Improvements in Typewriters.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Aug., 1897--Accepted, 18th Sept., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Typewriters.
We, PHILIP BECKER, (Engraver and Manufacturer,) of 82 Chauncey Street
Brooklyn, in the County of Kings and State of New York, United States of
America, and WILLIAM JOIN THOMPSON, (Machinist and Manufacturer) of
508 West 145th Street New York, in the County and State of New York, United
States of America, do hereby declare the nature of our invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
The object of the invention is to provide a typewriter of very simple construction
and capable of a comparatively wide range of work.
The invention will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings
and defined in the claims.
Figure 1 is a plan view of the typewriter, with the printing wheel depressed.
Figure 2 is an end elevation of the typewriter, with the printing wheel in the
normal or raised position;
Figure 3 is a front view;
Figure 4 is a transverse sectional elevation of the typewriter and the base therefor,
the view indicating by dotted lines the position of the typewriter when within its
box;
Figure 5 is a fragmentary central transverse section, showing the position of
the type disk in printing;
Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of one of the spring
fingers of the type disk;
Figure 7 is a plan view, with the printing wheel removed, a fragment of the
track or carriage way being shown;
Figure 8 is a similar view, with the printing wheel support or hinged top of
the carriage removed;
Figure 9 is a fragmentary inverted plan view, the printing wheel being
omitted and the operative devices, including the supporting frame, shown swung
to one side of the base; this view will be hereinafter more particularly referred
to;
Figure 10 is a plan view of one of the inking devices;
Figure 11 is an inverted plan view of a slightly different form of the com-
bined type and key disk to be substituted for that shown in the other views;
Figure 12 is a sectional end elevation illustrating a modification of the spacing
devices, the printing wheel being omitted; and
Figure 13 is a fragmentary sectional plan view thereof.
Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
Our improved typewriter is mounted on a suitable base 10, which may, and pre-
ferably does, form the cover of a box 15. The cover may be reversed as indicated
in Figure 4, but in either position the base or cover is held in place by spring
TD 031

page_text: catches 25 which engage the reduced ends of the base, as shown in Figure 1.
When the cover is reversed the typewriter is received within the box 15.
The track A for the base plate B of the carriage is formed or mounted on a
frame A', which is hinged to the base 10 by clips c, and adjacent to the hinged
end the frame has a longitudinal bar A2 which performs the functions of a holder
or presser bar for the paper 20, holding the paper smooth, and it also partly guides
the carriage, being engaged by a tongue or arm 6 of the carriage base plate B.
Besides the base plate B the carriage comprises a plate B', hinged to the
plate B by a pintle b¹ and normally held raised in a forwardly and upwardly
inclined position by a spring B². On the hinged plate B' is supported a printing
wheel C which comprises a combined type and key disk D and the index disk E.
The index disk E (see Figure 4) fits tightly on the tubular axis d of the type
disk D, which latter rotates on a tubular stud 63 on the hinged carriage plate B¹,
and in order to retain the printing wheel C in place and prevent too free a move-
ment thereof, the spring B³ at its upper end, is bent upward, as at 63, through the
neck and terminates in an outward bend that engages the axis d. This
arrangement also enables the type wheel C to be readily removed.
The combined type and key disk D is formed with radial spring fingers d,
and as both the type disk and the index disk E are concaved, the edge of the
index disk bears on all the fingers evenly, giving them a uniform tension.
The type f are on the face of the disk and are formed preferably on a continuous
rubber ring or web F, which is held to the spring fingers or keys d in a novel
manner and with improved results. As shown in Figure 4, the rubber web runs
along both the tops and the bottoms of the fingers and through holes d²
(Figure 6) therein, being engaged also by a tongue d³, which is upset from each
finger. Knobs or protuberances f² are formed on the upper surface of the rubber
web and constitute keys to the fingers d; there is, therefore, as will be seen best
in Figures 4 and 5, a front and a back strip of rubber connected by a neck or
contracted portion f¹, and it follows that each type has this contraction or neck
connecting the face member and the back.
In the form shown in Figure 11, the web F runs along the upper surface
only of the disk, the type faces f³ being separated. Otherwise, however, the
formation of the rubber strip and type and the interlocking with the fingers are
the same as previously described.
Increased elasticity of the type results from this formation, since they are
not held by an unyielding connection or adhesion and yet they are secured very
firmly. Also the rubber forms a connection between adjacent spring fingers
and increases their elasticity. Further, there is such a sufficiency of material
provided as enables the type to flex in any direction freely, to come to a proper
contact in giving an impression on the paper, and the flexibility of the type is
further increased by the necks f¹.
Provision has been made for a plurality of inking devices for different sized
type disks, two sets of such devices G, G¹ being shown. These inking devices
are placed on the plate B₁ beneath the printing wheel C, and are similar except
as to size; each has a body 2 (Figure 10) with an opening g' and arms g², on which
are secured the pads 93. Between these pads the impression is made. Two sets
of inking devices G, G¹, may remain in place when using the larger type wheel,
but the larger inking device is to be removed when the smaller type disk, such
as is shown in Figure 11, is used. The openings gl permit the body g to fit over
the tubular stud 62 on the hinged plate B.
It will be seen that the large inking device G and the large type ring F project
beyond the carriage plate B₁, the latter having at its front a raised segmental
edge or member 6, in the upper surface of which is a recess 66 which engages a
spring finger in locating the type, the engagement being with the contracted
portion d which is inward from the type ring (see Figure 5). With the small
type disk (Figure 11) the type will lie within the segmental edge 65 and engage
the recess 6 by the projection d on the extreme end of each spring finger. The

page_text: small inking device G similarly terminates within the segmental edge or bar 65
to correspond with the smaller diameter of the type disk D.
In printing, the printing wheel C is depressed and with it the hinged carriage
plate B until the type reaches the printing position shown in Figure 5. This
rocking movement of the parts effects the spacing through the medium of the
spacing dog H, which may be, and preferably is, a simple spring wire having
its lower end bent at about right angles horizontally, as at h, to engage the teeth a of
the track A, the dog ranging diagonally upward (see Figures 3 and 8) to a proper
connection with the carriage plate B¹. In the form shown, this spacing dog is
integral with the member h', which passes through a tubular keeper h³, and
extends to and is connected with the hinge pintle b₁ of the plate B, as at h².
This gives to the dog H the character of a torsion spring. As the carriage plate
is depressed the dog H engages a tooth a and forces the carriage to move to tho.
right until about to print and the dog, having assumed a nearly horizontal
position, will cease to shift the carriage. When the carriage rises, the dog will
shift forward to give another impulse to the carriage when the dog is again
depressed.
The variation of the movement of the dog to space according to the size of
the type is effected preferably by means of the novel shifting lever K shown best
in Figures 4 and 8. This lever has a bell crank form, as viewed in plan, and is
fulcrumed to the base plate B of the carriage at k and adjacent to the fulcrum
and at the
the L-arm of the lever is arched, as at k¹, to bridge the track teeth a;
arched portion there is an arm or tongue 2 formed on the lever, beneath which
the bent end of the dog H projects. The handle of the lever K ranges length-
wise of the track A and may be engaged by one's finger to shift the lever from
the position shown in full lines in Figure 8 to that indicated by dotted lines
or to the intermediate position, and the lever is held in the adjustable rosition by
lugs 68 on the base plate B of the carriage. Thus, shifting of the lever from the
position shown in full lines, throws the dog H laterally and incidentally draws
down the hinged plate B¹ and its supported parts, and it will be seen that as the
dog is thus given a lesser angle to the track, it follows that it will give less
movement to the carriage before reaching a nearly horizontal position where it
ceases to shift the carriage.
The dog, normally, is just clear of the track teeth a, so that the carriage may
be simply slid back in returning it. The carriage is prevented from accidental
movement by a friction spring M (Figure 9). This is shown as a bowed spring,
and is located on the under side of the plate 1 being secured at its ends to the
latter and bearing at its middle against one side of the track A, to exert friction
on the latter.
Referring further to Figure 9, with the operative parts and their carrying frame
swung to one side, as shown in this Figure, the typewriter may conveniently be
used for printing on walls or on windows, on boxes or packages, or the like.
The spacing mechanism previously described is that illustrated in Figures 2, 3,
4, 7, 8 and 9. In the form shown in Figures 12 and 13 the spacing dog H¹ is
disposed diagonally and is depressed in the same manner as the dog H, and also
its lower end is shifted by the lever K previously mentioned, to vary the spacing.
The dog H', however, which preferably is U-shaped, is hinged or pivoted to the
carriage plate B', as for instance by bending outward the ends h and engaging
them in eyes b. There is a spring N, preferably a retractile spring, provided to
coact with the dog H', said spring in the instance shown, ranging lengthwise of
the track A and secured by its ends to the base plate 1 of the carriage and to the
dog H', so that as the dog is depressed in the act of printing and caused to propel
the carriage, the spring N will be distended, and upon the release of the printing
device, the reaction of the spring will tend to return the dog H¹ to its normal
position and raise the plate B. It is to be explained that there is a desirable
co-relation between the hinged member (B) the rotary printing devices, the lift
spring B2 and the spring N, in this; that when the hinged member is depressed

page_text: farthest, the action of the spring B2 is strongest, so that after making an impression
there is a quick action to raise the printing devices, and this contributes to a
neat impression. On the other hand the spring 132 is weak when the printing
devices are raised, and thus in locating a type the spring may not afford a desirable
resistance to the accidental depression of the printing devices. In this raised
position of the parts, however, the spring N is most effective, because the dog H¹
through which it acts is almost at right angles to the spring N, and there is
therefore a pronounced opposition from the latter spring to the accidental depression
of the parts. When the dog H¹ is depressed, however, it will be noted the force
of the spring N is minimized, because the dog, through which the spring acts, is
almost or quite parallel with the direction of force of the spring N, and the lifting
action of such spring alone might not come into play with the quickness desirable
for neat printing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. A typewriter constructed and operating substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. In a typewriter, a base, and an impression device mounted to turn about an
axis at a pronounced angle to the base, and to turn about a second axis parallel
or approximately parallel with the base in effecting an impression.
3. 11
typewriter, comprising a carriage which consists of a base plate and a
spring-acted hinged member, and impression devices mounted to turn on said
hinged member.
4. In impression devices, rubber type having a face and a back united by a
contracted flexible connection.
5. Impression devices comprising fingers, and a rubber type web or strip forming
a connection between adjacent fingers to lend elasticity thereto.
6. In impression devices, the combination of a type member having radial
fingers, and a member in the form of a disk, one of said members being concave so
that there is an edge engagement of the disk with the fingers.
7. In a typewriter, impression devices comprising a member provided with type,
the material of the type projecting at the back to form knobs or protuberances
that serve as keys.
8. In a printing mechanism, a type disk having fingers provided with type, in
combination with a part adapted to be engaged by the fingers in locating a type,
the point of engagement of the fingers being at a point inward from the type.
9. The combination with a track and a part alapted to be depressed toward the
track, of the spacing dog and the shifting lever engaging the dog and serving to
change the angle at which the dog is disposed between the carriage and the track,
for varying the throw of the dog.
10. The combination with a member adapted to be depressed, and a member
below the same, one of said members being adapted to travel, of a dog for actuating
the travelling member, the dog intervening said members and adapted to be
depressed by the first mentioned member, being carried by one member and engaged 4
by the other..
11. A typewriter, "comprising detachable impression devices, and detachable
inking devices, and a support adapted to receive the same, the support having
engaging devices common to the impression and inking devices.
12. A typewriter mounted on a base, and a box to which the base forms a 5
detachable cover, the box accommodating the typewriter when the cover or base
is reversed, and retaining devices for engaging the cover with the box in either
position.
13. A typewriter, a base therefor, and a frame hinged to the base and carrying
the operative parts, the frame having a bar forming a paper holder.
14. A typewriter, having a base and having the printing mechanism mounted
5

page_text: on a frame which may be swung to one side of the base whereby the printing
may be done on a box or package or on a wall.
Dated this 14th day of August 1897.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53 Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.