Patent GB-807509-A (GB)
Abstract: 807,509. Ticket-issuing machines. WEINGART, R. I. N. June 22, 1955 [Dec. 17, 1954], No. 18080/55. Class 106 (3). [Also in Group XVI] A business form-issuing machine comprises means establishing a printing region, means for adjusting the location of a movable type-face to its position for printing, the adjustment permitting initiation of the machine operation cycle, means for effecting printing by the positioned type face of sheet material located in the printing region and means providing a backing element in the region to permit manual writing on the sheet material. Driving arrangements.-The main driving shafts 11, 32, Fig. 3, of the machine are driven by gears 6, 8, 10 from a motor-driven pinion 4, the gear 10 having a peripheral portion with no teeth, the missing teeth being provided when a clutch mechanism is engaged by the toothed portion of a lever 12 pivoted at 14 and normally held in gear-engaging position by a spring 16. The lever 12 has a pin 18 engageable by a clutch lever 22 pivoted at 24 and held in engagement with the pin 18 against its spring 26 by a lever 28. The clutch is engaged by the rocking of the lever 28 by the depression of a slide 232 on lowering the printing-box 128 with an operator's key inserted. The movement of the lever 22 also causes pin 34 to engage the motor switch mechanism 36, 38 which is thereafter maintained closed for one revolution of the drive shafts by a cam 40, Fig. 2, and its follower 42. Printing box.-The printing box 128 has ears 130, Fig. 9, pivotally mounted on shaft 58, Fig. 5, and is provided with an open bottom having a plate 132 and magnets 136 for holding a printing slug beneath the plate. An inked ribbon C runs from roller 156 to roller 158 over guide strips 168, 170 urged downwardly by leaf-springs 169, 171, the strips also having guide slots 172, 174 for reception of projections on an inserted slug. Normally the ribbon C is clear of the slug S but as platen pressure is applied the strips 168, 170 are forced upwardly. Wheels 176 carrying date designation project upwardly through the box and are connected by gearing to corresponding type wheels whose printing elements are located in the plane of the slug printing surface behind the serial numbering wheels 182. To indicate the types of sales involved a further printing-type wheel 230 is provided operated through gearing by setting wheels 226. Further matter, e.g. a code identifying the machine and the validating signature of the issuing authority may be provided on fixed but replaceable slugs 225, 231 (Fig. 10, not shown). The operator's key 204 has also a code type surface 206. Printing cycle.-In the initial or rest position the box 128 is slightly tilted as shown in Fig. 3, and is held there by the yieldable engagement of a roller 316, Fig. 2, on a pivoted lever 322 in a notch 318 on a cam 312 provided on the ear 130 and also by a prop member 144, Fig. 11, slidably secured at one end to the box 128 and at the other end to a pin 152 on the machine frame and prevented from movement in this position by a projection 142 on the slide 138. On inserting a slug into the box the slide 138 is moved against its springs 143 and the prop 144 is freed and the box may be lowered. If no operator's key 204 is inserted no further action results, but in the presence of a key 204 a slide 210 forms a rigid abutment for a shoulder 214 on a vertical slide 216 having an opening 220 at its lower end, a similar opening 224 being provided on an ear 222 at the opposite end of the box. On lowering the box with a key inserted the member 216 engages the upper end of the vertically-movable slide 232 to rock the lever 28 and start the machine. In the first half of its revolution the shaft 32 by a cam 254, Fig. 7, and a roller 256 moves a link 258 to operate arms 270 on a shaft 272 having hooked upper ends which engage the openings 220, 222 to lock the box in its lowered position during the first half-cycle. Movement of the link 258 also operates the machine counter 266, Fig. 3, by a link 264. Downward movement of the printing box also causes cam 312, Fig. 2, through roller 316 to pivot lever 322 against its spring 326 to bring a notch 327 thereon into locking engagement with a lug 329 on a lever 286 whose upper end has a roller 308 engaging a disc 310 on the ticket and record strips drive shaft 58 thereby locking the ticket feed during the printing cycle. A pin 328, Fig. 7, on the lever 286 holds a bell-crank 330 against its spring 331 during the printing cycle, the crank being secured to a shaft 333, Fig. 18, on which a strip supporting plate 66 is mounted thereby clamping the strips between this plate and the machine cover during printing. During the ensuing half revolution of the drive shafts a pair of eccentrics 108, Fig. 5, on shaft 32 traverse a horizontally sliding carriage 114 in which is mounted a shaft 116 carrying a pinion 118 meshing with a pinion 120 in engagement with a fixed rack 122, the shaft 116 carrying a semi-circular platen 124, Fig. 18 of yieldable material. The resultant linear and rotational movement of the platen provides a rolling pressing action forcing the strips T, R, R<SP>1</SP> against the various printing faces, the ticket strip being printed by means of the ribbon C and such items as are required for record purposes being printed by a narrow ribbon inked on both sides running transversely of the machine between the two record strips R, R<SP>1</SP>. At the end of the printing movement the cam 254 on shaft 32 releases its follower 256, allowing the levers 258, 270 to move and release the locking engagement in the holes 220, 224. A roller 250, Fig. 7, on the gear 10 then acts on a lever 248 to rock, via lever 246, a bell-crank 244, forcing link 232 upwardly, thereby raising the printing box to its initial position and moving lever 322 to unlock lever 286. The members 244, 246, 248, 250 and 232 are duplicated at the opposite side of the machine, the second roller 250<SP>1</SP> being carried on a disc mounted on the shaft 11 of the gear 10. As the box is raised no further printing is effected by the return movement of the platen. At this point a cam on shaft 11 engages a follower on the end of a lever 332, Fig. 3, and rocking of this lever moves a slide 192 vertically upwards to rock a lever 188, Fig. 3, in the printing box which in turn moves on by one digit the printing numbering head 182, Fig. 9, and also by means of a link 198 rotates a shaft 200 having depending fingers 202 for moving the slide 138 forward to eject partially the slug. The extension 142 of the slide 138 then projects over the shoulder 154 of the prop 144 to prevent downward movement of the box. The lever 22 is simultaneously rocked by a stud 23 to clear the end of lever 28 and to be restored to a position ready to lift clutch-controlling pin 18 at the end of a complete revolution. Ticket-feeding cycle.-On commencement of the second half-revolution a 180 degree gear segment on the shaft 32 comes into driving engagement with a gear 50, Fig. 3, and the drive is transmitted via sprockets and chain 54 to the shaft 58 which as it commences to rotate throws roller 308 out of the notch in the disc 310 thereby rocking the lever 286 and bellcrank 330 to move the plate 66 from its ticket clamping position. Movement of the lever 286 also moves the lug 329 beyond the notch 327 to prevent rocking of the lever 322 and therefore to prevent lowering or raising of the printing box. Pin-wheels 60, Fig. 18, on the shaft 58 advance the printed portion of the ticket strip T over the plate 66 out of the machine. An edge stripping portion adjacent the circumference of the pin-wheels removes the perforated edges T<SP>1</SP> and delivers them to a bin 94. The shaft 58 also carries a Geneva drive mechanism 68, Fig. 5, driving through gears 72, 74 a shaft 76, Fig. 18, having a pin and slot connection with a coaxial sleeve 82 on which are mounted pin-wheels 84 for feeding the record strips R, R<SP>1</SP> from bin 96, one strip R being discharged from the bin at 90, the other R<SP>1</SP> being delivered to a bin 98. Completion of cycles.-At the end of the second half-revolution the 180 degree geared segment releases the gear 50 and stops the feed. The roller 308 re-engages in the disc 310 restoring lever 286 to its rest position and permitting bell-crank 330 to rotate to bring plate 66 into ticket-clamping position to facilitate tear-off. The pin 18 is arrested by the lower end 20 of the lever 22 thereby opening the clutch and the follower 42 is released by the cam 40 to switch off the motor: If the shaft 58 is not in its proper final position or is displaced therefrom the lever 286 is displaced and through links 292 and 294, Fig. 7, a slide 300 is urged to the left to engage under a lug 252 to lock the slide 232 so that the printing box cannot be lowered. To adjust the record strip position the pin and slot engagement between shaft 76 and the coaxial sleeve 82 may be broken by lateral movement of the shaft 76 by a manual button operating on the shaft-end 75, Fig. 3. Before this may be done the end 75 must be uncovered by a lever 278, Fig. 7, having a handle 280 and the lever 278 has a link 284 connecting it to link 286 to bring the locking slide 300 into action before such adjustments can be made. Printing slug.-The slug S, Fig. 24, is made of steel with folded side edges shaped to form ridges to seat in the grooves 172, 174, Fig. 9. The lower edge is inturned and co-operates with punched-out tags 358, 366, 368 to hold the printing matrix 360. Each matrix has two groups of type elements, the first, 362, prints on tickets only, and the second group, 364, prints on both the tickets and record strips. The slugs carry identifying cards 380. Autographic operation.-To provide tickets with written-in details the printing box 128 is raised to a higher position than its normal rest position and is held there by engagement of notch 320, Fig. 2, with rol