US1898793A - Typewriting machine - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 21, 19 .1. A. B. SMITH fYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed Dec. 16. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 21, 1933. J s'Mn' TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed Dec. 16, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 21, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JESSE A. B. SMITH, F STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOB 1'0 UNDERWOOD ELLIOTT a FISHER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATION OF DELAWARE TYPEWRITING MACHINE Application filed December 16, 1927. Serial No. 240,374.

This invention relates to typewriting machines for manifolding multiple-ply workwebs. The plies are printed with a succession of forms, and it is customary to employ carbon-sheets interleaved between the plies, which sheets are stripped from each typed form to a succeeding form preparatory to typing of the latter.

In the co-pending application of B. C. Stickney, Serial No. 42,382, filed July 9, 1925, which has matured into Patent No. 1,679,952, dated August 7, 1928, there are disclosed two groups of carbon-stripping devices, each group including a plurality-of strippers slidably mounted, one behind the other, on a track. Each stripper is separately connected to its carbon-sheet; and in stripping the carbons the strippers are movable one after another along the track away from the platen, the 'rearmost stripper of one group being moved first, the rearmost stripper on the other side of the web being moved next, and the remaining strippers bein 'moved in a like manner.

t is often desirable to manifold a statement, a wa bill or the like on a set of forms of a fan-f0 (1 web and have certain information in the statement not appear on a certain form. It is an object of the present invention to provide means in a typewriting machine of the kind disclosed in the abovenoted application of Stickney, which is effective for stri ping any desired one of a plurality of car ons interleaved between the plies of a fan-fold web from the form it overlies Without disturbing any of the remaining carbons, so that any desired data typed on a set of forms can be omitted from any desired form of the set.

' In carrying out my invention, means are provided for feeding a fan-fold work-web to an Underwood standard typewriting machine. A plurality of superposed rails 'or track devices are mounted on the platen-carriage at each side of the web-course, each rail serving as a track for a carbon-stripper or truck carrying an inreaching blade for bold in a carbon-sheet interleaved between the plies of the work-web. Each rail is ositioned relative to adjacent rails on its si e of the web, and also with respect to the corresponding rail on the 0 posite side of the work-web, so that the patlis of each stripper and its blade do not cross the path of any other stripper or blade, thereby permitting each stripper to be moved independently of the others and without affecting them. A clamp is delivery side of the platenor gripping the leading ends of the work-web preparatory to stripping the interleaved carbons seriatim, the outer carbon being stripped first. When a single, interiorl dlsposed carbon is to be strip ed, the lea ing ends of the web-plies may gripped by one hand of the operative or by the web-clamp.

A feature of the invention resides in the provision of a guide-plate disposed alongside each group of rails outwardly therefrom and having a slot'opposite each of the adjacent rails in which slot an arm of the associated stripper engages, and slides therein, for guiding the carbon-holding blade of the stripper in a ath parallel to the paths of the other bla es, i. e., for guiding the blades in parallelism.

Another feature resides in the provision of roller-bearings for each stripper which are effective to guide it at right angles to its rail while preventing it from. pinching the rail.

Other features and advantages will herein- I after appear.

In-the accompanying drawings, Flgure 1 is a fragmentary cross-sectional rovided on a pa r-table at the view front to rear through an Underwood standard typewriting machine having my invention applied thereto.

. Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a novel carbon-stripping means of my invention.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating how an interior carbon of the fan-fold work-web is stripped rearwardly.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the stripper-device of my invention.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view throu h the stripper-device of my invention, all t e carbon-holder blades being shown in superposed relation.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view along the line 66 of Figure 4, and illustrates the construction of a stop for the carbon-stripping devices of my invention.

In an Underwood standard typewriting machine types 10 strike against the front side of a revoluble platen 11, which is mounted on a shaft 12 journaled in a platenframe, which includes ends 13 joined by a rear paper-shelf 14, the latter inclining downwardly and forwardly and curving under and up in front of the platen. The platen-frame is usually shiftable up and down upon a carriage 15, which is laterally movable on a track 16 supported by a main frame 17 of the machine.

A multiple-ply work-web 18, either fanfolded or consistingof loose plies, is led up from a source of supply, not shown, in the rear of the machine and passed forwardly over a guide-rod 19 disposed parallel to the platen between side guides 20 adjustable along said rod. The guide-rod may be mounted in two brackets 21, each of which is riveted to a set of four parallel angle-bar rails or tracks 22 disposed one above another, each spaced apart from the adjoining rails a short distance and extending downwardly and forwardly adjacent the upper end of the paper-shelf 14. The lower ends of each set of rails 22 are riveted strongly to upturned integral arms 23 of brackets 24 secured to each end of the carriage by screws 25 to a usual cross-bar 26 of the carriage 15.

The lateral guide-rod .19 extends out at each side beyond each bracket 21 and suports on each end a hub 27, which may be inte rally joined to longitudinally slotted gui e-plates 28, which extend downwardly and forwardly parallel to the rails 22 and are riveted to upturned arms 29 of the brackets 24. The slots in said guide-plates 28 form a runway for each carbon-carrier to hold the blade 31 thereof in parallel equipose.

For holding carbon-sheets 30 interleaved between the plies of the web 18, each carbonsheet may be fastened to a usual blade 31, which is securely fastened in a well-known way to an inreaching arm 32 of a stri per, carbon-carrier, or truck, generally esignated at 33, made from a single stiff sheet of metal. Each stripper includes an upwardly extending and a downwardlyextending rectangular arm 34 and 35, respectively, each of which arms extends along the upper or forward side of one of the rails 22 in close proximity'thereto. In each of the outer corners of the arms 34 and 35 is fastened a de ending stud 36, on which is mounted a ro ler 37. Two of the rollers carried by the arms 34 and 35 are positioned to engage against the left side edge of a leftwardly extending flange 38 of the associated rail 22. The other rollers 37 carried by the arms 34 and 35 of the same stripper are positioned to engage against the left side face of the downwardly extending flange 39 of the same rail 22. The distance between the lower edge of the flange 39 of the top rail 22 and the upper face of the flange 38 of the next lower rail 22 is slightly greater than the thickness of the stripper 33, which is disposed therebetween and the stripper has suitable working clearance space to slide freely along on top of its associated rail 22. The depth of the flanges 39 exceeds the Width of the faces of the rollers 37, which permits any stripper 33 and its rollers to be moved forwardly and rearwardly without strikin the rollers of the stripper above it or the ody of the stripper below it.

The rollers 37 on the arms 34 and 35 of each stripper engage closely against their associated flange 38 and the rollers on the arms 34 are positioned far enough from the rollers on the arms 35 to prevent binding of a stripper on its rail. This construction will also safeguard the blade 31 fastened to the stripper against objectionable angular sway relative to the rail, and provides for the lades moving in substantial parallelism relative to each other and the platen, each blade being held at right angles to its own rail which is disposed in the same vertical plane as all the other rails, which plane intersects the platen-axis at ri ht angles.

T o prevent the free end of a lade 31 from swinging up and down out of its normal plane, each stripper 33 is provided with an outreaching arm 40 which passes through one of a plurality of guide-slots 41 in the adjacent guide-plate 28. Each guide-slot 41 is positioned parallel to and has a paired relation with the flange 38 of one of the rails 22, the bottom edge of the slot being disposed in the same plane with the top surface of the flange, and the width of the slot permitting the arm 40 to move therein with a sliding fit.

It will be noted (see Figures 4 and 5) that the arms 40 are of different lengths and the lowest arm at each side of the web extends out further than the arm above it, said arms terminating in echelon relation to each other, the uppermost arm 40 being the shortest. Adjacent the outer end of each arm 40 is arranged an integral upturned finger-piece 44, the finger-pieces on each side being disposed in echelon and spaced apart enough so that any finger-piece may be conveniently moved rearwardly without disturbing any adjacent finger-piece.

The uppermost stripper 33 on the left of the web 18 (Figure 5) is positioned above the uppermost stripper on the right of the web, and, in like manner, the second and third stripper from the top on the left are disposed above the corresponding strippers on the right. The blades 31 will extend out from the left and right sides alternately in the usual manner. Each blade 31 being securely fastened to its stripper, the slidingfit engagement of the stripper-arms 40 in the guide-slots 41 is effective to maintain the blades in planes that are substantially parallel to each other. In other words, the blades 31, when disposed one directly above another at any point in the web-course, will be substantially parallel, and any blade may be removed along its rail without striking another blade.

In using a typewriting machine embodying my invention, the web 18 is led upwardly from a source of supply, not shown, over the guide-rod 19, and is interleaved with the carbon-sheets 30 in a well-known manner, which it is not necessary to describe herein for understanding of the present invention. The strippers 33 on each side are now disposed in their rearmost positions and are held therein by means to be presently described. The rearmost positions of the strippers are determined by the arms 40 striking against an adjustable stop 45, which includes a rectan lar built-up sleeve 46 (Figure 6) exten ing around each guideplate 28 in close proximity thereto at all points, and slidable therealong. A thumbscrew 47 engages in a tapped embossed portion 48 of the sleeve 46, and the forward end of the screw, by pressing against the guideplate 28 between the two slots 41, holds the stops securely in any desired position. The leading end of the web is assed forwardly between the usual lower eed-rolls 49 and the platen 11; thence forwardly in front of the platen, and thence between the latter and a cutting-off knife-blade 50, which may be mounted above the printing line on two brackets 51 fastened to an upwardly extending paper-table 52 at the delivery side of the platen. The table is supported by downwardly bent flanges 53, which have integral laterally disposed flanges 54 arranged to be fastened on the ends 13 of the platen-frame by usual screws 55.

As an example of the arrangement of the superposed plies of the pack to be manifolded, there may be seven plies in the fanfold web provided with six carbon-strippers, three strippers on each side of the web-pack as shown. The order of the superposed plies may be as follows, the outer ply to be typed by the inked ribbon may be the invoice, and the next forms underneath in their order may be the oflice copy, discount copy, collection copy, shipping label, acknowledgement of the involce, and a bill of lading. The shipping label may be manifolded with the date, the name of the consigner and address, the route, shipping instructions and other data usually typed within the heading of the outer invoice form, but it is desirable to eliminate the subsequent typing of the invoice relating to the items to be shipped from the label to be asted upon the shipment.

fter bringing the first writing line of the leading set of forms to the printing line, the lower feed-rolls are made effective. Then, to prevent unnecessary strain on the carbonsheets, all the strippers will be pulled down to their extreme lowermost position, as indicated in Figure 3, which position is determined by the lower ends of the stripperarms 34 striking the arms 23. The data that is required to appear on the heading of all of the forms of the first set may now be typed, a line at a time, the platen being line-spaced by usual line-spacing instrumentalities, not shown. The 0 erative may now grasp the leading ends 0 the web 18 forwardly of the leading ends of the carbonsheets 30 with one hand, while the other hand is free to release the feed-rolls 49 and strip a carbon-sheet 30 overlying one of the forms, such as the shipping label, on which the remaining data is not to be typed. The carbon-sheet 30 is stripped by simply pressing rearwardly against the finger-piece 4-4 operatively connected with the blade 31 that holds the carbon-sheet 30 until the arm 40 of the finger-piece 44 strikes the stop 45. In some cases, it may be desirable to have the carbon-sheet 30 stronger than ordinary carbon-sheets to resist tearing strains.

To hold the blade 31 and its associated stripper 33 in their retracted position, a leafspring 57 is mounted on the arm 40 of the stripper which carries the blade 31. This sprlng bears against the guide-plate 28 with enough friction to hold the stripper and its blade in any position along the track to which they may be moved without appreciably hindering the free sliding movement of the stripper. Each of the other strippers may have a similar spring 57 for bolding it in a retracted position.

After the carbon 30 has been stripped to the Figure 3 position, the remaining data may be typed on all the forms of the pack, except the shipping label, and the pack rolled up to bring its leading end against the cutting-off gage 58 which consists of an upwardly-extending member of an angleplate 59 which is slidable up and down on the paper-table 52 and may be held in any adjustable position by means of a thumbnut 60 engaging against the lower side of the table and co-operating with a stud 61 fast to the plate 59 and extending downwardly through a slot 62 in the table. The leading end of the first set of forms abutting against the gage 58 is now gripped by a clamp 63 which includes a flat spring 64 riveted to the plate 59 and having its forward end arranged with a bent portion 65 for engaging the work-plies against the table. The spring is arranged with initial tension so that its forward end is swung up away from the table 52, and means is provided for moving the spring down to efiective position, which means includes a flab tened cam-acting shaft 66 and a short crankarm 67 for the shaft. The above-described cutting-ofi gage and web-clampin means may be substantially the same as t ose described in the co-pending application of B. O. Stiekney, Serial No. 40,741, filed July 1, 1925 (now Patent No. 1,679,951, dated August 7, 19283, except that in the device of Stickney a ditional adjustable gaging devices are mounted on the clamp-carryin angle-plate.

fter clamping the leading end of a typed form, the carbon-sheets 30 still interleaved between the web-plies may be stripped seriatim in a like manner to that described in the patent to Stickney No. 1,679,952. The first form may then be severed on the knifeblade 50.

It will be noted that the leading end of the web 18 may be held by the clamp 63 while the carbon-sheet 30 1s stripped. In such case, the first form will thereafter be rolled back to position for typing the next line of data.

It will be noted that while the mode of operation describes a pack of plies of a fanfold web that are to be manifolded during the ribbon inked typin of an outer invoice, and a certain ply in the web is to be only partially manifolded by interrupting the manifoldin of the ack until a certain carbon is withdrawn, w en the subsequent manifolding of the remaining plies is completed, it will be understood that two or more carbons may be selectively withdrawn from the plies of the web, and that the manifolding field area on any ply may be predetermined by the will of the operator in manually shifting a carbon-carrier to interrupt the individual manifolding of any ply of the web.

Figure 5 shows the carbon-carrying blades 31 between the unslit fan-folds of the web 18, and the folds of the web are shown to be' slit into separable plies in Figures 1 and 3 during the withdrawal of the carbons. The slitting of the fan-folds by a knife 68 on the end of each carbon-blade may be efiected in the manner fully described in the above-mentioned patent to Stickney, No. 1,679,952.

It will be noted that each truck 33 is wholly supported and guided by its trackdevice; that each truck carries a single carbon-blade; that each truck with its carbonblade is freely movable past the other trucks and blades; and that the truck-devices are superposed at each side of the web-plies with their carbon-blades projecting across the path of the web.

It will be noticed that there is led into the machine a single gathered web, which is asearee improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a typewriting machine, the combiation with a revoluble platen and a-webcourse for conductin a multiple-ply web from a source behin said machine downwardly and forwardly to the rear side of said platen, of a set of superposed rails mounted on each side of said web-course parallel thereto, each of the rails of one set being positioned in a plane above and parallel to the plane of the corresponding rail of the other set, providing a staggered arrangement for said rails, a stripper for sliding on each of said IfillS, an inreaching carbonholding blade fastened to each stripper for holding carbons interleaved between the plies of said web, the staggered arrangement of said rails being efi'ective to permit each of said blades to be moved rearwardly away Irom said platen for stripping its carbon without strikino anv of the remaining blades, means effective for moving said blades in parallelism, a paper-table at the delivery side of said platen, a cutting-off gage on said table and a clam for clampmg the leading edges of the first form of said web clear of said carbons to hold the web-plies stationary while said strippers are operated to stri said carbons from said leadin" form.

2. In a typewritinxr machine of the class described, the combination with a revoluble platen and a web-course for conducting a multiple-ply work-web from a source behind-said machine downwardly and forwardly to the rear side of said platen, of a nluralitv of superposed rails supported on each side of said web-course parallel thereto, a stripper associated 'with each of said rails, a carbon-carrying blade fastened on said stri per, each of said strippers being disposed against the top surface of one of said rails, and four rollers mounted upon debeing disposed in the rear of said blade a distance from said forwardly-disposed rollers that will prevent angular sway of said blade with respectto its rail.

3. The structure described in claim 2, characterized by means effective for preventing up-and-down movement of the outer end of each blade around its rail, whereby the blades are moved in parallelism.

4. In a web-manifolding typewriting machine, the combination with a platen around which the web feeds, of means for leading a single multiple-ply gathered web through a single path into the machine and to the platen, a multiplicity of tracks leading to the platen, and individually-operable car hon-carriers having mounts wholly outside of the path of the web, to travel independently of one another upon said tracks and having interdigitated juxtaposed carbon-carrying blades alternating with the successive plies throughout the multiple web, so that the carbons are interleaved with the web plies, said carbon-carriers mounted each to clear the next so that any carbon-carrier can be moved back to its starting place, while all of the other carboncarriers remain stationary.

5. In a web-manifolding typewriting machine, the combination with a platen around which the web feeds, of means for leading a single multiple-ply gathered web through a single path into the machine and to the platen, a multiplicity of juxtaposed tracks wholly outside of the web-path and leading to the platen, and individually-operable carbon-carriers having mounts wholly outside of the path of the web, to travel independently of one another upon said tracks and having carbon-carrying blades alternating with the successive plies throughout the multiple web, said carbon-carriers mounted each to clear the next so that any carboncarrier can be moved back to its starting place, while all (rt-the other carbon-carriers remain stationary, said tracks being superposed laterally of the path of the web, and each carbon-carrier guided by a single track between the plies of the web, there being one track for each carbon-carrier.

6. In a web-manifolding typewriting machine, the combination with a platen around which the web feeds, of means for leading a single multiple-ply gathered web through a single path into the machine and to the platen, a multiplicity of juxtaposed tracks at the side of the web-path and leading to the platen, and indiv'iduallybperable carbon-carriers mounted to. travel independently of one another upon said tracks and having carbon-carrying blades alternating with the successive plies throughout the multiple web. said carbon-carriers mounted each to clear the next so that any carboncarrier can be moved back to its starting place, while all of the other carbon-carriers remain stationary, said tracks being superposed and each carbon-carrier having a mount which is wholly outside of the path of the web and having a cross-arm provided with guide-rolls to run upon a single track.

7. In a multiple ply web manifolding typewriting machine, the combination with a platen around which the web feeds, of a multiplicity of stationary one-rail tracks superposed at each side of the web and leading to the platen, individually-operable carriers mounted to travel independently upon a single track, and each carrier including a carbon-stripping blade alternating with the plies of the multiple web, and a stationary run-way outside the superposed tracks and engageable with the ends of the carriers to hold the carbon-blades in slidable counterpoise between the other blades, and between the plies of the web.

8. In a multiple-ply-web-manifolding typewriting machine, the combination with a platen around which the web feeds, of a multiplicity of stationary one-rail tracks superposed at each side of the web and leading to the platen, individually-operable carriers mounted to travel independently upon a single track, and each carrier including a carbon-stripping blade alternating with the plies of the multiple web, a stationary runway outside the superposed tracks and engageable with the ends of the carriers to hold the carbon-blades in slidable counterpoise between the other blades, and between the plies of the web, and means mounted upon each carrier, operable to engage the adjacent run-way and frictionally hold the carrier against displacement after a carbonstripping movement thereof.

9. In a typewriting machine of the class described, a plurality of carbon-strippers, each having a blade holding a carbon-sheet between the plies of a multiple-ply workweb fed to the intake side of said machine, a plurality of parallel one-rail tracks for said carbon-strippers, each of the carbonstrippers running on a separate track, and means for causing said carbon-holding blades to move along said tracks in parallelism, said means including a plate having a guide-slot for each strip er to run therein with a sliding fit, each 0? said plates being disposed on the opposite side of each stripper from its carbon-holding blade.

10. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a carriage and a revoluble platen around which maybe fed a multipleply work-web interleaved with carbons, of a plurality of superposed parallel rails supported on said carriage and disposed on each side of said web, a carbon-stripper running on each of said rails, an inreaching carbonholding blade on each of said strippers, and means for guiding said blades in parallelism as they are moved along said rails, said means including a plate disposed outwardly from each group'ot said rails and having a guide-slot opposite the top side of eac rail, and an outwardly-extending arm on each of said strippers passing through its associated slot and arranged for moving therein with a sliding fit, which arrangement is effective to hold the free end of the carbon-holding blade on the stripper from being moved u or down out of the normal plane of said b ade.

11. The structure described in claim 10, characterized by an arrangement of the ends of the outwardly-extending arms of said strippers in echelon, the lower arm being the longest, and, by providing an upreaching finger-piece on each of said arms adjacent its outer end, the echelon arrangement permitting any finger-piece to be moved rearwardly without striking an adjoining arm.

12. In a typewriting machine of the class described, having a platen and means for conducting a multiple-ply work-Web to the intake side of said platen, a carbon-stripper track including a rail disposed substantially parallel to said web at one side thereof, and a vertically-disposed plate supported parallel to the vertical plane of said rail on the opposite side of the latter from said web, said plate having a slot therein parallel to the to of said rail.

13. n a multiple-ply-web-manifolding typewriting machine, the combination with a platen around which the web feeds, of a multiplicity of stationary one-rail tracks superposed at each side of the Web and leading to the platen, individually-operable carriers mounted to travel independently upon a single track, and each carrier including a carbon-stripping blade alternating with the plies of the multiple web, a stationary runway outside the superposed tracks and engageable with the ends oi the carriage to hold the carbon-blades in slidable counterpoise between the other blades, and between the plies of the web, and means mounted upon each carrier, operable to engage the adjacent run-way and frictionally hold the carrier against displacement after a carbonstripping movement thereof, said means including a fiat spring tensioned to bear against the stationary run-way.

14. The combination with a typewriterplaten, of means for leading asingle multiple-ply gathered web through a single path into the machine and to the platen, a series of superposed one-rail tracks at the side of the web-path and spaced one from another leading to the web-receiving side of the platen, individual interdigitated juxtaposed carbon-strippers to travel independently of one another upon its track between the plies of the web, and a cross-bar on each stripper, having a pair of rolls at each end thereof,

meshes to engage the track and provide a wide antifriction base-support for the overhanging carbon-stripper, each track, with the crossbar thereon, being in a different plane from the adjacent track, to permit the cross-bars to pass one another.

15. The combination with a typewriting machine provided with a carriage, of a platen, means for leading a single multipleply web in gathered condition through a single path into the machine and to the platen, said means including a multiple-plyweb-supporting table on the carriage leading to the web-feeding side of the platen, a multiplicity of. one-rail juxtaposed tracks on the table, arranged in superposed series at each side of the path of the web, individual juxtaposed interdigitated carbon-strippers slidably mounted one upon each track and movable therealong independently of one another between the gathered plies of the web, andguiding means mounted upon the table outside each superposed series of tracks and extending parallel thereto, to engage individually the ends of the strippers.

16. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a platen around which work is fed, of means for leading a single multipleply web in gathered condition through a single path into the machine and to the platen, superposed track-devices at the side of the path of the web and extending rearwardly from the platen, trucks mounted for movement on said track-device towards and away from the platen, each of said trucks being wholly supported and guided by said track-device, and juxtaposed carbon-carrying blades parallel with the platen and mounted, each at one end, upon said trucks, and projecting therefrom across the path of the work, and free at its other end, one blade upon each truck, each truck with its blade being freely movable upon its track past the remaining trucks and blades.

17. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a platen around which work is fed, of means for'leading a single multiple-ply web in gathered condition through asingle path into the machine and to the platen, parallel tracks, one at each side of the path of the web and both extending rearwardly from the platen, trucks mounted wholly outside of the path of the gathered web for movement on said tracks towards and away from the platen, one truck upon each of said tracks, each truck being wholly at one side of the path of the web and wholly supported and guided by its own track, and carbon-carrier blades parallel with the platen and juxtaposed and interdigitated and mounted each at one end upon said trucks, one blade upon each truck, each blade projecting across the path of the work and towards the other truck, each truck with its blade being freely movable past the other trucks and blades.

18. In a typewriting machine for manifolding the plies of a fan-fold web for continuous billing, the combination of a platen, a carriage, an upwardly-disposed extension wholly supported by the carriage, a plurality of superposed carbon-carrier tracks on said extension, each track guiding a single carrier .and a single carbon between the .plies of the web, and each carrier independently slidable upon a single track towards and from the platen, and each carrier having a blade poised between the folds of the web to support the carbon, and a fingerpiece, the finger-pieces disposed in stepped relation outside their tracks to avoid interference with the finger in sliding any carrier upon its single track to strip a single carbon from a typed web, and means carried by each carrier and co-operative with a partof the extension to individually prevent the accidental displacement of a carbon-carrier when shifted to carbon-stripping position, and during the subsequent manifolding of the web.

19. In a typewriting machinefor manifolding the plies of a fan-fold web for continuous billing, the combination of a platen, a carriage, an upwardly-disposed extension wholly supported by the carriage, a plurality of superposed carbon-carrier tracks on said extension, each track guiding a single carrier and a single carbon-blade between the plies of the web, and means for holding each carbon-blade in parallel equipoise, said means including a stationary runway en gageable with the end of each carrier.

20. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a platen around'which work is fed, of parallel superposed sets of tracks, one set at each side of the machine and extending rearwardly from the platen, trucks mounted for independent movements on all of said tracks towards and away from the platen, one truck on each superposed track, at each side of the machine, each truck being wholly supported and guided by its track and movable thereon past the trucks on all the other tracks, and carbon-carrying blades parallel with the platen and mounted each at one end upon said trucks,one blade upon each truck, each blade projecting from its truck across the path of the work and towards the other set of tracks, and each blade capable of passing all the others.

JESSE A. B. SMITH.

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