US3595165A

US3595165A - Addressing machine with toggle-link mechanism

Info

Publication number: US3595165A
Application number: US880302A
Authority: US
Inventors: Richard A Smith; Richard M Gile; David S Wilson
Original assignee: Dymo Industries Inc
Current assignee: Dymo Industries Inc
Priority date: 1969-11-26
Filing date: 1969-11-26
Publication date: 1971-07-27
Anticipated expiration: 1988-07-27

Abstract

An addressing machine of the type in which addresses are sequentially printed upon workpieces by a print roller which is reciprocated into contact with a stencil placed between the print roller and a table on the frame of the machine upon which the workpiece is located, the reciprocation of the print roller being accomplished by a toggle-link mechanism mounted upon the frame of the machine, the toggle-link mechanism having a link which is pivotally mounted on the frame and is selectively movable with respect to the table to selectively change the spacing between the print roller and the table for accommodating workpieces of different thicknesses.

Description

United States Patent Richard A. $111101 [72] Inventors Andover; Richard M. Gile, Kingston; David S. Wilson, Rockland, all of, Mass. (21] Appl. No. 880,302 [22] Filed Nov. 26, I969 [45] Patented July 27,1971 [73] Assignee Dylno Industries, Inc.

Emeryville. Calif.

[54] ADDRESSING MACHINE WITH 'IOGGLI-l-LINK MECHANISM 12 Claims, 14 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl 101/48, 10l/56, 101/269 [51] Int. Cl ..B41l47/06, B41f 3/04 [50] Field ol'Search 101/56,55, 269, 274, 250, 282, 283, 284, 285, 48, 49, 58,47

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,694,619 12/1928 Elliott 101/49 1,883,643 10/1932 Elliott 101/48 Primary Examiner-William B. Penn Att0rney-Samuelson and Jacob ABSTRACT: An addressing machine of the type in which addresses are sequentially printed upon workpieces by a print roller which is reciprocated into contact with a stencil placed between the print roller and a table on the frame of the machine upon which the workpiece is located, the reciprocation of the print roller being accomplished by a toggle-link mechanism mounted upon the frame of the machine, the toggle-link mechanism having a link which is pivotally mounted on the frame and is selectively movable with respect to the table to selectively change the spacing between the print roller and the table for accommodating workpieces of different thicknesses.

Pmmiu JUL27 I97! 3,595,155

sum 01 or 11 INVENTORS RICHARD A. SMITH RICHARD M. GILE DAVID 5. WILSON THEIR AT RNEYS PATENIEIIJUL27|97I 3,595; 165

sum 02 [1F 11 w INVENTORS RICHARD A. SMITH RICHARD M. GILE DAVID S. WILSON a BY THEIR AT RNEYS PATENTED JuLzmn 7 8,595,165 sum 03 or 11 I NVENTORS RICHARD A. SMITH RICHARD M. GILE DAVID S. WILSON YMM THEIR ATT PATENTEU JUL27 I971 3,595,165

SHEET 0 4 [1F 11 INVENTORS F- q- RICHARD A. SMITH RICHARD M. 011.5

DAVID 5. WILSON THEIR ATT NEYS PATENIEIIJULZ'IISYI 3 595 155 sum os0r1.1

INVENTORS RICHARD A. SMITH RICHARD M. GILE DAVID 5. WILSON My P THEIR ATTo PATENTEU .mLznsm 3.595.155 sum as 0F 11 INVENTORS RICHARD A. SMITH RICHARD M. GILE DAVID 5. WILSON THEIR ATTO EYS PATENTEUJULZ'IISYI 3,595,165

SHEET 07 [1F 11 INVENTORS RICHARD A. SMITH RICHARD M. GILE DAVID S. WILSON BY EYS THEIR ATTO PATENTVEU JUL27|97I 555. 1655 saw 08 0F 11 INVENTORS RICHARD A. SMITH RICHARD M. GILE DAVID 5. WILSON BI/M THEIR ATTO PATENTED JUL27 IBII I II I I 248 2 250 SHEET 09 0F I1 i\ \LI\\\\\\ \\\\\'5 INVENTORS RICHARD A SMITH RICHARD M. GILE DAVID S. WILSON i /MW THEIR ATTO PATENTEU M27197! 3595165 SHEET 10 0F 11 rmmm'i-a INVENTORS RICHARD A. SMITH bi RICHARD M. CILE DAVID 5. WILSON ,j pxw THEIR ATT NEYS PATENTEDJULZHQYI 3,595 1 5 sum MM 11 INVENTORS RICHARD A. SMITH RCHARD MGILE DAVID S. WILSON I/WA THEIR ATT NEYS ADDRESSING MACHINE WITH TOGGLE-LINK MECHANISM The present invention relates generally to addressing machines and pertains, more specifically, to addressing machines of the type in which addresses are sequentially printed upon workpieces by the transfer of ink through-a prinbforming element, such as a stencil, to a workpiece, such as an envelope, card or an address list.

The current trend toward increased use of growing mailing lists has developed a demand for high speed, versatile addressing machines which are compatible with commonly used address stencils and which can print addresses carried by such stencils upon a variety of items including mailing envelopes and other mailing pieces of various thicknesses, as well as upon businessforms and sheets of indeterminate length. While addressing machines have been developed for such stencils which print addresses rapidly, such machines have been limited to use in connection with rather specific items to be addressed and have lacked the versatility demanded by businesses which cannotjustify, from an economic standpoint, the purchases of multiple addressing machines for the various tasks which could be performed through the use of addresscarrying stencils.

It is therefore an important object of the invention to provide a versatile, high-speed addressing machinecapable of cffectively printing addresses upon a variety of different items having various-dimensions.

' Another object of the invention is to provide an addressing machine of the type described above which employs a togglelink mechanism for reciprocating the printing meansof the machine and which incorporates a simple, yet effective selective adjustment of the toggle-link mechanism for. printing. addresses upon workpieces of various thicknesses.

A further object of the, invention isto provide an addressing machine which employs a toggle-link mechanism for urging a print roller against address-carrying, stencils and incorporates a reaction mechanism which compensates for the mechanical characteristics of the toggle-link mechanism to provide smooth and reliable operation. The reaction mechanism further aidsin compensating for reaction forces generated by the alternating elastic deformation and releases of the print roller by the toggle-link mechanism.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an addressing, machineof thetype described above which employs an improved high-speed feed mechanism for selectively advancing stencils through the machine.

The above objects as well as further objects and advantages are attained by the invention which may be described briefly as providing in an addressing machine of the type in which addresses are sequentially printed upon workpieces by the transfer of ink through a print-forming element to a workpiece, the combination comprising a frame, a printing station on theframe, a table located on the'frame at the printing station, means for locating workpieces-on the table at the print- I ing station, means for sequentially receiving print-forming ele ments in juxtaposition with'the workpieces at the printing station, a-toggle-link mechanism mounted upon the frame at the printing station, the toggle-link mechanism including first and secondtoggle-links, each having opposite ends, the first and second toggle-links being arranged-generally in end to end relationship and pivotally interconnected at adjacent'cnds, pivot means mounting the end of the first link opposite the adjacent end thereof upon the frame for pivotal movement of the first link. about a point located at a predetermined distance from the table, printing means mounted upon the frame. for reciprocating. movement along a path of travel between a first locatiortwherein the printing means is spaced from the juxtaposed print-forming element and workpiece at the printing station and a second location wherein the printing means is urged against the juxtaposed print-forming element and workpiece in response to movement of the end of the second link Ill opposite the adjacent end thereof, actuator means mounted on the frame and interconnected with the adjacent ends of the togglclinks for moving the toggle links between a first position wherein the links are at an angle to one another and the printing means is at the first location and a second position wherein the links are in substantial alignment with one another and the straight line distance between theoppositc ends of the links is that which is required to urge the-printing means into the second location with sufficient force to print the address on the workpiece, and means for selectively moving the point about which the first link is pivoted to change the predetermined distance between the point and the table and accom modate workpieces of different thicknesses.

The invention will be more fully understood and still further objects and advantages thereof will become apparent in the following detailed description of an embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of anaddressing machine constructed in accordance with the invention shown with related equipment in an envelope addressing operation;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, front elevational view of the addressing machine of FIG. I;

FIG. 3 is a further enlarged rear elevational view of a portion of the addressing machine illustrating drive components of the machine;

FIG. 4 is a similarly enlarged rear elevational view of a further portion of the addressing machine in the vicinity of the printing station of the machine;

FIG. 5 is a plan view, similarly enlarged, illustrating operating components of the machine in the vicinity of the printing station;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional viewtaken along line 6-6 of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 4 and showing the component parts in a different operating position from that shown'in FIG. 6;

FIGS. 8 and 9 are fragmentary views of a portion of FIG. 7 illustrating certain operating components in different operating positions;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary front elevational view primarily illustrating the printing mechanism of the machine;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary view ofa portion of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary front elevational view illustrating the feed mechanism for advancing stencils through the machine;

FIG. 13 is a view similar to FIG. 12 with the operating components in a different operating position;'and

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary view similar to FIGS. 12 and 13 but with the operatingcomponents in a different operating position.

Referring now to the drawing and especially to FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof, an addressing machine constructed in accordance with the invention is shown generally'at 1'0 and includes a frame 12 on which is located'a table 14 having a table top which provides a flat, planar surface 15 at a printing station 16. Also located at the printing'station I6 is a printing means in the form of a printing mechanism 18 which is mounted upon the frame 12 andwhich includes-a platen in the form ofa print roller 20 located above the'table'and' spaced from the flat, planar surface 15. A supply of print-forming elements shown in the form of address-carrying stencils 22 is placed in' a hopper 24 extending upwardly from the table 14 adjacent the right end 26 of the table such that the stencils 22 aremaintained in a stack within the hopper.

Below the hopper 24 there is provided a feed means (which will be described in detail hereinafter) for selectively engaging the lowermost stencil in the stack to advance the stencil along a track 28 which extends from the hopper 24 adjacent the right end 26 of the table 14 to adjacent the left end 30 of the table where there is located a bin 32 for receiving the ad vanced stencils. As the stencils are advanced along the track, each stencil is made to follow a path oftravel which brings the stencil to a position below the print roller 20 at the printing station 16.

In the mode of operation depicted in FIG. I, a feeder 34 is placed in front of the addressing machine and, in this instance, carries a supply of envelopes 36 in a chute 38 which passes below at least some of a plurality of feed rollers 40 such that rotation of the feed rollers will sequentially advance envelopes to printing station 16. Thus, an envelope 36 may be advanced to the printing station where it is brought to rest upon the flat, planar surface of the table 14, a stencil 22 is advanced intojuxtaposition with the envelope between the envelope and the print roller 20, and the print roller may be reciprocated in order to be pressed downwardly against the stencil and the envelope to transfer ink from the print roller through the stencil and thereby print an address upon the envelope. Advancement of the envelope along its path oftravel from the front of addressing machine 10 to the rear of the machine is then continued in order to eject the envelope from the rear of the machine onto a waiting conveyor 42 which will carry the addressed envelopes to a remote collection point (not shown). As best seen in FIG. 2, the machine stands upon depending legs 44 and includes a cover 45 having a forwardfacing control panel 46.

Turning now to FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6, reciprocation of the print roller is effected by an actuator means which includes a drive shaft 50 mounted for rotation upon the frame I2 of addressing machine 10. A main drive motor 52 (see FIG. 3) is carried by the frame and drives a reduction gear in gear box 54 by means of a main drive belt 56. The reduction gear, in turn, carries a drive sprocket 58 which drives a main drive chain 60 which passes across an idler sprocket 62 and engages a drive shaft sprocket 64. The drive shaft sprocket 64 is selectively engaged or disengaged with the drive shaft SO by means of a solenoid operated clutch 66 which may be operated to selectively engage the drive shaft 50 for one full revolution to enable the print roller to be reciprocated through one full cycle of operation at selected intervals while the main drive motor 52, the reduction gear in gear box 54 and the main drive chain 60 operate continuously.

In order to convert the rotation of the drive shaft 50 into reciprocation of the print roller 20, a crank 70 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) is affixed to the drive shaft 50 and carries a crank pin 72 upon which isjournaled a connecting rod 74 which, in turn, is journaled upon a drive pin 76 ofa toggle-link mechanism 78 mounted upon the frame 12 above the print roller 20. The toggle-link mechanism 78 includes a pair of first toggle links 80 and a pair ofsecond toggle links 82 (also see FIG. 10), the first links 80 having opposite ends 84 and 86 and the second links 82 having opposite ends 88 and 89. The adjacent ends 86 and 88 of the respective first and

second links

80 and 82 are interconnected by virtue of the links being journaled at these adjacent ends 86 and 88 upon the drive pin 76. Pivot means shown in the form of a pivot pin 90 extending in the same direction as the direction of travel of the stencils 22 and perpendicular to the direction of travel of the reciprocating print roller 20 mounts the upper ends 84 of the first toggle links 80 upon the frame 12 for pivotal movement about a point defined by the axis of the pivot pin 90 and located at a predetermined distance D from the table 14. The print roller 20 is journaled upon an axle 92 carried by a yoke 94 which is affixed to a vertical rod 96 slidably received within a bushing block 98 affixed to the frame 12. The rod 96 is carried by a support pin 100 fixed within the vertical rod 96 by a set screw 97 such that reciprocation of the connecting rod 74 forward and backward by rotation of the drive shaft 50 and crank 70 will actuate the toggle-link mechanism 78 to reciprocate the vertical rod 96 and the print roller 20 upwardly and downwardly with respect to the table 14.

As best seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, the print roller 20 is thus mounted upon the frame 12 for reciprocating movement along a path of travel between a first location (as seen in FIG. 6) wherein the print roller 20 is spaced from the juxtaposed stencil 22 and envelope 36 at the printing station 16 and a second location (as seen in FIG. 7) wherein the print roller 20 is urged against the juxtaposed stencil 22 and envelope 36 in response to rotation of the drive shaft 50 and reciprocation of the connecting rod 74 to move the toggle links and 82 between a first position wherein the

links

80 and 82 are at an angle to one another and the print roller 20 is at the first location, as seen in FIG. 6, and a second position wherein the toggle links 80 and 82 are in substantial alignment with one another at a dead center position and the straight line distance between the opposite ends 84 and 89 of the first and

second links

80 and 82, respectively, is that which is required to urge the print roller 20 into its second location, as seen in FIG. 7, with sufficient force to resiliently deflect the track 28 downwardly and thereby press the print roller 20 against the stencil 22 and the stencil against the envelope 36. The print roller 20 is constructed of a resiliently deformable material, such as rubber, so that when the print roller is brought to its second location where the print roller is pressed against the stencil, the envelope, and the table, the cylindrical surface 102 of the roller is deformed to conform the surface ofthe roller to the address-carrying area 104 ofthe stencil so that ink is transferred from the surface of the print roller through the stencil to the envelope.

Ink is supplied to the surface 102 ofthe print roller 20 by an ink train 106 which includes a series of ink-working rollers mounted upon the frame for rotation on parallel axes located between an ink reservoir 108 and the print roller 20. Ink is applied to the first inking roller 110 of the ink train 106 by manual rotation of an ink knob 112 (also see FIG. 2) to rotate a crankshaft 114 and tilt the reservoir 108 so that ink will spill from the reservoir onto the surface of the first inking roller 110. All of the inking rollers in the ink train are positively and continuously rotated by an ink train drive shaft 116 which carries a sprocket 118 which is also in engagement with the continuously driven main drive chain 60 (see FIG. 3). Thus, ink which is applied to the first inking roller 110 is worked into an ink film which is spread from the surface of the first roller to the surface of the second inking roller I20, thence to the surface of the third inking roller 122 and then to the surface of the lowermost inking roller 124. The final inking roller in the ink train is a transfer inking roller 126 journaled between a pair of carrier arms 128 which are pivotally mounted upon the frame 12 by virtue of the carrier arms being journaled upon the same shaft 130 as the lowermost roller 124 of the ink train. A helical spring 132 extends from the frame 12 to each carrier arm 128 adjacent the end thereof at 133 to bias the carrier arms in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGS. 6 and 7, so that the transfer inking roller 126 will be urged against the surface of the print roller 20. In this manner, the transfer inking roller 126 will remain in contact with the surface 102 of the print roller 20 during a substantial portion of the upward and downward movement of the print roller 20 to rotate print roller 20 and ink the surface 102 of the print roller. Clockwise movement of the carrier arms 128 and the concomitant downward movement of the transfer inking roller 126 is limited by a stop 134 which is in position to engage a carrier arm 128 so that the transfer inking roller 126 will not be in contact with the print roller when the print roller is in the second location, as shown in FIG. 7. In this manner, rotation of the transfer inking roller 126 may continue while rotation of the print roller 20 is stopped during the printing of an address.

In the illustrated mode of operation, addressing machine I0 is fully automatic in that envelopes 36 are fed into the machine in timed relationship with the cycle of operation of the print roller 20. Thus, an envelope 36 will be advanced across the table 14 below the print roller 20 until the envelope is stopped by envelope stop fingers (see FIGS. 5 and 6) which are each mounted upon a slide 142 suspended from a bar 144 by brackets 145, the bar being guided for upward and downward reciprocating movement within a slot 146 in the frame. A plunger 148 is affixed to the bar 144 and is resiliently biased downwardly by a helical spring 150 so that these en velope stop fingers 140 will be urged against the table I4 to stop and locate an advancing envelope in the proper position within the printing station 16 during downward movement of the print roller 20 for the printing of an address. The stop lingers 140 themselves are constructed of spring steel and will engage the top of table 14 with a spring pressure which is selectively adjustable to assure proper seating of the stop fin gers upon the table. Such selective adjustment of the spring pressure is accomplished by rotation of a knurled thumb screw to move the slide 142 upwardly or downwardly relative to the bracket 145.

As the print roller is drawn upwardly from its lowermost location towardits uppermostlocation, an ejector cam 152, which is affixed for rotation with the drive shaft .50, will allow a first follower 154, which is carried by a bellcrank 156 pivotally mounted upon the frame 12 at 158, to move to the right, as viewed in FIG. 6, thereby enabling a helical spring 160 to rotate the bellcrank 156'in a clockwise direction and urge a second follower-162 downwardly to rotate a control lever 164, which is pivotally mounted-upon the frame l2vat 166, in a clockwise directionv Such rotation of the control lever 164 will move a control arm 168, which is affixed to the control lever by means of a fastener 169 and which is alfixed to the plunger 148 by means of a pivot pin 170, inan upward direction to draw the plunger 148 upwardly against the bias of the helical spring 150 and thereby raise the stop fingers 140 out of the path of travel of the envelope 36. The control lever 164 is also connected by means of a link 172 to a crank 172 affixed to a shaft l76journaled within the frame 12 and carrying an idler arm 178 with an idlerroller 180 journaled thereon such that upon clockwise rotation of the control lever 164, and simultaneous with the raising of the stop fingers 140, the idler rollers 180 are moved downwardly to urge the envelope 36, which is in the printing station 16, against complementary ejector rollers 182,carried by an ejector shaft 184 which is continuously rotated by a separate drive motor 186 (see FIG. 4) through a drive belt 187 and drive sprocket 188 which is engaged with ejector shaft 184 by means of a one-way clutch 189. In this manner the envelope 36 is frictionally gripped by the ejector rollers 182 and advanced across the table 14 to be ejected from the rear of the addressing machine 10. The envelope stop fingers 140 are adjustable forward and'backward by means of a thumb screw 190 which locks the fingers 140" and the slides 142 .at any selected position. The slides 142 themselves may be moved laterally upon the bar 144 by virtue ofa sliding engagement between the brackets 145 and the bar. The contour of the ejector cam 152 assures that the envelope is properly located during the downward stroke of the print roller and that the envelope is ejected during the upward stroke of the print roller 20.

As best seen in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, addressing machine 10 may be selectively set for any one of three modes of operation. For the fully automatic mode described above, a control knob 192 (also see FIG. 2) is positioned such that an eccentric 194 carried by the control shaft 196 is oriented to locate a slide 198, which carries a cage 200, in the position shown in full lines in FIGS. 4 and 6. In this position of the cage 200 a forward projecting portion 210 of the control lever 164, which operates between the upper and lower limits of the cage 200, is permitted to move in response tomovement of the bellcrank 156 so as to raise and lower the envelope stop fingers140 and I simultaneously raise and lower the ejector idler rollers 180 as described above. When the eccentric194 is rotated to move the slide 198 to its uppermost position, as shown in phantom in FIGS. 4 and 6, the cage 200 will preclude clockwise rotation of the controllever 164 from the position shown in FIG. 6 so that the envelope stop fingers 140'.will always remain in the downward position and the ejector idlerrollers 180 will always remain in the upper position, as illustrated, regardless of the orientation of the ejector cam 152. Thus, in this second'mode of operation, envelopes 36 may be manually placed in the machine and positively located by the envelope stop fingers 140 during an addressing operation. Each envelope will then be removed manually by withdrawing the envelope manually from the front ofthc machine.

In the third selectable mode ofoperation, the eccentric 194 is rotated to move the slide 198 downwardly to its lowermost position, also shown in phantom in FIGS. 4 and 6. In this lowermost position ofthe slide 198, the cage 200 will maintain the forward projecting portion 210 of the control lever 164 in its downwardmost position regardless of the orientation of the ejector cam 152 so that the envelope stop fingers 140 are raised and the ejector idler rollers 180 are in a downward position in engagement with the driven ejector rollers 182. In this third mode of operation, the separate drive motor 186 is stopped and the ejector shaft 184 is free to rotate, by virtue of one-way clutch 189, in a direction which permits the advancement of an elongate sheet of indeterminate length (not shown) between the ejector rollers 182 and the idler rollers 180 across the table 14 from the front toward the rear of the addressing machine. An auxiliary sheet feed means (not shown) may be employed to intermittently advance the sheet in predetermined increments of advancement so that the addressing machine may be employed to print addresses, in sequence, upon the elongate sheet. Such a mode of operation would be used where addresses are to be printed upon business forms or where it is desired to create a mailinglist from a given group of stencils.

The toggle-link mechanism 78 is well suited for the conver sion of the drive torque provided by the drive shaft into a printing force sufficient to deform the print roller 20 and provide the flat area on the surface 102 of the roller necessary for the proper printing of an address by the transfer of ink from the print roller through the stencil to an envelope-or another workpiece in that as the print roller approaches its lowermost location and a relatively great downward force must be exerted upon the print roller 20 in order to attain the required deformation of the surface 102 thereof, the toggle-link mechanism 78 approaches its dead center position, at which position the mechanical characteristics of the toggle-link mechanism will provide the maximum downward force for a given drive or pulling forceexerted by the connecting rod 74 upon the

togglelinks

80 and 82. However, at the point in the downward movement of the print roller 20 where the print rollerjust begins to be deformed against the stencil 22, the envelope 36 and the table 14, the toggle-links are still at a sufficient angle to one another, as seen in FIG. 8, to require a substantial increase in the amount of pulling force exerted by the connecting rod 74 upon the toggle links and 82 over the amount of pulling force required prior to any deformation of the print roller or the amount of such force required just prior to the arrival of the toggle-link mechanism at the dead center position illustrated in FIG. 7. Thus, there is a marked increase in the required driving torque as the print roller 20 travels downwardly from the point where deformation of the print roller begins, to the location where the toggle-link mechanism nears its dead center position. By the same token, the amount of pushing force exerted by the connecting rod 74 upon the toggle-link mechanism 78 is suddenly reduced as the toggle links 80 and 82 are moved out of their dead center position as a result of the combination of the mechanical characteristic of the toggle-link mechanism which requires relatively little force to break" the toggle links from their dead center position, and the force exerted upon the togglelinks by the return of the printroller 20 from its fully deformed printing configuration to its undeformed cylindrical configuration,thus engendering a sudden reduction in the required driving torque.

In order to compensate for these variations in drive torque, the latter of which can be quite sudden,'and thus eliminate damaging shocks within the drive train while also providing smooth and effective operation of the drive train, reaction means are provided for applying a reaction torque to the drive shaft 50 opposite to thedrive torque as the toggle links are moved out of their dead center position and toalso apply a supplementary torque to the drive shaft in the same direction as the drive torque as the toggle links are moved toward the dead center position and into the position where the surface of the print roller begins to become deformed. These reaction means are illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 in the form ofa pair of reaction cams 220 mounted for rotation with the drive shaft 50, each reaction cam having a complementary follower 222 carried by a reaction lever 224 which is mounted for pivotal movement upon the frame l2 by means of a shaft 226 and is biased toward its respective reaction cam 220 by a helical spring 228 extending between the reaction lever and the frame to urge the follower 222 against the surface of the reaction cam. As best seen in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, the contour of each reaction cam 220 directs the biasing force exerted by each spring 228 into a reaction force F exerted upon the reaction cam 220 by the follower 222, which force F is normal to the surface of the cam, such that the force F provides a torque which is directed in a clockwise direction, as seen in FIGv 8, as the toggle links 80 and 82 are moved toward the dead center position to supplement the drive torque which is also in a clockwise direction and thereby aid in the initial deformation of the print roller, which in this instance begins when the toggle links are in the position shown in FIG. 8, and provides a reaction torque in a counterclockwise direction, as seen in H6. 9, as the toggle links are moved out of their dead center position, to compensate for the sudden decrease inthe required drive torque as the toggle links are moved out ofthe dead center position. During the remainder of the cycle of operation of the toggle-link mechanism 78, the contour of the reaction cams 220 directs the force F through the drive shaft 50 so that no torque is established by the biasing force of each spring 228.

Addressing machine 10 is capable of accommodating workpieces having a wide variety of dimensions. Thus, it has been shown that the envelope stop fingers 140 are adjustable forward and backward over a wide range of adjustment to accommodate envelopes or similar items having a wide range of widths. in addition, a wide range of lengths is accommodated by virtue ofthe length of the table 14 between the right end 26 and the left end 30 of the addressing machine. in order to accommodate workpieces of various thicknesses, addressing machine 10 is provided with means for selectively moving the point about which the first toggle links 80 are pivoted to change the distance between the lowermost location of the print roller and the top of the table 14. Referring now to FIGS. 10 and ll, the pivot pin 90, the axis ofwhich establishes the point about which the first toggle links 80 are pivoted, is affixed within a lateral opening 230 in a slide 232 by means of a set screw 234 and the slide 232 is received for sliding movement upwardly or downwardly within a mounting block 236 affixed to the frame 12 such that the pivot pin 90 may be moved upwardly or downwardly in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the table top. A cylindrical sleeve 238 is mounted within the mounting block 236 and a shaft 240 is received within the sleeve 238 for axial sliding movement in opposite directions parallel to the path of movement of the pivot pin 90 and for angular rotation within the sleeve. A knob 242 is affixed to the top end of the shaft 240 and a helical spring 244 extends between the knob 242 and the sleeve 238 to resiliently bias the shaft 240 in an upward direction. Adjacent the bottom end of the shaft 240 and adjacent the lower end of the sleeve 238, the shaft and the sleeve carry stop means which are cooperatively engageable in any one ofa plurality of angular positions of the shaft relative to the Sleeve to locate the shaft in any one ofa plurality of corresponding axial positions of the shaft relative to the sleeve. Thus, the lower end of the sleeve terminates in an integral collar 246 having a plurality of circumferentially spaced grooves 248 providing a plurality of shoulders 250 at different axial locations, and the shaft 240 carries a radial projection 252 which may be received within any one of the grooves 248 to engage any one of the shoulders 250. The axial position ofthe lower end of the shaft 240 is thus determined by the particular groove in which the radial projection 252 is located.

A pair of helical springs 254 extend between the pivot pin and corresponding spindles 256 affixed within the mounting block 236 and serve to bias the pivot pin 90, and the slide 232 within which the pivot pin is affixed, in an upward direction against the bottom end of the shaft 240. Thus, the distance between the pivot pin 90 and the table top may be varied by depressing the knob 242 to slide the shaft 240 downwardly relative to the sleeve 238 and release the radial projection 252 from the grooves 248 to enable rotation of the shaft 240 and relocation of the radial projection 252 within any one of the grooves 248 in the collar 246 so that upon release of the knob 242 the bottom end of the shaft 240 will be accurately located, thereby accurately locating the pivot pin 90 with respect to the top of table 14. in addressing machine 10, the knob 242 may be rotated to any one of four positions (see FIG. 1) to place the radial projection 252 in any one of four grooves 248, each successive groove being one-sixteenth of an inch longer than the next shorter groove so that the indexing of the knob 242 between two adjacent positions l," 2," 3," or 4 will either raise or lower the print roller 20 by the amount of one-sixteenth of an inch.

As best seen in FIGS. 5, l0 and 1], the sleeve 238 is provided with an external thread 260 and is affixed within a surrounding collar 262 by means of a setscrew 264. The collar 262 is mounted in the support block 236 by means of spiral segment grooves 266 which receive the inwardly extending ends 268 of the spindles 256. Should an occasion arise where a workpiece having too great a thickness becomes jammed between the print roller and the top of table 14, thus stopping the operation of the addressing machine 10, the jam may quickly be relieved by rotating the knob 242, the shaft 240, the sleeve 238, and collar 262 as a unit to move the collar 262 axially with respect to the mounting block 236 by virtue of the sliding engagement between the inwardly projecting ends 268 of the spindles and the spiral segment grooves 266. Such axial displacement of the collar 262 is relatively large in comparison to the one-sixteenth inch increments provided by the projection 252 and groove 248 adjusting means and will very quickly relieve ajam resulting from a workpiece which is too thick. Once the jam is relieved, the knob 242 can again be rotated to return the collar 262 to its original position flush with the mounting block 236 where the collar is engaged by a resilient detent 269 (see FIG. 5) to retain the collar in its prescribed location without affecting the selective adjustment of the distance between the print roller 20 and the top oftable 14 through the one-sixteenth inch increments as described above.

Fine adjustments of the spacing between the print roller 20 and the top of table 14 are accomplished in the factory by merely loosening the setscrew 264 which retains the sleeve 238 in place within the collar 262 and turning the sleeve within the collar to move the sleeve axially with respect to the collar over relatively small displacements in comparison to the one-sixteenth inch increments provided by the means which selects the axial position of the pivot pin 90 by virtue of the relatively fine pitch of thread 260. Thus, a high degree of accuracy may be maintained in the spacing between the print roller and the table top at the printing station 16.

The print roller 20 itself is removably mounted within the yoke 94 by virtue of a latch 270 which is pivoted about a retaining screw 272 and which is received within a groove 274 in the shaft 92 which carries the print roller 20 (see FIGS. 6, 7 and 10). Pivotal movement of the latch 270 out of the groove 274 in the shaft 92 will allow the shaft to be drawn from the yoke 94 and from the print roller 20 to release the print roller for repair or replacement.

Turning now to FIGS. 12 through 14, the stencil feed means which is located adjacent the right end 26 of the addressing machine 10 is shown in detail. Addressing machine 10 is of the type in which the stencil feed means is capable of advancing the stencils at a much faster rate than the rate at which the printing means can print addresses from the stencils. Thus, where it is desired to print addresses from only selected stencils, which constitute only a portion of the stencils 22 within the stack present in the hopper 24, the nonselected stencils may be advanced very rapidly and the advancement of the stencils is delayed only when there is present at the printing station 16 a stencil which carries an address to be printed. All other nonselected stencils may be passed through the printing station at a rapid rate since the addresses carried upon these nonselected stencils will not be printed. Such a technique is well known in the art and requires a feed mechanism which will selectively either feed a stencil from the stack or not feed a stencil during a complete cycle of operation of the feed mechanism. By not feeding a stencil 22, the advancement of the stencils already in the track 28 is delayed for a period of time sufficient to engage the clutch 66 and enable the printing means to print the address carried by the stencil located at the printing station.

The feed mechanism of addressing machine includes a carriage 280 mounted upon a slide 282 for reciprocating movement on the slide along a path of travel passing beneath the stack of stencils 22 supported in the hopper 24. The carriage 280 is reciprocated through continuous cycles ofopcration, each cycle including an advancing stroke (from the position shown in FIG. 13 to that shown in FIG. 12) and a retracting stroke (from the position shown in FIG. 12 to that shown in FIG. 13), by the continuous rotation ofa crank 283 which is continuously driven by the main drive motor 52, through the reduction gear in gear box 54 and a drive chain 284 (see FIG. 3) which, in turn, drives a right-angle drive 285 engaging the crank 283, the crank being interconnected with the carriage 280 by means ofa connecting rod 286. A finger 288 is carried by a leaf spring 290 affixed to the carriage 280 at 291, the finger 288 having a shoulder 292 ofa height not exceeding the thickness of a stencil 22. The leaf spring 290 resiliently biases the finger 288 downwardly into engagement with the carriage 280 as shown in FIG. 12. A bracket 294 depends from the rear of the carriage 280 and carries a leaf spring 296 to which is affixed a latch 298 which is resiliently biased by the leaf spring 296 toward the left as viewed in FIG. 12.

As the carriage 280 is retracted from its most advanced position as seen in FIG. 12 to its retracted position as seen in FIG. 13, the finger 288, being maintained against the top of the carriage by the resilient biasing force of the leaf spring 290,.clears the lowermost stencil 22 in the stack. An actuator block 300 is mounted for sliding movement upwardly and downwardly with respect to a mounting bracket 310 affixed to the frame 12 of the addressing machine. An actuator rod 312, which slides within the mounting bracket 310, has a head 314 at one end thereof, and a helical spring 316 resiliently biases the actuator block 300 against the head 314 of the rod 312. The other end of the rod 312 is interconnected with the armature 318 ofa solenoid 320 by link means in the form ofa relatively stiff helical spring 322 such that upon energization of the solenoid 320, the armature 318 will be drawn downwardly to draw the helical spring 322 and the rod 312 downwardly and pull the actuator block 300 into its lowermost position, as seen in FIG. 14.

When the solenoid 320 is not energized, the actuator block 300 will be in its uppermost position as seen in FIG. 12, and when the carriage 280 is retracted, as seen in FIG. 13, and when the carriage 280 is retracted, as seen in FIG. 13, the finger 288 will pass below the actuator block 300 so that upon advancement of the carriage from the retracted position shown in FIG. 13 to the advanced position, as seen in FIG. 12, the finger 288 will again pass below the lowermost stencil 22 in the stack without advancing that stencil. However, should it be desired that the lowermost stencil be advanced, the solenoid 300 is energized during the retracting stroke of the carriage 280 so that the inclined surface 324 of the actuator block 300 will lie in the path of travel of the finger 288 and the finger will be raised until the latch 298 snaps in below, the finger to retain the finger in the raised position, as seen in FIG. 14. Now, upon forward movement of the carriage 280, the shoulder 292 of the finger 288 will engage the lowermost stencil 22 in the stack to advance that stencil from the stack along the track 287 As the advancing stroke is completed, the latch 298 is engaged by a disengaging means shown in the form of a screw 326 which is adjusted to disengage the latch 298 from beneath the finger 288 such that the finger will once again be snapped downwardly against the carriage 280 by the resilient biasing force of the leaf spring 290. The cycle is then repeated with the finger 288 either being raised or remaining at its downwardmost position, depending upon the location of the actuator block 300 when the carriage 280 arrives at the retracted position.

In order to assure that the actuator block 300 is pulled completely down to its lowermost position when the solenoid 320 is energized, while assuring that the armature 318 of the solenoid 320 is pulled completely downwardly into the solenoid coil 330, the length of travel A of the armature 318 is somewhat greater than the length of travel B of the actuator block 300. Since the helical spring 322 which links the armature 318 to the actuator rod 312 is longitudinally expansible, the armature may be drawn completely into the coil 330 of the solenoid, thereby assuring effective, long life operation of the solenoid 320, while obtaining full downward movement of the actuator block 300.

It is to be understood that the above detailed description of an embodiment of the invention is provided by way of example only. Various details of design and construction may be modified without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege we claim are defined as follows:

I. In an addressing machine of the type in which addresses are sequentially printed upon workpieces by the transfer of ink through a print-forming element to a workpiece, the combination comprising:

a frame;

a printing station on the frame;

a table located on the frame at the printing station;

means for locating workpieces on the table at the printing station;

means for sequentially receiving print-forming elements in juxtaposition with the workpiece at the printing station; a toggle-link mechanism mounted upon the frame at the printing station, said toggle-link mechanism including first and second toggle links, each having opposite ends, said first and second toggle links being arranged generally in end to end relationship and pivotally interconnected at adjacent ends; I

pivot means mounting the end of the first link opposite said adjacent end thereof upon the frame for pivotal movement of said first link about a point located at a predetermined distance from the table;

printing means mounted upon the frame for reciprocating movement along a path of travel between a first location wherein the printing means is spaced from the juxtaposed print-forming element and workpiece at the printing station and a second location wherein the printing means is urged against the juxtaposed print-forming element and workpiece in response to movement of the end of the second link opposite said adjacent end thereof;

actuator means mounted on the frame and interconnected with said adjacent ends of the toggle links for moving said toggle links between a first position wherein the links are at an angle to one another and the printing means is at said first location and a second position wherein the links are in substantial alignment with one another and the straight line distance between said opposite ends of the links is that which is required to urge the printing means into said second location with sufficient force to print the address on the workpiece; and

means for selectively moving said point about which said first link is pivoted to change said predetermined distance between the point and the table and accommodate workpieces of different thicknesses.

2. The combination ofclaim 1 wherein:

the printing means includes a platen of resiliently deformable material movable along a prescribed path of travel perpendicular to said table;

the actuator means includes a connecting rod interconnected with said adjacent ends of the toggle links and reciprocable along a direction perpendicular to the direction of the prescribed path oftravel of the platen;

the pivot means includes a pivot pin extending perpendicular to the direction of movement of said connecting rod and perpendicular to the direction of the prescribed path of travel ofthe platen; and

the means for selectively moving said point includes means for moving said pivot pin relative to the table in a direction parallel to the direction of said prescribed path of travel of the platen and for retaining said pivot pin in any one ofa plurality of positions along the path of movement of the pivot pin.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein the means for moving and retaining said pivot pin includes:

a sleeve mounted on the frame;

a shaft mounted for axial sliding movement in opposite directions parallel to the path of movement of the pivot pin and for angular rotation within the sleeve;

means carrying said pivot pin for movement with said shaft along said path ofmovement;

stop means on said shaft and said sleeve cooperatively engageable in any one of a plurality of angular positions of the shaft relative to the sleeve to locate the shaft at any one of a plurality of corresponding axial positions of the shaft relative to the sleeve;

means resiliently biasing said shaft in one of said opposite directions relative to said sleeve to engage the stop means; and

means for selectively sliding said shaft against said resilient biasing means to disengage the stop means and for selectively rotating the shaft to index the stop means and select any one of said angular positions such that upon release of the shaft the shaft will be biased to a corresponding axial position and the pivot pin and platen will be placed at a corresponding selected location relative to the table.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said stop means includes:

a plurality of angularly spaced shoulders in the sleeve, said shoulders each having a different axial location; and

a radial projection in said shaft selectively engageable with any one of said shoulders.

5. The combination of claim 3 including means mounting said sleeve on the frame for selective axial movement relative to said table over relatively small displacements in comparison to the increments between the plurality of positions of said pivot pin.

6. The combination of claim 3 including means mounting said sleeve on the frame for selective axial movement relative to the table over a relatively large displacement in comparison to the increments between the plurality of positions of said pivot pin.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein said means mounting said sleeve on the frame includes:

a collar carrying said sleeve and mounted for selective rota tion relative to the frame;

a helical groove in said collar and having a relatively large pitch in comparison to the increments between the plurality of positions of said pivot pin; and

a radial spindle affixed to the frame and engaged in said groove such that rotation of the collar will move the sleeve axially over a relatively large displacement in comparison to said increments.

8. The combination of claim 7 including means mounting said sleeve on the frame for selective axial movement relative to the table over relatively small displacements in comparison to the increments between the plurality of positions of said pivot pin, these means including:

threaded means engaging said sleeve and said collar and having a pitch smaller than any one of said increments; and

means for permitting selective rotation ofthe sleeve relative to the collar for fine adjustment of the location of the pivot pin and the corresponding location of the platen relative to the table.

9. The combination of claim 1 wherein the actuator means includes:

drive means;

a drive shaft rotated in response to a drive torque applied thereto by the drive means;

a crank affixed for rotation with said drive shaft;

a connecting rod interconnecting said crank with said adjacent ends of the toggle links and reciprocable along a direction perpendicular to the direction of the path of travel of the printing means to exert a drive force upon said togglelink mechanism in response to rotation of the drive shaft, said drive force being sufficient to print an address; and

reaction means for applying a reaction torque to the drive shaft opposite to said drive torque as the toggle links are moved out of their second position toward said first position to compensate for the sudden decrease in the required drive force resulting from movement of the toggle links out of substantial alignment.

10. The combination of claim 9 wherein:

the table includes a flat, planar area at said printing station;

the print-forming elements are stencils received between a workpiece 0n the flat, planar area of the table and the printing means;

the printing means includes a print roller of resiliently deformable material movable along a prescribed path of travel perpendicular to said flat, planar area of said table and having a surface portion conformable to the area of the stencil upon which the address is carried;

the drive force exerted upon the toggle mechanism is suffcient to resiliently deform the print roller to conform said surface portion to said area of the stencil when the print roller is urged against the stencil, the workpiece and the flat, planar area ofthe table; and

the reaction torque is great enough to compensate for the decrease in the required drive force resulting from the return of the print roller to its undeformed configuration as the toggle links move out ofsubstantial alignment.

11. The combination of claim 10 wherein said reaction means includes:

at least one reaction cam mounted for rotation with said drive shaft and having a predetermined contour;

a follower engaging the reaction cam; and

means resiliently biasing said follower into engagement with the reaction cam with a biasing force so directed relative to the drive shaft by the contour of the reaction cam as to provide said reaction torque.

12. The combination of claim 11 wherein the contour of the reaction cam directs said biasing force relative to the drive shaft so as to provide a supplementary torque upon said drive shaft in the same direction as said drive torque as the toggle links are moved toward said second position and the drive force begins to deform the print roller.

Claims

1. In an addressing machine of the type in which addresses are sequentially printed upon workpieces by the transfer of ink through a print-forming element to a workpiece, the combination comprising: a frame; a printing station on the frame; a table located on the frame at the printing station; means for locating workpieces on the table at the printing station; means for sequentially receiving print-forming elements in juxtaposition with the workpiece at the printing station; a toggle-link mechanism mounted upon the frame at the printing station, said toggle-link mechanism including first and second toggle links, each having opposite ends, said first and second toggle links being arranged generally in end to end relationship and pivotally interconnected at adjacent ends; pivot means mounting the end of the first link opposite said adjacent end thereof upon the frame for pivotal movement of said first link about a point located at a predetermined distance from the table; printing means mounted upon the frame for reciprocating movement along a path of travel between a first location wherein the printing means is spaced from the juxtaposed print-forming element and workpiece at the printing station and a second location wherein the printing means is urged against the juxtaposed print-forming element and workpiece in response to movement of the end of the second link opposite said adjacent end thereof; actuator means mounted on the frame and interconnected with said adjacent ends of the toggle links for moving said toggle links between a first position wherein the links are at an angle to one another and the printing means is at said first location and a second position wherein the links are in substantial alignment with one another and the straight line distance between said opposite ends of the links is that which is required to urge the printing means into said second location with sufficient force to print the address on the workpiece; and means for selectively moving said point about which said first link is pivoted to change said predetermined distance between the point and the table and accommodate workpieces of different thicknesses.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein: the printing means includes a platen of resiliently deformable material movable along a prescribed path of travel perpendicular to said table; the actuator means includes a connecting rod interconnected with said adjacent ends of the toggle links and reciprocable along a direction perpendicular to the direction of the prescribed path of travel of the platen; the pivot means includes a pivot pin extending perpendicular to the direction of movement of said connecting rod and perpendicular to the direction of the prescribed path of travel of the platen; and the means for selectively moving said point includes means for moving said pivot pin relative to the table in a direction parallel to the direction of said prescribed path of travel of the platen and for retaining said pivot pin in any one of a plurality of positions along the path of movement of the pivot pin.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein the means for moving and retaining said pivot pin includes: a sleeve mounted on the frame; a shaft mounted for axial sliding movement in opposite directions parallel to the path of movement of the pivot pin and for angular rotation within the sleeve; means carrying said pivot pin for movement with said shaft along said path of movement; stop means on said shaft and said sleeve cooperatively engageable in any one of a plurality of angular positions of the shaft relative to the sleeve to locate the shaft at any one of a plurality of corresponding axial positions of the shaft relative to the sleeve; means resiliently biasing said shaft in one of said opposite directions relative to said sleeve to engage the stop means; and means for selectively sliding said shaft against said resilient biasing means to disengage the stop means and for selectively rotating the shaft to index the stop means and select any one of said angular positions such that upon release of the shaft, the shaft will be biased to a corresponding axial position and the pivot pin and platen will be placed at a corresponding selected location relative to the table.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said stop means includes: a plurality of angularly spaced shoulders in the sleeve, said shoulders each having a different axial location; and a radial projection in said shaft selectively engageable with any one of said shoulders.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein said means mounting said sleeve on the frame includes: a collar carrying said sleeve and mounted for selective rotation relative to the frame; a helical groove in said collar and having a relatively large pitch in comparison to the increments between the plurality of positions of said pivot pin; and a radial spindle affixed to the frame and engaged in said groove such that rotation of the collar will move the sleeve axially over a relatively large displacement in comparison to said increments.

8. The combination of claim 7 including means mounting said sleeve on the frame for selective axial movement relative to the table over relatively small displacements in comparison to the increments between the plurality of positions of said pivot pin, these means including: threaded means engaging said sleeve and said collar and having a pitch smaller than any one of said increments; and means for permitting selective rotation of the sleeve relative to the collar for fine adjustment of the location of the pivot pin and the corresponding location of the platen relative to the table.

9. The combination of claim 1 wherein the actuator means includes: drive means; a drive shaft rotated in response to a drive torque applied thereto by the drive means; a crank affixed for rotation with said drive shaft; a connecting rod interconnecting said crank with said adjacent ends of the toggle links and reciprocable along a direction perpendicular to the direction of the path of travel of the printing means to exert a drive force upon said toggle-link mechanism in response to rotation of the drive shaft, said drive force being sufficient to print an address; and reaction means for applying a reaction torque to the drive shaft opposite to said drive torque as the toggle links are moved out of their second position toward said first position to compensate for the sudden decrease in the required drive force resulting from movement of the toggle links out of substantial alignment.

10. The combination of claim 9 wherein: the table includes a flat, planar area at said printing station; the print-forming elements are stencils received between a workpiece on the flat, planar area of the table and the printing means; the printing means includes a print roller of resiliently deformable material movable along a prescribed path of travel perpendicular to said flat, planar area of said table and having a surface portion conformable to the area of the stencil upon which the address is carried; the drive force exerted upon the toggle mechanism is sufficient to resiliently deform the print roller to conform said surface portion to said area of the stencil when the print roller is urged against the stencil, the workpiece and the flat, planar area of the table; and the reaction torque is great enough to compensate for the decrease in the required drive force resulting from the return of the print roller to its undeformed configuration as the toggle links move out of substantial alignment.

11. The combination of claim 10 wherein said reaction means includes: at least one reaction cam mounted for rotation with said drive shaft and having a predetermined contour; a follower engaging the reaction cam; and means resiliently biasing said follower into engagement with the reaction cam with a biasing force so directed relative to the drive shaft by the contour of the reaction cam as to provide said reaction torque.