US2248403A - Statement printing machine - Google Patents

Description

July 8, 1941. H. P. ELLIOTT 2,248,403

STATEMENT PRINTING MACHINE Filed J1me 11, 1940 12 SheetsSheet 1 INVENTOR limmmfiflz/orr July 8, 1941. H. P. ELLIOTT STATEMENT PRINTING MACHINE -l2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 11, 1940 INVENTOR HArMwv FELL/arr ATT NEY July 1941- H. P. ELLIOTT 2,248,403

STATEMENT PRINTIING MACHINE Filed June 11, 1940 12 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR flmwo/v 1? [LL/077' July 8, 1941.

H. P. ELLIOTT STATEMENT PRINTING momma Filed June 11, 1940 12 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR n n m u% DMI. mm

Ju1 s,1 941. H. p. ELLIOTT v 2,248,403

STATEMENT PRINTING MACHTNE v Filed June 11, 1940- 12 Sheets-Shget 5 I56 I flq v (Ad I g g INVENTOR n HaemoA/Ffluarr M B f" H ATTORN July 8, 1941. H. P. ELLIOTT 2,248,403

STATEMENT PRINTING MACHINE Filed June ll 1940 12 Sheets-Sheet 6 BY flmmu FIZZ/arr July 8, 1941. H. P. ELLIOTT, 2.248.40

STATEMENT PRINTING MAC HINE Filed June 11, 1940 12 Sheets-Sheet 7 v l 'NVENToR I HARMo/v P ELL/0T7 H' j v A ITORN Y July 8, 1941. ELLIOTT 7 2,248,403

STATEMENT PRINTING MACHINE Filed June 11, 1940 12 Sheets-Sheet 8 INVENTOR //flEMON J? [LL/0 r7 r i BY July 8, 194-1. H. P. ELLIOTT STATEMENT PRINTING MACHINE Filed Jime 11, 1940 12 She ets-Sheet 9 INVENTOR /7f4, wa/v/. [Zz/o7r WBY ATTOR Y July 8, 1941. H. P. ELLI OTT STATEMENT PRINTING MACHINE Filed June 11, 1940 12 Sheets-Sheet 1O INVENTOR HnRMoA/ [u/orr ZQ TTaNEY i July 8, 1941. H. P. ELLIOTT STATEMENT PRINTING MACHINE 12 Sheets-Sheet 11 Filed June 11, 1940 WWN wklukkws Nmm INVENTOR HRRMO/V fi'fluorr UN LI TORI July 8, 1941. p, ELLIOTT 2,248,403

STATEMENT PRINTING MACHINE Filed June 11, 1940 12 Sheets-Sheet 12 2| ?0 5' It] THEB 0/( 0405 n In, Z5 NY 672-15 J: "F ST'Z I SZ LEE W 22 nvs. I- i): uzwvwzx crrr I 0 0| 122mm: n/ws FR REmTr/mc: smww az 6 CLUB s51. scnaus :3 l I l m2. THESEIL 2.09

IMPORTANT APR. ADVENTURES 2.09 I l my uFsoF 2.09 EJ 0 d L L( JUNE nu: mus alas I 5 LEE CHARLES LEE 96 FISK AVE,

NEWYORK CITY iNVENTOR f/wwom x? [11 M77 Patented July 8, 1941 STATEMENT PRINTING MACHINE Harmon P. Elliott, Watertcwn, Mass, assignor to The Elliott Addressing Machine Company, a corporation of Massachusetts Application June 11, 1940, Serial No. 339,893

21 Claims.

This invention relates to automatic machine production of statements of account from address bearing stencils or printing devices upon which the accounts of the addressees appear in code formation. Such stencils and a machine for producing charge accounts thereon, have been made the subject of a separate application serially numbered 327,425 and filed April 2, 1940. Punched entries are employed in the account formation disclosed in the application referred to, and are preferred for their many important practical advantages over other available formations to which the present machine could be readily adapted to respond, without material change or alteration.

The statements produced, excepting those containing the item Sundry charges, blank as to the amount, are complete and ready for mailing, being addressed, dated and in itemized amounts of all unpaid charges entered in the stencil accounts against the addresses.

To meet the requirements of the use the present machine is designed to serve, provision is made for limiting the printing of statements to accounts, machine detected, which have exceeded a predetermined limit of credit, based on time and the number of items in arrears.

The test for statement printing to which each stencil account is subjected, is entirely automatic and when the account is found to have exceeded the limit of credit, the overdue debit entries are utilized to preset the machine in accordance with the account showing, for appropriate operation.

The present machine, while adaptable to serve various uses, as will be apparent, is specially designed for printing account statements of members of a literary guild or like organization to whom books or other publications are shipped periodically, usually at monthly intervals and at a uniform charge per book.

Statements are sent out monthly to all members who are indebted to the guild for any amount for a period of two or three months or for two or more books, at the date the statement is rendered and such accounts in arrears are selected by the machine for statement printing, in

a run of stencils through the machine, which in-..

cludes many with accounts that are either paid up or have not exceeded the limit of credit.

Under the guilds system of accounting, if a member is in arrears for more than three months, no further statements are rendered, the shipment of books to him is discontinued and his account is referred to the collection department of the guild for appropriate action, which rule edness First book 2.09

For members who have accepted and failed to pay for the current issue for April and have either refused to accept or return the current issues for May and June, the statements would be alike and be limited to the single item:

April Adventures of 2.09

For members who have accepted and failed to pay for the current issues for April and May, but have refused to accept, or returned the current issue for June, the statements would read:

April Adventures of 2.09

May Life of 2.09

And for members who have accepted and failed to pay for the current issues for April, May and June, the statements would read:

April Adventures of 2.09 May Life of 2.09 J une So-journing in 2.09

For members who became indebted to the guild for books other than or in addition to the current issues, the statement would cover such indebtedness by the item Sundry charges and as there would be no uniformity as to such charges, the amount would be typed in by hand. Such a statement for the three current issues and one Or more additional charges would read as follows:

April Adventures of 2.09 May Life of 2.09 June sojourning in 2.09

Sundry charges 1.60

In printing statements dated a month later- August 1the April item of the July statements above would be omitted and a July current issue item added, thus:

May Life of 2.09 June sojourning in 2.09 July The Mountains of 1 2.09

and so on from month to month.

As appears from the foregoing, five items only are required for printing statements of accounts in arrears for three months or less but as the members indebtedness may be for any one or more of these items, provision must be made for selective item printing. To meet this requirement, a separate type bar is employed for each item and such type bars are arranged, after the First book bar, in the order of date appearing thereon. Thus assembled and suitably mounted, the type bars may be separately or collectively selected for statement printing by mechanism responsive to and controlled by the code entries in the account formation of the address stencils.

A machine suitable for carrying my invention into effect is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but I do not wish to be understood as intending to limit myself to either the form or details shown, as various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as outlined in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a rear View in elevation of a portion of the machine.

Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a partial longitudinal section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a cross section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a like View on the line 6-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a top plan view and partial section of the item printing mechanism shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the type bar assembly.

Fig. 9 is a sectional View on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a cross section on the line IB-ifl of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a horizontal sectional view of the slotted guard plate through which the type bars operate.

Fig. 12 is a top plan view of the assembly of the timing devices, with the enclosing casing broken away to expose the same.

Fig. 13 is a sectional View of the assembly shown in Fig. 12, on the line |3-i3 of Fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is a view in elevation of an automatic signaling device.

Fig. 15 is a plan View of a portion of the signaling device.

Fig. 16 is a detail cross section of a portion of a timing device disk, showing a spring friction check for the disk pins.

Fig. 17 is a detail perspective view of the spring friction check.

Fig. 18 is a cross section on the line i8l8 of Fig. 13.

Fig. 19 is a sectional view on the line |9l9 of Fig. 2, showing the stop mechanism for the paper feed.

Fig. 19a is a detail section showing the paper feed roll, etc.

Fig. 20 is a diagrammatic View of the machine circuits.

Fig. 21 is a similar view of the selector head and plug-in connections from the switch board shown in operative relation to the stencil.

Fig. 22 is a like view of the paper feed control circuits, etc.

Fig. 23 shows the relative contact periods of the selector pins and the circuit breakers.

Fig. 24 shows the different positions of the stencil in its step by step advance through the machine.

Fig. 25 shows, in full lines, a statement as produced by the machine and, in dotted lines, the perforated edges that are trimmed off before the statement is cut from the web.

Fig. 26 shows one of the address and account bearing stencils or printing devices employed in addressing and i'temizing statements.

Fig. 27 shows a similar stencil containing a hand written entry of Sundy charges and a companion blank stencil that accompanies it to supply a punched opening to which the machine responds to cover the written entry.

Referring now to the drawings, the product of the machine is the statement of account 20, shown in full lines in Fig. 25. Across the top of the statement at 2 i, in the form shown, appears the name, etc., of the guild, club or other distributor of the books, publications or other articles for which the statement is rendered. The rectangular area 22 below the distributors name, which is shown enclosed within a marginal marking, is closely cross lined in light colored ink to provide a safety surface that would be destroyed by and expose any attempted change in the matter printed thereon. In the upper left hand corner of this enclosed area at 23, appears the stenciled name and address of the club member whose account charges appear below, and to the right, at 2 3 appears the date of the statement. Across the midsection of the enclosed area, at 25, also in the small rectangle 26, below at the left and near the bottom at 21, information is printed for the debtor and in the space at the right, under the heading Guild selections appear the various charge items 28, for which the statement is rendered. Excepting the name and address of the debtor, the date of the statement and the charge items, the statement blanks are otherwise prepared complete and ready for use in the machine, by being printed, in suitably spaced relation, upon a web of paper 29 which is then wound in a roll suitably mounted or fan folded in a pile, so that the paper may be freely drawn into the machine as required, to successively advance the statement blanks thereon to the printing mechanism.

As best illustrated in Fig. 25, the web containing the statement blanks is wider than the finished statement, as delivered by the machine, and has a line of perforations 32 along each edge (shown in dotted lines) designed to be engaged by pin-like teeth 3| of a feed roll 32, which serves as a positive feed for the web. In the final operation of the machine, the perforated edges are trimmed off by slitter wheels 33, cooperating with the ends of the feed rolls and the statements are cut one by one from the web to reduce them to the form shown in Fig. 25.

The paper feed roll 32 is given step by step rotation to advance the paper in timed relation with the feed of the stencils, by a ratchet 34 and pawl 35 (Figs. 19 and 19a). The ratchet 34 is fast on the shaft 36 of the toothed feed rolls 32 and the pawl 35 is carried by an arm 31 that is made fast to a pinion 38, loosely mounted on the shaft 3'6, the arrangement being such that as the pawl carrying arm 31 is oscillated, motion is transmitted to the feed rolls 32 to intermittently advance the paper in steps of equal length. Co-

operating with the pinion 38 there is a rack bar 38, which is reciprocated by an eccentric drive 46 from a continuously driven shaft. 4|, acting through a rod 42 having a pin and slot connection with a bell crank lever 43, pivoted to the rack bar. Cooperating with the bell-crank lever, there is a spring latch 44, which yieldingly holds it positioned while the pin 45 idles in the slot 46. The slot is provided at its lower end with a right angular extension 41, in which the pin 45 is normally positioned by the gravitating clockwise tendency of the free end of the slotted rod 42. With the pin in the offset of the slot, motion is transmitted through the bell crank lever 43, rack 3Q, pinion 38 and ratchet feed 35, 35, to rotate the rolls 32, and advance the paper for each operation of the printing mechanism.

As the address and item printing operation is limited to certain only of the stencils run through the machine, as will be hereinafter explained, provision is made for stopping the feed of the paper during each machine cycle a stencil is passed by the printing mechanism without a statement being printed from it. This is accomplished by the action of a solenoid ii (Figs. 19, 22) which, when energized, acts through a spring retracted rocker arm as, linked to the core 5i! of the solenoid, to move the upper end of the slotted rod 22 to the left, as viewed in Fig. 19, to position the pin in the slot proper 55, where it idles, as the arm is reciprocated by the eccentric drive, thus cutting off transmission of motion to operate the paper feed.

The circuit of the solenoid 33 (Fig. 22) indicated by leads 5! from a suitable source of supply 52 to ground 53, includes a rotary switch 54, mounted on a continuously driven shaft 55, and a self-opening switch 58, of the push-button type (Figs. 3, 22) which latter is closed by an engaging extension 5? of the operating arm I82, of the address printing mechanism hereinafter described, when the arm is inactive or at rest.

With the switch closed, the circuit is completed when the metal segment E ia of the rotor 5 3b, turning in a clockwise direction, comes in contact with the roller Me of an arm 54d and the solenoid thus energized, acts to'swing the free end of the rocker arm 59 to the left, to shift the pin 45 from the onset 41, into the slot proper 45 as above described, to out 01f transmission of motion to the paper feed rolls.

When the operating arm IE2 is swung upwardly to operate the printing mechanism, as hereinafter described, and the extension 51 thereof moves clear of the switch 55, the slotted rod 42 and the contact segment Eta of the rotor 542) are at or near the lower limit of their movement, with the pin 65 idling in the slot 46. After the printing operation is completed and as the operating arm I92, starts to swing downward, the slotted rod 52 reaches the limit of its upward movement, as shown in full lines in Fig. 19, and the solenoid 48, being deenergized, the spring 53 yieldingly holds the free end of the rocket arm d9, clear of the slotted rod 42, permitting the latter to swing to the right and position the pin in the ofiset of the slot, to reestablish driving relation between the rod and the bell-crank 43, for transmission of motion to the feed roll to advance the paper for the next printing operation.

It will thus be seen that the feed of the paper is controlled by the operating arm H32 of the address printing mechanism, in opening and closing the circuit switch 56 of the solenoid 48. Opening the push-button sv itch 56, renders the rotary switch 545 inedective and prevents the solenoid from being energized. Closing the pushbutton switch enables the rotary switch to complete the circuit and, the solenoid thus energized, acts at the critical moment when the eccentric drive rod 42 is at the limit of its upper stroke, with the pin 45 in the off-set 47 of the slot, to shift the pin into idling position in the slot proper, as previously explained.

As there is no departure here from the prior art in pre-printing blank forms on the web and in mounting the same in roll or other form in the machine or in the mechanism employed for advancing the web step by step through the machine for various machine operations upon it, a further detailed showing and description is not deemed necessary, as the same is well known and in common use.

The address and account bearing stencil from which the statements are printed consists of an enclosing frame it! of cardboard or other material, for a stencil name and address panel H. The frame is extended above the panel at 12 and the extended area is charted to serve as an account form 13, here shown, covering a period of two years, in which provision is made for debit, credit and other entries. The numbers 1 to 12, inclusive, printed in the square spaces of the two upper cross rows M of each section 15 of the account form, represent the twelve months of the year and the blank spaces i5, under the numbered rows are used for monthly credit entries in the addressees account. The letters R, S, P, R, at the left of the four cross rows of spaces, are the first letters of Refused, Shipped, Paid, and Returned and are to be understood as having the meaning of these words as the following will make clear.

Entries in the upper numbered row marked R indicate that books proposed by the guild to members as current issues for the numbered months punched out, have been refused acceptance.

Entries in the second numbered row marked S, indicate that shipment of books has been made by the guild to members for the numbered months punched out and the account is thus charged for the same.

Entries in the third row marked P, indicate that payments have been made for the monthly shipments punched out and charged for in the row above.

Entries in the fourth row marked R indicate that books shipped for the months punched out have been returned.

Entries in the spaces 11 to the right of the numbered rows, marked FE and B, indicate shipments of books other than current monthly issues, such as First book sent to new members, which is charged for and a Bonus book, sent free of charge to members whose accounts have been paid upor who have not exceeded the limit of credit for a period of six months.

The spaces 18 further to the right are for hand written entries covering special items or Sundry charges.

The above described address and account bearing stencils, representing a book clubs mailing list of accounts, are stacked one above the other in a magazine or hopper located at the right hand end of the machine, as viewed in Fig. 1, and

fed in the usual manner one at a time, from the I under side of the stack in the magazine by and on each forward stroke of a reciprocating pusher (not shown) to a grooved track 81. The track extends from the magazine 80 to a hopper 82 into which the stencils are deposited after passing through the machine.

The stencils are advanced intermittently in the track across the machine, in steps of equal length, by the action of the reciprocating pusher, above mentioned, and this step by step feed action is continuous.

In the position taken by the stencil in the first feed step from the magazine, there is no machine action upon it.

The next feed step, the second from the magazine (Fig. 24) brings the stencil into position to be acted upon by a selector 83 (Fig. 1), the general construction and operation of which are known in the art and need not be described at length, except as to detail differences.

The purpose of the selector is to close certain circuits, determined by the punched debit entries in the stencil accounts and thereby pre-set the machine, through the operation of time controls, for subsequently printing on the statement blanks the address and unpaid charges, in itemized amounts.

The selector head is provided with a series of openings 84 corresponding in number and position with the spaces of the charted account form of the stencils. Flexible plug-in connections 85 (Figs. 1 and 21) are employed between the machine panel or board 86 and the selector head openings 84, to enable circuits to be completed by selector action, which control the operation of various devices hereinafter described. The plug terminals 81 of the flexible connections (Fig. 21) project through and below the selector head and are pointed to facilitate entry into the punched account entries 88 of the stencils, through which they pass, whenthe selector head and are pointed to facilitate entry into the punched account entries 88 of the stencils, through which they pass, when the selector head is lowered, to make contact with a metal plate, pan of mercury or other conductor, serving as a common ground 89 for all selector circuits. The selector head is lowered and raised in time with the step by step feed of the stencils, to test each one as it is advanced two feed steps from the magazine. The pointed ends of the plug terminals telescope, in the usual manner, into the socketed body portion of the plugs and springs within the sockets hold the pointed ends advanced but free to yield when contacting entry spaces of the stencil account form which have not been punched.

The raising and lowering of the selector head is effected by an attached rack and a cooperating toothed sector in the usual manner. The toothed sector is given motion through a series of arms and links, by a cam 92 on a continuously oscillating sector I06, all of which is shown and described in my copending application and as the present invention is not limited to a special mechanism for giving motion to the selector head and may employ any one of several well known forms, it will not be necessary to show and describe the same in further detail.

While the entries in the stencil accounts are shown in the form of punched holes and are preferred, for many reasons, as previously stated, the same result can be obtained by a printed spot of electrically conductive ink or by a thin metal disk stapled or otherwise secured to the stencil. Either of these last mentioned forms would require the use of double contact selector plugs to complete circuits through the marks appearing on one side only of the stencils, but no change other than this would be required in the construction and operation of the machine as shown and described.

As a stencil is advanced beyond the selector or three feed steps from the magazine, there is no machine operation upon it.

The next feed step, four steps from the magazine, brings the stencil into address and item printing position, above the paper web, with the address panel of the stencil between the printing roll 94 and a platen 95.

The printing roll 94 is rotatably secured in the usual manner between forwardly extending arms 96 of a yoke 91 pivoted at 98 to the frame of the machine and having a horizontally elongated passage 99 therein through which the statement sheet or web is advanced. The printing roll 04 is supplied with ink in the usual manner by inking mechanism I00, not necessary to describe in detail since it may be anything suitable or common in the art. The yoke has a depending arm IOI that is reciprocated by an operating arm I02 to move the printing roll 94 into and out of engagement with the address panels of the stencils in the track. The operating arm I02 is carried by a horizontal shaft I03 journaled in brackets I04 and is connected with the depending arm I0-I of the yoke through a link I5- The platen is reciprocated vertically in the usual manner to hold the statement sheet in position under the stencil at the time of printing the address and also to move downwardly away from. the stencil, to permit the statement sheet to be advanced. The reciprocatory movements of the platen are in timed relation with the advance of the stencils and effect an address printing operation upon the successive stencils at the time they are stationary in printing position. Since it is desirable to pass selected stencils bearing accounts either paid up or which have not exceeded the limit of credit through the printing position without printing statements from them, the operating arm I02 has a disengagable connection with the continuously oscillating sector I06, which permits the power mechanism to operate and advance successive stencils without operating the printing mechanism. This disengagable connection (see Figs. 2, 3) comprises a latch I01 that is pivotally mounted at I03 on the end of the operating arm I02, and has a detent I09 that is adapted to be located within a notch IIO of the oscillating sector I06, to connect the two for conjoint movement. A spring I II acts upon the latch I01 to normally urge the latch for interlocking connection with the oscillating sector I06. Selector operating mechanism controlled by the stencils is provided to effect the disconnection of the latch from the sector I06, thereby to disable the printing mechanism when it is not desired to print a statement from a selected stencil. Said mechanism includes a vertically extended lever II2 (see Figs. 2 and 3) that is pivotally mounted at II3 on a bracket fixed to and depending below the rear edge of the machine table. Said lever IIZ has an offset cam extension I I4 that confronts a cam .roller II5 journaled at the end of the latch I07 and so disposed that it can engage said roller and hold the latch detent I09 out of the notch III] of the oscillating sector I06, in any position in which the latch may be carried by the oscillation of said sector. Said lever H2 is connected with a tension spring I I6 that normally urges the lever into a position removed from the latch I01 so that the latch can remain engaged with the sector during the oscillatory movements thereof. The lever H2, however, can be held normally in a latch disengaging position and thereby in a printing mechanism disabling position. For this purpose the lever H2 at the upper end thereof is provided with a detent II! which can be arranged to cooperate with a hook II8 releasably carried by a hook holder H9 loosely pivotedon a horizontal shaft I20. In the position of the hook shown in Fig. 3, the hook releasably engages the detent II'I thereby holding the cam projection N4 of the lever H2 in latch engaging position so that the printing mechanism is disabled. The hook H8 can be elevated and thus moved away from engagement with the detent II? to release the lever and permit the latching of the operating arm Hi2 and sector I'ifi and the operation of the printing mechanism. The raising of the hook H8 is eifected by a pivoted lever iZI (see Fig. 2) having the core of a solenoid I22 pivoted near the end thereof remote from the hook. When the solenoid is energized, the core is drawn down and the other end of the lever I2! is raised to elevate the hook H8 from engagement with the lever detent I H. The solenoid is momentarily energized by the selector mechanism through the control of the stencils, so that the hook after releasing the lever H2 is free to fall and subsequently engage and again hold the lever when it is reset. The lever is reset at each stroke of the sector I836 by means of a cam blodk carried by the sector and having a cam face I23 at its upper end that is adapted to engage a cam roller I24 carried by the arm I25 of the lever IIZ. At each upward stroke of the sector the cam block engages the roller I24 and thereby moves the lever H2 in a clockwise direction and into the reengagement of the hook H8. With the hook as thus described and arranged, a printing operation is effected upon each stencil that permits the circuit to be closed and the solenoid I22 energized.

After the stencil address is printed on a statement blank the stencil is advanced step by step, without further machine operation upon it, until it is deposited in a hopper, at the left hand end of the machine, as viewed in Fig. 1.

As a statement is being addressed, the item printing mechanism operates to print thereon the unpaid charges appearing in the stencil account of the addressee.

These unpaid charges are detected in the account when the stencil from which the address is printed, is acted upon by the selector and, as a result of the selector action, the item printing mechanism is pro-set, through timing devices, hereinafter described, to print one or more selected items of the account, when the stencil comes into printing position.

As previously pointed out, the items printed on the statement are separately listed in single line formation and for such printing, separate single line type bars I25 are employed. As assembled, any one or more of the type bars may be selected for the printing operation as determined by the selector in p-re-setting the machine in accordance with the stencil account showing of unpaid charges.

The type bars are slotted or channeled to receive a set-up of type i2], which is removab-ly clamped therein, as best shown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10, but, if preferred, the type may be cast in part with the bar or otherwise formed as desired,

The type bars are assembled in a rectangular frame I 28, formed of side and cross members I29, I36. The cross members I39 are provided with equi-spaced notches I3I, to receive and serve as guides for the type bars when depressed to perform a printing operation. The bars are mounted in floating relation above a platen I32, with which they cooperate, upon supporting springs I33. As shown in Fig. 9, the bars are cut away or shouldered on the under side, at opposite ends as indicated at I34, to enter between and rest upon the free ends of the springs which are of the flat plate type, secured by screws I35,

upon raised cross ribs ISfi of the frame. As mounted, the type bars yield readily to downward pressure applied to move them into printing relation with the platen. Normally the bars, held against lateral movement in the notches maintain themselves positioned upon the supporting springs by their own weight, and not being otherwise secured, are readily removable for examination, repair or replacement.

Associated with the type bar assembly and extending beneath the same, under guide rollers I31 and a plate or shield I38, slotted for passage of the bars (Figs. 5, 6 and 10) there is an ink ribbon I39, which is carried by two spools SE! and I 3! The ribbon is drawn from one spool and wound on the other by the action of a pawl and ratchet feed, with which each spool is provided, the arrangement being such that as the ribbon nears the end on the spool from which it is being drawn, the direction of feed is automatically reversed and the ribbon then moves in the opposite direction and is rewound upon the empty spool.

The ribbon spools I553, I ll, provided with the usual end flanges I 32, are mounted fast on cross shafts M3, M4, extending between side frames- I i5, and secured to rotate with each spool, there is a ratchet disk I45. The ratchet disks are oppositely toothed and pawls WI and. M8 cooperating with the disks, give the spools the required motion in opposite directions to draw the ribbon from one and wind it on the other. Arms I49 and I50 loose on shafts I43 and I54, carry the pawls It! and I48, and are connected by a link I5I, t move together. The pawls are of the gravity type, pivoted to the arms to have free movement into and out of engagement with the ratchet disks. The link-connected arms carrying the pawls are given oscillating motion, being moved in one direction by a projection I52, of the yoke 97, of the printing roll 94, coacting with an extension of the arm I69, and in the opposite direction by a spring I53. As arranged, the feed operates to present a new surface of the ink ribbon for each operation of the type bars. This step-by step feed of the ink ribbon is effected by one or the other of the pawls, depending upon the direction of the feed, but when one pawl is acting, as for example, the pawl I 31 (Fig. 5) the other I43 is disengaged by an arm I54, a cam face I of which rides under a stud or projection I56 at the free end of the pawl, moving the latter upward and holding it clear of its ratchet. Until the direction of feed of the ribbon is reversed, the pawl is maintained thus disengaged by the cam continuing to engage the stud, which latter rides back and forth, idling on the cam, as motion is transmitted, through the connections described, to both pawls, causing the active one to feed the ribbon. As shown in Fig. 5, a similar arm I51, with a cam face I58, is provided to coact with a stud or projection I58 at the free end of the pawl I47 and as that pawl is the active one, the cam arm is positioned to permit it to engage its ratchet and feed ribbon.

The two cam arms I54, I51, are connected by a link I59 to be simultaneously shifted in and out of engaging relation with the pawls, by trip mechanism now to be described.

As shown in Figs. and 6, the ribbon is being drawn from the upper spool and wound on the lower one and as the upper spool is full and the lower one nearly empty, the mechanism is in the position it assumes following reversal of the direction of the ribbon feed.

The reversal of the feed is effected by a trip device coacting with the link I59, connecting the cam arms and is controlled by a ribbon gage, which springs the trip when the windings on the spools reach predetermined diameters, causing the trip to shift the link and reposition the cams as required to reverse the pawls.

The trip consists of two members, one a rocker arm I68, and the other a trigger lever IEI. The rocker arm is pivoted at I62, and provided with terminal studs I63, I64. The stud I63 engages a notch I 65 of the link I59 and has attached to it one end of a spring I66, the other end of which is fastened to a pin I61, of the trigger lever I6I, yieldingly holding a lug I68 of the latter in engagement with the stud I64 of the rocker arm. When the trigger lever IGI is moved counterclockwise about its pivot I69, until the pin I61, with its attached spring I66, passes to the left of its turning axis, as viewed in Fig. 5, the spring will then act to throw the lever further to the left, causing a second lug I10 of the lever to engage the stud I64 and rock the arm I60, in a clockwise direction. This movement of the rocker arm, through its connection with the link I59, shifts the latter to the left, causing it to give the required motion to the cam arms to clear the pawl I48 for working engagement with its ratchet and ride under the stud I56 of the other pawl I41 raising the latter clear of its ratchet.

The trigger lever I6I is moved from either of its extreme positions, until thrown by the spring I66, by means of the ribbon gauge I1I, which is pivoted at I12, and provided with a terminal stud I13, that engages and is free to move back and forth in an end notch I14 of the trigger lever I6I. Gauge fingers I15 and I16 are pivoted at I11 to the gauge to move freely about the pivot and independently of each other. The fingers ride on the ribbon of the two spools and as the ribbon is wound on one and oil the other, the fingers rise and fall, following the varying diameters. At their free ends, the fingers are provided with terminal studs or pins I18 and I19, which coact with notches I88 and I8I, in the spool flanges, to throw the trigger lever I6I over for action by the spring I66. This happens when the ribbon is so nearly at the end on one spool, that the cooperating gauge finger, following its decreasing diameter, moves downward far enough to permit its terminal stud to engage the notch in the spool flange. On the next feed step of the ribbon, the notch engaged finger will be carried along with the spool, drawing the gauge with it. This movement of the gauge about its pivot is transmitted through the stud and notch connection with the trigger lever, to throw the latter over for action by its spring and reverse the ribbon feed, as above described. This reversal of the feed, giving rotation to the spools in the opposite direction, causes the finger stud engaging the spool flange notch, to ride out of the same, one side of the notch being rounded to permit such disengagement. On each subsequent revolution of the spool, until the ribbon builds up thereon sufiiciently to raise the gauge finger high enough to carry its terminal stud clear of the spool flange, the stud will drop in the notch but ride out again without transmitting motion to the gauge.

To efiect a printing operation by the type bars I26 provision is made for separately or collectively depressing them, in opposition to these spring supports, until their type faces, acting through the ink ribbon I39 come into contact relation with the platen-supported statement blank, upon which the impression is made.

To enable any one or more of the type bars to be operated independently of the others, a complete actuating mechanism is provided for each bar. These mechanisms are substantially identical and each consists of a lever I82, pivoted at I63, the free end I84 of which, suitably rounded or headed, is normally held by gravity or the greater weight of its opposite end I85, just above, to clear the type bar with which it cooperates. The lever is actuated or rocked to depress the type bar by a solenoid I86, to the movable core I81 of which the weighted end I85 of the lever is pivotally linked, as indicated at I88. There being a separate solenoid for each type bar operating lever, the selection for item printing is made by the selector in closing circuits, hereinafter described, through entries in the stencil accounts, by which the machine is pre-set to later energize the solenoids of certain type bars thus selected and effect printing in accordance with the requirements of each stencil account.

In pre-setting the machine for item printing, as above described, the circuit arrangement is such as to at the same time include the printing of the address to accompany the items. This operation of printing statements is limited, as previously pointed out, to stencil accounts in which the limit of credit has been exceeded either as to time in arrears or number of items in arrears. If a single item has remained unpaid for two or three months, or payment is due on two or more items, the machine will be pre-set to print statements for such accounts. All other stencils with accounts not thus in arrears will be passed through the printing mechanism without a printing operation upon them.

To meet the requirements of the use served by the present machine, seven separate timing mechanisms are employed, one for stencil printing the address and the others for type printing the items of the statement. As both are printed at the same time, the circuits controlling the operation of the selected printing mechanisms are pre-set by the selector to be closed two stencil feed steps later or when the stencils from which the selections are made have been advanced to printing position.

To thus pre-set the control circuits for delayed closing, automatic switches I89 are employed, which operate in timed relation with the feed of the stencils and as they are substantially identical in construction and operation, a description of one will serve for all.

The preferred form of timed switch is illustrated in Figs. 12 to 18, and consists of a disk I89 mounted fast on a shaft I90, that is given intermittent rotation, eight steps per revolution, by means of a well known pawl and ratchet feed I9I (Fig. 14) operated in the usual manner by an eccentric drive I92, from a continuously driven shaft I93. This rotary feed of the disk operates in timed relation, step by step, with the intermittent advance of the stencils and the paper through the machine. In equi-spaced throughout openings I95 of the disk, eight pins I95 are fitted and are shiftable axially to project from either face thereof. secured to the periphery of the disk, are provided with terminal studs I fil, which enter radially bored openings I98, and engage the pins I95 as a frictional check on their movement in being shifted back and forth.

Normally th pins I95 project from the left face of the disk, as viewed in Figs. 12 and 13, and are shifted, one at a time, to project from the right or opposite face thereof, by a trigger lever res, pivoted at 260. One end of the lever 195 is pivotally connected to the movable core 2%! of a solenoid 2&2, and its opposite free end projects downward and is held by a spring 283 in cooperating relation with the uppermost pin of the disk. When the solenoid is energized by the action of the selector in closing a circuit through an unpaid punched entry in a stencil account, as hereinafter described, the solenoid core is drawn into the coil, giving the trigger lever counter clockwise motion, which causes its free end to engage the uppermost pin of the disk and shift it to project from the opposite facethereof. Two rotary feed steps of the disk, in a counter clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 18, bring the shifted pin into engagement with the free end of a depending lever 294, pivoted at 265, which latter is moved to the left by the pin, closing a pushbutton type of switch 206, and completing a circuit, hereinafter described, that energizes one of the solenoids by which the printing mechanisms are operated. Having performed its above described function, the pin, on continued rotation of the disk, is re-shifted and returned to normal position, projecting from the opposite face of the disk, by a fixed cam 201, against which it rides as it is carried around by the disk.

As shown in Fig. 12, the pin disks of the seven timed switches are mounted fast on the same shaft, to be rotated together, step by step, by the pawl and ratchet feed, above described.

To guard against damage to the timing device assembly, when, for any cause, such as the jamming of one or more parts, the pawl and ratchet feed action meets with resistance in rotating the disk carrying shaft, an automatic signal is employed to sound an alarm that will call the machine attendant to remedy the trouble.

For this purpose an ordinary electric bell or buzzer 263 is employed and the circuit, through which current is supplied from a suitable source, to operate the bell or buzzer, has one side grounded on the machine and the other side, through lead 209, terminates in a flat spring finger 2 Ill, which is carried by and insulate from the eccentric drive rod 2!! of the pawl and ratchet feed. The drive rod is formed in two sections 2!?! and M3, which are maintained in operating alignment by connecting springs 2M. Adjacent the abutting ends, each section is provided with a collar 2I5, of insulating material, upon which the spring finger 2! is supported, being secured at 2I6 to one collar and having its free bent-up end 'ZI'I, resting on the other collar, clear of contact with the rod. As the eccentric is rotated counter-clockwise from the position shown in Fig. 14, through half a revolution, the pawl will be given forward or positive movement to operate the ratchet feed and if this feed action is resisted by the disk shaft failing Springs I96 (Figs. 1617) to turn freely, continued rotary movement of the eccentric will separate the drive rod sections, by drawing the upper one away from the lower one, in opposition to the springs 2M, connecting the sections, thereby moving the insulation collar MS from under the free end of the spring circuit terminal 2H! and allowing the latter to snap down in contact with the metal rod section and close the signal circuit, causing the bell or buzzer to sound an alarm. This signal circuit will continue to be opened and closed on each revolution of the eccentric, until the machine is shut down and the cause of the trouble ascertained and overcome.

The spring connected sectional form of eccentric drive rod, above described, serves a further important purpose in discontinuing transmission of motion to the pawl and ratchet feed, when the disk shaft is held against rotation by the timing mechanism becoming jammed. Under continued rotation of the eccentric, the upper section of the drive rod will reciprocate idly but no motion Will be transmitted to the lower section of the rod and the pawl will re- 7 main at rest until the mechanism is put in running order.

The statement blank, after being addressed and itemized, as above described, is advanced a feed step and positioned to have the date stamped or printed thereon.

The construction of the date stamping or printing device is not important and as any well known or suitable form of such a device may be employed, it will not be described in detail.

It is indicated at H8 in Fig. I, mounted in front of the item printing mechanism and is actuated to perform a printing operation by a crank shaft 2I9, connected through a rod 2I9a. and bracket 2I9b to be oscillated by the yoke 9'! of the printing roll 94. As the movement of the yoke is greater than is required to oscillate the crank shaft of the dating device, a pin and slot connection 22!] is employed between the rod Him and the bracket H91) and the excess motion of the yoke is taken up by the travel of the pin, idling in the slot. A spring 229a connecting the rod and pin yieldingly maintains the pin operatively positioned in the slot.

In the operation of the machine, the circuits that control the address and item printing of statements, are normally open and can only be effectively closed by the selector in acting on unpaid charge entries of stencil accounts in arrears. Until these circuits are thus closed, there is no printing operation and no feed of the paper. Under these conditions, stencils with accounts not in arrears are advanced through the addressing and item printing position without any machine operation upon them, control circuits closed by the selector through the debit entries thereof being rendered ineffective by the action of other circuits completed through the credit entries in the accounts, which results in preventing operation of the printing mechanism.

The circuit arrangement is substantially the same for each of the six item printing mechanisms here employed and when any one of them is selected for printing by the action of the selector, as above described, an electro magnetic relay switch is energized and closes power circuits through the solenoids of two timing devices, one for pre-setting the selected item printing mechanism for operation and the other for similarly pre-setting the address printing mechanism to accompany it in operation, so the statement printed will bear the address of the stencil from which the selected item was taken and the same is, of course, true regardless of the number of items selected for printing.

Electric power for operating the various circuits of the machine is obtained from any suitable source of supply, such as a lighting circuit, and is stepped down by a transformer 22 I, from the usual lighting voltage to lower voltages for which the electrical apparatus employed is designed.

The various machine circuits are illustrated diagrammatically in Figs. 20 and 21.

Flexible plug-in connections 85 are employed, as previously stated, between the machine switch board 85, to which the various control circuits lead, and the selector head and the plugs of such connections, projecting from the under side of the selector head, in entering the punched entries of the stencil accounts, complete the circuits to ground 89.

To avoid the use of a large switch board with complicated wiring and provide the required number of plug-in leads for the selector head, the flexible connections may be branched to provide plug-in connections from any switch board circuit to any two, three or more selector head openings.

As shown in Fig. 20, provision is made for twelve plug-in connections in the switch board, but this number may be varied according to the requirements of the use to which the machine is put.

The circuits of plug-in sockets D, D, 13*, D D D in the upper row of the switch board, serve to detect debit entries appearing in the stencil accounts and set the machine to address and print statements in itemized amounts for all accounts in which the limit of credit has been exceeded.

The circuits of plug-in sockets C, C C C in the lower row of the switch board, serve to detect credit entries in the stencil accounts and oppose and prevent debit circuit action on charges that have been paid, thereby preventing the printing of statements for accounts in which the limit of credit has not been exceeded, as previously stated.

Assuming a circuit to be closed by the selector through a punched debit entry in a stencil account, which would be a charge for either the First book or a single current issue; that circuit from the transformer 22I to ground, would be by way of lead 222, to point 222a, thence by lead 223 to point 224, and on by lead 225 to the electro magnet of one of the five relay switches 22B, energizing the same and continuing on by lead 221, closed contacts 228, lead 229, back to one of switch board sockets in the upper row and from there to ground 89, through the flexible connection 85, plugged through the selector head 83.

The closing of the energized relay switch 226 connects the solenoids of two timing devices in circuit with the transformer 22l, through the common lead 230 from the latter to the switches. One circuit from the switch is by way of lead 23I to the solenoid 232 of one of the timing devices I89, and thence through leads 233 and 234 to ground 235. The other circuit from the switch 226 is by way of lead 236 to the solenoid 23'! of the timing device IBM.

The effect of energizing the solenoid 232 of one of the six timing devices, is to set the device to operate a switch 206, two feed steps later or when the stencil assumed to be acted upon by the selector, has been advanced to printing position and close a circuit from the transformer through lead 238, to the switch 206 and thence by lead 239 to the solenoid I86 of one of the item printing mechanisms and to ground I81. Energizing the solenoid I86 results in an item printing operation by the type bar associated with the solenoid, as previously described.

Energizing the solenoid 231 of the second timing device I89a operates in like manner to set the device to close a similar switch 206a, one feed step later on and complete the same circuit from the transformer through lead 238, back to the switch and thence on by way of lead 240, to the address printing control solenoid I22, and to ground MI. The solenoid I22, acts when energized to release the lever H2, and the latching of the operating arm N32, to the oscillating sector I06, follows and results in the operation of the address printing mechanism, as previously described.

' As a result of the foregoing operation, the machine would produce an addressed statement with a charge item for one book, with the date of shipment, title and price indicated in accordance with the account showing of the stencil upon which the machine operated.

If instead of a stencil in arrears for only one item, we assume the account of the stencil acted upon by the selector shows two, three or four unpaid charge items; the only difierence in the operation above described would be that two, three or four similar circuits would be completed by the selector through the punched openings in the stencil and instead of producing an addressed statement with a single item, there would be two, three or four items printed on the statement.

Where a stencil account shows unpaid sundry charges, the entry is written in by hand and, as the selector would not respond to such an entry, a punched opening indicating such unpaid charges is supplied by providing the same in an accompanying black marker card that is placed to follow the stencil through the machine. Assuming the stencil to be in position to be acted upon by the selector, the closing of the circuits and their operation would be as above described for addressing and itemizing a statement in accordance with the account showing of punched debit entries in arrears but there would be lacking the unpaid item of sundry charges and in order to have this included in the same selector action, a special opening 242 is provided in an offset extension 243 of the selector head, which registers with the punched opening 244, in the black marker card following the stencil and through a plugged-in connection from the switch board to the ofiset opening in the selector head, a circuit is completed from the transformer 22l, through lead 222, to point 222a, thence by way of lead 223, to the solenoid 245 of relay switch 226, which acts as above described to close the solenoid circuits of two timing devices to preset the same to act two feed steps later, to close the solenoid circuits of the sundry item and the address printing mechanism, thereby adding as the last item on the statement Sundry charges the amount of which is typed in by hand, as such charges vary in different accounts.

Assuming a stencil to be in selector position in which the account shows punched entry charges for the three last current issues of books and additional punched credit entries for payment of the same, the ground connection of the circuits will be completed by the selector through the debit and credit entries of the stencil account, but the timing devices will not be ener-

Images