Cleaning the Type of Type-writing Machines.
Year: 1893

page_text: CUMI LEIM DI FUIFICATION.
Cleaning the Type of Type-writing Machines.
I, THOMAS HEADLY STACKHOUSE, of 139 South Fourth Street, in the City
and County of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, one of the United States of
America, Clerk, 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 :-
The object of my invention is to furnish a device for cleaning the type of type-
writing machines which will be rapid and effective in its operation, which can be
used equally well in machines in which the type-bars are set in circles or ellipses,
and which can be thrown into or out of position to clean the type by the operator
instantly and without danger of soiling the hands.
Upon
My invention consists of a bracket which is attached to the lower frame of the
type-writing machine and which is furnished with vertical guides in which or upon
which an arm is carried, which is adapted to be raised or lowered on the guides and
clamped at any point on them. Upon the inside end of the arm is carried in
suitable bearings a brush having the shape preferably of a truncated cone.
the shaft which carries the brush is a bevel-gear, and upon the end of a shaft
carried in suitable bearings upon the arm is a bevel-gear gearing into gear upon the
brush-shaft and driving it. Upon the outside end of this second shaft is a crank,
by means of which this shaft, the bevel-gears, and brush may be driven.
In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this Specification, and in which
similar letters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views―
Figure 1 is a side elevation of my device, the brush and its connected parts being
lowered;
Fig. 2, a similar view, the brush and its connected parts being raised into position
to clean the type;
Fig. 3, an end elevation of the bracket for carrying the brush and its connected
parts, and
Fig. 4, a side elevation of the outside end of the arm for carrying the brush.
A, Figs. 1 and 2, represents part of the lower frame of a type-writing machine.
B, is a bracket, which carries guides C, and which is secured to the frame A, by
means of a thumb-screw D, or in any suitable manner.
E, is an arm, the rear end of which is furnished with a projection a, Fig. 4, which
passes between the guides C, and with a screw b, and thumb-nut c, by means of
which the arm E, may be tightly drawn and clamped against the guides C, in order
to hold the arm E, at any height on the guides C.
F, is a shaft carried in suitable bearings upon the inside end of arm E. G, is a
brush carried by this shaft, and H, a bevel-wheel upon this shaft.
I, is a horizontal shaft carried in suitable bearings K L on arm E; M, a bevel-
wheel upon the inside end of this shaft gearing into bevel-wheel H, and N, a crank
upon its outside end.
O, represents the type-bars, and P, the type carried by the type-bars.
In Fig. 1 the device is shown with the arm E, the brush G, and their connected
parts dropped down so as to be out of the way of the type-bars. In Fig. 2 the
device is shown raised, so that the brush G, may clean the type, which is done by
turning the crank N, which, through shaft I, bevel-gears M H, and shaft F,
revolves the brush G. The arm E, is held at any height on the guides C, by
tightening the thumb-screw c, on the screw b. The brush G, is conical in shape,
as shown, and the cleaning of the type is done at some point between the lower
point of rest of the type-bars and the point at which the type impinge upon
the platen.
The brush is made of a thickness sufficient to clean the type on

page_text: both the longer and shorter bars of those machines that have type-bars of
different lengths. When it is desired to clean the type, the arm E, is raised,
as shown in Fig. 2, and clamped fast to the guides C. Several of the keys of
the machine are operated to throw their type-bars against the brush G, which
is revolved by means of the crank N, as already described, and after all the type
have been cleaned the arm E, and brush G, are dropped to the position shown in
Fig. 1, where they are entirely out of the way of all the working parts of the
machine.
↑
I am aware that brushes actuated by gear-wheels and shafts have before been
used to clean the type of type-writing machines. I do not, therefore, claim such
devices broadly; but
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. The combination, with a type-writing machine, of a guide carried by the frame
of the machine, an arm carried by this guide and adapted to be raised or lowered
on this guide, a set-screw or thumb-nut for clamping the said arm and guide, a
vertical shaft upon the inside end of said arm, a conical brush and a gear-wheel
carried by said vertical shaft, a shaft carried by said arm, a gear-wheel carried by
said shaft and gearing into gear-wheel on said vertical shaft, and a crank for
revolving said second shaft, all substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
2. The combination, with a type-writing machine, of a conical brush, a vertical
shaft upon which said brush is mounted, a horizontal shaft, gear-wheels upon said
shafts meshing with each other, an operating-crank upon said horizontal shaft,
a horizontal arm carrying said shafts and their connected parts, and means, sub-
stantially as described, for carrying this horizontal arm and for adjusting it and the
horizontal shaft and their connected parts vertically, substantially as and for the
purposes set forth.
Dated this 8th day of March A D 1893
S. S. BROMHEAD,
97, Newgate Street, London, E.C., Patent Agent.