US3093230A

US3093230A - Typewriter carriage traversing mechanism

Info

Publication number: US3093230A
Application number: US7013A
Authority: US
Inventors: Byers Edward Victor
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1958-04-08
Filing date: 1960-02-05
Publication date: 1963-06-11
Anticipated expiration: 1980-06-11
Also published as: FR1246597A

Description

June 11, 1963 Filed Feb. 5, 1960 Fig.1.

ED WA RD V/c 7023mm M/VI/VTOR ATTORNEYJ United States Patent 3,093,230 TYPEWRITER CARRIAGE TRAVERSING MECHANISM Edward Victor Byers, 16 Barrack Lane, The Park, Nottingham, England Filed Feb. 5, 1960, Ser. No. 7,013 2 Claims. (Cl. 197-85) This invention relates to mechanism for actuating the paper carrying carriage of machines for :typewriting and like purposes. Such machines are most usually provided with mechanism for producing printed impressions on paper or other suitable medium at some fixed point, past which the paper is caused to travel in suitable space intervals, in order to produce continuous lines of Writing. The paper is usually carried on a cylindrical platen rotatably mounted in a carriage arranged to permit axial movement of the platen past the printing point in a straight path which is fixed in relation to the main body of the machine, means being provided to urge the carriage in the required direction, its motion being resisted by an escapement device which operates :at each typing stroke and controls the traversed space intervals.

The motive force for the carriage is otten provided by flexible cord, or drawband, one end of which is attached to the carriage, and the other to a point on the periphery of a rotatably mounted winding drum in the body of the machine, this drum being continuously urged to rotate in the appropriate direction by spring or other means. The most usual type of escapement comprises a metal rack fixed to the carriage and arranged to mesh with a pinion rotatably mounted in the body of the machine, the pinion spindle having fixed to it a wheel escapement, of which many designs are available.

This invention particularly relates to machines using such wheel escapements, and has as its object, the combining of the escapement with the carriage motivating means in such a way that the said rack and pinion may be eliminated and other economies eifected.

According to this invention the escapement wheel is mounted on a spindle turned in one direction by a spring and .a drum secured to the spindle has two tapes or cords attached thereto and wound thereon inopposite directions and having their other ends connected to the respective ends of the carriage.

The invention will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation and FIG. 2 a plan of a typewriter carriage traversing mechanism constructed according to this invention.

Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

In carrying out this invention the spindle 1 carrying the escapement wheel 2 is centrally located in the machine and provided with spring 3 or other means adapted to turn the wheel 2 in one direction. To this spindle 1 is also fixed a spool or drum 4, to the periphery of which are attached two flexible tapes or

cords

5, 6 of metal or other material such as nylon. These tapes or cords are wound in opposite directions around the drum 4 and extend in opposite directions from the drum 4 and have their free ends attached one to each end of the carriage 7 at the points 8 and 9. It will be apparent that movement of the carriage 7 will cause one or the tapes or cords to wind onto the drum 4 and the other to unwind. The carriage 7 will, thus, always tend to move in a direction dictated by the torque exerted on the escapement wheel spindle 1 by the spring 3, the efiect of this torque being a pull on the carriage 7 and as shown in the drawings by a pull on the carriage 7 by the cord 6. Movement of the carriage 7 in the direction of pull is prevented by the restraining eifect of the other tape 3,093,230 Patented June 11, 1963 or cord 5 and escapement wheel 2, unless the latter is allowed to turn, as when the escapement is operated by other mechanisms of the machine.

It is of advantage to connect the ends of one or both tapes or cords to the carriage by strong spring means in order to ensure that the tapes or cords are always kept taut, as any slackness will result in the position of the carriage being insufiiciently well defined. The insulation of the inertia of the carriage firom the escapement provided by the springs also leads to less noisy operation and the possibility of speedier action of the escapement wheel.

Release mechanism is provided in association with the escapement wheel 2 to allow the latter to move one tooth each time it is operated to move the carriage 7 step by step in the normal manner for correct spacing of the impressions made by the type bars. For this purpose a plate 10 pivoted at 11 is provided and disposed below this plate 10 is a U-shaped wire member 12. The ends of the arms of this U-shaped member 12 are bent to provide

upstanding parts

13, 14 which extend upwards through openings -15, 16 in the plate 10. Normally the upstanding part 13 engages with a tooth of the escapement wheel 2 and the upstanding part 14 is just clear of the teeth. When the plate 10 is moved by the universal hail of the machine when the type bars are operated, or by the spacer bar, the part 14 moves in between the teeth and the part 13 out from the teeth allowing the escapement wheel to turn a fraction of a tooth. On the return of the plate 10 to its normal position the reverse action takes place and the part 13 engages with the next tooth of the escapement wheel 2. The plate 10 is returned to its normal position by the spring 17 so that each time the plate 10 is actuated, the escapement wheel 2 moves one tooth.

The mechanism is of particular value when used in machines having more than one case of type, and in which the case change is effected by movement of the carriage relative to the body of the machine, because the slight angularity induced in the tapes or cords by such movement can be rendered too small to have significant influence on the proper functioning of the mechanism. The general arrangement of the machine can thus be rendered much simpler than is the case when a rack is employed.

What I claim is:

1. A carriage traversing mechanism tor a typewriter comprising a rotatable spindle, a drum secured to said spindle for rotation therewith, two flexible tension members' attached to said drum and wound thereon with ends of said tension members remote from said being adapted to be connected to a carriage, a spring connected to said spindle for turning said spindle in one direction, a toothed escapement whee-l connected to said spindle for controlling the rotation thereof in said one direction, and releasing means associated with said escapement wheel to release said escapement wheel and allow said escapement wheel to turn one tooth thereof, said releasing means including a plate, means pivotally mounting said plate adjacent said escapement wheel and in position for actuation by a universal hail of the typewriter, and a U-shaped wire member having upturned ends and connected to said plate fior movement thereby, one end 0d? said wire member normally being engaged with a tooth of said escapement wheel to prevent rotation thereof and the other end normally being slightly spaced from said escapement wheel whereby when said plate and said wire member are rocked, said wire member ends alternatingly engage teeth of said escapement wheel with said escapement wheel advancing one tooth for each cycle of rocking of said plate and said wire member.

' 9 2. The mechanism of claim 1 together with a return spring connected to said plate, holding said plate in its normal position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Fitch Oct. 27, 1896

Claims

1. A CARRIAGE TRAVERSING MECHANISM FOR A TYPEWRITER COMPRISING A ROTATABLE SPINDLE, A DRUM SECURED TO SAID SPINDLE FOR ROTATION THEREWITH, TWO FLEXIBLE TENSION MEMBERS ATTACHED TO SAID DRUM AND WOUND THEREON WITH ENDS OF SAID TENSION MEMBERS REMOTE FROM SAID DRUM BEING ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO A CARRIAGE, A SPRING CONNECTED TO SAID SPINDLE FOR TURNING SAID SPINDLE IN ONE DIRECTION, A TOOTHED ESCAPEMENT WHEEL CONNECTED TO SAID SPINDLE FOR CONTROLLING THE ROTATION THEREOF IN SAID ONE DIRECTION, AND RELEASING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID ESCAPEMENT WHEEL TO RELEASE SAID ESCAPEMENT WHEEL AND ALLOW SAID ESCAPEMENT WHEEL TO TURN ONE TOOTH THEREOF, SAID RELEASING MEANS INCLUDING A PLATE, MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTING SAID PLATE ADJACENT SAID ESCAPEMENT WHEEL AND IN POSITION FOR ACTUATION BY A UNIVERSAL BAIL OF THE TYPEWRITER, AND A U-SHAPED WIRE MEMBER HAVING UPTURNED ENDS AND CONNECTED TO SAID PLATE FOR MOVEMENT THEREBY, ONE END OF SAID WIRE MEMBER NORMALLY BEING ENGAGED WITH A TOOTH OF SAID ESCAPEMENT WHEEL TO PREVENT ROTATION THEREOF AND THE OTHER END NORMALLY BEING SLIGHTLY SPACED FROM SAID ESCAPEMENT WHEEL WHEREBY WHEN SAID PLATE AND SAID WIRE MEMBER ARE ROCKED, SAID WIRE MEMBER ENDS ALTERNATINGLY ENGAGE TEETH OF SAID ESCAPEMENT WHEEL WITH SAID ESCAPEMENT WHEEL ADVANCING ONE TOOTH FOR EACH CYCLE OF ROCKING OF SAID PLATE AND SAID WIRE MEMBER.