IMPROVEMENTS IN ARRANGING AND SETTING:* UP TYPES FOR PRINTING
Year: 1840

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS' SHALL COME; we, .JOIN
CLAY, of Cottingham; in the County of York, Gentleman; and FREDERICK
ROSENBORG; of Sculcoates; in the County of York, Gentleman, send' greeting.
: WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria;, by Her:
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, beäring date*äť
Westminster, the Twenty-seventh day of November, in the fourth year of Her
reign; did;, för Herself, Her heirs' and successors, give and grant: unto us;. the
said John Clay and Frederick Rosenborg, Her especial licence, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that we; the said John Clay and Frederick
Rosenborg,. our executors, administrators; and assigns; and such. others as 'we,"
the said John: Clay: and: Frederick Rosenborg, our executors, administrators;;
or assigns,. should' at any time agree with, and no others; from time to time:
and at all times during the term of years therein mentioned; should' and'
lawfully' might make, use; exercise; and vend,. within England. Wales, the
Town of: Berwick-upon-Tweed; and in all Her Majesty's. Colonies and Plan:
tations abroad; our Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ARRANGING AND SETTING:*
UP TYPES FOR PRINTING;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso;
obliging us;. theisaid John Clay and Frederick' Rosenborg, by'an instrument'
in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us,:
particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in:
what manner. the same is to be performed; and to, cause the same to be

page_text: inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Frederick Rosenborg, on behalf of myself and of the said John Clay, do
hereby declare that the nature of our said Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, are particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following description thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say):-
Our Invention of improvements in arranging and setting up types for
printing consists in a novel construction of machine in which printing types
having been placed in a certain order, the said types may be severally selected
and brought together for the formation of words and sentences by striking
keys with the finger in a similar manner to playing upon an organ.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 represents a front elevation of the
machine; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the left-hand end of the machine, part
of the wooden frame being in section; Fig. 8 is a horizontal view of the
machine, shewing the parts as they would appear when seen from above;
and Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken through the middle of the machine
in a transverse direction, or at right angles to Fig. 1, in all which
Figures similar letters of reference point out the same parts of the me-
chanism. Having provided a complete font of types of any size required,
consisting of upper and lower case, that is, capitals and small letters, points, s
spaces, figures, &c., both roman and italic, I place all the types of one letter or
character in similar positions in one of the perpendicular grooves of the ver-
tical plates A or B fixed at the top of the machine, and all the types of
another letter or character in another perpendicular groove of the plates, and
so on, arranging the types of all the letters, points, spaces, figures, &c., in this
way in the most convenient order for use. The grooved plates A and B being
thus filled with letter, A, A, A, with capitals, and B, B, B, with small letters,
&c., the movements of the mechanism are to draw out severally from the
grooved plates such letters or characters successively as are required for
composing a word or sentence. These movements are effected by striking 8
with the finger certain of the keys C, C, C, or D, D, D, in front of the
machine, which keys being connected to levers perform the operations by the
means about to be described.
. In the vertical section, Fig. 4, will be best seen the forms of the levers c, c, c,

page_text: and d, d, d, connected to the keys C and D, by which the fingers of the
operator are enabled to act upon the letters. These levers c, c, c, and d, d, d,
hang upon fulcrum rods e, e, e, fixed in the wood frame, and at their reverse
ends act against the mechanism which selects and conducts the types into the
chamber f, the receptacle of the composition. Let it be supposed that the
machine has, been properly furnished with types. The compositor places
himself in front of the machine, and presses with his finger the particular key
answering to any letter required. We will say to commence a sentence he
strikes one of the keys c, which belong to the upper case or capital letters.
The hinder parts of the levers c, attached to these keys are bent upwards, and
are all made at their upper parts to coincide with each other exactly, both in
form and position as to longitudinal arrangement. They are also each of them
weighted by a tail weight g, for the purpose of keeping them to their proper
bearings. On depressing the key C, that part of the lever c which is marked
h comes first into operation against the edge of a snail-formed bar E, which
extends along the front of the machine. This bar E is capable of turning on
pivots at its ends inserted into the frame work, and from it, at one end,
extends a fixed arm or lever i; to this lever or arm i is attached by a pin a
perpendicular rod k, adjustable as to its length by a screw, the operations of
which rod will be best seen in the front view, Fig. 1, or in the partial vertical
section taken longitudinally through about the middle of the machine shewn
at Fig. 5. The upper end of the rod k is connected to a small arm 1, extend-
ing from a transverse shaft m, which shaft is seen best in the horizontal view,
Fig. 3. From this shaft m an arm n extends, carrying a toothed sector, (see
Fig. 1, 3, and 5,) which takes into a pinion o on a small shaft p. This shaft
p also carries a toothed wheel q, taking into a pinion on the shaft or
axle of the pulley s. To this pulleys is made fast the two ends of a cord
t, t, seen best in Fig. 5, and the cord being passed over a carrier pulley j, is
connected to a sliding piece F, called the conductor (shewn detached at Figs.
6 and 7), which is moved along the horizontal plane or channel G, G, for the
purpose of conducting the types severally (after they have been brought into
the channel G) to the receiver at the end of the channel, which receiver answers
to the office of a composing stick.
. We will now describe the further operation of the lever c, by which the
types a are severally brought out of the groove plate A, on to the horizontal
plane or channel G, ready to be acted upon by the conductor. The upper
extremity of the lever C, marked u (see Fig. 4), as it is made to advance by the
depression of the key, comes into contact with the end of a slider H (of which
sliders there are a series corresponding to the several keys), shewn in the

page_text: partial horizontal, Fig. 8, taken at this level. The reverse ends of the sliders
I severally act against the shoulder of one of the vertical levers I, the extre-
mity of which lever I passes through an eye or opening in a horizontal rod v.
By these rods v, of which there are a series (see Fig. 3), corresponding to the
keys, the types a are pushed out of their respective groove through the back of
the plate A on to the horizontal plane or channel G, ready to be conducted to
the receiver, whence it is conveyed to the chamber f, by means hereafter
described.
The construction. and arrangement of the working parts of one set of the keys
having been explained, we. now proceed to describe the operation of composing.
Let one of the keys C be struck by the finger, then that part of the lever c, ath,
will first press back the edge of the snail. bar E, and thereby cause the arm i to
draw down the rod k. The descent of this rod k will bring down the arm l, and
consequently turn the axle m, which will raise the sector rack, and by that
means give rotary motion to the pinion o. The rotation of this pinion o will
cause the shaft p and toothed wheel' q to turn with it,, and to drive the pinion r
and pulleys, and thereby traverse the cord. t, t, by which the conductor. F is
slidden back upon the plane: G. from its state of rest at the left-hand end of the
plane G, into a situation ready to catch the type and conduct it to the receiver:
The upper end of the lever c,. at u, now forcing back the slider. H, will cause
the vertical lever. I to project the pusher rod.v forward, and in so doing to push
the lower type of the column a through the aperture at the bottom of the plate
A on to the horizontal plane G. Now, on withdrawing the finger from. the
key C, the lever cwill be brought back by its weight. g into its state of rest,
when a bent spring. w will restore: the position of the vertical lever I, and bring
back the pusher rod, at. which time: also the tension of a convolute: spring a
affixed to the shaft p will, through. the wheel and pinion q andir, give a retro-
grade movement to the pulley 8,. and thereby cause the cord t to drive the con-
ductor. F' back. to its place of rest,, and. in so doing to slide the type a upon. the
horizontal plane G up to the receiver or aperture. of the chamber. f. It may
be proper here to remark that the conductor F should not be slidden back-upon
the horizontal plain. G further than is absolutely necessary to take hold. of: the
type in whatever part of the horizontal plane the type may lie, its situation
upon the plane G depending, upon. the arrangement: of the various types in the
grooves of the plates A. or B. We, therefore, regulate the distance to which
the conductor is brought back at every stroke by varying the lengths of the
respective sliders II, according to the distance from the end of the plane to the
column of types with which the slider is in communication. The operations of
the keys corresponding, with the lower case or small letters are much the same

page_text: as those of the upper case above described, but as the forms and arrangement
of some of these parts of the mechanism are different, we proceed to describe
the arrangements of the other or lower case parts of the machine, with
corresponding letters of reference indicating similar agents. The keys D, D, D,
belonging to the lower case, or small letters, placed in the plate B at the back
of the machine, are affixed to the levers d, d, d, which hang upon fulcrum
rods e, e, e, set in the wood framework. The extremities of the longer arms
of these levers d, d, d, are guided by passing through slots of determinate
lengths in a vertical plate K, and openings near the ends of these levers
severally receive the lower extremities of vertical sliders or jacks L, the actions
of which are guided at their upper parts by a comb y. On striking any one
of the keys D, the lever d will lift the jack L as far as the slot in the plate
K will allow, and bring the shoulder h* to act against and raise the edge of the
snail bar E*, which will cause the arm and vertical rod k to be depressed.
This rod * acts upon the arm 2*, see Fig. 3, and turns the transverse shaft m,
as before described, by which means the pulleys is driven round, and the cord
t made to work the conductor F upon the horizontal plane G, in the way
already explained. The rising of the slider or jack L (the length of which is
determined in the same way as that of the slider EI) brings its upper end at u*
to act against the shorter arm of the vertical lever I* (a detached horizontal
section of which, taken at this level, is shewn at Fig. 9), and this vertical lever
I, in the same manner as before stated, projects the pusher rod v", which
drives a type 6 out of the grooved plate B on to the horizontal plane G, ready
to be carried to the receiver by another action of the conductor F, as before
described.
Having explained the manner by which the types are severally selected
from the grooves of the plates A and B, and brought along the channel or hori-
zontal plane G to the left-hand extremity of the plane, where they enter the
receiver, we now proceed to describe the mechanism and means whereby
the successive types are arranged to form lines, and these lines of type in
succession placed one after another, so as to constitute a page or a column.
At the end of the horizontal plane G there are several vertical sliders, by which
a vertical recess is formed fitted to receive the successive types for one range
or line of letters, as shewn at Z in Fig. 5. The mechanism of this part of
the apparatus is seen complete in the end view, Fig. 2, and is further illus. .
trated by the several detached Figures hereafter described. Through the
middle of the machine immediately below the horizontal plane G a rectangular
chamber extends longitudinally (see Figures 4 and 5), which is designed to
receive the composition as the lines of type successively accumulate. The

page_text: sides of this chamber are formed by parallel plates f, f, set at such distances
apart as will leave a space rather larger than the length of a type, for the
purpose of receiving the ranges of type in the order in which they composed,
and the bottom of the chamber is flat, corresponding to the side of the page or
column of types. At the left-hand end of the machine (see Fig. 2) a face
plate M, M, is affixed, shewn in two views in the detached Figures 10 and 11,
through which plate there is an aperture coincident with the open end of the
composition chamber f, f, and upon this face plate are attached two parallel
pieces N, N, dovetailed on their inner edges, which form a groove for a
slider O, O, to move in. This slider O is removed in these Figures, but shewn
in Fig. 2 and in several positions in the detached Figures 12, 13, 14, and 15.
Two other parallel pieces P, P, are also attached to the face plate below,
forming the ledges of a groove in which a sliding plate Q moves up and down.
in the vertical recess, and upon the face of this sliding plate Q there is a rack
for the purpose of enabling it to be raised or depressed by a pinion. Behind
the sliding plate Q there is also, in the same vertical recess, a sliding fork R,
designed to constitute a back or bearing for the types, which are to be built
up upon the top edge of the plate Q, as shewn at Fig. 10. When I am about
to commence the operation of composing a line of types I insert the slider o
in its place, as seen in Fig. 2, and then the raise the forked slider R to the
top of the rocess by pushing in the handle and rod a, a, a, at tho under part
of the machine; this rod being connected to the angular lever b, b, the end of
which is attached by a joint to a vertical rod c, connected to the lower end of
the sliding fork R. This being done, the vertical sliding plate Q is also to be
raised in the recess by the following means:-The hand of the compositor
turns the winch and axle d, d, which axle has fixed upon it a toothed wheel e,
taking into a pinion f. The axle of the pinion ƒ also carries a pulley g, a
ratchet wheel h, and a pinion i, which pinion i takes into the rack k on the.
face of the vertical sliding plate Q. Hence, by turning the winch and axle d
the sliding plate Q is brought up and is stopped when the top edge of the plate
comes into coincidence with the horizontal plane G by a small projecting
piece fixed in the side of the rack coming against the under part of the
slider o (see Fig. 2). The vertical sliding plate Q is held up in this elevated:
situation by a slightly weighted cord m, passed round the pulley g; but
when that weight is overcome by a pressure on the top edge of the plate Q,
as in depositing the successive types, the plate necessarily descends. Let it be
supposed that one of the types a has been brought by the conductor F along
the horizontal plane G to the recess fat the left-hand end of the horizontal
plane by the means above described, the type will then rest upon the top edge:

page_text: of the vertical sliding plate Q. Now, when the next key is struck by the
compositor the axle m (see Figures 3 and 5) will be slightly turned, as before.
stated, and an arm n, extending from the axle m connected to a longitudinal
rod o, o, as seen in Fig. 5, will slide that rod toward the left. The rod o at its
left-hand extremity acts upon one arm of a crank p mounted upon a small
transverse spring axle (see Figures 2 and 5), and the other arm of this crank
is connected to a vertical slider 9 placed immediately over the recess in which
the type lies. By this arrangement it will be perceived that a slight turn
given to the axle m will depress the slider q, which movement will be sufficient
to push down the type below the level of the plane, and make room for the
next type to lie in the same place upon the former type. The slightly weighted
cord m, as before said, holds up the sliding plate Q in the recess, but the
pressure of the upper slider q, acting upon the type at every strike, forces down
both the type and the plate Q a distance equal to the thickness of the deposited
type, and the plate Q is held in its depressed positions by the spring clicks r
acting upon the ratchet wheel h. In this way, by the successive strokes of the
keys of the machine, the types are severally brought out of the grooves of
the plates A and B, and after being slidden along the horizontal plane G, they
are placed one upon another in the vertical recess f, as seen in Fig. 10, until a
range or line of types is formed complete, the length of which is shewn by an
index S upon the axle d turning against a graduated dial plate t, Figures 1
and 2. In order to deposit another line of types in the same way in the
vertical recess that first formed must be removed into the composition chamber;
as shewn in Fig. 5, and for this purpose it must, in the first instance, be
lowered to the level of the bottom of the composing chamber, shewn in
Figures 4 and 10. To do this the clicks rare to be disengaged from the
ratchet wheel h by a handle u, and the compositor, by turning back the winch
and axle d, brings down the sliding plate Q until the piece / comes in
contact with a stud V, which indicates that the bottom of the line of
types is level with the bottom of the composition chamber. It will now.
be necessary to say that at the bottom of the composition chamber there
is placed a long flat rail T, upon which the page or column of types is to:
be builded, as a composing stick, and carried away thereon; also that, as
an end bearing for the page or column of types, an upright piece U
is attached to the rail T by a dovetail, in which dovetail it is enabled to slide:
back as the successive lines of type are introduced into the chamber. In.
commencing the composition the upright U must be brought forward in the
chamber close up against the back of the sliding fork R. The first line of:
types having then been built upon the top edge of the sliding plate Q, as;

page_text: described, and the line lowered to the position coincident with the chamber, as
in Figures 4 and 10, the sliding fork R is then drawn down out of the recess f
by drawing out the handle a. When this is done another handle W is forced
inward, which turns the vertical shaft X, at the upper part of which shaft there
is a tooth taking into a forked stud y on the side of a slider Z, which moves
horizontally in the slider O. These sliders O and Z are shewn in their places in
the machine in the end view, Fig. 2, and also detached in several positions in
the Figures 12, 18, and 14. Fig. 12 is a front view of these sliders; Fig. 13
aside section of the same; and Fig. 14 a back view. The slider Z, Z, has
two vertical ribs at its back part, which pass through long slots in the back
plate of O, and when the forked lever y is acted upon by the turning of the
shaft X, as described, the two ribs of the slider Z are protruded through the
back.of the plate O for the purpose of forcing the line of types out of the recess f
and bringing them up against the face of the upright U in the composition
chamber. When this has been done the sliding fork R is again raised, passing
up between the ribs of the slider Z, and it now stands before the line of types,
as shewn at Fig. 11 where it remains ready to receive another line of types to
be deposited in the recess f, as before described. The handle W, on being now
drawn back, causes the ribs of the slider Z to retire into the plate O, leaving the
recess free. The sliding plate Q must then be again raised as before, ready
to receive upon its top the successive types for forming the next line. In this
way the several lines of type are composed and forced back into the chamber
in the form of a page or column, the upright U being made to recede by the
addition of each successive line; and in order to know how many lines of typo
have been thus placed in the chamber there is a graduated dial 1, shewn in
Figures 1 and 2, upon the face of which an index moves fixed upon a
shaft 2, 2. At the reverse end of this shaft there is a ratchet wheel 3, which
is acted upon by a click 4 attached to the end of a small lever 5, and the
other end of this lever 5 has a fork in connection with a tooth on the vertical
shaft X; hence it will be perceived that every time this shaft X is turned, as
at the removal of each line of types, into the composition chamber, the
ratchet wheel 3 will be advanced one tooth, and, consequently, shew by
the index the number of lines which have been passed into the composition
chamber. When the page or column is thus completed, I draw out the
rail T with the upright U, and lay the composition upon a table, where it
is to be imposed. In projecting the conductor F along the horizontal plane G,
I have sometimes found that by-the rapidity of the action the letter is liable
to be turned over or thrown off the plane; to remedy this inconvenience I have
placed at the front end of the conductor F (shewn detached in Figures 6 and 7)

page_text: two small spring latches 6, 6, seen best in the horizontal view of the machine
at Fig. 3. The latches, when the conductor comes up to the type, pass over
it and hold the type securely and in its right position as it slides along the
plain; and when the type has arrived immediately over the recess f, the latches
are raised by two small plates 7, 7, (seen in Fig. 13,) and also in the top or
edge view of the slider O (shewn at Fig. 15), which leaves the type free in the
vertical recess f, and the conductor is allowed to return without touching the
type. A modification of the above machine is shewn in the sectional elevation
Fig. 16, which represents one of the grooved plates containing columns of types
arranged in a similar manner to that described in reference to Fig. 1 and 2;
but instead of employing a conductor moved along a horizontal plane as before,
in this modification I adopt an endless belt which is continually travelling, and
upon this I deposit the types and carry them on to the vertical recess f. Eig.
17 is a transverse section of Fig. 16. The plate A, A, A, with the types a, a, a,
stands upon an inclination, and the endless belt B, B, passes over severaĺ
rollers, one of which, C, communicates the driving power. As the endless belt
travels on, the types are delivered upon its upper surface by an apparatus
about to be described. D is one of a series of sliding rods connected with the
keys of tho machine by any simple leverage. The ends of these sliding rods
severally stand under the respective columns of types, as shewn at Fig. 17, so
that the types bear upon them. When any one of these rods is slidden back
by the action of the key, the lowest type falls down upon the endless belt B,
and is carried on to the recess f, into which it is depressed by the means
before described; and is thence carried to the composition chamber in the
way already explained. As only one type must be allowed to fall when a key
is struck, a spring 6 placed behind the plate, answering to every column of
types, is brought into action to retain the next lowest type in its position, which
necessarily holds up all the types of that column above it. At the lower end
of the spring 6 there is a tooth c, which lies in an opening at the lower part
of the plate opposite to the end of the type, and at the other end of the type
there is a bar d extending longitudinally across the machine. The face of
this bar next the end of the type must be padded with leather, to form a soft
resistance. When the sliding rod D is drawn back by the key, it acts upon
one end d of a crank lever E, which projects through an eye in the rod D.
The end d of the lever being by these means drawn back, the other end e of
the lever is pressed against the spring b, which is thereby made to force the
tooth c firmly against the end of the type, and hold it fast against the bar.
As soon as the pressure is taken off the key, the rod D projects forward again
into its place, and supports the column of types as shewn, the end e of the

page_text: lever E having allowed the spring 6 to assume its inactive position. The other
parts and agents of this machinery having been so fully explained, I need not
repeat them in reference to this last described modification.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Rosenborg, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-one.
FREDRIK (L.B.) ROSENBORG.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Twenty-seventh day of
May, in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid Frederick Rosenborg came
before our Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specifi-
cation aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the same Twenty-seventh day of May, in the year above written.