AN IMPROVED TYPE SETTING MACHINE
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas James Porter, of Fleetwood, in the County of
Lancaster, Printer, for an Invention of "AN IMPROVED TYPE SETTING
MACHINE."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas James Porter at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th January 1880.
THOMAS JAMES PORTER, of Fleetwood, in the County of Lancaster, Printer.
"AN IMPROVED TYPE SETTING MACHINE."
My Invention consists in improvements in type setting machines whereby the
work of the compositor is greatly accelerated and facilitated. I place the troughs
holding the type at an angle so that the type will slide freely down to the lower
end by its own weight where it rests against a plate which forms the termination
of the trough, and is there retained, so that the lowest letter in each trough is in
position to be raised by a punch so as to be ready to be taken up by the compositor.
At the upper end of the troughs I place trays containing type at the same angle.as
the troughs. The punches are all arranged on one cross bar and are caused to act
simultaneously by a treadle or otherwise. I place the troughs a little distance
apart, by preference about three eighths of an inch, and each alternate trough
terminates about one inch and three quarters, or other convenient distance, either
higher up or lower down than the trough next it, so as to enable the compositor to
take up the letters readily and in succession without having to place them
separately in the stick or holder.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas James Porter in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th
July 1880.
THOMAS JAMES PORTER, of Fleetwood, in the County of Lancaster, Printer.
"AN IMPROVED TYPE SETTING MACHINE."
My Invention consists in certain improvements in type setting machines whereby
the work of the compositor is greatly accelerated and facilitated.
I place the troughs holding the type at an angle so that the type will slide freely
down to the lower end by its own weight, where it rests against a plate which
forms the termination of the trough, and is there retained, so that the lowest letter
in each trough is in position to be raised by a punch so as to be ready to be taken
up by the compositor.
At the upper end of the troughs I place trays containing type at the same angle
as the troughs, so that the type in the trays may slide into and supply the troughs
as they become emptied.
I fix the punches for raising the type all on one cross bar, and they are caused to
act simultaneously by treadle or otherwise. place the troughs a little distance
apart, by preference about three eighths of an inch, and each alternate trough
terminates at the lower end about one inch and three quarters, or other convenient
distance, either higher up or lower down than the trough next it, so as to enable
the compositor to take up the letters readily and in succession without having to
place them separately in the stick or holder."
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect I will describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, reference being had
to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation in section of a type
setting machine to which my Invention is applied. a are the troughs containing
the type; b are the stop plates at the bottom of the troughs; c are retaining plates
fixed above the ends of the troughs and allowing sufficient space for one letter at
the end of each trough to be raised by the punch, but preventing more than one
letter from rising in each trough at the same time. These retaining plates form
an index, each one having the letter contained in the trough above which it is
fixed engraved upon it; d is a bar to which all the punches are fixed, one
punch sliding in the bottom of each trough and raising the lowest letter. The
punch bar is held at each end by sliding rods e; on each rod is a stud, which studs
fit in slots in the levers f; these levers are fixed on a shaft g, on which is fixed
another lever h connected by a cord or wire to a treadle or foot lever. When the
treadle is depressed by the foot of the compositor the lever h is drawn down and
the levers are raised, and they cause the rods e carrying the punch bar d to slide
upwards, and the punches push up the bottom letter in each trough until the foot
of the letter is within the sixteenth, or more or less, of an inch of the top of the
stop plate, where it remains till taken by the compositor, when another letter
moves forward. So long as the first letter remains raised the punch passes up and
down in the space between the stop plate and the second letter, but when the first
(raised) letter is removed by the compositor the next letter takes its place and is
raised in like manner, and so on until the troughs are emptied. I place a clump at
the upper end or back of each row of type to ensure the letters coming forward as
required. The first letters in the troughs stand up across the machine in two rows,
one row being about one and three quarter inches behind or above the other, and
the raised letters in each row stand three quarters of an inch apart with their
nicks turned to the left and the right way for placing in the stick. At the upper
ends of the troughs are the trays marked i containing type; the bottoms of the
grooves in the trays containing the type are raised a little above the bottoms of

page_text: the troughs, and where the trays join the troughs the troughs are widened a little
to allow the type to slide freely from the trays into the troughs.
Figs. 3, 4, and 5, are enlarged views shewing a letter that has been raised by a
punch, and also the stop plate, and the retaining plate.
Fig. 6 is an enlarged view shewing a plan of part of a tray and troughs.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner of
performing the same, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the exact
details given as to the distance apart of the troughs or of their alternate terminations,
which may be varied, but what I claim is, the arrangement of the type troughs,
plates, and punches forming the improved type-setting machine, as shewn and
described, whereby the compositor is enabled to take up the letters readily and in
succession by hand without having to place them separately in a stick or holder;
also the application of the trays, as shewn and described, for supplying the troughs
with type.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas James Porter, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty second day of July, One thousand eight
hundred and eighty.
THOMAS JAMES PORTER. (L.S.)