IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR MACHINERY FOR COMPOSING AND DISTRIBUTING TYPE
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Denton Abel, of No. 20, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent
Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR
MACHINERY FOR COMPOSING AND DISTRIBUTING TYPE."-A communication
from abroad by Charles Kastenbein, of Boulevard de Strasbourg,
No. 23, Paris, France, Manufacturer.
Sealed the 1st January 1870, and dated the 6th July 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Denton Abel
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 6th July 1869.
I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of No. 20, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
OR MACHINERY FOR COMPOSING AND DISTRIBUTING TYPE," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of an improved construction of apparatus or
machinery for composing and distributing type whereby the difficulties
attendant on the arrangements of mechanism employed heretofore for this
purpose are obviated. For this purpose the sorted type are piled one on

page_text: top of another in vertical compartments or type boxes at the top of the
machine, which compartments are closed at bottom by a plate upon
which the type rest, and from which they are pushed by a slide so as to
fall in a vertical position on to a notch on a lever receiving a reci-
procating motion on a spindle. Opposite the lower end of each com-
partment containing a pile of type and consequently also opposite the said
lever is one of a series of converging conduits or channels (the front
surfaces of which are covered with glass for facility of inspection), which
at the lower ends all terminate in one and the same spout, opening into
a horizontal channel conducting sideways to the frame in which the
type are to be set up. The passage of each letter from the spout is
regulated by a spring slide receiving motion from a revolving cam. As
soon as a type has been pushed by the slide into the channel leading to
the composing frame another type is caused to pass from the required
type box into one of the converging channels by the depression by the
operator of one of a series of finger keys, each marked with the letter
corresponding to the particular type box which it operates. For this
purpose each finger key is connected by means of a rod to a bell crank
lever actuating a spring slide, which, as before mentioned pushes the
required type from its box on to the notched lever. From this lever
the type is then made to fall into one of the converging passages, which
conduct it to the before-mentioned spout. As soon as one line in the
composing frame has been filled up, it is shifted laterally so as to bring
a second line opposite the conducting channel, by means of a spring
acting thereon and a reciprocating catch taking into a rack connected
to the frame and actuated by a pedal by the operator. The composing
frame is a rectangular frame or box having a number of loose partitions
corresponding to the lines of type, which partitions are consecutively
removed as soon as a line has been filled up.
For sorting the type and distributing them into the before-mentioned
type boxes, the type arranged in rows are placed upon a frame or table
of a second machine, each row of type being consecutively fed forward
by a slide, so that the last type in the row is caused to fall into a spout
communicating with a number of vertical diverging channels each
leading to one of the before-mentioned type boxes. In these channels
are small guiding flaps or doors, by the opening or closing of which the
passage of a particular type into its proper channel is effected. These
doors are actuated by a series of finger keys marked with the letter

page_text: corresponding with the type box to which each particular channel leads,
and in order to reduce the number of finger keys each of the before-.
mentioned diverging channels is made to divide at the lower end into
two channels corresponding with two separate type boxes, and the
entrance of a type into the one or other of these channels is regulated
by a second set of flaps or doors which are actuated by a pedal, and.
which are so arranged that by depressing merely the finger key the type
is made to pass into the one channel, while by depressing both the finger
key and the treadle it is made to pass into the other channel. The finger
keys are connected by means of rods to bell-crank levers actuating slides,
which on the depression of the finger key cause the corresponding type
delivered at the bottom of the channel to be pushed into the type box. By.
the aid of a small mirror the operator can readily observe the particular
letter of the last type in the advancing row on the upper table, and he
then depresses the corresponding finger key so as to cause it to be dis-
tributed to the proper type box. The motion of the slide whereby each
type is caused to fall in succession into the distributing channels is also
effected by the depression of the finger key, which is thereby made to
raise a transverse bar connected by levers to a spindle to which partial
rotary motion is thus imparted, and which again imparts such motion
to a vibrating double ended lever connected to the said slide.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Denton Abel in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 5th January 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
DENTON ABEL, of No. 20, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Hen
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Charles Denton Abel, Her special
licence that I, the said Charles Denton Abel, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles Denton
Abel, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time

page_text: agree with, and no others, from time to time and all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR MACHINERY FOR COMPOSING AND DISTRIBUTING
TYPE," a communication to me from abroad by Charles Kastenbein, of
Boulevard de Strasbourg, No. 23, Paris, France, Manufacturer, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles Denton Abel,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Denton Abel, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say :-
It is well known that the great dexterity and precision required of
skilled compositors is only attained by long practice, and the remu-
neration of such skilled labour of course renders this department of the
printers' business an exceedingly costly one. In order to obviate this
various mechanical contrivances have been proposed for effecting
automatically the work of the compositor, but these have mostly been
unsuccessful owing to the complicated nature of the mechanism
employed.
The present Invention has for its object an improved construction of
such machinery or apparatus for composing and distributing type
whereby it is believed that the difficulties attendant on the previously
proposed arrangements have been overcome.
The construction of this improved apparatus is shewn on the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings.
Figures 1 and 2 shew respectively a front and side elevation of the
apparatus for composing type, the very simple mechanism of which will
be readily understood. The sorted type are piled one above the other in
vertical compartments or type boxes a situated at the top of the machine.

page_text: The type are supported in these boxes by a plate, from which the lowest
type is pushed by means of a slide. When this slide recedes the type
falls in a vertical position on to a notch on a lever 6 having a recipro-
cating motion on a spindle, where the type remains ready to be dropped
into one of the passages or channels c when the finger key corresponding
with the letter of this type is depressed. Thus each type box a has
beneath it a passage c either vertical or inclined, which passages all
terminate in one and the same spout d, of which the orifice is situated
over the channel e leading to the composing frame A. The passages c
are formed by preference in a copper plate by means of a grooving
machine. The exit of each type from the spout d is regulated by means
of a spring slide f actuated by a cam B and the pedal C, the slide
having a small antifriction roller g, against which the cam presses. As
soon as a type has been pushed into the conducting, channel another
type is delivered into the passages c by the depression of another of the
finger keys D actuated by the workman or compositor. The levers h, h',
are lowered in depressing the keys D, and draw down the bell-crank
levers i, ¹, which enter into notches formed in the slides j and by their
motion cause these to advance in the direction of the arrow. The
forward motion of one of the slides j causes a type to be pushed out of
the corresponding type box at the same time that the type previously
pushed out and deposited on the notch of the lever 6 is caused to fall
into the passages c by the forward motion of the lever. The type then
falls through the passage c to the spout d, where it is pushed away by
the slide into the conducting channel e. This movement is repeated
at each single type desired to be introduced into the line of the composing
frame. As soon as one line is complete another workman, termed the
"adjuster," depresses a second pedal C', which causes the composing
frame to advance to an extent corresponding with the space of one line
by means of a mechanism to be described with reference to Figures 3
to 6. The composing frame A consists of a rectangular box with
transverse divisions formed by moveable bars, which are removed when
the composed type has been adjusted. Beneath the composing frame
is fixed a rack with ratchet teeth, by means of which and a spring
pressing against the sides of the frame the motion of the latter is effected.
For this purpose a moveable catch m takes into the rack and causes the
frame to advance every time the workman depresses the pedal C¹.. The
spiral spring n' brings the catch back into its original position. The
passages c are covered, by preference, with a glass door opening-on.

page_text: hinges in order that the sticking of a type in one of the passages may be
observed and the type readily removed.
At Figure 2 are shewn several secondary finger keys u, u', for
actuating italic type boxes, which finger keys are depressed in the
contrary direction to those at D, the type being made to fall through the
same passages c to the spout d.
The type before being introduced into the type boxes of the just
described machine require to be sorted. For this purpose a small type
distributing or sorting apparatus is attached to the composing machine,
the construction of which is shewn at Figures 7 to 12. Figure 7 shews
a side elevation partly in section; Figure 8 shews a plan of the frame
which receives the type to be sorted; Figure 9 shews a back view of the
passages for conducting the type into the type boxes; and Figs. 10
to 12 shew details of the apparatus. The composed type to be sorted
is placed in the frame E, where it is secured by the rule a and the
ratchet slide b. The last line of the composition is raised by the T slide.
with handle c and is pushed into the passage d. Here the line is
caused to advance towards the left hand by the pushing lever f, which
is actuated in any suitable manner by means of a mechanism depending
upon the motion of the finger keys g. A small mirror situated over the
line in the passage d allows the workman readily to read the last letter
of such line, whereupon he depresses the corresponding finger key g,
whereby the following action will take place:-The rod of this finger
key causes the bell crank i to turn, which moves back the slide j and
thus uncovers the aperture of the vertical or inclined passage k corre-
sponding with the said finger key. At the same time the small lug
fixed on the rod h (shown at Fig. 10) causes the lever m to turn,
which moves the small wedge-shaped door n by means of the levers 12¹
and 2. This door opens the passage and allows the type to fall,
which falling is effected at the same time as the above operation by the
following mechanism:-The tail of cach finger key in being raised
causes the transverse bar o to be raised vertically, which itself causes the
levers p, p', to oscillate. These levers in turning also turn the spindle A
and with it the arm q, which causes the slide B to move forward by
means of the lever c; the slide B in being thus moved forward places
the extreme left-hand type over the opening of the passages k and causes
it to fall into the same. The slide j which has receded allows the type
to fall into the fixed type box D corresponding therewith. The slide B

page_text: a
actuates the catch of the pushing slide f by means of an articulated
rod. All the above movements are effected instantaneously and simul-
taneously as soon as the workman after having read the letter of the last
type depresses the corresponding finger key. This having been done
the workman releases the finger key, which allows of the backward
motion of the slide into its original position, whereby the sorted type
is caused to pass into its respective box D. There are as many type
boxes D as letters and characters, that is to say, ninety-six, corresponding
with the same number of moveable type boxes which are removed so
soon as they are full. There are only half the number of passages k, as
will be understood on reference to Figure 11. Each passage k cor-
responds with two fixed type boxes, one to the right and one to the left;
flap or door establishes a communication between the said passage
and either the right-hand or left-hand box according as it is turned over
to the one side or the other, such motion of the flap being effected by
the workman by means of the pedal F and the levers 8, 81, 82. For this
purpose also the type are divided into two classes, one comprising the
letters much in use, while the other includes those little used, and one
of each class is marked upon each of the finger keys, as indicated at
Figure 12, and these pairs of letters are so arranged in connection with
the passages and the type boxes that for sorting a much used letter
into its type box the operator has only to depress the finger key, while
for sorting the less used letters the operator has to depress both the
finger key and the pedal F. In the first case the type falls into the
right-hand box, and in the second case it falls into the left-hand box.
For increasing at will the size of the upper orifice of the passage k two
finger keys are arranged to regulate the same by means of the spring
levers u, u, as shewn at Figure 8.
Having thus described the nature of this Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, what I claim is, the before-described system of
and apparatus for composing and distributing type, the essential features
of which consists,-
First. In the arrangement of vertical type boxes all communicating
with one common spout through which the type issue.
Second. The peculiar mechanism for removing the type from the
boxes by means of finger keys actuating levers and slides, arranged and
operating substantially as described.

page_text: Third. The pedal movements for actuating the pushing slide and the
composing frame.
Fourth. The general arrangement of and mode of actuating the
secondary or accessory parts.
Fifth. The arrangement of the type distributing apparatus.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Denton Abel, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy.
CHAS. D. ABEL. (L.S.)