US516742A - Matrix-making and type-setting machine - Google Patents

Description

' (N0 Moole1.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

- .H. LEE.

MATRIX MAKING AND TYPE SETTING MAGHINB.

Patented Mar. 20, 1894.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet" 2.

H. LEE. MATRIX MAKING AND TYPE SETTING MACHINE.

N0. 516,742. Patented Mar. '20, 1894.

; ZZZ/6712 37" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

HOMER LEE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE ELECTRIC TYPO- GRAPHIC COMPANY OF WEST VIRGINIA.

MATRIX-MAKING AND TYPE-SETTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 516,742, dated March 20, 1894.

Original application filed April 16 1889, Serial No. 307,469. Divided and this application filed October 9, 1890- Serial No. 367,502- (No model.)

To alt whom it may concern.-

Be It known that I, HOMER LEE, a citizen of I the United States, residing at New York city,

' ting Machines, fully described and represent ed in thefollowing specification and the accompanylng drawings, forming a part of the same.

My invention relates to that class of machines in which a line of type, either male or female, is composed and then used, it male,

elther-to printaline of matter or as a die from whlch to make a matrix, or,if female, as a matrlx from which to cast a printing bar. Among the machines of this class are matrix-making mach nes, typewriting machines, typesetting and distributing machines, and printing bar casting machines, and it will be understood that my invention is applicable to all of these and generally to all machines in which type,

either male or female, are composed in any desired quantity.

The object of my invention is to improve the construction of those parts of this class of machines by which the type are brought into position in the process of com position and use, and to this end my invention consists of various constructions and combinations of parts all of which will be particularly described in the following specification and pointed out in the claims.

While my invention is of general application in the many varieties of the class of ma- I chines referred to, the mechanism in which it has been embodied was designed particularly for that variety in which the type are carried by bars adapted to move longitudinally to bring the type to the'composing space, and the invention will be illustrated and described in connection with such a machine. In this variety of machines the type bars have been arranged transversely of the machine in sets of a single character where they are held by detents and successively released by pins or lugs on delivery shafts connected to a carriage which is caused to travel transversely of the machine simultaneously with the pro gross of the composition of the line, the deand the type already composed as they are assembled, the type bars have been given a slight bend laterally forming a shoulder, and the type bars have'been guided between two sets of pins so that the shoulder as it passes the first set of pins will cause the" type to be deflected outward from the line of type, and as the type passes into the composing space the shoulder will be acted upon by the second set of pins and cause the return of the type inward to its proper position in the line. It has been found, however, that it is difficult to thus cause a complete return of type to its place in the line, and I avoid this diffioulty by providing an incline which serves to guide the advancing type into the composing space, and into its proper positionin the line; The distribution of the type after composition and use has been efiected heretofore in some of these machines by means of movable distributing bars adapted to engage with hooks or projections upon the type bars, the distributing bars being operated by power to distribute the type by withdrawing the type bars from the composing space until they are returned to their normal positions.

I It is sometimes desirable to operate the machines for a number of revolutions without distributing the type so that a number of impressions may be taken from the same line of male type,or a number of printingbars may be cast from thesame line of female type. I provide-tor this duplication by-making the connections between the distributing bars and the operating mechanism of such a char acter that these bars may at any time be disengaged from the operating mechanism by the interruption of the connections so that grammatic sectional side elevation of a machine of the special variety referred to, showmg such parts as are necessary for understanding the present invention. Fig. 2 is a similar front view of a portion of the machine. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, on an enlarged scale. Fig. 4 is a detail of the under side of the detachable connections for the distributing bars.

Referring to said figures A,B, are the side frames of the machine in which the sets of type are supported in frames 0, each of which carries one or more sets of type and type bars.

D is the platen or impression table having a limited impression movement, E the rest bar upon which the type are assembled in the process of composition, and F the abutment block by which assembled type are locked in position upon the rest bar.

The type 1 are carried by type bars 2 which are formed of slightly flexible metal and are each provided with a shoulder 3, formed by a lateral bend or deflection in the type bar and with a hook or projection 4.. These type bars are arranged in sets in the frames 0, the bars of each set side by side and preferably overlapping the type of adjacent sets as shown in Fig. 1. All the type bars are arranged radially with reference to the rest bar, and slide longitudinally freely in the frames 0, being guided between. guiding pins 5, and secured in cross bars of the frames. The type bars are held normally in their raised positions by the friction of detents 6 pressed against the type bars by small springs '7 and withdrawn to release the type bars by lugs 8 one of which is carried by each delivery shaft 9. A delivery shaft is provided for each set of type bars, and as explained above these shafts move transversely of the machine as the composition progresses, and are operated by keys as usual in this class of machines. Upon the release of atype bar it is advanced by gravity toward the composing space and at each side of the composing space is an incline 10, by which the type are guided into position in the line being composed.

It will be understood that all the type bars of each set carry the same character, so that as the lugs on the delivery shafts follow the progress of composition, the appropriate key will operate a delivery shaft to release that one of the set of type which is in the proper position to pass into the line being composed.

It will readily be seen that, as a type bar is released and advariced toward the compos-n ing space, the shoulder 3 striking a pin 5 of the first or outer series of guiding pins throws the outer end of the type bar to the left thus moving the type to the right so that it will escape contact with the type in other sets, and, as the type reaches the rest bar the shoulder A; striking a pin of the several or J inner series of guiding pins throws the type bar toward the left, tending to carry the advancing type against the type last set. The

proper positioning of the type in the composing space is assured by the incline 10, the successive type beingguided inwardly by engagement with the incline. It is evident that this incline may be used in machines in which type bars are not employed, and in type bar machines in which the bars are not provided with the lateral bend as above described, and this type directing incline acting on a plurallty of type, and directing the advancing type directly into the composing space forms a part of the invention independently of these features, and is claimed broadly.

For the purpose of distributing the type the following construction is preferably employed: The side plates A, B, are provided with a series of slots extending radially to the rest bar, one slot for each set of type. In these slots move distributing bars 12 formed by thin plates or small rods of metal adapted to engage the hooks 5 on the ends of the type bars. These distributing bars 12 are carried in slots 13 formed in distributing bar carriers 14. These carriers consist of two curved bars extending from front to rear of the machine and slotted longitudinally to receive the ends of the distributing bars which move freely in the slots. The carriers move in slots 15 in plates G, H, forming front and rear plates of the machine. The front ends of the carriers are connected by tie rods 16, and each of the carriers is provided with a roller 17 which travels upon the inside of the plate Gso that the carriers will readily move upward through the slots 15 when operated for distribution by the mechanism now to be described. The rear ends of the carriers are bent inwardly toward each other and are connected by means of a bolt 18. Pivoted to each side of the machine is an arm 19, these arms extending to the rear of the machine, and being bent inward at their rear ends where they are connected by a head 20, these arms being raised and lowered by a cam 29 carried by the operating shaft I of the machine, and acting upon a lever 30 connected to one of the arms 19 by a rod'31. The bolt 18 is detachably connected to the head 20 as follows: The head is provided on its under side with a recess in which lies the bolt 18, the bolt being retained in the recess by a catch 23 pivoted to the head. This catch has on its lower side a lateral projection 24 to which is pivotally connected a. rod 25, the outer end of which passes through a hole in the arm 19, and is pressed rearward by a spring 26 so as to normally hold the catch 23 in position upon the. lip 27 on the under side of the head, as shown in full lines in Fig, 1,thus locking the bolt 18 securelyto the head. A cord 28 is secured to the outer end of the projection 24 on the catch and extends into reach of the operator, so that, when it is desired to disengage the bolt and distributing bar carriers from the head, a pull upon the cord draws the catch into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, against the tension of spring 26, thus releasing the IIO carriers, and allowing the arms 19 to be raised by the connections with the shaft 1 without distributing the type. On the release of the cord, the spring 26 closes the connections. It is evident that this construction affords a very simple and convenient means for throwing the distributing mechanism out of operation, so that the other movements of the machine may be continued, and any number of matrices or printing bars produced from the same line of assembled type and without the removal of the line from the impression space.

While I have shown my invention as applied to a particular variety of machines, and have described and shown but one form of distributing mechanism and means for securing duplication by interrupting the operating connections of the distributing mechanism, it will be understood that my invention is equally applicable to other varieties of machines, and thatthe construction shown forms but one of many which may readily be devised by one skilled in the art.

In the machines of the general class above referred to, it is usual to employ adjustable spaces by which the line may be justified, these spaces being advanced to the composing space and distributed in the same manner as the letter type, or by any other suitable means. By the term type employed in the claims I intend to cover blank or space type, or justifiers, as well as letter type.

This application forms a. division of my application Serial No. 307,469,filed April 16, 1889.

It will be understood that bythe term impression mechanism used in the claims, I intend to cover also casting mechanism or other mechanism by which the line of type is utilized.

What I claim is- 1. The combination of type normally held at a distance from the composing space, and an incline acting on a plurality of type for directing the advancing type directly into the composing space, substantially as described.

2. The combination of type normally held at a distance from the composing space, and advanced toward the composing space by gravity or an equivalent force when released,

and an incline acting on a plurality of type for directing the advancing type directly into the composing space, substantially as described.

3. The combination of type, type bars to which the type are attached, said type bars being adapted to move longitudinally toward the composing space, and an incline acting on a plurality of type for directing the advancing type directly into the composing space, substantially as described.

4. The combination of type, type bars to which the type are attached, said type bars moving longitudinally toward the composing space, means for causing the bars as they ad- Vance to take an oblique course to avoid other the composing space, said bars being bent laterally so as to take an oblique course as they advance between the guides, and an incline for directing the type into their proper posi tions in the composing space, substantially as described.

6. The combination with type and means for assembling them in line, of mechanism for removing the type from the spacev in which the assembled type are used constructed to be thrown into and out of operation, substantially as described.

7. The combination .with type, means for assembling them in line, mechanism for removing the type from the space in which the assembled type are used, a power shaft, connections between said mechanism and the power shaft whereby the type are caused to be removed from said space for distribution by the revolution of the shaft, and means for rendering said mechanism inoperative at the will of the operator so that the power shaft may revolve without causingthe removal of the type, substantially as described.

8. The combination of type, means for assembling them in line, an impression mechanism, and mechanism by which the type are removed from the impression space for distribution constructed to be thrown into and out of operation independently of the impression mechanism, substantially as described.

9. The combination with the type and type bars, of distributing bars 12 engaging the type bars for distribution, distributing bar carriers 14, power shaft I, operating connections between .the carriers and shaft, and a spring catch for disengaging said connections, substantially as described.

10. The combination of type, type bars to which the type are attached, means for assembling the type in line, mechanism for retracting the bars to distribute the type, a power shaft, connections between the distributing mechanism and power shaft whereby the type are caused to be distributed by the revolution of the shaft, and means for interrupting said connections at the will of the operator so that the power shaft may revolve without causing distribution, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HOMER LEE; Witnesses:

O. J. SAWYER, J. J. KENNEDY.

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