Improvements in Type Writing Machines.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Mar., 1892-Accepted, 30th Apr., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Type Writing Machines.
A. communication from abroad by THE AMERICAN WRITING MACHINE
COMPANY, a Corporation organised under the Laws of the State of New York,
of Hartford, Connecticut, United States of America.
1, JOHN CORRY FELL, of the firm of Fell & Wilding, of 1 Queen Victoria
Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent, 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 :-
In machines having wide carriages great difficulty has heretofore been
experienced on account of the sway, vibration or skew of the carriage, which,
as is well known results in imperfect alignment in the printing. The main
object of the present invention is therefore to obviate this difficulty and provide
efficient means for steadying, supporting, and properly guiding the paper-carriage
of a type writing machine.
Another object of the invention is to provide means in a wide carriage machine
for actuating the bell-hammer of the signaling mechanism.
In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the several improvements,
Figure 1 is a top plan view of so much of a type writing machine as is necessary
to show the improvements.
Figure 2 is a front elevation of the same.
Figure 3 is a vertical cross section taken at the line, of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view to show the construction of the guiding and
steadying rollers.
Figure 5 is a vertical section taken at the line y, y of Figure 4, and
Figure 6 is an enlarged vertical cross section taken at the line, of Figure 1.
In the several views the same part will be found designated by the same numeral
of reference.
The machine illustrated is of that description commonly known as the "Cali-
graph, to which the improvements made the subject matter hereof have been
applied.
1 designates the top-plate or type-ring secured to suitable frame-work 2. At
each end of the top-plate is attached by screws, a standard or bracket 3, the
upper end of which grooved to receive the underside of a carriage guide-
rail 4. This rail is secured to said standards, near its ends, by means of screws 5
which pass up vertically through said standards and engage threaded holes on the
underside of the guide-rail. Below said guide-rail and parallel therewith is arranged
a rod 6, the ends of which are supported in the brackets or standards. The guide-
rail is longer than the rod 6, its ends being prolonged to extend on cach side
beyond the brackets or standards. 7 desiguates the usual cylindrical platen
mounted to turn on an axle 8, supported at its ends in the end-bars 9 and 10 of the
carriage-frame, consisting essentially of said end-bars and a back rod 11 and a front
rod 12. 13 designates a yoke-piece which is provided with downwardly and rear-
wardly extending arms 14, the lower ends of which are perforated to slide upon the
guide-rail 4. Through perforations in the upper ends of said arms the back rod 11
of the carriage-frame is passed, said rod between said arms preferably resting in a
groove or depression 15 formed in the yoke-piece. In order to prevent the back
rod 11 from turning in the upper ends of the arms, pins 16 are passed through
said arms and through the back rod, thus securely fastening the rod to said
arms and preventing any motion of the carriage about said rod as a pivot or

page_text: center. The construction is such that when it may be desired to lift the platen
to inspect the work on the underside thereof, the movement takes place about
the guide-rail as a center or pivot.
Hinged upon the guide-rail, by two eyes 17, arranged between the arms 14,
is a rack-bar-frame or support 18, which at each end is formed or provided with
a comparatively long arm 19, bearing at its eud an anti-friction roller 20 which
is grooved to match the curvature of the guide-rail and which runs in contact
with said guide-rail on its rear side during the back and forth movements of the
carriage.
In order to maintain these rollers in proper working relation to the guide-rail,
they are each preferably mounted to turn about a cam or eccentric 21, which is
secured to and upon the arm 19 by a screw 22. In setting the rollers for action
the eccentrics are turned to carry the rollers against the guide-rail with the
requisite degree of pressure or contact, the screws are then tightened, the heads or
flanges of the screws bearing down upon the tops of the eccentrics and holding
them stationary upon the arms 19, thus leaving the rollers free to rotate about the
eccentrics. So far as the main feature of this invention is concerned, the provision
for adjustment of the rollers may be eliminated, but inasmuch as it has been found
in practice that it is rather a difficult matter to so make the parts that the rollers will
always contact with or bear with the proper degree of pressure against the guide-
rail if mounted upon mere pivot-pins, it is highly desirable to provide some means
for adjusting the rollers to the guide-rail in the manner described.
While the devices 20 are made in the form of rollers in order to prevent friction
as much as possible, it is not essential that they be so made. What is required is
a construction which affords to the carriage a longer support or bearing, in order
that the twisting or skewing strains to which the carriage is subjected, more
particularly at the beginning and ending of its travel, may be avoided. In pro-
viding for this increased support or bearing for the carriage, it will be observed
that the guide-rail has been extended on each side past the bracket or standard,
and that the arm 19 on each side of the rack-bar-frame is made of a length substan-
tially equal to that of the extension on each side of the guide-rail. By arranging
the rollers or bearers 20 at the extremities of the arms 19, it will be observed that
the bearing or support of the carriage is considerably increased and is continued
practically to the extremities of the guide-rail 4, when the carriage is at either end
of its line of travel. In other words, when the carriage is at the extreme right,
the right hand roller or bearer 20 extends out to the right hand end of the guide-
rail, and when the carriage is at the extreme left of the machine, the left
hand roller or bearer extends out to the left hand end of the guide-rail. The
travel of the carriage is limited in either direction by the standards or brackets or
by stops or pins secured thereto, against which the lower ends of the arms 14 abut.
From the above it will be understood, therefore, that the bearers 20 may be made
in the form of slides instead of rollers since in either case they would perform the
function of supporting and steadying or guiding the carriage during its excursions.
Although it is preferred to have the bearers grooved as shown, it is not absolutely
essential.
23 designates the stationary feed-rack, and 24 the reciprocatory spring-actuated
feed-rack of the "Caligraph," both said racks being adapted to co-operate with a
spacing-dog 25 in the usual manner. The rack 23 is affixed to the frame or
support 18 by screws 26. It is also affixed to the arms 19 by screws 27, which
take into a lug 28 formed on each arm. Thus the arms 19 serve the function
also of assisting in the support of the feed-rack. The rack 24 is slotted as usual
and connected to the rack 23 by means of screws 29, a spring 30 being connected
at one end to the rack 23, and at the other end to the rack 24 to throw the
latter towards the left when the spacing-dog is vibrated forwardly into the
rack 23. To the fixed rack is connected a link 31, which as heretofore, is
connected to the driving power of the machine.
The eyes 17 of the hinged rack-bar-frame are provided each, in front of the guide-

page_text: rail, with a forward projection 32, and, in rear of the guide-rail and. the rod 6,
with a downward lug or projection 33. When the carriage is down in working
position, a screw or pin 34 extending from the yoke-piece bears upon each of said
projections 32, so that the weight of the carriage may operate to rock slightly the
rack-bar-frame and lift slightly the feed-racks in order to relieve the spacing-dog
of the weight of the feed-racks and their support. But for this construction the
feed-racks would drop to such an extent that the bases of the notches of the racks
would bear upon the top edge of the spacing-dog, which would be objectionable, for
it would increase the friction and destroy the perfect operation of the feed of the
carriage.
During the time that the carriage is down in working position the lugs or pro-
jections 33 stand slightly away from the rod 6, but when the carriage is turned up
for inspection of the work and the screws 34 are moved away from the projections 32,
thus allowing the feed-racks support to drop, the lugs or projections 33 come in
contact with the rod 6 and relieve the spacing-dogs some of the weight of the
rack-bar-frame and of the carriage, which in its upturned position rests upon the
rack-bar-frame.
When it may be desired to release the carriage from the escapement mechanism,
the rack-bar-frame may be swung up about its hinged connection with the guide-
rail, and the carriage thus moved quickly forward or backward, the rack 23 being
preferably provided with a handle 23 to facilitate the raising of the racks. So
far as the main feature of the invention is concerned the rack-bar-frame need not
be hinged.
The front rod of the carriage is provided with two anti-friction rollers 36, which
ride upon a track or way 37 mounted on supports 38 rising from the top-plate.
This track or way is preferably extended on each side a considerable distance
beyond the supports 38, in order to provide a longer support for the front side of
the carriage.
The track or way is preferably provided with a scale bar 39, which as shown, is
graduated or marked from " 0 up to 120, indicating that one hundred and
twenty characters may be printed upon a line, which is nearly twice as many as
can be written with the ordinary machine. On the front rod is an index or
pointer 40 to co-operate with said scale and indicate the progress of the carriage
in the usual way. Upon the front rod is also mounted an adjustable margin-
stop 41, which is clamped to the rod by a set-screw 42, and which is adapted to
strike against a stop 43 on the end of the track or way to govern or regulate the
width of margin at the left side of the sheet being written upon.
On the machine frame work is arranged a gong 44 adapted to be sounded by a
hammer 45 at the lower end of an arm 46, which at its upper end is attached to a
sleeve or bearing 47 fitted loosely to swing upon a pivot-pin 48 secured to the
track or way.
At the left hand end of the track or way is secured another pivot-pin 49, upon
which is mounted another sleeve or bearing 50, which at its underside is provided
with a lug 51, bearing a screw or pin 52, upon which is hooked one end of a
connecting-rod 53, the opposite right hand end of which is hooked upon a similar
screw or pin 54 projecting from a lug 55 on the underside of the sleeve 47.
Attached to the sleeve 50 and projecting over the top of the track or way 37
is an inclined plate 56 which is adapted to be acted upon by a trip-piece 57
pivoted in a bracket 58 adjustable on the front rod and secured in position by
a set-screw 59.
When the carriage moves towards the left, the trip-piece by its contact with the
inclined plate 56 operates to turn or rock the sleeve 50 and through the connecting-
rod 53 turn and rock the sleeve 47 and raise the bell-hammer 45. Immediately
the trip passes off or beyond the plate 56, the bell-hammer is permitted to drop
by gravity and strike against the bell to signal the operator. In returning the
carriage towards the right, the trip-piece by reason of being pivoted in the
bracket passes over the plate 56 without affecting the bell-hammer arm. In view

page_text: of the great length of travel of the carriage, the ordinary arrangement of the
signaling mechanism will not suffice, if it be desired to obtain a signal at any
point within the last twenty-five degrees or divisions of the scale. If the plate 6
were made integral with the sleeve 47 it would not be possible to ring the bell
through the trip-piece 57 after the pointer 40 had passed beyond division "95" on
the scale.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare what I
claim is
1. In a type writing machine, the combination with the guide-rail and the paper-
carriage, of a yoke-piece and a rack-bar-trame having at each end an arın provided
with a bearer for contact with the said guide rail.
2. In a type writing machine, the combination with a guide-rail and a paper-
carriage, of a yoke-piece secured to said carriage and hinged upon said rail, and a
rack-bar-frame also hinged upon said rail and provided at each end with an arm
having a bearer for contact with said rail.
3. In a type writing machine, the combination of the top-plate, the standards,
the guide-rail secured to said standards and projecting beyond the same, the yoke-
piece hinged to said guide-rail, the paper-carriage secured to said yoke-piece, the
rack-bar-frame hinged to said guide-rail, and the arms 19 extending on each side
from said rack-bar-frame and provided each with a bearer for contact with said
guide-rail.
4. In a type writing machine, the combination of the guide-rail, the stop rod
arranged beneath and parallel therewith, the yoke-piece hinged upon said guide-
rail and provided with vertical contact pins or screws, and the rack-bar-frame
hinged upon said guide-rail and provided with forwardly extending projections
adapted to be acted upon by said pins or screws to slightly elevate the said feed-
racks when the carriage is down in working position.
5. In a type writing machine, the combination of the guide-rail, the stop rod
arranged beneath and parallel therewith, the yoke-piece hinged upon said rail,
the paper-carriage rigidly connected to said yoke-piece, and the rack-bar-frame
provided with downward projections adapted to contact with said stop rod when the
carriage is turned up and back and rests upon the rack-bar-frame.
6. In a type writing machine, the combination of the guide-rail seated in grooves
in the upper ends of standards and prolonged to extend beyond said standards,
the yoke-piece hinged upon said guide-rail, the paper-carriage rigidly connected to
said yoke-piece, the rack-bar-frame connected to said guide-rail, the arms 19
extending outwardly in opposite directions from said rack-bar-frame and provided
with a bearer adapted to travel in contact with said guide-rail past the standard to
or near the free unsupported end of the guide-rail.
7. In a type writing machine, the combination of the guide-rail, the yoke-piece
hinged thereto, the paper-carriage rigidly connected to the yoke-piece, the rack-
bar-frame connected to the guide-rail, and the arms 19, made integral with the
rack-bar-frame and provided each with a grooved anti-friction roller adapted to
ride in contact with said guide-rail.
8. In a type writing machine, the combination of the guide-rail, the yoke-piece,
the platen, and the rack-bar-frame provided with the arms 19 bearing each an
anti-friction roller and means for adjusting said roller to said guide-rail.
9. In a type writing machine, the combination with the guide-rail, the yoke-
piece, the platen, the rack-bar-frame and the arms 19, of the anti-friction rollers,
the adjusting eccentrics and the retaining screws.
10. In a type writing machine, the combination of a fixed gong, a bell hammer,
a pivoted bell hammer arm, a pivoted inclined actuating plate a connecting-rod
beneath said plate and said bell hammer arm, and a bell trip upon the paper-
carriage.
11. In a type writing machine, the combination with a gong, a bell hammer arm

page_text: attached to a pivoted sleeve having a projection, an inclined plate attached to
another pivoted sleeve also having a projection, a connecting-rod uniting said
pivoted sleeves, and an adjustable bell trip on the paper-carriage.
Dated this 28th day of March 1892.
FELL & WILDING,
Agents for the Applicant.