Patent GB-722925-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to a printing machine having a type carrier
IPC: G06K15/04
Filed: 1952-05-07
Abstract: 722,925. Printing machine. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. May 7, 1952 [May 22, 1951], No. 11522/52. Class 100 (4). A printing machine having a type carrier 122 and a pair of devices each settable to represent a character to be printed has a set of interconnected levers 105, 107, 109 provided for each settable device with the levers in each set positioned selected extents in selected directions by the related settable device to position the carrier in different positions, the two sets of levers being operated alternately to each in turn position the carrier. The Record card 10 for controlling the printing has eighty columns of twelve index point positions, the digits being represented by single perforations, alphabetic characters by a perforation in the 1-9 zone and another in the 0, 11, 12 zone, and other special characters as shown. Perforations in column 80 signify as follows: 12 and 1- single line to be printed from a selected field, 12 and 2- one line from each of two fields, 12 and 3- three lines each from a different field, blank-one line to be printed, and 12 and 4 a single line to be printed being the fourth line of a companion 12 and 3 card. Card feeding.-The cards are advanced singly from the hopper 11 by picker 12 through feed rollers 13, 18 to the stacking mechanism. Rollers 18 are driven from a shaft 19 making one revolution per cycle of the machine. A clutch comprises a driving member secured to shaft 19 and a spring-urged dog 22 pivoted to gear 23. The dog is normally held out of engagement with element 21 by the armature 24 of magnet 25 but is released when the magnet is energized, and gear 23 rotates, driving rollers 13 and picker 12. A line of record sensing control brushes CB and a co-operating contact roller 27 is located between the central rollers 13. Spaced one card cycle from brushes CB is a second row of reading brushes RB1, and further reading stations RB2, RB3 with rollers 28, 29 and 30 are spaced a half-cycle apart. When magnet 25 is de-energized rollers 13 and picker 12 come to rest with a card in the left-hand pair of rollers and another in the right-hand pair, while rollers 18 continue the movement of preceding cards. This interruption of feeding occurs for a period of one cycle. Card lever 31 is rocked by a passing card to close contacts CL1, and lever 32 may be rocked to close contacts CL2. A series of contact operating cams are driven from shaft 19, while card feed cams are driven from gear 23. Selector mechanism.-A print selector magnet 40U provided for each type bar is energized in response to the sensing of perforations by brushes RB1, RB3 and magnet 40L (not shown) through brushes RB2. The armature of magnet 40U engages a vertically reciprocable link 41 which is held in the position shown in Fig. 6c by springs 42, 42a. Link 41 rides on the periphery of a fluted shaft 44 which is timed to present the high point of a flute to the link for each index position, i.e. each 18 degrees. Shaft 44 is driven at two revolutions per card cycle through 45 (not shown), 46 (not shown), 47, 48, 19. Link 41 is thus repeatedly lifted away from the latching armature of magnet 40U, and if at such time the magnet is energized the link will be released to follow the contour of shaft 44 and then be returned upwardly by the next rise. Six shafts 52-3, 52-4, 52-1, 52-2, 52-6, 52-5 extend across the machine and a bail 53 pivoted on each shaft is connected by a link 54 to a spring- operated lever 55 pivoted on shaft 56 and having a roller co-operating with a code cam 60 on shaft 57. Shaft 57 is driven one revolution per cycle from shaft 47, and depressions in each cam enable the related lever 55 to rock counter-clockwise under the action of its spring to draw down its link 54 and rock the related bail 53 clockwise. Thus as each perforated position in the card column is sensed the different bails, or combination of bails, will be rocked, the particular bails rocked at the particular times being given. A finger 62 pivoted to each bail extends into an opening in link 41 to be rocked as the link reciprocates. Thus bail 53 on shaft 52-3 is rocked to the Fig. 11 position just before link 41 descends in response to the sensing of a perforation and the consequent energizing of magnet 40U. Downward movement of link 41 causes finger 62 to strike the end of slide 63 and rock it downwardly to unlatch shoulder 64 from the stationary plate 65, whereupon spring 66 draws the slide to the left. Extension 69 on the slide, normally beneath bail 67, is urged thereagainst by spring 70, but when the slide moves to the left the extension 69 slips out from under bail 67 enabling spring 66 to tilt the left end of the slide. In this position shoulder 71 on the. slide engages a spring pressed bell crank 72 pivoted to a lever 73 which is pivoted to a stationary rod 75. Later bail 67 moves to the right to engage on extension 68 on the slide to return the latter, hook 71 engaging and rocking the bell-crank 72 so that a shoulder thereon is rocked beneath a bail 76. This bail then descends carrying bell-crank 72 and rocking lever 74 counter clockwise, the vertical arm of the bell-crank locking between bail 76 and a cross bar 77 so that lever 74 is locked until the bail ascends. A third bail 78 is reciprocated horizontally so that it moves to the left before bail 67 moves to engage bell-crank 72 and ensures that the latter is free of bail 76 before a new setting,is made. The timing is such that bail 76 rises as bail 67 moves to the right, so that slide 63 may rock the released bell-crank 72 and thereafter bail 76 descends to again lock the bell-crank 72 in its shifted position. The bails 67 in all six positions are tied by a plate 79 connected to a link 80 having rollers 81 which co-operate with a pair of complementary cams 82 on a shaft 83 driven from shaft 51. Bails 76 on a common bar 86 are operated by cams 88 on shaft 83 through rod 87 and plate 86. Bails 78 on a framework 79a are operated by cams 90 on shaft 83 through links 89. Differential mechanism.-Lever 74 is bifurcated to receive an interposer 91 pivoted on a bar 93. In the normal position, Fig. 11, the interposer shoulder 94 engages a fixed frame 95 to lock bar 93. When lever 74 is rocked to the Fig. 14 position interposer 91 is rocked to disengage shoulder 94 and is hooked, for movement therewith in both directions to a plate 96. Plates 96 are moved towards the left with any rocked interposers, plates 96-3, 96-4 moving one unit, plates 96-1, 96-2 six and a half units, and plates 96-6, 96-5 one and a half units. Plates 96-3, 96-4 are secured to a bar 96 reciprocable on rollers 98, and are operated by a cam 101 on shaft 83 through rollers 100 and rod 99. The other plates are similarly reciprocated by cams 102, 103. Bars 93-3, 93-4 are connected by a lever 105 pivoted to rack 106, bars 93-1, 93-2 to a lever 107 link connected to a sliding plate 108, and bars 93-6, 93-5 to a lever 109 link connected to a sliding rack 110. Rack 106 engages a gear 111 pivoted on slide 110 and meshing with a double rack 112 whose lower edge meshes with a gear 113 carried by slide 108. Gear 113 meshes with a double rack 114 which also meshes with a gear 115 pivoted on a rack 116, and teeth on the lower edge of the latter mesh with teeth 117 on a sector 118 pivoted at 119. Teeth 120 on the segment mesh with the rack portion 121 of the type bar 122. The arrangement of slides &c. between bars 93 and type bar 122 are proportioned to raise or lower the type bar in multiples of the unit distance. Thus, if 93-3 is moved one unit to the left (Fig. 16), the train is -105 -106 to the right -111 -112 to the left -113 -114 to the right -115 to roll on 114L-116 one half unit to right-rocking sector 118 clockwise. The ratio of the diameters of 117 : 120 is 1 : 2 so that rack 121 and the type bar are moved a full unit upwards, i.e. in the minus direction from home position. Similarly bars 93-4, 93-5, 93-6, 93-1, and 93-2 move the type bar +2, +3, - 6, - 13, and +26 units respectively, and in any combined movements of the bars the type bar is moved the sum of the individual movements. Fig. 17 (not shown), shows the card code and interposers to be coupled for each character. The type elements 123 are spaced along the type bar accordingly from the home position. A duplicate set of selector mechanisms &c. prefixed L is controlled by magnet 40L (not shown). The time in which the reading brushes RB2 transmit impulses to the magnets 40L occurs for each index point position a half cycle (180 degrees) later than the sensing of the corresponding points by brushes RB1 and RB3, with an overlapping reading period between 180 and 198 degrees. The plates 96 in the upper and lower sets move at the same time but in opposite directions, therefore if a setting of the type bar is made through the upper differential mechanism and the next setting is for the same character and made through the lower mechanism bars 114 and 114L will move at the same time and for the same extent but in opposite directions resulting in a rotation of gear 115 without any horizontal translation. When the positions of successive characters on the type bar are different the bar will move directly from its initial setting to the next. Differential bar aligners.-Slides 106, 112, 114 and 106L, 112L, 114L have aligning notches into which vertically reciprocating plates are moved, the plates being operated through linkages by horizontal pull rods 131 which, through levers 132, engage double lobed cams 133 on shaft 51. The type bar 122 has aligning teeth 135 and an aligning plate 136 operated through a link and pull rod from a cam 133T on shaft 51. Print hammer mechanism.-The print hammer 140 is biased through lever 141 by spring .142 but is normally held by a trigger bail 143 which is held in its upper position by a spring and rocked anticlockwise twice in each cycle through linkages and a pull rod operated by