US2267502A - Manifolding attachment for typewriters - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 23,.194 1.

E. Z. LEWIS MANIFbLDING ATTACHMENT FOR TYPEWRITERS I Filed Aug. 12, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l ZZINVEIYTOR. 'am /@lL6,

ATTORNEYS.

E. Z. LEWIS Dec. 23, 1941.

MANIFOLDING ATTACHMENT FOR TYPEWRITERS.

Filed Aug. 12, 1940 r Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 23, 1941 MANIFOLDING ATTACHMENT FOB TYPE- WRITERS Edward Z. Lewls,'Evanston, 111., assignor to General Manifold & Printing Co., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application August 12, 1940, Serial No. 352,312

4 Claims.

This invention relates to manifolding attachments for typewriters and is particularly directed to that type of manifolding apparatus wherein the carbon and the paper or form are wrapped around the typewriter platen a plurality of times.

In this type of apparatus it is essential that the paper or the forms which are to be typed are aligned, with their lower edges exactly parallel with the axis of the platen so that upon winding of the paper around the platen by rotation of the latter, the various superimposed layers will not be laterally offset from one another. Furthermore, it is desirable that this positioning of the paper or the forms maybe effected rapidly and easily.

The general object of my invention is to provide an improved manifolding attachment for typewriters, by means of which these results are ef" fectively accomplished.

More specifically, the object is to provide a series of shelves behind and above the platen, each having a series of forms thereon, the forms on one shelf being of a different length from those on other shelves, whereby any form may be drawn forwardly and downwardly, clamped to the platen and wrapped around the same a plurality of times, depending on the length of said forms.

Another object is to provide means for positioning any one of a number of forms of various number of parts, in typing position, interleaved with a single, long sheet of carbon, using the same movement to guide each form in the same path to the correct position.

' Another object is to provide, in connection with a manifolding attachment of the type described, improved means for the positioning of paper or forms with respect to the platen A further object is to provide improved gripping means for clamping the forms to the typewriter platen in the correct position.

A further object is to provide improved guide means for facilitating the correct positioning of the forms with respect to the platen.

A further object is to provide means guarding against the multilation of the carbon sheet in the event of the continued reverse move ment of the platen when the unwinding of the interwound form and carbon is complete.v

A further object is to provide a variety of stacks I of bills, the lateral edges of which are all in uniform alignment with the guides on the ends of a carbon spring roller and arranged one above the other with the front edges successively farther to the rear, on superimposed shelves.

A further object is to provide means for utilizing' the entire area of the carbon by variably for safetrimming the edge of the form that contacts the platen.

A further object is to provide a carbon sheet with a fabric edge to withstand the wear and tear occasioned by continued winding and rewinding.

A further object is to provide means for actuating the gripping means without. disturbing the position of the paper after it has been aligned.

A further object is to provide an improved associated with any ordinary typewriter.

Other objects, features and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds.

With reference to the drawings,in which like reference numerals refer to like parts:

' Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a typewriter equipped with a preferred embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the forms which is adapted to cooperate with the attachment shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevation, partly in section, of a portion of the manifold attachment shown also in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an elevation, partly in section, of the platen and carbon supply roller shown in Fig. 3 but shown in this figure at a difierent stage of its operation;

Fig. 5 is a detailed perspective view of the gripper and actuating cam therefor, which are shown in elevation in Fig. 3; i

Fig. 6 is an elevation of a modification; and

Fig. 7 is an elevation of another modification.

In the drawings, the reference numeral l0 indicates a typewriter of any standard type having a frame I 1 upon which is mounted a carriage I! of more or less conventional form. Positioned to the rear of the typewriter is a rack or series of shelves l3, adapted to hold long strips of forms of various lengths, each made up of units which are preferably detachable from each other. The operator selects the top strip of any one of these piles of forms and draws the front end forwardly and downwardly to the platen with its manifolding attachment ll, as hereinafter described.

The rack l3 comprises end pieces or legs l5, l6, which support a plurality of horizontal shelves l1, l8, l9, and 20,.spaced vertically from one another and being of different lengths so that each one may support a stack of forms which are of a length corresponding to the horizontalmemher. The front leg I! rests in the lower rear portion of the frame so that the rack is rigidly located with respect to the typewriter. Diagonally disposed hinged braces Ii, 22, are provided to manifolding attachment which may be readily permit the rack to be folded when it is removed from the typewriter and not in use.

A plurality of vertical side members 23 space the horizontal shelves from each other and also serve to confine the forms against side movements. Vertical stops 24 are provided at the rear of each of the horizontal shelves to prevent the forms from being displaced backwardly. Downwardly inclined tabs 25, 26, 21, are provided at the forward ends of the horizontal shelves, the purpose of which will be set forth hereinafter.

Referring now to Fig. 3, the carriage l2 comprises side frames 29 in which the platen 30 is journaled. At the rear of said side frames are two like upwardly disposed. arms 3| between which is journaled the carbon supply roller 32. Said arms, one of which is partly broken away in this view, are reinforced by cross member 33. Two upwardly extending brackets 34, 34, are also provided on the side frames and are positioned just behind the platen and,have journaled therein a transverse shaft 35, at either end of which shaft are aiflxed the actuating cams 36, one of which is part of a bell crank lever with a rearwardly extending arm 31 to permit manual actuation of the cams, said arm, by way of illustration, being mounted at the right hand end of said shaft,,

' as shown in Fig. 3. A spring 38 is provided to maintain the cam 36 normally in the position shown in Fig. 3, i. e. in uppermost position.

The platen 30, a portion of which is broken away in the figure so that part of it is shown in section, has secured to its ends plates 40 and 4|, these plates being roughly circular in form, and one at least being made of fairly thin metal and hence being flexible. Said plates have 'a perforated ear 42 projecting from each and serving as a journal for the shaft 43. which extends from one plate to the other. A gripper 44 or clamping plate is welded or otherwise suitably affixed to said shaft and at one end has an extension 45, as shown in Fig. 5, to which is attached a spring 46 for maintaining the gripper in the closed position shown in Fig. 3. The other end of the spring 46 may be aflixed to the plate 40 or may bear against the platen 30 in any suitable manner.

A small pinion '41 is fixed to one end of the shaft 48 on which the platen is mounted, the pinion meshing with a larger gear 49 which is mounted on a shaft 50, which shaitis journaled in vertical side plates and 52, shown in Fig. l. The shaft 50 projects beyond the plate 52 and is provided with a knob 53 by means of which the platen 30 may be manually rotated in much the usual manner, except that in the present embodiment it is considered preferable to gear up the platen shaft 48 with respect to shaft 50 at a four to one ratio so that a complete rotation of the knob 53 will cause the platen to rotate four times. This, however, is purely a matter of preference and any appropriate gear ratio may be used. 5? Another exception is that said .knob must .be urned in the opposite direction from that usually followed, in view of. the geared connection. For example, to rotate the platen in a forward direction, such as is employed as the successive lines are typed on the usual typewriter (the direction opposite that indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3), the said knob would be rotated in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1 -and in a clockwise direction .as viewed in Fig. 3.

Upon one of the brackets 34 is pivotally mounted a manually actuated arm 54 having a roller 55 at the end thereof which is yieldingly held between the teeth of the usual ratchet wheel at the end of the platen, and which insures the proper spacing of the lines.

The carbon supply roller is a spring roller,

having a shaft and the concentric cylinder 32 to which are aflixed at either end thereof convenient discs 62 and 63. The carbon paper 64 is wound on this roller and may be unwound against the pull of a helical spring 65 which surrounds the shaft 60, as shown in Fig. 3.

1 Initially the leading edge of the carbon paper is laid over the groove in the platen designed to receive the shaft 43 and the latter is then sprung into the apertured ears 42 in the flexible plate 4| and in the corresponding plate 40, thereby adjustably clamping the carbon paper to the platen, see Figs. 3 and 5. The operator may now pull down one of the forms from one of the rear-shelves and engage the leading edge of the form under the gripper 44 so that the form overlies the carbon paper and is clamped against the same and hence against the platen as well. If the platen is now rotated in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 3, the form is wrapped around the platen as many times as the length of the form will permit;

The typing operation may now be performed in the usual manner and the impression made on the outer layer of the paper of which the form, is composed will be transmitted to the underlying layers by means of the carbon paper,

whereby a plurality of copies may be made, as

will be understood.

One of the forms 10 is shown in Fig. 2 and is perforated or has lines of weakening ll so that it may be torn subsequently to the typing operation into a plurality of sections or units I2, I3, I4 and 15.

To compensate for the increased diameter of the platen with its overlying layers of carbon and paper forms, the printed lines on the forms indicating where some of the typing is to take place, are at different distances from the lower edge thereof.

In order to provide a backing member or guide for the span of carbon paper between the spring roller and the platen, I provide preferably a sheet metal plate 80 supported at the rear on the cross bar 33 and having its front part bent downwardly at 8|, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

. The forward end is provided with a round bar or rod 82 to prevent damaging the carbon paper. The backing member 8| cooperates with any one "of the tabs 25, 26 or 21 to form a guide for the form as it isdrawn to the platen to be gripped by the gripper 44 in a manner which will be hereinafter. set forth more fully.

Referring again to Fig. 3 and the operation of the cam 36, the latter is normally inoperative, being out of contact with the platen. The arm 31 (at the right hand side of the platen). which is integralwith said cam, may be pulled forwardly using .the right hand and held temporarily (against the action of the spring 38) so that said cam rests on the periphery of the platen. If now the platen is rotated in a forward direction, 1. e. the direction reverse to the arrow shown in Fig. 3, the cam 36 slides under theextension 45 and raises the clamping plate or gripper 44 from the platen to form a stop for the bill. As said clamping plate is swung upwardly at an angle to the surface of the platen, said plate and platen form in effect a V shaped recess or triangular recess into which the lower it may be released and allowed in the left hand, against the tension of the carbon sheet. The arm 31 may then be released by the right hand, as the cam is held against return movement by the clamping plate 44. The

operator next pulls down a sheet of forms with the right hand, engages the lower edge in the .V-shaped recess and then, using the same hand, rotates the platen with the right hand in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 3, which is i the reverse direction from the ordinary typing operation and the operator continues to rotate the platen as many times as there are sections in the multiple sheet and to the top line of the last section that is fed around the platen, which stops the paper at the proper typing line. At this point the platen is held against rotation by the left hand of the operator and the lever 54 is pulled forwardly to engage with the ratchet so that when the typewriter is operated the platen will rotate in the usual direction each time the platen is moved from left to right at the end of a line.

As the outermost section of the form is filled in,-as for example in the case of a bill, and the platen is rotated forwardly step by step in the usual manner during the return movement of the carriage, the spring 65 in the roller on which the carbon is wound, maintains the carbon under tension and rewinds it step' by step as the platen rotates step bystep. When the form has been completely filled in, the lever 54 is pushed back to release the platen whereupon the spring roller rewinds the carbon paper thus rotating the platen, and at the same time the typed form 10 and the several carbon copies thereof issue from the platen in an upwardly direction, as shown in Fig. 4.

During the last revolution of the platen, the cam lever 31 is rocked forwardly by hand to lower the cam 36 and thus engage the end 45 of the gripper and raise the same to release the form, as the roll completes its last rotation. The form may then be lifted from the machine and separated into the original and two, three or more carbons; depending on the length of the form and the number of rows of perforations thereon.

As soon as the form is released from the platen, the lever 54 may be moved to its normal operative position and the apparatus is ready for subsequent operation.

Returning to the gripper means for holding the forward end of the form to the platen, as the edge of the form is pulled toward theplaten,

to drop into the V-shaped groove provided by the'elevated gripper; the form sliding over the upper surface of the carbon paper which, in turn, is supported by the guide 8| beneath it. The upper end of the form will be partially supported by one of the tabs if it is a short form, as for example the tab 25 shown in Fig. 1, or if it is one of the; longer forms it will be supported by the horizontal shelf and by its associated tab jointly, in such a manner that the form as a whole may accurately align itself with respect to the platen,

since the leading edge abuts against the shaft 43 at the inner part of the V shaped recess. In addition, of course, the form may be further adjusted by hand, if desired.

It will be noted that when the carbon and the overlying form have been rolled around the' platen, no form underlies the inner layer of carwould be the same and certain areas on the carbon would soon wear out from repeated use.

-In order to increase the life of the carbon sheet the bottom edges or the edges that contact the platen are trimmed a small amount and with small graduations, making a variable height of the bottom margin of the inside bill. This has the effect of causing anautomatic shift of the areas that are used on the carbon sheet. For example, the operator places a stack of forms on the lower shelf, there being perhaps several hundred forms of substantially but not exactly the same overall length. The lowermost fifteen are of the same length, fifteen being about the number of times the carbon can be used on the same line. The next batch of fifteen forms above this first batch will be trimmed ofi slightly", at the bottom, and successive batches'will all be successively shorter so that more of the carbon sheet will be used than would otherwise be the case.. In fact, substantially all of the area of the carbon coating will be used.

Also, it will be noted that the position of the carbon'with respect to the platen and hence with respectto each form, may be readily shifted by if desired, asshown in Fig. 1, said edges having markings thereon indicating the spacing required in typing the forms.

In the modification shown in Fig. 6, the driving gear 49, which is the same as the one shown in Fig. 3, is located in a suitable housing having preferably radially arranged stop pins 186, 81, 88 and 89 therein. The gear 49 hasa pin or stop 90 thereon arranged to engage any one of said stop pins when pressed inwardly, as for example the pin 89 which provides for the maximum rotation" of the platen as in the case of the longest form on the lower shelf. The pin 86 would be depressed to limit the throw of the gear and hence the rotation of the platen an amount suflicient to completely roll around it the shortest form on the uppermost shelf. With this arrangement it is not necessary for. the operator to turn the platen carefully by hand to the exact typing line but instead the knob 53 may be given a rearward turn by running the hand over it, depending on one of the stops to determine the proper number of rotations of the platen.

Also, if it is desired to release the form automatically after the typing operation has been completed, and the platen rotated until the'typed form is almost ready to be released from its clamping means, a suitable actuating device may be provided in conjunction with the gear 49, for accomplishing this purpose. One such arrangement is shown in Fig. '7, which may be used in conjunction with the stopsshowns in Fig. 6

Fig. '7. the gear 49 may be provided with the same stop 90 shown in Fig.3, or with an independent pin, so positioned that toward the end of the return movement of said gear, said pin strikes maybe provided with a narrow fabric protective strip 83 on one or both edges;

a lever 9|, pivoted at. 92, whereby as the forward end is raised the rear end is lowered, thus engaging a short arm or cam 83 on the shaft 35, which is shown also in Fig. 3. As said shaft is rocked through a small angle the cam levers 31 near the opposite. ends thereof are rocked and the cam ends 36 are lowered to engage the hinged clamp 44 and thus release the form during the last part of the rotation of the platen. frictional grip of the clamp 44 on the end of the form maybe overcome merely by pulling the completed form from the machine by hand without necessarily depending on the cams 36 to lift said clamp.

The rotation of the platen back to initial position may be accomplished by depressing the lever 54 to release the platen whereby it rotates under the action of the spring roller as the carbon is being rewound, 'or thelplaten may be rotated by hand by actuating the knob 53. In either case the rotation of the platen through the last few degrees at the time the cams are releasing the clamp, is preferably effected by hand instead of by the pull exerted by the carbon in the final stages of the rewinding operation. If in the absence of the automatic release just described, the operator should accidentally turn the platen beyond its final position, the rounded edge 82 of the guide plate 8| prevents tearing of the carbon paper. Where the automatic release is provided there is no danger of the platen overrunning its initial position.

After the form has been pulled from the machine the operator may give the platen a slight further rotation by turning the knob 53, thus causing the clamp 44 to be raised by the cams 36 to open position, ready for the insertion of the next printed form.

The carbon sheet may be of a color different from the typewriter ribbon. Thus, during the process of unwinding the platen to deliver the long sheet of typedforms, additional information may be typed on one or more of the underlying forms, in a distinctive color, I. e. the color of the typewriter ribbon, whereas the rest of the typing on all the forms except the original one appears in the color provided by the transfer material of the carbon sheet.

Although I have disclosed several embodiment of my invention, other embodiments are contemplated and it will be understood further that various changes and modifications may be made a by those skilled inthe art in those forms of the invention shown in the drawings, without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims. I

What I claim is: I 1. In a typewriter, a platen, a spring roller adjacent the rear thereof and parallel thereto on The which a roll of carbon paper is adapted to be mounted, a clamping device on the periphery of said platen adapted to hold the end of said carbon paper to unwind said paper when said platen is turned in one direction and to permit it to rewind when turned in the opposite direction, and a spring clamp for gripping and releasing one end of a-strip of forms adapted to be wound round and round the platen, superimposed on said carbon paper and with said end in substantial registration with the end of said carbon paper.

2. In a typewriter having a platen with a 1ongitudinal groove therein, a releasable clamp structure mounted in said groove and adapted to grip the end of a roll of carbon, part of said clamp structure serving also to clamp the end of a strip of forms arranged to be interleaved with the carbon round and round the platen, a movable cam adjacent thereto adapted to release the clamp for said strip of forms, and a guide member mounted at the rear of the typewriter for said forms to rest along and to guide them on the correct angle of approach toward the clamp on the platen.

3. In a typewriter having a platen with a clamping rod removably mounted in a groove horizontally in said platen, whereby said rod may be raised from said groove and the end of a roll of carbon paper inserted therein, and held when said rod is replaced, a clamping bar pivoted to said rod to clamp the end of a strip of multiple 'unit forms arranged to be interleaved with the carbon round and round the platen, a movable cam adjacent thereto adapted to raise said clamping bar for insertion of the end of said strip of printed forms, and supporting and guiding means mounted at the rear of said typewriter and of sufficient length for said forms to rest on without folding and be guided at the correct angle of approach toward the clamping bar on said platen. 4. In a typewriter, means for securing to,the platen the end of a carbon strip, means for clamping to the platen the end of an overlying strip of printed forms, eachform being of substantially the height of the circumference of said platen and adapted to be wound around and around said platen interwoven with said carbon, a pinion on the platen shaft, an actuating gear meshing with said pinion, a stop on said gear, and a plurality of depressible keys adapted to be actuated selectively and engaged by said stop, to limit the rotation of said platen to substantially a multiple of the length of one of said forms.

EDWARD Z. LEWIS.

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