PART 205
George Washington Newton Yōst always believed in using teamwork
to develop his various typewriters, and in this case it’s hands across the
Atlantic in a collaboration for a switchable platen for the Yōst.
American mechanical
engineer John Morrell Fairfield and
English cycle maker Graham Inglesby
Francis joined forces to come up with this design, which was patented on this day (December 15) in 1891.
The idea
was to allow typists to easily switch from a soft platen for ordinary work to a
harder platen for manifolding (copying using sheets of carbon paper).
Guy Pérard at typewriter.be
Fairfield
and Francis explained their objective was “construction of [a] paper-carriage whereby
the platen thereof may be readily detached and another substituted. As is well
known to those skilled in the art, for ordinary work a comparatively soft
platen yields the best results, while for manifolding or the taking of a large
number of copies at one time a platen with a harder surface should be employed
to obtain the most satisfactory impressions. It is desirable therefore to
provide a construction of machine by which the operator may with facility make
the change from one type of platen to the other, according to the character of
the work to be performed.”
Fairfield
was born in East Charlemont, Massachusetts, on November 8, 1848, and died on
January 17, 1901. Francis was born in Islington, London, in 1863.
1 comment:
Sinister-looking ad ... got my attention!
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