US2171261A - Copy holder - Google Patents

Description

COPY HOLDER 4 SheetsSheet 1 Filed Aug. 8., 1958 Aug. 29, .1939. WELTER 2,171,261

COPY HOLDER v Filed Aug. 8, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 g- 1939- H. c. WELTER 2,171,261

COPY HOLDER Filed Aug. 8, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 59 a J7 15 1E lLLl Aug. 29, 1939. WELT'ER 2,171,261

COPY HOLDER Filed Aug. 8, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 29, 1939 UNi'iED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

COPY HOLDER Application August 8,

11 Claims.

My present invention relates to copyholders that are used to facilitate the reading and transcribing of notes and writings and particularly copyholders of the type designed to be set behind typewriters and adapted to be operated as to line indications conveniently from near the keyboard of the machine, and it has for its object to provide a simple, quiet and efficient device of this kind. The improvements are directed in part toward providing the type of fixed line indicator and movable copy plate machine with rotary op erating means extending forwardly therefrom toward the keyboard of the typewriter but in which nevertheless such operating means may be quickly folded across the face of the copy plate to render the copyholder compact for storage and ship'- ping; toward rendering such operating means effective at different angles other than its precise forward position; toward rendering such operating device extensible and retractable for different desired positions of the copy plate; toward provisions whereby the copyholder may be picked up and manipulated by means of its copy plate without movement relatively to its support and the actuating mechanism thereon, and toward providing a novel elevating means that will function indefinitely without perceptible wear. To these and other ends, the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a copyholder constructed in accordance with and illustrating one embodiment of my invention with the copy plate thereof in a partially raised position;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view, much enlarged, and showing the operating means in folded position in dotted lines;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical central section of pper portion of the copy plate and its standard, taken substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 2 and on the same scale;

Fig. 4 is a front View of the operating mechanism as in Fig. 1 out on the scale of Fig. 2 and shown in transverse section through the shaft on the line i of that figure;

the

Fig. 5 is a rear elevation on the scale of Fig. 2

partly broken away and with the cover plate on a portion of the standard removed to reveal interior parts;

Fig. 6 is a further enlarged fragmentary sectional detail on line 6-43 of Fig. 1 and showing 1938, Serial No. 223,598

features of the connection of the elevating means to the copy plate;

Fig. '7 is a detail view partly broken away of a clutch element similarly appearing in Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a further enlarged detail perspective 5 of an element involved in the aforesaid attachment of the elevating member;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of the hinged end of the side arm and operating member in normal operating position taken from the inside;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary top View of the same adjusted to a different position;

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 9 but taken from the opposite or outer side;

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary vertical section taken substantially on the line l2-l2 of Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the line !3|3 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 14 is a similar section showing the operating arm broken as in folding;

Fig. 15 is an inner side View of the side arm supporting the operating mechanism with adjacent portions respectively of a. bearing bracket attaching it to the copy plate standard and an extension arm, the view being in longitudinal central section through the operating shaft and connected parts;

Fig. 16 is an enlarged top view broken away at both ends of the clutch connection between the operating shaft and the actuating shaft with the clutch elements in partial engagement;

Fig. 17 is a similar View with the clutch elements disengaged as they appear when the copyholder is folded;

Fig. 18 is an enlarged detail of the pawl spring shown in Fig. 5, and

Fig. 19 is an enlarged perspective View with adjacent parts broken away of the copy plate elevating tape and its winding drum.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

Although all of my present improvements are not necessarily limited to copyholders of the fixed line indicator and movable copy type, I have illustrated an embodiment of this character and will first outline its general construction and mode of operation so that the improvements I have made thereon will be more readily understood. Referring more particularly to the drawings and first to Figs, 1, 2 and 5 thereof, l indicates the base of an upright standard embodying rigid guide rods 2 at the sides connected at their upper ends in fixed relationship by a cross head plate 3. A vertically movable copy plate 4 slides 55 on these guides which it engages with its curled semi-cylindrical margins 5. At its top it carries a suitable spring pressed paper clamp 6 for holding the pages of the copy on the plate, which clamp is in the form of a wire bail mounted in bearing housings I on lateral extensions of the plate; The top edge of the latter is spanned by a helical spring 8 of slight tension to retain beneath it the pages as they are turned back. At the rear of the machine a transverse shaft 9 mounted in bearings IE] on the lower portion of the cross plate 3 carries jointed arms II which in turn support a swinging line indicator I2 that may be thus adjusted toward and from the copy plate for thickness of copy and up and down the face thereof accordingly as the writings are placed high or low on the copy sheet.

Means are provided for raising the copy plate with a step-by-step movement past the line indicator until at its limit of movement or at any desired intermediate point it is released to fall by gravity to an extreme low position on the base I. In the present instance, this means embodies a central narrow vertical housing fixed at its lower end to the base I and at its upper end to the cross plate 3. Adjacent its lower end and partially protruding into this housing is a winding drum I4, the periphery of which provides a central narrow winding surface flanked by converging or generally V-shaped flanges. The drum turns on an axle I5 supported on brackets It on the base and has a cavity It on its rear side to house a suitable counterbalancing spring (not shown) which housing is closed by a fixed cover plate I8 carried by the axle. The rear of housing I3 is also closed by a cover plate I!) completing the well for the tape appearing in Figs. 2 and 3.

At the top of this well or housing is a small pulley 28 on a stud 2| projecting rearwardly from the fixed cross plate 3 and which incidentally constitutes the means for securing the top of the housing in fixed position. A two-piece tape 22-23, about which more will be said later, is connected at one end to a stud 24 at the bottom margin of the copy plate and passes thence upwardly over pulley Z3 and downwardly around winding drum I l. A slot 25 in housing plate I3 admits the stud to the housing or well in which the tape is confined. It will thus be seen that, as the drum I4 is rotated in a clockwise direction (as viewed from the rear) it will raise the copy plate, and, when released, will allow the copy plate to fall by gravity.

As a matter of fact, the copy plate when so released for downward return does not reach the base I close enough to strike it. On the other hand, it is halted just out of contact by pairs of cooperating rubber buffers 26 and 21 at each side, one of which is clamped to the top of the guide 5 and the other of which is secured to the top of the guide rod 2, a spring 28 being also carried by the first mentioned buffer to further avoid noisy and wearing impact and to protect the screw head shown as holding the other buffer of the couple.

The immediate actuating means for transmitting step-by-step rotation to'the drum I4 is a wheel 29 having slightly converging side walls at its periphery that jam between the flanges of the wheel It only sufiiciently to establish driving frictional contact. The wheel is fixed on a shaft 36 (Fig. 5) which, through intermediate connections, is turned by a hand knob 3I arranged forwardly beside the keyboard of the typewriter.

Fitting into an annular groove within. the rear face of wheel 29 is a housing 32, best shown in Figs. 5 and '7, which housing constitutes the ball race of a one-way ball clutch of familiar type. An element 33 on the shaft 3!] forms tapered pockets with the ball race so that the spring pressed balls shown will jam against the race when the shaft is turned in one direction establishing the clutch connection and release when the shaft is turned in the other direction in a well known manner.

An extension on the clutch housing 32 is pivoted at 34 near the periphery of the wheel 29 to a bell crank arm 33, the other end of which is pivoted on the axle I 5. Substantially on the dead center between the latter and shaft 30 is an extension spring 36 connected at one end to a lug on the arm 35 and at the other to a lug on the housing 32. The bearing 31 (referring briefly now to Figs, 9 and of shaft 30 is carried by an upright bearing bracket 38 hinged at 39 at a low point on the base I so that it may swing laterally toward and from the base. Through this means the spring 36 holds the otherwise floating operating wheel 29 in operative frictional engagement with the drum I4 and as the hand lunch 35 at the front is turned clockwise (as viewed from the front) this relationship will be maintained and the wheel positively driven because the ball clutch is free to turn within the housing 32. The drum will hence turn in a counterclockwise direction (also from the front) and the tape 23 will be wound thereon and the copy plate raised. When, however, the knob 3| is reversed, the ball clutch will lock the shaft 30 and wheel 29, by reason of the ball clutch, to the housing 32. The off-center pivot 34 thereof will then react against the unyielding arm 35 and throw the housing, shaft and wheel outwardly on the hinge center 39 against the tension of spring 35 so that drum I4 is released from the wheel. The copy plate will fall by gravity, unwinding the tape from the drum. When the hand operation is released, all parts restore themselves to normal operative position through the action of spring 36.

The foregoing acquaints the reader with the general subject matter. I shall now proceed to describe the specific improvements that my present invention involves.

The bearing bracket 38, shown in side view from the inside in Fig. 9 and in side view from the outside in Fig. 11, extends only slightly forwardly of the base I of the standard and is there hinged at 40 on a vertical axis and on the inside to a relatively long, normally forwardly extending side arm 4I (see also Figs. 2 and 15). Slidable in this side arm is an extension arm 42. Both are composed of sheet metal, in the present in.- stance, the extension being fiat and the side arm being provided with a. flanged runway 43 at its bottom edge and a retaining lug 44 engaging over the upper edge of the extension, which latter is provided with a screw 45 abutting the lug 44 as a stop to prevent the extension from being entirely withdrawn. At its forward end, the extension has a leg 45 on which is a vacuum cup 41 while an upper extension 48 provides bearings for the operating mechanism and generally supports it at the front as well as providing a brace extension for the copy plate standard as a whole to maintain it erect.

The upper edge of the side arm 4| (see also Fig. 12) is rolled into a bearing 49 containing a rotatable sleeve 50. This sleeve has a stop collar 5! at its forward or outer end adjacent the end of the bearing and pinned to the sleeve at its inner or rear end is a clutch element 52. A complementary clutch element 53 is pinned to the forward end of actuator shaft 30, which forward end projects beyond such clutch member, which is tubular, and is pointed or rounded to provide a centering means entering clutch element 52, which is also tubular. Interposed between the latter and the bearing 49 for its sleeve and coiled about the rearwardly projecting end of the sleeve is a compression spring 54, the tendency of which is obviously to hold the clutch elements in operative cooperation to turn the actuating shaft 30 from the sleeve when the parts are in the normal positions of Figs. 1, 2, 9, 15, etc., that is, with the rotating elements in alinement. However, it is the purpose to make the operating mechanism including the side arm and all its connections foldable across the face of the copy plate and standard from the operative position shown in full lines in Fig. 2 to an inoperative position shown in dotted lines in the same figure. This is effected by simply swinging the whole structure inwardly and rearwardly on the hinge 40. When this is done, the folding motion is limited by a right angle bracket flange or lug extending inwardly from the side arm 4| and encompassing the knuckle and pintle of hinge 40, the lug ultimately striking against the bearing member 38. On the other side of the side arm is a spring latch 56 that catches over a suitable locking abutment 5'! on the bearing member 38 to hold the parts rigidly in extended operative position. This latch is strong enough for this purpose but can be overcome by sudden pressure of the hands in folding.

This general construction and mode of operation of the connection between the operating mechanism and the actuating mechanism for the winding drum and copy plate gives'rise to a particular design of clutch, as shown in the various figures, particularly the enlarged views. The clutch faces are annuluses with sharp and deep cut serrated faces constituting complementary rings of teeth. These cut teeth are not cut straight across the diameter but on each radii toward the center so that their apexes constitute a knife edge line, the forming out being wider and deeper on the outer circumference of the tubular clutch element than on the inner. The result is that the teeth may contact with each other over their entire side surfaces and their apexes reach to the very bottoms of the complementary intervening spaces on the companion member. There is, therefore, very slight tend.- ency for them to disengage under the rotary drive of one by the other and the spring 54 though small is entirely adequate to insure and maintain firm engagement.

Also, this clutch construction provides another function. Because of its peculiar nature, some of the teeth remain in mesh when the side arm and operating gear is neither completely extended nor completely folded but in a position intermediate the two positions of Fig. 2. In other words, when the swinging operating sleeve and the fixed actuating wheel shaft are out of alinement to a considerable degree, as in Fig. 10, the operation is not materially interfered with. This feature is of value in using the copyholder with special writing machines or for special purposes where it is more desirable to have the operating knob over toward the center of the copy plate rather than projecting straight out from its side. The

function is attributable in part to the fact that the vertical axis of the hinge 40 is so nearly tangential to the clutch tube peripheries and the pitch line of their mesh that only a bare disengaging sep-aration of the nearest teeth suiiicient to allow them to swing on each other occurs, as is illustrated in Fig. 17. In fact, the driving of one clutch element by the other can be effected almost as readily in the folded dotted line position of Fig. 2, as in the full line position for the elements are never completely out of mesh and the effect is that of a universal joint.

Still referring principally to the same figures, the sleeve 53 carrying the clutch element 52 is not turned directly by the hand knob 3|. It has been explained that the sliding extension 42 of the side arm 4! carries the leg 46 and the upper extension 48 thereof and the said knob is arranged forwardly of these. A hearing 53 in extension 48 carries an operating shaft 55 to the protruding end of which the knob 38 is directly fixed. This shaft extends into the sleeve 59 in telescopic relationship so that as the extension 42 is drawn out or pushed in the shaft will slide with it. The sleeve and shaft are, however, locked together for rotation by a feather 6i! (Fig. 15) stamped into the sleeve that runs in a groove 6| in the shaft, as does the set screw 62 that holds the stop collar M on the sleeve.

In addition to the knob 3| another means is provided (Figs. 1, 2 and 4) for intermittently rotating the operating shaft and sleeve to communicate the step-by-step movement through striking an angularly disposed key lever 63 with the heel of the hand, which some operators prefer over grasping the knob, such lever also being conveniently arranged at the side of the keyboard in a position adjacent to the knob but slightly rearwardly thereof. This key lever is yoke-shaped in cross section and is itself freely mounted to turn on shaft 59 and coiled about the latter are several convolutions of a spring 54 that normally holds the lever against a stop lug 65 extending forwardly from extension plate 58. The other end of the spring reacts against a lug 6% on the leg 46. Through a connected arm 68 on which is pivoted at if! a pawl embodying a shoe H, such key lever 53 is adapted to intermittently rotate a finely-toothed ratchet wheel 6'! fixed on the operating shaft 5.5. Further details of this ratchet mechanism are considered immaterial to the claimed invention of this application. The throw of the lever and the mechanism carried thereby is regulated by a stop screw 75 threaded through a post T5 on the extension support it. The purpose of having the pawl and ratchet normally out of engagement is, of course, to permit free movement of the shaft through the other operating means, namely, the hand knob 3 I.

Attention is now directed to the figures more particularly illustrative of the elevating tape 22 23. The metal portion 23 thereof is a very thin narrow ribbon which winds and unwinds on the drum M with facility and without appreciable wear because of the large diameter. The top pulley 26, however, is necessarily very small causing such abrupt bending of the metal strip that with constant use the latter becomes fatigued and is apt to crystallize and break. It is for this reason that I make the tape in two parts, the part 22 that works on roller 20 being a strong woven textile which will run on the roll iniiefinitely with out showing appreciable wear. The two are connected together by a link 7'. engaging in loops on the two ends but this splice never reaches either pulley.

The lower end of tape 22 is connected to the lower portion of the copy plate 4 through the medium of a stop pawl 78 as clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 19, which pawl is pivoted on the beforementioned stud 2d. The adjacent side wall of the wheel housing [3 is provided with a series of stop openings 19 punched therefrom in the nature of a rack. When the tape is under winding tension, a tooth 38 on pawl 18, which latter is thereby straightened out, runs free of the stops 79 but if the operator grasps the top of the copy plate to pick the machine up thereby, as it is very natural to do, a slack will occur in the elevating tape allowing the spring to throw the tooth so into locking engagement with the next adjacent stop so that the copy plate raises the whole machine through the medium of the pawl.

The said spring 8! is shown in enlarged detail in Figs. 8 and 18 to illustrate the mode of attaching it. A nut 32 on the stud 24 that confines the pawl is provided with a kerf 83 that runs down into intersection with the cooperating threads of the nut and stud. The straight wire spring is lodged in the bottom of this kerf to lock the nut on the stud and is maintained there by pinching together the walls of the kerf. In this way the spring is rigidly mounted in a convenient manner and at the same time performs the looking function. Its lower end is turned out angularly in the kerf to prevent rotation on its longitudinal axis and consequent disengagement from the pawl.

Reverting to the clutch connection between the actuating shaft 35! and the operating sleeve and shaft 59 and iii, Figs. 9, l0 and 11 show only a partial compression of spring 54 where the clutch elements 52 and 53 are in alined engagement or nearly so. In Fig. 17 where the side arm is folded and the cutch elements are at right angles, the expansion of this spring is at its maximum. In Fig. 16 the sprin is completely compressed between the clutch 52 and bearing 49 because in this view the hand knob 3! is being reversed to allow the copy'plate to fall in the manner explained. Such compression is due to the riding of one set of clutch teeth on the other, as shown, but complete disengagement is not reached (and, of course, should not be) due to the proportioning of the spring within the limited space referred to. In other words, when the clutch elements, on the reversal of the shafts, start to move apart slightly, spring 56, wholly compressed, becomes like a rigid abutting element.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a copyholder, the combination with a standard, a copy plate and a line indicator carried thereby, one of which is adapted to be raised and lowered relatively to the other, and elevating means on the standard connected to such movable element and embodying a rotary element having a shaft extending transversely relatively to the copy plate, of a normally forwardly extending side arm hingedly connected to the standard to fold across the face thereof, an operating shaft on the side arm, and a clutch connection between the latter shaft and that of the rotary element.

2. In a copyholder, the combination with a standard, a copy plate and a line indicator carried thereby, one of which is adapted to be raised and lowered relatively to the other, and elevating means on the standard connected to such movable element and embodying a rotary element having a shaft extending transversely relatively to the copy plate, of a normally forwardly extending side arm hingedly connected to the standard to fold across the face thereof, an operating shaft on the side arm, and a clutch connection between the latter shaft and that of the rotary element, said clutch embodying tubular elements on the respective shafts having complementary serrated end faces adapted to intermesh operatively when said shafts are out of alinement to a considerable degree.

3. In a copyholder, the combination with a standard, a copy plate and a line indicator carried thereby, one of which is adapted to be raised and lowered relatively to the other, and elevating means on the standard connected to such movable element and embodying a rotary element having a shaft extending transversely relatively to the copy plate, of a normally forwardly extending side arm hingedly connected to the standard to fold across the face thereof and having a tubular bearing therein, an operating shaft in the bearing, a clutch connection between the latter shaft and that of the rotary element, said clutch embodying tubular elements on the respective shafts having complementary serrated end faces adapted to intermesh operatively, and a compression spring interposed between the clutch element of the operating shaft and the bearing thereof.

' 4. In a copyholder, the combination with a standard, a copy plate and a line indicator carried thereby, one of which is adapted to be raised and lowered relatively'to the other, and elevating means on the standard connected to such movable element and. embodying a rotary element having a shaft extending transversely relatively to the copy plate, of a normally forwardly extending side arm hingedly connected to the standard to'fold across the face thereof, an operati'ng shaft on the side arm, and a clutch connection between the latter shaft and that of the rotary element, one of said shafts being resiliently yielding as to end thrust.

51 In a copyholder, the combination with a standard, a copy'plate and a line indicator carried thereby, one of which is adapted to be raised and lowered relatively to the other, and elevating means on the standard connected to such movable element and embodying a rotary elemerit having a shaft extending transversely relatively to the copy plate, of a normally forwardly extending side arm hingedly connected to the standard to fold across the face thereof, said arm having a tubular bearing therein, a sleeve in the bearing resiliently yielding as to end thrust, an operating shaft in the sleeve feathered thereto and extensible therefrom, and a clutch connection between the tube bearing and the shaft of the rotary'element.

6. In a copyholder, the combination with a standard, a copy plate and a line indicator carried thereby, one of which is adapted to be raised and lowered relatively to the other, and elevating means on the standard connected to such movable element and embodying a rotary element having a shaft extending transversely relatively to the copy plate, of a normally forwardly extending side arm' hingedly connected to the standard to fold across the face thereof, an operating shaft on the side arm, and a clutch connection between the latter shaft and that of the rotary element, the hinge connection of the arm having a vertical axis arranged tangentially to the gripping faces of the clutch elements.

7. In a copyholder, the combination with a standard, a copy plate and a line indicator car- 75 ried thereby, one of which is adapted to be raised and lowered relatively to the other, and elevating means on the standard connected to such movable element and embodying a rotary element having a shaft extending transversely relatively to the copy plate, of a normally forwardly extending side arm hingedly connected to the standard to fold across the face thereof, said arm having a tubular bearing therein, a sleeve in the bearing resiliently yielding as to end thrust, an operating shaft in the sleeve feathered thereto and extensible therefrom, a clutch connection between the tube bearing and the shaft of the rotary element, and an extension on the side arm slidably joined thereto, said extension being provided with a supporting leg, a bearing for the operating shaft, and a hand control for manually operating the latter.

8. In a copyholder, the combination with a standard, a copy plate and a line indicator carried thereby, one of which is adapted to be raised and lowered relatively to the other, and elevating means on the standard connected to such movable element and embodying a rotary element, of a side arm extending transversely relatively to the copy plate and having a tubular bearing therein, a sleeve in the bearing, and an operating shaft within the sleeve feathered thereto and extensible therefrom and operatively connected to the rotary element.

9. In a copyholder, the combination with a standard, a copy plate and a line indicator carried thereby, one of which is adapted to be raised and lowered relatively to the other, and elevating means on the standard connected to such movable element and embodying a rotary element, of a side arm extending transversely relatively to the copy plate and having a tubular bearing therein, a sleeve in the bearing, an operating shaft within the sleeve feathered thereto and extensible therefrom and operatively connected to the rotary element, an extension on the side arm slidably joined thereto, said extension being provided with a supporting leg, a bearing for the operating shaft, and a hand control for manually operating the latter.

10. In a copyholder, the combination with a standard, a copy plate and a line indicator carried thereby, one of which is adapted to be raised and lowered relatively to the other, an elevating means on the standard connected to such movable element and embodying a drum, and a flexible element wound thereon, of a bearing bracket hinged on a horizontal axis to the base of the standard and carrying a forwardly offset vertical knuckle and a horizontally disposed bearing, a shaft in the latter bearing, a rotary element on the shaft cooperating with the drum to rotate the same in one direction, a side arm having a pintle in the knuckle of the bracket member whereby the side arm may be folded across the face of the standard, a latch for locking the side arm relatively to the bearing bracket so that it extends forwardly from and transversely of the copy plate, said side arm being provided with a tubular bearing, a sleeve within the latter bearing feathered thereto so that it is adjustably extensible therefrom, and cooperating clutch elements on the inner end of the sleeve and on the outer end of the shaft of the aforesaid rotary element.

11. In a copyholder, the combination with a standard, a copy plate and a line indicator carried thereby, one of which is adapted to be raised and lowered relatively to the other, an elevating means on the standard connected to such movable element and embodying a drum, and a flexible element wound thereon, of a bearing bracket hinged on a horizontal axis to the base of the standard and carrying a forwardly offset vertical knuckle and a horizontally disposed bearing, a shaft in the latter bearing, a rotary element on the shaft cooperating with the drum to rotate the same in one direction, a side arm having a pintle in the knuckle of the bracket member whereby the side arm may be folded across the face of the standard, a latch for locking the side arm relatively to the bearing bracket so that it extends forwardly from and transversely of the copy plate, said side arm being provided with a tubular bearing, a sleeve within the latter bearing feathered thereto so that it is adjustably extensible therefrom, and cooperating clutch elements on the inner end of the sleeve and on the outer end of the shaft of the aforesaid rotary element, one of which clutch elements is yieldingly resilient to endwise thrust.

HERMAN G. WELTER.

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