to selectively actuate different key-levers. For determining which kcy-lever shall be thus actuated, there may be provided a plurality of finger-pieces or push-keys, which are adapted to shift the star-wheels or members, the connections bemg such that, when a wheel or member is shlfted, it remains shifted until the pushkey which shifted it is returned to normal positlon.

Instead of having a separate latch for ea ch of the star-wheel-shifting keys, each shifting key may shift its wheel by a cam, comprising a dwell at the end, with the result that when the cam has once shifted the wheel, the wheel remains in its shifted pOSitlon until a returning finger-piece, common to all of said shifting keys, is actuated and returns the actuated one to normal position. Other features and advantages will herelnafter appear.

In theaccompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a sectional side view of an Underwood standard typewriting machine,

showing the present invention as applied thereto.

Figure 2 is afragmmtary plan view of parts of the machine, illustrating the character-printing key-levers which are actuated 1n the manner described, and the connections for actuating them.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view of part of the cam for setting a star-wheel to actuate either the star-key or the period-key.

In the ,Underwood standard typewriting machine, character keys, including, the 6 key 10, the hyphen or star-key 11, the period-key 12, and other character keys 13. when depressed, carry down their respective keylevers 14, to swing bell-crank sub-levers 15, thereby rocking type-bars 16 upwardly and rearwardly, so that lower-case type 17 or upper-case type 18 print upon the platen 19.

The platen, as usual, isjournaled in a shift-frame 20, which forms part of a travelin carriage 21, the carriage running on 'ralls 22 and 23, and the shift-frame being v carriage, by the escapement-wheel 29 in the usual manner.

If it is desired to actuate the hyphen-key 11, to Write a leader or row of hyphens, a hyphen-shifting-key 30 maybe pressed rearwardly until the typists finger is flush with the front of a front plate 31, fast to the typewriter frame 32. When the hyphenshifting-keyBO is thus pressed rearwardlyy its stem 33 rocks rearwardly a rockarm 34, fast upon a rock-shaft 35, which is ]ournaled in the brackets 36 fast to the machine frame,

thereby causing a rock-arm 37 on said shaft to slide a star wheel 38 along its shaft 39, it being slidab'ly splined thereon by a key 40.

This carries the star-wheel 38 above a C- shaped arm 41, fast to and depending from the lever 41 ofthe hyphen-key, so that a roller 42 on said arm rests in the depression 43 between two teeth of the star-wheel. Turning the shaft 39 then causes the roller 42 to ride up on the faces of the teeth 44 of the star-wheel, one after another, thereby drawing downward the C-shaped arm 41 re peatedly, to actuate its key-lever 41 precisely as if it were actuated by the touch of the 'typistZshfinger. The faces of the teeth 44 thus play the part of operating cams.

For turning the shaft 39, there may be provided upon it a spur-pinion 45, meshing with an idle pinion 46, which, in turn,

meshes with a driving pinion 47, herein shown as fast to a hand-crank 48, journaled upon a stub-shaft 49 on the side of the machine frame, near enou h the front oft-he machine to be convenlently reached and actuated. w

The star-wheel 38 remains in engagement with the roller 42, because the shifting connections are so provided as to efl'ect this result. For this purpose, the connections for shifting the star-wheel '38 include a cam-member 50, pi-votally attached to the rock-arm 37 by a shouldered screw 51, said cam-member comprising an opening or fork 52 in an extension which straddles the shaft the hub 54 to the. Figure 5 position,

pressed, the cam-member 50 was drawn.

forward, so that the cam-face53 thereon, engaging the hub 54' of its star-wheel,

cammed said' star-wheel to the right against the tension of the spring 55, which encircles the shaft 39 and constantly tends to shift its star-wheel to the left clear of its C-shaped arm. The camming-member 50 remained in its shifted position, because a dwell or shoulder'56 of the cam bore against an ad jacent end of the hub- 54, thus making it impossible for the spring 55 to return the cam-member 50. To keep the cam-member 50 from being pressed to the left when it compresses the spring 55, the shaft 39 is provided with a collar 57 fast thereto and forming a bearing-member for the side of the cam-member 50.

After the typist has actuated the crankhandle 48 to print the desired number of .hyphens, the hyphen-shifting-key 30 is rewhich is formed as a rock-arm fast upon a' shaft 59, rockable in a bracket 60, fast to the frame of the typewriting machine. Depression of the fingeriece 58 rocks the bail 61 forwardly to its Flgure 1 and Figure 6 position, it having been swung from that position when the hyphen-shifting-key was depressed. To enable the bail 61 to operate efliciently, it projects upwardly and forwardly adjacent a lug 62 on the rockarm 34, which serves as a bearing surface for the bail 61. Depression of the finger piece 58 swings the bail 61 forwardl and the rock-arm 34 forwardly, and roc s. the

shaft 35 to swing the rock-arm 37 rearwardly, thus carryin the cam-member 50 backwardly to the Flgure 2 position, permitting the spring 55to carry the star-wheel clear of its C-shaped member. 1 If it is desired to type a leader or row 0 periods, a period-shifting-key 63 may be pressed rearwardly to rock rearwardly a second rock-arm 64 fast upon the shaft 35,

and, since the rock-arm 64 is shorter than the rock-arm 34, the travel of its key 63, be-

fore coming flush with the plate 31, pro-.

duces a. greater rotation of the shaft 35 and thereby shifts the cam-member 50., further forward, causing the cam 53 to slide the hub 54 to the Figure 4 position, and then slide it further to the Figure 5 position, in

which position the second cam-face 65 on the cam-member 50 has shifted the hub 54 to the right far enough to bring the starwheel 38 above a C-shaped member 66, which is fast to and depends from the keylever 67 of the period-key 12. The cammember 50 is held in this position. because' a second dwell 68 on it is brought: against To. print a period in Lmost typewriti ng machines, it is necessary to actuate the casepresses the 'case-shift-key 69, and then turnsthe handle 48, after having pressed the pe shift-key 69, to lift the platen so that thesome riod-shifting ke 63, as above described. The typist usual y need not hold down the shift-key 69, because it is usually automatically locked down by the shift-lock 70. After the desired periods have been printed, the typist releases the shift-lock 70 in the usual manner, and proceeds to do the rest of the typing, after having actuated the returning fin er-piece 58 to cause its bail 61 to return t e period-key 63 precisely as it returned the hyphen-shifting-key 30. The period-shifting-key 63 is provided with a forked stem 71 like the forked stem 33, thus permitting either key to be depressed without interference by the other key.

When thet pist desires to print a leader or row of un erscore characters (which are customarily printed by the uppercase of the 6 key 10), the t pist depresses an underscore-shifting-key 2, causlng'its forked Y stem 73 to swing rearwardly a rock-arm 74 fast upon a rock-shaft 75, whlch, like the rockshaft 35,is journaled in thebrackets 36, and which is adapted toshift the star-wheel 76 to a position overlying aC-shaped member 77, like the C-shaped members 41 and 66, but fast upon the; lever 78 of the 6 key 10. This C-shaped member 77, like the C-shaped members 41 and 66, is provided with a roller 42, with the result that when the crank 48 is turned, its star-wheel 76 repeatedly actuates the 6 key, and causes said key to print the underscoring characters, provided the case-shaft-key 69 has been actuated as described above.

is rocked, a rock-arm 80 thereon draws for-,

- ward the cam-member 79 along the face of the/collar 81, and cams the star-wheel 76 to the right, to the desired position by thrusting on its hub 82 against the tension of its spring 83. The spring 83 may be like the spring 55, except that it has a less throw.

The rock-arm 80 is connected to the cammember 79 by a shouldered screw 84. The

rock- arms 37 and 80 are herein illustrated as behind the usual comb 85, which serves to guide the key-levers 14', and the shafts 3.5 and 75 lie above the key-levers.

To enable the device to be readily attached to existing machines, the brackets 36 and 60 may be made fast to the outside of the frame 86 by screws 87, adapted to be threaded into suitable openings in the frame. In order to hold the brackets steady, each one has a turned-over face 88, which is provided with two screw-holes 89, so that it may receive two of the screws 87.

In order to minimize the likelihood of interference of the C-shaped arm. 41 with the adjacent arm 66,'the arms may be fast upon the outer opposite sides of their respective key-levers.

Each shifting key 30, 63 and 72 may slide in a guide sleeve 90 projecting rearwardly from the plate 31, and be provided with a collar 91, to limit its forward throw at the actuation of the finger-piece 58. The shafts 35 and 75 may be journaled in turned-over ends 92 of the brackets 36, and be held against sliding therein by headed screws 93 threaded into the ends of the shafts and having heads overlying the ends 92.

In order to make sure that the star- wheels 38, 76, are in such a position that the rolls 42 will slip into them in the manner described above, there is provided fast on the shaft 39 a detent star-wheel 94, which is normally held by a detent 95 in such position that the star-wheels 38, 7 6, are properly positioned. In order to enable the crankhandle 48 to rotate the shaft 39 and its starwheels without interference from the detent 95, said detent is formed as the end of a depending extension 96 fast to the bail 61,

the connections being such that whenever the finger-piece 58 stands in its Figure 6 position the detent 95 is effective on the star-wheel 94. The connections are such, however, that when any one of the shifting- keys 30, 63 or 72 is actuated, the swinging of the bail 61 thereby carrice the detent 95 clear of the star-wheel 94 and permits it and its shaft 39 to rotate freel To make sure that the detent 95 brings the shaft 39 to the proper position, it is provided with camming faces 97 which are adapted to enter between the teeth of the star-wheel 94 and cam it to the pro r position.

ariations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the im rovements may be used without others.

aving thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a typewriting machine, in combination, a plurality of leader-types, leadertype-actuating keys, means operable continuously for actuating any one of said leadertypes repetitiously to t pe a leader across a work-sheet, but norma ly ineffective therefor, and selecting means settable at will, independentl of the leader-type-actuating keys, to ren er said actuating means effective to operate a selected type.

2. In a typewritin machine, the combination with a plura ity of type-operating key-levers, of a shaft adjacent said levers and normally at rest, an operating arm fast on one of said levers, and an interponent normally clear of said arm but adapted to be shifted to enable the shaft when rotated to operatethe key-lever.

3. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a plurality of type-operating key-levers, of a shaft adjacent said levers, a plurality of star wheels onsaid shaft adapted to actuate said levers, means normally holding said wheels clear of the levers in ineffective positions, and means for selectively moving said wheels to effective positions, to enable them to selectively actuate their levers at the rotation of the shaft.

4. In a typewriting'machine, the combination with a type-operating key-lever, of a shaft adjacent said lever, a star wheel. adjacent said lever, an extension of said lever adapted to be struck by the teeth of said wheel to actuate the key-lever, a spring normally holding the wheel clear of the extension, and a finger-piece depressible to move the wheel to effective position against the tension of the spring:

5. In a t-ypewriting machine, the combination with a type-operating key-lever, of a shaft adjacent said lever, a star wheel adjacent said lever, an extension. of said lever adapted to be struck by the teeth of said wheel to actuate the key-lever, a spring normally holding the wheel clear of the extension, a cam adapted to be slid on said shaft to move the wheel to effective position against the tension of the .spring, a dwell on the cam adapted to hold the wheel in its shifted position, and a finger-piece depressible to actuate the cam.

6. In a typewritingmachine, the combination with a plurality of type-operating key-levers, of a shaft adjacent said levers, a star wheel adjacent said levers, an extension of each of said levers adapted to be struck by the teeth of said wheel to actuate the key-lever, a spring normally holding the wheel clear of the extensions, a cam adapted to slide on said shaft, and a plurality of dwells on said cam to enable the wheel to be arrested at either of a plurality of positions, to enable it to co-operate with either of the key-levers.

7. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a plurality of type-operating key-levers, of a shaft adjacent said levers, star wheels upon said shaft adapted to operate various key-levers, means holdin said wheels at normally ineffective positions, and means for selectively moving a star wheel to enable it to operate either of a plurality of said levers.

In a typewriting machine, the combination with a plurality of type-operating keylevers, of a shaft adjacent said levers, star wheels upon said shaft adapted to operate various key-levers, means holding said wheels at normally ineffective positions, a

plurality of shafts parallel to the first-named shaft, shifting devices for said wheels upon said plurality of shafts, and finger-pieces for individually rotating said lurality of shafts to individually shift said wheel s.

9. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a plurality of type-operating keylevers, of a shaft adjacent said levers, star wheels upon said shaft adapted to operate various key-levers, means holdin said Wheels at normally ineffective positions, a plurality of shafts parallel to the first-named shaft, shifting devices for said wheels upon said plurality of shafts, finger-pieces for individually rotatin said plurality of shafts to individually shi said wheels, and connections whereby a plurality of said fingerpieces variably rotate a shaft to enable a single wheel to selectively actuate any of a plurality of key-levers.

10. In a typewriting machine, the combination with type-operating key-levers, of i a transverse shaft adjacent said levers, op-

erating cams shiftable along said shaft from normally ineffective positions to effective ositions, a cam member slidable transversey of the shaft, adapted to cam an operating cam to effective position, and a finger-piece for operating said cam member. 11. In a typewriting machine, the combination with type-operating key-levers, of a transverse shaft adjacent said levers, operating cams shiftable alon said shaft from normally ineffective positions to effective positions, a cam member slidable transversely of the shaft, adapted to cam an operating cam to effective position, and slidable to,

another position to cam an operating cam to a second effective position, and separate finger-pieces adapted to selectively move the came member to either position.

12. In a typewriting machine, the combination with type operating key-levers, of a transverse shaft adjacent said levers, operating cams shiftable along said shaft from normally ineffective positions to effective positions, a cam member slidable transversely of the shaft, adapted to cam an operating cam to' effective position, an extension of the cam member engaging the transverse shaft for support, a second transverse wshaft, an arm fast on the second transverse shaft connected to shift the cam member and support it, and means for rocking the second shaft to shift the cam member.

13. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a plurality of type-operatin key-levers, of a shaft transverse to 'sai levers, camm'ing devices on the shaft for opcrating the levers, means normally holding said devices in ineffective positions, a second shaft for making said devices effective, and

a plurality of shifting keys for variably r0- tating the second shaft .to determine on which of a plurality of key-levers the firstnamed shaft may be effective through a levers, a plurality of star wheels on said shaft, a C-shaped extension on each of said levers, means for separately shifting said Wheels on said shaft from a normally ineffective position to an effective position to engage the teeth of a wheel with an exten- I sion, and means for rotating the shaft to actuate its lever by the wheel.

15. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a plurality of type-operating key-levers, of a transverse shaft beneath said levers, a sta wheel on said shaft, an extension of one lever extending below said shaft and adapted to engage between the teeth of the wheel, and means for rotating the shaft to operate the lever.

16. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a plurality of type-operating key-levers, of normally ineffective means for each lever for repeatedly operating it', a shifting ke for each lever adapted to'make its means effective, connections for holding said means effective when made effective by its key, and a finger-piece universal to said means for making them ineffective.

17. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a plurality of type-operating levers, of a transverse shaft, separate means.

connected to said shaft for operating each type lever by the shaft, a plurality of second ary shafts, cam members moved by said secondary shafts individually controlling the separate means, rock arms for separately operating the secondaryshafts, shifting keys for the rock arms, a bail universal to the rock arms for returning to normal position any means, and a finger-piece for actuating the bail.

18. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a plurality of type-operating keys, of a shaft for operating said keys, normally ineffective devices whereb the shaft operates the keys, means for differentially positioning one of said devices to determine which key it shall operate, a rock shaft for s0 positioning it, a plurality of rock arms on the rock shaft, and shifting keys having a substantially identical throw and operating upon said rock arms at different distances from their rock shaft to vary its operation to differentially position the device controlled by it.

19. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a plurality of typeoperating keys, of a shaft for operating said keys, normally ineffective devices whereby the shaft operates the keys, means for differentially positioning one of said devices to determine which key it shall operate, a rock shaft for so positioning it, a plurality of rock arms on the rock shaft, shifting keys having a substantially identical throw and operating upon said rock arms at different,

distances from their rock shaft to vary its operation to differentially position the to the shaft to be shifted from an ineffective position to a position where it can operate a key, a spring encirclingsaid shaft-t0 normally hold it ineffective, and a cam member adapted to be shifted transversely of the shaft to shift the star Wheel.

21.- In a typewritingmachine, incombination, a plurality of'leader-types, leadertype-actua'ting keys, means for actuating any one of said leader-types repetitiously to type a leader across a work-sheet, but normally ineffective therefor, and selecting means settable at will to render said actuating means effective to operate a selected type, said selecting means comprising a selector-key for each of said types.

22. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a plurality of type-operating key-levers, of a shaft, means for rotating said shaft, means on said shaft to actuate said key-levers repeatedly when said shaft is rotated, and means on said machine settable at will to position the actuating means on said shaft selectively to operate any of said key-levers.

23. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a plurality of type-operating key-levers having extensions fixed thereto, of a shaft, means for rotating said shaft, means on said shaft adapted to engage said extensions to actuate said key-levers repeatedly when said shaft is rotated, and means on said machine settable at will to position the actuating means on said shaft selectively to engage any of said extensions to operate the corresponding key-lever.

24. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a plurality of type-operatmg key-levers, of a shaft adjacent said levers, means for rotating said shaft, a plurality of means on said shaft adapted to actuate said levers repeatedly when said shaft is rotated,

means normally holding said plurality of for selectively moving said wheels to effective position in engagement with said extensions to operate any desired lever, and means adapted to engage said shaft when said wheels are in ineffective position to properly position the shaft to enable the star-wheels fixed thereto to engage said extensions without encountering obstructions.

26. In a typewriting machine, the -com-. bination with a plurality of type-operating key-levers having extensions fixed thereto, of a shaft adjacent said levers, means for rotating said shaft, a plurality of starwheels on said shaft adapted to engage said extensions to actuate said levers repeatedly when said shaft is rotated, means normally holdin said wheels in ineffective position clear 0 the extensions on said levers, means for selectively moving said wheels to effective position in engagement with said extensions to operate any desired lever, and means adapted to engage said shaft when said wheels are in ineffective position to properly position the shaft to enable the star-wheels fixed thereto to engage said extensions without encountering obstructions, said last-named means comprisin an additional star-wheel fixed to said shaft. and a detent pivoted on said machine and adapted to engage said additional star wheel.

27. In a typewriting machine, in combination, leader-types, leader-type actuating keys, and means for actuating any one of said leader-types repetitiously to type a leader across a work-sheet, said actuating means comprising a shaft, star-wheels, one for each key-lever, mounted on said shaft to rotate therewith, arms, one on each of said key-levers, to be engaged by the corresponding star-wheels and operated thereby, each of said arms and the associated star-wheel being normally disconnected, and selecting means, independent of the leader-type-actuating keys, to effect an operative connection between any one of said arms and the corresponding star-wheel.

ARTHUR E. HOWELL.

.Witnesses:

LEWIS E. WEBER, EpITH B. LIBBEY.

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