US1918300A - Means to vary the blow of the printing hammer - Google Patents

Description

July 18, 1933. F. H. TREGO 1,918,300

MEANS, TO VARY THE BLOW OF THE PRINTING HAM' IER Filed Oct. 15, 1929 5 Shets-Sheet 1 In I; x52

afi T g I 3 Q Q Q x g g \QR Q INVENTOR & a Fran/r H 7/1990.

A TWWRNEY July 18, 1933. F. H.-.TREGO MEANS TO VARY THE BLOW OF THE PRINTING HAMMER Filed Oct. 15, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 8 JNVENTOR Frank M 9 BE 7 July 18, 1933.

F. H. TREGO MEANS TO VARY THE BLOW OF THE PRINTING HAMMER 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 15, 1929 IN VENT OR July 18, 1933, F. H. TREGO MEANS TO VARY THE BLOW OF THE PRINTING HAMMER 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 15, 1929 INVENTOR Fran/r hf Treqo. ArroRlvEf July 18, 1933. F. H. TREGO 0 MEANS T0 VARY THE BLOW OF THE PRINTING HAMMER Filed Oct. 15, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR Fran/r l1. Treqo.

BY W;

L AWQRNEY Patented July 18, 1933 UNITED STATES'PATENT OFFICE FRANK H. TREGO, OF NEW YORK, Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO RALPH G. COXHEAD COR'ZPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.. A. CORPORATION OF DELAWARE MEANS TO VARY THE BLOW Application filed October 15, 1929.

An object of the invention is to vary the blow of the printing hammer Without changing its throw so as not to slow down the speed of the machine when the blow of the hammer is increased.

To carry out the invention there 1s provlded a suitable setting means connected d rectly with the actuating means of the prlntmg hammer by whichthe force of the actuating means may be varied at will to produce the desired blow of the printing hammer.

Another object of the invention is. to automatically vary the blow of the printing hammer to compensate for larger and smaller types of different type sets used in the machine.

To this end the mechanism for ad ust1 ng the actuating means is also associated with means by which the letter spacing of the carriage is varied in accordance with the size of type.

The hammer actuating means includes a spring, and another feature of the invention relates to means including a settable fingerpiece to vary the force of the spring in proportion to the movement of the finger-piece and also to vary the force of the sprlng in an increasedratio after the finger-piece has moved a certain distance.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of the machine showing the invention applied thereto:

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the machine, partly broken away, showing the force adjuster, for the hammer actuating spring, set in its first position, and the variable carriage feed mechanism set for the smallest letter spacing in accordance with the smallest actuating'spring;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 and showing the variable feed mechanism set for the largest types and the hammer spring adjustment effected by the setting mechanism associated with the variable feed mechanism;

OF THE PRINTING HAMMER Serial No. 899,732.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary front view, in section, taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary rear view illustrating the escapement mechanism.

Similar reference characters represent similar parts throughout the several views.

The invention is shown as applied to the Varityper writing machine which includes a main frame 10 having a track 11 upon.

which a carriage 12 travels back and forth through the medium of anti-friction balls or rollers 13. To guide the carriage at the top it is provided with a bar 14 which is held against one or more rollers 15 by a guard or bracket 16 secured to the machine frame.

rection by the usual spring drum, not shown, connected to said carriage by a strap 17. Its letter space movements are controlled by escapement mechanism, indicated generally by the numeral 18, which is operated at each operation of any one of the various key levers. I

The escapement mechanism 18 includes an escapement wheel 19 secured to a shaft 20 supported in the main frame 10. Connected to the shaft 20 are pinions 21, 22 and 23 forming part of a sleeve 24 connected with the escapement shaft 20, as in my application, Serial No. 361,899, filed May 10, 1929, by means of a pawl and ratchet, not shown herein. A rack 25, supported on the carriage, may engage with any one of the pinions to rotate the escapement shaft in a clock wise direction in Fig. 6.

The escapement wheel 19 is normally held by a loose dog 26 pivoted by a stud 27 on a frame 28, the frame 28 having an arm 29 engaging a stop 30. Upon the actuation of any one of the type keys a universal bar associated therewith is actuated. The univer sal bar has a rearwardly extending arm 31 which moves downwardly to engage an inwardly projecting finger 32 of a dog rocker 32 to swing the latter in a clockwise direction, Fig. 6, about a pivot stud 33, thus swinging a fixed dog 34 into the pat-h of an adj acent tooth of the escapement wheel.

The dog rocker is also provided with an arm'35 having a slot 36-into which extends a pin 37 from the loose dog 26'whereby the loose dog is swung out of engagement of the escapement wheel; the dog carrying frame 28 being connected to a printing hammer 38 by means of a stud 39 to be actuated there- The carriage is urged in a letter space diby during a printing operation of said hammer which is actuated in a manner hereinafter described. Upon the release of the dog 26 from the escapement wheel it is carried upwardly, by the action of the hammer on the frame 28, and the pin moves upwardly in the slot 36. Subsequently the dog rocker 32 is brought back to normalupon the return of the arm 31, to first swing the stepping dog 26 into the path of the next tooth of the escapement wheel and thento disengage the dog 34 from the escapement wheel, whereupon the escapement parts and the printing hammer 38 are restored to normal as indicated in Fig. 6.

The printing instrumentalities include "a type carrier or shuttle 40 having types 41 with which a head 42 of the hammer 38 co operates to print against an interposed worksheet, 43; the work sheet being fed up and down by suitable feed rollers 44 and 45 sup ported on the carriage 12. The type shuttle 40 is curved to conform with a cylindrical anvil 46 by which it is carried; said shuttle being actuated in the usual way to select the desired type by the key levers.

The printing hammer 38 is mounted on a shaft 47 supported by pivot screws 47 on brackets 48 of the main frame.

Upon the release of the printing hammer from the escapement wheel 19, as previously described, it is actuated by a power means herein shown in the form of a sprin 49 connected at one end to an arm 50 of the ammer 38 and at its other end to a lever 51 of means to adjust the force of said spring in a manner hereinafter described.

The types 41 of the set on the shuttle 40 may be small and narrow so that there are sixteen to the inch on the work sheet. Another shuttle 52 with broader and higher types 53, about ten to the inch is also supported on the anvil 46; the shuttle 52 being shiftable into cooperation with, the hammer 38 in the usual manner by rotating the anvil 46 by a finger-piece '54, at the same time the shuttle 40 is carried out of operation.

The" letter spacing of the carriage is changed in accordance with the various sizes of the types 41 and 53 of the various type sets. For this purpose there is provided'variable feed mechanism which may be like that disclosed in my above mentioned applica- 5 tion and includes the feed rack 25, which may engage any one of the pinions 21, 22 and 23; said pinions being of different diameters to effect ten (10), twelve (12) and sixteen 16) letter spaces to the inch respectively of the carriage.

To set the machine for the desired letter spacing, the rack is first lifted out of engagement with the active pinion, and the sleeve 24 is thenslid back or forth on the escapement shaft 20 to locate the pinion, corresponding with the desired letter spacing,

handle out of a notch 62 in an index plate 63. This raises the rack 25 out of engage:

ment with the pinion 21, through the medium of a lever 64 actuated by an arm 64 secured to the rear end of the shaft 61. The fingerpiece or handle 60 is then moved rearwardly in a slot 65 of the plate 63 to slide the shaft rearwardly until the handle reaches a slot 66 and thus swings a lever 67 about a pivot 68 to shift the sleeve 24 and carry the pinion 23 forwardly under the rack 25. A spring 69, Fig. 2, connected to the handle 60, is then permitted to rock 'the shaft 61 back to normal; the handle 60 entering the slot 66 to lock the pinion in its selected position through the medium of the shaft 61 and the shift lever 67. The shaft 61 is thus rocked back to normal and consequently the rack 25, which is controlled thereby, is lowered into engagement with the pinion 23.

The machine may be used for light work such as ordinary letter writing, for medium work, as for example, one or more carbons, and for heavy work such as manifolding and stencil cutting. Accordingly the actuating means including the spring 49 for the hammer may be adjusted to vary its force to change the blow of the hammer to suit the work being done. 1

The means to vary the force of the ham- ,mer actuating spring 49 includes a fingerpiece or arm 70 secured to a rock shaft 71 hammer, the arm 7 O is sprung laterally out i of the notch 73 and is then moved in a longitudinal slot 75 to index 2 of the plate 74 where it is permitted to snap into a notch 76. In moving to. this position the shaft 71 is rocked in a clockwise direction, Fig. 1. Said shaft has secured thereto a downwardly extending arm 77 to move rearwardly a link 78 connected thereto by a screw 7 9. The link 78 is guided by a screw 79 threaded into a lug .80 of the machine frame 10 and is connected to a lever 81 by a screw 82 to swing said lever 81 and has an ear 85 engaging the forward edge of the lever 81. Thus the lever 51 acts as an integral part of the lever 81 while the spring adjusting arm 73 is moving from its first to its second position. It will be understood that during this initial setting of the spring tensioning means the increase in the force of the spring is proportioned to the distance throughwhich the setting arm is moved. a

To adjust the hammer spring 49 for heavier work such as manifolding or stencil cutting, the setting handle '70 is moved to the notch 86 opposite index 3. Although the movement of the handle 70 from its second position to its third position is equal to its movement from the first position to the second position, the increase in the force of the spring 49 is much greater to procure the desired blow of the hammer 38. To produce this increased force of the hammer spring the lever 51 is provided with an adjustable stop 90 which engages a lug 91 of the machine frame to swing the lever 51 about its pivot 84 in a counter clockwise direction and further tension the spring as in Fig. 3.

It Will be understood that because of the difference in areas of the faces of types 41 and 53 provision is made to vary the blow of the printing hammer accordin to the types in use. This is brought about by the setting means of the variable feed mechanism .which, it will be remembered, is actuated to vary the letter space movements of the carriage in accordance with the type set used. The shaft 61 of said setting means has secured thereto an adjustable collar 95 provided with a screw 96 extending through a slot 97 (Fig. 2) of a lip 98 on the lever 83 so that the latter is swun in a counter clockwise direction, Fig. 3, about a pivot 99, when the rod 61 is moved rearwardly to the position in Fig. 4 from the position in Fig. 3. During the rearward movement of the actuator, including the shaft 61 and the finger piece 60, the lever 81, which is connected to the lever 83, is swung about the stud 82 which at this time serves as a stationary pivot.

The lever 51 is also swung about its pivot 84, because of engagement of a screw 90 thereon, with a stop or abutment 91, to increase the force of the spring 49 so that the hammer blow is increased to compensate for the larger types.

It will be understood that the handle 70 may occupy any one of its three positions while the handle 60 of the variable feed mechanism is being actuated; the latter effecting a variation in the force of the spring to compensate for the various sizes of types so that the typing on the work sheet is of a uniform shade or weight.

It will further be understood that the lever' 81 is a lever of the second order which may be actuated about the pivot 83 by the handle 70; that it may be actuated about the a pivot 82 by the lever 83 (lever of the second order) when the latter is actuated by the handle 60; and that the subordinate lever 51 is a lever of the first order when actuated about its pivot 84.

While certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and de scribed, it will be understood that changes in form, arrangement, proportions, sizes and details thereof may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim 1. In a typewriting machine, the combiation of printing .instrumentalities including a hammer, a spring to actuate the printing hammer, means including a settable lever having a finger piece, said lever connected to said spring to vary the force thereof to vary the blow of the hammer, indicating means to assist in setting the lever, and a notched detent to hold it in any one of a plurality of positions. 2. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing instrumentalities including a hammer, a spring to actuate the printing hammer, a finger-piece, a lever connected with said spring, a fulcrum for said lever, said lever being actuable by said finger-piece to vary the force of the spring, said fingerpiece being connected to said lever farther away from its fulcrum than the point of connection of the spring, andmeans to hold the finger-piece in its variouspositions.

3. In a typewriting machine, the combination'of printing instrumentalities including a hammer, a spring to actuate the printing hammer, means connected to said spring to vary its force, said means including a finger-piece settable to three positions, thevariation of force of said spring caused by setting the finger piece from its first position to its second position being proportional to the extent of movement of said finger-piece, and means operable when the finger-piece is moved from its second position to the third position to increase the force "of the spring in a greater ratio than when the finger-piece is moved from the first position to the second position.

4. n a typewriting machine, the combination of printing instrumentalities including a hammer, a spring to actuate the printing hammer, a simple lever'connected to said spring, a finger-piece connected to said lever and movable from one position to another to actuate the lever to vary the force of said spring, and means to convert said lever into 130 a a compound lever when the finger-piece is moved from its last-mentioned position to still another position to further vary the force of said spring.

5. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing instrumentalities including a hammer, a spring to actuatethe printing hammer, a primary lever, a secondary lever the primary lever is being shifted from its second position to the third position to swing the secondary lever to further increase the force of'said spring, and means to hold the primary leverjin its various positions.

6. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing instrumentalities including a hammer, a spring to actuate the printing hammer, variable carriage feed mechanism, meansto set the variable carriage feed mechanism, and means whereby the force of the hammer spring may be varied-by the setting means.

7. In a typewriting machine, the combina tion of printing instrumentalities/includinga hammer, a spring to actuate the printing hammer, variable carriage feed mechanism,

means including a shaft to set the variable feed mechanism, and a lever .connected to the hammer s ring and operable by said shaft to the orce of said spring in accordance the setting of said shaft.

8. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing instrumentalities including a hammer, a spring to actuate the printing hammer, variable carriage feed mechanism, means to set the variable feed mechanism, a lever connected to the hammer spring, and an intermediate lever connecting said lever with the setting means.

9. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing instrumentalities including a hammer, a. spring to actuate the printing hammer, a bar to which is connected intermediate'its ends said spring, and settable devices, one at each end of said bar and connected thereto to actuate the bar to regulate the force of said spring to vary the blow of the hammer accordingly.

10. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing instrumentalities including a hammer and types of various sizes, means to actuate the hammer, means connected to the actuating means 'to vary the blow of the hammer to compensate for the thickness of work sheet being typed, and means also connected to the actuating means to 'vary the blow of the hammer to compensate-for the size of the types used.

11. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing instrumentalities including a hammer, means to actuate the hammer, means connected with the actuating means to vary the force thereof, the second named means being supported independently of the hammer and including a finger piece located at a convenient place for manipulaforce of the actuating meansto vary the blow of said hammer without. affecting the throw of said hammer, and a locking plate for the finger piece, the settable device and the locking plate being supported on the main frame independently. of the hammer. 13.' In a typewriting machine, the combination of a printing hammer, two type sets having types of different sizes, a spring to actuate the printing hammer, intermediate means connected to said spring, means includ- 9 ing a finger-piece to actuate the intermediate means to vary the force of said spring according to the thickness of the work sheet, and means to actuate said intermediate means to vary the force of said spring in accordance with the different sizes of types.

14. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a printin hammer, two type sets having-types of di erentsizes, a spring to actuate the printing hammer, intermediate means connected to said spring, means ineluding a finger-piece to actuate the intermediate means to vary the force of said spring according to the thickness of the Work sheet,

and means to actuate said intermediate means to vary the force of said spring in accordance with the different sizes of types, said intermediate means including a lever connected at one end to the first mentioned actuating means, said lever being connected at its other end to the second mentioned actuating means, each point of connection acting as a pivot for the intermediate lever when the latter is operated by the actuating means connected to the other end of the intermediate lever.

15. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a printing hammer, two type sets having types of different sizes, a spring to actuate the printing hammer, means connected to said spring, means including a finger-piece to actuate the intermediate means to vary the force of said spring according to the thickness of the work sheet,

and means to actuate said intermediate means 130 intermediate to vary the force of said spring in accordance with the different sizes of types, said intermediate means including a main lever and a subordinate lever pivotally supported by the main lever, said spring being connected to the subordinate lever.

16. In a typewriting machine, thecombinnation of printing means including a hammer, means to actuate said hammer, means to vary the force of the actuating means to change the blow of said hammer, the force varying means including a lever of the second order connected to the actuating means, and means including a finger piece to set said lever.

17. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing means including a hammer, means to actuate said hammer, means to vary the force of the actuating means to change the blow of said hammer, the force varying means including a lever of the second order connected to the actuating means, a lever connected to actuate the lever of the second order, and an actuator connected to the second mentioned lever.

18. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing means including a ham mer, a spring to actuate said hammer, means to vary the force of said spring, said means including a lever of the second order, a lever of the firstorder carried thereby and connected to said spring, and means including a tin ger piece to actuate the lever of the second order, and an abutment to engage one end of the lever of the first order to actuate it about its pivot to vary the force of said spring.

19. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing instrumcntalities includ ing a. hammer, a spring to actuate said hammer, means connected to said spring to vary its force, said means including a finger-piece settable to a plurality of positions, the variation of force of said spring caused by setting the finger-piece from one position to another being proportional to the extent of movement of said finger-piece, and means operable when the finger-piece is moved to still another position to increase the force of said spring in a greater ratio.

20. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a carriage, printing instrumentalities including two type sets, the types of one set being larger than those of the other set, power means to efiect the printing of the printing instrumentalities, carriage feeding means, space selecting means settable to vary the letter spacing of the carriage feeding means in accordance with the size of the types, means to regulate the force of the power means in accordance with the work being typed, and means operable by the space selecting means to further vary the force of the power means in accordance with the size of types of the type set used.

21. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing instrumentalities, power means to effect the printing thereof, an actuable element connected to the power means, means including a finger piece connected to one end of said actuable element whereby the latter may be operated to regulate the force of the power means, and means including a fingerpiece connected to the other end of said actuable element whereby the latter may also be operated to regulate the power means.

22. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing instrumentalities, power means to efl'ect the printing thereof, a lever connected to the power means, means including a handle connected to one end of said lever whereby the force of the power means may be regulated, a fixed locking plate to co-operate with said handle to hold it in any one of a plurality of positions, said locking plate having a series of transverse slots extending at right angles from a longitudinal slot, said handle being adapted to engage in any one of said transverse slots and being movable laterally out of said transverse slots to unlock it and into the longitudinal slot so that it may be moved lengthwise thereof to actuate the lever connected with the power means, and indices at the transverse slots.

23. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing instrumentalities, power means to effect the printing thereof, means including a lever whereby the power means may be regulated to vary the force thereof, a shaft, a handle thereon, a locking plate as sociated with said handle, said shaft being rotatable bythe handle to release it fromthe locking plate so that it may subsequently be moved axially to shift said lever, and a pin and slot' connection between said shaft and said lever to permit rotative movement of the shaft independently of said lever.

24. In a typewriting machine, the combinati'on of printing instrumentalities, power means to eifectthe printing thereof, a lever of the second order, a. lever of the first order carried by the lever of the second order, the lever of the first order being connected with the power means, means including a finger piece connected with the lever of the second order to regulate the power means to var its force, and means whereby the lever of the first order may be actuated relatively to its supporting lever when the latter ismoved beyond a certain range to effect afurther regulation of the power means.

FRANK H. TREGQ.

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