Improvements in Apparatus for Making Type-bars for Printing.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Dec., 1893
.
Complete Specification Left, 16th Oct., 1894-Accepted, 24th Nov., 1894.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Making Type-bars for Printing.
I, FRED EUGENE BRIGHT, of 20 Saint Bride Street, in the City of London,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to apparatus for making type-bars for printing.
The object of my said invention is to improve the construction of apparatus of
the kind described in the Specification of prior Letters Patent No. 15,060 of
A.D. 1890 granted to John Raphael Rogers and myself.
The improvements according to my present invention relate to a locking and
releasing device whereby the complete operation of the compressor by a careless
operator, for example, is prevented so long as the rest or assembly channel is over-
crowded to improved starting-gear for the power motive-mechanism of the
apparatus; to a safety device whereby the operation of the metal-pump is prevented
so long as the assembly-channel is not properly filled; and to an improved
arrangement of operating-lever for bringing the compressor to bear against the
assembled matrix-bars and for regulating the position of the bottom ends of the
matrix-bars relatively to the bottom of the assembly channel.
The locking and releasing device, which prevents the complete operation of
the compressor acts in combination with the starting lever and consists of a spindle
which is moved end wise thereby and which carries a projection adapted to slide
upon an adjustable retaining-piece supported by the framing of the machine. The
said retaining-piece and the projection are so adjusted relatively to each other that
if the compressor be brought to rest by a line of assembled matrices which exceeds
the proper length the said projection will not be disengaged by the retaining-piece.
When, but not until, such disengagement occurs, the spindle aforesaid is freed and
rotated by a weight or other device which causes it to act with considerable force
to clamp and tighten up the line of matrices and spaces. As this tightening cannot
occur while the line is too long it becomes impossible that a long line should as
formerly, have excessive force brought to bear thereon, which would severely stress
and, possibly, injure parts of the apparatus. The surplus matrices in the line
which is too long can be pushed out therefrom very readily by hand, whereon the
compressor will be enabled to operate to complete its functions.
The improved starting-gear for the power motive-mechanism of the apparatus is
arranged to be put into operation by a part of the compressor-mechanism which
becomes operative as soon as disengaged by the retaining-piece aforesaid.
Consequently the starting-gear which I am now about to describe will normally
remain inoperative unless such disengagement occurs. The said starting-gear may
comprise for instance a friction-clutch, one member of which is carried by a spindle
movable end wise in a tubular shaft, (the main driving-shaft,) which turns in suitable
bearings in the frame and carries a collar having cam-faces upon one end, and a
projection or arm upon one side thereof. Upon the framing of the apparatus are
stationary cam-faces with which the faces upon the collar are adapted to engage.
By imparting a movement of rotation to the collar the interaction of the two sets
of cam-faces causes the spindle aforesaid to move endwise to throw the friction-
clutch into action. The mechanism which then operates, causes the driving-shaft
and the spindle to rotate. The said collar is provided with a radial.extension;
this, when the clutch mechanism moves, is first operated by any suitable part of
the motive mechanism to turn the collar back through the arc in which it formerly
mored-forward, and then passes, by reason of its form, to one side of the arm or
•

page_text: projection on the member by which it is operated; thus the said collar is caused to
return end wise along the tubular shaft ready for a repetition of the operation. In
the return of the collar the friction-clutch is thrown out of gear, by the said collar,
which then acts to return the central spindle end wise.
To enable the friction-clutch to be kept out of gear when desired I provide upon
the spindle aforesaid a milled head whereby the end wise movement of the spindle,
in which the friction clutch is put out of gear, can be effected in the same manner
as by the cam aforesaid.
A ball-bearing may be employed as a thrust-bearing between the collar and the
shaft. which turns inside it.
The safety-device whereby the operation of the metal-pump is prevented so long
as the assembly-channel is not properly filled, consists of a lever to which is
connected one end of a chain or other connection, the opposite end of which is
connected to the apparatus whereby the spacing-discs are rotated. Whenever the
said discs are rotated into the position in which they perform the maximum amount
of spacing of which they are capable, it may happen that the assembly-channel is
not sufficiently filled, and consequently an overflow of any metal admitted thereto
might occur. To obviate this I arrange the said connection in such a manner that
movement of the said discs to their extreme as aforesaid, causes the connection to
move a detent into the path of the pump-operating lever so that even if released by
other mechanism it will be prevented, by this detent, from operating.
The operating-lever whereby the compressor is started, that is to say the
starting-lever aforesaid is pivoted to the matrix carrier, which, as hitherto, is
arranged to be oscillated upon a suitable shaft. That arm of the lever which is to
be grasped by the operator is given, purposely, a smaller mechanical advantage
than the other and longer arm, in relation to which latter suitable stops are provided
against which it may abut. In the normal position of the said lever the long arm
limits the movement of the matrix frame in such a manner that the matrices in the
assembly channel do not touch the bottom thereof, but hang freely from their
supports so that they can be adjusted with ease. A small movement of the lever
permits the matrix frame to descend to such an extent that the ends of the matrices
in the channel descend to the bottom thereof; and a further movement of the lever
releases a device whereby the compressor is moved to bear upon the line of
assembled matrices, by the end of which it will be stopped.
Dated this 16th day of December 1893.
.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
"
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Making Type-bars for Printing.
I, FRED EUGENE BRIGHT, of 20 Saint Bride Street, in the City of London,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My invention relates to apparatus of the kind or class described in the
Specification of prior Letters Patent granted to myself and another No. 15,060
A.D. 1890 for setting type matrices and casting lines of type from such
matrices.
The object of my present invention is to improve the mechanism for starting the
apparatus or machine to cast the line when the matrices are set. My improved
mechanism operates to prevent casting both when the line is too full and when it is
not full enough. In the former case, that is to say, when the line is too full the
power mechanism cannot be started, and in the latter case, that is to say, when the

page_text: line is not filled the action of the pump which supplies the molten metal to the
matrices is stopped.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the front of the complete machine.
Figure 2 shews a detail drawn to a larger scale and looking from the right of the
mechanism forming the subject of this invention.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the same mechanism looking from
the left.
A is the starting handle which is connected with a lever B that works between
two stop studs b, b Figure 3. The lower end of the lever B engages with a handle
or pin C that projects from a clutch D. The said clutch is mounted to turn but
not to slide on the presser-bar that carries the presser-piece J that closes up the
line of matrices. It is held in position by an adjusting nut d. The clutch has
teeth formed in its periphery which engage with a toothed rack E. The lower end
of the rack E loosely engages with a lever F which is loaded, for a purpose herein-
after described, by a weight not shown in the drawing. The said lever F carries
a loose conical roller F' that bears on a pin G connected with the friction-clutch H
of the starting mechanism. When the handle A. is operated to throw the movable
part or jaw of the clutch D out of engagement with the fixed part, the rack Ę is
thereby liberated and the weight before mentioned then operates to turn the lever F
and draw down the rack E. During such movement, the roller F' presses on the
pin G and turns the clutch H in such a manner as to start the machine for
casting.
When the line is cast, the rack E is raised again ready for the next operation as
follows, that is to say, on the end of the oscillating mould shaft is a head K which
carries a projecting piece K' Figure 2. On the rack E is mounted a spring catch E¹
Figure 3. During the first part of the casting operation, the piece K' presses the
spring catch E' inward and passes the said catch, but during its return movement
it engages with the lower end of the catch and operates to lift the rack Ę to its
initial position; at the same time the latter turns the clutch D until the jaws are
in a position to re-engage. There is another inclined cam piece K' on the head K
adapted to engage with the end of a pin d' projecting from the clutch D. As soon
as the clutch has been turned so far that its jaws can re-engage, the cam K'
operates to push against the end of the pin d' thus sliding the movable part of the
clutch back into engagement with the non-sliding part, and pushing backward the
presser bar.
Should the line contain too many matrices or dies, the clutch cannot be drawn
forward sufficiently far to disengage the jaws of the same and consequently the
rack E will not be released and the machine cannot be started, until some of the
matrices have been taken out, or the line re-set.
If on the other band the line is not full enough, the machine will be allowed to
start, but the pump that supplies the molten metal to the mould will not be allowed
to work. The stopping of the pump is effected as follows, that is to say, L is a
rack which gears with a pinion on the spacer shaft and operates to control the
spacing discs described in the prior Specification above referred to. M is a cam
on the head K of the oscillating mould shaft. The said cam engages with a roller
carried by the lower end of the rack L. As the. mould shaft oscillates, the cam M
releases the rack L and allows it to rise under the influence of a spring not shown
in the drawing, and thus to turn the spacing discs and lock the line of matrices.
The upward movement of the bar is only arrested when the spacing discs have
turned as far as they can. Should the line be only partially filled with matrices,
the spacing discs will turn further than they will when the line is properly filled
and the rack L will rise higher than its normal level and in so doing it will draw
upward a wire rod N Figure 1 connected with said bar L and with a catch O.
The wire is connected to the catch at a point not directly above its pivot O', so
that when the wire rises it causes the said catch O to turn slightly about its pivot.
By this movement, the lower end of the catch O is brought over a part of the

page_text: pump lever T Figure 1 and stops or locks the said lever, thus preventing the pump
from acting. The lower end of the wire N is looped as shown to allow of the
requisite up and down movement without turning the catch D:
The cam M has a corrugated or uneven face so that it operates to give the
rack La jerky movement which causes the spacing discs to move backward and
forward and prevents them from binding.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In the mechanism for starting the machine to cast a line of type, the sliding.
clutch D which closes the line and then, if the line is not too full, but not other
wise, becomes released and allows the starting mechanism to operate, substantially
as, and for the purpose, specified.
2. The combination with the clutch D of the rack E gearing therewith, and the
weighted lever F engaging with said rack and serving to operate the friction
clutch H, substantially as described; for the purpose specified.
3. The combination, with the apparatus referred to in the preceding claim, of
means which, when the line is not full enough, operate to stop the pump that
supplies the molten metal, substantially as, and for the purpose specified.
4. In the above described mechanism, the cam M formed with a corrugated face
as described, and for the purpose specified.
5. The combination, with the apparatus referred to in Claim 3, of the cam
piece K, the spring-piece E¹ in the rack E, and the cam K³, substantially as
described, and for the purpose specified.
6. A type matrix setting and line-casting machine provided with starting
mechanism constructed and operating substantially as herein described with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 16th day of October 1894.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.