Improvements in and connected with the Adjustable Moulds of Linotype Machines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Feb., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 7th Nov., 1899-Accepted, 5th May, 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in and connected with the Adjustable Moulds of
Linotype Machines.
We, WILLIAM HENRY LOCK, Manager and Secretary of The Linotype Company
Limited, of No. 188, Fleet Street, in the City of London, and FERDINAND JOHN
WICH, of the Linotype Works, Broadheath, in the County of Chester, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
The present invention relates to improvements in and connected with the ad-
justable moulds of linotype machines. It has been developed for use in the
Mergenthaler linotype machine and the nature of it will be clearly understood
from a description of the form which it takes when made for that machine.
It must be explained that the mould in a Mergenthaler linotype machine
consists substantially of a bottom plate a cap plate, and two end liners between
them, the four pieces being screwed together on the respective side or end of the
mould cavity, and further screwed to a wheel. This wheel is moved horizontally
until the face of the mould fits up metal tight against the composed line of
matrices and space bars A metal pot and pump are next moved up to the
opposite side of the mould and the metal is pumped into the mould. The mould
is then moved back and turned through three quarters of a circle to bring and
hold the mould cavity between the ejector and the trimming mechanism. The
linotype is next ejected and trimmed by the ejector and after the latter has been
retracted, the wheel is turned in the same direction as before, through a quarter
of a circle
Since the invention of the above described four part mould there
have been many adjustable moulds, adjustable for both length and thickness of
linotype published. The present invention consists in an improved method and
means for making a mould adjustable for either length or thickness of linotype
or for both. The cap plate is adjustable from and to the bottom plate in suitable
guides in the mould wheel and either or both the liners are carried by the jaws
of the vice that hold the composed line between them while the linotype is being
cast and from which jaws they project towards the mould wheel, so that they
stand between the cap and bottom plates only when the mould wheel is holding
the mould in contact with the composed line. An improved liner is supported
between springs and headed screws screwed down into the respective jaw or
rather into the block which carries the actual jaw. The top surface of the block
is the bed of the liner. The springs allow of a little vertical play to facilitate
the cap and bottom plate passing respectively over and under the liner without
jamming against the edge of it. As the mould wheel presses the mould very
tightly up to and against the composed line there is a ridge on the top of the
block to serve as an abutment for the liner. There is also a plate on the liner
end of the mould cavity, to close over the adjacent end of the mould in the com-
posed line so as to prevent metal squirting there.
The cap plate is movable from the bottom plate and back again each revolution
of the mould wheel. The mechanism for so moving it consists of a rack gearing
with two pinions on screws right and left handed and preferably double pitched.

page_text: These screws are connected to the cap plate and engage in nuts fast on the mould
wheel. The rack lies parallel with both plates and is moved in the same direction
by an arm of a lever pivotted upon the mould wheel. This lever is T shaped and
has its fulcrum at the junction of the three arms, the vertical one being the
one that engages the rack. There are two 1ollers (or pinions acting as rollers)
carried by a carriage outside the wheel, preferably above it, and kept in contact
with its periphery, one on each side of the lever. The carriage moves to and fro
in a double groove parallel and concentric with the wheel. The groove is made
fast to the machine frame. According to the position of the rack, one or other
of the horizontal arms will protrude beyond the mould wheel. The carriage has
a reciprocating motion parallel with the plane of the mould wheel. This is
given to it in one direction by a lever rocked by a stud on the advancing metal
pot and in the other by a turning spring pulling on the carriage from a fixed
point on the machine frame The function of the carriage, rollers and lever,
is only to reciprocate the rack and any equivalent may be substituted.
The mould is closed immediately after it leaves the casting position on its
three quarters turn and remains so until after it has left the ejecting position.
When it has completed its quarter turn, the right horizontal lever arm is pro-
truding beyond the wheel and is rocked in by being carried under the right
roller then in its left position, thereby sliding the rack to the left to raise the
cap plate, and opening the mould. The mould wheel is next advanced by its
own cam) to make the mould embrace the liners. The metal pot follows after
the mould wheel and its stud rocks the lever to move the carriage and its rollers
to the right, thereby closing the mould cap down on the liners by moving the
left roller over the left lever arm protruded by the opening of the mould, so
leaving the right arm protruded The mould wheel and pot now move back
a little while the justification is effected as heretofore. The spring pulls the
carriage to the left and the right roller over the protruded right lever arm and
slightly opens the mould to leave the liners a little loose therein The pot pushes
the mould wheel finally to the front and rocks the carriage to the right, thereby
passing the left roller over the protruded left lever arm and closing the mould
for casting. The pot only next recedes and the carriage is pulled to the left,
moving the right roller over the protruded right lever to open the mould, thereby
disengaging it from the liners The wheel now begins its three quarters turn,
the carriage and rollers being over to the left, and the protruded left lever arm
is carried under the left roller, to close the mould, and leaves the right arm
protruded.
There is a groove in the pinion that drives the mould wheel, to make room for
the passing of the said right arm past it without being affected by it.
The two horizontal arms may be cranked and annular grooves cut in the peri-
meters of the rollers to facilitate their engagements in spite of the varying
positions in the direction of their axes A modification consists of two levers,
one near the end of the mould block, one being held retracted and the other pro-
truded by the rack The above inferred relation between the position of the rack
on the one hand and the protrusion and retraction of the arms, is thereby main-
tained
The substitution of thinner or thicker liners necessitates a compensating de-
vice in the way of more or less motion of the rack or of the lever arm that moves
it Such a device may advantageously consist of springs inserted between the
rail in which the carriage moves and the machine frame, or in the rack between
each side of the lever arm and it, in any case the spring always giving way: or
the fulcrum of the lever may be adjustable radially to the axis of the mould wheel
Dated this 7th day of February 1899.

page_text: Improvements in and connected with the Adjustable Moulds of
Linotype Machines.
We, WILLIAM HENRY LOCK, Manager and Secretary of The Linotype Company
Limited, of 188, Fleet Street, in the City of London, and FERDINAND JOHN
WICH, of the Linotype Works, Broadheath, in the County of Chester. 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 follow-
ing statement :---
The present invention relates to improvements in the adjustable moulds of
Linotype machines, and which are specially applicable to the Mergenthaler
linotype machine described in the Specification of Letters Patent 14582 of
September 16th 1890. In that, a composed line of matrices and space bars is
delivered into a vice where it is firmly held in a horizontal position with the
casting face of it vertical and in front of one side of a so called mould wheel.
The latter has a slot extending through it fiom one side of it to the other: the
said slot being parallel with a diameter of it. This slot forms the mould for the
body of the Inotype while that for the printing faces on the edge of the said
linotype, is provided by a row of formative cavities in the above mentioned cast-
ing face of the matrices. A subsequent improvement has placed the slot in a
mould block detachable from the mould wheel and consisting of a cap plate and
a bottom plate having two end liners between them, the four pieces being held
together by a screw passed downwards through each end of the cap plate and
the respective end liner into the bottom plate. the mould block itself being fixed
to the front side of the mould wheel in front of a wide slot therein provided to
give the metal pot access to the back of the mould block.
The mould wheel stands in rear of the composed line of matrices and space bars,
with its front side parallel with the casting face of the latter and normally at some
little distance from it, the slot in the mould block being then vertical and to the
right of the said line At the proper moment it is tuined through a quarter of
a circle, thereby bringing the slot into a horizontal position immediately in rear
of the row of formative cavities above mentioned, and pushed up to the composed
line, till it makes metal tight contact with the casting face thereof; and is held
there. The metal pot and. its pump are next moved up from the real, till the
mouth of the said pot makes metal tight contact with the rear face of the mould
block, whereupon hot metal is injected into the said slot which is the linotype
mould. The metal pot and pump are then moved to the rear; and the mould
wheel also, to clear the line of matrices, the linotype remaining in the slot
wheel is next turned through three quarters of a circle in the same direction as
before, thereby presenting the slot in front of the ejector. It is next moved
forwards up to the knives for trimming both sides of the linotype, whereupon the
ejector advances from the rear and pushes the linotype forward out of the slot,
between the knives and into a galley. The wheel is then moved back into its
normal position.
The
Since the substitution of the above described mould block for the slot in the
mould wheel, there have been devised several mould blocks; some adjustable for
length of slot and some adjustable for both length and depth of slot
The present
invention consists in improved means for adjusting the length and the depth of
the slot, either or both, as may be required, which means are hereinafter specified
in detail and claimed.
Referring to the accompanying figures which are to be taken as part of this
specification and read therewith.

page_text: Figure is a nont elevation of a portion of the mound wheel, the mould DioCK
excepting the end liners, and some of the means for adjusting the position of the
cap plate.
Figure 2, a transverse section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, and including
the left vice jaw, Jaw block, and liner.
Figure 3, an end elevation of a liner detached from its jaw block:
Figure 4, a fiont elevation of the rack to move the cap plate and of its rocking
lever:
Figure 5, a plan of the mould wheel, mould block, line holding vice, and
abutment:
Figure 6, a sectional rear elevation of the left hand vice jaw, liner, and jaw
block:
Figure 7, a plan of the line illustrated in Figure 6:
Figure 8; a side elevation from the right hand, of the metal pot, the mould
wheel, vice, and abutment, all in the casting position:
Figure 9, a front elevation of the mould wheel and reciprocating carriage for
opening and closing the mould;
Figure 10, a plan corresponding with Figure 9:
Figure 11, a sectional plan of the mould cap plate taken on the line 11-11
of Figure 1.
Figure 12, a side elevation from the right hand, of the mould cap plate:
Figure 13, a vertical section on the line 13-13 of Figure 11:
Figure 14, a detail front elevation on an enlarged scale, of the cap plate and
its rack and pinion gear and
Figure 15, a section on the line 15-15 of Figure 14.
A, A are portions of the machine frame; 0, the mould wheel; o, its bush;
o³, its gear teeth; o, the cap plate and o¹s the bottom plate of the mould block;
o the adjustable slot between them; 20. the screws by which the bottom plate is
fixed to the mould wheel, o, the wide slots in the mould wheel to receive as
many mould blocks; P, the abutment standing in front of the composed line of
matrices and space bars to support them against the push of the mould wheel;
P, the vice frame that carries the abutment P, the right and left hand vice
Jaws p, and their blocks 3, 3; V, the metal pot, r, its throat; its mouth
picce fast on the end of the said throat, and 2, the frame that carries the said
pot V. All the parts just enumerated are as heretofore, excepting the cap-
plate o in respect of its connection to the mould wheel O
1 is the left hand and 2 the right hand liner to fit between the cap plate 017
and bottom plate 18 at the respective ends thereof The construction of one is
represented best in Figures 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7. Each one is supported just above
the top face of the respective Jaw block 3, 3 between springs 4, 4 standing in
seatings 5, 5 in the said blocks, and the heads 6 of screws screwed down into the
latter. These screws are not screwed as far as they will go down into the re-
spective block 3 or 3, and the springs 4 stand up for a short distance above it,
so that each liner has a little play between the screw heads 6 above it and the
jaw block under it, for a reason which will appear later on. 7 is a ridge upon
each jaw block to serve as an abutment to support the respective liner against
the forward push of the mould wheel O. 8 is a plate fast on that end of each liner
which contacts with the composed line of matrices and space bars, to fit over
the respective end of the row of formative cavities in the matrices so as to prevent
type metal squirting there during the act of casting. Each plate 8 is semi-
circular in side elevation and stands within a recess 9 in the respective vice jaw,
with its vertical edge flush with the rear face of the jaw as shewn in Figures 2
and G. Each liner 1. 2, projects rearwards beyond the respective jaw block for a
distance equal to the width of the slot o, as shewn clearly in Figure 2
The jaw
block 3 of the left hand vice Jaw 2, is capable of being moved to or away from
its fellow jaw 21, by the means described in the Specification of Letters Patent
8228 of 1898. As the left hand liner 1 is carried by the said block, it is evident

page_text: that the said means suffice to adjust the position of the liner 1 in the slot o with
reference to the position therein of the liner 2, to adjust the length of said slot
for the desired length of linotype. The depth of the slot o, that is, the distance
between the cap plate and the bottom plate o18, is adjusted for thickness of
linotype by substituting another pan of lineis 1, 2, thicker or thinner, as the
change may require, for the pair on the jaw blocks 3, 3. To facilitate such
change, the above mentioned screw heads 6 are T-shaped; 10, 10, being slots
in the liner to clear them and 11, 11 being sinks over which each T-head C
stands at right angles with the respective slot 10, to hold the liner loosely to the
jaw block. The cap plate o is moveable up to and away from the bottom
plate 18 on suitable guides. These guides are shewn as plates 12, 12, hxed to
the front face of the mould wheel 0. Their operative edges are vertical to corre-
spond with the direction in which the cap plate is required to move, and each
one engages in a slot 13 in the respective end of the cap plate o, as illustrated
in Figures 1, 9 and 11. Vertical slots 12ª with headed screws 12 passed through
them from the front through the plate 40 described further on, may also be used
as guides. This plate 40 is fixed to the cap plate o.
The cap plate is moved from the bottom plate 18 and back again towards
it thrice during each revolution of the mould, wheel O, those motions being
effected automatically by the machine. The mechanism for so moving it con-
sists of a rack 14, a pair of pinions 15, 152, a pair of screws. 16, 16ª, and means
for actuating the said rack. The latter is capable of a reciprocating motion in the
direction of its length on a shell 14ª on the cap plate o as indicated in Figures 2
and 15, and gears with the two pinions 15, 15. Each of these is fast upon one
of the right and left handed screws, 16, 16, between its threads, as shewn best
in Figure 14. The four sciew threads are, preferably double pitched. Their
function is to move the cap plate o to or from the bottom plate o8; and for that
reason, their bottom ends engage in correspondingly screw-threaded sockets 16b,
16, in the cap plate o" while their top ends engage in correspondingly screw-
threaded sockets 17, 17ª, fast on the mould wheel O. The threads of the screws 16,
16ª, are so arranged with reference to the sockets 17, 17ª, and cap plate o", that
the mould shall be closed when the rack 14 is at the 11ght hand end of its motion,
and open when the said rack is at the left hand end of its motion. The rack 14
is actuated by the following means. 18, 20, 21 are the three arms of a T-shaped
lever having its fulcium upon a stud 19 carried by or fast in, and projecting from,
the front face of the mould wheel O above the rack 14. 21 is a recess in the
front face of the wheel O for it to work in. The arm 18 is a depending one, and
its outer end engages between two projections 30, 31, on the rack as shewn in
Figures 1 and 4. The arms 20 and 21 are preferably hog-backed, and the re-
spective proportions of the said lever are such, that when the arm 18 is over to
either hand, the arm on the opposite side of the fulcrum 19, projects its convexity
beyond the periphery of the wheel 0, as clearly shewn in the said Figures 1 and
4. 22, 22, are a pair of rollers pivoted upon horizontal axes 34 projecting to
the front from a carriage 23, one on each side of the fulcrum 19. Both rollers
are always in touch with the periphery of the mould wheel to effect the de-
pression of the projected arm, 20 or 21 as the case may be, and the projection
of the then depressed one. Pinions are preferred to 1ollers because they engage
with the gear o³ of the wheel O. They must be wide enough to keep engaged with
it. Whether they are pinions or rollers, either terminal position of the rack 14
holds one or the other of the arms 20, 21 projected beyond the wheel 0 and
standing in their path. The carriage 23 has a reciprocating motion upon the
frame A, between the stops 32, 33, such motion being concentric with the rotary
motion of the mould wheel O. The top of the carriage 23 is a trough-shaped
rail 28 and embraces an inverted trough-shaped rail 29 on the machine frame A,
as shewn in Figures 8 and 9. The engagement of the sides of the two trough-
shaped rails 28, 29, with each other, keeps the motion of the carriage 23.in the
proper plane; while the constant engagement of the pinions 22, 22, with the

page_text: 3
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wheel O, keeps the said cannage up to the machine frame A. Some convenient
device must be inserted between the rails 28 and 29 to prevent the carriage 23
dropping away from the rail 29 when the wheel is taken off its axle. Such
device may advantageously take the form of tenons on the inner side face of the
rail 28 engaging in grooves in the vertical sides of the rail 29. It will
also serve to prevent the pinions 22, 22ª, entering too far into gear with the
gear o³.
The carriage 23 is moved from the stop 32 to the stop 33 by the forward motion
of the metal pot V acting through the means next described. 24 is a projection
fast on the metal pot V. 25 is a bell crank lever fulcrummed at 26 on a bracket 27
projecting to the rear from the main frame A, as shewn in Figures 8 and 10.
Each end of the lever 25 carries an antifriction roller, one end standing in the
forward path of the projection 24 and the other engaging in a fork 28 on the
back of the carriage 23. The latter is moved from the stop 33 to the stop 32 by
a spiral spring 29* pulling on it from a fixed point 35 on the machine frame A.
There may be an additional projection 24" in front of the end of the lever 25 as
shewn in dotted lines in Figure 10, thereby dispensing with the necessity of the
spiral spring 29³.
I
The mould must be closed in time for the casting of the linotype in the slot o
and kept closed after the metal pot has moved to the rear. According to the
present invention the mould is automatically closed by bringing the cap plate o¹?
down upon both liners 1 and 2 until they are pinched metal tight between it and
-the bottom plate o18, and automatically opened afterwards by moving the cap
plate o away from the said bottom plate. One cast is effected during one cycle
of the linotype machine, and during that time, the following motions are gone
through.
1. Starting from the normal position already described, the projection 24
being then in the position shewn by the dotted lines in Figure 10, the carriage 23
consequently held up to the stop 32 as shown by the dotted lines in
Figure 9, and the aim 21 projecting beyond the periphery of the
mould wheel O, the latter makes a quarter turn in the direction of the arrows
in Figures 1 and 9, carrying the arm 21 under the pinion 22 to open the mould
by moving the cap plate o away from the bottom plate o18, and projecting
the arm 20. The said wheel O then moves to the front till the front faces of the
cap and bottom plates o17, 018, bear against the composed line of matrices and
space bars then between the vice jaws 12, p and immediately in front of the
abutment P; thereby putting the said plates respectively above and below the
liners 1, 2-see Figure 8.
2. The metal pot V moves forward until its mouth piece 23 18 pressed metal
tight against the back of the mould block as shewn in Figure 8. During that
movement, the projection 24-see Figure 10-rocks the lever 25 on its pivot 26,
thereby moving the carriage 23 from the stop 32 to the stop 33, the pinion 22
over the then projecting arm 20, so rocking the T lever on its fulcrum 19 and
moving the rack 14 to the right thereby making it close the mould by shutting
the cap plate o down upon the lines 1, 2, and pinching them between the bottom
plate and itself. The depression of the arm 20 leaves the arm 21 projected.
3. The pot V and wheel are moved back a little while the composed line is
being justified in the usual way, so carrying the projection 24 away backwards
from the lever 25, whereupon the spring 29 or the projection 24* pulls the carri
age 23 in the direction of the stop 32, thereby moving the pinion 22ª over the
arm 21 and opening the mould a little and leaving the arm 20 projected.
4. The pot and wheel O move to the front, the carriage 23 to the stop 33,
and the pinion 22 over the arm 20, so closing the mould for casting, as shewn in
Figure 8, and projecting the arm 21.
5. After the linotype has been cast, the pot V moves back, the carriage 23
up to the stop 32, the pinion 22* over the arm 21, and the mould is opened by

page_text: the movement of the cap plate o17 upwards away from the bottom plate o¹³, the
arm 20 being left projecting.
6. The wheel O moves back for the plates o17, 18 to clear the liners 1 and 2, and
then makes its three quarters turn, the pinion 22 depressing the arm 20 to close
the mould and projecting the arm 21. This latter clears the pinion 22 by passing
through a notch in its periphery indicated by the dotted line 60 in Figure 9
which at that moment is standing in the path of the arm 21. The wheel ( then
moves to the front into the ejecting position.
40 is a plate made fast to the back face of the cap plate o" to cover up the
cavity in it in which the rack 14 and the pinions 15, 15*, work so as to prevent dirt
or splashes of hot metal getting in.
The wheel O is driven by a pinion not included in the figures. There is a
groove in its periphery to provide for the arm 21 and it clearing each other as
the said arm is carried past it.
The mechanisms for moving the wheel O and the pot V are not included in
the figures because they do not form any part of the present invention.
The substitution of a thicker or thinner pair of liners for the pair on the jaw
blocks 3, 3, necessitates a compensating device adapted to provide for a longer
or shorter motion of either the rack 14 or a longer or shorter throw of the lever
that actuates the rack Such a device may consist advantageously of a spring
between each side of the lever arm 18 and the rack 14, or the fulcrum 19 mav
be adjusted radially to the axis of the wheel 0, the springs in any case giving
way as soon as proper closure of the mould has been effected. A suitable device
for the purpose is illustrated in Figures 8 and 9, where 35 19 a hog-backed spring,
its middle fast to the top rail 29 and its ends bearing on the carriage rail 28.
The invention is not limited to the illustrated combination of T lever and rack.
In that respect, the invention consists in the combination with the movable
rack 14 of two levers pivoted upon the mould wheel and so connected with the
said rack 14 that they shall stand projected beyond the periphery of the wheel
alternately according to the position of the rack at one or the other end of its
motion and be depressed alternately by contact with one of the two pinions 22,
22 to move the rack from one of its terminal positions into the other.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is ..
1. The combination of bottom plate: cap plate: liners; and means for moving
the cap plate away from or up to the liners."
2. The combination of bottom plate: cap plate: detachable liners; means for
holding them in position and means for moving the cap plate away from or up
to the liners.
3. The combination of stationary liners: cap plate and bottom plate adapted
to be put respectively above and below the said liners: and means for moving
the cap plate away from or up to the liners.
4. The combination of liners: bottom plate: cap plate adapted to be moved
up to or away from the liners: relatively fixed guides in which the cap plate can
move and automatic mechanism for so moving it.
5. The combination of jaw blocks: liners carried thereby; means for allowing
them a little play and cap and bottom plate adapted to be moved up and put
the one above and the other below the said liners.
6. The combination of liners: cap plate and bottom plate together moveable up
to above and below the said plates respectively and back again; relatively fixed
guides for the cap plate to move in away from and up to the liners; and automatic
mechanism for so moving it.
7. The combination of liners: cap plate and bottom plate: guides for the cap
plate to move in up to or away from the liners: rack: screws and pinions for
sọ moving it and automatic mechanism for reciprocating the rack.

page_text: 8. The hereinbefore described combination of liners; cap plate and bottom
plate guides for the motion of the cap plate up to or away from the liners;
rack screws and pinions for so moving it; levers connected with the said rack;
and automatic means for actuating the levers alternately.
9. The herein before described combination in a Mergenthaler linotype machine,
of liners; cap plate and bottom plate: guides for the motion of the cap plate up
to and away from the liners: rack; screws and pinions for so moving it: levers
connected to the said rack: carriage, rails for it to move on; pinions on the
carriage to engage the projected lever. and lever and spring or lever to oscillate
the carriage:
10. The herein before described combination of cap plate, liners and bottom
plate, rack, pinions, and screws within the cap plate; and back plate to cover
the cavity in the said plate in which the said rack, pinions and screws work.
. Dated the 7th day of November 1899.
CHAS. S WOODROFFE,
Chartered Patent Agent.