A. Machine for Setting Type or Matrices into a Line and Taking Impressions therefrom.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 19th May, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 19th Mar., 1894-Accepted, 12th May, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A. Machine for Setting Type or Matrices into a Line and Taking
Impressions therefrom.
GEORGE WILLIAM HART 39 Woodborough Road Nottingham Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to machines for setting up a line of letters or signs from
which an impression may be taken in any suitable material and a printing surface
taken from the impression, or the printing surface may be taken direct from the
letters or signs.
The letters or signs are carried by a number of sliders, each of which has cast,
engraved, or otherwise formed upon it, all the letters or signs that may be required.
These sliders are fitted to slide in a bed and are stopped when the letter or sign
arrives at a determined position. As each line of words or signs is completed.an
impression of the same is taken in some suitable plastic material, and from these
impressions a stereotype or other printing surface may be obtained, the impressions
being placed in their proper relative positions.
The sliders are thicker at one end than the other, the thickest end carrying the
widest letters and the thinnest end, the narrowest letters, the sliders tapering from
one end to the other.
According to one arrangement of my improved machine the sliders are all on
one side of the centre or position from which the line of letters is set up the
thickest ends of the sliders being arranged alternately with the thinnest ends of the
adjacent sliders.
In another arrangement the sliders are divided equally at each side of the centre
or position in which the line of type is set up, the sliders at one side of the machine
having their thinnest ends opposite the space between two sliders on the other side
of the machine.
The machines are provided with a number of keys, similar to a type writer and
these being acted upon according to the letter or sign required, release the slider
next to the one last moved, and raise a stop which prevents such slider: moving
after the particular letter or sign has arrived at the determined position which is
such that the selected letters range in line with each other.
The sliders may be moved by levers, or other mechanism actuated by power,
and there are suitable catches for holding them in position after their motion has
been arrested by the stops selected from the keys.
In a smaller machine designed for hand power and intermittent work the keys
and stops are dispensed with. In this machine a stop is moved over the sliders by
hand until opposite the letter required, after which the slider is moved endways by
hand until arrested by the stop which takes place when the letter or sign required
is in a line with the other letters or signs previously selected.
The letters or signs on the sliders may be raised, and the impression taken can
be used for obtaining a stereotype or similar copy. The letters or signs may
however sunk in the sliders and the impression taken may then be used for printing
from.
The justification of the line is effected by moving the taper sliders to or from

page_text: the line of words or signs already set up, the spaces on the sliders being such as to
allow of this movement.
The material for receiving the impression is by preference in the form of strips,
which are introduced over the line of words or signs set up by the machine, and
pressed upon the same by a lever or other convenient mechanism.
The machine may also be used for obtaining cryptogram messages by taking an
impression of a line of letters above or below the line of letters forming the
intelligible words or signs.
Dated this 18th day of May 1893.
W. H. POTTER, M.I.M.E.,
Parliament Chambers, Nottingham, Agent for the Applicant.
A Machine for Setting Type or Matrices into a Line and Taking
Impressions therefrom.
GEORGE WILLIAM HART 39 Woodborough Road Nottingham Engineer 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 —
My invention relates to a machine for setting in a line letters figures or other
signs or matrices and taking an impression from the same.
All machines for a similar purpose with which I am acquainted make use of
separate pieces for each letter or sign, as in the well known Linotype and composing
machines.
Now according to my invention I use a number of taper bars or sliders, each of
which has engraved or otherwise formed upon it all the letters or signs that would
be required the number of the same depending upon the purpose for which the
machine is required, while the number of sliders in each machine will depend upon
the width of the line to be set up. The taper of the sliders depends upon the
number and style of the letters or sigus on the same.
The sliders are arranged in the bed of the machine with their widest ends side
by side, preferably at the centre of the machine, and to the wide end of each slider
is a thinner prolongation which is supported at its free end, and connected to a
weight by a Hexible cord. On the bottom of the sliders there are two projections
or stops, and as many recesses or grooves as there are letters or signs on the top of
the sliders, the said grooves being used for holding the slider when in its selected
position.
In the centre of the machine there are three slides which I call the releaser the
holder and the presser, and when the sliders are in position, that is, with their
widest ends side by side, the releaser is passed through a slot or groove in them and
prevents them moving.
The machine is also fitted with a number of lifters which are connected to keys
similar to those used in a type writer, and upon depressing a key it raises its
connected lifter, and stops the sliders, as they are moved by the weights attached to
them. The holder and presser are also connected to weights which tend to move
them in one direction for pressing the sliders together and holding them in their
selected position, but which are prevented from acting during the movement of the
sliders by a friction clip or other device.
The machine may also be fitted with means for indicating when a line or a
portion of a line has been set up, and there is also a press of any suitable
construction for taking an impression from the set up line. There are also means
for returning the sliders to their normal position, such means being also used for
spacing or justifying the line.
In order that my invention may be thoroughly understood I have attached

page_text: are indicated by the same reference letter.
Fig. 1 is a plan of the machine with the press removed.
Fig. 2 is a part sectional elevation of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a cross section of the machine through the keyboard.
Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the slider and the relative position of the lifters.
Fig. 5 is a cross section of the sliders supposed to be taken during the setting up
of a line.
Fig. 6 is an end elevation of a press for taking an impression of the set up
line, and
Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the same.
The machine I have selected to illustrate my invention is designed to work with
sliders which have on their upper face two complete alphabets, that is capital
and small letters, two distinct spaces, one. varying space, a comma and a
full stop.
The sliders a Fig. 4 which have on their face and to the left of the centre a' the
letters, spaces, and stops as indicated are placed in the machine with their wide
ends a over the centre bed a³, and at this end have a lower projection a³ and an
upper projection a. The wide end of each slider is provided with a projecting
piece a which is supported on rollers a' carried by brackets a from the machine
table b, each slider having a separate roller all of which are mounted upon the same
axis. The thin end of the slider also has a projection a³ on the underside, the use .
of this and projections at and as being explained hereafter. The underside of the
slider has a number of grooves a formed in it, the number and pitch of which
corresponds with the number and pitch of the letters and signs on the face of the
slider, and the distance between the slide h, bereinafter referred to as the holder,
and the first groove all is the same as the distance between the centre a² and the
first letter or sign Sp and between the projection at and the first lifter 1, the
distance between any two of which is equal to the pitch of the letters or signs on
the face of the sliders. The sliders to the right of the centre a² are substantially
the same as those already described, but the letters on them are placed with their
heads facing in the opposite direction to the head of the letters on the other sliders,
that is, if the heads of the letters on one slider face the thick end of the same the
heads of the letters on the next slider will face the thin end of the same, and so on
alternately. The relative positions of the letters on the sliders and the grooves
under it in the right hand slider will be different to the relative position of the
letters and grooves on the left hand slider, but if the position of the slide p and
holder h be changed, the relative positions of the letters and grooves on both sliders
will be the same.
The sliders are placed in the machine with their widest ends side by side as
shown in Fig. 1, and are supported by the roller a and the bed a³, this latter being
formed with or attached to the plate b. The projecting pieces a³ are attached by
cords a to weights a3 which are sufficient to draw down the slider when it is
released, the cords a passing over pulleys which are supported by any convenient.
bracket a from the machine standards or the floor. It should be noted that the
distance between the pulleys and the ends of the pieces as is sufficient to allow of
the slide moving its full length, and that the heads of the letters on the sliders all
face the same end of the machine, which means that they are arranged on alternate
sliders in opposite directions.
After the sliders have been placed in the machine, a slider hereinafter referred
to as the releaser, is passed through a specially formed groove in the same, as shown
in Fig. 4, and the sliders are held from any great side movement at their free ends
by plates c which form the sides of the slider bed and are carried by uprights c¹
and the centre bed a³.
The sliders may be made of any suitable material and the letters and signs may
be formed upon the same by engraving, stamping, casting, or by any other well.
known method

page_text: I have now described the construction of the sliders, and means for supporting,
holding and moving the same. I will now describe the means for releasing the
sliders from their central position, selecting the desired letter or sign and for
holding them when the selected letter has reached a determined position.
Under the sliders and on both sides of the centre bed a³ there are lifters / the
total number of which is equal to the total number of letters and signs on the
sliders. These lifters are supported on rollers there being a separate roller for
each lifter, and the lifters are held vertically by guide plates 12 and the sides c of
the slider bed. The lifters on one side of the machine have formed in one
with them or attached thereto projecting pieces which are also guided by
the plates 13, this and the plates and c being cut similar to the sley plates used in
lace and hosiery machinery. These lifters are used for stopping the sliders after
they have been released, and each lifter on the right hand side of the machine is
connected to a cranked lever 15 by a slot and pin. The other end of the lever is
under two keys as shown in Fig. 3 and when one is depressed it pushes forward the
corresponding lifter and this riding on the inclined edge is thereby lifted into
the path of the projection at or a on the moving slider. The end of the piece /*
in the plate may also be cut to the same angle as the edge 16 to ensure the lifter
rising vertically. By this arrangement each lifter may be used for two letters, and
as the sliders move alternately in opposite directions only half the number of lifters:
is required. The keys and keyboard may be constructed similarly to any other
convenient arrangement for a similar purpose. In the arrangement shown the key
tops are mounted on pins d which are guided vertically by plates d' and returned
to their normal position by springs d².
13
The back end of each lifter has formed thereon a projecting finger and is
connected to the corresponding lifter on the other side of the machine by one of a
number of levers and . The lifters at both sides of the machine for the same
letter are thus raised simultaneously, and the slider stopped whichever way it is
moving. In Fig. 4 the lifters are marked with the letters they are arranged to
select, and it will be noticed that the keys for the narrowest letters act on the
longest arm of the levers 15. All the keys are supposed to be depressed the same
distance consequently those acting at the longest arm of the levers 1 raise the
lifters the shortest distance, and if a slider be moving towards the right it would
be stopped when one of the a' came into contact with one of the lifters at the left
hand side of the machine, the projections a being longer than the projections at.
In this arrangement, when a slider is moving towards the right it would be stopped
by the lifters at the right if any of the letters from S p at the wide end to S p at
the centre of the slider were required, and would be stopped by the lifters at the
left if any of the letters from S p at the centre to S p at the thin end of the slider
were required. A slider moving towards the left would be stopped by corre-
sponding lifters to those used for stopping a slider moving towards the right but
on the opposite side of the machine.
The pieces attached to the lifters are also used for releasing the sliders through
a levere which is attached to the shaft e¹ and oscillated by a rod e³ which extends
across all the pieces and is attached to the shaft by arms e³. It has been stated
that the lifters rise two different distances, and from them it is necessary to give a
constant amount of motion to the lever e. This is obtained in the arrangement
shown by cutting a recess ' in the pieces this recess being cut in such a position
and of such a shape that when the lifter has been raised its least distance the lever e
has been moved to its extreme position, and for any further movement of the lifter
the rod e rides upon the inclined surface of the recess without being raised.
On the end of the lever e is a ratchet pawl ' which is for the first portion of its
motion with the lever e held out of the teeth of the releaser r by a pin ², from the
action of which the pawl r is released in time for the lever e to move the releaser r
a distance equal to the width of the wide end of the slider.
The machine is also fitted with a presser p which is cut away to pass under
the sliders and is attached to a weight at the front of the machine. At the

page_text: back of the machine the presser rises above the level of the bed a³ as shown in
Fig. 4. The object of this piece is to press the selected sliders towards the
unselected ones, so that the former may serve as a guide to the latter during their
movement. There is also a third slide h called the holder, the object of which is
to hold the sliders in their selected position. This holder is attached to a weight
at the front of the machine, and as each slider is selected it is drawn through one
of the grooves all on the underside of the same. The holder however if left
uncontrolled would probably be drawn forward and stop a slider at the wrong place,
and the presser would press the moving slider between the selected and unselected
ones, and thereby set up friction. To obviate these difficulties I prevent the holder
and presser from moving during the movement of the slider by means of a clip g
which is fulcrumed at gl to the table a³, and is held upon the holder and presser
by a pin et on the lever e, the pressure being brought into action just before the
releaser has liberated the slider.
I have also shown a bell for indicating when a line or a determined part of a line
has been set up, and it will be seen that a line may be made up of a varying
number of sliders, and that the line will be completed when the distance between
the end p¹ Fig. 5 of the presser, and the end h¹ of the holder is equal to the width
of the line. It will also be seen that the holder at each movement travels a
distance equal to the width of the wide end of the slider, and the presser a distance
equal to the difference of the width of the wide end of the slider and the width of
the same at the selected letter. For sounding the indicator I pivot upon the
holder ha lever fitted with a pin which is held by a spring upon a raised
portion p² of the presser and is held there until the greater motion of the holder
carries the pin pass the projection when the spring forces down the lever and
the pin h² strikes upon a broad lever i which is pivotted at i¹ and rings the bell ³
by means of a hammer, thus calling the attention of the operator.
When a word has been set up the space between it and the next may be wide,
medium or ordinary. For the two former the space at the wide end and in the
centre of the slider are selected in the same way as a letter. For the ordinary
space at the thin end of the slider, its key k Fig. 4 actuates a lever k pivotted to
the bed a³. This lever actuates the lever e for releasing pressing and holding the
slider, and the slider is stopped by its projection a' coming into contact with the
bed a. The groove under the slider corresponding with the thin space is longer
than the other grooves, so that the slider may be moved back again a short
distance for justification of the line. The space sliders between all the words are
moved together for justifying the line by plates m which are carried by levers m¹
from fixed fulcrums m' and actuated by any convenient mechanism. The plates m
are also used for returning the sliders to their starting position after an impression
has been taken of the set up line.
The bed as at the back of the machine is carried up. nearly to the top of the
sliders and at the opposite side is a nipping lever n for pressing the selected sliders.
up to one side of the bed and nipping them together during the taking of the
impression. The nipping lever n is fulcrumed at n' and is actuated by a screw n²
or other suitable mechanism may be used for the same purpose.
The impressions may be taken on separate or continuous strips of a suitable
material. In the drawings I have shown means for working a continuous strip of
material similar to that used at the present time for taking impressions from type
set up by hand or other means. This material is wound upon a. roller o
Figs. 6
and 7 carried by a vertical slide o' which is fitted with a second roller o for
receiving the impressed material. The slide o¹ is carried by a horizontal slide s
which is actuated from the front of the machine by a wheel s¹ and shaft & the
latter being geared to the slide screws by wheels and s. The slide o¹ is
actuated by a screw o³ and both slides are fitted with stops for regulating the
amount of motion.
.
I will now describe the action of the machine for setting up a line and taking an

page_text: impression of the same, the sliders at the start being in the position shown in
Fig. 1.
The operator depresses the key for the first letter, say T, this liberates the
slider at the back of the machine and it moves towards the right until stopped by
the raised lifter. During the motion of the slider the holder and presser have been
held by the clip g which is brought into action just before the slider is released and
the lifter raised to its highest position. After the slider has reached the lifter the
key is released, and the holder and presser are set free by the rising of the clip g
before the lifter falls, and under the action of the weights attached to them press
the selected slider up to the unselected ones, and locks the selected slider by the
holder entering one of the grooves on the under side of the same. The next letter
is then selected and the released slider moves to the left.until. stopped by a lifter
at the right or left according to the position of the required letter on the
slider.
:
After the word is completed the narrow spacing key is depressed and the releaser
slider moves until its projection a strikes against the bed a after which the next
word is proceeded with. If the line contains thirty letters the indicator would
probably be timed to ring when twenty six letters had been selected and if the
next word or syllable had more than four letters in it, the operator would fill up
the line by pushing forward the spacing sliders, or he might introduce one of the
wider spaces at the end of the line and space out the remainder.
The line being set and spaced it would be pushed, together with the unselected
sliders, to the back of the machine by the lever n and nipped between the lever and
the projection on the bed. The press is then brought over the selected line and an
impression taken. The press is then moved back again, the holder drawn out of
the slider and the plate m advanced to push. the sliders to their starting position
where they are held by inserting the releaser.
•
Instead of the rollers o and o feeding and winding up the material upon which
the impression is taken, there may be a separate arrangement of friction rollers
for feeding a definite amount of material for each impression and the material may
be wound up by any convenient arrangement of frictional feed, or other means may
be used for effecting the same results.
The lifters may also be arranged to always stop the sliders at the wide end of
the same by having at each side of the machine as many sliders as there are letters
on each slider.
I am aware of Patents No. 1833 A.D. 1885 and No. 2823 A.D. 1885 granted to
A. J. Boult for inventions communicated from Ottmar Mergenthaler of America,
and I do not claim the mechanisms therein described and claimed, and in particular
I do not claim the taper sliders, but,
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, subject to the above disclaimer, is :-
1. In a machine using the sliders above described the provision of means for
releasing the sliders, stopping the motion of the same, pressing the selected sliders
together, and holding the same in their selected position substantially as shown and
described in the accompanying drawings and Specification.
2. The general arrangement and construction of a machine for setting letters or
signs in a line and taking an impression of the same substantially as shown and
described in the accompanying drawings and Specification.
Dated this 16th day of March 1894.
W. H. POTTER, M.I.M.E.,
Newcastle Chambers, Nottingham, Agent for the Applicant.