Underwood Typewriter Co. v. Typewriter Inspection Co.

177 F. 230, 1910 U.S. App. LEXIS 5300
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedMarch 7, 1910
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 177 F. 230 (Underwood Typewriter Co. v. Typewriter Inspection Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Underwood Typewriter Co. v. Typewriter Inspection Co., 177 F. 230, 1910 U.S. App. LEXIS 5300 (S.D.N.Y. 1910).

Opinion

RAY, District Judge.

The senior patent, No. 559,345, was issued April 28, 1896, on application filed October 4, 1894, to Eranz X. Wagner, for typewriting machine. Claims 17, 18, 19, and 20 are in issue here, and read as follows:

“17. A paper-carriage and an actuating-key provided with a catch or shoulder located at the forward or power receiving portion of the key, combined with a forwardly-oscillating bar adapted to engage or lock said catch, a forwardly-oscillating .actuating-arm for said bar normally free from said bar, and an actuating-shoulder for said arm, said carriage being provided with a lip adapted to engage said actuating-shoulder to actuate said arm, substantially as described.
“18. A paper-carriage and an actuating-key, combined with -a bar adapted to engage or lock the key, a .swinging arm having its free end placed in proximity" to and normally out of contact with the bar, a bell-hammer placed in advance of the bar in the path of the free end of the arm, and a lip on the carriage for actuating the arm so as to make its free end successively strike the bell-hammer and the bar, substantially as described.
■ “19. A paper-carriage and an actuating-key, combined with a bar adapted to engage or lock the key, an actuating-arm for the bar, a rock-shaft for said arm, a shoulder on said rock-shaft, said carriage being provided with a lip adapted to engage the shoulder for actuating the shaft, and a bell-hammer provided with an inclined movable projection along which the arm rides in its [231]*231forward stroke to actuate tlie bell-lia miner, said arm on its return stroke being made to pass under or lift tbe projection Independently of tlie bell-hammer, substantially as described.
“20. A paper-carriage and an actúa ting-key, combined with a bar adapted to engage or lock tlie key, an actuating-arm for the bar, a rock-shaft for said arm, a shoulder on said rock-shaft, a lip oil the carriage for engaging the shoulder, and a bell-hammer actuated by said arm, said shoulder being step-shaped so as to be intermittently actuated by the carriage-lip for separately actuating the bell-liammer aud the locking-bar, substantially as described.”

The junior patent, 3STo. 633,(572, was issued September 26, 1899, on application filed July 7, 1897, for typewriting machine, to John T. Underwood, assignee of Wagner. Claims 25,' 27, and 28 are in issue, and read as follows:

"25. In a typewriter, the combination with a movable carriage, of a series of type-key levers each of which lias a locking-catch thereon, a vibrating line-stop adapted to be vibrated by said carriage, a universal locking-bar adapted to engage the catches on the type-key levers to maintain the same against movement, intermediate mechanism between the vibrating line-stop and the universal locking-bar for automatically operating tbe locking-bar when the line-stop is vibrated and hand operated means for releasing the locking-bar from engagement with the type-key levers.”
“27. Tn a typewriter, the combination with a movable carriage, of a series of type-key levers each of which lias a locking-catch thereon, an adjustable vibrating line-stop adapted to be vibrated by said carriage, a spring-pressed universal locking-bar normally maintained out of the path of tlie locking-catches on the type-key levers, intermediate mechanism between the vibrating line-stop and the universal bar and a roloasing-button connected with said universal bar to throw the same out of engagement after it has been automatically thrown into engagement by the line-stop.
“28. In a typewriter, the combination with a movable carriage, of a series of type-key levers each of which has a locking-catch thereon, a vibrating line-stop adapted to be vibrated by said carriage, bell-sounding mechanism adapted to be operated by said stop, a spring-pressed universal locking-bar normally maintained out of the path of the locking-catches on the type-key levers, intermediate mechanism between tlie vibrating line-stop and the universal bar to throw the same out; of engagement after it has been automatically thrown into engagement by the line-stop without effecting an operation of the bell-sounding mechanism.”

Claim 17 of tlie senior patent calls for: (1) A paper-carriage; (2) an actuating-key provided with a catch or shoulder located at the forward or power receiving portion of the key; (3) a forwardly oscillating bar adapted to engage or lock said catch; (4) a forwardly oscillating actuating-arm for said bar normally free from said bar; (5) an actuating shoulder for said arm; and (6) a lip on the carriage, adapted to engage said actuating shoulder to actuate said arm. The paper-carriage carries a lip which at a certain station of the carriage engages with the actuating-shoulder to move the same, this in turn causes an oscillation of the arm which moves a lock-bar into the catches in the power receiving portion of the keys, and this movement of the bar into the catches locks the keys. Returning the carriage causes a reverse of these movements, and the keys are unlocked. The actuating-arm is normally free from the locking-bar so that the locking-bar is not thrown into locking position the moment the actuating-arm begins to move, but at a later time, and this enables the actuating-arm to be an instrument in ringing the hell to warn the operator that the locking is about to take place and enable him to govern himself accordingly.

[232]*232As I read claim 18, it is substantially the same, except that it adds the bell feature. Claim 19 has an arrangement or expedient whereby the end of the arm coacts with the bell-hammer so that the latter is raised and actuated when the arm is advancing but is not when the arm is returned. Claim 20 has a step-shaped shoulder so that it is intermittently actuated by the carriage lip for separately actuating the bell-hammer and the locking-bar. The lip on the carriage rides along the lower step of the shoulder and causes the actuating-arm to operate the bell-hammer and ring the bell, and then rides another step, causing the actuating-arm to move the locking-bar and lock the keys. The return is made without ringing the bell.

Claim 25, of the junior patent, has: (1) A movable carriage. (2) A series of type-key levers each having a locking-catch. (3) There is a universal locking-bar adapted to engage the catches on the levers and maintain the type levers against movement. (4) A vibrating line-stop adapted to be vibrated by the carriage. It comprises the lip on the carriage, the movable shoulder, the rock-bar carrying a vertically swinging arm, and other details. (5) Intermediate mechanism between the vibrating line-stop and the universal locking-bar for automatically operating the locking-bar when the line-stop is vibrated. (6) Hand operated means for releasing the locking-bar from engagement with the type-key levers.

The universal, locking-bar is not to be confounded with the “universal bar” of a typewriter. The former has the hooks or catches, and its function is to lock the type keys and prevent further depression thereof and movement of the carriage, while the main office or function of the “universal bar” is to cause the escapement mechanism which advances the carriage to operate and advance the carriage one space each time a key is depressed.

I will not describe the elements of each claim, as I think it unnecessary.

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Bluebook (online)
177 F. 230, 1910 U.S. App. LEXIS 5300, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/underwood-typewriter-co-v-typewriter-inspection-co-nysd-1910.