US1238241A - Stamp severing and feeding mechanism. - Google Patents

Description

I. C. WOODWARD. STAMP SEVERING AND FEEDING Ml-ICHANISIIL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 10. 19l5.'

Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

a SHEETS-SHEET l.

I. C. WOODWARD. STAMP SEVER ING AND FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 10 I915.

Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I. C. WOODWARD. STAMP SEVERING AND FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 10. 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

W M M E Pa-tented Aug. 28, 1917.

IRVING C. WOOIDWABD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

STAMP SEVERIN G AND FEEDING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

Application filed November 10, 1915. Serial No. 60,662.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IRVING C. WVooDWARD, a citizen of the United States of America, and a. resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stamp Severing and Feeding Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a strip feeding and severing mechanism for use in mailing machines, ticket-issuing machines, cash registers, etc.

The main object of the invention is to provide in such machines improved mechanism for insuring the accurate separation of strips of stamps, etc., along scored, perforated or otherwise weakened lines in the strip.

Mailing machines are sometimes provided with fingers for engaging perforations on the strip and then drawing the same forwardly the required distance. A slight lateral displacement of the strip makes such mechanism very unreliable and may result in failure to properly feed the strip, or the destruction of a considerable number of stamps before the machine may be stopped. Strip feeding devices comprising rollers or longitudinally reciprocating grippers are unreliable since any slight inaccuracy of ad justment of the same is likely to be multiplied as the strip is fed along and expansion or contraction of the strips under changes in moisture or temperature conditions results in the strip getting out of registry with the feeding mechanism.

In machines such as cash registers where it is often desirable to employ previously printed strips, it is necessary to provide printing devices in the machine for printing the strips as issued, since there is no known reliable strip-feeding mechanism which would insure an exact, predetermined feed of the strip upon each operation of the machine.

The present invention provides means for taking advantage of the greater weakness of the strip at points where it is to be severed for insuring accurate feeding of the strip.-

A specific embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows in side elevation the improved mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation.

Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section of the device when in normal position.

Fig. 4 is a central longitudinal section with the feeding and separating blade moved rearward as occurs during an operation of the device.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section showing the device as it appears when a stamp or ticket is being delivered.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view in plan taken on the line AA of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a sectional detail taken on the line BB of Fig. 6.

I11 the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings the supporting frame 1 is provided at its upper end with a bracket 2 carrying a removable rod 3 which serves as a magazine for supporting a roll of stamps or tickets 4. A bracket 5 also supported by frame 1 is shown having hinged thereto at its outer end 6 an oscillating guide member 7 for the strip of stamps or tickets 8. A link 9 bent into a U or V formation is pivoted at its ends 10 to guide 7, and its central portion 11 rests on a reciprocating slide or ticket separator 12. A spring 13 extended between an eye 14 on guide 7 and an eye 15 on frame 1 normally urges the guide member rearward. The separator blade 12 carries a book 16 for engaging the bent portion 11 of link 9 during the forward motion of blade 12, causing the guide 7 to rock forwardly against the action of spring 13 during the forward motion of blade 12. Blade 12 is guided in its reciprocating motion in ways 17 formed in the side members 18 of frame 1. It is reciprocated by means of an eccentric 19 fast to drive shaft 20 and acting upon a pitman 21 which is pivo'tally connected at its forward end 22 to blade 12. Shaft 20 is shown provided with an operating crank handle 21.1 although in usual uses of the device in connection with mailing or ticket-issuing ma chines and cash registers, shaft 20 would be driven by power in certain definite relationship with other power driven mechanisms of such machines.

Blade 12 is shown in its normal position in Fig. 3, holding the stamp or ticket guide 7 forwardly of a fixed horizontally disposed plate This plate is located immediately above ways 17 and may be formed integrally with bracket 5 which is secured to frame 1.

Spaced below the forward edge 23 of plate 22.1 is a bar 2% supported at its ends by the side members 18 of frame 1. The stamp or ticket at the free end of strip 8 normally hangs between the cutting edge 25 of blade 12 and the forward edge of plate 22.1.

During the rearward motion of blade 12 guide 7 rocks rearwardly under the action of spring 13 until it comes to rest against the edge 23 of plate 22.1. When the parts are in this position, during the normal operation of the machine, a row of perforations or a score in the strip 8 will lie somewhere bet-ween plate 22.1 and bar 24. The further rearward motion of blade 12 now causes the strip 8 to be bent backwardly and to be pushed between edge 23 and bar 2st. On account of the fact that the shoulder pro vided by the plate 22.1 is closer to the blade 12 than the shoulder provided by the bar 2 1, the former offers more resistance to the strip than the latter and consequently the strip draws around the blade as it is pushed along until the weakened portion of the strip is centered with respect to edge 25 of the blade, when on account of its weakness the strip bends to a sharp angle over the edge of the blade and is then pulled through guide 7 without any further slipping on the blade. The edge of plate 22.1 is slightly rounded so that the weakened part of the strip will draw around it more readily than around the edge of the blade 12. As the rearward edge of blade 12 passes between plate 22.1 and a roller 26 rotatably mounted below the plate 22.1, the strip is bent backwardly upon itself still more sharply along the weakened line thereof, and is cut or broken at this line as the separator passes through a horizontal slot 27 in frame 1. The upper edge of this slot may constitute a shear-knife coacting with the edge 25 of blade 12, although the device would still operate for correctly breaking the strip along the perforated lines if the edges of slot 27 and edge 25 of the blade were dull, since the movement of the strip 7 and the stamp or ticket which is to be severed from the strip is restrained by plate 22.1 and roller 26.

Shaft 20 preferably carries fast a mutilated gear 28 which engages the intermediate gear 29 when blade 12 is practically at rest in its rearmost position, as appears ticket out of the machine through slot 27.

The extent of advance of the strip 8 under the action of slide or separator blade 12 is sufficient to bring the next scored or perforated line of the strip between the edge 23 of plate 22.1 and bar 24, and the device operates with certainty in so positioning a perforated or weakened line of a strip. In the operation of the device, assuming that shaft 20 is continuously rotated, the ac tion of eccentric 19 results in reciprocation of the slide or separator blade 12 and a similar reciprocation or oscillation of the strip guide 7, since the latter is normally urged in one direction by spring 13 and is driven in the opposite direction against the action of said spring by its link connection with blade 12. Since, after any severing operation of the device, the strip 8 normally lies in the pm sition shown in Fig. 3 with a weakened line of the strip between the guide edge 23 and bar 2 1, the rearward motion of blade 12 results in the weakened portion of the strip being centered with respect to the cutting or severing edge 25 of blade 12. The strip is then dragged or fed rearward between the plate 22.1 and roller 26 by action of blade 12. The ticket or stamp to be severed is thus folded back upon the strip and is finally broken or out along the folded and weakened line when forced through the slot 2?. Further rotation of shaft 20 when the blade 12 is in its rearmost position and the eccentric 19 is passing dead center, results in the mutilated gear 28 driving roller 26 and thus feeding t 1e stamp or ticket out of the machine. lVhile the strip runs over the abrupt shoulder 23 the gum on the same is somewhat cracked whereby it will be in condition to permit moisture to readily soak through the gum on being moistened.

From the foregoing it may be seen that the present invention fully accomplishes a much desired result in a wide variety of machines, such as receipting mechanisms wherein it is desirable to have some matter preprinted on the receipt, ticket machines, mailing machines, etc. The severing mechanism operates accurately, regardless of slight imperfections of feed if other frictional feeding devices are provided for the strip than the one shown in the drawings. It may also be seen that contraction or elongation of the strip will not affect the accuracy of the present mechanism.

It may be noted that a number of changes may be made in various parts of this machine without departing from the principle of the invention; for instance, guide 7 may have a reciprocatin motion instead of an oscillating motion. Also separator 12 may oscillate around a pivotal point instead of reciprocating in one plane as shown,

The device as shown in the drawings will operate with equal efficiency in any position, that is, any side of the same may be the top.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A device for separating the individual portions of a strip subdivided by transverse lines of weakness, comprising means for guiding the strip along a certain path, a blade at one side of said path and lying in a plane transverse to that of the strip and substantially parallel with the lines of weakness thereof, and a pair of shoulders located at the opposite side of said path and cooperating with said blade for causing the strip to be bent and forced toward one side between said shoulders, whereby said blade may be caused to register with a line of weakness in said strip.

2. A device for separating the individual portions of a strip subdivided by transverse lines of weakness, comprising means for guiding the strip along a certain path, a blade at one side of said path and lying in a plane transverse to that of the strip and substantially parallel with the lines of weakness thereof, a pair of shoulders located at the opposite side of said path and cooperating with said blade for causing the strip to be bent and forced toward one side between said shoulders, whereby said blade may be caused to register with a line of weakness in said strip, and means cooperating with said blade for breaking said strip along such line of weakness.

3. A device for separating the individual portions of a strip subdivided by equally spaced transverse lines of weakness, comprising means for guiding the strip along a certain path, a blade at one side of said path and lying in a plane transverse to that of the strip and substantially parallel with the lines of weakness thereof, a pair of shoulders located at the opposite side of said path and cooperating with said blade for causing the strip to be bent and forced toward one side between said shoulders, where by said blade may be caused to register with a line of weakness in said strip, and a cutter cooperating with said blade for severing said strip. said cutter being spaced beyond said shoulders a distance slightly greater than the spacing of the lines of weakness in said strip whereby the movement of said blade will operate to accurately feed said strip.

4. A device for separating the individual portions of a strip subdivided by transverse lines of weakness, comprising means for guiding the strip along a certain path, a blade at one side of said path and lying in a plane transverse to that of the strip and substantially parallel with the lines of weakness thereof, and a pair of shoulders located at the opposite side of said path and cooperating with said blade for causing the strip to be bent and forced toward one side between said shoulders, said blade being located nearer to one of said shoulders than to the other, whereby the part of the strip at one side of said blade will be restrained so as to cause said strip to draw over said blade to bring a weakened line in said strip into registry with said blade.

A device for separating the individual portions of a strip subdivided by transverse lines of weakness, comprising a pair of spaced parallel guide shoulders, means for supporting a strip of paper across one side of said guide shoulders, a blade movable transversely to said strip for bending the same between said members, means for unequally resisting a movement of the parts of said strip which are at opposite sides of said blade whereby a weakened line on said strip will be caused to register with said blade, and means cooperating with said blade for severing said strip on such weakened line.

6. A device for separating the individual portions of a strip subdivided by equally spaced transverse lines of weakness, comprising a magazine for supporting the strip of material, a guide for the free end of said strip comprising a member pivotally mounted at its end which is adjacent to said magazine, a stop for limiting the movement of the other end of said guide in one direction, a second guide located beyond said other end of said first guide when the latter is engaged with said stop, a blade movable transversely to said strip adjacent to the free end of said pivoted guide and adapted to buckle said strip between said pivoted guide and said second guide, means at one side of said blade whereby greater resistanceis offered to the movement of said strip at such side of said strip than at the other, whereby said blade will be caused to register with a line of weakness in said strip between said guides, means cooperating with said blade for severing said strip along such line of weakness, said last named means being located at a distance from said guides whereby the movement of said blade between said guides will be caused to successively advance said strip by stages substantially to or greater than the distance between the lines of weakness therein, and means for swinging said pivoted guide for withdrawing the end of said strip from the space between said guides during the return movements of said blade.

7. A device for separating the individual portions of a strip subdivided by transverse lines of weakness, comprising a support and movable guiding means for the strip, a stationary shoulder, means for imparting a reciprocatory motion to said guiding means with respect to said shoulder for the purpose of positioning the free end of the strip in front of said shoulder, and means operating to bend the strip between said guiding means and said shoulder for the purpose of feeding the strip and severing the strip on weakened lines thereof.

8. A de ice of the class described, comprising a support and guiding means for a paper strip, a fixed shoulder, means for imparting a reciprocatory motion to said guiding means with respect to said shoulder, and a strip feeding device operating to intermittently engage the strip and bend the same transversely between said guiding means and fixed shoulder.

9. A device of the class described, comprising a support and guiding means for a paper strip, a fixed shoulder, means for imparting a reciprocatory motion to said guiding means with respect to said shoulder, a strip feeding device operating to intermittently engage the strip and bend the same transversely between said guiding means and fixed shoulder, and means cooperating with said feeding device for severing the strip at such bend.

Signed at Chicago this 8th day of Nov. 1915.

IRVING G. XVOODVVARD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G.

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