US2179705A - Typewriting machine - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 14, 1939. L. WISE TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed June 29, 1958 RNEY .w .www

,d ATTO Patented Nov. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES inane PATENT oFFie Underwood Elliott Fisher Company, New

York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application June 29, 1938, Serial No. 216,479

4 Claims.

This invention relates to typewriting machines and more particularly to machines of the Elliott Fisher or flat platen type.

In performing, on machines of this type, work of the ordinary character consisting of two or more lines of typing and requiring multiple line spacing such for example, as the posting of a number of items on a journal or ledger sheet, it is desirable that the work pieces shall be firmly clamped in position on the platen to prevent the same from movlng durlng the postlng operation. In typing certain kinds of work, such as the transferring of balances at predetermined periods, the typing on each work piece or sheet consists of a single entry a line. Work of this type must be rapidly produced if it is to be done economically and the repeated clamping and releasing of each individual Work sheet, at its insertion in and removal from the machine, increases considerably the time required to perform the work, and correspondingly increases the cost of production.

The principal object of the present invention is to produce a machine of the Elliott Fisher type in which the work pieces may be placed in operative position in the machine and removed from the machine without clamping and releasing the same by the Work holding clamp or clamps.

Another object of the invention is to produce, for machines of the above type, a construction which normally occupies a position such that it does not interfere with the normal operation of the work holding clamping devices and the platen but which may be readily adjusted when desired to hold relatively the clamping devices and the platen on at least one side of the platen in nonclamping relation with the platen in typing position.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in a construction embodying the novel and improved features hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the advantages of which will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art.

- The invention will be clearly understood from the accompanying drawing illustrating the invention in its preferred form and the following detailed description of the construction therein shown.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a View in side elevation, partly broken away, illustrating certain portions of a typewriting machine of the Elliott Fisher type with the invention applied thereto,

Fig. 2 is a detail view in side elevation illustrating a portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1 with certain of the parts in different positions,

and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the mechanism illustrated in Figs. land 2 taken substantially on the line 3 3 of Figure 2 and also showing a portion of the typing mechanism.

The invention is illustrated in this application as applied to a typewriting machine of the Elliott Fisher type preferably having substantially the same construction, except as to the means for holding relatively the work clamping devices and the platen in non-clamping relation, as the machine illustrated and described in the patent to Foothorap No. 1,904,127, dated April 18, 1933. The platen' is mounted in substantially the same manner and is operated by substantially the same mechanism as in the machine illustrated and described in the patent to Foothorap No. 1,596,420, dated August 17, 1926.

The construction shown in the drawing comprises a platen frame in which is mounted, for vertical movement, a substantially at platen. The platen frame includes parallel spaced side members or rails indicated at 2 and cross bars 4 connecting said side rails and forming, with said side rails, a substantially rectangular frame in which is mounted for vertical movement the rectangular substantially at platen indicated at B. The platen, as it moves upwardly, clamps thework against clamps 8 and 8a arranged to overlie the side margins of the work sheets. These clamps 'consist of strips set into the side rails 2 of the platen frame as indicated in Fig. 3.

In producing the usual work upon machines of the Elliott Fisher type, in which the entries are typed on two or more lines of the work sheet, such as the posting of a number of items on a journal or ledger sheet, the platen is depressed by the usual foot operated depressing mechanism prior to the insertion of a work sheet in the machine and the work is inserted with its left hand margin between the clamp 8 and the platen and with its edge in engagement with the adjacent rail 2' which forms an edge guide for the work, and the platen is then released to clamp the work sheet securely in position. 1f the work sheet is of sufficient width, its opposite side margins may be inserted respectively beneath the clamps 8 and 3a before the platen is raised, and both side margins of the work sheet will be clamped to the platen.

The platen raising and lowering mechanism comprises a pair of levers I0 and I2 at each side of the platen. Each of the levers lll and I2 is pivoted upon the inner side of the adjacent side rail of the platen frame by means of a bearing sleeve I4 set in a recess in the corresponding side rail and held in place by a screw I5. The levers I and I2 are connected at their adjacent ends for simultaneous swinging movement, the lever I2 having, at its end, a rounded extension I6 arranged to engage in a recess I8 in the adjacent end of the lever IIJ. Each of the levers is connected with the adjacent side of the platen by means of a projection 20 on the lever arranged to engage in a recess 22 formed in a bracket 24 secured to and projecting downwardly from the platen. The levers of each pair are acted upon by vaV coiled spring 26 attached at its ends to pins 28 mounted in the respective levers below the axes thereof.

Mechanism arranged to be operated by a foot treadle is provided for swinging downwardly the levers I0 and I2 to depress the platen. This mechanism is arranged to swing downwardly together the pairs of levers on opposite sides of the platen frame so as to depress both sides of the u platen uniformly.

The mechanism for depressing the platen comprises a bail 30, the ends of the spaced forwardly extending arms of which underlie the bearing sleeves I4 on which the forward platen operating levers I2 are fulcrumed. This bail is pivoted on a cross rod 32 secured at its ends in the levers I0. To the rear portion of the bail 30 is secured the upper end of a rod 34 the lower end of which is connected with a suitable treadle (not shown).

By means of the construction described, the platen is normally pressed upwardly toward the side clamps 8 and 8a by the action of the coiled springs 26. The platen is depressed by drawing downwardly the rod 34 by means of the treadle, thereby depressing uniformly all parts of the platen.

In the usual Elliott Fisher type of machine as shown in said Foothorap Patent No. 1,904,127, a line space frame is mounted for forward and rearward movement upon the side rails 2 of the platen frame and carries front and rear rails upon which is mounted for movement laterally of the platen frame, a key or type carriage carrying the usual type mechanism. A portion only of the type mechanism is shown in Fig. 3 of this patent to show the relation of the type mechanism to the platen. The type mechanism shown comprises a type bar 35 mounted upon a type lever 31a pivoted at 39 upon a bracket 4I secured to a plate 43 forming a part of the frame of the type carriage. This type mechanism has the same construction, arrangement and mode of operation as the corresponding type mechanism shown in the patent to Foothorap, No. 1,251,361, dated December 25, 1917.

As above stated, in operating upon certain kinds of Work, such as the transferring of balances at predetermined periods, the typing on each work piece consists of a single line of posting. It is desirable, in performing such posting operations, that it shall not be necessary to depress the platen and release the same, in inserting work sheets into the machine and in withdrawing them therefrom, inasmuch as these operations take a substantial amount of labor and time and greatly increase the cost of production of the work. It is desirable however, that the operator should be able to insert the work in operating position beneath the clamp 8 at the left hand side of the machine and to bring its edge against the adjacent side rail 2 of the platen to locate the work piece in proper operating position. To enable these results to be secured, means is provided for relatively locating and holding the side clamp 8 and the left side of the platen in slightly spaced relation but with the platen in typing position. In the preferred form of the invention illustrated in this application, means is provided for holding the left hand side of the platen in slightly depressed but in typing position so that the work sheets may be inserted between the clamp 8 and the platen in engagement with the side rail 2 in operating position and typed and then removed from the platen without depressing and releasing the platen.

The mechanism for holding the left hand side of the platen in slightly depressed position comprises two stop levers 36 each pivoted on the left hand side rail of the platen frame and having a hook 31 located on the inside of the side rail, and arranged respectively to engage pins 38 secured in the adjacent levers I Il and I2,`the side rail being recessed as at 40 to provide clearance for the movement of the hook. Each of the stop levers 36 is U-shaped in cross section and embraces a side rail as shown clearly in Fig. 3. Each lever is pivoted upon a bearing member 42 mounted in a recess in the side rail and secured therein by means of a screw 44 and a spring washer 45 is interposed between the inner arm of the lever and the adjacent wall of the side rail to hold frictionally the lever in radjusted position. The arm of each stop lever on the outside of the left hand side rail is provided with a, projection 4G arranged to be grasped by the operator in swinging the stop levers into and out of operative position. If it is found to be desirable to hold both sides of the platen in slightly depressed position, a second set of stop levers 36 may be mounted upon the side rail 2 on the right side of the platen frame, and arranged to engage pins on the levers IE) and I2 on that side of the platen.

When work requiring the clamping of each work sheet between the clamping strip 8 and the left hand margin of the platen is being performed, the stop levers 36 are adjusted substantially in the positions shown in Fig. 1 so that the hooks 31 on said levers do not engage the pins 38. When work is to be done in the performance of which it is desirable that each work piece shall not be clamped between the left hand margin of the f platen and the clamp 8, the platen is depressed by the depression of the treadle to place the pins 33 below the hooks 31 and the stop levers 36 are then swung in a counter-clockwise direction (Fig.

l) to place the hooks above the pins so that the pins will engage the same upon the release of the treadle. The pins and the hooks on the stop levers are so constructed and arranged that the engagement of the pins with the hooks will hold the left hand side of the platen in slightly depressed position as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 but not suiciently depressed to interfere in any degree with the proper operation of the type mechanism.

In actual practice, it has been found that, with the parts constructed and arranged so that the stop levers hold the left side of the platen in a position substantially one-thirty-second of an inch below the clamp 8, highly satisfactory results are produced. This spacing between the margin of the platen and the clamp 8 allows sufficient room for the insertion of the upper work sheet, carbons and sheets upon which copies are to be made in the transferring of balances and similar work but the slightly depressed position of the left side of the platen does not interfere with the proper operation of the type mechanism upon the work supported on the platen. The holding down of the left side of the platen to this extent will not hold down correspondingly the right side of the platen because of the play in the connections between the parts of the platen operating mechanism, but the right side of the platen will be elevated into contact with the clamp 8a by the spring 26 on that side thereof.

With the stop levers in this position, the work pieces may be inserted between the left hand margin of the platen and the clamping strip 8 prior to the typing operation and removed therefrom after the typing operation with a minimum expenditure of labor and time, the work pieces preferably being held in position manually during the typing operation.

When the operation upon this class of work is completed the machine may be restored to its normal operation by again depressing the treadle and then swinging the stop levers back in a clockwise direction into the positions shown in Fig. l.

Having explained the nature and object of the invention and having specically described a construction embodying the invention in its preferred form, what is claimed is:

l. A typewriting machine having, in combination, a work holding clamp, a substantially iiat platen, mechanism tending yieldingly to move the clamp and platen relatively toward each other, manually operable means for moving relatively the clamp and platen away from each other and means mounted independently of the platen for movement into and out of operative position to hold the platen and clamp at the left side of the platen against the action of said mechanism in slightly spaced relation but with the platen in typing position.

2. In a typewriting machine, a platen frame, a substantially flat platen vertically movable in said frame, a clamp overlying one margin of the platen, mechanism for moving the platen vertically, comprising a pair of levers at each side of the frame pivoted to the frame and connected for simultaneous swinging movement, connections between each pair of the levers and the platen for moving the platen vertically, manually operable mechanism for actuating said levers to depress the platen, means acting yieldingly on said levers to move the platen vertically into engagement with said clamp and means acting directly on the platen moving mechanism to limit the movement of the levers on one side of the platen to hold the said side of the platen in slightly lowered position against the action of said yieldingly acting means but with the platen in typing position.

3. In a typewriting machine, a platen frame, a substantially flat platen vertically movable in said frame, a clamp arranged to overlie one margin of the platen for clamping the work when the platen is fully elevated, a pin mounted for vertical movement with the platen and a hook mounted on the platen frame and pivotally adjustable into and out of position to engage said pin when the platen is moved toward clamping position for holding the portion of the platen opposite the clamp in slightly depressed position.

4. A typewriting machine having, in combination, a substantially flat platen, a clamp arranged to overlie one margin of the platen, mechanism for supporting the platen and clamp for relative movement toward and from each other, means tending to move relatively the platen and clamp toward each other to clamp the work sheets on the platen, manually operable mechanism for moving relatively the platen and clamp away from each other, an edge guide adjacent the said margin of the platen for engaging the edges of the work sheets to locate the same in typing position and devices mounted independently of the platen and arranged to be adjusted into and out of operative position for holding the clamp and the portion of the platen opposed to the clamp against the action of said means in slightly spaced relation but with the platen in typing position to enable the work sheets to be placed on the platen between the clamp and the platen with the edges thereof in engagement with the edge guide and to be typed in this position, the edge guide being exposed and accessible along the entire said margin of the platen opposed to the clamp When said devices are in operative position.

ELMER L. WISE.

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