Improved Typewriting Machine.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Dec., 1893-Accepted, 10th Feb., 1894
Improved Typewriting Machine.
A communication by LOUIS DILL, of 67, Zeil, Frankfort-on-the-Main, in the
Empire of Germany, Engineer.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors 6, Lord Street, Liverpool and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both
in the County of Lancaster and 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, 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 :-
Whilst the ordinary typewriting machines produce, by a correct spacing of the
letters, a typographically correct writing, they are, on the other hand, too heavy,
too expensive, and too cumbersome; the improved typewriting machine which
forms the object of this invention and is shown on the accompanying drawing has
only a moderate compass, is very light and simple and may, therefore, be especially
utilised as a pocket writing machine. These advantages are obtained, first, by
making the type bar have a varying lift; and, secondly, by its lying parallel to
the paper roller.
On the accompanying drawings:-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the machine:
Figure 2, a view with the paper cylinder partly removed:
Figures 3 and 3", cross sections on the line
positions.
of Figure 2, but in two different
The frame of the machine consists of a plate of sheet metal a a¹, bent at right
angles, the under part a of which is provided with feet (which are not shown)
in order that it may rest steadily on a table, or it may be screwed to the table,
if desired. The rear wall a¹ has a piece of sheet metal 6 attached to its upper
edge by means of hinges c, and, on the front edge of this part b, the type
carriage & is held by means of the groove j and the pins which engage therein,
in such a way that the carriage can only slide along the front edge. This type
carriage carries on its underside the type bark with the types; the types
may be quickly changed by taking off the bark and replacing it by another
one. On the upper side of the carriage d, there is a handle e, by means of
which the carriage is moved, and is adjusted to the desired letter. In contrast
to other similar machines where the indicator and the adjuster are identical, in
this improved machine, the correct adjustment is rendered possible by means of
the pointer which points to one of a row of letters marked on the plate b.
The paper carriage is adjustably arranged on the under surface iz of the frame,
and consists of a plate m with two standards m' m' for carrying the paper roller n.
This roller is a slotted tube which has a button or knob w at its right hand end,
to allow of its being rotated in the usual manner. The paper is inserted with its
upper edge in the slot of the tube starting from the left hand side, and then the
knob w is turned, and in this manner the paper is rolled round the tube in contrast
to the gripping between two rollers hitherto employed, by which the paper often
ran crooked. A spring s, Figures 34 and 3B, bears with a slight pressure on the
paper and holds it firm on the tube, thus preventing it from shifting accidentally.
If the carriage d with the type bar k, when in its normal position, as shown in
Figure 3, be then pressed downwards as shown in Figure 3B, the desired type of
the type bar strikes the paper p lying on an anvil, and prints the letter thereon.
The anvil consists of a piece of leather, wood, or metal, u, which is a little wider.
T

page_text: than the type. In order to allow of a fresh surface being used when the anvil is
worn a little, the anvil u is preferably polygonal in form, and this polygonal anvil
is clamped in a small holder u. When the upper surface is worn away, the
polygon is reversed sufficiently to allow of the next side surface coming to the top,
and then, by tightening the screw, the anvil is again firmly gripped. In contrast
to the method hitherto employed of supporting the paper carriage in dovetail
grooves, which easily sticks, the adjustment of the paper carriage is rendered
possible by means of a longitudinal slot in the sheet metal plate m and a screw o in
this slot.
The adjustment of the carriage to the extent of the letter required takes place
by means of a rack bar g, which is attached to the rear side of the carriage. The
pawl r, which can oscillate on a pivot t¹ of one arm of an elbow levert, engages
with this rack bar 7. The other arm of the elbow lever ends in a triangular
cutter, and lies exactly beneath the pressure bar which is attached to the rear
end of the carriage d, or forms one piece with the same. The object of this bar
will be hereinafter more particularly described. When, therefore, the plate b,
with the carriage d, is depressed in order to print a letter (from the position shown
in Figure 34 to that shown in Figure 3B), the elbow levert is also turned by the
bar engaging with it, and the pawl r slips to the right over the rack bar 7.
g
If, on the completion of the pressure, the plate & be allowed to again return to
the position shown in Figure 34, the elbow lever, with the pawl, will be drawn back
by the spiral spring y, and thereby also the rack bar and the carriage are pushed to
the left to the extent of the corresponding letter.
In order to prevent, in any case, an accidental escaping of the pawl from the
rack bar q, which is provided with teeth, by which the spacing of the separate
letters would vary, a further stop lever is employed. This is an unequally armed
lever, pivotted at and connected, by means of a small link ³, with the pivot t¹ of
the elbow lever t, and which rests with the end of its longer arm against the arm
of the pawl r.
The tension spring has always a tendency to draw the elbow lever t
to the left (seen from the side of the person looking on), whereupon the lever
and is turned by means of the connecting bar; then, as engages with the
short arm of the longer arm describes a longer course than the former and
presses against, which causes r to firmly engage with the teeth of the rack bar 9.
This stopping or engaging is so thorough that the spacing of the letters in every
case remains alike with quite mathematical precision, and it is not possible, even by
using force, to push the carriage m by hand to the left, as the pawl r is only thereby
more firmly engaged in the teeth; such an adjustment would be otherwise quite
possible without this stop lever r³.
If pressure be applied to the handle e, that is to say, if it be desired to write
something, the catch bar g presses on the elbow lever t, moves the same and thus
stretches the spring y, and also thereby moves the lever, which, in consequence
of its construction, precedes the movement of the lever ", that is to say, it is lifted
away from 7, and this latter can then move freely.
In addition to the even spacing of the letters which is obtained, the catch
lever³ prevents any over shooting of the carriage m when writing quickly.
The paper carriage may however be easily adjusted to right or left by hand
when the pawl r is disengaged from the rack bar q by the extension which projects
through a hole in the plate b, is pressed down. A finger consisting of a thin
spring strip holds down the paper which is to be written on, and at the same time
points out the place where the next letter will be impressed.
Three layers of paper are used when writing, the uppermost one being a trans-
parent tissue paper p', the next a double sided carbon or other suitable manifold
paper p, and finally the letter paper p which is to be written on; the colour or
carbon sheet is however not rolled up with the others but is held fast during the
spacing of the lines. When the metal type letter of the type bar k is pressed down
its pressure is exerted through all the three sheets of paper, and it leaves on the

page_text: underside of the tissue paper p' an impression imparted from the carbon sheet,
which impression is clearly legible from the top side of the transparent tissue paper,
and the correct impression takes place on the lower letter paper p
More than two impressions may also he made with the machine by inserting
alternate layers of writing paper and manifold or reproducing papers. An
impression in several colours may also be taken, if, for instance, for capital letters or
head lines another coloured manifold paper be placed between the sheets.
The movement of the carriage is exactly regulated to correspond to the narrow,
medium and broad letters of the alphabet, as the stroke of the type bar & is
variably arranged either by means of types of various height or by means of
pressure surfaces on the same of various heights. The pushing forward of the
pawl depends on the angular movenient of the lever and this angular movement
is in its turn dependent on the movement of the plate with the type bar. If
therefore the height 1, Figure 3" of the letters of the type bar is variable so that
the height is greatest in the case of the narrow letters (i 1 t, etcetera) and
least in that of the broad letters (w m, etcetera) the movement of the plate band
therewith the pushing forward of the pawl r will be at the smallest in the first
case and at the largest in the latter, and the carriage will be pushed forward
accordingly, one tooth for narrow letters, two teeth for medium and three teeth for
broad ones, whilst the writing more closely resembles ordinary printed type than
does that of the ordinary typewriters.
The same effect may be obtained as already stated by making recesses and
projections on the pressing surface of the bar which lies above t. For this
object the printing bar g is constructed in the form of a rack in such a way that
three different depths of teeth are obtained in which the point of the elbow lever t
may engage, and it is thus evident that the movement of this levert will be greater
or less, according as it engages in one or more deeper cut teeth, and this causes a
greater or smaller movement forward of the bar g and therewith of the carriage m
with the paper cylinder ".
In order to allow of its being ascertained from the outside, whether the com-
menced line has been nearly completed, another lever is provided, which is freely
suspended in a position of equipoise, and which shortly before the end of the line
encounters with its end the end m' of the carriage, and when the latter has
moved forward, projects with its other end through a slot in the plate 6 and thus
makes it apparent that the end of the line is reached.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is-
1. An improved typewriting machine characterised by an adjustable carriage d
parallel with the paper roller n, which carriage, when pressed down, causes the
desired type of the removable type bark to make an impression on the paper p
which is drawn over the removable anvil u, the paper being held by the slotted
tube n and wound in lines on the same and moved simultaneously with this tube on
the carriage m by means of the rack bar 9 (which is provided with teeth) and
lever and pawl mechanism rt substantially as described and shown on the
accompanying drawing.
2. In a typewriting machine such as described in Claim 1, the combination of a
stop lever and connecting link with the elbow levert for the object of
retaining the carriage m and paper roller u immovably in the desired position to the
rack bar q.
3. In a typewriting machine such as described in Claim 1, the employment of
types of various heights, or a pressing bar g provided with teeth of various depths,
with the object of suitably adjusting the movement of the pressure plate band
therewith also the lifting of the pawl r according as the letters are narrow, medium
or broad ones.

page_text: 4. In the typewriting machine such as described in Claim 1 the employment of
a double lever h¹ h³ with the object of duly making apparent from the outside the
approaching termination of a line.
Dated this 22nd day of December 1893.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.