An Automatic Return for Typewriter Carriages.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Mar., 1897-Accepted, 17th Apr., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Automatic Return for Typewriter Carriages.
WALTER WESLEY BAER, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Clergyman.
I do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to he
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in the automatic return for typewriter
carriages, and its object is to furnish an attachment for such typewriters that will
greatly facilitate the operation thereof, and that will by simply striking an added
key, cause the carriage on a typewriter that my attachment is connected with, to
return automatically, and instantaneously roll or set the platen for the next line,
and thus save the operator the trouble, as in the old way of setting the carriage
back and turning the platen by a hand lever for that purpose.
Reference being made to the accompanying drawing, in which:
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my attachment, showing its relative position to the
typewriter operated upon.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the attachment, showing the general arrangement of the
internal mechanism.
Fig. 3 is a detailed portion of the main frame, indicating the mechanism that
returns the carriage.
Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken at line 1 1, on the fixed wheel actuating the loose
arm 15, as shown on the last figure.
Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail plan view of the same and also the arrangement of
the key-lever 25, and
Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-section of part of the last figure, taken at line 2 2.
Fig. 7 is a rear elevation of the winding mechanism, taken from the direction of
the arrow in Figure 2.
Fig. 8 is a vertical cross-section of the same taken at line 3 3 of the last figure,
and,
Fig. 9 is an elevation of the platen mechanism, showing its position in an end
view of the typewriter.
In the drawing, similar letters and numerals designate corresponding parts
throughout the several views, referring to which :-
The frame 10 is preferably of metal and is composed of upright portions parallel
to each other having openings near their top and bottom and being connected on
top by a rectangular frame, as 10 and 10° (see Fig. 2), and the foot of the uprights
are securely fixed by screws or similar means to a plate 11, which is secured to the
platform A.
12 indicates a shaft suitably journalled in the vertical uprights 10, and securely
fixed about the centre of the said shaft is a small pinion-wheel 13 the object of
which will appear presently. Lying between the pinion 13 and the front vertical
portion of the frame 10 and in close proximity thereto, secured on the said shaft 12
is a wheel 14. This wheel 14 is designed with its opposite peripheries eccentrically
arranged, the intersections of the two arcs terminating in right angles 14ª, for
receiving the pall of the lever 22 (see Fig. 3).
As shown in Fig. 4, this wheel 14 is provided with resilient palls 14, having
projections 14° passing through laterally disposed apertures in the wheel, and the,

page_text: extreme ends of the plane surfaces are deflected outwards, as 14ª, and the screws 14°
secure the said palls in position.
Loosely mounted on the said shaft 12, and lying between the wheels 13 and 14
in close proximity to the latter, is an arm 15 carrying a grooved arc 15".
When the machine is being operated, this arm 15 is designed to lie on the left
hand projecting pall 14° in the wheel 14, and when the wheel passes to the right
the said arm and arc, carrying the cable 16 will be thrown over thereby, the true
object of which will be seen presently.
Directly below the shaft 12 is a parallel shaft 17, loosely secured thereon and
meshing with the said pinion-wheel 13 is a cog-wheel 18, which is arranged to turn,
but one way by an ordinary ratchet and pall within the disc 19; the disc being
securely fixed to the said shaft, and on the extreme rear end of the shaft 17 is a
winding mechanism, which consists essentially, in a loosely arranged grooved disc 20
mounted on a reduced portion 17° near the end of the said shaft, a rack-wheel 2.)ª
secured to the extreme end of the shaft 17 by a key 20°, and a pall 20° engageing
in the teeth of the rack-wheel prevents the said disc from turning, but in one
direction, and by reason of the said pall always being pressed into engagement by
the spring 20, by a coil spring encircling the said shaft, the one end of which is
secured thereto and the other end secured to the vertical frame 10, it will be seen
that when the pedal ou the cord 21 is depressed that the shaft 17 will be turned
almost a full revolution, and when pressure is removed from the said pedal the disc
carrying the pall 20° will be returned by the spring 20°; and by reason of the cog-
wheel being similarly situated in close proximity to a pall within the disc 19, the
stout spring 17 on the said shaft 17 will be wound up by the action of the operators
foot depressing the pedal on the cord 21 (see Figs. 7 and 8).
22 indicates a lever fulcrumed on a stout pin 23 on the vertical frame 10 at a
point triangle to its engagements, the upper branch having a stop-pall 22ª, which
engages one of the opposite shoulders on the wheel 14, and prevents the said wheel
from making, but one half revolution at each releasement, as will be seen further;
the lower branch of the said lever is provided with a spring-latch, which bears
beneath the bevel chase 25 of the horizontal lever 25 (see Fig. 6). The spring
within the projecting bracket 24 prevents the upper branch of the lever 22 being
detached from engagement with the wheel 14 (see Fig. 1).
The horizontal lever 25 is pivotally fixed at one end in a pillar 26, which is
secured to the horizontal plate 11 by screws or bolts, and secured to the vertical
side of the said pillar 26 is a spring 25º, and in close proximity to the beveled
chase 25 on the said lever is a bracket 25 having a slotted aperture to receive the
said lever, and by reason of the spring 25 bearing on the under side of the said
lever it will be always pressed to the upper side of the slot in the bracket 25°.
It will be seen from the foregoing that when the key 25ª is pressed the lever 22
will be carried down by the spring-latch in the end thereof engageing below the
beveled chase on the lever 25, and the upper branch will be thrown out of engage-
ment with the shoulder on the wheel 14 but, at that point the lever 22 will return
by the spring-latch having passed the engagement at the beveled chase on the
lever 25, and will thus arrest the further rotation on the wheel 14, by the pall 22ª
again engageing the same. It will be further observed that, as the wheel 14 makes
the half turn one of the palls 14° actuating the arm 15 will be withdrawn by the
projection 14d thereon engageing with a wedge-shaped projection 33 on the frame 10,
and will allow the said arm 15 to return by the spring of the cable 16 (see Figs. 3
and 5), and the said cable 16 being attached to a typewriter-carriage, as at 16ª,
the said carriage will be drawn from left to right.
To arrange for the setting of the platen at each return of the carriage, I provide
the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 9. This comprises a lever 28 pivotally fixed in
a standard 29, which is secured to the cross-head or yoke on the typewriter carriage.
The opening in the standard 29 which receives the lever 28 is so formed that the
said lever can only raise to a horizontal position by reason of its extreme end
engageing the lowest part of the opening therein, and about the centre of the said

page_text: lever is a depending pall 31. This pall 31 is arranged similar in relation to the
lever 28 that the lever is to the standard 29, in that, by the shoulder engageing the
under side of the said lever on the outer side it cannot pass beyond a certain point
to the left, and arranged intermediately between the standard and the pall 31 is a
spring 32, which is secured by a screw to a lateral projecting portion on the lever 28.
The spring 32 has the effect of keeping the lever 28 raised to its highest point and
of pressing the pall 31 into the rack-teeth on the wheel 34, which is secured to the
projecting end of the shaft carrying the platen of a typewriter.
On the extreme end of the lever 28, and lying in close proximity to the :
rack-wheel 34 is a wedge shaped portion 30. This wedge portion 30 is designed
to engage the wedge-shaped portion 36 on the front of the standard 35, which is
rigidly secured to the top of the frame 10%. It will be seen from the foregoing
that as the carriage carrying the wedge-shaped portion 30 on the lever 28
approaches the rigidly fixed one 36, that the first mentioned one will pass under
the second and will be thereby depressed, and will turn the rack-wheel secured to
the platen shaft by the pall 31 engageing in the teeth thereof.
For setting the platen any number of lines desired, I provide the buffer 37; in
this it will be seen that when the buffer 37 is moved laterally from the standard 35,
by the threaded shaft thereon passing through the said standard and the jam-nut 38
it may be fixed at any point desired, and consequently will prevent the lever
carrying the wedge-shaped portion 30 from being depressed to its full extent,
which will regulate the movement of the rack-wheel 34.
This adjustment may be regulated to a nicety by a few turns of the buffer and
the nut 38.
In the operation of my invention the attachment is placed at the right hand side
of the typewriter and connected to the carriage by the cable 16; the mainspring 17*
is wound up by the mechanism before described and the typewriter is put in motion,
and when the end of a line is reached, pressure on the key 25ª will release the upper
end of the lever 22 from the wheel 14 which carries the laterally disposed palls 14°,
and this wheel makes the half revolution and the arm 15 carrying the arc to
which is attached the cable 16 is thrown to the right, but, as the resilient pall 14°
comes in contact with the rigidly fixed wedge-shaped projection 33 on the
frame 10 the arm 15 will be released, and by the vibration of the cable 16 will
return to the left: by the mechanism on the end of the carriage being brought in
contact with the wedge-shaped portion on the frame 10ª, the platen will be set for
one or more lines as the case may be.
If it is desired to commence a fresh paragraph without proceeding to the
end of the line, this may be done by depressing the key which will release the
wheel 14 and allow the arc to pass to right taking up the slack of the cable 16
and return the carriage the distance it has travelled.
I have described and illustrated the relative arrangements and connections of
my machine to a typewriter, but I do not wish to confine myself to such
arrangements and connections, as modifications may be made to adopt themselves to
the different manufactures of typewriter machines without departing from the spirit
of my invention.
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 an automatic return for typewriter carriages, the combination of an
upright frame composed of vertical sides connected at the top and bottom, of a
shaft 17 suitably mounted in the said frame carrying a large gear-wheel arranged
to turn but one way and a stout coil-spring secured to the said shaft 17 and its
opposite end secured to the lower horizontal frame 11, substantially as specified.
2. In an automatic return for typewriter carriages, the combination of a
vertical frame 10, a shaft 17 mounted in the said frame carrying a large gear-
wheel 18, of a second shaft 12 carrying a rigidly fixed pinion-wheel 13 which

page_text: meshes with the first mentioned wheel, of a wheel 14 rigidly fixed to the said
shaft 12 which has its opposite peripheries eccentrically fixed, and having resilient
palls designed to engage a loosely mounted arm 15 lying in close proximity
thereto, and means for locking and releasing the said loosely mounted arm 15 and
the wheel 14; substantially as and for the purposes hereinbéfore set forth.
3. In an automatic return for typewriter carriages, the combination of a shaft 17
mounted in a suitable frame, a gear-wheel mounted thereon and made to turn but
one way, a pinion rigidly secured to a shaft 12 and made to engage the first
mentioned wheel; of a wheel having shoulders on its opposite 'peripheries secured to
the said shaft 12, a lever 22 engageing the said shoulders and arresting the motion
thereof, and of a resilient lever 25 arranged to engage a spring-latch in the end of
the said lever 22, whereby the wheel 14 may be arrested and released, substantially
as specified.
4. In a return for typewriter carriages, the combination of a shaft carrying a
Hoosely arranged wheel 18 suitably arranged in a frame, of a pinion 13 rigidly fixed
to a shaft 12 engageing the wheel 18, of a rigidly fixed wheel 14 on the said shaft 12
having shoulders 14 and lying in close proximity to the upright frame 10, of
resilient palls projecting. laterally from the said wheel 14; of an arm 15 loosely
fixed on the shaft 12 in the path of the palls on the wheel 14 and a cable 16
connecting the are 15" with the carriage of a typewriter, and means for throwing
the said arc 15ª from left to right, whereby the said carriage will be returned,
substantially as specified.
5. In the automatic return for a typewriter carriage, of means for setting. the
platen, a lever 28 pivotally fixed in a standard, of a pall depending from the
said lever connecting with teeth on a rack-wheel connected with the platen, and
means for depressing and for lifting the same, substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
6. In an automatic return for typewriter carriages, the combination of a
shaft 17 journalled in a suitable frame, of a stout spring 17ª secured to the said
shaft and to the horizontal platform supporting the frame, and of a returning rack-
wheel and pall mechanism, whereby the said spring 17" may be wound up,
substantially as set forth.
Dated this 19th day of Wahnuow A D 1907
WALTER WESLEY BAER,
Per W. T. Tuthewey,
Agent.