Patent GB-302700-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to number-printing machines
IPC: B41K3/00
Filed: 1928-12-20
Abstract: 302,700. Remington Rand, Inc., (Assignees of Lasker, W. W.). Dec. 20, 1927, [Convention date]. Ink-ribbon mechanism.-A numbering-mechanism particularly adapted for use in conjunction with a card-punching apparatus of the Powers type has, in combination, a numbering-head and an ink-ribbon mechanism, and actuating means for moving the numbering-head to and from the ink-ribbon and also feeding the ink-ribbon. The cards are fed laterally into the machine by the ejecting-rollers 21, Fig. 8, of the punching-machine arranged beside it, spaced plates 36, 37 providing a throat 38 through which a card passes until it is stopped by fingers 39 which register it in its printing-position. While in the throat 38 the card is printed upon by type in a numbering-head 61 mounted at one end of a rocking frame, a bi-chrome ink-ribbon being fed between the card and the head 61. The bichrome ink-ribbon has its ends secured to pins 95, Fig. 1, mounted in slots 96 in the sides of a pair of spools 97, 98, Fig. 8, disposed side by side upon a shaft 108 mounted in the side brackets 52 and provided with a handle 114. Between, and in front of, the spools is a vibratory ribbon-guide 99, which normally holds a portion of the ribbon above an aperture in the upper card-guiding plate 36, the lower plate 37 forming the platen. A spring 103 connected between the ribbon-guide and a stud 104 on the bar 117 raises the ribbon-guide after each depression by the numbering-head. Secured to the inner faces of the spools 97, 98 respectively are ratchet-wheels 109, 110 each provided with an inwardly directed pin 112 which may be engaged by a pin 113 on the shaft 108 by sliding the shaft longitudinally, enabling manual rotation of the spools to be effected. A U-shaped spring 111 disposed between the spools holds them towards opposite ends of the shaft 108. To effect a bichrome shift of the ink-ribbon 94 the ribbon guide 99 is moved longitudinally by a longitudinal movement imparted to the bar 117 by means of a cam lever 122, Fig. 1, at the front of the machine, the stud 104 on the bar 117, Fig. 4, having movement relative to a slot 107 in the ribbon guide. Fig. 4 shows the ribbon guide in its forward position. The ink-ribbon is fed by means of pawls 115, 116 pivoted upon the rocking frame 55 with which they move, means being provided for rendering inoperative the pawl of the unwinding spool. This controlling-means comprises a double cam-cylinder 126, Fig. 7, with cam faces 127, 128 at its end for engaging the tails of the pawls and holding one of them inoperative. The cam-cylinder 126 is secured to a rod 129 journaled between the sides 55 of the rocking frame, the end of the rod 129 having secured to it a plate 130 with notches 131, 132 to co-operate with a roller 133 at the end of a pivoted arm 134 which is pulled downwardly by a spring. At each depression of the numbering- head a slot 135, Fig. 11, on the plate 130 receives a shoulder 143 on a plate 138 which is slidably supported on the plate 36 by legs 140, 141 and urged towards the platen head by a spring 142. The plate 138 is adjacent to the spool 97, shown as the unwinding spool rotating clockwise with its pawl 115 inoperative. When the ribbon becomes exhausted the pin 95 is drawn to the end of the slot 96, and, on the next upward movement of the head, the pull on the ribbon causes the pin 95 to engage a shoulder 137 on the plate 138 and slide the latter, so that on the next descent of the numbering-head the shoulder 143 meets a finger 136 on the plate 130. The plate 130 is thus turned, together with the cam cylinder 126, which disengages the pawl 116 of spool 98 and puts pawl 115 into contact with the spool 97 to reverse the feed, the cam cylinder being retained in position by the roller 133 on the arm 134 snapping into the notch 131 of plate 130. A lever offset from the camcylinder 126 provides means for manually effecting the ink-ribbon reversal. At the other side of the machine a modified sliding plate cooperates with a tappet on the cam-cylinder shaft 129 for automatically reversing the feed when spool 98 is exhausted.