Patent GB-183136-A (GB)
Abstract: 183,136. Hubbard, J. W. July 18, 1921, [Convention date]. Platen machines.- A machine for printing and issuing railway and like tickets is adapted to feed a blank strip from a roll, perforate it to form a main ticket and a detachable stub portion, print thereon fixed matter such as the station of issue, conditions of use, &c. and variable matter such as the destination, fare, route, and serial number, sever the ticket from the strip and pick it up for issue, and print on a continuous record strip some of the variable matter of the ticket as well as other data, such as the total mileage and the apportionment of the fare amongst the different sections of the journey. The machine is adapted to be driven alternatively by an electric motor or by hand. It is mounted on a tubular frame 35, Fig. 2, and the main parts are enclosed in a casing. The ticket and record portions of the machine are substantially similar. The ticket strip 54, Fig. 8, is led from the storage roll 55 beneath a perforator 57 and between guide plates 62, 63, which are slotted to enable the strip to be gripped by a feeding- device 83, 81. The type forme 101 for the fixed matter is mounted on arms 103 movable in a curved path under inking-rollers 127, 128 to a position beneath a platen 115 carried by pivoted arms 67. A set of date-printing wheels 119, Fig. 12, with corresponding setting-wheels outside the machine, is mounted at the side of the type forme 101. The ticket strip passes over a shearing block 64 on to a table 65 having a slot 139 through which the ticket is pressed by another platen 141 on to a selected row of type carried by a drum 134. The rows of type are arranged on a band 137 secured to the drum, and pass under inking rollers 187, 188 mounted in pivoted arms 183. In a modification, the type drums are replaced by endless type bands passing over sprocket wheels. The ticket and record type drums are mounted on a shaft 135 and are set for the destination by means of an external wheel 182. The selected rows of type are set in advance of the opening 139 in the table 65, the drums being afterwards turned automatically upon operation of the machine to bring the selected rows past the inking rollers to printing position. For this purpose a wheel 191, Fig. 9, fast on the drum shaft and having teeth corresponding to the rows of type, is engaged by a dog 198 on an arm 195 loose on the shaft and adapted to be turned through a definite angle. For setting the type drum, the dog is disengaged from the teeth and held in a notch 199 in a curved guide 196 by first setting an arm 215, Fig. 10, to engage and depress a forked member 201 embracing a pin 204 on the dog. The selected row of type is viewed through a window in the casing provided with an index mark. The travel of the dog arm 185 is limited by adjustable and fixed stops 213, 200. The main shaft 51 of the machine carries a wheel 74, Fig. 5, gearing with a wheel 72, which, through a crank-pin 73 and connecting- rod 71 raises and lowers the platen arms 66, 67. These arms have rear extensions 75 from which motion is conveyed by link and lever mechanism to the ticket feed member 83, the type forme carrier 103, the dog arm 195, Fig. 9, for the toothed wheel 191, and serial number printing devices 162 mounted at the ends of the type drum. The strip feed member comprises a bar 81, Fig. 16, fixed to the ends of links 78, and a gripping plate 84 yieldingly mounted on a member 83 pivoted to the links. Attached to the member 83 is a latching member 89 having a lateral extension 92 adapted to ride over the edge of a cam 94 pivoted to a fixed bracket 93, Fig. 5, and thereby engaga the latching member with a catch 87. This catch is released at the end of the feeding stroke by the engagement of a pin 97 thereon with a bracket 98. The shearing knife 151, Fig. 8, and the platen 141 are mounted on arms 143 pivotally mounted on the main platen arms so that they may be raised to an inoperative position as shown in Fig. 17. When lowered, the arms 143 are locked by a slidable spring pin 145 engaging a hole 147 in the main arms. The knife is mounted on a pivoted bar 152 pressed towards the shearing block by a spring 155 and is adjusted in position by a screwed stop 158. A lug on one end of the knife is bevelled to engage a bevelled edge on the shearing block. The device for picking up the ticket comprises a jaw fixed to the platen bar 142, and a spring jaw 175 pivoted thereto and having a curved end to cause the jaws to separate when the platen is lowered on to the table, the descent of the platen causing the free edge of the ticket to curl up into the jaws. Driving printing-machines. - The driving- mechanism comprises a crank handle and a toothed wheel driven by reduction gearing from a motor 236, Fig. 2, both handle and wheel being loose on the main shaft 51. The handle drives through a toothed clutch which is free when the machine is driven by the motor. Stopping &c. arrangements.-The Specification, as open to inspection under Sect. 91 (3) (a) comprises also a one revolution clutch, Figs. 23, 24, 26 (Cancelled). A stepped cam 243, in one with the motor-driven wheel 241, is adapted to be connected with a disc 246 fast on the shaft 51 by means of a spring latch 244, carried by the disc but normally held disengaged from the cam by a detent 249 on a plate 251 connected to a milled wheel 254. By turning the wheel 254 by hand in opposition to a spring 255, the detent is disengaged and the clutch closed. On release of the hand-wheel, the detent returns ready to open the clutch at the end of a revolution. The boss of the crank handle 41 carries a cam arm 265 adapted to lift a follower 266 on the detent plate 251 to release the detent 249 during hand drive. The handle boss has clutch teeth 262 pressed by a spring 263 into engagement with clutch teeth on the shaft, this clutch yielding during motor drive. This subject-matter does not appear in the Specification as accepted.