Patent GB-704881-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to mechanism for printing and reading characters
IPC: G06K15/08
Filed: 1951-03-05
Abstract: 704,881. Record-controlled printing machines. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. March 5, 1951 [March 9, 1950], No. 5242/51. Class 100 (4) A printing machine for printing in a number of rows on a record-sheet comprises a similar number of groups of type-members which move so that each character in each group passes all columns on the record-sheet, the printing in each row being effected simultaneously with a single movement of the groups of type. Card feeding mechanism.-In the embodiment shown, perforated cards are fed from a hopper 11, Fig. 2, by a picker 10 to feed rolls 14, 15 which partly feed the cards into a sensing chamber 20 formed by a series of arcuate plates 22, 23 spaced on rods 24 mounted on side plates 25. At the appropriate time hooked members 39, provided on a pair of cam operated arms 37, further advance the cards and the feed is completed by a plate 48 connected at its lower end to a member 50 encircling a main cam driving shaft 52 and having a roller 55 coacting with a cam 54 so that the plate 48 is firstly moved beneath the cards. In conjunction with this action a lever 60, operated by a cam 65 and follower 64, moves the plate rightwardly. The plate 48 is then raised behind the trailing edge of each card, and causes its advancement by further action of the cam mechanisms feeding the card up to a gate 49, opened after sensing by a cam 81 operating a roller 80 on a slidable mounting carrying the gate 49. The cards are fed between guides 88 by rollers 89, 90, 91 to a stacker drum 94 discharging them into a hopper 97. When the cards are in the sensing chamber 20 they are centred by plates 71, Fig. 18, engaging each end of the cards. The plates 71 are mounted on pins extending through openings 70 in the side plates 25 to members 69 having inwardly projecting fingers 69A pivotally supported on brackets 72. The members 69 are swung about their pivots by a cam 72 engaging a spring mounted follower 72A, the amount of swing being such that the force of the spring 73A on each end of the card are equal to one another at which point the card is central. Sensing and storage mechanism.-In the example shown each record card, Fig. 16, comprises 60 columns of perforations, each column being divided into three decks (two only in use) each deck has seven positions in each column which are perforated according to the character to be printed as shown in Fig. 13. When a card is correctly positioned in the sensing chamber 20 a follower 30, Fig. 2, mounted on a depending portion of the side plates 25, is raised by a cam 31 causing displacement of a series of pins 150 leaving in lowered position those pins in register with a card perforation. There are two groups of seven pins 150 for every column, Fig. 4, stidably mounted in framework 151, 152, 156, 157, fixed between side plates 18, 19, and each pin has two notches 160, 161 which are engaged by lugs 163 on members 162 fixed to strips 165 radially slidable at 166 on rods 167 mounted between end plates 168. After the rods 150 have selectively been moved the end plates 168 are shifted arcuately on studs 170 fixed to the side plates 18, 19 by means of a lever 201 from a follower 205 actuated by a cam 206. Strips 165 and members 162 all shift in consequence and lugs 163 engage in either of notches 160, 161 according to the position of the various pins 150. The strips 165 are slidable to actuate print hammer control wires 375-378 when (a) plates 175 carrying bails 176 spring-connected to the strips 165 are moved outwardly by a cam operated follower and lever mechanism 190-193, 196, 197 and (b) when all the pins 150 in one group are unlocked by arcuate latches 235 slidable in slotted plates 236 carried by cross-bars 157, 237 between the side plates 18; 19. The latches 235 each have a lug 249, Fig. 11, adjacent to lugs 248 on its associated pins 150 in each group, the lugs 248 being spaced apart on the pins an amount equal to the space between notches 160, 161 so that whether they are raised or not, they are held against further movement. The lugs 249 normally lie to the right of the pins 150 but after the sensing operation they are arcuately moved to the position shown on Fig. 11, i.e. allowed to contact a permutation block 250 by strips 242 mounted on a pair of members 238 arcuately moved by a cam 256, Fig. 4, follower 255 and lever 258. The other end of the latches 235 are now subject to a movement by a series of permutation blocks 250, Figs. 4 and 13, mounted on a chain 265 driven from sprocket wheels and led between guide members 270 for guiding the blocks in a straight path as they pass the end of the latches. When, e.g. the letter C, code O.Y. is sensed, the permutation block has raised portions 251 in the upermost and fifth rows, Fig. 11, (right-hand and fifth from right, Fig. 13) and the coacting O.Y. latches 235 are moved rightwardly, Fig. 11, so that their lugs 249 are moved clear of the left-hand lug 248 on the pins 150. The lugs 249 on the other latches, viz, 5, 3, 1, Z, X, are below the left-hand lugs 248 which are shaped to afford no resistance to an upward movement of the member 162 which can now be effected as all pins are unlocked. With any other section of the permutation block 250 opposite a column which is to print a letter C, portions 251 there present, ensure that at least one pin is locked to prevent upward movement of the member 162. Hammer impression arrangements.-The upward movement of the member 162 causes the actuation of a wire 375-378 and moves a corresponding interposer 345, 346, 360, 361, Fig. 5, towards continuously rotating driving drums 353 or 363 formed of a series of separately adjustable discs, one for each pair of interposers. The teeth 352, 362 of the discs engage a lug 351 on the raised interposer whose forward end pivots a pawl 341 withdrawing it from a notch 343 in a hammer 320 slidable in bearing plates 325, 330, extending between stationary plates 327 spaced inwardly from the side-plates 18, 19. The hammers are driven forwardly by springs 339 guided on pins 340 fixed to the bearing plate 330, forward movement being limited by a stop 335 engaging a portion 337 of the hammer 320. Hammer rebound prevention.-At the forward end of its stroke each hammer 320 is held just free of the type carried by a pawl 380 engaging in a notch 381. Hammer restoring mechanism.-The hammers are restored by bails 400 extending through slots 401 in the stationary plates 327 to sliding connections 400, 402 with plates 403. The plates 403 are mounted for sliding movement, on a line normal to the platen central of the four rows of hammers, by slots 412 engaging lugs 414 mounted on stationary plates 327. Formed on the end of the plates 403 are arms 415 which are moved to effect the restoring action of the bars 400 by links 416 operated by levers 417 rocked by cams. Type carriage.-The characters sensed in the two decks on the sixty column card are printed in four rows, the first and third rows comprising 23 type members 289 and the second and fourth rows by 37 type members. The type members 289 are slidingly mounted in carriers 281 formed of arcuate plates 282 screwed on a base 284 connected to a member 304 whose ends are received in guideways 305. The type members are arranged in lateral groups of ten, Fig. 9, so each carrier group can be driven across the printing lines in synchronism with the chaindriven permutation blocks 250 by a second chain 280 and sprockets 309. In the guideways 305 the sections form continuous groups of type. There is one complete series of characters for each row and in the example shown the second and fourth rows are displaced twenty-three columns since one deck of perforations on the record card serves two rows of printing. The type are driven in synchronism with the permutation blocks 250 so that just before a type reaches a column in which it is to be printed the particular hammer is operated which engages at latch 297 transmitting an impression movement to the type member 289 and releasing the other end of the latch from a notch 298. The forward slot in the plate 282 allows a transverse movement of the type to prevent blurring of the character being printed as the type carriers travel past. A spring 300 restores the members to the correct side of the slot and backwardly to a limting position determined by the latch 297. Arranged between the columns of type are frames 295 which prevent the hammers from engaging adjacent latches and are bevelled to move the hammers backwardly away from the type bars as the carriers advance. Driving mechanism and operation.-A cycle of operation is initiated by a start key energizing a magnet F.C., Fig. 1, permitting a pawl 107 to engage a notch 106 in clutch plate 105 continuously driven by a drive 100, 101 and a motor 103. The pawl 107 is fixed to a gear 110, driving the cam shaft 52, and gearing 215-218, and shaft 219, a rotating sprocket wheel for the permutation blocks, and, via bevel gears 314, 315, the sprockets 308 for the type carrier chain 280. Gears 222, 223, shaft 224 and gears 367-372 drive the interposer drums 353 and 363 and gears 227-231 drive a shaft 199 on which is mounted the cams for actuating the mechanisms shown on Fig. 4. The machine is adapted to sense the data in the record cards and print it within one machine cycle. Specification 575,846 is referred to.