Patent GB-190120073-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in Automatic Paper-feeding and Stencil-printing Apparatus.
Inventor: MILLS BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD
Filed: 1901-10-08
Granted: 1901-11-30
Abstract: 20,073. Mills, B. J. B., [Dick Co., A. B.]. Oct. 8. Copying documents; feeding sheets. - Relates to apparatus for printing from type-written or autographic stencils, and to means for feeding sheets by band or automatically. Fig. 2 shows a section of the machine arranged for feeding by hand, and Fig. 12 shows a section through the automatic feed-mechanism. The stencil carrier comprises a perforated plate 22 carried by ends 21 mounted at one end on a shaft 4, and at the other end on a short shaft movable in the direction of its length for removal of the stencil carrier. On one end of the stencil carrier is a worm gear 25 engaging a worm journalled on a spur-wheel 15 on the shaft 4, so that the carrier may be adjusted in relation to the wheel 15, a scale being used to assist the adjustment. A pinion on the shaft 4 gears with a segmental rack on an arm oscillated by a rod and a crank-pin on a wheel 9, gearing with a wheel 11 on a shaft having a flywheel 12 provided with a handle for rotating it. The wheel 15 gears with a rack 16 on the paper-carrying frame 17, 18, mounted to reciprocate in the framing 2. The frame 17, 18 has grippers 67, which grip the sheet against spring fingers 66 and carry it between the stencil and an impression roller 33. The roller 33 is in bell-crank arms 34, pivoted at 35, and operated by cams 37 so as to be raised as shown during the printing-stroke and lowered during the return stroke of the paper frame 17, 18. The arms 34 are pulled by springs 44 against the cams 37, and equalizing-rollers 42 in arms 43 bear against the cams, the arms 43 being pulled by springs 45. The tension of the springs 44, 45 is adjusted by screws 47. The shaft 38 of the cams 37 is moved by an arm 39 engaged by a pawl 48, and by an arm 40 engaged by a lug 49 on the frame 17,18. The arm 40 is connected by a link 41 to one of the cams 37. When feeding by hand, a supplemental bed or table 58 is attached by thumb-screws 59 to the main bed 57. The sheets are fed to front stops on the forked lower ends of arms 62 on a shaft 63. The grippers 67 are opened and closed by a pinion 70 engaging rack teeth 71 on a bar 72 sliding in the paper-carrying frame. The bar 72 is pressed by a spring in the direction to close the grippers, and is moved in the opposite direction to open them and release the sheet, by an arm 77 on the framing. When the grippers are opened, a block 73 on the bar 72 is engaged by an opening in a spring to hold the grippers open until they are in position to take a sheet, when a cam projection 78 on the spring is depressed, by engaging the shaft 8, releasing the bar 72 which then closes the grippers. The stencil carrier is movable on its shafts, a latch pin 29, on the carrier, operated by a lever 30 engaging one of two grooves in the shaft 4. In the operative position, the wheel 25 engages the worm on the wheel 15 and springs on the wheel 15 press against the face of the wheel 25. In the other position, the carrier is free to be moved for placing a stencil thereon &c. When the automatic feed-mechanism is to be used, the table 58 is removed, and the frame 81, Fig. 12, is fixed on the bed 57. The pile of sheets 86 is placed on a table 83, with the front ends of the sheets resting on a cross-piece 84 against front gauges 85. The table 83 is grooved to reduce friction of the sheets. Adjustable side gauges and a rear gauge 87 are provided. A flat weight 91, having a handle 92, rests on the pile, and is guided in its downward movement by the gauges. A spring pressed plate 93 presses the sheets firmly on to the cross-piece 84 ; and a spring-pressed bar or roller 95 buckles the sheets downwards immediately behind a corrugated, rubber-covered, feedroller 96. A roller 97 is placed at the front of the table 83. The feed-roller 96 is driven through a clutch by an oscillating segment, and first rotates rearwards to withdraw the bottom sheet from the cross-piece 84, and then forwards to feed the sheet to a continuously-driven feed-roller 100, with which smaller feed-rollers 101,102 co operate. A pivoted spring-pressed plate 98 deflects the front edge of the sheet to the rollers 100, 101, and a curved guide 108 guides it to the roller 102. Strippers 104 guide the sheet on to the bed 57, and a feeding- finger 107 moves forwards in a slot in the bed 57, and pushes the sheet to the front stops 62. The finger 107 is adjustably fixed on a rod 110 sliding in guides 109, a spring 113 returning the rod to normal position. A buffer 116, on a spring 117 attached to the paper-carrying frame 17, 18, engages a buffer 115 depending from the rod 110, and moves the rod and finger 107 forward to feed the sheet. The rollers 101, 102 are in pivoted arms and pressed by springs on to the feed-roller 100. The clutch driving the feed-roller 96 is disengaged when the sheet is engaged by the rollers 100, 101, so that it may be drawn out freely.