US3294213A

US3294213A - Tabulating mechanism for typewriters and like machines

Info

Publication number: US3294213A
Application number: US412642A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jonsson Karl Gunnar
Original assignee: FACIT HALDA AB
Current assignee: FACIT HALDA AB
Priority date: 1963-11-26
Filing date: 1964-11-20
Publication date: 1966-12-27
Anticipated expiration: 1983-12-27
Also published as: DE1946741U

Description

Dec. 27, 1966 K. G. JCJNSSON 3,294,213

TABULATING MECHANISM FOR TYPEWRITERS AND LIKE MACHINES Filed Nov. 20, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. KARL GUNNAR JONSSON ATTORN EYS Dec. 27, 1966 K. G- JONSSON TABULATING MECHANISM FOR TYPEWRITERS AND LIKE MACHINES Filed Nov. 20, 1964 FIG. 3

FIG. 2

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 NVENTOR. KARL su R JONSSON ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,294,213 TABULATING MECHANISM FOR TYPEWRITERS AND LIKE MACHINES Karl Gunnar Jiinsson, Karlshamn, Sweden, assignor to Facit-Halda Aktiebolag, Svangsta, Sweden, a joint-stock company Filed Nov. 20, 1964, Ser. No. 412,642 Claims priority, application Sweden, Nov. 26, 1963, 13,045/63 2 Claims. (Cl. 197-179) The present invention relates to tabulating mechanisms for typewriters and like machines, and is more particularly concerned with a tabulating mechanism having tabulator stops of two different kinds mounted side by side to form an assembly extending over the whole length of the platen of the typewriter or like machine, the tabulator stops of one kind being ordinary stops, whereas special tabulator stops beyond beingindividually adapted to be set and brought back to inactive position may also be set all at the same time to afford a predetermined standard tabulating pattern.

It is an object of the invention to provide a tabulating mechanism of the kind set out above having parts which do not require manufacturing to very close tolerances, and which may be easily assembled together.

With this and other objects in view, an embodiment of the invention is now going to be described with reference to the annexed drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tabulating mechanism for a typewriter,

FIG. 2 illustrates the camshaft of the tabulating mechanism in position in which it has returned the tabulating stops to non-active (zero) position, and

FIG. 3 illustrates the camshaft in setting position for the special tabulator stops.

In the illustrated embodiment a plurality of tabulator stops are disposed over the whole typing width of a typewriter, and are lodged in guide grooves 3a in a transversely extending tabulator rod 3, rigidly secured between end plates 4a, 4b belonging to the carriage frame as for example by bent-over lugs 8 of the plates 4a and 4b.

The tabulator stops are of two different shapes, ordinary stops 1 and special stops 2 having differently shaped central aperture. Thus stop 1 has a circular central portion 11 and a radially extended portion 12 of limited angular extent defined by the walls 13, whereas stop 2, although having the same circular portion and the same radially extended portion, has that radially extended portion of lesser angular extent as defined by the radial walls 14 (FIGS. 2 and 3). The stops 1 and 2 are all rotatably journalled on a common shaft extending through their central circular apertures, this shaft being in its turn supported by the side-walls 3c of a longitudinal groove 315 formed in the tabulator rod 3. The shaft 5 extends at the right hand side beyond the carriage end plate 4a, and is provided at its extreme end with an operating arm 6 by which fractional rotation movements may be manually imparted to the shaft 5. At the left hand end (not illustrated) the shaft 5 extends through the left carriage end plate 4b.

Spring means (not illustrated) of a well-known kind are provided for returning the shaft 5 to an intermediate position, namely the dotted position of FIG. 2, after its having been actuated by means of the operating arm 6 for setting or returning the special tabulator stops 2.

The central aperture of each stop 1 and 2 is made up of a circular hole accommodating with some radial clearance the body of the shaft 5, and a lateral extension which is of lesser angular extent for the special stops 2 than for the ordinary stops 1 as described above (FIGS. 2 and 3). The lateral extensions of the holes accommodate a longitudinal cam member 5a formed on the shaft 5. Upon fractional rotation of shaft 5 from the dotted position '10 of FIG. 2 the special stops 2 may be moved from the retracted position illustrated in FIG. 2 to the active position illustrated in FIG. 3, or oppositely as shown in full lines in FIG. 2, while the ordinary stops 1 remain unaffected. The full line position of cam 5a, FIG. 2 is never maintained but momentary movement of shaft 5 to this position is effective to move active stops 1 or 2 to the inactive position.

If ordinary stops have been set, however, they will be returned to inactive position upon fractional rotation of shaft 5 in the return sense (clockwise in FIG. 3).

The tabulator stops 1 and 2 are urged against the bottoms 3d of the grooves 3a in the rod 3 by spring tongues 7a formed in a comb-like profile member 7 secured by screw means 9 to the rod 3. The tongues 7a secure the tabulator stops in either of two positions by engaging one or the other of two notches 1a formed in the outward facing lateral edge of the stops.

The tabulator stops are adapted to engage stop members of conventional type provided in the stationary structure of the typewriter, and both the ordinary stops 1 and the special stops 2 may be individually set and individually cancelled in a manner well known per se. The special stops 2 as described above are further disposed in such a manner that upon fractional rotation of the shaft 5 in one sense the longitudinal cam 5a formed along the shaft will actuate only the special stops 2 which will then be set according to a predetermined pattern.

Upon fractional rotation of the shaft 5, in the oppo site sense all tabulator stops which have been set are returned to initial position, regardless if they are special stops 2 or ordinary stops 1.

The simultaneous setting and returning of the special stops 2 imposes a rather heavy stress on the shaft 5 which latter may be quite long in certain cases.

Disturbances caused by such overtaxing of the shaft 5 are obviated by the shaft receiving support from the side-walls 3c of the groove 3b formed in the tabulator rod 3.

What I claim is:

1. A carriage tabulating mechanism for typewriters and the like comprising, in combination, a tabulating rod extending longitudinally of the carriage, a plurality of transversely extending guide slots in said rod, a like plu rality of tabulator stops, each guided in one of said slots, alongitudinally extending groove in said tabulating rod, said groove extending into the portion of said rod hear ing said transverse slots, circular openings in said tabulator stops, a shaft extending through said openings, said shaft being journaled in said longitudinal groove and forming a support upon which said tabulator stops are rotatably mounted, a spring comb having a tooth bearing against each said tabulator stop to hold said shaft in said longitudinal groove, a radially extending protrusion extending throughout the length of said shaft, said tabulator stops comprising a first and a second group wherein said openings are enlarged to a greater radius over lesser or greater angular extents respectively, said shaft protrusion lying in said enlarged openings, said tabulator stops of the first group being adapted to be set to active position or restored to inactive position by rotation of said shaft in opposite directions from a center position and said stops of the second group being adapted to be manually set to active position and to be returned to inactive position together with said first stops by rotation of said shaft.

2. A carriage tabulating mechanism for typewriters and the like as claimed in claim 1, wherein each said tabulating stop has a recess cooperating with a tooth of said References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/ 1913 Lockwood 7/ 1913 Roberts Lockwood 197179 Ramsey 197179 Aichele 19770 Hoysak 197179 ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner.

E. T. WRIGHT, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. A CARRIAGE TABULATING MECHANISM FOR TYPEWRITERS AND THE LIKE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A TABULATING ROD EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF THE CARRIAGE, A PLURALITY OF TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING GUIDE SLOTS IN SAID ROD, A LIKE PLURALITY OF TABULATOR STOPS, EACH GUIDED IN ONE OF SAID SLOTS, A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING GROOVE IN SAID TABULATING ROD, SAID GROOVE EXTENDING INTO THE PORTION OF SAID ROD BEARING SAID TRANSVERSE SLOTS, CIRCULAR OPENINGS IN SAID TABULATOR STOPS, A SHAFT EXTENDING THROUGH SAID OPENINGS, SAID SHAFT BEING JOURNALED IN SAID LONGITUDINAL GROOVE AND FORMING A SUPPORT UPON WHICH SAID TABULATOR STOPS ARE ROTATABLY MOUNTED, A SPRING COMB HAVING A TOOTH BEARING AGAINST EACH SAID TABULATOR STOP TO HOLD SAID SHAFT IN SAID LONGITUDINAL GROOVE, A RADIALLY EXTENDING PROTRUSION EXTENDING THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH OF SAID SHAFT, SAID TABULATOR STOPS COMPRISING A FIRST AND A SECOND GROUP WHEREIN SAID OPENINGS ARE ENLARGED TO A GREATER RADIUS OVER LESSER OR GREATER ANGULAR EXTENTS RESPECTIVELY, SAID SHAFT PROTRUSION LYING IN SAID ENLARGED OPENINGS, SAID TABULTOR STOPS OF THE FIRST GROUP BEING ADAPTED TO BE SET TO ACTIVE POSITION OR RESTORED TO INACTIVE POSITION BY ROTATION OF SAID SHAFT IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS FROM A CENTER POSITION AND SAID STOPS OF THE SECOND GROUP BEING ADAPTED TO BE MANUALLY SET TO ACTIVE POSITION AND TO BE RETURNED TO INACTIVE POSITION TOGETHER WITH SAID FIRST STOPS BY ROTATION OF SAID SHAFT.