AN IMPROVED SYSTEM OF TYPE COMPOSITION AND MODE OF CONSTRUCTING AND ARRANGING THE TYPE CASES FOR THE SAME.
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Wilkinson, of Southwick
-Massachusetts, United States of America, now of No. 8, South-
ampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED SYSTEM OF TYPE COMPOSITION
AND MODE OF CONSTRUCTING AND ARRANGING THE TYPE CASES FOR THE
SAME.'
Sealed the 14th August 1868, and dated the 17th February 1868.-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry
Wilkinson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
his Petition, on the 17th February 1868.
I, WILLIAM HENRY WILKINSON, of Southwick, Massachusetts, United
States of America, now of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED SYSTEM OF TYPE COMPOSITION AND
MODE OF CONSTRUCTING AND ARRANGING THE TYPE CASES FOR THE SAME," to be
as follows:-
My Invention is founded upon a careful analysis and study of words
with especial regard to their relative values or comparative frequency
of recurrence in ordinary English composition.
The said Invention aims at securing the highest approximate economy
in the work of type composition without the use of any mechanical

page_text: appliances and without making changes in the arrangement and use
of the letter types so far as they need to be employed in my system.
The said Invention relates to the combined use of types consisting
of words or parts of words with ordinary letter or single character type,
and to the peculiar arrangement of the cases or boxes for containing
such type, whereby great economy is effected with regard to time and
labour in type composition and distribution. Words and roots such as
constitute a very large proportion of ordinary matter are made up into
types cast whole, or formed of letter types united by any suitable means;
these word types are tabulated and arranged in cases in the order of
their relative importance or frequency of recurrence, and are placed
in such positions within the reach of the compositor as to effect the
greatest saving in the number and distance of the reaches required in
the work of composition and distribution.
In carrying my Invention into practice I employ a set or series of
cases or boxes arranged partially around a central point occupied by
the compositor and divided into compartments for containing the types,
which are arranged in tables so that their relative positions may be
easily discerned by the eye; the said tables are placed strictly in the
order of their relative values, as calculated from the average number
of words usually contributed by each table in the matter of composition,
and each table is arranged in relation to the central point where the
compositor stands in such a position as to be accessible to his right
hand in proportion to its comparative value as above determined.
The ordinary letter types, numerals, and other similar type occupy :
the compartments of the cases at the left hand of the compositor, the
rest of the space being filled with the word types, roots, and terminations.
The tables themselves are arranged with reference to their being learned
step by step and used as auxiliary to the letter types until the com-
positor acquires the use of enough words to constitute the larger a
proportion of his work; these word types then become the main feature
in the system, the letter types being only used as auxiliary. Dealing
in this manner with words, as in reading and speaking, is more agreeable
to the mind than the ordinary method of composition and secures many
incidental advantages in addition to the saving in time and labour and a
the increased accuracy of the work.

page_text: .
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Henry Wilkinson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 15th August 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HENRY WILKINSON, of Southwick, Massachusetts, United States of
America, now of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most. Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Henry Wilkinson, Her special
licence, that I, the said William Henry Wilkinson, my executors,
administrators and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Henry Wilkinson, 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 "AN IMPROVED SYSTEM OF TYPE COMPOSITION AND MODE OF
CONSTRUCTING AND ARRANGING THE TYPE CASES FOR THE SAME," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Henry Wilkinson,
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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW. YE, that I, the said William Henry Wilkinson, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention; and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings forming a part of this Specification: ==
In ordinary type composition separate letters or characters arranged
in type cases are combined together to form words at the time of com-
position. This method is necessarily very slow from the frequent
movements or reaches necessary to bring each letter from its case to its

page_text: proper position in the matter, these frequent movements taking place
also at the distribution of the types. I am aware that attempts have
heretofore been made to introduce a system of using word types, but
such attempts have been found impracticable chiefly from the want of
a proper system of classifying and arranging the types.
My Invention is founded upon a careful analysis and study of words
with especial regard to their relative values or comparative. frequency
of recurrence in ordinary English composition.
The said Invention aims at securing the highest approximate economy
in the work of type composition without the use of any mechanical
appliances and without making changes in the arrangement and use
of the letter types, so far as they need to be employed in my system.
The said Invention relates to tlie combined use of types consisting
of words or parts of words together with the ordinary letter or single
character types, and to the peculiar arrangement of the cases or boxes
containing such types, whereby great economy is effected with regard
to time and labour in type composition and distribution. Words, roots,
and parts of words such as constitute a very large proportion of ordinary
matter are made up into types cast whole, or formed of letter types
united by any suitable means; these word types are tabulated and
arranged in cases in the order of their relative importance or frequency
of recurrence, and are placed in such positions within the reach of the
compositor as to effect the greatest saving in the number and distance
of the reaches required in the work of composition and distribution.
In carrying my Invention into practice I employ a set or series of
cases or boxes arranged partially around a central point occupied by the
compositor and divided into compartments for containing the types
which are arranged in tables, so that their relative positions may be
easily discerned by the eye; the said tables are placed strictly in the
order of their relative values as calculated from the average number of
words usually contributed by each table in the matter of composition,
and each table is arranged in relation to the central point where the
compositor stands in such a position as to be accessible to his right
hand in proportion to its comparative value as above determined.
The ordinary letter types, numerals, and other similar types occupy
the compartments of the cases at the left hand of the compositor, the
rest of the space being occupied by the word types, roots, and termina-
tions. The tables themselves are arranged with reference to their being

page_text: learned step by step and used as auxiliary to the letter types until the
compositor acquires the use of enough words to constitute the larger
proportion of his work; these word types then become the main feature
in the system, the letter types being only used as auxiliary. Dealing
in this manner with words, as in reading and speaking, is more agreeable
to the mind than the ordinary method of composition, and secures many
incidental advantages in addition to the saving in time and labour and
the increased accuracy of the work.
The most suitable form and arrangement of the cases containing the
tables of word types and combinations according to my improved system,
and for subserving the greatest economy in the work of composition
in offices already furnished with the ordinary frames and other appliances
is shewn in the Drawing.
A, B, and C, D, represent two pairs of cases with a supplemental
pair E, F, placed at an angle to the others. The compartments a, b, c,
in the first pair of cases contain the letter types, arranged preferably in
the usual order. The other compartments 1 to 6 and 1' to 6' will contain
the tables of word types and combinations. Assuming the most conve-
nient position of the compositor to be at or near the point O the respective
tables will occupy the compartments about this point and will be
accessible to the right hand of the compositor in proportion to their
relative values as already determined. When desirable the first pair of
cases may be used alone, then the most convenient position of the
compositor will be near the point S, and the compartments 1, 2, 3, may
contain the three primary tables of most importance. The tables
occupying the cases E, F, may be condensed, if desired, to occupy only a
single case upon the right.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Wilkinson, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of August,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
aight
Witness,
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE.
W. H. WILKINSON. (L.S.)