Improvements in the Vice Jaws of Linotype Machines.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Feb., 1896.
Complete Specification Left, 9th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 19th Dec., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Vice Jaws of Linotype Machines.
We, THE LINOTYPE COMPANY, LIMITED, of No. 6 Serjeant's Inn, Fleet
Street, in the City of London, Sole Manufacturers, Licensors and Vendors under
the "Linotype" Patents, CHARLES LEWIS IRELAND, and FERDINAND JOHN
WICH both of No. 11 Hulme Street, Oxford Road, Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The present invention relates to improvements in the vice jaws of linotype
machines. The machine described in the Specification of Letters Patent 14582
1890 is the best and best known linotype machine. For that reason, it is
considered that the nature of the present invention can be best described in
connection with it to which the said invention is particularly applicable.
In the machine in question, a line of independent metal matrices having indented
characters in their rear edges, and space bars, is composed in a so called assembling
block, and transferred from there by a pair of shifters into a so called yoke whose
function is to present the said line in front of a mould the latter being a hori-
The front face of
zontally positioned cavity in a vertical disc or mould wheel.
the latter and the rear face of the line in question, are parallel planes in contact
with each other over the whole rear face of the line from the moment of the
presentation referred to. Provision, consisting of a so called vice top or vice
head, is made for holding the two faces in contact. It still remains necessary to
clamp the members of the line longitudinally of the latter, in order that it may
not exceed a definite and predetermined length and that the said members may be
held tightly against each other over their contacting side faces and especially
down their rear vertical edges. This clamping is effected by a pair of vice jaws,
between which the line is introduced by the motion of presentation above referred
to, and a vice screw. When it is borne in mind that molten metal is not simply
poured but strongly injected into the mould, it will be perceived, that any break in
the rear face of the line along the frout face of the mould will, necessarily, be as
receptive of metal as are the character cavities in the rear edges of the matrices.
These cavities must be there to form the letters on the edge of the linotype. It is
equally important, that there be not any other cavities of any description, or there
will be formed upon the edge of the linotype, fins standing up between the letters
high enough to take ink and print. The indented character is at the bottom of a
cavity in the rear edge of the matrix. What is to be the clear space between two
letters in the printed line is represented in the composed line of matrices and
space-bars, by the right and left side walls, respectively, of the cavities in two
adjacent matrices. These walls must be thin, each of them not more than half
the clear space above mentioned. But the side faces of the matrices and space
bars in the composed line must fit up to each other, metal tight down their rear
edges.
The earlier practice in connection with the machine described in the specifi-
cation above mentioned, was to make the faces of the vice jaws parallel. The
subsequent practice has been to taper the faces of the jaws a little so as to leave
the rear portions of them nearer to each other than the front portions. This shape

page_text: of face provided for the cramping exerted by the vice, being additionally severe
through the rear face of the composed line.
The behaviour of a composed line under the cramping, depends very much
upon circumstances. For instance, thin matrices bed together more closely and
evenly than do thick ones. Others have the side walls of the character cavities
damaged. Fragments of metal get on the space-bars, and these being of steel,
the fragments solder themselves thereon. All these irregularities have their
respective influences in the direction of preventing the rear face of the composed
line (the face adjacent to the mould wheel) acquiring solidarity.
The object of the present invention is to make such solidarity possible in spite
of the occurrence of some of the obstacles to it; and the invention itself consists
in the faces of the vice jaws being separate from the respective jaws and connected
by a pivot or a swivel so as to make them self adjusting in respect of the angle
presented by the end faces of the composed line.
The axis of the pivot may be either horizontal or vertical; or capacities of the
two positions may be merged in one cup and ball or equivalent joint.
Dated this 7th day of February 1896.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECI
ATION.
Improvements in the Vice Jaws of Linotype Machines.
We, THE LINOTYPE COMPANY, LIMITED, late of No. 6 Serjeant's Inn, but
now of No. 188 Fleet Street, both in the City of London, Sole Manufacturers,
Licensors and Vendors, under the "Linotype" Patents, CHARLES LEWIS
IRELAND, and FERDINAND JOHN WICH both of No. 11 Hulme Street, Oxford
Road, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, 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 :-
The present invention relates to improvements in the vice jaws of linctype
machines. The machine described in the Specification of Letters Patent 14582
1890 is the best and best known linotype machine. For that reason, it is
considered that the nature of the present invention can be best described in
connection with it to which the said invention is particularly applicable.
In the machine in question, a line of space bars and independent metal matrices
having indented characters in their rear edges, is composed in a so-called
assembling block, and transferred from there by a shifter into a so-called yoke
whose function is to present the said line in front of a mould, the latter being a
horizontally positioned cavity in a vertical disc or mould wheel. The front face
of the latter and the rear face of the line in question, are parallel planes in
contact with each other over the whole rear face of the line from the moment of
the presentation referred to. Provision, consisting of a so-called vice top or vice
head, is made for holding the two faces in contact. It still remains necessary to
clamp the members of the line longitudinally of the latter, in order that it may
cot exceed a definite and predetermined length and that the said members may be
held tightly against each other over their contacting side faces and especially.
down their rear vertical edges. This clamping is effected in a vice, into which the
line is introduced by the notion of presentation above referred to.
When it is borne in mind that molten metal is not simply poured, but strongly
injected, into the mould, it will be perceived that any break in the rear face of

page_text: the line along the front face of the mould will, necessarily, be as receptive of
metal as are the character cavities in the rear edges of the matrices. These
cavities must be there to form the letters on the edge of the linotype. It is
equally important that there be not any other cavities of any description, or there will
be formed upon the edge of the linotype, fins standing up between the letters high
enough to take ink and print. The indented character is at the bottom of a
What is to be the clear space between
cavity in the rear edge of the matrix.
two letters in the printed line is represented in the composed line of matrices and
space-bars, by the right and left side walls, respectively, of the cavities in two
adjacent matrices. These walls must be thin, each of them not more than half the
clear space above mentioned. But the side faces of the matrices and space bars
in the composed line must fit up to each other, metal-tight down their rear
edges.
The carlier practice in connection with the machine described in the specifi-
cation above mentioned, was to make the opposite faces of the vice jaws, vertical
and parallel. This combination of verticalness and parallelism would lead to a
satisfactory result if the composed line of matrices would always present the
regularity of a hexahedron. But in practice it does not do this, and there are
several reasons for it not doing so. One of them is the difference between matrices
in respect of the way in which they bed up to each other. Thin matrices bed up
to each other and to thick ones too, much more truly than do thick matrices to
thick matrices. Another reason is the presence of foreign matter between the
members of the said line. This matter is sometimes dirt which gets on the sides'
of the matrices during their progress through the linotype machine, and sometimes
it is metal which has come into contact with a space bar during the act of casting
and-such bar being of steel and bright has soldered itself to the side thereof.
Another reason is that the side walls of the character cavities sometimes get forced
outwards beyond the side faces of the respective matrices.
A subsequent practice in connection with the same machine, is to taper the
opposite faces of the jaws a little in such a way that the rear portions of them
stand nearer to each other than do the front portions. The effect of such tapered
shape is that the cramping is additionally severe through the rear face of the
composed line. But even then, the degree of continuity of surface attained
by the rear face (the one adjacent to the mould wheel) of the said line is
imperfect.
The object of the present invention is to make such continuity possible in spite
of the occurrence of some of the obstacles to it; and the invention itself consists
in the combination of a cheek with either or with each vice jaw, such cheek being
separate from the respective jaw and connected to it by a pivot or a swivel so as
to make it self-adjusting in respect of the angle presented by the end faces of the
composed line.
The axis of the above mentioned pivot or swivel may be either horizontal or
vertical; or the capacities of the two positions may be merged in one cup-and-ball
or equivalent joint."
The accompanying figures represent the application of the present invention to
a linotype machine of the type described in the Specification No. 14582 1890
above mentioned. They are to be taken as part of this specification and read
therewith.
Figure 1 is a rear elevation of the vice frame, the two vice jaws, a composed
line of matrices and space bars in the vice, and the moveable jaw controlling
mechanism. The distorted position of the majority of the members of the
line, indicates the presence of foreign matters below the axis of the pivotted
cheek.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the stationary part or base of the left hand jaw
in Figure 1, looking at it from the right hand.
Figure 3 is a rear elevation, partly in section, of the left hand jaw in

page_text: Figure 4 is a rear elevation of the right hand or moveable jaw in Figure 1 after
the present invention has been applied to it.
Figure 5 is a plan of a vice and a composed line in it. It is taken on the
line 5-5 of Figure 1 but omits the vice frame and the moveable jaw controlling
mechanism. The foreign matters whose presence is indicated in the line by the
distorted positions of about half the members thereof, are evidently to the front
of the vertical plane which contains the centre of the pivotted cheek.
Figure 6 is a rear elevation, and Figure 7, a plan, of a vice jaw fitted with a
pivotted cheek modified in respect of its pivot.
P is the vice frame, and p, p, the two vice jaws. Q is a composed line of
matrices and space bars held therein. Both jaws engage and are supported in
a horizontal groove q¹ formed in the rear face of the said frame. The left hand
jaw pis held fast to the frame P while the right hand one p is moveable
longitudinally to and from its fellow jaw p', according to the desired length of
the linotypes to be cast. The working position of the said jaw p' in the
groove q, is determined by the position of a backing up nut or block capable
of a similar motion in the said groove. This nut or block is engaged by a
horizontal screw p3 which is supported in horizontal bearings in the vice frame P
and is capable of only a rotary motion about its axis. Its outer end terminates
in a square by which it can be turned in either direction. The jaw p may be
either left standing up against the nut p during the interval between the removal
of one composed line Q from the vice and the insertion therein of the next, or
provision may be made for its being automatically returned to its fellow pl after
each such removal, as well as for its being automatically moved outwards up to the
backing up nut p". Such provision is (dealing with the outward motion first) as
follows. The shifter before mentioned (being the organ that delivers the composed
line Qinto the yoke mentioned further on,) moves horizontally from left to right
(the observer standing on the rear of the vice frame as assumed by Figure 1) and
pushes the jaw p² up to the nut p24 by engaging with an upstanding finger g'. The
jaw pis toothed along its front face to adapt it to be engaged by a spring-actuated
pawl g as the series of teeth (not shewn in the figures) is pushed past the same.
This engagement is necessary to prevent the premature return of the said jaw up
to its fellow p before the introduction of the composed line Q into the vice shall
have been effected. p2 is a pin standing up from the pawl g³ and in the path of
the so-called vertically reciprocating yoke (already mentioned) which receives the
line Q from the shifter above mentioned and introduces it into the vice. The
engagement of this yoke, during its descent, with the pin p2 frees the jaw p³ from
the pawl g. is an arm constantly under the action of a spring forcing it over to
the left and is a finger pivotted upon the top of it. Its upturned tip jis held in
a hole in the underside of the jaw p² by a constant tension rod k.
The cramping action to which the composed line Q is subjected during the time
it is in the vice, is derived partly from the upward motion given by the justifier
(not shewn in the figures) to the pendent members o of the space bars-such
upward motion being converted into one of longitudinal extension of the said line
according to, and as a consequence of, the co-operating tapers of the two members
of each space bar, and partly by the action of the screw p³ acting as a vice screw
to move the moveable jaw pa towards the fixed jaw pl. For the purpose of
imparting such action to the said screw, there is fast on the outer end of the screw,
a toothed segment p which is actuated by a vertically reciprocating rack bar g.
The latter is operated at and during the proper times and terms, from or by any
suitable moving member of the machine, to first advance the block to cramp,
and to, second, retire the block to uncramp, the line Q.
None of the mechanism detailed above forms part of the present invention.
Let it be supposed that the obstacle to the desired continuity described above,
consists of fragments of hard dirt. The presence of five separate fragments o' is
indicated on as many inatrices, in Figure. 1. They are all shewn as being below a
horizontal line drawn-from the centre of one jaw p₁ to that of the opposite one p

page_text: and are supposed to be halfway between the front and rear faces of the composed
line Q. When a composed line containing such a series of fragments, is cramped
between two vertical and parallel jaws, the line is longer at the bottom than at the
top by the sum of the thicknesses of the fine obstacles and for that reason, the top
of it will be under slighter compression than the bottom. The tops of every two
matrices having a fragment between them, will, therefore, tend to stand apart
more or less, thereby establishing a vertical chasm in the rear face of the line Q,
which may extend down into the line a of the cavities in which the characters are
indented. Any such downwardly extending chasms will be included within the
area of the horizontal mould cavity in the mould wheel, and consequently, a fin
will be cast in each and will stand up between the two letters on the linotype high
enough to print.
Another possible position of the obstacle is illustrated in Figure 5. In this case
the obstacle consists of a fragment o' on one space bar and three fragments o¹ on
as many matrices, all nearer to the front than to the rear face of the composed
line Q and supposed to be half way between the top and the bottom of that line.
The resultant chasms in the composed line cramped in a parallel vice, will be in
the rear face of it and will extend from the top to the bottom of it.
Figures 1, 2 and 5 shew the application of the present invention to the stationary
jaw p, the connection between the cheek and the jaw consisting of a cup and ball
joint. 2 is the cheek. It is, as heretofore in the case of an engineer's vice having
a self-adjusting jaw, a separate and distinct piece of the same length and width as
the jaw to which it is to be held. is a ball fast to the check z and projecting
more or less centrally from the back face of it. The surface of the ball touches
the said face. There is a spherical_cavity in the jaw, opening out through the
surface of it, to receive the ball z. The provision for admitting the ball to the
cavity, consists of a loose block which is held to the jaw by any suitable means,
e.g., by screws, after the ball z¹ has been placed in position. The back face of
the cheek z may be convex in either or both directions if the self-adjusting motion
of which it must be capable, requires such a conformation. A convexity from
back to front is illustrated in Figure 5. is a steady pin fast to the top of the
cheek and engaging in a cavity z in the jaw. is a spring bearing upon the
bottom of the jaw and against that of the cheek z for the purpose of keeping it in
touch with the adjacent matrix.
Figure 3 illustrates the application of the invention to both jaws of the vice.
The modification illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 consists in the substitution of a
horizontal pin y and a vertical kuuckle joint for the cup-and-ball joint above
described. The sides of the jaw are rebated and the back face of the cheek =
grooved vertically, the resultant flanges y', y, fitting into the rebates. These
Hanges and the cheek z stop short of the opposite edges y and the jaw respectively,
by a sufficient distance to allow of the jaw rocking on the pin y. This latter is
passed through the jaw and a pair of lugs or extensions y' of the flanges y³.
The invention also includes pivotting the cheek to the jaw by a vertical pin and
a horizontal knuckle joint.
Further, the invention is not limited to any particular type of pivot or swivel
and includes the application of any oue capable of making the cheek self-adjusting,
to either or to both the jaws of the vice.
The action of it when the fragments are below the centre or centres of the pivot
or pivots, is clearly illustrated in Figure 1. As soon as the jaws of the vice close
upon the composed line Q and close the matrices and the space bars upon them-
selves and the fragments of between them, the line will be longer through the foot
of it than through the top. The cheek z (or cheeks if there is one on each jaw)
will be rocked on its centre until it is fairly in touch with the adjacent matrix over
the whole of the surface of the latter, and the subsequent cramping is distributed
fairly through the composed line in the direction of the motion of the moveable
jaw p. A matrix on one side of a fragment is closed up to the matrix on the
other side of it, such closure being established at the top of the composed line Q

page_text: to begin with, and gradually extended downwards through the line a of the
cavities, getting nearer to the foot of the said line, the more the fragment in
question is flattened out. But the main object of the invention is accomplished if
such closure passes the line a, although the more perfect the closure, the more
correct will be the position of the letters on the linotype body.
The action of the invention when the fragments are nearer to the front than to
the rear face of the composed line Q, is clearly illustrated in Figure 5. As soon
as the cramping has proceeded far enough to close the members (matrices and
space bars) of the line upon themselves and upon the fragments in the composed
line, the cheek z pivots upon its centre and the members are closed up to each
other down their rear edges. This closure is sufficient to prevent the above
described chasms and fins. The cramping is advantageously continued towards
the front, getting nearer to it the more the fragments in question are flattened out.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The combination with the two jaws of a linotype machine and a composed
line held between the said jaws, of a herein before described self-adjusting cheek or
cheeks, as set forth.
2. The combination in a linotype machine, of a pair of vice jaws, a composed
line held between the same, a self-adjusting cheek on one or on each jaw, and
mechanism for cramping the said line between the jaws by internal expansion.
3. The combination in a linotype machine, of a pair of vice jaws, a composed
line held between the same, a self-adjusting cheek on one or on each jaw, and
mechanism for cramping the said line between the jaws by 'external compression, as
set forth.
4. The combination in a linotype machine, of a pair of vice jaws, a composed
line held between the same, a self-adjusting cheek on one or on each jaw, and
mechanism for cramping the said line between the said vice jaws by internal
expansion and external compression, as set forth.
Dated this 9th day of November 1896
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
No. 22 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.