US3095078A - Paper bail construction and mounting - Google Patents

Description

June 25, 1963 A. c. ZEAMER 3,09

PAPER BAIL CONSTRUCTION AND MOUNTING Filed Sept. 1, 1960 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENT OR Aaron C. Zeumer BY ,6 wyw ATTORNEYS June 25, 1963 A. c. ZEAMER PAPER BAIL CONSTRUCTION AND MOUNTING 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 1, 1960 INVENTOR Aaron C. Zeomer ATTORNEYS June 25, 1963 A. c. ZEAMER PAPER BAIL CONSTRUCTION AND MOUNTING 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 1, 1960 INVENTOR ATTORNEYJ States atent Patented June 25, 1963' 3,095,978 PAPER BAIL CONSTRUCTION AND MOUNTING Aaron C. Zeamer, Groton, N.Y., assignor to Smith Corona Marehant, Inc., Syracuse, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 1, 1960, Ser. No. 53,454 3 Claims. (Cl. 197-138) The present invention relates to improvements in the structure and mounting of Work sheet retaining bails for rotatable platen equipped carriages for machines such as typewriters and the like.

The work sheet retaining bail, customarily referred to as a paper bail, is a work sheet holding device which holds paper or other work sheets against the platen of a typewriter or like machine while type elements are being actuated against the work sheet for printing, stencil cutting and like purposes.

Since the beginning of the use of the paper bail as a paper holding device, it has been a common practice to mount the cross member on the supporting arms of the paper bail with one or two screws. The screws have repeatedly become loose and some have completely fallen out from the cross member. The paper bail mounting of this invention eliminates this fault.

In conventional typewriters, the paper bail is an extruded steel rod having a flat surface to provide a paper scale. It is a common practice to design the bail rolls to be assembled over the bail rod. This type of assembly has several disadvantages. One of the disadvantages is that the bail rolls will conceal the portion of the paper scale where they are positioned. This has necessitated the provision of separate scale members in many instances. Another disadvantage results from the common relatively large diameter bail rolls which further separates the paper scale from the work sheet causing an inconvenience to the typist.

Still another disadvantage of the previously described paper bail results from having the common two or three bail rolls on a cross member. The use of so few bail rolls necessitates adjustment of the rolls longitudinally of the bail by the typist when different widths of paper are used. The paper bail of this invention requires no adjustments of the bail rolls.

The fundamental overall object of the present invention is to provide an improved work sheet retaining bail and mounting therefor for rotatable platen type carriage equipped machines by which bail roller generated marks upon the work sheet are eliminated, by which the operator has at all times an unobstructed view of a work sheet alignment scale positioned closely adjacent the platen periphcry, and by which the work sheet retaining bail bar is rigidly and permanently mounted on the carriage and is readily selectively adjustable from its normal paper retaining position to erasure and work sheet insertion facilitating inoperative positions.

A further object of this invention is to provide an im proved mode of assembly of the bail cross member or bar and its supporting arms which prevents the interconnect ing screws from working loose.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved work sheet retaining bail by which the pressure of the bail rolls is distributed over a wide area when the bail is in its operative position to prevent the bail rollers from marking the carbon copies when carbon paper is used for duplicate copy Work.

Another object of this invention is to provide, on a work sheet retaining bail, a scale, which, when the bail is in its operative position, is completely exposed to view by the operator.

Another object of this invention is to provide on a work sheet retaining bail, a scale, which when the paper bail is 2 in operative position, is relatively close to the platen to provide an improved visual aid for the alignment of work sheets in the carriage.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a work sheet retaining bail embodying a sufficient number of small rollers across the platen to eliminate the need for any adjustment of the roller positions longitudinally of the platen when different widths of work sheets are used with resultant saving of time and effort by the operator and prevention of the typist from handling the rollers, thus preventing soiling of the operators fingers and the rollers.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will become more fully apparent by reference to the appended claims and as the following detailed description proceeds in reference to the accompanying drawings, which are drawn to scale and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a typewriter embodying a paper bail constructed and mounted in accord with the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of the carriage of the typewriter of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the carriage of FIG- URE 2 illustrating the bail mounting;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 44 of FIGURE 3 illustrating the bail in its operative position;

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 4 illustrating an inoperative position of the bail;

FIGURE 6 is a View similar to FIGURE 4 illustrating a second inoperative position of the bail;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the bail when in its position illustrated in FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of the left hand end of the bail when in its FIGURE 6 position illuse trating the detailed mounting of the bail rollers;

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view through the bail along the line 99 of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 10 is a sectional view through the bail along the line 1010 of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 11 is a left side view of the right hand ba' bar support arm; and

FIGURE 12 is a bottom elevational view of the right hand bail bar support arm.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and particularly to FIGURE 1-, the typewriter 16 therein illustrated comprises a base structure 18 at the front of which is located a keyboard 20 for actuation of type bars disposed in a type basket located at 22 for movement to a printing position 24 and engagement with a platen 26 rotatably mounted upon a carriage 28 which is mounted for movement transversely of the base 18 under control of escapement and carriage return mechanisms in the conventional manner. Cooperating with the platen 26 is a work sheet retaining bail 39 constructed and mounted in accord with the principles of the present invention.

Referring to FIGURE 3, the bail 30 comprises a bar 32 extending longitudinally of the carriage 28 above and in paper retaining relation to the platen 26 when in its operative position. The bar 32 is fixed at its opposite ends to a pair of support arms 34 and 36 pivotally connected by screws 38 and 49 respectively to pivot links 42 and 44 respectively. The axes of screws 38 and 40 are coaxial. Pivot links 42 and 44 are fixed to a shaft 46 extending longitudinally of the carriage 28 and pivotally mounted at its opposite ends in transverse frame. members 48 and 50 which form parts of the frame of the carriage 28.

The bail 30 is shown in its work sheet retaining operative position in FIGURE 4, in its forward erasure facilitating inoperative position in FIGURE 5 and in its rearward paper insertion facilitating inoperative position in FIGURE 6. Referring first to FIGURE 4, the limit of clockwise movement of pivot link 44 about the axis of shaft 46 is defined by the engagement of the projecting end of screw 40 with a stop surface 52 on the frame member 50. A tension spring 54 is connected between 'a spring stud 56 fixed to thearm 36 and a spring stud 58 fixed to the frame member 50. As is apparent from FIGURE 4, the line of action of spring 54 when the bail 30 is in its work sheet retaining position passes between the axis of shaft 46 and the axis of screw 40 so that link 44 is biased in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG- URE 4 against the stop 52 and arm 36 is biased in a counter clockwise direction about the axis of screw 40 toward the platen 26. Since arms 34 and 36 are rigidly connected by bar 32 and links 42 and 44 are rigidly connected by shaft 46, arm 34 and link 42 are similarly biased.

When the bail 30 is moved to its forward inoperative position as shown in FIGURE 5, the extension of screw 40 abuts against a further stop surface 60 on the frame member 50 to define the limit of counter clockwise movement of the link 44 about the axis of shaft 46. When in this position, the arm 36 of the bail 30 rests upon a support stud 62 fixed to the member 50 on its face adjacent the opposed end of the platen 26. It will be noted that the line of action of spring 54 when the bail 30 is in the position shown in FIGURE 5 lies in front of the axis of shaft 46 and the axis of pivot screw 40 so that link 44 is biased in a counter clockwise direction about the axis of shaft 46 so that pivot stud 40 is biased against stop surface 60 and so that arm 36, together with the entire bail 30, is biased in a clockwise direction about the axis of pivot screw 40 against the supporting stud 62.

When the bail 30 is moved to its paper insertion facilitating rearward inoperative position as shown in FIGURE 6, the arm 44 is in the same position as in the configuration of the mechanism shown in FIGURE 4, that is with the extension of pivot screw 40 in abutment with the stop 52 on the frame 50. Arm 36 is pivoted about the axis of pivot screw 40 to the limit of its clockwise movement as defined by the engagement of a surface 64 on arm 36 with a transversely projecting lug 66 on the link 44 adjacent the pivot screw 40. In this configuration of the linkage shown in FIGURE 6, the line of action of the spring 54 lies to the rear of the axis of pivot screw 40 and the axis of shaft 46 so that link 44 is biased in a clockwise direction to the position in which screw 40 engages stop 66 and arm 36, together with therentire bail 30, is biased in a clockwise direction about the axis of screw 40 to the position in which surface 64 of arm 36 engages stop lug 66 on arm 44.

Referring to FIGURE 7 which is a front fragmentary elevational view of the bail 30 in its FIGURE 6 position, and to FIGURE 8 which is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the left hand end of the bail 30 when in its position of FIGURES 6 and 7, the bail bar 32 is an extruded metal element of uniform cross section throughout its length, its cross section being shown in detail in FIGURES 9 and 10. The base of the bar 32 adjacent the platen 26 when the bail 30 is in its operative position is formed with a longitudinally extending groove 70 of substantially semicircular cross section as shown in FIG- URES 9 and 10. A shaft 72, the axis of which lies within the groove 70 as shown in FIGURES 9 and 10, extends longitudinally of the entire length of groove 70 in parallel relation to the axis of rotation of the platen 26. Shaft 72 is supported within groove 70 by a plurality of retainers '74-'84, each of the cross sectional configurations shown for retainer 76 in FIGURE 9. Retainers 74-84 are preferably of gray vinyl having a durometer of 951-5 and in one practical embodiment are .250 inch long, have a major outside diameter of .183 inch, and an inside diameter of .051 inch on a center offset .010 inch from the center of curvature of the major diametral surface toward the minor diametral surface. The retainers 74-84 are fixed within the groove 70 by a suitable cement such as Eastman 910 and the shaft 72 is similarly fixed in the apertures of the retainers 74:84 through which it extends by cement. A plurality of bail rollers 86-96 are journalled for rotation on and for axial sliding movement along the shaft 72, the limit of the axial sliding movement of the rollers 86-96 along the shaft 72 being established by the fixed retainers 74-84. As is most clearly shown in FIGURE 10, the diameter of the rollers 86-96 and the location of the axis of the shaft 72 within the groove 70 are such that the major portion of each of the rollers 86-96 lies within the groove 70 and only a segmental portion projects therefrom for rolling engagement with the platen 26 or the top surface of an interposed work sheet as shown in FIGURE 4. Rollers 86-96 are much smaller in diameter than conventional rollers. In a preferred practical embodiment, each of the rollers 86-96 is .500 inch long, has a .160 inch outside diameter and a .051 inch inside diameter. Rollers 86-96 are preferably formed of gray vinyl having a durometer of 7 5 i5 The face of the bar 32 defined by the surface 102 is provided with a plurality of equally spaced indicia marks and associated numerals as shown in FIGURES l and 2 applied by silk screening. The marks extend transversely of the longitudinal axis of bar 32 toward the edge 104 of the groove 70 and thus to a position very close to the periphery of the platen 26 to facilitate alignment of the work sheet longitudinally of the platen 26 when bail 30 is in its operative or FIGURE 4 position. As will be noted from FIGURES '1 and 2, the entire length of the scale 106 is visually unobstructed due to the fact that the bail rollers 86-96 are journalled internally of the bar 32.

In order to provide a rigid assembly between the bar 32 and the arms34 and 36, an interlocking connection is provided between bar 32 and each of the arms 34 and 36 at the ends of the bar 32. Referring to FIGURES 1'1 and 12, the faces of the arms 34 and 36 adjacent the bar 32 are formed with recesses I108 defined by an arcuate side wall 110 and sidewalls 1'12, 114, 116, and 118 joined by small radius fillets at 120, 122, 124 and 126. In assembly, the end of the bar 32 is press fitted into the recess 1108 so that the surface 102 of bar 32 is in firm engagement with the wall 118 of recess 108, the surface threaded aperture in the end of the bar 32.

The bar 32 is similarly interlocked with a recess in the adjacent surface of the arm 34 and fixed therein by a screw 138 shown in FIGURE 7.

The invention may be emb died in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in .all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within'the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is: a

1. In combination with a carriage, a rotatable platen and a work sheet retaining bail mounted for movement into and out of cooperation with said' platen to hold work sheets wrapped around the platen, said bail comprising a pair of similar arms pivoted at opposite ends of the platen and a rigid bar overlying the platen when in operative position-and interconnecting the ends of said of recess 108 into threaded engagement with an aligned arms remote from their pivots, at least the ends of said bar being of non-circular cross section, the adjacent faces of said ends of said arms having non-circular recesses therein of substantially identical cross sectional configuration to the ends of said bar, the ends of said bar projecting into said recesses in firm interlocking relation and means fastening said bar and arms together at the ends of said bar in rigid assembly.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 wherein said bar is of uniform cross section throughout its length and is received at its ends Within said recesses in a forced fit.

3. The combination defined in claim 2 wherein the face of said bar disposed adjacent the platen when said bail is in its Work sheet retaining position is provided with a longitudinally extending groove and wherein a plurality of small equal diameter rollers are journalled within said groove for rotation about an axis extending longitudinally of said bar, the depth of said groove relative to the diameter of said rollers being such that but a segment of each of said rollers projects from said groove.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,478,380 Crawley Dec. 25, 1923 1,547,305 Dowd July 28, 1925 1,549,873 Hokanson Aug. 18, 1925 2,152,858 Becker Apr. 4, 1939 2,713,932 Letterman July 26, 1955

Claims (1)

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A CARRIAGE, A ROTATABLE PLATEN AND A WORK SHEET RETAINING BAIL MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT INTO AND OUT OF COOPERATION WITH SAID PLATEN TO HOLD WORK SHEETS WRAPPED AROUND THE PLATEN, SAID BAIL COMPRISING A PAIR OF SIMILAR ARMS PIVOTED AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE PLATEN AND A RIGID BAR OVERLYING THE PLATEN WHEN IN OPERATIVE POSITION AND INTERCONNECTING THE ENDS OF SAID ARMS REMOTE FROM THEIR PIVOTS, AT LEAST THE ENDS OF SAID BAR BEING OF NON-CIRCULAR CROSS SECTION, THE ADJACENT FACES OF SAID ENDS OF SAID ARMS HAVING NON-CIRCULAR RECESSES THEREIN OF SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL CROSS SECTIONAL CONFIGURATION TO THE ENDS OF SAID BAR, THE ENDS OF SAID BAR PROJECTING INTO SAID RECESSES IN FIRM INTERLOCKING RELATION AND MEANS FASTENING SAID BAR AND ARMS TOGETHER AT THE ENDS OF SAID BAR IN RIGID ASSEMBLY.

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