US1510712A - Photographic-printing machine - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 7, 1924. 1,510,712

D. H. STEWART PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTING MACHINE Filed Sent. 27 L922 INVENTOR. Donald HJSZeWarZ,

27 ATTO NEY Patented Oct. 7, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DONALD H. STEWART, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PHOTOGRAPHIIC-PRINTING MACHINE.

Application filed September 27, 1922. Serial No. 590,806.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DONALD H. STEWART,

a citizen of the United States of America,"

operated, being particularly adapted for use in commercial printing from amateurs negatives. To these ends the improvements aredirected particularly to the means for ac tuating the platen; to the control by which the platen operating mechanism is caused to function; and to the means for securing proper printing contact between the negative and paper. With these and other objects in view which will appear from the specification, the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all

as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

It is customary in machines of this type to operate the platen in one direction, usually down, by! hand or power, and then to move the platen back under spring pressure. This system has the disadvantage of requiring the greatest ower at the end of the stroke, where, for st results, perfectly even pressure must be applied to the negative and paper. The spring counteracts in part the power applied to the platen, and as the spring must raise the platen rapidly, there is a large amount of power wasted. When power is used, such as a magnet or motor, the size of the power unit'must be such that it cannot only move the platen with the desired speed, but it must also be capable of overcoming the power of the spring used to return the platen, thus requiring a large and powerful power unit. With my invention, however, these difficulties are overcome, as the platen is positively driven in each direction, and there is no spring to be put under tension. Moreover, the parts can be made much lighter and smaller than would otherwise be necessary to do the same work because the parts can be balanced to require but little motive power.

In the drawings, in which like reference characters denote like parts throughout; Fig. l'is a section through a printing machine, constructed in accordance with, and illustrating one form of my invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof, parts being. broken away Fig. 3 is a wiring diagram;

Fig. at is a section through a machine illustrating a second embodiment of my machine; and

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective of a latch mechanism which may be used with my.

printer.

The printer consists of a cabinet 1, en closing the printing lamp 2, red pilot lamp 3 (Fig. 3) and reflector 4, all mounted beneath the glass printing panel 5. A negative is placed on this panel with the printingpaper in the usual manner, with masks if desired, and Contact is secured between these by means of'a presser back or platen. This consists of a flexible pad/7 mounted on the presser back plate 6, having lugs 8 extending up from the plate, and being slotted at 9. Rods 10,10 pass through these slots to support the plate, and springs 11, 11 pressing on the rods and plate serve to keep an even pressure over the printing frame 5, regardless of the thickness of the materials laid thereon, and in addition, as a cushioning device to reduce the shock of the platen being rapidly lowered.

Rods 10, 10 are mounted in the side arm 12, 12 mounted upon the shaft 13, being pinned thereto by pins 141, 1 1. This shaft is carried at one end by a bracket 15 mounted upon the slanting cabinet front 16, and at the other end in a bracket 17, which extends down through the casing front 16, being fastened thereto by a flange 18, and having a bearing 19 on the lower end. This bearing supports a stub shaft 20, upon which there is a gear 21 meshing with gear 22 can ried by shaft 13. A shield 22 coversgear 22 for safety. By turning shaft 20 the gears 21 and 22 turn shaft 13 and with it the platen 6.

The platenmoving means is operated from a source of power, and moves the platen to a clearance position by one device, and to a printing position by another device, which, by way of illustration, are here shown as solenoids 23 and 24, carried by suitable brackets 25 attached to a side 26 of the cabinet 1. The'cores 27 and 28 of the solenoids are each attached to and insulated from a segment 29 carrying a stub shaft 30. Segment 29 forms a reciprocating member driven by power in each direction. Shaft 30 passes through a slot 31 in the bifurcated end 32 of lever 33 fastened to gear 21 by bolts 34 and 35. Slots 36, 36 permit the lever 33 to be angularly adjusted relative to the gear.

Referring to Fig. 3, the switches 37 and 38 control the solenoids, these being of the type that are spring pressed into an open position. The linewires 39 and 40 pass current to solenoid 23 through wires a1 and d2, the latter being interrupted by switch 37. Solenoid 24: is fed through wires 43 and 1 1, the latter wire carrying switch 38. By pressing either switch the solenoid is actuated,

and by retaining pressure upon switch 24: the platen 6 is pressed continuously upon the printing panel, since the parts are adjusted so that the platen contact is secured just before the core 28 reaches the limit of movement into the coil 24. This adjustment may be made through slots 36 and 36, and bolts 34 and 35.

The printing is here done by a single lamp 2, and a red pilot lamp 3 burns continuously when switch 457 is closed enabling current to pass through wires 4:8 and 4:9. Lamp 2, however, is controlled by the spring opened switch and burns only when plunger 51 carried by the platen side arm 12 contacts with switch 50, thus making the circuit. This plunger is in the form of an adjustable screw, notched at 52 so that a spring 53 may retain the plunger in a set position. This position is obtained by causing the lamp 2 to burn after the platen is pressed upon the printing panel, thus insuring proper contact between the paper and negative before printing starts.

in Fig. 4 the machine parts which corre spond to those of Fig. 1 are indicated by the same numbers primed. Here a bell crank lever 50 is carried by shaft 13 which carries platen 6, and there is attached to shaft 13 a disk 51 notched at 52 so as to be engaged by a latch 53 pivoted at 54. to a bracket 55 and pressed into contact with the disk by a spring 56. This tends to hold the platen 6 in the open position shown when power is cut off from the raising solenoid 23. I connect the cores 27 and 28 to end of lever 50 by means of'links 58 and 59, instead of by the pin and slot 30, 31 of Fig. 1. These links form the reciprocating memher in this form.

In the machine shown in Fig. 1, I provide a lever arm 33 of such weight that it balances the weight of the platen 6 with its associated parts so that no latching mechanism is necessary.

If desired, a latch such as is shown in Fig. 5 may be used with notches 60 and 61 located on the disk 62 in such a position that the dog 63, pressed by spring 6 1 will engage the notches thus frictionally holding the platen in its open or its clearance position and in its closed or printing position.

The operation of my machine is simple and the drive is quick and positive in. each direction. The operator may press button 37 with the first finger causing the platen to raise after which pressure may be re leased. After arranging the negative and paper on panel 5, by pressing with the second finger upon button 38, platen 6 is lowered. Continuous pressure retains the contact, and with standard materials the average exposure is from 1 to 3 seconds. The control of this machine can, of course, be operated with one finger, but I find ityconvenient in practice to press the buttons Y37 and 38 like the keys of a piano, with sepa rate fingers. In any event, the machine can be operated continuously without fatigue. The pilot lamp 3 is always burning to facilitate placing the negative and paper, and the printing lamp 2 is automatically lighted and extinguished bythe movements of platen 6.

When I use the word manual in the specification and in the claims, I use. it in its generic sense as meaning the application of force by any part of the operators body.

Having thus described. my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a printing machine having a printing panel and a platen movable thereover, the combination with two platen-moving devices eachincluding a source of power, of one adapted to move the platen to the printing panel and the other adapted. to move it from the printing panel, said platen-moving devices having separate controls.

2. In a printing machine having a, printing p ancl and a platen movable thereover, the combination with two electro-magnetic platen-moving devices, each including a source of power, of one adapted to move the platen to the printing panel and the other adapted to move it from the printingpanel, said electro-magnetic platen-moving devices havino separate controls.

3. 131 a printing machine having aprinting panel and a platen movable to and from an operative position thereover, the combination with-two solenoids, of separate means for controlling the solenoids, one being adapted to move the platen to its operative position and the other being adapted to move it from this position.

4. In a photographic printing machine having a printing panel and a platen movable thereover, the combination with a lever, of connections between the lever and the platen whereby the platen may be moved by the lever in two directions, separate driving devices connected to the lever, and separate controls for the driving devices, one driving device being adapted to move the platen in one direction, and the other driving device being adapted to move the platen in the other direction.

5. In a photographic printing machine having a, printing panel, the combination with a platen, of a shaft to which the platen is fastened, a gear on the shaft, a second gear meshing with the first gear, and means associated with the second gear for driving it first in one direction and then in the other.

6. In a photographic printing machine, the combination with a printing panel, of

a platen movable to and. from an operative position thereover, connections to the platen including a lever for moving the platen, a reciprocable member, and power driven means for causing this member to reciprocate, there being separate controls for governing the movements; of the reciprocable member in each direction.

7. In a photographic printing machine having a printing panel, the combination with a platen movable to a printing posi tion thereover, and to a clearance position, of

' a reciprocable member, connections between the reciprocable member and the platen, a source of motive power, independent manual control members for governing the driving devices, whereby an operator may cause a driving device to function to move the reciprocable member in the desired direction at will.

8. A photographic printing machine, comprising a printing panel, a platen movable into printing position on said panel and removable from said panel to clearance position, means including a source of motive power for moving said platen into and out of said positions and for retaining it in said printing position, independent manual control members, connections between one of said control members and said means which govern the means to move said platen to printing position and retain it therein, and connections between another of said control members and said means to govern said means to remove said platen to said clearance position.

9. A photographic printing machine comprising a printing panel, a platen movable into printing position on said panel and removable from said panel to a clearance position, a source of motive power, two separate driving devices connected thereto, a reciprocable member operably connected to each of the driving devices, one being adapted to move the platen to its printing position, the other being adapted to move the platen to its clearance position, and separate manual controls for causing thedriving device to function to move the reciprocable member at will.

10. A photographic printing machine comprising a printing panel, a platen movable into a printing position on said panel and removable from said panel to a clearance position, a shaft by which the platen is carried and with which it turns to its posi tions, means including a lever for turning the shaft, a reciprocable member, connections between this member and the lever for moving the latter, separate power driven devics, one for operating the reciprocable memher in each direction, and a movable control for each power driven device adapted to normally hold the device inoperative, means for manually moving the control to cause the device to function at will.

11. A photographic printing machine comprising a printing panel, aplaten mov able to a printing position, and to a clearance position with respect thereto, t'Woseparate power actuated devices, connections between the platen and these devices, movable controls spring pressed into a position in which the power actuated devices are held inoperative, and capable of being moved manually against the spring pressure into a position in which the power actuated devices will function.

12. A photographic: printing machine comprising a printing panel, a platen movable to and from the panel into printing and clearance positions, a shaft for carrying the platen, two solenoids, connections between the solenoids and the shaft including a lever, electric: circuits for the solenoids including an independent switch for each solenoid, means for normally holding the switches in a position to break the circuit, each switch being adapted to be moved to make the circuit'and thus move the platen in one direction through one solenoid.

13. A photographic printing machine comprising a printing panel, a platen movable to and from the panel into printing and clearance positions, a shaft for carrying the platen, two solenoids, connections between the solenoids and the shaft including a lever, electric circuits for the solenoids including an independent switch for each solenoid, each switch being capable of making a circuit by manual operation, one solenoid being adapted to move the platen to a printing position against the printing panel and to con tinnally press it thereon until the circuit is broken.

14. A photographic printing machine, comprising a printing panel, a platen movable into printing position on said panel and removable from said. posit-ion, means, govern said means, when said members are including a source of motive power for actuated, to move said platen to printing moving said platen to and from said printposition, retain it in said position, and re- 10 ing position and for retaining it in said move it from said position.

position, a plurality of members under Signed at Rochester, New YorlgthisQQnd bodily control of the operator, connections davof Sept.,1922.

between said members and said means which DONALD H. STEWART.

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