Improvements in Type-writers.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 7th June, 1889-Accepted, 13th July, 1889
COMPLIE DI BUITICATION.
Improvements in Type-writers.
A communication from CHARLES SPIRO, of New York, United States of America,
Gentleman.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex, M.I.M.E.
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 has relation to type writers and has particular reference to the ink
ribbon feed mechanism; the object of the invention being to provide mechanism which
shall automatically reverse the direction of the movement of the inking ribbon.
Another object of the invention is to construct the carriage guide rod so as to facilitate
the removal of the carriage from the machine. This portion of the invention has an
advantage in connection with the ribbon feed mechanism above mentioned; in that it
facilitates access to the parts involved.
In most typewriting machines the ink ribbon is given a step by step movement
either before or after each impression of a type, the purpose being to present a new
surface of the inking ribbon after each successive impression. So far as I am aware
it is necessary in existing constructions of ink ribbon feed mechanism to manually
shift said mechanism to feed in an opposite direction whenever the end of the ink.
ribbon is reached. By this invention the change in the direction of the step by step
movement of the ink ribbon when the end thereof approaches the printing point, is
accomplished automatically and without the necessity of stopping the machine.
Referring to the drawings:-
:-
Fig. 1 is a plan.
Fig. 1ª is a section on the line y of said fig. 1 illustrating the manner in which the
carriage rod is removably connected to the frame of the machine.
Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section about on the line x x of fig. 1 of a machine of
the class described provided with these improvements.
Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a portion of the ribbon feed reversing devices.
Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a modified arrangement of the feed reversing devices,
and
Fig. 4 is an elevation of a portion of said devices hereinafter described.
Like letters refer to like parts in all the figures.
I have illustrated the embodiment of this invention in a machine in which the ink
ribbon is caused to pass across and over the plate and to return, the ribbon spools
being arranged near each other and operatively connected with pawl and ratchet
mechanism for giving the required movement to the ribbon. It is apparent however,
that by modifications within the skill of persons conversant in the art, the invention
can be readily applied to that class of type writing machines in which the inking
ribbon extends from side to side of the machine and in a line with the plate.
A represents the base of the machine having the risers A' in which are seated the
ends of the carriage supporting rod B. Instead of seating the ends of the rod in holes
passing through the risers a portion of each end of the rod is flattened as at B¹ and is
perforated as at B2 for the passage of the thumb screw C which is threaded in the
riser A' which is provided with a semi-circular seat A2 adapted to receive the rod.
Now it will be seen as the carriage D is supported on the rod (by means of its
arms D' which are perforated to embrace the rod) it only requires the removal of the
thumb screws C to permit of the removal, bodily, of the carriage and all the parts
mounted thereon. D² represents arms projecting from the carriage and adapted to
receive a roller around which the usual sheet feeding bands pass.
As the general features of construction of the principal elements of the type writer

page_text: .
herein illustrated, are fully described in my correspondent's United States patent
No. 4 0265 and in the companion application serial No. 249684 a detailed
description of the same will not be necessary and only such parts are herein illustrated
as are essential to the operation of the novel features of the invention to be described.
E is a standard which supports the ink ribbon spools E' of which there are two and
their ratchets E2 these being mounted on the spindles E3 as shown and more fully
described in the application above specified. The ribbon F extends from one spool
over and around a guide bar F' and from thence back to the other spool. In this
passage from one spool to the other the ribbon passes between bifurcations G¹ of an
oscillating lever G which is pivotally connected with the standard-in one instance by
means of a screw G². Near the pivot or centre of oscillation of the lever G it is
extended and bifurcated, slotted or otherwise adapted as at' G³ to embrace and operate
a pawl shifting lever H. This lever is pivotted to the standard E as for example
at H' and is extended into an opening of any suitable kind formed in a swinging
plate I as at H². This swinging plate carries pawl tripping pins J and spring
detents J¹ the latter arranged to operate in connection with the ratchets E² of the
ribbon spools. The former that is the pins J operate successively against a pivotted
double pawl K mounted on a link K pivotted to a rock arm K2 on the shaft K³
which also carries the bail L on which all the key levers M bear which bail and rock
arm are oscillated by pressure applied to the keys M¹.
The swinging plate I is pivotally connected with a stud I¹ depending from an offset
in the standard. At one edge of the swinging plate I there are formed notches 12
into which a swinging pin 1³ takes. In the modifications illustrated in figs. 4 and 4*
the lever G is attached to and so as to move the stud I which is mounted in the offset
of the standard and through the stud a pin, screw or bolt N is passed and enters a
slot H³ formed at the upper end of the lever H. In this instance instead of entering
the lower end of the lever F into an opening formed in the swinging plate, said lever
terminates in a knife edge seated in a notch formed in a pin H2 x projecting from the
upper surface of the swinging plate I.
Referring to fig. 10 represents a piu, bar, button or any similar device one of
which is mounted on the ribbon near each end thereof, which end is connected with
the spindle of the ribbon spool, so that when said device comes into contact with the
bifurcated arms of the lever G it tends through the force communicated to the ribbon
by the winding spool to draw said arm of the lever in the direction that the ribbon is
moving and therefore giving such a movement to the lever as to oscillate the lever H
on its pivots either by the direct contact there with of the lever G as illustrated in
fig. 3 or through the direct attachınent of the stud I with lever G. In both cases
such a movement of the arm of the lever causes an opposite movement of the swinging
plate which throws one end of the double pawl K out of contact with the ratchet
connected with the winding spool and causes the opposite end of the double pawl to
take contact with the ratchet of the paying or delivering spool which is now brought
into operation and becomes the winding spool and continues to be such until the pin,
button or other similar device at the opposite end of the ink ribbon comes into contact
with the opposite bifurcated arm of the lever G.
I have described the part H as a lever without giving it any peculiarity of
construction as the operation will be performed and the result produced as hereinbefore
stated, but by making the longer arm, that is the lower arm, as illustrated, of the
lever H, resilient or in the form of a spring a material advantage is secured, in that as
the strain of the ribbon upon the lever G is exerted force will be stored in the resilient
or spring portion of the lever H until the instant that the work of the pawl, to be
shifted from the winding to the paying out spool is at its lowest point and then the
pawl is quickly shifted.
It will be apparent from the description above given that each depression of the
key M communicates motion to the ink ribbon, operating the pawl K through the
key lever M bail L, shaft K³, rock arm K², and link K₁ and no further description
thereof is necessary.
In that class of machines where the direction of the movement of the ribbon or

page_text: ribbon feed is changed by a shaft and mitre gears, there will be readily presented to
the mind of persons skilled in the art of type-writer construction the mechanical
modifications necessary to adapt this invention to a use in said class of machines. The
shifting gear and the double pawl may be considered to a certain extent equivalent
devices for the purpose in view. 1 therefore should consider the application of these
devices to the printing ribbons which are adapted by suitable connections to shift said
gears by power conveyed through the ribbon itself as comprehended within this
invention.
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 I claim is :-
1. The combination with an inking ribbon and its winding spool and with the
winding spool operating mechanism of a device connected and moving with the ribbon
and operatively connected with the ribbon feed reversing mechanism substantially as
specified.
2. The combination of a typewriter ribbon and its paying and winding spools of
spool operating devices and of feed reversing mechanism and devices connecting the
latter with the ribbon whereby when a desired portion of the ribbon approaches the
printing point, the direction of the movement of the ribbon is automatically reversed,
substantially as specified.
3. The combination with the inking ribbon and ribbon spools of a typewriting
machine and with the ribbon feed devices or pins or their described equivalents
mounted at or near the ends of the ribbon, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
4. The combination with the inking ribbon of a typewriting machine and with the
shifting devices thereof, of pins or their equivalents secured to the ribbon at or near
its ends and intermediate connecting devices for conveying motion from said pins to
said shifting devices, substantially as specified.
5. The combination with the plate of a typewriting machine of a ribbon arranged
to cross and recross said plate, spools to which the ribbon is connected, pins secured
near the ends of the ribbon, ratchets for operating the spools, a double pawl for
operating the ratchet a swinging plate for selecting the pawl, a lever for swinging
the plate and a second lever connected with the ribbon and with the plate swinging
lever, substantially as specified.
6. A typewriter carriage supporting rod, perforated for the passage therethrough of
thumb screws for removably connecting the same with the frame of the machine,
substantially as specified.
7. A typewriter frame work having carriage supporting risers provided with semi-
circular seats for the reception of the carriage supporting rod and means for securing
the rods in the seat, substantially as specified.
8. The combination of risers having carriage rod seats and screw threaded sockets
therein, of a carriage supporting rod, flattened at one side and perforated for the
passage of thumb screws and of thumb screws adapted to the screw threaded seats in
the risers substantially as specified.
9. In a typewriting machine provided with an overcrossed ink ribbon and its
support, a carriage mounted on a rod removably attached to the frame of the machine,
substantially as specified.
10. The combination with an inking ribbon and its feed reversing mechanism of
an interposed yielding lever operatively connected with the ribbon and with its.
reversing mechanism substantially as specified.
11. The combination with the inking ribbon F having the pins O, the spools E E¹,
ratchets E², pawl K and mechanism for reciprocating the pawl, the pawl, the swinging
plate I having pawl controlling devices, the lever H having a yielding arm and the
lever G projecting into the path of the ribbon substantially as specified.
12. The combination with the ribbon spools E E' and with the mechanism for
rotating the same of a lever as G, having an arm arranged in the path of the ribbon

page_text: and operatively connected with the ribbon rotating mechanism to reverse the same,
substantially as specified.
13. The combination with the ribbon spools E, E¹, and with the mechanism for
rotating the same, of a lever as G, projecting into the path of the lever and opera-
tively connected with the ribbon spool rotating mechanism by a lever one arm of
which is resillient, substantially as specified.
Dated this 7th day of June 1889
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents.