Improved Means for Reversing the Feed Movement of Inking-ribbons in Time Recorders, Type-writing Machines and similar Apparatus.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Nov., 1897--Accepted, 19th Mar., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Reversing the Feed Movement of Inking-ribbons
in Time Recorders, Type-writing Machines and similar Apparatus.
T... """
We, WILLARD LE GRAND BUNDY, and the BUNDY MANUFACTURING COMPANY,
both of Binghamton, New York, United States of America, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
1
1
Our invention relates to mechanism for automatically changing the direction of
the longitudinal movement of an inking-ribbon, in workman's time-recorders, type-
writing machines, and other kinds of machines or apparatus employing an inking-
ribbon as the medium for making a record, imprint, or impression of a sign, symbol
or other character.
Our object is to provide a character-printing mechanism, with a novel apparatus
whereby the longitudinally moving, or intermittently fed ink-ribbon or inking-
medium is, through or by its own movement, automatically reversed as to the
direction of the said movement.
This is shown as accomplished by reversing the feed-mechanism whereby the
ribbon is traversed, as by winding it from one spool onto another. The ribbon is
provided with a suitable recess or hole adapted to suitably engage at a given point,
or time, with a vibratory, oscillatory, or swinging lever, in such manner that its
longitudinal movement will actuate the said lever to shift or reverse the feed-
mechanism and thereby reverse the movement of the said ribbon.
Great trouble has been heretofore had in connection with machines employing
spools intermittently or otherwise actuated so as to wind the ribbon from one spool
onto the other, arising from the failure or neglect to manually reverse the feed-
mechanism, whereby the ribbon, being all wound onto one spool, becomes torn or
broken, or drawn so taut as to stop the machine or fail to print on account of the
fact that the ribbon is very often pinned or connected to a strip of fabric not inked.
It is also a fact that very many ribbons are prepared with very little, if any, ink
adjacent to their ends, so as to become inoperative, as to those parts, as a printing
medium.
Our invention is here shown as applied to a workman's time-recorder, to illus-
trate the principle thereof, it being a fact that it can be readily applied to type-
writing machines, or many other kinds of machines or apparatus using a
longitudinally traversing inking-medium, with possibly some slight changes of
form of some of its parts, to adapt it to its new position or relation to the feed-
mechanism, or to a different feed-mechanism.
It is constructed as follows, reference being had, to the accompanying drawing.
in which
Fig. 1, is a side elevation of a workman's time-recorder, some of the parts thereof
which have no relation to this invention being omitted or broken away in order to
better show those which do appertain thereto.
Fig. 2, is a rear elevation thereof showing the feed-shifting or reversing lever
thrown over to the right, as when. winding the ribbon onto the lower spool from the
upper one.

page_text: Fig. 3, is a like view of the same, showing the oscillatory shifting-lever in dotted
lines, and the other parts normally more or less covered by it, in full lines and in
position to wind the ribbon onto the upper spool from the lower one..
Fig. 4, is a rear elevation of the spool driving ratchets, their actuating and stop
pawls, the vibratory bar carrying the driving-pawls, and part of the rod connecting
it to the driving-mechanism, the pawls being in engagement with the upper spool-
ratchet.
Fig. 5, is a like view of the same showing the pawls in engagement with the lower
spool ratchet.
Fig. 6, is a rear elevation showing the shifting-levers in elevation, and the spools
and ratchet-driven gearing actuating them.
Fig. 7, is a front elevation showing the shifting levers partly in dotted lines, and
the ribbon spools gearing and ribbon in full lines.
Fig. 8, is a plan of a shifting lever detached.
Fig. 9, is a front elevation of the same.
Fig. 10, is a plan of a piece of ribbon provided with an opening with which the
shifter engages, to be rocked by its longitudinal movement.
The time recorder here shown belongs to the well-known.key-actuated type or.
class, and therefore is only generally described,,as this invention only relates to the
ribbon-feeding mechanism.
A front plate 2 and a back plate 3 are suitably secured together by cross-bars 4
and the different shafts or arbors shown are suitably journaled in, or carried by said
plates.
A shaft 5 is suitably connected to a clock movement, and drives the gearing 6, 7,
8, 9, to actuate the time wheels 10 and 11. The insertion and turning of a key into
a key hole in the boss 12 swings the frame a to actuate the impression platen
(broken away) mounted upon the bar 13 secured to the rock shaft 14; and by
suitable intermediate connections causes the arm 15 to be vibrated, and thus recipro-
cate the rod 16 and swing the pawl bar 17.
The ribbon spool shafts 18 are suitably journaled, 'each having a driving gear 19
geared with a driving pinion 20 suitably mounted to be driven by the ratchet gear 21
journaled upon an arbor 22.
The ratchet driving pawls 23 24 are pivoted or otherwise mounted upon the pawl
bar 17 each pawl being provided with a pin 25.
Stop pawls 26 can also be used if desired, each provided with a pin 27.,
A tripper 28 provided with slots 29 is loosely mounted upon the studs 30 and
adapted to be vertically reciprocated. It is also provided with inclined faces 31, 2
which respectively engage with the pawl-pins 25 and 27, and throw one set of pawls
out of engagement with a ratchet and permit the other set to re-engage.
Upon the stud a² a shifter a' is pivoted, provided with fork arms 33, and 34,
which are adapted to engage with a pin 35 upon said plate, and lift it to throw the
upper pawls 23 and 26 out of engagement with the upper ratchet, as seen in Fig. 5,
and permit the lower pawls to engage with the lower one, or lower it to throw the
lower pawls out of engagement with the lower ratchet and permit the upper ones
to engage with the upper one, as seen in Figs. 3 and 4.
To support the tripper when raised a swinging spring actuated hook 36 engages
with a pin 37 upon the back plate, as shown in Fig. 2.
When the lever a' is swung from the position in Fig. 2, the pin 38 thereon engages
with a wedge-faced lug 39 upon said hook to force it out of engagement with the
pin 37 and release said tripper and allow it' to be lowered by the engagement of the
upper arm with the pin 35. When thus lowered the lower inclined faces 31 32
engage with the lower pawls 24 and 26 and wedge them away from the lower
ratchet. This same movement permits the upper pawls to engage with the upper
ratchet.
These ratchets drive one or the other of the ribbon-spools.
The lever a¹ is operated by the following mechanism:-
· Angular levers 4041 alike in construction, are pivoted upon the back plate, each

page_text: comprising a body provided with a stud 42, an angular arm 43, Figures 8 and 9
an angular extension 44 thereon, and a head 45 comprising an arching or convex
body sloping to a point, and lateral arms on either side.
These levers extend through slots 46 in the back plate into proper position for
their heads to engage frictionally with the ribbon 47 which is conducted from the
spools over guides or rollers 48.
In Figs. 2, 5, and 7, the ribbon is being wound onto the lower spool and this
continues until the end is nearly reached when the head 45 will suitably engage
with the opening or recess 49 therein, the lateral arms over the head regulating
the extent of such engagement.
The ribbon is then substantially, if not actually, all unwound from the upper-
spool. Then as the downward feed of the ribbon continues, the strain will swing
the lever 40, and through the engagement of its pin 42 with an arm 50, on the
shifter, will swing the shifter over into the position shown in the dotted lines in
Fig. 3, unhooking the hook 36 forcing the tripper 28 down, throwing out the lower
pawls and allowing the upper ones to engage with the ratchet to drive the upper
spool to wind the ribbon from the lower one.
The upward movement of the ribbon will, eventually, when near the other end,
reverse the feed again, through the engagement thereof with the head upon the.
lever 41, by swinging it, to throw the shifter into the position shown in Fig. 2,
by the engagement of the pin 42 with the arm 51.
In this manner the direction of the feed of the ribbon is automatically effected by
the positive engagement of the ribbon with a shifting-lever, the swinging of said
lever by the movement of the ribbon, and the resultant release of one spool from its
actuating mechanism and bringing of the actuating mechanism of the other spool
into engagement with it, thus alternately feeding the ribbon in opposite directions
and winding it from one onto the other."
This is all accomplished by the positive engagement of a shifter head with the
ribbon.
It is evident that by slightly changing the form of some of the parts, this inven-
tion can be readily applied to type-writing machines, as well as many other machines
or apparatus employing a longitudinally movable ribbon, in which it is necessary
from time to time, to reverse the movement of said ribbon.
Although I show a hole 49 in the ribbon, I do not limit myself to that alone, as
it is evident that a loop, eye, band, stud, or other device can be used thereon or
therein, with which the shifter can suitably engage, the shape of the head being,
if necessary, suitably changed to enable it to properly perform its function of
engaging with or becoming engaged by the ribbon.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is;-
1. An ink-ribbon feeding-apparatus for a time-recorder, a type-writing machine
or the like, in which a device for reversing the motion of the ink-ribbon is arranged
to be automatically actuated by the said ribbon itself at or near either end of its
travel, acting upon separate unconnected pivoted levers, the extremities whereof
bear frictionally against the said ribbon and are adapted to engage therewith at the.
proper times, substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. The combination, with an ink-ribbon having an opening near each end, its
spools, and a separate ratchet-and-pawl device for separately actuating each spool
independently of the other, of a shifter having a head normally in frictional engage-
ment with said ribbon and adapted to enter said opening when, by the movement of
said ribbon, it reaches the same, and thereafter to be swung by the moving ribbon
so as to shift one pawl out of engagement and the other into engagement and reverse
the movement of the ribbon, substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. The combination, with the ink-ribbon, its spools and pawl-and-ratchet
mechanism for actuating them, of a swinging pawl-carrier to which the pawls are

page_text: connected, and a vertically reciprocating tripper actuated by the movement of the
ribbon, alternately engaging with the actuating pawls to shift one out of engagement
and the other into engagement with its ratchet to rotate each spool separately, sub-
stantially as herein before described.
4. The combination, with an ink-ribbon, its spools and actuating pawls and
ratchets, of a swinging pawl-carrier, a reciprocating tripper alternately engaging
directly with the actuating pawls to swing one or the other into or out of engage-
ment with its ratchet, and a lever engaging with said tripper to raise or lower it,
substantially as herein before described. "
5. The improved ribbon-feeding apparatus constructed substantially as described
with reference to the accompanying drawing and operating as, and for the purposes,
above specified..
Dated the 30th day of November 1897.
13
D. YOUNG & Co.
'
11 and 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.