Patent GB-910957-A (GB)
Title: Photographic type composing apparatus
IPC: B41B17/06
Filed: 1958-12-17
Abstract: 910,957. Photographic type composing. FRIEDMAN, A. Dec. 17, 1958 [Dec. 27, 1957], No. 40674/58. Class 98 (1). Apparatus for photo-composing justified lines of text material which consist of words composed of letter characters and/or of groups of symbol characters and spaces interposed between such words or groups, comprises means having stored in code form therein the text of each line to be reproduced, the amount of such line which remains to be justified, the number of word spaces that must be widened to accomplish such justification, and a reset pulse after each line, means for selectively representing each character of a predetermined set width and each word space of a minimum set width by an exclusive signal, a light-sensitive material, means for producing signals from the store of the text of each line, means energized by each signal representing a selected character for projecting an image of such character on to the light-sensitive material, a set width counter for registering counts corresponding to the set width of the selected characters, means energized by the signals corresponding to each character and to the word space function for registering in the set width counter a count corresponding to the associated set width thereof, means controlled by the set width counter for advancing the light-sensitive material, upon the selection of a character, a distance corresponding to the set width of such character and for stopping the advancement upon the traversal of such distance, a word space counter, means energized by the signals representative of the word space function for registering in the word space counter a count equal to the number of word spaces selected in each line, a word space add counter for registering therein a count corresponding to a width which must be added to the word spaces in order to justify the line, coincidence means for controlling co-operation between the counters and means energized upon the selection of the word space function for advancing such material a distance corresponding to the sum of the counts registered on the set width counter and word space add counter. As shown a magnetic tape 70 bearing information necessary for composition such as character identification including case and common or uncommon nature, character width, interword identification, normal interword width, and justification information, is produced by a keyboard operated recorder shown in block form in Fig. 1 and is then used to produce a photographic copy in a printer shown in block form in Fig. 2 and in detail in Figs. 3-10 (not shown). Recorder.-On operating a character key on a board 40, Fig. 1, an output is applied over one of thirty-one lines to a 31-to-5 converter 42 which results in opening a unique combination of gating circuits 45 . . . 49 whereby different combinations of outputs from three constantfrequency oscillators supplying different frequencies are applied to amplifiers 67, 72 so as to energize magnetic recording heads 67, 75 to form on a tape 70 magnetic dot records identifying the character selected. Operation of a character key also applies an output through a set width unit 76 comprising upper and lower case units rendered operative by a switch 77 controlled by a shift key. The output passing over switch 77 is fed to a 15-to-4 converter 81 which by its selective operation of gates 89-92 for two oscillators 95, 96 providing separate frequencies different from the oscillators 60 ... 62 produces four different combinations which are recorded on the tape 70 as set width data for the selected character. Prior to typing a line, the operator sets a predetermined count on counters in the line length indicators 101 equal to the desired line length in space units. When a character key is actuated, the width signals over switch 77 are fed to counters in the set width drive 105 which, while the counters are not at zero, emits pulses over a lead 106 to energize a multi-vibrator 107 which in turn emits pulses over the lead 109 to drive back the counters to zero, these pulses also being applied to the indicator 101 to drive down its counters by an amount equal to the character width. A word space produced by operation of the space key WS applies a pulse over lead 111 to word space counter 112 which emits an output pulse over line 115 for application via the 15-to.4 converter of a word space indication to the tape 70 and over line 102 to the set, width drive to drive down the count in the indicator 101 by a fixed number corresponding to a minimum space width. Operation of upper and lower case outputs UC and LC apply pulses to the converter 42 to record appropriate indications on the tape. When the operator notes that the line length indicator shows insufficient room for another word, he depresses the carriage return key, not shown, which zeros the counter 101 and applies over leads 116, 117 pulses equal in number to the zeroing count to the converter 42 which records indications equal in number to the said count on the tape. When the counter 101 reaches zero, a pulse is applied over lead 120 to the word space counter 112 to drive this down to zero with a corresponding emission of pulses over lead 117 to converter 42 so that the word space count is recorded on the tape. When the last pulse is emitted by counter 112, the counter triggers over lead 123 a reset pulse circuit 122 which pulse again is recorded on the tape via converter 42. Since the converter 42 selects different frequency combinations for each function, the tape bears the frequency responsive record which contains all the necessary information for composing a justified line, the converter 81 having provided all the space information for each character and recording each word space. Printer.-The tape so produced is then fed backwards through a printer unit, Fig. 2, so that a page is reproduced Chinese fashion. The printer unit has scanning or reading heads 125, 126 connected by amplifiers 127, 128 to filters 130 . . . 139. The frequencies passed by these filters are amplified and fed to a 5-to-31 converter 140 and a 4-to-15 converter 165 which are themselves frequency sensitive and are energized by combinations of frequencies. The first signal read off the tape will be a re-set signal for the lower right-hand edge of a page of type. This will cause an output to appear on lead 141 of the 5-to-31 converter 140 and send this through a counter zeroing circuit 145 connected over leads 146, 150, 152 to word space add counter 147, word space counter 151, and justification counter 155. The next signal will comprise justification information, namely (a) the number of word spaces, so that this number of pulses will be fed via converter 140 over lead 156 to the word space counter 151, and (b) the number of space units in the line that remain, this signal causing the converter 140 to emit a like number of pulses over lead 157 to the justification counter 155. Each time the justification counter reaches the number in the word space counter, a coincidence circuit 160 triggers a reset circuit 161 to reset the counter 155 which emits a pulse over line 162 to the word space add counter 147. The word space add counter causes the standard interword space set in the set width escapement control 167 to be increased by the number of units equal to the recorded count while the remainder finally left in the justification counter will result in that number of word spaces being further increased by one space unit. The character printing mechanism is shown in Figs. 12, 13. The font plate 177 used in the printing unit is shown in Fig. 12 and comprises a set of aligned squares in the upper halves of which are located common characters while uncommon characters are disposed in the lower half, and the left side of such squares contain upper case characters while the right side contain lower case characters. The font plate is located in the printing unit in Fig. 13 in the orientation of the vertical shown in Fig. 12 between a group of five vertical discharge tubes and five shutters 180 . . . 184 pivoted about a horizontal axis. A mount 176 houses an assembly of lenses 175, one per font plate square, and a Petzval lens 172 images each font plate square on the same part of the image plane on the roller 170. By energizing as necessary solenoids 691, 695 to shift font plate 170 one half square, rows of common or uncommon characters of upper or lower case may be brought into the field of the lenses 175, a particular character being selected by energization of the appropriate discharge tube and opening of the appropriate shutter. In this way lines of type are recorded in a direction around the roller 170 on a light-sensitive sheet 171. During recording of a line the roller is rotated on release of a brake 206 on the driven output member of a friction clutch having a driving member operated by a continuously energized motor 207. When the roller rotates, a beam from a lamp (not shown) shines in succession through apertures 212 in a disc 210 on the roller and by means of a photo-electric cell 213 produces pulses which are fed to a counter in a space width escapement control 167 to drive the count down. After the justification information has been read off, the reading heads will produce character width signals which will be fed to 5-to-31 converter 140 and to the 4-to-15 converter 165. The converter 165 will feed a signal to the set width escapement control 167 including a set width counter which will be caused to register a count equal to the required width in space units. The converter 140 will apply a single pulse over line 195 to the flash storage circuit 197 to condition a selected discharge tube for firing and to the correct one of the five shutters. When pulses from the photoelectric cell 213 measuring the rotation of roller 170 have returned the counter 167 to zero, a pulse is applied over lead 215 to