US1531935A - Typewriting machine - Google Patents

Description

March 31. 1925.

C. HERRMAN TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed March 31, 1922 Patented Mar. 31, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,531,935 PATENT OFFICE.

CHAR-LES HERRMAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO UNDERWOOD TYPEWRITER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

A CORPORATION OF DEL-AWARE.

TYPEWRITING MACHINE.

Application filed March 31, 1922. Serial No. 548,282.

To all 207mm 2']: may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES HERRMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing in New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Typewriting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to rolls for holding work-sheets to the platen of a typewriting machine. More particularly, the invention relates to rolls of this class, which are usually associated with, or form part of, resilient, marginal papenfingers or clips for guiding the work-sheets across the print ing line, and for holding the sheets flat on the platen at and just beyond the printing line; such fingers or clips being usually adjustable lengthwise of the platen according to the width of the sheet, card or envelope to be held thereby.

For a clean-cut, uniform impression of the type, it is important that there be no bulging or crumpling of the paper at the printing line; the paper should be fiat and smooth on the platen where the printing is done. The stock being printed on may, however, be so stiff as to have a tendency to bulge, or it may be so light as to crumple readily; thus causing trouble and uncertainty in the attainment of the desired fiat and smooth setting of the work-sheet on the platen.

An object of the present invention is the provision of means for causing the rolls of the clips to draw laterally outward on the margins of the work-sheets to flatten the latter against the platen at the printing line.

A further object of the invention is the provision of means whereby the lateral pull or strain of the rolls on the work-sheets may be regulated to the particular stock being written on. The lateral pull required toflatten a heavy card might, for instance, tear or distort a sheet of light or flimsy material. Hence, the desirability of such regulating means.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, hereinafter described in detail, the rolls are caused to draw laterally on the paper by having their axes of rotation set obliquely to the direction of feed of the pa per, instead of, as heretofore, parallel to the axis of the platen; and the desired adjust-- ment of the lateral pull of the rolls on the paper is effected by changing the angle of the rolls to the platen; the lateral pull being nil when the rolls are parallel to the platen, and increasing in strength as the angle of the rolls to the platen is increased.

Features of the invention are the provision of simple and effective means for swinging and locking the rolls; of means for determining the parallel position of the rolls with respect to the platen and preventing an accidental angular setting thereof which would cause the paper to be crowded or crumpled, instead of flattened, between the same; and of means for determining the extreme angle beyond which the rolls cannot be swung without causing them to drag on the paper.

A feature of the present invention is the provision of means whereby the rolls may have a play to and from the platen independently of, or with respect to, the paperfingers; so that the rolls may have the desired resiliency and certainty of action regardless of stiffness, or even of injury, of

the paper-fingers; and vice versa, so that the paper-fingers may be of any required strength without regard to the resiliency required by the rolls.

A feature of the invention is the provision of means for quickly, accurately, and detachably securing the rolls to the paper-fingers, and for securing both of these parts to supporting brackets; not only for purposes of assembly, but so that an injured or worn paper-finger or roll may be replaced without discarding the other of such parts.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation, showing a rotary platen and a frame therefor, and showing the paper-fingers of the present invention in operative position with respect to the platen.

' Figure 2 is a view in side elevation, taken on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail view showing in plan the mounting of theroll on the left-hand paper-finger.

Figure 4 is a view in cross-section on the line 4:-4: of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings, the platenframe consists of'side-pieces 10 connected by rods 11 and 12, and having revo-lubly mounted thereon a platen 13. The usual lower rear and front feed-rolls 14 and 15,

respectively, are indicated in dotted lines position in which it holds the paper'efinger:

in operative, paper-engaging position. The

paper-fingers are, however, ordinarilyadapted-to be thrown up, and away from the platen, to an inoperative position, and, for this purpose, the arms or brackets 17 are pivotally connectedto the rod 11. For holding the brackets 17 in effective position, the rod 11 is splined at 18, and a lateral shelf or extension 19 carries a leaf-spring, not shown, which, in turn, carries a key, indicated at 20 in Figure 2, for engagement with the spline in the rod 11. \Vhen the bracket is turned to the Figure 2 position, the key 20 registers with the spline 18, and the leafspring, not shown, causes the key to enter the spline; and lock the bracket in its normal position. lVhen the arm or bracket 17 is thrown up to remove the paper-fingers from the platen, the leaf-spring, refererred to, permits the key 20 to be forced out of the spline-way 18, but it causes the key thereafter to bearv uponthe rod 11 in such manner as to hold the bracket against accidental dis placement, with the paper-fingers in inoperative position. For throwing the bracket up and down with the paper-finger, the bracket has at its forward end a finger-piece 21. The

connections of the bracket 17 tothe rod 11,

just described, are-those found on the Underwood standard typewriting machine, and so are not more specifically illustrated.

For supporting the paper-finger on its respective bracket, the latter, at its forward end, has a laterally-offset arm or plate 24'. Eachpaper-finger 26 is-curved in general conformity to the curvature of the platen, but, at its upper end, has a fiat offset portion 27 which is adapted to be set'against the the back of the bracket-plate 24. The paperfinger is held to the bracket-plate 24 by means of screws 30, which pass through the paper-finger and through the plate 24, and which thread into a blockzor plate 31 behind the paper-finger.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the paperfingers 26 have lateral offsets 32. Mounted to swing on a screw or pin'33, as a pivot, there is on each paper-finger, a finger or arm 34 carrying a roll 35; The roll 35 has its shaft 36 revolubly mounted in ears "3'? which are shown as stamped and turned upward out of the material of the finger 34. Each paper-finger has, an arcuate' slot-38 struck frointhe pivot-point 33 as a center, through which slot the roll 35 is adapted to engage the platen. Behind the pivot 33, each of the fingers 34 has an extension which is slotted at 39 also on an arc struck from the pivot'33 as a center. Threaded into a boss 40 on the paper-finger, and extending through the slot 39 in the roll-carrying fin ger, is a thumb-screw 41,-bymeans of which the roll-carrying finger 34 may be locked in any angular position or adjustment to which it may have been turned on its pivot 33. The pivot-pin or screw 33 is also preferably'threaded into a boss 42 carried by the paper-finger; the bosses 40 and 42 being of the same height and having finished faces on which the roll-carrying arm moves.

Two stop-pins 43 and '44, carried by the paper-finger-QG, limit the throw of the rollcarrying finger. When the roll-carrying finger 34'abuts'the stop 43, the axis 36 of the roll '35 is parall'elto the-axis 45 of the platen, and no lateral tensioning or pull onthe-paper is effecte'd bythe rolls. With the roll-carrying fingers 34 in any position between the stops 43 and 44,- other thanthe positionshown in Figure 3,:the rolls exert'a lateral outward pull on the paper, which tends to flatten the-same against the platen; and 'the farther the roll-carrying fingers '34 areswung toward thestop 44,the stronger and more e'ffective is this lateral pull. If the roll-carrying fingers '34 were swung below the position defined by the stop 43, the tendency of the rolls would be to push the paper toward one another and crumple the same, which would be undesirable. The steps 43, therefore, serve to=prevent any such accidental defective setting of the rolls. The steps '44 prevent the rolls from riding --up onto the fingers and out of contact with the platen beyond the-rear ends of the arcuate slots.

The angular position of the roll-carrying arms'willbe determined by the weight, quality, width and other characteristics of the stock of which the sheets are made. A lateral pull, sufiicient or desirable to hold a sheet of heavy stock' fiat against the platen, might, for instance, tear a lighter or more flimsy piece of paper. The desired setting of the fingers 34 may, however be readily determined in any particular instance.

The paper-finger 26 and the roll carrying finger 34 are both shown as of sheet-material, and will ordinarily be ,of resilient sheet-metal having a set which tends to cause the rolls to'bear -with' the proper pressure upon the platen;

Ordinarily Where the rolls-aremounted directly upon the paperfingers, the resiliency of the latter is relied upon for the proper pressure of the rolls upon the platen. If-the stockof the paper-fingers is sufiiciently light and flexible to provide this resiliency, the fingers may easily be bent or otherwise injured, so as to be defective in their function as paper-guides. here, however, as in the present case, the rolls are not directly SllPPOl-tGd fllPOIl the paper-fingers, but are supported upon arms which are yieldable with respect to the paper-finger-s, the paper-fingers may he comparatively stiff and strong, and the arms upon which the rolls are directly supported may be looked to for the resiliency required of therolls. In the structure shown in the drawings, the paper-fingers 26 may be of heavier or thicker sheet-metal than the arms 84; the thickness ofthe arms 34 and the spring set of the same being such as to result in a delicate spring action' of the rolls on the platen or paper.

The paper-lingers 26 are of a curvature which conforms in general to the curvature of the platen. On the other hand; the path of movement of the roll-carrying arms 3-4:, more especially at the pivot-pins 33, is somewhat tangential to the surfaces of the supporting paper-fingers. It, therefore, the arms 34 moved in a simple plane when swung rearward on their pivots, the rolls might leave the platen or the pressure of the same on the platen be undesirably relieved. If, however, the roll-carrying arms 3% be of the proper shape and flexibility and have the proper spring set, they will follow the curvature of the paper-fingers and will cause the rolls to continue to bear with the proper pressure upon the platen when swung rearward. The flat, thin, spring-metal arms 34, held to the paperfingers as indicated in the drawings, will exert a proper pressure of the rolls on the platen in any angular position to which the rolls may be swung.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a typewriting machine, a rotary platen, marginal paper-fingers for guiding the paper around the platen, one at each side of the paper, an adjustably mounted roll connected to each finger for holding the paper to the platen, and means for setting the axes of the rolls obliquely to the path of movement of the paper to cause the rolls to draw laterally on the paper.

2. In a typewriting machine, a platen adapted to have line-space movement, a roll for holding paper to the platen, and adjustable means for setting the roll obliquely to the path of movement of the paper to cause the roll to draw laterally thereon.

3. In a typewriting machine, in combination with a platen adapted to have line-space movement, a pressure roll adapted to ride on the plateinand a carrier for the roll angularly adjustable therewith to cause the roll to draw laterally on paper being fed over the platen.

4. In a. typewriting machine, in combination with a platen adapted to have linespace movement,a pressure roll adaptedato ride on the platen, acarrier torv the roll angularly adjustable therewith; to cause the roll to draw. laterally on paper; being fed over the platen, a paper-guiding finger on which the rolls-carrierwis pivoted, and; stops on-the fingerfor-limiting the angular throw of the roll-earrien.

5. In a typewriting machine, in combinationwith a platen adapted to have linespace movement, a pressure roll adaptedv to ride on the platen, a carrier for therolli angularly adjustable therewith-to cause the roll todraw laterally on. paper beingfed over theiplaten, a paper-guiding fingeron which the rolli-carrier is pivoted, and means for determiningposition of the roll-carrier in which the roll will -notdraw later-ally on the paper.

6. In a typewriting machine, in combination with a platen adapted to have linespace movement, a pressure roll adapted to ride on the platen, a carrier for the roll angularly adjustable therewith to cause the roll to draw laterally on paper being fed over the platen, a paper-guiding finger on which the roll-carrier is pivoted, and means on the paper-finger for locking the rollcarrier in adjusted position.

7. In a typewriting machine, in combination with a platen adapted to have linespace movement, a pressure roll adapted to ride on the platen, a carrier for the roll angularly adjustable therewith to cause the roll to draw laterally on paper being fed over the platen, a paper-guiding finger on which the roll-carrier is pivoted, and a screw on the paper-finger operating through a slot in the roll-carrier for locking the latter in adjusted position.

8. In a typewriting machine, in combination with a platen adapted to have 1inespace movement, a pressure roll adapted to ride on the platen, and an arm on which the roll is mounted; the arm being angularly adjustable with the roll to cause the latter to draw laterally on paper being fed over the platen, and being of spring metal to cause the roll to bear resiliently on the platen. V

9. In a typewriting machine, in combination with a platen adapted to have linespace movement, a pressure roll adapted to ride on the platen, an arm on which the roll is mounted; the arm being angularly adjustable with the roll to cause the latter to draw laterally on paper being fed over the platen, and being of spring metal to cause the roll to bear resiliently on the platen, and a resilient sheet-metal paperguiding finger on which the roll-carrying arm is pivoted.

10. In a typewriting machine, a rotary platen, a finger curved in general conformitv with the curvature of the platen for guidlit) ing paper across the printing line, an arm pivoted to the paper-guiding finger in such manner that it may be swung forward and rearward angularly over the platen, and a roll carried by. said arm to ride on the platen; the arm being of a material and shape such that in all positions thereof it will cause the roll to bear resiliently on the platen.

11. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a cylindrical platen, of feedrolls engaging the side margins of a worksheet in the machine and operated by the advance of the platen, said feed-rolls being constructed and mounted to have the portions of their peripheries in engagement with the Work to travel outward When so operated to rub out-ward the side margins of the work-sheet, and so to spread and smooth the Work-sheet.

12. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a cylindrical platen, of cylindrical feed-rolls running upon and rotated by the platen to engage the opposite side margins of a work-sheet in the machine, said feed-rolls being mounted with their axes inclined upwardly and inwardly, the feed-rolls when rotated by the advance of the platen-drawing obliquely outward upon the work-sheet and spreading and smoothing it.

CHARLES HER-RMAN.

Witnesses BENJAMIN WARD, JOHN MACE, Jr.

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