An Improvement in Type Writers.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Dec., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 26th Aug., 1891-Accepted, 26th Sept., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Type Writers.
I, EDWARD CARSTENSIN DE SEGUNDO of No. 7 Victoria Street, Westminster
in the County of London, Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
It is often desired to count the number of words in documents copied by type
writers, so that charges can be made according to the number of folios; my inven-
tion relates to means of automatically counting and registering the number of words
or numerals printed, which I effect in the following manner. Whenever a key is
depressed to print a letter or numeral the paper is necessarily moved onward a space
to make room for the next impression; I connect the lever or rod which effects this
movement to a pawl which acts on a ratchet wheel moving it one tooth onwards, but
the pawl having made this forward stroke is prevented by a detent from making its
back stroke, and consequently a number of letters can be printed successively
without farther moving the ratchet wheel. When a word is thus completed, a key
is depressed moving the paper a space onwards without printing a letter, so as
to separate the word printed from the next word. I cause this movement to release
the detent of the pawl, so that it is free to make its back stroke in obedience to a
weight or spring, and then, when the first letter of the next word is printed, the
pawl moves the ratchet on a tooth.
The ratchet wheel being geared to suitable indices, these register the number of
words and folios. As it is usual to count every numeral as one word, I provide a
catch which, when numerals are being printed, holds back the detent of the pawl,
thus allowing the pawl to act on the ratchet for every numeral printed.
Dated this 16th day of December 1890.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improvement in Type Writers.
I, EDWARD CARSTENSIN DE SEGUNDO of No. 7 Victoria Street, Westminster
in the County of London, Consulting Engineer, 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 a method of counting and registering the number of
words printed by a type-writer so as to determine the charges which are usually
made at certain prices per folio of 72 words or of some other number that may be
determined on. As there are many different constructions of type writers, the
apparatus for counting according to my invention may have to be more or less
modified as to the forms and proportions of its parts; but as all type writers must
have special organs for impressing a type, and also for advancing the line of
printing for a blank space separating two words when no type is printed, I can by
mere modifications of form and position of the counting apparatus to suit different
forms of type writers, utilise these two distinct movements for effecting the counting
of words as I shall explain referring to the accompanying drawing which is a front
view of the motor part of apparatus applicable to a type writer for counting the
number of words printed.
A is a rod, connected, either directly or it may be through suitable bell crank
or other levers to a lever or bar moved downwards when any one of the types

page_text: makes its impression, the connections being so arranged that for every impression
the rod A is pulled down in the direction of the arrow. B is another rod similarly
connected to that part of the type writer mechanism which advances the line of
printing for a blank space when no type is impressed, the rod B being by that action
pulled down in the direction of the arrow. The rod A engages a pin on one arm C¹
of a bent lever, pivotted by a pin C, arranged in a hole which is slotted sufficiently
to allow the rod A to make its upstroke without moving the lever arm C¹.
The other arm C of the lever carries a pawl D' and terminates with a square
angled end c. The arm C¹ is urged upwards by a spring S'. The rod B is jointed
to one arm E' of a lever which is pivotted by a pin E and has on its other arm a
stud E projecting under an arm F which is pivotted at E, has a shoulder at e and
is urged down by a spring S2. On the pivot pin E is mounted a pawl D' which as
well as the pawl D' engages with the teeth of a ratchet wheel W. When it is desired
to count by folios each of 72 words, I make the ratchet wheel W with 72 teeth
or it might be with a simple fraction or multiple of 72, and I gear this wheel to a
counter of any known kind shewing by dials and indices, or otherwise, units, tens,
hundreds or other multiples of the revolutions of the wheel W.
When the counting is by some denomination other than that of folios, the number
of teeth of W and its gearing to the counter can be suited to the denomination
adopted. Under the end of the arm F is mounted a cam G which can be turned
by hand to the position indicated by the dotted lines so as to prevent the arm F
'from descending. The pivots at C and E the axis of cam G and the fixings of the
ends of the springs S₁ S are on a plate or frame H of any convenient form, fixed
in any convenient position on the framing of the type writer, and forming part of the
casing of the counter.
:
The action of the apparatus is as follows.
When a letter is printed, the rod A draws down the arm C advancing the arm C
and causing the pawl D' to advance the wheel W one tooth. But by this move-
ment of Cits end c comes in front of the shoulder e and the arm F dropping
holds C in its advanced position the. arm C¹ being thus held down. Succeeding
movements of A in the printing of succeeding letters have then no effect on C¹ and
produce no farther movement of the wheel W. But when, after all the letters
constituting a word have been printed, the rod B is pulled down, then F is raised
releasing c from the shoulder e, and C¹ is raised by the spring S ready to be pulled
down when the first letter of the next word is printed, so that the wheel W is again
moved forward a tooth.
Thus, however many letters occur in a word, only one of them, the first, is
registered on the counter, and however many blank spaces the line of printing
may be advanced there is no registration. The pawl D' prevents the wheel W from
turning backwards.
In many cases when numerals are printed, it is usual to reckon every numeral as
a word.
When this is to be done, the cam G is turned to the dotted position preventing
descent of F, consequently leaving the lever C'C' in condition to move the wheel W
one tooth every time the rod A descends.
In the apparatus above described the rods A and B are assumed to have
independent movements, A being pulled down only when a type is impressed, and
B being pulled down only when the line of printing is advanced one space. As
however the line must be advanced a space when a type is impressed, it may in some
machines, be difficult to secure the desired independent movements of A and B, that
is to say, the depression of B in moving the line one space may be accompanied by
depression of A.
In order to prevent the depression of A from registering when it accompanies
the depression of B, I link the pin on the arm E' to a pin on the pawl D¹ so that
whenever B is depressed, the pawl D' is lifted out of gear with the teeth of W and
consequently the depression of A at the same time with B effects no registration.
In some cases in order to provide for the counting of the first word of a new line

page_text: I provide a pivotted lever which on moving the carriage back to its normal position
shall be operated thereby and so cause a movement to be given to the rod B similar
to that given by the spacing movement.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
The herein described method of counting the number of words printed by a type
writer, by utilising each spacing movement to release a pawl, and utilising each
printing movement to move the said pawl when released and thereby to move a
ratchet wheel geared to a suitable counter.
1901
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.