{ "vercy": "1.0-draft", "publication": { "status": "research-draft", "adjudicationStatus": "unreviewed", "publishableCanonical": false, "generatedAt": "2026-10-21T18:41:55Z", "providers": [ "Claude" ], "breadth": "researched by Claude against the sources listed below", "pass": 2, "wave": 5, "engine": "claude", "gate": { "passed": true, "version": "1.0", "at": "2026-10-21T18:44:15+00:00", "evidence": [ "completeness 1.00", "sense: Wikidata description", "6 live sources", "review by codex: pass" ] } }, "metaModel": { "id": "THING-Q46335", "registryId": "vr.tr.typewriter", "name": "typewriter", "version": "0.2.0-wave.5", "entryKind": "thing", "family": "Thing Registry", "domain": [ "PHY.OBJ" ], "status": "research-draft" }, "canonicalUrl": "https://ver.cy/models/thing/q46335/", "model": { "registry_id": "vr.tr.typewriter", "name": "typewriter", "purpose": "Let an agent identify a typewriter by type, maker era and mechanism, describe its care, and handle questions about typewritten documents.", "definition": "A mechanical, electromechanical or electronic machine that prints characters one at a time onto paper, usually by striking a type element against an inked ribbon, operated from a keyboard.", "what_it_is_for": "Producing legible typed text on paper without handwriting or a printing press.", "affordances": [ "identify the type and approximate date of a machine", "explain how the mechanism works", "advise on ribbon replacement and basic care", "describe forensic examination of typed documents in general terms" ], "distinguishing_features": [ "Prints onto paper itself; manual and most electric models print on each keystroke, electronic models may buffer text first.", "Memory depends on the model: none, a correction buffer, or stored phrases and documents.", "Differs from a teleprinter, which sends and receives text over a line." ], "appearance": "A keyboard machine with a platen roller holding paper, typebars or a single type element and usually a ribbon; either the paper carriage or the typing element moves across the line. Portables fit in carrying cases.", "visual_identification": [ "Platen roller with paper bail", "Fan of typebars or a single type ball or daisy wheel", "Carriage return lever on manual machines" ], "physical_properties": [ { "quantity": "mass", "typical_range": "3-20", "unit": "kg", "note": "portables at the low end, office standards at the high end" }, { "quantity": "line spacing", "typical_range": "single to triple", "unit": "", "note": "commonly 6 lines per inch at single spacing" }, { "quantity": "pitch", "typical_range": "10-12", "unit": "characters per inch", "note": "pica and elite" } ], "families_and_kinds": [ "manual typebar typewriter", "portable typewriter", "electric typewriter", "typeball typewriter", "daisy-wheel electronic typewriter", "braille writer" ], "related_models": [ { "relation": "is a kind of", "target": "machine", "why": "a writing machine" }, { "relation": "uses", "target": "typewriter ribbon", "why": "consumable of most impact typewriters" }, { "relation": "is confused with", "target": "teleprinter", "why": "networked typing machine" }, { "relation": "is ancestor of", "target": "computer keyboard", "why": "layout heritage such as QWERTY" } ], "identifiers": [ { "scheme": "serial number", "value_or_pattern": "maker-specific pattern", "note": "used to date a machine with maker serial lists" } ], "standards_and_regulation": [ "Keyboard layouts such as QWERTY descend from typewriters; ISO/IEC 9995 standardises keyboard layouts for computers" ], "failure_modes_and_hazards": [ "Seized mechanism from old lubricant and dust", "Dried ribbons", "Pinched fingers in typebar baskets", "Mains wiring faults in old electric models" ], "agent_conduct": { "may": [ "help identify and date a machine", "explain care and ribbon replacement" ], "must_not": [ "advise opening electric models while connected to mains", "claim authorship of a typed document from typeface alone", "give a valuation as definitive" ], "requires_human": [ "forensic attribution of a typed document" ] }, "ethics": { "considerations": [ "privacy of typed documents and letters", "fair forensic attribution" ], "affected_parties": [ "authors of typed documents", "collectors and owners" ] }, "owners": { "steward": "the person who owns the machine", "master_systems": [ "maker serial number records and collector databases" ] }, "in_scope": [], "out_of_scope": [], "characteristics": [] }, "sources": [ { "id": "SRC-001", "title": "Q46335", "publisher": "Wikidata", "url": "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q46335", "what_it_supports": "identity of the registry item, labels and sitelinks", "url_status": "live" }, { "id": "SRC-002", "title": "Typewriter", "publisher": "Wikipedia", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typewriter", "what_it_supports": "general description of the subject", "url_status": "live" }, { "id": "SRC-003", "title": "Typewriter ribbons and carbon paper, Circular 431", "publisher": "US National Bureau of Standards (NIST)", "url": "https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/circ/nbscircular431.pdf", "what_it_supports": "ribbons, pica and elite pitch", "url_status": "live" }, { "id": "SRC-004", "title": "Forensic Database Questioned Documents Table", "publisher": "National Institute of Standards and Technology", "url": "https://www.nist.gov/forensics/forensic-database-questioned-documents-table", "what_it_supports": "typewriter comparison in document examination", "url_status": "live" }, { "id": "SRC-005", "title": "Remington Quiet-Riter Typewriter", "publisher": "Smithsonian National Museum of American History", "url": "https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_1175740", "what_it_supports": "portable construction and carrying case", "url_status": "blocked" }, { "id": "SRC-006", "title": "Electronic Typewriter, made by Imperial, 1984", "publisher": "Science Museum Group", "url": "https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co37749/electronic-typewriter-made-by-imperial-1984-typewriter", "what_it_supports": "memory in electronic typewriters", "url_status": "live" }, { "id": "SRC-007", "title": "Where Did the QWERTY Keyboard Come From?", "publisher": "Smithsonian Magazine", "url": "https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/origins-qwerty-keyboard-typewriter-180982726/", "what_it_supports": "Sholes and Glidden, Remington and QWERTY", "url_status": "live" } ], "structure": { "bundles": [ { "id": "identity-and-dating", "name": "Identity and dating", "description": "Which machine it is.", "rationale": "Owners and collectors ask first what they have.", "layers": [ { "id": "maker-and-model", "name": "Maker and model", "description": "Brand, model and serial.", "findings": [ { "id": "model-identification", "name": "Model identification", "description": "Name plates and features.", "questions": [ { "text": "Which maker and model is this?", "kind": "provenance" }, { "text": "What does the serial number say about its date?", "kind": "provenance" } ] } ] }, { "id": "typeface-and-keyboard", "name": "Typeface and keyboard", "description": "Pitch, font, layout and paper.", "findings": [ { "id": "typeface-and-keyboard", "name": "Typeface and keyboard", "description": "Pitch, character set and layout.", "questions": [ { "text": "What pitch, typeface and keyboard layout does it have?", "kind": "measurement" }, { "text": "Which characters can it type?", "kind": "definition" } ] }, { "id": "paper-handling", "name": "Paper handling", "description": "Width, margins and tabs.", "questions": [ { "text": "What is the maximum paper width?", "kind": "measurement" }, { "text": "Does it have tab stops and a correction feature?", "kind": "definition" } ] } ] } ] }, { "id": "mechanism", "name": "Mechanism", "description": "How it works.", "rationale": "Repair and use depend on mechanism.", "layers": [ { "id": "type-action", "name": "Type action", "description": "Typebars, ball or wheel.", "findings": [ { "id": "printing-element", "name": "Printing element", "description": "How characters reach paper.", "questions": [ { "text": "Does it use typebars, a typeball or a daisy wheel?", "kind": "definition" }, { "text": "How is the ribbon advanced?", "kind": "definition" } ] } ] }, { "id": "paper-handling", "name": "Paper handling", "description": "Platen and carriage.", "findings": [ { "id": "carriage-and-platen", "name": "Carriage and platen", "description": "Feed, spacing and return.", "questions": [ { "text": "Does the carriage or the element move?", "kind": "definition" }, { "text": "What line spacing settings exist?", "kind": "measurement" } ] } ] } ] }, { "id": "care-and-repair", "name": "Care and repair", "description": "Keeping it working.", "rationale": "Most practical questions are about use.", "layers": [ { "id": "consumables", "name": "Consumables", "description": "Ribbons and correction.", "findings": [ { "id": "ribbon", "name": "Ribbon", "description": "Width, spool and type.", "questions": [ { "text": "Which ribbon fits this machine?", "kind": "measurement" }, { "text": "Is it fabric or film?", "kind": "definition" } ] } ] }, { "id": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance", "description": "Cleaning and adjustment.", "findings": [ { "id": "service", "name": "Service", "description": "Cleaning, lubrication, faults.", "questions": [ { "text": "What causes this key or carriage fault?", "kind": "action" }, { "text": "Does it need a specialist?", "kind": "boundary" } ] } ] } ] }, { "id": "documents", "name": "Documents", "description": "Typed documents and their examination.", "rationale": "Typed papers still appear in archives and cases.", "layers": [ { "id": "typewritten-records", "name": "Typewritten records", "description": "Letters, forms and manuscripts.", "findings": [ { "id": "typed-record", "name": "Typed record", "description": "What was typed and when.", "questions": [ { "text": "When and on what machine was this document typed?", "kind": "provenance" }, { "text": "Is it an original or a carbon copy?", "kind": "boundary" } ] } ] }, { "id": "forensic-examination", "name": "Forensic examination", "description": "Comparing typing to a machine.", "findings": [ { "id": "comparison", "name": "Comparison", "description": "Defects and typeface matching.", "questions": [ { "text": "Do typeface defects match a given machine?", "kind": "measurement" }, { "text": "Who is qualified to conclude?", "kind": "action" } ] } ] } ] }, { "id": "history-and-heritage", "name": "History and heritage", "description": "Place in history.", "rationale": "Readers ask about history and collecting.", "layers": [ { "id": "development", "name": "Development", "description": "From early machines to electronics.", "findings": [ { "id": "milestones", "name": "Milestones", "description": "Key designs and dates.", "questions": [ { "text": "When did commercial typewriters appear?", "kind": "provenance" }, { "text": "How did electric and electronic models change typing?", "kind": "definition" } ] } ] }, { "id": "collecting", "name": "Collecting", "description": "Value and preservation.", "findings": [ { "id": "collection-care", "name": "Collection care", "description": "Storage and condition.", "questions": [ { "text": "How should the machine be stored?", "kind": "action" }, { "text": "What affects its value?", "kind": "definition" } ] } ] } ] } ] }, "openQuestions": [ "Should braille writers and stenotype machines be kinds here or separate entries?", "Maker and model belong to the individual machine; how should brand records link?" ], "statistics": { "bundles": 5, "layers": 10, "findings": 11, "questions": 22 } }