Patent GB-189826928-A (GB)
Title: A Machine for Printing Large Letters or other Characters Individually and Successively upon Paper or the like.
Inventor: FELL JOHN CORRY
Filed: 1898-12-20
Granted: 1899-05-06
Abstract: 26,928. Fell, J. C., [McCann, C. A.]. Dec. 20. Type-writers and like machines.-Relates to a machine for printing large letters or other characters individually and successively upon paper so as to produce bulletins, placards, &c. to be read at a distance. The type-plates B are preferably of wood, with rubber type, upper and lower case, secured upon their faces. They are carried in cases C, Fig. 8, which have wheels B<6> travelling on rails A<2> and guide-wheels c, c' on opposite sides of the bar a<7>. Each type-plate bears on its edge a character visible to the operator and corresponding to those upon its face. The case is moved by hand until the typeplate it is desired to use is approximately in position to be removed to the impression point, and a treadle is then swung backward by the operator's foot so as partially to rotate the segmental rack G and turn the segmental pinion H. The first result of the movement of this pinion is to throw the roller D<5> out of a recess on to the surface of the circular cam - plate H<11>, and thereby turn the lever D<4> so as to lift a doubly-bevelled wheel D into engagement with one of the #-shaped notches C' in the flange A<7> of the case. The type-plate to be used is by this means accurately centered and the case locked in position. The type-plate is now transferred from the case and carried up the bars A<9> to the impression point by the following mechanism :-0n the shaft of the pinion H is a radial arm which actuates a slotted lever pivoted at the front end of the machine and linked to a vertical bar having at its upper end a rack gearing with a pinion on the shaft F<2> of the pulley F<1>. As the radial arm turns, the vertical bar is caused to descend, and the pulley F<1> winds up a band attached at the lower end to a carrier E' sliding on the bars A<9>. To the carrier is pivoted a fork E having tines e which enter recesses B' in the bottom of the type-plate, a spring clip E<3> serving to lock it firmly to the fork. As the type-plate moves upward with the carrier it is caused to turn through a quarter of a revolution, after which it passes over the inking-roller L, and is brought into position to print the character on the paper p when the rising platen I presses the paper against it. The rod supporting the platen rises when the radial arm I<6> on the shaft H' comes in contact with the loose radial arm I<5>, so as to turn the bell-crank lever I<3> through the medium of the link I<4>. Adjusting-mechanism is provided by which the rotation of the pulley F<1> can be made less or greater according as upper or lower case type is to be used. The paper passes from the interior of the carriage N over the cylinder N' to the platen. The carriage moves on rails A<17>, and is fed forward after each impression has been made by an amount depending on the width of the character last printed. Each type-plate has projections b, b<1> which come into contact, just before the type-plate reaches the impression point, with one or other of two arms fixed upon a sliding rod, of which one serves for the upper and the other for the lower case type. The extent to which the sliding rod is pushed upwards determines the movement of a pawl-carrying block which, as the type-plate descends, engages with a rack on the carriage so as to move it forward by the required amount. The handle T<2> operates mechanism to effect spacing between the words. Line-spacing is effected by a hand-wheel which operates step-by-step mechanism turning the cylinder N' and so advancing the paper over the platen I. The type-plate returns to the case on the descent of the carrier E<2>, and the case is released so that a new character may be brought into position.