US2797636A - Feed mechanism for addressing machine - Google Patents

Description

July 2, 1957 H. 1. NETTLE FEED MECHANISM FOR ADDRESSING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 26, 1954 July 2, 1957 H. l. NETTLE FEED MECHANISM FOR ADDRESSING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

Filed Nov. 26, 1954 FEED MECHANISM FOR ADDRESSING MACHINE Henry I. Nettle, Norwood, Mass.

Application November 26, 1954, Serial No. 471,277

2 Claims. (Cl. 101-65) This invention relates to addressing machines and pertains more particularly to feed mechanisms for machines of the semi-automatic type employing a series of printing plates to stamp a sequence of addresses.

The type of machine to which this invention pertains consists in general of a base on which are mounted a bed plate, a printing arm which may be manually reciprocated between a printing and an idle position and which carries an anvil adapted to stamp the address from a printing plate laid over the bed plate, and a feed mechanism which is operated by motion of the printing arm to advance a series of printing plates one by one to the bed plate. The feed mechanism ordinarily operates to advance the plates on the upstroke of the printing arm, that is, as the arm moves from the printing position back to the idle position. Provision must be made to stop the advancing printing plate in the proper position for printing on the next down stroke of the arm, as the momentum of the moving plate will otherwise cause it to overshoot. This is done sometimes by applying a braking device to the moving plate as it enters the printing position, and sometimes by use of stops which engage the plate.

The general object of this invention is to provide a simplified feed mechanism, for a machine of the type described, which operates on the down stroke rather than the up stroke of the printing arm so that the anvil serves as a stop to arrest the printing plate in the desired position, thus eliminating the need for a stop mechanism and its associated linkage. Another object is to provide a feed mechanism which may be operated manually, independently of the printing arm, as well as by motion of the arm, so as to facilitate skipping or rejection of unwanted plates in a group. Other advantages and novel features of the mechanism will be apparent from the description which follows.

In the drawings illustrating the invention:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an addressing machine constructed according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-section taken along line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the addressing machine shown in Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken along line 44 of Fig. 1.

The working elements of the device are mounted on a base 10. A printing arm 11 is supported on a forked yoke 11a, having legs 11b and 11c rotatably mounted on a shaft 12, which is supported on the base. This arm carries an anvil plate 13 which strikes against a stencil, when in the printing position, to make the impression. A pair of tracks 14 and 15 run along the top of the base and have parallel, oppositely disposed grooves 16 and 17, respectively, to guide the edges of the printing plates 18. A bed plate 19 is mounted between the tracks adjacent one end of the base in a position to be aligned with anvil plate 13, when arm 11 is at the end of its downward stroke. A pair of rolls 20 support an inked ribbon 20a which passes over the bed plate in the usual manner. Shields 21 and 22 are mounted to either side of the bed plate to shield the ribbon. A magazine 23 is mounted ted States Patent above the tracks near the end of the base opposite from that on which the bed plate is mounted, and serves to hold a stack of the printing plates 18, as shown in Fig. 4. The tracks 14 and 15 are cut back above the grooves in the region of the magazine to permit the lowermost printing plate of the stack to drop down into the grooves. A push plate or slide, 24 is slid-ably mounted in the track grooves toward the left hand end of the machine (as viewed in Fig. 4). The legs 11b and lie extend downward through slots 25a and 25b in the casing. Leg 11b carries an offset arm 26 to which is attached a lever 27. A rocker arm 29 is mounted on a shaft 30 and carries rollers 31 and 34. Lever 27 has a curved upper surface 28 which acts as a cam surface in engagement with roller 31, and roller 34 engages a bracket 32 which is attached to slide 24. Bracket 32 has an upstanding leg 33 along which roller 34 may roll. As arm 11 is pushed downward to the printing position, lever 27, moves roller 31 along surface 28 to the position shown by the dotted line 31a causing arm 29 to rotate clockwise, as viewed in Fig. 4, thus pushing slide 24, through the action of roller 34 on bracket 32, to the right and advancing the line of printing plates along the track. When the arm 11 has reached the printing position, lever 27 and rocker arm 29 are in the positions indicated by dotted outlines 27a and 29a respectively.

Slide 24 is normally urged to the left (as viewed in Fig. 4) by a tension spring 35 anchored on the base and connected to a downturned lug 36 of bracket 32. A screw 37 is mounted in lug 36 and secured in any desired position by nuts 38 and 39. This screw engages a boss 40 on the base and serves as an adjustable stop for the entire feed mechanism at the end of the printing stroke. Slide 24 is connected tobracket 32 by means of screws 41 and 42 which pass through the slide and through a slot 43 in the bracket. This slot lies along the direction of travel of the slide and permits adjustment of the slide so as to bring a printing plate exactly into position over the bed plate 19 at the end of the printing stroke.

A return spring 45 for the printing arm is connected to offset arm 26 and anchored to the base. The offset arm also carries an adjustable screw 46 which engages a projection 47 on the base when the printing arm 11 is in the up position and thus serves as a stop to limit the upstroke. Because of the linkage arrangement between lever 27 and slide 24, this screw serves as an adjustable stop to limit the return stroke of slide 24, thus determining the travel of the slide. The distance which arm 11 moves in the upward direction, is of course, unimportant, as the arm performs its printing operation on the downstroke, only, and the position from which the downstroke is started does not materially effect the printing impact. The only consideration is that the arm must be raised sufficiently to allow for convenient insertion of the card or envelope to be printed over the bed plate.

The operation of the device is as follows:

The stroke and starting position of the slide 24 are first adjusted according to the length of the plates which are to be fed, that is, their dimension in the direction of travel along the track. It is essential for proper operation that the travel of the slide from its point of engagement with a plate in the magazine to the point at which screw 37 engages stop 40 be equal to the length of one plate so that each plate is advanced into the position previously occupied by the next plate in line on the track. The slide 24 is adjusted on bracket 32 so as to engage the plate earlier or later in the forward stroke of the feed mechanism. The length of the stroke is adjusted by means of screw 46, and screw 37 can be set to strike boss 40 just as the anvil 13 strikes the material laid over the anvil. The latter adjustment will depend to some extent on the depth of the relief on the plates and the thickness of material to be printed.

The slide mechanism can be readily operated independently of the printing arm, as rocker arm 29 has only one way engagement with the bracket 32. The operator can advance a plate manually by pushing against leg 33. It is preferable to feed the first few plates from a stack in this manner until the leading plate is about to enter the printing position. The cards or envelopes which are to be stamped are laid one by one over the bed plate and the operator pushes the handle down to make the impression. Each downstroke of the arm advances a new plate into printing position and ejects the plate previously printed into a bin 48.

It will be noted that the anvil 13 engages the plate which is to be printed (through the card and inked ribbon) just as the plate arrives in printing position. The anvil thus simultaneously makes the impression and stops the forward motion of the plates in the track. The need for a stop mechanism for aligning the plate in position is thus eliminated.

The fact that the slide 24 can be operated manually, independently of the printing arm, facilitates rejection, or skipping of unwanted plates in a series. The machine can also be readily made to repeat by holding the slide in the forward position when the desired plate has arrived in printing position and operating the printing arm to stamp the address on the plate as many times as desired. For this purpose, a lock bar 49 is provided. This bar is swivelled on a screw 50 and has a shoulder 51 which engages behind leg 33 when the bar is swung in behind the latter in the advanced position, as indicated by the dotted lines 49a and 33a in Fig. 1. As long as the slide is locked in the forward position, no movement of the row of plates will take place.

What is claimed is:

1. In an addressing machine of the type having a printing arm mounted on a base and swingable between an idle position and a printing position, and a track along Which a series of plates travel to a printing station also mounted on the base, a feed mechanism comprising; a slide member mounted on said base and adapted to reciprocate between an advance position and a return position and to push plates along said track by movement into said advance position; a lever attached to said arm and rotatable therewith in a plane parallel to the plane of rotation of the arm; a rotor ,arm mounted on said base and rotatable in a plane parallel to the plane of rotation of said lever; a cam surface on said lever; a first roller on said rocker arm, engaging said cam surface; a second roller on said rocker arm; and a bracket attached to said slide and having a leg engaged by said second roller,

7 the motion of said printing arm to said printing position being transmitted by engagement of said cam surface with said first roller, to said rocker arm, and thence, by engagement of said second roller with said leg, to said bracket to drive the slide to said advance position; and means for returning said slide to said return position.

2. A feed mechanism as described in claim 1, having a first adjustable stop member for limiting the travel of said slide in the advance direction, and a second adjustable stop member for limiting the motion of said lever and said linkage as said arm moves from printing position to idle positon, whereby the total travel of the slide may be regulated, and said slide being adjustable with respect to said bracket in the direction of said track.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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