US2159492A - Production of machine-set type composition - Google Patents

Description

May 23, 1939. w w 2,159,492

PRODUCTION OF MACHINE-SET TYPE COMPOSITION Filed July 23, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY May 23, 1939. w. WIGG PRODUCTION OF MAHINE-SET TYPE COMPOSITION Filed July 25, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /A/VE/V7'0/: William Wi gg, ym

Patented May 23, 1939 UNITED l STATES PRODUCTION OF MACHINE-SET TYPE 00M- POSITION William Wigg, North Finchley, London, England,

assignor to Lanston Monoty-pe Machine Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Vir- .ginia Application July 23, 1937, Serial No. 155,202 In Great Britain November 25', .1936

6 Claims.

This invention relates to the production of machine-set type-composition on record-stripcontrolled type-casting and composing machines, which produce justified lines of single types and has for its chief object to providea method of and mechanism for producing in such machines small size and close-set composition in a moreeflicient, expeditious and economical manner than hitherto. Withsuch systems" and machines, a recordstrip" is first prepared in a composing machine wherein punches or'perforators are actuated from a'keyboard to produce in a paper or other recordstrip or controller, perforations or combinations of perforations, which control, in an automatic single-type casting and composing machine, certain operations, such as the dimensioning of a mould, the positioning of a die case, or matrix carrier, a metal injecting pump and other mechanisms or devices on the machine.

In the method generally employed in such 'ma' chines, the keys of the record-strip composing machine are so connected with the perforators or punches, that certain signals represent characters, numerals, or like symbols of definite di mensions, others represent blanks or spaces of fixed dimensions, and others blanks or spaces of varying or variable dimensions. The bodies pro duced in the casting machine under the instrumentality of the perforations in the record-strip which represent character types, or blank types or spaces of fixed dimensions, are generally referred to as type bodies and the bodies produced by perforations representing blank bodies of variable dimensions, are known as justification spaces.

Each complete signal in the record-strip denotes, or produces asepa-rate cast in the mould of the casting machine. The type bodies are each cast in definite dimensions according to their fixed unit-value or width. The justification spaces are cast as separate bodies of a predetermined basic width varied by a fraction of a width for each justification sp body to justify a composed line.

Theoretically the width of a justification space, which is the space between words in a composed line, may be of any desired dimension, but in practice it is subject to certain limitations.

When it is desired to produce normally composition in comparatively small type, or withclose-setting, it often occurs that'the minimum available justification space for a line is too wide and leaves an undesirable amount of blank space between the words.

1 According to the methodand means of the present invention, the record-strip is prepared so that the use of signals for the casting of separate justification spaces is avoided, by adding to the signal representing the first character or letter of each word except, obviously, the first word of a line, a signal controlling a justification transfer mechanism in the casting machine, so that a fraction of the total space to be absorbed by justification. is added to and cast on one side of the body of such initial type, which is increased width-wise by this fraction.

By thus adding the justification fraction to the character or letter beginning each word, and eliminating the use of separate justificatidn spaces not only can composition of the nature already referred to be produced in a highly satisfactory manner with properly proportioned spaces between words, but the speed of production of the casting machine is materially in-' creased. Further, the total space occupied by a piece of set matter is considerably less than hitherto. Each type body and each jus'tification' space produced or cast, represents a complete revolution or cycle of operations of the casting machine and by eliminating the use of separate justificatio'n spaces and using the justification fractions as spaces and as part of particular type bodies it has been proved that a saving of from 16' per cent to 20 per cent in the revolutions of the casting machine can be effected in a given piece of composition. It follows that there is a' corresponding saving of time in production. Also the amount of paper required for a record-strip is greatly reduced.

In the normal key-controlled record-strip composing machine, a full description of which is to be found, for example, in United States Letters- Patent No. 944,405 dated December 28, 1909, the operation-of any key, not only produces the necessary signal for a type or a justification space, but also efifects the recording of the unit value of the signal, and the step-"byestep advance of the record-strip through the machine. In the casting and composing machine, an example of which is to be found in United States Letters Patent No. 625,998 dated May 30, 1899, the mold is furnished with a mold-dimensioning blade or member, which is positioned against a variable stop or gauge for each body cast. The gauge of stop for this molddimensioning blade both for type bodies and justification spaces is controlled by perforations or signals in the record-strip.

For casting type-bodies in the normal manner the mold-blade stop or gauge comprises a normal wedge, a type transfer wedge and a stationary abutment.

For casting variable space-bodies in the normal manner,- the stop for the mold blade comprises the normal wedge, two justification wedges, a justification transfer wedge and a stationary abutment.

The two justification wedges are positioned prior to :the casting of any body in a particular lineof composition and are brought into or put out of operation by the movements of the type transfer and the justification transfer wedges.

In accordance with the method of the present invention, a single signal or perforation controlling the justification transfer wedge, is made separately but alongside of the perforations or signal for the first letter or character of each word of the line of composition so that this composition or combined signal, when presented in the casting machine, controls the dimensioning of the mold for such characters by means of the normal wedge, set to the fixed width of the character, the justification transfer wedge and the two justification wedges. Thus the cast produced as a single body is of the fixed set width of the character, plus the predetermined fraction of justification. This fraction of the justification serves as an interword space and takes the place of a separate justification space used in normal setting or composition.

The mechanism or device of the present invention is chiefly intended to be embodied in a key-controlled record-strip preparing or composing machine such as already referred to, and is so contrived that the machine at will, can be employed for producing a record-strip for the special composition to which the invention refers, or a record-strip for normal composition.

In accordance with the present invention the punch for producing aforesaid justification transfer signal and generally known as the S- punch, is operated by a key on the keyboard and is divorced from the paper feed, and the units measuring mechanism.

This justification transfer punch is furnished with an adjustable or movable lug, which, when placed out of operative position allows the transfer punch, to perforate the record-strip without recording any unit value, but when in its operative position and operated by the normal justification space-key, acts to produce in the recordstrip, a signal for a normal justification space, and also operates the paper feed and units measuring devices of the record-strip perforating machine.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective diagrammatic view of a portion of a keyboard composing machine of known construction in which the invention is embodied.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of part of the same machine, showing the mechanism or device according to the present invention in position for producing small or close set composition.

Fig. 3 is another side elevation of said mechanism or device in position for normal composition and Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the device shown in Fig. 3.

The invention will now be described as embodied in a record-strip composing machine as fully described in Letters Patent 944,405 previously referred to for preparing a controller or record-strip for a single-type casting and composing machine as described in Letters Patent 625,998 previously referred to.

In this record-strip composing machine A is a justification space key, A is a punch bar, actuated from the key A and carries a justification or S punch, B indicates one of a series of type keys. These keys, A and B, according to a permutation system, act on longitudinally movable key-bars C which are furnished with lugs C to engage transverse rocking bars D, which in rocking engage lugs E on members of a series of longitudinally movable valve bars E. Valves F, operated by the bars E, control the admission of air to pistons G, which in turn act upon pivoted arms H in which the lower ends of the punch bars are mounted. The punches, when raised, pass through a guide Z over which is passed the record-strip to be perforated.

Hitherto, for normal composition the justification space key A has also acted through the permutation system C, D and E to operate this S- punch, together with a punch or punches of the series I.

In general, each type body and each justification space body is represented in the recordstrip by two perforations. One component of each signal denotes matrix position and the other, in addition to denoting matrix position, also controls the dimensioning of the mold for the designated matrix, the recording of the unit value of such matrix and the step-by-step feed of the record-strip.

Each punch bar I, as hitherto constructed, has been furnished with a shoulder I which, when a punch bar was raised, by the admission of air to the piston G, raised a rocking bar J, which is connected by arms J to a shaft J This bar J in rising, operates an arm J on the shaft J and through a link J operated a pivoted lever J which acts on a lever arm J 6 of the line-measuring and unit-registering mechanism J Several punch bars, each of which forms a signal-component, are also furnished with a recess I in which rests one end of a lever J which through a link J interposes, when the punch bar is raised, a stop J in the path of the units measuring mechanism.

The shaft J in turning, operated the paper feed mechanism through a lever J The justification space key A, in the normal machine is furnished with three adjustable lugs A A A For ordinary composition the lugs A and .A are in operation to produce the justification space signal and act to operate at least two punches, viz., the S-punch in combination with a punch of the series I the perforations in which both control in the casting machines the matrixposition, one of them mold dimensions, and the other, the operation of the justification transfer wedge. In addition, the operation of these punch bars controls the units measuring and paper feed, as already stated.

In accordance with the present invention, the bar A of the S-punch is furnished with an adjustable lever or latch A which is pivoted at a to the punch bar, and at its lower end carries a lug A Two small openings (1. a are conveniently provided in the lever A and a spring-pressed ball or the like a is mounted in the punch bar to engage one or other of these openings to retain the lever A against accidental movement.

When small or close set composition is to be produced, this lever A is placed in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In this position the lug A is moved from under the rocking bar J so that when the bar A of the S-punch is raised by the tapping of the justification space key A, it will rise without operating the bar J. This 7 results in the record-strip being perforated without any unit value of the signal being recorded and without the paper being fed forward.

For this style of composition also, the two normally acting lugs A and A on the space key A are turned up out of the path of the lugs on the bars C, and the lug A on the key A is turned down into operative position (see Figs. 1 and 2). In this position, the lug A is in the path of a lug C on the bar CS of the series C, so that when the key A is tapped the bar CS is moved and a lug C rocks a bar D8 of the series D, and this bar engaged a lug E on a valve bar ES of the series E. The valve bar ES operates a valve FS of the series F which controls the piston GS, which actuates the S-punch.

The operator next taps a key of the series B to perforate the signal in the record-strip representing the initial character of a word, and the record-strip feed, not having been operated by the actuation of the S-punch bar, the character signal is formed alongside the S-signal thus forming the combined signal, which when presented on the casting machine, will cause the predetermined fraction of justification to be cast in one with and on one side of the character type. The operator then proceeds to tap the necessary keys B to produce the signals for the other letters in a word, as in normal composition and for the initial character in each word in the line, acts as above stated to produce an S- signal alongside each initial signal.

When normal composition is desired on a composing machine embodying the present invention, the operator moves the lever A on the punch bar A into the position shown in Fig. 3. In this position the lug A on the lever A is under the rocking bar J. He also moves the lug A on the key A out of operation and moves the normal lugs A and A into operative position. With this setting, when the justification key is operated, the lugs A and A operate key-bars of the series C and these, through lugs thereon, actuate members of the rocking bar series D, which in turn operate the desired combination of valve bars E to produce the normal justification signal and effect also movement of the line-measuring mechanism to record a unit value of the signal and operate the paper feed mechanism.

I claim:

1. In a typographic composing machine for preparing a record-strip for a single-type casting and composing machine, the combination with the S-punch or punch for the signal controlling the justification transfer device in the casting machine, of alever adjustably mounted on the bar of the S-punch and a lug on the lever adapted in one position to override or avoid a rocking bar controlling the units measuring and paper feed devices of the composing machine and adapted in another'position to engage and operate said bar, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In a typographic composing machine for preparing a record-strip for a single-type casting and composing machine, the combination with an S-punch furnished with an adjustable levercarrying a lug adapted in one position to engage and operate a rocking bar and in another position to override or avoid such bar, of a key furnished with adjustable lugs one of which when in operative position effects through a permutation system the operation of the S-punch alone.

3. A typographic composing machine for preparing record-strips for single-type casting and composing machines, comprising character keys and perforating punches operatively connected together, a justifying space key and its punch, a

units measuring mechanism, means for feeding the record-strip when a character key is struck and means connecting the space key and its punch to cause operation of the latter and arrest operation of the record-strip feeding means, whereby the operation of the space key immediately followed by the operation of a key representing the initial character of a word, will produce a combined signal in the form of side by side perforations in the record strip, such signal signifying the casting of the justification space fractions on one side of and as part of each initial character of the Words in a composed line.

4. A method of type composition in a record strip for controlling a single type casting and composing machine which consists in producing character signals successively in longitudinally adjacent areas of the record strip and feeding the strip after each character signal is produced, and for each word space producing a space signal and arresting the feeding of the strip thereafter, whereby the space signal is produced in the same area of the record strip in which the character signal following the word space is produced, the combination signal thus produced in one area of strip affecting and saving in total length of strip to the extent of one area of strip for each word space in any given composition, such combination signal indicating that equal fractions of justification are to be cast on one side of each space following character.

5. A method of composing printed matter in justified lines in a record strip for controlling single type casting and composing machines which consists in producing record strip signals for the character types that are to compose the line, moving the record strip intermittently a suitable increment after each character signal is produced in order to present a new area for a subsequent signal, producing a space signal for each space in the line and arresting the movement of the record strip after such space signal to thus produce a combined space-and-character signal for each word space and character that follows such space and finally, at the end of the line, producing a justification signal representing the justification fraction to be added to each word space, whereby the combined signal for each space and the initial character after each space indicates such character varied by the addition of the justification fraction.

6. A typographic composing machine for the composition of printed matter in justified lines, in which a record strip is employed for controlling a single type casting and composing machine, comprising means for perforating the record strip upon the striking of character keys, means for feeding the record strip automatically upon the release of each of said keys in order to place the record strip in position to receive the next signal, means for perforating the record strip upon striking a space key for producing a justification space signal in the record strip between words of composition, means controlled by said space key for arresting the record strip feed upon the release of said key, whereby the feeding of the record strip follows each key struck except the space key and a combined space-and-character signal in the record strip is produced by striking the space key and then the immediately following character key.

WILLIAM WIGG.

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