US2230810A - Copyholder - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 4, 1941. A 2,230,810

COPYHOLDER Filed Feb. 1, 1959 25 WITNESS E5 26 INVENTOF? I I War dill Paul Patented Feb. 4, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COPYHOLDER Frank L. Paul, New York, N. Y.

Application February 1, 1939, Serial No. 254,001

2 Claims.

This invention relates to copyholders and it is a particular object of the invention to provide an improved copyholder that may be used by stenographers, Linotype operators, public speakers, or the like for supporting manuscripts and similar documents and papers in convenient position to be read or copied.

I am aware that copyholders have been used prior to my invention. However, many copyholders heretofore employed have been of cumbersome, expensive construction, or were diflicult or inconvenient to operate, or had many intricate moving parts which were subject to wear and would get out of order.

It is an object of the invention to overcome the difiiculties heretofore encountered and toprovide an improved copyholder of relatively simple and inexpensive construction, which is easy and convenient to operate and has relatively few moving parts so that it may be used for a long period of time with comparative freedom from Wear.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a copyholder of the above character which may be readily adjusted as to height or as to the angle at which the manuscript or other document is supported.

For a fuller understanding of the invention ref erence should be had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a copyholder embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a detailed partially fragmentary view of the upper portion of the copyholder, showing in detail the copyholding frame;

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the copyholder;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view in the direction of the arrows onthe line 4--4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an end view of the copyholding frame from the right-hand end as viewed in Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view in the direction of the arrows on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2; and

Figs. 7 and 8 are end views similar to Fig. 5, showing two modifications of my invention in which releasable locking devices are employed for holding the copyholding rollers in spaced relation.

center of the base, and a collar I4 formed at the top of the standard and provided with a set screw [5,

A rod I6 is disposed in the tubular standard l3 forming telescoping engagement therewith so 5 as to provide for vertical adjustment of the copyholding frame. By means of the set screw 1 5 the rod I6 may be releasably held in any desired adjusted position. The upper end of rod I6 is bent at right angles, providing the horizontally 10 disposed portion IT, to which the copyholding frame is secured so that it may pivot with respect thereto by means of the metal loop or strap l8 which extends over the portion l1 and is secured to the back of the frame in some suitable manner as by means of the screws [9.

It will thus be seen that the rod It may rotate or pivot with respect to the standard 13, and that the frame may pivot or rotate with respect to the horizontal portion I! of the supporting rod I6. I accordingly provide means whereby the copyholding frame may be pivotally adjusted around both horizontal and vertical pivots.

Adjacent the extreme end of the horizontal portion ll of the supporting rod I may provide suitable means for preventing the accidental disengagement of the parts at this point, such as the screw or bolt 20, threaded to an aperture provided transversely of the rod and which may be firmly held in position as by means of a lock nut 2|. In addition to preventing the parts from becoming disengaged at this point the bolt or screw 20 also serves as a stop so as to confine the pivoting of the copyholding frame around its horizontal axis within predetermined limits. It will be appreciated that when the frame is pivoted to the extreme limits it engages one or the other ends of the screw and is prevented from pivoting beyond that point.

To hold the copyholding frame in adjusted position with regard to its horizontal pivot I may also provide a set screw 22 threaded to an aperture formed through the back of the copyholder so that the end of the screw can engage the horizontal portion ll of the supporting rod. A lock nut 23 may also be provided in connection with the set screw 22 to hold it firmly in position.

The frame II is preferably formed of a flat backing strip of metal or any other desired material as indicated at 24, the ends of which are bent forwardly at right angles so as to form the spaced parallel end portions 25. Supported between the two end portions 25 I provide a pair of copyholding rollers 26 and 21, one of which,

namely, roller 26, may be smaller than the other roller, and while it may be rotated with respect to the frame, is held against shifting. The roller 21, on the other hand, is mounted in the frame so that it can rotate and also can shift with respect to the other roller, so as to permit of the convenient insertion of a manuscript or other papers between the rollers.

While the type of roller may be varied, I have found that the illustrated type of roller and roller mounting produces very satisfactory results. Thus roller 26 is formed of a tubular member 28 having a cover 29 made of some suit able friction material such as rubber. The roll- I er is held in position as by means of stub shafts comprising screws 33 and 3! which pass through the end portions of the frame and are disposed inside the tubular members 28. For a purpose which will hereinafter be explained the screw 38 projects a short distance beyond the end of the frame as shown most clearly in Fig.2. Roller 21 is also formed of a tubular member 32 having a cover 33 made of friction material such as rubber and it is held in position as by means of stub shafts 34 and 34 which are provided'with knarled handles 36 at the ends thereof.

So as to provide for shifting of the roller 2? the end portions 25 are provided with elongated, slotted openings 31 through which the stub shafts 34 and 35 extend. The slotted openings are of sufiicient length to permit the roller 21 to shift from a position in which it engages as the roller 26 to a position in which it is spaced from the roller.

To normally hold the rollers in engagement with each other I provide a spring 38 on each end portion 25 of the frame. The springs 38 are disposed around machine screws or similar supports 39 and at one end they are anchored against the screws it], while the other ends thereof engagethe stub shafts 3 5 or 35 which support the roller 21, thereby urging it into engagement with the roller 26.

I also provide convenient means whereby the roller 21 may be shifted away from the roller 26 to facilitate the insertion of a manuscript or other papers. This means preferably comprises a rod 4| extending between and pivotally supported by the end portions 25 of the frame. One end of the rod, 1. e., the right hand end as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2, is bent downwardly at right angles to the remainder of the rod, forming a handle portion 42. The handle portion depends downwardly in front of the stub shaft at and is adapted to engage the stub shaft when pressure is applied to the handle, so as to cause the shaft and roller to shift. Connected to the opposite end of the-rod 4| is a depending member which may take the form of a screw 53, which is adapted to engage the stub shaft 35 in a similar manner so as to cause the roller to shift evenly when pressure is applied to the handle Q2.

So as to facilitate operation of the handle I preferably provide a relatively fixed handle 44 which is attached to the rear of the frame and depends downwardly in alignment with the handle 52. It will be seen that the operator can grasp the handles 32 and d4, causing the handle to shift to the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5, with the result that simultaneously member 43 and handle 42 engage the stub: shafts 35 and 35, causing the roller 27 to shift with respectto the roller 25.

When pressure is released from the handle 52, springs '38 cause roller 2'! to shift back to the position indicated in Figs. 4 and 6 and in full linein Fig. 5, with the two rollers engaging each other. I may also provide means to insure the return of the handle 32 to its proper position, such as spring 45, which is connected to screw 39 at one end and at its opposite end is anchored in rod 4 l The tension and adjustment of spring 35 is such as to normally cause handle 152 to return to the position indicated in full lines in Fig. 5. It will be seen that member 43 engages the projecting end of stub shaft or screw 3i preventing the handle from shifting or pivoting beyond this point.

In using my improved copyholder the copyholding frame I I is adjusted to the proper height. This is accomplished by releasing thumb screw 15 and shifting rod i5 relative to standard l3. When the device has been adjusted to the proper height, thumb screw I5 is tightened. A manuscript may then be inserted between the rollers 26 and 21. This is accomplished by grasping the handles 22 and M, placing pressure on the handle d2 until roller 2'5 has shifted and then inserting the manuscript between the rollers. The handle can then be released so as to permit the roller 2'! to return to its normal position and the manuscript can then be fed to the desired position by rotating either ,one of the handles 35.

If desired I may provide suitable means for supporting the manuscript in upright position, such as the arm 45 pivotally secured to the back of the frame as by means of screw 51. When the arm 46 is employed it can be shifted to vertical position and the manuscript will be supported in the manner indicated in dotted lines at 48 in Fig. 4.

It will be appreciated that the manuscript can be supported at any desired angle by adjusting the frame H around its horizontal or vertical pivots. It will also be seen that my device is convenient to operate since it only requires one hand tooperate handle 42 to shift roller 21 to spaced relationship with regard to roller 26, leaving the other hand free to insert the manuscript. As the manuscript is copied or read it will have to be fed upwardly from time to time and this can conveniently be accomplished with either the right or left hand by a simple rotation of either one of the handles 36.

If desired I can also provide means for retaining or locking the roller 2? in spaced relationship with regard to the roller 25. Thus in Fig.- 7 I have illustrated one type of device that may be employed, in the form' of lever 49 pivoted to the end 25 of the frame as by means of screw 59.

The inner end of lever 49 is provided with a hooked portion 5| which is adapted to engage the stub shaft 34 when roller fl is in shifted position, and a spring 52 is connected between the frame and the hooked end of lever 49 so as to normally hold it out of the path of movement of the stub shaft 34. However, when the hooked end of the lever is depressed to engage the shaft the friction is sufiicient to overcome the tension of spring 52 and the lever will effectively prevent the roller from shifting.

In Fig. '7 I have merely illustrated a lever at one end of the frame. It is to be understood of course that a similar lever G9 is preferably provided at the opposite end of the frame so as to similarly engage the stub shaft 35. Where the lever 49 is employed the fixed handle member M must be provided with a slotted portion 58 so as to provide clearance for the end of the lever which serves as an operating handle.

In Fig. 8 I have illustrated another type of retaining means that may be employed for retaining the rollers in spaced relationship. This means comprises a lever 53 pivotally mounted on the frame as by means of screw 54. The lever 53 is provided with a depending end portion 55 which may be shifted to engage a hooked member 56 formed on the handle 42, when the handle has been shifted to the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 8. A coil spring 51 similar; to the spring 52 is connected between the frame and the lever to normally hold the lever out of the path of movement of the hooked member 56.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a copyholder which may be employed by stenographers, Linotype operators, public speakers and the like to support a manuscript in a convenient position to be read or copied.

It will also be seen that the copyholder is of relatively simple and inexpensive construction, that it can be readily adjusted to any desired position or angle, that it is convenient to operate and use and has comparatively few moving parts and accordingly is not subject to excessive wear.

It will be understood that modifications may be made in the illustrated and described embodiment of my invention without departing from the invention as set forth in the accompanying claims.

I claim-- l. A copyholder comprising a base, a copyholding frame mounted on said base so as to be adjustable, a pair ofrollers mounted in the frame in parallel relationship and in the same horizontal plane when the frame is in horizontal position and adapted to support a manuscript, the angle and height of the manuscript being controlled by adjusting the copyholding frame, and the rear one of said rollers being shiftable with respect to the other roller so as to facilitate insertion of a manuscript between the rollers, means for shifting the first-mentioned roller with respect to the other roller comprising a rod disposed transversely of the copyholding frame parallel to the rollers and positioned substantially above the forward roller and provided with a depending arm engaging a stub shaft projecting at one end of the shifting roller, and a depending operating handle engaging a projecting stub shaft at the other end of the shiftable roller and means including springs engaging the shiftable roller for normally urging the rollers into engagement with each other.

2. A copyholder comprising a base having a vertically disposed tubular standard, a rod disposed in the standard and forming telescopic engagement therewith so as to be adjustable both vertically and radially, means for retaining the rod in adjusted position, a copyholding frame connected to the upper end of the rod by means of a horizontally disposed pivot, a pair of horizontally disposed rollers supported for rotary movement in the copyholding frame in substantially parallel relationship and in the same horizontal plane when the frame is in horizontal position, the forward one of said rollers being stationary and the other roller being provided with stub shafts at its opposite ends extending through slots in the copyholding frame so as to be shiftable with respect to the stationary roller, means including a rod parallel to the rollers and positioned substantially above the forward roller mounted on the copyholding frame and extending transversely thereof and provided with a depending arm engageable with a stub shaft at one end of the shiftable roller and having a depending operating handle engageable with the stub shaft at the opposite end of the shiftable roller, operating handles for rotating the rollers, means including springs engageable with the stub shafts on the shiftable roller for normally urging the rollers into engagement with each other, and means including a pivotally mounted lever for releasably retaining the stub shafts in spaced relationship.

FRANK L. PAUL.

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