Patent GB-1014830-A (GB)
Title: Marking apparatus
IPC: B21C51/00
Filed: 1964-09-14
Abstract: 1,014,830. Printing apparatus. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. Sept. 14, 1964 [Sept. 27, 1963], No. 37428/64. Heading B6C. In response to signals from a source such as a computer a moving web of metal or wood 10 is marked with up to five stripes by a printing apparatus comprising five endless band printing surfaces 90, 91, 92, 93 and 94 supplied with ink from a common roller 40. Each band forms part of an assembly 60, 61, 62, 63, 64 pivotally mounted about an axle 100. The assemblies are identical, each being mounted between sideplates as is shown in the plan, Fig. 4. In addition to the band 90 the assembly 60 comprises an inking roller 50, Fig. 2, keyed on the freely rotatable axle 100, band guide pulley wheels 60b, 60c and 60d mounted on pivots between the side plates and a further pulley wheel 60a carried by a lever 120 pivoted on one of the side plates and resiliently urged towards the surface 10 by a spring 140. The whole assembly is urged towards the surface 10 by a spring 110. Ink is supplied to the inking rollers 50, 51, 52, 53, 54 of the assembly by the roller 40, this being gravity fed from a reservoir 160 through solenoid-operated horizontally slidable valves 161, 162, 163, 164, 165. Through the provision of a series of apertures 172, 173, 174, 175 and 176 in the floor of the reservoir-one for each assembly-and an associated slit 180, 181, 182, 183 and 184 in the respective valves, ink is allowed to pass to the roller 40 through slits 190, 191, 192, 193 and 194 formed in the roof of the common roller housing 45. As is shown in Fig. 2, the superimposed slits are not in vertical register so that ink dropping into the valve slit, e.g. 180, when the valve solenoid, e.g. 166, is de-energized, forms a measured quantity which is only allowed to drop on to the roller 40 for subsequent use on the, in this case, band 90 when the valve solenoid 166 is energized such that the valve 161 has moved to align slits 180 and 190. The entire structure comprising the band assemblies 60, 61, 62, 63 and 64 and the inking apparatus is mounted on a support member 20 which depends from a frame 24 at the end of a core protruding from a solenoid 22. Energization of this solenoid causes the structure to move downwardly, allowing any of the bands 90 to 94 which are unimpeded to contact the moving surface 10. The bands may be prevented from contact with the surface 10, if desired, each assembly having for such purpose a short shaft, e.g. the shaft 150 in connection with the assembly 60, which spans the side plates of the assembly and is engageable by a solenoid actuated pivoted lever hook member, e.g., the member 80 of Fig. 2, which is engageable with the shaft 150. Each hook member 80, 81, 82, 83 and 84, Figs. 1 and 4, is thrust into the path of the downwardly moving shaft 150, 151, 152, 153 and 154 through energization of an associated solenoid 70, 71, 72, 73 and 74 and the electric circuit controlling these solenoids and the valve solenoids 166, 167, 168, 169 and 170 is such that concurrent energization of any pair of solenoids 70 and 166, 71 and 167, 72 and 168, 73 and 169, and 74 and 170 is not possible. If in operation of the printing apparatus it is desired to only print four stripes on the moving surface 10 the signal to the apparatus causes the structure to descend in response to energization of the solenoid 22. Simultaneously, the solenoid 74 is energized to cause the hook member 84 to project into the path of the descending shaft 154 carried by the band assembly 64, whilst the solenoids 166, 167, 168 and 169 are energized to allow ink contained in the valve slits 180, 181, 182 and 183 to drop onto the common roller 40 for subsequent inking of the bands of the assemblies 60, 61, 62 and 63. By effecting an additional spring loading-by springs such as 140- on the pulley wheels 60a, 61a, 62a, 63a and 64a, Fig. 1, each band 90, 91, 92, 93, or 94, is applied to the surface 10 such that both high spots and low spots, if any, on the surface become sufficiently marked so that if the stripes were used for optical scanning correct identification would result.