US1617193A - Typewriting machine - Google Patents

Description

- Feb; 8,1927. 7 1,617,193'

. J. H. S. BATES TYPEWRITIN MACHINE Filed Jan. 29, 1924' Affa/we v Patented Feb. 8, 1927. I

um, smi- JAMES H. s. Barns, or OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON, essrsnoaro UNDERWOOD rYrn- WRITER COMPANY, or NEw Yome-N. Y-., A ooeronerron or nnnewnnn zrvrnwnrrine MACHINE.

Appfication 11166. January as, 1924. Serial No. 689.240,

I 'This invention relates to ribbon-guarding and guiding means for typewriting machines, and particularly to means to prevent the ribbon from foulingwith the usualtype bar guide on an Underwood portable frontstrike typewriting machine.

At the shifting up of the platen, the lower edge of the ribbon is carriedhighabove the guide, and when the ribbon dropsto normal position, there is a tendency for it to catch on the type-guide. This is apt to happen when operating rapidly, especially when the platen isdropped before the operator releases the type-key.

To overcome thzs objection, a shield or guard is secured to the type-guideto extend upwardly to a point beyond the lower edge I of the ribbon when the latter is in its extreme top position.

j teg'ral with the type-barguide;

Such guard may be attachabl'e, or it may be made an integral part of the type-guide.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear. I I

In the accompanying drawings, I Figure 1 is a view, in'front elevation, of a portionrof a portable Underwood typewriter, showing an attachable form of the invention, with I the platen in lower-case position and the ribbon in its normal position below the printing line.

Figure 2 is a section taken on 22 of-Figure 1.:

Figure '3 is similar to Figure 1, showing the line the platen in lower-case position and the ribbon positioned for, printing in its lower field.

1 Figure ti's a view similar to Figures 1 f and 3, showing the-platen in its upper-case position and the ribbon positioned for printing in its lower field,the lower edge-of the ribbon being shown at its highest elevation.

Figure 5 is a perspective View of the form shownvin Figures 1 to l.v

able guard.

Figure 7 is a perspective View of one element of the shield shown in Figure 6.

I Figure 8 shows upstanding extensionsin I Type-bars 11, each pivoted to a plate 12, strike on a platen 10, on carriage 13 running on front rail 1 land-'roll'er-bearing 15 and rear mille and roller-bearing 15*.

Rails 14 and 1e and carriage 13 may bedis- "in the well-known manner.

.mechanisms for segment- I in Figure 2. Made fast by screws 16 to segment-plate 12 is a type bar-guide in the 7 form of a plate 17 having upwardly-extending fingers 18 making a guidefi19 for the. I

shoulder 20 on the type-bar. Guideplate 17 may also. be provided with an opening 21 of suficientwidth and located so as to en- I able the typist to clearly see thegraduations and numerals on the usual scale 22therebe hind. The lower edge of opening-21 may have an index-pointer 23 centrally thereof and in true-alignment with the printingposition designated in Figures 1, 3 and 4 as X. As guide-plate 17 accommodates a part ofv the printing point indicating means described above, ribbon-supporting arms '37 on a vibrator 30 "of a ribbon-vibrating mechanism are necessarily spaced a relatively wide distance apart on each side of theprinting point X. A guide 24 for the ribbon-vibrator may be fastened to rail 14: by screws 25, and may comprise a bodyportion 26 and two forwardly-extending portions 27 terminating in upwardly-extendadjacent'slot 32 engages with cross-bar 33 of the carriage 13-to assist in holding the carriage 13 on the raill, as shown'in Figure 2.

; An inwardlyprojecting arm 3% of a vi brating actuating -mechan1sm, not shown,

may be connected to lieadedstud 35 extending forwardly of theribbon-vibrator 30 (see Figures 1 and 2). Stud 35, in operation,

7 Y moves upwardlywith arm 34to bring rib- Figure 6 shows a modified form of atta'ch-' bon 36, carried on ribbon-supporting arms 37, to the printing point. 1 Ribbon 36 may be laterally fedbetween spools, not shown, The actuating spools and feed arrangement for ribbon 36,

and the case-shifting means for platen 10 form no-detailed part of the present inven-Q tion, and may be like'those 'in' th'e patent to i George VVL Campbell, No. 1,310,281, granted March 1,1921. i I

the ribbon-vibrator 30,

lVhen operating typewriting machines having the specific features and arrangement of parts described above or their equivalents at high rat-es of speed, if, in improper sequence, the platen '10 be shifted from a higher to a lower case position before the typebar 11 is released, the ribbon 86 will hang on the type. This will cause the portion of ribbon 36, between the ribbonsupporting arms 37, over guidefingeis18 to become slack and curl when the type-bar 11 'andthe ribbon-vibrator subsequently return totheir normal position. This slack in ribbon 36 has a tendency, during the lowering thereof between type-impressions, to catch on guide-fingers 18.

The invention provides a guard or shield 38 to prevent interference between the ribbon 36 and guide-plate 17, which may be of aform that is readily attachable to guide plate 17 or to other-guide-plat-es of machines already in use. Guard 38 may eompris'ea body-piece 39, having an upper portion formed into two upstanding spaced wings lO whose outer sides 41 are, forwardly bent to "provide smooth edges, and the lower portlOllOf body-piece 39 may be suitably fashion-ed to provide securing means for fastening to guide-plate 17, as forwardly bent clips 42. For a. more permanent form of attachable mounting, shield 38 may be made "of two separate parts, each having an upper portion similar to wings 4-0 in the first form'described,and a lower portion 39 may be soldered totheupper part ofguide-plate 17 (see Figures 6 and 7). V

The ribbon-guard v 38, placed to shield the path of'the ribbon 36, will eliminate the effectof any possible interference with its-normal movements from the cause described or for any other reason that may have the same objectionable tendency.

It'is quite obvious that the invention may form a combined type-bar guiding and rib bon guarding device, in which the free ends of the guide fingers 18 are extended 'up- 'war'dly and outwardly to form wings lO as shown in Figure 8.

Inthe preferred form shown in'Figures 1 to '5, it will be noted that the inner edges of the two wings 40 taper from the upper free ends downward to the width of the type-guide, and, as the direct cause of the ribbon'catching on the type-guide is alooseness developed in the ribbon-section between the arms 28' of'the ribbon-carrier due to the typing action, this lo'oseness, if it manifests itself by bulging forward over the typeguide, will contact with the edges or the wings 4:0,and, through the tapering 'of these edges, the bulging ribbon-section will be forced to the rear of said guide and avoid anypossibility of catching thereon. "Variations may be resorted to within the ope of the inventioin and portions of the improvements may be used Without others. Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. In a front-stroke typewriting machine,

in combination, a ribbon-vibrator to vibrate a ribbon up and down at the printing point,

a type-guide in front of the ribbon, and means .to prevent interference between the type-guide and the movements of the ribbon extending across the printing line close to,

and on opposite sides of thetype-guide,-and in front of said vibrator'to guard the ribbon from interference in its vibratory movements with the type-guide during typin In a front-striketypewriting machine,

the combination ofa platen, platen-shifting mechanism, a vibrator for oscillating a ribbon up and down at the printing "point of the platen, a stationary element,atype guide on said element, and means to shield the'path of the ribbon and to guard it from being interfered with during its return movement, said means comprising a forlred'member secured to said stationary element below the printing line,the free ends of said member extending upwardly on opposite sides of the type-guide beyond t is lower edge of the ribbon when the latter'is in position for typing on its lower field while the platen is held in its upper-case position by the platen-shifting mechanism. 4. In a front-strike typewriting machine, in combination,a platen, type bars carrying types supported to print-at a 'commonprinting point, a type-bar guide, a vibrator for oscillating a ribbon located between .the platen and the type-bar guide, and a-guard on'said guide to shield the ribbon 'in its normal movements from interference with the guide. 7

, lna'front-strilre typewriting machine,

in combination, a platen, type-bars carrying types supported to print at a single-printing point, a type-bar guide securedto a fixed part of the machine, 'a' vibrator for osciland the type-bar guide, andaribbon-guard on sa1d guide to avoidc'atclnng the ribbon thereon, sa1d guard extending-across the printing line on opposite sides of the*print-' ing po'int, a type-bar guide, a vibrator for V oscillating a ribbon up and down between the platen and the type-bar guide, a ribbon,- guard comprising a forked membersecured lating ,a ribbon located between the platen positioned in front of said arms, said device comprising a type-bar guide to guide the 7 In a front-strike typewriting machine,

in combination, a platen mounted for case shifting, type-bars carrying types supported to print at a single printing point, a vibrator havingribbon-supporting arms widely spaced thereon for oscillating aribbon up and down, a stationary support, and a de vice secured to said stationary support and type-bars for centering the types, and .a guard having tapered faces to guide the ribbon from interference with the stationary support. I

8. In a front-strike typewriting machine, in combination, a platen mounted for caseshifting, type-bars carrying types supported to print at a single printing point, a vibrator having ribbon-supporting arms widely spaced thereon for oscillating a ribbon up and down, a stationary support, and a device secured tosaid stationary support and positioned in front of said arms, said device comprising a guide to guide the type-bars for centering the types, and a guard extenda ing across the printing line on opposite sides of the printing point and conditioned to reduce the exposed ribbon area between the vibrator arms to avoid the catching of the ribbon on the stationary support.

9. In a front-strike typewriting machine, in combination, a platen mounted for caseshifting, type-bars carrying types supported to print at a single printing point, a vibrator having ribbon-supporting arms widely spaced thereon for oscillating a ribbon up and down, a stationary element and a typebar-guiding and ribbon-shielding device secured to said stationary element and ex' tending in front of said arms, said device comprising a guide-plate to guide the typebars for centering the types, and a forked member secured to the guide-plate below the printing line and having the free ends of said member extending upwardly on opposite sides of the printing point beyond lower edge of the ribbon when the latter is 'in position for typing in thelower field and the platen is shifted to the upper-case position, to )revent the-ribbon from catching on the gui e-plate and to guide the ribbon to its normal path ofmovement.

'10. In a front-strike typewriting machine, in combination, a platen, type-bars carrying types supported to print at a single printing point, a type-bar guide having upwardlyextending guide-fingers, a passage defined by the fingers for guiding the type-bars and centering the types, a vibrator for oscillating a ribbon located between the platen and the f type-bar guide and a guard extending upwardly from said fingers to shield the ribbon from interference with the type-bar guide reducing the exposed areav of the ribbon at the printing position.

11. In a front-strike typewriting machine,

in combination, avplaten, typebarscarrying types supported to print at a single punt-- mg point, a type-bar guide having a print-' lng-point indlcatmg means thereon secured I to a fixed part of the machine, guide-fingers extending upwardly over said indicating means, a passage defined by the fingers for guiding the type-bars and centering the types, a vibrator having supporting arms widely spaced thereonfor oscillating a ribbon up and down, and a guard secured to said fingers and extending upwardly therefrom beyond the lower edge of the ribbon when the latter is in its extreme upper operative position to shield the ribbon from interference and to guide the same to its nor mal path of movement.

12. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a platen and type-bars therefor, a

type-bar-guide in front of the'platen and below the typing position thereon, a rib bon-carrier operable to vibrate airibbon up and down to cover and uncover the printing position, and a ribbon-shield secured to the type-bar-guide in front of the ribbon. and provided with tapering ribbon-engaging edges to prevent the ribbon from'catching upon said guide during the downward movement thereof.

- JAMES H s. B'Arns.

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