Patent GB-880720-A (GB)
Title: Tape perforating apparatus
IPC: H04L17/20
Filed: 1960-06-14
Abstract: 880,720. Selective perforating apparatus. NATIONAL CASH REGISTER CO. June 14, 1960 [June 15, 1959], No. 20796/60. Class 31 (2). Tape perforating apparatus comprises a plurality of punches 25, an operating lever 37 for each punch supported intermediate its ends by its associated punch, an interposer 43 for each lever selectively adapted to be positioned for engagement by its lever, and a driving mechanism including a continuously rotatable eccentric 38 common to and disposed within one end of each lever so that the other end of the lever is normally oscillated without operating the punch, selection of an interposer causing it to be positioned so as to be engaged by said other end of the lever to cause the lever to pivot about the interposer to operate the punch. Each punch has associated therewith a spring- influenced pivotally-mounted restoring lever 30, operation of the punch causing part of the lever 30 to be placed in the path of movement of one end of the lever 37 to cause the lever 30 positively to restore the operated punch. Each interposer has connected thereto a pivotallymounted arm 47 having an ear 51 actuated by the armature 52 of an electromagnet 53, when the latter is energized, to cause the interposer to be moved into an operated position in which it is effective to be engaged by the oscillatable end of the lever 37. The selected interposers are restored to their inoperative positions after the operation of the punches by means of a continuously-rotatable cam 55. The tape to be perforated is intermittently fed to the punching station by means of a ratchet-wheel 58, Figs. 1 and 5, secured to a feed shaft 59 on which is located a sprocket-wheel 62 having teeth 63 for engaging the corresponding holes in the tape punched by one of the punches. The mechanism for advancing the ratchet-wheel includes a feed pawl 72 pivotally supported within a slot in a rod 73 pivoted at its upper end to an arm 75 which is rotatably supported on the flange of an arm 114 within which the eccentric 38 is journalled. The arm 114 has a slot 115 through which passes a screw 116, secured in the arm 75, clamping the arms 75, 114 together for unitary movement. Rotation of the eccentric 38 will oscillate the arms about the shaft 39 to reciprocate the rod 73 and pawl 72 vertically. Pawl 72 has a finger 78 which is engaged by one end of a spring 79. Another finger 81 of the pawl rides in a vertical slot 82, Fig. 6, located within a guide 77 which also contains a horizontal slot 83, Fig. 1, within which is slidably located a pivotally-mounted spring-influenced interposer 84 having a finger 88 engaged by an armature 87 of a solenoid 86. Pawl 72 has an extension 92 one side of which has a tooth portion which coacts with the ratchet-wheel 58 and the other side of which has a cam surface which engages a cam 93 as the pawl moves towards its upper position, Fig. 1. During a punching operation, the solenoid 86 will be energized to rotate the interposer 84 out of the path of the pawl 72, Fig. 1. Upon rotation of the eccentric 38, the rod 73 will move downwardly, thereby withdrawing the tooth portion 92 of the pawl from the ratchet-wheel against the action of spring 79. As the pawl continues its downward movement, spring 79 will pivot the pawl counterclockwise to position the tooth portion beneath the next lower ratchet tooth. On the upstroke of the rod 73, the ratchet-wheel will be rotated and the tape advanced. If there is no punching operation, solenoid 86 will not be energized and the interposer 84 will be retained in the path of the pawl, thus preventing advancement of the tape. By manually adjusting the cam 93, sufficient clearance is provided for the pawl to ratchet over the ratchet teeth as the ratchetwheel is rotated by knob 61, Fig. 5, to advance the tape any desired length. Punchings pass through bores 36 in die block 35 to a receptacle.