History of the Typewriter

— 129 — or with figures ; so that if the shift-key be locked for capitals or figures, there is no need to unlock the same to provide either of these useful and commonly occurring marks. This is a little point of great convenience, only too often overlooked in arranging the keyboards of many machines. Technically or mechanically speaking, the Empire may be said to have a series of twenty-eight thrusting type-bars radially mounted on a horizontal plane, and converging to a common central point, from which deflection is impossible. Putting this into plainer English, we may- say that the type-bars all rest on the surface of a metal platform, the bars themselves being arranged very much in the shape of a fan. On the depression of a key, the type end of the bar moves forward till it meets the paper round the platen. Figures i and 2 will show the move- ment. Fig. 106 In Figure 1 the type-bar is at rest. The curved piece A A is the key-lever, the fulcrum of which is at Ai. At the further end of the lever is a button which catches the forked end of the “ T ” or connecting lever B. This is swung on a pivot at Bi. The upper end of B engages in the slot at the underneath edge of the type-bar CC. U is the platform before referred to, and EE are guides 9