Patent GB-560570-A (GB)
Title: Printing machines
IPC: B41L47/58
Filed: 1942-06-01
Abstract: 560,570. Addressing and like machines. ADDRESSOGRAPH-MULTIGRAPH CORPORATION. June 1, 1942, No. 7418. Convention date, May 6, 1941. [Class 100 (ii)] A printing machine in which a series of printing devices each bearing one or more identifying devices, such as tabs, is fed in succession through a sensing position and a printing position, the sensing of a tab in one cycle of operation of the machine causes the movement of a storage member from an inactive position to one of a number of active positions in which, in a later cycle of operation of the machine, it actuates a corresponding control element which operates an operative mechanism in the machine. The invention is described in its application to an addressing machine as described in Specification 558,793, in which the printing plates D, which may be of the kind described in Specification 372,337, are fed step by step from a magazine M, Fig. 6, along three guides at right angles to each other to a printing position V at which a print may be taken from a platen mechanism P, Fig. 5, of the construction described in Specification 555,033. The plate feeding and platen mechanisms are operated as described in Specification 558,793, from similar one-revolution clutches on a shaft 200, the clutch 252 for operating the platen being shown in Fig. 5, and comprising a clutch pawl 258<11> controlled by a spring 261<11> and a clutch disengaging lever 270<11>. During the first half cycle of operation of the machine, a plate is moved from position I in the magazine M to a sensing position II, and a plate is moved from the position II to a transfer position IIT, at the right hand end of the intermediate guideway. At the same time a plate at position V is discharged into a drawer and the plate at transfer position IVT at the left hand end of the intermediate guideway is moved to printing position V. During this half cycle, the feed devices of the immediate guideway make their idle stroke and during the next half cycle, while the feed mechanisms of the first and third guideways are making their non-feeding stroke, the plate at position IIT is moved to position III and the plates at positions III and IV are moved respectively to positions IV and IVT as shown. The sensing device at position II comprises a head 500, Figs. 31 and 35, to which is removably secured a block 526 in which may be arranged sensing pins such as 525A-1, 525A-2 and 525A-3, to co-operate with tabs on the printing plates. These tabs may be of various forms, e.g. such as shown at 120A, or 125A in Fig. 16 which provides for 24 different identifying positions along a plate, or the tabs may each have 4 or more embossed areas 126, Fig. 25, or perforations, providing for a much larger number of sensing positions. The ends of the pins are of corresponding form and may be of different lengths as shown in Fig. 31. The head 500 is reciprocated once for every plate feeding operation, the head being raised positively by means of a cam 385, Fig. 36, driven by the plate feed operating clutch, acting through a link 602 and bell-crank lever 607 to rock a shaft 608 having an arm 615, Fig. 35, connected by a link 616 to an arm 617 of a frame 618 fixed to a shaft 619. A second arm 625 of the frame 618 and a similar arm 630, Fig. 31, fixed to the shaft 619 are connected by links 627, 631 to the head 500. The downward movement of the head 500 is effected by a spring 611, Fig. 36, attached to the bellcrank 607. The sensing head may be held inoperative in its upper position by means of a latch 644 moved into engagement with a shoulder 645, Fig. 35, on the frame 618 by means of a push rod 648 having a finger piece 640 at the front of the machine. The storage mechanism comprises a drum 671, Figs. 35 and 46, which is rotated one-sixth of a revolution at each operation of the plate feeding means by ratchet mechanism 676 ... 679 actuated by the crank arm 156 of the plate feed mechanism. The drum carries six plungers 672 which, as they reach a setting position at the lowest point of their circular path, are moved to a definite axial position corresponding to the downward movement of the head 500 as determined by the sensing of the plate. This axial movement is effected by a setting lever 721, having a plunger setting head 730, and moved about a vertical pivot 722 by a spring 731 to an extent determined by the engagement of a roller 740, Fig. 31, carried by the lever with a cam 737 mounted to move with the head 500. This cam has an inclined surface 751 and dwells 750, 752. When the head 500 is fully depressed, such as when no tab is engaged by a sensing pin, the roller 740 engages the dwell 752 and the plunger 672 is moved to the right to its fullest extent in which a detent ball 695 engages the end notch 1 of a series of notches in each plunger. When a tab is engaged by a short pin 525A-1, the surface 751 of the cam limits the movement of the setting lever so that the plunger is ejected only sufficiently for the ball 695 to engage notch 2. When a tab is engaged respectively with an intermediate pin 525A-2, or a long pin 525A-3, the ball 695 engages notches 3 and 4. The different positions of the plunger position a cam lobe 776 on its outer end in line with one of three control levers 770, 766, 765 or entirely clear of all of them. The control lever 770, which is mounted on a pivot shaft 771, determines whether the plate is to be printed from or skipped and for this purpose is connected through a spring 791 with a link 785 connected to an arm 787 of a rock-shaft 783, a second arm 782, Fig. 36, on which, is connected by a link 781 to a supplementary stop lever 780 for the platen operating clutch 252. When the control lever is turned by the cam lobe 776 of a plunger, the stop lever 780 is moved into clutch dis-engaging position and thus prevents operation of the clutch when the normal stop lever 270<11> is moved to clutch release position. The corresponding printing plate is thus fed through printing position without being printed from. The control levers 770, 766, 765 are arranged at such a position beyond the setting position of the plungers that their actuation takes place as the plate corresponding to the actuating plunger moves into the transfer position IVT. When the machine is set so that the " multiprint " mechanism described in Specification 558,793 is operative to allow actuation of the plate feeding mechanism only after. every two, three or more impressions have been taken from a plate, a slotted link connecting the multiprint mechanism with the shaft 783 prevents actuation of this shaft until the two, three or more printing operations have been completed, the spring 791 allowing the necessary delay between the actuation of the control lever 770 and the operation of the shaft 783. The control lever 766, pivoted coaxially with the control lever 770 serves to control the hammer 811, Fig. 35, of a bell 810 for warning the operator that a plate of a particular classification is being advanced to the transfer position IVT. The hammer is carried by a rocker 813 mounted on a pivot 814 and actuated when free by a spring 816. The bell mechanism may be rendered inoperative by the machine attendant by pressing on the finger piece 820 of a push rod 821 so as to turn a latch 824 to engage a shoulder thereon with an ear 827 on the rocker 813. When, however, the rocker is released from the latch 824 it is under control of a second latch 830 which engages an ear on the rocker to hold it inactive until, by the turning of the control lever 766, a shoulder 836 on this lever engages a pin 837 on the latch 830 and moves this latch clear of the rocker 813. The rocker 813 is returned to normal position by the engagement of an arm 845 of the frame 617 with a pin 815 on the rocker. The control lever 765 is arranged adjacent to the lever 766 and is provided with an arm 870, Fig. 47, and the lever 766 is provided with a similar but shorter arm 871 and also with an arm 850 in the path of movement of the lever 765. The lever 770 may be adjusted into any of three lateral positions by axial adjustment of its pivot 771. This adjustment is effected by moving a plunger 866 on the front panel of the machine into corresponding positions, this plunger acting through a link 864 and a lever 862 connected to the pivot 771. In the innermost position of the plunger 866, the lever 770 is set as in Fig. 46 and is in the path of movement of both arms 870, 871. With such a setting all plates bearing a tab engaged by a short sensing pin would be skipped by the plunger cam 776 acting directly on the lever 770, and all plates bearing a tab engaged by an intermediate pin would cause actuation of the lever 766 to ring the bell 810 and also, by engagement of the arm 871 with the lever 770 to skip the plates. In the intermediate position of the plunger 866, the lever 770 is clear of the arm 871 but is still in the path of the arm 870. Actuation of the lever 770 directly by the plunger cam 776 then takes place only when plates have no tabs engaged by sensing pins and such plates are thus skipped. Plates sensed by short pins are printed from in a normal manner as the cam 776 passes freely between the levers 770, 766. Plates sensed by intermediate and long pins cause the bell 810 to ring and the long pins also cause the plates to be skipped by engagement of the arm 870 with the lever 770. In the outermost position of the plunger 866, the lever 770 is clear of both arms 870, 871 and no plates are skipped, those sensed by an intermediate or long pin causing the bell 810 to ring. The plates, as they reach position IV in the intermediate guideway may be engaged by a second sensing mechanism of the construction described in Specification 560,596 to cause the operation of visual signals to indicate the kind of form or business instrument which is to be printed by the plate. Six signal lamps 902A ... 902F, Fig. 67, with individual switches 911A ... 911F are arranged in p