US1607396A - Sheet-feeding mechanism for rotary printing machines - Google Patents

Description

SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM FOR ROTARY PRINTING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 19, 1925 Nov. 16, 1926.

C. F. GREEN SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM FOR ROTARY PRINTING MACHINES Filed Jan- 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 16, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES FREDERICK GREEN, OF ROMFORD, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO A. B. DICK COH- PANY. F GHICAGQ, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SHEET-FEEDING MECHANISM FOR ROTARY PRINTING MAGHINE8. I

Application filed January 19, 1925, Serial No. 3,218, and in Great Britain February 28, 1924.

The present invention relates to sheet feeding mechanism for rotary printing machines. It is applicable to the type of mach ne which comprises a printing cylinder upon which is secured a circular grooved form in which the type characters are held, the sheets of paper being fed successively between an impression roller and the cylinder for printing, provision being made whereby l the impression roller can be moved in or out of contact with the cylinder. The rint-' ing is effected by means of a broad inked ribbon stretched over the type faces, or by means of inking rollers, one or more of the rollers revolving in contact with the type.

The invention is also applicable to rotary duplicating machines in which a stencil is carried on a cylinder, the paper being fed between the cylinder and a rubber impression roller.

The present invention has for one of its ob ects to provide simple mechanism for ensuring accurate sheet feeding to rotary rinting machines of these ty cs. ]ects of this invention will, e in partgobvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention contemplates sheet feeding mechanism wherein a shee of paper is introduced either by hand 01 by an automatic 80 feeding device between a'pair of rotating feed rollers which carry the sheet against a fence or stop, the said fence being subsequently actuated by mechanism which moves it out of the path of the sheet, thus releasing the sheet so that the feed rollers carry it forward between the impression roller and the printing cylinder.

The feed rollers are rotated by suitable gearing to the printing cylinder so arranged that the periphery speed of the feed rollers is peferably the same as that of the printing cylinder, and the rollers having just sufiicient pressure between them to feed the sheets of paper free, but light enough to slide over the sheets when the front edges of the sheets are broughtup against'the fence or stop.

The fence or stop is actuated by a cam ca rried on the printing cylinder, the cam being rotatively adjustable on the bylinder enablin the sheet to be released at any desired time in relation to the rotation of the cylinder, thus enabling the sheet to be printed through while the sheets are.

with the top line of printing at any desired distance from the top edge of the sheet of paper.

In order that a clearer understanding of my invention may be had, attention is hereby directed to the accompanying drawings forming part of this application and illustrating. one possible embodiment of my invention. In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of one form of a rotary type duplicating machine to which the sheet feeding mechanism has been applied, the view showing the parts intheir inoperative position, i. e., with the fence opposing the passage of a sheet of paper through the feed rollers- Fig. 2 is a similar view to Fig. 1, but with the fence in the position for a sheet to be fed into the machine; Fig. 3 is a frontview of the machine; and Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of the sheet feed rollers and the fence or stop. Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 10 is the type form support commonly called the printing cylinder to which the printing form is secured in any well known manner, the .sup port 16 being secured to discs 11 mounted on the sh'aft 12 carried between the frames 13 of the machine. The frames 13 are bored out and have fitted therein the ends of a shaftj14 to which are secured brackets 15 formed with open bearings 9 in which rest the ends of the spindle of the impression roller 16. Theshaft 14 protrudes through the frame 13 and has secured thereto one end of an arm 17, the free end of which carries a stud 18 which is adapted to be engaged by the end of a pivoted hand lever 19,

whereby lever 17 may be lowered or released. The impression roller 16 has secured to it at one end a gear 20 which engages with a spur wheel 21 formed integral with one of the discs 11.

The sheet feeding mechanism as applied to this type of machine is constructed and operates as follows Fitted on the shaft 12 is a cam 22, the position of which can be adjusted relatively to the printing cylinder and held in position by means of an arm 23 carrying a set screw 24 which is engageable with the surface of the disc 11 to lock the cam in its adjusted posibringing main gear tion. The surface 22' of the cam depresses a roller 25 secured to a slide 26 housed in a. slot formed in a stud 27 secured to one of the frames 13 of the machine, the other end of the slide being connected to a short lever 28 secured to a rocking shaft 29 pivoted between the frames 13, the said lever being fashioned with a spur 30 to which one end of a spring 31 is secured, the other end of the s ring being secured over a pin 31' secure to the frame 13. To the shaft 29 are secured a number of upstanding plates 32. These plates are so shaped that they form a vertical stop extending a little above, a little below, and a little behind the points of contact of a pair of feed rollers.

The lower feed roller 33 comprises a number of narrow rollers, a little distance apart from each other on a shaft which is journaled in the frames 13.

To the shaft of the roller 33 is secured a gear 34 which gear meshes with a gear 35 fitted in a projection of the bracket 15, the latter gear also being in engagement with the gear 20 of the impression roller 16.

The upper "feed roller 36 is fashioned in a manner similar to the feed roller 33, but its shaft is carried in hearings in arms 37 pivoted to the side frames 13, and the arms are preferably counterbalanced so that only a light pressure between the feed rollers is obtained.

The said roller also has fitted to it a gear 38 which meshes with the gear 34 of roller 33.

It will be seen that when the handle 19 is depressed, as in Fig. 1, if the operating handle 39 is turned with a counterclockwise motion, sheets of paper, if fed between the rollers 33 and 36, will fail to feed into the machine for the reason that the gear 20 of the impression roller 16 is out of mesh with the main gear 21 since the movement of hand lever 19 to the position shown causes the spring 41 secured to the bracket 15 to pull the impression roller 16 away from contact with the printing form secured to the segment 10, and the feed rollers 33 and 36 fail to rotate, although the cam 22 actuates the fence or stop 32 through the slide 26.

It will thus be seen that the paper feed rollers 33 and 36 will not revolve to feed paper into the machine unless the impression roller gear 20 is in engagement with the main gear 21. This is etfected by elevating handle 19, and placing the parts in the plosition shown in Fig. 2.

W ile the machine is in the position shown in Fig. 1, a pile of sheets to be rinted is placed upon the feed board 40. T e machine is then made ready for printing by the parts into the position shown in 2., That is to say, the hand lever 19 is a orded an upward movement which pulls the gear 20 into engagement with the 21 by movement of arm 17 and bracket 15 against the action of sprin 41. Thus gears 21, 20, 35, 34 and 38 are al in engagement.

A sheet of paper from the pile is now pushed up to the feed rollers 33 and 36. Movement of the handle 39 causes the sheet to be advanced by the feed rollers against the fence or stop 32 which at the commencement of operating the machine is in the positon shown in Fig. 1, the sheet being retained by the stop although the rollers 33 and 36 continue to rotate. When the machine is rotated to the position shown in Fig. 2, the surface 22' of cam 22 acts on the roller 25, causing slide 26 to be depressed and with it the lever 28, so that bar 29 turns and causes the upstanding plates 32 forming the stop or fence to move awa from the fed rollers 33 and 36 so releasing the sheet of paper which passes on between the impression roller 16 and the printing form secured to the segment 10. ()n continuing the rotation of the machine, after the sheet has passed through the feed rollers 33 and 36, the stop or fence formed by the plates 32 will be returned to position near the points of contact of feed rollers 33 and 36 when the cam surface 22 moves clear of theroller 25 under the action of the spring 31. Thus sheets may be fed in succession up to the rollers 33 and 36 and will be introduced between the printing surface and the impression roller 16 at the correct moment. l

The cam 22 can be adjusted in relation to the form by means of the screw 24, thus enabling the sheet to be printed to be fed for printing at any desired time so that the top line of printing may appear at any desired distance from the top edge of the sheet of paper.

In some other forms of rotary type duplicating machines movement of the impression roller to its out of operation position is effected without entirely disengaging the gear thereon with the cylinder gear and the present invention can be applied to such machines by modifying the train of gearing.

It is to be understood that although the sheet feeding mechanism has been described and illustrated as applied to a type printing machine, it can also be fitted to duplicating machines wherein printing is effected through a stencil sheet supported on a perforated segment.

Furthermore, the method of mounting the feed rollers and the upstanding plates forming the stop or fence may be modified to suit type duplicating machines differing in construction from the machine under review.

Accordingly, as many changes could be made in the above construction and many ed that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim is 1. In a rotary printing machine, the combination with a printing cylinder and a coacting impression roller, of means, including a pair of opposed feed rollers continuously rotatable in contact with an interosed nut when the machine is being turned, or feeding the sheet into feeding engagement between the cylinder and impression roller, means, including a stop or fence movable into the path of the sheet, for arresting the feeding of the sheet by said rollers, and means for removing the stop or fence from the path of the sheet at a predetermined time during the turning of the cylinder, so allowing the sheet to be fed forward by the said feed rollers for printing at a definite position of the printing cylin- 2. In a rotary printing machine, the combinationwwith a printing cylinder and a coacting impression roller, of means, including a pair of opposed feed rollers continuously rotatable in contact with an interposed sheet when the machine is being-turned, for feeding the sheet into feeding engagement between the cylinder and impression roller, means, including a stop or fence movable into the path of'the sheet, for arresting the feeding of the sheet by said rollers, and means for removing the stop or fence from the path of the sheet, so allowing the sheet to be fed forward by the said feed rollers for printing at a definite position 0; the printing cylinder, said feed rollers being fashioned with a plurality-of contact surfaces, a gear on each roller, said gears meshing with each other, a gear on the printing cylinder, and a drive connection between the cylinder gear and one of said roller gears.

3. In a rotary printing machine, the combination with a printing cylinder and a coacting impression roller, of means, including a pair of opposed feed rollers continuously rotatable in contact with an interposed sheet when the machine is being turned, for feeding the sheet into feeding engagem'eiit'between the cylinder and impression roller, means, including a stop or fence movable into the ath of the sheet, for-arresting the feeding of the sheet by said rollers, and means for removing the stop or fence from the path of the sheet, so allowing the sheet to be fed forward by the said feed rollers for printing at a definite position of the rinting cylinder, said feed rollers being fashioned with a plurality of contact surfaces, a gear on each roller, said gears meshing with each other, a gear on the printing c linder, and a drive connection between t e cylinder gear and one of said roller posed sheet when the machine is being turned, for feeding the sheet into feeding engagement between the cylinder and impression roller, means, including a stop or fence movable into the path of the sheet, for arresting the feeding of the sheet by said rollers, and means for removing the stop or fence from the path of the sheet, so allowing the sheet to be fed forward by the said feed rollers for printin at a definite position of the printing cy inder, said feed rollers being fashioned with a plurality of contact surfaces, a' gear on each roller, said gears meshing with each other, a gear on the printing cylinder, and a drive connection between the cylinder gear and one of said roller gears, said stop or fence consisting of a series of upstanding plates scoured to a shaft and projecting between the divisions of the feed rollers behind the points of contact in intercepting position across the path of sheets fed by the feed rollers, said stop or fence removing means including a cam on the printing cylinder coacting with a slide connected with the shaft supporting the upstanding plates of the stop or fence.

5. In a rotary printing machine, the combination with a printing cylinder and a coacting impression roller, of means, including a pair of opposed feed rollers continuously. rotatable in contact with an interposed sheet when the machine is being turned, for feeding the sheet into feeding engagement between the cylinder and imression roller, means, includin a stop or ence movable into the path 0 the sheet, for arresting the feeding of the sheet by said rollers, and means for removing the stop or fence from the path of the sheet, so allowing the sheet to be fed forward by the said feed rollers for printing at a definite position of the printing cylinder, said feed rollers being fashioned with a plurality of contact surfaces, a gear on each roller, said gears meshing with each other, a gear on the printing cylinder, and adrive connection between the cylinder gear and one of said roller gears, said stop or fence consisting of a series of upstanding plates secured to a shaft and projecting between the divisions of the feed rollers behind the points of contact in intercepting position across the path of sheets fed by the feed rollers, said stop or fence removing means including a cam on the printing cylinder coacting with a slide connected with the shaft supporting the upstanding plates of the stop or fence, the said cam being adjustable on the printing cylinder.

6. In a rotary printing machine, the combination with a printing cylinder and a coacting impression roller, of means, including a pair of opposed feed rollers continuously rotatable in contact with an interposed sheet when the machine is being turned, for feeding the sheet into feeding engagement between the cylinder and impression roller, means, including a stop or fence movable into the path of the sheet, for arresting the feeding of the sheet by said rollers, means for removing the stop or fence from the path'of the sheet, so allowing the sheet to be fed forward by said feed rollers for printing at a definite position of the printmg cylinder, and a driving connection between said impression roller and said feed rollers, whereby said rollers are driven from said cylinder.

7. In a rotary printing machine. the combination with a printing cylinder and a coacting impression roller, of means, including a. pair of opposed feed rollers continuously rotatable in contact with an interposed sheet when the machine is being turned, for feeding the sheet into feeding engagement between the cylinder and impression roller, means, including a stop or fence movable into the path of the'sheet, for arresting the feeding of the sheet by said rollers, means for removing the stop or fence from the path of the sheet, so allowing the sheet to be fed forward by said feed rollers for printing at a definite position of the printing cylinder, and a driving connection between said impression roller and said feed rollers, whereby said rollers are driven from said cylinder, said impression roller being manually adjustable into and out of driven engagement with said cylinder, whereby said feed rollers may be rendered operative and inoperative at will.

This specification signed this 8th day of J an., 1925.

CHARLES FREDERICK GREEN.

rollers, said stop or fence removing means including a cam on the printing c linder coacting with a slide connected with the shaft supporting the upstanding plates of the stop or fence, the said cam being adjustable on the printing cylinder.

6. In a rotary printing machine, the combination with a printing cylinder and a eoacting impression roller, of means, including a pair of opposed feed rollers continuously rotatable in contact with an interposed sheet when the machine is being turned, for feeding the sheet into feeding engagement between the cylinder and impression roller, means, including a stop or fence movable into the path of the sheet, for arresting the feeding of the sheet by said rollers, means for removing the stop or fence from the path of the sheet, so allowing the sheet to be fed forward by said feed rollers for rinting at a definite position of the printing cylinder, and a driving connection between said impression roller and said feed rollers, whereby said rollers are driven from said cylinder.

7. In a rotary printing machine. the combination with a printing cylinder and a coacting impression roller, of means, including a pair of opposed feed rollers continuously rotatable in contact with an interposed sheet when the machine is being turned, for feeding the sheet into feeding engagement between the cylinder and impression roller, means, including a stop or fence movable into the path of the sheet, for arresting the feeding of the sheet by said rollers, means for removing the stop or fence from the path of the sheet, so allowing the sheet to be fed forward by said feed rollers for printing at a definite position of the printing cylinder, and a driving connection between said impression roller and said feed rollers, whereby said rollers are driven from said cylinder, said impression roller being manually adjustable into and out of driven engagement with said cylinder, whereby said feed rollers may be rendered operative and inoperative at will.

This specification signed this 8th day of Jan, 1925.

CHARLES FREDERICK GREEN.

Certificate of Correction.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,607,396, granted November 16, 1926, upon the application of Charles Frederick Greenfiof Romford, England, for

an improvement in Sheet-Feeding Mechanisms for otary Printing Machines,

errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 2,

' line 84, for the word fed read feed; page 3,

Patent should be read with these corrections read sheet; and that the said Letters line 11, claim 1, for the word nut therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed and sealed this 28th day of December,

M. J. MOORE, Acting Commissioner of Patents.

Certificate of Correction.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,607,396. granted November 16, 1926, upon the application of Charles Frederick Green, of Romford, England, for an improvement in Sheet-Feeding Mechanisms for Rotary Printing Machines, errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 84, for the word fed read feed; page 3, line 11, claim 1, for the word nut read sheet; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiice.

Signed and sealed this 28th day of December, A. D. 1926.

[m] M. J. MOORE,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

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