Improvements in Typewriting Machines.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Jan., 1894-Accepted, 3rd Mar, 1894
CUMI LEID
Improvements in Typewriting Machines.
A communication by OTTO FERDINAND MAYER, of 4, Charlottenstrasse, Berlin,
in the Empire of Germany, Technologist.
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 :-
This invention relates to that kind of typewriting machine in which the types
are arranged on a common, elastic and horizontal movable plate, and consists
essentially in the considerably simplified form of the guide for the type disc and of
the adjusting pin as well as of the mechanism which serves both for operating the
lateral adjustment for the spacing of the letters, and for actuating the pressure
lever.
The apparatus works in such a way that after the paper has been inserted in
the usual manner and the setting pin has been adjusted for the desired type, a
pressure on a key, provided for this purpose, suffices to simultaneously move the
travelling carriage laterally and to move the pressure lever downwards.
The pressure lever only comes so far downwards that it imprints the desired type
of the type disc on the paper at the completion of the lateral adjustment of the
travelling carriage.
In order to obtain a rapid and simple yet certain adjustment of the setting pin
on the index disc, the rear end of the setting pin lever has the shape of a ball,
which is moved with its under side in a guide slot or groove and is prevented from
leaving the same by means of an upper guide bar. A typewriting machine on the
principle of this invention is shown on the accompanying drawing, in which,
Figure 1 is a plan view;
Figure 2, a vertical section of the machine;
Figure 3, a view from beneath of the travelling carriage, which view shows the
arrangement of the mechanism which operates the lateral adjustment;
Figure 4 is a vertical section on a larger scale for explaining the movement of
the pressure lever and the manner of guiding the ball of the setting pin lever.
The paper holding device, as well as the mechanism for shifting the paper for
spacing the lines, are not described as they are well known.
On the rear side of the machine, a spindle a is movably arranged in suitable
supports. The travelling carriage b is loosely and adjustably arranged on this
spindle a and rests with its front end, on which it carries the inking pad c, on a
slide bar. The index plate d, which is arranged over the travelling carriagelb, is
firmly connected with the latter, the setting pin for adjusting the type disc being
passed into the holes d' of the index plate. The index plate d has a guide groove e
which runs vertically to the spindle a. In this guide groove e, a ball of moves
freely and is connected with the setting pin g by means of a rigid lever h.
A fork shaped piece i connected to the lever h extends from the latter downwards
through the slot e and carries the elastic type plate k.
According to the hole in the index plate d in which is inserted the setting pin,
the corresponding letter of the type plate k comes over the recess c¹ of the inking

page_text: plate c and thus under the hammer of the printing lever. In order that the ball ƒ
may not quit its guide groove e, a fixed guide bar is further arranged over it.
The printing lever m lies with its hammer shaped end n over the type disc k,
that is to say directly over the recess c¹ of the inking plate c and is also adjustably
connected at its rear end to the spindle a but in such a way that it is capable of
making, as regards the travelling carriage b, only an up and down motion with its
hammer n, and not a lateral movement.
The mechanism for producing the lateral movement consists as follows:-
A serrated rack bar o is firmly connected at both ends with the spindle a and
extends parallel to this spindle a under the travelling carriage b. A key p is
provided at each end of the rack bar o.
The rear end of the printing lever has a thickened projection a through which a
screw passes, which has a pawls at its lower end. This pawl's is forced by a
spring t to remain constantly engaged with the teeth of the rack bar o. If, there-
fore, one of the keys p be pressed down, the rack bar o exerts a pressure on the
pawls, which causes a lateral movement of the travelling carriage. This causes
however simultaneously a downward movement of the printing lever, and thereby
effects on the paper an impression of the type (which has been adjusted) of the
type disc at the completion of the lateral adjustment of the travelling carriage.
The screw rests in fact with its upper end against a fixed set screw u.
however, on the adjustment of the travelling carriage along the teeth, the pawls
and with it the screw r, receives a rotary motion, the latter screws itself deeper
into the part 4. As, however, the pressure on the key p always presses the screw r
against the set screw u, the thickened rear end 7 of the printing lever m will be
moved upwards and the front end of the hammer n downwards. When the pressure
is removed from the key p, the spring t again presses the pawls and with it the
rack bar o, back into their original position.
As,
The movement of the pawl s, the pitch of the screw r, the width of the teeth of
the rack bar o, etcetera, must of course be regulated to correspond to the width of
the desired letter.
The improved typewriting machine comprised in this invention, has the advantage
of a hitherto unattainable simplicity of construction, together with great accuracy
of working and convenience of handling.
As the movement of the printing lever depends on the movement of the travelling
carriage, it is quite impossible for any letter to remain on the paper, and thus also
any so called "overprinting" that is to say the imprinting of two or more letters
on the same spot is entirely excluded.
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. A typewriting machine characterised by the arrangement of an oscillating
rack bar o, in the teeth of which engages a pawl of the travelling carriage, which
pawl is under the action of a spring with the object of adjusting this carriage
laterally substantially as described and shown.
2. In the typewriting machine described in Claim 1, the adjustable arrangement
of the travelling carriage band the printing lever m on the spindle a in such a
manner that the printing lever follows the lateral movement of the travelling
carriage, but in addition is capable of rotating to a small extent on the spindle a
substantially as described and shown.
3. In the typewriting machine herein before described, the arrangement of the
pawls engaging in the rack bar o, such pawl being on the lower end of a screw r
provided in the thickened rear end 9 of the printing lever m, which screw rests
with its upper end against a contact or stop with the object of producing simul-
taneously with the lateral adjustment of the carriage a downward movement of the
hammer n attached to the printing lever substantially as described and shown.

page_text: 4. In typewriting machines, the arrangement by which the rear ball shaped end
of the setting-pin lever travels in a guide groove e of the index disc d, whilst a fixed
guide bar arranged over that ball shaped end of the lever, insures the retention of
the latter in the guide groove substantially as described and shown.
Dated this 25th day of January 1894.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.