Patent GB-661928-A (GB)
Abstract: 661,928. Ticket-issuing machines counting-apparatus ; transfer mechanism. BELL PUNCH CO. Ltd., March 31, 1949 [Dec. 29, 1948], No. 8827/49. Classes 106 (i) and 106 (iii). A ticket-issuing machine comprises means for advancing a ticket strip, means for receiving a slug having at least one printing face thereon, and means controlled by a slug for effecting the printing and the advance of the ticket strip. The machine includes means for severing the ticket strip and means selectively controlled by slugs either to effect a severing action by the severing means after a printing operation or to prevent such severing action by the severing means. Printing may be effected by all or all but one of the printing faces on a slug. The present machine is an improvement of that disclosed in Specification 640,671. The number of coupons comprising a complete ticket was, in the prior machine, limited by the length of a single slug with which the machine could deal but in the present machine, by the use of successively inserted slugs, the issued ticket may comprise any required number of coupons. The slugs are therefore adapted, as described later, to control the guillotining mechanism which in turn operates the mechanism for printing the ticket serial number on the ticket. As distinct from the prior machine the present machine has a record strip R<SP>1</SP>, Fig. 39, on which is duplicated the matter printed by a slug or slugs on each ticket. Furthermore, in the present machine, each operator may insert a totalizer card, Fig. 27 (not shown), at the start and end of his period of duty to have certain data printed thereon. Each of the slugs 80, Figs. 19 and 20, is formed of sheet metal and carries plates 86, 90, 94 and 96 bearing datarepresenting projections 88, 92 and 106. The slug supports a counter 108 operated as described later. The slug 80 has a flange 114 with two slots 122, 124 and a flange 118, the length of which, i.e. whether it has a shoulder at 120 or at 120<SP>1</SP> determines, as described later, whether or not the guillotining mechanism operates after the last coupon has been printed .by the printing plates 134, 135, 136, carried by the slug. If printing is to be effected by the plate 134 the slug carries at the front a small plate member 140, Fig. 19, otherwise printing is only effected by the other plates. A manual control may be operated to effect printing by this plate 134 even though the slug does not carry a plate 140. Each slug carries an identifying tab 146. A slide 178, Figs. 4, 25 and 26, is mounted for reciprocation in a guide 180 situated above the slug guide 81, Fig. 5, and carries a pivoted lever 188 having a nose 192, Fig. 26, normally engaging a slot 194 in the guide 180 and a nose 190 for engaging either of two slots 130, 128 in the inserted slug 80, Figs. 19 and 20. Shoulder studs 200, 202, passing through slots 198, 199 in a lateral extension 196 of the slide 178 and through holes in a rectangular plate 204 are threaded into plate 206 having an abutment face 207. The plate 204 lies in a slot in a plate 208 having an abutment face 210 and being longitudinally adjustable between two-positions by a screw 211. An arm 218 also pivoted to the slide 178 engages alignment holes 216 in the plates 204, 206. The plates 208, 206, 204 will be moved relatively to the slide 178 by a slug which is inserted into the machine and pushed along the guide 81. With the screw 211 in its righthand position, as shown in Fig. 25, the amount of movement of the plates 208, 206, 204 depends on whether the inserted slug has a member 140 which abuts the face 207 or whether the face 138, Figs. 19 and 20, of the slug abuts the face 210. The hub 186, Fig. 26, will be rocked counterclockwise to release the hook 192 from the slot 194 and cause the nose 190 to engage either of the slots 128, 130. If the screw 211 is moved to its left-hand position the faces 207, 210 are aligned and the greater movement is imparted to the plates 208, 206, 204 by a slug 80 which does not carry a plate member 140. As will be apparent hereafter the movement imparted to the plates 208, 206, 204 determines whether or not the ticket printed by the inserted slug bears an audit stub or not, i.e. determines whether or not printing is effected by the plate 134. A link 228, Fig. 8, connects the slide 178 to a bellcrank 232 carried by an arm 238 secured to a disc 240 journalled on a pin 242 and adapted to be rotated in step-by-step manner, as described later, to feed the slug from the machine in steps, printing being effected by the printing plates in turn when the slug is at rest. Operation. The levers 878, 902, Figs. 7 and 12, are set as desired to position the " class " printing wheel 936 and the printing head 926, Fig. 32 (not shown), and the operator's key 286, Fig. 35, is inserted in the lock 1166, Fig. 36 (not shown). Assume that the desired ticket contains so many coupons that two slugs must be successively passed through the machine. The first slug 80, Figs. 19 and 20, carrying a member 140 is inserted in the guideway 81, Figs. 5 and 17, and is pushed inwardly to move a finger 952, Fig. 17, whereupon a link 958 is moved against the action of a leafspring 962. The member 140 on the slug moves the plate 207, Figs. 25 and 26 and, as described above, the nose 192 of the lever 218 is released from the shoulder 194 and the slide 178 is moved with the slug, i.e. to the left in Fig. 4. As the slug 80 advances along the guideway a roller 234 carried by the bell-crank 232, Fig. 4, moves upwardly along a cam slot 246 so raising a lever 248 to rock through the links 256, 266 a lever 272, Figs. 34, so that a pin 278 thereon moves through openings 304 in a pair of bars 300, 300<SP>1</SP> which had previously been set by the insertion of the operator's key 286, Fig. 35, which is now locked by the engagement of a lug 282 in a slot 294 in the top of the key. As the setting movement of the slug 80 and the slide 178 continues the disc 240, Fig. 8, is rotated to a proportionate extent. A knife control plate 764, Fig. 4, is moved outwardly whereupon a shoulder 750 of a knife pusher 748, Figs. 5 and 11, is moved away from a knife carrier 752. A roller 358, Fig. 4, disengages a lever 352 and a pin 310 on the disc 240, Fig. 8, moves from the end 312 of a lever 314. Near the final position of the first slug its shoulder 1201, Fig. 19, abuts and moves a lever 784, Fig. 5, which through links 780, 778, Figs. 5 and 4, causes the lower end of a lever 796, Fig. 4, to move behind the knife control plate 764 and prevents movement thereof to prevent cutting of that ticket, which is printed as described later, when the knife pusher 748, Figs. 5 and 11 is moved upwardly at the end of the machine cycle. The shoulder 121 of the flange 114 of the slug, Fig. 19, then engages the end 78, Fig. 17, of a lever 74 and a hook 64 enters the notch 122 and disengages a hook 54 from a lever 46, the end 43, Fig. 7, of which engages the notch 124 in the slug, Figs. 19 and 20. A pivoted multi-armed lever 38, Fig. 7, rocks counterclockwise and, as in machine of the above Specification, its arm 153 moves a lever 154 which through a lever 164, Figs. 5 and 4, effects closure of a switch 170 to start the driving motor and shafts 30 and 36, Fig. 7, are rotated clockwise and counterclockwise respectively. Cams on the shaft 36 effect movement of levers 448, 450, Fig. 14, which through links 458 rock a group of printing plates 446 which are individually moved, as in the prior machine, amounts in accordance with the transverse movement, through a guide passage, of their sensing fingers 480 across the face of the slug carrying the data representing projections 88, 92, 106, Fig. 20. The plates 466 co-operate with a hammer 618 to print on the record strip R<SP>2</SP>, Fig. 39, as described later. One of the fingers 480 is under the control of a manually operable lever 878, Fig. 7, and may be either locked in its initial position or be free to move to the end of the guide passage, whereby the associated printing plate 466 may be set to print the symbol " O " or the symbol " X " on the record strip R<SP>2</SP>. The above movement of the levers 448, 450 effects, through a link 610, Fig. 7, counterclockwise movement of the hammer carrying frame 604 to tension a spring 617. A pin 626 on a gear 34 carried by the shaft 36 thereafter moves a lever 622 to release the printing hammer 618 to the action of the spring 617 and printing, on the strip R<SP>2</SP>, of the data represented by the projections on the slug is effected. The strip also receives an imprint of a selected code designation from the wheel 936, Fig. 14, set by the lever 902. During this printing the plates 466 are held stationary by a plate 500, Fig. 14. The record strip R2 passes along a guide 632, Fig. 14, over a roller 638 having a ratchet 646, Fig. 7, which is stepped on by a pawl 652 to advance the strip upon the return movement of the frame 604. Some of the plates 466 co-operate with gear segments 482, Fig. 14, which carry gear segments 486 which, during the return of the plates 466, set accumulator gears 526 and printing wheels 530 which co-operate, as described later, with a totalizer card which may be inserted when desired, usually at the beginning and end of his spell of duty, by the operator. Slug counter. During the return of the plates 466 downward movement of a pin 462, Fig. 14, is transmitted via an arm 1066, Fig. 7, a link 1072, a lever 1078 to effect upward movement of a slide member 1082, Fig. 17, to lift a member 1052, Fig. 23 (not shown), which effects operation of the slug counter in a similar manner to that of the prior machine. Ticket printing. During the rotation of the shaft 36 a roller 336 on a cam 440, Fig. 13 and 14, engages a lever 332 to move a lever 326 to release a link 322, Fig. 8, which is thereupon moved by a spring 324 to release a rod 340 which in turn releases a lever 342, Fig. 7, to restore t