Patent GB-190708999-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in Machines or Apparatus for Reproducing in Ordinary Characters, Telegraphic or other Messages or Intelligence in the Form of Perforations in a Tape.
Inventor: CREED FREDERICK GEORGE
Filed: 1907-04-18
Granted: 1908-04-21
Abstract: 8999. Creed, F. G., and Coulson, W. A. April 18. Typewriters. - Apparatus of the kind described in Specifications No. 22,653, A.D. 1902, and No. 25,861, A.D. 1905, for controlling typewriters by means of Wheatstone-Morse or other perforated tape, is arranged for pneumatic actuation, and may operate a separate keyboard machine ; or, as shown in Fig. 3, it may be combined with typebar, paper - feed, and inking mechanisms to form a complete telegraphic printing - machine. Type-bars a, Fig. 3, are operated directly, or through adjustable connexions h, g, by plungers f, which are operated singly by compressed air under the control of a valve q rotated from the main shaft w, the selection of a plunger f being determined by the formation of a permutation passage through valves i adjusted by parts controlled by the perforated tape. The valves i are. in the form of perforated flat plates disposed between perforated plates j, k. The plate k is carried by a block p which contains the valve q and is raised and lowered from the shaft w to clamp and release the plates i. The valves may be operated as described in the above-mentioned Specifications, or by pneumatically-controlled mechanical means shown in Figs. 1<a> and 2<a>. Each plate i is provided with a selector plate 4, laterally movable about a joint 6, under the control of a spring 7 and a pneumatic plunger 20, for engagement over a bar 8 on an actuator 96 driven from the shaft w ; a bar 8<a> on the actuator returns the parts i, 4. The tape is fed between a perforated block 15 containing the plungers 20, and a perforated plate 30 on a spring-retracted clamping-plunger 22, which is formed with air passages 27, 28 and a valve chamber 25 containing a valve 26 operated from the shaft w through connexions 32, 33, 34. The tape may be fed by a wheel 41 on a shaft 46 connected by a universal joint to a shaft 48, which carries a wheel 42 for engagement by an exploring- bar rack 43, and is movable into and out of cooperation with the rack 43, either by hand or automatically, by means of a spring - returned swinging carrier 53 provided with an incline 59 engaged by a roller 58 on an extension 55 of the valve connexion 33. The rack 43 is shown in Fig. 1<a> as provided with lever mechanism of the kind described in Specification No. 25,861, A.D. 1905, so that the downward movement of the rack can be arrested at different points, according to the variable length of letter on the tape, and stop bars or plates 70, Fig. 2<a>, are provided as described in the above Specifications, but each stop-plate is arranged to be moved backwards, against the action of a spring 73, out of the path of the rack 43, by displacement of either or both of its two selector plates 4, so that the rack is stopped, not by the stop-plates that are moved, but by the first stop-plate not moved, corresponding to the first letter space. Each pair of selector plates 4 is connected by bars 72 to the corresponding stopplate 70, and the rack 43 is provided with a ledge or extension 43<a> for engagement with all the bars 72 above that corresponding to the first letter space, so that when the air is exhausted from the plungers 20, before the actuator 9<b> advances, any selector plates 4 that may have been displaced and are not held by the rack 43 return to normal position. In the case of a Wheatstone-Morse tape, there will be twenty valves i and selector plates 4, but it is possible to omit alternate valves, that is, to use ten valves and twenty selector plates. The spacing movement of the paper cylinder or equivalent may be effected by pneumatic or other mechanism operated from the shaft w, or by a separate pneumatic device controlled by the valve devices ; suitable automatic line-spacing mechanism may be added. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 3, the platen carriage 76 is advanced by a positive feed 81, 82 actuated from an eccentric 86 on the shaft w, and is returned by a spring drum connexion, release being effected by tappets on a sliding tripbar; Line-spacing is effected automatically, on return of the carriage, by contact of a pawl lever 91 against a fixed incline, which is on a projection of the framing provided with a rubber &c. carriage abutment. The shaft w is driven through a clutch of the kind described in Specification No. 25,861, A.D. 1905, but the hand-lever 113, Fig. 5, for movirg the stop 112 into and out of the path of the clutch arm 111 is provided with an arm 113<a> carrying a pin 114 connected by a link 119<a> to a frame 115 on the spindle 116 of the stop 112. The clutch is automatically thrown out at the end of a line or paragraph by means of two notched stop-bars 118, pivoted on the frame 115 and movable into and out of the path of a reciprocating bar 120 carried by an eccentric-strap 121 on th e shaft w. The line stop-bar 118 is connected to a special spacing-plunger f<1> of the set f, Fig. 3, and co-operates with a notched cam-disk 125 advanced from -the shaft w by pawl-and-ratchet mechanism, as described in Specification No. 25,861, A.D. 1905. The paragraph stop-bar 118 is connected to another special plunger f operated by a special signal in the tape. An inking-ribbon 97, Fig. 3, is fed from two spools 99 connectible with a shaft 100 actuated by pawl-and-ratchet mechanism 102 from the shaft w. According to the Provisional Specification, pneumatic or other automatic carriage-releasing mechanism may be provided.