Improvements in Typewriting Machines.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Dec., 1898 -Accepted, 4th Feb., 1899
[Communicated from abroad by MANHATTAN TYPEWRITER COMPANY, a corporation
organized and existing under the laws of the State of New Jersey, and having
its offices at the corner of Nassau and Sheffield Streets, Newark, New Jersey,
United States of America, Manufacturers.]
Improvements in Typewriting Machines.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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:-
This invention is embodied in a typewriter and relates mainly to the letter space
feed mechanism. The invention consists in a novel construction of the escapement
by which the spring impelled carriage permitted to advance as each letter is
printed and in the spaces between the words; and it further consists in details
of construction which will be hereinafter described.
Figure 1 is a rear elevation partly in section of a sufficient portion of a type-
writing machine to illustrate this invention;
Figure 2 a transverse section thereof showing the feed mechanism in side
elevation;
Figures 3. 4 and 5 sectional elevations as seen from the rear of the machine
showing the escapement mechanism in different positions; and
Figure 6 a sectional detail on line X6 Figure 1.
The escapement mechanism forming the subject matter of this invention is
applicable to machines of the well known Remington type, being embodied in a
machine in which the platen carriage A or part which supports and feeds the
paper is provided with a feed rack a having inclined or ratchet shaped teeth b
spaced to correspond to the spacing desired between consecutive letters of con-
tinuous printing. The said carriage is normally impelled in the direction from
left to right as seen in Figure 1 by the main spring and connections, which may
be of usual construction as indicated at B, Figure 1, and said carriage is permitted
to advance a distance represented by one tooth of the feed rack a at each operation
of the universal bar c produced by depression of any of the letter key levers d,
or of the space key, in the usual manner.
Instead of controlling the movement of the rack a by a pair of feed dogs movable
in a plane transverse to said feed rack as is more commonly done in machines of
this class, said feed rack is, in accordance with the present invention, controlled
by a pair of feed dogs e, f, having a movement in the same plane as the feed rack,
the said dog f being movable only in the direction to engage and disengage with
the teeth of the feed rack, while the dog e has a movement into and out of engage-
ment with said teeth and also a movement in the direction of the length of the
rack.
The dog f which for distinction will be called the retaining dog, is carried by
one arm of a rocking lever g pivoted at upon a stationary part of the frame

page_text: shown as a bracket G, below the rack a, said lever being operated from the
universal bar c by connections which will be hereinafter described, and being
turned upon its pivotal axis, which is at right angles to the length of the rack,
in the direction to raise the dog f into engagement with the teeth of the rack a
when the universal bar is depressed by the type keys or space key of the machine,
and being moved in the opposite direction, or down and out from engagement
with the said teeth, when the universal bar is permitted to rise to its normal
position, assumed when none of the keys of the machine are depressed.
The other dog e, which for distinction will be called the let-off dog, is con-
trolled at the lower end of its shank or carrier by a guide which permits of move-
ment of said dog up and down or towards and from from the teeth of the rack
and also permits of a pivotal movement of said dog about an axis near its lower
end, so that its upper end may move in the direction of the length of the rack a.
As shown in this instance, the lower portion of said dog 6, is provided with a
longitudinal slot. best shown in Figures 3, 4, and 5, engaging with a pin or
projection on the stationary frame work or bracket G, which pin serves in
connection with said slot to guide the dog in its longitudinal or upward and down-
ward movement, and also constitutes a pivot or fulcrum for its pivotal movement.
Said dog e is also controlled near its upper end by the lever g, one arm of which
carries the retaining dog f, the other arm of said lever being, as shown in this
instance, provided with a transverse pin or projection passing through a slot (5
in the shank or carrier of the dog e, said pin by its engagement thus causing an
up and down movement of the said dog, and reverse of that of the dog f, when the
lever g is vibrated, and also permitting of the pivotal movement of said dog e about
the guide projection as a centre. The said pivotal movement of the dog e in
the direction of the feed of the carriage A is limited by an adjustable front stop h.
shown as a set screw in the stationary bracket G, and said dog is normally
yieldingly pressed in the direction opposite to that of the feed movement of the
rack by a spring (see Figures 3 and 4) its movement under the action of said
spring being limited by a rear stop k which is adjustable, and also is yielding
for a purpose that will be hereinafter explained.
In order to provide for slight variations in the amount of movement of the
dog operating lever g, without correspondingly varying the engagement of the
retaining dog F, with the teeth of the rack, the said retaining dog is yieldingly
connected with the lever g, being carried by an arm f2, which, as herein shown,
is supported upon the same pivot or fulcrum, g2 as the lever g, being capable of
independent pivotal movement thereon.
The movement of said dog f with relation to the lever g in the direction for
entering the rack-teeth is limited by a stop projection f³, shown in Figures 3
and 4, which engages with a corresponding projection or overhanging portion of
the lever g, said dog f being normally retained with the stop f3 in engagement by
a spring f (see Figures 3 and 4) so that when the lever g is rocked from the
position shown in Figures 3 to that shown in Figure 4, the dog f accompanies
the same as long as its movement is not otherwise interfered with. The move-
ment of the dog towards the rack, however, is limited by a stop projection f, which
engages with the stationary frame work of the machine, being shown in this
instance as striking upon the overhanging portion of the machine frame or bed-
plate C. The movement of the dog f into engagement with the teeth of the rack a
is thus arrested when proper engagement is effected, and if the lever requires a
further movement by reason of variations in the movement of the operating keys
or in the connections from said keys to said lever, such movement will be accommo-
dated by the yielding connection between the dog and lever without producing
a further upward movement of the dog or a deeper engagement thereof with the
rack teeth, the spring f yielding to provide for such further movement of the
lever gas may take place.
The return movement of the lever 7 and dogs carried by it, from the position

page_text: shown in Figure 4 to the normal position shown in Figure 3, is limited by a
stop 3 (see Figures 1 and 5) adjustably connected with said lever and engaging
with the bracket G.
The mode of operation of the dogs controlling the feed of the carriage is as
follows:
-:
Normally the lever g is in the position shown in Figure 3 with the retaining
dog fout of engagement with the teeth of the rack a, and the let-off dog e engaged
with a tooth of said rack and held against the front stop by the impelling force
applied by the main impelling spring to the carriage, which force overcomes the
spring. When a key is depressed the lever g is rocked upon the pivot ² to
approximately the position shown in Figure 4, raising the retaining dog f into
engagement with the tooth of the rack which is then nearest to it, and depressing
the dog out from engagement with the tooth before engaged by it, the parts
thus coming to the position shown in Figure 4 and the carriage being released by
the dog a but retained by the dog f, said dog e when disengaged from the rack
being thrown by the spring i against the rear stop k and past the end of the tooth
previously held by it.
The carriage is thus positively held by the dog f at the time when the imprint
is being made. When the key, by the depression of which the movements above
described were produced, is released and returns to its normal position, the lever g
is rocked back to its original or normal position and the dog a engages with the
next tooth of the rack to the one previously engaged by it, permitting the carriage
to feed until the said dog brings up against the stop h with the carriage advanced
one tooth of the rack from the position occupied previous to the depression of the
kev.
The dog operating lever g is connected by a link m. with a lever n pivoted at n²,
Figure 2, on a stationary part of the frame and provided with a stop to limit
its upward movement, said lever being normally retained in its uppermost position
by a spring and thus retaining the dogs in the normal position shown in
Figures 1 and 3. The said lever n is connected by a link o with a lever or arm p
of a frame pivoted at p² on the main frame of the machine, and carrying the
universal bar o which is acted upon by the spacing and printing keys of the
machine.
It is found necessary in machines of this class to vary or adjust the effect of
each of the key levers d upon the universal bar c, since when the said keys are
properly adjusted with reference to the type bar connections, they are frequently
found to be out of proper adjustment with relation to the universal bar. It has
been necessary, therefore, as a general thing, to cut away portions of certain keys
that engage the universal bar when they are found to depress the bar too far, or
to introduce additional material between a given key and the universal bar, when
it is found that such key does not depress the bar far enough.
In order to provide for the proper adjustment of the keys with relation to the
universal bar the latter is, in accordance with this invention, provided with a series
of yielding fingers shown as cut somewhat like the teeth of a comb Figures 1
and 2 from a strip of sheet metal, one corresponding to each finger of the series.
Thus by turning up or down the corresponding adjusting screw, the effect of any
key upon the universal bar may be adjusted as desired, and the spring finger which
bears upon and is raised or lowered by the adjusting screw affords a suitable sur-
face for the key lever to bear upon without danger of becoming worn or indented,
as it would if bearing directly upon the end of the adjusting screw.
The rack a may be lifted wholly out of engagement with the feed dogs, when
desired, in order to permit movement of the carriage in either direction independent
of the feed, in the usual manner, and it is shown as provided with a yielding
pressert (see Figures 1 and 2) to prevent accidental rising movement in the normal
operation of the machine. Said presser is shown as a roller supported in a spring
arm 2 mounted in a pin or stud 3 adjustably secured in a socket in the bracket G
said stud 3 constituting a positive stop to limit the upward movement of the rack.
:

page_text: A support w, Figure 1, is provided for the rack to limit its downward move-
ment, said support being shown as an anti-friction roller engaging the rack carrier
near the feed dogs, as shown, so as to accurately determine the vertical position
of the feed rack in the operation of the machine, as is requisite in the construction
in which the feed dogs cooperate with the rack by movement into and out from
engagement with the teeth in the direction towards and from the under edge of
the rack.
When the carriage is forcibly moved backwards in the direction opposite to the
feed, the let-off dog e yields, as shown in Figure 5, its rear stop yielding to
permit such movement, so that the teeth of the rack a may ratchet back over the
dog e without necessarily vibrating the dog carrying lever g.
The herein described escapement is very rapid in operation and may be adjusted
to let off the carriage according to the requirements of the operator, allowing
some movement to take place if desired, upon the depression of the key, and the
remainder as the key rises; or if preferred causing substantially the whole move-
ment of the carrier to take place in the rising of the key after the imprint has
been made.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is;-
1. The combination of the spring impelled carriage provided with a feed rack,
with a dog operating lever provided with a retaining dog, and a let-off dog having
a guide upon the fixed frame upon which the said dog is longitudinally and
pivotally movable, and an engaging connection between said let-off dog and the
dog operating lever, substantially as described.
2. The combination of the feed rack, with a dog operating lever and retaining
dog carried by one arm thereof, a let-off dog having a guide upon the fixed frame
upon which it is longitudinally and pivotally movable, and an engaging connection
between said let-off dog and the other arm of the dog operating lever, and stops
limiting the pivotal movement of said let-off dog, substantially as described.
3. The combination of the feed rack, with a dog operating lever provided with
a retaining dog, a let-off dog having a guide upon the fixed frame upon which it
is longitudinally and pivotally movable, and an engaging connection between said
let-off dog and the dog operating lever, and a rigid front stop, and yielding rear
stop governing the pivotal movement of said let-off dog, substantially as and
for the purpose described.
4. The combination of the feed rack, with a dog operating lever pivoted on an
axis substantially at right angles with the length of said feed rack, and a retaining
dog carried by one arm of said lever, and a let-off dog having a guide connection
at one end upon the fixed frame and a slotted guide connection with said dog
operating lever upon which said let-off dog is movable lengthwise of the rack,
front and rear stops for said let-off dog for limiting said movement, and a spring
pressing said let-off dog towards the rear stop, substantially as described.
5. The combination of the feed rack, with a dog operating lever and dogs
operated thereby, a second lever connected by a link with said dog operating lever
and provided with a stop limiting its movement, and a spring normally holding
said lever against said stop, and a universal bar connected with said lever, sub-
stantially as described.
6. The combination of the feed rack, with a dog operating lever and retaining
dog yieldingly connected therewith, a stop which limits the movement of said retain-
ing dog independently of the lever, a let-off dog operated by said lever, and means
for vibrating said lever to alternately engage said dogs with the rack, substantially
as described.
7. The combination of the feed rack, with a dog operating lever, a retaining dog
carried by one arm thereof and movable thereby only into and out from engage-

page_text: ment with said rack, and a let-off dog operated by the other arm of said lever and
having a movement into and out of engagement with the rack teeth and also
lengthwise of the rack, substantially as described.
8. The combination of the keys of the typewriter with the universal bar, and a
strip provided with a series of yielding engaging fingers secured to said universal
bar, one finger corresponding to each key, and means for independently adjusting
said fingers, substantially as and for the purpose described.
9. The combination of the feed rack adapted to have longitudinal and vertical
movements, and the feed dogs cooperating therewith, with a yielding presser
opposing the upward vertical movement of said rack, substantially as described.
10. The combination with the feed rack adapted to have longitudinal and vertical
movements with the feed dogs cooperating therewith, and movable towards and
from the teeth of the rack from below with a support for the said feed rack
adjacent to said pawls, substantially as described.
Dated this 2nd day of December 1898.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.