Patent GB-689684-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in addressing and like printing machines
Inventor: KERR ROBERT LEONARD
IPC: B41L47/42
Filed: 1949-04-11
Abstract: 689,684. Addressing-machines. ADREMA, Ltd. July 11, 1950 [April 11, 1949], No. 9765/49. Class 100(ii) An addressing or like printing machine comprises a rotatable head, which carries at least three printing-pad holders at intervals round its axis of rotation, rotatably mounted on a body which oscillates to move the head to or from printing position, manually operable control means whereby, according to the setting of the control, the head can be either oscillated to and fro about its axis of rotation as the body oscillates so that two of the pad holders are alternately operative or rotated unidirectionally step by step as the body oscillates, so that all of the pad holders are successively operated in cyclic order when the head is moved successively to the printing position. The manually operable control means also comprises a third setting according to which the head remains stationary with respect to its axis of rotation as the body oscillates so that the same pad holder is operative each time. The main body 1 is mounted by means of lugs 3 on a horizontal shaft 7, Fig. 2 (not shown), the body being oscillated by mechanism attached to an extension of one lug. The head, or hub carrier, 11 having three pad holders 13 mounted on spokes 12, is mounted on a shaft 10 between two lugs 8, 9 on the body 1, control of the three operations referred to being by a lever 14 rotatable on a shaft 15 and having a pin 77 movable by a knob 78 to hold the lever and a pin 32 thereon in one of three positions. A shaft 20 is mounted between lugs 18, 19 on the body 1 and can be oscillated through more than 180 degrees from the small oscillation of body 1, by means of a sector 21, Fig. 2 (not shown), and pinion 22 through gear wheels 23, 24 and 25, the pinion 22 being fast with a pawl plate 26 having pawls 27, 28 biased into engagement with a ratchet wheel 29 on shaft 20, the pawls 27, 28 carrying rods 34, 35 parallel to the shaft 20. The pawls 27, 28 can be moved out of engagement with wheel 29 by a cam sleeve 30 engaging the pins 34, 35, the sleeve 30 being moved by the pin 32 on lever 14, which engages a groove 33 thereon, to one of three positions at which (1) the sleeve 30 engages both pins 34, 35 to disengage both pawls so that oscillation of body 1 does not affect shaft 20, (2) the sleeve 30 engages only the longer pin 34 so that pawl 28 will engage one of two shoulders 36 on opposite sides of the wheel 29 the pawl 28 oscillating through more than 180 degrees so that the shaft 20 is rotated unidirectionally through 180 degrees the movement being arranged to take place during up movement of the body 1, and (3) the sleeve 30 engages neither rod so that both pawls 27, 28 engage the wheel 29, the pawl 27 engaging a shoulder 37 so as to rotate the shaft 20 in the opposite direction to when the pawl 28 engages a shoulder 36 so that the shaft 20 is oscillated through 180 degrees at each up and down stroke of the body 1. Movement of the shaft 20 is transmitted to shaft 10 by a crank 38 loosely connected to the shaft 20 and lying in a slot 102 in a block 101 fast on shaft 20, the sides of which slot afford driving connection between the crank 38 and shaft 20 for opposite directions of motion thereof so that each time the shaft 20 rotates through 180 degrees, the crank moves from one extreme position to the other. The crank 38 is pin-jointed to a rack bar 39, reciprocating in a housing 108, having teeth 40 which engage a gear wheel 41 freely rotating on shaft 10 and having pawls 42, 43 spring biased into engagement with a ratchet wheel 46, three teeth 47 thereon at 120 degrees being engaged by the pawl 42 for rotation of the shaft 10 in one direction and one tooth 48 for engagement by pawl 43 for rotation in the opposite direction. Pawl 43 is moved out of engagement with wheel 46 at position (3) of lever 14 by a cam 52 engaging the end 53 of pawl 43, the cam 52 being on a longitudinally slidable bar 51 moved by an arm 49 rigid with shaft 15. At position (1) therefore, there will be no longitudinal movement of rack bar 39, no rotation of shaft 10 and the same pad holder 13 remains in printing position. At position (2) the bar 39 will be moved in alternate directions once only on the up stroke of body 1, and not on the down stroke, so as to rotate the wheel 41 through an angle greater than 120 degrees and the wheel 46 and shaft 10 will be turned through 120 degrees alternately by pawls 42, 43 so that the hub carrier 11 oscillates to bring two pad holders 13 alternately into position for printing. At position (3) the bar 39 will be moved in alternate directions on both up and down strokes of body 1 so that wheel 46 will be moved through 120 degrees by pawl 42 only at each up and down movement and hub carrier 11 will be rotated step by step to bring each pad holder 13 into position for printing in turn. To lock the shaft 10 at each of its three positions during printing, a lever 56 mounted on lug 8, has a bent end 58 to engage one of three notches 55 on a disc 54 on shaft 10, the lever 56 being rocked, so that the end 58 is momentarily moved out of engagement on rotation of shaft 20 to allow rotation of shaft 10, by a longitudinally reciprocated hub 60 having a roller 64 engaging a cam 63 on shaft 20 and biased by a spring 65 to normally hold end 58 against the disc 54. To prevent movement of lever 14 except at the "up" rest position of body 1, sleeve unit 30 is rotated on shaft 20 by a pin 69 on pawl plate 26 engaging in a notch 70 and a stud 73 on a boss 72 joined to sleeves 30 engages at position (2) in a groove 74 in a gate element 68, the groove 74 having notches 75 through which the stud 73 can pass to positions (1) and (3) only when the body 1 is in the "up" position. A guard 129 is mounted on a shaft 130 supported under the body 1. The pad holders 13 are adjustably mounted on the spokes 12, each holder being screwed to a plate 85 with the inter-position of a ball resting in cupped recesses to allow angular adjustment. Each plate 85 is adjustably mounted in the spoke 12 on a rod which passes through bores in the spoke 12 and shaft 10 and bears against a screwed rod operated by a knob 91 and locked by a nut 92, the plate 85 being spring biased towards the spoke 12. The three spokes 12 and plates 85 are longitudinally spaced along the shaft 10 to allow this arrangement and two of the pad holder centres are then not in alignment with the plate centres. Friction pads or washers are provided on both shafts 20 and 10 to apply a slight friction drag thereto.