TYPE WRITER
Year: 1885

page_text: I, JOSEPH DEVONPORT FINNEY ANDREWS of Woodside Electric Works, Glasgow
in the County of Lanark, Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
my invention for "TYPE WRITER" and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention relates to a type writer of cheap and simple construction as I will
describe referring to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section,
Fig. 2 is a transverse section and Fig. 3 is a plan. A is a light frame mounted on
four wheels or rollers B so that it can be pushed along over a paper sheet which is
stationary. On a central vertical axis C is fixed a type disc D of elastic material
such as caoutchouc having a number of types protruding downwards from its
under surface. The axis C has fixed to it an index E pointing to letters or numbers
on a fixed dial F, these marks corresponding to the types on the disc D below.
The axis C terminates in a knob or button G by which it can be turned and this
knob can also be pushed down in opposition to a spring depressing a lever H a stud
on the end of which pushes down the type immediately below it and causes it to
impress the paper. For the purpose of inking the types I place in a pan K
immediately below the disc D a sheet of cloth or porous material L soaked with
colouring liquid such as aniline die. As the type disc revolves the types rubbing
over the sheet L become served with colour. When a letter is printed on the
paper which is done by turning by the thumb and middle finger of the right hand
the index E to the letter on the dial and by the fore finger depressing the knob G,
the whole frame is advanced along the paper by applying the fingers to the left
hand end of the frame and pushing it towards the right. In order to ensure a
regular distance of advance, I make in the periphery of one of the rollers B a set
of equidistant holes or notches in which a spring M engages with such force as to
operate as a check to advance beyond one division. In order to vary the advance,
several sets of the holes or notches may be made in the roller or in another of the
rollers, these being spaced at different distances apart. When a line of printing is
completed, the frame is brought back to the left side of the desk or table where
there is fixed a line gauge, and being moved laterally towards the operator the
width of a line another line of printing can be effected. Instead of advancing the
frame as each letter is printed by direct action of the hand, it may be effected
somewhat like the feed of a sewing machine as shewn in the transverse section

page_text: Fig. 4 and plan Fig 5. Instead of rollers the frame is in this case arranged to slide
on runners B' B¹ like those of a sledge, and under the impression lever H there is
the end of a feed lever N which is drawn up by a spring O and has jointed to it a
serrated knuckle P. When the lever H is depressed by pushing down the button G
to print a letter the knuckle P is moved to the right, slipping along the paper, and
then on the pressure on G being relieved, the spring O draws up the lever N and
the knuckle P, which engages with the paper in its effort to move to the left
causes the whole instrument to advance towards the right.
I have described the types as being attached to and projecting down from an
elastic disc D which bends sufficiently to allow of a type being depressed by the
stud of the lever H. Obviously a rigid disc might be employed, the types sliding
vertically in holes of the disc, and each type being provided with a spring to
retract it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The herein described method of effecting type writing by moving step by step
over stationary paper a frame carrying on a rotatable disc a set of types any one of
which can be selected and depressed on the paper.
2. The construction of type writer substantially as described with reference to
Figs 1. 2 and 3.
3. The modified construction of type writer with automatic feed, substantially as
described with reference to Figs 4 and 5.