Patent GB-855952-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in justification means for printers, photo-composing machines and the like
IPC: B41B27/32
Filed: 1956-08-24
Abstract: 855,952. Printers' composing-machines; justifying typewriters. DIRKS, G. Aug. 26, 1957 [Aug. 24, 1956], No. 25888/56. Classes 100(3) and 100(4) Justifying type. Justification means for a linecomposing machine or typewriter comprises a first counter having a capacity equal to the number of width units in a line, an input means for the characters to make up the line and means for feeding to the first counter a number of pulses equal to the total width of the characters put in, a second counter and means for stepping it in response to the spaces put in, means operative at the end of a line to adjust the total capacity of the second counter to the value then stored, means for feeding further pulses to the first and second counters equally until the first is counted through, a third counter stepped on by each counting through of the second counter by said further pulses, a motion-transmitting device for advancing the line being made up, and means operative at each space to actuate the motion-transmitting means to an extent which is the sum of a normal space width and a width determined by the count in the third counter. Characters and spaces keyed into a line by a keyboard 1 are delivered to storage 3 where they are retained, while pulses equal to the width are delivered to the counter 6 to count it on, a line remainder indicator being associated with the counter 6. For each space keyed, a pulse is delivered to counter 12 and to counter 9. When the line is ready for justification, contact 13 is closed to make gate 14 conductive, and a pulse is delivered to counter 12 to adjust its capacity to its present reading (i.e. number of spaces in the line). The pulse-generator 15 delivers through the gate 14 an equal number of pulses to the counters 6 and 12 until the capacity of counter 6 is reached. The number of pulses delivered to counter 12 is therefore equal to the line remainder, and the pulses cause counter 12 to be repeatedly counted to capacity, and each time this happens a pulse is delivered to counter 23. Since the capacity of counter 12 is the number of spaces in the line, counter 23 records the quotient (line remainder ¸ number of spaces), while counter 12 now records the remainder of that division. When the capacity of counter 6 is reached, a pulse makes gate 14 non-conductive, a pulse is delivered to counter 23 to adjust its capacity to its present reading (i.e. quotient), and a pulse is delivered to storage 3. The signals are now delivered from storage 3 to a comparison device 27 and to the line-composing device 29, whence pulses are delivered to a motion transmitting device 31 to advance it according to the width of the characters and spacers set. When the comparison device 27 detects a space signal, a pulse is delivered to storage 3 to stop the output of signals, to gate 35 to make it conductive, and to counter 9 to count it one step backwards. The generator 15 delivers pulses through gate 35 to the device 31 to advance it and also to the counter 23. When the counter 23 is counted to capacity a pulse is delivered therefrom to make the gate 35 non-conductive, and to restart the output of signals from storage, so that the total advance of the device 31 is the sum of the normal space width delivered from the device 29 and the quotient recorded in the counter 23 and delivered from the generator 15. This process is repeated, so that each space has the quotient added to its width. When the last space is detected, the counter 9 will reach its initial position, and a pulse therefrom makes the gate 44 conductive, so that the pulse delivered from the counter 23 passes also through the gate 44 to the gate 47 to make it conductive, and also back into the gate 44 to make it again non-conductive. Pulses are now delivered from the generator 15 through the gate 47 to the device 31 and to the counter 12 to step the latter backwards. When the counter 12 reaches its initial position, a pulse therefrom is delivered to the gate 47 to make it non-conductive, at which time the additional pulses delivered to the device 31 will equal the remainder stored in the counter 12, the remainder value thus being added to the last space in the line. The device 29 may control operating means for the machine or may code a tape for operation of the machine. Specifications 792,998, 825,756 and 852,182 are referred to.