Patent GB-591907-A (GB)
Abstract: 591,907. Ticket printing and issuing machines.. DEGEN, A. A. C. Oct. 20, 1944, No. 20324. [Class 106 (iii)] A ticket printing and issuing machine comprises a printing head mounted to reciprocate and having one or more adjustable printing elements and a non-adjustable printing element, means for reciprocating the printing head through an outward and return stroke for each ticket printed, a pressure roller, means for adjusting the pressure roller into operative relationship with the printing head during each of its strokes in the one direction and out of operative relationship during the strokes in the other direction, means for feeding a ticket blank to the pressure roller and means for severing the said blank before printing. As shown in Figs. 2a, 2b and 3, the machine is arranged to record a win and place bet on a clog race of six runners. The printing and feeding mechanisms are carried between two main plates 10 and 11 (Figs. 2a and 2b). The printing head 35, Fig. -6, is pivoted on a shaft 12 and carries two arcuate printing plates 39 and 139 which print invariable data on each ticket, and two adjustable type-wheels 40 mounted as shown. A pinion 41, Fig. 3, is secured to each type-wheel 40 and each pinion 41 meshes with a gear sector 42, Fig. 2a, which is pivoted at 43 and which by means of a arm 44 and a pin 45 co-operates with a sheave 47 mounted concentrically on the shaft 12 and slidable therealong. Each sheave 47 is carried by a bar 48 movable lengthwise between two rollers 49 by means of a bell-crank lever 51 and a rod 52 co-operating with one of two rows of six keys 57 (Figs. 2a and 2b). Each key 57 is normally held in its upper inoperative position by a spring and latch means is provided for locking any depressed key in the " down. " or operative position, which latch means is released at the end of each ticketissuing operation. When a key in each row is depressed, a solenoid 152, Fig. 3, is energized, a latch 26 is rocked clockwise to free the main operating shaft 21 which is then driven by an electric motor (not shown) by way of a onerevolution clutch mechanism. On rotation of the shaft 21, the printing head 35, by means of an eccentric on shaft 21 and connecting rod, is oscillated from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3 to that' shown in dotted lines. At the start of its stroke to the right, the printing plates 39 and 139 and the type-wheels 40 come into contact with an inking roller 73 which is automatically moved upwards to a position' in which it touches the printing elements at the start of the stroke, but is moved downwards before the return stroke of the printing head 35. At the end of its stroke to the right, the printing head 35 co-operates with a pressure roller 97 to which a blank ticket has previously been fed, as described later, to print said ticket which is then ejected on to a platform 118. The roller 97 is also moved into this co-operating position automatically, at the beginning of the printing stroke by a cam and removed from this position before the return stroke. Ticket blank feeding and severing mechanism.- The tickets are printed on blanks cut from a strip 90, Fig. 4, of paper led through a guide 91 between fixed rollers 92 and pressure rollers 93 and then through a slot 94 in a bracket 95 to a second guide 96 and over the printing- pressure roller 97. Between the two guides 91 and 96 a ticket blank is severed by a fixed knife 103 and a movable knife 104 which is moved to cut the blank at the beginning of the stroke of the printing head 35 to the right, i.e. before printing takes place. The ticket is then printed and fed on to an ejection platform 118 as above described. The fixed printing plates 39 and 139 engage the ticket blank along each margin and feed it, during the whole time printing is taking place, on to platform 118 from where, by means of an ejection sector 119 and a press roller 121, it is ejected from the casing of the machine.