Patent GB-805621-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to printing machines employing electrical facsimile reproduction
IPC: B41L45/00
Filed: 1956-04-17
Abstract: 805,621. Copying telegraphy. ADDRESSOGRAPH - MULTIGRAPH CORPORATION. April 17, 1956 [April 21, 1955], No. 11637/56. Class 40 (3). In a facsimile receiver comprising a number of discs individually mounted on a member driven synchronously with a scanning device at the transmitter and each allocated to the reproduction of a line of data on a recording sheet, the discs are locked to each other for synchronized rotation, and each is formed with a printing anvil in the form of a number of edge elements which co-operate with a hammer or impression member operated by signals derived from the scanning arrangement. The edge elements are spirally disposed on the circumferential surface of each disc and are such that the trailing end of an edge element and the leading end of the next element are in circumferential alignment on the disc. The arrangement for scanning the cards carrying the matter to be reproduced is generally similar to that described in Specifications 693,576 and 693,577, and business cards takes from a pack S are fed in overlapped or end-to-end relation past a scanning device comprising a rotating drum 25 with two circumferential rows of four spiral slots 30, each extending over a quarter of the circumference of the drum and such that the trailing edge of one slot and the leading edge of the next slot of a row are in circumferential alignment. The matter in the positions B2, C3, D4 illuminated by a linear light source 34 is projected by a lens 46 and mirror 48 through a shaped aperture 50 in a mask 52 so that the second and fourth rows B2, D4 of the matter on the cards are scanned by the four slots of the respective two rows. The matter on the cards covered by rows A1, B2, C3 is projected by source 33, lens 45, mirror 47 and an apertured mask 51 so that the rows A1, C3 are scanned by the two circumferential rows of slots on the drum 25. The beams passing through the slots at opposite diametrical positions of the drum are reflected to four photo-electric cells by mirrors 55 disposed at 45 degrees to the axis of the drum. The outputs of the cells are fed to four electromagnetic units 95-1 . . . 95-4, carrying blade impression members 96 which press superposed recording and carbon sheets against the edges of the spirally disposed ribs on the discs 150-1 . . . 150-4 mounted on the shaft 27. To provide variation of the size of the characters reproduced and to vary the spacing between the lines of printed characters, discs of different thickness may be mounted on the shaft with spacer discs of appropriate dimensions selectively inserted between the printing discs. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 12, four equally spaced printed lines are displaced from the edge of the recording sheet by inserting a spacer disc 153A in association with four equal discs 150-1 . . . 150-4 and a spacer sleeve 158A, whilst in Fig. 11, the printed characters are larger than in the previous case by using discs 170-1 ... 170-4 of greater width, and by means of the spacer 170-B, the spacing between the first line, located nearer the edge of the recording sheet, and the second line is greater than that between the other lines of characters. As shown in Fig. 3, the scanning drum 25 and shaft extension 110 carrying the spacer 153 and discs 150-1 ... 150-4 are connected to a shaft 27 driven by a pulley 101. The shaft 27 which is mounted in ball bearings R1, R2 is threaded at 106T and has a tapered portion 107 leading to a reduced extension 110 terminating in an end portion 115 mounted in ball bearings R3. A sleeve 120 surrounding the extension 110 has an extended portion 120C fitting over the portion 107 and a diverging portion 120B clamped by a wedge member 121 associated with a nut 125 on the threaded part 114T of the shaft 110, the opposite end of the sleeve being held against a nut 126. The discs 150-1 ... 150-4 are mounted on the sleeve 120 between the spacer 153 and spacer 158 clamped by a lock nut 162. To ensure that the discs are mounted in correct angular position, diametrically opposed projections 155, Figs. 6, 6A, on the discs, such as 136, engage V-shaped recesses 155N on the adjoining discs or spacer sleeves. If the spacer disc 153 is not included, the left-hand printing disc 150-1 is not provided with a projection 155 and is clamped against the shoulder 120S formed on the collar 120C. The recording sheet MS is guided by a bar 188, Fig. 4, and passed between the edges of the printing discs on the sleeve 120 and the printing anvils 96-2, 96-4. Thence it passes over an elongated curved guide member 65 and downwardly between the printing discs and the anvils 96-1, 96-3 and is guided by the bar 187. The carbon strip CS passes over a roller 181, an outer flat surface 188F of the bar 188, between the sheet MS and the printing anvils and is then diverged from the sheet MS to pass over a guide roller 85 from which it is fed downwardly through the printing position and via the flat surface 187F of the bar 187 to a guide roller 180 and thence to a take-up drum. The electromagnetic units with their printng blades 96-1, 96-3 and 96-2, 96-4 are mounted in housings 175L, 175R comprising front frame members 176 and rear frame members supported and spaced at their lower ends on the rods 180, 181 and formed at their upper ends with inwardly directed ears 178 engaging in circumferential, axially-spaced grooves 174G formed in the shaft 174 carrying the roller 85. In the operative position of the printing arrangement a cam surface on a latch lever 179 pivoted on a pin 179P extending between the front and rear frames of the housing 175L engages a pin 179C extending between the front and rear frames of the housing 175R. In a modification, Fig. 14 (not shown), in which the printing discs are invariably mounted near the right-hand end of the bearing 26, i.e. no spacer 153, the shaft 110 is terminated at the threaded portion 114T and the right-hand bearing 104 and ball-race R3 are dispensed with. In a further modification of the arrangement, the scanning drum comprises two rows of eight spirally arranged slots each extending circumferentially over 45 degrees, Fig. 14 (not shown), and each printing disc is provided as indicated in Figs. 14, 15 (not shown), with eight spirally arranged printing blades disposed in positional phase correspondence with the slots on the scanning drum. Specifications 683,283, 690,161 and 690,162 also are referred to.