US1593481A

US1593481A - Erasing device for typewriters

Info

Publication number: US1593481A
Application number: US29089A
Authority: US
Inventors: Wilkins John Roland; Stephen W Shuford
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1925-05-09
Filing date: 1925-05-09
Publication date: 1926-07-20
Anticipated expiration: 1943-07-20

Description

July 2o, 1926; 1,593,481

J. R. WILKINS El' AL ERASING DEVICE FOR TYPEWRITERS Filed May 9, 192s 2 sheets-sheet 1 @M501 nu! July 20, 1926.

lJ. R. WILKINS El AL ERASING DEVICE FOR TYPEwRITl-:Rs

Filed May 9, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 NM. a.

HHTMWU.

W/ /NM NN i Wam/i Patented July .20, 1926.'

- 'UNITEDsrATEs PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN ROLAND WILxIN's, or MAYO, ANn STEPHEN W. sHFonn, or SPABTANBUHG, SOUTH CAROLINA.

ERSING 'DEVICE FORA TYPEWRITERS. y l

Applieation ied May 9,

r -The present lnvention relates to eraslng devices for typewriters, and aims to provide a' novel and improved device for convenient- 1y and quickly erasing a character immediately after it has been printed by a typewriter, for making a correction or change cfuickly and without having to turn 'the platen. H

Another object is the provision ofnovel means for mounting an eraser on a typef writer and for Operating it, so that the eraser is normally out of the Way without back spacer beingoperable independently of the erasing device if desired.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be .apparent as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the construction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter describedand claimed, it being understood that chan-ges can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

The 'invention is illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, whereinv Figure 1 is a front view of the device` with the eraser shown in operative position in full lines and in normal idle posltion in dottedy lines, and the back spacerand eraser levers being shown in cross section line 1-1 of Fig. 2..

Fig. 2 is a plan view ofthe device, portions being broken away, and the eraser guide being shown in section on the line Fig. 3 is a side elevatibn of the back spacer' and eraser levers.

' Fig. 4 is a front view of a modified conostruction, corresponding with Fig. 1, and omitting the key levers.

Fig. 5 is a' section on the line 5 5 of Fig.

the guide 14.

1925. Serial N'O. 29,089.

4, showing the' key. levers, portionsbeing A bracket 10 has pivotally connected with and clamped on said clamp by means of a pivot and clamping screw 12 threaded downwardly into the clamp and on which the portion 11 is mounted for rotary movement. The bracket 10 projectsin front of the roller platen 13 'of the typewriter,`a`nd by loosening the screw 12 the bracket 10 may be adjusted toward and away from the platen in Order that thel device will operate properly.- 'As shown, the clamp 7 is at the right hand side of the typewriter, with the bracket 10 projecting toward the left. This bracketv is provided at its inner end'with a curved guide 14 to guide the eraser to and from operative pcs1t1on.

A lever or Abar 15v is pivotedfas at 16,

provided at its free end with a U-shaped por- 'tion 17 straddling'the guide 14. A shaft 18 'so on the bracket 10 near the clamp`7 and lis is journaled in the portionl7 in rear of the guide 14 and carries the eraser 19, .which is a disk of rubber or othersuitable abrasive material. A friction orgear pinion 20 is secured on said shaft within the portion 17 to bear against the rear side of the guide 14, and the eraser 19 is located beyond the end of the lever 15 and projects rearwardly to contact with the paper on the platen at the point where/the type contacts with thev paper.v A roller 21 is mounted in the portion i 17 to bear against the `front' side of the guide 14, so that the free end of the lever 15 moves smoothly along the guide 14n, The

pinion 2O may rietionally contact with the guide 14 to rotate the eraser 19 when the lever 15 is oscillated, or gear teeth may be formed on the pinion, 2O and rear side of The back spacer lever ofo the typewriter is indicatedv at 22, being fulcrumedas at 23 and having the back spacer button or key 24 which when depressed will, through the bacl spacing means (not shown), set

the platen backwardly, as well kno-wn. The

erasing lever 25, as shown, is mounted on the same ulcrum 23 as the back spacer lever, and is disposed adjacent to said lever, and carries a button or key 26 to be depressed when making an erasure. The lever 25 is connected by a link 27 or other suitable connection with the lever 15, so that the lever is swung downwardly by the depression or the eraser lever 25. rlhe operative connection between-the

levers

15 and 25 may vary with dierent makes of typewriters.

ln order that the back spacer lever will be depressed with the eraser lever, and to permit the back spacer leverto be depressed without depressing the erase-r lever. a piece or member 28 is secured to the lever 25 and is slotted to straddle the lever 22. Thus, when the lever 25 is depressed the piece 28 will also depress the lever 22, but the lever 22 may be depressed without moving the lever 25 downwardly.

The back spacer leverA 22 being normally raised by its spring 29 will raise the piece 28 and lever 25` and the link 27 being raised will raise the lever 15 to dotted line position shown in Fig. 1. The eraser 19 will therefore be raised out ot the way so as not to obstruct the vision of the work being done. The back spacer may also be operated without operating the erasing device. When it is desired to make a correction or change after printing a character, the eraser button or key 26 is depressed, which` will depress the back spacer lever 22 so as to set the platen back to the position it occupied when the character was printed. At the same time, the lever 15 is swung downwardly and the pinion 2O rolling along the guide or rack 14 will rotate' the eraser 19. Said eraser comes into tangential contact with the paper on the platen and is rotated when approaching and contacting with the paper, so as to erase the character from the paper. The erasure is thus accomplished by the simple depression of the key or button 26, and when said ,button isreleased the erasing device and back spacer lever return to normal position. B holding the back spacer key 24 down, t ie erasing device may be operated several-times, if desired, with- `out operating the back spacer.

In the modied construction shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the bracket 10 is of dilerent`V platen and spaced from said platen at the front side thereof. rlhe shaft rotates about its axis, in the bearing 15 andV swings upwardly and downwardly about the pivot 1G. A Vcombined roller and bearing is litted on the shaft 18 and is adapted to roll along the guide 14 to guide the shaft 18 for upward and downward movement, and the guide 14 has a hook 20 at its lower end into which the roller 20 seats when the sbai't 18 is moved downwardly to erasing position. A yoke 17 straddles the roller 2U' and engages 'the shaft 18 loosely, and a ictractile coiled spring 2l is connected to the yoke 17 and bracket lO in order to raise the shaft 18 and litt the eraser 19 out of the way when the device is not in use.

The back spacer lever 22 and eraser lover 25 are the same as hereinberore described, but the loperative connection between the lever 25 and eraser shatt 18 is different. rl`hus, a cord or flexible element 27 is wound around, as at 30, the shaft 18 near the bearing 15, and one end is connected to a retractile coiled spring 31 anchored to the frame. The other end ot the cord 27 is connected operably with the lever 25. As shown, a secondary lever 32 is located below the lever 25 to which the cord 27 is connected, the lever 32 being fulcrumed, as at 33, in iront of the pivot 23. r:the lever 32 has a i'inger or lug 34 against which the lever 25 contacts, whereby the depression of the lever 25 will swing the tree end ot the lever 32 'down through a greater distance to pull the cord 27 down suiiciently for the intended purpose.

The spring 21. normally raises the shaft 18 to the dotted line position as shown in Fig. 4, with the eraser 19y raised out of the way. By depressing the lever 25, the lever 32 is swung downwardly to pull the cord A27 downwardly. The first slight downward movement of the cord 27 will swing the shaft 18 downwardly to erasing position substantially parallel to the axis of tbe platen 13 (full line position as seen in Fig. 4), thereby bringing'the edge of the eraser 19 into contact with the platen or paper thereon. The roller 20 seats in the hook 20a, thereby limiting the downward movement of the eraser, and the further or continued downward movement of the cord 27 will then rotate the shaft 18 so as to rotate the eraser while in contact with the paper. The wound portion of the cord gripping the shaft will rotate the shaft by the downward pull on the cord 27 and the spring 31 is stretched. In this way. when the cord 27 is started downwardly the eraser is moved from idle to operative position, and is then rotated by the further or continued downward movement of the cord 27. This enables the eraser to be rotated while in contact with the paper so as to obl tain a clean erasure. When the lever 25.is

- to normal idle position.

is claim-gsd released, thev spring21 will restore the parts thus described as new is l. The combination with the roller platen and frame of-a typewriter, of an erasing the invention, what device comprising a shaft, a disk-shaped eraser thereon,. a bracket, means for adjustably supporting said bracket from said` frame lto adjust the bracket toward and from the platen, means mountingsaid on said bracket for the rotation of the shaft about its axis and for the swing- `ing Imovement of saidi shaft in a plane spaced to onel side from said-platen, said aft being adapted to swing in said plane to a position substantially parallel with the axisof said laten with the eraser contacting at its e ge with the platen vor paper thereon, and operating means f orswingingr Isaid shaft in said plane and rotating said shaft about itsaxis. l

2. An erasing device for typewriters comprising a shaft, a disk-.sha ed eraser secured thereon, means for mountin said shaft for y rotation about its axis an for swinging movement to and rfrom erasing position, yieldable means for normally swinging Vsaid shaft awayl from erasing position, and opjerating,means including a iexible element wound on said shaft and anv elastic spring connected to said element, whereby when said flexible element is pulled it will swing said shaft to erasing position and rotate the shaft.

3. -An erasing device for typewriters com- I I prising a bracket having a guide, a bearing y pivoted tosaid bracket, a shaft journaled insaid bearing and, adapted to swing with the bearing to and from-erasing position, a disk-shaped eraser secured on sald shaft, a roller mounted onvthe shaft and movable .along said guide, yieldable means for swinging said shaft away from erasing position,

Yand means connected to said shaft `for position, and .operating means includin a flexible element wound on said shaft an an elastic spring connected to said iexible element, whereby when said element is pulled it swings the shaft to erasing position and rotates `said shaft. 1

5. An erasing device for typewriters comprising in combination with a back spacer lever, an eraser lever, erasing means operatively. connected with saideraser lever to be operated thereby. and adapted to operate at the point where the type impressions ars made, and means for moving the back spacer lever with the eraser lever and permitting the back spacerlever to be operated by itself. l l s I 6. An erasin device for typewriters com'-1 pprising in-com ination4 with a back spacer lever, an eraser lever erasing means operatively connected with said-eraser lever to be operated thereby and adapted to operate at the point where the type im ressions are made, and a member secured tti) one of said levers to contact with the other for moving the back spacer lever with the eraser lever i andpermitting the back spacer lever to be operated by itself.

In testimony whereof we hereunto aiiix our signatures'.

' A JOHN ROLAND' WILKINsf STEPHEN. W.f sHUFoRD'.