IMPROVE- MENTS IN TYPE WRITING 'MACHINES
Year: 1884

page_text: I EBENEZER HOWARD, Devereux Chambers, Devereux Court, Temple, London,
Shorthand Writer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN TYPE WRITING 'MACHINES to be as follows:―
This invention has for its object improvements in type writing machines by
providing suitable mechanism by means of which the various letters and other
signs shall occupy a space proportioned to their natural width in addition to or
substitution for that now usually provided which admits only one degree of move-
ment. I thus get rid of the irregularity of appearance now presented and also
make it practicable that keys should be employed for two or more letters whereby
the speed of such machines may be greatly enhanced.
I attain this result in the following manner:-
I make the rack which controls the forward movement of the paper of a finer
pitch than heretofore and I arrange the escapement pawls or dogs in such manner
that at each motion they can let pass several of these teeth instead of one only as
heretofore.
I provide also fingers or movable stops which are under the control of the keys
of the instrument to operate with the dogs or pawls of the escapement. These
fingers or stops when called into action prevent the paper receiving the full move-
ment which it receives when the escapement is not thus controlled. When the
letters or combination of letters which require the widest space are raised to the
paper these fingers or stops do not come into operation but for the letters which
require less room the key when depressed projects one or other of these fingers
into the path of the pivotted pawl or dog of the escapement so that this in place
of falling its full distance may fall only so far as to bring it into contact with the
movable finger or stop.
The paper consequently in place of moving the full distance moves a lesser
distance. Thus if the full distance be equal to four teeth of the rack the paper
may be moved a distance of three teeth, two teeth, or a single tooth as the case
may be.
The fingers or stops mentioned above are operated by the finger keys through
links and levers connecting them with cross bars passing beneath the finger keys.
The key levers intended to act on the bars are provided with projections on the
under side and these when the keys are put down act against the bars,

page_text: In machines in which the same finger keys are employed for capital and for small
letters one additional key being employed which determines whether the small
letter or the capital shall print I connect this additional key with the moveable
fingers or stops in such manner that when it is depressed it alters the position of
the fingers or stops so as to give the additional space which is required by the
capital letter.
In some cases I substitute for the rack at present in use a bar of metal with two
or more rows of holes or perforations in it and I make a corresponding alteration
in the dogs or pawls causing each to carry two or more spring pegs according to the
number of rows of holes in the bar.
When the dog or pawl comes into contact with the bar one of the pegs enters a
hole which it finds opposite to it whilst the other peg being brought against a solid
part of the bar yields, the spring with which it is provided permitting it to do so.
By this arrangement I obviate the necessity for the use of a rack with finely
cut teeth which is practically inconvenient.

page_text: I, EBENEZER HOWARD, of Devereux Chambers, Devereux Court, Temple, London,
Shorthand Writer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN TYPE-WRITING MACHINES and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in Type Writing machines by
providing suitable mechanism by means of which the various letters and other
signs shall occupy a space proportioned to their natural width in addition to or
substitution for that now usually provided which admits only one degree of
movement. I thus get rid of the irregularity of appearance now presented and also
make it practicable that keys should be employed for two or more letters whereby
the speed of such machines may be greatly enhanced.
"
""
I attain these results in the following manner. I divide the alphabet, including
the "upper case" letters, figures, &c., that are now usually employed, into, say, four
different classes, baving different degrees of movement respectively. A small "i"
being taken as the unit of movement, the mechanism permits of one tooth of the
rack of the carriage passing when that key (i) is depressed, while the small "n
permits two teeth, the small " m three teeth to pass, and the capitals one tooth
more than their respective small letters, so that for broad capital letters the rack
would move four teeth. Thus when the capitals "I," "N" and "M" are called"
into action, two, three and four teeth respectively are allowed to pass. In the case
of double and treble letter combinations, that number of teeth is allowed to pass
which most nearly corresponds to the width of such combinations. But the details
of spacing may be modified or varied from those above stated without departing
from the spirit of my invention.
My invention consists principally in combining the rack of the carriage and the
two ordinary dogs, one of which is fixed and the other pivoted, as in machines
known as Remington machines, with a projection or foot on the pivoted dog, and
with fingers or stops which are operated by the keys so as to modify the play of.
said pivoted dog in the desired manner, all as hereinafter described.
In the accompanying drawing figure 1 is a bottom view of a Remington Type-
Writing Machine, having my improvements attached thereto.
Figures 2, 3 and 4 are detail face views of part of the rack and the dogs engaging
therewith, showing the dogs differently spaced.
Figures 5 and 6 are detail views of the gauging fingers, which regulate the
position of the pivoted dog.
Figure 7 is a back view partly in section of the Type writing Machine, and
Figure 8 is a vertical section of the back portion thereof-the line c. c figure 7
indicating the plane of section.
Figure 9 represents an alternative form of rack and
Figure 10 represents alternative form of dogs to be used with such rack.
In the drawing the letter A represents the rack of the carriage, the same being
toothed at its lower edge, or perforated or indented to receive the dogs B and C.
The dog B is rigid on an elbow lever D, which is hung by its pivot a in the frame

page_text: of the machine and which is swung on said pivot by connection with a crossbar E,
which is lowered whenever one of the keys F of the machine is depressed. And
whenever the said elbow lever D is thus swung by depressing a key the dog B
will be carried forward between the teeth of the rack so as to hold the rack and
with it the carriage stationary while the act of printing is going on. When the
key F is let go the dog B is thrown back into the position shown in figure 8 by &
Buftable spring b allowing the dog C to enter between the teeth of the rack. The
dog C is by the pin d pivoted to the shank D of the dog B, as appears clearly in
figures 2, 3 and 4.
A spring e bears against the dog O so as to throw it as far
away from the dog B as possible, but the limit of separation or distance between
these two dogs is felt by the lower projection f of the dog C when the same strikes
one or other of the adjustable fingers hereinafter described.
.
In figures 2, 3, 4, 7 and 8 I have represented two fingers for use in this machine.
They are marked respectively G and H. The finger G, which is shown in enlarged
face view in figure 5 is a suitable plate, pivoted to a rod I, which is secured in the
frame of the machine. To the same rod is pivoted the finger H, which is more
clearly shown in face view figure 6, and which has on the operative side a thicker
upper portion g and a thinner lower portion h. Normally, that is to say when
letters of ordinary width are to be employed, the fingers G and H are held in the
position which is represented in figure 3, that is to say the finger G is drawn down
by a suitable spring i, so that the foot f of the pivoted dog C can strike the thicker
upper part g of the finger H as appears clearly from figures 3 and 8. Another
spring holds the finger H normally in the position which is shown in figure 3.
When the fingers are in this position, which I have termed the normal position,
that is to say when the finger H. presents its thicker upper portion g to contact
with the footf of the pivoted dog C, the space between the dogs B & C will be, for
the purpose of this illustration equal to two teeth of the rack A. In other words
the instrument would work so that at each depression of the appropriate key the
rack would be fed the distance of two teeth, because upon depressing the key the
dog B would first enter the teeth of the rack, meanwhile in front of the rack
the dog C would stand opposite the second tooth from that which is held by the
dog B; and, thereupon, as the key is let go the dog C would enter the rack at a
distance of two teeth from the place occupied by the dog B, and when the dog B
leaves the rack the dog C will be carried along by the spring which moves the rack
and carriage by means of the usual belt L. until the dog C becomes aligned with
the dog B, where it is arrested by a suitable stop which is used in all machines of
the class described.
The function and purpose of the foot f will now be apparent. It may be made
of such length that at its lower end it traverses say twice the distance which the
upper face of such dog traverses. Extreme fineness of adjustment which would be
essential if the fingers acted directly upon the dog C is no longer necessary, and a
rack of sufficiently fine teeth becomes perfectly safe.
The position of the two dogs in alignment, that is after a feeding action has been
completed, is represented in figure 7 and in this position it will be seen the foot or
lower part of the dog C is no longer in contact with either of the fingers, but is
held at a distance from said fingers to permit of their subsequent adjustment.
The fingers G and H can be swung upwardly on their pivot I by their respective
flexible connections and m with crossbars M and N, which crossbars are placed
beneath the keys F as indicated in fig 1 and in the lower part of figure 8. Each
of these crossbars M and N is by two arms n pivotally connected with the frame
of the machine, and such bars are held normally in their elevated position by the
springs and j. Above the rod M which we may assume connects with the
finger G, the keys of the narrowest letters, "i," "j," &c., have downwardly
projecting studs or protuberances P., fig 8 and above the rod N which connects
with the finger H the keys of the wider letters m and " W have similar pro-
tuberances P. It follows that whenever any key F, having no such protuberance P,
is depressed the position of the fingers G, H, will not be affected and will remain

page_text: normal as in figure 3. But whenever a key F having such a protuberance is
depressed it will also depress, by means of its protuberance, the bar M or N which
happens to be below the same and will thereby swing the proper finger G or H into
a higher position. Thus, if the bar M is depressed, the finger G will be swung up
into the position shown in figure 2, so that it will come into the path of the foot f
of the pivoted dog C, while, if the bar N is depressed the finger H will be raised as
in fig 4 to swing its narrower portion H into the path of the foot f of the pivoted
dog C. Thus, when a narrow letter like the letter "i" is to be printed the
depression of the proper key F will bring up the finger G and will thereby permit
the dog C as it leaves the rack to fly only one tooth from the dog D, while when a
wide letter, for example "m,' is to be printed, the finger H is raised as in figure 4,
thereby permitting the dog C to fly three teeth from the dog D; and hence it is
evident that by this arrangement those particular letters which heretofore have
caused the inequality of spacing in Type Writing machines will now be spaced the
same as letters of normal width.
The springs and; connect the fingers G and H with the frame of the machine,
and when a key F is released (if such key when depressed has acted upon either of
the bars) the spring i or ; draws the finger G or Ĥ and with it its corresponding
cross bar into its normal position.
Where for any purpose more than three variations of spacing may be required
for the different small letters or combinations of letters additional keys similar
to H may be employed.
"
I will now describe an additional improvement, which consists in causing capital
letters to receive a space which is, say one tooth, wider than the space for the same
letter in the "lower case.'
"
For this purpose I connect the " upper case key
(which is a key recognised by that name in the Number 2 Remington machine) or
any other suitable key by a chain r, or otherwise, with an elbow lever & which
connects by rods t with the fingers G and H which fingers are capable of sliding on
their pivot I so that whenever the said "
"
upper case key or analogous key is
depressed the elbow 8 will draw the rod t and with it the fingers in the direction of
the arrow which is shown in figure 7 which motion is to the extent of the distance
between the acting faces of the fingers. It follows that whenever a key having a pro-
tuberance P is depressed, and at the same time the upper case key or its equivalent
is depressed, the fingers G and H will be actuated on their pivot I in the same
manner as described with reference to the printing of small letters, and in addition
they will be slid on their pivot so that the dog C will stand one tooth further off
from the dog B than it would stand for the same letter in the "lower case." Thus
if for printing a small letter "i" the dogs are one tooth apart as in figure 2 they
will for printing the capital letter I stand two teeth apart, and yet the foot f of the
dog C will touch the finger G. And again, if for printing the small letter "m" the
dogs are three teeth apart, as in figure 4, they will be made to stand four teeth
apart for printing the capital letter "M" After the upper case key is released the
springs i and; slide the fingers back against a suitable stop into the normal
position.
It is evident that in lieu of the parts rst described in the foregoing specification
as the means of connecting the upper case key with the sliding fingers any other
mechanism may be employed which is equivalent to such parts r8 t.
Where very narrow letters are required I substitute for the rack at present in use
a bar of metal with two or more rows of holes or perforations in it, shown enlarged
in figure 9, and I make a corresponding alteration in the dogs or pawls U figure 10
causing each to carry two or more spring pega v according to the number of rows
of holes in the bar.
When the dog or pawl comes into contact with the bar one of the pegs enters
a hole which it finds opposite to it, whilst the other peg being brought against a
solid part of the bar yields, the spring R with which it is provided permitting it
to do so.

page_text: By this arrangement I obviate the necessity for the use of a rack with extremely
finely cut teeth which is practically inconvenient.
Having now particularly described the nature of my said invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed. I declare that what I claim is
1. In a Type Writing machine the combination of the rack A, dogs B C and
certain keys F with a plurality of moveable fingers G H and mechanism substan-
tially as described for moving said fingers into the path of the pivoted dog C,
thereby adjusting its distance from the dog B substantially as described.
2. The combination of the rack A dogs B & C, foot f, and a series of moveable
fingers G H substantially as & for the purposes herein before shown and described.
3. The combination of the keys F., having protuberances P with the moveable
cross bars M, N, placed beneath said protuberances, connections l m and a series of
fingers G, H, and with the dogs B & C and rack A of a type writing machine as
described.
4. In a machine having two dogs B, C, constructed substantially as described,
the combination of said dogs with a foot fand a series of fingers G. EL & with
mechanism for imparting compound motion thereto by means of the key F having
protuberance P & by the connection r 8, t, substantially as described.
5. The combination of rack X with double dogs Ū substantially as & for the
purpose described.