US1823145A - Phctographic printing machine - Google Patents

Description

P 1931; R. s. HOPKINS 1,823,145

EHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTING MACHINE Filed June 8, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 15, 1931. R. s. HOPKINS 1,823,145

PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTING MACHINE Fil June 8. 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 15, 1931. s, op s 1,823,145

PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTING MACHINE Filed June 8, 1928 s Sheets-Sheet 5 Fl 1 U l 9. i v 57 a? 5 mentog v g Jams,

Roy S. Hop

Patented Sept. 15, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROY SLHOPKINS, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK Application filed June 8, 1928.

Serial No. 283,888.

This invention relates to photography and Fig. l is a perspective view of a printing more particularly to photographic printing machines. One object of the invention is to provide a printing machine for automatically making fancy borders on photographic prints. Another object is to provide a mechanism for producing any desired exposure at one printing station, said mechanism being adapted .to simultaneously produce a fixed exposure at another printing station. Another object is to provide a printer in which paper is automatically moved between printing stations without attention from the operator. Another object is to provide a printer with a pair of platens moving in timed relation one to the other. Another object is to provide 'a means for simultaneously adjusting a border mask and negative mask and to retain a definite margin on the prints at both printing stations keeping proper registration between the successive printings. Another object is to provide relatively fixed margin gauges. and relatively movable printing panels-for securing double printing registrations, and other objects will appear from the following specification, the novel features being particularly pointed out in the claims at the end thereof.

In amateur finishing establishments and in professional studios it has been customary to provide a pair of complementary masks for producing a tinted or fancy border around. prints. Generally one mask is used to make latent images of the fancy or tinted border on a plurality of paper sheets after which the other mask is used with a negative and the previously printed paper to produce the final result. This necessitates two separate and distinct printing operations, and it not only takes a lot of time, but it is difficult to keep registration between the two prints. My present machine is automatic in that the operator need only make a single print, the second border print, registration, positioning and releasing of the paper being cared for by the machine.

Coming now to the drawings wherein like reference characters denote like parts throughout:

machine constructed in accordance with and illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the printing panels of the machine shown in Fig. 1, parts being removed for clearness;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section showing parts of a negative clamp;

Fig. 4 is a part section showing the main platen operating mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a cam diagram to illustrate the movement of the main platen operating cam;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the gearing for operating the main platen;

Fig. 7 shows the pressure obtaining gearing for the main platen;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary section showing the safety device on the main platen operating shaft;

Fig. 9 is a section on line 9-9 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a side elevation of parts of the operating mechanism;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary detail of the main clutch operating device;

Fig. '12 is a part section showing the secondary clutch operating device; and

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary view showing the secondary platen operating mechanism.

This printing machine is arranged so that the operator makes asingle print at the upper platen after which the parts automatically function permitting the print to slide by gravity to the lower platen where a second print is made, after which the parts are automatically actuated to permit the double printed print to drop by gravity into a convenient receptacle. It is thus necessary for the operator only to perform the usual operations necessary for making a single print to produce a print with a tinted or fancy border.

The present embodiment of my invention consists of a cabinet 1 which may have sides 2, a top 3, and a slanting front 4, supported on a table-like structure comprising sides 5, ends 6, and legs 7. This cabinet encloses the power operated mechanism and the light source for the two printing panels, which may be of any convenient shape, but the slanting front 4 should be at sufiicient angle from the horizontal to ermit a print to slide rapidly through the force of gravity from one printing station to the other and into the print receptacle here shown as a drawer 8.

end rail and the last mentioned lug being integral withwthe slotll. It will thus be seen that by turning screw 12 the slide is moved a short distance up or down.

The slide 11 includes in the present instance a pair of printing openings 16 and 17 one arranged above the other, both of these openings preferably being of the same shape, and having one corner 18 or 19 lower than the other three corners, as shown in Fig. '2. These printing openings are covered by the usual glass printing panels 20 or 21 and masks 22 and 23 are shown covering the glass panels except for the portions through which is it is desired to print. In Fig. 2 the upper mask is the print ITIELSlI and the lower mask is the margin mask lamp L in a reflector R directs the light rays to each printing panel, the reflectors being carried by slide 11. p

In order'to position sheets of paper for the printing operations gauge members are used, as best shown in Fig. 1. Here the upper gauge member 24 is substantially L-shaped and is hinged at 25 to member 10 which forms a part of the slanting front 4. Since the hinge element 26 is fastened to member 10 this gauge member will not move when the slide 11 is moved. Similarly gauge member 27 is carried by a shaft 28 which may move up and down a short distance, but which may not turn, as will be hereinafter described, so that gauge member 27 also remains stationary while slide 11 is moved.

With the gauge members relativelyfixed,

as above described, and with the printing panels relatively movable, being carried by slide 11, it is obvious that when the screw 12 is turned the masking members over both printing panels will be moved in a like amount, and by having the angular relation of the printing panels 16 and 17 at substantially 45 from the horizontal, both lower release a negative by means of a rod 33 passing through aperture 34, and having the yoke 35 engaging a bell crank lever 36 attached to a resilient rod 37 which has a universal joint at 38 by which it is con-' nected to the knee lever 39. This lever is hinged at 40 to the pressure frame and the spring 41 normally tends to move the lever in the direction shown by the arrow, there preferably being a stop 42 to limit this movement.

f In order to release the .clamp to position a negative an operator may thrust his right knee tothe right pressing against lever 39, thus leaving both hands free to position a negative, which may be either a strip of film or single negatives.

The printing paper must be held in intimate contact with the negative and mask at both printing panels, and for this purpose theupper printing panel is covered by a platen 43 and the lower printing panel by a platen 44. While these are substantially the same shape they are operated in differentmanners, platen 43 swinging up and turning upon a shaft and platen 44 merelymoving a short distance up and down upon a pair of shafts 46.

The operation of platen 43 will be first described: The mechanism for operating platen 43 is best shown in Figs. 4 to 9 inclusive. Post 45 extends down through the member 10 of the slanting front 4 and through a gear 47 passing down into a bearing 48 through which it may slide back and forth. The platen 43 and shaft 45 are normally held spaced from the slanting top 4 by means of a coiled spring 49 extending between a bracket 50 and a collar 51.

The shaft 45 may be moved downwardly against spring pressure by means of a cam 52, gear 53. and a sleeve 54 (Figs. 8 and 9) integral with gear 53, which is provided with a notch 55 for receiving a pin 56 carried by the shaft 45. For the purpose of operating platen 43 the shaft 45 moves as ifit were integral with the cam 52, gear 53, etc. However, in order to prevent the plateny43' from pressing down and injuring the operators hand. shaft 45 is provided with a pin 56 I which engages a notch 55 0f sleeve 54. As best shown in Figs. 8 and 9 when the platen is turned in the direction shown bythe arrow, Fig. 2, and when it is being lowered downwardly against the printing panel 20, an operator may, by moving the platen away from the gauge member 24 disengage pin 56 from notch thus allowing the pin to move freely in the arcuate slot 57 and permitting spring 49 to thrust platen 43 upwardly, so that an operator cannot be inj ure d.

Normally, however, the pin due to spring 49 which exerts a twisting as well as a lifting force upon shaft 45 keeps pin 56 engaged in its seat 55.

In order to operate cam member 52 the following mechanism is provided: A pair of rollers 58 are mounted on a sleeve 59 integral with gear 60 which, as shown in Fig. 7, is a mutilated gear having two sets of teeth 61, two sets of engaging lugs 62, and which has an extension 63 supporting a disk 64 which has a pair of notches that may be engaged by a dog 65 4). The mutilated gear 60 may be driven by a second mutilated gear 66 which has a single set of teeth 67 and a single engaging lug 68, this gear being power operated, as will be hereinafter described. Because of the few teeth and engaging lugs gear 60 transmits only the final or closing and the start of the releasing movement to the platen 43, the amount of this movement being illustrated on the cam chart as B.

The turning movement illustrated on chart (Fig. 5) as A is provided by the mechanism shown in Fig. 6, and is as follows: Gear 53 has a relatively broad face, and as it moves up and down with shaft 45, it has a sliding Contact with a gear segment 69 oscillated upon a shaft 70 by an arm 71 pivoted at 72 to a crank 73 which is also )ivot-ed at 74 to the special gear 75 carried by shaft 76. This gear meshes with and receives power from a special gear 77 which has a toothed section 78 and smooth section 79 and engaging lug 80, these parts engaging and operating the toothed section 81, smooth face 82, and lug opening 83 of gear 75.

At each revolution of gear 77 gear 75 is turned and this gear remains stationary,

while the smooth portion 79 slides in the curved face 82, thus gear 53 is turned back and forth and held stationary by the continuous rotation of gear 79.

Gear 79 will, however, only turn one revolution at a time through the action of the power drive and clutch face shown in Figs. 10 to 12 inclusive. Power is transmi ted to gear 79 as follows: Gear 79 ispinned ."1 84 to a sleeve 85 to which is attached a clutch operating cam plate 86, the sleeve extending through bearing 87 and having a clutch face 88 covered with leather or other suitable friction material 89. The sleeve, gear, and clutch plate may slide a very short dis ance, say of an inch upon a power shaft 90,

being normally held by the spring 91 in the direction shown by the arrow. Shaft supports a clutch plate 92. Shaft 90 passes through the sleeve 85 and carries a gear 93 lying directly beneath a worm 94 on a power shaft 95 continuously driven by a motor 96.

Clutch 892 which may be called the main clutch may be operated by a knee lever 97 through operating mechanism diagrammatically shown in Fig. 11 as consisting of a link 98 hinged at 99 to a connecting rod, and at 100 to a bell crank lever 101 which operates the shaft 102 pinned to a U-shaped member 103 slidably mounted upon a plate 104, and having a spring 103 for holding a yoke in the position shown in full lines. A pin 106 is carried by the lower end of the yoke and a similar pin 107 is carried by the upper end of the yoke, both of these pins being adapted to slide through bearing 108.

Each pin may pass into the path of the cam 86 and as the cam turns and the cam member 109 is engaged by he pin 106 or 107 the friction element 89 is spaced from the driving element 92 and the sleeve shaft with gear 79 stops. Since there are two pins which may engage the cam 86 a single pressure applied to knee lever 97 will cause the clutch to operate through of a revolution or 180, this distance being sufficient to move the plate from an open to a closed position or vice versa.

In other words, as best illustrated in Fig. 5, a single actuation of knee lever 97 will cause a roller 58 to move from the position shown at 58A to the position shown at 58B, and a second actua ion will cause a roller 5813 to mere to the position shown at 58C. The can 52 is, of course, also moved in an opposite direction by gear segment 69 at each actuation.

By the mechanism above described the platen 43 may be operated at the will of an operator to make a print. The time of both its opening and closing movements may be regulated by the pressure on knee lever 97.

The operation of platen 44 will now be described. As before explained, this platen is carried by a pair of shafts 46 which move up and down only a slight distance, the paper sliding beneath platen 44 from platen 43 when the former is in a raised position. In order to move shaft 46, as best shown in Fig. 13, these shafts terminate in yokes 110 which have slots 111 which may slide about shaft 112, these yokes having arms 113 engaging cams 114 which are turned when the shaft 112 is turned. Power transmitted to shaft 112 through sprocicet 113 and chain 114 and a sprocket 115, this being shown in Fig. 1.

As shown in Fig. 10, sprocket 115 is attached to a clutca member 116, the opposite face of the clutch 117 being power driven by a shaft 118 which is operated through a spiral gear 119 meshing with a spiral gear 120 on shaft 90. When shaft 90 is driven through the main clutch 8892 shaft 118 will be likewise driven.

There is asecondary clutch, shown in Figs. 10 and 12, which causes gear 115 to operate only a portion of the time during which shaft 118 is operated. This clutch is entirely automatic in its operation, and is not controlled by the operator except through the functioning of the platen operating mechanism for platen 43.

Gear 115 together with clutch plate 116 is carried by sleeve shaft 121, this shaft being slidable through a bearing 122. It is thrust by a spring 123 towards the fixed clutch plate 117, this spring pressing on a bearing 12 i and clutch plate 125 which at 126 is provided with a cam whichmay engage a pin 128 which moves the sleeve a sufiicient distance to release driving contact between plates 116 and 117. This forms a secondary clutch.

As shown in Fig. 12, gear 79 is provided with a roller 128 which at each revolution engages a lever 129 pivoted at 130 to a bean.

ing and having a pin and slotconnection at 131 of the clutch operatin pin 138, this pin being normally held in a clutch disengaging position by a spring 132, but bein momentarily moved from this position by lever 129 momentarily engaging roller 128.

It will thus be seen that for each revolution of gear 79 sleeve shaft 121 is turned one revolution thus raising and lowering platen 14.

Since a short exposure only is necessary for printing a fancy border or border tint, and since the exposure is always the same platen 44 presses against printing panel 117 only a comparatively short time, and is raised the greater part of the time. his contact is controlled by the shape of cams 11 1, and I prefer to vary the exposure by means of the intensity of the light (not shown) used under printing panel 17, which is preferably controlled'by a rheostat, as is well known in the art. In this way it is not necessary to provide different cams for vary: ing the exposure at this printing station.

Each time platen 43 is raised it automatically raises gauge member 2 1, as shown in Fig. 1, turning this member about its hinge 25 through the engagement of the platen edge of the latch member 135. As will be noted from cam 75, the first releasing movement of platen l3 is directly upwardly.

This raises the gauge member 24': and permits the printing paper by gravity to slide downwardly beneath platen rl which is then in a raised position. As the turningmovement of platen 43 starts latch 185 is released, gauge 21 under the impulse of spring 186 returns toits paper locating position. i

It isalso necessary'to raise gauge 27 after the border or margin has been printed. This is done automatically by means of a post 28 which passes down through the slanting top 1, and which is raised and lowered without turning.

7 As indicated in Fig. 18 this gauge member may be conveniently turned by the power driven shaft 112 through a cam 138 operating a yoke 139 similar to yokes 110.

The timed relation of platen nand gauge member 27 are different as the gauge member 27 is in contactwith the slanting top in a paper positioning position, practically all of the time, and is momentarily raised to permit the paper to slide by gravity into drawer 8 as the platen 1 i starts to raise. Before platen at is lowered, however, gauge 27 is again in its paper positioning location. This movement can easily be accomplished by the shape of cam 138.

The operation of this printer is very simple. Printing paper may be placed on the top of platen 43 in the open position indicated in broken lines, Fig. 2, an operator drops a piece of paper on the printing panel 16. It is not necessary to accurately position this paper against the gauge 24 because the paper'willslide by gravity into engagement with the positioning member. By pressing knee lever 97 to the left, platen 13 automatically swings upon its post 45, and then is lowered pressing printing paper, negative and mask together upon the printing panel 16. As long as knee lever 97 is pressed platen 43 remains in the position shown in Fig. 1.

By releasing the pressure upon knee lever 97 platen 43 again moves to an open position. During the first opening movement in which shaft 45 moves upwardly it does not turn, gauge 24 is raised through latch 135, and the paper slides down beneath platen 4 1- into enga ement with gauge member 27. As a second print is being made, by pressing lever 97 platen 4a momentarily presses upon the printing paper, causing the border to be printed, and then releases the paper; As gauge 27 is also raised the printing paper slides down into the drawer For pressing a new negative in position knee lever 39 may be pressed, raising the negative grip fingers 32. By rel-easing pressure on this lever the fingers engage the edge of the negative.

It should be noted that the operator performs'no more operations than are usually performed in making a single print without a fancy border or maslnthe second printing being entirely automatic, requiring no attention whatsoever.

While I have not shown or described he light system used, it may be of any of the well known types inthis art. The reflectors and lamps, of course, are carried by the slide 11, and the switches are actuated'in timed relation with the two platens. Since this forms no part of my present invention, it will not be further described herein.

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

1. In a printing machine the combination with a cabinet, of a slide carried by the cabinet, means for adjusting the slide, a printing panel carried by the slide, and a gauge carried by the cabinet, whereby the relative position of the panel and gauge may be altered by moving the panel.

2. In a printing machine the combination with a cabinet, of a slide carried by the cabinet, means for adjusting the slide, a plurality of printing panels carried by the slide, gauges mounted on the cabinet, means for adjusting the slide to simultaneously alter the relation of the gauges and the printing panels.

3. In a printing machine the combination with a cabinet, of a slide carried by the cabinet, means for adjusting the slide, a printing panel carried by the slide, said printing panel being arranged at an angle to the slideway, and a gauge mounted on the cabinet, said gauge including an L- shaped member having two edges extending along edges of the printing panel, the relation of the L-shaped member to the printing panel being adjustable through the slide adjusting means.

4. In a printing machine, the combination with a cabinet, of a slideway carried by the cabinet, a slide movably mounted in the slide way a printing panel having four sides arranged at substantially an angle of 45 with respect to the slideway, a two sided gauge mounted on the cabinet with the sides substantially parallel to the sides of the printing panel, and means for moving the slide in the slideway to adjust the distance between two sides of the printing panel and two sides of the gauge.

5. In a printing machine, the combination with a cabinet, of an inclined wall on the cabinet, a plurality of printing panels carried by the inclined wall one above the other, gauges located adjacent the printing panels, separate means for independently moving the gauges to and from an operative position in which they may position printing paper over the printing panels, the inclination of the wall permitting a sheet of paper to slide by gravity from the upper panel to the lower when the gauge on the upper panel is moved from an operative position.

6. In a printing machine, the combination with a cabinet, of a slideway in the cabinet, a slide movably mounted in the slideway, a printing panel and a light source mounted on the panel, a gauge on the cabinet, and means for altering the relation of the printing panel and gauge by adjusting the panel in the slide.

7. In a printing machine, the combination with a cabinet, of a slideway in the cabinet, a slide movably mounted in the slideway, a plurality of printing panels carried by the slide, and a light source under each print-ing panel also carried by the slide, a plurality oi? printing paper gauges mounted on the cabinet having portions lying near the printing panels, and means for moving the slide whereby the relation of all the gauges to the printing panels may be simultaneously and equally adjusted.

8. In a printing machine, the combination with a cabinet, of a slideway carried by the cabinet, a printing panel mounted in the slide having edges at an angle of substantially 45 to the slideway, an angular paper gauge, mounted on the cabinet, and means for adjusting the printing panel relative to the paper gauge.

9. In a printing machine, the combination with a cabinet, of a slideway disposed at an angle to the cabinet with one end higher than the other, a slide mounted in the slideway, a printing panel carried by the slide, an L-shaped paper gauge carried by the cabinet, the inclination of the slideway being such that paper may slide by gravity against the L-shaped gauge and be located thereby relative to the printing panel.

10. In a printing machine, the combination with a cabinet, having a. front, of a pair of printing panels mounted in the front, a platen for each printing panel movably mounted with respect thereto, power operated mechanism under the control of an operator for actuating one platen, and connections including a clutch between the other platen and the power operated mechanism for moving the second platen each time the first platen is actuated, said clutch being automatically actuated by said power operated mechanism.

11. In a printing machine, the combination with a cabinet, having a front, of a pair of printing panels mounted in the front, a platen for each printing panel movably mounted with respect thereto, power operated mechanism including a manually operable clutch under the control of an operator through which one platen may be lowered and raised at the will of the operator, and connections between the power operated mechanism and the second platen including a mechanically operable clutch for actuating the second platen each time the first platen is actuated, said mechanical operable clutch moving the second platen through a fixed cycle of movement.

12. In a printing machine, the combination with a pair of printing panels, of platens adapted to move to and from the printing panels, power operated mechanism for actuating the platens, two clutches, one a manually operable clutch between the pow,- er operated mechanism and first platen, the other a mechanically operable clutch between thesecond platen and the power operated mechanism, the former clutch being adapted .to give a controlled platen movement, and the latter being adapted to give a fixed platen movement, said latter clutch being interconnected tothe power operated mechanism whereby the actuation of the manually operable clutch may cause the mechanically operated clutch to function.

13. In a printing machine, the combination with a pair of printing panels, of platens adapted to move to and from the printing panels, a continuously rotating source of power,'a manually operable clutch, connections through said clutch to said source of power whereby actuation of said clutch may cause one of said platens to move, a second mechanically controlled clutch adapted to connect said second platen to said source of power, said mechanically controlled clutch being interconnected with said first mentioned clutch whereby the mechanically operated clutch may be operated by operating the manually operable clutch.

14. In a printingmachine the combination with acabinet, of a slideway disposed at an angle to the cabinet with one end higher than the other, a slide mounted in the slideway, a plurality of printing panels carried by the slide one above the other, a

plurality of L-shaped gauges located on the cabinet and extending over adjacent printing panels one gauge being provided for each printing panel, separate means for differentially raising the gauge members from their respective printing panels, whereby the gauge adjacent the upper printing panel may be raised to permit a sheet of paper to slide from the upper panel to the lower panel, and permitting the gauge for the lower panel to be raised topermit a sheet of paper to slide from an operative position with respect thereto.

Signed at Rochester, New York this 4th day of June, 1928.

ROY S. HOPKINS.

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