US466270A - Type-writing machine - Google Patents

Description

4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

G. C. TOWLE. TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

No. 466,270. `Imemed Deo. 29, 189.1.

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TYPE WRITING MACHINE. No.` 466.270. Patented Deo. 29,1891.

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(No Model'.) 4 sheets-sheet G. 0,. TOWLE. v TYPEUWRITING MACHINE..

No. 466,270. Patented Dec. 29, 189.1.-

` Inh/@JT DR- Iii! l- 25T- (12- v (No Modl.) 4 sheets-sheet 4.

G. T-OWLIB. TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

N0.466,270. l Patentedne. 29,1891.

I ffl i w g UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.V

GEORGE C. TOWLE, OF HYDE PARK, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE POPE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE. y

TYPE-WRITING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 466,270, dated December 29, 1891.

Application filed .Tune 24, 1889. lSerial No. 315.1103. (No model.)

chusetts, have invented an Improvement in Type-Writing Machines, of which the following description, in connect-ion with the accompanying drawings, is a specification,like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

My invention, relating to type-writing machines, is intended as an improvement on machines of that class in which a flexible typeplate is movable on a carriage or support to bring any desired one of the characters upon it to' the point where the imprint is to be made, when an impression-plunger acts upon the type, which has thus been positioned to depress it with relation to the rest of the typeplate against the surface vof the paper to be printed on, which is supported below.

In the machine represented for the purpose of illustrating this invention the carriage on which the type-plate and impression devices are supported is fed over the surface of the paper after each imprint for the purpose of ent invention, as the paper-platen and paper `might be fed below the type-plate for the line of printing, if preferred.v In onetype of machines of this class as heretofore madeA the type-plate has been supported on a plate which was both movable along the paper to make the line of printing, and was also movable toward and-from the paper to make each imprint, the entire plate having a slight movement toward and from the paper, and the character to be printed being moved beyond the face of the rest of the type, so that it alone reachedand made its impression upon acter at the printing-point to reach the paper--are performed by one hand of the operator while the other hand is practically unocvcupied; and one of the objects of the present invention ,is to divide the work between the two hands of the operator, who will thus use one hand to position the type-plate and the other to make the impression, thus enabling the speed of operation to be increased and the fatigue of operating the machine to be greatly diminished.

The invention relates, especially, to the construction of the type-plate and means operated by one hand of the operator yfor guiding itin its movement to bring each type, as required, to the printing-point, and to the construction of the device operated by the other hand for making the impression and effecting the feed movements of the type relative to the paper, and to other features of construction, which will be hereinafter pointed out.

Figure l is a plan View of a type-writing. machine embodying this invention Fig. 2,'a transverse vertical section thereof on a larger scale; Fig. 3, a sectional detail of some of the parts represented in Fig. 2 on a larger scale; Fig. 4t, a plan view of the type-plate and the arm that carries it in its movement for positioning the4 type; Fig. 5, a transverse section of the same on line @c Fig. 4; Fig. 6, a plan view of the carriage on which the feed and printing mechanism are supported; Fig. 7, an end elevation thereof, and Fig. S a plan view of the carriage represented in Fig. 6 with some of the upper parts removed to show the parts beneath.

The main frame-work a, on which the operativeparts are supported, may be oftu'su axis to afford access to the paper-supporting device below, the said printing-carriage c normallyresting on a track or ledge a2 at the front of the frame a while the machine is construction, the said frame-Work beingstal'l IOO operating, as best shown in Fig. 2, and traveling longitudinally of the frame upon the rack l) and track a as guides. The said carriage c is made substantially like a hollow box having a bottom plate c2, provided with a printing-opening c3, through which the type may be forced down upon the paper P below said opening, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the said type being shown in this instance as formed on or connected with a flexible plate or diaphragm d, connected around its edges with a rigid frame d2, as best shown in Fig. 4. The said bottom plate of the carriage thus forms a partition interposed between the type above and the paper below to prevent all type except the one directly over the said printingopening from touching the paper. The said type-plate and its supporting-frame d2 arcsector-shaped, and the type are arranged in two or more curved lines upon said diaphragm, being in this instance represented as in two such curved lines, one of which preferably contains the lower-case letters, convenientlyarranged, and the other the upper-case letters, and the remaining. characters that it may be desired toprintbeing added to one or both of said lines, as mostcdnvenient. The frame d2 is connected with an arm or shank e, movable in a guide e2, pivoted at @Eupen the carriage c, the said shank e having a sliding or telescopic movement in the guideeas willbe understood from Figs. 4 and, andthe-entire device having a pivotal movement around the point e3. The sliding movement of the shank e is shown as limited by a spring-'stop e14 engaging recesses 615 in said arm and so arranged that when said stop is in engagement with loneof said recesses a corresponding line of type on the type-plate d is concentricwith the pivot e3 and at the same distance therefrom as the printing-opening c3 in the `carriage, `so that by swinging the said frame around the pivot e3 any desired one ot' the said curved line of type maybe brought over the said opening c3,whichis only large enough to permitone type at a time to pass through or intofit. The stop e is yielding, so that by slightpressure lengthwise of the shank e in the desired direction the said arm may be mved in its guide e2 to shift the type-plate soas to bring the other line of type over the printing-opening c3. If only asingledi'ne of typewer'e used, the type-plate shank might `itself be pivoted direct-ly on Athe carri-age. yBoth the sliding movement of thetype-plate shank e in its guide c2 and the oscillating movement of said type-plate about the pivot eS are produced by a handle et, shownas pivoted at e5 upon an upright or bracket e, rigidly connected with the said shank e. The saidhandle e4 extends forward over the top of the'plate c4 of the printing-carriage, which top plate is provided with a stationaryindexplate f, (see Figs. 1 and 6,) having characters marked upon it corresponding to the characters on thetypeplate and so arranged that when the arm or handle e4, that accompanies the type-plate in its movement on the carriage, is opposite a given character on the said index-plate the corresponding character on the type-plate is over the printing-opening c3, and hence I designate the said arm or handle e4 a finden Thus the operator manipulating j the handle e4 can by pulling it forward or backward bring any desired row of type in line with the said opening, and then by swinging the said handle may bring the desired one of the type in said row over the said printing-opening,these movements being performed by one hand and being both compounded or performed simultaneously, it' required,and it is merely necessary to approximately position the type-plate in the swinging movement, as the final accurate positioning is made in the act of making the imprint, these operations being performed bythe following mechanism: The `type-plate frame d2 or its shank elias rigdlyconnected `with it a positioning-bar g, having on its upperisurface notches corresponding in angular position relative to the pivot e3 to the diiferent type of each line of type, the said notches being inclined or V-shaped.

The imprint is madeby a swinging frame or plate h, (best shown in Fig. 8,) hinged upon the rack-bar l) and extending forward over the type-plate and then laterally outward to a point preferably near the front left-hand endof the printingcarriage c, where it is provided with a handle or linger-piece h2 to be engaged by the hand of "the operator, the said handle being so located that it can be conveniently manipulated bythe left hand of theoperatcr while the right handis occupied in moving thehandlee4ortypefinder, as it maybe called. Thesaid frame hispro vided with a stud or projection h3 directly over the printing-opening c3 in the betteln of the carriage, and is also provided with a wedge-shaped tooth or projection h4 directly over the notched positioning-bar g. The said impression-traine hhas no movement relative to the carriage @,except a slight pivotal rocking movement on therack-barb, which forces thestud h3 down upon the back of thetypeplate d, so as to press that'one of 'the type which is above said opening down through said opening and against the surfaceof the paper below,`the bottoni plate c2 ot' the carriage preventing any butthe one type which is overits opening c3 from reaching the paper. The projection h4 enters between adjacent teeth inthe positicningbar g, and owing to the inclination of said teeth will bring it and the connected type-plate to exact position as the impression-plate descends and before the type is forced into actual Contact with-the paper, so that it is merely necessary to position the type-plate by the finder etnear enough to cause the projection h4 to enter the proper notch, or, in other words, tobring the said device e4 nearer to the character on the IOO IOS

IIO

index-plate that it is intended to print than to the character at either side of it.V The impression-frame h is raised after the imprint is made by a spring h5. (See Figs. 2 and 8.)

The invention is shown in this instance as applied to a machine in which the carriage c, supporting the printing mechanism, feeds longitudinally with relation to the paper-support below for the purpose of making the successive imprints in a line on the said paper, `the said feed being effected by the following mechanism, (see Figs. 7 and 8:) The carriage c has supported upon it a -gear t', meshing withI the rack b and acted upon by a spring 122, (see Fig. 2,) tending to rotate it in the direction of the arrow upon it, thus tending to cause it to roll along the stationary rack-bar and in such movement-to cause the carriage c to travel lengthwise of said rackbar. Such longitudinal movement of the carriage is, however, resisted and controlled by escapement devices that permit it to move a space equal to that between two or three consecutive teeth or projections of said rack-bar, as preferred, the said escapement mechanism being best shown lin Figs. 6 and 7. A lever 70 is pivoted at 702 on the side of the carriage c, one end of said lever extending out beneath the rack b and being normally held in such position as not to enter between the teeth or projections of the rack. When, however-,the forward end 703 of the lever 'is depressed, the

' rear end enters between two teeth of the rack and prevents movement of the carriage. The said lever also has pivotally connected with it at 704 a short arm 705, that extends over the upper side of the rack b and has a spring portion 705- tending to cause the end 705v to spring away from the carriage c in the same direction that the carriage tends to move under the action of the spring @fand gear t'. The arm 705 vibrates with the lever on its-pivot 702 and is so shapedthat when the end of the lever 70 below the raekis in its lower-most position and out'of engagement with the rackteethA the arm 705 is in engagement with the rack-teeth and thus. restrains the carriage from movement along the rack-bar. When, however, the forward end of the lever70 is depressed andthe rear end rises into engagement with the rack-bar, so as to hold the carriage, the arm 705'is liftedout of engagement with the rack-bar, and, owing to its spring portion 706, its end over the rack-bar springs out from thecarriage, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 8, passing .over one or two teeth of the rack-bar, as the case maybe, and when the forward end of the lever 703is again raised the arm 705 drops into thel space over which it- -is then stan-ding, and the lever 70 disengages the rack, so that the; carriage is 'permitted to move l until brought up bythe arm 705 in its new position, the spring i2, that moves the carriage, being stronger than the spring 706, that throws the arm 705. The lateral or Vswinging movement of the army is limited-by an adjustable stop .A

707, which permits it to move over one or two teeth of the'rack b, accordingas a shorter or longer feed of the carriage is required. The arm 705 may be turned on its pivot 704 on the Vlever 70 by means of a handle 708, so as to disengage the said arm 705 from the feed-rack b, while the lever 70 is also disengaged from it, thus permitting the carriage to be moved in either direction and any desired distance along the said feed-rack.

The feed mechanism thus far described is substantially the same as has been used in machines of this class heretofore, and the present invention, so far as relates to the feed mechanism, consists in the devices that move the lever 70 up and down on its pivot 702 to control the feed movements of the carriage, as just described. The forward end ,703. of the lever is engaged by an arm m of a rock-shaft m2, having a second arm or projection m5 in the proper position to be engaged by the impression-frame 71, when depressed with relation to the carriage to make an imprint, as before described, such depression of the said frame h by its handle 712 turning therockshaft m2 and thus operating the lever 70 to effeet a feed' movement, as has just beendescribed, the said feed taking place inthe rise of the lever 70 and impression-frame 71, after' each imprint has been made, so that the successive imprints are placed side by side or in a line with one another on the paper.

. When it is desired to make a feed movement without the corresponding imprint-as, for example, at the end of a word-the lever 70 must be moved independently of the impression-plate 7L, and for this purpose the rock-shaft m2 is provided with anv arm m4, suitably made to form a handle or fingerpiece that is located nearthe handle 7a2 of the impression-plate, so that both `handles can be readily operated by two fingers of the left hand of the operator. The inking of the face of the type is shown in this instance as effected by a pad n, supported onthe bottom vplate c2 of the carriage and around the print- IOO lIO

the purpose of applying fresh ink thereto by swinging the type-plate to its extremeposition, first at one side and then at thev other, and the ends of the carriage c are open Ato permit the end of the type-plate and its frame cl2 and positioning-bar g to pass outer beyond the sides `of the carriage in the oscillating movement of the type-plate. Y

The top plate c4 of the carriage is hinged to the bottom plate near the front ofthe vmachine, as shown at c5, so that said top plate may -be raised to aord access to the printingpad or to the type-plate and connected parts, the handle e4 for'moving,thetype-pl-ate being turned back on its pivot e5 to permit the top` plate c and printing-franie h to be raised on their respective hinges.

The paper to be printed upon may be supported and moved for the line-to-line feed in any suitable or usual manner. As herein shown, it passes over the surface of a feed-roll o, journaled at its ends in the main frame a and provided with a handle o2 (see Fig. 1) for turning it to feed the paper forward and also with a ratcheting-dog operated by the handle o3 to turn it step by step the proper distance for the space between two lines on the paper, such device being substantially the same as in machines of this class heretofore made, and

for this reason not requirin g to be specifically described herein.

The paper is held in contact with the feedroll by a plate p, supported on a rock-shaft p2 therefor in the main frame a and acted upon by a spring tending to force said plate against the paper that lies between it and the roll, as shown in Fig. 2. The said rock-shaft is provided with aspring-armp4 and handle p5 at the frontof the machine, by which the plate p may bepulled away from the surface of the roll o to facilitate the introduction ot' the paper. The paper extends forward from the periphery of the feed-roll o at the termination of the plate p `over a platen r, which supports it along the line where the successive imprints are made, the surface of said `platen being beneath the printing-opening c3 in `the printing-carriage The edge of the plate p is graduated, so as to correspond to the successive imprints of a continuous line of printing, as shown in Fig. 1, and a correspondingly-graduated bar t is provided at the rear of the main frame a, co-operating witha pointer t2 on the printing-carriage c, (see Fig. 1,) the said scales being arranged in the usual manner to indicate the relation between the position of the carriage and the printing-point on the paper. The graduated bar or scale t supports the bell that indicates the approach of the carriage near the end of the line of printing, the said `bell being operated in the usual manner and the said barbeing provided with adjustable stops t4 5,that limit the movement of the carriage along the paper in the usual manner.

The machine maybe conveniently operated by the operator facing the machine and moving the type-selector e4 with the right hand and the impression and spacing keys or handles h2 m4 by two lingers of the left hand, operating the space-key m3 alone when a feed movement is to be made without a corresponding imprint, as at the end of a word.

The operations of introducing the paper and setting the paper-carriage at the proper position for beginning a line of printing are substantially the same as in prior machines of this class.

It is obvious that the various details of construction of the machine'might be widely varied without departing from the invention,

which relates, mainly, to the type-plate and devices for moving it to bring `the diderent type to the printing-point and for then making the impression and causing the feed of the type relative to the paper, and, so far as these features are concerned, the paper might be fed along beneath the type instead of having the type fed over the paper.

I claim- 1. In a type-writing machine,the combination, with the main frame, a rack therein, and paper-feed mechanism, of acarriage made as a box and pivoted to and ylongitudinally movable on the rack, a type-plate, its supporting-frame, a guide therefor pivoted in the carriage and movable with it, a finder, as e4, connected with the guide, and an iinpression-frame pivoted to therack within the car-y riage and moving withiit and having a fingerpiece extended laterally beyond thetcarriage, substantially as described.

2. In a typewriting1machine, the combination, with the `main frame, a rack therein,

`and a paper-feed mechanism, of a carriage, a

type-plate, a shank connected with said typeplate, a telescopic guide pivoted to the can riage and receiving the shank, a locking deviceor stopfor the shank and guide, and a iinder, as e4,pivotally connected to the shank and serving to move and adjust the typeplate, substantially as described. 1

3. In' a type-writing machine, the main frame, a rack therein, a paper-feed `mechanism, and a carriage pivoted to and movable longitudinally on said rack and made as a box with open sides, a top plate, an `indexplate thereon, and a bottom plate separating the type from the paperand having an opening to permit the passage of a single type combined with a type-plate pivoted to the bottom plate of saidcarriage, ander, as e", secured to said type-plate and projecting up out of the carriage and over the index-plate, and an impression-plate pivoted to the rack "within the carriage and having its handle extended laterally beyond the carriage, substantially as described.

4. In a type-writing machine, the combination, with a main frame,a rack therein, and a paper-feed mechanism, of a carriage pivoted to and movable longitudinally 011 the rack, a typeplate and means to pivot it within the carriage, a dentated positioning-bar `carried by said type-plate, and a pivoted impression frame constructed with a projection to act upon the type and also with a projection to engage the teeth of the positioning-bar, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. In atype-writing machine, the combination of a main frame, a rack therein, paperfeed mechanism, a type-carriage, a carriagepropelling mechanism, an impression-frame having a laterally-extended finger-piece, and a carriage-feedin g mechanism or escapement consisting of a lever adapted to engage the rack, an elastic arm connected to said lever and vibrating with it, and amok-shaft having In testimony whereof I have signed my one end in engagement With said lever and name to this specification in the presence of having an arm adapted to be engaged by the two subscribing Witnesses. Y finger-piece of the impressioirframe and also 5 having a finger-piece of its own for` operation XVitnesses;

independently of the impression-frame, sub- JOS.'P. LIVERMORE, stantially as described. JAS. J. MALQNEY.

' GEORGE C. TOWLEY

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