Patent GB-496994-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to printing machines
Filed: 1937-04-09
Abstract: 496,994. Typewriters &c. JACKSON, L. MELLERSH-. (Addressograph - Multigraph Corporation) April 9, 1937, No. 10190. [Class 100 (iv)] Record-controlled driving-mechanism; relay type-bar actions; hammer-impression arrangements ; line-spacing mechanism.-Recordcard sensing-means are. connected to a selective-printing mechanism by groups of storage-devices which are so arranged that some of the storage-devices in one group can retain a setting derived from one record-card until storage-devices in another group have been set by a subsequent record-card. The apparatus shown in Fig. 3 prints three-line addresses on sheets and comprises three apparatus D, E, F for printing the first, second, and third lines respectively. The printing-apparatus D comprises a set of typebars 112 provided with individual setting- mechanism consisting of slotted forks 75D .. 79D co-operating with slides 75F .. 78F, the end forks co-operating also with an abutment 82 and the type-bar respectively. The forks are differentially depressed, singly or in combination, by solenoids 111, 115 ... , and impart to the type-bar an aggregate movement of from one to thirty-one steps to position the selected type beneath a hammer 114 which is spring-operated on de-energization of a solenoid 115x. The printing-apparatus E, F are constructed in the same manner as the printing-apparatus D. The printing-apparatus are arranged above an endless band 100 having sheet-positioning stops 100A ... 100C. The band engages sprockets 106 geared to ratchetmechanism 103 which is operated by a solenoid 101 to feed the sheets from one apparatus to the next. The hammers 115x, 121, 122 of the apparatus are arranged to print on the first, second, and third lines of the sheets respectively.. The record-cards are provided with five-unit code-perforations arranged in three longitudinal fields corresponding to the first, second, and third lines of an address. The record-cards are fed out of a magazine by a pusher and are received by feed-rollers which are adjacent to contact-bars 59, 60, 61, Fig. 2, for reading the first, second, and third fields. The pusher and feed-rollers are connected to the shaft of a driving-motor by mutilated gearing so arranged that during one revolution of the shaft, three cards are fed on to the contact-bars, and each card dwells for a short time before being discharged by the feed-rollers. A shaft driven by the motor-shaft at one-third the speed thereof carries a series of cams 50 .. 58, 62 for controlling the contacts described below. The controlcircuits of the apparatus comprise, as shown in Fig. 1, groups A, B, C of contacts and relays. The group A comprises three rows a<1>, a<2>, a<3> of register-relays or storage-devices, a transfer-relay 6 for closing circuits from the contactbars, and shift-relays 7, 8, 9 for coupling the rows to the apparatus D, E, F respectively. The shift-relay 6 closes contacts such as 6A, 6D in circuit with individual reading-brushes on the contact-bars. The shift-relays 7, 8, 9 close groups 7A ..., 8A .. , 9A .. of contacts in circuit with contacts such as 1C, 16C, 18C closed by individual register-relays in the rows a<1>, a<2>, a<3>, and also in circuit with the setting-solenoids 111 .. , 118 .., 119.. of the printing-apparatus D, E, F respectively. Similarly, the groups B comprises three rows bl, b<2>, b<3> of register-relays or storage-devices, a transfer-relay 21 for closing a group of contacts such as 21C, 21D, and shift-relays 10, 11, 12 for closing groups of contacts such as 10E, 11E, 12E in circuit with individual register-relays in the rows b<1>, b2, b3. The group C comprises three rows c<1>. c<2>, c<3> of register-relays or storage-devices, a transfer-relay 27 for closing a group of contacts such as 27C. 27D, and shift-relays 13, 14, 15 for closing groups of contacts such as 13E, 14E, 15E in circuit with individual register-relays in the rows c<1>, c<2>, c<3>. Each register-relay is provided with a winding for closing a holding-contact such as ID, the holding-contacts for the rows a<1>, b<3>, c<3>, the rows a<2>, b<1>, c<2>, and the rows a<3>, b<2>, c<1> being connected to contacts 53A, B, C, 54A, B, C, and 55A, B, C respectively. The following operations occur during the printing of a three-line address on each of three sheets, and are described with reference to the printing of the first characters in the lines. The other characters in each line are printed simultaneously with the first under control of the associated groups of contacts and relays. When the first record-card has come to rest on the contact-bars 59 .. 61, the cams 62, 50 close contacts 62A, 50A, the contact-bars are switched in, the transfer-relay 6 is energized, the register-relays on group A that correspond to perforations are energized, and the holding-circuits therefor are closed. Thereupon, the contacts 62A, 50A are broken, the cam 56 closes a contact 56A, the shift-relays 7, 12 14 are energized, and one or more of the solenoids 111 .. of the apparatus D are energized to set the type-bar. The shift-relays 12, 14 are without effect at this stage, since none of the register-relays in groups B, C have been energized. The cam 51 closes and opens a contact 51A, the hammer-solenoids 115x, 121, 122 are energized and de-energized, the hammers 114 are operated, and the first line on the first sheet is printed. The cam 52 closes a contact 52A, the solenoid 101 is energized, the first sheet is fed from the apparatus D to the apparatus E, and the second sheet is fed to the apparatus D. The cam 56 opens the contact 56A, the cam 53 opens the contacts 53A, B, C, and the effective register-relays in row a<1> only are de-energized. When the second record-card comes to rest on the contactbars, the cams 62, 50 close contacts 62B, 50B the contact-bars are switched in, the transferrelay 21 is energized, and selected registerrelays in group B are energized. The contacts 62B, 50B open, the cam 57 closes contacts 57A, the shift-relays 10, 15, 8 are energized, the type-bars in the apparatus E, D are set, the hammers are operated, and the second and first lines are printed on first and second sheets. The cam 57 opens the contact 57A, the cam 54 opens the contacts 54A, B, C, and the effective register-relays in rows a <2>, b<1> are de-energized. The first and second sheets are then fed to the apparatus F and E, and the third sheet is fed to the apparatus D. When the third record-card comes to rest on the contact-bars, the cams 62, 50 close contacts 62C, 50C, the contact-bars areswitched in, the transfer-relay 27 is energized, and selected register-relays in group C are energized. The contacts 62C, 50C open, the cam 58 closes the contacts 58A, the shift-relays 13, 11, 9 are energized, the type-bars in the apparatus D, E, F, are set, and the first, second, and third lines are printed on the third, second, and first sheets. The cam 58 opens the contact 58A, the cam 55 opens the contacts 55A, B, C, and the effective register-relays in rows a<3>, b<2>, c<1> are de-energized. The second and third sheets are fed to the apparatus F, E, and the first sheet is ejected. The addresses on the second and third sheets are completed in the above-described manner during the next cycle. The apparatus may be modified to include the code-disc selectors described in British Specification 496,995. The recordcards instead of being perforated may be provided, as described in U.S.A. Specification 2,107,008, with conducting-spots.