US1673724A - Keyboard attachment for typing and computing machines - Google Patents

Description

June 1'2, 1928. 1,673,724

H. 'H. VICKERS KEYBOARD ATTACHMENT FOR TYPING AND COMPUTING MACHINES Filed April 29, 1925 Afforn Patented June 12, 1928.

umane fSTATES PATENT :o Fr-o-E.

Writ."VIOKERs-DF'CORONA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORTO UNDERWOOD "ELLIOTT -msmm commnzpr-nmw YORK, N. Y., A coRPonA'rIoNfor'DELAwABE.

,1 BOARD ATTACHMENT FOR TYPING AND COMPUTING MACHINES.

Application filed April 29, 1925. Serial No. 26,587.

This invention relatesto the keyboards .uf combined typewriting and computingmanhines,.in whichitis usual for the rear bank of ikeysvto operate the numeral-types, and

6 also tocontrol the computing mechanism.

It sometimes is necessary to use thenumeralekeysuin computation for long. periods ot: time, --without using the alphabet-keys. lDifiiculties then arise, because the wearied Nand strained eyes of the operator take more or.=less-notice of the/remainder oi thewkeyib9&rd,-- thereby tending'to confusion and to mulation of speed,-and to increase in the l l-i'ebility-sof [error-Min operation. Moreover, 4116 tired ifingerswf the operatorare apt =-ucesionsl, ly 'to depress aalphabetkeys by as .itisi quite diifioult to control the .Qfiggetsrwhnn operating/the" machine at high sgpoed, -iegqaeoially .it' the operation consists 'iwhollysotinumeral-keys. Mistakes .in compputationare not-selflfindinggso that even one error is a serious matter, and the reduction of the ,liability-oferror is-a desideratnm. lllhe'seiand other :mistakes of manipulation erm-particularly objectionable in performiSti gWOrkon-a combined'adding and ijypewriting machine, :since they cause errors-in the totals-that. t'requentl a1'ediflicult..tordetiect. Ithas 'been song t to over- Iweome thesebbjections :by placing the nuf-rmemlvkeysninabankatethefront of the:

keyboard, but this necessitates reconstruc- \tionof the machine.

QOne 0f the objectsof the invention is to nowereome thesel and other objections, and to facilitate the. operation of the numeral-keys eanid avoid errors and increase speed, With- =iout reconstructing.tlie-imacliine or going to substantiveexpense.

For this purpose .the 3 present invention .xprovideslmeans for rendering the numeral- Jheysohighly conspicuous, by the use of a women Whicheovers up the alphabet-keys of fitheitypewriter, leaving exposed thenumeral- Alleys. Gun-fusion thereof with the alphabeth do listing work, I cover the iilphabet=keys'12 with a stifi'yopaque plate which "may "be keys is thereby avoided, and the above-men -tionedsobjectionsa-re overcome. The cover is readily detachable-whenever it is desired wtozuseirthealphabet keys. It isa simple and W iimnpensive article, which can be readily coristructed and appliedto machines that werealready in use. Moreover certain of the .tnumeral keys are similar to alphabet-keys,

- as,:.forexample, 1 and O, and in consequence an alphabet-key is occasionally apt plate may have lianges along its upper and lower ends and a flange at one sideadjacent its level portion. These.fiangesmaysengage wvith keys of thetypewriting =m achineoto holdor lock the platev in operative :position on the keyboard Without-hindering the operation of the numeral'an'd other keys not under the plate.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear. a

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a fragmentaryitop'view of an Underwood bookkeeping typ'e'writing machine, showing my'invention applied thereto. Figure :2 is a fragmentary side elevation of Figure 1.

Figure 34s a perspective vlew'ofthe cover. The keys of the Underwood type'wrltmg machine ll-WhICll areordinarrlymsed for listing work and similar,purposesiaretthe ten numeral-keys adyacentrthe highest row of the alphabet-keys 12, the back-spacerzkey, the non-print key, the right and l'eftshifb keys, the spacer-bar l3-and'thezten tabulator-keysli. To have the numeral and tabulator keys stand out boldly and conspicuous- 1y on the keyboardot' the typewritingmachine 11 when it is being used for a time to easily formed of sheet-metal or-=other suitable material. This plate may be made 'so that in operative position on a :keyboard, a narrow portion 15 =of it will be'nor'mally level, and'mayoverlie and'rest uponthe top row of the alphabet-keys12 A portion'16 of the plate maybe integrally joined to the level portion 15, and be downwardly inclined therefrom, so as to overlie and rest upon the remaining alphabet-keys. The level portion 15 of the plate may have a downwardly-bent flange 17. along its entire length arranged to engage closely behind the top row of the alphabet-keys 12, so that the flange may serve asa stop to prevent the plate from sliding downwardly out of operative position on the keyboard of the machine 11. The level portion 15 may have a downwardly-bent flange 18 on its left end arranged to fit closely against the first alphabet-key from the left (Q), in the top row of the alphabet-keys 12, and serve to stop the plate from moving, out of operative position, to the right. The inclined portion 16 of the plate may have a downwardly-bent flange 19 along its' entire lower edge arranged to fit closely against the hook partly under the'lowest or bottom row of the alphabet-keys 12. Part of the flange may be in line with or touching a portion of the left shift-key. The function of the flange 19 will appear hereinafter.

To put the plate in operative position on the keyboard of the typewriting machine 11, the left shift-key is depressed and held down and the plate is passed or slid over the keyboard from the left. The plate should be positioned while moving over the keyboard, so that the flange 17 will pass behind the top row of the alphabet-keys 12 and the flange 19 will pass partly in front of and partly under the bottom row of the alphabetkeys. Vhen the plate has been moved to the right to its operative position on the keyboard, the flange 18 will have come up against the Q alphabet-key and thereby prevent further movement of the plate to the right. \Vhen the plate stops, its inclined portion 16 will have passed entirely over the left shift-key which may then rise to its normal position adjacent the left side of the plate-portion 16. The weightof the plate will slightly depress the alphabet-keys, so as to bring the inclined plate-portion 16 in line with the left shift-key, which will thus stop movement of the plate off the keyboard to the left. The flange 19 catching against the under side of the bottom rowof the alphabet-keys 12 will prevent the plate from being raised directly or being swung upwardly around the upper row of the alphabet-keys 12. The flange 17 fitting closely against the keys in the upper row of the al- .phabet-keys 12 will engage with them to prevent the plate from being swung upwardly around the bottom row of the alphabet-keys 12. It will be thus seen that the plate is, in effect, locked on the keyboard of the machine 11 against movement in any direction whatever after the left shift-key has risen to its normal position.

The plate can be easily removed from the keyboard of the machine 11 by depressing the left shift-key of the machine and pulling or slipping the plate off to the left.

It can be readily seen that while the plate is in position on the keyboard of the machine 11, the numeral-keys will be better seen, and the alphabet-keys cannot be operated accidentally. It can also be seen that neither the plate nor its simple flange holding or locking means will hinder the free operation of the keys of the typewriting machine 11 not under the plate.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. Means for making conspicuous the numeral keys of a bookkeeping typewriting machine, said means comprising an opaque plate arranged so as to overlie the alphabet keys of said machine, said plate provided with a downwardly-bent flange at its upper end and a downwardly-bent flange at'its side, said flanges arranged to engage with keysin the highest row of said alphabet keys so as to prevent movement of said plate on the keyboard of said machine downwardly 'or to the right, the lower port-ion of said plate arranged to engage with the left shift-key of said machine so as to prevent movement of' said plate to the left on the keyboard of said machine.

2. Means for making conspicuous the numeral' keys of a bookkeeping typewriting,

machine, said means'comprlsmg an o a no plate arranged so as to overlie the alp a ct keys of said machine, said plate provided with three downwardly-bent flanges arranged to engage with certain alphabet keys so as to prevent movement of said plate with respect to the keyboard of said machine in any direction except to the left, the lower portion of said plate arranged to engage with the left shift-key of said machine so as to prevent movement of said plate to the left on the keyboard of said machine.

3. In a bookkeeping typewriting machine, in combination, a keyboard provided with numeral, alphabet and shift keys, and means for making conspicuous said numeral keys, said means comprising an opaque plate arranged to overlie said alphabet keys and provided with flange means arranged to engage with certain alphabet keys and a shift-key so as to hold detachably said plate on said keyboard.

4. A screen for typewriter keys made of sheet material bent to form a comparatively narrow upper part to overlie a single upper row of keys in horizontal relation thereto and a comparatively wide lower part declined from the front edge of the upper part to overlie a plurality of lower rows of keys,

said upper part having aflange at one end to 130 cooperate with a key and its rear edge part angularly disposed to provide a downwardly projecting flange to engage the rear sides of the keys underlying said upper part to hold the screen in place.

a 5. A displaceable screen for typewriter keys made of sheet material bent to form a comparatively narrow upper part to overlie a single upper row of keys in horizontal relation thereto and a comparatively wide lower part declined from the front edge of the upper part to overlie a plurality of lower rows of keys, said upper part having at its rear edge a downwardly disposed flange to engage the rear sides of the keys underlying said part to hold the screen against downward displacement on the keys, and said lmver part having at its front edge a downwardly projecting flan e to engage the front sides of the adjacent ieys to prevent accidental lifting of the screen.

6. A displaceable screen for typewriter keys made of sheet material bent to form a comparatively narrow upper part to overlie a single upper row of keys in horizontal relation thereto and a comparatively wide lower part declined from the front edge of the upper part to overlie a plurality of lower rows of keys, said upper part having'at an end a downwardly disposed flange to engage the outer side of the adjacent key to prevent lateral displacement of the screen, and holding means on the upper side of the upper keys and lower side of the lower keys to prevent displacement of the screen on the keys.

HARRY H. VICKERS.

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