IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TYPOGRAPHY
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Villet Collignon, Literary Man, and Louis
George, Typographer, of Paris, 29, Boulevart, St. Martin, in the Empire
Sealed the 16th. March 1860, and dated the 26th September 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Villet Collignon
and Louis George at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents with.
their Petition, on the 26th September 1859.
We, JOSEPH VILLET COLLIGNON, Literary Man, and LOUIS GEORGE, Typo-
grapher, of Paris, 29, Boulevart St. Martin, in the Empire of France, do,
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE TYPOGRAPHY," to be as follows:―
The Diagram annexed, showing case of type, indicates in a plane and
precise manner the necessary elements to produce great economy in typo-
grafical composition. One may conceive readily that the choice of the most
necessary elements in the formation of words which compose a language is
not the effect of chance, nor an arbitrary fact, and that it was necessary to
perform both a work of the mind and calculation to arrive at a satisfactory
result in determining at first the elements or component parts most generally
used in the formation of words, and also to determine the quantity of necessary
elements for a certain number of unconnected letters. This is precisely
what the Inventors have done, in indicating by ciphers, (in the Drawing

page_text: annexed). placed under the elements or component parts of words, which
are necessary to be used in a case containing about 10,000 letters. This
being admitted, anybody, even if unacquainted with typography, may judge
perfectly of breviotypy or the are of composing quick. As, supposing all
letters to be connected two and two, the operation would be shortened by
one-half, and by one-third, and even three-quarters, with elements each com-
posed of three and four letters. This being admitted, it is easy to show the
economy of the system reduced to its simplest expression by the following
calculations: For 27 elements, or component parts of words composed with
two letters, an advantage is derived in 1,650 letters; for 26 elements com-
posed with three letters you have 2,020 letters; for 1 element composed with
four letters you have 150 letters; the total number comprising advantage
being 3,820 letters. Thus, in a case comprising 10,000 letters, an advantage
will be obtained in 3,820 letters, which constitute almost two-fifths of the
case.
But this economy in time is not the only advantage introduced by printing
on this system; there is also, in the distribution of characters in their box or
case, an economy that you may bring the advantage to the one half, consider-
ing the liability of making wrong letters in distributing them. Again, let us
add a saving of time in the reading of proofs and of their correction, besides
that of spoiling fewer characters. To effect these advantages, we solder
without the assistance of heat two or more single letters or types together, for
which we coat their surface throughout the length with a suitable metallic
solder to unite them, and thus make them as of one piece.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Villet Collignon and Louis George in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 22nd March 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOSEPH
VILLET COLLIGNON, Literary Man, and LOUIS GEORGE, Typographer, of Paris,
29, Boulevart St. Martin, in the Empire of France, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the.
said Joseph Villet Collignon and Louis George, Her special licence that we
the said Joseph Villet Collignon and Louis George, our executors, adminis-,

page_text: trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Joseph Villet Collignon
and Louis George, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN TYPOGRAPHY," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the
said Joseph Villet Collignon and Louis George, our executors or adminis-
trators; by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Joseph Villet Collignon and Louis
George, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say) :-
The Diagram annexed, showing a case of type, indicates in a plain and
precise manner the necessary elements to produce great economy in typogra-
phical composition. It may be readily conceived that the choice of the most
necessary elements, in the formation of words which comprise a language, is
not the effect of chance, nor an arbitrary. fact, & that it was necessary to
perform both a work of the mind and calculation to arrive at a satisfactory
result in determining at first the necessary elements or component parts which
are most generally used in the formation of words, and also to determine the
quantity of necessary elements for a certain. number of unconnected letters.
This is precisely what the Inventors have done in indicating by ciphers placed
under the component parts or elements of words which are necessary to be
used in a case containing about 10,000 letters. This being admitted,
anybody, even if unacquainted with typography, may judge perfectly of
breviotypy, or the art of composing quickly. Supposing all the letters to be
connected two and two, the operation would be shortened by one-half and by
one-third, and even three-fourths with elements composed of three and four
letters. This being admitted, it is easy to show the economy of the system
reduced to its simplest expression by the following calculations:-For 27
elements, or component parts of words composed with two letters, an advan-
tage is derived of 1,615 letters; for .26 elements composed with three letters,

page_text: you have 2,020 letters; for one element composed of four letters, you have
150 letters, the total number comprising an advantage of 3,820 letters. Thus,
in a case comprising 10,000 letters, an advantage will be obtained of 8,820.
letters, which constitutes almost two-fifths of the case.
But this economy in time is not the only advantage introduced by printing
on this system; there is also, in the distribution of characters in their box or
case an economy that you may bring the advantage to one-half in considering
the non-liability of making wrong letters, that is to say, of mixing the cha-
racters in distributing them. Again, let us add saving of time in the reading
of proofs and of their correction, besides that of spoiling fewer of the cha-
racters. Lastly, the prevention of the accidents so frequent in printing, it
being much more difficult for the rollers to carry with them two and three
letters combined than is the case with single letters. Such are the principal
advantages obtained by breviotypy. However, it was not alone sufficient to
discover the necessary elements for shortening the composition more than one-
third for their actual application; these elements required to be cast, thereby
incurring considerably expence of punches and matrices, which have hitherto
prevented type founders from availing themselves of it, besides which, great
waste of letters occurs in using combinations of letters, as in the event of any
one letter of a combination becoming spoiled, the whole must be recast.
Consequently we have sought an application for our improved system by other
means than that of casting, and have succeeded in discovering a ready and
efficient method of uniting several letters together. Hence all the difficulties
in the way being overcome, our improved breviotypy may be applied to all
kinds of printing, which is to composition what mechanical power is to
printing. According to our Invention, we cold solder letters together placed
in juxtaposition, and which consists in coating a letter throughout its surface
with any metallic solder to cause it to adhere to another letter, and so to form
a whole. By this means a defective letter may be unsoldered and replaced by
a good one, or those used that remain. This soldering preferably consists of,-

page_text: We also claim the system of uniting characters together in juxtaposition,
as herein-before described in contradistinction, and as preferable in every
respect to casting them of a single piece.
In witness whereof, we, the said Joseph Villet Collignon and Louis
George have hereunto set our hands & seals this Sixteenth day
of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty
L. GEORGE.
(L.S.)
J. VILLET COLLIGNON. (L.S.)