US2550160A - Magazine for multigraph machines or the like - Google Patents

Description

April 24, 1951 MONK 2,550,160

MAGAZINE FOR MULTIGRAPH MACHINES OR THE LIKE Filed May 1, 1948 [rm e n for Frederick [Yo/1k Patented Apr. 24, 1951 MAGAZINE FoR MULTIGRAPH MACHINES on THE LIKE Frederick Arthur Monk, Scarboro Post Office, I l

- Ontario, Canada 7 Application May 1, 1948, Serial No. 24,563

This invention relates to an envelope magazine for facilitating the feed of envelopes or the like in a printing machine'such as multigraph machine or the like and the principal object of the invention is to provide an envelope magazine which can be easily and quickly loaded-and insorted into a multigraph machine and when emptied can be quickly replaced with a loaded magazine eliminating delays in machine operation, thus greatly increasing the capacity of the machine and reducing the cost of printing the envelopes.

A further and important object is to provide an envelope magazine assembly which can be readily adjusted to receive any desired size of envelope and will hold the envelope in stacked. arrangement with their surfaces horizontal independent of the thickness of their flaps to ensure uniform dependable feed into the machine.

A still further object is to provide a magazine which will ensure that the last envelope is delivered into the machine for printing.

' vertically spaced brackets secured to and extending forwardly from said backing plates and subdividing the stacked envelopes into a plurality of component stacks, the brackets being tiltable transversely of the backing plate to compensate for the thickness of envelope flap to maintain the envelopes in the stack horizontal.

A further important feature consists in securing a plate to the base of the backing plate and providing a spring arm on the outer end of this plate to urge the outer end of the envelopes upwardly, said plate being adjustable longitudinally of the backing plate base.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of a multigraph machine illustrating the manner in which my envelope magazine assembly is utilized in conjunction therewith.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of my magazine assembly.

' Figure 3 is'a side elevational view of the-bottom portion of the magazine assembly.

9 Claims. (01. 271-6l) Figure 4 is a plan view of my magazine with the top flange cut away.

Heretofore in printing envelopes or the like with a multigraph or other printing machine, ithasbeen necessary to place the envelopes by hand on the paper feed magazine and to carefully align the envelopes in a vertical stack. To compensate for the low side of the envelope stack along the edge of the envelope opposite the flap it has been necessary to utilize wooden wedges which are inserted at intervals in the stack. These wedges have to be changed or inserted at different intervals corresponding to the thickness of the material of the particular envelopes being printed. Even with the utmost care in stacking the envelopes it is difficult to maintain the stack in alignment and the envelopes level or horizontal throughout the movement of the magazine resulting in inconsistent printing, and waste of a high percentage of envelopes. Frequently envelopes slide off the stack further delaying the envelope feed.

The present invention has therefore been devised toovercome the above difiiculties and to eliminate the previous long interruptions of machine operation which were required for the careful stacking of the envelopes on the feed magazine.

With reference to the accompanying drawings it will be seen that I illustrate my magazine in conjunction with a conventional type of multigraph machine I having a vertically moving feed magazine 2 and the conventional paper pick-up mechanism 3 including the sucker foot l which serves to lift the top sheet from the stack placed on the feed magazine and to direct it between the pull out rollers.

Extending outwardly from the machine above the feed magazine are the spaced parallel arms Sand 6 which support a cross bar I which is slidable along the arms 5 and 6 and carried the adjustable central guide 8 and adjustable side guides 9.

In the normal use of the multigraph machine with paper, the paper is stacked on the feed magazine 2 with the magazine lowered so that the top sheet is just below the paper pick-up mechanism.

As the top sheet is being segregated from the stack and delivered into the machine by the paper pick-up mechanism, the feed magazine 2 moves upwardly automatically maintaining the top sheet in the correct position relative to the pick-up mechanism.

The various guides described above engage the 3 stack and maintain the sheets being delivered into the machine in correct alignment.

My envelope magazine is adapted to be used in connection with the multigraph machine without necessitating any modifications or alterations thereto.

As illustrated, the magazine includes a sheet metal backing plate I which is supported in a vertical position by a forwardly turned base portion H and has a forwardly turned flange I2 at the top.

Secured to this backing plate In along the ver-- tical centre line thereof are vertically spaced brackets l3 each of which includes the vertical backing portion l4 pivotally held to the back plate by the bolt E5 or other suitable-pivotmemibers and the horizontal triangular shelf portion 7 I6 which projects centrally from. the backportion Ill increasing in length forwardly of the backing portion. Thus it will be seen that the brackets l3 are tiltable about the pivots or bolts l5 and the triangular" shelf portions l3 which are arranged with one apex adjacent the backing portions are tiltable above the; horizontal transversely of the backing plate Ill.

If desirable the shelves [6: may also be in clined slightly upward as illustrated in Figure 3.

Asillustrated in Figure 2 the: brackets lS'Which are in vertical alignment are equally spaced to receive a convenient number of envelopes there'- between, for instance, an even multiple of a hun dred. Secured tothe backing plate if) over thevertical bracket backing portion M are a pair of vertical rightangle plates ll forming side guides spaced one either side of the bracket shelf portion l6;

These plates IT are heldto the backing plate by bolts [8 engaging in the horizontal slots 19 so that the plates ll areadjustable laterally towards or away from each other.

Slidably mounted onthe'base portion l i of the backing plate is a plate 20 having a. longitudi-- nal slot M in which engages a securing bolt 22. This slot arrangement permits the plateZD to be moved relative to the backing plate It! corresponding to the; leng h of the envelope to'be printed. V

Secured to the underside of the plate 20 at the outer end is a bar 23, while secured to the top of the plate 20 atthe outer end-is a cantilever spring arm 24- Which is adjustable transverselyof the plate.

In loading the magazines the envelopes are stacked between the vertical aligning plates I? which are adjusted laterally to the Width'of the envelope and the brackets !3- are tilted transversely of the backing plate to'compensate'for the thickness of the envelope flaps tomaintain the envelopes level or horizontal. The bolts it may then be tightened to securely-lockthe brackets IS in adjusted positions by drawing the plates H in to close engagementtherewith.

The envelopes are thus held in vertical align ment by the aligning plates or guides I! and aremaintained with-their surfaces-horizontal by the use of the brackets. l3 and thecantilever springs 4 are adapted to engage the cross bar I as the magazine is fed upwardly, thus as the feed magazine 2 moves upwardly the envelope magazine will be properly guided and will in turn maintain the envelopes in proper alignment so that each envelope may be correctly picked up and delivered into the machine by the paper pick-up mechanism 3.

Withthe surface of the envelopmaintained level or: horizontal the feed mechanism will function correctly and the air lock of the sucker foot 4. will be properly maintained.

While one magazine is employed with the multigraph machine, a similar envelope magazine may be rapidly and easily loaded and following the completion of the delivery of all of the envelopes in the first magazine into the machine it canbe quickly removed from the machine feed magazine 2 and the loaded envelope magazine placed thereon in correct position between the guides. Thus there will be no interruption or delayin the machine opera-tionmaterially increasing its capacity.

If it is desired to print envelopes of different size or toprint on the reverse side of the envelope the guide plates I? can be quickly adjusted, the bottom. plate 28- moved to' its correct surface forthe envelopes is provided yet a Wide range of lateral adjustmentfor the vertical guide plates I1 is also permitted. Further;.it will be seen that with therplates: IT engaging-over the vertical bracket portions M a wedging'action is obtained upon thejlockihg. of the plates l 'Ito also look the brackets in any desired position ofv tilt. Since no alterations-or modifications are required to be carried out on. the multigraph machine I, it. will-be seen that my envelope'magazine-can be conveniently used with existing machines and quickly and easily inserted in place and interchanged when required. It will therefore be understood that theuse of my envelope magazine will greatly increasethecapacity ofa multigraph or printing machine and materially decrease the time and cost in the. printing 0f envelopes.

Whilel have show-n.-my"magazine= as used in conjunction with one: form of multigraph machine; it will be-appreciatedzthat its usemay be readily adapted toother formsofprinting machines without departing from the scope of my invention.

While I have particularly described my magazine. for usein printing envelopes, it will be readily appreciated that it may be advantageously used in printing other materialof anon-uniform thickness.throughout-where the material would not form without mymagazine a horizontal stack.

For example. my magazine has been foundto be extremely useful and advantageous in the printing. of greeting cardsand the like carrying embosseddesigns o raisedpatternsand. in the. printing of bags and other material of varying thickness.

It will be understood of course that-any slight modifications required. to. accommodate other types of material may be made without departing from the scope of my invention.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A magazine for a multigraph machine or the like comprising a vertical backing plate, aligning means extending forwardly of said backing plate, and a plurality of vertically spaced platforms extending forwardly of said backing plate between said aligning means and inclined transversely of said backing plate to support in substantially level position a stack of material of non-uniform thickness held between said aligning means.

2. A magazine for a multigraph machine or the like, comprising a vertical backing plate, aligning means extending forwardly of said backing plate, and a plurality of vertically spaced platforms extending forwardly of said backing plate between said aligning means and tiltable transversely of said backing plate to adjusted positions to support in substantially level position a stack of material of non-uniform thickness held between said aligning means.

3. A magazine for a printing machine comprising a vertical backing plate having a forwardly extending supporting base, a j'pair of spaced vertical right angled plates secured to said backing plate and extending forwardly thereof and adjustable laterally to receive and align different width stacks of material of non-uniform thickness therebetween, and a plurality of vertically spaced supporting brackets secured between said right angled plates to said backing plate and tiltable transversely thereof to adjusted positions to support the stacks of material of non-uniform thickness in substantially level position.

4. An envelope magazine for a multigraph machine or the like comprising a vertical backing plate having a forwardly extending base, a plurality of vertically spaced brackets pivoted centrally to said backing plate and extending forwardly therefrom and adjustably tiltable transversely of, said backing plate about said pivots, and a pair of vertical spaced right angled plates secured to said backing plate and adjustable transversely thereof.

5. An envelope magazine as claimed in claim 4 in which said base is provided with an extensible portion, and a spring arm is arranged at the outer end of said extensible portion.

6. An envelope magazine as claimed in claim 4 in which a plate is slidably supported on said base and is adjustable towards and from said backing plate and a transverse cantilever spring arm is arranged at the end of said slidable plate, said spring arm being adjustable transversely of said slidable plate.

7. An envelope magazine for multigraph machines or the like comprising a vertical backing plate having a forwardly extending supporting base, a plurality of vertically spaced brackets extending forwardly of said backing plate, each of said brackets having a longitudinal vertical portion pivoted centrally to said backing plate and an outwardly extending portion at right angles to said vertical portion forming a shelf projecting centrally from the vertical portion, and a pair of spaced vertical envelope aligning plates each formed of a leg parallel said backing plate and a leg perpendicular said backing plate, means securing said legs parallel to said backing plate to said backing plate for lateral adjustment of said envelope aligning plates and in position to clamp said vertical bracket portions, said legs perpendicular said backing plate forming sides for said shelves.

8. A magazine as claimed in claim 7 in which said brackets are uniformly spaced.

9. A magazine as claimed in claim '7 in which bearer bars are secured to the back of the vertical backing plate.

FREDERICK ARTHUR MONK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Johnson May 21, 1929

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