Patent GB-560597-A (GB)
Title: Printing machines
IPC: B41L47/24
Filed: 1942-07-21
Abstract: 560,597. Addressing &c. machines; feeding sheets. ADDRESSOGRAPHMULTIGRAPH CORPORATION. July 21, 1942, No. 10199. Convention date, July 21, 1941. [Classes 100 (i) and 100 (ii)] An addressing or like series printing machine is provided with a sheet feeding apparatus which may be placed in operative position or removed from the machine as a unit. The unit is shown in Fig. 3 and comprises a tablelike structure movable on casters 404 into position so that the top 403 lies closely above and spans the top of the addressing machine. During this movement, rollers 873 on the insides of the upper portions of the legs 401, 402 run on to vertically adjustable horizontal guides on the end walls of the machine and slightly raise the casters 404 from the floor. Hook members adjustable along the guides then engage the inner rollers 873 to hold the unit in position. A supply hopper 410, Figs. 3, 4 and 5, for envelopes, sheets, &c., comprising angle members 590, 590<1> adjustable to suit sheets of different widths, is removably mounted and laterally adjustable on a frame 570 which is pivoted on the axis of a sheet feed roller 575, Fig. 5, and held at the required angle by slotted struts 578. The sheets &c. are placed in the hopper 410 in a fanned-out condition and the top sheet is separated and fed forward by an upper driven roller 600 and a lower stationary but vertically adjustable rubber roller 601. When the leading edge of the sheet reaches the constantly driven' roller 575, an upper normally cam-raised roller 605 is lowered by a spring 755 to feed the sheet forward on to one or more, according to the width of the sheet, endless conveying tapes 413, Figs. 3, 5 and 15, and between side guide bars 500, 501 of angle or channel section, which are removably secured to the top 403 of the unit. The belts and the guides are adjustable laterally and one of the belts is associated with an angle guide 500. Arranged above this belt is a strip 414 carrying a number of small rollers 414<1> which hold the sheets in frictional contact with the belt. The sheet is arrested in printing position by the engagement of its leading edge with a stop finger 820 on a shaft 821 which is rocked by ratchet and cam mechanism 836 at the appropriate times to lift the finger and allow the sheet to be forwarded by the tape 413 to a receiving hopper 416 which comprises adjustable side and end plates 435, 439 and a pivoted sheet guiding finger 445. If more than one impression is to be made on the sheet, a corresponding number of stop fingers spaced along the top 403 is provided. The shaft 630 of the roller 600 may be actuated manually or automatically by connections from the addressing machine. The manual actuation is effected by moving a hand lever 670, Fig. 4, to the left. This lever is pivoted on a shaft 671 and carries a rack 675 operating the shaft 630 through ratchet mechanism 676, 677, the idle stroke of the lever being effected by a spring 680. The shaft 671 is rocked in synchronism with the operation of the printing machine by linkage including a rod 705, Fig. 3, which is connected by a screw 721 to a crank disc on the-machine. An arm 685, Fig. 4, fixed to the shaft 671 has pivoted thereto an arm 689 and a pawl 686, the tail portion 691 of the pawl being engaged by a pin 690 on the arm 689 and the pawl being normally held in operative relation with a pin 688 on the hand lever 670 by a spring 692 connected between the pin 690 and the arm 685. This arrangement permits the pawl to yield when hand operation of the roller 600 is desired. A plate 760 pivoted to the lever 670 is provided with a cam slot 762 for raising the roller 605 from the roller 575 while the sheet is being advanced thereto by the roller 600. At the same time a cam surface 786 on the plate 760 allows a feeler finger 780, Fig. 5, fixed to a shaft 781 to be depressed by a spring into engagement with the sheet lying between the rollers 605, 575. If a sheet is absent, the finger moves downwardly a sufficient distance to allow a screw 795 projecting from an arm 794 on the shaft 781 to close a switch 790 to operate a circuit for stopping the machine. The switch 790 is also closed on passage of more than one sheet by engagement of the sheets with a second feeler 800 pivoted at 801 on a vertically adjustable block 802 and carrying a switch closing screw 805. The ratchet mechanism for actuating the sheet stop 820 is operated by a bar 845, Figs. 3 and 4, reciprocated by a link 860 from the arm 685 on the shaft 671. The feeding unit is particularly adapted for use with an addressing machine as described in Specification 558,793 and having platen mechanism as described in Specification 555,033. In order to permit an impression to be made by this platen mechanism close to the bottom of a sheet, a section 501R, Fig. 15, of the sheet guide 501 is laterally retractable and for this purpose is carried by parallel links 550, 551 and carries an upstanding projection 560 which is engaged by a projecting pin on the platen carriage. A similar construction of guide 500 may be used when it is required to print an impression near the upper edge of the sheet. Specifications 372,337, 489,390 and 560,570 also are referred to.