Improvements in Type Writers and in Type-cleaning Devices therefor.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Apr., 1890-Accepted, 7th June, 1890
COMPLETE STECIFICATION.
Improvements in Type Writers and in Type-cleaning Devices
therefor.
We, FRED VAN FLEET, merchant, and GEORGE ERIEG GRAFF, stenographer, of
Williamsport, in the County of Lycoming, State of Pennsylvania, United States of
America, do hereby declare the nature of our invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TYPE WRITERS AND TYPE-CLEANING DEVICES THEREFORE to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
-
"
The liability of type to become soiled and to make a blurred impression is well
known as a serious impediment to the continuous and satisfactory use of type-writing
machines. Frequent cleaning becomes necessary. To facilitate this, brushes and
similar devices have been attached to such machines and provided with suitable hand
wheels or cranks and intermediate connections whereby such brushes are moved over
the face of the types to clean them, without the necessity of introducing into the
machine any brush, cloth or other article not ordinarily connected thereto. But such
devices have been altogether hand-operated, or have been mere endless belts not used
in true type-writing machines of modern construction, and cleaning only one type at a
time.
Our chief object in this invention is to provide for automatically cleaning the type
by an oscillating brush which is actuated by the normal operation of the machine.
This brush is also arranged to be operated by hand if preferred. So far as we are
aware it is broadly new to use for such a purpose a brush adapted and arranged to be
operated automatically or by hand at will. A brush adapted to clean all the type at
one stroke is also new and a part of our invention.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 represents a rear elevation of a Remington type-writing machine provided
with an automatic brush operating attachment embodying our invention.
Fig. 2 represents a central vertical section of the same;
Fig. 3 represents a detail perspective view of the same ;
Fig. 4 represents a plan of the brush type basket, and part of the brush-operating
lever, the type bars being shown in cross section.
A designates the frame of the machine; B the carriage for the feed roll and paper,
movable across the top of said frame from side to side on guide bars C("; D the
main spring, drawing said carriage from right to left by strap D¹; E the rack-bar,
pivoted on rear guide-bar C¹, but connected to said carriage and provided on its under
side with rack E1; F the escapement, having pawls ff engaging with said rack to
govern the movement of the carriage from right to left and convert it into a step by
step motion of less or greater intervals, according to whether said escapement is
acted on by the buttons or keys G through button or key levers H lower cross-bar I
connecting rods J and upper cross-bar K or by treadle-bar or space-bar L and its
rearwardly extending arms L', bearing directly on said lower cross-bar. The rack-bar
is provided on the opposite side of its pivotal line from the rack E with a bent or
angular arm M, having a terminal thumb-piece m, whereby said angular arm may
be depressed for lifting the rack F' out of engagement with said escapement
pawls. This is usually done to allow the retraction of the carriage. The same result
may also be attained by depressing the rear end of the feed-roll lever N, which over-
hangs this angular arm M. By lifting the forward or handle end of this lever, which
is pivoted to the carriage, this depression is effected, and simultaneously the feed
rolls O. P., journaled in said carriage, are driven by a pawl n on said feed-roll lever,
engaging a ratchet wheel p on the shaft of one of said rolls, to effect the required line

page_text: spacing. This lever is also provided with a replacing spring n'. Each button-lever or
key-lever is connected by a rod / to a type-bar H', the series of type bars and types
forming the type-basket of elliptical downward opening. Across the top of said type-
basket extends the inking ribbon i, winding at its ends. on rollers j. The escape-
ment F is provided at its base with a sleeve F, turning on a shaft or rod Q, which is
fixed to the rear of frame A. All of the parts thus far referred to are old and well
known, and we do not deem it necessary to describe further the details of the ordinary
Remington machine.
"
R designates a rack attached to rack-bar E, but entirely distinct from the ordinary.
rack E already described. It meshes, when said rack is lifted as before described,
with a gear-wheel S on a short shaft T, and has either more or less than half the
number of teeth of said wheel, to avoid locking the latter on the lower "dead
central position of the pitman hereinafter described. Said shaft T is journaled in the
upwardly extending walls of an U-shaped bearing bracket S' which is detachably
fastened to frame A by screws s or in any other convenient manner. These screws also
hold in place the stop t, which prevents the rack bar from rising too far. This is the
ordinary rack bar stop of such machines, except that we have recessed it at t', to avoid
contact with the wheel S. When our type-cleaning devices are to be applied to a
Remington machine or any other of similar construction in this respect, the screws s
are withdrawn, the bearing bracket S' is placed on the base part of said stop and the
stop and bracket together are secured to said frame by said screws.
The shaft T has a crank arm T' on it from which a pitman U extends down to the.
brush-operating arm or lever V the connection between them being at or near
the outer end of the latter. The other end of said lever carries a brush W of such
shape as to fit the lower opening of the type-basket, so that an upward motion of said
brush will carry it over all the types at once. The middle part of said arın or lever V
is attached to a yoke or U-shaped suspending bracket X which is loosely hung at its
ends on the escapement-shaft or rod Q aforesaid or its center pins or bearings. Thus
the said brush-operating arm or lever V is not pivoted directly but suspended
pivotally so as to have its fulcrum point considerably above the lever itself, making
the upward, and downward motion of the brush more nearly vertical than it would be
in the former case. The downward motion of pitinan U causes the upward motion of
said brush; and the downward motion of the latter is caused by the action of a
retracting spring Y extending from bracket S¹ to arm V. The attachment of said
arm or lever V to bracket or yoke X is by means of a clamping plate Z, which fits on
said arm, the latter resting in its turn on the lower part of said yoke. This clamping,
plate is fastened to the latter by screws . These may be loosened and the said bar
or lever may be slipped farther in or out before tightening them again, thus adjusting
easily the length of the throw and allowing compensation for wear and such con-
traction or expansion as may be due to changes of temperature.
As the brush-operating rack R can engage with the gear-wheel S, arranged above it,.
only when the rack-bar and rack E are lifted so high that the latter no longer engages
the escapement, it follows that the operation of type cleaning when the devices are
arranged and combined as shown, cannot proceed simultaneously with that of printing,
nor with that of spacing. But the shifting of the carriage from side to side of the
frame either in retracting or shifting forward for dating or other purposes, is an
equally necessary step in the operation of the machine, and every time the feed-roll
lever is moved to allow this shifting the brush. is vibrated across the types as a
necessary incident of such motion. The brush-operating arm or lever V may of
course be operated by hand also, the pitman U being first detached by opening
the eye at its lower end which may be a spring eye if preferred, to allow
this method of working. But the automatic action of our oscillating type-
cleaning brush is the most important feature of our invention; and the latter
would include a brush capable of cleaning all the type at once and its operating
connections whatever the kind or style of type-writing machines to which they
may be applied, and whether attached to the shifting mechanism as in the

page_text: instance illustrated or otherwise. The essential distinction being that such a brush
must be actuated by some part of the normal operation of the machine, in order that
it may not require individual thought and effort, nor be liable to the risk of neglect.
With such an attachment the act of cleaning must be very frequent, and the machine
can be operated continuously and the types will never become soiled so as to deface the
impression.
The brush may be made cheaply and easily replaced when worn out..
A machine such as the one shown, will need no modification for the attachment of
the brush operating devices, except necessarily changing the rack bar stop very
slightly, the escapement shaft or its centre pins or bearings being made to do double
duty and the rack-bar stop temporarily moved as described. Of course the form and
material of the brush may vary as needed or desired.
Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by
letters patent is :
1st. In a type writing machine the combination of a type cleaning brush movable
at one motion over the surface of the type and away therefrom with the type writing
and paper shifting mechanism and connections between said brush and a moving part
of said machine, in order that the brush may be operated as above stated by the
normal working of the machine for the purpose set forth.
2nd. A type-writing machine provided with an automatic oscillating brush or type
cleaner for the purpose set forth.
3rd. In a type-writing machine the combination of the movable rack-bar, the feed-
roll lever arranged opposite an attachment of said rack-bar for operating the latter, a
type-cleaning brush and connections between said rack-bar and said brush substantially
as set forth.
4th. In a type writing machine a rack bar provided with two racks and movable
upward and downward, in combination with an escapement engaging one of said
racks when said rack bar is in one position and a gear-wheel engaging the other rack
when said rack bar is in the other position, a type-cleaning brush and connections
between said gear-wheel and said brush for automatically operating the latter sub-
stantially as set forth.
5th. In combination with a type basket, a type cleaning brush corresponding in
shape and size to the opening of said basket and the series of type arranged therein
and a lever connected to said brush for the purpose of moving the latter across all the
type at once substantially as set forth.
6th. In combination with a type-cleaning brush and its lever, a yoke to which said
lever is attached, the said yoke being adapted to be suspended from the escapement
shaft or escapement shaft centers, of a type-writing machine substantially as set forth.
7th. In combination with the type cleaning brush and its lever, a yoke hung
pivotally to points above said lever and a clamp or set screw adjustably securing said
lever to said yoke substantially as set forth.
.
8th. In combination with a type cleaning brush and its lever a crank-shaft, pitman
and retracting spring for vibrating the said lever and a rack and wheel for rotating
said shaft, the rack being movable with the carriage of the type-writing machine
substantially as set forth.
9th. In combination with a oscillating type-cleaning brush and the carriage of a
type-writing machine, a rack and wheel, a pitian, a crank shaft for said wheel and a
brush-carrying arm or lever the rack having either slightly more or slightly less than
half the number of teeth in said wheel to avoid dead centreing substantially as set
forth.
10th. In a type-writing machine, the combination of an automatic oscillating type-
cleaning brush with the types, the operating mechanism, and connections whereby the
brush will be caused to clean said type by the normal operation of the machine sub-
stantially as set forth,
"

page_text: 11th. A type-writing machine, provided with an automatically operated oscillating
type-cleaning brush or device, said brush being also adapted to be operated by hand
substantially as set forth.
12th. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a type-cleaning brush,
arranged within the type basket, with the carriage and intervening mechanism
operating said brush automatically for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 17th day of Man 1000
FRED. VAN FLEET.
GEORGE ERIEG GRAFF.