US2416120A - Typewriter clamp means - Google Patents

Description

.1. M.. ROBERTS y l2,416,120

TY-PEWRITER CLAMP MEANS Feb. 18, 1947.

2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Jan. 26, 1945 Feb. 1s', 1947. J. M. Rom-:RTS l 2,416,120 l TYPEWRITER C LAMP MEANS v Filed Jan. 26,]1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 18V,vr 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE y' TYPEWRTER CLAMP MEANS John M. Roberts, Crystal 4llaa-ke, Ill. Application January 26, 1945, Serial No. `574,768

5 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in typewriter clamp means and more particularly `a clamp of this class which is adapted to hold the typewriter upon a slanting surface suchas tiltalole platform support of a desk which may in one position be concealed within the desk when the typewriter is not in use and elevated to horizontal position when the typewriter is being used. Also, when the typewriter is being used, the clamp as sists in positioning the typewriter on the platform support and in minimizing objectionable movements of the typewriter on the support during use thereof. y

It is an important object of this invention to provide an improved and simplified clamp of this type, which may be manufactured at relatively low cost and in quantity production, largely from thin section material, such as a metal stamping or suitable substitute therefor, while at the same time providing a device which may be applied in .Service with very little expenditure of time and effort and without any special knowledge being required.

The device of the present invention lalso permits typewriters to be removed from their usual tiltable platform supports, for cleaning, repairing, or exchanging, expeditiously and with a minimum o-f time and effort in doing so, and lthe device lends itself to ready adaptation to different makes of typewriters.

These and other objects and advantages will Y.

Figure 3 is a plan View of the vclamp of Figure 2 associated with the usual 4foot bar of a typewriter;

Figure 4 shows in full lines a longitudinal elevational view of the structure of Figure 3 with a fragmentary portion of the typewriter suggested by broken lines and also `incdotted lines in Figure 4 is shown an alternative position of the typewriter platform support when the vlatter is tilted to be concealed, with the typewriter, within the desk;

Figure is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly in section, taken 'onthe line '5-5 of Figure 4,; `and Figure '6 is a similar sectional view taken .on the line 6 6 .of Figure 4.

Referring in detail to the illustrative construction shown inthe drawings, the numeral I0 indicates generally an ofce desk of the type having a central'knee-hole l.I in which ismounted a `platelike typewriter platform support I2, which, when the typewriter, indicated generally by the numeral i3, is in `use .is .horizontal within the knee-hole, and, when the typewriter is `not inA use, may be inclined downwardly, to be supported as by the diagonal cleats i4, with the typewriter I3, in slanting position thereon, and at this time the cover I5 being pulled upwardly and forwardly to lie horizontal in the plane of the desk top I5 and forming a continuation thereof over 'the kneehole I I rto cover the typewriter.

The ,presentinvention'has to do with means for lclamping the typewriter I3 to the platform support I2 both when .the support is horizontal Yand when 'it is tilted to inclined position, such as is indicatedin dotted lines in Figure 4such c1ampingrneans embodying the present .invention being Yhere exempliedby the pair of clamps I1 and I la,

It may here be pointed out that one well known typewriter construction includes at .each side of the typewriter and thereunder a foot bar I3 (Figs. .3 and 4) each of which carries a front foot I9 for the typewriter and a rear foot 2). In .one common practice, the foot bar IB, of which it will -be understood there are two, one at each side of v the machine running `from front 'to rear thereof,

has a threaded socket 2I depending therefrom into which a screw-bolt (not shown) passing through a hole bored in the platform il 2 passes upwardly to be threadedly received in the tapped recess 22 of the socket 2| to clamp the typewriter to the platform support,l I 2. It is apurpose of the present invention to eliminate the necessity for the socket 2| and particularly .the necessity for boring a hole in the platform support to take a .clamping bolt therethrough. Such a -hole mars `the deskplatfcrm I2 .and .the installation is furthermore time .consuming .not only when `origi- .nally made but more particularly when itis Adesired to clean, repair or exchange typewriters.

In accordance with the .present invention, my

,improved clamping meansis greatly simplified in construction and operation 4and one of these devices, represented b'y the V.immoral ITI., is shown 'in perspective in Figure 2. `It `here includes a leg or foot engaging portion shown in .the form .of .a frame 23 which is 'at on its upper surface but having its rear edge turned .down in a rreentrant bend as at L24 .for enhanced rigidity,

l mations 3| and 32.

advantageously a continuation of and integral y. with the frame portion 23,` and this is shown as the inner of the two telescoping box formations Y I here referred to. The outer said box formation 32 is, similarly, Va continuation of and integral with the desk engaging or hook )portion` 33 of of rubber or the like which rests upon the desk prises a similar sub-foot 23a and suction cup The machine screws |90 and 20c secure The opening 25 in the frame portion 23 vof the clamp I1 is desirably of a size substantially Vjust 3 equal'to the area of the lower face of the suction cup I9?) so that the latter must be prefer- "ably forced into the opening 25, which however may be done by slight pressure, the rubber of 1 the sucti-on cup yielding'for that purpose. frame portion 23 then immediately underlies the foot bar I8 and margins the meta1 portion |90J i of the Isub-foot intermediate its height, the latl ter being narrowed to waist-like shape at this point in conventional practice.

At the outer side of thev clamp I1, theV frame l portion 23 has downwardly struckjilanges such as the inner flange 23a and outer flange 2317, both spaced laterally of the sub-foot I9a when l the frame 23 is moved laterally outwardly to fthe limit lof its movement on the sub-foot Thereupon the frame'portion 23 may be clamped to the foot I9 by a thumb-screw having a shank I 26' and a winged head 21. The thumb-screw 23 i passes freely through a perforation 28 in the l outer flange 23h and is threadedly received in a r, tapped aperture 23 in the inner flange 23a. j Screwing of the thumb-screw inwardly, which l may be readily done manually by means of the' winghead 21 of the thumb-screw, causes the inner end of the thumb-screw to Ypress'increas- Y ingly upon the sub-foot Illa and draws the frame l portion 23 laterally thereon so that the margin 3 of the frame advantageously becomes wedged in the narrow waist 33 between the foot I9 proper I` and its subfoot Illa. Y Y

The connecting portion of the clamp in this Centrally of the frame is an opening 25, which in thisinstance is rectangular to receive the rectangular sub-foot I9a, which usually terminates at its lower end in an inverted suction cup ISibY platform I2 and supports the typewriter thereon, i Yit being understood that the rear foot com- 4 ing 4I in the adjacent inner lateral rwall of the outerbox formation 32. Within the inner box formation is held a cushion-like body 42 desirably of sponge rubber or the like which fills the box formation 3i and has a reduced depending pad-like extensie-n 43 which passes downwardly and outwardly through registering longitudinally elongated slots 44 and 45 in the lower faces respectively of the boX formations 3| and 32 and contacts the upper surface of the platform support I2, thus elevating the metal parts of the clamp.V

I above the surface of the support I2 to avoid The instance includes a pair ofY telescoping box Yfor- The box formation 3| is the clamp. Y

As best shown in Figurel 6, these box formations telescopeV snugly but slidingly so that the distance' between thephook portion 33 and the l typewriter foot engaging portion on frame 23 i may-.be increased or reduced as desired to suit 1 different makes of typewriters, or to permit with l the same make different distances of the typewriter keyboard frorn the edge 34 of the desk platform support. To fix such an adjusted length l forY the clamp, I provide securing means here j represented by a lock pin 35 which has a shank l 3B and a winged head 31. This locking pin passes freely through Vregistering holes 38 and 39 in the outer lateral walls of the box formations 3| and i 32 respectively, across the width of the box fori mations, freely through another registering hole Y 4D in the opposite wall of the inner box formaf tion and screw threadedly into a tappedopenscratching the latter while permitting the type- Y writer foot 59h to pass through the frame 23 and also at the same time providing a friction member Iwhich grips the desk and minimizes movement of the clamp on the platform support, once the position of the typewriter is adjusted thereon,

' and to cooperate with the suction cups |9b onV the typewriter feet Vto, minimize movement of the typewriter on the platform Vsupport during use of the typewriter. It will be seen from Figure 6, that the shank 33 of the locking pin 35 passesfreely through the rubber-likebody 42, the latter being passaged as at 43 for this purpose.

Iffit be desiredY to extend the clamp', the lockingY pin 33 may be temporarily removed by manually unscrewing the pin, the lingers of the operator readily engaging the winged head 31 for this purpose, then decreasing the overlapV of the box formations 3| and 32 until one of the other passages 41 in the inner box formation 3| registers with the holes 39 and 4I in the outer box formation upon which the locking pin 35 may be replaced and again threadedly screwed intothe V tapped hole Il I. V

the edge'34 of the platform support and con-V Y forming Vsomewhat thereto. On its inner surface it is desirably faced with a buffer or layer of soft material 48 such as felt to prevent scratching of the desk. Its exterior face is advantageouslyY arcuately ribbed as at 49 for enhanced strength. As shown in the drawings, the hook has an arcuate bight materially of greater dimension vertically than the thickness of the platform I2 and the hook engages the platform only at the lower surface of the platform, this being assured by the cushionelike member 43 which elevates both the frame 23 and the hook 33 above the platform.

It will now be understood that in practice there will be two of the clamps, such as I1 and |1a, used with the typewriter AI3 on the platform support I 2, one below eachV side of the typewriter, the one shown in Figure 2 being preferably the right-hand clamp as seen in Figure 1 sothat the thumb screws 21 and V31 are Vaccessible tothe v screw for engaging said foot.

fingers of the operator at that side of the typewriter. The companion clamp I'Ia at the lefthand side of the typewriter I3 is desirably formed similar to the clamp I1 except that the depending flanges 23a and 235 are located on the lefthand margin of the frame portion 23 instead of the right-hand margin as shown in Figure 2. Similarly, the thumb screw 3l or in other words the lock pin 35 will enter from the left-hand lateral wall of the box formation 32 and will pass to the rightI through the inner box formation and threadedly into the hole 39 of the outer 'box formation. Thus, the clamps I'I and I'Ia are in pairs which are symmetrical though not identical, like the human hands, and serve somewhat as mechanical hands which retain the typewriter in position both when the platform support I2 is horizontal as shown in Figure 1, when the typewriter is being used, and also when the platform support is tilted downwardly as shown in dotted lines in Figure 4, when the typewriter is not in use and is concealed on the platform support within the desk, the cover I5 being then pulled upwardly and forwardly to lie horizontal in the desk and cover the typewriter.

It is to be understood that the invention is not intended to be limited to details of construction shown for purposes of exempliilcation and that such changes may be made as fall within the scope of the appended claims without departing therefrom.

The invention having been described, what is here claimed is:

1. In a clamp device of the class described, the combination of typewriter engaging means for detachably engaging a leg of the typewriter while the typewriter foot rests upon the desk, desk engaging means extending forwardly of said leg engaging means and for engaging the front edge of a desk portion, an adjustable connecting portion between said means, and cushion-like friction means carried by said connecting portion and arranged to support the connecting portion on the desk.

2. In a typewriter clamp device, the combination of a typewriter engaging means for detachably engaging a leg of the typewriter while the typewriter foot rests on the desk, desk engaging means extending forwardly of each leg engaging means and for engaging the front edge of a desk, an adjustable connecting portion between said means, and non-metallic friction means carried by said connecting portion and arranged to support the connecting portion on the desk, wherein the first mentioned means is of frame formation and has a central opening to receive a typewriter foot therethrough to rest upon the desk,v and wherein releasable clamping means are carried by the device for engaging the typewriter foot when in said frame, and wherein said releasable clamping means includes a manually operable 3. In a typewriter clamp device, thev combination of typewriter engaging means for detachably engaging a leg of the typewriter while the typewriter foot rests on the desk, desk engaging means extending forwardly of each leg engaging means and for engaging the front edge of a desk, an*

adjustable connecting portion between said means, and non-metallic friction means carried by said connecting portion and arranged to support theconnecting portion on the desk, wherein said connecting portion is of telescoping box formations and comprises a rubber-like body within said formations and having a pad portion depending through registering openings in the lower walls of said box formations to engage the desk.

4. Means for removably clamping a typewriter to a plate-like platform, comprising a pair of clamp members each embodying a typewriter engaging part for engaging a front foot of the typewriter intermediate of the height of the foot, a platform engaging part for hooking about the front edge of the platform and having its upper part spaced upwardly from the platform upper surface, and a connecting portion between said typewriter engaging part and said platform engaging part, said connecting portion including a cushion-like element for resting on the platform and serving to elevate both the typewriter engaging part and the upper part of the platform engaging part above the platform whereby each clamp member engages-the upper surface of the platform only through the intermediation of the cushion-like element to avoid scratching the said surface, each said clamp member being extensible to accommodate the position of the typewriter feet spaced from the front edge of the platform.

5. Means for removably clamping a typewriter to a desk or the like, embodying a typewriter engaging part comprising an open frame somewhat snugly receiving the typewriter foot therethrough to rest upon the desk, a desk engaging part adapted to hook about the front edge of the desk, and a connecting portion between said typewriter engaging part and said desk engaging part, said connecting portion including a cushion-like element adapted to rest on the desk and serving to elevate the typewriter engaging part above the desk whereby to permit the foot to pass therethrough while being engaged intermediate of its height.

- JOHN M. ROBERTS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 559,421 `Tyler et al May 5, 1896 573,685` Munro Dec. 22, 1896 1,502,215 Sohst July 22, 1924 1,546,951 Swanson July 21, 1925 1,573,286 Whitney Feb. 16, 1926 1,660,648 Linstrom Feb. 28, 1928 1,880,891 Dobson Oct. 4, 1932

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