Improvements in Machines for the Consecutive Numbering of Cheques and for Analogous Purposes.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 17th June, 1889-Accepted, 20th July, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for the Consecutive Numbering of
Cheques and for Analogous Purposes.
I, JOHN PHILLIPS, Engineer, of 36, Manor. Road, Walworth in the County of
Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its objects to produce the necessary motion of the numbering
discs by a shorter and easier motion of the handle than has hitherto been necessary
and to adapt the machine for being operated by a treadle or engine-power; also to
produce two or more impressions at the same time and to avoid shocks in the ratchet
mechanism which turns the numbering discs on their axis after each operation.
For this purpose I employ two or more sets of parallel discs, each set being
similar to the numerating discs of the apparatus hitherto employed. The axle of
each set is supported by a frame or circular casing fixed to the horizontal main shaft
extending across the entire machine and serving as a centre of oscillation for all sets
of discs, so that by turning the said main shaft (which is parallel to the axes of the
discs) all disc-carrying frames are caused to oscillate simultaneously.
The oscillating motion of the main shaft is produced by means of a handle fixed
to a short axle parallel to the main shaft, a pair of levers and a connecting rod.
Instead of a handle or in conjunction with it I may, however, employ a treadle
mechanism acting on the short horizontal shaft, or the latter may be set in motion
by means of an oscillating lever, a connecting rod and a crank, the latter receiving
continuous rotary motion by engine power.
To avoid shocks in turning the numbering discs on their centres, the ratchet
wheel mounted on the axle of the discs or of the first set of discs is turned by a
peculiarly shaped pawl adapted to oscillate on a stud secured to the machine frame.
This pawl has the shape of a lever provided on one side (that which is turned
towards the ratchet wheel) with a pair of teeth, the distance between which (and
also that between the first tooth and the end of the lever) is equal to the pitch of
the ratchet wheel. During the forward motion of the disc-carrying frame, the point
of the ratchet lever comes in contact with a tooth of the ratchet wheel and turns the
latter a short distance, after which the first tooth of the ratchet lever acts on the
adjoining tooth of the ratchet wheel until the second tooth of the lever comes in
contact with the next tooth of the wheel or till the ratchet wheel has made exactly
one tenth of a revolution. The pawl being always in contact with the ratchet wheel,
thus acts like the segment of a tooth wheel gearing into the ratchet wheel.
For balancing the weight of the numerating discs and accessories during the
oscillating motion, and thus facilitating the motion of the handle, I employ a helical
spring enclosed in a horizontal casing fixed to the rear part of the bed plates. By
means of suitable levers and links interposed between the handle, or the treadle
mechanism and the said spring, the latter is compressed during the forward and
down motion of the oscillating frames, and allowed to expand again during the up
motion of the said oscillating (or disc-carrying) frames so as to give out their stored
energy and compensate for the unbalanced weight of the oscillating parts. The feed
motion of the paper to be printed on may be produced by hand as in other
machines, and the distance between different sets of discs may be rendered variable.
Dated this 17th day of September 1888.
FAIRFAX & WELLE
433, Strand, London, Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for the Consecutive Numbering of
Cheques and for Analogous Purposes.
I, JOHN PHILLIPS, Engineer, of 36, Manor Road, Walworth, in the County of
Surrey, 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 :-
For
My invention relates primarily to machines for providing cheques or other
documents with consecutive numbers by means of a set of parallel discs mounted on
the same axle in close proximity to each other, each disc having ten projecting
types from 0 to 9, equally distributed over its circumference, the first disc repre-
senting the units, the second the tens, the third the hundreds, and so on.
printing the numbers on the cheques, the entire set of discs is alternately moved to
and from the surface of the paper, by means of a handle or treadle imparting to
the disc-holder an oscillating motion, and the feed motion of the paper at a right
angle to the motion of the disc-holder is also produced by hand. After each
impression, the unit disc is automatically caused to make one tenth of a revolution
on its axle, by means of a ratchet mechanism; after each revolution of the unit disc,
the next disc makes one tenth of a revolution and so on.
The object of my improvement in such machines, is to produce the necessary
motion of the disc-holder by a shorter and easier motion of the handle or treadle
than has hitherto been necessary, to produce two or more impressions at the same
time, to avoid shocks in the ratchet mechanism which turns the numbering discs on
their axes, and to render the inking more uniform.
In the following description, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings,
of which Fig. 1 is an elevation, and Fig. 2 a plan, of a machine embodying my
invention, while Fig. 3 represents the ratchet lever on a larger scale.
The machine comprises one or more disc-holders (the drawing shows two, A and B),
adapted to move simultaneously to and from the platform X which supports the
cheques or other sheets to be numbered. Each disc-holder carries a row of type-
discs (a, a², a³, a*, as, and 61, 62, 63, 64, 65) similar to those hitherto employed. Each
disc-holder supporting the axle of a set of type-discs has the shape of a circular
casing, and is fixed to a lever Cmounted on a horizontal shaft D. The latter has its
bearings in a pair of brackets E, E', fixed to the bed-plate F of the machine. An
oscillating motion is imparted to the shaft D by means of a lever C¹ (preferably
made of one piece with the lever C), a link G and a lever H mounted on a horizontal
shaft I carrying a handle J. The drawing shows the handle in its extreme left
hand position corresponding to the lowest position of the type-holders, while they are
in the act of printing; while the extreme right hand position of the handle is
indicated by a dotted centre line.
The motion of the handle J, and therefore of the type-holder, towards the right is
limited by the inclined face of a short_angle-iron; screwed to the side of the bed-
plate F near the fulcrum of the handle J, as shown in Fig. 1.
The handle J may, however, be mounted directly on the shaft D, in which case
the lever C, link G, lever H and shaft I, become unnecessary.
On the axle k of the type-discs a¹--- as is mounted a ratchet wheel K, which is
concentric with the type-discs and connected with the first of them in the usual
manner, so that the latter is forced to share any rotary motion of the ratchet wheel.
Into the ratchet wheel K gears a peculiarly shaped pawl L, pivoted on a pin m
which is fixed to a bracket My, secured to the bed-plate F. As shown in detail
by Fig. 3, the pawl L has three teeth, 1, 1, 12, adapted to come in contact with three
consecutive teeth of the ratchet wheel, the distance between two teeth of the pawl
being approximately equal to the pitch of the ratchet wheel. The pawl L has a
long rear extension I, beyond its fulcrum, which extension serves as a counter-
weight to hold the pawl against the ratchet wheel, and prevent it from dropping out
of gear.

page_text: During the return (and upward) motion of the disc-holder, the point / meets first
the nearest tooth of the ratchet wheel, so as to keep the contact face stationary for a
moment, while the disc-holder continues its upward oscillation, in consequence of which
the ratchet wheel will commence to turn on its axis.
During the further up motion of the disc-holder, the second tooth will come in
contact with the next tooth of the ratchet wheel and cause it to continue its rotary
motion after the point 7 has come out of contact. Before the tooth ceases to act,
the third tooth comes into gear and continues the pivotal motion of the ratchet
wheel until it has made one tenth of a revolution.
The effect of the pawl L is therefore similar to that of a toothed segment.
If the ratchet wheel has a larger number of teeth than ten, or if the motion of the
ratchet wheel is completed by the aid of pointed stop pins projecting from the face of
the first type-disc and falling into conical recesses formed in the face of the second
type-disc, the third tooth of the ratchet pawl may be omitted.
The inking apparatus is constructed as follows:-
The cylindrical surface of the disc-holder (A and B) serves as inking table (as
in other machines). The ink is distributed to each inking table by a roller N; the
roller N¹ receives the ink from the said table and distributes it to the type-
discs (a-a³, 61- ---65).
The lower end of the inking table (that which is next to the lower edge A¹) is
eccentric, so as to allow the rollers N' to come gradually nearer to the axle k of the
discs a¹a, while approaching the edge A¹, which is almost level with the face of
the type.
The axles of the inking rollers have their bearings in the heads o, o, of the
oblique reds O adapted to slide in the bearings p, p, forming part of the plate P
which is loose on the axle k of the type-discs.
In multiple apparatus, the axles of the rollers (N N¹) belonging to different sets
of type-discs are preferably joined together, and the two plates P are connected with
each other by a rod n, which may be situated between the roller axles, as shown by
the drawings.
Each of the spindles 0, 0, is surrounded by a helical spring abutting with its
upper end against one of the bearings p, while its lower end rests on a pin fixed in
the said spindle slightly above the lower bearing p of the spindle, so as to allow the
projecting pin, together with the spindle, to move up and down as may be required.
The lower end of each spring is thus movable, and tends to draw the inking rollers
against the inking table and the types, by exerting an axial pressure on the
spindles.
The plate P is connected with the bracket M fixed to the bed-plate F, by means of
a link Q which prevents the inking rollers from taking part in the oscillating
motion of the disc-holder (A, B) around the axle D and thereby produces a relative
rotary motion between the disc-holder and the plate P which holds the inking
rollers.
I do not, however, claim the special arrangement of inking rollers, nor the
means for securing them to the roller carrying plates P and for pressing them against
the inking table, nor do I claim any special shape for these plates.
To compensate for the unbalanced weight of the oscillating parts, I may employ
a compensating spring, situated in the hoop or casing W. To the lever H is attached
a link R connected with a balance lever S mounted on an axle s having its bearings
in the fixed bracket U. The other end of this lever is connected with a horizontally
movable rod V by means of a link T and pin t. The rod V is guided in the ends
of the casing W (fixed to the bed-plate F by means of screws w) and is surrounded
by a helical spring. This spring, enclosed in the casing W, is so arranged that it
counteracts the weight of the disc-holders and other oscillating parts, storing up
energy during their down motion, and giving it out again during their up motion,
thus rendering the resistance approximately uniform.
For changing the distance between the disc-holders (A and B), and therefore between

page_text: different sets of type discs, one of the two levers C is shifted along the axle D, and
the corresponding bracket M' is shifted on the bed-plate F, as far as required and
then fixed in its new position. To facilitate this change, the axle D has a longi-
tudinal slot d, or it is made rectangular in section, and the bracket M' is attached
to the bed-plate F by means of bolts ¹ passing through slots f, f, formed in the bed-
plate F parallel to the axle D.
Instead of a handle J, or in conjunction with it, I may employ a treadle mechanism
acting on the shaft I; or the latter may be set in motion by means of an oscillating
lever, a connecting rod and a crank to which continuous rotary motion is imparted
by engine power.
The drawing shows in dotted lines a part of the treadle mechanism Y, Z, Z',
adapted to act on the lever H.
In this case, the compensating spring is preferably replaced by a balance weight
and lever, mounted on the axle 2 of the levers Z, Z'.
Although the drawing shows only two sets of type-discs adapted to oscillate
simultaneously on the same horizontal shaft D, it is evident, that the machine may be
adapted for printing three or more numbers at the same time. In this case, the
bed-plate F would be made wider, and the slots f, f, and shaft D longer. The
distance between adjoining sets of type-discs may be made equal or unequal. The ends
of the shaft D, where they pass through the bearings E and E', are cylindrical, while
the intermediate portion is preferably square, and the oscillating levers, which
support the adjustable disc-holders, may be fixed at the required point of the shaft D
by means of set screws.
The machine works as follows :-
The type-discs are first lifted from the printing table or platform X by turning
the handle J into its extreme right hand position, shown by the dotted centre line,
the cheque or other document is fed forward by hand, and the lever J is turned into
its left hand position shown in the drawing, thereby pressing the type-discs upon the
printing surface and producing the desired impression. As the plates P, P, are held
by the link Q1, Q', they will turn on the axle k, while the latter oscillates on the
shaft D, thereby causing the inking rollers to distribute ink to the inking table
and thence to the type-discs during every oscillation.
At every up motion of the shaft k, the pawl L will turn the ratchet wheel K one
division.
The connection between adjoining type-discs of each set, and between the first
type-disc and the ratchet wheel or equivalent turning gear, as well as the shape of
the discs and disc-holders, may be similar to that employed in numbering apparatus
hitherto employed, and will not, therefore, require special mention or description.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. In a numerical printing machine with oscillating motion of the numbering
head, a multiple ratchet pawl which is adapted to turn the ratchet wheel in stages,
substantially as described.
2. In numerical printing apparatus, the combination of a printing table or plat-
form, with a shaft held in bearings parallel to the said platform and provided with
mechanism for imparting to it an oscillating motion around its axis, a numbering
head comprising a disc-holder and inking table with a set of type-dises and inking
apparatus held by a lever mounted on the said shaft and adapted to be fixed thereon
at various points of its length, and ratchet mechanism adapted to turn the type-
discs at each oscillation; substantially as described and for the purpose specified.
3. In numerical printing apparatus, the combination of a printing table or platform,
with a shaft held in bearings parallel to the said platform and provided with
mechanism for imparting to it an oscillating motion around its axis, two or more
evers mounted on the said shaft at a variable distance from each other, each lever

page_text: carrying at its free end a disc-holder and inking table with a set of type-discs and
inking apparatus, and ratchet mechanism adapted to turn the type-discs at each
oscillation; substantially as described and for the purpose specified.
4. In numerical printing apparatus containing two or more sets of type-discs
mounted on an axle adapted to oscillate to and from the printing table or platform,
the combination of printing platform X, with horizontal shaft D held in a pair of
bearings and provided with means for imparting to it an oscillating motion to and
from the platform, a pair of disc carriers A, B, and levers mounted on the axle D
at a variable distance from each other, each disc carrier being shaped as a cylin-
drically curved casing over the upper part of the circumference of the type-discs and
adapted to serve as inking table, two sets of type-discs together with ratchet wheel
and axle supported by the disc-holder, a pair of multiple ratchet pawls L, adapted
to come in contact with the ratchet wheel, and turn the same during the up motion
of the disc-holders, and inking apparatus mounted on the axles of the type-discs and
provided with means to prevent it from turning with the discs or disc-holders ;
substantially as described.
Dated thin 15th dore of Inno 1980
JOHN
PHILLIPS.
By Fairfax & Wetter,
433, Strand, London, Agents.