IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR TYPE WRITING OR COMPOSING, AND PRINTING WORDS, LETTERS, FIGURES, AND MARKS UPON PAPER OR OTHER MATERIAL BY MEANS OF TYPE OR PRINTING SURFACES IN LIEU OF PENS OR PENCILS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Barlow, of No. 17, Pakenham Street,
Gray's Inn Road, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR TYPE
WRITING OR COMPOSING, AND PRINTING WORDS, LETTERS, FIGURES, AND
MARKS UPON PAPER OR OTHER MATERIAL BY MEANS OF TYPE OR PRINTING
SURFACES IN LIEU OF PENS OR PENCILS."
Sealed the 18th December 1874, and dated the 19th June 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Barlow at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
19th June 1874.
I, ALFRED BARLOW, of No. 17, Pakenham Street, Gray's Inn Road,
in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
TYPE WRITING OR COMPOSING, AND PRINTING WORDS, LETTERS, FIGURES, AND
MARKS UPON PAPER OR OTHER MATERIAL BY MEANS OF TYPE OR PRINTING.
SURFACES IN LIEU OF PENS OR PENCILS," to be as follows:-
This Invention is designed to produce a simple and efficient machine
whereby compositions or writings and copies of writings may be rapidly.

page_text: produced upon paper or other material by the operation of the fingers
on suitable keys or finger pieces and a plate or board, thereby obviating
the use of pens or pencils, and ensuring greater clearness and accuracy
than by writing in the ordinary way.
The Invention relates in the first place to the use in combination of
a sliding impression table or paper holder, type or printing surfaces
carried by a prismatic or other carrier arranged to be locked in position
as required, an inking device, and a lever connected to the frame of the
said carrier for adjusting its position, the extent of motion of such lever
being regulated by keys or finger pieces which are marked to correspond
with the printing figures or letters.
The Invention furthermore relates to the adaptation of a lever and
connections in conjunction with the sliding table or paper holder, type
carrier and locking apparatus, so that by the movement of the said lever
the several operations are performed of moving the table or paper holder
into proper position for printing, locking the type in position opposite to
the surface to be printed, pressing it against the said surface, and
effecting the impression.
In one arrangement I place a couple of levers of the second order
upon a common fulcrum or shaft. One of these levers, which I will
call the type lever, through suitable connexions operates the carrier on
which the types or printing surfaces are arranged in vertical rows or
series. The other lever, which I will call the impression lever, through
suitable connexions and mechanism, gives the necessary lateral move-
ments to the table carrying the material to be written or printed, locks
the type in position for each impression, presses it against the surface to
be printed so as to effect the impression, and releases the table at the
conclusion of each line of printing. The table is moved forward in one
direction intermittently by the impression lever through the medium of
a pawl ratchet wheel, spindle, or pulley, and cord or connection, so as a
after a letter has been impressed to bring the material into the proper
position for receiving the next impression. On arriving at the end of a
line the ratchet wheel is released by the action on its catch of a slide
moved by the table, which being thus released is by the action of a
weight or equivalent means returned to the proper position laterally for
commencing the succeeding line.
The type lever is worked by the fingers of the operator acting upon a
series of steps or finger pieces carried by the type lever and arranged to

page_text: operate in conjunction with a finger plate or board carried by, the
impression lever. The step or finger piece corresponding to the letter
to be printed being pressed down by the operator moves the type
upward to bring the required letter opposite to the part of the paper on
which it is to be printed. The inking is effected by a roller during this.
movement.
:
As the operator continues the downward movement of his finger it in
due time comes against the finger plate or board above mentioned, which
by the continued movement of the operator's finger in the same direction
moves a lever carrying a pawl which takes into a rack on the. type
carrier, thereby preventing its moving vertically, at the same time
moving the type carrier towards the sliding table, pressing the type or
printing surface against the paper or material to be printed, and effecting
the impression. The paper or other material to be printed is held at one
part by a clip connected to the table or holder, and made adjustable, so
that the material to be printed may be readily brought into position for
each successive line. The opposite end of the paper is held between the
table or holder, and a clipping piece or presser kept in position by
springs so as to hold the paper in place against the table to receive the
impression, but to permit of its being drawn into position for cach
successive linc.
The shape of the prismatic type carrier will depend upon the number
of different kinds or sizes of type or colors of ink to be used. The type
carrier is locked in its frame with the required set of figures or letters.
towards the material to be printed by a locking lever carried by the
frame.
When several colors of ink are required I may use a compound inking
apparatus provided with separate receptacles and rollers or pads for each
color, and capable of adjustment, according to the color required to be
used for the time being.
The apparatus may be modified by attaching the steps or some of
them to the impression lever.
Instead of fixing steps or finger pieces and the finger plates or boards
on to the type and impression levers, as above described, the finger plate
or board may be arranged in guides and formed with orifices fitted with
suitable keys kept up by springs. In this arrangement the type lever
may be actuated by pressing down the finger plate or board, and the

page_text: extent of motion of the lever regulated by pins or projections brought
into operation by pressing down the keys, each of which is marked to
correspond with the figure or letter it sets the machine to print.
.Double, treble, quadruple, or multiple machines may be constructed
by repeating the parts of the mechanism herein-before described in a
modified form. By arranging two or more sets of type or printing
surfaces with corresponding actuating mechanism to operate in con-
junction with cylinders or rollers carrying the material to be printed
several figures or letters or several copies of one figure or letter may be
printed simultaneously on the same or on different pieces of paper or
other material. In this way the speed of production will be increased
when only one copy is produced, or several copies of one composition or
writing will be printed at once.
As is obvious other arrangements of apparatus constructed on a
similar principle may be employed for carrying my Invention into
effect.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred Barlow in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 19th December 1874.
•
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
BARLOW, of No. 17, Pakenham Street, Gray's Inn Road, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of June, 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 Alfred Barlow, Her special license
that I, the said Alfred Barlow, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred Barlow, 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 "IMPROVE-

page_text: MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR TYPE WRITING OR COMPOSING, AND
PRINTING WORDS, LETTERS, FIGURES, AND MARKS UPON PAPER OR OTHER MATERIAL
BY MEANS OF TYPE OR PRINTING SURFACES IN LIEU OF PENS OR PENCILS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alfred Barlow, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and scals, 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 Alfred Barlow, 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, and the Drawings therein referred to (that
is to say):
This Invention is designed to produce a simple and efficient machine
whereby compositions or writings and copies of writings may be rapidly
produced upon paper or other material by the operation of the fingers
on suitable keys or finger pieces and a plate or board, thereby obviating
the use of pens or pencils and ensuring greater clearness and accuracy
than by writing in the ordinary way.
The Invention relates in the first place to the use in combination of
a sliding impression table or paper holder, type or printing surfaces
carried by a prismatic or other carrier arranged to be locked in position
as required, an inking device, and a lever connected to the frame of the
said carrier for adjusting its position, the extent of motion of such lever
being regulated by keys or finger pieces which are marked to correspond
with the printing figures or letters.
The Invention furthermore relates to the adaptation of a lever and
connections in conjunction with the sliding table or paper holder, typo
carrier, and locking apparatus, so that by the movement of the said lever
the several operations are performed of moving the table or paper holder
into proper position for printing, locking the type in position opposite to
the surface to be printed, pressing it against the said surface, and effect-"
ing the impression.
In one arrangement I place a couple of levers of the second order
upon a common fulcrum or shaft. One of these levers, which I will

page_text: call the type lever," through suitable connexions, operates the carrier
on which the types or printing surfaces are arranged in vertical rows or
series. The other lever, which I will call the "impression lever,"
through suitable connections and mechanism gives the necessary lateral
movements to the table, carrying the material to be written or printed,
locks the type in position for each impression, presses it against the
surface to be printed so as to effect the impression, and releases the
table at the conclusion of each line of printing. The table is moved
forward in one direction intermittently by the impression lever through
the medium of a pawl or catch, ratchet wheel, spindle, or pulley, and
cord or connexion, so as after a letter has been impressed to bring the
materials into the proper position for receiving the next impression. On
arriving at the end of a line the ratchet wheel is released by the action on
its catch of a slide moved by the table, which being thus released is by
the action of a weight or equivalent means returned to the proper
position laterally for commencing the succeeding line.
The type lever is worked by the fingers of the operator acting upon a
series of steps or finger pieces carried by the type lever and arranged to
operate in conjunction with a finger plate or board carried by the
impression lever. The step or finger piece corresponding to the letter to
be printed being pressed down by the operator moves the type upward
to bring the required letter opposite to the part of the paper on which
it is to be printed. The inking is effected by a roller during this move-
ment, which roller may be inked like an ordinary printing roller or
otherwise, or transfer paper may be used.
As the operator continues the downward movement of his finger it in
due time comes against the finger plate or board above mentioned,
which by the continued movement of the operator's finger in the same
direction moves a lever carrying a pawl which takes into a rack on the
type carrier, thereby preventing its moving vertically, at the same time
moving the type carrier towards the sliding table, pressing the type or
printing surface against the paper or material to be printed and effecting
the impression. The paper or other material to be printed is held at onc
part by a clip connected to the table or holder and made adjustable; so
that the material to be printed may be readily brought into position for
each successive line. The opposite end of the paper is held between the
table or holder and a clipping piece or presser kept in position by
springs so as to hold the paper in place against the table to receive the

page_text: impression but to permit of its being drawn into position for each
successive line.
The shape of the prismatic type carrier will depend upon the number
of different kinds or sizes of type or colors of ink to be used. The
type carrier is locked in its frame with the required set of figures or
letters towards the material to be printed.
When several colors of ink arc required I may use a compound inking
apparatus provided with separate receptacles and rollers or pads for each
color, and capable of adjustment, according to the color required to be
used for the time being.
The apparatus may be modified by attaching the steps or some of them
to the impression lever.
Double, treble, quadruple, or multiple machines may be constructed
by repeating the parts of the mechanism hercin-before described in a
modified form. By arranging two or more sets of type or printing
surfaces with corresponding actuating mechanism to operate in conjunc-
tion with cylinders or rollers carrying the material to be printed several
figures or letters or several copies of one figure or letter may be printed*
simultaneously on the same or on different pieces of paper or other.
material. In this way the speed of production will be increased when
only one copy is produced, or several copies of one composition or
writing will be printed at once.
As is obvious other arrangements of apparatus constructed on a
similar principle may be employed for carrying my Invention into
effect.
To facilitate the ready understanding of the principle of my Invention
I append a set of diagrams, Fig. 1 being an outline side clevation, in
which a is the type carrier, b, the inking device; c, the paper holder;
d are the steps of the type lever (shewn turned at right angles to their
actual position), e is the finger plate or impression lever; f, the locking
lever; and 9, the connexion between the impression lever and the type
carrier. Figs. 2 shew in outline the arrangement when some of the
steps (¹) are attached to the impression lever.
It will be evident that on placing the finger on any one of the steps
d of the type lever and pressing it down the type carrier a will be raised
until the movement of the type lever is arrested. The extent of motion

page_text: will depend upon the position of the step which is arranged to correspond
with the position on the type carrier of the letter or mark to be impressed.
The step having been moved down to the extent allowed by its position
the finger of the operator will, by coming in, contact with the finger
plate e, move it downward and cause it to push in the locking lever f
(whose fulcrum is at f¹) by the cam h, thereby pressing the type carrier
against the paper or material held by the table or holder c, and so
effecting the impression. The modification shewn in Figs. 2 will operate
in the same way.
I now proceed to describe a complete machine constructed according
to my Invention. This machine is shewn full size in the accompanying
Drawings, whercof Fig. 3 is a sectional end view, and Fig. 4 is a front
clevation.
The type lever d* operated by steps d, and the impression lever or
finger plate c work on a common fulcrum or shaft i. The steps d
are lettered or numbered to correspond with the letter or mark cach
step is designed to bring into operation. The type lever through a
cord g. passing over a pulley / operates the carrier a, on which the types
or printing surfaces are arranged in vertical rows or series. The carrier
a. is a prism, the number of sides of which may be varied to suit the
number of different sizes and styles of letters or marks to be used. It
is made readily detachable so that it may be easily replaced by another
carrier. It is held in a frame a', which slides upon a slide bar a² fixed
at as, to the main frame X of the machine.
The frame a' carries a rack a*, into which the projecting tooth of the
upper end of the locking lever f so enters as to lock the carrier a in
proper position for printing in register. The prism is capable of being
turned about its vertical axis so as to present to the material to be
printed any one of the vertical scries of types or marks, which when so
presented will be held in position facing the material to be printed by
means of the spring a pressing against the upper end of the prism. The
carrier is turned as required by the knob a³.
The inking apparatus shown consists of a roller w fixed in a frame w¹
secured to a plate w². This plate is made to press towards the type or
printing surface by means of an elastic band w³, and thus when the type
carrier a is pressed against the material to be printed it pushes back the
inking roller, and after the impression has been given the type carrier is

page_text: forced back to its former position by means of the spring w³ and roller w.
When two or more colors of ink are required the frame w¹ is provided
with a corresponding number of rollers, each of which may be slid into
position opposite the printing surface as required. The finger plate or
impression lever e carries an anti-friction wheel z, which operates in
conjunction with a cam h on the locking lever f, for forcing the printing
surface against the material to be printed. m is a bell-crank lever
having its fulcrum at m¹. Its vertical arm passes between two pins n¹, n³,
Each time the impres-
on a catch n, which operates a ratchet wheel o.
sion lever has been depressed it on returning comes in contact with the
horizontal arm of the bell-crank lever m, whose vertical arm actuates
the catch n so as to move the ratchet wheel one tooth, thereby through
the cord p drawing the paper table or holder c laterally into position for
the next impression. At the end of cach line of printing the paper
holder c comes in contact with the adjustable pin p¹ of a slide p³ carrying
a pin p³, which moves over the upper arm of a slotted lever q, having
its fulcrum at q¹, so that a catch q² at its lower end comes under the
impression lever or finger plate e. The slot in the lever q allows it to
be drawn down to a certain extent when the resistence is overcome of
the spring q³ which tends to keep the lever in its normal position, but
when the catch q² is engaged with the impression lever or finger plate e
the extent of motion of the latter is limited by the slot, so that tho
printing surface cannot be brought into contact with the paper or
material held by the table or holder c, but the depression of the finger
plate e draws down one end of the catch lever n, thereby releasing the
ratchet wheel o so that the paper table or holder c is drawn back into
the position for commencing a new line of printing by the action of a
weight which is attached by a cord p* passing over a pulleys to the
paper table or holder c. Just before reaching the end of its traverse the
table or holder c comes in contact with a projection pt on the slide p²,
which latter is thereby drawn back into the position shewn in Fig. 4 in
readiness for being moved to relcase the ratchet wheel on the completion
of the next stroke of the table or holder c: As shown in Fig. 3 the
ratchet wheel o is fixed on the end of a shaft, which is provided with
pullies of different diameters, whereby the traverse of the paper table or
holder c may be varied to suit the size and spacing of the letters or
marks to be printed from. When the catch n is raised and the paper
table or holder c released back lash of the pulley o and cord p is
obviated by the tension cord and small weight t. The paper or material

page_text: to be printed is regulated as to its position on the table or holder c by
the pulley, ratchet u³, and catch u². The paper is held by a clip u³,
and at its lower edge is held to the lower edge of the table by a clip u*,
which is kept pressed against it by means of the elastic cord or spring u
(Fig. 3).
By depressing the impression lever or finger plate e alone the spacing
of the letters can be regulated without bringing into action the steps d.
The size of the pulley / will depend upon the difference of traverse
between the lever d* and the type carrier a. ex is a fixed plate to
By this plan the rack
assist in arresting the motion of the type lever.
a* may be dispensed with where extreme accuracy of register is not
essential.
Fig. 5 is a sectional end elevation of a modification of the locking
apparatus and other parts in which the extent of motion of the type
lever d* is regulated by pins v brought into operation by the operator's
fingers moving keys v¹ as he presses down the steps d of the type lever,
which latter is completely arrested by the pins v acting upon the under
parts of the steps, as shewn in dotted lines.
Having described my said Invention, and having explained the
manner of carrying the same into practical effect, I hereby declare
what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the
Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent to be,-
First: The use or employment of a prismatic type carrier arranged to
be moved in a vertical direction and to be locked in position for each
impression in combination with a table or holder for holding the
material to be printed, such table or holder being moved laterally as and
for the purposes herein set forth.
Secondly. The use in combination of a sliding impression table or
paper holder, type or printing surfaces carried by a prismatic or other
carrier arranged to be locked in position as required, an inking device,
and a lever connected to the frame of the said carrier for adjusting its
position, the extent of motion of such lever being regulated by keys or
finger pieces marked to correspond with the printing figures or letters,
substantially as herein-before described.
Thirdly. The adaptation and use of a lever or finger plate and
traversing mechanism in conjunction with a sliding table or paper holder,

page_text: a type carrier and locking apparatus, so that by the movement of the
said lever the several operations are performed of moving the table or
paper holder into proper position for printing, locking the type in
position opposite to the surface to be printed, pressing it against the
said surface and effecting the impression, substantially as herein-before
described.
Fourthly. The combination of parts constituting the improved type
writing machine. constructed and operating, substantially as shewn in
and described with reference to Figs. 3 and 4 of the accompanying
Drawings.
Lastly. The combination and arrangement of parts shewn in and
described with reference to Fig. 5 of the Drawings.
In witness whereof I, the said Alfred Barlow, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.
Witness,
J. J. ROWLEY,
Clerk to Mr. W. Lloyd Wise,
Adelphi, W.C.
ALFRED BARLOW. (L.S.)