Patent GB-190200675-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in Type Writing Machines.
Inventor: IMRAY OLIVER
Filed: 1902-01-09
Granted: 1902-03-06
Abstract: 675. Imray, O., [Kauffman Typewriter Co.]. Jan. 9. Type-writers. - Relates to carriage-shifting mechanism for change of case, letter and line spacing mechanism, paper holding and feeding devices, type-bar "actions," and inking- ribbon feed-mechanism. The carriage bed 3, Fig. 5, is supported by vertical standards or slides adjustably secured to blocks which have a pin - and - slot connection with arms 7 carried by a rock-shaft 11. Two vertical arms 10 pivoted on a rock-shaft 13 are provided at their upper ends with three notches which are adapted to engage with the pins 9 in either their raised, normal, or depressed positions, thus locking the carriage bed 3 at a corresponding height. Each arm 10 has a forwardly-projecting lug 15 in which is a notch engaged by a pin carried by a rock-arm 17. The rock-arms 17 are carried by a rock-shaft 18, which carries at its left-hand end two downwardlyprojecting arms 19, 20, Fig. 10, and at its right-hand end arms 21, 22, Fig. 9. Four shift-keys are provided, two at each side of the keyboard. The keys at the left-hand side raise and lower the platen without locking it in the new position ; the right-hand keys raise and lower it and also lock it, so that one depression of the key is sufficient when writing a sequence or line of capitals or figures. The key 41, shown in Fig. 5, is the left-hand or non-locking depressing- key. A slide 24', capable of a limited longitudinal movement along the key-lever, bears at one end a pin 25 and at the other end a pin engaging behind the arm 20, Fig. 1.0. During the first portion of the descent of the key-lever, which is pivoted at 43, the cam slot 26 draws the pin 25 and slide 24' forwards, thus rocking the arm 20 and shaft 18, and pressing back the locking-arms 10. While the key is completing its descent, a lug 28<1> on the slide 24<1> engages with a pin on the arm 32 and rocks the levers 35, 37, so as to depress the carriage against the controlling-resistance of a coiled spring 45. When the pressure on the key is relaxed, the carriage first rises to its intermediate or normal position, and is then locked by the arms 10. The other left-hand shift-key acts in a somewhat similar manner, but it is pivoted at its extreme rear end, so that the lug 28<1> acts downwardly on a pin carried by a yoke depending from the arm 32, and thus lifts the carriage instead of depressing it. The arm 19 takes the place of the arm 20 in the actuation of the arms 10. The action of the two shift-keys at the right-hand side of the keyboard differs only from that just described, in the respect that, towards the end of the descent of the key-lever, the pin at the rear end of the slide 24<1> escapes either at the lower end of the comparatively-short arm 21 or into the notch in the arm 22, according as the carriage is being raised or depressed. The rockarms 17 are thus released, and the spring plungers 50 push forward the arms 10, so as to lock the carriage in the new position. The carriage is released when required by momentarily striking the left-hand shift-key corresponding with that originally depressed. The carriage feed is effected by means of a spring drum 63 bearing on its periphery spur teeth engaging with the carriage rack 71, and controlled by escapement mechanism operated by the universal bar 52, which underlies the writing and space-key levers, not shown in Fig. 5. To the rock-shaft 53 of the universal bar is secured an arm 56 engaging with a rocking frame 58, Figs. 5 and 12, pivoted at 59 to a fixed shaft 60. The frame 58 carries a dog 61 adapted to engage the ratchet teeth on the rear face of the drum 63. Trunnioned to a ring or collar loose on the shaft 60 is a swinging frame 65 carrying a pawl 67, normally held in engagement with the ratchet teeth by means of a compression spring 66. The frame 65 is normally held in the inclined position shown in Fig. 12 by the tension of the carriagedriving spring. When a key-lever is depressed the dog 61 engages with the ratchet-wheel, and the dog 67 disengages from it. The spring plunger 68 then rocks the frame 65 on the shaft 60, so that, when the key is released, the pawl 67 re-engages with the next tooth of the ratchet-wheel, and allows the carriage to advance. An antifriction roller 65<1> enables the frame 65 to rock to and fro without undue friction. The carriage has vertical end standards 73, Fig. 14, which carry the trunnions of the platen 74. The standards have projecting arms 75, slotted to receive the trunnions of small rollers 76, which are held against the paper by means of leaf springs 77. Secured to the bed of the carriage are three or more narrow segmental supports 79 of trough-shaped section. The side flanges of these supports are slotted to receive the trunnions of small rollers 80. and a pair of closely-coiled springs in each support 79, extending from end to end of the trough, tension all the trunnions inwards so as to press the rollers 80 against the paper. At its right-hand end the platen carries a plate 81 having a circle of bevel recesses or holes 82, with which engages the bevelled head of a spring-pressed plunger 91. Line.spacing is effected by means of a pawl 87, shown in Fig. 14 and in the bottom plan view, Fig. 13. The pawl is loose on a sleeve 84 and normally rests on a stop-pin 88. When the finger wheel 85 is turned, the pin 83 on the platen shaft co-operating with a cam slot in the sleeve causes the sleeve 84 or wheel 85 to move inwards, carrying the pawl with them, until the nose of the pawl engages with one of the recesses 82. The platen then turns with the finger wheel, the movement being arrested when the pawl comes in contact with the stop-pin 89. On releasing the finger wheel, the sleeve and wheel are forced outwards by the spring 85<1> and the pawl drops back on to the stop-pin 88. By turning the stop-pin 89, a lug 90 can be interposed in the path of the pawl, so as to reduce the spacing from two-line spaces to one. The printing-keys and type-bars and their connections are shown in Fig. 17. The key-levers 94 are pivoted on a common shaft 93, against which they are held by the tensioning-springs 96. Spacing- collars on the shaft separate the levers. The tension of all the springs 96 can be simultaneously adjusted by turning the shaft 93, which is provided with an adjustable rocking arm for that purpose. The key-levers have an open slot-and-pin connection 104 with bell-crank levers 102, which are pivoted on a common fulcrum-rod 101. The bellcrank levers are connected to the heels of the typebars 108 by links 107, which are guided on a fixed wire or rod 111 curved to the shape of the typebar support 113. All the joints are of open slot- and-pin construction, to facilitate assembly. The type-bar support or segment 113 is slotted radially in comb fashion to receive the type-bars, and the radial portions which separate the bars are slotted to receive short shafts 116. of which there is one for each type-bar. The shafts are held down in the slots by wedge pins 117. The rear portions of the links 107 are bent so as to bring them into the plane of the type-bars. The ribbon feed mechanism is shown in Fig. 23. The ribbon passes one of the spools 127 through a guide loop 132, and then forwards to a guide 133, which holds it close to the platen at the impression point. The guide 133 is carried by levers 135 pivoted at 136 and capable of depression against the pressure of springs 138 by means of finger rests 137. The ribbon is secured to the barrels of the spools by means of rotary locking wedges or pins. The spools bear ratchet teeth which are engaged by two pawls 140, 141, pivoted at 142 to vertically-moving bars 143. The bars 143 are pivoted to the universal bar 52, and are slotted to receive guide pins 144 carried eccentrically at the inner ends of shafts 145 which bear thumb-pieces at their outer ends. By turning the thumb-pieces, either of the bars 143 can be thrown back, so as to disengage the pawls from the ratchet teeth. The spool is turned by the pawl 141 during the upward or return movement of the universal bar. The pawl 140 does not effect a movement of the spool, but acts as a detent to prevent reverse rotation.