Patent GB-558793-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to printing machines
IPC: B41L47/18
Filed: 1942-04-17
Abstract: 558,793. Addressing and like machines. ADDRESSOGRAPH-MULTIGRAPH CORPORATION. April 17, 1942, No. 5152. Convention date, April 17, 1941. [Class 100 (ii)] To provide a large uninterrupted area on the table of an addressing or like series printing machine, the printing devices are fed from a magazine through a first guide, then through an intermediate guide at right angles to the first guide and then through a third guide parallel to the first to a printing position beneath the impression member. Means are provided to ensure that, if the machine is set for "multiple" printing, i.e. printing predetermined multiple impressions from each printing device, the resetting of the machine to consecutive printing or "repeat" printing, i.e. printing continuously from the same plate, cannot be effected until a complete set of multiple impressions from the plate in printing'position has been effected. The printing devices after being printed from are discharged into a receiver, means being provided to prevent actuation of the feeding means if the receiver is not in proper position. Means are also provided to stop automatic operation of the machine upon exhaustion of the magazine or upon other abnormal occurrences. The C-shaped platen carrying arm 104, Figs. 4 and 43, comprising upper and lower members 104<SP>1</SP>, 104" and a vertical connecting member 105 is arranged diagonally across the machine top and to provide an uninterrupted area to the front and to the left side of the member 105, the magazine M for the printing plates is arranged close to the member 105 and the plates are fed to the printing position V, Fig. 43, in which they are supported on an anvil A, through three guideways the first and third being at right angles to the front of the machine and the intermediate guideway being parallel to the front edge of the machine. The guideways are formed respectively by pairs of girders 300, 301, 360, 361, and 330, 331, and the plates are fed through the guideways by pusher devices carried by reciprocating bars operated in timed relation. The feed devices for the first guideway comprise side bars 401, Figs. 9 and 43, provided with plate supporting surfaces 413 terminating in plate pushing shoulders 412, and with spring raised pawls 430 at their front ends. The bars 401 are reciprocated by a connecting rod 405 and arm 460 on a rock shaft 451 and at the end of the non- feeding stroke of the bars the surfaces 413 lie beneath the pile of plates supported in the magazine M so that the bottom plate rests on the surfaces 413. A previously fed plate is at this time in front of the pawls 430 at position II, Fig. 43, at which tabs on the plate may be engaged by sensing devices. During the feed stroke of the bars 401, the pawls 430 push the plate from position II to the transfer position II T at the end of the intermediate guideway and the shoulders 412 push a plate from the magazine to position III. The plate in moving to position II T depresses spring pawls 440, Fig. 43, which afterwards rise and engage the rear of the plate to position it in line with the intermediate guideway. The plate at position II is accurately positioned by an arm 422 which is rocked so that a nose 424 thereon engages a notch in the edge of the plate. The feed mechanism for the intermediate guideway comprises bars 481, 482, carrying three pairs of spring raised feed pawls 495, 496, 497, and reciprocated by connections from the rock shaft 451 so that the bars make their idle stroke while the bars 401 make their feeding stroke. To prevent interference of the pawl 495 on the bar 482 with the advance of the plate from position II to position IIT means are provided to positively depress the pawl during its idle movement. During the feed stroke of the bars 482, 481, plates are moved from positions IV, III, IIT, respectively, Fig. 43, to position IVT, IV and III in which positioning pawls 540, 535 and 530 engage the right-hand edges of the plates. A window is provided in the machine table above the position IV to enable inspection of the plates and tabs thereon. The plate at position IVT is fed to printing position V and that at V to position VI, where it is discharged to a receiver drawer K, Fig. 4, by pawls 660, 661 on bars 651, 652 reciprocated by connections from the rock shaft 451, these bars moving in unison with the bars 401 of the first guideway. The pawl 660 of the bar 651 is positively depressed during its idle movement so as not to interfere with the movement of the plate from position IV to position IV-T. The plate in printing position is accurately positioned by a pivoted arm 690 similar to and actuated simultaneously with the arm 422 at position II. The rock shaft 451 for actuating the plate feeding mechanism and a rock shaft 298<SP>1</SP>, Fig. 4, for actuating the platen mechanism P carried by the arm 104, are operated respectively by similar one revolution clutches 251, 252, Fig. 54, the driving shaft 200, Figs. 4, 53 and 54, of which is itself driven by a onerevolution clutch 250. The driving member of the clutch 250 is a notched sleeve 255, Figs. 53, 54 driven from a motor 205, Fig. 4, through belt reduction gearing and the driven member of the clutch is driven from the sleeve 255 by means of a pawl 258 engaged with one of the notches 260 in the sleeve by a spring 261 for one revolution when it is disengaged by contact of the tail end 263 of the pawl with a stop lever 270 which is moved into its path during the revolution of the clutch. The clutches 251, 252 are similar in construction to the clutch 250 and operate so that the plate feeding and platen operating mechanisms take place in proper timed relationship. The stop lever 270 of the clutch 250 is fixed to a shaft 880 but the stop lever 270<SP>1</SP>, 270<SP>11</SP> of the clutches 251, 252 are free upon the shaft and have extending portions connected by rods 856, 866, Figs. 50 and 53, to levers 854, 864 adapted to be operated by pedals 120, 121 for selective engagement of the clutches 251, 252 for "skip" or "repeat" work as desired. The operation of either stop lever 270<SP>1</SP>, 270<SP>11</SP> to engage the clutch 251 or 252 also causes the release of the stop lever 270 of the main drive clutch 250 by the engagement of a screw 889 or 892 on the levers 270<SP>1</SP>, 270<SP>11</SP> with an adjacent arm 886 or 887 fast on the shaft 880. When either stop lever 270<SP>1</SP>, 270" is moved to release position it is held by a latch on a shaft 902 until during the operation of the clutch 250 a pin 258a thereon, Fig. 53, operates an arm 907 on the shaft 902 to release the latch and allow the stop lever 270<SP>1</SP> or 270" to move into position to stop its clutch. For ordinary "consecutive" printing, a pedal 122, Fig. 50 is depressed. This acts through linkage 870, 871 to rock a shaft 855 having arms 872, 873 with lugs 874, 875 overhanging the levers 864, 854 so that all the stop levers 270, 270<SP>1</SP>, and 270<SP>11</SP> are moved to release position. The lugs 874, 875 allow independent actuation of the pedals 121, 120 for "repeat" and "skip" operations. A control mechanism to allow "multiple" printing so that the operation of the plate feeding mechanism takes place after every two, three or other predetermined number of operations of the platen mechanism comprises an additional stop lever 920, Fig. 64, for the clutch 251 which overrides the control by the stop lever 270<SP>1</SP>. The stop lever 920 is free upon the shaft 880 and is connected through a spring rod 924 to an arm 923 fixed to a shaft 922 to which is also secured a frame 921 carrying a cam roller 936 urged by a spring 930, Fig. 53, into engagement with a cam 937. The cam shown is adapted to permit two impressions from each plate, but for other numbers of impressions cams of different form are substituted. The cam is turned step by step by a ratchet wheel 942 actuated once for each actuation of the platen mechanism by a pin 960 on a link 951 connected to an arm 950 fixed to a shaft 296 which is rocked by the actuation of the clutch 252 and which operates the platen actuating rock shaft 298<SP>1</SP>. A spring 952 urges the link upwardly but is prevented from doing so by a pin 993 on the stop lever 270<SP>1</SP> until this lever is moved to release position by an operation of the pedal 122. When the cam roller :936 lies in one of the recesses 948 in the cam 937, the stop lever 920 is raised to the inoperative position so that on the next depression of the pedal 122 the clutch 251 is freed to perform a plate feeding operation. During this operation the ratchet wheel 942 is turned one step so that a high part 946 of the cam raises the roller 936 to move the stop lever 920 to operative position to prevent actuation of the clutch 251 upon the next depression of the pedal 122. The "multiple" printing control mechanism may be rendered inoperative by means of a control plate 965 mounted on the axis of the cam and ratchet wheel and connected by a link 975 to a plunger 970 having an operating finger piece 971 at the front of the machine. The plunger can assume three positions determined by a spring ball 981 and three notches 978, 979, and 980. In the position shown in Fig. 64, the parts are set for "multiple" printing. When the plunger is pushed in so that the ball 981 engages the notch 978, the control plate 965 is turned so that a finger 967 thereon depresses the link 951 so that the pin 960 cannot engage the ratchet wheel 942. The parts are thus set for ordinary "consecutive" printing. If the plunger is pulled out so that the ball 981 engages the notch 980, a cam surface 983 on the plate 965 engages a finger 984 on the frame 921 to move the stop arm 920 into clutch arresting position and at the same time a shoulder 983<SP>1</SP> on the plate 965 depresses the link 951 to prevent actuation of the ratchet wheel 942. The clutch 251 thus remains permanently disengaged so that "repeat" printing fr