IMPROVED MEANS FOR HOLDING CURVED OR ANGULAR LINES OF TYPE
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for an Invention of "IMPROVED MEANS
FOR HOLDING CURVED OR ANGULAR LINES OF TYPE." A communication
from abroad by Harlan Page Hubbard, of Now Haven, New Haven County,
State of Connecticut, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 9th July 1880.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent.
"IMPROVED MEANS FOR HOLDING CURVED OR ANGULAR LINES
OF TYPE.' [A communication from abroad by Harlan Page Hubbard, of New
Haven, New Haven County, State of Connecticut, United States of America.]
The object of this Invention is to enable printers to arrange curved and angular
lines of type with great facility and exactness, and consists mainly in providing
the otherwise unsupported end or ends of a curved or angular metal strip with a
supporting foot or flange adapted to furnish a proper bearing point, so that it may
be held accurately in place without the use of quadrats or other intervening
substances. It further consists in providing the supported end of a curved or
angular metal strip with a clamping flange, the unsupported end having a
supporting foot or flange. It still further consists in the combination of two or
more metal strips adapted to clamp the line or lines of type and furnish also
the necessary bearing points, so that it or they may be used in connection with
straight lines without quadrats or other intervening substances. To enable others
to make these improved line curvers and use them properly, I will proceed to
describe the principles upon which they are constructed, and various ways in
which they may be used.
The general principles upon which this Invention is based are as follows:-In
forming curved or angular lines of type, I furnish that end or those ends of the
curved or angular metal strips holding the type in place which curves, or curve,
or inclines, or incline from what may be termed the base line with a supporting
foot or flange extending back to the base line, so that the otherwise unsupported

page_text: end or ends is firmly held without the use of quadrats. I also provide the
supported end of the metal strip, or that end which rests upon the innor base line,
with a clamping flange, by which means the whole line of type is strongly clamped
together when straight leads are placed upon either side, and the usual pressure is
applied in locking up the form.
In the Drawings are shown various designs in which the improved line curvers
are employed. Figure 1 represents the application to a single curve; A represents
a curved line of type; B represents the bent metal strip supporting the type upon
the inner side of the curve, the ends of which being supported by the lead or base
line e are provided with the small flanges b, b, adapted to clamp a line of type, as
shown; represents the bent metal strip upon the outer side of the curve, the
ends of which being otherwise unsupported are provided with feet or supports c,
-extending from the end of the curve to a point in line with the point of the curve
which is the lead or base line d, as shown; d'ande represent-what may be termed
base lines consisting of ordinary straight leads which are employed to make the
outside lines of the job straight, in order that it may be treated like a similar
quantity of ordinary type. The lead upon the inner side of the curve has the
bearing points x, x, and that upon the outside of the curve the points x², x³, x².
Figure 2 represents the application to a double curve. The unsupported ends
in this case instead of heing upon the same side, as shown in Figure 1, are upon
opposite sides; F, F, represent bent metal strips of identical form, cach being
provided with a flange fat one end adapted to clamp the type, and a supporting
foot f¹at the other, the position of each however being relatively reversed. The
bearing point of the supporting foot, the point of the curve, and the supported end
-coincide with the base line formed by the leads d, e, as shown.
Figure 3 represents the application to diagonal or oblique-lines.-The-principle.
is the same in this case. The outer end of line à boing otherwise unsupported is
provided with a foot y extending to the face line d, but the inner end of the line
being supported is provided with the clamping flange y¹. Upon the opposite end
of the job the outer end of the line being otherwise unsupported is provided
with a foot extending to the base line e, and its inner end being supported with
the clamping flange . The intermediate lines being supported at each end by
the leads d and c, are provided with clamping flanges in reversed positions, as
shown; I, I, represent short metal strips adapted to hold the short lines of the
type in the angles of the end strips, as shown.
Figure 4 represents the same principle applied to double curved lines arranged
obliquely; Figures 5, 6, and 7 represent modifications of the designs shown in
Figure 1 Figure 8 represents the same general principle applied to form a diamond
shaped figure; J, J, represent the metal strips upon the outside of the lines of type,
the otherwise unsupported ends of which are provided with the feet j, j; K, K,
represent the metal strips upon the inside of the lines of type provided with
similar feet and clamping flanges.
A very marked advantage possessed by these line curvers is, that when pressure
is properly applied to them when in use, such as locking up the form, the tendency
is to tightly clamp the line of type throughout its entire length, so that no single
type can fall out, the result arising in part from the side pressure, which forces
together the lower ends of the inuer curved strip, as indicated by arrows in
Figure 1, and consequently causes it to bind its entire length. By means of these
line curvers also designs can be quickly formed by an inexperienced person, as the
skill usually required in adjusting quadrats is not needed. It will be understood
also that a great saving of time is effected by the use of this Invention.
The modifications capable of being made upon these principles are very numerous,
giving printers an excellent opportunity for the exercise of taste and judgment in
the formation of new designs.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alexander Melvillo Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th
January 1881.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of.53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent.
"IMPROVED MEANS FOR HOLDING CURVED OR ANGULAR LINES
OF TYPE."
A communication from abroad by Harlan Page Hubbard, of New
Haven, New Haven County, State of Connecticut, United States of America
The object of this Invention is to enable printers to arrange curved and angular
lines of type with great facility and exactness, and it consists mainly in providing
the otherwise unsupported end or ends of a curved or angular metal strip with a
supporting foot or flange adapted to furnish a proper bearing point, so that it may
be held accurately in place without the use of quadrats or other intervening
substances. It further consists in providing the supported end of a curved or
angular metal strip with a clamping flango, the unsupported end having a supporting
foot or flange. It still further consists in the combination of two or more metal
strips adapted to clamp the line or lines of type and furnish also the necessary
bearing points, so that it or they may be used in connection with straight lines
without quadrats or other intervening substances.
In the Drawings are shown various dosigns in which the improved line curvers
are employed. To enable others to make these improved line curvers and use
them properly, I will proceed to describe the principles upon which they are
constructed and various ways in which they may be used.
The general principles upon which this Invention is based are as follows:-In
forming curved or angular lines of type, I furnish with a supporting foot or flange
that end or those ends of the curved or angular metal strips which curves, or curve,
or inclines, or incline away from what may be termed the base line; said supporting
foot or flange extending back to the base line, so that the otherwise unsupported
end or ends is firmly held without the use of quadrats. I also provide the supported
end of the metal strip, or that end which rests upon the inner base line, with a
clamping flange, by which means the wholo line of type is strongly clamped
together when straight leads are placed upon either side and the usual pressure is
applied in locking up the form.
In the accompanying Drawings, Figure 1 represents the application of theso
principles to a single curve. A represents a curved line of type; B represents the
bent metal strip supporting the type upon the inner side of the curve, the ends of
which being supported by the lead or baso line e are provided with the small
flanges b, b, adapted to clamp a line of type, as shown; C represents the bent
metal strip upon the outer side of the curve, the ends of which being otherwise
unsupported are provided with feet or supports c, extending from the end of the
curve to a point in line with the point of the curve which is the lead or base line d,
as shown; d and e represent what may be termed base lines, consisting of ordinary
straight leads which are employed to make the outside lines of the job straight in
order that it may be treated like a similar quantity of ordinary type.
The lead upon the inner side of the curve has the bearing points x, x, and that
upon the outside of the curve the points x¹, x, x¹.
Figure 2 represents the application of this principle to a double curve. The
unsupported ends in this case instead of being upon the same side, as shown in
Figure 1, are upon opposite sides. F, F, represent bent metal strips of identical
form, each being provided with a flange ƒ at one end adapted to clamp the type
and a supporting foot f¹ at the other, the position of each however being relatively
reversed. The bearing point of the supporting foot, the point of the curve, and the
supported end coincide with the base line formed by the leads d, e, as shown.

page_text: Figure 3 represents the application of this principle to diagonal or oblique lines.
The principle is the same in this case. The outer end of line h being otherwise
unsupported is provided with a foot y extending to the face line d, but the inner
end of the line being supported is provided with the clamping flange y'. Upon
the opposite end of the job, the outer end of the line ' being otherwise unsupported
is provided with a foot extending to the base line e, and its inner end being
supported with the clamping flange. The intermediate lines being supported at
each end by the leads and e are provided with clamping flanges in reversed
positions, as shown; I, I, represent short metal strips adapted to hold the short
lines of the type in the angles of the end strips, as shown.
Figure 4 represents the same principle applied to double curved lines arranged
obliquely Figures 5, 6, and -7-represent modifications of the designs shown in
Figure 1; Figure 8 represents the same general principle applied to form a diamond
shaped figure; J, J, represent the metal strips upon the outside of the lines of
type, the otherwise unsupported ends of which are provided with the feet j, j;
K, K, represent the metal strips upon the inside of the lines of type provided with
similar feet and, clamping flanges.
A very marked advantage possessed by these line curvers is, that when pressure
is properly applied to them when in use, such as locking up the form, the tendency
is to tightly clamp the line of type throughout its entire length so that no single
type can fall out, the result arising in part from the side pressure, which forces
together the lower ends of the inner curved strip, as indicated by arrows, Figure 1,
_and_consequently causes it to bind its entire length. By means of these line
curvers also designs can be quickly formed by an inexperienced person, as the
skill usually required in adjusting quadrats is not needed. It will--bo-understood
also that a great saving of time is effected by the use of this Invention. The
modifications capable of being made upon these principles are very numerous,
giving printers an excellent opportunity for the exercise of taste and judgment in
the formation of new designs.
Having described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
herein before in part recited Letters Patent is,
1st. A curved or angular metal strip having its otherwise unsupported end
provided with a supporting foot or flange, substantially as described.
2nd. A curved or angular strip having its otherwise unsupported end provided
with a supporting foot or flange, and its supported end provided with a clamping
flange, substantially as described..
3rd. The combination of two or more metal strips adapted to clamp the line or
lines of typo provided with supporting feet or flanges to furnish the necessary
bearing points, so that the types inay be used in connection with straight lines
without quadrats, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have hereunto set
hand and seal, this Eighth day of January, A.D. 1881.
iny