An Appliance for Helping the Blind to Write.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Appliance for Helping the Blind to Write.
I, WILLIAM HANLON, M.A., of the Rectory, Innishannon, County Cork, Ireland,
Clerk in Holy Orders, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide a means of assisting a
blind person to write on paper with a pencil, pen, or such like. It
consists of a board to serve as a desk on a table or on the writer's knee. On
this board is a raised platform the size of the paper used, with a slight upwardly
projectig ledge on two or more sides to keep the paper in position. Hinged at
the top of one side of this platform, & provided with short sharp points on its
under side is a narrow piece that falls over the top of the paper & temporarily
secures it down on the platform by means of said points. When this narrow
piece is raised the paper is released.
Hinged, as hereinafter explained, lower down on the same side of the platform
is a thin rigid sheet, on which the hand that writes rests havig in its top a slit
less in length than the width of the paper, & of an adjustable breadth to suit the
width of the line of writing; when in position this thin sheet is over the paper
& rests upon the ledges aforesaid; ;-on its being turned aside the paper is
exposed; it is hinged on, & slides up & down, a notched rod & carries a spring
& catch engaging in the notches aforesaid, which hold it loosely in position, &
admit of its being moved up & down given & uniform distances. The pen, or
pencil, in writing is confined within, & more or less guided by, the ends & sides
of the slit aforesaid. The notched rod may be square in section & have notches
of different distances apart on each side, in which case the rod revolves in eyes at
its ends.
At the opposite side of the said platform is hinged a frame carrying on pivots
a blotting pad, which can be turned over & applied to the surface of the paper.
There is a receptacle under the platform, for stationery & such like, closed by
a door. Provision is also made for an ink-bottle & a rest is provided for pen or
pencil.

page_text: and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :---
This invention has reference to an appliance for helping the blind to write so
that a blind person can write approximately straight lines with ordinary writing
materials on ordinary paper and can also space the lines evenly, and can readily
dry the writing by means of a blotting pad.
My appliance is especially useful to those persons who have lost their sight some-
what late in life, and who are competent to form the characters from memory
provided that they can determine the proper position in which to place them.
For the purpose of my invention I provide on a suitable base, a block on which
the paper is placed and whereon it can be held in position by suitable means. On
one side of the block is, a hinged plate or flap adapted to fold over the paper,
having an elongated recess or slot through which the writing can be performed and
which serves as a guide. Means are provided for sliding this flap step by step
down the paper, the length of such steps corresponding to the spaces desired
between the lines.
On the opposite side of the block is a hinged blotting pad which can be readily
applied to the paper when the guiding flap is turned back.
Suitable receptacles are provided in or upon the apparatus for pens, ink and
paper.
In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into
effect I will proceed to describe the same fully by aid of the accompanying draw-
ings in which:
Figure 1 is a plan of one construction of my improved appliance for helping
the blind to write, the movable parts thereof being shown in their open position
or turned back, for the sake of clearness.
Figure 2 is a transverse central section of the said appliance.
a is the base board of the appliance and b is the block on which the writing
paper is placed when the appliance is in use. This block is hollow and its interior
forms a convenient receptacle for note paper and envelopes. It is secured to the
base board and is provided with a suitable ledge b' inside of which the paper fits,
the upper part of this ledge being cut away or enlarged slightly to accommodate
the envelope.
c is the device for securing the paper in position. It consists of a bar or strip
of wood or other suitable material hinged on a rod d by the side of the block, and
adapted to fold down on the upper part or edge of the paper. This bar is provided
with pins which perforate the sheet of paper and retain it securely in place.
The rod d is carried by lugs d¹ secured say to opposite ends of the block b. The
said rod may be of any desired form in section and is provided with notches for
the purpose hereinafter explained. In the present example the rod is square and
is provided with notches & arranged on opposite sides thereof.
e is the hinged plate or flap which is used to guide the writing. This plate
has secured to it or formed with it a block cl which is mounted on the rod d and
is capable of sliding thereon in a longitudinal direction under the action of a
moderate force, the purpose of such movement being to bring the plate or flap
into the proper position for a fresh line. .
Normally however the said plate or flap is restrained from endwise movement
by a blunt-pointed spring pin or tooth e² carried by a blade spring e³ and adapted
to engage the notches in the rod d with only sufficient force to prevent accidental
endwise or sliding movement of the hinged plate e, the bluntness of the point
enabling it to slip out of the notches when the plate is pushed with sufficient
force in either direction.
The purpose of the notches d² d³ is therefore to enable the endwise movements
of the plate or flap e to be readily controlled by the blind person using the
appliance, who can readily tell, both by the feeling and also by the clicking
sound, when the pin or teeth has reached the next notch to that from which it

page_text: has been displaced, and consequently when the said plate or flap has reached the
proper position for a fresh line.
The spaces between the notches are different from those between the notches d³
and the rod d is arranged so that it can turn in the lugs . The notched portion
of the rod d may be square in section, while the end thereof where the strip is
situated may be round to permit the said strip or bar c to turn thereon. The
opposite end may also if desired be made round to enable the rod to be turned
relatively to the block el to bring a different set of notches into engagement with
the pin thus enabling the space between the lines to be varied.
is the elongated recess or slot through which the writing is effected and
which serves as the guide proper. In the present instance this slot is formed in
a metal piece or attachment e secured to the plate or flap, but obviously it may
be formed directly in the flap itself if desired. It is made of a length slightly
less than the width of the paper, and means may be provided for adjusting its
length or its depth or width, which should be such as to permit the free upward
and downward movement of the pen or pencil.
e is a light spring pin or wire arranged to project across the slot near the end
thereof. The invention is that this wire coming in contact with the pen or pencil
shall give due warning that the end of the line has been reached.
f is the blotting pad. It consists of a block of wood or other suitable material
faced with a thickness of blotting paper f¹ and provided in its opposite side with
a handle f to permit it to be operated. f are hinged brass frames which may
be used for securing the blotting paper to the edges of the aforesaid block.
g is a hinge bar or rod about which the pad moves on an axis as indicated in
Figure 2, this bar being mounted in lugs gl secured to the block b.
92 are arms on the said bar or rod into the outer extremities of which project
pivot pins f secured in the ends of the blotting pad.
The arrangement is such that the pad can, by means of its handle fa, be moved
or swung over in a semi-circular path from the position shown in Figure 1 until
it rests upon the paper, the arms g² serving to guide it in its semi-circular path.
h is an end piece or end cover for the interior of the block b, in which the note
paper and envelopes are placed. This end cover is hinged by lugs h¹ to the hinge
bar g, and when it is closed its upper surface forms a continuation of that of the
block b.
i is a tubular cavity or recess formed in the handle f of the blotting pad, the
purpose of this cavity being to serve as a receptacle for pens and pencils. Similar
receptacles for different articles may be formed in other parts of the apparatus.
kis an aperture formed in the base-board for the reception of an ink-well.
The mode of using the improved appliance above described is as follows:-
The base board a is supported on the knee or on a desk, and a sheet of paper
is placed on the block b. The hinged bar or strip c is then turned over from the
position shown in Figure 1 and is pressed upon the upper edge of the sheet till
the pins center and engage therein, and retain it securely in place. The guid-
ing plates or flap e is then also folded over the paper as indicated in dotted
lines Fire 1, and is pushed endwise until the guiding slot is brought into
the position where it is desired to commence the writing, and the pin has
engaged in a notch of the rod or bar d.
The blind person using the appliance then applies the point of the pen or penci!
to the portion of paper left uncovered by the slot, and by feeling the edges of
the said slot can readily judge the proper relative position of the said pen or
pencil, and can without difficulty write an approximately straight line.
Having finished one line, he has only to push the plate or flap e down the
block b until the spring pin e³ enters the next notch in the rod d when another
line can be written in a similar manner.
and
If the writing be done in ink, it is desirable to employ a stylographic pen
having a tubular front, and it is also desirable to raise the guiding plate
apply the blotting pad to the paper after each line to avoid danger of smearing

page_text: the writing. Obviously instead of the rod d having two sets of notches it might
either have a single set only, or have three or even four sets.
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. An appliance for assisting the blind to write comprising means for fixing
a sheet of paper in position and for moving over it step by step a guide plate having
an elongated recess or slot through which the writing can be performed, substan-
tially as described.
2. An appliance for assisting the blind to write, constructed substantially as
hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 15th day of January 1898.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.