US2433349A

US2433349A - Apparatus for mechanically operating keyboards of typewriters and the like

Info

Publication number: US2433349A
Application number: US576799A
Authority: US
Inventors: Drewell William Burnett
Original assignee: Creed and Co Ltd
Current assignee: Creed and Co Ltd
Priority date: 1944-02-03
Filing date: 1945-02-08
Publication date: 1947-12-30
Anticipated expiration: 1964-12-30
Also published as: FR927075A; GB576600A

Description

Dec. 30, 1947. w. DREWELL 2,433,349

APPARATUS FOR MECHANICALLY OPERATING KEYBOARDS OF TYPEWRITERS AND THE LIKE- Filed Feb. 8, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet l I n uentor llorney Dec. 30, 1947. w. B. DREWELL APPARATUS FOR MECHANICALLY OPERATING KEYBOARDS OF TYPEWRITERS AND THE LIKE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 8, 1945 Inventor Dnewcu A ttorney Dec. 30, 1947. w. B. DREWELL- 2,433,349

' APPARATUS FOR MECHANICALLY OPERATING KEYBOARDS OF TYPEWRI'IERS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 8, 1945 5 Sheets-Shet s 3e 35 so 22 2O 13 /9 17 39 4 6 ///A(T//// m Attorney W. B. DREWELL APPARATUS MECHANICALLY OPERATING KEYBOAR'DS OF TYPEWRITEHS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 8, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 I nvenlor Dec. 30, 1947. w, DRE-WELL 2,433,349

APPARATUS FOR MECHANICALLY OPERATING KEYBOARDS OF TYPEWRITERS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 8, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 w In ventor EJmLmMYNRNETT sum Attorney Patented Dec. 30, 1947 APPARATUS FOR MECHANICALLY OPERAT- ING KEYBOARDS OF TYPEWRITERS AND THE LIKE William Burnett Drewell, Croydon, England, assignor to Creed and Company Limited, Croydon, England, a British company Application February 8, 1945, Serial No. 576,799 In Great Britain February 3, 1944 7 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for mechanically operating keyboards of typewriters or the like. 4

The testing of machines such as typewriters or keyboard-controlled telegraph transmitters must involve means whereby the keyboard may be operated. When large numbers of machines are to be tested, it becomes a lengthy and expensive matter to operate keyboards manually.

It is therefore the object of the invention to provide automatic means whereby a keyboard may be operated.

It is a further object of the invention to provide means whereby all the keys on a keyboard may be operated in any desired sequence which sequence may be changed when desired.

According to the present invention I provide apparatus for mechanically operating the keyboard of a typewriter or the like comprising actuatlng members for the respective keys, means for supporting the said actuating members above the keys of the keyboard, means for reciprocating the said actuating members towards and away from the keyboardand means for allowing a selected actuating member only to actuate its correspondin key.

Preferably the means for allowing a selected actuating member nly to actuate its corresponding key comprises a set of combination bars arranged transversely of the actuating members and means for positioning said combination bars to present a series of aligned notches to one of said actuating members and an arresting surface to all others.

An embodiment of the invention provided with means for allowing all of said actuating members to be operative in a desired sequence will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view.

Fig. 2 is a front view.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1

looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figs. 5 and 6 are side views looking in the directions of the arrows 5 and 6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 1-1 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is a view of the cam shaft;

Fig. 9 is a section on the line 9-9 of Fig. 1. Fig. 10 is a side view looking in the direction of the arrow 10 of Fig. 1.

Referringtothe drawings, the apparatus is 2 provided with a plurality of key actuating buttons ll, one for each key of the keyboard to be tested. Each button II is supported on the end of the horizontal arm of inverted L-shaped slidable members l2, the apparatus being such and the horizontal arms of members l2 of such length that a keyboard to be tested may be placed under these arms so that the buttons II are over the corresponding keys. The vertical arm of each member I2 is formed with a projection [3, Fig. 9, and a common bail l4 lying under these projections support the members 12 in the positions shown against the pull of individual springs 15. The bail [4 supports the members [2 in such position that the latter lie over but out of contact with combination bars l6 which are slidable combination bars to the right in Fig. 4 and to the left in Figs. 1 and 2. The number of combina-- tion bars [6 is dependent upon the number of keys on the keyboard to be tested. Five of such bars are shown, which is sufiicient for testing akeyboard having up to thirty-two keys.

In order to move the combination bars length-' wise to present a series of aligned notches to the horizontal portion of one of the members l2 a drum 23 is mounted near to one end of the bars [6 and carries on its periphery a series of wards 24. When the common returning lever 18 is moved, as will be explained hereinafter, the combination bars l6 are moved away from the wards 24 and when the returning lever I8 is restored to the position shown in the drawing, springs l9 and 20 set them against the surface of a ward 24. Each ward. is provided with notches to select.

certain of the bars l6 for further movement than the others and those bars l6 which are oppositea notch in the ward presented to them will be moved further, thosebars l 6 that are opposite an uncut portion of a wardbeing moved only slightly. Thus for each ward 24 on the drum 23 the combination bars [6 will be so; in a corresponding manner to present a series of aligned.

notches to one particular member I2.

The movements of the bail l4 and the common returning lever l8 and the rotation of the drum 23 are controlled by

cams

25, 26 and 21 respectively mounted upon a cam shaft 28. Cam shaft 28 is driven from a motor 29 through gearing 30, 3 I. Cam 26 first acts on bell crank lever 32 to rotate retaining lever l8 about its pivot 33 and so draw all, the combination bars l6, away from. the d; 2 nl he drum- 23 t w ich t ey in contact. Whilst these combination bars are so withdrawn the drum 23 is rotated through one step to bring a fresh ward 24 into place to position the combination bars anew. 'I-fhisstepping; movement of the drum 23 is efiectedby-the action of cam 21 on a bell crank lever 34 which in turn operates a feed lever 35 (Fig; 4a) Eeed lever 35, is urged by a spring 36 in such directionlastopre ssl bell crank lever 34 against the cam 21. Feed'lever 35 carries pivoted thereon a pawl 31, held by, a spring 38 in engagement with a ratchetwheel 39 integral with or fastened to drum 23. The feed pawl 31 co-operates with a fixed stop 40:- to pre-\ vent overshoot of the drum at the end of the feeding motion. A retaining; pawl; 4| is provided to, engage a, second; ratchetwheel 39; at the oppcsite side of; the. drum and preventbackwards rotatiQn of: the drum.

Gams 25 of. which there are, two, act upon the ar s ;o a r me pivcted'i b k 43 and to which bail l-4 is, fixed, immediately after combination, bars L6 have been, set tolower bail l4 and hu a ws in o: move e be s downwards untilg theyrest across the; upper surat iq -wmb ationlb rs "i- Qn fhe e bers L2; will -findbelowita series of aligned notches in the combination bars permitting; it to: be drawn downwardssuiiiciently t cause the button H carried; thereby to operate the corresponding key; of: th e oa ben th t. he bail, is thenraised s n t el te member.- t, or the ali ned no c esm e qmbin t on an t n ai ins; all; b z emb sz e Q i the combination bars.

Thus; at, each revolution! of theshaft, 28, the combinationbars are reset. by award 24,0n drum 273zand a particular key actuated; The wards 24; arelmounted: in the drum 231 in such a manner thatthey may-be readily. interchan ed and by placing-wards 24 in the drum; in a desired order allithe keys of;the key board under test may be Qp -atedin anv equir dseque c Alt n t byplacingonly alimited number of kinds of ward 24 inthe .drum 2- 3 agivenkeyor alimitednumber of keys may: be operated:anyvdesired-numberof times.-

The' spindleof; thedrum 23 is fitted; with a barrel: cam 44; (Fig whichoperates a lever 45;so astocause ittoactonce per revolution of the, drum spindle-to tripgairevolution counter 46-.

In order to ensurethe apparatus being in proper position to commence the testing; of: a keyboard; a disc 41 isprovidecr ononeend of the camsha'l t 28 and is markedwith a spot" 48; That the apparatus-is in correct position tob associated with. a K YbPFJZQ'. 31519??? y, h p t v q l b s; istincti e: pat, hr u h an, p r ure i ll l llfili iiifinfi illfi l-q Infi e t l l t e cam haf i q i hg sitiprl eio epla in ak ybca benea h we utt s I an con ct n a, power supply,v tq, the motor; 25. a hand wheel. 49 is. proided fixed to astnb shaft 50 which is mounted nl lignment with the; shaft of motor- 28 but is normally held out of, engagement therewith by the action of a qompr essionspr ing 5l. Thevstub haft- 1mm e Rushed: am n gssnlentw th he shaft of motor 29, which it engages through a unidirectional dog type clutch 52.

In order to vary the tension exerted by springs l5 on the actuating members [2, the springs l5 are anchored to a plate 53 to which is fastened a guided block 54. Fixed to the block 54 is a traveller nut 55 which is capable of movement up and down a screwed shaft 56., A gear wheel 5'! fixed on the shaft 55 meshes with a gear 58 on a shaft 59 extending to the rear of the apparatus where a handwheel 60 is fixed thereto. By rotating the handwheel 60 in one direction or the other the tension of the springs I5 may thus be increased or decreased.

Indication of the; amount of tension employed isgivenby a winter 6| capable of movement up and down and. operated on by one end of a lever 62, centrally pivoted, the other end of which is carried, by the traveller nut 55.

It is clear that the wards 24 and drum 23 may be replaced by other means of setting the combination bars. Various forms of devices for this general purpose have been known, heretoforefor example, punched tap controlled devices.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for mechanically operating the keyboard of a typewriter or the like comprising slidable key lever actuating members each provided with an arm extending to the, key button of the key lever to be-actuated: and ending in an actuating button facing'saidkey button, common supporting means for said actuating members, mechanically controlled selecting; means for selecting any of said actuating members for operation, yielding means foroperating a selected actuating member, means, for-releasing said supporting means upon the setting of said selecting means to permit. the operation of said yielding means to move the selected actuating-member to actuate the corresponding key. lever, and controlling means for said supporting means to overcome combination bars arranged transversely of said actuating members and provided with notches and means for positioning said combination bars to present a series of aligned notches to one of said actuating. members and an arresting surface,

to all others of said actuating members, yielding means for operating aselected actuating member, means for releasing said supportingmeans upon the setting of said selecting means-to permit the operation of said yielding means to move the selected actuatingmember-to actuate the corresponding keylever, and controlling'means for said supporting means to overcom the yielding means to move the actuating-members intooperative position.

3. Apparatusaformechanically operating thekeyboard of a typewriter orthe like comprising slidable key lever actuating members each provided with an armextending to the key button ofthe'key lever tobeactuated andending in an actuating button facing saidk'eybutton, common supporting; means for saidr actuating members, mechanically controlled selecting means: for selecting any of said actuating members for operation, the said selecting means comprising a set of combination bars arranged transversely of said actuating members and provided with notches and means to position said combination bars to present a series of aligned notches to one of said actuating members and an arresting surface to all others of said actuating members, said positioning means comprising a step-by-step operated drum provided with wards, means to move said combination bars towards and from said drum including spring means urging said bars towards said drum, yielding means for operating a selected actuating member, means for releasing said supporting means upon the setting of said selecting means to permit the operation of said yielding means to move the selected actuating member to actuate the correspondin key lever, and controlling means for said supporting means to overcome the yielding means to move the actuating members into inoperative position.

4. Apparatus for mechanically operating the keyboard of a typewriter or the like comprising slidable key lever actuating members each provided with an arm extending to the key button of the key lever to be actuated and ending in an actuating button facing said key butt0n,. common supporting means for said actuating members, mechanically controlled selecting means for selecting any of said actuating members for operation, the said selecting means comprising a set of combination bars arranged transversely of said actuating members and provided with notches and means to position said combination bars to present a series of aligned notches to one of said actuating members and an arresting sur face to all others of said actuating members, springs urging said combination bars into engagement with the positioning means, means to withdraw said combination bars from the positioning means and to release said combination 7 bars after the positioning means has been set for a fresh selection, yielding means for operating a selected actuating member, means for releasing said supporting means upon the setting of said selectin means to permit the operation of said yielding means to move the selected actuating member to actuate the corresponding key lever, and controlling means for said supporting means to overcome the yielding means to move the actuating members into inoperative position.

5. Apparatus for mechanically operating the keyboard of a typewriter or the like comprising slidable key lever actuating members each pro vided with an arm extending to the key button of the key lever to be actuated and ending in an actuating button facing said key button, common supporting means for said actuating members, mechanically controlled selecting means for selecting any of said actuating members for operation, yielding means for operating a selected actuating member comprising a plurality of springs adjustable as to tension by means comprising a movable anchor plate to which one end of each spring is fastened, a traveler nut fixed to said anchor plate, a screw shaft cooperating with said traveler nut, a hand wheel at the exterior of the apparatus, and gearing means operable by said hand wheel to operate said screw shaft, means for releasing said supporting means upon the setting of said selecting means to permit the operation of said yielding means to move the selected actuating member to actuate the corre- 6 sponding key lever, and controlling means for said supporting means to overcome the yielding means to move the actuating members into inoperative position.

6. Apparatus for mechanically operating the keyboard of a typewriter or the like comprising slidable key lever actuating members each provided with an arm extending to the key button to be actuated by the said actuating member and ending in an actuating button facing the said key button, a yielding means for each actuating member tending to urge it into operative position, a common bail for said actuating members for retaining said members in the inoperative position, a set of combination bars arranged transversely of said actuating members and provided with notches, a recessed step-by-step operated pattern'device for engagement with said combination bars to set the same, springs arranged to urge the combination bars towards the said pattern device to effect the setting of said combination bars, means for releasing the said bail after the setting of the combination bars to permit the movement of said actuating members towards the notched surfaces of the combination bars and the dropping into a series of aligned notches of the actuating member corresponding to the particular setting of the combination bars, thus permitting the yielding means to actuate the corresponding key lever by means of the said actuating member and the actuating button, means for withdrawing after the actuation of a key lever all of said actuating members by means of said bail into inoperative position, and means effective after such withdrawal to advance the said pattern device by one step for another selection.

7. Apparatus for mechanically operating the keyboard of a typewriter or the like comprising slidable key lever actuating members each provided with an arm extending to the key button of the key lever to be actuated and ending in an actuating button facing said key button, common supporting means for said actuating members, mechanically controlled selecting means for selecting any of said actuating members for operation, the said selectin means comprising a set of combination bars arranged transversely of said actuating members and provided with notches and means to position said combination bars to present a series of aligned notches to one of said actuating members and an arresting surface to all others of said actuating members, said positioning means comprising a step-by-step operated drum provided with interchangeable code wards for obtaining difierent required cycles of operation of the key actuating members and means to move said combination bars towards and from said drum including spring means urging said bars towards said drum, yielding means for operating a selected actuating member, means for releasing said supportin means upon the setting of said selecting means to permit the operation of said yielding means to move the selected actuating member to actuate the corresponding key lever, and controlling means for said supporting means to overcome the yielding means to move the actuatin members into inoperative position.

WILLIAM BURNETT DREWELL.

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