Patent GB-635087-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in laundry listing machines
IPC: D06F93/00
Filed: 1947-06-06
Abstract: 635,087. Typewriters &c. NATIONAL MARKING MACHINE CO. June 6, 1947, No. 15050. Convention date, June 17, 1946. [Class 100 (iv)] Laundry listing machines; index type-wheel machines. A laundry listing machine comprises a plurality of type-wheels for printing the number of articles of a class of garments to be laundered, means for rotatably advancing the wheels step-by-step from a normal non- printing position, a corresponding plurality of printing members, normally in printing position, for printing designations of the classes of articles, means for making an imprint on a record sheet from the wheels and printing members, and automatic means for moving away from printing position the printing members corresponding to type-wheels in non- printing position. A set of numeral typewheels 69, Fig. 3, one for each class of article, is mounted freely on a shaft 68 journalled in side frames 20 of the machine, and each wheel has a type on thirty-seven of its forty teeth and is geared to a feed-gear 47 mounted freely on a shaft 46. The shaft 46 is releasably held in place by studs 162, Fig. 5, screwed into bores 159, and screws 145, 147 securing it to a sleeve 165 and hub 142 journalled in bearings 141 in the side frames. The shaft 68 is similarly arranged. The gear 47 is moved one tooth anti-clockwise to advance the type-wheel by a pawl 57 on a bell-crank 53, Figs. 2 and 3, rotated by a cam 40 pivoted on a rod 35 and linked to its corresponding key 34, Figs. 1, 2 and 3, which is pivoted on one of the rods 35. The keys of the top row are integral with their cams. The keys pass through slots 36 in a key-frame 25 having flanges 26 carrying the rods 35 and the rod 50 on which the bell-crank is pivoted. The frame 25 is pivoted on a rod 23 and can be swung outwards for access to the interior of the machine. A key is pivoted downwards to advance its type-wheel, so that the type brought to printing position is that corresponding to the number of times the key for the class of article corresponding to the wheel is actuated. If a key is wrongly actuated, it can be pivoted upwards to retract the type-wheel one tooth through a bell-crank 52 and pawl 59. Aligning for impression. Each type-wheel is held in correct alignment by a spring 61, Fig. 3, engaging two teeth of the gear 47. The springs 61 are mounted on a transverse shaft 62 on brackets 63 pivoted at 64 to the side frames, and are adjustable by eccentric screws 66. Types. Each type-wheel has an associated printing plate 77 for printing the designation of the corresponding class of article. The plate 77 is of channel form and detachably secured to a printing arm 73 by means of a slot 78 engaging pins 79, and a notch 80 engaging a spring 81. Type-selecting. Each printing arm 73 is pivoted on a rod 72 and is urged by a spring 89 into printing position against a rod 83 carried on arms 84 embracing the shaft 68 and rotatably adjustable by eccentric screws 84b passing through the frames 20. The rod 83 carries a comb 87 to maintain the arms 73 in correct spaced relationship. Each arm 73 has a selector member 91 pivoted thereto at 92 and having an arcuate slot 95 engaging the shaft 72. A spring 96 urges the member 91 clockwise so that it abuts against a stud 49 on the gear 47 when the type-wheel is in zero position. If the type-wheel is not in zero position, the stud 49 is displaced, and the spring 96 rocks the member 91 to the position shown in interrupted lines in Fig. 3. To select the type, a crank 118, Fig. 1, mounted on a shaft 116, is rotated anticlockwise, whereby cams 117 rock members 119, Fig. 2, clockwise about their pivots 120. Each member 119 has an integral arm 121 with a pin 122 surrounded by a spring 135 abutting a block 124 slidable on the pin and having studs 125 engaging an arm 128 pivoted on the rod 72 and having a cam 129 which rocks a shaft 98 clockwise, the spring 135 being first compressed and then extending to hold the parts in their new position. When the shaft 98 is rotated, a pick-up bar 97 is moved against extensions 94 of all the members 91 which have not been moved out of selecting position by the actuation of a key, and swings the members anticlockwise, thereby moving the printing plates 76 out of printing position into a housing 88. When the members 119 are rocked, they carry a rod 132 into a position between two teeth of each gear 47 to lock the type-wheels in position during printing. Platen-impression arrangements. The platen 109 of rubber or like resilient material, together with a sheet-metal extension 110 having an adjustable bar 111 as a guide for the right-hand edge of a blank, is mounted on a base 106 pivoted on levers 104 and adjustable by screws 113. The levers are pivoted on a shaft 102 and are rocked to bring the platen into printing position by means of rollers engaging the cams 117. On rotation of the crank 118, the cams 117 first perform the selecting operation, and thereafter the printing operations. Subsequent rotations of the crank effect successive printing of the same list. A bail 175, Figs. 1 and 2, is mounted on studs 173 and spring-urged against the platen extension. Re-setting type-wheels to non-printing position. Keyed on the shaft 46 is a disc 148 for each feed gear 47, having a projection 149. To re-set the type-wheels to zero, the shaft 46 is rotated clockwise in Fig. 3 by means of a crank 136, Figs. 1 and 5, pinions 138, 140, spline 143, member 144, screw 145, member 146 and screw 147, and during this rotation the projections 149 engage studs 48 on the gears 47 and rotate the gears to the position of Fig. 3, fingers 153 on members 144 at each end of the shaft engaging studs 154 to prevent further rotation of the shaft. During this rotation, the sides of notches 152 in flanges 151 of the members 144 rock the members 119 and their associated selecting mechanism to inoperative position, by means of flanges 134 on the members 119. The members 119 carry pawls 156 which are at the same time moved into notches 155 in the flanges 151 to prevent a further re-setting operation before another printing operation, which releases the pawls 156. On completion of the clockwise re-setting rotation, the finger 153 contacts an adjustable microswitch (not shown) to light a signal lamp. The shaft 46 is then rotated anticlockwise to the position of Fig. 3, and the lamp goes out. Auxiliary type-wheels. For printing data such as the date at the top and bottom of the blank, manually-settable type-wheels 204, Fig. 9, are provided on shafts 206 at each end of the machine, the assemblies being locked in position by plates 214, hook members 223 engaging pins 215, and knobs 218, and releasable by rotating the members 223 to disengage the pins 215. Ink-ribbon mechanism. Spools 236, Fig. 16, are freely mounted at each end of the machine on shafts 228 journalled in members 227, Fig. 2, between flanges 235, 239 rotatable with the spools, the flanges 239 being manually rotatable to vary the tension of the ribbon, and springs 244 between the flanges 239 and knobs 242 acting as brakes. Ratchet-wheels 234 are integral with the flanges 235 and are engaged by pawls 246 secured to pawl arms 232 of bellcrank levers having operating arms connected to the platen-impression mechanism by links 253. The pawls 246 can be disengaged by handles 251. In operation, one pawl only is engaged, and the spool is rotated in one or the other direction on each rotation of the crank 118.