Patent GB-731263-A (GB)
Abstract: 731,263. Ticket-issuing machines. KIMBALL CO., A. April 8, 1952 [April 11, 1951], No. 8972/52. Class 106 (3). [Also in Group XVI] A ticket machine for operating on a succession of tickets, each of which has predetermined areas for punched coding characters and a plurality of locating holes therethrough which are spaced inwardly from the marginal edges thereof, comprises a support along which the tickets advance through the machine, a motor driven reciprocating feed mechanism for advancing the tickets along the support with a step-by-step movement corresponding to the width of one ticket, said feed mechanism including a plurality of pins which fit the locating holes in each ticket and which are in positions to engage the locating holes in successive tickets for feeding the tickets along the support. The tickets of the ticket strip 38, Fig. 9, each have three feeding holes 42 and have two sections 39, 40. During machine operation pre-set numbers are printed on five rows of the section 40 and on three rows of the section 39. A number is printed on the upper face of the ticket in the first, third and fifth rows and on the lower face of the ticket in the second and fourth rows. Numbers are also punched in the five rows of section 39 in accordance with a predetermined code, Fig. 10 (not shown). Each ticket is connected to the next adjacent ticket by lands 44. The machine comprises abase 20, Figs. 1 and 2, a housing 2] and a platen 23. The strip is manually located below the spring plates 46, 47 and between guide ridges 49, 50. A pair of pressure rollers 24 cariied by a manually movable brackel 25 and brought into engagement with the strip Setting and actuating mechanism for the printing and punching wheels. Above the platen 23 there are three sets of printing and punching wheels and below the platen there are two sets of printing and punching wheels. Each of the three upper sets comprises two groups of printing wheels 76, 78, Fig. 2, and a group of punching wheels 92 and are set by corresponding manually-operable selector wheels 52, 56, 57, Fig. 1, connected thereto through gearing arranged on nested sleeves and intermediate shafts as shown in Fig. 2. Gears 89 in the drive to the punching wheels 92 are integral with notched wheels 110 which are accurately located by spring detents, Fig. 20 (not shown). The upper printing and punching wheels are carried by a cage 98 having a removable cover 99. The two lower sets of printing and punching wheels each comprise a group of printing wheels 140, Fig. 2, and a group of punching wheels 146 which are set by corresponding manually operable selector wheels 58, 59, Fig. 1, connected thereto through gearing arranged on nested sleeves and intermediate shafts. A group of gears 130 in the drive are accurately located by spring detents 132. The drives to the punching wheels are so arranged that each number is punched in the same sequence looking at the top of the ticket. The platen 23 carries, below each set of printing wheels 76, 78 and above each set of printing wheels 140 a holder 104 having resilient pads 105. The platen also has a die plate 107 having a slot through which the ticket strip passes. Above the three upper printing wheels 78, Fig. 7, there is a platform 302 which is moved downwardly when a hand-crank 315 is rotated, so that U-shaped brackets 317 carried thereby embrace and so accurately locate the printing Wheels 78. The brackets 317 also ensure even pressure of the wheels 78 on the ticket strip. Extending downwardly from the platen 23, Figs. 2 and 5, are two brackets 156 which embrace vertical posts 153 and which have stirrups 158 supporting cam followers 160, 161, respectively located above and below the rim 163 of a plate cam 165 rotatable on a shaft 167 and driven by a motor 174 through worm gearing. As the cam 163 rotates the platen 23 is raised and lowered above and below a neutral position so that printing and punching is effected. Ticket feeding. Rotating with the cam 165 is a cam 182 having a groove 183 recieving a cam follower 185 carried by a yoke 187 connected to a shaft 189 extending through a block 190 slidable in a slot 191 in a lever 192 rockable about a shaft 194. The upper end of the lever 192 is connected through shock absorber springs 202 to a shuttle feed slide 200 which reciprocates on horizontal posts 210, Figs. 2 and 12. The slide 200 is limited in its movement to the right by a spring-bumper 212 which co-operates with an adjustable screw 214 on the slide 200 and in its movement to the left by bumpers on the posts 210 each comprising a collar 217 held away from an end stop 218 by a coil spring. Feed pins 32 extend upwardly from the slide. A similar slide 220 having feed pins 234 and located at the discharge end of the slot 338 in a cam plate 339 and under a rocker arm 340 and is engaged by a spring 341 which normally retains the platform 330 in its upper position. Upon the abovementioned downward movement of the bar 250 a push rod 345 carried thereby rocks the camplate 339 counterclockwise so that the pin 336 and the platform 330 are moved downwardly against the spring 341. The pin 336 is moved to the bottom of the slot 338 by the rocker 340 which is moved clockwise on meeting the stationary finger 350. The pins 32 are thereby withdrawn from the strip, the tickets then being fed by the pins 234. The bar 250 is retained in its lower position by a spring-pressed detent plate 372 which is only released for another machine operation by manual depression of a push-button 380, Fig. 1. Control mechanism. A starting lever 275, Fig. 6, having an external handle 283 carries a spring-pressed finger 279 which upon rearward movement of the lever 275 closes a switch 278, Figs. 6 and 15, to start the motor 174. The lever 275 carries a roller 300 which rides on a cam 286 on the shaft 167. The cam 286 comprises a fixed part and an adjustable part 287. The lever 275 is held in its rear machine is connected through a shock-absorbing link to a lever 227, Fig. 2, rockable about a shaft 228 and connected by an adjustable tie rod 231 to the lever 192. The pins 32, 234 of the reciprocatory slides 200, 220 respectively normally both feed the ticket strip in step-by-step manner but at the insertion of a new strip only the pins 32 are effective and when the last ticket of the desired number passes beyond the pins 32 only the pins 234 are effective. The last ticket being eventually fed into the shoot 60 by an ejector 236 carried by the slide 220. A counter 270, Figs. 1 and 2, actuated through linkage by a rod 271 lifted by the platen 23 closes a switch when a predetermined number of tickets have been printed and punched. A solenoid 266, Fig. 8, is thereupon energized and its plunger 267 through linkage moves a bar 250 downwardly against spring pressure and two punches punch out the lands 44, Fig. 9, of the adjacent two tickets. Each ticket is individually cut off from the strip by punches 244, Fig. 2, at the discharge end of the platen 23. The feed pins 32 are carried by a-platform 330. Figs. 12 and 13, which is vertically movable, through a limited extent, with respect to the slide 200. A pin 336 extends from the platform 330 through a position by a latch 290 which can be manually released by actuation of a pin 297 or automatically by a solenoid 296, Figs 8 and 15, which is energized when a switch 356, Figs. 2 and 15, is closed by downward movement of a roller 360 which normally rests on the strip and moves downwardly when the last ticket of the batch is ejected. Upon release of the lever 275 the switch 278 is opened and the motor 174 coasts until the shoulder of the cam 287 meets the follower 300. Ink ribbon mechanism. The ink ribbon 320, Fig. 7, passes between spools on shafts 321, 322 over guides 324, 325 between the upper printing wheels and the ticket strip. The shafts 321, 322 are driven through worm gearing from a shaft 328, Fig. 8, rotated from the shuttle feed yoke by a pawl and ratchet (not shown). A similar ink ribbon mechanism is provided for the lower printing wheels.