Coded input and output apparatus for typewriters

Claim 2

In a coded input and output apparatus for typewriters having type hammers, including a plurality of receiving notched bars and a plurality of transmitting bars, a plurality of springs pulling said receiving bars, latch means latching said receiving bars against the action of said springs, electromagnetic means responsive to corresponding input signals for selectively releasing said latch means for causing said springs to position said receiving bars for aligning corresponding notches thereof according to a character being selected, decoding levers disposed beneath said receiving bars and individually engageable with said hammers for the selective striking thereof, releasing means for causing said decoding levers to sense said receiving bars, so that one of said decoding levers enters into the corresponding notches of said receiving bars, and relatching bail means for relatching said receiving bars to said latch means, wherein the improvement comprises: a. power driven cam means; b. cam follower means for cyclically following said cam means; c. said releasing means comprising a first portion that is movable to allow said one decoding lever to enter said corresponding notches and also including a common bail; d. said common bail being operated by said cam follower means and moving from a rest position to an actuated position against an end of said entered one of said decoding levers to translate linearly said one decoding lever for actuating the associated one of said hammers for striking; and e. an intermediate member operatively connecting said cam follower means with said relatching bail means for returning said receiving bars to their latched position.

Claim 3

Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cam follower means comprise a rocking lever cooperating with said cam means, said rocking lever including a cam follower portion and the apparatus further comprising a cam member fixed to said common bail and a tensioning spring pulling said common bail for holding said cam member in contact with said cam follower portion of said rocking lever for causing said entered one of said decoding levers to be yieldingly actuated through said common bail by said tensioning spring.

Claim 4

Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cam means include a cam continuously rotatable and said cam follower means include a rocking lever which is caused to oscillate by said cam continuously rotatable, and further comprising another electromagnetic means said other electromagnet on receiving of a corresponding starting signal operating said rocking lever from a rest position away from said continuously rotatable cam to an operative position following said rotatable cam.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said decoding levers include a corresponding hook and are urged by corresponding springs, said common bail including a lug plate provided with a projecting part adapted to engage said corresponding hook of said decoding levers, when entered on the aligned notches, said first portion of said releasing means including a second part of said lug plate for normally keeping said decoding levers away from said notched receiving bars against the action of the springs corresponding to said decoding levers.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cam follower means include a reciprocal moving membEr supporting a corresponding roller, said relatching bail means including a bail cooperating with said receiving bars, and said intermediate member includes a projecting lug of said relatching bail, said lug contacting said corresponding roller for relatching said receiving bars during the reciprocal movement of said reciprocal moving member.

Claim 7

Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: said plurality of transmitting bars for emitting output coded signals; encoding levers for positioning said transmitting bars in correspondence to a character being printed; and intermediate printing levers individually connected with said hammers and responsive to the operation of said decoding levers for actuating the connected one of said hammers for striking, each one of said printing levers cooperating with said decoding levers for positioning said transmitting bars in correspondence of the striking of the selected hammer corresponding to said character.

Claim 8

In a coded input and output apparatus having type hammers, intermediate printing levers, and means selectively operating said printing levers for causing the striking of one selected of said hammers, comprising a plurality of transmitting bars permutatively shiftable to emit coded signals corresponding to said selected one of said hammers, said transmitting bars being provided with a series of inclined edges, and a series of encoding elements each including an end with plural abutments, said encoding elements adapted to co-operate with said inclined edges for positioning said transmitting bars, wherein the improvement comprises: a. spring means urging said encoding element for shifting said encoding elements from a rest to an operative position causing said encoding elements to cooperate with said inclined edges for positioning said bars, and b. holding elements each one carried by one corresponding of said printing levers and normally contacting the corresponding encoding elements against one of said plural abutments so as to keep said encoding levers in said rest position against the action of said spring means, said means operating said intermediate printing levers causing said holding elements to release said encoding levers from the action of said spring means and said holding elements moving from said one of said plural abutments to another abutment for the shifting of said plurality of transmitting bars under the action of said spring means and said holding elements.

Claim 9

In a coded input and output apparatus having type hammers, intermediate printing levers, and means selectively operating said printing levers for causing the striking of one selected of said hammers, comprising a plurality of transmitting bars permutatively shiftable to emit coded signals corresponding to said selected one of said hammers, said transmitting bars being provided with a series of inclined edges, and a series of encoding elements each including an end with plural abutments, said encoding elements adapted to co-operate with said inclined edges for positioning said transmitting bars, wherein the improvement comprises: a. spring means urging said encoding element for shifting said encoding elements from a rest to an operative position causing said encoding elements to cooperate with said inclined edges for positioning said bars, and b. holding elements each one carried by one corresponding of said printing levers and normally contacting the corresponding encoding elements against one of said plural abutments so as to keep said encoding levers in said rest position against the action of said spring means, said means operating said intermediate printing levers causing said holding elements to release said encoding levers from the action of said spring means and said holding elements moving from said one of said plural abutments to another abutment for the shifting of said plurality of transmitting bars under the action of said spring means and said holding elements.

Claim 10

Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said holding elements include aligned lugs and said transmitting bars include a series of sliders stacked in vertical planes and including lower and upper lengthened edges extending horizontally, said sliders being slidable in horizontal supports disposed adjacent below said aligned lugs, said inclined edges being formed in said lower edges of said transmitting sliders and said encoding elements including vertical sliders shiftable upwardly by the action of said spring means, as a result of which the vertical component of the force of said encoding element on said inclined edges over said horizontal supports is balanced by the weight of said transmitting bars.

Claim 11

Apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising magnetically controlled switches associated to said transmitting bars, each of said switches including magnet means for generating a magnetic flux, contact means actuatable by said magnetic flux and a screen element disposable between said magnet means and said contact means, said screen means being operatively connected with one associated of said transmitting bars for screening the flux of the corresponding magnet for actuating selectively the associated of said switches, and balancing spring means operating on said screen element for counterbalancing the attractive force of said magnet means on said screen element.

Claim 12

Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said transmission bars are also provided with positioning notches, further comprising a spring loaded poSitioning element adapted to cooperate with said positioning notches for correcting the positions of said plurality of transmitting bars and adding a further constant load which reduces the variation of load on said encoding elements, arising in shifting one or more of said transmitting sliders.

Claim 13

In a code input and output apparatus for typewriters having type hammers, intermediate printing levers associated with said hammers, and means selectively actuating said printing levers for causing the striking of one selected of said hammers, comprising a plurality of receiving bars having notches; spring means pulling said receiving bars; latch means for selectively releasing said receiving bars, so as to cause said springs to position said receiving bars for aligning corresponding notches thereof according to a character being selected; a series of decoding levers individually associated with said hammers and adapted to singularly enter on the aligned notches, transmitting bars adapted to emit coded output signals in correspondence to said character being selected, said transmitting bars being provided with a series of inclined edges; and a series of encoding elements associated with said hammers and adapted to cooperate with said edges for positioning said bars according to a combination of positions corresponding to a striking hammer, wherein the improvement comprises: a. a power actuated common element, said common element actuates a common bail which is movable against the one entered of said decoding levers for linearly shifting said one entered of said decoding levers so as to activate the associated one of said type hammers for striking; b. restoring means for said receiving bars operatively connected with said common element by an intermediate member for resetting said receiving bars under the control of said latch means; c. spring means urging said encoding element toward an operative position for positioning said transmitting bars, and d. holding elements fixed to said intermediate printing levers for normally holding at rest said encoding elements against the action of said spring means, and releasing the individually connected of said encoding elements upon actuation of said corresponding printing level so as to cause said spring means to position said transmitting bars after said printing lever has actuated said holding element.

Claim 14

In a code input and output apparatus for typewriters having type hammers, intermediate printing levers associated with said hammers, and means selectively actuating said printing levers for causing the striking of one selected of said hammers, comprising a plurality of receiving bars having notches; spring means pulling said receiving bars; latch means for selectively releasing said receiving bars, so as to cause said springs to position said receiving bars for aligning corresponding notches thereof according to a character being selected; a series of decoding levers individually associated with said hammers and adapted to singularly enter on the aligned notches, transmitting bars adapted to emit coded output signals in correspondence to said character being selected, said transmitting bars being provided with a series of inclined edges; and a series of encoding elements associated with said hammers and adapted to cooperate with said edges for positioning said bars according to a combination of positions corresponding to a striking hammer, wherein the improvement comprises: a. a power actuated common element, said common element actuates a common bail which is movable against the one entered of said decoding levers for linearly shifting said one entered of said decoding levers so as to activate the associated one of said type hammers for striking; b. restoring means for said receiving bars operatively connected with said common element by an intermediate member for resetting said receiving bars under the control of said latch means; c. spring means urging said encoding element toward an operative position for positioning said transmitting bars, and d. holding elements fixed to said intermediate printing levers for normally holding at rest said encoding elements against the action of said spring means, and releasing the individually connected of said encoding elements upon actuation of said corresponding printing level so as to cause said spring means to position said transmitting bars after said printing lever has actuated said holding element.