* PROVEMENTS IN PRINTERS' COMPOSING CASES AND FRAMES." PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Oakley Walbrook, of Mile End, in the
County of Middlesex, Printer and Publisher, for the Invention of "In-
* PROVEMENTS IN PRINTERS' COMPOSING CASES AND FRAMES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left. by the said William Oakley Walbrook
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 22nd October 1864.
I, WILLIAM OAKLEY WALBROOK, of Mile End, in the County of Middlesex,
Printer and Publisher, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTERS' COMPOSING CASES AND FRAMES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists, first, in constructing the lower composing case so
that each row of compartments rests upon that next in front of it, and so far
covers it as to leave no greater portion exposed than may be desirable for
convenient manipulation. To prevent the types from lying closely together at
the bottom of the case I make the bottom so much higher at the back than
at front as to allow of the types falling forward freely, and I prefer to
accomplish this by making the back part of the case bottom of thicker wood

page_text: than the front part. To lessen the depth of the compartments in front and
allow the operator's hands to move freely over the case I form the sides of
the compartments sloped from the beginning of the exposed part to the front.
I attach two small ledges or projections to the sides of the case to prevent it
sliding through between the transverse bars when the case is used for
"distribution." As it is unnecessary to apply the method of construction before
described to the compartments for types which are ordinarily placed in the
smallest compartments of lower cases in general use, I transfer their places to
the two lower rows of compartments in the upper case. I separate these rows
from the portion of the case intended for the types ordinarily placed in the
upper case by a bar raised above the level of the case. This bar also allows of
a "galley" being placed on the case without covering the compartments used
for the types ordinarily placed in the lower case. This bar projects beyond
the sides of the case for the purpose of fitting into the oblique supports on the
frame. In constructing the frame I adapt each alternate division in the
"rack" for the cases to the greater thickness of the lower case. The transverse
obliquo bars from the front to the back of the frame are three in number, at
such distances apart as will allow of the cases being moved readily up and
down between them. I fit two movable bars upon the transverse bars, and
parallel to the front of the frame to form rests for the lower case when used
for "composition." Two supports spring obliquely from the transverse bars
with sockets or grooves for the projecting ends of the bar of the upper case
before referred to when being used for "composition." The supports are of
sufficient height to allow of the lower case being readily removed without
shifting the upper case. I elevate the top longitudinal rail at the back of the
frame: sufficiently to give the necessary incline to the upper case when used
for composition. I form a groove or socket at the lower part of the
transverse bar for the side projections of the upper case when the latter is
used for distribution. The back part of the case then rests on the second rail
which is similarly situated to that in the' frames at present in use. I fit a
longitudinal rail for the back part of the lower case to rest upon when used
for distribution, sufficiently below the level of the top front beam of the frame,
to allow of the types falling freely to the back of the case. I hinge two
leaves of the same depth as the frame to the top beam of the front of the
frame; these leaves have movable brackets, and may be used as supports
for galleys, or otherwise.

page_text: .
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Oakley Walbrook in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 22nd April 1865.
:
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
OAKLEY WALBROOK, of Mile End, in the County of Middlesex, Printer and
Publisher, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Oakley Walbrook, Her special licence that I, the said
William Oakley Walbrook, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said. William Oakley Walbrook, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTERS' COMPOSING CASES AND FRAMES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Oakley Walbrook, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Oakley Walbrook, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had. to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say :-
My Invention consists first, in constructing the lower composing case so
that each row of compartments rests upon that next in front. of it, and so far.
covers it as to leave no greater portion exposed than may be desirable for
convenient manipulation. To prevent the types lying closely together at the
bottom of the case I make the bottom so much higher at the back than at
front to allow of the types falling forward freely, and I prefer to accomplish
this by making the back part of the case bottom of thicker wood than the.
front part. To lessen the depth of the compartments in front, and allow the

page_text: operator's hands to move freely over the case, I form the sides of the com-
partments sloped from the beginning of the exposed part to the front. The
manner in which I construct the lower composing case will be fully under-
stood by Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying Drawings.
Figure 1 is a plan, and Figure 2 a section through the line a, b, of Figure 1
of this case, the row of compartments A rest upon the row B next in front
of it, and so far covers it as shown as to leave no greater portion of the
row B exposed than desirable for convenient manipulation. The row of com-
The bottom of each
partments B rests upon the row C in the same manner.
'compartment is made of thicker wood at back than at front as seen in
Figure 2, to allow of the types falling forward freely. The sides of the
compartments are sloped as shewn in Figure 2, from the beginning of the
exposed part to the front to allow the operator's hands to be moved more
freely over the case. As it is unnecessary to apply the method of con-
struction before described to the compartments for types which are ordinarily
placed in the smallest compartments of lower cases in general use, I transfer
their places to the upper case as represented at D, D, Figure 3, which is a
plan of the upper case. I separate these rows from the portion of the case
intended for the types ordinarily placed in the upper case by two bars E, E.
In constructing the "frame" I adapt it to the form of my improved lower
case.
Figure 4 is a front elevation of a frame for supporting two sets of cases;
Figure 5 is a section through the line c, d, of Figure 4. The cases when in
the position for setting up are held in the frames at nearly the same angle as
those in ordinary use, the "lower case" is supported in front by a groove F
in the front rail G of the frame, and at the back by pins H fixed in the sides
of the frame, the upper case is supported at top by a rail 1 forming the back
part of the frame, and at the bottom by two pins J fixed on the sides of the
frame. When the cases are used in distributing the type they are lowered,
the lower case is placed at the proper angle to allow the type to fall back, and
is supported in that position by the front rail G, and by a support K fixed to
the sides of the frame, the upper case rests above the lower case on the lower
back rail L of the frame on ledges M, and in front against the pins H. By
this arrangement either case when in position either for composing or dis-
tributing may be removed independently of the other. Between the two
pairs of cases at N "galleys" may be placed to receive the type set, one galley
being at the angle of inclination of the lower case, and the other at the angle
of inclination of the "upper case" when the two are in use for composition.
Under each pair of cases I fit a random galley O, which can be drawn out to

page_text: receive the type on a "galley" as it is set up. I form case racks P in the
frame below the composing cases, and adapt each alternate division as shown
to the greater thickness of the lower case. I also form ledges or shelves Q
between the two case racks, and fixed at an angle for the convenience of
sliding in galleys.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner. the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim as my "Improve-
ments in Printers' Composing Cases and Frames,"—
First, constructing the lower composing case substantially as herein-before
described and represented in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying Drawings,
so that each row of compartments rests upon that next in front of it, and so
far covers it as to leave only sufficient of the compartments exposed as may
be desirable for manipulation.
Second, constructing the frames substantially as herein-before described and
represented in Figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Oakley Walbrook, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of April,
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
WILLIAM OAKLEY WALBROOK. (L.S.)