Patent GB-759752-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in photographic type-composing machines
IPC: B41B17/00
Filed: 1951-10-02
Abstract: 759,752. Photographic type-composing. WALDEN, L. M. Oct. 2, 1951 [Oct. 9, 1950], No. 22963/51. Class 98 (1). A photographic type-composing machine comprises a keyboard, a camera, a characterbearing master plate movable relative to the camera to character photographing positions, a main signal carrier having individual, adjustable signal receiving members mounted thereon, a reading-in unit operated from the keyboard to code each signal receiving member one by one with adjustments representative of a printing character, and a reading-out unit to decode the adjustments produced in the signal receiving members one by one and move the characterbearing master plate to character photographing positions represented by the signal adjustments. The complete machine, Fig. 1, comprises a reading-in " A " unit 25, including a keyboard 26, a reading-out " B " unit 28, and a camera unit 29. Three circulating intelligencecarrying cradles, each carrying a bank of signalreceiving members (" patterns ") and a transmitter mechanism, move longitudinally and transversely of the base 27 in sequence to operative positions in the " A " and " B " units and to intermediate neutral positions. The filmholder 31 is loaded into the machine and the lever 32 is manipulated to convey the film into the camera. Character spacing is set, in accordance with the size of characters on the master plate, on the dial 33, line spacing is set on the control 34, line length and tabular setting is set on the tabulator stop devices 35, and line centring is effected, if desired, by manipulation of the handle 36. After the completion of a line, justification is effected by the actuation of the handles 39, 39<SP>1</SP>, and the handle 39 is then further manipulated to effect cradle release from the " A " unit to the " B " unit neutral zone. After the recording of a line on the film, the cradle in the " B " unit is moved to the " A " unit neutral zone, and the film is moved for recording the next line and shifted for marginal justification. Patterns.-Each pattern (see also Specification 759,824) comprises a pin carrier 50, Fig. 24, in which a pin pattern representative of a single character can be set up and in which a tined wedge 51 can be adjusted to indicate character width. The carrier 50 comprises two partially slotted posts 52, 52<SP>1</SP> in which slides the pin frame 53 carrying the nine axially movable pins 54 flanked by two fixed anvils 55, the pins 54 being slidable in split friction sleeves 56 and having their enlarged heads 59 in contact with the undersurface of the frame 53. Springs 61 normally maintain the frame 53 in its upper position. The abutment pieces 64 riveted to the posts 52, 52<SP>1</SP> are formed as rack teeth. The wedge 51 engages in the inclined slot 65 in the carrier 50 and may be moved to increase the overall width of the pin carrier and wedge assembly to represent characters of different widths. The wedge operating plate 68 has a slot 69 engaging over a reduced portion 70 on the wedge and is vertically movable relatively thereto to co-operate with means used to set the wedge position for specific character widths and for justification, and is held in adjusted position by the spring detent 71. Cradles.-The pin carrier 50 has a rectangular aperture 66, Fig. 24, and in the supporting cradle 30 (see also Specification 759,823), Fig. 7, a rectangular tube 73 extends through the apertures of a number of patterns and between the tines of the wedges 51, the overhanging portions of the wedges being guided by the L-section member 76. The extreme left-hand pin carrier is engaged by a jaw-block 77 slidable on the tube 73 and itself engaged by an L-shaped blade 78 positioned in slots in the sides of the tube 73 and biased to the right by adjustable spring means. The cradle 30 rolls on four pairs of rollers 81, each pair consisting of two rollers at right angles. Transmitters.-Each cradle carries a transmitter 30T, Fig. 13, having four flanged wheels 101 engaging tracks on the cradle which also serve to confine the pin carriers 50 so that their top edges are properly aligned as continuous rack members and also having a fixed cradle position control member 100<SP>11</SP>, Fig. 9. An auxiliary rack 84, Fig. 13, is provided at the right-hand end of the assembly for guiding the transmitter 30T while it is beyond .the pin carrier during the setting of pins and wedges on the last few pin carriers. The rack teeth formed by the pin carriers are engaged by the transmitter prior to expansion during the reading-in operation, and contraction takes place during the reading-out operation prior to the engagement of the transmitter with the corresponding teeth. The assembly is positively condensed during " B " unit operation by means operating once every " B " unit cycle. Expansion during reading-in is communicated by the blade 78, Fig. 7, to a line guide bar and hence moves leftwards the stop 90 controlling the spacing of characters at the " B " unit; and also to the lever 94 via the line guide bar and its extension member 93 carrying the roller 93<SP>1</SP>. The lever 94 transmits a measure of pattern expansion to the tabulator stop 35, Fig. 1, at the front of the keyboard; stops adjustable along a scale stop the lever 94 until the justification handle 39 has been operated, whereupon the lever 94 is freed to move to the next stop. Pinions 103, Fig. 13, coacting with the simulated racks formed by the nested patterns are carried on a shaft 104 carrying, on one side of the transmitter, a driving pinion 105, Figs. 9 and 16, held against free turning by a pin 106 on a bell-crank 107 acted on by a spring 109. The gear 105 is rotated by one of two substantially identical linkages, the left- and right-hand linkages co-operating with driving mechanism in the " A " and " B " units respectively. The left - hand lever 111 pivoted at 112 is urged counterclockwise against the stop 115 by the spring 113, and carries a roller 116 and a cam face 117 of which the latter contacts a face 1171 on the two-tooth rack 118 pivoted to a lever 119 also pivoted at 112. Clockwise movement of the lever 111 tilts the rack 118 into engagement with gear 105 and the rack and gear move until the rack strikes the abutment 122. On release of the lever 111, the rack is disengaged from the gear 105. A frame carried on the other side of the transmitter is provided with two parallel horizontal rods 126, Fig. 7, on which slide the wedge pusher member 127, Fig. 9, and the wedge withdrawal member 128, arranged in opposition on a U-shaped spring wire 129 so that a driving force on the pusher member 127 moves the plate 68 to drive in the wedge 51 and expand the pattern, while movement of the withdrawal member 128 to the left moves the plate 68 to pull out the wedge 51 and contract the pattern. The transmitter carries eleven slidable pins, the nine central pins 130, Fig. 13, of which are engageable with the nine sensing pins of the pattern and the outer two of which are engageable with the anvils 55, Fig. 24, for depressing the pin frame 53, a slot in each pin being engaged by a lever 134, Fig. 13, spring-urged downwardly. A bail 137 is operable by a plunger to lift the levers 134 and hence the pins 130 during the movement of the transmitter from one pattern to the next. The outer two pins are engaged by a yoke 145 pivoted on a rod 139, carrying an arm 144 having a contact roller 144<SP>1</SP>. A locking bail 140, Fig. 13, engages, for " B " unit operations only, under the projecting ends of levers 134 to lock those levers upwardly which have not assumed a downward position, and is itself engaged by the plunger 130<SP>11</SP>, Fig. 9. The bail 140 is normally retained out of engagement with the levers 134 and against an adjustable screw by the spring 142. Keyboard.-The keyboard is provided with a space bar and with character keys, shift keys, for lower- and upper-case characters respectively, and italic, roman, bold and function keys. Each character key 151, Fig. 3a, is attached to a lever 155 carrying a reed pusher link 157 directed substantially vertically by a link-shifting retainer 158, Fig. 9, aligning all the links 157 with either the lower-case reeds 163 or the upper-case reeds 164. The retainer 158 is connected to the shift keys by links 167, 168, plunger detent mechanism holding the retainer 158 in the appropriate position for lower- or upper-case selection. The space bar is connected to levers fixed to a shaft which carries a lever 177 pivoted to the pusher 178 extending through an aperture in a rocker 179 secured to the bottom of the square shaft 180. The top of the shaft 180 carries a plate 181 coacting with the wedge-pusher member 127 on the transmitter 30T irrespective of its location to push the plate 68 on a wedge in the particular pattern to which the transmitter is positioned and thus effect a space setting on that pattern. The tilting of the lever 177 raises a pusher 182 to engage a combination reed providing a space setting in the sizing linkage. The back-spacing key is carried on a lever secured to an extension member connected by a lever 186<SP>11</SP> and a link 187 to a lever 906, which, when moved, permits the operation of the right-hand indexing bar 3891, Fig. 13. All the character key operated levers 155, the space bar operated lever 177 and the back spacing lever on actuation strike the clutch tripping bail 188. As a lever strikes and raises this bail, a link 190 is raised to move the lever 191 secured to the clutch trip shaft 192. The bail 188 has notches at points where other key-operated levers would otherwise strike it to prevent clutch tripping. A swelling key may be depressed with a character key to operate through linkage a supplementary pusher cooperating with the plate 181 to give that character extra spacing. " A " manual unit operation.-Each time a character key is depressed, mechanism operated thereby ti