IMPROVEMENTS IN FINGER GUIDES FOR TYPE WRITING MACHINES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN FINGER GUIDES FOR TYPE WRITING MACHINES." A communication from
abroad by Albert Mendes Da Costa, of Brooklyn, in the County of Kings,
State of New York, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark
at tho Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st July 1880.
46
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent.
IMPROVEMENTS IN FINGER GUIDES FOR TYPE WRITING
MACHINES." [A communication from abroad by Albert Mendes Da Costa, of
Brooklyn, in the County of Kings, State of New York, United States of America.]
The object of this Invention is to provide the key board of a type writer with
guides for the fingers, so that keys may be instantaneously found without the aid
of sight.
To this end I employ one or more longitudinal bars and one or more transverse
bars, which are arranged between or above corresponding rows of keys, thus
separating them into easily distinguishable sets or ranks, and the former also serve
as guides along which the fingers are passed to locate and reach different keys.
The Invention also includes certain accessory devices or features as hereinafter
described.
In one arrangement bars or finger guides are arranged between or above
longitudinal and transverse rows of type writer keys, some of the bars being in
this instance rigidly connected with end pieces so as to constitute parts of a rigid
frame. This frame consists of parallel end plates, and an intermediate transverse
plate, and a longitudinal bar connecting their front ends and passing in front of the
key board, and of longitudinal bars or rods attached to the intermediate and end
plates.
These rods are parallel, and divide or separate longitudinal rows of keys. The
upper bar is fixed between the uppermost and next lower longitudinal row of keys,
and it is inclined towards the lower rear end of the end pieces, so that the fingers
are guided downwards upon the uppermost or fourth row of keys containing the
numerals. The lower bar or rod is covered with silk, velvet, rubber, or some other
Price bid 1

page_text: similar material, or it is faced so that the writer is enabled to readily distinguish it
from the upper bar by the sense of touch. This rod is so arranged that if the inner
sides of the fingers rest on its rear side the third row of keys will be touched, and
if the outer sides of the fingers touch the front side of the rod the second row of
keys will be touched. The end plates are horizontal at the bottom, and their
upper edges are preferably inclined from the rear towards the front on gently
curved lines. The end plates are provided with a recess at the forward end, into
which the edge of the front wall of the key board passes, and the intermediate
transverse piece is provided with a larger recess, into which the "space" bar fits.
A number of loops surround certain of the keys; these loops being at the ends of 1
transverse wires or rods fixed to the front side of the uppermost longitudinal bar,
and passing forward in the spaces between the keys. There is also a short curved
rod attached to the intermediate transverse plate, and these loops are all so
arranged that if the inner sides of the fingers rest against the rear sides of these
loops the lowest or first row of keys is touched. By this means the several rows of
keys can easily be found, but that is not sufficient, the several keys must be found
just as conveniently.
For this purpose the transverse bars and rods are so arranged as to form
compartments containing two letters or keys. The numerals are subdivided into
divisions of two by projections from the rear side of the uppermost longitudinal
bar, and the other three rows are subdivided into divisions of two on each row by
the transverse bars, all of which are arranged so as to follow the spaces between
the keys, and certain of them run below the horizontal level of the keys, so that in
A few
quick playing it is impossible for the fingers to underride these divisions.
characters, which are used but seldom, are contained in the subdivisions formed by
-transverse bars-or-plates. attached to the upper longitudinal bar and to the end
plates of the frame. An arm projects laterally from the lower end of the inter-
mediate transverse plate and serves as a rest for the thumb of the (right) hand.
'This device is important as a means of support for the hand, and the consequent
relief of certain muscles of the (right) arm, which (particularly in the case of
beginners) become excessively wearied by continuously operating the keys whilo
the arm is held and moved in a constrained position. The said thumb rest subserves
its function chiefly when the right hand is not required to be operating on the keys
as a point of repose, but it may be used at the same time that the adjacent keys
are being operated. It may be made adjustable in various positions, and it also
serves, like the loops above mentioned, to guide the finger to the adjacent key.
This apparatus is placed over the key board of the type writer in such a manner
that the end plates rest against the ends and on the bottom of the keyboard frame,
and can be easily removed. If desired, one or all the transverse bars may be formed
with a shoulder to facilitate in finding the lower two rows of keys. It may in
certain cases be desirable to dispense with the longitudinal bars or wires, and
provide other means for locating the hand in regard to the several rows of keys.
Such means consist of small pieces of various and different kinds of material
attached to the sides of the casing surrounding the keys above each row of keys.
Each of these pieces is to produce a distinctly different sensation when touched, and
may therefore be made of any desired material; for instance, the upper one may
be fibrous, the second may have a hard roughened surface, the third may be smooth
and yielding, and the fourth may have scales.
The operator places the end fingers of each hand against the several pieces, and
is thereby enabled to tell above which row of keys his fingers are at the time. The
same plan reversedly may be adapted by placing the touch pieces above the
transverse rows of keys.
Instead of attaching several transverse wires to the frame, one or two straight or
curved wires may be attached to the body of the machine and will thus serve as
muidos. this plan is especially edented for experienced operators.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent. filed by
the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st January 1881.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FINGER GUIDES FOR TYPE WRITING
MACHINES." A communication from abroad by Albert Mendes Da Costa, of
Brooklyn, in the County of Kings, State of New York, United States of America.
The object of this Invention is to provide the keyboard of a type writer with
guides for the fingers, so that keys may be instantaneously found without the aid
of sight. To this end I employ one or more longitudinal bars and one or more
transverse bars, which are arranged between or above corresponding rows of keys,
thus separating them into easily distinguishable sets or ranks, and the former also
serve as guides along which the fingers are passed to find and reach different
koys. The Invention also includes certain accessory devices or features, as
hereinafter described.
In the accompanying Drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of bars or finger guides,
arranged between or above longitudinal and transverse rows of typo writer keys,
some of the bars being in this instance rigidly connected with end pieces so as to
constitute parts of a rigid frame; Figure 2 is a cross section on line x, x, Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a cross section showing a modification; Figure 4 is a plan view showing
another modification. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
The parallel plates A, A, and connecting bar D constitute parts of a frane to which
the longitudinal bars or rods B and C are shown attached. The latter are parallel,
and divide or separate longitudinal rows of keys. The bar B is fixed between the
uppermost and next lower longitudinal row of keys. The bar or rod C is covered
with silk, velvet, indiarubber, or some other similar material O, or it is.faced so
that the writer is enabled to readily distinguish it from the bar B by the sense of
touch. The end pieces A, A, are horizontal at the bottom, and their upper edges
are preferably inclined from the rear towards the front on gently curved lines.
These two end pieces are connected with each other by the inclined longitudinal
bar B, set forward a short distance from the rear end of the end pieces by the
longitudinal rod C, distinguished as heretofore mentioned, arranged at the front of
the bar B between the third row of keys, and finally by the front longitudinal
rod D connecting the front ends of the side pieces and the intermediate transverse
piece F. The longitudinal bar B is inclined towards the lower rear end of the
end pieces A, A, so that the fingers are guided downwards upon the uppermost or
fourth row of keys containing the numerals. The longitudinal rod C is so arranged
that if the inner sides of the fingers rest on its rear side the third row of keys will
be touched, and if the outer sides of the fingers touch the front side of the rod C
the second row of keys will be touched. A number of loops G, H, and J at the
ends of the transverse rods K, L, and M, and the curved rod N attached to the inter-
mediate transverse piece F, are so arranged that if the inner sides of the fingers rest
against the rear sides of these loops the lowest or first row of keys is touched. The
end pieces are provided with a recess P, Figure 2, at the forward end, into which
recess the edge of the front wall of the key board passes, and the intermediate trans-
verse piece F is provided with a larger recess Q into which the space bar fits. By
means of the above arrangement the several rows of keys can easily be found, but
that is not sufficient, as the several keys must be found just as conveniently. For
this purpose the transverse bars and rods are so arranged as to form compartments
containing two letters or keys. The numerals are subdivided into divisions of two
by the projections R, R, and the other three rows are subdivided into divisions of
two on each row by the transverse bars K, L, and M, and the transverse plates or

page_text: bars S, T, F, and U, all of which are arranged so as to follow the spaces between
the keys. A few characters, which are used but seldom, are contained in the
subdivisions formed by the transverse bars or plates S and T and the end pieces A.
An arm V projects latterally from the lower end of the transverse bar F, and serves
as a rest for the thumb of the (right) hand. This device is important as a means
of support for the hand, and the consequent relief of certain muscles of the (right)
arm, which (particularly in the case of beginners) become excessively wearied by
continuously operating the keys while the arm is held and moved in a constrained
position. The said thumb rest subserves its function chiefly when the right hand
is not required to be operating on the keys, as a point of repose, but it may be used
at the same time that the adjacent keys are being operated. It may be made
adjustable in various positions. Its other function is identical with that of the
hook G, H, and J, &c. This apparatus is placed over the keyboard of the type
writer in such a manner that the end plates A rest against the ends and on the
bottom of the keyboard frame, and can be easily removed. If desired, one or all
the transverse bars may be arranged with a shoulder to facilitate finding the lower
two rows of keys, as reprosented at W on the transverse rod M. It may in certain
cases be desirable to dispense with the longitudinal bars or wires and provide other
means for locating the hand in regard to the several rows of keys. A device of the
kind is shown in Figure 3, and consists of small pieces X', Y', Z', and W' of various
and different kinds of material attached to the sides of the casing surrounding the
keys above each row of keys. Each of these pieces is to produce a distinctly
different sensation when touched, and may therefore be made of any desired
material; for instance, the upper one may be fibrous, the second may have a hard
roughened surface, the third may be smooth and yielding, and the fourth may have
scales. The operator places the end fingers of each hand against the several pieces,
and is thereby enabled-to tell above. which row of keys his fingers are at the time.
The same plan reversedly may be adapted by placing the touch pieces above--the
transverse rows of keys.
Instead of attaching several transverse wires to the frame, one or two straight
or curved wires may be attached to the body of the machine, and will thus serve
as guides; this plan is especially adapted for experienced operators. The
bars B, F, S, and T, run below the horizontal level of the keys so that in quick
playing it shall be impossible for the fingers to underride these divisions, as the
latter, if permitted, would bind the touch.
The operation is as follows:-The left hand operates the keys to the left of the
intermediate transverse piece F, whereas the right hand operates the keys to the
right of it. For example, to write the word "Washington," the operator would
place the inner sides of his fingers of his left hand against the rear side of the rod C,
with the third and fourth fingers in the space formed by the bar B and rod C, and
the transverse bar T and rod K, and would then depress the third finger. Then he
would place the outer sides of his fingers against the front side of the bar C, with
the third and fourth fingers in the corresponding subdivision, and depress the fourth
or little finger and then the third. He then places his right hand so that the outer
sides of the fingers rest against the front of the rod C, and the first and second
fingers are in the first compartment to the right of the bar F of the second row of
keys. He then depresses the second finger and proceeds in this manner:-There
are five transverse rows of compartments containing two keys for each longitudinal
row of keys. Beginning at the left, the third and fourth fingers of the left hand
are always placed in the first row of transverse compartments, the fore and the
second or middle fingers in the second row.
The first and second fingers of the right hand are always placed in the
compartments of the third transverse row, the third and fourth or the first and
second in the fourth row, and the third and fourth in the fifth row.
It requires but short practice to know which keys correspond to the several
compartments and thus permit blind persons to write with the greatest facility

page_text: and rapidity, and likewise permit other persons to write in the dark or without
looking at the key board.
The apparatus is represented and described as being used in combination with
the Sholes & Glidden type writer, but can be modified so as to be used with any
other kind of type writer.
Having described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. As a finger guide in a type writing machine, the combination with the keys
thereof, of a rod or rods, or bar or bars, arranged above or between straight or
curved rows of the keys or key arms, for the object as specified.
2nd. As a new article of manufacture, the finger guide for the key board of a
type writer, consisting of the longitudinal bars B, C, and the series of transverse
bars, arranged as shown, and suitably curved or shaped to indicate the position of
certain key's.
"
3rd. In a type writer, the combination with the keys and a bar or rod arranged
between longitudinal rows thereof, of the transverse rods which are curved or hooked
at the lower end, contiguous to the lower keys, as shown and described.
4th. The combination with the keys of a type writer and a bar or rod which
□ different
separates rows of said keys of another contiguous bar or rod having
surface, which renders it readily distinguishable from the other by the sense of
touch, substantially as set forth.
5th. The combination with the casing and with the keys of a type writing
machine of a piece or pieces of various materials, each conveying a different
sensation when touched, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the
purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this First day of January, A.D. 1881.