A Type Composing, Justifying, and Distributing Machine.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Sept., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 14th June, 1895-Accepted, 20th July, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Type Composing, Justifying, and Distributing Machine.
We, ANSBERT VORREITER, Engineer, of Cuxhavenstrasse 13, and Dr. EUGEN
MÜLLENDORFF, Engineer, of Luisenufer 52, both of Berlin, in the Empire of
Germany, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
As, in type composing by the machine constructed according to this invention,
carefully made types are employed which remain fit for use until they are worn
out; in order to permit a rapid working a number of logo-types are employed.
Composing is effected by actuating a key-board, justifying is effected mechanically,
and a forme, after use, is distributed automatically by this machine which is shewn
n the accompanying drawings.
A Type Composing, Justifying, and Distributing Machine.
We, ANSBERT VORREITER, Engineer, of Cuxhavenstrasse 13, and Dr. EUGEN
MÜLLENDORFF, Engineer, of Luisenufer 52, both of Berlin, in the Empire of
Germany, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
As, in type composing by the machine constructed according to this invention,
carefully made types are employed which remain fit for use until they are worn
but; in order to permit a rapid working a number of logo-types are employed.
Composing is effected by actuating a key-board, justifying is effected mechanically,
and a forme, after use, is distributed automatically by this machine which is shewn
n the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section.
Fig. 2 a sectional plan.
Fig. 3 shews the device for setting the space-types.
Fig. 4 is a detail view on an enlarged scale.
Fig. 5 represents a modified construction of the distributing device and
Fig. 6 an elastic space type to be used when justifying is less carefully done.
The types are contained in stationary vertical channels M arranged in a circle,
and are pressed up by spring or equivalent pressure to the ejecting place. By
pressing down one of the keys p an electromagnet is put into circuit and thus the'
pusher t belonging to the corresponding type channel is actuated so as to push a
type upon the circular stationary table a. A special feature is that the lowest type'
supporting the weight of the rest is never pushed out, but always one of the upper
types.
When the type is on the table a, a continuously revolving brush 6 descends and
leads the type on to a band e arranged under a slot of the table, whence the type
slides on to the composing stick e, and when pushed onwards by the reciprocating
finger d it is retained there by a catch spring f
At the end of a word, a temporary space type 9 is introduced by pressing down
the space-key; this space type g is longer than the other types and, as shewn in
Fig. 4 it is of less width laterally but of greater thickness than the thickest
character type. Each depression of the space-key is transmitted by an electro-
magnet, lever or the like to a toothed segment provided with a scale showing the
number of spaces in a line. Shortly before the line has reached the desired length,
its end block strikes a lever i causing a bell j to be sounded. The operator, thus
informed, may at will complete the word in the line or may divide the word. The
end block also strikes a lever k carrying a segment 1, which, when the line is
composed, covers upon the scale h so much of the number of spaces as shewn by
how much the line is too long. The operator is thus automatically informed:
1, of the number of spaces in the line, and:
2, of the length occupied by the spaces.
Then on dividing the excess of length by the number of the spaces the thickness
of the space-types to be employed is ascertained.
By pressing down the key corresponding to these space-types a magazine
containing the space-types which are to be used, is brought over the line as
illustrated in Fig. 3,
:

page_text: The end wall of I is extended downwards; while the line is advanced by a spring
or otherwise, the character types can pass, but the longer temporary space-types
meet a pin on a lever m. The lever thus moved closes the circuit of an electro-
magnet by which the pusher n is moved down through an opening in the bottom
of the magazine 1. The temporary space-type is thus pushed out through a slot o,
its place being taken by a true space type, which, as above stated, is always
thinner than the temporary space type. The slot o is of such width, that only the
temporary space types having width less than that of the other types, can pass
through it.
The slot is closed by a lever O until as the line advances the lever descends, its
other arm compressing the line. The line thus completed to the exact length, is
finally pushed on a galley.
When careful justifying is not absolutely required, the true space types may in
the first instance be used instead of the temporary space types. But in this case
the space types being always the same for the same kind of letters, a uniform
length of line is obtained by employing elastic space types, which can be more or
less compressed without becoming permanently deformed so that they can alway
be used repeatedly. Such a space-type is shewn, by way of example, in Fig. 6; it
is cut from a corrugated steel plate.
The upper part of the composing cylinder is surrounded by an intermittently
revolving cylinder for distributing types, each of the channels of which contains a
line of the forme to be distributed. In operating the distributing apparatus the
forme is placed upon the galley S the rest of the operation is automatic.
A lever a¹ is oscillated by an arm and spring c. The stroke of the lever a¹
is limited when a type is in the channel arriving in front of the lever. But when
a channel is empty, the lever a' continues its stroke and makes a contact d'. The
lever which carries the front line of the forme in S and is pivotted at g' is thus
raised, and raises the line into the empty channel which has arrived in front of the
lever q.
The bottom of each distributing channel is provided with an opening
which does not allow the types to fall through. All the types have different
notches.
Into the opening of each distributing channel penetrates a feeling lever pressed
against by a spring or the like and provided witli a projection corresponding to the
notches of one of the types.
When by the revolution of the distributing cylinder a type meets a feeling
lever having its projection corresponding with its notches the lever can rise a
little and strike a contact s. A circuit being thus closed a pusher t¹ pushes the
lowest type out of the distributing channel into the magazine M' arranged above
the composing channel, the type thus entering being placed lowest in the magazine.
When the pusher t¹ is actuated, the crown U carrying the bottoms ", which
separate the magazines M¹ froin the composing channels M descends very rapidly,
so that the types lying on the bottom do not follow immediately. The distributed
type is inserted into the intermediate space formed in this manner for a very short
period. The bottom then rises again. In this manner the magazines M' are filled,
while the types are composed from the channels M.
The magazines M' are discharged into the channels, at the end of each composed
line, by pressing down the final key. By this means the crown U carrying the
bottoms u is turned a little, so that the bottoms u enter slots arranged in the walls
of the channels at the height of the bottoms. The channels M and the magazines M¹
are thus put in communication with each other and the types contained in both form
a single column. To lead this colu:nn underneath the bottonis u, that is, quite
into the composing channels, the ring v arranged under the composing cylinder, has
at the same time moved downward. It strikes against the stops w' of the driver to
pulling w downwards, until the uppermost type is underneath the bottom u. At
this moment the crown U moves backward and all the bottoms again close the
magazines, which are now empty, whereupon by the upward motion of the ring v
the drivers w' come into action. As, by pressing down the line-closing-key, the

page_text: current for the composing case is interrupted at the same time, during the filling
operation lasting only a very short time, as all the movements take place nearly
simultaneously, the composing cannot then be effected.
By omitting the levers r and the pusher t¹ the distributing apparatus can be
constructed in such a manner, that the distributing channels are arranged above
the auxiliary magazines M¹. The channels are separated from the magazines by:
partitions with holes permitting only the types provided with the corresponding
notches to fall through. To avoid the creeping and breaking of the types during
the revolution of the distributing cylinder and to facilitate the introduction of the
types, each channel of the distributing cylinder is provided with a lever e¹ Fig. 5,
a construction which differs from all hitherto known apparatus; the lever e¹ before
each revolution. lifts the types in its channel, and after the movement has taken..
place, it allows the types to sink again.
The machine above described can be used for different kinds of types.
For this purpose the channels are so arranged that those containing types of
different kinds but of the same character are beside one another. Thus letter a in
brevier may be followed by the letter a in nonpareil and so on.
There is only one
pusher for each character.
By depressing a key or by moving a lever the ring carrying the pushers with...
their electromagnets may be turned in such a manner, that the pushers are brought
into coincidence with the channels containing the kind of types desired for the
composition and these types are supplied until the ring is turned again for supplying
another kind of type.
In the machine described the transmission of the movements is effected by.
means of electromagnets or solenoids, the action of the key board being thus con-
siderably facilitated. The movements might obviously be transmitted by levers..
or their equivalents, but the machine would thus become very intricate and
expensive and the action of the keys would be much more. difficult, rendering the
machine much slower in operation.
Dated this 14th day of September 1894.
}
ABEL & IMKAI,
Agents for the Applicants.
A Type Composing, Justifying, and Distributing Machine. -
We, ANSBERT VORREITER, Engineer, of Cuxhavenstrasse 13, and Dr. EUGEN
MÜLLENDORFF, Engineer, of Luisenufer 52, both of Berlin, in the Empire of
Germany, 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 :-
As, in type composing by the machine constructed according to this invention,
carefully made types are employed which remain fit for use until they are worn.
out; in order to permit a rapid working a number of logo-types are employed.
Composing is effected by actuating a keyboard, justifying is effected mechanically,
and a forme, after use, is distributed automatically by this machine which is shewn
in the drawings accompanying our Provisional Specification.
L
A Type Composing, Justifying, and Distributing Machine..
We, ANSBERT VORREITER, Engineer, of Cuxhavenstrasse 13, and Dr. EUGEN
MÜLLENDORFF, Engineer, of Luisenufer 52, both of Berlin, in the Empire of
Germany, 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:-
As, in type composing by the machine constructed according to this invention,
carefully made types are employed which remain fit for use until they are worn.
out; in order to permit a rapid working a number of logo-types are employed.
Composing is effected by actuating a keyboard, justifying is effected mechanically,
and a forme, after use, is distributed automatically by this machine which is shewn
in the drawings accompanying our Provisional Specification.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section.
Fig. 2 is a sectional plan.
Fig. 3 shews the device for setting the space types.
Fig. 4 is a detail view on an enlarged scale.
Fig. 5 represents a modified construction of the distributing device and
Fig. 6 an elastic space type to be used when justifying is less carefully done.
The types are contained in stationary vertical channels M arranged in a circle,
L

page_text: and are pressed up by spring or equivalent pressure to the ejecting place. By
pressing down one of the keys p an electromagnet is put into circuit and thus the
pusher t belonging to the corresponding type channel is actuated so as to push a
type upon the circular stationary table a. A special feature is that the lowest
type supporting the weight of the rest is never pushed out, but always one of the
upper types. When the type is on the table a, a continuously revolving brush 6
descends and leads the type on to a band c arranged under a slot of the table,
whence the type slides on to the composing stick e and when pushed onwards by the
reciprocating finger d it is retained there by a catch spring f.
At the end of a word, a temporary space type g is introduced by pressing down
the space key; this space type g is longer than the other types and, as shewn in
Fig. 4 it is of less width laterally but of greater thickness than the thickest
character type. Each depression of the space-key is transmitted by an electro-
magnet, lever or the like to a toothed segment / provided with a scale showing the
number of spaces in a line. Shortly before the line has reached the desired length,
its end block strikes a lever i causing a bell to be sounded. The operator, thus
informed, may at will complete the word in the line or may divide the word. The
end block also strikes a lever k carrying a segment, which, when the line is
composed, covers upon the scale h so much of the number of spaces as shewn by
how much the line is too long. The operator is thus automatically informed:
1, of the number of spaces in the line, and:
2, of the length occupied by the spaces.
Then on dividing the excess of length by the number of the spaces the thickness
of the space types to be employed is ascertained.
By pressing down the key corresponding to these space-types a magazine/
containing the space-types which are to be used, is brought over the line as
illustrated in Fig. 3.
The end wall of is extended downwards; while the line is advanced by a spring
or otherwise, the character types can pass, but the longer temporary space-types
meet a pin on a lever m. The lever thus moved closes the circuit of an electro-
magnet by which the pusher n is moved down, through an opening in the bottom
of the magazine 1. The temporary space-type is thus pushed out through a slot o,
its place being taken by a true space type, which, as above stated, is always thinner
than the temporary space type. The slot o is of such width, that only the
temporary space types having width less than that of the other types, can pass
through it.
The slot is closed by a lever O until as the line advances the lever descends, its
other arm compressing the line. The line thus completed to the exact length, is
finally pushed on a galley.
When careful justifying is not absolutely required, the true space types may in
the first instance be used instead of the temporary space types. But in this case
the space types being always the same for the same kind of letters, a uniform
length of line is obtained by employing elastic space types, which cau be more or
less compressed without becoming permanently deformed so that they can always
be used repeatedly. Such a space type is shewn, by way of example, in Fig. 6;
it is cut from a corrugated steel plate.
The upper part of the composing cylinder is surrounded by an intermittently
revolving cylinder for distributing types, each of the channels of which contains a
line of the forme to be distributed.
In operating the distributing apparatus the forme is placed upon the galley S the
rest of the operation is automatic.
A lever a¹ is oscillated by an arm b₁ and spring c. The stroke of the lever a¹
is limited when a type is in the channel arriving in front of the lever. But when a
channel is empty, the lever a¹ continues its stroke and makes a contact d¹. The
lever g which carries the front line of the forme in S and is pivotted at q' is thus
raised, and raises the line into the empty channel which has arrived in front of
the lever q. The bottom of each distributing channel is provided with an opening

page_text: which does not allow the types to fan througn. An E types are u
notches.
Into the opening of each distributing channel penetrates a feeling levér r
pressed against by a spring or the like and provided with a projection corre-
sponding to the notches of one of the types.
When by the revolution of the distributing cylinder a type meets a feeling
lever having its projection corresponding with its notches the lever can rise a
little and strike a contact s. A circuit being thus closed a pusher pushes the
lowest type out of the distributing channel into the magazine M¹ arranged above
the composing channel, the type thus entering being placed lowest in the magazine.
When the pusher is actuated, the crown U carrying the bottoms u, which
separate the magazines M¹ from the composing channels M descends very rapidly,
so that the types lying on the bottom do not follow immediately. The distributed
type is inserted into the intermediate space formed in this manner for a very short
period. The bottom then rises again. In this manner the magazines M' are filled,
while the types are composed from the channels M.
The magazines M' are discharged into the channels, at the end of each composed
line, by pressing down the final key. By this means the crown U carrying the
bottoms u is turned a little, so that the bottoms u enter slots arranged in the walls
of the channels at the height of the bottoms. The channels M and the magazines M
are thus put in communication with each other and the types contained in both
form a single column. To lead this column underneath the bottoms u, that is,
quite into the composing channels, the ring arranged under the composing
cylinder has at the same time moved downward. It strikes against the stops w' of
the driver w pulling w downwards, until the uppermost type is underneath the
bottom u.
At this moment the crown U moves backward and all the bottoms u
again close the magazines, which are now empty, whereupon by the upward motion
of the ring the drivers w' come into action. As by pressing down the line-
closing-key, the current for the composing case is interrupted at the same time,
during the filling operation lasting only a very short time, as all the movements
take place nearly simultaneously the composing cannot then be effected.
By omitting the levers r and the pusher t the distributing apparatus can be
constructed in such a manner, that the distributing channels are arranged above
the auxiliary magazines M¹. The channels are separated from the magazines by
partitions with holes permitting only the types provided with the corresponding
notches to fall through. To avoid the creeping and breaking of the types during
the revolution of the distributing cylinder and to facilitate the introduction of the
types, each channel of the distributing cylinder is provided with a lever e' Fig. 5, a
construction which differs from all hitherto known apparatus; the lever e¹ before
each revolution lifts the types in its channel, and after the movement has taken
place, it allows the types to sink again.
The machine above described can be used for different kinds of types.
For this purpose the channels are so arranged that those containing types of
different kinds but of the same character are beside one another. Thus letter a in
brevier may be followed by the letter a in nonpareil and so on. There is only
one pusher for each character.
By depressing a key or by moving a lever the ring carrying the pushers with
their electromagnet may be turned in such a manner, that the pushers are brought
into coincidence with the channels containing the kind of types desired for the
composition and these types are supplied until the ring is turned again for supplying
another kind of type.
In the machine described the transmission of the movements is effected by means
of electromagnets or solenoids, the action of the key board being thus considerably
facilitated. The movements might obviously be transmitted by levers or their
equivalents, but the machine would thus become very intricate and expensive and
the action of the keys would be much more difficult, rendering the machine much
slower in operation.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In a machine for composing and distributing types, effecting justifying by
composing with temporary space types and automatically substituting for these
the required space types after each line is composed the required thickness of the
finally used space types being indicated by the machine.
2. For justifying in the manner above referred to the use of temporary space
types longer than the other types, so that as the composed line is pushed under a
magazine (1) containing the required space types, each temporary space type closes
a circuit causing such a movement that it is ejected and the proper space type
takes its place.
3. The arrangement of the types in channels (m) in which they are pressed by a
driver (w) acting from below, to the upper end, whence 'they' are ejected by
pushers () upon a circular table (a).
4. For leading the ejected type to the composing stick, a brush (6) revolving
above the circular table (a).
5. For distributing the types, the feeling levers (r) having projections_corre-
sponding to the notches of the respective types, so that the type corresponding to.
each feeling lever is ejected from the line distributed.
6. The arrangement of an auxiliary magazine (M¹) above each composing
channel (M) into which the distributed type is introduced and which, from time to
time is automatically discharged into the composing channel below.
7. In combination with the distributing channels the contact lever (a¹) whereby
when a distributing channel is empty, the lever (9) carrying the line to be
distributed is moved so as to convey the line into the empty channel.
8. In combination with the auxiliary magazines (M³), the lever (e¹) which at
each movement of the distributing table momentarily lifts the types, for the purpose
set forth.
9. In a composing and distributing machine described, the employment of
electromagnets or solenoids for transmitting the movements, in order to facilitate
the action of the key board.
10. The employment of feeling springs arranged in a circle each carrying the
counterpart of one of the types.
11. For employing different kinds of types arranged in adjacent channels, a key
or lever in combination with a ring carrying the pushers and their electromagnets,
so that, when this ring is turned, the pushers act on other channels.
12. Providing space for introducing a type into a magazine already containing
type by moving the bottom of the magazine down so rapidly that the types above
have not time to descend.
Dated this 14th day of Jun 1805
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.