Folding cover for typewriting machines or the like

Dec. 18, 1945.

J. G. CABRERA

2,390,987

FOLDING COVER FOR TYPEWRITING MACHINES OR THE LIKE

Filed Jan. 24, 1944

Sheets-Sheet 1

<img file="US2390987A_D0001.tif" />

Dec. 18, 1945.

J. G. CABRERA

2,390,987

FOLDING COVER FOR TYPEWRITING MACHINES OR THE LIKE

Filed Jan. 24, 1944

Sheets-Sheet 2

48. 4-7 48 47

<img file="US2390987A_D0002.tif" />

Patented Dec. 18, 1945

2,390,987

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,390,987

FOLDING COVER FOR TYPEWRITING MACHINES OR, THE LIKE

Jose Gonzalez Cabrera, Habana, Cuba

Application January 24, 1944, Serial No. 519,570

Claims. (Cl. 45—68.1)

This invention relates to folding covers for typewriting machines or the like, and it has for its object to provide a folding cover which automatically opens upon release of means locking same to a wood board serving as a support for 5 the machine and the cover frame, and which comprises a body of foldable material. Two metallic frames are fixedly secured to the rear portion of the wood board and have secured thereto a ridge plate to which the folding hood 10 body is joined. A plurality of arms is provided at each side of the cover, one of which is vertically fixed to the respective side frame and the other arms are rotatably mounted under the elastic tension of coil springs forcing them to rotate 15 backwards on a pivot pin horizontally fixed to each frame, and a plurality of metallic skeleton forms are pivotally connected to the stationary and rotatable arms and to which the hood body is fastened, the skeleton forms being inter-con- 20 nected by elastic bands tending to shrink, said springs and bands acting as elastic means tending to cause the cover to fold backwards beyond the stationary ridge plate and outside the typewriting machine or the like so that it will not in ²⁵the least interfere with the operation of the machine parts, whereupon it does away with the necessity of removing the cover whenever the machine is to be used, and once the cover is • closed, it will prevent the use of the machine 30 by unauthorized persons, thus affording the necessary protection of the machine from dust and humidity, and from damage and unauthorized use.

The invention is described with reference to “5 the figures of the accompanying drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a typewriting machine hood constructed according to this invention, showing its body of foldable material par- 40 tially broken away.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the foldable frame supporting the cover.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the foldable supporting frame of the cover, in its unfolded or 45 closed position.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective detailed view showing a portion of the foldable supporting frame in its folded or open position.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in horizontal sec- 50 tion on line 5—5 of Fig. 3.

In the drawings, the numeral I indicates the wood board on which a typewriting machine or the like is usually supported, and to this board

I is secured the automatically foldable structure 55 forming the object of this invention. On the rear portion of the board I is secured by screws 2 a metallic plate 3 extending from one side to the other of the board I and having near its ends front extensions 4 each of which has on its side edges raised lugs 5 and 6 supporting through holes therein a horizontal pivot pin 7 on which is swingingly mounted, under the resiliency of a coil spring 8 wound on said pin 7, a long arm 9 bent at a right angle at each end and having at its end immediate the extension 4 two lugs 10 and II provided with holes for insertion of the pin 7, said lugs 10 and 11 remaining adjacent the lugs 5 and 6, and the arm 9 having its other end in the shape of a comb 12.

On the end portions of the board I and adjacent the end edges of the plate 3 not reaching the ends of the board, are fixedly mounted metallic frames each of which is formed with a bottom (3 and two vertical side walls 14 and 14', which frames may be integral with plate 3, the inner side wall 14' having a front wing 15 at a right angle with it the height of which wing is less than half the height of the wall 14'. Through holes in the vertical walls 14 and 14' are mounted at different heights a stop pin 16 at the rear portion and a pivot pin 17 at the fore portion, both in a horizontal position. The stop pin 16 has its ends riveted to the vertical walls 14 and 14' and the pivot pin 17 is in the shape of a bolt to the threaded end of which is screwed a nut 18 for securing same in position and to permit its rotation.

On each pivot pin 17 are mounted across a, hole therethrough three metallic plate arms 19, 20 and 21 of which the two first are spaced from one another and from the vertical wall 14 by washers 22 and 23, and the arm 21 which is spaced from the vertical wall 14' by a washer 23' is held in vertical position by the vertical wing 15 serving as a stop for same. Between the arms 20 and 21 is wound on pin 17 a coil spring 24 the free end of which is bent on the fore edge of the arm 20, thus the latter arm tends to move upwards and backwards by virtue of the resiliency of the spring 24. The arm 19 is invariably connected to the arm 9 through insertion of the arm 19 in the end notch of the comb 12 formed at an end of the arm 9, whereby the arm 19 is adapted to rotatably move along with the arm 9 under the resiliency of the spring 8.

The bottom 13 of each frame has a fore extension 25 provided with a threaded hole for receiving the end of a head screw 26 remaining

2,390,987 raised to serve as a stop limiting the forward oscillatory movement of the arm 20.

Each frame has fixedly secured outside the outer wall 14 thereof by screws 27 a vertical plate 28, both plates 28 one at each side being connected at their upper ends by a metallic ridge plate 29. To this ridge plate and to the vertical plates 28 is fastened by screws or rivets 30 the hood body 31 made of a foldable material such as oilcloth, canvas or the like, which is usually employed to protect a typewriting machine or the like positioned on the board I and which in closed position as shown in perspective in Fig. 1 of the drawings and indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3 is adapted to cover the framework.

The arms 19, 20 and 21 have their free ends curved to form backwardly directed extensions 19', 20' and 21', respectively. To the two vertically held arms 2f are pivotally connected by horizontal pivot pins 32 through holes in their extensions 21' a metallic skeleton form 33 to which the foldable hood body 31 is fastened. Likewise the two swinging arms 19 and 20 are pivotally connected by horizontal pivot pins 34 and 35 respectively through holes in their extensions 19' and 20' to two metallic skeleton forms 36 and 37 similar to skeleton form 33, the latter movable skeleton forms 36 and 37 having fastened thereto the foldable hood body 31 which is thus fastened when the swinging arms (9 and 20 are in the position indicated in Fig. 3, namely, the arms 20 in the inclined position limited by the stop screws 26 and the arms 19 in the horizontal position limited by the board I. Each extension 19', 20' and 21' of the respective arms 19, 20 and 21 has a projecting horizontal pin 39 adapted to serve as a stop for each end portion of each skeleton form 36, 37 and 33 limiting the forward movement of each skeleton form to maintain the end portion of each skeleton form in alignment with the arm 19, 20 or 21 in the unfolded or closed position of the cover, as shown in Fig. 3.

The hood body 31 is secured to the . skeleton forms 33, 36 and 37 by means of metallic straps 40, 42 and 41 respectively which are situated on the outer surface of the hood body 31, the metallic straps 40, 42 and 41 being fastened to their respective skeleton forms 33, 36 and 37 by means of a series of screws 43, 45 and 44 passing through holes in the hood body 31. The side portions of the hood body 31 are loose and are not secured to any element of the skeleton frame except on the vertical plate 28, the same being adapted to be folded upon themselves when the skeleton frame moves backward by carrying with it the hood body 31.

The skeleton forms 33 and 37 are inter-connected beneath the hood body 31 by elastic bands 46 secured by means of rings 47 in holes 48 and 49 of skeleton forms 33 and 37. The skeleton forms 36 and 37 are also interconnected by elastic bands 50 secured by means of rings 51 in holes 52 and 49 of the skeleton forms 36 and 37. The function of elastic bands 46 and 50 is to cooperate in the automatic opening of the cover caused by the springs 8 and 24 at each side and to hold the hood body 31 taut in its closed position.

To the metallic band 42 secured to the skeleton form 36 is fixed by screws 53 a supporting piece 54 to which is hinged a metallic plate 55 provided with a slot 56 adapted to fit on the eyebolt 57 fixed to the fore end of the board I to permit the locking of the cover by a padlock, if desired, in addition to serving as a catch for the hood 31 in its closed position.

The operation of the automatic folding cover is as follows: Assuming the cover to be in its 5 closed position, to open same the locking plate 55 is disengaged from the eyebolt 57, whereupon the springs 8 and 24 will tend to pull the arms 19 and 20 respectively upwards, causing the latter to swing backward on the pivot pin 17, and 10 at the same time the elastic bands 46 and 50 will tend to contract and will pull the skeleton forms 37 and 36 upwards and backwards to cooperate with the upward oscillatory movement of the arms 19 and 20. In the backward oscil15 latory movement of the arms 19 and 20 at each side, the same are stopped as soon as they reach their vertical position by the stop pin 16 secured to the vertical walls 14 and 14' of both frames and the arms 19, 20 and 21 will remain held 20 in the notches of the combs 12, as indicated in Fig. 4, but as the skeleton forms 33, 36 and 37 are free to move about the pivots 32, 34 and 35 connecting them to the stationary arms 21 and the oscillatory arms 19 and 20, said skeleton forms 25 will continue their backward rotary movement by virtue of inertia, until they fall backwards and will remain in a backward inclined position in which they are retained by the stationary ridge plate 29, all of them in the same plane as in30 dicated in Fig. 4 and in dotted lines in Fig. 3, thereby causing the hood body 31 to remain folded backwards, to which end the end portions of the skeleton forms 33, 36 and 37 will be of a progressively increasing length, as shown in 35 Fig. 3.

It will be understood that for the purpose of closing the cover it will be sufiicient to grasp the lock plate 55 and to puli same forward and downward, thereby carrying together with it the 40 whole skeleton frame with the hood body 31, until the eyebolt 57 is engaged in the slot 56 of plate 55 by overcoming the resiliency of the springs 8 and 24.

It is obvious that changes may be made in the 45 shape and construction details of the supporting frames, as well as in the number and shape of the skeleton forms carrying the hood body and of the arms carrying the skeleton forms, and in the nature of the hood body material, without there50 by altering the essential character of the invention, which is such as claimed hereinafter.