Patent GB-854229-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in phototypographic apparatus
IPC: B41B17/02
Filed: 1956-11-01
Abstract: 854,229. Photographic type-composing apparatus. HORMAN H., and RONDTHALER, E. Nov. 1, 1956 [Feb. 21, 1956], No. 33340/56. Class 98(1) Phototype-composing apparatus comprises a phototypographic stencil, a co-operating character-spacing member, a supporting surface comprising at least a portion which is lighttransmitting and adapted to receive photosensitized material, guide means to receive and permit movement of the stencil and spacing member. The stencil being positioned above, in contact with, and movable transversely of the photo-sensitized material for effecting exposure thereof, and a light source positioned below the light-transmitting portion of the surface and adapted to illuminate the spacing member and guide means without exposing the photo-sensitized material. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the casing of the apparatus consists of an inclined upper face 12, triangular sides 14 and a back 16. The machine is used with a stencil 30 as described in Specification 800,235 carrying an alphabet 31 in two groups, each in alphabetical order, according to frequency of occurrence in the English language. The margin 29 bears a series of converging lines 33 by which the letters are properly spaced, the amount of spacing being varied by a spacer 32 having movable indices which intersect the converging lines at various points as described in Specification 840,377. A guide for the stencil and spacer is formed by a sheet 36 of opaque material, mounted on strips 38 so as to be slightly spaced from the surface 12. As shown in Fig. 4, sheet 36 is folded twice at 42, 44, to provide a channel 46 for the spacer 32. A transparent sheet 48, extending under the upper part 50 of sheet 36, is folded at 52 and at 54 to form a channel 56 for the upper edge of spacer 32 and a channel 58 for the lower edge or stencil 30. A platen 60 is carried on the side frame members next to channel 58 to support the stencil and the photographic sheet when they are pressed together for exposure. The carriage 62 for the photographic sheet 84 slides between the strips 38 on wire springs engaging grooves in the strips. Rollers 66 mounted on carriage 62 engage the surface 12, and are rotated by the operator's thumbs to move the carriage over the surface 12. A light shield 70 is fixed to a bar 72 on the casing, and a light shield 74 has turned-over edges 76 whereby it slides on shield 70. The surface 62 has pressuresensitive adhesive pads to which shield 74 adheres when pressed against them, so that the carriage 62 and shield 74 move together. The extent of such movement is read off on scales 82 on shield 74 against the lower edge of shield 70. A tubular lamp 86 mounted within the casing, and an exposure lamp 26 connected to a flexible cable 24 and normally held in a bracket 28, are connected in series with a mains supply through a switch 90. A reflector 91 is placed beneath an opening 92 in the surface 12 under the platen 60 and an amber filter 95 covers the opening so that the margin 29 of the stencil and the character spacer 32 are illuminated but the photographic material is not fogged In operation, the photographic material is fastened to carriage 62, by adhesive tape at 94 and, together with the stencil, is adjusted to bring the selected character on the stencil into the desired position to print the first character of the first line. The exposure lamp 26 is then placed over the character to print it on to the photographic material. Spacer 32 is then moved in accordance with the lines 33 on the stencil to indicate the proper spacing of the character. Further characters are printed to complete the first line. The operator presses down the shield 74 so that it sticks to the pads on the carriage 62, and rotates rollers 66 to move the carriage through a distance equal to the interline spacing, using the scales 82, whereafter the shield 74 is freed from the adhesive pads and is moved back to its initial position adjacent the platen 60 (Fig. 4). The second and subsequent lines of characters are similarly printed.