US 3,978,967 AGranted

Typewriter tabulator

AssigneeHermes Precisa International S.A.

InventorGustave Gagnebin

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Abstract

The tabulator blade rack consists of a pivotally and axially movable rod. Depressing the desired decimal tabulation key frees the carriage from the escapement for movement in the typing direction, raises the corresponding tabulator stop, and rotates the tabulator rack and the blades thereon. Operation of the set and clear key sets a blade; the carriage moves, striking a projection on the set blade, thereby shifting the rack to the right until a stop thereon hits the raised tabulator stop, stopping the carriage at the corresponding position. When the rack stop hits the tabulator stop, the consequent movement of a rod that mounts the latter causes the raised tabulator stop to be lowered, the return of the rack, both longitudinally and rotationally, to its rest position, and the carriage to be reengaged with the escapement at the chosen tabulating position.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A tabulator for typewriters having a carriage carrying a type head and movable along a platen, the tabulator comprising a rack having a series of tabulator blades that are individually movable between an inactive position and a set position, and the carriage comprising a carriage stop for cooperating with a blade in the set position, and wherein the improvement comprises a tabulator rod defining an axis, comprising the rack, and carrying the blades;

means for mounting said tabulator rod free to pivot about said axis and to move therealong from a rest position;
means for pivoting said tabulator rod under control of the typist to a plurality of distinct angular positions for tabulation, whereby the pivoting of said tabulator rod moves said blades into a plurality of different angular positions from a rest position;
first and second areas comprised by each of said blades;
first and second fixed stops comprised by said carriage and moving therewith and so located thereon, with respect to said first and second areas, that, when said carriage is stationary in a determined position for setting the tabulator, they face and cooperate with respective ones of said first and second areas of a blade for setting and subsequently clearing the latter during pivoting of said tabulator rod;
and wherein said second areas are so located on said blades that a second area is placed in the path of the carriage stop when the blade thereof is rotated to the set position, so that when setting the tabulator said carriage stop of the moving carriage hits said second area of the set blade and causes said tabulator rod to move along said axis with said carriage;
and selector means under control of the typist for limiting the axial movement of said tabulator rod and therefore of said carriage so that the latter is stopped for typing at the chosen tabulating position.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.