Patent GB-572360-A (GB)
Title: Printing machines
IPC: B41L47/58
Filed: 1942-11-25
Abstract: 572,360. Addressing &c. machines. ADDRESSOGRAPH - MULTIGRAPH CORPORATION. Nov. 25, 1942, No. 16735. Convention date, Oct. 27, 1941. [Class 100 (ii)] [Also in Group XIX] In an addressing or like series printing- machine, a series of printing devices are fed in sequence along a guideway through a number of positions in which they dwell and at which they co-operate with or control a sequence of mechanisms, the devices being fed by feeding means arranged so that the several devices distributed along the guideway are differentially fed therealong in feeding operations that take place in timed relationship with the operations of the said mechanisms. The invention is described in connection with a machine for printing cheques by means of a main platen at one position along the guideway, and for printing a record on a web at a second position by an auxiliary platen, the matter printed at both positions comprising the name and address of a stock holder and variable matter relating to that particular stock holder such as the number of shares held by and the dividend due to him. The variable matter is printed from groups of type segments set up automatically to print the amounts calculated by a multiplying mechanism controlled by code perforations in the printing and controlling device. Provision is made for totalising the amounts and printing the totals on the record web as page totals, ledger totals and grand totals. Feeding printing and control devices.-The printing and control devices D, Fig. 4, may be of the construction described in Specification 489,390, comprising a frame 75 carrying a printing plate 76 and a control card 80 having one or more control perforations 85, which, according to a code may represent any number from 0 to 99999. The devices are stored in a magazine H, Fig. 8, and are fed in succession. from position I at the bottom of the magazine to a sensing position II, printing position III beneath the main platen MP, for printing on a sheet such as a cheque, intermediate position IV, and a printing position V beneath the auxiliary platen PP. From position V the plates pass down a shoot 231 into a drawer. The devices D are fed through the various positions along a guideway formed by side bars 123, 124, Fig. 11, by pawls on a pair of carrier bars 121, 122 which are rigidly connected together by a cross-frame 128 reciprocated by a lever 150 pivoted on a shaft 151 and oscillated by a crank 160 on a shaft 159 geared to a shaft 117 which is driven through a one-revolution clutch 120 upon energization of a solenoid (not shown). A pair of feed pawls, one on each bar 121, 122, is provided for each position I to V and the stroke of the bars is at least equal to the greatest distance between two adjacent positions, and the pawls are so spaced that, at the end of the feed movement, the plates are all brought to the correct positions. The pawls 181, 212, Fig. 22, for feeding the plates respectively from position I to position II and from position II to position III are pivotally mounted, by rounded projections 184, in recesses in the bars 121, 122 and have notches 190 in their lower edges, which, when the pawls are in their depressed positions, engage pins 189 projecting from a strip 188 which is slidably mounted in the bars 121, 122 and which at this time is to the left of the position shown. A further pin 199 on the strip 188 engages a forked member 196 which is pivoted to the bar 122 and is provided with a depending finger 191. During the idle stroke of the bars 121, 122, the pawls pass freely beneath the plates at positions II and I and the finger 191 then strikes a spring stop 192 on a pivoted member 194 to turn the member 196 so that the strip is moved longitudinally to the position shown to bring the pins 189 out of the notches 190 and positively lift the pawls into feeding position. At the end of the feed stroke of the bars 121, 122, the finger 191 strikes a stop 203 and the pawls are again depressed. When a plate is not to be fed from positions I and II, a solenoid is energized to move the stop member 194 to the inoperative position shown in broken lines. The pawls for feeding the plates from the positions III, IV and V are spring-pressed upwardly into feeding position and are not capable of being rendered ineffective as are the pawls 181, 212. The plates are positioned accurately at stations III, IV and V by the engagement with a notch 238, Fig. 4, in the edge of the frame 75 of a pawl pivoted at the side of the plate guideway and pressed into the notch by a spring. The tension of the spring is relaxed during the greater part of the feeding movement of the plates to prevent undue friction and wear. When the machine is adapted for printing cheques S, Fig. 3, comprising a main portion SM and a stub Sb, each bearing impressions of matter A from the printing plate 76 and variable matter V<1>, V<2>, the main platen makes four reciprocations in one cycle of the machine, printing the matter A on the portion SM in the first operation, the matter A on the stub in the second operation, the variable matter V<1>, V<2> on the stub in the third operation and the matter V<1>, V<2> on the main portion SM in the fourth operation, the sheet being suitably positioned between the impressions. During this cycle also the same variable matter V<1>, V<2> is printed on the record web W. Fig. 8, by the platen PP, but the matter A printed at the same time by the platen PP is from the printing device D which was at position III in the previous cycle. To enable this to be effected, the bars 121, 122 make two reciprocations in each cycle, during the first of which, which takes place after the first two reciprocations of the platen MP, the pawls 181, 212 are rendered ineffective. During the second reciprocation, however, all pawls are effective so that the plate at position IV is fed to position V and the plates at positions II and I are fed respectively to positions III and II. At the commencement of each cycle, therefore, there is no plate at position IV. In a modified construction, in which the bars 121, 122 make only one reciprocation during a cycle, and in which the pawls 181, 212 are effective in each cycle, the movement of a printing device from position III to position V is effected in each reciprocation by forming the bars in two parts, the front parts 121mf, 122mf, Fig. 58, being formed with racks 958 meshing with pinions 959 which are mounted on the reciprocating cross-frame 128 and mesh with a fixed rack 964. The parts 121mf, 122mf thus move twice as far as the rear parts 121mr, 122mr. Platen mechanism.-The main platen MP, Figs. 8 and 24B, comprises a frame 279, 278 pivoted at 280 and carrying a platen face 281 for co-operating with the printing device D and a second frame 284 pivoted at 286 and carrying platen faces 282, 283 co-operating respectively with a numbering head 800 and the set of type segments which print the variable matter V<1>, V<2>. During the first two operations of the platen MP, the platen faces 282, 283 are rendered inoperative by disconnecting the frame 284 from the frame 279, 278, but during the last two operations, while there is no printing device at position III, the platen faces 282, 283 are brought into operation by connecting the frame 284 to the frame 279, 278. This connection comprises a latch 291 having a shoulder 292 which is normally held clear of the upper face of the frame 284 by a cam 296 on a cam-shaft 300, this cam engaging a finger 297 on a spring rod 293 connected to the latch. During the rotation of the cam-shaft 300, the cam 296 releases the rod 293 after which a second cam 298 on the shaft 300 engages an arm 299 on the frame 284 to depress the frame so that the latch 291 can engage over the top face of the frame 284. The following movements of the frame 279, 278 are thus communicated to the frame 284. The platen PP for printing on the record web W comprises a pivoted frame 310, Fig. 24, carrying three platen faces 301, 302, 304 co-operating respectively with a printing device at position V, type segments TS<2> for printing the variable matter V<1>, V<2>, and a numbering head 881. The platen face 301 is movable to an operable and to an inoperable position by being carried by spring studs 313 which hold the platen face against a pair of cam rods 314 connected together by arms 316 and a link 317, one of the arms carrying a roller 319 which, in the upward movement of the frame 310, strikes a fixed abutment 320 so that the rods 314 are turned to a position in which they hold the platen face in the operative position. If during the downward movement of the frame 310 a shoulder 324 on a pivoted arm 323 is brought beneath the roller 319 as shown, the rods 314 are turned to bring, flattened parts 315 thereon opposite to the platen face 301 which is thereby rendered inoperative. If, however, the shoulder 324 is clear of the roller 319, the platen face remains operative. The arm 323 is actuated by a solenoid 327. The platen face 304 is carried by a pivoted arm 309 and is normally held by a spring rod 334 in an inoperative position. When an impression from the platen face 304 is desired, a solenoid 342 is energized to bring a collar on its armature into position above the arm 309 to hold the platen face 304 depressed into its operative position. The frames 279, 278 and 310 are normally raised by springs and receive their downward movement from hydraulic pistons 276, 349, Fig. 8, supplied with pressure fluid from pumps driven from the main shaft of the machine through independent clutches controlled by solenoids. Feeding and cutting record web.-The web W, Figs. 8 and 52, passes from a roll under the platen PP, over guides 306, 307 and between pairs of feed rollers 911, 912 and 913, 914 to a cutter 915. Ratchet mechanism 925-928 feeds the web one line space for every revolution of a shaft 921 which is driven from a motor 95PM through a one-revolution clutch on energiz