in type writers
Year: 1886

page_text: I, JOSEPH PRIESTLEY SMITH of 21 Broad Street, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Surgeon 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:-
This Invention bas for its object improvements in type writers.
The invention is an improvement upon a former invention of mine for the same
object, for which Letters Patent were granted to me bearing date the 5th of
July 1884 and numbered 9811.
As it would be a matter of great difficulty to describe the present invention so
far as regards its new parts, in and by itself I will describe in its entirety a type
writer made as I prefer.
The printing instrument which I employ in these machines is a type wheel and
I rotate the wheel to bring the desired types into printing position as they are
required by means of a rack provided with a suitable handle and pointer and
which gears into a toothed wheel fixed on the same axis as the type wheel and
revolving with it.
Letters and signs corresponding to those on the type wheel are also marked
upon a scale perforated with holes, one hole for each letter or sign. These parts
the type wheel, toothed wheel and scale are arranged upon a narrow and nearly
horizontal vibrating board which can vibrate through a small angular distance by
partly turning on pivots fixed at each end, near the front edge, that is the edge
nearest to the operator.
The pointer on the rack before mentioned is placed by means of the liandle in
the hole corresponding to any desired letter on the scale, the rack engaging with
the toothed wheel then brings the type wheel into the position required for
printing that particular letter, that is to say the type of the letter required is
vertically under the centre of the wheel.
The operation in printing then is to press on the handle on the end of the rack,
this pressure is transferred to the pivotted vibrating board and thence to the type

page_text: wheel which is carried by it; the whole being pressed downward the (previously
inked) type wheel is pressed upon the paper below it and the desired impression
is made. On relieving the handle of the pressure upon it the pivotted board and
its appurtenances are raised slightly by a suitable spring, and then, the paper
being moved a suitable distance to the left, it is in position for another letter to be
printed. Letter after letter is thus printed, the paper being moved on a step after
each impression. The type wheel is inked by small sponges set in hollow swinging
Suitable ink is
arms, one on each side of the type wheel and in contact with it.
put in these hollow arms and soaks through the sponges which lightly touch the
type wheel as it rotates wholly or in part. Or I may use inking rollers as
described in my former specification previously recited. A spring blade provided
with a notch ensures that only one letter shall be printed at a time.
The paper upon which the printing is to be done. is. carried flat by a light
carriage consisting of two horizontal spindles carried in a light frame and geared
together by small spur wheels at one end. Each of these spindles carries two
small rollers made smooth or roughened if required, these are fixed a convenient
distance apart longitudinally and each pair of rollers usually touch one another so
that when a sheet of paper is introduced between them the spindles on which they
are fixed spring apart slightly and the paper is held by their elasticity I may use
screws or other adjustments if required. One end of one of these spindles projects
beyond the small spur wheel which is secured to it and is made square so as to be
easily grasped by the operator's finger and thumb and turned a quarter of a
revolution at a time, this advances the paper a corresponding distance through
the rollers and gives the requisite space between one line of type written matter
The light
and the next. The spacing between the letters is effected as follows.
frame or carriage just described has a motion from right to left during the writing
of a line and from left to right after a line has been written. Suitable guides are
provided and to the carriage is affixed a nut which works on a quick threaded
screw. This screw has on one end a ratchet wheel which is moved one tooth at a
time in the direction proper to give the step by step motion required for the
proper spacing of the letters by means of a spring pawl. This spring pawl is
drawn back from the ratchet wheel by means of the pressure of the operator's left
hand on a spacing key (under which is a spring) carried by a lever projecting from
When the spring
a weigh shaft extending along the front of the type writer.
under the spacing key acts engages the spring pawl with the ratchet wheel and
partly rotates the screw, advancing the paper carriage the proper distance fron
right to left. The spacing key is depressed at each letter and between each word
printed. A lever is provided by means of which the spring pawl can be held back
from the ratchet wheel and then the paper carriage may be slid back from left to
right along the screw without disengaging the nut as the screw is of sufficiently
quick thread to enable this to be done and the pawl being held back from the
ratchet the screw is free to rotate on its axis.
.
And in order, that this my said invention may be more clearly understood I have
prepared the accompanying two sheets of drawings representing a type writer
constructed according to my said invention.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the type writer.
Figure 2 is a plan of same.
Figure 3 is a view at the left hand end.
Figure 4 is a cross section with some of the parts removed.
Figure 5 is a view at the right band end.
Figure 6 is a back view of the paper feed motion.
Figure 7 is an end view of the paper feed motion at the right hand end.
Similar letters of reference denote similar parts in each and every figure i
which they occur.
The type writer constructed according to my present invention is not usually
mounted in a portable case as in my former invention but is on a stand suitabl

page_text: for use on an ordinary table and is by preference provided with a cover not shown
on drawings.
a, is the stand preferably of wood to which the other fixed parts of the type
writer are secured b is the printing block over which the paper travels during
the operation. A platen 61 is secured to this immediately under the centre of the
type wheel. c. c. are standards one at each end of the machine they are provided
with bosses cc tapped for the pivot screws c³ c³, c c which carry the pivots d''d.
of the vibrating board and the pivots of the paper feed screw respectively.
c³ c³ are the bosses for the pivots of the weigh shaft j.
The
d is the vibrating board having pivots at d¹ d. To this, at or near its centre
on the upper surface is secured the frame e which has pivots e¹ e¹ in which the
ends of the axle f³ of the type wheel frevolve. f is the type wheel having types
of india rubber or other suitable material on its periphery at f¹ and teeth at f¹.
g is a rack which engages with the toothed wheel f² at the upper part of its
circumference, it works loosely in a properly shaped guide e² on the frame e.
rack g is provided with a screw adjustment gl and a pointer g2 and also a handle g³
by which it is manipulated. A scale h is affixed to the vibrating board d in the
position shown. This scale is perforated with holes h¹ h¹ Figure 2 which are
preferably made conical or "countersunk" at the upper part so that the pointer g*
may easily find its way into them and gain the central position. Each of these
holes his marked with a letter or symbol corresponding to a type on the type
wheel and when the pointer g³ is placed in a hole the type corresponding to it is in
position for printing.
j is a weigh shaft extending along the front of the machine and carried by pivot
screws in the end standards c. To it are attached projecting levers j¹ with
plates these form the spacing keys the plate ja at the right hand side of the
machine need not be so large as the other which is the one used by the operator's
left hand.
”
k is a ratchet wheel secured on the end of the quick threaded screw 7, it is
rotated one tooth at a time in the direction of the arrow (Figures 5 and 7) by
means of the spring pawl m. which is secured to the spacing key . n is the
spring under the spacing key j and n¹ the corresponding one under the spacing
key. These springs are adjusted by fulcrums o. o. and screws p. p. q is a lever
with a hand piece q¹. It is centred at q and when moved in the direction of the
arrow a pin q engages with the spring pawl m, (Figures 5 and 7) and draws it
back out of gear with the ratchet wheel k thus allowing the latter to revolve
freely. At the same time another pin q* projecting forwards depresses the spacing
key and removes the brake block from the ratchet,wheel k. This brake block r
is carried on a prolongation of the lever which forms the spacing key j³.
8. 8. (Figures 5 and 7) are two small pins for limiting the motion of the lever q..
In Figure 6 the lever q is shown on the outside of the standard c, and in other
Figures it is shown inside, this is immaterial, either position may be adopted if the
parts are shaped accordingly.
9
is the quick threaded screw and t. a cylindrical prolongation of the same
forming a guide for the paper carriage. This is carried by pivot screws tapped
into the end castings c. c. and to the right hand end of the screw is secured the
ratchet wheel k. u is a female screw or nut fitting the screw l, and capable of
longitudinal movement along it in either direction. u¹ is a small handle attached
to the nut u and u³ a piece projecting downwards and secured also to the nut u.
v is a sliding piece moving to and fro on the rod t. v¹ is a handle by which it is
actuated. is a stretcher bar between.the pieces u³ and v. v³ ³ are guides for
the lower end of u to work in. wand-w¹ are horizontal spindles passing through
bearings in the pieces u and these spindles have securing nuts w² w² on one end
and spur wheels yy on the other the upper spindle has a projecting square
part w³ or its equivalent.by means of which it can be easily rotated by the finger

page_text: and thumb of the operator. On the spindles w and w¹ are mounted rollers xx, xx
for gripping the paper z. The spindles and rollers are preferably made so as to
grip the paper by their elasticity but I may use screw adjustment if required.
Returning to the printing part of the mechanism a a is the notched spring or
guard to prevent more than one letter at a time being printed. 66 (Figures 1, 2
and 5) is the spring for adjusting the motion of the vibrating board d and c c is
the regulating screw for same working in a screwed post d d.
e e, e e are the hollow arms for containing ink. Each is provided with a cap at
the top and a sponge ff at the bottom for applying the ink to the type wheel.
These arms e e, e e swing on pins g.g, g g (Figure 2) on which they have a screw
adjustment by means of nuts. hh, hh. These pins are attached to the vibrating
board d by pieces jjjj having adjustment to or from the type wheel by slotted
holes kk, kk and screws 11, 11.
The mode of using the typo writer is as follows. The rack being adjusted to its
proper position on the wheel by means of a mark, and the ink sponges set so as to
properly ink the type wheel, and the paper carriage uv set as far to the left as it
will go, a suitable sheet of paper is put in from the front over the printing block b
until it is gripped by the rollers . The lever q being now pulled towards the
front the pawl m is withdrawn from the ratchet wheel and the paper carriage
with the paper is pushed by the operator's hand as far as it will go to the right.
The lever q is then released and everything is ready for printing to begin. The
operator takes the bandle g³ of the rack in his right hand and places the fingers of
his left hand over the spacing key. He then depresses the handle, putting the
pointer g in the hole marked with the letter he wishes to print and pressing the
board lightly down at the same time depressing the spacing key with his left
hand. On withdrawing the pressure of his hands the vibrating board & regains its
normal position and the pawl m engages with the ratchet wheel k and partly
rotates it, shifting the paper carriage one space to the left in readiness for the next
letter to be printed. Letter by letter the word is thus printed and at the end of
the word the spacing key j' is depressed an extra time to make the space between
one word and the next. The work thus proceeds till the end of the line is reached
when the paper is shifted back by a partial rotation of the spindles w and w¹ and
rollers xx as previously explained. The cycle of operations is now complete.
Although the machine is drawn and described as ordinarily used it is very easy to
make the machine applicable for a left handed person by simply placing the lettered
scale hat m m and reversing the rack g to correspond.
I do not limit myself to the exact conformation and construction of parts herein
described or shown on the accompanying drawings but I may vary them somewhat
while not departing from my said invention.
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. The combination in a type writer of a printing wheel carrying types on its
circumference with a toothed wheel and a rack provided with a handle and a
pointer so that when the pointer on the rack is brought by the operator to a
determinate position on a scale of letters or symbols the printing wheel shall be in
the proper position to print the corresponding letter or symbol on the paper.
2. The construction of a paper carriage for a type writer with spindles geared
together and carrying rollers which grip the paper, as hereinbefore set forth and as
illustrated on the accompanying drawings.
brake is applied to the
paper carriage when it
3. The construction and arrangement of parts by which
ratchet wheel on the feed screw which gives motion to the
is desired that such ratchet wheel shall remain at, rest, and by which the brake is
removed from the wheel when motion is to be given to the wheel and the feed
screw.

page_text: 4. The construction and arrangement of the inking device for the printing wheel
of a type writer, consisting of hollow arms containing inked sponges or their
equivalents lightly swinging against the type wheel as herein before described and
illustrated.
5. The general construction and arrangement of the rack and toothed wheel
mechanism for actuating the printing wheel and of the paper carriage and its
inechanism the whole forming improvements upon my former invention for which
as previously recited, Letters Patent were granted me dated 5th July 1884 and
numbered 9811.