Improvements in Type Writers.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Aug., 1891-Accepted, 26th Sept., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Type Writers.
I, JOHN NEVIL MASKELYNE, Junior, Egyptian Hall, Piccadilly in the
County of London, Gentleman 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 relates to the improvement of type-writing machines and more
particularly consists in improvements in the mechanism of the machine for which
Letters Patent were granted to me and John Nevil Maskelyne numbered 11424
A.D. 1889.
In the former Specification in the name of myself and John Nevil Maskelyne we
described means for dispensing with the inking ribbon which had in most machines
then existing been an essential feature by substituting therefor a series of levers
and links which produced a peculiar jumping movement of the type bar which
enables us to ink the type upon an inking pad upon which it rested until the keys
of the machine were depressed and then to transfer the type to the paper upon
which the impression had to be made. After the impression had been made the
type was returned automatically to the inking pad by the action of a spring placed
under the keys or of a counter weight. It is in this portion of our former invention
that the present improvements are made and the principal objects which I have in
view are first to simplify and thus cheapen the mechanism and secondly to obtain a
still freer and easier action of the keys which actuate the printing mechanism which
besides saving fatigue to the operator considerably reduces the wear of the machine.
In the former Specification in the name of myself and John Nevil Maskelyne we
have stated' the means we prefer to adopt in spacing the letters; for printing at the
will of the operator capitals, small letters, and numerals with a limited number of
keys and type rods; for providing for the required movement of the paper upon
which the impression is desired to be made and the same will be found to be fully
and adequately described therein as well as in the drawings appended thereto, to
which I crave leave to refer.
My invention may however be used in connection with other devices for effecting
these objects.
In carrying out my invention the type keys are supported at one end by the base
plate or table upon which they are pivotted and near the other end by link rods
which are fixed upon one of the series levers forming parts of the mechanism which
actuates the type rods, such levers being pivotted upon a fixed bracket to which the
said mechanism is connected.
The type keys rise and fall between suitable guides and the type rods pass
between guides so arranged as to allow of the ends which carry the type rising
through a space sufficient to allow of the tipping movement before mentioned.
These guides also direct the rod during the advance movement and in order to
ensure the type coming into contact with the paper at the exact spot to be
impressed I also provide a V shaped support which is attached to the end of the
plate upon which the inking pad rests. The rods are returned into position by the
action of a suitable spring one end of which I prefer to coil round a projection
from the fixed bracket and I attach the other end to the said lever beyond the place
where the attachment with the link rod is made.
The type rods as in the former Specification in the name of myself and John
Nevil Maskelyne are set radially in a segment of a circle in order that the
characters may be impressed at the exact position. The central rods having little
or no inclination while the rods at either side have more or less inclination according

page_text: to the distance at which they are placed from the central rods. This will be seen
by looking at Figure 1 in the former Specification in the name of myself and John
Nevil Maskelyne.
The portion of the said former Specification to which my improvements
chiefly relate are more particularly shown by Figures 6, 7, 6^, & 74, attached
to the said former Specification and in order that they may be readily compared I
have retained as far as possible the letters used in the said former description in
the drawings accompanying this Specification of which
--
Fig. 1 represents the mechanism in its normal position, while
Fig. 2 represents the mechanism in action the key being depressed by the fingers
of the operator and the type impressed upon the paper at the moment the return
movement is about to take place.
Similar letters indicate the respective parts in each of the aforesaid drawings.
The keys a are pivotted at a¹ and are supported at the pivot a' by the base plate
and by the link rods a. The link rods a are attached at j to the hooked shaped
lever which is pivotted to the fixed bracket and 2. d is a projection on the
reverse side of the lever b. a' is a spring coiled round a bearing in which the
pivot works one end of which is secured to the bracket and the other end to
the lever b' at any convenient position on the other side of the link rod at. 6 is a
lever pivotted at the points 6 and g having two projections and e. b is a type rod
which works through a slotted piece and through a series of rods 61*. is the
inking pad and b³* the type. cis the rubber roller over which the paper to be
printed travels. i is a recess in the type rod b and h is a V shaped piece into which
the type rod falls at the recess i thus locking the type bar in both directions.
The action of the mechanism can be readily seen by looking at the drawings.
Figure 1 represents the type key a raised. The operator having placed his finger
on the key it is depressed and the link rod a draws down the lever 6' which by
means of the projection d depresses the tail end of the lever & until the hooked end
of 6 comes into contact with the projection e on the lever . The lever b¹
continuing to descend turns the lever 6 on the pivot g until the projection ƒ on b
comes into contact with the top side of the hooked portion of the lever b as shown
in Figure 2. In the meantime the type rod being attached to the lever has
been first raised from the inking pad, the slotted piece b* being pivotted on the
bracket 6 so as to allow of this movement and then advanced through the guides 61*
until it falls into the V piece and the type 3* prints the paper on the roller c.
The return movement is effected by the coiled spring a² or by any other convenient
means. The lever now being raised so as to return to its former position bears
upon the projection and turns the lever b in the reverse direction upon its pivot g
thus elevating the type rod from the paper and returning it through the guide
bars and the slotted piece 6* until the projection e meets with the lower portion
of the lever 6' which bears upon the latter projection and thus continues the return
movement until its completion.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed 1 claim :-
1. In type writing machines the link and lever mechanism substantially as and
for the purposes described.
2. The combination consisting of the link rod at the levers 6 and 6' and the
bracket fitted with suitable projections, pivots and connections substantially as
and for the purposes described.
3. In a type writer the means employed for raising the type rod from the inking
pad, advancing the type to the required position on the paper to be printed and
returning the type to its normal position substantially as described.
4. The combination consisting of the pivotted guide the guides 61*, the
V piece and the type rod 6 provided with the recess i substantially as and for the
purpose described.
5. In type writing mechanism the combination with a type rod of the lever b

page_text: fitted with the stops f and e, the lever 64 being pivotted to the type rod and to a
fixed bracket substantially as and for the purposes described.
6. In type writing mechanism the combination consisting of the key a, the link a
and the hooked shaped lever b' fitted with the projection d and pivotted to a fixed
bracket substantially as and for the purpose described.
Dated this 24th day of August 1891.
J. E. EVAN JACKSON & Co.,
45, Holborn Viaduct, Agents for the Applicant.