US2886158A

US2886158A - Mechanism for varying the stroke of the keys of power-operated typewriters

Info

Publication number: US2886158A
Application number: US588804A
Authority: US
Inventors: Fess Emil; Nitschke Bruno
Original assignee: ALDERWERKE VORM HEINRICH KLEYE
Current assignee: ALDERWERKE VORM HEINRICH KLEYE; ALDERWERKE VORM HEINRICH KLEYER AG
Priority date: 1956-06-01
Filing date: 1956-06-01
Publication date: 1959-05-12
Anticipated expiration: 1976-05-12

Description

May 12, 1959 E. FEss 'ETAL 2,886,153

MECHANISM FOR VARYING THE STROKE OF THE KEYS OF POWER-OPERATED TYPEWRITERS Filed June 1. 1956 EM. F558 BRUNO A/lfSCf/AE United States Patent ()f'ice MECHANISM FOR VARYING THE STROKE on THE KEYS or POWER-OPERATED TYPEWRITERS Emil Fess and Bruno Nitschke, Frankfurt am Main,

Application June 1, 1956, Serial No. 588,804

9 Claims. (Cl. 197-17) This invention relates to a device in a power-operated typewriter to set and adjust the operation of the key levers of the keyboard.

More particularly this invention relates to a device or apparatus which may be provided as an attachment on or adjacent the key board of a power-driven typewriter Patented May 12, 1959 Fig. Zis a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 inthe direction of the arrows, and

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a detail of the setting memher on an enlarged scale.

The key levers 1 are mounted on an axle or rod 2 in a known manner as is usual in typewriters. Each key lever 1 is provided with a rearwardly extending or elongated part 3 with which it grips or contacts a pivoted release latch or pawl 5 rotatably mounted on a pin 4. The pawl 5 has a projecting arm to contact and operate a swinging cam 7 mounted on a pin 6. The cam 7 maybe brought into contact with a driving roller 8 to take with it a driving lever 9 which latter, by means of a lever 10, will actuate its type lever 12 by means of a pull rod 11. An abutment track or bar 14 is pivotally' mounted in a frame part 13 of the typewriter and the key levers 1 and the like and it serves the purpose to render it easier to operate the typewriting machine. In the usual not power-driven typewriters, which are in use at the present time, it is necessary to press down on each key of the key levers for an appropriate distance in order that the particular type bars connected therewith are moved from a their position of rest into their typing position.

Actually in power-driven typewriting machines it is only necessary to press on each key a very short distance since it is only necessary in such power-driven typethe type bars a short distance until coupled to the power- It has been determined in the past writers to move the particular elements which operate ate a power-driven typewriter so that the operation of 1..

the machine will be;uniform and can be operated without diff culty. Such difiiculties in operation are essentially due to the fact that the pressure on the keys .of

v.the keyboard and their distance of movement suddenly changes from one type of machine to another and it often happens that a beginner will inadvertently touch .the wrong key or keys and this will likewise cause difgficulties in operation.

a .It is therefore an object of the present invention to obviate the difiiculties which are present in power-driven typewriters and this is accomplished by changing the disment actuatable so that at first it will be necessary to push down on the keys a greater distance, which distancecan be shortened after the operator becomes familiarwith the operation of the machine.

After the operator is will contact the track bar 14 by means of projections or lugs 15 under the action of the springs 16 in the position of rest of the key levers 1. The track bar 14 may be adjusted upwardly or downwardly by a lever 17 connected to a guide bar 18 and a transmission drive 19 by means of an eccentrically mounted shaft 20. As shown in Fig. 2 the lugs 15 are provided at varying distances from the pivot axle 2 for the key levers 1 so that all the keys la will be lifted up or lowered the same distance when the bar 14 is adjusted up or down.

The adjustment of the lever 17 can be accomplished in many different ways.. In the illustrated structure the lever 17 is provided with a roller 24, Fig. 3, which, by means of a spring secured to the lever 17, will force the roller 24against a curved or cam member 23a of a setting member 23. The setting member 23 is rotatable around a shaft or screw pin 22 and in order to adjust the lever 17 to different and definite positions, the curved member 23a may be provided with grooves or contours '25 into which the roller contacts. The different adjusted positions may be indicated by numbers on the side of the. setting member 23 as shown in Fig. 1.

The device or attachment operates as follows:

The ordinary operation of a power-driven typewriter of the type having a continuously rotating operating roller for the type bars or type levers is in itself Well known. If now it should be desired to change the distance necessary to press each key 1a downwardly to operate its respective type lever during typing, it is merely necessary to set the setting member 23 to the desired position as governed by the numbers appearing thereon and which affords a visual indication of the 23, the result is accomplished that the roller 24 on the lever 17 will be adjusted a certain distance from the fully acquainted With the use of the machine and par- -ticularly the operation of the keyboard, the distance that each key lever is pushed down can be adjusted at will and to the desire of the operator. It is therefore a still further object Iofiithe invention" to provide apower-driven typewriter with means to set the distance that each key must be pressed insofar as the entire keyboard is con- ;cerned and'such distance can be regulated at will.

f Anothenobjectof the invention resides in the, pro- 'visionof means in a power-driventypewriter to change shaft for pin 22 as governed by the cam 23a. Thus. the

lever 17 will be accordingly adjusted and by means of the guide bar 18 and the transmission drive 19, the cocentric shaft 20 will be rotated to a certain position. Thus upon rotation of the eccentric shaft 20, the track or bar 14, which is actually an abutment, will be moved or swung around its axis or shaft 21, Fig. 2. Since the key levers 1 are each under the influence of its respective spring 16, each lever will contact or abut against the track 14 by means of the corresponding projecting member 15 and thus all of the key levers will be adjusted accordingly and as a unitso that the type bars willall be raised or. lowered depending upon the direction of adjustment desired. After adjustment all of the key i i R 2,886,158

, 3 ings shows in dotted lines, for example, an adjustment of the key'levers from the full line position.

It is of course not necessary that the structure according to this invention shall be used. as an attachment since it is obvious that each new machine can be built with the adjusting mechanism permanently installed and ready to function at any time. The adjusting mechanism is particularly useful when during typing it is desired to change the amount of movement of each type key downwardly, that is, the free play from the top position of rest until the lower position is reached where the revolving cylind'er takes hold to actuate the respective type bar. This distance can be adjusted to the exact amount to suit the comfort and typing speed of the typist.

We claim as our invention:

1. A device for adjusting the downward movement of the key lovers of a power-driven typewriter with type bars, comprising an abutment bar pivotally mounted to be raised and lowered relative to the key levers which latter abut against the bar in the position of rest of the key levers, a setting member rotatably mounted on the typewriter, and means connected to the setting member and the abutment bar so that upon a rotary movement of the setting member the abutment bar will be adjusted relative to the key levers to adjust the downward movement of the key levers as a free play before the type bars are driven to printing position, said means including an eccentric shaft extending over and in contact with the abutment bar and which is" connected to be adjusted by the setting member.

2. A device for adjusting the downward movement of the key levers of a power-driven typewriter with type bars, comprising an abutment bar pivotally mounted to be raised and lowered relative to the key levers which latter abut against the bar in the position of rest of the key levers, a setting member rotatably mounted on the typewriter, and means connected to the setting member and the abutment bar so that upon a rotary movement of the setting member the abutment bar will be adjusted relative to the key levers to adjust the downward movement of'the keylevers as a free play before the type bars are driven to printing position, said means including an eccentric shaft extending over and in contact with the abutment bar and which is connected to be adjusted by the setting member and the setting member having a cam surface of a configuration to define adjustment positions for the abutment bar.

3. In a power-driven typewriter, an attachment on the frame of the typewriter and the keyboard levers comprising a setting member rotatably mounted on the frame, an abutment bar for limiting the upward travel of all the key levers, and means connected to the setting member and the abutment bar to adjust the latter to the desired distance of movement of the key levers, said means including a cam on the setting member and an eccentric shaft contacting the abutment bar with interconnecting elements between the cam and the shaft to operatively set the latter.

4. In a power-operated typewriter having rows of keys on key levers mounted pivotally about an axis, a bar above the key levers mounted to be raised and lowered and forming an abutment for the key levers in their position of rest, a setting member, means connected to the setting member and the bar for adjusting the bar by said setting member, and contacting means between the key levers and the bar and arranged to vary the stroke of all rows of keysa uniform" distance by said setting member.

5. In a power-operated typewriter having rows of keys on key levers mounted pivotally about an axis,a bar above the key levers mounted tobe raised andlowered and forming an abutment for the key levers in their position of rest, a setting member, means connected to the setting member and the bar for adjusting the bar by said setting member, and contacting means between the key levers and the bar and comprising lugs on the key levers arranged at diiferent distances from the axis of the key levers associated with different rows of keys to vary the stroke of all rows of keys a uniform distance by said setting member.

6. In a power-operated typewriter having rows of keys on key levers mounted pivotally about an axis, a bar above the key levers pivotally mounted to be raised and lowered and forming an abutment for the key lovers in their position of rest, a setting member, means connected to the setting member and the bar for adjusting the bar by said setting member, and contacting means between the key levers and the bar and comprising contacting points on the bar arranged at diiferent distances from the axis of the bar for the key levers associated with different rows of keys to vary the stroke of all rows of keys a uniform distance by said setting member.

7. In a power-operated typewriter having rows of keys on key levers mounted pivotally about an axis with type bars, a bar above the key levers mounted tobe raised and lowered and forming an abutment for the key levers in their position of rest, a setting member mounted on the typewriter, and means connected to the setting member and the bar so that upon a movement of the setting member the abutment bar will be adjusted to vary the stroke of the keys as a free play before thetype bars are driven to printing position, said means including an eccentric shaft extending over and in contact with the abutment bar and which is connected to be adjusted by the setting member,

8. In a power-operated typewriter having rows of keys on key levers mounted pivotally about an axis with type bars, a bar above the key levers mounted to be raised and lowered and forming an abutment for the key levers in their position of rest, a setting member rotatably mounted on the typewriter, and means connected to the setting member and the bar so that upon a rotary movement of the setting member the abutment bar will be adjusted to vary the stroke of the keys as a free play before the type bars are driven to printing position, said means including an eccentric shaft extending over and in contact with the abutment bar and which is connected to be adjusted by the setting member, and the setting member having a cam surface of a configuration to define adjustment positions for the abutment bar.

9. In a power-actuated typewriter, an attachment on the frame of the typewriter for adjusting the operation of the keys of the keyboard comprising a setting member rotatably mounted on the frame, an abutment bar for limiting the upward travel of the key levers, and means connected to the setting member and the abutment bar to adjust the latter to the desired length of stroke of the keys, said means including a cam on the setting member and an eccentric shaft contacting the abutment bar with interconnecting elements between the cam and the shaft to operatively set the latter.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,020,223 Utz NOV. 5, 1935 2,087,409 Koca July 20, 1937 2,682,944 Schremp July 6, 1954 yaw-Mi