Improvements in Type Setting or Composing Machines.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Mar., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Dec., 1896-Accepted, 27th Mar.. 1897
Improvements in Type Setting or Composing Machines.
We, STANLEY HOWARD HODGKIN, of 69 Church Road, Richmond, in the
County of Surrey, Engineer, and PHILIP ELIOT HODGKIN, of Child wall, Church
Road, Richmond, aforesaid, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to type setting or composing machines of the kind
in which the type characters are arranged in rows in horizontal or approximately
horizontal troughs against the forward ends of which, forming fixed stops, the
foremost types in the several rows are pressed by followers under the action of
suitable means such as weights or springs and it has for object to enable the end
type in each row to be displaced by a pusher without liability of damaging the face
of the type.
For this purpose cach pusher is arranged to work vertically through an opening
in the floor of the front end of the corresponding type trough, and the passage
through which the displaced type passes downward by gravity to a packing device
and thence to a composing stick or receptacle, is located in front of the fixed stop
which terminates at the top in a knife edge, and there is provided above the
passage a deflecting device, the arrangement being such that when the pusher is
operated by any suitable key actuated mechanism, it will act against the lower side
of the foremost type and press the same upwards above the top edge of the stop
whereupon the type will cant backward either automatically, or under the action
of the deflecting device, with the result that it will escape past the top edge of the
stop and fall freely down through the discharge passage with its face end
uppermost.
In one arrangement of this kind, the fixed stop at the forward end of each
trough is wedge shape in cross section, its upper knife edge extending to a height
about equal to half that of the types. The stop forms the rear side of the
discharge passage which is inclined and the front side of which is formed by a wall
to which is fixed a curved spring blade or arm that extends above and over the
discharge passage and acts as a deflector to ensure the canting back of the upper
end of each type as it is displaced vertically from the trough hy the pusher below.
To facilitate the canting action, a cross piece is fixed above the trough immediately
to the rear of the foremost type so that whilst such type is being raised the cross
piece will act as a fulcrum thereto.
In a modified arrangement, the deflector, in the form of a curved arm, is fixed to
a lever, which, when a type has been sufficiently displaced by the corresponding
pusher, is operated from the key lever so as to cause the free end of the deflector,
which may be of soft or yielding material, to abut against the front side of the
type and cant the type backwards, if it has not already become so canted, so as to
ensure its falling freely through the discharge passage.

page_text: We, STANLEY HOWARD HODGKIN, of 69 Church Road, Richmond, in the
County of Surrey, Engineer, and PHILIP ELIOT HODGKIN, of Childwall, Church
Road, Richmond, aforesaid, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the saine is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention has reference to type setting or composing machines of the kind
in which the type characters are arranged in rows in horizontal or approximately
horizontal troughs against the forward ends of which, forming fixed stops, the
foremost types in the several rows are pressed by followers under the action of
suitable means such as weights or springs and it has for object to enable the end
type in each row to be displaced by a pusher without liability of damaging the
face of the type.
For this purpose each pusher according to this invention is arranged to work
vertically through an opening in the floor of the front end of the corresponding
type trough, and the passage through which the displaced type passes downward
by gravity to a packing device and thence to a composing stick or receptacle, is
located in front of the fixed stop which terminates at the top in a knife edge, and
there is provided above the passage a deflecting device, the arrangement being
such that when the pusher is operated by any suitable key actuated mechanism, it
will act against the lower side of the foremost type and press the same upwards
above the top edge of the stop whereupon the type will cant backward either
automatically, or under the action of the deflecting device, with the result that it
will escape past the top edge of the stop and fall freely down through the
discharge passage with its face end uppermost.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a longitudinal sectional elevation
showing diagrammatically, part of a type setting machine constructed according to
this invention.
1 is a horizontal type trough having in the floor thereof at its front end an
opening 2 below which is a pusher 3 arranged to be worked vertically by any
suitable arrangement of key operated lever 4. 5 is a fixed stop arranged at the
forward end of the type trough and in proximity to the opening 2.
Against it the
foremost end type for the time being, of a row of type 6 is forced by any suitable
arrangement of feeding mechanism, as for example by a follower 7 that is con-
nected to a weight 8 by a cord 9 passing round a guide pulley 10. In such an
arrangement, which is of known kind, the fixed stop 5 at the forward end of the
trough is wedge shape in cross section, its upper knife edge 5" extending to a
height about equal to half that of the type 6. The stop forms the rear side of the
discharge passage 11 which is inclined and is or may be common to all the type
troughs. The front side of the discharge passage is formed by a wall 12 to which
is fixed a curved spring blade or arm 13 that extends above and over the discharge
passage and acts as a deflector to ensure the canting back as shown in dotted lines
of the upper end of each type as it is displaced vertically from the trough by the
pusher below. To facilitate the canting action, a cross piece 14 is fixed above the
trough immediately to the rear of the foremost type so that whilst such type is
being raised the cross piece will act as a fulcrum thereto. A single cross piece
common to all the troughs may be used.
Fig. 2 is a similar view to Fig. 1, showing a modified arrangement, in which
each deflector 13, in the form of a curved arm is fixed upon a rock shaft 15 to
the ends of which are fixed lever arms 16 connected by rods 17 to two levers 18
that are arranged at the sides of the machine, are pivoted at 19 and are connected

page_text: by a cross piece 20 which is located below the key operated levers 4. As will be
seen the arrangement is such that when a type 6 has been sufficiently displaced
from its trough by the corresponding pusher 3, the depressed key lever 4 will
operate the deflector 13 through the mechanism described so as to cause the free
end of the deflector, which may be of soft or yielding material, to abut against the
front side of the type and cant the type backwards, if it has not already become so
canted; so as to ensure its falling freely through the discharge passage 11 and
thence in the ordinary way to a packing device and composing stick or receptacle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A type setting or composing machine of the kind herein referred to wherein
each type pusher is arranged to work vertically through an opening in the front
end of the corresponding type trough, the passage through which the displaced
type falls is located in front of a fixed stop terminating in a knife edge at the top,
and there is provided above the said passage a deflecting device, the arrangement
being such that when the pusher is raised it will act against the lower side of the
foremost type in the corresponding trough and force the same upward above the
top edge of the stop whereupon the displaced type will cant backward, either
automatically, or under the action of the deflecting device, and will fall into the
discharge passage with its face end uppermost substantially as described.
2. Type setting or composing machines of the kind herein referred to connected
with type displacing and discharging mechanisin arranged and operating sub-
stantially as herein before described with reference respectively to and shown in
Fig. 1 and in Fig. 2 of the drawings annexed.
Dated this 23rd day of December 1896.
For the Applicants,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.