Improved Mechanism for Feeding the Inking Ribbons of Typewriting and like Machines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Sept., 1899-Accepted, 2nd Dec., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Mechanism for Feeding the Inking Ribbons of Typewriting
and like Machines.
We, ROBERT TURNER, of 1134, 25th Street, Des Moines, Iowa, United States
of America, Mechanical Engineer, and DUPLEX TYPEWRITER COMPANY, a Corpora-
tion organized under the Laws of the State of Iowa, located at Des Moines, Iowa,
United States of America, Manufacturers, 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:-—
Our invention relates to type-writing machines, and particularly to mechanisms
for feeding the inking ribbon lengthwise and widthwise intermittently or.simul-
taneously.
Our object is to produce a feed mechanism for imparting a compound move-
ment to the inking ribbon, the driving power being supplied from the spring-
wheel to revolve a spiral cam, the rack-bar reciprocated vertically thereby, a
pinion driven by said rack-bar, and a gear toothed ribbon spool shaft recipro-
cated lengthwise by said mechanism, combined with a ratchet upon said. shaft
having teeth on both faces, and swinging pawls engaging with said ratchets to
revolve said spool shaft coincidently with its lengthwise movements in either
direction.
The ribbon spool being mounted upon said shaft, the ribbon is moved widthwise
first in one direction and then in the opposite direction in substantially a con-
tinuous manner, only halting for the reversal of movement, and at the same time
moving or being fed widthwise intermittently incident to the intermittent move-
ment of the ribbon spool as the carriage is being fed to the left in printing; stop-
ping the widthwise feed whenever said forward movement of the carriage and
spring wheel stops; remaining stationary during the backward movement of the
carriage and spring wheel, no matter what the position of the cam may be; and
stopping the lengthwise feed of the ribbon whenever the widthwise feeds stops.
The double cam is mounted loosely upon the spring-wheel shaft, and a slip
ratchet mechanism is provided whereby the cam is revolved, while said shaft is
driven in one direction, and remains stationary at all other times.
It is constructed as follows, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,
in which,
Fig. 1, is an end elevation of the frame of a type-writing machine, parts being
broken away to show interior members of the ribbon mechanism in elevation.
Fig. 2, is a top plan of the ribbon mechanism, the frame being cut off in a
horizontal plane.
=
Fig. 3, is an enlarged detail of the geared-ribbon spool shaft, and the pinion
by which it is driven.
Fig. 4, is a detail in top plan of the cam, the rack-bar, pinion driven by it,
and driving gear, the spool shaft being broken off.
a represents the frame of a type-writing machine, of the type of the well

page_text: known Jewett or duplex machines, and 6 represents the impression platen, its
carriage being omitted as not a part of this invention.
Upon the frame is a suitable bearing c in which a vertical shaft d is suitably
journaled upon which an ordinary spring-wheel e is suitably secured, and is con-
nected to the carriage by any suitable ordinary means.
This shaft is provided, upon its lower end, with a transverse tongue f, radial
or otherwise, which freely enters a groove in the upper end of a sleeve which
fits loosely upon an auxiliary shaft h stepped, as at i, into a suitable support.
The lower end of this sleeve is provided with inclined ratchet teeth j, adapted to
engage with like ratchet teeth upon the hub of the cam cylinder which is
secured upon said shaft, and provided with peripheral and longitudinally inclined
cam-ways, m, the upper and lower ends of which intersect substantially as
shown, so that each forms a segment of a spiral on opposite sides of said cylinder.
A rack-bar n is suitably mounted to be vertically reciprocated, having an
arm o, usually of an anti-frictional type, projecting into and engaging with one
of said cam-ways.
A shaft p is suitably journaled across said frame, and provided with a pinion q,
driven by said rack-bar, and which drives a gear upon said shaft, and this
reciprocates the spool-shaft s, which is provided with a gear-teeth, whereby
said shaft is shifted longitudinally together with the ribbon-spool u thereon,
and this imparts a widthwise movement to the ribbon across the printing point,
whereby the entire width of the ribbon is utilized.
A disk vis secured upon the front end of each spool-shaft; being provided with
ratchet teeth upon each face, and we are suitable swinging pawls alternately
engaging with said ratchets to intermittently and step-by-step, revolve the spool-
shafts, and the spools thereon, and impart a step-by-step, intermittent lengthwise
feed to the ribbon, simultaneously with the step-by-step intermittent widthwise
feed thereof. Inasmuch as these pawls are the same, and operate in precisely
the same way, as they have been used for several years past upon the Jewett or
duplex machines, aforesaid, they are not described in detail.
It will be readily understood that the rotation of the spring wheel to impel
the carriage forward in printing will transmit the power to shift the ribbon width-
wise step-by-step coincident with the intermittent rotation thereof; that the lift-
ing of the rack-bar incident to one cam-way will shift the ribbon-shafts, spools,
and ribbon forward, and its lowering incident to the other cam-way will reverse
the movements of said shafts, spools and ribbon; and that while one pawl and
ratchet will, simultaneously with said forward widthwise movement of its spool-
shaft, revolve that shaft to feed the ribbon lengthwise, so when the lengthwise
movement of said spool shaft is reversed, the other pawl and ratchet, upon this
shaft, will revolve it and also feed the ribbon in the same direction, the length-
wise and widthwise feeds being simultaneous.
One pair of these feeds pawls is thrown out of engagement with their ratchet
disk, to permit the ribbon to be unwound from the spool upon that spool shaft.
The reversal of movement of the spring-wheel incident to the throwing back
of the carriage to start a new line of print, causes the ratchet-teeth, upon the
sleeve, to slip over those upon the cam-cylinder without actuating said cylinder,
and consequently stops the feed of the ribbon.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. The combination with a ribbon-spool shaft provided with gear-teeth and a
spool thereon, of a cam, a rack-bar actuated thereby, a pinion driven by said
rack-bar, a gear driven with said pinion and engaging with said spool-shaft to
shift it longitudinally, and means to drive said cam.
2. The combination with a cam propelled rack-bar, and a shaft driven by said
rack-bar, of a pair of spool-shafts, each provided with gear-teeth, and gears upon

page_text: the first mentioned shaft engaging with the respective spool-shafts to simultane-
ously shift them longitudinally and means to drive said cam,
3. The combination with a cylinder provided with intersecting spiral cam-ways
and means to rotate it, of a rack-bar engaging with said cam-ways alternately
and reciprocated vertically, thereby changing its direction of movement, as it
shifts from one cam-way to the other, a shaft having a pinion engaging with
and driven first one way, and then the other, by said rack-bar, a ribbon-spool
shaft provided with gear-teeth, and a gear on the first mentioned shaft engaging
therewith, whereby said spool-shaft is reciprocated longitudinally.
4. The combination with a spring-wheel, a cam driven thereby, and provided
with oppositely arranged intersecting cam-ways, and a rack-bar reciprocated by
said cam-ways, of a shaft driven by said rack-bar, a gear on said shaft, a spool
shaft provided with gear-teeth, whereby it is reciprocated longitudinally by said
gear, and a ribbon-spool upon said spool-shaft.
5. The combination with a spring-wheel, a cam driven thereby and provided
with oppositely arranged intersecting cam-ways, and a rack-bar reciprocated by
said cam-ways, of a shaft driven by said rack-bar, a gear on said shaft, a spool-
shaft provided with gear-teeth whereby it is reciprocated longitudinally by said
gear, a ribbon-spool upon said shaft, a disk having ratchet-teeth on said spool-
shaft, and means to revolve said spool-shaft simultaneously with its lengthwise
movement.
of September
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.