US555541A - Type-writing machine - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

E. TERRY. TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

Patented Mar. 3., 1896-.

Inventor.

110 Attorney.

Witnesses 9 Q A-N DREW EGRANAVL PKOTO-UUXQWASHINGI'ON. D C.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

I E TERR Y.- TYPE WRITING MAGHI-NE.

No. 555,541. Patented Mar 3, 1896.

Witnesz- Invntof. Q

ANDREW B GRAHAM. PHUTOUTHQWASHINGYON. QC,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE TERRY, 0F ITHACA, ASSIGNOR 0E ONE-HALE TO CHARLES H. 'DUELL, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

TYPE-WRITING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555,541, dated March 3, 1896.

Application filed March 5, 1 8 9 5.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EUGENE TERRY, of Ithaca, in the county of Tompkins, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Type-Writing Machines, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to certain improvements in type-writing machines; and the object is to provide a construction whereby the space between words may be made when the terminal letter of a word is made, thereby saving time and labor. It will be obvious that if the spaces between words are made without taking up time a much greater speed may be attained in the operation of a type writer, or, in other words, a greater number of words may be written or printed in a given length of time.

My invention is applicable to that class of type-writing machines in which the successive depression and release of a series of keylevers vibrate and throw a series of types against an inked substance or ribbon and the paper to be written upon, and after each depression and release of any key and while the type and key-lever are resuming their original position move the paper a type-space dis tance, and thus print or write one letter at a time.

My invention is shown as applied to a machine which has a paper-carriage adapted to move on guide-rails transversely to the vibratory rods of the key-levers, as a Smith-Premier machine, but may be applied to other similar machines. The carriage is moved by a spring-wheel and strap and reversed by hand, as usual, after each line has been written, or the carriage may be moved by any suitable and well-known means, as these features do not appertain to my invention.

To this end my invention consists in the combination, in a type-writing machine having a rack-bar and an escapement comprising an oscillating detent and a pivoted pawl working-in said rack and adapted to be operated by the said oscillating detent, of a slot in the pawl, a spring to'shift the pawl on its pivot, and suitable means to engage and release the said pawl, to allow it to shift, con- Serial No, 540,596. (No model.)

. nected to and operated by the spacing key or keys; and my invention consists in certain other combinations of parts hereinafter de-. scribed and specifically set forth in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional plan view of a Smith-Premier type-writing machine, taken on line y y of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is an incomplete Vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same, taken on line 00 x of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a portion of the writing-machine with my improvement thereon shown in full size. Fig. at is the rear side elevation of the same. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view of the shifting-pawl engaging a portion of the rack. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detached side elevation of a detent hereinafter referred to. Fig. 7 is an enlarged side elevation of the releasing-means in its normal position or when it is looking the shiftingpawl to prevent its shifting longitudinally; and Fig. 8 is a similar view of the same in its operative position or when the pawl is released to allow the rack-bar to move the distance' of two teeth instead of one.

Referring specifically to the drawings, A is the frame of the machine, and B is a portion of the rack-bar fixed to the paper-carriage. (Not shown in the drawings.) The unfeathered arrows in the different views indicate the direction of movement of the carriage and rack after the printing of each letter and the release of each key.

In Fig; 1 I have indicated the keys forprinting the letters by dotted lines, but their levers and oscillating rods, running from front to back of the machine, are omitted for the sake of clearness.

C O are the spacing-keys, C O are their levers, and O O are the oscillating rods of the levers, pivoted, actuated and connected to the type-levers in a manner well known and common in this style of machine and not necessary to be herein specified. Springs D restore the keys to their normal position after being depressed.

E is the universal sliding space-bar adapted to engage and be operated by any and all of the keys, and E is the connecting-rod between the lever h, operated'by the space-bar, and the crank-arm e of the oscillating detent e, working in the rack-bar B. As usual in machines of this design the oscillating detent c is provided with a shoulder c, Fig. 3, which engages a stop-screw (1, carried on a pawl Z), pivoted to a part f, secured rigidly to the frame of the machine to allow the paper-carriagc with its rack I to move in the direction of the arrow, under the tension of its spring, one notch at each operation of a key-lever. The rod E is drawn downward when a key is depressed, the detent e is oscillated, and the shoulder c of the detent e lifts the free end of the pawl b to allow the rack to move in the direction of the arrow, and the said detent e, as the pawl is raised, enters the next notch, holding the rack B while the letter is printed. Upon the release of the key the pawl is permitted to descend into the notch occupied by the detent c, and at the same time the detent is removed from the notch in the rack.

The above described operation well known and common in this class of machines, and for this reason need not be more fully explained.

Now, in order to move the rack-bar B a distance of two notches, when desired, or after the last letter of a word is printed, I strike either of the space-keys O (3 simultaneously with the key which prints said letter. Upon the simultaneous release of both keys two spaces are made, one for the space between two words, and the second space for the first letter of the second word to occupy, and which it does occupy when its corresponding key is depressed. This double space is obtained by the following-described means:

F is a lever preferably formed of a bent wire and provided at its ends with eyes which encircle the red A, extending between the sides of the frame A, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

g g are arms mounted on the oscillating rods C" C of the space-keys to engage the sides of the lever F to depress the same when either of the space-keys G O is depressed.

F is a connecting-rod extending upward from the lever F to a small lever c, which may be termed the releasing-lever. The said lever c is pivoted intermediate of its length to an upright post 0, 011 the end of and integral with a plate 0, secured rigidly in place on the frame by a screw (Z and hook d, as shown clearly in the drawings. A bifurcated sprin gplate G is secured at one end above the detent e and bears with its free ends, one upon the upper edge of the lever c and the other upon the top side of the pawl Z), to force the said part downward after they are raised.

In order that the rack-bar B may move in the direction of the arrow the distance of two of its teeth simultaneously or at one operation of a space-key C, I provide the pawl Z) with a slot 0 instead of the usual circular perforation and also provide said pawl with a longitudinal bore 1: to contain a coil-sprin g 1 The spring t' extends between the end of the said bore and the screw or pivot j in the slot and is of sufficient tension to force the pawlto the left when it is released from the rack 15, but, when it is engaged by the said rack which is under a greater pressure in the opposite direction, the pawl is forced to the right or carried with the rack the length of the slot 1' minus the diameter of the pivot, which is equal to the distance between two teeth. Therefore when the pawl 11 is free to move or shift longitudinally, the paper-car riage and the rack thereon will move the distance of two teeth upon the depression of any key. As this double movement should only be eiiected when a space-key is depressed, I have provided the releasing-lever c, which, as before described, is connected with and operated only by the space-keys. When the releasing-lever c is in the position shown in Figs. -l and 7 that is, with its free end bearing against the heel of the pawl-the latter can move only one tooth; but when the lever c is moved to the position shown in Fig. 8, which is effected by the operation of one of the space-keys, the pawl can move upon the release of said key two teeth. Upon the depression of another key after a space-key has been operated the pawl 12 will move automatically to the left under the tension of its spring Z", thus allowing the lever c to resume its normal position, as shown in Fig. 7.

In order to hold the lever c in its raised position, as shown in Fig. 8, after it has been operated so that it cannot descend too quickly upon the release of the space-key and prevent the free movement of the pawl I), I provide the pivoted detent Zwith its spring Z beneath its free end, so that when the lever c is raised, as shown in Fig. 8, the detent Z, being pivoted on the screw it, will pass beneath the lever c and hold it raised until the pawl Z) has moved or shifted to the right sufficiently to strike the detent Z and force it from beneath the lever c. In practice the pawl is made of sufficient width and placed sufficiently near the said detent to act directly upon it, but for the sake of clearness and in order to separate the parts I have shown a pin 1) on the side of the pawl 11 to engage the detent Z.

m is a pin projecting horizontally from the upright c and adapted to enter the notch n in the detent Z to form a stop for the latter.

i is a hole in the end of the shifting-pawl. which is made when the bore Z' is drilled.

I do not desire to be limited to the precise means shown for accomplishing my invention, as it will be obvious that it may be accomplished by various equivalent means and de vices without departing from my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a type-writing machine, the combination with the movable rack-bar provided with teeth on its top side, and the escapement comprising an oscillating detent and a pivoted pawl engaging said rack-bar and adapted to be operated by the detent, of a slot in the pawl at its pivoted end, a spring to shift the pawl.

longitudinally on its pivot toward the detent, and suitable means to engage and release the said pawl connected to and operated by a spacing-key only, as set forth. 7

2. In a type-writing machine, the combination with the movable rack-bar and the escapement comprising an oscillating detent and a pivoted pawl engaging said rack-bar, of a slot in the pawl at its pivoted end, aspring to shift the pawl on its pivot, a lever to engage the pawl to hold it from shifting, and suitable means connected to the said lever to operate the same to release the pawl, and a space-key connected to said means, as set forth.

3. In a type-writing machine, the combination with the movable rack-bar, the printingkeys and the escapement therefor, comprising an oscillating detent and a pivoted pawl lying substantially parallel with the rack-bar adapted to shift longitudinally, and in opposition to the direction of movement of the rackbar, a spring to shift the pawl, a lever'to engage the pawl to prevent it from shifting,- a space-key adapted to be depressed independently of the printing-keys, and suitable connections between the space-key and the said lever whereby it may be operated to release the pawl, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. In a type-writing machine, the combination with the movable rack-bar and the escapement therefor, comprising an oscillating detent and a pivoted pawl adapted to shift longitudinally, a spring to shift the pawl, a lever to engage the pawl to prevent it from shifting, a space-key, suitable connections between the space-key and the said lever wherebyit may be operated to release the pawl, and a pivoted stop for the said lever, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. In a type-writing machine, the combination with the movable rackbar and the escapement therefor, comprising an oscillating detent and a pivoted pawl adapted to shift longitudinally, a spring to shift the pawl, a lever to engage the pawl to prevent it from shifting, a space-key, suitable connections be= tween the space-key and the said lever whereby it may be operated to release the pawl, a pivoted stop movable in a plane at right angles to the said lever, a stationary pin to engage the stop, and. a spring to force the stop toward the pin, substantially as and for the .mediate of its length, to a standard integral with a plate secured to the frame of the machine, to prevent the pawl from shifting, a space-key, oscillating rod, arm, g, lever, F, connection-rod, F, a pivoted stop, Z, pin, m, and a spring to force the said pivoted stop toward the pin and the said pivoted pawl, substantially as and for the purpose described.

7. In a type-writing machine, the combination with the movable rack-bar and the escapement therefor, comprising an oscillating detent and a pivoted pawl adapted to shift longitudinally, a spring to shift the pawl, a lever to engage the pawl to prevent it from shifting, a bifurcated spring bearing with one of its free ends upon the pivoted pawl and with its other free end upon the lever engaging the said pawl, a space-key, and suitable connections between the space-key and the said lever whereby it may be operated to release the pawl, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name.

EUGENE TERRY. Witnesses:

ARTHUR G. MARION, TRUMAN NOBLE.

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