Patent GB-1035338-A (GB)
Title: Improved printing mechanism
IPC: B41K3/50
Filed: 1963-06-27
Abstract: 1,035,338. Printing apparatus. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. June 27, 1963 [June 29, 1962], No. 25513/63. Headings B6C and B6H. Printing apparatus, more particularly for printing tickets, comprises a number of printing stations each having type faces and arranged along a surface curved around a main axis, and a carriage rotatable about an axis eccentric to the main axis and having a curved ticketsupporting platen thereon concentric with its axis, the carriage axis being rotated about the main axis to bring the platen surface into contact with successive printing stations at successive revolutions of the carriage axis around the main axis. As shown, three printing stations 10, 11, 12, Fig. 5, are provided on the inner cylindrical surface of a structure C, and a ticket is fed at a station 17 and delivered at a station 18, all the stations being of equal circumferential extent. Mounted for rotation about the axis of the cylindrical surface are crank arms 22 on the free ends of which a carriage B is rotatably mounted. A curved ticket-supporting platen 14 and a curved ink pad 15 are provided on the carriage B and are adapted to have rolling contact with portions of the cylindrical surface C at each revolution of the cranks 22. The crank arms 22 are rotated clockwise as described below and during such movement the carriage is rotated anti-clockwise about its axis by a gear 33, Fig. 1, fixed to its hub 29, intermediate gears 73 and a fixed gear 67. The gearing is so arranged that, starting from the position shown in Fig. 5, (a) during a first 4/5 revolution of the cranks a strip of ticket fed by rolls 24 is cut off by blades 25, 27 and taken by the platen 14 at station 17, and the surface 10 is inked, (b) during the second 4/5 revolution of the cranks, the surface 11 is inked and the surface 10 prints on the ticket, (c) during the third 4/5 revolution of the cranks the surface 12 is inked and the surface 11 prints on the ticket, (d) during the fourth 4/5 revolution of the cranks, surface 12 prints on the ticket, and (e) during the fifth 4/5 revolution the ticket passes through station 18 and is delivered, and the platen 14 returns to its initial position. The apparatus is driven from a continuously operating motor 74, Fig. 2, which is coupled directly to the delivery belts 28 by chain-and-sprocket gearing. A shaft 105, Figs. 1, 5, is driven from the motor 74 through a clutch 102 which is coupled for one revolution, when a starting switch 141, Fig. 18 (not shown), is closed to energize an electromagnet 98, Fig. 2, and withdraw an armature 99 out of engagement with a dog 100, thus coupling the clutch 102. A shaft 109 geared to shaft 105 carries rollers 24 for feeding a length of ticket strips to the platen 14, a knife 25 on the platen co-operating with a fixed knife 27 to cut off a ticket length. The shaft 59, Fig. 1, carrying the crank arms 22 is driven from the shaft 109 through a clutch 127, Figs. 1, 2, which is operative for four revolutions and the action of which is delayed to permit the ticket to be taken by the platen before the cranks begin to turn. The clutch 127 is inoperative when a dog 124 is engaged by a pawl 120 pivoted on a bell-crank lever 112 having one arm 123 contacting a cam 130 on the shaft 109. The other arm 118 of the lever has a leaf-spring 115 bearing on a cam 128 geared to the shaft 59 with a four to one reduction gearing. Initiation of a cycle by closing the starting switch causes shaft 105 to begin its one revolution. The rolls 24 are thus driven to feed a ticket length to the platen. At the same time, cam 130 on shaft 109 is rotated and operates to lower pawl 120 against the action of leaf springs 115 so as to cause the clutch 127 to become operative after the ticket length has been fed. The crank arms 22 and cam 128 are now driven and the printing of a ticket proceeds. Throwing out of the clutch 127 is effected by the cam 128 acting on the leaf spring 115 attached to the lever 112, but since the cam 128 is driven by a 4: 1 reduction gearing, this does not take place until the crank arms have made four revolutions, by which time the cycle is completed and the ticket delivered. The printing surfaces may be on the outside of a cylindrical surface around which the carriage moves. Sheet delivery; grippers.-The ticket length, when it is fed, passes beneath two wire springs 42, 43, Figs. 1, 5, on the platen 14 and which engage its side edges. Rollers 41 are mounted in recesses on the platen beneath the side edges of the ticket. When the platen finally is positioned adjacent to the belts 28, the latter co-operate with the rollers to deliver the ticket.