Improvements in or relating to Printing and Numbering Mechanism."
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 4th Dec., 1893—Accepted, 6th Jan., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Printing and Numbering Mechanism."
I, HERBERT PRICE LAVENDER of Burlington Chambera, Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Engineor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention relates to mechanism for printing various things, particularly
bills, slips and the like and also to the means employed for numbering each bill
slip etc. The invention may be applied independently or in combination with other
apparatus, say for instance, check tills in connection with which I will now describe
it. The check till with which I propose particularly to use this mechanism is what
is known as the voucher check till in which two travelling bands of paper are
employed with a carbon slip between them; the bands travel at right angles to each
other and it is desired to print upon one of these bands which is torn off to form
the bill or slip and it is also important to number each of these slips. The
second band remains inside the case and is merely a check. The apparatus consists
roughly of a printing oylinder provided in any suitable manner with the necessary
printing characters for producing the bill or slip and also with the numbering
device so arranged that each succeeding slip will bear a number, one unit higher
than the last one.
•
The printing cylinder may be of any suitable construction and may conveniently
have around its periphery an indiarubber sheet bearing the whole of the printing or
ruling matter excepting the actual numbers and the dating apparatus if such be
employed. Where the dating apparatus is used as this has only to be altered onco
a day it is convenient to alter that by hand at the commencement of the day's
work. In order to ensure the different lines of the printed matter corresponding
with certain lines upon the check strip I prefer to couple the printing cylinder
with the roller which causes the slip band to travel; this however relates only to
these particular check tills and might not apply to other apparatus.
The mechanism for changing the numbers I prefer to arrange as follows:-The
numbers are carried in the usual manner upon the peripheries of discs or rollers
arranged side by sido upon the same central axis, the first roller carrying the units,
the second the tens, the third hundreds, and so on as will be well understood, and
to cause these rollers to turn intermittently at their proper respective periods I
prefer to, employ the following arrangement.
Parallel with the axis of these numbering rollers is a spindle carrying a suitable
number of pinions one for each of the numbering rollers, each of which rollers
carries a toothed wheel or ring the teeth of which engago with the pinions
carried upon the spindle. The first numbering roller does not carry any ring of
teoth but is provided with a sunk portion corresponding to the space between two of
the teeth or leaves of the pinion and intended to accommodate one of those teeth.
This recess is carried out into an extension formed upon the face of the roller the
portions of this extension surrounding the space acting as teeth or parts of teeth
corresponding with the teeth of the pinion. Half of each tooth of tho first pinion
is cut away the removed portion being occupied by the small periphery of the first
numbering roller which is in connection with a ratchet or other wheel normally
prevented from turning by means of a spring detent engaging between two of its
teeth. This ratchet wheel is so arranged that at each revolution of the printing
cylinder, a complete revolution of which takes place for the delivery of each slip,
it engages with a fixed pin or point so that it is turned up on it axis and the first.
numbering roller with it to the extent of one tooth of the ratchet wheel at each.
revolution of the printing cylinder. At the tenth revolution the recess of the

page_text: numbering roller engages with a tooth of the pinion and thus turus it to the extent
of one tooth the projections on the face of the rollor engaging with the other teeth
and assisting in this movement. The teeth of this pinion are sufficiently long
to engage with the wheel or ring of teeth upon the next numbering roller so that
when the pinion is turned, one tooth the second numbering roller is also turned
one tooth.
The same arrangement is adopted with all the other numbering rollers and their
pinious each of the rollers having the tooth recess and face projections as before
except the last which naturally does not require it.
Upon the printing cylinder is an inking roller of any suitable construction and
to secure the requisito pressure of this upon the printing cylinder I prefer to
journal in half bearings in the framework and upon these to have a cap carrying
a screwed spindle around which is a coiled spring adapted to be compressed between
a put carried upon the spindle and a suitable portion of the framework through
which the spindle passes without screwing into it. By this means suitable
pressure can be placed upon the bearing of the inking roller while by turning the
cap round without turning the nut the tension of the spring can be increased or
diminished at will.
Dated this 4th day of March 1893.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Printing and Numbering Mechanism.
I, HERBERT PRICE LAVENDER, of Burlington Chambers, Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Engineer, 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 :-
This invention relates to mechanism for printing various things, particularly
bills, slips and the like and also to the means employed for numbering each bill
slip etc., and may be applied independently or in combination with other apparatus,
say for instance, check tilla in connection with which it is hereinafter described.
The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings
in which
Figure 1 is a plan showing my improved mechanism applied to a check-till only
a portion of which is represented.
Figure 2 is an end elevation of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is an end elevation of the printing roller showing the means of operating
the numbering discs or rollers.
Figure 4 is a view partly in front elevation and partly in vertical section of the
printing and its companion drawing roller.
Figure 5 is a side elevation of one of the numbering discs, and
Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Figure 4.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
The check till with which I propose particularly to use this mechanism is what
is known as the "voucher" check till in which two travelling paper bands A B are
employed with a carbon slip C between them; the bands A B travel at right angles
to each other as indicated by the arrows in Figure 1, and it is desired to print upon
the band B from which the bills or slips are torn off, and it is also important to
number each of these slips with a distinctive number. The band A is merely a
check and remains inside the case of which D represents part of one of the walls.
The paper bands A and B may be operated by means of the shaft E upon which
is secured the lower roller or flanged drawing roller E' and having formed on it the
worm or tangent screw E which engages with the tangent or worm wheel A¹
secured on the shaft A' of the lower (A) of the rollers A³Ã' between and by which.

page_text: the band A is gripped and drawn along; the roller A* may be pressed against A³
by spring-controlled arms A' or otherwise, and if desired the surface of A³ may be
roughened or covered with india-rubber.
The printing device consists essentially of the before mentioned lower roller E'
secured on the shaft E, tho printing roller F which carries any suitable types or
letters preferably composed of indiarubber, and the inking roller Gr. These
rollers E F and G are mounted so as to rotate between two fixed plates H
which may constitute a portion of the framing supporting the other parts of the
apparatus. On the shaft of roller is rigidly secured a spur wheel F" which
gears with the wheel E³, Figure 2, fixed on shaft E.
EE is a ratchet and pawl device for preventing the shaft E from being turned
in the wrong direction.
The roller as indionted in dotted lines in Figure 2, is supported in open
bearings H' and is pressed down with the required degree of pressure on to the paper
on which it prints the vouchere, by means of the inking roller G, this last mentioned
roller, for this purpose being provided with flanges or equivalent G' which bear
upon preferably indiarubber rings F' provided at the ends of the roller F. The
roller G is mounted in bearings H², the covers H³ of which are secured to pins E*
which screw into nuts EI, one of which is shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, capable
of sliding in a vertical direction in the plates H within the recesses H thereof.
The nuts H* are operated on by springs H' which tend to press the nuts H* down-
wards and consequently draw the covers H³ more tightly down on to the shaft of
the inking roller G, this roller being thereby pressed down on to the printing
roller F so as to ink the type-faces thereof and also through the flanges G³ and
rings or collars F³ to press the printing roller Fon to the paper B passing between
said printing roller and the before mentioned lower or drawing roller E. The
pressure which the caps H³ exert upon the inking roller shaft may be regulated by
screwing the rods H more or less into the nuts H³ these caps II' being rotated for
this purpose.
The printing roller F consists of a drum bearing on a portion of its periphery
indiarubber types for printing whatever matter may be necessary (exclusive of the
actual numbers) upon the vouchers including the ruling and date, the latter of which
may be changed from day to day, and two shafts F F on the former of which are
mounted the type-carrying discs or wheels I 1³ 1º 1ª, in the present example four in
number, but of which there may be more or less than this number, and the second
of which shafts carries the gear wheels for transmitting motion from one of these
discs to the next of the series. The disc I carries the numbers indicating units,
and the numbers indicating tons, l' the numbers indicating hundreds, and 13 the
numbers indicating thousands. The unit disc 1 is mounted rigidly on a sleeve [*
supported or capable of rotating in a suitable bearing in the end plate or disc F* of
roller F.
On the outer end of the sleeve It is secured a ratchet wheel 1ª which at every
rotation of the roller is caused to engage with a tooth J forming part of an
arm J'adjustably mounted on one of the plates Has shown in Figure 3. A pawl I'
pivotted to the end plate Fe of roller F and provided with a tail spring 1', engages
with the ratchet whool I' and provents it from turning in tho wrong direction. At
each rotation of the roller F the ratchet wheel I' is brought into engagement with
the tooth J and upon the further rotation of the roller Frotary motion is imparted
to the ratchet wheel I' and through it to the sleeve I' and unit disc I, so as to
move said disc onwards a tenth of a revolution to present a different number at its
printing surface. The sleeve I has also rigidly mounted upon it a diso K which
has in its periphery a recess K' which is adapted to engage with the teeth of a partly
mutilated wheel L similar to that shown in edge view in Figure 4. The disc K
may form an integral part of the metal portion of the unit disc 1 as indicated in
Figure 5.
The wheel L as shown more particularly in Figure 6, is mutilated only as far as
regards every alternate tooth, this mutilation extending only about half-way

page_text: throughout the length or width of the wheel as sliowirin Figure 4, that is to say,
one tooth may extend throughout the width of the wheel, and the teeth on eithor
side of it over only half the length of the wheel. As before mentioned with the
mutilated part of the wheel L the recossed disc K K is adapted to engage.
lu
Figure 6 the teeth which are represented as blacked in are those which are
mutilated.
The unmutilated part of the wheel L gears with the spur wheel I secured to the
tens disc I. This tens disc is provided with a disc Khaving a recess K' which,
like that of the disc I, engages with the mutilated part of a wheel L' similar to
that shown in Figures 4 and 6, the unmutilated part of the wheel L' gearing with
the spur wheel of the hundreds disc I' which is provided with a disc K having
a recess K', which engages with the mutilated part of a wheel L the unmutilated
part of which gears with the spur wheel I secured to the thousands disc I. This
arrangement may he carried on indefinitely to tens of thousands, hundreds of
thousands, etc., by simply adding further discs and mutilated wheels as before
described. The discs 1 1 1 1 and their directly connected parts are all supported
and rotated upon the shaft F and the mutilated wheels are supported and rotate
npon the shaft F.
As before described at each rotation of the roller F, the ratchet wheel I',
slcove 1, and unit disc I, are rotated a tenth of a revolution, and, assuming that
the number 8 has been presented at the printing side of the rollor Fat the last
rotation of said roller, then, when next the roller is rotated the recess K' of disc K
will be presented to the mutilated wheel L so that when the ratchet wheel 1°
engages with the tooth J the recess K' of said disc K will cause the wheel L to
rotate; while the disc K is travelling through the distance necessary to exposo its
figures 1 to 9 at the printing side of the roller F no motion is transmitted to the
tens disc, but when it is moved from the 9 to 10 position the mutilated wheel L is
operated and consequently the teus disc 1' is moved one-tenth of a revolution.
This operation is repeated at every complete rotation of the unit disc and
correspondingly the hundreds disc 1 will be moved one-tenth of a revolution at
every complete revolution of the tens disc I' and so on, so that at each revolution of
the roller a number, one in advance of that presented at the previous rotation,
will be printed on the roucher delivered when the apparatus is operated for
recording a transaction.
Each of the discs FF constituting the two ends of the drum F, has secured to
or formed in part with it an outwardly extending trunnion or short shaft F' which
trunnions are supported in the before mentioned open bearings H and on one of
which is secured the spur wheel F³.
The position of the arm may be adjusted by means of screws JJ' the former
of which has its head at the front or outside of the fixed plate D' constituting a
portion of the casing D and its stem passing freely through D' and engaging with
a screw-threaded opening in the arm J' and the latter is screwed into and at its
end bears against the back of the plate D', or this arrangement if desired may be
substantially reversed the screw screwing through D and against J' and the
screw passing freely through J' and screwing into D¹.
In Figure 2bave, in dotted lines, represented a table or frame M which at one
end may be pivotted to the fixed fraining of the mechanism and is normally supported
in a horizontal position by the Ings M' thereof resting on shoulders H³ of the
plates H as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Between each lug M' and a corresponding
lug M³ near the pivotted end of M is a roller M mounted preferably on or
between centres as shown so as to rotate freely. These rollers M³ are provided
for the purpose of ensuring the movement of the transfer material C which is
supplied to the apparatus in the form of an endless baud and is slipped over the
free end of the table M. C may be either carbon paper, cloth, silk, or other
material, and is hereinafter for convenience referred to as the "transfer band" or
transfer material.
The "voucher strip" B passes from the roll which may be located beneath the

page_text: table M round the pivotted end and over said table, through the transfer band C
between the rollers E' and F and thence to the outside of the apparatus through an
opening in plate D', this opening being conveniently provided with a serrated
plate D to facilitate the tearing off of the vouchers.
The "record strip" A passes over the trausfer band C and between the rollers A*
and A' by which it is moved toward the lower part of the apparatus.
The panel of the upper part or lid (not shown in the drawings) of the case is
preferably formed of glass and has an opening D' (represented in chain linos in
Figure 1) through which the records of transactions are written directly on the
"record strip" A and indirectly through the medium of the transfer band C on the
"Voucher strip" B.
The "record strip" A as shown in Figure 1 may be ruled to form lines or money
columns and the printing roller F may also print lines or inouey columns the
mechanism for operating the two strips being so arranged that the figures written in
the various lines or money columns on the "record strip" A will occupy similar
positions in the respective lines or money columns afterwards printed on the voucher
or "voucher strip.'
The shaft E may be rotated by means of a crank handle arranged at any
convenient part. The before described apparatus may be modified without.
departing from the spirit of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invon-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is ;-
1. In apparatus such as described tho combination with a hollow roller or drum
such as bearing around a portion of its periphery types or the like for printing
the same matter at each revolution of a numbering device which at another portion
of the periphery of the drum is adapted to present for printing a different number
or character at every revolution of the roller F substantially as described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. In apparatus such as described the combination with a hollow roller or drum
such as F bearing around a portion of its periphery permanent printing types or
faces of an intermittently adjusted printing device comprising two shafts F F two
or more printing discs such as I l' one or more recessed discs such as K K' one or
more mutilated wheels such as Land one or more toothed wheels such as I substan-
tially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. In apparatus such as described the combination with mechanism such as.
claimed in the last preceding claim of a sleeve and ratchet wheel such as 1 I and
spring-controlled detent I mounted on the printing roller or drum F and a pawl
such as J J and adjusting screws JJ substantially as described and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
4. The combination with the apparatus set forth in the three preceding claims of
two paper bands crossing each other at right angles a carbon slip between them and
mechanism for causing the bands to travel at right angles to each other the printing
device and paper-moving rollers being operated by the same mechanism substantially
as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
5. To printing apparatus such as described the combination with the printing
roller and an inking roller in contact therewith of adjustable spring-controlled
pressure devices such as H* H* H* H* II' substantially as described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 2nd day of December 1893.