The Federal Reporter. Volume 55 Cases Argued and Determined in the Circuit Courts of Appeals and Circuit and District Courts of the United States. May-July, 1893. Page: 73
xv, 1024 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this legislative document.
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CHRISTIE V. SEYBOLD.
and the question presented is really whether Christie's specifica-
tions entitle him to his first claim. In his specifications Christie
says':
"My invention refers to an improvement in a press especially adapted for
bookbinders. It relates more especially to a press platen which is made
detachable from the power-driving mechanism and suspended by the counter-
poise weight. The object of my invention is to provide ready means for
raising and lowering a press platen by hand, without having to manipu-
late the power-driving mechanism, the various features of which will be set
forth in the description of the accompanying drawings. * * * I preferably
employ a rack bar and pinion driven by a ratchet lever to obtain power for
compressing the platen, as it is rapidly and easily manipulated. The power
is conveyed as follows: 13 represents the teeth of the rack bar, which engage
with pinion, 14, mounted upon shaft, 15, which is journaled in ears of
brackets, 16. * * * On the opposite side of the ratchet wheels I provide a
duplex holding pawl, 31, which engages with the respective ratchet wheels.
This pawl is nominally held in engagement with the ratchet teeth by means
of the spring, 28, which presses them up, and they are held out of engage-
ment by the wedge, 29, which is operated by the lever, 30. When lever, 30,
is depressed, the wedge, 29, is raised up, and the spring, 28, presses the
pawl, 31, into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel. When said
lever is raised up. it pulls the wedge, 29, down in between the holding pawl,
31, and the rear edge of the rack bar, 6, which prevents the engagement of
the holding pal , 31, with the teeth of the ratchet wheels. When lever, 18.
stands in its normal position (shown in figures 2 and 4) the pawls are also in
disengagement with the ratchet driving wheels. The press platen, 5, is
therefore free to move up and down by extraneous means, so as to be ad-
justed to any desired height. * * * The above driving mechanism, with
the shipping and unshipping connections, is the preferred form of construction,
but 1 do not limit myself to said means, except where they are made special
features of claims herein; but the importance of sustaining the platen by
counterbalance weight, and having it readily detachable from the driving
mechanism, so as to be raised independent thereof, is the special feature of in-
vention. * * * The principal object to be accomplished by the above-de-
scribed invention is the ready arrangement of the press platen by hand, with-
out manipulating the same by the power lifting and depressing mechanism,-
as, for instance, in a bookbinding or other similar use, the rapid operation of
the press is a very important feature, and is accomplished by means to disen-
gage the platen from the power-driving mechanism and suspending it by a
counterpoise weight, allowing it to be readily raised or lowered, as the case
may be; and the within-described mechanism I believe to be the best, and is
claimed herein as of my invention."
Then follow the claims, the first of which is:
"In a power press, the platen, 5, detachably connected with the power-
driving mechanism and counterbalanced by the weight, to hold the same in
any adjusted position, substantially as specified."
The court below held that the power-driving mechanism con-
sisted of the lever, the pawls, the ratchet wheels, the pinion, and
the rack bar; and that as the ratchet wheel and pinion were fixed
in their relation to the rack bar, and the rack bar was fixed to
the platen, the power-driving mechanism was not detachably con-
nected with the platen.
We think this construction too narrow. The expert for the com-
plainant below testified that he had never heard the expression
"detachably connected with," but that in this view it must mean
that all the mechanism used to transmit the pressure to the platen
should be capable of being detached from the platen. The patent
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The Federal Reporter. Volume 55 Cases Argued and Determined in the Circuit Courts of Appeals and Circuit and District Courts of the United States. May-July, 1893., legislative document, 1893; Saint Paul, Minnesota. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc36382/m1/88/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.