Correction tape attachment for typewriters

Claim 2

A correction tape attachment for a typewriter of the type characterized by a movable carriage mounting a roller platen, a stationary frame having a plurality of upright mounting portions longitudinally spaced along the length of and positioned in close confronting proximity with said roller platen, a plurality of types, an ink ribbon operatively spanning a strike area adjacent said roller platen, wherein said types are individually operable to produce indicia upon a paper carried by said roller platen by quickly pressing said ink ribbon through said strike area against the paper, said tape attachment comprising: a. an elongate frame plate means for mounting the tape attachment on said typewriter, said frame plate means being of stiff sheet material configured for directly mounting to said plurality of upright mounting portions and shaped to extend when so mounted in a generally vertical plane, longitudinally parallel with and adjacent said roller platen and substantially between said roller platen and said plurality of upright mounting portions of said stationary frame, said frame plate means having offset end portions on opposite sides of said strike area disposed forward of said generally vertical plane of said elongate frame means in the direction away from said roller platen; b. correction tape guiding means having a plurality of tape guide mechanisms mounted in spaced relationship to one another on said offset end portions of said frame plate means for normally carrying a length of correction tape therebetween in a generally vertical plane adjacent said strike area, between said roller platen and said ink ribbon and slightly forward of said vertical plane of said frame plate means; c. means connected to said frame plate means for continuously supplying said length of correction tape between said tape guide mechanisms and for applying longitudinal tension along said length of correction tape between said separate tape guide mechanisms; and d. correction tape handling means separate from said correction tape guiding means mounted to said frame plate means for lifting said length of correction tape transversely into said strike area and in said generally vertical plane of said length of correction tape, said tape handling means controllingly slidably engaging said length of correction tape at a location intermediate said strike area and only one of the ends of said length of correction tape.

Claim 3

A correction tape attachment for a typewriter as recited in claim 1, wherein said correction tape handling means comprises: a. a tape guide arm having one end operatively movably secured to said frame plate means, and hading an unsecured end slidably supportingly engaging said length of correction tape at a location remote from said strike area and intermediate said strike area and only one end of said length of correction tape, said tape guide arm being operable as movably secured to said frame plate means to raise and lower said length of correction tape in said vertical plane of the correction tape such that a portion of said length of correction tape is respectively raised and lowered into and out of said strike area and between said ink ribbon, as operatively positioned in said strike area, and said roller platen; and b. activating means operatively connected with said tape guide arm for operatively moving said tape guide arm as movably secured to said frame plate means to cause said tape guide arm to raise and lower said length of correction tape into and out of said strike area.

Claim 4

A correction tape attachment for a typewriter as recited in claim 2, wherein said activating means comprises: a. an operating leverpivotally mounted to said frame plate means adjacent one end of said frame plate means, manually operable in said generally vertical plane of said frame plate means about its pivotal mounting point, between first and second positions; b. spring means operatively connected with said operating lever for normally biasing said operating lever toward its said first position, and for yieldingly allowing said operating lever to be pivotally moved between its said first and second positions; and c. linkage means operatively connecting said operating lever with said tape guide arm for operatively moving said tape guide arm in response to movement of said operating lever between its said first and second positions, said linkage means operatively causing said tape guide arm to raise a portion of said length of correction tape into said strike area when said operating lever is moved from its first to its second positions, and said linkage means operatively causing said tape guide arm to lower said length of correction tape out of said strike area when said operating lever is moved from its second to its first positions.

Claim 5

A correction tape attachment for a typewriter as recited in claim 1, wherein said correction tape handling means comprises: a. a tape guide arm having an upper generally fork-shaped end for slidably supportingly engaging said length of correction tape, and having a lower end for mounting said tape guide arm to said frame plate means; b. means for movably mounting said lower end of said tape guide arm to said frame plate means such that said upper end of said tape guide arm supportingly engages said length of correction tape at a location remote from said strike area and intermediate said strike area and only one end of said length of correction tape, and such that said tape guide arm as mounted to said frame plate means is obliquely movable to slide along said length of correction tape for raising and lowering said length of correction tape in the generally vertical plane of said correction tape, respectively into and out of said strike area and between said ink ribbon and said roller platen; and c. manually operable activating means mounted on said frame plate means adjacent one end of said roller platen, operatively connected with said tape guide arm for moving said tape guide arm in said oblique manner about its mounted lower end to cause said tape guide arm to raise and lower said length of correction tape into and out of said strike area in response to direct manual operation of said activating means.

Claim 6

An improved correction tape attachment for typewriters of the kind having a stationary frame, a movable carriage mounting a roller platen, a plurality of movable types selectively operable to produce indicia upon a paper held or carried by the roller platen by rapidly pressing an ink ribbon through a strike area adjacent the roller platen against the paper; said correction tape attachment being of the type characterized by attachable frame means for mounting the tape attachment to the stationary frame of the typewriter, correctioN tape supply means and tape take-up means mounted on said attachable frame means for securing a span of continuous correction tape therebetween, said tape supply means providing unused portions of said correction tape to said span and said tape take-up means collecting used portions of said correction tape, means for periodically advancing said correction tape in one direction from said tape supply means to said tape take-up means, and means cooperative with said tape supply means and said tape take-up means for providing longitudinal tension to said correction tape between said tape supply means and said tape take-up means, the invention being characterized by: a. said attachable frame means being configured for mounting said correction tape attachment to existing portions of said stationary frame of said typewriter without requiring modification to any extent of said typewriter for accomodating said tape attachment; b. a pair of tape guide mechanisms mounted to said attachable frame means and positioned near opposite end of said roller platen for carrying a length of said correction tape therebetween, said length of correction tape being a portion of said correction tape continuously extending between said tape supply means and said tape take-up means, wherein said pair of tape guide mechanisms orient siad length of correction tape in a generally vertical plane adjacent said strike area and between said ink ribbon and said roller platen; c. a tape positioning and manipulating guide element having upper and lower portions, said lower portion of said guide element being configured for mounting to said attachable frame means and said upper portion of said guide element being configured to supportingly slidably engage said length of correction tape; d. means for movably mounting said lower portion of said guide element to said attachable frame means to restrict movement of said upper portions of said guide element in said generally vertical plane of said length of correction tape and to cause said upper portion of said guide element to slidably engage said length of correction tape at a location remote from said strike area and between said strike area and only one end of said length of correction tape; and e. activating means mounted to said attachable frame means and operatively connected with said tape positioning and manipulating guide element for producing movement of said guide element relative to said attachable frame means to cause said upper portion of said guide element to selectively raise and lower a portion of said length of correction tape respectively transversely into and out of said strike area, said upper portion of said guide element when raising and lowering said length of correction tape, slidably moving along said correction tape and obliquely in said vertical plane of said length of correction tape.

Claim 7

An improved correction tape attachment for typewriters of the kind having a stationary frame, a movable carriage mounting a roller platen, a plurality of movable types selectively operable to produce indicia upon a paper held or carried by the roller platen by rapidly pressing an ink ribbon through a strike area adjacent the roller platen against the paper; said correction tape attachment being of the type characterized by attachable frame means for mounting the tape attachment to the stationary frame of the typewriter, correctioN tape supply means and tape take-up means mounted on said attachable frame means for securing a span of continuous correction tape therebetween, said tape supply means providing unused portions of said correction tape to said span and said tape take-up means collecting used portions of said correction tape, means for periodically advancing said correction tape in one direction from said tape supply means to said tape take-up means, and means cooperative with said tape supply means and said tape take-up means for providing longitudinal tension to said correction tape between said tape supply means and said tape take-up means, the invention being characterized by: a. said attachable frame means being configured for mounting said correction tape attachment to existing portions of said stationary frame of said typewriter without requiring modification to any extent of said typewriter for accomodating said tape attachment; b. a pair of tape guide mechanisms mounted to said attachable frame means and positioned near opposite end of said roller platen for carrying a length of said correction tape therebetween, said length of correction tape being a portion of said correction tape continuously extending between said tape supply means and said tape take-up means, wherein said pair of tape guide mechanisms orient siad length of correction tape in a generally vertical plane adjacent said strike area and between said ink ribbon and said roller platen; c. a tape positioning and manipulating guide element having upper and lower portions, said lower portion of said guide element being configured for mounting to said attachable frame means and said upper portion of said guide element being configured to supportingly slidably engage said length of correction tape; d. means for movably mounting said lower portion of said guide element to said attachable frame means to restrict movement of said upper portions of said guide element in said generally vertical plane of said length of correction tape and to cause said upper portion of said guide element to slidably engage said length of correction tape at a location remote from said strike area and between said strike area and only one end of said length of correction tape; and e. activating means mounted to said attachable frame means and operatively connected with said tape positioning and manipulating guide element for producing movement of said guide element relative to said attachable frame means to cause said upper portion of said guide element to selectively raise and lower a portion of said length of correction tape respectively transversely into and out of said strike area, said upper portion of said guide element when raising and lowering said length of correction tape, slidably moving along said correction tape and obliquely in said vertical plane of said length of correction tape.

Claim 8

An improved correction tape attachment for typewriters according to claim 5, wherein said activating means comprises: a. a manually operable operating lever pivotally mounted to said attachable frame means directly adjacent said roller platen, said operating lever being pivotally movable in a generally vertical plane between first and second positions; b. means operatively connected with said operating lever for normally urging said operating lever toward a resting position in its said first position and for yieldingly allowing said operating lever to be manually moved between its said first and said second positions; and c. means operatively connecting said operating lever with said tape positioning and manipulating guide element for coordinating said oblique movement of said guide element with movement of said operating lever between its said first and second positions, said movement coordinating means operatively causing said upper portion of said guide element to slidably obliquely move along said correction tape in a direction opposite to said one direction while raising said length of correction tape into sAid strike area when said operating lever is moved from its said first to said second positions and said movement coordinating means causing said upper portion of said guide element to slidably obliquely return along said correction tape in said one direction while lowering said length of correction tape out of said strike area when said operating lever is moved from its said second to said first positions.

Claim 9

An improved correction tape attachment for typewriters according to claim 6, wherein said lower portion of said tape positioning and manipulating guide element defines a cam follower slot therein; wherein said means for movably attaching said guide element to said attachable frame means includes cam means having cam surfaces sized to ride within said cam follower slot of said guide element for movably mounting said guide element to said frame means, said cam means and said cam follower slot cpoperatively restricting movement of said guide element in said oblique manner in a generally vertical plane; and wherein said movement coordinating means includes a push-rod extendable between said operating lever and said guide element for causing said guide element to obliquely move as defined by said cam means and said cam follower slot in response to movement of said operating lever.

Claim 10

An improved correction tape attachment for typewriters according to claim 5, wherein said upper portion of said tape positioning and manipulating guide element includes a plurality of correction tape engaging and directing elements cooperatively slidably confining the correction tape at a location on said length of correction tape between said strike area and one end of the length of correction tape, said engaging and directing elements being spaced in close longitudinal relationship to one another along said tape to prevent operative access to the correction tape therebetween.