Improvements in and relating to Type-writing Machines.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Feb., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 25th Nov., 1893-Accepted, 30th Dec., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Type-writing Machines.
I, JOHN GARDNER of Carr Street, Blackfriars, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Type-writer Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to type-writing machines and its object is to provide
means for guiding and holding the required character or type at the exact printing
point during the impression.
In that class of type-writing machines in which the characters or letters are
contained upon a single piece such as a cylinder or segment, it has hitherto been
usual to provide stops, holes or projections upon or in communication with the
moving type bearing cylinder or segment which engage with suitable pins or stops
upon the machine when the required letter or character has been moved to the
printing point. Equivalent devices have also been employed in those machines in
which the type are carried by swinging bars.
In a type writing machine constructed according to this invention the registering
of the letters or characters is accomplished by a spring detent or hammer which is
released by the movement of the keys, and may, if desired, by its impact, accomplish
the impression.
The face of the detent or hammer is formed with inclined faces and corre-
sponding inclined faces are formed upon the type carrying cylinder or segment in
the event of these improvements being applied to a machine of this class. In a
machine in which the characters are carried upon swinging type bars it is preferred
to first bring the character to within a short distance of the printing point and to
complete the impression by the impact of the spring detent which is released by
the further movement of the key. The inclined faces formed upon the head of the
detent or hammer and the type cylinder, segment, or bar ensure the character being
brought into the exact printing position.
The spring detent or hammer is returned to its idle position by a spring of greater.
force after the impression has been made.
Dated this 24th day of February A.D. 1893.
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Type-writing Machines.
I, JOHN GARDNER of Carr Street Blackfriars, Manchester in the County of
Lancaster, Type-writing Machine Manufacturer, 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 type writing machines and its object is to provide
means for guiding and holding the required character or type at its exact printing
point during the impression.
In that class of type-writing machines in which the characters or letters are
arranged upon a single piece such as a cylinder or segment, it has hitherto been
usual to provide stops holes or projections upon or in connection with the moving
[ Price Rd 1

page_text: type bearing cylinder segment or carrier which engage with suitable pins or stops
upon the machine when the required letter or character has been brought to the
printing point.
In a type-writing machine in which my improvements are used, the positioning
of the letters or characters during impression is accomplished by means of a spring
detent which is normally held out of action by a trigger which is capable of being
released by the movement of any type key, and which after the impression, is
re-engaged by the trigger.
The working part of the detent may be formed with inclined faces, and corre-
sponding recesses are formed in the type carrier in the proper positions for the
reception of the detent, so that whilst the detent is thus engaged with the type
carrier the latter is locked or 'held in the proper position for correct impression.
The inclined faces ensure the exact positioning of the type carrier in the event
of its being a little to the left or to the right before the detent is released and
engaged with the type carrier.
In the accompanying drawings which illustrate my invention and in the various
figures of which similar parts are indicated by similar letters of reference :-
Figure 1 is a general vertical longitudinal section of a machine in which my
improvements are embodied.
Figure 2 is a vertical cross section through Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a partial section, shewing the improvements separately in side
elevation.
Figure 4 is a plan and Figure 5 an end view of Figure 3.
Figure 6 represents a detail hereinafter described.
Before proceeding to a precise description of my improvements I will shortly
describe the machine to which I have illustrated them as being applied.
A A are the type keys which have a vertical motion in suitable guides and
which are normally kept in their bighest positions by the spiral springs BB
connected to their stems. The key stems have shoulders C C capable of coming
into contact with and depressing the wings D D on the rocking shaft E. On the
end of the rocking shaft there is mounted the toothed quadrant F, which gears
directly with the pinion G of the type cylinder H, so that the type cylinder is
rotated by the depression of the type keys. The type is supposed to be arranged
on the cylinder in three fields, the upper one of which consists of small letters,
the middle one of capitals, and the lower one of punctuation marks, numerals, and
signs. Also, each of the fields is divided into two lines. The several fields of
type are brought into the position for the impression by means of the slides I and
a lifter J, which engages with the lower end of the cylinder so as to lift and
lower it. If the slide be drawn out to its fullest extent, numerals and signs will
be printed, if drawn out to the intermediate position, capitals will be produced.
Each position of the slide is governed by stops which are not represented in the
drawings. In any position of the slide, only the top line of the field will be
printed on the depression of a type key alone. If it be desired to print a letter
contained in the lower line of a field, the space key K is simultaneously depressed,
so as to bring a pin K¹ formed on it into contact with one of the short inclined
planes formed on the slide I which is thereby moved slightly to the right
through a distance sufficient to cause the lower line of the field to take the place
of the upper line. It is thus seen that each type key is capable of printing six
separate characters, that is to say, one in each field when operated alone, and
another in each field when operated together with the space key, the two keys
being struck simultaneously as when striking a simple chord on a clavier. When
struck alone K is an ordinary space_key.
Parallel with the rocking shaft E, there is on each side of it, a rocking lever L
held in its highest position by a spring or springs against a shoulder c of the key
stems Figure 2, so that when any key is depressed the lever is also depressed.
As each lever is depressed a pin or projection T thereon comes into contact with
and depresses the end of the lever M, which actuates the impression hammer N,

page_text: and the linear motion of the paper carriage O. P, is the paper guide, Q the
printing guard, and R one of the two inking rollers.
I will now with reference to Figure 3, and the following figures in the drawings,
describe my present improvements.
On the rocking shaft E, I fix firmly as many wings D, separately shewn by
Figure 6, as there are type keys,-14 in the example illustrated. Reckoning
from the left of Figures 3 and 4, the first and each alternate wing therefrom is
operated by the keys on the right of the centre line of the machine. The
remaining seven wings are operated by the keys to the left of the machine. The
key stems are illustrated by Figure 2, where it will be seen that each of them has
a part extending over that portion of the wing D on its side of the machine, and
that the wing will be depressed downwards on that side, by the downward motion
of the key. It has already been explained that the rotary motion of the wing
shaft E is communicated to the type cylinder through a pinion and quadrant G F,
hence the motion of the type cylinder will be proportionate to the motion of the
rocking shaft E. There are in the pinion G as many teeth as there are letter
spaces in a line of type thereon, and since there should be some space between
the beginning and end of the line, I make this space equal to twice the ordinary
letter space, and add two teeth to the pinion for this space; the pinion conse-
quently has sixteen teeth and sixteen spaces between the teeth. Assuming the
type cylinder to be in its normal position, with the interval between the beginning
and end of the line of type opposite to the impression hammer, and it be required
to print the first letter to the left or right, it is obvious that the angular motion
to be imparted to the rocking shaft E through the type key stem must be just
sufficient for this purpose, that is to say must turn the pinion G through the space
of one and a half teeth. Similarly for the second letter it must move through
two and a half teeth and for the seventh letter on either side through the space
of seven and a half teeth. The several wings D are therefore fixed upon the
rocking shaft E in such positions that they can be respectively moved through the
angle required. This is effected by making all the key stems with their working
shoulders C precisely alike, and by arranging the wings so that they are touched
and acted on by the shoulders at different distances from the commencement of
their motion downwards. The working tips of the wings are best arranged in
inclined planes as indicated by Figure 5, the lowest tips on each side nearest to
the front of the machine. With this arrangement in consequence of the lost
motion of the key stem before its shoulder comes into contact with the wings, the
two type keys nearest to the operator will turn the pinion and type cylinder
through the space of one and a half teeth only to the right and left respectively
and bring the first letters from the beginning or end of a line into the printing
position, according to the direction of rotation given to the cylinder. Thus, the
type keys to the right of the centre of the machine act upon the wing tips on the
same side, and rotate the cylinder into the printing position, and the keys to
the left bring the letters on the left side of the cylinder similarly into the printing
position.
The quadrant and the part of the rocking shaft and its bearing are shewn as
broken away in Figure 4, in order that the transmission devices below the quadrant
may be more clearly shewn.
Each of the rocking levers is pivoted at one end by the fulcrum fand at the
other end by the fulcrum f the two fulcrums being in line with each other. Each
of them also consists of the two arms L' L connected by a light rigid rod L.
They are connected with springs or a single spring such as S, to restore them to
their original position after action. Since only one of the levers can be used
at once, a single spring is quite sufficient and this may be a spiral spring connected
at its opposite ends to pins s s one on each arm L'as shewn by Figure 4. Near the
outer end of each arm L' there is a pin or projecting part T, which, on the
downward motion of each key, is brought into contact with the tail U of a trigger
which engages the spring detent V, operates the impression hammer and paper

page_text: carriage, and comes also into contact with the lever M as already described. The.
detent is constructed preferably in the form of an inverted T, the end of the
part of which is formed to engage with a space between any two of the teeth of the
pinion G. Its lower member is adapted to be engaged and held by the trigger U
until released at one end and at the other end to be acted on by the spring W.
At this end also there is a pin or stud X in the detent which rests upon the upper
face of the lever M, so that when that lever is restored to its normal position,
the detent is thereby taken out of action and again engaged by the trigger.
The lever M and the detent are both operated by the double acting spring W,
which is secured at one end to the post W', coiled at its mid length around
a pin Won the lever M, and bears at its opposite end on the pin X in the lower
limb of the detent. I do not construct the whole of the spring detent in a single
piece as this would be inconvenient in practice, but form it in two or more
independent parts each of which is secured upon the common spindle Y. The
detent itself is fixed upon the spindle Y immediately in front of the pinion G, and
the lower limbs which engage with the trigger and are acted on by the spring
respectively, are mounted on the spindle close to the lever M.
The two levers L' are L-shaped and on the vertical member of each there
is fixed a pin or projection p. The lever being fulcrumed excentrically to the
rocking shaft E, and having a greater radius than the wings D, the pin p moves
faster than the arm a which carries the quadrant F and the latter is consequently
unrestrained by the pin on the downward stroke of the type keys. At the end of
the upward stroke of the type. keys, the opposite condition exists, the pin moves
faster than the arm a and restores the quadrant to its original position, in which the
quadrant arm a is held between the two pins p.
Referring now to Figure 2 it will be seen that in the construction illustrated the
type keys are arranged in two lines on each side. Each key has two working
surfaces, one of them, C, for acting upon the wings, and the other, c, for acting upon
the lever rod L. These working parts are formed upon the stems of the keys, but
as the keys are arranged at two different distances from the parts they act upon,
there must be a modification in the form of the stems to enable the parts to come
into action. Such a modification is illustrated by Figure 2 and the keys are
Beparately shewn by Figures 2 and 2B of which Figure 2A represents the key stem
of the series further from the centre and Figure 2" the stem of the series nearer
the centre. On each key stem in addition to the working parts there is a stop b.
When any type key has been fully depressed, producing an angular displacement
of its wing D, the opposite end of the wing moving in the cpposite direction
ultimately comes into contact with the stop b, and the further movement of the type
key and of the rocking shaft is prevented. This position of the type key and of
the wing is shewn by dotted lines in Figure 2.
The details of construction which I have herein described and illustrated may be
modified, particularly in respect to the arrangement for releasing the detent, and to
the order in which the wings are mounted upon the rocking shaft E.
I am aware that detents have already been used in type-writing machines, but
such detents have been brought into action by other means than by a spring, and
their movement has ceased with the cessation of the movement of the type key,
whereas by my present invention the detent is released and comes into action only
at the end of the movement of the type key.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a type-writing machine, a spring detent capable of engagement with the
type carrier in each printing position in combination with a trigger released by the
action of any type key before the impression and re-engaged with the detent after
the impression, constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described
and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.

page_text: 2. In a type writing machine, the combination with the type carrier of a spring
detent constructed arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose
herein before described and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 24th day of November A.D. 1893.
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicant.