Patent GB-1019738-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to a tape perforator
IPC: H04L17/00
Filed: 1963-06-11
Abstract: 1,019,738. Selective printing and perforating machines. MITE CORPORATION. June 11, 1963 [June 20, 1962], No. 23286/63. Heading B6F. [Also in Division B4] A code tape printer-perforator comprises a row of punches 164, Fig. 18, reciprocable through a die 160, a toggle linkage 168, 170 arranged to operate a shuttle 180, a plurality of selector interposer bars 181 . . . 185 movable between the shuttle and the punches to cause selective operation thereof by the shuttle and a type carrier 30 Fig. 8, movable axially and rotatably for character selection. Printing and perforating machines; type-sheet actions; type carriages.-The printer-perforator uses a five-unit code and is adapted to operate as an automatic - send - receive unit. The printer-perforator is provided with a type carrier 30, Figs. 1 and 8, which is movable both axially and rotatably for character selection. The type carrier, which is mounted slidably on a splined shaft 126 is located between a yoke 144 slidable along a rod 250. The arms of the yoke are moved by a gear rack 146, Fig. 6, meshing with a gear 148 keyed to a shaft 150 and a drum 254 around which a cable 152 for said displacement of the type carrier is wound. The cable acts against a spiral ribbon spring 156 concealed in a housing 157. Axial selection of a character is effected by three pulleys like 116 operating on the cable end 108 and notched slide 110, the pulleys being arranged so that each successive pulley has a motion double that of a preceding one thus providing eight positions of the type carrier in the axial direction. The rotary selection of a character is effected by two pulleys like 116 which operate on a cable 112 attached to a notched slide 114 to provide an eighth and a quarter rotation of the type carrier. A third pulley 120 corresponding to a half rotation of the type carrier causes a change from letters to figures, the change being controlled by a relative positioning of the notched slides 110 and 114. The slide 114 is connected to a cable 122 which is wound about a drum 270 keyed to the splined shaft 126 and the cable works against a spiral ribbon spring 128 concealed within a housing. Alignment for impression.-Following a selection of a character the type carrier 30, Fig. 8, is fixed accurately in its axial and rotatable position by detent wheels 158, 130 keyed on their respective shafts 150, 126 and co-operating with detent rollers 256, 272 on detent arms 258, 274, respectively, which are spring-urged into engagement with the detent wheels by a rookshaft 268. Hammer-impression arrangements.-A hammer head 290, Fig. 7, is secured to a hammer arm 132 pivotally mounted on a shaft 292, which carries an arm 294 urged clockwise by a pull spring 296, which restores the hammer after impression, the raised position of the hammer being determined by a stop 298, Fig. 13. The hammer is released for impression by a cam 134, which when a cam drop 302 has been reached permits its cam follower 304 to move upwardly to impart an upward movement to a pusher arm 310, in co-operation with a quick-release rocker having rocker arms 312 and 314. Upward movement of an abutment surface 308 or the cam follower 304 raises rocker arm 312 which pivots rocker arm 314 to displace the pusher arm 310 to the right out of contact with the pusher arm 310, whereupon the hammer is free and continues down by inertia to strike an ink ribbon 32, and tape 24 against the type carrier 30. Paper, card, strip and web feeding, and guiding arrangements.-A paper tape 24, Fig. 1, is supplied from a tape roll 26 and guided through a stationary channel guide 27 past an angularly disposed direction-changing idler roller 28 over the type carrier 30. The tape then passes through a perforator 44 between die plates 160, Fig. 12, and the printed and punched tape is displayed at 46 over a track 48. As the tape 24 leaves the die plates 160 it is engaged by a pin feed roller 390, co-operating with a presser pot 394 mounted resiliently on an arm 396 which may be lifted for renewal of tape. The feed roller 392 is moved intermittently by a feed pawl 398 co-operating with a ratchet-wheel 400. A further back-space pawl 404 co-operates with another ratchet-wheel 406 (Fig. 11, not shown). The feed roller is fixed in position by a detent wheel 408 co-operating with a detent roller 410 on an arm 412. The feed pawl 398 is connected to an arm 426, pivoted on a pin 382, and which is moved up and down by a link 422 connected via an arm 420 to a shaft 370 of toggle means which operates the punches of the perforator 44. The feed pawl 398 is disengaged during a later part of the feed stroke, when a pin 434 bears against a stationary cam-plate 436. The back-space pawl 404 is similarly disengaged by a pin 452 on the pawl co-operating with a stationary cam-plate 450. The forward feed at the perforator is carried synchronously to a remote forward feed roller 372<SP>1</SP> (Fig. 4, not shown), by a feed pawl 376<SP>1</SP> pivotally attached to an arm 380 integral with the arm 426. After passing the remote feed roller and a light-tape sensing roller 76, which when the loop 50 is too tight operates a micro-switch to stop the printer perforator, the tape is advanced to a tape reader 52 and leaves at 54. Back-spacing key actions.-To back-space the tape 24, a back-space key (not shown) is depressed to operate a solenoid 438, Fig. 12, whose armature 440, via arms 444, 446 actuates the back space pawl 404. Keyboard arrangements; locking devices.- A keyboard 56, Fig. 1, may be slid beneath the main frame and looked in that position, a release lever 58 which is movable sideways being provided to unlock the keyboard. Error detection.-On discovering an error on the printed and perforated tape, an error marking device 64, Fig. 1, is slid along its guide rod 69 until a pointer on the device reaches the error, whereupon a handle on the device is depressed to put an error notch adjacent an edge of the tape. A wider tape may be provided with a hole instead of the notch. Strip and like controlled driving-mechanism; tape reader.-The tape reader 52, Figs. 1 and 6, comprises a row of vertically movable sensors 192 co-operating with a tape guide 194 having seven holes, five of which are for the code perforations and the two remaining ones for error indications one being used for a narrow tape and the other for a wider tape. The sensors 192, which are held down by a retractor bail 198 supported on arm 200 and rocked by a shaft 202, are urged upwardly by springs 196. The shaft 202, is rocked by an arm 204 and link 206 connected to an arm 208 controlled by a lever 210 and operated by a cam 214. The rise of the sensors 192, apart from cam 214, is also controlled by a slotted rod 224, which may be turned to any of four positions by a control knob 226. Types, dies and printing surfaces.-The type carrier 30, Fig. 8, is of an octagonal crosssection and has 64 alpha-numerical characters disposed along its periphery. The carrier is eight characters long and the characters are so disposed along the surface of the carrier that the major axis of the characters is parallel to the carrier's longitudinal axis. The perforator.-The perforator 44 comprises a stationary die 160, Fig. 12, and a plurality of punches 164, which are retracted by compression springs 166. The punches are moved upwardly for perforation of the tape by a toggle mechanism comprising arms 168, 170, Fig. 18, operated by a link 172 connected to an arm 350 fast with a rocker shaft 352. The toggle arms 168, 170, when straightened and with a vertically slidable plate 354 engaging a shuttle interposer 180, as shown in Fig. 18, raise the shuttle interposer located beneath the punches 164 and raise thereby such punches as have been selected by selector interposer bars 181... 185 which are operated by pulleys 116, Fig. 6, whose action was described above in connection with character selection on the type carrier 30. Each pulley 116 co-operates with a threaded spindle 186 bearing against one end of a bell-crank lever, such as 82, connected to a pivot 92 carrying an arm 102 connected in turn to a selector interposer 182. To facilitate a quick retraction of the punches the toggles are provided with a pair of shift fingers 362, which bear against a pin 364 on the shuttle interposer 180, so that the fingers 362 may displace the shuttle interposer 180 to the left at which time projections 356 enter matching notches 358, thus dropping the shuttle interposer to a lowered position relative to the pusher plate 354. In this lowered position the punches are not raised when the toggle arms are straightened again (Fig. 16, not shown). One of the punches is not provided with an interposer, the punch being longer than the remaining ones, Fig. 12, and this punch works at every punch stroke to produce feed holes for use with the pin feed wheels.