Patent GB-1003391-A (GB)
Title: Document feeding apparatus
IPC: B41J19/76
Filed: 1964-05-26
Abstract: 1,003,391. Typewriters. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. May 26, 1964 [June 17, 1963], No. 21792/64. Heading B6F. A typewriter or like machine for printing documents e.g. cards which are to be used for photo-listing, comprises a rotary platen 5 and a rotary driving-member 36 or 51 coaxial with the platen and rotatable in one direction only, the driving member being engageable alternatively with a means for feeding a document either to the platen along a path substantially tangential to the platen, or with the platen, and the feeding means and platen when not engaged with the driving member being each movable relatively to the driving member. The feed devices are employed on a machine having a single type head 3, Fig. 1 (not shown), which is rotated and tilted to select a character to be printed, and is movable longitudinally of the platen for letter spacing. The platen 5 is freely mounted on its shaft 10, Fig. 1 (not shown) which can be rotated by knobs at its ends. Adjacent one end of the platen is a drive plate 36 fixed to the platen shaft and a feed disc 16 free on the shaft. Carried by the plate 36 is a lever 29 the tip of which is normally held by a spring 37 in driving engagement with a notch 28a in the disc 16. Inward movement of a plunger 31 on the disc 16 presses the lever 29 out of the notch 28a and so that a friction pad 38 on its other end can engage the inner surface of the platen 5 to couple the platen to the plate 36. A band 19 attached to the disc 16 extends rearwardly and at its end has a tongue 20 for engaging one end of the rear edge of the bottom card of a stack of cards 2. A spring 26 attached to the disc 16 tends to rotate the disc so that the tongue 20 is in its rearward position. A drive plate 51 and feed disc 15 identical with parts 36, 16 are provided at the other end of the platen, this end of the platen having fixed thereto two cams 39, 41 having two spring- pressed followers 40, 42. The follower 40 carries a card gripper 49 normally spaced from the platen. The platen has a positioning blade 14, Fig. 3A, with a lip 14a for receiving the front edge of a card, the blade being positioned as shown at the commencement of a printing operation. To initiate the feeding of a card, the platen shaft is manually rotated with the discs 15, 16 to wind the bands 19 thereon. The tongues 20 push the bottom card forward until its edge is positioned under the lip 14a, the platen remaining stationary. The rotation of the shaft is continued with the platen now being turned by the card, until the card is positioned to receive a line of typing at the position marked 290 degrees. After a line has been typed, the card can be line-spaced by manual rotation of the platen shaft or automatically as described below, and further lines printed as required. When printing is completed, the shaft is further rotated manually until the head of the plunger 31 passes under the band 19 whereupon the lever 29 is moved to release the disc 16 which with its band is then restored by the spring 26 to its initial position. At the same time, pad 38 engages the platen 5 so that during further rotation of the platen shaft the platen is driven by the disc 36. During such further rotation the gripper 49 is operated by cam 39 so as to engage the rear end of and release the card from the blade 14 and at the same time the action of the follower 42 on the cam 41 causes the platen to be rotated forwardly to its original position. Prior to the last operation, the lever 29 has reached and re-engaged the notch 28a. Line spacing mechanism comprises a ratchet wheel 63, Fig. 4, fixed to the platen shaft and a pawl 66 co-operating therewith. The pawl 66 is pivoted at 67 to a bell-crank 68 and is urged towards the wheel 63 by a spring 76 but is normally prevented from engaging the wheel by a stop 77. When the bell-crank 68 is rotated clockwise, against the action of a spring 75, by a machine cam 73, lever 71 and link 70, the pawl 66 is moved away from stop 77 into engagement with wheel 63 to perform a line-spacing operation. During feeding of a card to printing position as already described, the pawl 66 is held away from the wheel 63 by a disc 62 rotating with the wheel, the disc having a cutaway part 62a which allows the pawl 66 to be moved into engagement with the wheel during the printing of lines on the card. A detent roller 78 engages the ratchet wheel 63 to permit of rotation in one direction by amounts corresponding to the line spacing.