mprovements in and Connected with Typewriting Machines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Aug., 1899-Accepted, 23rd Sept., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
mprovements in and Connected with Typewriting Machines.
I, JEAN GÜNTHER, of 108/109, Möckernstrasse, Berlin, S.W. Germany,
Mechanic, 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:—
The present invention has reference to means for actuating the type levers
and the carriage of typewriting machines by means of clectricity and the object
of this invention is to do away with several disadvantages connected with the
use of the ordinary typewriting machines.
It is well known, that various punctuation marks, such as for inst. the hyphen,
the exclamation point, the comma, the dot or period and the like, by reason of
their relative small surface, are impressed more deeply into the paper than are
broader letters or marks. To obviate this disadvantage it would be necessary
to vary the pressure according to the key one is striking; this however is not
possible in the ordinary machine, as the operators cannot possibly in fast writ-
ing regulate their touch with each letter.
Another disadvantage of the ordinary machine is the relatively long down-
stroke of the keys, which tends to tire the muscles of the hand and takes away
considerably from the rapid manipulation of the keys.
The present invention entirely does away with these disadvantages and in
order to make the same more easily understood, I have illustrated it on the
accompanying sheet of drawing.
By pressing down the push button or similar circuit closing device a, the
circuit, having the battery or other electric energy source a, is closed and the
electromagnet 6 is excited with the result of attracting and drawing downward
the armature e which forms the lower end of a rod g. The latter is pivotally
secured to the shorter arm of the bell crank lever h which carries the type d
in the ordinary manner.
As for each type lever a corresponding circuit closing device is provided, it
is obvious that by actuating successively these various circuit closing devices
in the manner of the ordinary keys, the type levers will correspondingly be
actuated and will print the letters and characters the same way as in the ordinary
machine.
As the down-motion of the circuit closing device needs to be only very small,
about the twentieth part of an inch being quite sufficient, the muscles of the
writers hand are not nearly as much fatigued as in writing with an ordinary
deep stroke machine and the operator can attain a speed impossible with the
old machine.
By providing each electromagnet with a separate current regulator the attract-
ing energy of each electromagnet can be regulated at will for each individual
type lever, so that the type levers carrying the simple marks above referred to,
are actuated less violently than the other levers carrying the wider types.
The rod y upon being drawn downwardly closes an electric circuit y, the two
contact pieces i and k being brought into contact with each other, and the electro-

page_text: magnet f is excited. The magnetic property of this electromagnet is then made
use of in any desirable manner to advance the carriage the width of a letter.
For spacing and otherwise moving the carriage laterally a separate circuit
closing device actuating the electromagnet f is made use of.
The individual armatures c are lifted again after each down-motion by means
of a spring or the like.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:-
1: In typewriting machines the combination of each type lever with a circuit,
comprising a circuit closing device, a suitable source of electrical energy, an
electromagnet and an armature, forming the one end of a rod, the other end of
which is pivotally secured to the shorter arm of the bell crank type lever, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2: In typewriting machines according to Claim 1 the arrangement of a
circuit closing device e in combination with each bell crank type lever actuating
rod, adapted to close a circuit for exciting the electromagnet f for the purpose
of advancing the carriage the width of a letter, said circuit closing device being
operated by the down or up motion of the said bell crank actuating rod, sub-
stantially as described.
3: In typewriting machines of the kind above described and claimed, the
arrangement of a separate circuit and circuit closing device for exciting the
electromagnet f at will for the purpose of spacing or otherwise moving the
carriage laterally, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 29th day of July 1899.
W. REICHAU,
Berlin, W.,
H. Friedrichstrasse & Co.,
Agent for the Applicant.