US2605699A - Printing machine - Google Patents

Description

g- 1952 w. T. GOLLWITZER PRINTING MACHINE l0 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 2'7, 1946 Y A m m d I .r Jm. w 5 J aw Aug. 5, 1952 w. 'r. GOLLWITZER PRINTING MACHINE l0 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 27, 1946 .52 den an ZZ/er 'f a/z ajzz zer Aug. 5, 1952' w. T. GOLLWITZER PRINTING MACHINE 10 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 27, 1946 mu EN QM Aug. 5, 1952 w. T. GOLLWITZER PRINTING MACHINE 1o sheets-s eet 4 Filed May 27, 1946 L/MKQVMLGMMA Aug. 5, 1952 w. T. GOLLWITZER PRINTING MACHINE l0 Sheets-Sheet 5 'Filed May 27, 1946 20672 far: ZZZ/fer] 6 0/ Za/Z/zer 175 fair/2g;

Aug. 5, 1952 w. T. GOLLWITZER PRINTING MACHINE 1O Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed May 27, 1946 Eden/0v".- M/ 1 67 760/!Zz/z2fzer @920 Aug. 5, 1952 w. T. GOLLVIVITZER PRINTING MACHINE Filed May 27, 1946 10 Sheet s-Sheet 7 f r e Z Z Z W. T. GOLLWITZER Aug. 5, 1952 PRINTING MACHINE 1O Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed May 27. 1946 \w m. mw mm kdez for. er I7 60/ [Maker 42%;)? qgs Aug. 5, 1952 w. T. GOLLWITZER 2,605,699

PRINTING MACHINE Filed May 27, 1946 10 Sheets-Sheet 9 1952 w. T. GIOLLWITZER 2,605,699

PRINTING MACHINE Filed May 27, 1946 10 Sheets-Sheet 1O Patented Aug. 5, 1952 "PRINTING MACHINE i W'alter 5T. 1 ,Gollwitzer, Euclid, .0hio,. assign0r .to

Addressograph-Multigraph .C0rp0ration,' Wil- ,mingtom Del.,;acorporation of Delaware This. invention: relates; to!v a printingimachine :andmore; particularly .to '1 a printing machine which. is: adapted to; print changeable .data such as names and addresses; i or variable .idat'a, such as numerical quantities, amountsof'lmoney. and

the like. 7 More particularly, .this invention relates -to. :machines foruprinting datai of" the-"aforesaid character under the control. :lOf record: members such asJperforated cards orfother control devices which are: fed: into iaccontrol position *seriatim .in' synchronismlwith the: feeding of sheets or the like ,to :a. printing station.

. :;In certain vvtypes of "business enterprise, particularly wherejprinted. forms embodying. changeable and/or,variablejdatazmust berissuediperiodically, it is;high1y;advantageousitoieifect such printing automatically under the control of record members such. as ;.perfor,ated .cards .which,determine the positioning. of printing members for each .sheetor article printed.

-It is anobject of my invention to; printpieach sheet, envelope or other article or document under the? control {of .a recordrmembenwhich;is;-peculiar to, that document :by: sensing :sucht recordzmemher with mechanicalidevices whiohx.are so;constructed .as to control the settingtrofrvariable .or

I .;changing printingielements-at:the-, printing-.sta-

tion.

A further object of the present invention iS'ZtO connect. -.changeable :or variable printing 1-; members to, sensing mechanisms .IOfithe character-mentionedabove, in such;;af;manner that operation is accurate and can-.b'e carried on:at?;a;relatively high'ra'te, ofispeed. Fort-he purposeof controlling such printing membersthe present invention utilizes certain sensing. means which are :more particularly ,describediand; are claimed; :perise, inqmy co-pending applic ation,=$erial N021 663,467, filed April 19, 1946; now ,U.- S.Patent No. 2 ,508g603, patented May;'23,p19 50.-

A further vobject of myainventionaisrto bine xvariable printing; members .ifiwithnsensing means of thetype described in my aforesaid copending application in such a manner .as: to insure rapid and eificient operation properly :timed with the feeding of control memberslsu'ch aszper- .foratedcards through the. sensing; position. A further r object 50f -my invention is to :feed record members 1S11Ch.- aS 'cardS ,bearingdata: representing perforations orotherindiciain efiicient and accurately .ccontrolled'; manner. ifI'his: is accomplished by .a: feeding mechanism "which :iscso designed and constructed as, to :insurethel feeding of 'onerand; only one card: at :7 each: cycle; of

the machine.- r

.com-

- Applicatiori May-27, 1946, SerialNo'.1672; 581,

33 claims. (Claim-e93) Fur-trier omeetspt my invention-- are to improve: the separation ofcards and the like-in a "feeding mechanism to facilitate feeding thereof,

to combine simple feeding elements ina novel -manner to produce a highly efficient feeding "mechanism-for advancing cards or the like through various stations and -to;;accomplish the foregoing with a minimum numberof mechanical parts. I i v Other and further objects-of 'the presentinvention will -be-apparent from the following description and claims and areillustrated in the accompanying draw'ings which, by way of illustration, show'preferred -embodiments of the present invention and'the principlesthereofand-WhatI now con'siderfto -be' the bes't 'mode in which Ihave contemplated applyingthese -principles. Other embodiments ot 7 the invention embodying the same l or equivalent principles may be 'used' and 20- structuralchanges may be made-as desired by those-skilled in -the art without departing from the present invention and the purview of 1 the appended claims.

.iIn the iidrawings:

isa'front elevation ofa printing machine -made according to my invention;

I IFig. 2 is aplan view "of the printing machine, with certainparts-broken away;

1Figf 3 -is meme-a sectionalview from front to rear of 'the niachine taken substantially on the line 33 of Figs. 1-and'2; v

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a perforated card which ma'y 'beusedvas a control member in the-printing machine;

i 5 .is .:a horizontal sectional view showing "the upper part of theiimachine; this -view -being ta'kenz 'ubstantia'lly on 'sthezlines 5+5: of Figs. 1

Figfi 5A zissxa :fragmentary elevational i view of certain printing elements, parts being -shown'in section; 7' i a elements taken at right angles to the view shown in Fig. 8 and substantially along the line 99, Fig. '7

Fig. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view similar to the left-hand part of Fig. '7, being on a somewhat larger scale and illustrating certain modifications of certain elements;

Fig. 11 is a vertical sectional view through a feeding mechanism for cards or the like taken substantially on the line I I-I I, Fig. 2;

Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 11 but showing certain parts in changed positions;

Fig. 13 is a transverse vertical section through the feeding mechanism shown in Figs. Hand 12,

this view being taken substantially along the line Fig. 14 is a horizontal sectional detail view taken substantially on the line I4--I4, Fig. 13;

Figs. 15, 16, 17 and 18 are each transverse sectional detail views showing various parts of the improved feeding mechanism for cards or the like, these views being taken substantiallyalong the lines I5-I5, Iii-I6, III'l, and I8-I8,- respectively, on Fig. 2; V

Fig. 19 is a view showing a combination of the printing mechanisms which my invention comprises, arranged in series to print complementary matter sequentially; and

Fig. 20 is a plan view showing a sheet bearing data printed by the mechanism of Fig. 19.

The printing mechanism which embodies my invention is mounted upon a suitable supporting base II, as best shown inFigs. 1,3 and 7. Supported on the base II are vertically upstanding posts or column members I2, I3 and I4 for supporting upper frame members and various operating parts. A driving motor I5 which may be an electric motor of any appropriate size and type is secured by suitable means to a supporting block I6 which may be mounted on the base II.

Above the base II and spaced therefrom by the vertical columns I2, I3 and I4 are a pair of horizontal parallel frame members. I1. At the rear of the machine, shown at the left in Fig. 7

and at the right in Fig. 3, an upper frame.struc-:

ture is mounted above the columns. I3 and I4, this structure comprising a pair of parallel spaced vertical plates I-8 and-l9 which mount various operating elements to be described hereinafter. The plates I8 and I9 may be secured to the posts or columns I3 and I4 by any suitable'means such as screws orbolts 20. 1 a

The rear ends of the bars I'I are securedto the plates I8 and I9 by any suitable meanssuch as the screws 21 and 22. A horizontal bar23 extends between and is rigidly secured to the forward ends of the bars or beams I'I. "At its midpoint the bar 23 is mounted on the top .of the vertical post or column I2 to which itis secured as by a screw 24. 1

Extending along the front of the machine is a feed table for perforated cards or the like which are to be fed into a sensing position where, through sensing means and other connecting elements to be described hereinbelow, the printing members are set selectively into printing positions. After the cards are so sensed they are fed out of sensing position along the same feeding table by means and in a manner to be described hereinafter. The feed table is designated generally by the reference character and it comprises a pair of spaced horizontal bars 3I and 32 which extend parallel with the front of the machine and across the beams or frame'memhers I! to which they are secured in any apindicated at 48 to receive a roller 49 carried on a 4 propriate manner. A flat member 33 which is mounted on and secured to the bars 3I and 32 constitutes the table surface, as best shown in Fi s. 15 to 18.

At the right end of the table, as seen by an operator facing the machine and as best shown in Fig. 1, means are provided for supplying cards or similar control membersC which are provided with indicia to be sensed. As shown in Fig. 4,

such cards or control members may be provided .with perforations at selected positions to indicate indicia which is to be set up in the printing elements of the machine. It will be understood, however, that the indicia might be in the form of protuberancesor other distinctive elements formed on a flat or substantially flat member and being capable of sensing by mechanical sensin elements such as those described in detail in my aforesaid copending application, Serial No.

"As shown in Fig. l and in the left-hand part of Fig. 2, the sensing station is located about the middle of the table, in the; length thereof, and a receivinghopper 33A is provided at the delivery end of the table.

A rotatably mounted shaft 34 is mounted above the table and in spaced'parallel relation therewith in suitable bearings 35 and 3B. This shaft extends substantially the full length of the table and controls and operates various mechanisms associated with the feeding and'advancing of the control cards C. At its right end, as shown in Fig. 1, the shaft 34 carries a disc '31 which bears an eccentric crank pin 38. The disc 3'!v is secured to the shaft 34 for rotation therewith.

A pitman 39 is connected at one end to the crank pin 38 and extends rearwardly of the machine, its rear end being connected to a link M. The link M, as best shown in Fig. 2,1is pivotally connected to an arm 42 of a bell crank 43 which is pivoted on a stud 44 for oscillation in a horizontal plane. The stud 44 is mounted on an auxiliary or extension frame member 45 which is secured as by screws46 to the rear edge of the table top and its supporting'bar 32. The bell crank 43 is oscillated when the pitrnan 39 is re- -ciprocated by rotation of the shaft 34. The shaft 34 is rotated by means to be described hereinbelow.

.-. The'free arm 41. of bell crank 43 is slotted as stud 50 which is mounted on a slidably mounted horizontal plate 5I. The plate 5| is provided on its rear edge and near the outer or right end thereof, as seenin Figs. 1, 11 and 12, with a vertical extension 52, and this vertical extension terminates in a'horizontal flange portion 53 which is bent rearwardlyto engage a guide slot 54 in the forward vertical face of the extension frame member 45. Oscillation of the bell crank, therefore, causes the plate 5| to move alternately to the right and to'the left; the plate extension 52, 53 serving to guide movement of such plate in a horizontal plane; E

The plate 5| has a longitudinal recess 55 in its upper face in which a leaf s'pring56' is; secured as by screws5l. This leaf spring functions as a feed plate, as'will'b'e more'fully described below.

It is so arranged as 'tobe normally self-biased toward the supporting p1at'e'5l so that it lies substantially flush but projecting slightly above the surface of plate 5|. The amount of this projection is equal to or just slightly less than the minimum thickness of one of the cards C. Near its left end, as seen in Figs. 11 and 12, the leaf spring BB carriesa rivet 58, the head of-whichis mountedin nd' x e ds o eh a ningin the supporting plate 5;I. The head is somewhat thickerthan the .part of plate ,5I which underlies therleaf spring50. 'Plate' 5I' is adapted to "reciprocate overand to ride .uponthe top sur- 7 face of theplates33 whichconstitutes the feedin surface :of: the table. At its extreme right end, as shown in Figs. 11 and 12,: and aligned with the head or. rivet'l58 thei-plate 33' iaprovidedwith a "groove? 6 I which is so shaped as :to receive, the 1 ,rivet-ihead'astth'e'iplates 5| and "50 ares-advanced 1 to. the i1eft,'::as:seen:iin these-figures. This; groove :becomeszshallower. toward itheileft'iend andfinally rmergesiwith thetop: of Lthe'itablef so :that as the plates 5 I and Stimove: to:.the rleftpthe rivet 58 is I raised thereby lifting dthe forward endoi the feed plate 56 into "more effective feedingirelationship w'i'th 'the lowermost 'card C' in the stack of cards.

The stack of cards' C is retainedrin feeding position by a hopper whichcomprises a rearwa11 #52,: an uprightpart -63 at the right end-of the stack, as seen'in' Figs. lland 12, and a front wall 7 member ta shown in .F-igs. '2, 13 and 14. The

' frontwall member 64 has secured thereto a vertical bar 65 which, as shown in Fig. 14; is triangular in cross section and is located so that its lowerend'clears plate 66,-which constitutes part .of the bottom of the hopper at this point, by an amount equalto'or very slightly greater than the thickness of alsingle'card 0. As showninFigs. 1 and 14, each-of the cards as C- is provided with a notch 61$ of: a. size and shapeto accommodate the bar 65. Cards of this specific character: are more fully described in a co-pending' application "filed'joi-ntly by the present inventor and John H. Gruver, Serial'JNo. 648,075, flled February 16, 1946," now Patent Nos 2,521,118. .Sincethe side plates t2 and as are spaced apart a' distance which is equal tothe width of acard C, cards can onlybe put in the hopper-when properly oriented, that is, when the. notch B'II'in each card will properly engage the triangular bar 05.

The bar 65, therefore, together with the underlying plate 66: and with .the 'cooperationiof the sidewalls 62 and E i, constitutes a feed'gate which :controls the feeding of cards by the feed plate 50in such a mannerthatonly one card can be fed at a time. The parts are so arranged that the: end of the plate'.5I wheninits extremeright :hand position, as showniniFigs. 11 and. 12, is never fully withdrawn from under the stack of cards.- Hence the feed plate 56 isalways in'position toengagethe bottom card of the stack and. .this'is the only'card that is free to be fedout below the lower end of the bar 65. V In order that cardswill always be firmly positioned against the forwardend of the supporting plate 5|, for engagement withthe feed plate 56, a weight II is provided. .This weight may be equipped with a suitable handle, asshown at I2. The upright bar 63 at the right end of the hopper, as seen inFigs. 11 and '12, prevents the block from sliding to the right as the feeding mechanism isoperated. v As shown in Fig. 13, a channeled bar I3 is secured to the bottom of the plate 33 and the channeled position thereofslidablyreceives a tongue member "I l which extendsfrom and is secured to the plate 5I. Engagement of the tonguemember'i-i with this channel, together with thesliding engagement between. the'ffiange 53 and the slot I 54-; as, previously described, keeps thesl'idi-ng' plate 5 I .in proper alignment with the table 1:01 I

yNear the left- -hand or-exit-end. of the hopper, as; seen in. Figs: 11-and-.1-2,-,there: is mounted a iiexin'gadevicey'l- 5. which -is 'pperatedf at-each rotation-of the* shaft P 34 to lift @the: left end of the 5 a stackof cards; as-v-iewed injthese, figures; and flex -themvsom'ewhat so as to, makewcertain that the A lowermost card will be engaged by. the feed plate =56. As sh0wn.- in- Eig...1 5,- the; member-15 com- 51311583133," flat ;.bar which; is bent?- at-three points qandais secured at its-iront'end to a leaf spring -16; :The spring -fl6i-is' secured by; appropriate means to an auxiliary front bar ."IJ, --mounted above and' securedtto the front edge-of the table and the supporting-ban 3 I 3A cam 11 on: shaft 3 I-:is fixedito: rotate with theshaftas bysmeans 90f =3r set screw- 118-. T-his -:ca m .has a Lflateportion I9 which permitstheleafsprin'g :IIito lower" the member {151' during a; part-10f; each cycle, of'the i'feeder. This. occurs-fat the'a'time thata'the feed 7 ,plate;;56 is, pushing the bottom card out :of' the -stack into :the bite of feedrollers. Subsequently, rotation of the:cam i11.rais esthe cards to the wposition' shown iii-Fig. 11, The table top-33 has two ppeningsrtlzand 821through which vertical 5 yportions ofthee-bent bar I5 are extended, as

sh wn in Fi -J1 -As shown-in Figs. 2 and 16a first feedroller 85 is mounted in. a position to engage the advancing end of the ibottomcard as it is pushedrout of the stack by the; feeding; plate 56 in the;manner described above. The.feed-.roller' 85: is mounted Jon-a: sleeve i 86 for rotation therewith, :the sleeve :86; being mountedon a noni rotatable' shaft 81. ;At its forward end -the-shaft is, secured to a leaf .spring 88 which 21S anchored to the. bar 11 in theusame'mannerwias the leafspring'lfi which "mounts the: flexing bar or member I5, as describedabove. ;A?.belt;;,pul1ey.-89i is secured to the .sleevertfi for driving: the ro'ller-and a belt 90 which passes:about this pulleyq'is driven: by a pulley ,9 I: supported ;on; a jack shaftw92 -mounted in a bracket'93; as shownzinFigs. 1 and-3. The pulley=9l=is secured'to ailarger pulley 04 which isdriven -by a belt-,9 5 :which passes about a pulley "ration the -motor I5. The belt 90 also passes forward,-'as-shown in Fig. ,1-,,about another pulley 0'7 :"WhiCht'dIil/BS anotherlfeed roller to be-described.;presently. Returning, the belt. 00 asses over ;a:sma11*id1er "pul1ey;98' which is mounted freely-onpthe shaft 81 beside thefpulley 89. By the means just described the feed roller -85-;is continuously drivennbut it isqefiective to advance-a-card only when it is in ,the lowered position,.--as shown- :in Fig. .16, that is, ,when the fiat por tionof a cam-9 -on;-shaft-34 is disposed so-as to lower the feed r011er85. into cooperating position with respect to a small: idler: roller IOI whichcis, rotatably mounted -..on-. a bracketIIlZ beneath the table top and has-its peripheryexposition: substantially flush .with or very slightly above the table surface. I

To guide the cards C as they advance, undercut guide bars I04 and I05 are mounted on the feed table, one beingsuitably fastened thereto at either side ofthe feed path so as to keep the cards in proper alignment. The front and rear edges of the cards ride in -thegrooves I06 and I01, respectively, and thus. the .cards are presented squarely to the sensing station, the guide .bars I04 and'I05 being spaced apart afldistance equal to the width of a control cardC.

fThe feed roller 85 incooperation with the underlying idler I II I advances a. cardC into sensing; position under a, series toflsen'si'ng elements tending through a slot I03 in the table top to a or teeth I I0, each' o'f which is carried by a sensing bar III. These bars are 'speci-ficallydescribed in my aforesaid co-pending application, Serial No. 663,467, and are shown in outline in Figs. 3 and '7. By means described more particularly in my aforesaid co-pending application and including the rack-members II 2 and I I3, Fig. 3, the sensing bars are operated to move across the surface of of the card C to be sensed ispositioned against a front stop or positioning member and under another feed roller which at an appropriate time is lowered to carry the card out of sensing position and deliver it to the receiving hopper 33A. As shown in Fig. 1'7, the feed roller is indicated by the reference character I I5 and it is mounted on a sleeve I I6 which in turn is carried by a shaft II! secured by leaf spring N18 to the front bar 11 in the same manner as feed roller 85, previously described. The pulley 91, which is driven by belt 90 in the manner described above, rotates the sleeve I I6 and the feed roller I I5. As shown in Fig. 18 a stop finger H8 is positioned in the path of the advancing cards at a point where it will hold' them properly and accurately in sensing position during operation of the sensing fingers III. This fingercomprises a vertical plate mounted on'a horizontal bar I I9 carried by a leaf spring I2'I also secured to the front bar 11. The'feed roller '5 and'the stop finger II8 are raised and lowered at appropriate times in the feeding cycle by cams I22 and I23, respectively, mounted upon the shaft 34. It will thus be seen that all of the mechanisms which feed the card from a stack of cards to and through sensing position and into a receiving hopper are controlled byelements operated from the shaft 34. A card or control device C, to be sensed, is retained in sensing position while the sensing fingers I I I are slid across the face thereof. When an indicium, such as a perforation in a card, is sensed the sensing-finger immediately rocks slightly and is locked against further movement across the card. This locking is accomplished by means and in a manner fully described in my aforesaid c'o-pending application, Serial No. 663,467. Locking the sensing bar against movement obviously positions the racks H2 and H3 in a definite position.

Shaft 34, which controls the various feeding elements described above, has keyed thereto a bevel gear I25 at its left end as seen in Fig. 1. This gear meshes with a bevel gear I26 on a shaft I21 which extends rearwardly of the machine. The shaft I2lis driven in a manner to be described presently, so that shaft 34 is rotated in proper timed relation with operating elements of the printing unit per se. In this manner, and as fully described hereinbelow, the feeding of cards or 'the like C is accurately synchronized with printing operations.

As shown invFigs. 1 and 2, the bevel gears I25 and I26 are of thesarme size so that the shafts 34 and I2! rotate at'the same speed. With this arrangement a card is fed for each impression of the printing unit, to be described hereinafter. However, for some purposes it is desirable to print the data sensed more than once as, for example, on the body and stub of a check, receipt, utility bill or the like. In such cases it is desirable that the gear ratio be changed so that only one card will be fed to sensing position for every two or three, or possibly more operations af the printing mechanism.

Accordingly, and as shown in Fig. 7, this arrangement may be modified to provide slower operation of the feed mechanism with respect to certain other parts of the machine including the printing mechanisms. As shown in Figs. 8 and 9 the shaft 34 carries a relatively large spur gear I3I which meshes with a small spur gear I32 carried by a jack shaft I33. In this instance the bevel gear I25, carried by the jack shaft just mentioned, meshes with a similar bevel gear I26 on the rearwardly extending shaft I21. Shaft I21 is driven by bevel gears I35 and I36. the latter being mounted on the end of a cam shaft I31 which is carried by the frame members I8 and I9 previously described. Shaft I31 operates the printing mechanism in a manner to bedescribed more fully below and it carries a large spur gear I38 which, as described hereinbelow, may be 'operably connected with the shaft through a clutch. As shown in Fig. 7, mountedvon a jack shaft I4I Integral with the small spur gear I39 is a larger gear I42 which meshes with a small spur gear I43 mounted coaxially with and driven by a pulley wheel I44. The pulley is driven by means of a belt I45 from a small pul1eyI46 on the motor I5. By the means just described, various mechanisms of the machine including the printing unit and the card feeder are driven and'it willbe seen that a positive gear ratio is established between the feed, mechanism and the printing mechanism which is operated by cams on the shaft I3I in a manner to be described hereinbelow. The feed rollers and H5 which advance the cards C from station to station are not synchronized with the other parts. of the machine, such synchronization not being necessary because the lowering of these rollers into cooperation with the cards is accurately timed by cams on shaft 34.

Referring now to Fig. 3, it Will be noted that the arcuate racks II3, previously mentioned as cooperating with racks IIZ to move the sensing bars III to sensing position, are integral with or secured to printing sectors I5I In that form of my invention shown in Figs. 1 to 18, inclusive,

there are as many sensing bars III as there are rows of data or data. positions on a card C to be sensed. Hence there are a similar number of rack members II3 and printing sectors I5I and each printing sector is adapted to be selectively positioned so as to present a desired character in printing position dependent upon the position at which the sensing bar III comes to rest in sensing movement across a card C. As mentioned above and shown in Fig. 3, and as more fully described in my aforesaid co-pending, application, Serial No. 663,467, the sensing bars III slide across the surface of a card until they encounter aperforation therein when they drop into engagementwith a notch in a serrated plate I52. This plate is provided with accurate serrations and is accurately positioned in the machine. Hence when a sensing bar comes into a stop position the printing sector I5I is positioned with a high degree of accuracy. For

exampla: the printing' sector I5I may. carry 'a set ofdigits therein from to 9:- Aperfora-l tion in the card-C' may represent: any one:of thesedigits and when it is sensed the sensing bar- III is locked in an accurately-.determined position so that the printing member I I .isalso accurately set to dispose the desired printing. character below an inked ribbon IR:

Controldevices, such "as perforated cards C; are subject to variations in size: and it is.not alwayspossible to locate indiciasuch as:pe1'-.. forations therein with a high degree of accuracy. Also, ascards of this character, and particu-. larly paper cards, arehandled repeatedly. and passed through sensing mechanisms and other devices, the perforations frequently become dis-. torted or v enlarged. Since it is desirable; that minor inaccuracies in-the locationand form of: indicia on cards as O-benot transmitted to printingemembers controlled by sensing devices, separately controlled locking means, other than the perforationin theccard itself are provided. Thus the sensingtooth III], on the end of'av bar-I I I, which drops into a perforation on card 0 encounters an accurately located serration' on the plate member'I52 underlying the card C;

whichdeterminesaccurately --the point at which the sensing bar -l I I will be stopped inits trans-. verseisensing movement: Minor inaccuracies inthe-lccation of-the-perforations-in the .card C have-no eifect on'the accuracywith whichthe sensing bar-is= finally;located, unless the inaccuracy -is=so great as to=cause=the-sensing tooth on a bar-III to-engagethe-wrong serration in which caseof course thecard should be destroyed and a new one substituted.

The serrations shown-onthe lower sideof the. bars I I I, as in Fig. 3 cooperate with other locking means; the details-of such construction and op. eration being. fully described in my aforesaid co-pending application; Serial 1 No. 663,467.

It is importantto note that the positioningof the sensing; bars and of the printing elements which they-control is only under-general con-. trol of theindicia, carried by the cards Cybeing under thespecific control'of the locking elements briefly-described above and more fully described in the application just mentioned. In otherwords, an indicia, as a perforation in award-C; determines what printing character-will beselected; but theexact movement'of that printing character-to aprecise printing positionis de.-. terminedby the means which accurately locate and lock the sensing bar, as I I I, in itsfinalpoe. sition. Direct connection between the. sensing barm and theprinting'member I5I 'makes surethatthe printing. member will bev located with the same. degree of .accuracyas the sensing bar, the teeth 0f. racks- H2 and H3, being. ac-. curately .formedfor thiszpurpose. Another advantage, of ;this construction; aside I from the accuracy whichti em e s ay-- sel ctiv ly pu .itiontst su o h ct. that;the sensing-bars-are finally positioned by mechanical elements rather than by the cardsC. Sincetheseelemen-ts have appreciable mass, even thoughthey may be made Very -light,, cards of paper or; the, like would be, damaged and rapidly destroyed if they were requiredtostop in sensingposition the .bars.I II :movin-g undertheforce. of

springsas I15. Instead, the shock; of stopping thev bars and parts associated therewith is taken by the serrated plate, I52. and other locking means. and the cardSC .aresaVed from injury.

Above the inked,,,ri bbon, and aligneduwith each of'the printing sectors I 5|, there is disposed a printing. platenelement. I53 carried .bya. bell crank, I54 1 which is mounted pivotally upon a. shaft -.I5 5ainthe upper rear portionof the side frames. I 8 and I9. There arenas: many-- platen the inked ribbon by .thesectors I 5 I.

The bell crank.- levers I54which carry the: platen elementszareeach provided 'with a;.ratherstrong tension spring I 56 .con-nected doetween the bell crank'and asstationary-rod l'i'ii Extending above the bell cranks :I 54 =isL-ahood *orbshield I 52% which carries a-.comb member l59 atdts forward end, disposedjso as to keep -the b'ellicranks- I54 properly. separated land the. platen elements I 53 l with its respective printing sector each aligned I 5 I A substantially 'flatfand: horizontal printing table I60, Figs: 1, 2; 3,: 7 and :10, is mo unted-on the :frame members I 8' and I 9 at" a height substantially flush or level with the tops-of the pr1nt1ng..sectors'-.I5 I. Thisztableis provided with' an opening I 6 I through which the:-printing -characters on. the sectors I51 and the: inked-ribbon IR are exposed?for-cooperation with-the .platen elements. I53." Thetable -IBII supports: the hood or :shield I582andi'comb member I59- mentioned" Guide means I 62 and" I 63 aresprovided above. for sheets, envelopes or other-articles which-are fed along the ,tableto be printed with-the datarepresented or controlled by the -indicia on the cards or controlr members C; Normally the printing-platens: are held-in raised position: as

shown in Figs;- 3; 7-;and 10 by a bail' member-I54- This bail member-I 54 contacts. the --low'er--ends of-- the bell cranks I54, as clearly shown in- Fig.- 3. As fullydescribed in my aforesaid oo-pending application, an arm I A extendsfrom the shaft I66 to a cam I51 -ca-rried bythe shaft I31; Fig.

5A, and at appropriate times afterthepfinting sectors-have been set selectively in printing posision according' 'to-clata sensed on-thecontrol cards C the campermits the arm IA to swing;

side of thesheet or otherarticle disposed-over. the printing, sector I 5I and lying; between the guide @members I62 and I 63 on top of the upper table surface I filliwhich supports the article being a. printed. The platen elements are shown inon which they are freely pivoted; Since; the

ac s la efii t sra with he s n g ars I I I and are in mesh with the racks I I3, rotary movement of the printingsectorsds accompanied at all times by longitudinal sliding 'movement of -the sensing 'bars- III;; As-best shown iii-Figs; 3-

and 5A a bailmember I 'I2- is mounted on arms I13 fixed against-rotationonthe shaft III. The arms I13 alsocarry a transverse rod I'M; A

tension spring I15 is-connected between each of the printing sectors IEI-andthe rod I'Id.

Referring now to Fig. 6A,.the shaft I1I has affixed thereto, as by set screw I16, a two armed lever I11 carrying at the end of each arm a cam follower roller I18. Each of the rollers I10 is adapted to cooperate with oneof a pair of conjugate cams I19 and I80, carried by and. fixed to the shaft I31. By the means just described the shaft I1I which carries the arms I13, bail I12 and rod I14, is rocked in alternate directions at appropriate times. When the shaft is rocked clockwise, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6A, the bail I12 is withdrawn from contact with the rear edges of the printing sectors I5I and the springs I15 are tensioned to urge the printing sectors to rotate clockwise also. This causes the sensing bars to move forward, the sensing element at the extreme front end of each bar sliding across a card C in sensing position (not shown in Fig. 3) until a perforation or other indicia borne by the card is encountered. As briefly explained hereinabove and as more fully described in my aforesaid co-pending application, Serial No. 663,467, the sensingjbars are stopped in accurately defined positions and the various printing sectors likewise are positioned selectively, according to the data sensed, to print when the platens I53 are lowered to strike the upper surface of an article to be printed.

The printing sectors are retained in printing position by means more fully described in my aforesaid co-pending application, and including the locking elements I82 and I83, Fig. 3, until printing is accomplished. Thereafter, the conjugate cams I19 and I80, Fig. 6A, return tthe shaft HI and arms I13 to their normalor zero positions counterclockwise, as seen in Figs. 3 and 6A, and the bail member I12 restores the printing sectors I5I and the sensing bars III to their zero positions. As each new card C to be sensed is fed into sensing position, these operations are repeated.

The platen elements I53, carried by bell crank levers I54, as previously described, are quickly withdrawn from impression position after printing is accomplished, this occurring before the printing sectors I5I are restored to their zero positions in the manner just described. In case it is desired to print the same data on separate sheets, or on different parts of the same sheet, the card C is retained in sensing position during a plurality of cycles of the shaft I31. The arrangement described hereinabove in connection with Figs. 8 and 9 provides for operation of shaft I31 a plurality of times while the card feeding mechanism is being operated only once. The number of operations for each card is obviously determined by the ratio of the spur gears I3I and I32. Where the ratio is to be one to one, the spur gears are eliminated and the drive is directly from shaft I21 to shaft 34 through bevel gears I26 and I25.

Any suitable means may be provided for feeding sheets to be printed along the table I00 over the opening I6I and between the guides I62 and I63. A mechanism suitable for this purpose is described in detail in my Patent No. 2,342,190 issued February 22, 1944. In those instances where a plurality of impressions are to be taken on a single sheet, suitable feeding means for advancing the sheet step by step may be provided. Since the feeding means for single printed sheets, or for advancing sheets step by step through the printing means of the present invention form no part of such invention, description thereof is unnecessary.

Means are provided in my improved printing machine for advancing the inked ribbon IR step by step so as to present a new portion thereof in printing position after each'operation of the machine as is well known in the art. As shown in Figs. 6 and 6A, these means include an arm I9I secured to the shaft I1I as by a set screw I92 for rotation therewith. A substantially vertical link I93 has its lower end engaged in an opening in the end of arm I9I and its upper end is pivotally connected with one arm I94 of a bell crank pivotally mounted on a stud I95 secured toa part of the frame. The other arm I96 of the bell crank terminates in a short rack portion I91 which engages cooperating teeth on a block 20I secured by a set screw 202 to a transversely slidable rod 203. Near each end thereof the rod 203 carries a forwardly projecting pawl member 204 affixed, non-rotatably to said bar as by a set screw 205. A tension spring 206 is attached to one of the pawl members, the upper ends of said spring being secured to a frame portion to urge said pawls upwardly into cooperation with ratchet wheels 201 which are secured non-rotatably to reels 208 for the inked ribbon IR. The reels 208 and ratchets 201 may be supported by suitable bolts 209 secured to an appropriate frame member. Reversing mechanism'is provided as well'known in the art, description thereof being unnecessary. When the shaft I1I is oscillated by the conjugate cams I19 and I80, the link I93 causes the bell crank I94, I96 to slide the rod 203 back and forth and the pawls v204 engage one or the other of the ratchets 201 to advance the ribbon in one direction or the other, depending upon the position of the reversing mechanism.

A hand wheel 2I0 is mounted to rotate with shaft I31 during normal operation and provide a manual means by'which the printing mechanism may be operated when desired.

Manual means are provided, also, for locking the printing platens in their raised positions when it is desired to operate shaft I31 without printing. Asshown in Figs. 3, 6 and 10 a two-armed lever 2II is pivoted on a stud 2I3 and its upper end has a notch 2I4 adapted to engage a projecting end of the bail I64 when the bar is rotated counterclockwise, as seen in Fig. 3, to the dotted line position. In this position the bail I64 is held up, against the force of springs I56, tending to pull the platen levers I54 down, and printing cannot take place. The lower arm 2l5 of lever 2 has attached thereto a tension spring 2I6, the forward end of which is secured to the frame to normally hold lever 2 in its inoperative position against the shaft I55 which serves as a stop to limit rotation thereof. A rod 2I1, connected to the lower end of the arm 2I5, extends to the front of the machine where it is slidably mounted in a bracket 2I8. A knob or knurled head 2I9 is provided on the end of the knob for pushing the lever into locking engagement with bail I64 when it is desired to prevent printing.

As previously noted, the cam shaft I31 is driven by the gear I 38 through the intermediary of a clutch. This clutch is of the one revolution type and is similar to the clutch described in detail in my prior Patent No. 2,132,413, patented October 11, 1936. As best shown in Fig. 6, it comprises a toothed member 22I secured to gear I38 to rotate therewith, the gear and toothed member 22I being freely mounted for rotation with respect to shaft I31. A cooperating toothed member 222 is slidwith a cam shaped edge portion 221 of aa h-inged:

plate -228 As =the-parts=are shown .in ,Figs .6 i the stud 1 2 2 6 advances toward i the @observer; andierrcounters the cam shaped edgeportion: .227 toward-Z theclose of a cycle ofoperationa As it does:.so;1, cam 22'! moves the studf to "the right; as: seentun:

Fig; 6, compressing; spring. 2252 andsdisengaging. theclutch elements. Atsits-terminus; the-,cam. 227 merges-into a: stop:.sh'0u1der:22 9 zwhiclrholdsthe shaft ag-ainst further-rotation until thestud: is released from J stop; 2 29 by: movingwplatesfitg: away from the clutchi-elements and allowing-the stud to-become disengaged therefrom... Plate 225$ is pivotallycarried 'onthe rod 203; as best shown; in Fig. 10; A springs23i'tends normally-:tohold. the plate against thecclutch elementsbut azpush rod" 232, secured-ito the lower part of the; plate 228, and projecting to the front of the machine-;.. affords a meansfor releasingtthe clutch forzaxcycle of operation. The front endDf-"thepushi rod is: provided with: a i suitableknurledyli'ead or. knob.

233; When theiknob 2331is pushed: inwardly; plate 228.2 swingszzto. ;.the;: dotted: line .positionshown; in

Fig; 10, clearingsthe-stud 226 $0 permit 13163011113011" to. engage. Upon .release, spring 3231 :swingsathe 1 plate: 228i back: against the .clutch1elerments and the: operationixof 1' shaft: I31 is. .discontinuedi upon completion :of a" complete single icyclet However,

the knob: 233 .-may be heldxin continuouslygandin this 'casexoperationxof "the. shaft 13.! fwill;be;con.= tinued without interruption until releaserof'sthe declutching. mechanism just; described;

The mechanism just:described requires mairuale release of the;declutching...plate 22Bfor:eachnycle: of operation of the machine: Eorisomeatypespfi operation, as where sheets ;are: fBdlbYf'hfi'lfldf to printing position; this is-desirable; but: it isanor; mally preferred to feed sheets. .automaticallyand; it is desirable;thattoperation bezautomatictandw continuous; subject :to interruption: if there: a failure inthe -feeding of --asheet-to printing.-posi-,- tion or acard'to sensing'positionr, Amarrangement .for this purpose :is showndn Fig; 'T-where, a; solenoid 240 has :its .plunger-:2 H connected .by; a link 242 to,the plate-2-28.i Norma-11y; for goon-tinnous operation: of,the-;machine, the-solenoid. is; activated just before the-close of: each acyclegto draw the plate 2 28:-out -of thepa-th; of the-stud 2 2 and,;thereby tripthe machine afor: another-cycle? Any; interruption in current ,to-- the solenoid at this time, however, releases the solenoid plunger so that the spring23l can-draw the plate 228 inton position to-separate the-driving--elements-of theclutch. I p I Current may; be supplied to.solenoidiflfitfromr any suitable source. Preferably. a,-sheet .con-

trolled interrupter is incorporated in theeelectric circuit sosthatzfailure .to feeda sheettoprinting...

positioncwill cause, interrupti.on10fv current to, the

solenoid in a manner well known in theJarh The electric circuit may include a painofj'electric contacts 250 which are adapted to be closed" periodically as by a cam 25I mounted on a shaft 252 which comprises a part of an automatic sheetfeeding mechanism'notshown. Th cam; 25l closes'the contacts once each'cycle near theend of' suchcycle towactivatethe solenoid -and Withdraw plate 228:to;permit the clutch to be engaged for another cycle. Should some other part of the circuit be interrupted at this time, as by failureof a sheet feedingoradvancing-operation, solenoid 240 is not activated even though contacts 250 are closed and automatic operation willnot be resumed until'the cause of the interruption-is ascertained andremoved. If desired,

' the sheet feeding mechanism may be similarly controlled by asolenoid activated single revolution clutch, such an arrangement being described in my aforesaid Patent No. 2,342,190.

In Fig. 19 an arrangement is shown wherein three printing units of the character described hereinabovemay be arranged in tandem to print three lines of dissimilar data on a single article, such as a sheet or envelope. For-exampla this arrangement maybe used for printing a three line name and address on an envelope, postcard, bill or the-like, as shown in Fig. 20. For this purpose control members, such as thecards 0' described above,- may be provided with three separate groups or fields of indicia, each of which is adapted for sensin by a separategroup of sensing elements Thus Fig. 19 represents-a plan view of an arrangement wherein asingle continuous feed table 333 for control cardsextends through three separate sensing 'stationsSl, S2 and'S3,- and a continuous feed table360 for sheets or other articles to be printed extends through three printing positions P1, P2 and P3;

The printing'unit PI and sensing unit SI may constitute a single printing machine' of the type described hereinabove. unit P2 and sensing unit S2 may comprise another substantiallycomplete machine and thefeeding system is usedfor the cards and another for the'articles' to be printed. Thus as shown in Fig; 19, the feed system'for the control cards-comprises a hopper having side walls 362 and 364, afeed plate 356 reciprocated by a bell crank 343 pivoted on a stud 3M, and various card advancing rollers operated by-belt drive from the motor shaft 3 I 5A. The bell crank 343 is oscillated by a pitman 339 and an eccentric crank pin 338 identical with the pitman'39 and pin 38 previously described.

A separate cam shaft 334A is provided for each of the other two printingunits, such cam shafts all being driven through bevel gearing by shafts 321 which are driven from cam shafts in the printingunits, not shownbut identical with the shaft I31 previously described. These shafts, in

' turn, are driven by gearing and belt drive means A continuous feedtable 360' is provided for Likewise the printing:

carrying articles to be printed through all three printing mechanisms, as previously noted. This system may comprise two continuous shafts 380 and 390 extending through all three units and driven by the printing machine. Shaft 3S0 drives feed rollers MI, 402 and 403 by means of suitable bevel gearing. Since these are friction rollers it is not important that they be synchronized, in rotation, with the printing mechanism. The shaft 390, however, is a cam shaft which raises and lowers the rollers WI, 402 and 463 in timed relation to printing operations and it must be geared to the printing units for properly timed operation therewith.

Shaft 390 also controls stop members GI I, M2 and M3 which stop sheets, envelopes, or the like in proper position for printing. These elements may be operated by cams on shaft 390 in the same general manner as the stop finger I I8, Fig. 18, is operated. V

In order that all the printing units and sensing units may be interrupted if any interruption or irregularity occurs in the feed of articles to be printed, or of control cards, the thre solenoids 240A, 2403 and 240C corresponding to solenoid 240 are preferably connected in the electric circuit in such a manner as to be deenergized one at a time, depending upon where the sheet failure occurs. Thus, as indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 19, the three solenoids may be connected in parallel, each however being in series with a sheet detector DI, D2 and D3, respectively. A pair of contacts 430 are in series with the line and a cam 43I closes these contacts periodically in the same manner thatcam 25I closes contacts 250 in Fig. 7.

With this arrangement, assuming that there is a failure to properly feed a sheet or envelope to the first printing unit PI, a sheet from station PI can nevertheless be printed at stations P2 and P3 so as to be cleared from the machine before the second and third printing mechanisms cease to function.

It is believed that the operation of the single printing unit, as well as the combination of three units, will be clear from the foregoing description. Briefly, however, the operation of the machine is as follows:

The feed plate 56 feeds a control member such as a card C from the bottom of a pile thereof to a point where its advance end is positioned under the first feed roller 85. At a properly timed point in the cycle of the machine the feed roller 85 is lowered to advance th card C into sensing position where it is accurately aligned with sensing fingers I I I. At this point the conjugate cams I19 and I80 on shaft I31 move the arms I13 and bail I12 away from the printing sectors I5I. As this occurs the springs I15, which are individual- 1y attached to each of the printing sectors, cause the sectors to follow the bail I12 and through racks H3, H2 they caus the sensing fingers or bars III to traverse the card C. As each of the fingers II I encounters a perforation or other indicia on the card C, further movement is stopped and the finger, and the printing sector IfiI geared thereto, are stopped, the printing sector thereby positioning a printing character, corresponding to the position of the indicia on the card C, beneath the inked ribbon IR.

After all the sensing bars II I have been locked and the printing sectors thereby positioned for printing, the rotating shaft I31 brings the cam I61 to a point where its follower I65A may drop off the abrupt shoulder on the cam. When this occurs, each of the springs I56 draws its associated bell crank I54 down sharply, striking the platen elements I53 against the article to be printed and producing an impression on its lower face from the printing characters through the inked ribbon IR. Subsequently, rotation of shaft I31 restores the platen arms I54 to their raised positions and the conjugate cams I19 and I80 restore the bail I12 and the printing segments I5I and sensing bars III to their normal zer positions.

If the machine is manually controlled it must be tripped for each cycle and this is accomplished by the operator pushing in the knob 233. If the machine is automatic, as it usually is, particularly when articles to be printed are fed automatically, the machine is tripped by the solenoid 240 for each operation and its operation is continuous unless and until a sheet fails to be fed properly. The same control may, if desired, be extended to the card feeding system, so that continuous operation is dependent both upon feed of a card and feed of an article to be printed. This arrangement is not shown in the drawings but is believed to be obvious to those skilledin the art, since it involves only the use of conventional sheet detectors along the path of the card feed.

When three machines are connected in tandem, as for printing a name and address such as is indicated in Figs. 19 and 20, the cards C have three separate groups of data-representing indicia, one of which is sensed at each station SI, S2 or S3. One line of data, corresponding to the indicia sensed at station SI, is printed by the first printing unit PI. A second line of data is printed at station P2, corresponding to the indicia sensed at station S2 and a third line is similarly printed at station P3. Obviously the number of printing units employed could be varied as desired.

When it is desired to print data more than once on a single sheet, the feed mechanism for control cards C is geared to operate through only one cycle for each sheet. Thus if each sheet is to be printed with the same data at two or at three positions thereon, as might be done in printing checks and stubs, utility bills and stubs, and the like on a single sheet, the feeder for the control cards operates only once for each two {or each three operations of the printing and sensing mechanism. Gearing between the shaft I21 and shaft 34 is appropriately selected for the particular purpose of the machine.

While I have described my invention as being used particularly in connection with perforated control cards and with sensing bars I I I of a particular type, it will be understood that any type of control or record member which can be sensed mechanically may be employed therein, suitable modifications being made in the sensing means as more fully pointed out in my aforesaid copending application, Serial No. 663,467.

Hence, while I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that these are capable of variation and modification and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth, but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a record controlled printing machine, a sheet guideway along which asheet may be fed into a succession of printing stations, sets of settable printing elements disposed at the respective printing stations in difierent line spacing positions extended longitudinally of said guideway and in stepped relationship transversely of the sheet guideway, a record guideway extended parallel to said sheet guideway and having a plurality of sensing stations disposed at spaced points therealong, sets of sensing means at the respective sensing stations disposed at positions for sensing difierent portions of a record at the different sensing stations, and means operatively connecting the sensing means of the respective sets of sensing means to the settable printing elements of said sets of printing elements.

2. In a record controlled machine of the character described, a guideway along which a sheet to be printed may be fed, plural printing stations for the sheet arranged in tandem along the guideway, a second guideway along which an article bearing representations of different parts of a record to be printed on the sheets may be fed, plural sensing stations each paired to a printing station and each disposed adjacent the second guideway, each printing station comprising settable type elements under control of sets of sensing means in the corresponding paired sensing station, one sensing station adapted to sense representations corresponding to one part of the record and another sensing station adapted to sense representations corresponding to another part whereby the corresponding printing stations print one part of the record and then another on the sheet, means for successively feeding the article to be sensed first to one sensing station and then to another, and means for successively feeding the sheet to be printed first to one printing station and then to another accordingly as the article is fed from one sensing station and then to another.

3. In a record controlled printing machine of the character described having printing stations associated with sensing stations, a guideway along which an article to be printed may be successively fed first to one printing station and then to another, each printing station comprising set- 18 table type elements disposed in the guideway, a second guideway along which a member carrying dissimilar representations of parts of the record to be printed on the article may be successively fed first to one sensing station for sensing the representations corresponding to one part of the record and then to another sensing station for sensing representations corresponding to another part of the record, the printing stations and sensing stations being connected in pairs, the type elements in each printing station being settable in accordance with the representations of REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,110,723 Spiess Sept. 15, 1914 1,608,837 Bryce Nov. 30, 1926 1,702,763 Clark Feb. 19, 1929 1,882,797 Ford Oct. 18, 1932 1,976,599 Bryce Oct. 9, 1934 2,076,713 Ford Apr. 13, 1937 2,077,962 Smith Apr. 20, 1937 2,238,873 Nelson Apr. 15, 1941 2,282,067 Lang May 5, 1942 2,373,503 Sager Apr. 10, 1945 2,378,250 Scher June 12, 1945 2,350,511 Lake Aug. 20, 1946

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