US1899968A

US1899968A - Typewriting machine

Info

Publication number: US1899968A
Application number: US299205A
Authority: US
Inventors: Alfred G F Kurowski
Original assignee: Underwood Elliott Fisher Co
Current assignee: Underwood Elliott Fisher Co
Priority date: 1926-07-22
Filing date: 1928-08-13
Publication date: 1933-03-07
Anticipated expiration: 1950-03-07
Also published as: US1823550A

Description

March 3 A. G. F. KUROWSK! TYPEWRITING MACHINE Original Filed July .22. 1926 INVENTOR ATTORNE Patented Mar. 7, 1933 A UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ALFRED F. KUROWSKI, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO UNDERWOOD ELLIOTT FISHER COMPANY, OF NEVJ YORK, N. Y.,' A CORPORATION OF-DELAWARE TYPEWRITING MACHINE Original application filed July 22, 1926,

7 This invention relates to typewriting machines, and more particularly to powerdriven type-actions, where a constantly rotating motor is employed to drive the type-bars to typing position upon depression of the associated character-keys. d

An object of the invention is to provide a simple key-controlled power-drive, so that the fingers of the operator may be substantially relieved of the work'required to operate the type-actions to print. A feature of said power-drive is that it may be applied to the typewriter with a minimum number of changes in said typewriter. To this end, there is provided a bar extending transversely of and below the key-levers. This bar is given a continuously and rapidly reciprocating edgewise movement of sufficient extent to operate the key-levers in a full stroke. This reciprocating movement is best derived by means of an eccentric and co-acting slotted arm device, the slotted arm being fastened to a rock-shaft to which the bar is attached by arms. An electric motor drives the eccentric to which it is geared for a suitable speed. Each key-lever has pivotally attached to it a swingable member, a portion of which may, by swinging the member, be interjected into the path of said reciprocating bar, with a consequent displacement and operation of the typewriter key-lever to print. For each typewriter key-lever there is provided an auxiliary key-lever whereby the displacement of the corresponding swingable member into the path of the reciprocating bar may be selectively effected. The keys of these auxiliary key-levers constitute an auxiliary keyboard, and said auxiliary key-levers are so disposed that the auxiliary keyboard is just above the regular typewriter-keyboard with sufiicient space between the two keyboards to permit free operation of the auxiliary key-levers. The interjectable portions of the aforesaid swingable members can only be fully interjected into the path of the reciprocating bar when the bar is at the extremity of its upward movement. In order that an auxiliary key-lever may be operated in an interval between such extremities, a yieldable operating connection ispro- Serial No. 124,147; Divided and this 1928. Serial No. 299,205.

application filed. August 13,

1926, now Patent No. 1,823,550, dated Sept.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter app-ear.

In theaccompanying drawing,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a type-writing machine with my invention applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a sectional side view of a typewriting machine with the invention applied thereto, the parts being shown in their inoperated positions.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary View of a typewriter key-lever and related parts, showing the relativepositions when an auxiliary keylever has been depressed.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view of a typeaction, to show the operation ofsaid typeaction by a power-driven means to print.

\ Key-levers 10, when depressed, swing about their fulcrum 11 against the tension of returning springs 12 to rock bell-cranks 13 about their pivots '14 and swing type-bars 15 upwardly and rearwardly to print against a platen 16. Every time a type-bar 15 prints, the usual Underwood escapement-mechanism, generally indicated by the number 17 is actuated by said type-bar to cause a carriage 18, in which the platen 16 is mounted, to move a letter-feeding step. The letter-feeding steps are impelled by the usualUnderwood carriage-spring motor, not shown. The keylevers 10 have mounted thereon the usual numeral-keys 19 and alphabet-keys 20.

In the present invention, power-driven means to operate the type-actions are provided to relieve the fingers of the operator of the work necessary to operate the type-actions to print. As a source from which operating impulses for said type-actions may be derived, there is provided a rapidly-reciprocating bar 21, which extends transversely of and under the key-levers 10. The reciprocating movement of said bar21 is derived by means of an eccentric 22 which coaots with a slotted arm 23 fastened to a rock-shaft 24, to which the bar 21 is secured by means of arms 25. The eccentric 22 is formed upon the side of a gear 26 which meshes with a driving gear 27 fastened to a shaft 28 of a driving motor 29. To support the gear 26 for rotation, there is provided a bracket 30 mounted upon a platform 31 which also supports the driving motor 29. Said gear is preferably made to rotate upon a suitablestud secured in said bracket 30. If said gear 26 is journale'd in a bearing hole in said bracket, said bearing hole must be of suflicient length to furnish prop-er bearing for the journal, which, in that case, is part of said gear. The rockshaft 24 has its bearings in side frames 32 of the typewriter.

As an operating connection between the reciprocating bar 21 and each key-lever 10, there is pivotally attached to each key-lever a swingable member Said swingable member 33 has a lower hook-shaped portion 34, which, by swinging the member, may engage the bar 21. The member 33 serves as an interponent, enabling the bar 21 to drive the selected lever 10. Said hook-shaped portion is normally disengaged from said bar To effect the selective engagement of the hookshaped portion, there is provided for each key-lever 10 an auxiliary lever 35. Said auxiliary levers are pivoted on a common fulcrum-rod 36 which is supported by and between the side frames 32 of the typewriter. A stop-rod 37 determines the normal positions of said levers, and a stop-rod 38- determines the extent to which said levers may be retated. Each of said auxiliary levers is yieldably held in said normal position by means of a spring 39 secured to a bar 40 that is supported by and between the typewriter side frames 32.

Suitable bracing means, not shown, may be provided to support the rods 37, 38 and the bar 40 against sagging. The outer arms of the levers 35 are formed so that keys 41, mounted on the ends of said outer arms, constitute an auxiliary keyboard above the regular typewriter-keyboard, said auxiliary keyboard bemg substantially a duplicate of said regular keyboard. The inner arms 42 of said levers 35 are substantially uniform.

Operating connection between the arm 42 of each auxiliary lever 35 and the correspondlng swlngable member33 is preferably made by means of a yieldable device that includes a lever 43 plvotally mounted adjacent the swingable member 33 and on the same pivotcenter. A bent-over tab 44 of the lever 43 engages the edge of the swingable member 33, and said tab and said edge are drawn to gether by a spring 45 which normally has the eifect of making substantially one lever of the swingable member 33 and the lever 43. The upper arm of each lever 43 has a suitably curved portion 46, which lies in the path of the end of the arm 42 of the auxiliary lever. vVhen said auxiliary lever is rocked, the curved portion 46 is displaced by the end of the arm 42, and the hook-shaped portion 34 is consequently caused to be interjected into the path of the reciprocating bar 21. It is for the reason that the hook-shaped portion can only be interjected when the bar 21 is at the extremity of its upward movement, that the aforesaid yieldable device, including the lever 43 and spring 45, is provided, and said yieldable device becomes effective if the auxiliary lever is actuated in the interval between such extremities. If the upper edge of the bar moves below the normal level of the ends of the swingable members '33, said lower ends or upper edge should be beveled, so that a member 33 may ride over said bar if its book shaped portion 34 is in the path of said bar at the beginning of its upward movement. Figure 3 shows an auxiliary lever 35 operated, and the corresponding hook-shaped portion 34 engaging the bar 21 at the extremity of the upward movement of said bar. Atthe end of the ensuing downward movement of said bar the relative positions of the involved parts are as shown in Figure 4.

A spring 47 is attached to each lever 43 and keeps said lever with its related swingable.

member 33 in normal position, in which the lever 43 stops against a pin 48, projecting from the side of the key-lever 10. It will be seen that the power-driven means herein described for operating the type-actions may be easily applied to the t pewriter with a minimum of change. The power-drive herein described is preferred on account of its simple and novel features which make it economical to manufacture, install and maintain. It.

will also be understood that a power-drive for the type-actions may be dispensed with, in which case the type-actions would be operated to print by means of the regular typewriter-keys l9 and 20.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a typewriting machine having typebars connectible to actuating levers, a continuously reciprocating bar, means carried by each actuating lever, including a cam and an interponent pivoted thereto, normally out of engagement with said bar, and auxiliary key-levers, one for each of said actuating levers, operable to engage said cam and move said interponent into engagement with said reciprocating bar to enable the latter to drive the selected type-bar to print.

2. In a typewriting machine, the combinationwith actuating levers, of a reciprocating bar underlying said levers, a swingable interponent mounted on each of said levers to cooperate with said bar for depressing said levers, a cam adjacent each interponent and also mounted on its lever, for moving said interponent into engagement with said reciprocating bar, and key means for operating said cams.

3. In a typewriting machine, the combination with type-actuating levers, of a reciprocating bar underlying said levers, a swingable interponent mounted on each of said levers to co-op-erate with said bar for depressing said levers, cams adjacent said interponents and mounted on said levers for moving said interponents into and out of engagement with said reciprocating bar, and auxiliary levers terminating in a keyboard and operable to actuate said cams to swing said interponents into the path of said reciprocating bar.

4:. In a typewriting machine, the combination with type-actions including individual levers, of a bar underlying said levers, a constantly rotating motor, an eccentric member rotated by said motor, to continuously rock the bar, swingable resilient interponents to be engaged and driven by said bar, key-controlled means mounted upon said levers to present said interponents to said bar selectively, and means to enable said interponents to drive said type-action levers.

5. In a typewriting machine, the combination with type-actions including levers, of a bar to actuate said levers, a constantly rotating motor effective to vibrate the bar, a swingble interponent mounted on each lever and including a hook-portion at one end, a controlling lever for each interponent, a spring for normally holding said hook-portion out of the path of said reciprocating bar, and a second spring for holding the other end of the interponent against said controlling lever, and keys to rock said controlling levers to swing said hook-portions selectively into the path of said bar.

6. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a type-action including depressible key-levers terminating in a keyboard, of a bar underlying said key-levers, a constantly rotating motor, an eccentric member rotated by said motor, a slotted arm straddling said rotating eccentric member and connected to said bar to continuously rock the latter, a lever having a cam-face and a swingable member mounted on each keylever, a hook-portion at the lower end of each of said members, said levers normally holding said hook-portions out of the path of said reciprocating bar, and means to rock said levers to swing said hook-portions into the path of said bar, said means including a set of auxiliary key-levers, the rear ends of which act on cam faces of said levers to rock the latter when said key-levers are operated through a set of character-keys mounted on the forward end of said key-levers and forming an auxiliary keyboard.

7. In a typewriting machine, the combination with type-actions including depressible key-levers, of a vertically reciprocating bar underlying said key-levers, a swingable member mounted on each key-lever, a hookportion at the lower end of each member, a lever mounted adjacent each of said members and normally holding said hook-portions out of the path of said reciprocating bar, means to rock said levers to' move said hook-portions under said bar, and a yieldable connection between'said levers and said swingable members to permit said levers to be rocked while the hook-portions of said members are prevented from moving under said bar when the latter is in lower position.

8. In a typewriting machine, the combination with type-actions having actuating levers, of a bar, driving means including a motor for imparting a reciprocating movement to said bar, and key-controlled means pivoted to the levers and each including a spring-pressed interponent which yields when obstructed by said bar it the latter is in its lower position, and which springs under the bar when the latter rises, each interponent effective to connect its type-action to said bar to be driven thereby.

ALFRED G. F. KUROVVSKI.