Improvements in and connected with the Matrices of Linotype Machines.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Apr., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 14th Jan., 1899-Accepted, 14th Apr.,
1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with the Matrices of Linotype
Machines.
We, WILLIAM HENRY LOCK, Manager and Secretary of THE LINOTYPE
COMPANY LIMITED, of No. 188, Fleet Street, in the City of London, and BERNE
NADALL, of No. 6018, Princeton Avenue, Englewood, Chicago, in the State of
Illinois, U.S.A., at present residing at No. 19, Stockport Road, Altrincham, in
the County of Chester, Designer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:
The present invention relates to improvements in and connected with the matrices
of linotype machines, more especially with the matrices of the celebrated
Mergenthaler linotype machine. The object of it is to diminish the thickness of
the matrix bodies of an italic fount.
.
It must be understood that the body of a linotype matrix is a rectangular
metal plate having a cavity in one edge of it adapted to serve as the mould for the
face of the respective character on the linotype. The thickness of the plate is
the width of that character plus a margin on each side equal to half the white that
there is to be in the printed line between that character and each adjoining one,
the two margins taking the form of side walls to the cavity. As an italic
character is wider over all, or between perpendiculars so to speak, than the corre-
sponding Roman one, it follows that a matrix body for the former has been
thicker hitherto than one for the latter.
According to the present invention, the matrix body is, looking at the cavity
edge with that cavity showing its character the right way up, rebated on both sides,
the two rebates either standing opposite to each other in a plane which bisects the
character, or both of them oblique and parallel with each other. The side walls
On matrix bodies each of
are dispensed with. Thus, take the case of A B.
whose sides is one plane, the position of the left side of the B matrix body is settled
by that of the adjacent serif; and the position of the right side of the A mairix
body, by that of the top of the A, an arrangement which prevents the two letters
being as close together as corresponding Roman characters would be. If the
bodies are rebated according to the present invention, the bottom half of the left
side of the B matrix will stand under the top half of the right side of the A
matrix, while the left side of the B matrix presents a recess capable of receiving
the projecting bottom half of the right side of the third matrix.
Special quads are provided to stand between words in the line and at the ends
of the latter, for the purpose of filling up the recesses in the sides of the initial and
terminal matrices. They are, accordingly, rebated on one side only, their opposite
sides being flat planes to co-operate with the sides of the space bars, or with the
jaws of the vice in which the composed line is held during the justification of it and
the casting of the linotype. Those to stand above the rebate, may, if desired, be
only about half as long as a matrix or as long as may be necessary to close the
cavity of the adjacent matrix on that side of it. Those to stand below the
rebate, may advantageously be narrowed above the rebate, the top portion of the

page_text: matrix on the left being cut away to receive them while leaving a bearing surface
on each side of the narrowed part.
Dated this 14th day of April 1898
CHAS. S. WOODROFFE,
Agent for the Applicants.
Improvements in and connected with the Matrices of Linotype.
Machines.
We, WILLIAM HENRY LOCK, Manager and Secretary of THE LINOTYPE
COMPANY, LIMITED, of No. 188, Fleet Street, in the City of London, and BERNE
NADALL, of No. 6018, Princeton Avenue, Englewood, Chicago, in the State of
Illinois, U.S.A., at present residing at No. 19, Stockport Road, Altrincham, in
the County of Chester, Designer, 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:-
1
The present invention relates to improvements in and connected with the matrices
of linotype machines; and especially with the matrices of the celebrated
Mergenthaler, linotype machine. The object of it is to diminish the thickness of
the matrix bodies of an italic fount.
It must be understood that the body of a Mergenthaler matrix is a rectangular
plate having a formative cavity in one edge of it, adapted to serve as the mould
for the face of the respective character on the linotype. The thickness of that plate
is the width of the character plus a margin on each side equal to half the white
that there is to be in the printed line between that character and each adjoining
one, the two margins taking the form of side walls to the cavity. As an italic
character is wider over all, or between perpendiculars, so to speak, than the
corresponding Roman one, it follows that a matrix body for the former has been
thicker hitherto than one for the latter. Thus, take the case of the two capitals
A B. On matrix bodies each of whose sides is one plane, the position of the left
side of the B matrix body is settled by that of the adjacent serif, and the position
of the right side of the Å matrix body, by that of the top of the A.
The present invention consists in there being a rabbet in each side of the
matrix body, one above and one below the middle of the formative cavity, so that
the top half of the A matrix body above mentioned shall fit into the rabbet in
the B matrix body, while the bottom half of the B matrix body shall fit into the 3
rabbet in the bottom half of the A matrix body.
The effect of the two rabbets, one on each side of the matrix body, is to bend the
latter twice through a right angle through the formative cavity. The same effect
is gained if each bend is at an obtuse instead of a right angle, both angles being
equal. In the latter case, the central portion of the matrix body behind the 4
formative cavity is inclined to the same angle as the character. However, for the
reason that it is practically easier to rabbet the matrix bodies by removing
matrix material than by bending them, the invention is described from that point
of view.
Referring to the accompanying figures which are to be taken as part of this 4
specification and read therewith,
Figure 1 is an elevation of a line of matrices for the words North Sea, as they
hang in the machine above mentioned:
Figure 2 is a side elevation of one of the same matrices looking at it from the
left hand of Figure 1;
50

page_text: སྡུསT༦ ས
is an elevation of a single matrix separated from its fellows:
Figure 4 is an elevation of a line of modified matrices likewise for North Sea,
as they hang in the same machine:
Figure 5 is a side elevation of one of the same matrices looking at it from the
left hand of Figure 4:
Figure 6 is an elevation of a single matrix of the same line, separated from
its fellows:
Figure 7 is a perspective view of a short quad; and
Figure 8 is a perspective view of a long one.
Referring to Figures 1 to 3, ya is the rectangular metal plate or matrix body
above mentioned; y', yl, the shoulders or lugs by which each matrix is suspended
in the machine and aligned; y, the notch in the rear edge y³; y, the formative
cavity at the bottom of the said notch and in which the type face is cast; and yo,
the shaped notch in the top end, all as heretofore. A comparison of the figures
illustrating the present specification with those of the Specification of Letters
Patent 9732 of 1895 will mark the absence of the side wall from each side of the
formative cavity y¹.
According to the present invention, the body y" has two rectangular
rabbets 74, 75, one on each side of it and both of the same depth. Each rabbet
extends from the respective end of the body y³ and stops at a horizontal plane
bisecting the formative cavity y, the shoulders y produced by the two rabbets
being in that plane, because the obliquity of one half of an italic character from
the perpendicular to, say the left hand, is equal to the obliquity of the other half to
the right hand. The rabbets, preferably, extend across the matrix body y³¹ from
the edge y³ to the opposite one, as shewn in Figure 2, the shoulders y76 being also
preferably rectilinear and at right angles with those edges, as illustrated, but the
invention admits of variations in those respects.
All the matrices being rabbetted on both sides, it follows that both ends of a line of
such matrices, will be uneven. To enable those ends to receive the pressure of
the vice jaws of the justifying and casting mechanism, as well as to enable the
uneven ends of a portion of a line in the improved italic matrices, to fit up to the
other portion or portions of that line in Roman matrices, quads y8, y, are provided
for the respective ends. They are of the same shape in all respects as the matrices
with which they co-operate, excepting that they are rabbetted on only their inner
side faces, their outer side faces 80 being plane surfaces; and they have neither
notches y nor formative cavities y. The width of the quads from their outer
faces y to the inner and opposite ones, may be as narrow as is practicable, that is
to say, a quad y whose only duty is to fill up an upper rebate y₁, need not be
thicker than the projection of the shoulder y is wide, while a quad y that must
fill up a lower rabbet y and carry a pair of top shoulders y and a notch yo, must
be as thick as the width of a shoulder y plus the minimum thickness of a
shoulder y. This point will be clear after a description of the modification
illustrated in Figures 4 to 8. According to it, the upper and lower rabbets yo, ys,
do not extend up to the plane that intersects the formative cavities y', but only
about up to the tops and bottoms thereof, preferably past the bottoms and not as
far as the tops, as clearly shewn in Figures 4 to 6. The shoulders y in the said
plane become impossible and are replaced by inclines 83, which are at the same
angle throughout the fount in order that each matrix may be capable of fitting
metal tight up to any other. The short quad to fill up the upper rabbet i
extends as far as the junction of an incline 83 with the respective matrix side
beneath it but not farther than that, and is of the same thickness as the depth of
the upper rabbet y¹ which it fills. The long quad y must fill a lower rabbet y
up to the junction of the incline 83 with the matrix side above it, and must also
carry top shoulders y' and notch yo. To enable it to do that, a supplementary
plate y carrying the said shoulders and notch, and of the same area as a quad yis
or y above described, is made fast to or incorporated with it.

page_text: The term italic is to be understood as including all founts whose general contour
is a sloping one as compared with the upright one of a Roman fount.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. A matrix having an italic formative cavity and its body bent or inclined to
place its formative cavity at the same angle of inclination as the character in its
formative cavity.
2. The combination in a matrix, of a rabbet in each of two opposite sides, one
above and one below the formative cavity, and a shoulder or an incline connecting
each rabbet with the unrabbetted side face of the matrix, as set forth.
3. A matrix having an italic formative cavity and a rabbet in each of the two
opposite sides of it, one above and one below, and both extending as far as the plane
that bisects the middle of the said cavity, as and for the purpose set forth.
4. The combination of matrices having italic formative cavities and a rabbet in
each of their two opposite sides, one above and one below, and both extending as
far as the plane that bisects the middle of the formative cavity, and quads to close
the end rabbets of the composed matter, as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 14th day of January 1899.
CHAS. S. WOODROFFE,
Agent for the Applicants.