Improvements in Type-writers.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Apr., 1890-Accepted, 24th May, 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Type-writers.
A communication from LUCIEN STEPHEN CRANDALL, of Parish, New York, United
States of America, Engineer.
I, HENRY MCGRADY, of Seymour Lodge, Dundee, in the County of Forfar, North
Britain, Merchant, 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, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object to improve the construction and action of type-
writers of the kind in which type bars or levers hang in a circular series each being
turned up as required to strike upwards at a central printing point so as to effect an
impression through a printing ribbon upon paper on a platen roller.
The present improvements comprise devices for carrying and moving the platen
roller, a line-spacing device, devices for carrying and moving the printing ribbon, an
adjustable device for holding each type on its bar or lever, and devices to enable each
finger key to act on either of two type bars or levers. In other respects the type-
writer may be constructed in any suitable known way.
On two accompanying sheets of explanatory drawings as much of a typewriter is
shown as is considered requisite for explaining the present improvements.
Figure, 1, on sheet, 1, is a vertical section as at right angles to the front of the
typewriter.
Figure, 2, is a back elevation of part of the device for enabling each finger key to
act on either of two type levers.
Figure, 3, on sheet 2, is a plan showing various parts and as with portions broken
away or removed, and
Figure, 4, is a plan of other parts.
Figures, 5, and 6, are a plan and front elevation of some parts connected with the
platen roller.
In these drawings the same reference numerals are used to mark the same or like
parts wherever they are repeated.
The platen roller, 7, (round upon which the paper to be printed on is applied in an
ordinary manner) is carried on a long tube, 8, fixed at its ends to arms, 9, forming
with a back bar, 10, what is hereinafter termed the platen frame. A helical spring, 11,
inside of the platen tube, 8, moves the platen roller, 7, towards the left, the spring
acting on a piece connected to the left-hand end of the platen roller, through a slot, 12,
in the tube. The platen frame is by its back bar, 10, hinged upon a spindle, 13, which
is itself in bearings in lugs, 14, formed on the top plate, 15, of the machine; and
the platen frame can be turned up for looking at what has been printed on the paper,
or for adjusting the parts for printing anything at a particular part of the paper.
An indicator, 16, is fixed to the back bar, 10, and with the platen frame turned up,
the platen roller is moved so as to bring the desired particular part of the paper to
the right-hand point of the indicator. At the ends of the platen roller there are disks
or end plates, 17, 18, which do not turn with the roller; and to these is attached a
ratchet-toothed rack, 19, the pitch of the teeth being equal to the space allotted to a
letter in the line. Acting in connection with the rack, 19, there is escapement
mechanism comprising two teeth, 20, 21, carried by a block, 22, formed or fixed upon
the middle of the spindle, 13, herein before referred to as having the platen frame
hinged upon it. One, 20, of the teeth is fixed to the block, 22, the other, 21, being
centered on a pin and acted on by two springs, 23, 24. A helical spring, 25, on the
spindle, 13, tends to hold or move the block, 22, into a position in which its movable
tooth, 21, engages with the rack, 19. Whenever a letter key or spacing key is
depressed the spindle, 13, is, by means of levers, 26, on its ends, made to rock to ap

page_text: -
extent just sufficient to move the movable tooth, 21, out of the rack, 19, and to move
the fixed tooth, 20, into the rack; and then the pressure of the spring, 11, causes the
platen roller, 7, to move to the left to the extent of about half the pitch of the rack
teeth.
Immediately afterwards on the return movement of the block, 22, its movable tooth
moves back into the rack, 19, but into a tooth space to the right of the one it was
previously in and then the platen roller, 7, moves about half a tooth further to the
left completing a movement equal to one tooth. When the platen roller, 7, is moved
to the right the rack, 19, presses the movable or pivoted teeth, 21, to the right and out
of its way, the spring, 24, returning the tooth. When the platen roller, 7, has to be
moved towards the left the block, 22, is rocked further than for letter spacing and
takes both its teeth, 20, 21, clear of the rack, 19, and thus allows of the desired
movement of the platen roller.
The right-hand end of the platen-roller tube, S, is screwed externally and a ring, 27,
is screwed upon it to serve as an adjustable stop for the movement of the platen
roller, 7, to the right, and thereby determine the margin to be left at the left-hand
side of the paper. For line-spacing a ratchet-toothed ring, 28, is fixed to the right-
hand end of the platen roller, 7, and is acted on by a pawl, 29, pivoted to an outer
loose disk, 30, held against the non-rotating disk or end plate, 18, by the heads of
two screws, 31, fixed through slots in the loose disk, 30. A spring, 32, shown by
dotted lines in figure, 1, is arranged to move the loose disk, 30, back after bringing
a new line of the paper into the printing position; and the disk, 30, with its pawl, 29,
is moved against the spring by the action on an antifriction roller, 33, of an incline, 34,
formed on the back bar, 10, of the platen frame. This line-spacing movement is thus
'automatic whenever the platen roller, 7, is moved sufficiently to the right. The
pawl, 29, may be arranged to take one or two teeth of the ring, 28, by adjusting a
pivoted stop piece, 35, into or out of the way of one of the screws, 31; and the
pawl, 29, may by means of a finger piece, 36, on it, be taken out of gear when it is
wished to turn the platen roller, 7, in either direction independently of the automatic
line-spacing device. Or the platen roller, 7, may be turned to the extent of a line
space at a time in the forward direction by manipulating a finger piece; 37, formed
on the disk, 30.
The printing ribbon, 38, is wound upon two bobbins or spindles in cylindrical
cases, one, 39, in front of, and the other, 40, behind the platen roller, 7. The
ribbon cases, 39, 40, are fixed at the front and back ends of a plate, 41, of thin
metal pivoted on the top plate, 15, upon a screw, 42; and the plate, 41, has a
movement from side to side on the pivot screw, 42, so as to bring each part of the
width of the ribbon into the printing position whilst a line is being printed. This
movement is effected by means of a rod, 43, connecting the back end of the plate, 41,
or the case, 40, fixed thereto to one of the end plates, 18, of the platen roller, 7.
At the back there is fixed to the top plate, 15, a thin plate, 44, made with a cam-
shaped back edge which acts on a ratchet wheel, 45, on the spindle of the back
ribbon case, 40, and causes that spindle to wind on a portion of the printing
ribbon, 38, drawing it from the front case, 39, the spindle of which latter is held
frictionally by pinching screws or buttons on its ends and which regulate the tension
of the ribbon. The ribbon-carrying plate, 41, is made with a transversely elongated
opening over the middle of the top plate, 15, and there is a narrow slit at each
side of this opening. The ribbon, 38, passes along the top of the plate, 41, except at
the middle where it dips through the two narrow slits and crosses underneath the
middle opening so that its tension makes it return down after being struck upwards
by a type.
Each type is held in a socket,. 50, forming part of a boot-like piece, 51, fitting
tightly on the end of its type bar, or lever, 52; and this piece, 51, can be adjusted on
the lever so as to secure very accurate alignment of each type. Only two type
levers, 52, are shown, (in figure 1) a front and a back one, the turned-up position of
the back one being indicated by dotted lines. The circular series of type levers, 52,
are connected by adjustable links, 53, to a series of upper horizontal levers, 54,

page_text: centered on a rod, 55, at the back of the machine, and having their back ends guided
and spaced in slots in a plate, 56. At the front ends of the upper horizontal levers, 54,
there are short vertical intermediate bars, 57, the number of which is half that of the
upper levers, 54. The vertical intermediate bars, 57, are guided in a transverse
box, 58, extending across the machine and slotted for the bars and for the passage of
springs, 59, which are on a transverse bar, 60, and are strong enough to raise not
only the short vertical bars, 57, but also parts connected to those bars. The vertical
intermediate bars, 57, are connected by links to lower horizontal levers, 61, which are
key levers having keys, 62, at their front ends. The key levers, 61, are in four tiers
and centered on four transverse rods, 63; at their back ends; and they are guided
by passing through vertical slots in transverse vertical plates, 64, 65.
The key
levers, 61, are the same in number as the vertical intermediate bars, 57, and therefore
half as many as the upper horizontal levers, 54, and as the type levers, 52. The back
edges of the vertical intermediate bars, 57, are notched, and the front ends of one half
of the upper horizontal levers, 54, project into the notches so that when any key
lever, 61, is depressed the vertical intermediate bar, 57, connected to it depresses one
of the upper horizontal levers, 54, and thereby acts on a type lever, 52. When any
upper horizontal lever, 54, not engaged with one of the vertical intermediate bars, 57,
has to be acted on (as, for example, to print a capital) the series of upper horizontal
levers, 54, is moved transversely to the extent of the distance between any two of those
levers, and this movement moves out of the notches of the vertical bars the levers
normally in them and engages the intermediate levers in the notches. This transverse
movement is effected by depressing a key at the left-hand end of the lowest row of
keys, 62, and marked "CAP'S" as shown in figure, 4. The vertical bar, 66, to
which the lever of the "CAP'S" key is connected acts by a pin on a bellcrank, 67,
figure, 2, which moves a slotted guide plate, 68, through which project the front ends
of the upper horizontal levers, 54, (shown black in figure, 2). The plate, 68, is itself
guided in the back of the guide box, 58, holding the vertical bars, 57. The "CAP'S"
key must be held down by one finger whilst the key, 62, of the required letter or other
character is depressed by another finger; as when the "CAP'S" key is let go the
spring, 59, acting on its vertical bar causes the guide plate, 68, to be moved back to
its normal position.
Every one of the upper horizontal levers, 54, when depressed, depresses a bale or
transverse bars, 70, which at its ends is connected by links, 71, to the levers, 26, of the
spindle, 13, and through it acts on the escapement mechanism herein before described.
The bale, 70, is also acted on by one or more spacing key levers unconnected with any
type lever in the usual way.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:―
1. The mounting of the platen roller on a tube containing a spring which acting
through a slot in the tube moves the platen roller to the left in combination with a
rack and escapement mechanism, the parts being arranged and operating substantially
as herein before described.
2. The automatic line spacing device, comprising in combination a ratchet-toothed
ring fixed on the end of the platen roller, a disk or plate having pivoted to it a pawl
acting on the ring, and acted on by a spring and an incline on the platen frame
arranged to act on the pawl carrying disk or plate substantially as hereinbefore
described.
3. The combination of parts carrying and moving the printing ribbon and
comprising a carrying plate pivoted on the top plate of the machine and connected by
a rod to the platen-roller end plate so as to be moved thereby from side to side, front
and back cases holding the ends of the ribbon wound on spindles or bobbins, a ratchet
wheel on the spindle of the back case, and a fixed cam plate to act on the ratchet
wheel, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
4. The holding of each type in a socket in a boot-like piece fitting tightly but

page_text: adjustably on the end of the type bar or lever, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
..
5. The arrangement admitting of each key lever acting on either of two type bars
or levers, and comprising vertically guided intermediate bars connected to the key
levers, upper horizontal levers connected to the type bars or levers, and arranged to
engage in notches in the intermediate bars, and a guide-plate through which the front
ends of the upper horizontal levers project, and which is transversely movable by
means of a key lever to shift the upper horizontal levers, one half of them out of, and
the other half into the notches of the intermediate bars, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.