Improvements in Typewriters.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Sept., 1899-Accepted, 25th Nov., 1899
Improvements in Typewriters.
I, MANUEL SANCHEZ CARMONA, Civil Engineer, of 1442, Donato Guerra, in the
City of Mexico, in the Republic of Mexico, 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:-
My invention relates to that class of typewriters in which the writing surface
is stationary while the type is located upon a carriage which travels over the
writing surface. In such machines (an example of which is found in the type-
writer described in my former Application for Letters Patent No. 11779 dated
June 6. 1899) the carriage generally also supports the keyboard, which the operator
therefore has to follow in the movement of the carriage.
The main object of my present invention is to separate the keyboard from the
carriage, in a machine of the above indicated class, making the keyboard
stationary, and securing an increased speed of operation, since the writer need
not change the position of his hand." Also the carriage obviously becomes
lighter and moves more readily, this being another factor tending to increase the
speed. Other features of my invention will appear from the description following
hereinafter. The novel elements and combinations employed by me to secure the
desired result will be pointed out in the appended claims.
In the accompanying drawings, I have shown my invention as applied to a
typewriter of the five-key system described, among others, in my above mentioned
Application for Letters Patent.
"
In typewriters of this system, the type is brought into the printing position,
or "located" by operating the keys either singly or in various combinations,
according to a table which the operator keeps in sight, or commits to memory.
As some operators might prefer to employ the usual keyboard, I have devised
a synthetizer" comprising a main keyboard of the usual character, and con-
nections from it to the five-key apparatus, to operate the keys of said apparatus.
either singly or in combination, as required for each key of the main keyboard.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding
parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the improved machine on the line 1--1 in
Figure 2, with the synthetizer removed;
Figure 2 is a plan, with parts in section on line 2-2 of Figure 4;
Figure 3 is a rear elevation;
Figure 3 is a detail plan of one end of the carriage;
Figure 4 is a vertical cross section on line 4-4 of Figure 2:
Figure 5 is a vertical section of the carriage and the parts connected therewith,
on line 5-5 of Figure 2;
Figure 6 is an end view of the carriage and the parts connected therewith on
the impression side, showing also the line spacer or paper feed mechanism;
Figure 7 is an enlarged detail view of the paper feed mechanism.
Figure 8 is an end view of the machine, without the synthetizer, and showing
the parts in their working position;
Figure 9 is an end view with the parts folded into a readily portable shape:

page_text: Figure 10 is a detail plan of a device for guiding the type box in its movement;
Figure 11 is a sectional elevation of the synthetizer and the keys operated
thereby on line 11-11 of Figure 14;
Figure 12 is a plan of the synthetizer;
Figure 13 is a section on line 14-14 of Figure 11:
Figures 14, 14" 15, 16 and 17 show different arrangements of synthetizing
levers; and
Figure 18 is a diagrammatic plan of a modification.
The machine, briefly described, comprises the following parts: A stationary
keyboard consisting of a limited number of keys, a synthetizer having the full
number of keys, as hereinbefore mentioned; a carriage and a guide for the same;
a type box movable in the carriage for the purpose of bringing any one of
several series of type into the printing position; type carriers. located in the
type box and each having one series of type: an impression mechanism and a
carriage-feed mechanism; a mechanism for shifting the type box; a type-locating
mechanism controlled by the keys to move the types of one series so as to bring
any one of them into the printing position; a paper feed mechanism; and a
base consisting of hinged sections, the keys carried by the base also having hinge
joints to permit of folding the machine into a comparatively small compass.
I will now proceed to describe the parts in the order above mentioned.
THE KEYBOARD (Figures 1, 2, 4, 8 and 11).
There are five type-locating-keys 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 and two type-box shifting
keys 25, 26. The type-locating keys are movable vertically, being pivoted about
horizontal axes 27, while the laterally-disposed shifting keys are pivoted about
vertical axes 28, so as to be movable sidewise. The pivots 27 are located at
different distances from the front ends, the movement at the rear end will be
smallest for the levers 20 and 21, somewhat increased (about twofold) for the
lever 22 and still further increased for the levers 23 and 24 (about fourfold). At
their rear ends the levers of the keys carry operating projections 29 (Figure 4).
THE SYNTHETIZER (Figures 4 and 11 to 27).
To the sanre section 30 of the base over which the keys are normally arranged
(see Figure 8), I secure posts 31 to which may be secured (detachably, if desired)
the frame 32 of the synthetizer. This synthetizer comprises a key board with
substantially the usual arrangement of keys 33 held in their upper position by
springs 34. Some of the keys 33 are arranged to operate only one of the keys 20
to 24, others operate two of said keys, others three. still others four, and one
operates all the five keys 20 to 24 in unison. This is effected as follows: Five
U-shaped levers 35 are pivoted below the keyboard of the synthetizer about
axes 36 the central member of each lever 35 extending longitudinally over. one of
the keys 20 to 24 and having a central projection 37 (Figure 13) engaging
such key. Where only one of the keys 20 to 24 is to be operated (Figure 15),
the corresponding key 33 operates a lever 38 extending from left to right of the
keyboard, said lever being pivoted at 39 and carrying a shoe 40 engaging the
corresponding lever 35. When two of the keys 20 to 24 are to be operated
(Figure 16) the shoe 40" is a double one to engage two of the levers 35 and is
preferably carried pivotally by its lever 38. For operating three keys (Figure 17)
the double shoe 40 is attached not directly to the key 38 but to a shoe 40b
pivotally connected with said key and engaging a third lever 35. In an analogous
manner, four or five keys may be operated by one of the keys 33. See Figures 14
and 14. The synthetizer also has two keys 41 to operate the shifting keys 25,
26 by means of bell-crank levers 42 adapted to engage the shifting key 25 or 26
respectively.
THE CARRIAGE AND CARRIAGE GUIDE (Figs. 1 to 6, 8 & 9).

page_text: raised position by a spring 45. This guide is dovetailed or otherwise constructed
to receive the sliding carriage 46 having guide lugs 47 spaced to receive between
them a sliding extension 48. The purpose of this extension is to support the
carriage should it travel beyond the end of the guide 43, as it will when starting
a line. In this case the extension 48 is pulled out to project beyond the guide 43
at the left hand end, the extension projecting far enough into the guide to provide
the necessary support for the overhanging portion of the carriage.
THE TYPE BOX (Figures 5, 6 and 10).
The carriage 46 is a box-shaped structure in which is arranged to slide from
front to rear, or transversely, the type box 49. This type box may be guided in
any suitable manner, and as shown I provide a lazy-tongs guide 50 one member
of which is pivotally secured as at 51 to the carriage 46 while the corresponding
end of the other member is pivotally secured as at 52, to the type box. The
other ends carry pins 53, 54 of which the pin 53 is arranged to slide in a longi-
tudinal groove 53 of the carriage 46, while the pin 54 slides in a longitudinal
groove 54" of the type box. It will be seen that the point 51 is fixed (relatively
to the carriage); the point 53 cannot move transversely in relation to the carriage,
but only longitudinally thereof in the slot 53. It follows that if the type box is
moved outward, say at the point 52, the whole type box will be evenly guided in
its outward movement. I have selected this construction because the mechanism
which shifts the type box engages the same near one end (as will be described
presently) and in view of the considerable length of the type box the usual
guides, such as tongue and groove, would be liable to cause a binding action.
THE TYPE CARRIERS (Figures 3 to 6).
The type carriers may be constructed exactly as described in the Application
for Patent hereinbefore mentioned, that is, there may be a series of bands or
tapes 55 (say three) carrying type 56 on their lower faces. The bands 55 extend
longitudinally within the type box 49, and one end of each band is secured to a
spring barrel 57 journaled in the type box, and one of the bands is adapted
to be projected beyond the others (Figures 5 and 6), by means of a lug 58 located
upon the type box and arranged to depress one of the shoes 59 which guide the
bands 55 at the impression point. The bands then pass upward (Figure 3) to
engage a pulley 60 journaled in the type-box, and then to an engagement with
a pulley 61 journaled in a carriage 62 mounted to slide longitudinally in the
type box 49. A spring 63 tends to draw the carriage in one direction so as to
keep the type bands taut. The type bands also engage pulleys 64 journaled in
the type box, and their ends are fastened as at 65 to the carriage 62.
THE IMPRESSION MECHANISM (Figures 1, 4 and 5).
As herein before described, the carriage guide 43 is pivoted to the base at 44
so that the carriage 46 with the type box 49 may be swung down to bring the
projecting type 56 against the writing surface. For this purpose the carriage
guide 43 has stops 66 (preferably adjustable, for instance screws, as shown) located
in the path of slides 67 movable up and down on the guide 43, and adapted to be
operated by the ends 29 of the keys. Thus when a key is depressed, the slide 67 will
travel independently until it collides with its stop 66, and then the carriage guide
will be tilted on the fulcrum 44 and bring the carriage 46 with the projecting
type 56 against the paper for effecting the impression. Upon the release of the
key, the spring 45 will return the cariage guide 43 and the parts carried thereby,
to their original position. The position of the spring 45, and therefore the normal
position of the carriage guide, may be regulated by the adjusting screw 68
(Figure 5).
THE CARRIAGE FEED MECHANISM (Figure 1, 3, 3ª, 5 & 6).

page_text: is fixed to the carriage, the other, 71, is pivoted thereto about an approximately
horizontal axis 72 and is under the action of a spring 73. The end wall of the
carriage limits the movement of the pawl 71 in one direction, so as to make that
pawl rigid with the carriage in the normal position shown in the drawings. The
movement of the pawl 71 in the other direction is limited by the engagement of
a projection 75 on the pawl with a bar 76 on the type box 49. This bar may
be stepped as at 76 (Figure 3). The fixed pawl 70 projects somewhat in advance
of the movable pawl 71, but the distance between the adjacent edges of the pawls
is less than the thickness of the rack 69, so that both pawls cannot be disengaged
at the same time. A coil spring 77 connected to the carriage 46 by a cord 78
constantly pulls the carriage in one direction.
Normally, only the movable pawl 71 is engaged with the rack 69. When the
carriage is swung rearward and downward as during the impression, the fixed
pawl 70 engages the rack before the pivoted pawl 71 clears the same, thus pre-
venting any longitudinal movement of the carriage before or during the impres-
sion. As soon as the pivoted pawl 71 swings clear of the rack 69, the spring 73
turns said pawl on its pivot 72 until the projection 75 collides with the stop
bar 76. It will thus be obvious that the pivotal movement of the pawl depends
on the position of the type box 49, the movement being greater when the
central step 76" is in the path of the projection 75 than otherwise. When after
the impression, the carriage is allowed to swing back into the normal position,
the fixed pawl 70 (which has remained in engagement with the rack 69 during
the impression) swings clear of the rack, but not before the free end of the
pivoted pawl 71 has engaged the rack at a greater or smaller distance from the
point originally engaged, according to the greater or smaller pivotal movement
of said pawl. As soon as the fixed pawl elcars the rack, the spring 77, which
is much stronger than the spring 73, pulls the carriage toward the right (looking
from the front or keyboard side of the machine) until such movement is stopped
by the renewed engagement of the pivoted pawl 71 with the end wall of the
carriage. It will be observed that the shape of the stop 76 governs the amount of
feed, and I can thus secure a greater movement of the carriage for capitals than
for small letters.
THE MECHANISM FOR SHIFTING THE TYPE-Box (Figures 1, 2, 5, 6 and 8).
Upon the tilting carriage guide 43 are mounted to move longitudinally two
slides 79 carrying pulleys 80 and adapted to be actuated by the shifting keys 25,
26. To the guide 43 is secured one end of a cord or other flexible connection 81
which passes over the pulleys 80 and also over relatively stationary pulleys 82
carried by the guide 43. The cord 81 then passes over a tension pulley 83 under
the influence of a spring 84 and back to a pulley 85 journaled upon the guide 43
and then upward to a pulley 86 on the guide 43, longitudinally to a pulley 87,
transversely to a pulley 88, back transversely to a pulley 89 and again transversely
to a pulley 90 and is finally secured to the guide 43 at 91, the two ends of the
cord being thus secured to opposite ends of the guide. The pulleys 87, 88 and 90
are journaled upon the carriage 46, but the pulley 89 is journaled upon the
type box 49, the fulcrum pin of said pulley passing through a slot 46 of the
carriage (Figure 2). It will be obvious that the longitudinal movement of the
carriage will not affect the position of the pulley 89 relatively to the slot 46,
and therefore the type box 49 will normally remain in the same position relatively
to the carriage. To shift the type box, one of the keys 25, 26 is operated. This
will produce a longitudinal pull on the cord 81 (kept taut by the spring 84) and
will cause the pulley 89 to travel in the slot 46, the amount of this travel being
the same whether the carriage is at one end of the guide 43 or at the other end
thereof, or at any other point. It will be obvious that the key 25 will produce a
movement twice as great as that produced by the key 26 since one end of the
cord 81 is secured to the guide 45 adjacent to the key 26. Thus, the key 26 may
be used for moving the type box 49 half-way, that is, to bring the pulley 89 to the
centre of the slot 46, while the key 25 will move the type box to the extreme

page_text: outer position. By such movement, one or the other of the type bands 55 will
be brought into the printing position, the projection 58 causing such type band
to project beyond its neighbours as indicated in Figure 6. When the key 25 or
26 is released, a spring 92 (Figure 5) will pull the type box 49 back to its original
position (Figures 2 and 6).
THE TYPE-LOCATING MECHANISM (Figures 1, 2, 4, 5 & 6).
The type locating keys 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24, engage by their ends 29 slides 67
movable up and down on the guide 43 and adapted to engage stops 66, as herein-
before mentioned. It will be observed that the distance between the stops and
the slides (when in their normal position) varies with the several keys, being
smallest and equal for the keys 20 and 21, and twice as great for the other keys.
Each of the slides carries one or more pulleys 93. The slides corresponding to
the keys 20, 21 and 22 carry one pulley each, the slide of key 23 carries two
pulleys, and the slide of key 24 carries four pulleys 93. Adjacent to the slides,
pulleys 94 are journaled upon the carriage guide 43, and a cord 95, one end of
which is secured to said guide at 96, passes alternately over the movable or slide
pulleys 93 and under the relatively fixed pulleys 94. After leaving the last
pulley 94, the cord 95 passes up to a pulley 97 journaled on the carriage
guide 43 and then to the right longitudinally to a pulley 98, from which the cord
is passed to its attaching point 99 on the carriage guide. The pulley 98 is
movable being secured to the end of a cord 100 which passes over a pulley 101
journaled on the carriage guide, and then extends longitudinally of said guide
until it engages a pulley 102 journaled upon the carriage 46. The cord 100 then
passes over the pulleys 103, 104, 105, 106, 107 and 108 in the manner clearly
shown in Figure 2, all of these pulleys being journalled upon the carriage 46,
with the exception of the pulley 105 which is movable in a longitudinal slot 46b
in the carriage. The axis or pin of this pulley projects downward (see Figure 5)
to engage a slide 109 which has a lug 109" always in engagement with the
slide 62, whatever position the type box 49 occupies. The pulley 98 might be
omitted, the cord 95 then passing directly from the pulley 97 to the pulley 101,
and being integral with the cord 100. The left hand end of the cord 100 is
secured to the carriage guide at 110 (Figure 2).
It will be observed that the movement of the carriage 46 longitudinally of the
guide 43 will not affect the position of the pulley 105 in the slot 46. When any
one of the keys is depressed (or a plurality of keys), the corresponding slide or
slides 67 will move upward, producing a longitudinal pull on the cords 95, 100,
the amount of the longitudinal movement being as 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16 for the
keys 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24. When several keys are depressed, the cord 100 will
receive a movement equal to the sum of the movements produced by the keys
individually. Such movement will not affect the position of the carriage 46, but
will produce a corresponding movement of the pulley 105, and therefore of the
slides 109 and 62. The movement of the latter shifts the type carriers or type
bands 55, thus bringing any one of the types 56 into the printing position or
"locating" it. This will take place whether the carriage is at the end of the line
or at any other point thereof. It will be observed (Figure 4) that the key ends 29
are adapted for loose engagement with the lower ends of the slides 67, thus
allowing the parts to move freely both during the location of the type and during
the impression thereof.
THE PAPER FEED MECHANISM (Figures 2, 6 and 7).
The paper 111 is normally held against forward movement by a roller 112,
which a rubber brake 113 allows to rotate only in the direction indicated by the
arrow in Figure 7. The roller 112 is journaled in an arm 114 secured to a
stationary support 115. Rearward movement of the paper is normally prevented
by a roller 116 engaged by a brake 117 and journaled in articulated arms 118
which are pivoted at 119 to brackets 120 secured to the base. Said arms are

page_text: under the influence of springs 121 and are provided with operating ends or
finger pieces 122. Stops 123 limit the movement of said arms. To feed the
paper forward the finger piece 122 is depressed, whereby the roller 116 is thrown
forward, the rotation of said roller being stopped by the brake 117. Friction will
therefore cause a forward movement of the paper until the roller 116 engages the
roller 112, or until one of the stops 123 arrests the arm 118. During this forward
movement, the roller 112 turns freely, so as not to interfere with the feed of the
paper. When the arm 118 moves back, the roller 116 turns freely over the
paper, which is held stationary by the roller 112.
THE BASE (Figures 8 and 9).
To enable the typewriter to be folded into a compact package, I construct the
base of hinged sections 124, 30, 125 and 126. Section 124 forms an end wall or
cover in the closed position illustrated by Figure 9. Section 30, as herein before
described, carries the synthetizer. Section 125 carries the pivots for the keys 20
to 26, and section 126 supports the carriage 46 and the carriage guide 43. The
keys 20 to 26 are provided with hinges 20 corresponding in location to the
hinges connecting the sections of the base. When it is desired to fold the machine
as shown in Figure 9 the carriage 46 is brought to the left hand end of the
guide 43, so that the operating ends of the keys (being at the right hand end of
the base) will not collide with the carriage. The synthetizer is removed to fold
the machine as described, and is packed separately.
The operation of the several parts of the machine having been fully explained,
I will now describe the form of construction shown in Figure 18. In this con-
struction many parts are identical with those hereinbefore described, thus the
keyboard and the synthetizer are the same, also the shifting keys 25, 26 with the
pulleys 80 and 82. The carriage 46, guide 43, and type box 49" are substantially
the same as hereinbefore described, only the type box (and consequently each type
band) extends transversely of the guide 43, instead of longitudinally thereof,
while the type box slides longitudinally of the guide to shift the type bands
into the operating position. The cord 81" operated by the shifting keys 25, 26
is secured by one end to a pulley 127 rigid upon a shaft 128 extending longi-
tudinally upon the carriage guide 43. Upon this shaft is held against independent
rotation, but allowed to slide, a sleeve 129 having a spiral or approximately
spiral groove 130 engaged by a pin 131 on the type box 49", and held against
longitudinal movement relatively to the carriage by pins 132 secured to the
carriage. Thus the sleeve 129 will always occupy the same relation to the
carriage. When the shaft 128 is turned by the operation of one of the keys 25,
26, the pin 131 will cause a longitudinal movement of the type box relatively to
the carriage, thus shifting one or the other of the type bands into the operative
position. The type locating mechanism comprises the pulleys 94 journalled on
the carriage guide 43, and the movable pulleys 93 journalled upon the slides 67,
with a cord 100 engaging them, the construction so far being exactly the same
as represented in Figure 1, but for the sake of clearness a diagrammatic showing
only has been made in Figure 18. The end of the cord 100 is secured to a
pulley 133 rigid upon a longitudinal shaft 134 journalled on the carriage guide 43.
Upon this shaft is held against independent rotation, but allowed to slide, a
pulley 135 which by projections 136 on the type box 49" is held permanently in
the same position relatively thereto. This pulley has attached to it a cord 137
passing over guides 138, and secured on the other end to a spring pulley 139, all
journalled on the type box. To the cord is also rigidly fixed an operating finger
or pin 140 which corresponds to the pin of the pulley 105 in the construction first
described and operates the type bands in the same manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claims is:

page_text: 2. In a typewriter, controlling the type carriage, which moves bodily and is
fed forward after each impression, from a stationary keyboard, substantially as
described.
3. Controlling the type locating mechanism of the carriage from the stationary
keyboard by means of pulleys and flexible connections, or of shafts and pulleys
sliding thereon, substantially as described.
4. Extending the type locating cord or shaft through the type carriage in such
a manner that it will not interfere with the movement of said carriage, sub-
stantially as described.
5. Operating the type locating cord or shaft of the movable carriage by means
of pulleys located on the key levers and movable between fixed pulleys, the key-
board being stationary, substantially as described.
6. In a typewriter, a carriage which moves bodily after each impression and
contains a plurality of series of types, said series of types being movable to bring
any one of them into the operative position by means of shifting keys on a
stationary keyboard, substantially as described.
7. The particular connection of the type box with the carriage, substantially as
shown in Figure 10 and described with reference thereto.
8. Supporting the type carriage upon a guide which is movable to throw the
carriage toward the impression surface, substantially as described.
9. Operating the tilting guide on which the type carriage travels, by the
movement of the keys, to effect an impression, substantially as described.
10. Utilizing the initial movement of the keys for the "location" of the type,
and their further movement for the impression by actuating the carriage guide
and the carriage traveling thereon, substantially as described.
11. Utilizing the movement of the carriage and carriage guide in moving to and
from the impression position, for the feeding of the carriage, substantially as
described.
12. The particular pawl feed mechanism substantially as shown in Figures 1,
3, 3, 5 and 6 and described with reference thereto.
13. A typewriter in which the base and the keys are constructed in hinged
sections, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
14. In a typewriter having a folding base and folding keys, a carriage guide of a
length approximately equal to the aggregate length of the keyboard and carriage,
substantially as described.
15. In a typewriter, the carriage guide adapted to receive the carriage which
is provided with guides adapted to receive between them a sliding extension to
support the carriage when it travels beyond the end of the carriage guide, sub-
stantially as described.
16. In a typewriter, the operation of a series of a comparatively limited number
of keys varying in action and controlling the type according to their various
combinations, by means of a synthetizer.consisting of a keyboard with keys for
the individual types, and connections whereby the movement of a synthetizer key
will operate one or more of the other keys, substantially as described.
Dated this 20th day of September 1899
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53 Chancery Lane, London.