Improvements in Typewriting Machines.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Nov., 1898-Accepted, 7th Jan., 1899
Improvements in Typewriting Machines.
I, ERNST WILHELM BRACKELSBERG, Merchant, of Ohligs, in the Empire of
Germany, 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 all the typewriting machines hitherto known, and which comprise wheels or
segments bearing types or characters, the construction has started from the prin-
ciple which consists in mounting all the type wheels on a common axle. By
reason of this very form of construction it became necessary to employ cranked
bars for the purpose of connecting the type wheels which are situated very close
together, with the mechanism of the several keys which are situated further apart,
or when it was desired to avoid the use of such cranked bars it was necessary to
arrange the hubs of the several type wheels, to fit, one in the other. The first case
occurs in the numbering machines for casting up or adding. But the cranked
bars employed in these machines remain, in this case, within admissible limits,
because the keyboard, which comprises only the numbers from 1 to 9, has only one
row of keys, and will therefore take up only a very little room in the direction of
its width, whilst the case of keyboards of greater width, the cranked bars entail
great disadvantages which have a very unfavourable effect upon the working of
the machine.
In machines in which the hubs are fitted one in the other, the very nature of the
construction entails the great drawback that the direction of the writing at the
place of impression is not the same as the direction of the writing in the mechanism
of the keyboard, but that those two directions are opposed to each other.
In both cases, the machines have only keyboards composed of rows of separate
keys, each of which actuates a single mechanism. But then the length of the
several keyboards with the ordinary finger-pieces in which 25 characters are
arranged in each separate keyboard, becomes so very long, that the working of the
hand is thereby rendered extremely difficult.
The hereinafter described improved construction obviates the drawbacks occar
sioned by the arrangement of the axes of rotation of the several segments not in a
straight line, but one behind the other.
Each wheel or segment has a special axle. The points of attachment of the
several segments upon their axle are arranged in the same sense as the levers that
are operated by the mechanism of the several keys corresponding to those segments.
The axles may be supported in a firm manner adapted to fulfil all requirements.
Moreover the length of these axles is not limited in any way so that it is possible
to employ mechanisms with separate keys comprising several rows of, keys, as
well as the same number of segments, that is to say, it is possible to employ
separate mechanisms arranged side by side and which can be operated by both
hands at the same time. The radii of the type wheels (or segments) are of course
no longer equal, but they differ between themselves by the respective distance
apart of the several axes of rotation.

page_text: The annexed drawing illustrates by way of example, a form of construction of
my invention, and in this drawing Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved machine.
Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same machine."
The machine shown in this drawing has four keyboards h, h¹, h2, h3, of three
rows of separate keys, arranged side by side. The first keyboard contains the
marks of punctuation, &c; the second keyboard contains the capital letters of the
alphabet, and the third and fourth keyboards contain each an alphabet composed
of small letters.
The keys
are guided in the two plates i, ¹, they are drawn upwards by coiled
springs, and, when they are depressed, they strike upon the plates f, f, of the
levers e, e¹, one of which corresponds to each separate keyboard. These levers
actuate (through the intermediation of the small connecting rods c, c¹, the levers
d, d, arranged in the same manner as the keyboards, and the axles b, b) the
corresponding type segments a, a¹.
Each key has a limited stroke. so that a determined position of the segment
which corresponds to the keyboard that is being actuated, will correspond to said
key and in which position of said key the type that corresponds to the key which
is being struck or depressed, will move into position for writing. On releasing
the depressed keys the segments will be returned to their position of rest (as
shown) by the action of suitable springs.
The supports of the axes 6, 61, of the segments are arranged symmetrically with
relation to the axis of the machine in such a manner that on the left hand side
there are the axles b, 61, corresponding to the segments a, a¹, one behind the other
whilst the axles 62, 63, are arranged in a similar manner on the right hand side.
By reason of this arrangement, there will be only two radii of different curvature
for the segments (whose peripheries are situated in one and the same plane at the
point where the writing is effected), whilst there would be four different radii,
if the axles were all situated on the same side. By this means therefore there is
nothing to prevent an increase in the number of the keyboards.
The result of the above described construction is that all elastic vibration is
absolutely impossible, that that it is possible to accurately adjust the supports,
to keep the machine in working order with great ease, and that all its parts can
be lubricated very efficiently, especially the axles of the segments; moreover the
pressure exerted perpendicularly to the axles is perfectly and uniformly distributed
over the supports.
For the purpose of allowing of aligning all the types with great accuracy, the
inner side of the segments is provided with notches corresponding to the types
(Figure 2), and in which there engages the regulating bar ; at the proper time
when necessary. The mechanism for feeding the paper, for the hammer for print-
ing the type when presented, for inking, &c, is operated by special keys, but these
are not described nor shown in the present documents, because this mechanism
does not come within the scope of my invention.
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 claim is:-
(1) A machine for writing by printing by means of groups of characters, com-
prising several wheels or segments bearing characters, situated side by side, said
machine being characterized by the fact that these wheels or segments are mounted
on rotary axles 61, 62, 63, 64, corresponding in number to the number of the wheels
or segments, and which are arranged side by side or behind one another, said axles
being set in rotary motion by the keys of the keyboards which follow one another
in the same sense as the type wheels or segments, and each of which has several
rows of keys, as set forth.
(2) In the typewriting machine specified in Claim 1, the arrangement of a
regulating bar į which maintains all the characters in perfect alignment by its

page_text: engagement in notches formed in the inner surface of the segments and corre-
sponding to the position of the several characters, as set forth.
(3) The improvements in typewriting machines substantially as above described
and as shown in the accompanying drawing.
Dated this 10th dow of Niamhan 1000
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc. M.Inst.C.E., M.I.Mech. E.,
Chartered Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Associate Agent.