Improvements in Type-writing Machines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Feb., 1899-Accepted, 1st Apr., 1899
Improvements in Type-writing Machines.
A communication from abroad by the DENSMORE TYPEWRITER COMPANY, a Cor-
poration organized under the Laws of the State of New York, and having
its principal place of business at Syracuse, Onondago County, New York,
in the United States of America.
I, JOHN CORRY FELL, of the Firm of Fell & James, of No. 1, Queen Victoria
Street, in the City of London, Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the
nature of this said 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 has for its main object to provide means for notifying the
operator when the inking ribbon has completed its longitudinal travel from one
spool to the other and its operating mechanism needs reversing, so that the
ribbon may be arranged to travel in the opposite direction or back from the
full to the empty spool.
To this end my invention consists primarily in providing suitable means for
automatically locking the keys and hence printing mechanism and spacing
mechanism when the ribbon has completed its longitudinal travel in either
direction; and, secondarily, in certain features of construction and combinations
of parts all as will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed
out in the appended claims.
In the accompanying drawings:-
--
Figure 1 represents a partial side elevation partly in section, showing my
improvement applied in one form to a Remington machine.
Figure 2 is a vertical cross section taken at the line x, x, of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a detail perspective view of the lever that actuates the locking
mechanism that is in turn operated by the inking ribbon.
Figure 4 is a similar view of a frame or device that is connected to the inking
ribbon and that operates the lever shown at Figure 3.
"
Figure 5 is a like view of a part belonging to the frame shown at Figure 4.
Figure 6 is a partial side elevation of a "Densmore machine showing my
invention applied thereto in another form, a part of the side frame of the machine
being broken away to more fully show the construction and arrangement of
parts of the locking mechanism.
Figure 7 is a vertical cross section taken at the line y, y, of Figure 6; and
Figures 8 and 9 are detail views similar to Figures 4 and 5 of parts likewise
used in the embodiment of my invention in connection with the Densmore
machine.
Referring now more particularly to Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, 1 designates a
ibbon spool shaft or axle mounted in bearings 2 depending from the top plate 3
On the rear end of said axle is a bevel gear 4 which meshes with a similar
rear 5 on a power shaft 6 extending crosswise of the machine, and having at
ts opposite end a bevel gear similar to that marked 5 which meshes with a.

page_text: gear like that marked 4 at the rear end of another ribbon spool shaft similar
to that marked 1, all as common in the ordinary Remington machine. While
one set of the gears 4-5 is in mesh the gears of the other set at the opposite
side of the machine are disengaged and hence one ribbon spool shaft is posi-
tively rotated and the other one left free to turn, under the strain of the ribbon.
For the sake of simplifying the drawings I have, shown the ribbon spool driving
mechanism at only one side of the machine. On each ribbon spool shaft is
keyed or splined a ribbon spool 7, to the cylindrical body of which is preferably
tacked one end of a short band 8 to the opposite end of which is attached by
means of a pin or other fastening 9, one end of the inking ribbon 10.
On each ribbon spool shaft is loosely mounted a U-shaped frame 11 compris-
ing two upright arms or members 12 and a lower cross-bar 13. Each upright
side arm 12 is formed or provided with an elongated open hook 14 by which
the frame or device is adapted to be supported from the shaft 1 and also to slide
up and down thereupon, slots or openings 15 being made in the top plate to
permit the up and down movement of the side frame and also for supporting and
guiding the upper free ends of the side, arms 12.
Near the top of the side frame is a cross-bar 16 that is preferably formed at
its ends with tenon's 17 which enter slots 18 in the side arms 12 and are set
or riveted thereto so as suitably to connect said cross-bar with the said side arms
of the frame. The cross-bar 16 is formed with a longitudinal slot 19 slightly
longer than the width of the inking ribbon and of a width such that the said
ribbon may pass freely therethrough. One edge of the cross-bar is cut away
or formed with a lateral passage-way 20 to facilitate the insertion of the ribbon
into the narrow slot 19 and also its removal therefrom as occasion may require.
While the slot 19 in the cross-bar is sufliciently wide to permit the ribbon to
pass freely through it during the longitudinal travel of said ribbon, it is never-
theless too narrow to permit the pin 9 or other fastening or obstructing device
to go through, and hence when said pin, which in this instance acts not only
as a fastening device but as an obstructing device also, arrives at the said slot
is arrested thereat and in consequence any further travel or pull of the ribbon
causes the said obstructing device to lift the frame 11 and this movement of
said frame is employed to automatically actuate the device that locks or arrests
the printing mechanism and stops further operation of the machine as will pre-
sently appear.
Depending from the lower cross-bar 13 of each movable frame 11 is an
arm 21 that is provided at its lower end with a hook 22 which engages with a
horizontally-arranged lever 23, pivoted at 24 in the side frame of the machine
and provided at near its rear end with a downwardly-projecting hook 25 that
embraces a forwardly-extending pin 26 on a rock shaft 27, extending across
the machine and provided at near each end with an upwardly extending arm 28
having a head or abutment 29 at near its upper end which is adapted at the
proper time to swing over under the cross-bar 30 forming part of the usual
reciprocating spacing rocker employed in the Remington machine. At each
end of the cross-bar 30 is hooked a rod or link 31 that extends down and is
connected to the universal bar 32, which as is well known, extends across the
machine beneath all of the key levers 33, and in a manner such that when any
key lever of the series is depressed the said universal bar is caused to descend
and pull the rod 31 down and vibrate the spacing rocker through the cross
arm 30, the spacing rocker carrying the usual spacing dogs which co-act with
a rack on the paper carriage in the customary manner. The key levers are, of
course, connected by suitable rods with the type bars so that when the key
levers are moved downwardly the type bars swing upwardly to strike the inking
ribbon and leave their impression on the paper supported on the platen in the
paper carriage. I have omitted from the drawings the paper carriage, spacing
dogs, type bars, etc., in order to simplify the drawings and, because their con-
struction and arrangement are well-known and illustrated in numerous prior

page_text: patents to myself and others. Besides my improvements are not confined to any
special construction and arrangement of printing and spacing mechanisms but
are adapted for practically all kinds or styles of machines.
From the foregoing, it will be understood that when the obstructing device,
as 9 on the longitudinally moving ribbon is unwound from the spool and reaches
the cross-bar 10, the frame 11 will be raised and will lift the pivoted arm or
lever 23, which in turn will rock the shaft 27 and cause the rocker armis 28
to swing rearwardly and the heads thereof to come under the cross-bar 30, so
as to prevent it from descending. By thus obstructing the said cross bar 30
the escapement mechanism is prevented from acting and hence the carriage
cannot feed, and at the same time the universal bar is locked or held up and
hence the key levers and the printing mechanism and the ribbon feeding
mechanism connected thereto are all precluded from operating. The moment
the operator discovers that the keyboard is locked he is thereby informed that
the ribbon has traveled lengthwise either its full extent or to the extent pre-
determined and that the ribbon moving mechanism requires manipulation in
order to cause the ribbon to travel in the opposite direction. Accordingly in
this construction of machine the operator will move the shaft 6 lengthwise to
disengage the gears 4 and 5, which happen to be in mesh, and simultaneously
throw into engagement the other set of gears, whereupon the ribbon will then
proceed to wind back on the spool which it has just been unwound from and as
the obstruction passes away from the cross-bar 16 the frame 11 is permitted to
descend and with it the lever 23. As the latter drops the rock shaft is prefer-
ably oscillated in the reverse direction by a light coil spring 34 and the arms 28
are carried forward out of the path of vibration of the cross-bar 30. The said
spring may be attached at one end to the pin 26 and at its lower end to an
inwardly extended pin 35 attached to the side frame; but instead of the said
spring the hook 25 may be formed as an eye completely enclosing the pin 26,
whereupon the rock shaft is worked positively in both directions by the lever 23.
After the ribbon switch has been actuated to change the direction of travel of
the ribbon the spool may be given a partial turn by hand prior to the actuation
of the key levers so as to insure the unlocking of the printing and spacing
mechanisms prior to the recommencement of the work of printing.
The obstruction on the ribbon may be set at any desired locality to lock the
key board, or the printing or spacing mechanism at any desired time in the travel
of the ribbon, which is a desideratum, because operators frequently use two differ-
ent kinds of ribbon at one time on the machine which are used alternately for
different pieces of work and it is desirable to provide some means whereby the
operator may know when the particular ribbon in use has come to an end so as
to prevent the undesired ribbon from crossing the printing point and being acted
upon. The locking mechanism being the same at each side of the machine the
printing and feeding mechanisms will be arrested when the ribbon has completed
its predetermined longitudinal travel in either direction.
Referring now to Figures 6 to 9 wherein my invention is shown as applied to
a Densmore machine, it will be observed that the frame or device 11" which is
actuated by the obstruction 9" on the ribbon is substantially identical in con-
struction to that shown in the previous views and that it is supported upon the.
ribbon spool shaft 1 by elongated slotted hooks 14" in the same manner. The
hook 22 at the lower end of said vertically movable frame engages with an
arm or lever 23 pivoted at its forward end to the side frame of the machine..
To the free rear end of said lever is attached the upper end of a vertical link 25ª,
which at its lower end is hooked upon a pin 26 projecting rearwardly from a
transversely arranged rock shaft 27", provided at near each end with a rocker
arm 28" adapted to swing forward under the universal bar 32", forming part
of the spring-actuated pivoted frame 32b. Each key lever 33 is provided on
its upper edge with a hook 33b which overhangs said universal bar in a manner
such that when a key lever is depressed the universal bar is carried down with

page_text: it and through suitable connections 32 and 32, the escapement mechanism
(not shown) is actuated to cause the carriage to feed letter space distances. To
each key lever is attached an actuating rod 36 which, through an intermediate
lever 37, is connected to a type bar 38.
39 marks the key lever returning spring and 40 the returning spring for the
universal bar and its connections.
In this machine the ribbon spools are adapted to slide endwise on their shafts
in order that the ribbon may be used transversely or in the direction of its width,
and the mechanism here shown for accomplishing the widthwise movement of
the ribbon through the endwise movements of the spools is somewhat similar to
that now commonly used in the Densmore machine and comprises a rectangular
frame 41 that embraces each ribbon spool and is adapted to slide endwise on the
shaft thereof.
At each side of the machine there is a rocker arm 42 that engages with the
lower cross-bar of the frame 41 and moves the frame and the spool and the
ribbon back and forth transversely. Each rocker arm 42 rises from a rock
shaft 43 extending across the machine and the said rock shaft is connected
up to the carriage driving power of the machine by which it is turned in one
direction, thus causing the rocker arms 42 to vibrate forwardly and carry their
frames, and the ribbon spools and ribbon towards the front of the machine and
against the stress of a coiled spring 44 which is connected at one end to the
machine frame and at its other end to one of said rocker arms 42, and acts to
move said arm, and through the rock shaft, the opposite arm 42, rearwardly and
hence cause the frames 41, the ribbon spools and the ribbon to move rear-
wardly. The said spring 44 operates during the step-by-step movements of the
paper carriage towards the left and hence the ribbon is moved rearwardly and
used crosswise progressively during the printing movement of the carriage.
The ribbon is moved crosswise towards the operator during the retraction of the
carriage for the beginning of a new line, at which time, of course, the types do
not strike the ribbon.
The ribbon is moved longitudinally a short distance in the course of its for-
ward travel during the retraction of the carriage, each ribbon spool being
provided at its front end with a ratchet wheel 45 with which co-operates a
driving pawl 46 pivoted at 47 in the framework and having a heel or pro-
jection 48 controlled by a switch device 49, extending across the machine and
so constructed as that when one pawl 46 is in operative engagement with or
relation to one ratchet wheel 45 the other one is held out of such engagement,
the positions of these pawl being adapted to be reversed by a sliding endwise
movement of the switch rod 49, which may be locked or latched by a pivoted
device 50, all as common in the Densmore machine and not requiring any
further explanation than to remark that when the spools move forwardly the
pawl 46 that may happen to be in working position to engage with the ratchet
wheel 45, turns the same a small part of a revolution, thus enabling the spool
to wind upon itself a short length of the ribbon, say about an eighth of an inch,
the opposite spool being free and able to pay out the ribbon as required.
When the obstruction at the paying out spool acts on the cross-bar 16 of
the frame 11 which preferably embraces the frame 41, the frame 11" is lifted
as before and the hook 22 is caused to pull up the lever 23" and the pin 26"
and thereby cause the locking arms 28" to swing under the universal bar 32"
and thus arrest its movement. The universal bar being locked, the key levers,
the type bars and the escapement mechanism are likewise locked or prevented
from working and hence the operator is made aware of the fact that the ribbon
needs reversing. To reverse the ribbon in this type of machines it is only
necessary for the operator to lift the latch 50 and move the switch rod 49 end-
wise so as to permit the previously inactive pawl to come into operative relation
with its ratchet wheel and positively to hold the other pawl out of engagement
with the ratchet wheel with which it is associated. Thus the ribbon may trável

page_text: back or in the reverse direction. As the ribbon rewinds upon the empty spool
the frame 11" and the lever 23 will descend by gravity and the locking arms 28"
will be rocked out of the path of vibration of the universal bar.. As in the case
of the Remington machine the ribbon may be wound back slightly by hand
through the crank 51 on the ribbon spool shaft so as positively to unlock the
universal bar before the recommencement of the writing.
Various other modifications of my invention may be made, and hence I do
not wish to be restricted to exactly what is herein shown and described in so
far as the broad feature of my invention is concerned.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1
1. The combination of a printing mechanism, an inking ribbon, and means for
locking the printing mechanism when the inking ribbon has traveled longitu-
dinally a predetermined distance.
2. The combination of a printing mechanism including a series of key levers,
an inking ribbon, and a locking mechanism adapted to prevent the operation of
said key levers when the inking ribbon has traveled a predetermined distance
and needs reversing.
3. The combination of a printing mechanism including a series of key levers,
an inking ribbon provided with an obstruction, and a locking mechanism for
preventing the operation of said key levers and adapted to be actuated by the
said obstruction on the ribbon.
4. The combination of a printing mechanism including a series of key levers,
an inking ribbon provided with an obstruction, a device adapted to be moved
by said obstruction, and a locking mechanism actuated by said movable device
and adapted to prevent the operation of said key levers when the ribbon has
traveled longitudinally a predetermined distance.
5. The combination of a printing mechanism including a series of key levers,
a carriage spacing mechanism actuated by said key levers, an inking ribbon,
and means for locking the printing and spacing devices when the ribbon has
traveled longitudinally a predetermined distance.
6. The combination of a printing mechanism including a series of key levers,
a carriage spacing mechanism actuated by said key levers, a ribbon feeding
mechanism, an inking ribbon provided with an obstruction, a frame adapted to
be moved by said obstruction, a device for preventing the operation of said key
levers, and connections between said movable frame and said key lever arresting
device.
7. The combination of a series of key levers, a spacing bar, a device for lock-
ing said spacing bar and said key levers, an inking ribbon having an obstruction,
and intermediate devices adapted to be actuated by said obstruction and to move
the locking device to an operative position when the inking ribbon has traveled
longitudinally a predetermined distance.
8. The combination of a printing mechanism including a series of key levers,
a spacing bar actuated by said key levers, a locking device adapted to arrest
said spacing bar and said key levers, an inking ribbon, means for feeding the
same longitudinally, and means for actuating said locking device when the
ribbon has been moved lengthwise a predetermined extent.
9. The combination of a printing mechanism including a series of key levers,
a spacing bar actuated by said key levers, a locking device adapted to arrest
said spacing bar and said key levers, an inking ribbon, means for feeding the
same longitudinally, an obstruction on said ribbon, a device adapted to be moved
by said obstruction, and a lever connected to said device and to said locking
device.
10. The combination of a printing mechanism including a series of key levers,
a spacing bar actuated by said key levers, a locking device adapted to arrest said

page_text: spacing bar and said key levers, an inking ribbon, means for feeding the same
longitudinally, an obstruction on said ribbon, a vertically movable frame adapted
to be lifted by said obstruction, and a lever connected to said frame and also
connected to said locking device.
11. The combination of an inking ribbon provided with an obstruction; a ver-
tically movable frame having a slotted cross-bar through which the ribbon passes
but through which the said obstruction cannot pass, a lever connected to said
frame, a rock shaft, a rocker arm, a spacing bar and a series of key levers.
12. The combination of an inking ribbon having an obstruction, ribbon spools,
means for rotating the same, a frame mounted loosely on the ribbon spool shaft
and adapted to be raised by said obstruction, a lever connected to said frame,
a series of key levers, a spacing bar, a rocker arm, a rock shaft, and a connection
from the same to the lever that is connected with the movable frame.
13. The combination of an inking ribbon having an obstruction, ribbon spools,
a frame having slotted side bars and a slotted cross-bar and mounted upon the
ribbon spool shaft, a hook depending from said frame, a lever engaged by said
hook, a rock shaft connected to said lever, a rocker arm on said shaft, a series
of key levers, and a spacing bar.
14. The combination with an inking ribbon, of a series of keys and means
for locking or arresting the keys when the ribbon has traveled a predetermined
distance.
15. The combination with an inking ribbon and its actuating means, of a
series of keys, and means for preventing the operation of the keys when the
ribbon has completed its longitudinal travel or moved longitudinally a predeter-
mined distance and needs reversing.
16. The combination of an inking ribbon, means for moving said ribbon lon-
gitudinally, a series of key-levers means for preventing the operation of the key
levers when the ribbon has traveled lengthwise a predetermined distance, and
a device on or carried by the ribbon for actuating the means that locks or pre-
vents the operation of said key levers.
17. The combination of an inking ribbon, means for feeding the same lon-
gitudinally, a locking means and a device on or carried by the ribbon for
actuating said locking means when the ribbon needs reversing.
18. The combination of an inking ribbon, means for feeding the same lon-
gitudinally, a locking mechanism, an obstruction on the ribbon, and a movable
device connected with the locking mechanism and adapted to actuate the same
when moved by the obstruction on the ribbon.
19. The combination of an inking ribbon, means for feeding the ribbon lon-
gitudinally, an obstruction on the ribbon, a movable frame carrying a part
through which the said obstruction will not pass, a series of keys and a locking
mechanism adapted to be actuated by said frame when moved by said obstruction
and in turn to arrest or prevent the operation of the keys.
20. The combination of an inking ribbon, a vertically movable frame, having
a slotted cross-bar, an obstruction on the ribbon adapted to contact with and
lift said frame, a mechanism for feeding said ribbon longitudinally, a series of
key levers, and a locking device actuated by said movable frame for arresting
the said key levers.
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