US3415183A - Bed and platen duplicate ticket printing machine - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 10,

- J. 5. DUDLEY 3,415,183

BED AND PLATEN DUPLICATE TICKET PRINTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 9, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 10, 1968 J. s. DUDLEY 3,415,183

BED AND PLATEN DUPLICATE TICKET PRINTING MACHINE Filed NOV- 9, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 'I l////////fl///////////////,Y)//)" Dec. 10, 1968 J. s. DUDLEY 3,415,133

ED AND PLATEN DUPLICATE TICKET PRINTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 9. 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet '5 776/657" FEED 5777/? FZID S/NGLE PIP/NT D0 UBL E PIP/ 7' cur J United States Patent 3,415,183 BED AND PLATEN DUPLICATE TICKET PRINTING MACHINE John S. Dudley, Douglas, Mass., assignor to Dennison Manufacturing Company, Framingham, Mass, a corporation of Nevada Filed Nov. 9, 1966, Ser. No. 593,112 Claims. (Cl. 101-68) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for printing on strip stock from which tickets are cut, the stock being fed along a predetermined path past first and second printing stations during each cycle of operation, printers at said stations for printing parallel lines of indicia, the printers being disposed along said path so that one printer prints spaced lines of indicia and the." other printer prints a line of indicia between said spaced lines, whereby the lines may be closely juxtaposed with dial-set printers.

This invention relates to apparatus for printing price tickets or other stock, particularly apparatus using strip stock from which tickets are cut. The apparatus may also attach the tickets to articles, as for example by pinning them on fabrics. The apparatus is especially useful in socalled dial-set machines of the type disclosed in the patent to Flood 2,023,045 where the printing characters are carried by belts trained over rollers side by side so that various combinations of printing characters may be brought into printing position by turning dials.

In printing price tickets it is often desirable to print rows of indicia in addition to the prices, and it is desirable to minimize the size of the tickets. Consequently it is desirable to print the rows in close juxtaposition. While this is easy to do with printing cases, it has not been possible to print the rows very close together with dial-set machines.

Objects of the present invention are to provide apparatus in which the rows of indicia may be printed in close juxtaposition with any type of printing apparatus, including the aforesaid dial-set type, which is simple and economical to produce, which can be adjusted to vary the position of the printing on the tickets, which can be adjusted to vary the position of the rows if indicia relatively to each other, and which is durable and reliable in use.

According to this invention the apparatus comprises means for feeding stock along a predetermined path past first and second printing stations during each cycle of operation, a printer at the first station for printing one or more lines of indicia onthe stock and a printer at the sec- .ond station for printing one or more additional lines of indicia on the stock in close parallel juxtaposition to said line or lines, said stations being distributed lengthwise of said path. Preferably the apparatus comprises means for fee-ding a section of stock to the first printing station before the first printing and then feeding the portion to the second station, means for subsequently ejecting said section, and means for stopping operation after each cycle of operations comprising the aforesaid steps.

In a more specific aspect the stock comprises a strip and the apparatus comprises means between the two stations for cutting tickets or other sections from the strip, and said two printing steps are equal in length so that said sections are equal in length.

In a still more specific aspect the two feedings are performed by the same feeder in two steps during each cycle of operation, the apparatus is characterized by first means for varying the stopping location of the first step to adjust the position of the first printing lengthwise of the section, and second means for varying the stopping location of the second step to adjust the position of the second printing relatively to the first printing, the feeder comprises an arm swinging about an axis and the apparatus comprises a spring to advance the arm and a cam to limit the advance, said first means comprising an eccentric or other means to shift said axis and said second means comprises-an adjustable stop.

In the preferred embodiment the apparatus comprises means for actuating said printers concomitantly and a controller for causing said means to actuate the printers once during each cycle for single tickets and twice during each cycle for double tickets, and the two feedings are performed by the same feeder in two steps and the apparatus has a second controller to cause the feeder to advance the stock once during each cycle for single tickets and twice during each cycle for double tickets.

For the purpose of illustration a typical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation with the parts in the idle position they occupy at the beginning and end of each cycle of operation;

FIG. 2 is a similar view on an enlarged scale showing the parts in the position they occupy at the end of the first step of the strip feeder in each cycle;

FIG. 3 is a section on line 33 of FIG. 2 showing the eccentric adjustment of the feeder arm;

FIG. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a view from line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a section on line 6-6- of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a plan view;

FIG. 8 shows the relative timing of the movements of the various parts;

FIGS. 9 to 15 are diagrammatic side views showing successive steps in printing single tickets;

FIGS. 16 to 18 are diagrammatic plan views showing successive steps in printing single tickets;

FIGS. 19 to 25 are diagrammatic side views showing successive steps in printing double tickets; and

FIGS. .26 to 28 are diagrammatic plan views showing successive steps in printing double tickets.

The particular embodiment of the invention chosen for the purpose of illustration is adapted to print either single tickets S (FIGS. 9 to 18) or double tickets D (FIGS. 19 to 28) which may be one and two inches long respectively and which may be cut from strips or ribbons or paper SS and DS respectively, the two strips being identical except in that the feed openings are spaced apart one inch in the single ticket strip and two inches in the double-ticket strip and the double tickets have transverse lines of perforations P so that the two halves may be torn apart in use. In the case of price tickets the two halves are torn apart at the time of sale, one part remaining on the article sold and the other part being retained by the vendor. The indicia printed on the tickets usually involves information in addition to price, as for example style, size, etc., and the indicia on the two halves of double tickets is usually identical. In the illustration the indicia is printed in four rows extending transversely of the strip, the rows being numbered 1, 2, 3 and 4 (FIGS. 9 to 28).

The illustration comprises a base 11 carrying a strip guide 12 along which a strip of single-ticket stock SS or double-ticket DS is fed from left to right in FIGS. 1, 2 and 7 from a supply roll 13. Disposed over the strip guide is a double printing head 14 comprising two parts 14 and 14" distributed lengthwise of the strip guide at first and second printing stations. The printing head is moved up and down between the retracted position shown in FIG. 2 and printing position through the intermediate position shown in FIG. 1 Where it stops at the end of each cycle.

Between successive descents of the printing head ink pads ink the type in the usual way. As usual in dial-set printing heads the printing characters are carried on belts B trained over upper and lower pulleys, the upper pulleys being rotatable by dials or knobs K to adjust the desired characters to printing position (FIGS. 4 and 7). After the tickets are cut from the strip they may be attached to fabric by pinning mechanism including an anvil 16, all as disclosed in the aforesaid patent.

According to this invention the part 14' of the printing head carries two rows 1 and 3 of indicia and the part 14 carries two more rows 2 and 4 of indicia, rows 1 and 3 being staggered relatively to rows 2 and 4 so that after all four rows are printed they appear in the order 1, 2, 3 and 4 equally spaced apart (FIGS. 9 and 28). The strip of stock is fed inch by inch past the two printing stations by a feeder finger 17 which engages in openings 0 and 0' in the ticket strip, tickets are cut off the strip by a knife 18 between the two stations, and the cut-off tickets are ejected or fed to pinning mechanism by another finger 19, the two fingers being actuated in timed relation as hereinafter described. Double-ticket stock has feed openings 0 spaced two inches apart (FIGS. 19 to 28) and single-ticket stock has intermediate openings 0' (FIGS. 9 to 18) so that the openings are spaced apart one inch. When printing single-ticket stock a shield 21 is advanced to the position shown in FIGS. 9 to 18 to prevent feed finger 17 from engaging openings 0', the shield being locked in advanced position by a screw 22 (FIGS. 1 and 7).

Printing double ticketsFIGS. 19 to 28 For use in printing double tickets D having feed openings 0 spaced two inches apart without the intermediate openings 0, the shield 21 is locked in the retracted position shown in FIGS. 19 to 28 so as to be inoperative and, by means hereinafter described, the mechanism for actuating the printing head is set to cause the head to print twice during each cycle. The strip feeder 17 advances in two steps of one inch each during each cycle, one step before each printing. With the parts in idle position the feed finger 17 is either in a feed opening 0 as shown in FIGS. 19 and 26 or just behind the opening so as to drop into the opening when the cycle starts, the leading section of the ticket has already received lines 1, 2, 3 and 4 and the trailing section, which is at the second station, has received lines 1 and 3. During each cycle the sequence of operations is: print lines 2 and 4 on the trailing section of the foremost ticket and lines 1 and 3 on the leading section of the succeeding ticket (FIGS. 20 and 27); sever the foremost ticket (FIGS. 21 and 28); begin to eject the foremost ticket and to advance the strip DS the first step (FIG. 22); complete the ejection and end the first step (FIG. 23); make the second printing to complete the lines of the leading section and to print lines 1 and 3 on the trailing section (FIG. 24); end the second step (FIG. 25) and return to the idle position shown in FIG. 19.

Printing single tickets-FIGS. 9 to 18 For use in printing single tickets S having the additional feed openings 0' the shield 21 is locked in the advanced position shown in FIGS. 9 to 18 to prevent finger 17 from advancing the strip during its first step, and the printing head descends only once during each cycle. During each cycle the sequence of operations is: print lines 2 and 4 on the foremost ticket and lines 1 and 3 on the succeeding ticket (FIGS. 10 and 17); cut off the foremost ticket (FIGS. 11 and 18); begin to eject the severed ticket (FIG. 12); end the ejection and begin to advance the strip the one step it takes in single printing (FIG. 13); end the strip feed (FIG. 14); and return the parts to the idle position which they occupy at the end of each cycle (FIG. 15).

-The aforesaid parts are actuated in the timed relationship shown in FIG. 8 by cams on a cam shaft 30. Strip feeder 17 is actuated by cam 31 through follower 32, bellcrank 33 and spring 34, the feeder being advanced by the spring and retracted by the cam. The bell-crank 33 oscillates back and forth on an eccentric 34 (FIG. 3) with which the length of the aforesaid first step of the feeder may be adjusted accurately to position the location of lines 1 and 3 on the tickets. By means of an adjustable stop 35 the length of the aforesaid second step may be adjusted whereby the location of lines 2 and 4 may be accurately adjusted relatively to lines 1 and 3. Ejector 19 is actuated by cam 36 through follower 37, bell-crank 38 and spring 39, the ejector being advanced by the spring and retracted by the cam. The printing head 14 is actuated by cams 41 and 42 through follower 43 and bell-crank 44 pivotally supported on shaft 46 (FIG. 4). The follower 43 has a stub shaft 44' slidably mounted in a journal 46 and adjustable axially by a lever 47 pivoted at 48, the lower end of the lever being bifurcated and straddling a pin 49 projecting from the stub shaft through a slot in the journal 46. With the lever 47 in the clockwise position shown in FIG. 5 the follower engages both earns 41 and 42 to make two printings per cycle as above described, and with the lever in its counterclockwise position the follower engages only cam 41 to make a single printing per cycle. The cutter 18 is actuated by cam 51 through follower 52 and bell-crank 53 pivotally supported on shaft 46 (FIG. 6). A spring 56 holds the bell-crank against the bottom of the printing head at 57 so that the knife follows the up-and-down movement of the head except immediately after printing when cam 51 moves the knife farther down to sever a ticket.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. For printing price tickets or other stock, apparatus comprising means for feeding a strip of stock along a predetermined path past first and second stations during each cycle of operation, a printer at the (first station for printing one or more lines of indicia on the stock and a printer at the second station for printing one or more additional lines of indicia on the stock in close parallel juxtaposition to said line or lines, said stations being distributed lengthwise of said path, means between the two station for severing sections from the strip, said feeding means feeding a section of stock to the first printing station in one step before the first printing and then feeding the section to the second station in a second step for the second printing, first means for varying the length of said first step to adjust the position of the first printing lengthwise of the section, and second means for varying the length of said second step to adjust the position of the second printing relatively to the first printing, the feeder comprising an arm swinging about an axis and the apparatus comprising a spring to advance the arm and a cam to limit the advance, said first means comprising means to shift said axis and said second means comprising an adjustable stop for the arm.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said first means comprises an eccentric.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 further characterized by means for actuating said printers concomitantly.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 further characterized by means associated with said feeding means for causing the feeding means to actuate the printers once during each of said cycles for single tickets and twice during each cycle for double tickets.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said two feeding steps performed by the same feeder in two steps.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS (Other references on following page) 5 6 UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,330,207 7/1967 De May 10'1-288 X 3/193 101 90, 2,655,098 10/1953 Dutro et a1. 101227 X 4 1 c niy et 1 01 6 2,906,199 9/1959 Mitchell et a]. 101288 X 5; 132 j 8 125 ii 5 WILLIAM B. PENN, Primary Examiner. 2/1964 Lamers 101288 X US. C1. X.R. 7/1965 Kuhnle et a1. 101-90 X 101-90, 292

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