IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COMPOSING T
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Adam Millar, of 9, Brooke Street, Holborn, in
the County of Middlesex, Mechanician, for the Invention of
ADDADAMI PAR COMO "
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COMPOSING Tvon
Sealed the 20th November 1874, and dated the 30th May 1874.
.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Adam Millar at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th May 1874.
I, ADAM MILLAR, of 9, Brooke Street, Holborn, in the County of
5 Middlesex, Mechanician, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COMPOSING TYPE," to be as
follows:-
In order that the apparatus or machine may be in a compact form and
simple in its mechanism I limit the compass of the composing apparatus
or machine to the letters of one alphabet only, with the proper comple-
ment of spaces and marks of punctuation, say, 40 characters.

page_text: viously mentioned, the "composing stick" being supported by a race or
slide at right angles to the surface of the inclined plane. The composing
stick has a sliding movement in the race, the downward direction of
which movement is governed by a rack and pinion, or other suitable
gearing, actuated by means of a rocking frame, which in its turn is
actuated by each of the series of selecting levers.
The rocking frame is brought back to its normal position by springs
or otherwise, and is capable of being moved throughout its working
range by the operator independently of the action of the selecting levers,
and it is also capable of being placed beyond the action of the levers
when necessary.
The rate of the downward movement of the composing stick is uniform
for all the levers of the scries, being equal to the average thickness of
letters as they occur in their various degrees of frequency in ordinary
composition; but in order that the operator may see when the movement
of the composing stick is in excess of the collective thickness of the
types which have passed into it, or vice versa, a series of holes or other.
openings are made in the sides of the composing stick, through which
the types can be readily seen and at once rectified by the independent
action of the rocking frame previously described.
When a special type or character not contained in the series of troughs
or columns of the apparatus is required it is selected from an indepen.
dent case, and placed by the operator upon the inclined plane, from
which it descends into the composing stick in like manner to those
selected by the levers as previously described.
The composing stick is so arranged that it can be readily removed
from its race or holder for correcting or adjusting the types if required.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Adam Millar, Her special license that I,
the said Adam Millar, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Adam Millar, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter 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 FOR COMPOSING TYPE,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Adam Millar, 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 Adam Millar, 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 thercof, that is to say :-
In order that my improved apparatus or composing machine may be
in a compact form and simple in its mechanism according to my
improvements I limit the compass of the composing apparatus or
machine to the letters of one alphabet only, with the proper complement
of spaces and marks of punctuation, say, forty characters or thereabout.
The apparatus or machine is so arranged that letters other than those
selected by the machine may be selected by the operator from ordinary a
type cases placed or arranged adjacent to the machine, such additional
or independent types being introduced from time to time by the operator,
and passed through the machine or apparatus in the order in which they
occur in the "copy" to be set up.
And in order that my improvements may be clearly understood and a
readily carried into operation I will proceed to describe the Drawings of
the machine or apparatus hereto annexed.

page_text: .
Figure 1 shows a side elevation, and Figure 2 a plan of a composing
apparatus or machine arranged and constructed in accordance with my
Invention.
The apparatus consists of an inclined plane a of polished metal or
other suitable material fixed on the block a¹ of the base a². At the lower
end of the inclined plane a the apparatus for receiving the types equiva-
lent to a "composing stick" is placed, and at the end the various types
to be selected or operated upon are placed.
The types are arranged in columns or files resting upon the inclined
plane a, being kept in position by a series of open ended troughs b, b¹,
standing endwisc on the inclined plane a, and at right angles or thereabout
to its surface.
3
The series of troughs b, b, are arranged in such positions that the
types which they contain are all directed towards a common centre,
which is a few inches from the lower end of the inclined plane a.
Each trough 6, 61, has an opening at the back close to the surface of
the inclined plane a, through which opening the undermost type of the
column is pushed by means of a piston c acted upon by a lever d, each
trough b, b¹, having its own piston c and lever d. Only two of the
pistons c and the ends of two of the levers d are shewn in the
Drawings.
Attached to each lever d is a knob or button e, e, on which the operator
presses with his fingers to select the particular letter or character
required, the levers d, d, being brought back to their normal position by
the spiral springs f.
The series of the troughs b, b', are kept in their proper position by
being inserted into a base plate b². A series of shallow grooves or
channels are formed in the lower side of the base plate 63, through
which the pistons c, c, work when discharging. the types from the
troughs b, b'.
The pistons c, c, are supported by the inclined plane a, which is pro-
longed beyond the base plate b² for that purpose.
A series of guide slots are formed in the prolonged part of the inclined
plane a, in which the free ends of the levers d, d, work.
A rail 6 around the end of the inclined plané a prevents the levers
from going beyond the end of the guide slots a³,

page_text: Each piston c is geared to its lever d by means of a pin d² (formed
on the free end of the lever d), passing through a hole or cyc in the
piston c.
The levers d, d', move upon a joint d³ on the base a², and instead of
leading in a straight line to the ends of the pistons c they are shaped in
such a manner as to occupy a nearly horizontal position for some distance
from the joint d³, and then lead to the end of the guide slots a³ by several
bends, as clearly shewn in Figure.1.
The buttons or knobs e, e, are fixed to the horizontal part of the
levers d, d, so that a vertical pressure on the knobs e, e, produces a
movement of the free ends of the levers d, d, in a direction nearly
parallel to the line in which the pistons c, c, move. The buttons or
knobs e, e, are arranged in three straight lines, the second line of knobs
being higher than the first, and the third line higher than the second, as
shewn in Figure 1.
In working the machine the operator will stand at the end of the
machine, so as to have the selecting levers d, d, in front of him; and in
order that he may have a better view of the lower end of the inclined
plane a, the troughs containing those types or characters which are
less frequently used are placed at the left hand of the operator, and are
made much shorter than the other troughs 6, so that he can easily see
over them, and have a better view of the receiving apparatus.
The types are guided into the composing stick arranged in combina-
tion with the machine or apparatus by means of two guides g; g, fixed
upon the surface of the inclined plane a so as to form a narrow channel
at the lower end, and spreading outwards at the upper end so as to
embrace the space occupied by the lower ends of the whole series of
troughs b, b', containing the types.
The arrangements for receiving the types as they slide from off the in-
clined plane a consist of a composing stick h in the form of a trough closed
at the lower end, and mounted in a position opposite the end of the narrow
channel previously mentioned, the composing stick being supported by
a race or slide j supported at right angles to the surface of the inclined
plane a. The composing stick h has a downward movement in the race
or slide j produced by the depression of the selecting levers d, d', acting

page_text: through the following mechanism, part of which is shewn on an enlarged
scale in Figures 3 and 4:-k, k, is a rectangular frame having a vibratory.
motion on the pivots 1, 1, which pass through the lower end of the
frame k, k. The upper side of the frame k, k, passes under the series of
levers d, d¹, and is kept close up to them by the spiral spring m. To the
lower side of the frame k, k, a bent arm n is fixed, which acts as a driver
to the ratchet wheel o carried by the shaft p, which shaft p also carries
a small pinion p¹ working in the middle of the race or slide j, and in
gear with a rack q fixed to the back of the composing stick h. The.
end of the arm n is jointed at r, and carries a spring, which keeps the
driver or jointed part ¹ in contact with the ratchet wheel o.
The distance which the composing stick / travels for each time that
one, of the knobs e, e, is depressed is equal to the average thickness of
the types as they occur in their various degrees of frequency in ordinary
composition, as for instance if twelve inches of a line of types contain on
an average one hundred and forty-four types then the rack and pinion
and the ratchet wheel should be so proportioned to each other that for
each movement of the levers d the composing stick h should travel one-
twelfth part of an inch. If desired a series of holes or other openings
may be made in the sides of the composing stick to enable the operator
to see when the height of the column of types in the composing stick
varies from the proper distance from the surface of the inclined plane.
But these openings in the sides of the composing stick may be dispensed
with by means of the following arrangements, and in order that no
stoppage or interruption to the working of the machine should occur
when the collective thickness of the series of types forming a word
exceeds the average, as already described, a downward. movement is
communicated to the composing stick / independently of the action of
the levers d, d, by means of the arms on the axis t being pressed down
upon the uppermost type of the column in the composing stick h, and
pushing the column. along with the composing stick h downwards until
the top of the column is at the proper height. The mechanism for
producing this movement of the arms consists of a curved arm u, also
fixed to the axis t, from which curved arm u a cord u¹ leads over the
pulley to the shorter arm w of the lever working on the axis x. The
depression of the longer arm w¹ of the lever pulls the cord u¹ and
depresses the arm s. A spiral spring y is connected to the curved arm u,
and brings the arms back to its normal position,

page_text: In order that there may be no loss of time in working this supple.
mentary apparatus it is made to act in conjunction with the lever d¹,
which belongs to the trough bin which the " spaces or blanks which
are used to separate the words from each other are arranged.
"
The arrangement for effecting this joint movement consists of a forked
lever, (Figure 5) working on pivots near the axis d³ or joint of
the levers d, d, one limb 2 of the fork bearing upon a stud in the
lever d¹. The other limb z¹ of the forked lever terminates in a broad
plate, and rests on the end of the lever arm w¹.
The depression of the plate depresses the lever d³, and thereby
discharges a spacing type into the composing stick 7. At the same time
the lever to¹ is also depressed, and acting by the cord u¹ brings the
arms to bear upon the types in the composing stick 7 if the column of
composed types should at that moment be higher than the proper
height.
When capitals, italics, or other types than those in the machine occur
in the copy, the operator selects them by hand from ordinary type cases
placed adjacent to the machine, and lays them on the surface of the
inclined plane a with a slight impetus downwards so as to glide into the
composing stick h. A downward movement of the composing stick /
should then be made either by depressing the rectangular frame k, k, or
by making a movement of the arm w¹ of the supplementary apparatus
independently of the forked lever z¹, 23.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing or carrying the same into practice, I would remark that I
do not confine myself to the exact details herein-before described so long
as the broad features of my Invention are retained; but what I do claim
is,―
First. A type composing machine limited to the characters of one
alphabet only, with a proper complement of spaces and marks of punc-
tuation, say, forty different types or thereabout.
Secondly. I claim the method of arranging the type holders so that
the types are all directed towards a common centre, substantially in the
manner herein-before described and shewn in the Drawing annexed..
Thirdly. I claim arranging the inclined plane with two guides for
collecting the types into a groove leading to the receiving apparatus,

page_text: As I Dir described and represented in the Drawing
annexed.
Fourthly. I claim the method of guiding the free ends of the selecting
levers d by means of guide slots a³ placed close to the free ends of the
levers, substantially as herein shewn and described.
Fifthly. I claim the making of the guide slots in the upper end of the
inclined plane prolonged beyond the type holders, substantially as herein
shewn and described.
Sixthly. I claim the means of preventing the ends of the selecting
levers from leaving the guide slots by means of a rail 6* extending across
the open ends of the guide slots, substantially as herein shewn and
described.
. Seventhly. I claim the receiver or composing stick in the form of a
trough moving in a race j, substantially as herein shewn and
described.
Eighthly. I claim the rack q and pinion » for moving the composing
stick h, substantially as herein shewn and described.
Ninthly. I claim the rectangular frame k, k, with bent arm actuated
by the movement of the selecting levers d, d, substantially as herein
shewn and described, and for the purpose set forth.
Tenthly. I claim the form or shape of the selecting levers d, d,
substantially as described, and operating as and for the purposes set
forth.
Eleventhly. I claim the selecting levers d acting directly upon tho
pistons. c, substantially as herein shewn and described.
Twelfthly. I claim the mode of actuating the levers d, d, by knobs or
buttons e rigidly fastened to them for the purpose of receiving the
pressure of the finger, substantially as herein shewn and described.
Thirteenthly. I claim the making of the type holders or troughs &₁
containing those characters or types less frequently used comparatively
short for the purpose of enabling the operator to have a clearer view of
the lower part of the inclined plane, substantially in the manner herein-
before described and represented in the Drawing hereunto annexed.
Fourteenthly. I claim the supplementary apparatus for producing a
downward movement of the composing stick independently of the action

page_text: of the selecting levers d, substantially as herein shewn and described, and
for the purpose set forth.
Fifteenthly. I claim the combining the movement of the lever d which
works the spaces or other character or type of frequent occurrence with
the supplementary apparatus which constitutes the fifteenth claim,
substantially as herein shewn and described, and for the purpose set
forth.
Lastly. I claim the general combination and arrangement of the
several parts, substantially as herein shewn and described, and for the
purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Adam Millar, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
Witness,
J. G. TONGUE,
Patent Agent,
34, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane,
W.C.
ADAM MILLAR. (L.S.)