IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN COMPOSING OR SETTING TYPE
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Winder, of Bolton, in the County of
Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED
IN COMPOSING OR SETTING TYPE."
Sealed the 4th August 1871, and dated the 7th February 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Winder at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th February 1871.
I, ROBERT WINDER, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
EMPLOYED IN COMPOSING OR SETTING TYPE," to be as follows:-
A machine or apparatus constructed in accordance with my Invention
has the following principal parts for the purposes named :-(1) frame-
work for supporting; (2) keys with levers, or their equivalents, and
pushers for releasing type and characters; (3) reservoir divided into
spaces, one space being used for a special type or character; (4) bearers
or guides of varying lengths projecting from the lower front edge of the
reservoir for conducting the released type to the exit opening at or near

page_text: the composition stick, or its equivalent; (5) inclined platform under
the bearers or guides at a short distance therefrom, also for supporting
type or characters during transmission of such type or characters from
the reservoir to the compositor's stick; (6) endless travelling bands, cords,
or chains, with transverse propelling bars attached thereto, such propelling
bars being arranged to move between the inclined platform and the
bearers or guides for conveying the type or characters released from the
reservoir to the exit opening and compositor's stick; and (7) a vibrating
pusher for causing the type or characters to fit close against each other
in a long line, in a column line, or line after line. The reservoirs 'stand
across the platform, and both the lower edge of the former and the upper
surface of the latter are placed at about an angle of 45° to the horizon,
the decline being either to the right or to the left of the operator when
facing the machine. The bearers or guides are placed at about a right
angle to the platform. When the machine is being used the endless
bands, cords, or chains, and the propelling bars are kept moving in one
direction by being carried over drums, to one of which motion is imparted
for the purpose of bringing forward to the compositor's stick, or its
equivalent, the type or characters released from the reservoir by the
depression of the keys by the operator, either singly, or in two or more,
when the required letters rise in alphabetical or other arranged order.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation, and Fig. 2 a plan view of, a, framework;
b, operating keys; c, reservoir; d, bearers or guides; e, exit for type;
f, compositor's stick; g, inclined platform; h, endless travelling chains;
i, transverse propelling bars; j, vibrating pusher.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Winder in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 7th August 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
WINDER, of Bolton, in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Robert Winder, Her special licence 3

page_text: that I, the said Robert Winder, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert Winder, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN COMPOSING OR SETTING TYPE," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Robert Winder, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Winder, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet
of illustrative Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say :-
A machine or apparatus constructed in accordance with my Invention
has the following principal parts for the purposes named :-(1) frame-
work for supporting; (2) keys with levers or their equivalents and
5 pushers for releasing type and characters; (3) reservoir divided into
spaces, one space being used for a special type or character; (4) bearers
or guides of varying lengths projecting from the lower front edge of the
reservoir for conducting the released type to the exit opening at or near
the composition stick or its equivalent; (5) inclined platform under the
O bearers or guides at a short distance therefrom, also for supporting type
or characters during transmission of such type or characters from the
reservoir to the compositor's stick; (6) endless travelling bands, cords, or
chains, with transverse propelling bars attached thereto,) such propelling
bars being arranged to move between the inclined platform and the
5 bearers or guides for conveying the type or characters released from the
reservoir to the exit opening and compositor's stick; and (7) a vibrating
pusher for causing the type or characters to fit close against each other
in a long line, in a column line, or line after line. The reservoirs stand

page_text: across the platform, and both the lower edge of the former and the
upper surface of the latter are placed at about an angle of 45° to the
horizon, the decline being either to the right or the left of the operator
when facing the machine. The bearers or guides are placed at about
a right angle to the platform. When the machine is being used the
endless bands, cords, or chains, and the propelling bars are kept moving
in one direction by being carried over drums, to one of which motion
is imparted for the purpose of bringing forward to the compositor's stick
or its equivalent the type or characters released from the reservoir by the
depression of the keys by the operator either singly or in two or more
when the required letters rise in alphabetical or other arranged order.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal elevation, Fig. 2 a back view, Fig. 3 a front
elevation, Fig. 4 a transverse section at a line A, B, and Fig. 5 a
side elevation of a supplementary reservoir with pushers, all of a 1
machine the parts of which are constructed and disposed under my
Invention, such machine being arranged to set up type line after line,
having forty-three spaces for type in the main reservoir, and being fitted
with chains for the transverse propelling bars. In all these views like
letters indicate the same facts.
2
a denotes the frame; the supporting legs are not shown; b, operating
keys; these have stems c jointed to horizontal levers & pivotted on e; d,
are jointed to the upright connected rods f, whose ends are coupled to
the rocking pieces or cranks g. To the upper ends of the rocking pieces
or cranks g the pushers or releasers are loosely fitted or connected. 2
The said pushers or releasers & pass through openings in the reservoir i
or underneath the said reservoir and support the type in the spaces clear
of the transverse propelling bars hereafter referred to. It will be
evident that, as here arranged, h are not pushers in the sense that they
push out the type on depressing the keys, although they might and 3
easily could be so arranged, but are inverted pushers or releasers. The
reservoir i is divided into spaces corresponding in number to the number
of keys and releasers or pushers; ;, bearers or guides of varying lengths;
jx, frame with openings therein to allow the type conveyed along j to
pass through. The types conveyed through the openings in the upper 3
part of j* are made to move along its outer surface, and the type con-
veyed through the openings in the lower part of j* rest on the supple-

page_text: mental guide piece ;**. In every case such types are conveyed to the
converging point k, thence over and by the drum and supplementary
revolving drum m to the plane n leading to the compositor's stick or
frame o; p, inclined platform preferably made of glass; this serves
with the bearers or guides ; to support the type during transmission.
It extends from underneath the reservoir i forward to the drum which
carries the transverse propelling bars q secured to the chains r. These
transverse propelling bars are thin pieces of metal or other rigid
material connected to the endless travelling bands, cords, or chains q,
with which they are moved in a position parallel to the base of the
reservoir at a right angle to the bearers or guides j. Motion is
given to the drum 1, chains r, and bars 9 through the driving pulley 8;
t is a vibrating pusher operated from and by the cam t* for moving the
type from the plane n to the compositor's stick o. The compositor's
stick o, as delineated, is fitted with a screw u, to be depressed when a
line of type is completed, but it will be obvious that a treadle and
gearing might be applied to lower the said stick or frame o at the
proper time.
The supplementary reservoir shown by Fig. 5 is arranged to contain
type seldom required, and is adapted to rest over the bearers or guides j.
Each of the spaces in the said supplementary reservoir is provided with
a key v, stem w, crank x, and pusher piece y, to release any of the lowest
type of the series, and allow it or them to drop on and between the
guides or bearers j on to the platform p, from which it is conveyed with
type from the main reservoir to k.
From the foregoing description it will be evident that by depressing
a key or keys according as it is desired or convenient to propel one or
more types at one time, the corresponding type or types will be freed
from the reservoir i, and allowed to fall edgewise on to the inclined
platform p between the guides or bearers j. The transverse propelling
bar next travelling forwards towards the converging point k will come
into contact with the said type or types at its or their lower back edge
or edges, and deliver it or them over the drum 1, whence it or they are
transported by the supplementary revolving drum m to the plane n,
from which latter the vibrating pusher & will force it or them at once
into proper position on edge in line into the compositor's stick. The
position of the platform p sloping downwards to the left, as shown (it
might be to the right if desired) with relation to the inclined position

page_text: of the reservoir i and the guides or bearers j, which latter prevent the
type from turning during the transmission to the compositor's stick, and
the travelling continuously in one direction of the transverse propelling
bars q, and these bars q operating as described are of great importance
and utility, are the features which render my said apparatus admirably
adapted for rapid and general work. The supplementary reservoir pro-
vided with keys and pushers, as delineated and described, secures easy
access to infrequently required type or characters.
Although the number of spaces shown on the Drawings and herein
described is forty-three, it will be obvious they may be increased or
decreased at pleasure, and as circumstances may require. It will also
be evident that cords or bands may be used instead of the chains r.
Further, that the type may be forced by the vibrating pushers t into a
long line instead of into column line.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and par-
ticularized the same in such manner that others will be enabled to make
and use my said apparatus or machinery, I claim, the combination and
arrangement of parts operating in the manner and for the purposes set
forth, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Winder, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Second day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
In the presence of,
THOS. H. WINDER,
Sol,
Bolton.
ROBERT WINDER. (L.s.)