An Improved 'Automatic. Revolution and Sheet Counting Apparatus.. for Printing Presses and the like
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application; 14th Oct.; 1898-Accepted, '23rd Dec., 1898:
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION..
An Improved 'Automatic. Revolution and Sheet Counting Apparatus..
for Printing Presses and the like:
I, RICHARD BURK, of Schwenningen, Würtemberg, in the Empire of Germany;.
Watch Maker, 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 :-
The counting apparatus for printing, presses and, the like hitherto employed are
operated by means of levers, eccentric pressure cams and the like. The attachment
ofcounting apparatus operated in this manner to the respective machines is.
extremely inconvenient and their adjustment is difficult and the apparatus also work
unreliably, as the position of the parts operating the apparatus may easily become
displaced by any outside influence: The return of the number discs to the zero,
position is also inconvenient and slow.'
The counting apparatus forming the object. of the present invention'. works
completely automatically without being separately operated by means of levers;
cams or the like, and in fact by the oscillation of the lifting shaft and by then
rotation of a suitable shaft on which the apparatus is mounted. Further the
adjustment of allii the number discs: to their zero position is effected in. an
extremely simple manner..
This simproved counting apparatus is shown in the accompanying drawings, in
which,
Figure 1 is an exterior view,
Figure 2.a cross section of Figure 1,
Figure 3 an internal.view,/.
Figure 4 a view of the apparatus for operating the counting, mechanism,
Figure 5 a detail. view of the roller counting mechanism.
The counting mechanism A is made in the form of the ordinary roller counters.
The number discs (rollers) a to a which mark respectively units, tens, hundreds,
thousands and so forth are arranged on a spindle C revoluble in bearings b & b₁ of
the casing.B in such a way that the roller a for the units is fixed on said 'spindle.
The other rollers a¹, a², a³, at, however revolve loosely on the same and may be.
moved forward one. point in the ordinary manner by pinions d¹ mounted on a
separate shaft D when the previous roller has made an entire revolution. This
roller counting device is operated by means of an arrangement which 'is placed in a
box-like projection 62 of the casing B. This apparatus consists of a ratchet wheel E.
mounted on the spindle C of the counting mechanism and a straight slide Fracting
as an anchor escapement which is carried on the one side on the rear wall.of.the
box b² of the case and on the other side on blocks b³.
Two anchor teeth ff. are provided on the slido F, which teeth alternately act on
the scape wheel E. By means of screws g arranged on the casing and also a
stirrup g, the apparatus is attached to the lift shaft Ġ or other suitable pivoting or
revolving part of the machine, Figure -2.-
The mode of working of the apparatus is as follows:
The slide Floosely mounted in the part 62 of the casing is thrown to and fro by
the oscillating or rotary movement of the shaft G, thus causing the teeth ƒ & fi

page_text: of the said slide to act alternately on the scape wheel in such a way that on the slide
moving to the left, the tooth f moves the wheel E from the dotted position shown
in Figure 4 into the one shown in full lines, whilst on the movement of the slide to
the right the tooth f¹ brings the scape wheel E from the dotted position shown in
full lines again into that shown in dotted lines so that the said wheel is moved
forward one tooth at each to and fro movement of the slide F which corresponds to
a complete oscillation or revolution of the shaft G. This rotation of the ratchet
wheel is conveyed by means of the shaft C to the counting mechanism A, first to
the unit disc a mounted on the said shaft from which the remaining rollers are
operated by means of the other shaft D.
A revoluble slide H is provided in the box 62 of the casing, the pin h of which
slide H is turned in front of the slide F in order to fix the same during adjustment
of the printing press for instance when drawing proofs, or any time when it is not
desired to utilize the counting apparatus.
In order to allow of the counting rollers or discs a to at being easily returned to
the zero position grooves J, Figures 3 and 5, are formed in the same, in which
there engage small discs i connected with the ratchet wheels mounted on the
subsidiary shaft D, whereby each counting roller with the pinion belonging thereto
is brought to the right, Figure 3, out of engagement and may then be freely turned
and adjusted as soon as the saddle K, Figure 3, mounted on the cover 6 of the
casing and holding together the counting rollers has been raised.
The cover b of the casing is provided with holes 6 in which pins L snap with the
object of fixing the cover. In the drawing Figure 3 shows balls L acted on by
springs l.
If it be desired to render the counting mechanism inaccessible to third parties,
the casing may be secured by means of seals or the like.
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. A perfectly automatically acting counting mechanism for printing presses and
the like in which a roller counting mechanism (A) is operated by a ratchet wheel (E)
mounted on the shaft (C) of said roller counting mechanism by means of a slide (F)
freely movable in a box-shaped projection (62) of the casing (B), said slide being
provided with ratchet or escapement teeth (ff¹) which, on the oscillation or rotation
of the lifting shaft, alternately engage in the scape wheel (E) owing to the resulting
to and fro movement of the slide (F) and thus operate said scape wheel and with it
the counting mechanism, substantially as herein before described.
2. In a counting mechanism such as described, the arrangement of grooves (J)
in the counting rollers (a-a) and of discs (i) on the pinions (d') to engage in said
grooves for the purpose of enabling the counting mechanism to be returned to its
zero position by adjusting the counting rollers and the pinions belonging thereto
and of bringing the same, for the purpose of free rotation, out of engagement with
the next rollers, substantially as described.
3. In a counting apparatus such as described, the employment of a saddle (K) on
the cover (64) of the casing, in such a way that when the cover is placed on the 4
apparatus said saddle projects over the spindle (C) of the counting discs and bears
on the last counting disc and thereby prevents an axial displacement of the counting
rollers (aa) and pinions (d') during the counting, substantially as described.
Dated this 13th day of October 1898
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.