US1609861A

US1609861A - Typewriter copyholder

Info

Publication number: US1609861A
Application number: US718692A
Authority: US
Inventors: Clarence H Caldwell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1924-06-09
Filing date: 1924-06-09
Publication date: 1926-12-07
Anticipated expiration: 1943-12-07

Description

Dec. 7 192s. 1,609,861

C. H. CALDWELL TYPEWRITER COPYHOLDER Filed June 9, 192 4Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 7 1926. 1,609,861

c. H. CALDWELL TYPEWRITER COPYHOLDER Filed June 9, 2 4'Sheets-Sheec 2 JEVEEQ [1121? CZ 2 H Caldwell Dec. 7,1926. 1,609,861

C. H. CALDWELL TYPEWRITER COPYHOLDER Filed June 9, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 LE veg ezzce CaZdwe Dec, 7 1926. 1,609,861

0. H. CALDWELL TYPEWRITER COPYHOLDER Fil'ed Jun 9, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 EX v i in? s Fatented fies. 7, 1926.

UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE H; CALDWELL, OF. OAK PAR-K, ILLINOIS.

TYPEWRITER COIYHOLDER.

Applicationifiled June 9, 1924... Serial No; 718,692.

This invention relates to copy holders'for typewriters adapted for line by line presen sity of change of, focus of theeyeseachtime the operator shiftshisgazefrom thecopy to the platen.

Itis also an objectuof; thiSinventionflQ. providegsuch a copy holder wherein thelhne to be copied is presented immediately over the typewriter platen to reduce the angular shift of the operotars gazeto the minimum possible without interference with the nor mal operation of the typewriter.

lit is another object of this invention to provide a telescoping and folding copyholder attached to or built into a typewriter and adapted to fold down over the top of. the typewriter into a position occupying so little extra space that such-a typewriter and copy holder can be used in the space provided in an ordinary disappearing typewriter desk.

It is a further object ofthis invention to provide an improved-copy holdermechanism adapted for a line by line. presentation of copy wherein the spacingof the lines is variable invariablestepped synehronism with the ordinary typewriter spacing.

It is also an object of'this invention to provide a copy holder having an improved ratchet feed mechanism together with an adjustable shielding drum adapted, to be in? terposed between the pawl and ratchet for various fractions of. the strokeof thepawl whereby the spacing will be proportione ally varied.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a copy holder for typewriters adaptedto shift, the copy oneline at atime by means of added key Qnthelreyboardof theftypewriter,

It is stillanother object ofjthis invention provide a quickly engageable copy clamp a deviceof the kind described. A It is a further object, of, this invention. to provide, a detent, mechanism on the feeding ineehanisni, whereby overiainning thereof is prevented. 1 V l Gth r and further. important objects, f this invention will be? apparent fromthe disclosures in the specification andl'the. accompanying drawings.

This invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

Qn the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a typewriter having a device embodying the features of this invention applied thereto, in operative position.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the device;

Figure 3 is an enlarged section on the line 8 3 ofiFigure 2 showing in dotted lines the position of'the copy holder when inserting F'i'gure 1 is an enlarged section on the linel:-hf Figure 1 showing the feeding and spacing mechanism.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary bottom view of the. spacing and indexing mechanism.

Figure dis a section on the line 66 of Figure 5.

Figure 7' is a section on the line 77 of Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary section on the line 8-8 of Figure 4.

Figure 9'is a fragmentary section on the line 9-'-9 of Figure 1.

Figure 10 is afragmentarysectionon theline, IO-10 of Figure 4.

Figure 11' is a section of the paper clamping devic As shown on the drawings:

The typewriter chosen for illustrative purposes comprises the usual parts including a frame 10, roller platen 11, line spacing lever 12 and keyboard 13. hen providing the device of this invention for attachment to existing typewriters an auxiliary base or bracket 14 is provided to house the operating mechanism, and preferably this bracket is formed to fit and be secured to one side and rear of the typewriter frame, the side portion 15' of the bracket serving to house an operating key lever 16, pivoted at 17 andhaving a key 18'0fl'set to align with the standardkeyboardof the typewriter.

Moun'ted traversely' inside the back 19 of the bracket 14 is a shaft 20 having a knob 21 at oneend' for use in rotating it in either direction. The other end. of theshaft is loosely'j ournalled' the sleeve 22 of an adjusting knob 23 for varying the spacing of th e feeding mechanism. Mounted onthe shaftZO are drums 24"a-nd 25", the latter having longitudinal corrugations 26- on a portion of its surface adapted to be engaged by a spningdetentfil! to limit the movement of the shaft to the spacing between one or more of these corrugations. For example if the feeding mechanism moves the shaft slightly short of the detent engaging position, the spring detent tends to complete the move ment.

Cords 28 are wound on each drum and the free ends are attached to a paper clamp 29 comprising a strip of metal bent upwardly at each end, the rectangle so formed being closed by a bar 30 hinged at one end and having a clamp 31 at the other end to on gage the upstanding end of the bottom strip. Bow springs 32 are secured at their centers to the bar 30, the depending free ends of the springs being adapted to press sheets of copy against the bottom strip of the clamp.

The feed mechanism proper comprises a rack 83 formed on the end of the key lever 16 and engaging a pinion as free on the shaft20 and carrying a cam disc 35 having a spring urged pawl 36 mounted near the pcriphery of the disc. A ratchet wheel 37 is pinned to the shaft alongside the disc 35 and a flanged disc 22 formed integral with the adjusting knob sleeve 22 partly envelops the ratchet wheel, the flange of the disc being cut away for a portion of its circumference to expose the ratchet teeth to engagement by the pawl. By rotating the adjusting knob this mutilated flange can be brought under the pawl for varying proportions of its stroke thereby permitting a pawl engagement for a movement of one or more teeth spaces on the ratchet wheel. The cam surface 38 of the pawl disc is so formed that at the end of the pawl stroke the cam engages one end of a trigger 39 the other end of which is thereby forced into one of the spaces of a toothed wheel ll) pinned to the shaft to positively prevent over-running of the shaft. This trigger is normally retracted by a spring ll so that it is only brought into action at the end of tie pawl stroke and remains in looking engagement with the wheel d0 only until the key is released by the operator. The adjusting knob 23 carries a pointer 4-2 which, in connection with suitable .indicia 43 on the surface of the bracketaround the knob, shows the adjustment of the ratchet shield for shifting one or more of the unit spaces at a single key movement.

The copy holder mounting proper comprises a hinged upstanding member a l which tilts backward against a stop 45. Slidably or telescopically mounted on this member is a back plate is which has a paper supporting plate 4C7 hinged thereto at 48 and extending forwardly over the typewriter platen and paper support of the type writer itself. At its forward end this supporting plate is preferably curved upwardly at 49 to form a copy guide. A pair of upstanding lugs 50 are mounted on this plate adjacent the hinge, and a rod 51 secured in these lugs forms a pivot for a plate 52 on which the clamp bar 29 slides and is held thereto by hooks 53 engaging over the edges of the plate 52. The forward' edge of this plate is turned under with a radius 55 su'ilicient to provide for paper rollers 5a which prevent the copy from dragging on the surface of the plate while being pulled around the radius. This curved portion forms the copy reading surface and is located as close to the platen as is convenient, and in the focal plane of the platen to eliminate eye strain in continually shifting ones gaze from the copy to the typewriting and back again. A bar 56 is pivoted from a rod 57 so as to lie on this surface to define the line of copy and hold the sheet of copy from bulging outwardly. he rod 57 is secured to the under surface of the piate 52 and in vriting position this bar rests in forked sup port 58 ending upwardlyfrom the supporting plate.

As she vn by the dotted lines of Figure 3 the upper plate may be lifted or pivoted about its hinge 48 to permit ready insertion of the sheets of copy. The dotted lines of Figure 1 likewise illustrate the upward movement of both plates as a unit when it is desired to insert fresh paper in the typewriter, It will be noted that as the hinge for the upper plate is fixed as to the lower plate, the relative positions of the two plates are not disturbed by such movement so that this operation has no tendency to disturb the adjustment of the copy paper.

Depending rearwardly from the rod 51 is a hooked member 59, the hook 630 of which engages a rod 61 secured to lugs 62 on the back plate. This hook serves to hold the entire overhanging copy holder free from the typewriter when the telescoping back is extended, to prevent interference therewith. \Vhen the members as and 46 are telescoped together the hook releases sufficiently to al low the overhanging part of the device to fold flat on top of the typewriter. Similar- 1y, lifting the entire overhanging portion of the copy holder allows the hook to slip along the rod.

I am aware that many changes may be made, and numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon, otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A copy holder for typewriters comprising means for presenting copy in a position above and in close proximity to the typewriter platen, a folding and extensible support therefor, feeding mechanism for ad vancing said copy from line to line, means for varying the amount of feed as multiples of the unit spacing of the lines of copy,

and a key disposed in the keyboard of the typewriter for operating said feeding mechanism.

2. A copy holder for typewriters comprising means for presenting copy above and in the approximate vertical plane of the typewriter platen, and a telescoping and folding support therefor adapted to allow the device to be folded down over the typewriter when not in use, hinges between said means and support whereby the means may be lifted away from the operative position to facilitate insertion of sheets of paper in the typewriter.

3. In a copy holder a movable paper clamp, a support over which the clamp slides, and feeding mechanism for advancin the paper clamp varying distances at a time, comprising a shaft having drums thereon, cables wound on said drums and attached to said paper clamp, a ratchet wheel attached to said shaft, a pawl oscillatable over said ratchet wheel, a shield adapted to be adjnstably interposed between said ratchet wheel and said pawl to limit the period of engagement thereof.

4:.111 a copy holder a movable paper clamp, a support over which the clamp slides, and feeding mechanism for advancing the paper clamp varying distances at a time, comprising a shaft having'drums thereon, means on said shaft limiting the movement of the surface of the drums to multiples of the typewriter line spacing, cables wound on said drums and attached to said paper clamp, a ratchet wheel attached to said shaft, a pawl oscillatable over said ratchet wheel, a shield adapted to beadjustably interposed between said ratchet wheel and said pawl to limit the period of engagement thereof.

5. A copy holder for typewriters including line by line feeding mechanism including a pawl, a ratchet engageable thereby for various proportions of the pawl stroke, and detent mechanism operated by the feeding mechanism adapted to limit the feeding mechanism to multiples of a given unit spacing whereby overrunm'ng of the ratchet is prevented.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto sub scribed my name.

CLARENCE H. CALDWELL.