Patent GB-657679-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to a printing machine
IPC: B41L47/18
Filed: 1947-11-10
Abstract: 657,679. Printing-machines; feeding sheets. ADDRESSOGRAPH - MULTIGRAPH CORPORATION. Nov. 10, 1947, No. 29871. Convention date, May 15, 1943. [Classes 100 (i) and 100 (ii)] A series printing-machine of the kind in which the impression mechanism is controlled selectively by mechanism in accordance with tabs or other identifying means carried by the printing devices is constructed so as to enable work to be produced having one, or two or more different areas of printed matter. The machine can print from printing devices of two kinds, one of which is shown in Fig. 20, and comprises a frame 200 formed with clips 201, 202, 203 for retaining printing-plates 205, 206, and with clips 207 for holding an index card. This device prints an individual impression as shown on the card S. The other kind of printing device comprises a lead plate D, Fig. 21, fitted with a control tab 215, and one or more follower plates D<SP>1</SP> which together with the plate D produce two or more columns of printed matter on the sheet S. The impression mechanism and the means for feeding the sheets S is controlled by the tab 215. The machine is adapted for printing tax bills, stock cards, inventory cards, or sequential lists of work operations in a particular production operation. Means are provided to enable the effective area of the platen or impression surface to be varied automatically in accordance with the size of the printing area. As shown in Fig. 1 the printing-plates D are fed from a magazine M and printing is effected by an ink ribbon and a platen P of the geared roller type mounted in a carriage C which is reciprocated and presses on the sheet during return movement. The sheets S are fed from a shoot 403 in overlapped condition, and the leading sheet is engaged by rollers 430, 431, Fig. 5, after it is separated from the pile by a separating roller 420, Fig. 6, which is driven by a oneway clutch from an oscillating arm 421 mounted on a rock-shaft 415 connected to the arm by detachable means which enable the shaft 415 to be rocked without feeding a fresh sheet when the machine is printing from a " follower " printing-plate. The separated sheet is advanced by belts 440 and rollers 441<SP>1</SP> carried by a skid 441, is controlled by side guides 435, 436, and is registered in printing position by means of a front stop 470, and if a second impression is required on a sheet by means of a stop 471. The tab 215 controls mechanism which determines whether sheets are fed at each cycle of operations to the stop 470, or at alternate cycles to be engaged also by the stop 471. The stop 470 is operated by a cam-and-ratchet assembly 480 in those cycles when a single impression is to be made, and by a cam-andratchet assembly 481 when two impressions are to be made on one sheet. The stop 471 is operated by a rock-shaft 484 actuated by a cam-and-ratchet assembly 486 operated in timed relation to the assembly 481. The stop 470 is caused to slide in a direction perpendicular to the direction of sheet feed by lever- and-link mechanism operated by a rock-shaft 477, but the stop 471 has a rising and falling motion. The printed sheets are delivered into a receptacle 405. The machine frame 100 is fitted with three pedals 120, 121, 122, Fig. 1, which are operated for " skip," " repeat " and " consecutive " operations respectively, and a plunger 110 controls the driving motor, and a trip device 112 stops the machine on failure of the feed. Sensing mechanism 150, Figs. 1 and 17, is provided to have a selective action on the sheet-feeding devices and comprises a feeler 157, Fig. 19 (not shown), which is reciprocated vertically and is connected to an oscillating arm 160, Fig. 17, which controls the position of storage plungers 161 in an intermittently rotated drum 162. When the feeler 157 engages a tab 215, a plunger 161 is set so as to operate a lever 171, at the correct time to stop the sheet feed, by closing a switch 152 and thereby energizing two solenoids 455, 550, Fig. 6. The solenoid 455 trips the actuating pawl which operates the arm 421, thus permitting shaft 415 to rock without actuating the feed arm 421. The energization of solenoid 550 causes a bar 540 to be connected to and moved by a reciprocating bar 490 which is reciprocated by the rock-shaft 415, and which actuates the cam-and-ratchet assembly 480. The bar 540 when moved to the right by bar 490 actuates the ratchets of the cam-andratchet assemblies 481, 486, and the bar 540 is disconnected from the bar 490 at the end of its movement, and is returned to normal position by a spring 545. When energized the solenoid 550 by means of a link 5651 depresses, by a triangular member 566, a plate 552 on bar 540 and causes the plate to be engaged by a latch on the bar 490. The latch is released at the end of the right-hand movement of the bar 540, and the bar returns under action of the spring 545. The bar 540 actuates pawls 542, 543 which operate the cam-and-ratchet assemblies 481, 486. The action of the pawls 542, 543 is such that, as the stop 470 is made to slide out of contact with the sheet, the shaft 484 is oscillated to bring the stop 471 into position to stop the sheet to receive a second impression. In a modification the machine is constructed to print from lead plates and from one to three or more follower plates, and in the particular form shown in plan view in Fig. 23 three follower plates or less can be printed from, and the lead plates are fitted with tabs as 602Q, Fig. 49, which shows an arrangement of one lead plate DQ<SP>1</SP> and three follower plates DQ2, DQ<SP>3</SP>, DQ<SP>4</SP>, and also shows the impressions produced from the plates. The machine is fitted with feed mechanism similar to the first form described, in which the feed arm is oscillated from a shaft driven from the printing mechanism, from which the driving pawl can be disconnected upon energization of a solenoid 630. The sheets are advanced by rollers and belts as in the first form, and are registered by front stops which are controlled selectively in accordance with the plate from which printing is effected. Each sheet is registered for first impression by a stop 640C, for second impression by one of the stops 640D2, 640T2, 640Q2, for the third impression by stops 640T3, 640Q3, and for the fourth impression by a stop 640Q4. The stops are all controlled by the intermittent rotation of a shaft 660C, Fig. 33, which is actuated by a ratchet 673 and a pawl 672 on an oscillating lever 671 actuated by a cam 675 carried by a pair of reciprocating bars 642, 642<SP>1</SP>, Fig. 23, guided by brackets 643 and actuated by the rock-shaft of the sheet feed mechanism. The shaft 660C is fitted with a cam 700C, Fig. 28, which actuates the stop 640C when printing from individual plates. The shaft 660C can be put into driving-connection with shafts 680D, 680T, 680Q selectively by clutch mechanism when actuation of the stops other than 640C is desired. These shafts are fitted with cams which control the actuation of the auxiliary stops. The clutches as 690D, Fig. 33, are driven by members as 740D which are geared to the shaft 660C by gears 683, 684, and the members 740D are splined to their driving member and are spring-pressed towards coupling position, As the bars 642, 642<SP>1</SP> move to the left in Fig. 33 all the clutches are disengaged, and any of the shafts 680D, 680T, 680Q not required for actuation of a stop to active position are kept stationary by a catch 760 on a pivoted lever 755D, 755T or 755Q. These levers 755D, 755T, 755Q are selectively controlled by electromagnets 771D, 771Q, 771T, Fig. 23, mounted in housings carried by the bars 642, 642<SP>1</SP>. The energization of the magnets 771D, 771Q, 771T is controlled by means of sensing mechanism in which storage plungers are set up by mechanism as in the first construction. The circuit for operating the energizing of the magnets, and also for energizing a magnet 822, Fig. 44, 45, which controls the effective platen area, comprises a battery 880 and switch devices arranged in the form of an arc which are closed selectively by the storage plungers set up when the sensing pins encounter a tab on the printing plate. Twelve storage plungers are used and sensing plungers of different lengths are employed. The platen carriage C, Fig. 44, is fitted with a geared roller platen having different platen surface areas PF<SP>1</SP> and PF<SP>2</SP>, and the particular one which is used is controlled by the tabs on the lead plates. The platen roller PR is geared to a rack 810 which can be adjusted relatively to a plate 801 along which the carriage C reciprocates. The rack 810 is moved back and forth to different positions by a cam 814 to determine which printing area PF<SP>1</SP> or PF<SP>2</SP> is operative. This mechanism comprises an oscillating segment 815, and upon energizing a magnet 822 a pawl 825 is operated to hold the larger platen surface in operation. The platen control of Fig. 44 may be modified to enable certain information to be suppressed in connection with the printing of pay rolls in cases where additional pay for overtime is paid to workers. In Fig. 50 a platen PR with printing area PF<SP>3</SP> and PF<SP>4</SP> is adjusted in a manner similar to that described in connection with Fig. 44 when a cam plate 814A is rotated counterclockwise through an angle of 60 degrees. An oscillating pawl tends to engage a notch in the cam plate to rotate it so as to bring the smaller platen surface PF<SP>4</SP> into operative position, but the cam plate is normally prevented from being engaged by the pawl by a masking plate. When, however, it is desired to bring the plate PF<SP>4</SP> into operation the masking plate is rotated when a magnet 822A is energized, and the energization is controlled by a tab on the printing-plate, which is acted upon by a sensing mechanism similar to that described in the other constructions. This mechanism may be c