Improvements in or relating to Type-writing Machines.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Dec., 1890-Accepted, 21st Feb., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Type-writing Machines.
A. communication from abroad by THE REMINGTON STANDARD TYPEWRITER
MANUFACTURING COMPANY (a Corporation organized under the Laws of
New York), of the City, County, and State of New York, United States of
America.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, and 323, High Holborn, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The invention relates to that class of typewriting machines in which each type-
bar carries two or more printing characters, and the paper-carriage is so constructed
and arranged that either of the characters is permitted to make an impression at will.
The improvements are applicable more particularly to what is known as the
Remington typewriting machine" in which the carriage has a step-by-step lateral
motion, lengthwise of the impression roller, and also a forward and backward move-
ment so as to bring the centre or printing point of the roller over either of the
printing characters.
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To secure this result, the carriage has been provided with a platen carrying the
impression roller, the said platen being provided with lugs to engage a rod or bar
carried at the upper ends of elbow levers pivoted to the frame of the machine.
In order to actuate the levers and "shift" the carriage, they have been connected,
by means of links or rods, with a key bar having a button, the said button being
usually at the left hand side of the machine, so that, when the button was depressed,
the carriage would be shifted to bring its roller into position to be struck by the
upper-case character.
This shifting of the carriage does not affect its travel, and, so long as the key or
button is depressed and the other keys actuated, only upper-case characters will be
printed.
In the rapid manipulation of the machine, difficulty is experienced by the operator
in finding this shift key and the consequence is that letter-keys are frequently struck
by mistake.
Aside from the delay and annoyance thus caused by the striking of the wrong
key, another and more serious objection presents itself, and that is that the operator,
supposing that he has struck the shift-key, immediately strikes a second key and
brings the character on the latter up against the underside of the key bar first and
wrongly raised and held in position, thereby disfiguring and mutilating the printing
character of the second key struck.
The objection last mentioned, while not entirely obviated, is less liable to occur
under the construction hereinafter set forth, which is designed, first, for the purpose
of facilitating a rapid manipulation of the machine; and, second, to lessen the
liability of defacing the printing characters by the depression of the wrong key and
holding its bar elevated while a second key is struck.
In the drawings
Figure 1 is a side view, partly in section, of a portion of a Remington machine
with these improvements applied;
Figure 2, a front face view partly in section;
Figure 3, a top plan view, and
Figure 4, a detail view.
A indicates the frame of an ordinary Remington machine, and B the carriage
provided with an impression roller C and a platen D.

page_text: The latter is provided, on its underside, with lugs a, a, a, a, arranged in pairs and
adapted to embrace a rod or bar E supported at its ends by elbow levers F, the
said levers being rigidly secured upon a rock shaft G journalled at its ends to the
frame A, as usual.
H indicates a frame, which comprises side bars or levers I, I, and a front
connecting-bar J.
The side bars of the frame, which are in all respects like the key-bars of the
ordinary Remington machine, are pivoted in a rearward extension of the main
frame A, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1; and are connected, by links K,
with the elbow levers F, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, so that, when the free end of
the frame is depressed, it will cause the shaft G to rock, and, acting through the
elbow levers F and rod or bar E, shift the carriage.
At a point between the ends of the front bar J, (either at the centre or nearer to
one end than the other) a button is secured, which, as shown in Figure 3, extends
over the space-bar of the machine, the said space-bar being cut away to permit the
depression of the shift key.
Each of the side bars I, I, is provided with a key or button C near its forward
end, the said keys or buttons inclining downward toward the front of the machine,
as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4, to correspond with the type keys or buttons which
are arranged in banks or rows decreasing in height toward the front.
By providing the frame with two or three keys c, one at each side of the machine,
it will be seen that the capacity of the machine for rapid manipulation is greatly
increased, as the platen may be shifted with either hand at will, leaving the other
hand free to strike the type-key.
This is a matter of importance where the machine is operated by several fingers
of both hands, at the rate of about 100 words per minute, considerable time being
now lost by having to bring the left hand down to the extreme left corner of the
machine to operate the shift key.
Under the present construction and arrangement, the platen may be shifted by
either hand at will, and, as the keys c, c, are elongated, there is little or no difficulty
in striking them. They may be operated by the little finger, without moving the
hand from over the key board.
In addition to the keys b, and c, c, the frame will advisably be provided with a
bar d, which, as shown in all the figures, is arranged back of the last row of
printing keys or buttons and parallel with the space bar.
This bar d, being connected at its ends to the side bars I I by posts or
standards e, e, affords an easy means of shifting the carriage; the said bar being
within reach of almost all of the fingers of both hands.
The key at the front of the frame can readily be operated by the fleshy
part of the thumb, and the said key may be held depressed while another key is
operated by a finger of the same hand.
In the drawings are shown the front bar J, and keys c, c, as made of a single
piece of metal, and, after being bent to proper form, attached to the forward ends
of the side bars I, I, but this invention is not limited to the details of con-
struction of the frame, which may obviously be varied without departing from
this invention.
Now, if either of the keys b, c, c, or the bar d be depressed, the carriage will
be shifted so as to bring the printing point of the impression roller over the
upper-case letter. This statement is based upon the supposition that the carriage
is normally in position to print lower-case letters; but, in case it should not be
so 'arranged, the reverse action would take place.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what claim is :-
1. In combination with frame A, carriage B, having platen D, means substantially
such as shown for shifting the platen D, a frame H pivoted in the main frame-A,

page_text: and connected with the shifting mechanism, and a key or button 6 secured to the
frame H at its front.
2. In combination with frame A, carriage B, having platen D, means for shifting
the platen, a frame H pivoted in the main frame A and connected with the shifting
mechanism, and a bar d secured to the frame H and extending transversely across
the key board above the upper row of keys.
3. In combination with frame A, carriage B, having platen D, means for shifting
the platen, a frame H pivoted in the main frame and connected with the shifting
mechanism, a button 6 secured to the front edge of the frame, buttons c, c, secured
to the side bars of the frame and a bar d extending transversely across the
frame.
4. In combination with frame A, carriage B, having platen D, means for shifting
the platen D, a frame H pivoted in the main frame and connected with the shifting
mechanism, the said frame extending along the sides and in front of the key board
and provided with keys or buttons.
5. In combination with frame A, carriage B, having a platen D, means for shifting
the platen D, a frame H pivoted in the main frame and connected with the shifting
mechanism, and keys or buttons c, c, secured to the frame H at each side of the
key board.
6. In combination with the main frame of a type-writing machine, a travelling
carriage provided with a shiftable platen, keys or buttons c, c, on each side of the
key board, and connections substantially such as shown, between the shiftable platen
and the keys or buttons c, c.
Dated this 29th day of December 1890.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.