IMPROVEMENTS IN TYPE WRITING MACHINES
Year: 1884

page_text: I HEINRICH AUGUST HERMANN GUHL of the firm of Guhl & Harbeck, Hamburg
Germany do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN TYPE WRITING MACHINES" to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements, particularly applicable to that description
of type writing machines, in which the writing or printing is accomplished by
means of type mechanisms or impressing surfaces such as type-wheels, bar, tangent
segment, lever, pad et cetera or their equivalent surfaces moved and operated upon
by the hand upon or in conjunction with a corresponding index.
And the objects of my invention are
Firstly. To be able easily to insert and firmly to secure in proper position, the
material to be printed and maintain its proper position during impression or its
being printed upon.
Secondly. To provide a fresh inking surface to every type or impressing surface
prior to or whilst making its impression.
The first object I effect by employing a peculiarly constructed locking device, in
the form of a tension lever such as a cranked double ended notched arm or other
suitable medium, which when unlocked will sufficiently separate one from another
the feeding rollers employed (which may be of the ordinary well known con-
struction) or to separate those rollers from the block or roller for supporting the
material which is to receive the impression and thereby permit of the insertion
between those surfaces of the material to be afterwards printed and then when
moved back and locked in position again this tension lever will thereby bring the
feeding rollers into contact or close proximity with each other or bring these
feeding rollers into like relation with the printing block or roller so that the
material previously inserted may be firmly held by those means and maintained in
proper position during printing and during the feeding action of the roller or
rollers.
The inking is executed by a band, ribbon, or flexible surface, of silk, paper, or
other suitable material impregnated with color or ink, which flexible surface is
rolled up. and nay conveniently be placed or contained in a suitable box or
receptacle wherefroin it is drawn, in the rotation of a roller, whereunder it passes.
This roller or rotating surface is securely connected with a ratchet-wheel, the teeth
of which engage a pawl attached to a bow, stirrup or suitable equivalent part, such

page_text: part swings up and down by means of the combined action of a spring and any
suitable part of the type mechanism or writing machinery either previously or
whilst being brought into contact with the material to be printed upon..
A spring serves to cause the return of the feeding device or ink tape moving part
back into. its former position after impression has been made ready for a fresh
impression.
The operation of the inking parts is that the selected type surface, pressing onto
the ink tape, and thereby onto. the paper, or other surface being printed, supported
on the bed below, presses out onto the paper, or other material, the proper, or desired,
quantity of ink.
A suitable fixed guide and a movable guide may be provided near to the point of
impression in order to aid in guiding the ink tape to its work where necessary..
If such guides be employed it is only necessary for the insertion of a new ink
tape to pass it, into the fixed guide, and to move out the moveable guide and then
replace it to cover the tape.

page_text: I HEINRICH AUGUST HERMANN GUHL of the firm of Guhl and Harbeck,
Hamburg, Germany do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN TYPE-WRITING MACHINES and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in writing machines in which the writing
is accomplished by means of types, or impressing surfaces; and the objects of my
improvements are first to hold the paper, or material, "written," or marked firmly
and in proper position, whilst being "written" upon; and secondly to provide
a fresh inking surface under every type, or impressing surface, when making its
impression upon the paper. To effect the holding of the paper, or material, to be
marked I employ two parallel rollers, or rotating surfaces, pivoted at both ends,
in suitably shaped levers; such rollers may be lowered, or brought, to other suitable
rollers, or blocks, arranged beyond them, whereon the sheet of paper is to be laid
and then is kept in proper position by the pressure of the two parallel rollers.
The levers bearing the parallel rollers are oscillated by a suitable device, which
imparts an equal motion to both, for instance a pivoted lever with a boss, or
enlargement, at its extremity, which slides on a rod connecting both supporting
levers, or is arranged so that it acts in an equivalent manner.
The inking is executed by a band, ribbon, or flexible surface, of silk, paper, or
other suitable material, impregnated with colour or ink; which flexible surface is
rolled up and may conveniently be placed in a suitable box, or receptacle, wherefrom
it is drawn, in the rotation of a roller, whereunder it passes. This roller, or
rotating surface, is rigidly connected with a ratchet-wheel, the teeth of which
engage a pawl attached to a bow, stirrup, or equivalent part; such stirrup, or part,
swings up and down by the combined action of a spring and any suitable part of
the writing machinery, which is to make a motion by every impression of a type,
or symbol, accomplished. The spring and the moveable part are adapted, or
arranged, so as to exert their impulsion in opposite directions.
In order to make my invention more clearly understood I will describe it with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation and
Figure 2 a top view of a writing machine provided with my said improvements;
Figures 3. 4. 5 6 and 7 show details.
Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views..
The printing is accomplished by the use of a moveable slotted bar A sliding
upon the pivot a; upon the lower, or any side of such bar, that will come in
contact with the surface to be printed, the letters, spaces and symbols a¹ are
secured; attached or formed. The said type-bar slides in tablet or frame B hinged
and sliding at one end upon bar b and resting at the other on bar or roller b³.
Upon the tablet B are marked letters; spaces and symbols, which correspond
with those upon the type bar A. Upon one or both sides of the tablet or frame B
are rack-bars b¹, the recesses of which also correspond with the letters and symbols
of the frame or tablet B; into these recesses fits the index finger d attached to the
sliding bar A.
The type-bar A is normally held slightly off the printing block z, upon which
the printing is to be effeeted, by the spring e, which is compressed during the action
of printing, but as soon as the pressure of the hand is removed from the bar A,
the spring e forces it up and the pawl f engages into the next tooth upon the rack-
bar G attached to the frame.
The printing block z is suitably formed in order that but one letter or symbol
may be printed at a time.

page_text: When an entire line has been printed, the tablet B is pushed from right to left;
then the lever g is lifted, which, engaging into the teeth of a ratchet-wheel g' fixed
to the roller g', causes the latter to turn and thereby advances the paper for the
interval of a line.
The paper is tightly held to the roller g³ and to the printing blocks by the
rollers 6 and y supported by the upper arms x of the angle levers au
The arms are connected by a bar v, upon which slides a boss w. The lever t,
one arm of which is attached to the boss w, serves to move the bar v forwards and
backwards and thereby causes a more or less strong pressure of the paper to the
printing block and the advancing roller g³ as illustrated by Figure 7. The
spring 8 serves to hold the lever t in the position required.
When it is desired to leave a blank space in the printing as between words, the
spacing may be accomplished by depressing the lever I, which will actuate the
pawl ƒ directly.
The inking ribbon is a long strip of paper, silk or other suitable material
impregnated with colour; it is rolled up and placed into the cylindrical box q, in
the circumference of which a slit is provided for passing the ribbon. The latter
then is drawn over the plate r of glass or other suitable material and under the
roller o, which is fastened to the shaft o' of the ratchet wheel o'. The latter rotates
in consequence of the oscillating motion of the stirrup o³, the spring o' of which
engages into the teeth of the ratchet-wheel.
The stirrup is raised by the spring o° and lowered by the type-bar A. The
teeth of the ratchet-wheel o¹ are arranged in such a way that the ratchet-spring o
slides over them, when the stirrup o³ is raised, and engages with the teeth, when
the type-bar A is depressed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. In type-writers the combination of the stirrup o³, spring o*, ratchet-wheel o¹
and roller o with the type-bar A, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
2. In type-writers the combination of the roller 6 with the roller g³, ratchet-
wheel g¹ and lever g, substantially as specified.
3. In type-writers the combination of the printing-block z and roller g³ with
angle-levers x. u and rollers 6' and y, substantially as set forth.
4. In type-writers the combination of the bar v connecting the arms u of the
pivoted angle-levers x. u with the boss w and lever t substantially as specified.
Dated this 3rd day of November 1884