US1385256A - Dummy keyboard - Google Patents

Description

J. W. McCANN.

DUMMY KEYBOARD.

APPLICATION r1150 FEB. 23, 1921-.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

J 14 Ma (20112,

3% M autumn;

a type and Mono-type constructions of linotype UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. I

' JOSEPH w. McCANN, OF WAS INGTON,

nis'rnrcr or conumnianssrsivon, BY

I DIRECT ANDJMESNE ASSIGNMENTS, or oivn nanr T0 JOSEPH H. MeCANN AND VONE-HALF T0 GEORGE, P. KIMMEL, BOTH, or WASHINGTON, DISTRICT or COLUMBIA.

, DUMMY KEYBOAR Application filed February 23, 1921. Serial No. 447,050.

I T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOSEPH W.'McCANN,

a citizen ofthe UnitedStates, residing at the following isa specification.

My invention"pertains to dummy or prac tice keyboards, and it contemplates the provision of a simple and durable keyboard cal culated to enable a person of average intelligence with a reasonable amount of study and practice to acquire the quick and light touch that is necessary to bring down a matrix in the Mergenthaler linotype-machine at present in general use, to determine the speed he is making, to practise to the same advantage as on the'keyboard of a Mergenthaler machine with a view of becoming proficient in the use of all ofhis fingers and thumbs in rapidly operating a Mergenthaler machine, and to memorize or fix in his mind the relative arrangement of the keys comprised in the keyboard of said machine, so that he can operate the keys speedily and correctly without looking at the keyboard. i

In addition to the foregoing enumerated features and purposes of the invention, the same contemplates an extremely simplified and comparatively inexpensive construction and arrangement ofthe parts of a dummy keyboardnot only of the specific character mentioned, but also of the form corresponding to that of the keyboards of theIntermachines and of typewriters in general, and

one wherein the extremely light and resilifent, or springy, action of the key levers now used on Mergenthaler machines, and kindred machines, is substantially duplicated, or

otherwise closely imitated,so that an operator should experience no trouble in the proper manipulation of the key levers of an actual machine after having faithfully practise; a sufficient period of timeon the pres ent'device, also, it is further contemplated to.

facilitate the assembly of the parts of the device by forming each alined set of key elemcnts'from "a single strip of spring metal, the individual key levers thereof being stamped out, or otherwise cut, so as to have their inner ends integrally connected, whereby the connected portion thereof may be utilized for the fastening of the key levers .1n proper position on a baseboard, while the free outer end of each key lever is so stamped or cutas to have a surplus of the metal sufficient for the shaping of the same to a configuration corresponding to the keys proper, e. that portion of the key levers touched by the fingers during their manipulation thereof, of an actual machine.

' With the foregoing and other advantages and objects in view, the invention resides in the certain new, novel, and useful construction and arrangement of parts; the same being an improvement over the construction and arrangement embodied in my Letters Patent of the United States, numbered 823,888, and dated June 19', 1906;,such as will be hereinafter more fully described, set forth in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view illustrating the dummykeyboard constituting the present and preferred embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 2 is an end elevation ofthe same as it appears when set up ready for use,

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. l, and,

Fig. i is a plan view of the blank showing the manner and method of forming aunit row of keys therefrom.

7 Referring to the drawings, wherein similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts in the several views thereof, the present form. of the invention has been more particularly described in connection with the hlergenthaier type of lino-type machine, and the numeral 10 indicates the body of the dummy keyboard, which comprises a length of wood of board form, having its longer sides constituting the front and rear edges of the same, and which is strength ened by means of strips 11, extending transversely across the grain at the opposite ends of thetiunder face thereof. -This body or baseboard 10 is designed to be supported by hinged prop 12 in such a position that its upper surface forms an inclined plane, as illustrated in Fig. 2, and, when the same is not in use, the prop 12 is to folded against Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 19, 1921. i

the lower surface thereof, so as to take up but a minimum amount of space in storage or shipment. Rising from the rear edge of the body or baseboard 10 is a copy holder 13, the same preferably comprising a piece of sheet metal, substantially rectangular in form, having a flange 1% at its lower edge for the supporting thereon of sheets of copy, and a metallic frame 17 is secured to the back oi the holder 13, and has downwardly extending terminal studs 16 adapted to be removably engaged in suitable eyes, or the like, 17, projecting outwardly from the rear edge of the body or baseboard. By virtue of this construction, the copy holder may obviously be detached and laid flat against the under side of the body or baseboard 10 for convenience in storage or shipment.

Extending longitudinally of the body or baseboard l0 inwardly of the rear edge and horizontally :ith respect to the upper face thereof is a space bar 18, preferably formed of a suitable length of wooden strip, which i resiliently supported by spaced strips 19, of spring metal, which are secured at one end to the rear edge of the body baseboard and are bent in a forwardly and up wardly inclined direction and have their free ends secured to the under face of the space bar 18, whereby to hold the same spaced above and parallel to the upper face of the body or baseboard 10, but free. for down and up movement with respect to the latter. The left hand end of the s 18.66 bar 18 is projected for a very slight distance beyond the left hand end of the body or baseboard 10, and has secured thereon a finger piece o0, preferably of spring metal ing in spaced relation above and p the complemental end of the baseb to the outer side of the under face of which dependingly supported a dog 21 arranged, so that when the finger piece 20 is depressed, to engage a toothed wheel 22. The toothed wheel 22 designed to be rotated step by step by the depression the fingerpietie 20, and is held against retrograde movement by a gravitating pawl 23. hen the toothed wheel 22 makes halt revolution, one of apair of diametrically extending arms 2 carried thereby, acts against the adjacent inclined edge of a substantially triangular shaped striker memb r 2. causing the lat-- ter to swing on its pivotal support or pin 25, projecting outwardly from the end of the body or baseboard 10 and strike against a signal bell 26, thereby appraising the student operator that he, or she, is approaching the end oi a line approximating the length of a standard measure or" type. i

T he mechanism described is preferably arranged to notify the student when he has set a line of ordinary newspaper measure averaging seven words or approximatel 2T ems, and when it is employed with a number of, say, 1.00 quads or other articles, it enables the student to determine the speed he is making. In this use, the operator places at his right on a suitable support 100 quads. hen the bell rings, he knows that he has set six words, and l e then sets an additional word and picks a quad from the pile. This picking 01" a quad is a substitute for raising a lover of an ordinary hllergzcnthaler machine, and by observing, a timepiece, the studentis enabled to readily determine the length of time it takes him to set up 100 lines or about 2700 ems.

Mounted on the upper surface of the body or baseboard 10 is a bank of keys, which are relatively arranged in the une manner as the keys in a keyboard oil the Mergenthaler linctype machine, and the same boar corresponding characters and thus it will be apparent that a person practising on a dummy keyboard wil become acquainted with the actual keyboard of the machine mentioned, to such an extent that he, or she, can operate said actual keyboard after the usual and desired manner, with the fingers and thumbs of both hands, accurately and speedily munipulating the several keys by touch, and, consequently, without looking at the keyboard. This latter is an important desideration, inasmuch as it is extremely advantageous tor a lv ergenthalor operator, while operating the keyboard, to watch the working of the machine. The keys are grou cd or relatively arranged on the inclined plane of the body or baseboard 10, in the manner shown, and are idcnt-i ll with the exception that each bears a different character. As a further aid to the operator to properly learn and distinguish between capital letters, small letters, and characters, a bank of keys be divided into sub-groups by using a uerent color for each group of such subgroups, and for the purpose and as shown, the left hand sub-group oi small letters. designated by bracket (1, may be colored black with the letters thereon formed of: a contrasting color. or white the intermediate sub-group oit' characte designated by bracket Z), colored a light blue, with the characters thereon formed of a contrasting color or black; and the right hand subgroup of capital letters, designated by bracket 0, colored a different color, or white, with the capital letters thereon formed of a contrasting color, or black.

The bank of keys is composed of a required number of longitudinally extending rows, each parallel to the other, and with respect to the space bar 18 and the front and rear edges 01" the body or baseboard 10. The keys of each row are equi-distantly spaced apart and each consists of a strip thin brass, or other suitable spring sheet metal, formed to provide a body or arm portion 27, a character bearing finger 28 at the outer end, and an angularly bent porin afhorizontal direction, and at an acute Mergenthaler machine.

angle with respect to the inclined face of the body or baseboard, when the same is properly positioned for operation.

A major length of the body, or arm portion 27, of the keys, .of the forwardly. arranged rows thereofextends in underlying relation with respect to the next rearwardly adjacent row, so that the rows of the finger portions 28 are closely spaced one with respect to the other, and underlying each row of the latter portions 28 and in parallel relation with respect .to the plane of the under faces thereof, are longitudinally extending members or key abutments 30, which have their opposite ends 31 an'gularly bent in a downward direction for secured engagement in the face of the body or baseboard 10; These members .or key abutments 30, between-the angularly bent end portions 31 thereof, each overlie, in spaced -relation thereto, intermediate portions of the body or arm portions 27. of the keys, and extend in a plane parallel thereto, and spaced below the plane of the medial transverse centers of the fingerportions 28 of the adjacent rearwardly disposed rowof keys, so that the keys of each row/are free for alimited downward or depressed movement before striking the said members or key abutments. The members or key abutments 30 are preferably. formed of metal rods, circular in cross section, and are designed to have a certain degree of resiliency, which, in conjunction with the resiliency'of the keys, assures for the action of the latter closely imitating, or otherwise duplicating, the extreme light actionjof the actual keys of the The present invention contemplates that .each row'o-f keys beconstructed as a unit,

and forthis purpose, the same are-struck from a blank32 of sheetmetal, preferably of sheet brass or other suitable metal having a sufficient or required degree ofresiliency, In this method of forming. the keys in unit rows,the blank of sheet metal is stamped or cut out to provide equal spaces between the body or arm portions 27 of the individual keys, and the angularly bent portions 29 are in the formof a stripconnecting the inner ends of all of the keys, and this strip portion 29 is to be provided with a series of 'equi-distantly spacedopenings for the insertion *therethroug'hof suitable fastenings33, by means of which the same are secured to the body' or baseboard 10. In stamping or cutting out the body or arm portions 27, the free ends of the same are formed substantially rectangular in form,

27 angularly to form a shoulder 34 at their point of connection with the fingercontacting portions 28, and then bendingthe offset side and end portions 28 of the latter downwardly at right angles with respect to the upper faces of the same. 3

The bent portions 28' constitute depending flanges corresponding in depth to that of the wall of the shoulders 34, so that the finger portions 28 present a neat appearance, one a substantial duplicate of the other. The finger portions 28 are now substantially square in plan, and may, if desired, have their flat faces slightly and inwardly depressed whereby to facilitate the proper engagement of the operators fingers theremanner described, wvill, when depressed against the key abutments 30, give to the touch of the operator, and when relieved of pressure will spring of themselves back to the normal position illustrated, also that the touch necessary to depress the free ends of the keys is similar to thatrequired to manipulate the keys of the Mergenthaler keyboard, and thereby bring down a single matrix. From this latter it follows that the student using the novel dummy keyboard described herein is enabled to acquire not only speed, but also the proper touch so requisite to the successful operation of the Mcrgenthaler linotype machinel In addition to,'or as a substitute for the use of'100 quads in a pile or stack atone side of the operator for simulating the manual actuation of a lever controllingthe operation of the machine after each line of type has been set, the invention contem- )lates the )lacin of a lever 32 at a convenient point on the base-board 10, as by pivoting the-same at 33 to one edge of the latter sothatit project's in a forward direction from the front edge of the same in substantial parallel relation to the surface of the keyboard support or table A. The lever 32 is resiliently supported on a spring member 34 in any suitable manner, or by having the latter formed of an angularly bent strip of spring metal with one end connecting the under side of the lever 32 and its other or free end resting on the surface of the support or tableA as shown in Fig. 2. When the signal bell 26 rings to indicate the setting of words required for a line of newspaper measure, the operator will then touch the lever 32 and depress the same to simulate the similar movement required on actual linotype machines for the setting in mot-ion of the elevator, the type casting, and the type distributing mechanisms thereof.

It will be gathered from the foregoing that the novel device is simple and well adapted to withstand the usage to whr'h such devices are ordinarily subjected, also that the device will enable a student operator to attain a degree of finish and speed in practice work which would require a much longer period to reach were the practice confined solely to the daily work on a machine when accuracy forbids an attempt at speed and the necessity of sending up so many lines per minute makes it inexpedient to experiment on method.

In addition to the practical advantages which I have hereinbefore ascribed to my novel dummy keyboard, it will be noted that the same is very light in weight and is therefore adapted to be carried from place to place with facility.

Having thus fully described my invention, what is claimed, is

l. A dummy keyboard comprising a body having an upper surface arranged to form an inclined plane, rows of keys resiliently pivoted directly to the inclined plane of said body, and a unitary member constituting a resilient means associated with each row of said keys for limiting their pivotal movement and to facilitate the action thereof.

2. 4i dummy keyboard comprising a body having an upper surface arranged to form an inclined plane, longitudinally extending rows of inherently resilient keys mounted for up and down movement directly on the inclined plane of said body, and a unitary member constituting an inherently resilient means associated with each row of said keys for limiting the movement thereof and to facilitate the action of the same.

A dummy keyboard comprising a body having an upper surface arranged to form an inclined plane, longitudinally extending rows of keys mounted for pivotal movement directly on the inclined plane of said body, a resilient; member extending under each row of said keys for limiting the movement thereof and to facilitate the action of the same, and means for supporting said memher in position.

4. A dummy keyboard comprising a body having an upper surface arranged to form an inclined plane, longitudinally extending rows of keys mounted for pivotal movement directly on the inclined plane of said body, an inherently resilient member extending under each row of said keys for limiting the movement thereof and to facilitate the action of the same, and means for supporting said member in position.

A dummy keyboard comprising a body having an upper surface arranged to form an inclined plane, longitudinally extending rows of keys of sheet metal mounted directly on the inclined plane of said body, a unitary member constituting a resilient means extending under each row of said keys for limiting the movement thereof and to facilitate the action of the same, and means for supporting said rods in position.

(3. A dummy keyboard comprising a body having an upper surface arranged to form an inclined plane, longitudinally extending rows of keys of sheet metal mounted directly on the inclined plane of said body, an inherently resilient rod extending under each row of said keys for limiting the movement thereof and to facilitate the action of the same, and means for supporting said rods in position.

7. A dummy keyboard comprising a body having an upper surface arranged to form an inclined plane, longitudinally extending rows of keys of sheet metal mounted directly on the inclined plane of said body, and an inherently resilient rod extending under each row of keys for limiting the movement thereof and to facilitate the action of the same, said rods having their opposite ends bent to provide angularly disposed portions adapted for engagement in the face of the inclined plane of said body whereby the same are supported in position.

8. The combination with a dummy keyboard including an inclined body and an indicating space bar ext-ending longitudinally of the body on the rear side thereof, of rows of resilient keys of sheet metal supported for movement on the outer inclined face of said body, and inherently resilient abutment members underlying each row of said keys for limiting the movement and to facilitate the action of the same.

9. The method of making a unit row of key levers which consists in the stamping or cutting out intermediate portions from one side edge of a blank of resilient metal to form a plurality of spaced parallel lever arms connected at one end to the blank and having their free ends of a greater width than the intermediate poltions thereof. bending the opposite side and end edges of the free end portions to provide flanges depending therefrom, bending the intermediate portions of said lever arms on transverse lines on the line of their connection with the flanges and portions and on lines inward from the latter whereby to provide a vertically disposed connecting wall between the intermediate portions of the lever arms and the free end portions thereof, and bending the inner connected portions of the lever from resilient sheet material constructed and arranged to provide alternate spaces and parallel lever arms at one edge of the blank, the lever arms being bent at an angle to the blank whereby the latter constitutes a support therefor. i

11. As an article of manufacture, a key lever construction comprising a blank made from resilient sheet material constructed and arranged to provide "alternate spaces and parallel lever arms at one edge of the blank, the outer free ends of the lever arms being offset above the plane of the intermediate portions thereof to provide finger'engaging portions thereon, the lever arms being bent at an angle to the blank whereby the latter constitutes a support therefor.

12. The combination with a dummy keyboard including an inclined body and an indicating space bar carried by said body, of rows of keys supported for movement on the outer inclined face of said body, a unitary member constituting a resilient means associated with each row of said keys for limiting the movement thereof and to facilitate the action of the same, and a lever pivotally supported on said body for simulating the actuation of a mechanism control lever of an actual machine.

13. As an article of manufacture, a key lever construction comprising a blank substantially rectangular in form made from resilient sheet metal and constructed and arranged to provide alternate spaces and parallel lever arms at one edge of the blank, the outer free ends of the lever arms being oflset above the plane of the intermediate portions thereof to provide finger engaging portions and formed to provide depending side and end flanges corresponding in depth to that of the wall connecting the same to the intermediate portions of the lever arms, the lever arms being bent at an angle to the blank whereby the latter constitutes a support therefor.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature hereto. I

JOSEPH W. MoCANN.

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