US2909603A - Shift mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Oct.20, 1959 B. F. MADSEN SHIFT MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 3, 1956 INVENTOR BERTHEL F. MADSEN avg? ff ATTORNEY Oct. 20, 1959 B. F. MADSEN SHIFT MECHANISM Filed July a, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR BERTHEL F. MADSEN BYZZ ZZLW FIG.

ATTORNEY snn r MECHANISM Berthel F. Madsen, Arlington Heights, 11]., assignor to Teletype Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application July 3, 1956, Serial No. 595,757

4 Claims. (Cl. 178-40) This invention pertains to printing telegraphapparatus and more particularly to improvements in shifting devices therefor. v

. One object of thi invention is to provide a printing telegraph page printer which will not require manual shift and unshift operation.

Another object of this invention is to provide a printing telegraph apparatuswhich will perform the shiftunshift operation during the normal character printing cycle to thereby appreciably cut down the amount of line time'required to transmit a message which contains a mixture of letters and figures characters. j

Still another object of the present invention is to enable the provision of a keyboard for a telegraph printer wherein each character is represented by a key.

Another object of this invention is to provide a sixth pulse shift mechanism for a telegraph printer having a movable type carriage which is operable without any preshift movement of the type carriage and without increasing the velocity of the type carriage.

It is a further object of the present invention to pr vide a shift mechanism for a telegraph printer which is operable to actuate a selected function through its code bar in addition to performing its shift operation.

The printing telegraph apparatus to which the present invention is applicable is disclosed in the United States Patent No. 2,505,729,issued April 25, 1950, to W. I. Zenner, which patent is incorporated herein by reference.

According to the above-mentioned patent the type carrier is divided horizontally into four sections; Each sec tion is comprised of sixteen characters disposed in four vertical rows. The two left-hand sections contain the unshift or lower case characters while the two right-hand sections are made up of the shift or upper case characters. It is apparent from the foregoing description that when the center line between the two left-hand sections is positioned to coincide with the center line of the print hammer, the type carrier or box is in the normal unshift position and similarly when the center line between the two right-hand sections is so positioned, the type'carrier is in its normal shift position. .The positioning of the type carrier is thus carried out by moving the carrier right or left from that center line or printing position in either the shift or unshift position. a

While the present invention refers to a six unit code, the characters are selectable as in the Zenner patent by the standard unit code while the sixth or ultra code unit determines whether the character is in upper or lower case depending upon whether the ultra code unit is marking or spacing.

The apparatus disclosed in the afore-mentioned Zenner patent provides 32 selections with the standard fiveunit code. The case shifting mechanism, of course, doubles this number of selections.

In the past, the case shift was operated through the selection unit of the apparatus in response to a permuta tion of signals which was sent prior .to the character intended for upper case. Return to the lower case then necessitated a second signal to return the type carrier to its lower case position. In the present invention the shift to upper case is accomplished for each. upper case character and the type carriage positioning mechanism returns after each printing cycle into position to return the carriage to the lower case printing position in the event that the subsequent character combination does not contain a marking indicium in the sixth pulse position. The shifting mechanism is controlled by pulse added to the permutative code.

A better understanding of the invention may be had by reference to the following description when considered; in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a partial front elevational view of the telegraph printer comparable to Fig. 6 of United States Patent No. 2,505,729, showing type carrier shift mechanism according to the presentinvention;

Fig. 2 is a view taken substantially on line 2-2 of? Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the selec-v tive control unit; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmental elevationl view of the code bars of the printer.

Referring now to Fig. la saddle member 12 is slidably mounted on a channel bar 13 and is clamped to a cable 14 so as to be moved by the cable 14 in the manner de-' scribed in the afore-mentioned Zenner patent. The channel bar 13 is pivotally fastened at each end to the cable spool supports 17 and 18 which are pivotally mounted on the frame of the printer. A print hammer 3 assembly (not shown) is similarly arranged to be moved by a second cable assembly (not shown).

A bracket 16 is fixed at one end to the channel bar'13 and pivotally attached at the other end to a pivot point 19 on a link 21 of a toggle 22. A second link 23 of the toggle 22 is pivotally attached to the link 21 by a pin 24 at one end and is pivotally attached to the selector frame 25 by a pin'26. A second toggle 27 is similarly attached to the right end (Fig. 1) of the slide bar 13.

A bell crank 28 having three extensions is pivotally mounted on the frame by a pin 29. A breaker slide arm 31 is articulated to the left extension (Fig. l) of the bell crank 28 and slidably positioned below the toggle 22 by means of a pin 32 in cooperation with an elongated aperture 33 in the breaker slide lever 31. The breaker slide lever 31 is so positioned as to be movable upward again a cam projection 34 on the toggle 22 in response to the clockwise (Fig. 1) rotation of the bell crank 28; A second breaker slide arm 36 is similarly mounted on the right-hand extension of the bell crank and is positioned to be moved upward against a cam projection 40 on the toggle 27 by counterclockwise (Fig. 1)' rotation of the bell crank 28.

A center extension 37 of the bell crank 28 is articulated to one end of an actuating bar 38. The opposite end of the bar 38 is articulated to an extension 39 of a driving bell crank 41. Two impelling levers 42 and 43 are articulated to the bell crank 41 so as to selectively rotate the bell crank in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction in response to the upward movement of an extension 44 on a T-lever 46. A bifurcated power lever 47 (shown most clearly in Figs. 2 and 3) is pivotally mounted at a pivot point 48 and has a cam roller 49 on one end there'- of. The cam roller 49 is cooperable with a cyclically operated cam 51 to impart rocking motion to the power lever 47 to impart vertical reciprocal motion to the T-lever 46 in cooperation with return springs 52 on the T-lever 46.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the impelling levers 42 and 43 are inserted in a channel in a positioning strap or slide bar 53 so as to be selectively positioned above the projection 44 of the T lever 46. A selecting bell Patented Oct. 20,- 1959 V x hcrank 54 (Fig. 2) is pivotally mounted in the frame and has its middle extension 56 connected to the positioning strap 53 through a spring 55 so as to impart rightward (Fig. 2) horizontal motion to the strap 53 upon counterclockwise rotation'of the bell crank 56. A vertical ex-. tension 57 of the bell crank 54 is positioned to impart leftward horizontalmotion to the strap 53 upon clockwise rotation of the bell crank 54.

' Referring once more to Fig. 3, a selector lever 58 of the type well known in the art is positioned to be rotated clockwise to permit a push bar 59 to be engaged therewith and to subsequently move the push bar 59 to the left. The operation of the selector mechanism is completely described in Zenner Patent No. 2,595,745, issued May 6, 1952, which patent is made a part hereof by reference.

A selector interponcnt 61 is positioned to be rotated counterclockwise by the leftward (Fig. 3) horizontal movement of the push bar 59 to rotate the bell crank 54 counterclockwise (Fig. 2) by its cooperation with a horizontal extension 62 on the bell crank 54. Rotation of the interponent 61 also rotates a code bar selecting lever 63 to position a code bar 64 to control the performance of a designated function, for example, the positioning of the type carrier 11 under the control of links 72 and 74, and anticipators or buifers 71 and 73, respectively, as is described in the aforementioned Zenner patent. The selector lever 58 is the sixth pulse lever and is selected in each selector cycle which has the sixth or ultra code pulse present to activate the shift mechanism.

Fig. 4 shows the auxiliary selection whereby the code bar 64 is put into the path of the scissors type operator 66 to be operated in the manner which is fully described in said Patent No. 2,595,745, to activate a predetermined function, such as a bell, to indicate the presence of the shift.

In operation, the type carrier 11 is normally in the lower case printing position (shown in upper case in Fig. 1). Upon receipt of an upper case character by the selector mechanism, the shift push bar 59 is selected in addition to the character code selection. Selection of the push bar 59 causes it to be moved leftward by its selector cam (not shown) in cooperation with the lever 58 to rotate the selector interponent 61 counterclockwise (Fig. 3) to engage the horizontal extension 62 of the bell crank 54 and rotate the bell crank 54 counterclockwise (Fig. 2). The counterclockwise rota tion of the bell crank 54 moves its extensions 56 and 57 in a generally rightward direction (Fig. 2) to thereby move the positioning strap 53 in a rightward direction to rotate the irnpelling levers 42 and 43 counterclockwise (Fig. 1) about their pivots so that the shoulder 50 of the lever 42 is positioned above the projection 44 on the T-lever 46. As the high part of the cam 51 urges the cam follower 49 down, the bifurcated portion of the power lever 47 moves upward to move the T-lever 46 upward to engage the projection 44 with the selected irnpelling lever 42 or 43. When the sixth .or shift code unit is marking, the lever 42 is selected, as stated above, and is moved from its dotted line position in Fig. l to the solid line position, thereby rotating the bell crank 41 to its solid line position, and rotating the bell crank 28 counterclockwise from its dotted line position to its solid line position to move breaker slide arm 36 upward to break the toggle 27. Since the toggles 27 and 22 are fixed to the .slide bar 13, the toggle 22 must straighten out when the toggle 27 collapses or breaks and viceversa. The slide bar 13 is moved to the left (Fig. l) by the breaking of the toggle '27 and the type carriage 11 is moved therewith to place it in its upper case position. The leftward positioning of the slide bar 13 is accomplished by the rotation of the cable spool supports 17 and 18 counterclockwise about their pivots to the position shown in Fig. 1. During the above-described shift operation the conventional positioning of the type box is also taking place in response to the first five units of the code as in fully set forth in the afore-mentioned Zenner Patent No. 2,505,729.

After the selected character has been printed and the subsequent printing cycle has begun, the push bar 59 is stripped ofi of the lever 58 in the usual manner which is well known in the art so that the levers 61 and 63 are returned to their unoperated position by a mutual spring 65 thereby returning the irnpelling levers 42 and 43 to the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 1 so that the lever 43 will be moved upward by the T-lever 46 on the subsequent printing cycle unless, of course, the subsequent character is an upper case character in which case the impeller lever 43 will move out of the path of the T-lever 46 and the lever 42 is moved to the right so the lever 46 will not contact anything and the bell crank 41 will remain in the solid line position shown in Fig. 1.

While the present invention has been shown in a specific embodiment it is, of course, understood that the subject invention may be used in other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a telegraph recorder, a type carrier, a positioning means comprising instrumentalities for selectively positioning said type carrier in a plurality of positions relative to a first and a second home position, a first selector means for controlling said instrumentalities in accordance with a permutation of a multiple unit code, a first toggle means for motivating said carriage to said first home position, a second toggle means for motivating said carriage .to said second home position, facilities operable alternatively on said first and second toggle means, rockable means including selectively positionable elements for controlling the operation of said facilities, actuating means, and a second selector means responsive to an ultra code unit of said multiple unit code for selectively conditioning said selectively positionable elements for actuation by said actuating means, whereby the operativeness of said rockable means on said facilities is determined.

2. In a telegraph recorder, a type carrier, a positioning means comprising instrumentalities for selectively positioning said type carrier in a plurality of positions relative to a first and a second home position, a first selector means for controlling said instrumentalities in accordance with a permutation of a multiple unit code, a first toggle means for motivating said carriage to said first home position, a second toggle means for motivating said carriage to said second home position, a pair of impellers each effective to actuate one of said toggle means, power means effective to motivate said impellers, and means controlled by an ultra code unit of said multiple unit code to selectively condition either of said impellers for actuation by said power means.

3. In combination in a shift means for a telegraph recorder having a type carriage wherein a plurality of character elements are arranged in upper and lower case groups, positioning means comprising instrumentalities for selectively positioning said type carrier in a plurality of positions relative to an upper case and a lower case position, permutation means for controlling said instrumentalities in accordance with a permutation of a multiple unit code for selecting a character element in each of said case groups, a first toggle shift means for positioning said carriage in a lower case position, a second toggle shift means for positioning said carriage in an upper case position, a common actuating means for both of said toggle shiftmeans, a pair of interponents each cooperably related to one of said toggle shift means, and means controlled by an ultra code unit of said multiple unit code for selectively rendering one of said interponents operable by said common actuating means.

4. In combination in a case shiftmechanism for a telegraph .3991??? having a movable type carriage wherein a plurality of character elements are arranged in upper and lower case groups, positioning means comprising instrumeans for motivating said impellers, a slide bar articulated to said impellers for selectively moving one or the other of said impellers into the path of said power means, and means controlled by an ultra code unit of said multiple unitcode for positioning said slide bar, whereby the selective actuation of said impellers by said power means is effectuated.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,505,729 Zenner Apr. 25, 1950

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