US2615546A - Means for changing the direction of carriage movements in typewriters - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 28, 1952 sco MEANS FOR CHANGING THE DIRECTION OF CARRIAGE MOVEMENTS IN TYPEWRITERS Flled July 22 1949 IIYVVENTTOR Ezzzo Ascoli. 6%; W

ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 28, 1952 MEANS FOR CHANGING THE DIRECTION OF CARRIAGE MOVEMENTS INTYPEWRITERS Enzo Ascoli, Yverdon, Switzerland, assignor to 'Paillard S. A., Sainte-Croix, Switzerland, a corporation of Switzerland Application July 22, 1949, Serial No. 106,173 In Switzerland April 27, 1949 9 Claims.

1 In general the types of typewriters for typing from right to left, of which the manufacture is much less extensive usually than that of machines for typing from left to right, difier from the latter matically and by way of example typewriters provided with two different forms of construction of the device.

Fig. 1 is a side view, with parts broken away,

by some modifications for adapting them to the 5 of a typewriter provided with a device according particularities of the language (for example to a first form of construction. Hebrew, Arabic and so forth). Manufacturers Fig. 2 is a detail view, to a larger scale, of a are compelled to reduce to a minimum the necesmodification of the device shown in Fig. 1. sary modifications for reasons of standardization Fig. 3 isa side view, with parts broken away, and cost. The mechanisms chiefly afiected by the of a typewriter provided with a device according adaptation, in a normal typewriter (typing from to a second form of construction. 1 left to right), for reversed typing, are the control Fi 4 s a det l ew, to a larger S o the of the line spacing lever from the right to left, device shown in Fig. 3. the back space key, the return for the carriage, The machine shown in the drawing is provided the tabulator and so forth,- but the mechanism with a framework I on which slides a carria 2 which requires the most considerable conversion carrying the platen 3. The movements of the is formed by the assembly of the members ensurcarriage are guided by rails 4 provided on the said ing the escapement of the carriage in the opposite carriage, on the One hand, and O a pp 5 direction, from right to left. These members, in s r to th fr m work, on h oth r h n and nearly all modern typewriters, include, amongst between which are located balls 6 or other roll other things, the escapement device proper, with members. Like all other typ wr rs, that Show its normal controls and back space key, the is p v h an eseepement device 1 toothed pinion and the rack. trolling the step by step feed of the carriage dur- The reversal of the direction of actuation of g typ ng- The escapement device, secured these members is generally obtained by means d y 0 the framework l, s provided with a substantially affecting the construction and nepinion 9 gear g with a rack Carried by the cessitating the addition of supplementary parts arri ge or the replacement of normal parts by separate A typewriter according to the invention is proparts. These known means are more particularly vided with a securing device enabling the said the reversal of the escapement with conversion k to e pl c on the Ca in two of the securing and of the connections which lead metrical positions relatively to the pinion 9 and to this device (normal control and back space which consequently enables the desired direction key) the addition of an intermediate pinion of feed of the carriage to be obtainediby selection between the main pinion of the escapement and of the securing position of the rack on the carthe rack of the carriage; and the replacement r ageof the normal escapement by a separate reversed In the form of construction shown in Fig. 1, escapement, particularly conceived and manuthe rack is c r by pp ts 1 I wh ch O e factured for this purpose. only 'is shown in the drawing), of 'general U- The present invention has for its subject a shape. The rack is secured to the end of one of typewriter provided with a framework carrying 40 the limbs of the U, whilst the other limb is sea carriage of which the movements are controlled cured to the carriage 2 by a Securing member by a pinion gearing with a rack and provided The securing member is located in a horizontal with a device for reversing the direction of adplane passing through the axis of the pinion 9 vance of the said carriage. This typewriter is so that the supports Il may be secured to the distinguished from known typewriters by the fact carriage, either in the position shown in full lines, that it is provided with a device for securing the in which the rack gear with the upper teeth of rack enabling it to be placed into two symmetrical the pinion, or in the position shown; in chain positions relatively to the said pinion and thus dotted lines, in which the rack gears with the modifying the direction of feed of the carriage. lower teeth of the pinion 9. From the foregoing The accompanying drawing shows: diagramand by examination of Fig. 1, it will be seen carriage, the manufacturer has the possibility of obtaining the control of the carriage in one direction or the other by the pinion 9, without modifying any part or element of the escapement.

In the modification shown in Fig. 2, is shown a part of the framework I of the machine, on the one hand, and a part of the carriage 2 on the other hand. The first carries the escapement wheel 1 and the pinion 9. To the second, which is opposite thereto, are secured, by screws i211 located in the plane of the axis of the pinion 9, the supports I I of the rack.

As explained with reference to Fig. 1, the supports may occupy the position shown in full lines or in chain dotted lines according to the desired direction of feed of the carriage.

In the form of construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the typewriter is provided with a clutch lever I3, pivoted at M on a part of the carriage and subjected to the action of a spring l6 tending to hold it in contact with a stop 17. The lever is connected to one of the supports 1 i by a link hinged at one end, at 25, to the lever l3 and at the other end, at 26, to the said support ii. The supports H are not secured rigidly to the carriage but can oscillate on their securing members 1212, so that when actuating the lever It, the user produces oscillation of the supports H and the disengagement of the teeth of the rack from those of the pinion 9. Thus,

the mechanical connection between the escapement and the carriage is interrupted so that the latter may be actuated freely in order to move it rapidly into a desired position.

When the manufacturer of the machine desires movement of the carriage in the opposite direction, he secures the rack to supports l8 oscillating on securing members i9 carried by the carriage. The supports I8 are identical with the supports H and support with these a common trunnion 20 which engages with a semi-circular notch provided in the end of each of the supports II and i8. As the action of the toggle is the same, whether the lever 13 is moved towards the left or towards the right, it is possible at will to replace the stop (1 and the spring 56 by a stop 2| and a spring 22. As described above, a push applied to the lever 13, against the action of its return spring, produces the disengagement of the teeth of the rack from those of the pinion 9. In fact the supports [8 are caused to carry out an angular movement by the trunnions with which they engage, at the same time as the supports II.

The stops l1, 2| respectively, as also the hinge axis of the clutch lever on the carriage, are so arranged that when the rack is in the engaging position with the pinion 9 and the lever 13 is held in contact with its stop by its return spring, the three hinge points I1, 25 and 26 are located on a straight line. In this manner there is obtained a toggle which, in the position of service of the rack (shown in the drawing), opposes the tendency of the pinion and the rack from moving apart under the action of the radial component of the force which is applied to the teeth.

I claim:

1. A typewriter comprising a framework, a carriage movably mounted in said framework, a

platen mounted on said carriage, a rack on said carriage, a pinion rotatably mounted in said framework and engaging with said rack, and means reversibly securing said rack to said carriage, said securing means mounting said rack in either of two symmetrical positions relatively to said pinion so as to modify the direction of movement of said carriage.

A typewriter according to claim 1, wherein said securing means for said rack comprises supports and for each support a member for reversibly securing same to said carriage, said member located in a plane parallel to the axis of the platen and containing the axis of rotation of the pinion with which said rack engages.

3. A typewriter according to claim 1, wherein said securing means for said rack comprises supports and for each support a member for securing same to said carriage, said member located in a plane parallel to the axis of the platen and containing the axis of rotation of the pinion with which said rack engages, said supports being of general U-shape and carrying the rack at the end of one of their limbs, the other limb serving to secure said supports.

4. A typewriter according to claim 1, wherein said securing means for said rack comprises supports and for each support a member for securing same to said carriage, said member located in a plane parallel to the axis of the platen and containing the axis of rotation of the pinion with which said rack engages, said supports being secured laterally to said carriage.

5. A typewriter according to claim 1, wherein said securing means for said rack comprises supports and for each support a member for securing same to said carriage, said member located in a plane parallel to the axis of the platen and containing the axis of rotation of the pinion with which said rack engages, the axes of the securing members of said supports being located parallel to the axis of rotation of said pinion.

6. A typewriter according to claim 1, wherein said securing means for said rack comprises two identical, oppositely arranged supports and for each support a member for pivoting same to said carriage, said members being located symmetrically with regard to a plane parallel to the axis of the platen and containing the axis of rotation of the pinion with which said rack engages, and said typewriter also comprises an actuating lever, and a return spring associated with said ctuating lever, said lever acting on the supports for the rack so as to move the rack into and out of engagement with said Pinion.

7. A typewriter according to claim 1,- wherein said securing means for said rack comprises two identical, oppositely arranged supports and for each support a member for pivoting same to said carriage, said members being located symmetrically with regard to a plane parallel to the axis of the platen and containing the axis of rotation of the pinion with which said rack engages, and said typewriter also comprises an actuating lever, a return spring associated with said actuating lever, said lever acting on the supports for the rack so as to move the rack into and out of engagement with said pinion, and a toggle between the lever and the supports, said lever acting on said supports through the medium of said toggle which, in the normal position, automatically locks the sup-ports against release under the action of the force exerted on the teeth of the pinion and rack.

8, A typewriter according to claim 7, wherein one of the supports is directly acted iipon by the actuating lever through the toggle and mounts the rack in position for moving the carriage in one direction, the other support serving to mount the rack in position for moving the carriage in the opposite direction, and a connecting member common to said two supports is provided for moving the same in unison.

9. A typewriter according to claim 8, wherein said connecting member common to said two sup- 10 ports is formed by a trunnion which engages with recesses in the oppositely located ends of said supports.

ENZO ASCOLI.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 835,453 Meyer et a1. Nov. 6, 1906 1,050,315 Turner Jan. 14, 1913 1,672,354 Tyberg June 5, 1928 1,738,950 Goldenberg Dec. 10, 1929

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