US438724A - Type-writing machine - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

1s sheets-Sheet 1. D. W. DODSON.

TYPE WRITING MACHINE. v No. 438,724r Patented Oct. 21, 1890.

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D. W. DODSON. TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

No. 438,724. Patented Oct. 21, 1890.

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D. W. DODSON. TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

No. 438,724. Patented 001;, 21, 1890.

(No Model.) v13 sheets-sheet 6. D. W. DODSON. TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

Patented Oct. 21, I1890.

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TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

' No. 438,724, Patentedoot. 21, 1890.

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TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

No. 438,724. Patented Oct. 21, 1890.

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`D. W. DODSON. TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

APatented Oct'. 21,1890.

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TYPE WRITING MACHINE. No. 438,724. Patented Oct. 21, 1890.

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Patented Oct. 21. 1890.

D. W. DOD'SON. TYPE WRTING MACHINE.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

DARIEN IV. DODSON, OF IVILKES-BARR, PENNSYLVANIA.

TYPE-wRlTlNG MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 438,724, dated October 21, 1890.

Application filed March 30, 1887. Serial No. 232,944. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DARIEN W. DODSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vilkes-Barr, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Type-Triting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of typewriters (recent-ly invented by me) in which the type-wheels have independent orbital and axial rotary movements, and in which the mode of printing the character is by rolling the type therefor on the material to be printed, while said type-wheel has both of said movements.

The principal object of my present invention is to provide a type-writing machine of that class in which the type shall be inked immediatelybefore the act of printing therewith, thereby producing superior work, and in which the carriage shall be automatic in all its movements, thereby relieving the operator of much care and labor. For these purposes and toprovide improved means for performing the various functions necessary or convenient to the practical operation of the machine the invention consists in the improvements and combinations hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the drawings accompanying, and forming a part of this specification, Figure l is a top view, on a reduced scale, of a type-writer embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation drawn about full size. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the right-hand side of the machine, and Fig. 5 of the left-hand side, as seen in Fig. 1. Fig. G is a vertical transverse section as seen from the right-hand side of the machine. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section taken about in line ce a, Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a front view of the carriage including other parts at the rear side of the machine, the printing mechanism being removed to better show said parts. Fig. 9 is an end view of the carriage mechanism and the accessory parts, showing the same in their normal or working position. Fig. 10 is a similar view showing the same parts during the automatic return-movement of the carriage. Fig. ll is another similar view showing the position of the parts while the carriage is being moved in either direction by hand. Fig. 12 is a top or plan View of one of the latch-frames and details assembled thereon. Figs. 13 and 14 are vertical sections partially across the latch-frame in Athe line of key-lever 70, showing, respectively, said lever in two positions; and Figs. 15 and 16 are two similar Views showing one of the latches in two positions, respectively. These four figures illustrate the operation of the latches and keys. Figs. 17 and 18 are two plan views of certain parts of the carriage and feed mechanisms and illustrate certain features of their operation. Fig. 19 is a view similar to Fig. 9, showing a modification of the construction of the carriage. Fig. 2O is a diagrammatic top view showing a type-wheel and its lines of movement. Fig. 2l is a similar View showing the starting-arm for said wheel shown in Fig. 2O and the lines of movement of said arm. Fig. 22 is a similar view showing the corresponding features of the stop-arm on the shaft of said wheel. These three views are supposed to be taken one below the other in the order named and the movements shown to be all simultaneous in their respective planes. Figs. 23, 24, and 25 are diagrammatic views illustrating by three successive stages the operation of the startingarm. Figs. 26 and 27 are a plan and side elevation, respectively, of a modification of the feed-wheel and gearing. Fig. 28 shows in plan view another modification, in a more simple form, of the feed mechanism. Fig. 29 is a top View of one of the type-wheel mechanisms, including a part of the turret carrying the same. Fig. 30 is a front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 29. Fig. 3l is a side elevation of the same, drawn in projection to Fig. 30 and including the paper-guard. Fig.- 32 is these four figures the feed-pin is shown down and the type-wheel is turned partly around from its non-Working position. Fig. 33 shows a part of Fig. 30 with the repeating mechanism in a different position. Figs. 34 and 34a are diagrammatic top views, partly in section, illustrating the operation of the paper-guard. Fig. 35 shows a plan of the four type-wheels and the plan of designating the particular u v i a top view of parts below line ff, Fig. 3l. In

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types. Fig. 36 is a tabular list of the types and their respective characters.

Similar characters designate like parts in all the figures.

My improved type-.writin g machine consists of a frame-work supporting andl carrying the several mechanisms,apparatuses, and details thereof; a printing mechanism provided with type-wheels and means for operating them; a platen on which to print the paper; a latch mechanism and finger-keys operatively connected with the latches of this mechanism for indicating and controlling the operation of the printing mechanism; inking apparatus; a paper-carriage; carriage-feeding mechanism actuating the carriage from the printing mechanism, and apparatus operating to make said carriage automatic in all its movements; and the nature of said machine is such that some of said elements thereof may be materially changed as to their own construction and mode of operation without requiring any material change in other elements comprised in the same combination. For inst-ance, it is not a matter material to the printing mechanism whether one or another form of carriage-feeding mechanism is used; nor to the proper operation of said feeding mechanism whether one or another form of repeating apparatus is used in the printing mechanism, or what devices shall be used to secure the proper automatic action of the carriage. The same is true, also, of the other elements above enumerated, and the following detailed description of the machine is made to be read in the light of the principle thus illustrated.

The frame-work of the machine comprises or may comprise (besides a suitable table, as A) the bed B, the bottom plate C, the carriagetrack frame D, the upper bearing E, and the four latch-frames F, F', F, and F".

The bed or main frame B, I prefer shall be made, substantially as shown, to have a chamber (having a cover K) for containing those parts of the machinery which I denominate the printing mechanism, and which I will next describe.

A revoluble turret, designated in a general way by T, is fitted to be freely revolved about an axis, which is usually and preferably a vertical axis. Said turret may properly consist of the central shaft 2, the upper disk 3, and lower disk 4, a pulley G being affixed to shaft 2 for driving the turret by means of a belt. (Not shown.) The lower end of said turret-shaft is journaled in the lower bearing Il and the upper end ot' said shaft in the upper bearingE in some suitable and well-known manner. Carried in bearings in said disks there are a series of type-shafts (four in this instance) 5, 5', 5, and 5,all similar and set at equal distances from the turrets axis -and from each other. Said shafts are herein referred to collectively as shafts 5 and singly Without choice as shaft 5 7--a mode of designation to be applied without further explanation to various other duplicated details of the machine.

The type-wheel is a disk or Wheel 8, of suitable material, (as hard rubber or metal,) having on its periphery a series of types, as I, except on one side where a few type-spaces should be left blank, as at 7. These Wheels are or may be the same as the wheel E, described and claimed in Letters Patent of the United States No. 299,754, granted to me June 3, 1884:. For the purposes of my present machine each of said wheels has thirteen utilized type-spaces and types for a different series of characters, so that the set of wheels has in all fifty-two utilized type-spaces, of which spaces fifty-one are for types and one for the spacen This will be understood by consulting Figs. 35 and 3G. For properly starting revolving the said wheels and either of them to the exclusion of the others I pro- Vide each of the shafts 5, respectively, with a starting-arm l2, 12', l2, and 12', each set at a different height in the machine. (This feature, however, is not of my invention.) For operating these arms to start their respective shafts I provide four corresponding tiers of similar reciprocating wheel starters or latches J, J', J, and J, which are adapted to be interposed into the orbital path of said arms, respectively, and to engage with and start the same after the manner illustrated in Figs. 23, 24, and 25, showing successive steps of this operation. The movement of the starting-arm itself during the printing operation is illustrated in Fig. 2l, in which the lines 160 161 represent thehypocycloidal path of said arm during the first and second revolutions, respectively, of shaft 5, the corresponding movements of the type-wheel being similarly shown in Fig. 2O and those of thc stop-arm in Fig. 22. In these and other diagrammatic figures 45 is the axis of the turret, 4:6 the type-wheel orbit, and 47 the starting-arm orbit-the path of the end of said arm when the shaft 5 is not revolving in its bearings. The line 4S indicates the typecircle, this being a circle just circumscribing the types on one wheel, and the line 50 is the type -path, a circle circumscribing the type-circles of all the type-wheels. The latches .I in each tier are individually designated by a numeral prefix, as 1J, 2J, up to ICS-l, in regular order from the first to the last latch of the series. The corresponding types I on wheels 8 are individually designated by corresponding prefixes, the respective sets of types on separate Wheels bcing distinguished by index-points, as in the case of the tiers or latches. The normal nonworking position of the starting-arm 12 relative to its orbit is shown in Fig. 23. To start the shaft 5, (the turret being continuously revolving,) one of the latches, as IJ, is interposed within the orbital path i7 of said arm, as in said Fig. 23, and on the arrival of the arm e11- gages with the outer en d thereof, as also shown in this said figure. As the arm 12 stands in IOO IIO

its idle position forward of the radial line 49, when started revolving it acts, as in Figs. 24 and 25, after the manner of a toggle-joint to push back the starting-latch J. Thus when the latch is once thrown in, as in Fig. 23, it is automatically returned as soon as (and not before) it has done itswork.

The wheel starter or latch J consists, or may consist, of a iiat slide or bolt iittedto have a reciprocating movement in a slot or groove 60, Figs. 15 and 16, in the latch-frame F and under the cap 55. The latch is thrown forward (toward the right hand in Fig. 16) by a spring 56, contained in the frame, and which acts through the sliding pin 57 against a projection 58, formed on the latch, said movement of the latch being limited by some suitable stop, as 59, formed thereon and striking against some fixed part, as cap 55, of the machine. At. the outer end of slot 60 there is a catch 62, immediately above a rabbet 61, formed in the latch-arc G of said frame F. A spring 63, having hook 64, is fixed to the latch at and is adapted to engage with catch 62 for holding back said latch, as in Fig. 15. The frame F has two segmental rims 66 67, Figs. 12, 13, and 14, of which the first is called the fulcrum-rim and the second the guide-rim. The key-levers lie in guiding-slots 68 69, formed in said rims, respectively. Said levers 70 are usually made of thin sheet-steel of spring temper. At its outer end itis furnished with a finger-key 72, and at the other end 7l is adapted to serve as a tripping-rod or tripping-bar for unhooking the latch-spring 63. The key-lever is normally held in the position shown in Fig. 13, with the key up and the working end 71 down, by some suitable and well-known form of spring-as, for instance, the coiled wire spring 75, which is fixed in frame F at 74 and bearing down on the lever at 73. Asuitable cover, as plate 16, is provided to protect the key-levers in the uppermost latch-frame F. As willbe seen from the plan view, Fig. 12, the key-levers stand about crosswise to the direction of motion of their respective latches. This position is preferred because the keys are thereby brought into convenient and more symmetrical location in front of the turret and because it is necessary that the working end 71 of said levers shall stand substantially crosswise to said latch movement; but it is not necessarily at right angles thereto. The reason for this requirement lies in the mode of operation of this latch mechanism, which is as follows: The latch being pushed back and hooked and the key being up, as in Figs. 13 and 15, the mechanism is ready for use. The operator now presses down on the key 72, thereby raising the end 71 of lever 70, which end stands under hook 64 of spring 63. This operation lifts said hook until it clears catch 62, when the spring 56 throws the latch J forward, as in Fig. 16, the hook 64 now being above catch 62 and wholly forward of the outer face of said catch, as shown in this figure. During said upward movement of end 71 said end bears with an elastic pressure against the outer face 7 6 of the latch-arc G and just below the rabbet 61; but on the forward movement of hook 64 the end 71, being suddenly relieved of the resistance of spring 63, flies up and springs into the rabbet 61 and (when the operator releases the key) rests on the shoulder 76', as in Figs. 14 and 16. Suppose now that the latch is next forced back to be hooked in its first position. It is evident that hook 64 will strike the lever and push end 71 out from the rabbet 6l, and this whether or not the key has been released. If such is the case, then the end 71 will immediately be thrown down, g

as in Figs. 13 and 15; but if not said end will stand up until the key is released. In any case, therefore, the proper and instant return of the latch does not depend on nor is it affected by the position of the key. This is in fact the operation of said parts independently of said rabbet, the particular utility of which lies in this: The key 72 when pressed down may be pressed down instantly, as by a blow, or slowly and steadily, as bya gradually-increasing force. In the latter case (and if the latch shall be instantly returned) it is possible to hold the lever end 71 with its upper edge exactly in the plane of the top of catch 62. The result of this will be to prevent the hooking of catch 64 on the return of said latch J, and thus to repeat the single operation of the printing mechanism and print the same character twice in succession. In practice the danger of this improper action is sufficiently overcome by means of the construction described. The ledge 76 is set below catch 62 by a distance which is slightly less than the vertical width of lever end 7l, so that the sudden release of said end by the sudden movement of hook 64 allows said part 71 to catch on said ledge. This effectually prevents the operator maintaining (except, perhaps, intentionally) that nice adjustment of the key-lever necessary to cause said repetition of the printing operation.

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It is considered necessary in practice, in

that described and claimed in the joint appli cation of D. W. Dodson and F. H. Richards, Serial No. 219,327; but I may use therefor other devices adapted to start and revolve in such manner a shaft or wheel. Said mechanical movement, (including what I designate as the repeating apparatus,) as shown in rigo the drawings, consist-s of the following parts,

all fully shown and described in the aforesaid application, Serial No. 219,327, namely: The segmental gear 10, whose teeth 17 mesh with the teeth of the rack or internal gear 15, (herein not fully shown,) which is concentric to the orbit of said gear 10, and which is or may be the same rack that is described and claimed in United States Patent No. 890,097, granted to F. Il. Richards September 25, 1888, the starting-arm 12, for engaging with the latch to start said shaft 5, the pinion 18, fixed on shaft 5, the stop-arm 14, for bringing said shaft to rest after making the required number of revolutions on its own axis, as illustrated in Fig. 22, the segmental stop-rim't, fixed on the frame, for intereeptin g said stoparm, gear 26, twice the diameter of and driven from gear 13 and pivotally supported on the turret, cam 27 on said gear and operating the sliding sleeve 23 on the shaft 5, one or more teeth 20, carried on said sleeve,and thus actuated by said cam to be interposed at and held for the propel' time in the circuit of teeth 17, and the sliding detent-pin 31 with its spring 32. Of these several parts said sleeve has a detent-cam 24, which 'actuates the arm 19 of a lever 21, whose other arm 22 bears on the upper end of said pin 31. Immediately above the detent-cam face 25 there is a circular disk or rim 28, which when this cam is lowered runs against the long arm 19 of said lever 21, and thus prevents the npward movement of detent-pin 31 until the sleeve 23 is again raised by cam 27. Thus said detent-pin when once it is thrown down remains down during nearly two revolutions of the typeshaft. The object of this arrangement is twofold: first, to prevent the operation of the detent until the end of the second revolution of said shaft, and thus avoid unnecessary resistance to the operation thereof, and, second, to provide for the feeding of the paper-carriage, as hereinafter more fully described, during the time in which the typewheel is passing from the inking to the printing points. By constructing and using the detent-pin to act also as a feed-pin for operat- `ing the feed-wheel said pin (properly constructed) becomes the principal element of one part of the carriage-feeding mechanism, and a very simple mechanical device is thus made to serve two important and distinct functions in the machine.

The inking apparatus consists, essentially, of an ordinary inking-pad or a roller or the like placed adjacent to that part of the typepath which is at a distance corresponding to one revolution of the type-wheel backward from the printing-point. In the drawings said apparatus consists of the roller 30, which is fitted to turn freely on a stud 29, fixed in or to some partof the frame-work. The roller 30 may be constructed to operate in either one of two ways,as may be preferred: First,

- the roller may be made of absorbent material and be saturated with ink, aft-er the usual manner of inking the ribbons of type-writers; second, said roller may be made of nonabsorbent material (preferably somewhat elastic) and supplied ou its outer surface with ink by means of inking appliances, after the manner of the ink-distributing apparatus of printing-presses. In either case the type rolls against said roller or pad with sufficient pressure to be properly inked. The manner in which a given type, aslI, is brought first to the inking-roll and then to the printing-point is shown in Fig. 20, in which lines 162 163 represent the. hypocycloidal path of said type during the first and second revolutions, respectively, of the type-wheel.

The platen, against which the paper is printed, consists of a suitable block supported adjacent to the type-path at the printingpoint. This block 80, I make of a slightlyelastic quality of vulcanized rubber; but Various other materials may be used therefor. To facilitate placing paper in the machine and to free the sheet from resistance While the carriage makes its return-stroke, the platen should be vsupported and operated substantially as follows: A printing post or bracket 7 G stands in a fixed position rearward of the printing-point. This post is or may be affixed to or be a part of the track-frame D, as shown, or it may be otherwise supported on the framework. Said post carries a platencarrier or printing-slide 77, to the front end of which is affixed the platen 80. The slide 77 is adapted to have a limited reciprocating movement in said post or bracket, this movement being derived from the carriage or from the carriage-driving mechanism by means of a lever 78, pivoted to said post at 79, ashoreinafter more fully explained. The forward movement of the upper end of that lever is limited by a stop at 81. Said upper end has a pressure-adjusting screw 82, through pin 83 against spring 84, contained in slide 77. This slide projects rearward of said leverand has a position-adjusting screw 85, (formed hollow for admitting screw 82,) which bears against said lever for the purpose of adjusting the normal (forward) position of said slide to bring the'platen in proper relation to the type-path.

The carriage of my improved machine has, in a general sense, the leading features of ordinary type-writer carriages-that is to say, it has a longitudinal movement forward step by step from right to left, and has paperholding rollers whereby the paper may be fed up for printing successive lines; but my said carriage differs from the carriages of ordinary typewriters, in that it is constructed and organized in itself and in connection with its feeding and accessory apparatuses to have an automatic return movement, to automatically feed up the paper during such return movement, and to actuate the platen at the beginning and end of such movement. These and other improvements will be understood from the following detailed description of a preferred form of this part of my machine.

The t1ack-fra1ne D, hereinbefore mentioned,

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which acts IIO has on the upper edge thereof the carriagetrack 90, and the carriage-frame H has two bearings S6 87, fitted to engage and slide on said track. The carriage also has or may have a rocking movement, which is provided for by making said track rounded, as shown, or by means of other construction permitting such movement. At its lower side said frame l-I carries a rack R, whose teeth 88 mesh with the teeth of gear P. A suitable rib or rc'd S9, fixed to the rack or other part of the carriage, is fitted to slide in the forked end 91 of lever 78 for the purpose of operating the platen from a lateral movement of said rack. Said gear and rack constitute a partof the carriage-driving mechanism, (the same as described and claimed in my application, Serial No. 231945,) whereby the carriage is made automatic in all its movements. This mechanism has, besides said detachable or disengaging gearing, a rack-switching apparatus consisting of the following parts or some mechanical equivalent therefor. A stud or shuttle 105 is attached to the carriage in a normally-fixed relation to the rack thereon. This shuttle stands when the rack is in mesh with gear P at the rear side of a rib-shaped shuttle-guide 107 on the plate 99. Two switch- arms 110 and 112, similar in form and function, are carried on said plate and are oppositely disposed to said guide. These arms are shown to be carried on the ends of springs 109 and 111, respectively, which are fixed to the plate 99 at 113 and 115. Said arms are also set inclined; about as shown, and are yieldingly held (by said springs or otherwise) against the ends of guide 107. The outer end of the arm 110 or 112, however, has preferably a short part 114 about parallel to guide 107, for a purpose hereinafter explained. The hooks 10S are designed (one of them) to serve as a stop to limit the return-stroke of the carriage when no other stop is provided or when some other stop than the driving -pinion is deemed necessary; but in practice such hook may be dispensed with and some other device substituted therefor, if any substitute be required. The operation of this switch apparatus as thus constructed is as follows: The several parts being situated as illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9, the proper forward movement of gear P moves forward the carriage to its position in Fig. 17, until the shuttle 105, reacting against guide 107, forces back arm 110 and rests between said guide and the straight part 114 of said arm, as here shown, so that said arm shall notat this moment exert any endwise force on the shuttle and carriage. A slight additional forward movement of said carriage now carries said shuttle past said guide, and the spring-arm 110, bearing on said shuttle, carries back this and the rack, as shown at the left hand in Fig. 1S and in Fig. 10, thereby unmeshing or detaching the said rack and gear and permitting the carriage to be moved backward. This movement is preferably accomplished by means ot a returnspring, as commonly employed for moving the carriages of type-writers. On the carriage, approaching the end of its return-stroke, the opposite arm 112 bears against the shuttlein the opposite direction, as shown by dotted lines at the right hand in Fig. 18, and at the end of said stroke forces the shuttle 105 past said guide and the rack into mesh or engagement with gear P, after which the forward movement of the'carriage may go on as before. Thus by means of this rack-switching apparatus or some other equivalent device and the disengaging gearing the carriage becomes in a sense self-acting and will be antomatically' returned whenever its given forward stroke is completed, the extent of this stroke depending of course on the length of guide 107. The lateral movement of the rack R carries laterally the rib 89, and thus operates through lever 7 8 and its connections to simultaneously move the platen S0, as hereinbefore-explained, so that said platen shall be drawn back from the type-path on the forward movement of therack, and vice versa. The operation of the carriage to throw back said platen also throws back the feed-rolls and the sheet of paper, which are hereinafter described. For convenience in making comparison of the several parts of said switch apparatus, these parts are (excepting plate 99) herein designated by reference-numerals which are each greater by one hundred than the corresponding ones in my said application, Serial No. 232,945. Thus 107 and 112 in this present application are 7 and 12, respectively, in that application. For effecting the return-stroke of the carriage I employ a return-spring of the kind usually used for the same purpose in other machines having carriages of this class. Said spring is or may be contained within a drum 9S, pivoted on frame D at 97. A strap 96, wound on drum 9S, is connected to the bearing 86, as shown, or to some other part of the carriage. The spring is supposed to be adj usted to the tension required for returning the carriage within a proper time. This time I consider to be about one-half of asecond; but it may be more or less, according to circumstances. On the end of track 90, I place a stop or buffer 92, for stopping the carriage at the end of the return-stroke and to relieve the hook 108 of that duty. This buffer I make of vulcanized rubber or of other yielding mat.erial,so as to reduce the force and noise of the blow thereon. This blow, however, when the machine is in all respects properly adjusted will be very slight, so that the buffer is considered useful chiefly as a safeguard.

The paper is held in place on the carriage and fed up by means of rollers situated above the platen, substantially in the usual manner. The feed-roll 100 is j ournaled in the upwardlyprojecting arms 94 95. The pressure-rolls 102 103 are supported on a rod 101, which is carried by spring-arms 104 106, that are attached IOO IIO

to said arms 91 and 95, respectively. These pressure-rolls are adj ustably placed on said rod 101 to accommodate sheets of paper of various widths. Said ad j ustmcnt may be effected in several ways; but I prefer placing the pressure-roll on a sleeve 93, tting freely therein, which sleeve is set at any point on the rod by means of a setserew 110. Above and back of the rollers I place a guard 117, fixed on the upper ends of arms 94 95, for supporting the sheet to exhibit the few lines last printed. This guard also in practice serves to tie together said arms, and thus strengthen the carriage. It is preferably made of thin steel metal, light and stilf. The feed-roll 100 hasa knob 113, or other part,for like purpose, whereby it may be turned in either direction by hand, and an ordinary ratchet-wheel 119, whereby it may be turned forward automatically. This is or may be effected by an apparatus as follows: A lever 120, journaled on the shaft of roll 100, has a pawl 121, engaging with said ratchet. That lever is operatively connected by a rod 122 to another angle-lever or rock-shaft 124, which is pivoted to or in the carriage-frame at 123. A spring 125, connected to said part 124, serves to throw up rod 122, whose upward movement is limited by a stop 126. A stop 128 is fixed to frame D in such position as to strike the arm 127 of rock-shaft 121 just before the carriage completes its return-stroke, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3. This draws down rod 122 and turns roll 100 to feed up the paper. By combining together the said parts in such manner as here described an important result is gained-namely, the considerable momentum acquired by the carriage during its return-stroke is to a large extent converted into useful work and applied to the turning of the feedroll, which, being under pressure, requires considerable power for that purpose, and this work being subtracted from that momentum leaves little force to be expended against the buffer 02. A consequence of this action is to reduce the otherwise considerable tendency of the carriage to rebound, and thus to reduce the concussion and noise of the re-engaging gearing and of the switch apparatus. These results are evidently of great value in type-writing machines, which should be in operation as nearly silent as practicable. It should be noted in this connection that the carriage in.my machine returns substantially free ot' restraint, whereas in other type-writers it is moved by hand, and thus kept under control.

It has been stated that the shuttle 105 is attached to the carriage in a normally-fixed relation to the rack R. By this is meant that the relative positions of said shuttle and rack do not change during the ordinary operation of the machine; but it is sometimes necessary in practice to temporarily disengage the gearing for the purpose of moving the carriage by hand either forward or backward. To permit this, said shuttle is movably attached to the carriage, and is specially arranged to have (by means of a shifting device) a limited stroke toward and from said rack. One suitable an d convenient apparatus or shifting device for this purpose is constructed and arranged as follows: The shuttlc 105 is formed on the lower end of an arm 130, which is pivoted to the carriage-frame H at 129. This arm has a slot 131, in which works the crank-pin 132, that is fixed in the crank-arm 133 on rock-shaft 134. Said crank is bifurcated, and incloses the sides of arm 130 to furnish a firm guide for the same. Shaft134isearried in bearings 13G 137 on frame I-I, and is operated by means of the lever 135 and connecting-rod 138 from the arm 139 of the movable thumb-piece 140, which piece is pivotally supported on the journal of roll 100 or on some other part of the carriage. A fixed piece 141 is provided, so that said thumbpiece maybe moved by clasping these two pieces after the ordinary manner of operating thumb-catches on levers in other classes of machinery.

The mode of operation of this lastdescribed apparatus is illustrated by Fig. 11. By closing together the th umbpieces 140 141 pin 132 is raised in slot 131 from its position in Fig. 0 to that in Fig.11. This draws the shaft 131 and by this rack R toward arm 130, and holds the carriage in the same position as in Fig. 10. As shown in Figs. 9 and 10, thc arm 133 stands substantially at right angles to said arm 130, so that the action ot' the switch apparatus does notl tend to move crank-pin 132 either up or down; but said pin normally stands down on the bottom of the slot 131 at what may be called its dead-center, and is arranged to move up, as shown in Fig. 11, thereby disengagin g the gearing, as aforesaid. This being done, the operator may slide the carriage in either direction at will, and on releasing said thumb-pieees permit pin 132 to be thrown down (by the weight of the parts or by a spring not shown) and re-engage the gearing. It will be noted that this apparatus is to be used only when the shuttle is rearward of guide 107, as in Figs. 0 and 11.

The frame H, constituting the largest portion of the carriage, is preferably shaped, as is well shown in' Figs. 9, 10, and 11, to form a paper-holding receptacle or pocket Q to contain the sheet of paper to be printed. This sheet is supposed be represen ted in edge View by the solid line 150, the lower part thereof being rolled up, as at 140, in said pocket. The upper edge of said sheet is passed up between the feed and pressure rolls in front of platen 80. Vhen the carriage stands as in Fig. 9, its driving-gearingbeing in mesh, this platen stands forward, as also shown in this figure, so that the type-wheel 8 may roll on the paper with a pressure suflicient to print the character; but when the carriage is rocked or swung into its position in Figs. 10 and 11 said platen is drawn back, as there shown, leaving a clear spacebetwcen its face and the type-path. The

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carriage being now moved in either direction on its track, the paper 150 is free to pass along in said space without liability of being touched by the type, even though the printing mechanism is being operated.

In some cases the carriage may be arranged not to have a rocking movement. One such modification is shown in Fig. 19. The carriage-frame H has in this case a rib S9, running in a notch or bearing in the frame of the machine, thereby preventing any working movement of said frame, except longitudinally. The rack R is made separate from 'said frame II and pivotally attached thereto at 143, and the shaft 134 is carried in bearings on the rack. The bar or arm 130 is connected to the carriage, and is operated therefrom as before.

In order to properly feed the carriage previous to the printing of the character selected, it is necessary, since the speed of the machine is ordinarily very rapid, to utilize for the feeding operation as much as possible of the distance between the successive type-wheels; and in order to properly ink the type for the character selected and to do so before the printing of such character the inking apparatus is set, as hereinbefore described, one revolution of the type-wheel backward in the type-path from the platen. Now, it so happens that in practice the distance in the typepath between the type-wheels successively used is or may be about equal (as shown in the drawings) to the distance between the inking apparatus and said platen, so that while one said wheel is passing from the inking apparatus to the platenthe carriage may be feeding forward and only come to rest (or substantially so, for a slight movement is permissible) at just the moment before the said type reaches said platen, and that the following said wheel may begin to feed the carriage (for the character next to be printed) immediately afterthesaid precedingwheelhasprinted the first character. Thus almost the whole time is or may be utilized for the relatively laborious operation of feeding the carriage by using therefor the time of the aforesaid one revolution which the type-wheel makes while passing from the inking apparatus to the platen. This resultI accomplish by means of a carriage-feeding mechanism which comprises a feed-arm or feed-wheel (and gearing) that is situated (as to the orbital movement of said type-wheels) between said apparatus and said platen, and which is constructed to be operated by a feed-pin that is interposed in the path of the feed-wheel arms directly or indirectly by the type-wheel and at about the time of the starting revolving of said wheelthat is to say, on or soon after the starting revolving of a type-wheel on its own axis a cam or the like on or connected therewith throws down (interposes) the lower end of the feed-pin, as 31, into the horizontal plane of the said arm or arms, so that when said pin arrives at the orbital position of said part of the carriage-feeding mechanism it will engage with or act on the feed-arm, and acting through this and its connections will feed the carriage. Said carriagefeeding mechanism comprises two parts, of which parts the one consists of the feed-pin, as 31, carried on the turret, and the means described for operating the same by or from the type-wheel, and of which parts the other consists (in its preferred form) in a feedwheel having a fixed location in the machine and gearing operatively conneeting the same with and to feed the carriage. This feed-wheel, which is designated in a general Way by W,is shown and described, and a combination thereof with a feed-pin corresponding to pin 31 is claimed, in a separate application, Serial No. 227,855. As shown in the drawings of this application, said wheel has a series of five similar feedarms N, set equidistantly from each other,

44 on feed-shaft S, which shaft carries the feed-pinion P, adapted to mesh with and drive the rack R, carried on the paper-carriage. Some suitable detent, as 35, is employed to prevent the wheel WV from backward movement.. Of these several parts the shaft S,

pinion P, and rack R are rsupposed to be the parts so designated in my application, Serial No. 232,945.

For actuating the pinion P, I have preferred to use the wheel W, because of the vpeculiar mode of operation thereof, in combination with the orbitally-moving feed-pin, which operation is fully described in my aforesaid application, Serial No. 227,855; but various modifications of this part of the carriagefeeding mechanism may be used in this machine as equivalents for the said preferred arrangement. One such modified apparatus is shown in Figs. 26 and 27. I-Iere the shaft 40 is placed horizontally, and is connected to shaft S by bevel-gears 39. The feed-wheel V has a series of elongated cam-shaped arms 38,

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preferably shaped to be actuated by pin 31.

A pawl 54, pivoted to the arm at 53, serves to actuate wheel 37 from the movement of said arm. It is to be supposed that the return movement of said arm is obtained by some spring and is limited by some stop, and that pawl 54 is held in contact with wheel 37 by a spring. (All not shown.)

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