Improvements in Type Writing Machines.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Jan., 1893-Accepted, 18th Mar., 1893
4
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Type Writing Machines.
A communication from abroad from Messrs. WYCKOFF, SEAMANS & BENEDICT,
of 327, Broadway, New York City, New York, in the United States of
America, a Corporation organised under the Laws of the State of New
York.
1, JOHN CORRY FELL, of the firm of Fell & Wilding, of 1 Queen Victoria
Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent, 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 has for its main object to provide, in a type writing machine,
a simple, light and readily adjustable and accessible shifting platen-carrier, and
consists in the features of construction and combinations of devices hereinafter
more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a plan view of as much of a type writing machine as is necessary to
illustrate the invention.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.
Figure 3 is a vertical cross-section taken at the line x, x of Figure 1, but with
the platen shifted, and
Figure 4 is a front elevation of the shift-rod and the upper portion of the levers
to which the said rod is secured.
In the various views the same parts will be found designated by the same
numerals of reference.
1 is the top-plate of the machine, 2 the paper-carriage or platen-carrier, 3 the
platen mounted to rotate therein, and 4 a feed or pressure roller hung at the lower
ends of pivoted arms 5, having springs 6 to hold said roller normally in contact with
the platen.
The carriage or platen-carrier is provided at its front side with two frames or
housings 7, in each of which is mounted a roll 8, which bears and rides upon a
shift-rod 9, secured at the upper ends of a pair of arms or levers 10 mounted upon
a rock-shaft 11 held in the frame-work of the machine below the top-plate, and
by means of a rod 12 connected to a finger lever or shift-key, as usual but not
shown.
The platen-carrier is provided at its rear side with two arms 13, which project
rearwardly and at their free ends are pivoted at 14 to the upper end or portion of
a link or coupler 15, which at its lower end or portion is pivoted at 16 to down-
wardly and rearwardly projecting arms 17 of a yoke or small carriage 18, the said
arms 17 partially surrounding a guide-rail 19 affixed at its ends to supports 20 on
the top-plate. The yoke or small carriage 18 is provided on its upper side,
centrally, with a roll 21, which bears and rides upon the top of the guide-rail.
From said yoke, at each end, extends rearwardly, an arm 22, to which is screwed
or otherwise fastened, a bar 23, and a parallel and contiguous feed-rack 24, the
bar 23 bearing upon a small anti-friction roll 25, and the feed rack engaging with
a pinion 26. The anti-friction roll 25 and the pinion 26 are both mounted on a
shaft 27 arranged to revolve step-by-step in a bearing 28 on the top-plate, and
provided with a ratchet-wheel 29 at its rear end, with which engages the feed or
spacing dogs 30. The latter may be connected to any known or suitable spacing.
rockers or trunnions.
The yoke or small carriage 18 may be connected to any known or suitable
carriage driving-mechanism having. a tendency to pull the yoke and the connected

page_text: platen-carrier toward the left. This tendency of the driving-mechanism, as here-
tofore, is communicated through the rack, pinion and shaft to the ratchet-wheel
and spacing dogs, which latter devices prevent the carriage from moving more
than one letter space at a time during the operation of printing, as more fully
set forth in Letters Patent granted to us in the U.S. America on March 29, 1892,
No. 471,710.
The weight of, the rear side of the platen-carrier rests at a point in rear of
the guide-rail 19 and thus tends to throw the rack downwardly into engagement
with its pinion, and maintain such engagement. If the weight of the carriage
were forward of said guide-rail, a spring might be used to keep the rack and
pinion normally in mesh, as in the said Patent. In either such case it is necessary
to avoid pressure between the rack and its pinion; or, in other words, it is essential
that the points of the teeth of either member shall not bear unduly at the bases of
the notches of the other members, and to insure this operation we have provided
the bar 23 and anti-friction roll 25. The face of the latter is formed with a
radius substantially equal to that of the pitch line of the teeth of the pinion, and
hence, together with the bar 23, limits the downward movement of the feed-rack
and defines the extent of engagement between said rack and its pinion. As a con-
sequence, the friction or resistance to movement and the wear of the teeth are
largely relieved by the bar and the anti-friction roll.
About centrally of the bar 23 is affixed an adjustable stop 31 in the form of a
screw, which may serve to limit the rearward vibration or movement of the platen-
carrier during the shifting operation of the same for upper case work, a projection 32
on the back of the coupler or link 15 opposite said stop being adapted to contact
therewith. The said stop is designed more especially, however, to limit the move-
ment of the platen-carrier and coupler when the platen is raised or turned up, as
shown at Figure 2 for inspection of the work. The coupler 15 is provided with
two upwardly-extending stops 33 to limit the hinge motion in the raising of the
platen-carrier. In addition to the front rolls 8, which partially embrace the shift-
rail 9, the front of the platen-carrier is provided with a fork 34, which straddles
the shift-rail, and which by reason of its flaring sides, is adapted to guide the
platen-carrier to its normal position, with the rolls 8 bearing on the shift rail when
the platen-carrier is turned down to a horizontal position. The shift-rail levers 10
rest against front stops 35 on the top-plate in the normal position of the platen-
carrier, and strike against and are limited by similar stops 36 in shifting the
platen-carrier rearwardly for upper case work; but the stops 36 may be omitted
in consequence of the presence of the stop 31, which may also limit the shifting
movement of the carriage.
When the platen-carrier is shifted rearwardly the rear part of the same acts on
the upper portion of the coupler, and the latter is caused to swing about its pivots 16
below the guide-rail, and since the front part of the platen-carrier is caused to
swing about the rock-shaft 11, the whole movement is effected upon pivots or links,
which is a much more desirable construction than the sliding plan heretofore
largely used. The roll 21 does not support the rear side of the platen-carrier, as
such support is effected wholly and at all times by the coupler.
The yoke or small carriage 18 is capable of partial rotation about the rail 19, to
enable the feed rack to be lifted from engagement with its shaft in order that the
carriage may be quickly moved in either direction, and to facilitate such dis-
engagement of the feed-rack and the pinion, the yoke is provided on its front side
with a release-key 36, which is bent to terminate preferably at the left hand side of
the platen-carrier. By depressing the finger-portion of the release-key the yoke
with its wheel is rocked around the back rod or rail 19, thereby lifting the rear
portion of the platen-carrier slightly and elevating the rack out of engagement
with its pinion. The upward movement of the rack may be limited by a stop 37
secured on the bearing or casting 28.
The platen may be provided with a paper-guide 38 at or near each end, which
guides may support a scale-bar 39, and at the extreme front the platen-carrier may

page_text: be provided with another scale-bar 40, graduated in the same direction as the scale-
bar 39, and with the scale bar 40 may be used the stationary pointer or index 41
secured to the top-plate.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a type writing machine, the combination of a platen-carrier, a guide-rail, a
yoke adapted to travel thereon, a link or coupler pivoted to said yoke in rear of
said guide-rail at one end, and also pivoted to the rear end of the platen-carrier,
and means for shifting said platen-carrier.
2. In a type writing machine, the combination of a platen-carrier, a guide-rail, a
yoke adapted to travel thereon and provided with downwardly and rearwardly
extending arms, a link or coupler, in rear of said guide-rail, pivoted to the rear
portion of the platen-carrier and to said downwardly and rearwardly extending
arms, and a vibratory shift-rod.
3. In a type writing machine, the combination of a platen-carrier, a guide-rail, a
yoke adapted to travel and also to oscillate thereon and provided with the feed rack of
an escapement mechanism, a link or coupler in rear of said guide-rail and pivotally-
connected to the said yoke and to the rear portion of the platen-carrier, and means
for shifting the platen-carrier.
4. In a type writing machine, the combination of a platen-carrier, a guide-rail, a
yoke adapted to travel and also to oscillate thereon and provided with a feed-rack,
a pinion, a ratchet-wheel, a spacing dog, a coupler in rear of said guide-rail
connected to said yoke and to the rear side of the platen-carrier, a release-key, and
means for shifting said platen-carrier.
5. In a type writing machine, the combination of a shifting platen-carrier, a
guide-rail, a yoke adapted to travel and also to oscillate thereon, and provided with
the feed-rack of an escapement mechanism, a link or coupler, in rear of said guide-
rail, pivotally-connected to said yoke and to the rear portion of the platen-carrier,
and a stop for limiting the movement of the link or coupler when the platen-carrier
is turned up for inspection of the work.
6. In a type writing machine, the combination of a platen-carrier, a guide-rail, a
yoke adapted to travel and also to oscillate thereon and provided with a feed-rack,
a pinion, a ratchet-wheel, a dog, a link or coupler, in rear of said guide-rail, pivotally-
connected to said yoke and to the rear portion of said platen-carrier, a release-key
attached to the said oscillating yoke for raising said feed-rack, a stop to limit the
rearward movement of the link or coupler when the platen-carrier is turned up, a
stop to limit the hinge movement of the platen-carrier when turned up, and a
vibratory shift-rod.
Dated this 24th day of January 1893.
FELL & WILDING,
Agents for the Applicant.