Improvements in and relating to Typewriting and like Machines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Mar., 1897-Accepted, 1st May, 1897
Improvements in and relating to Typewriting and like Machines.
I, ERNST WILHELM BRACKELSBERG of Ohligs, Kingdom of Prussia, Empire of
Germany, Merchant, 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 typewriting and like machines, more especially with
reference to the grouping of the characters.
All typewriting machines hitherto known have the disadvantage that they only
allow of printing separately and successively the characters which form a word. It
would however be a great advantage in the matter of the speed of writing if groups of
letters could be printed simultaneously. In typewriting machines in which the
characters are arranged on a printing block this is naturally impossible, whilst in
machines in which the characters are arranged on separate levers attempts have
already been made in this direction but without arriving at a successful result. This
result is successfully achieved by means of the new method hereinafter described
which is applicable not only to key-operated writing machines but also to machines
for stamping and to machines for moulding.
This method is based on the idea of arranging the alphabet in such a manner that
by striking several keys simultaneously the greatest possible number of groupings of
letters can be made such as are met with in words, and in which type levers having a
spring action are operated in such a manner that the types or characters connected
therewith shall place themselves side by side at the place of impression as in composing
for printing a book, but naturally with this difference that in the latter case, there are
at disposal a greater or less number of duplicates of each of the types, which has the
result of causing the formation of groups to be without limit, whereas in the case
forming the subject of this invention the number of groups depend on the more or
less favourable arrangement of the alphabet and is therefore limited. But this does
not of course prevent the provision of several sets of alphabets (for example one set of
capitals and two sets or alphabets of small letters) and several repetitions of those
letters which frequently occur (for example n).
29
If for example the letters of the alphabet be grouped in the following manner :-
k, m, p, f, j, b, z, v, w, g, o, d, a, e, i, 1, r, u. n, s, c, h, t, q, x, y, then we shall be able
to write at once by striking simultaneously the corresponding keys, the words "an,"
"in," zu, wo, dir, wer, der, den, des, das, vor, von, man, ist, mit, gut, mir, bei, zwar,
weil, auch, mich, oder, mischt, modern, feilscht, etc., and in twice-wart-en, sch-wer,
mun-det, grun-zen, flun-kern, wan-dern, gol-den, bausch-en, verst-eht, zuc-ken,
marsch-irt, zwin-gen, gest-ern, etc., and the following can be written in three times or
movements:-be-den-ken, pfusch-er-ei, alt-on-a, pfl-an-zen, be-leucht-en, ver-bor-gen
ver-dicht-en, etc. The phrase, "Gesch-win-di-g-keit ist kein-e h-es-er-ei," may be
written in twelve times or movements.
e,
If there be added to the alphabet a second n; k m, p, f, j, b, z, v, w, g, e, d, a, n,
i̟, l, r, u, n, s, c, h, t, q, x, y; then those words which have a double n such as
"dann," wann, kann, may be written in once, and the word "
can be written in two movements.
nen-nen
"with four n's
The machine forming the subject of this specification and accompanying drawing
is constructed in such a manner as to allow of the application of this principle.

page_text: Figure 1 is a vertical section thereof, Figure 2 is a plan, Figure 3 is a view of the
mechanism for feeding the paper, and Figure 4 is a detail of the latter.
C
Figure 5 is a detail of the type lever with a rule or reglet supported in front.
The key levers a (of which only thirteen are shown for the sake of simplicity and
clearness, and the keys of which are kept raised by pressure springs b) have connected
to them the type levers c the position of rest of which corresponds as usual with the
most elevated position of the keys. These type levers care (contrarily to the
arrangement existing in the most forms of type-writing machines) arranged side by
side on the straight axle d. In order to allow of guiding the types to the place of
impression, the arms of the type levers are formed in such a manner as to act as
springs, this being effected by means of stamped out portions t, or the type levers are
provided at t with a hinge that forms a spring (as in spring folding eye-glasses) in
such a manner that when they slide along the two guiding rails and they bend
more or less according as they are situated more or less towards the side. At the
place where impression is effected, the type which is situated furthest to the left bears
against the fixed rail. The other types which are situated further to the right place
themselves at the side of the first type, causing the moving guiding rail h to yield
which remains compressed by a spring i of suitable strength, and which moves back
only to the width necessary for the grouping of the types.
When the keys are released, and when the type levers resume their position of
rest, the movable guiding rail also resumes its initial position in which it bears
by means of the rod or stem / against the inclined stop 9. Figure 4. The deviation
of the movable guiding rail, which (as will necessarily result from the foregoing) is always
at its end exactly equal to the total width of the printed characters or impressing
types, may be utilized for operating the mechanisin for feeding the paper, from
which it will be clearly seen that the writing is a real impression, contrary to the
square writing produced by the majority of other type-writing machines. For this
purpose the rod is fixed by means of a hinge to the point k of the movable
guiding rail and engages at its other end the arresting lever or paw! m of a
friction stopping device. The latter consists of the said lever m and of the rod n
As
which is fixed to the paper cylinder o. The operation of this friction stopping
device forming a toggle with the rod will be understood by inspection of Figure 4.
When the lever m is moved by the rod in a direction opposite to the direction
of the arrow, the stopping device is released and the loop or slide m¹ slides from
left to right along the rod n without moving the latter along with it. When the
lever m is operated in the opposite direction the slide m¹ engages the rod n and
causes it to slide, as also the paper cylinder o, in the direction of the arrow.
the release or disengagement of the stopping device is effected directly by the
widening out of the movable guiding rail and as the forward movement is effected
directly by the return movement of "h, it is obvious that the paper will always be
moved forwards exactly by the amount equal to the sum of the width of the types which
have just been impressed. In order to insure the exactness of this forward movement
the rod is formed with an inclined surface r. which strikes upon the inclined stop q
in such a manner that the stopping device will be still more effectively held in place
and will thus limit accurately the forward movement and the travel of the paper
cylinder because the greater the shock the more tightly will the stopping device hold
the rod n.
In order to be able when required to suppress the difference of alignment existing
when printing a long group of letters, between the right hand characters which
are situated lower than the left hand characters, the fixed rail y may be provided
for example with an angle piece p under the horizontal leg of which the heads of
the type levers are placed by the pressure of their respective springs (Fig. 4).
But there is no objection either to arrange the types so as to be movable upon
the type levers and in causing them to strike either above or below against a suitable
adjustable rail which acts as a rule or reglet.
Figure 5 shows one of these forms of construction. The type e formis with the

page_text: U-shaped metal piece va flat socket or ferrule which moves upon the type lever and.
which is held in a state of rest against the shoulder a by means of a spring w. s is the
rule or reglet arranged upon the fixed rail g and which in printing raises the characters
to a sufficient height to compensate for the inequalities in the length of type levers,
and so
cause the line to be in exact alignment, i.e., perfectly straight. The
arrangement of, and the mechanism connected with, the paper cylinder, as also the
arrangement of the inking device, may be of any suitable construction and need not
be described here.
The spaces between the words are produced by operating type levers unprovided
with types and arranged for that purpose. By this means spaced writing may also be
produced. In printing characters separately the spacing in the writing may be effected
by means of the adjustable stop by moving the latter backwards to the extent
required by the spacing of the writing with the result that the moving rail h moves
back to the extent of the width of the latter brought into position, and of the
stopping device, and effects in a corresponding manner the forward movement of the
paper.
The application of the typewriting machine herein above described to stamping
machines or to moulding machines is very simple. It is merely necessary to construct
the same in such a manner that the various types or matrices shall be held in their
position for stamping or moulding by means of a bar y moving from the position Z.
into the position Z' (Figure 1) and that the stamping of the plastic paper shall be
then effected by the movable stamp or punch for that for moulding, (according to the
well-known method of "logotypes") a moulding device shall be moved in front of
the matrices.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-.
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
(1.) In-machines for printing, stamping and moulding characters or letters, the
particular arrangement or method consisting in placing simultaneously in position for
printing stamping, or moulding various characters by simultaneously striking the
various keys by means of which the types mounted on the type levers are placed side.
by side in a working position in the same manner as in composing for printing books
whilst in general making use only of a series of characters arranged in a suitable
manner, whilst however the same characters may be repeated several times for the
purpose of obtaining a greater variety in the formation of groups the said type levers
returning to their initial position as soon as the pressure on the keys ceases, as
set forth.
(2.) In a typewriting or like machine carrying out the principle specified in
Claim 1, a machine characterized by keys a operating type levers c, carried by a
common straight axle d and whose spring-action arms are caused by two converging
guide rails g and to move towards the place of impression and to place themselves
with their type heads one beside the other, the movable guide rail / deviating for that
purpose by an amount proportional to the total width of the printed type, said
deviation being employed to operate the device that serves to feed that paper,
substantially as hereinbefore described and shown.
(3.) In the typewriting or like machine specified in Claim 2, a friction stopping
device in the form of a toggle for feeding the paper, consisting of a stop lever m
operated by the guide rail through the medium of the rod 7 and serving by means
of its slide or loop m¹ to move the rod m the, in one direction only whilst leaving
it free in the other direction, and striking with its oblique surface against the
oblique surface of the stop 7 in such a manner that the paper shall not move
forward more than necessary as hereinbefore described and shown.
(4.) In the type writing or like machine specified in Claim 2 the arrangements
consisting in placing the types in such a manner as to act like springs or to slide on
the type levers in order to hold them elastically by means of the spring w against the

page_text: rule or reglet placed
shoulder to bring them in exact alignment by means of
in front of them, substantially as hereinbefore described and shown.
(5.) Type-writing and like machines constructed substantially as hereinbefore
described and shown.
Dated this 12th day of March 1897.
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., M.I. Mech. E.,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Associate Agent.