US3902411A

US3902411A - Form feed and transport assembly

Info

Publication number: US3902411A
Application number: US327064A
Authority: US
Inventors: Joseph G Gardner; Manoj C Adhikari
Original assignee: Multigraphics Inc
Current assignee: DBS Inc
Priority date: 1973-01-26
Filing date: 1973-01-26
Publication date: 1975-09-02
Anticipated expiration: 1992-09-02
Also published as: JPS49110409A; BE810158A; GB1457592A; FR2215330B3; DE2403410A1; BR7400568A; DE2403410C3; NL7400186A; AU6329473A; ZA739368B; BR7400568D0; DE2403410B2; CA1006045A; JPS5625391B2; FR2215330A1

Abstract

An apparatus for printing on sheet material articles may be utilized to address envelopes. This involves printing from a plate. The apparatus and method is also useful for scanning from tab cards, labeling, and other such uses. The illustrated embodiment includes an improved assembly for feeding one envelope at a time from a support hopper, sequentially transporting envelopes to a printing station, supporting and registering each envelope in turn at the printing station, and moving the envelopes away from the printing station. The apparatus includes a pair of friction drive rollers which engage an upright side surface of an envelope disposed in the supply hopper. The outer side surface of the envelope is sucked into engagement with the drive rollers. When the drive rollers are rotated, the envelope is advanced toward a flexible separator finger which engages the end of a next adjacent envelope so that only one envelope at a time is removed from the hopper. As the envelope leaves the hopper in an on edge orientation, it moves onto the upper run of a continuously moving conveyor belt. The conveyor belt advances the upright envelope until its leading end portion engages a registration nip which positions the envelope relative to the printing station. The upper run of the conveyor belt supports the envelope while it is printed on at the printing station. The printed envelope is then advanced through the registration nip. To enable the apparatus to be utilized with the envelopes of different sizes, the registration nip and upper run of the conveyor belt may be moved toward and away from the printing station.

Description

Unite States atent 1191 Gardner et a1.

14 1 Sept. 2, 1975 22 Filed:

2 Appl. No.: 327,064

[ 1 FORM FEED AND TRANSPORT ASSEMBLY Jan. 26, 1973 [51] llnt. Cl. B41L 47/26 [58] Field of Search 271/34, 35, 112, 114, 2, 271/8 A, 241, 226, 245247, 253;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 596,098 12/1897 Whitehead 101/242 878,117 2/1908 Burke 61. a1. 101 60 2,257,174 9 1941 Langley 271/2 2,359,855 10/1944 Gruver 101 47 2,988,355 6 1961 Rabinow et a1... 271 2 3,004,456 10/1961 Moser 83/268 3,193,280 "7/1965 Gutierrez... 271/2 3,320,878 5 1967 Mitchell 101 57 3,391,926 7/1968 Jaatinen..... 271/112 3,620,527 11 1971 Tyler et al. 271 112 3,671,116 6 1972 Leutwein 61 a1. 353/113 3,680,855 8 1972 Brown 61; al. 271 41 OTHER PUBLICATIONS Addressograph Class 1900 Reference Book (1940).

Primary ExaminerEdgar S. Burr Assistant ExaminerWilliam Pieprz Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Russell L. Root; Ray S. Pyle [5 7] ABSTRACT An apparatus for printing on sheet material articles may be utilized to address envelopes. This involves printing from a plate. The apparatus and method is also useful for scanning from tab cards, labeling, and other such uses. The illustrated embodiment includes an improved assembly for feeding one envelope at a time from a support hopper, sequentially transporting envelopes to a printing station, supporting and registering each envelope in turn at the printing station, and moving the envelopes away from the printing station. The apparatus includes a pair of friction drive rollers which engage an upright side surface of an envelope disposed in the supply hopper. The outer side surface of the envelope is sucked into engagement with the drive rollers. When the drive rollers are rotated, the envelope is advanced toward a flexible separator finger which engages the end of a next adjacent envelope so that only one envelope at a time is removed from the hopper. As the envelope leaves the hopper in an on edge orientation, it moves onto the upper run of a continuously moving conveyor belt. The conveyor belt advances the upright envelope until its leading end portion engages a registration nip which positions the envelope relative to the printing station. The upper run of the conveyor belt supports the envelope while it is printed on at the printing station. The printed envelope is then advanced through the registration nip. To enable the apparatus to be utilized with the envelopes of different sizes, the registration nip and upper run of the conveyor belt may be moved toward and away from the printing station.

43 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures 22 224 i 26 1 11, I 1L1 I 1 I l PATENTEU 975 [ET 3 [1E Pmmmsw ems 3,902,411

saw u 05 a PATEMEUSEP 21 75 3902,41 1

sum 5 o 3 PATENTEDSEP @1915 FORM FEED AND TRANSPORT ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND The genesis of machine addressing probably is shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 558,936 issued Apr. 28, 1896 to Joseph S. Duncan, one of the founders of the business later to become the Addressograph Multigraph Corporation. Slow as it was, it provided accurate addressing from fixed plates.

From such a start, a sophisticated line of business machines, such for example as the one shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,359,850, were developed to do repetition printing of addresses and other fixed information from metal plates stored in a long storage drawer. These machines are designed for long hard service conditions of large mailing demands.

SUMMARY This invention provides an improved assembly for feeding sheet material articles one at a time from a supply hopper and transporting the articles to a station where printing or other operations are performed on the sheet material. Suction is utilized to urge the outermost article in a stack of on edge articles in the hopper against a drive assembly which is intermittently activated to move the engaged article from the hopper. A separator finger separates the article from adjacent articles so that only one article at a time is fed from the hopper.

As the upright article leaves the hopper, the lowermost edge portion of the article engages the upper run of a conveyor belt which moves the leading end portion of the article into engagement with a registration assembly. The registration assembly holds the article against further movement and positions it relative to the work station. As the article is printed on at the work station, the article is supported in an on edge orientation on the tupper run of the conveyor belt. The position of the registration assembly and upper run of the conveyor belt can be adjusted to accommodate articles of different s.

. ly, it is an object of this invention to provide a and improved apparatus for printing or performing other operations on articles of any one of a plurality of different sizes and wherein an assembly for sequentially feeding and transporting the articles to a work station can be adjusted to vary the work location on the article along either one of two axes.

Another object of this invention is to provide new and improved apparatus for printing or performing other operations on an upright side surface of an article and wherein the apparatus includes a conveyor belt having an upper run which is disposed in engagement with the lowermost edge portion of an upright article as it is transported to and supported at a work station.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved apparatus having an article feed and transport assembly which sequentially feeds articles from a hopper to a work station and wherein the article feed and transport assembly includes a suction device for urging an article into engagement with a pair of drive surfaces which are moved to advance the article from a supply hopper.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a pictorial illustration of a printing apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the printing apparatus of FIG. 1 with a portion of the casing removed;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial] section view, with portions broken away similar to FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view along line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an elevational sectional view taken generally along the line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of a plate feed mechanism;

FIG. 7 is a partially broken away elevational view of an article feed and transport assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged plan view, taken generally along the line 88 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged section view taken generally along line 99 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 10 is a schematic pictorial illustration of a portion of the article feed and transport assembly;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary plan view taken generally along line l lll of FIG. 7;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view, taken generally along line l2l2 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view, taken generally along line 13--l3 of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 14 is an enlarged fragmentary illustration of a portion of FIG. 8.

DESCRIPTION OF ONE EMBODIMENT A printing apparatus 10 is shown in FIGS. 1-4 and includes a sheet material supply hopper 16 in which a plurality of sheet material articles, such as envelopes 18, are stored on edge in an upright orientation. The upright envelopes 18 are transported one at a time from the supply hopper 16 along a horizontal path to a printing or work station 20 (FIGS. 4 and 5) by an article feed and transport assembly 22 (FIG. 3) which is constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Printing plates 26 are moved sequentially along a vertical path from a removable drawer 28 to the printing station 20 by a plate feed mechanism 32 (FIG. 5). During a printing operation, data is transferred from one of the printing plates 26 to an upright side surface of one of the envelopes 18 at the printingstation 20. As a next succeeding envelope is moved toward the printing station 20 by the article feed and transport assembly 22, the printed envelope is discharged through an opening 34 to a receiving tray 36 (FIG. 1). While this is occurring, a next succeeding printing plate is moved toward the printing station 20 and the used printing plate is returned to the plate storage drawer 28 by the plate feed mechanism 32. After all of the printing plates 26 have been removed from and returned to the storage drawer 28 in their original sequence by the plate feed mechanism 32, the storage drawer 28 may be removed from a holder 42 and returned to a suitable storage cabinet.

The envelope 18 are stored in the hopper 16 with their face surfaces extending vertically upright and with their lower edge portions disposed in engagement with a support surface 48 (FIGS. 4, 8 and 9) which slopes downwardly toward a front control panel 52 (FIG. .4).

When an envelope 18 is to be transferred from the supfeed and transport assembly 22, an intermittent drive assembly 54 is activated by energizing a solenoid 56 for a short time to move a forwardmost one of the envelopes 18 onto a continuously driven conveyor belt 86 which engages the lowermost edge portion of the envelope.

The conveyor belt 86 engages a lower edge of a envelope 18 and transports it to the printing station 20 with the envelope in an upright position, that is with the opposite face surface of the envelope 18 disposed in a substantially vertical orientation. The conveyor belt 86 is continuously driven by pulley 92 to move an envelope supported on a horizontal upper run 94 of the conveyor belt 86 toward the left (as viewed in FIG. 3) from the supply hopper toward the printing station 20.

When the envelope 18 reaches the printing station 20, a leading edge 98 of the envelope is stopped by engagement with a registration nip 100 (FIG. 11) formed by a pair of

rollers

102 and 104 in an assembly 106. Engagement of the leading edge 98 of envelope 18 with the nip 100 registers the envelope longitudinally relative to the printing station 20 and holds the envelope stationary so that the upper run 94 of the conveyor belt 86 slides along the lower edge of the upright envelope (FIG. The continuously driven conveyor belt 86 then slips relative to the stationary envelope 18 as the envelope is printed on at the printint station 20.

The envelope 18 remains in the upright orientation at the printing station while data is transferred from a printing plate 26 to the envelope. After this printing operation has taken place, the drive roller 102 is rotated by a motor 105 (FIG. 12), to move the envelope 18 through the opening 34 (FIG. 1) into the receiving tray 36. It should be noted that the assembly 106 can be moved along the upper run 94 of the conveyor belt 86, from a retracted position as shown in FIG. 4 to the extended position shown in FIG. 1 to register different portions of an envelope 18 relative to a printing plate 26 at the printing station 20 or to center different lengths of envelopes.

Contemporaneously with movement of an envelope 18 to the printing station 20 by the article feed and transport assembly 22, a printing plate 26 is moved to the printing station 20 by the plate feed mechanism 32 (FIG. 5). The plate feed mechanism 32 includes a front plate feed assembly 120 (FIGS. 5 and 6) which removes each of the printing plates 26 in turn from the drawer 28 and moves them upwardly toward an inspection station 122. A rear plate feed assembly 126 engages each of the printing plates 26 in turn at the in spection station 122 and moves them downwardly to the printing station 20. After completion of a printing operation in which data is transferred from the printing plate to an envelope 18, the rear plate feed assembly 126 returns the printing plate 26 to the removable storage drawer 28.

It is contemplated that the printing plates 26 will be located in the storage drawer 28 in a predetermined order, such as in either alphabetical or numerical sequence. To enable this order to be maintained, the printing plates are returned to the drawer 28 in the same sequential position in which they were disposed prior to being removed from the drawer by the front plate feed assembly 120. This enables the drawer 28 to be removed from the printing apparatus 10 and returned to its storage location with printing plates 26 in their original order in the drawer.

The specific construction of the plate feed mechanism 32 the manner in which it moves printing plates 26 to the printing station 20 and returns the printing plates to the drawer 28 is more fully dislosed and claimed in US. application Ser. No. 327,051 filed on Jan. 26, 1973, by See et al. entitled Plate Feed Mechanism. The specific construction of the various components of the plate feed mechanism 32 does not per se form a part of the present invention.

A printing assembly (see FIGS. 4 and 5) at the printing station 20 prints on each of envelopes 18 in turn with a different one of the printing plates 26 between operating cycles of the plate feed mechanism 32. The printing assembly 160 includes a roller platen 162 which is reciprocated from right to left (as viewed in FIG. 4) along a support rod 164 to move an impression roller 166 through a printing stroke across an anvil 170. The printing plate at the printing station 20 is disposed betweai the anvil 170 and a printing ribbon 174. Upon movement of the printing roller 166 from right to left (as viewed in FIG. 4) the roller presses an envelope 18 against the ribbon 174, printing plate 26, and anvil 170 to imprint data on the envelope 18 is a known manner (see FIG. 5)

Once the printing platen 162 reaches the end of its leftward stroke (as viewed in FIG. 4) the printing roller I 166 is toggled to a retracted position and the printing platen 160 is moved from the left to right during a return stroke in which the printing roller is spaced from the envelope 18. During this return stroke, the drive roller 104 in the assembly 106 is rotated at a relatively high speed to accelerate the printed envelope away from the printing station 20 to the exit opening 38 into the receiving tray 36. As the printed envelope is moved away from the printing station 20, a next succeeding envelope 18 is moved toward the printing station 20 by the article feed and transport assembly 22. In addition, the plate feed mechanism 32 is activated to move a next succeeding printing plate 26 to the printing station.

The printing platen 160 is reciprocated back and forth through printing and return strokes by a printing drive assembly 178 (FIG. 4) which is connected with the printing platen 160 by suitable cables 180. The printing drive mechanism 178 is driven by a main motor 182. Since both the printing drive mechanism 178 and the plate feed mechanism 32 are powered by the motor 182, the maintaining of these two mechanisms in synchronism with each other is facilitated.

The construction of the printing assembly 160 and platen drive 178 is more fully described and claimed in copending applications Ser. No. 327,052 filed on Jan. 26, 1973, by F. A. Deutsch entitled Printing Machine." Although the specific construction of the printing assembly 160 does not, per se, form a part of the present invention, it is believed that the printing assembly disclosed in the aforementioned application is particularly well suited for use in the printing apparatus 10. However, it should be understood that other suitable known printing assemblies could, if desired, be utilized.

Each time the printing platen 162 is moved through a printing stroke, a ribbon indexing assembly is activated to index the ribbon 174 relative to the anvil 170. The ribbon indexing assembly 190 is of a known construction and indexes the ribbon 174 through equal increments each time the assembly is activated. Activation of the ribbon indexing assembly 190 removes ribbon from a supply reel or spool 192.

The article feed and transport assembly 22 includes a feed apparatus 210 which is utilized to feed upright er t opes 18 one at a time from the hopper 16 onto the ho. ntal upper run 94 of the conveyor belt 86. The feed apparatus 210 includes a pair of vertical rollers 212 and 214 (FIGS. 7 and 8) having generally cylindrical friction surfaces 216 and 218 which engage the outer side surface on the outermost envelope 18a in the hopper 16. The upright side surface of the outermost envelope 18a is urged into engagement with the friction surfaces 216 and 218 on the

rollers

212 and 214 by a pusher member 220 (FIGS. 8 and 9) having wheels 222 which roll on the downwardly sloping support surface 48. The pusher member 220 is pressed against the rearwardmost envelope 18 under the influence of gravity to press the on edge envelopes in the hopper 16 toward the

drive rollers

212 and 214. It should be noted that one of the wheels 222 is disposed in a guide track 224 formed in the support surface 48 to guide movement of the pusher member 220.

in addition to the force applied against the stack of envelopes in the hopper 16 by the pusher member 220, the outermost envelope 18a is urged into engagement with the cylindrical friction surfaces 216 and 218 on the

rollers

212 and 214 by a suction assembly 228 (FlG. 9). The suction assembly 228 includes a blower 230 which is driven by motor 232 to draw air from a conduit 234. The conduit 234 is connected in fluid communication with the inside of a housing 236 through a screen 238. The housing 236 has an opening 240 which extends between the two

upstanding drive rollers

212 and 214. Thus, the outer side surface of the outermost envelope 18a is exposed to a relatively low fluid pressure or suction in the area which is between the

drive rollers

212 and 214. This relatively low fluid pressure causes the envelope to be sucked against the friction surfaces 216 and 218 on the

drive rollers

212 and 214.

When the outermost envelope 18a it to be moved from the hopper 16 to the printing station 20, the solenoid 56 is energized for a short time to activate the intermittent drive assembly 54 (FIGS. 4 and 10). Energization of the solenoid 56 pivots a support arm 244 (H6. 10) about a vertical drive shaft 246 to move a drive disc 248 into an abutting frictional engagement with a continuously rotating friction wheel 250. A drive wheel 252 is maintained in continuous engagement with the drive disc 248. When the drive disc 248 engages the continuously rotating friction wheel 250, the friction drive wheel 252 is rotated by the drive disc 248 i to rotate the drive shaft 246 and the cylindrical drive roller 212 to which the drive shaft is fixedly connected.

The drive roller 214 is rotated on a vertical support shaft 254 by a toothed belt 256 which extends between

toothed pulleys

258 and 260 connected to the lower end portions of the

drive rollers

212 and 214.

The

drive rollers

212 and 214 are rotated in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 8) to initiate movement of the outermost envelope 18a toward the printing station 20, that is toward the left agsviewecl in FlG. 8, under the influence of friction drive forces transmitted between the surfaces 216 and of the

drive rollers

212 and 214 and the upright side surface of the outermost envelope 18a. As the envelope 18a moves toward the printing station 20, the friction forces between the outermost envelope and the next adjacent envelope 18b will tend to move the adjacent envelope along with the outermost envelope. If this were to continue, two envelopes would be fed to the printing station 20.

To prevent the feeding of more than one envelope at a time, a separator device 270 (FIG. 8) is provided to block movement of the envelope 18b which is immediately behind the outermost envelope 18a. The separator device 270 includes a separator finger 272 having a flexible outer end portion or tip 274 which engages the leading end portion of the envelope 18b to block its leftward movement under the influence of friction forces transmitted between the abutting side surfaces of the envelopes 18a and 18b. Thus, as the outermost envelope 18a is moved toward the left (as viewed in FIG. 8) a vertical leading end portion 98b (FIG. 14) of the next adjacent envelope 18b moves into abutting engagement with the flexible end tip 274 of the separator finger 272.

To enable envelopes 18 or other sheet material articles of different thicknesses to be fed one at a time to the printing station 20 by the feed apparatus 210, the separator finger 272 can be moved toward and away from the path of movement of the envelopes to thereby adjust the extent to which the flexible tip 274 extends into an outlet opening 278 from the hopper 16. The

separator finger 272 is mvoed toward and away from the opening 278 by a cam or follower arrangement 280 (FIG. 9). The cam or follower arrangement 280 includes a pairof parallel linear cam surfaces 282 and 284 which are connected with the separator finger 272 and a follower or pusher member 286 which is fixedly connected to an upright actuator shaft 288. Upon turning of a knob 290, the actuator shaft 288 moves the follower 286 vertically under the influence of a threaded connection 294 between the actuator shaft 288 and a frame member 296. Vertical movement of the follower 286 causes the sloping cam surfaces 282 and 284 to move the separator finger 272 horizontally along a guide plate 295.

As the envelope 18a advances, the leading end portion 98a of the envelope moves into an acceleration nip 300 (FIG. 8) formed between a. pair of

acceleration rollers

300 and 304. The acceleration roller 304 is continuously driven at a relatively high speed by a motor 306 (see FIG. 10). The motor 306 is continuously energized during the operation of the article feed and transport assembly 22 and supplies the power for driving the acceleration roller 304, the conveyor belt 86, and the

feed rollers

212 and 214. Since the drive disc 248 has a smaller diameter than the friction wheel 252, the acceleration roller 304 is driven at a higher speed than the

drive rollers

212 and 214. Therefore upon engagement of the leading end portion 98a of the envelope 18a with the acceleration roller 304 at the nip 300, the envelope is accelerated. To provide for the acceleration of the envelope of different thickness at the nip 300, the acceleration roller 302 is mounted on a pivotal arm 310 and is pressed toward the acceleration roller 304 under the influence of a spring 311. It should be noted that the solenoid 56 in the intermittent drive assembly 54 is deenergized to interrupt rotation of the

rollers

212 and 214 after the leading end portion of the envelope 18a passes through the nip 300.

The conveyor belt 86 is driven-by a continuously rotating pulley 92 which is connected with the drive shaft 308 by gears 314 and 316 (see FIG. 10). The upper run 94 of the conveyor belt 86 moves at approximately the same surface speed as does the acceleration roller 304. The upper run 94 of the conveyor belt 86 continues the movement of the envelope 18a toward the printing station until the leading end portion of the envelope engages the registration nip 100 in the manner shown in FIG. 11. At this time the drive motor 105 for the registration roller 102 is deenergized so that engagement of the leading end 98 of the envelope 18a with the registration nip 100 stops movement of the envelope and positions the leading end portion of the envelope relative to the printing station 20. It should be noted that the conveyor belt 86 is continuously driven so that the upper run 94 of the conveyor belt slides along the lowermost edge portion of the envelope as it is held against movement by the

registration rollers

102 and 104.

While the envelope 18a is supported on the upper run 94 of the conveyor belt 86, the printing assembly 160 is activated to print on the upright side surface of the envelope in the manner previously explained. After the printing operation has been completed, the motor 105 is energized for a short time so that the drive roller 102 moves the envelope away form the printing station. The motor 105 drives the roller 102 at relatively high speeds so that the envelope is accelerated to a speed which is greater than the speed at which it was carried to the printing station by the conveyor belt 86. This enables the conveyor belt 86 to move the next succeeding envelope 18b toward the printing station 20 while the preceding envelope 18a is being moved at relatively high speeds away from the printing station. Immediately after the printed envelope passes through the nip 100, the motor 105 is deenergized so that the next succeeding envelope can be registered at the nip 100. Passage of the trailing end of a printed envelope through the nip 100 is advantageously detected by a photocell 229 (FIG. 7) disposed adjacent to the

rollers

102 and 104.

It is contemplated that the printing apparatus 10 will be utilized in conjunction with envelopes and other sheet material articles of different sizes. To enable the printing assembly 160 to print on the side surfaces of envelopes at different distances from the leading ends of the envelopes, it is necessary to adjust the position of the assembly 106 along the upper run 94 of the conveyor belt 86. A guide pin 330 (see FIG. 7) is located in a slot of the support frame 338 and is carried on the end of a movable support member 332 (see FIGS. 7, 11 and 13) on which the assembly 106 is mounted. The bottom edge of support member 332 is serrated, and a tooth retainer 339 is carried by member 338. The support member 332 can be telescopically moved relative to a main support member 338 which supports an outer pulley 340 (FIG. 13) around which the conveyor belt 86 extends by lifting member 332 to disengage the serration from the tooth 339. Thus, if the printing apparatus 10 is to be utilized to print data on the center portion of a relatively short envelope, the assembly 106 is merely lifted and moved toward the printing station 20 by increasing the telescopic relationship between the

support members

332 and 338. However, if the printing apparatus 10 is to be utilized to print on the center portion of a relatively long envelope, the assembly 106 is moved outwardly, that is away from the printing station Since the envelope 18 is supported on the upper run 94 of the conveyor belt 86 during a printing operation, it is necessary to raise the conveyor belt 86 to adjust the distance the lowermost edge portion of an envelope and the area where the printing assembly prints data on the upright side surface of the envelope. To raise and lower conveyor belt 86 it is merely necessary to turn a knob 344 (see FIG. 7). The knob 344 is connected by a drive shaft 346 with a screw 348 which is disposed in threaded engagement with a base member 350 of the feed apparatus 210. The screw 348 is connected with a plurality of screws 352 and 354 (see FIGS. 4 and 7) by a continuous chain 358 which engages sprockets 360 connected with the other screws. The

screws

352 and 354 are connected in threaded engagement with the base 350 in the same manner as the screw 348. Therefore upon rotation of the knob 344 and the screw 348, each of the

screws

348, 352 and 354 is rotated to either raise or lower the base 350 while maintaining the base level.

The conveyor belt support member 338 extends horizontally outwardly from the base 350 and is moved vertically with the base upon rotation of the knob 344. Therefore rotation of the knob 344 adjusts the distance between the lowermost edge portion of an envelope disposed on the upper run 94 of the conveyor belt 86 and the printing station 20.

It should be noted that raising and lowering of the base member 350 raises and lowers the hopper 16, drive

rollers

212 and 214, and separator finger 272 with the conveyor belt 86 (see FIG. 9). Since the hopper 16, drive

rollers

212 and 214 and separator finger 272 are moved vertically with the conveyor belt 86, the same positional relationship is maintained between these components when the position of the conveyor belt is adjusted relative to the printing station 20.

The form feed apparatus 210 is advantageously constructed as a module which can be readily disconnected from the printing assembly 160 and other components of the printing apparatus 10 for servicing. Thus, the form feed apparatus 210 is releasably connected with a base 370 of the printing apparatus 10 by screws 372 (see FIG. 7). Upon loosening of the screws 372, the assembly 106, conveyor belt 86, intermittent drive assembly 54, drive

rollers

212 and 214, suction apparatus 228, and separator 270 can be readily moved away from the printing apparatus 160.

When the printing apparatus 10 is to be operated, a tray or drawer 28 of printing plates 26 is removed from a suitable storage location and manually carried to the printing apparatus 10. The holder 42 is then withdrawn and the drawer 28 is deposited in the holder 42.

A plate feed switch on the control panel 52 is then actuated to activate the plate feed mechanism 32 and lift a first printing plate 26 vertically upwardly from the drawer 28. When the plate feed switch on the control panel 52 is again depressed, the plate feed mechanism 32 moves the first printing plate up to the inspection station 122 and removes next succeeding printing plate from the drawer 28. The plate feed mechanism 32 moves the printing plate from the inspection station 122 to the printing station 20 the next time the place feed button is depressed. When this occurs, automatic operation of the printing apparatus 10 is initiated.

During each cycle of automatic operation, a printing plate is lifted from the plate storage drawer 28, started along the vertical path to the printing station 20. Also,

on each automatic or printing cycle of operation of the apparatus 10, the article feed an transport assembly 22 moves an envelope 18 from the storage hopper 16 to the printing station 20. As soon as a printing operation has been performed at the printing station 20 to transfer data from a printing plate 26 to the envelope 18, the envelope is moved further along its horizontal path and through the exit opening 34 by the assembly 106. At the same time, the used printing plate is moved vertically downwardly from the printing station 20 and returned to the drawer 22 by the plate feed mechanism 32. While one printing. plate is being returned to the drawer 28, a next succeding printing plate is moved to the printing station 20 and another printing plate is removed from the drawer 28.

The printing apparatus 20 includes control circuitry constructed in the manner disclosed and claimed in U.S. application Ser. No. 326,920 filed on Jan. 26, 1973, by M. C. Adhikari and J. G. Gardner entitled Printing Apparatus Controls. Although the controls disclosed in the aforementioned application are believed to be particularly advantageous for use in the printing apparatus 10, it should be understood that other suitable controls could be used and that the present invention is not to be limited to any specific type of controls.

Although the plate feed mechanism 32 and printing assembly 160 are disclosed herein as having a particular construction, the specific construction of these items does not per se form part of the present invention. The present invention relates to the manner in which the article feed and transport apparatus 22 is constructed and the manner in which it functions to feed sheet material articles to and from the printing or work station. Accordingly, it is anticipated that the specific construction of the plate feed mechanism 32 and printing assembly 160 could be varied somewhat without departing from the scope of the present invention.

It should also be understood that although the printing apparatus has been described herein as addressing envelopes, it is contemplated that the printing apparatus will be utilized to print other type of sheet material articles.

Since the present invention relates to the manner in which the article feed and transport apparatus 22 is constructed and functions to feed sheet material articles, it is contemplated that the article feed and transport apparatus could be associated with equipment other than the printing assembly 160. Specifically, it is contemplated that the article feed and transport apparatus 22 could be utilized in any environment where sheet material articles are to be fed to a work station. In addition, it should be understood that the term printing is utilized herein to refer to an operation whereby data is transmitted to an article and, expect where the context so requires, is not to be limited to a specific manner of transmitting data to the article.

Having described one specific preferred embodiment of the invention, the following is claimed:

l. A printing apparatus for printing on side surfaces of planar articles of any one of a plurality of different sizes, said printing apparatus comprising a printing station, printing means at said printing station for effecting the transmittal of data to the side surface of an article at the printing station, and article feed and transport means for sequentially feeding articles and transporting them to the printing station, said article feed and transport means including feed means for feeding articles one at a time, conveyor means for receiving articles from said feed means, for transporting the articles along a path to the printing station, and for supporting each of the articles in turn at the printing station, register means for stopping movement along the path of each article in turn when a leading end portion of the article has been moved by said conveyor means to a predetermined position relative to said printing means, means for varying the predetermined position at which the leading end portion of the article is stopped by said register means between any one of a plurality of different positions to enable said printing means to be utilized to print on the side surface of the article at any one of a plurality of different distances from the leading end portion of the article, and means for varying the position at which an article is supported at the printing station by said conveyor means in a direction transverse to the path along which said conveyor means transports the article to enable said printing means to be utilized to print on the side surface of the article at any one of a plurality of distances from an end portion of the article which extends transversely to the leading end portion of the article, said conveyor means includes a continuous belt which engages the transversely extending end portion of the article, said means for varying the position at which an article is supported at the printing station by said conveyor means including means for moving said belt toward and away from the printing station.

2. A printing apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said register means includes first and second movable members which cooperate to at least partially define a registration nip, and motor means operable between an active condition in which said motor means is effective to drive at least one of said members and an inactive condition in which said motor means is ineffective to drive said one member, said conveyor means being operable to move the leading end portion of an article into engagement with said registration nip when said motor means is in said inactive: condition to stop movement of the article along the path with the leading end portion of the article in the predetermined position, said motor means being operable to the active condition to drive said one member and move the leading end portion of the article away from the predetermined position.

3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said feed means includes friction drive means for frictionally engaging the side surface of an article at spaced apart locations, and suction means for urging an article into engagement with said friction drive means, said suction means including means for exposing at least the portion of the side surface between said spaced apart locations to a source of relatively low fluid pressure.

4. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said feed means includes a first member, a second member spaced from said first member, drive means for moving said first and second members, and suction means for urging a side surface of one of the articles into pressure engagement with said first and second members, said suction means including means for exposing the portion of the side surface of an article between said first and second members to a source of relatively low fluid pressure.

5. A printing apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further including article supply means for holding a plurality of articles with their side surfaces disposed in planar abutting engagement, said feed means including drive means for engaging one side surface of a first one of the articles in said article supply means and for moving the first article toward said conveyor means, and separator means for engaging another side surface of the first article and the leading end portion of a second article disposed in abutting engagement with the other side surface of the first article to separate the first and second articles as the first article is moved toward said conveyor means by said drive means.

6. A printing apparatus as set forth in claim wherein said separator means includes a separator finger having a flexible tip which is flexed by engagement with the leading end portion of the first article as it is moved toward said conveyor means.

7. A printing apparatus for printing on side surfaces of planar articles of any one of a plurality of different sizes, said printing apparatus comprising station, printing means at said printing station for effecting the transmittal of data to the side surface of an article at the printing station, and article feed and transport means for sequentially feeding articles and transporting them to the printing station, said article feed and transport means including feed means for feeding articles one at a time, conveyor means for receiving articles from said feed means, for transporting the articles along a path to the printing station, and for supporting each of the articles in turn at the printing station, register means for stopping movement along the path for each article in turn when a leading end portion of the article has been moved by said conveyor means to a predetermined position relative to said printing means, said register means including first and second movable members which cooperate to at least partially define a registration nip, and motor means operable between an active condition in which said motor means is effective to drive at least one of said members and an inactive condition in which said motor means is ineffective to drive said one member, said conveyor means being operable to move the leading end portion of an article into engagement with said registration nip when said motor means is in said inactive condition to stop movement of the article along the path with the leading end portion of the article in the predetermined position, said motor means being operable to the active condition to drive said one member ad move the leading end portion of the article away from the predetermined position, means for varying the predetermined position at which the leading end portion of the article is stopped by said register means between any one of a plurality of different positions to enable said printing means to be utilized to print on the side surface of the article at any one of a plurality of different distances from the leading end portion of the article, said means for varying the position at which the leading end portion of the article is stopped by said register means includes means for moving said motor means and said members toward and away from said printing station, and means for varying the position at which an article is supported at the printing station by said conveyor means in a direction transverse to the path along which said conveyor means transports the article to enable said printing means to be utilized to print on the side surface of the article at any one of a plurality of distances from an end portion of the article which extends transversely to the leading end portion of the article.

3. A printing apparatus as set forth in claim 7 wherein said feed means is disposed adjacent ot a first side of said printing station, said register means is disposed adjacent to a second side of said printing station which is opposite from said first side of said printing station, and said conveyor means extends between said first and second sides of said printing station.

9. A printing apparatus as set forth in claim 7 further including hopper means for holding a plurality of the articles, said feed means being operable to feed articles one at a time from said hopper means to said conveyor means, said means for varying the position at which an article is supported at the printing station including means for moving said hopper means, feed means and conveyor means relative to said printing station.

10. A printing apparatus as set forth in claim '7 further including hopper means for holding a piurality of the articles in an on edge orientation and their side surfaces in an upright position, said feed means including means for engaging an upright side surface of each of the articles in said hopper means in turn and for moving an engaged article onto said conveyor means with the article in an on edge orientation, said conveyor means including belt means for engaging a lowermost edge portion of an on edge article, for moving an egaged article to the pringing station with the side surfaces of the article in an upright position, and for supporting the engaged article at the printing station with the side surfaces of the article in an upright position, said belt means having a horizontal upper run which engages the lowermost edge portion of an article and which is disposed below said printing station and extends from said feed means to said register means.

1 1. A printing apparatus for printing on side surfaces of planar articles of any one of a plurality of different sizes, said printing apparatus comprising a printing station, printing means at said printing station for effecting the transmittal of data to the side surface of an article at the printing station, and article feed and transport means for sequentially feeding articles and transporting them to the printing station, said article feed and transport means including feed means for feeding articles one at a time, conveyor means for receiving articles from said feed means, for transporting the articles along a path to the printing station, and for supporting each of the articles in turn at the printing station, register means for stopping meovement along the path of each article in turn when a leading end portion of the article has been moved by said conveyor means to a predetermined position relative to said printing means, means for varying the predetermined position at which the leading end portion of the article is stopped by said register means between any one of a plurality of different positions to enable said printing means to be utilized to print on the side surface of the article at any one of a plurality of different distances from the leading end portion of the article, means for varying the position at which an article is supported at the printing station by said conveyor means in a direction transverse to the path along which said conveyor means transports the article to enable said printing means to be utilized to print on the side surface of the article at any one of a plurality of distances from an end portion of the article which extends transversely to the leading end portion of the article, and hopper means for holding a plurality of the articles in an on edge orientation and their side surfaces in an upright position, said feed means including for engaging an upright side surface of each of the articles in said hopper means in turn and for moving an engaged article onto said conveyor means with the article in an on edge orientation, said conveyor means in. ding belt means for engaging a lowermost edge po. 1 of an on edge article, for moving an engaged article to the printing station with the side surfaces of the article in an upright position, and for supporting the engaged article at the printing station with the side surfaces of the article in an upright position, said belt means having a horizontal upper run which engages the lowermost edge portion of a article and which is disposed below said printing station and extends from said feed means to said register means, said means for varying the position at which an article is supported at the printing station by said conveyor means includesmeans for raising and lowering said upper run of said belt means;

12. A printing apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein said means for raising and lowering said upper run of said belt means includes means for raising and lowering said hopper means and said feed means with said upper run of said belt means. 13. A printing apparatus as set forth in claim 11 wherein said means for raising and lowering said upper run of said belt means includes means for raising and lowering said register means with said upper run of said belt means.

14. A printing apparatus as set forth in claim 11 wherein said means for engaging an upright side surface of each of the articles in said hopper means in turn includes first and second friction surface means for engaging the upright side surface of an article at spaced apart locations, said feed means further including suction means for urging the upright side surface of an article into engagement with said first and second friction means, said suction means including blower means for providing a source of relatively low fluid pressure and conduit means for connecting said blower means in fluid communication with the portion of the upright side surface which is between said first and second friction surface means.

15. A printing apparatus for printing on side surfaces of planar articles of any one of a plurality of different sizes, said printing apparatus comprising a printing station, printing means at said printing station for effecting the transmittal of data to the side surface of an artii cle at the printing station, and article feed and transport means for sequentially feeding articles and trans porting them to the printing station, said article feed and transport means including feed means for feeding articles one at a time, conveyor means for receiving articles from said feed means, for transporting the articles along a path to the printing station, and for supporting each of the articles in turn at the printing station, register means for stopping movement along the path of each article in turn when a leading end portion of the article has been moved by said conveyor means to a predetermined position relative to said printing means,

means for varying the predetermined position at which the leading end portion of the article is stopped by said register means between any one of a plurality of different positions to enable said printing means to be utilized to print on the side surface of the article at any one of a plurality of different distances from the leading end portion of the article, and means for varying the position at which an article is supported at the printing station by said conveyor means in a direction transverse to the path along which said conveyor means transports the article to enablesaid printing means to be utilized to print on the side surface of the article at any one of a plurality of distances from an end portion of the article which extends transversely to the leading end portion of the article, and hopper means for holding a plurality of the articles in an on edge orientation and their side surfaces in an upright position, said feed means including means for engaging an upright side surface of each of the articles in said hopper means in turn and for moving an engaged article onto said conveyor means with the article in an on edge orientation, said conveyor means including belt means for engaging a lowermost edge portion of an on edge article, for moving an engaged article to the printing station with the side surfaces of the article in an upright position, and for supporting the engaged article at the printing station with the side surfaces of the article in an upright position, said belt means having a horizontal upper run which engages the lowermost edge portion of an article and which is disposed below said printing station and extends from said feed means to said register means, said means for engaging an upright side surface of each of the articles in said hopper means in turn includes first and second friction surface means for engaging the upright side surface of an article at spaced apart locations, said feed means further including suction means for urging the upright side surface of an article into engagement with said first and second friction means, said suction means including blower means for providing a source of relatively low fluid pressure and conduit means for connecting said blower means in fluid communication with the portion of the upright side surface which is between said first and second friction surface means, said means for varying the position at which an article is supported at the printing station by said conveyor means includes means for raising and lowering said upper run of said belt means, said hopper means and said suction means.

16. An apparatus for performing an operation on upright side surfaces of planar articles, said apparatus comprising a work station, means for performing a work operation on the upright side surface on an article at said work station, means for holding a plurality of articles in an on edge orientation, feed means for feeding articles one at a time from said holding means with the side surfaces of the articles in an upright position, belt means for receiving each of the articles in turn from said feed means, for transporting the articles to said work station with the article in an on edge orientation, and for supporting each of the articles in turn at said work station with the side surfaces of the article in an upright position, said belt means including an upper run which is disposed in engagement with the lowermost edge portion of an article as it is transported to and supported at said work station by said belt means, drive means for continuously moving said belt means along said upper run during the sequential transporting of a plurality of articles to said work station and the transmittal of data to the upright side surfaces of each of the articles in turn at said work station, register means for engaging a leading end portion of each of the articles in turn and holding each of the articles in turn against movement relative to the work station under the influence of said continuously moving belt means during the transmittal of data to the upright side surfaces of the articles, and means for moving said upper run of said belt means toward and away from'said work station to vary the position on the article at which data is transmitted to the said surface of an article.

17. An apparatus as set forth in claim 16 wherein said register means includes a pair of members which at least partially define a registration 'nip, second drive means for driving at least one of said members to move an article away from the work station after the transmittal of data to the upright side surface of the article at the work station.

18. An apparatus as set forth in claim 16 wherein said means for moving said upper run of said belt means includes means for moving said feed means with said upper run of said belt means to maintain a substantially constant positional relationship between said feed means and the upper run of said belt means as the position of the upper run of said belt means is varied relative to said work station 19. An apparatus as set forth in claim 16 further including means for moving said register means relative to the upper run of said belt means to further vary the position on the article at which data is transmitted to the article.

20. An apparatus comprising a work station, means at said work station for effecting the transmittal of data to a side surface of a planar article at the work station, hopper means for holding a plurality of planar articles, and article feed and transport means for sequentially feeding planar articles from said hopper means and for transporting them to the work stationfsaid article feed and transport means including first and second spaced apart surface means for engaging a side surface of an article disposed in said hopper means, suction means for urging an article into engagement with said first and second surface means, said suction means including means for exposing the portion of the side surface of an article which is located between said first and second surface means to a source of relatively low fluid pressure, and drive means for moving said first and second surface means relative to said hopper means to move an article disposed in engagement with said surface means at least partially out of said hopper means, said feed and transport means further includes a pair of rotatable feed members defining a feed nip, means for rotating at least one of said feed members at a higher surface speed than the speed at which said drive means is operable to move said first and second surface means, means for supporting an article for movement under the influence of said first and second surface means from a first position in which the leading end portion of an article is spaced from said feed nip and a second position in which theleading end portion of the article is disposed in engagement with said feed nip, said feed members being operable to accelerate an article relative to said first and second surface means upon engagement of the leading end portion of the article with said feed nip, conveyor means for receiving articles from said feed members, for transporting the articles along a path to the work station, and for supporting each of the articles in turn at the work station, register means for stopping movement along the path of each article in turn when a leading end portion of the article has been moved by said conveyor means to a predetermined position relative to said data transmitting means, and means for varying the predetermined position at which the leading endportion of the article is stopped by said register means between any one of a plurality of different positions to enable said data transmitting means to be utilized to transmit data to the side surface of the article at any one of a plurality of different distances from the leading end portion of the article, said register means includes a pair of rotatable register members for defining a registration nip, and means for rotating at least one of said register members at a higher surface speed than the speed at which said conveyor means transports the articles along the path to the work station to accelerate an article relative to said conveyor means.

21. A printing apparatus for printing on upright side surfaces of planar articles, said printing apparatus comprising a printing station, printing means for effecting the transmittal of data to the upright side surface of an article at said printing station, hopper means disposed to one side of said printing station for holding a plurality of articles in an on edge orientation with their side surfaces disposed in upright planar abutting engagement, friction surface means for engaging an upright outer side surface of one of the articles disposed in said hopper means, suction means for applying a relatively low fluid pressure to the outer side surface of the one article to urge the outer side surface of the one article into engagement with said friction surface means, drive means for moving said friction surface means to at least initiate movement of the one article out of said hopper means, with the side surfaces of the one article in an upright position, separator means for engaging an end portion of another article having a side surface disposed in abutting engagement with an upright side surface of the one article to hold the other article against movement out of said hopper means under the influence of forces transmitted to the other article from the one article upon initiation of movement of the one article, conveyor means for engaging a lowermost edge portion of the one article and for moving the one article to the printing station with the one article in an on edge orientation, register means disposed on a side of the printing station opposite from the one side for engaging a leading end portion of the one article to locate the leading end portion of the one article in predetermined position relative to the printing station, means for enabling the position of said register means relative to said printing station to be changed to change the distance between the leading end portion of an article and the portion of the article to which data is transmitted at said printing station, said conveyor means including belt means for transporting the one article to said printing station and for supporting the one article at said printing station with the side surfaces of the one article in an upright position, said belt means including an upper run which is disposed in engagement with the lowermost edge portion of an article as it is transported to and Supported at said printing station by said belt means, and means for moving the upper run of said belt means toward and away from said printing station to enable said printing means to be utilized to print on a side surface of the one article at any one of a plurality of distances from the lowermost edge portion of the one article.

22. A printing apparatus is set forth in claim 21 wherein said separator means includes a separator member having an outer end which engages the end portion of the other article, and means for moving the outer end of the separator member toward and away from a path along which the article is moved upon movement of said friction surface means by said drive means to enable said separator means to separate articles having anyone of a plurality of thicknesses.

23. An apparatus as set forth in claim 22 wherein said means for moving the outer end of said separator member includes a cam surface and follower member which are operatively connected with said separator member, and means for effecting relative movement between said cam surface and follower member to move said separator member relative to the path of movement of the one article.

24. An apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein said means for moving said upper run of said belt means toward and away from said printing station includes means for moving said hopper means, friction surface means and separator means with said upper run of said belt means to maintain a predetermined positional relationship therebetween upon movement of said upper run of said belt means relative to said printing station.

25. A printing apparatus for printing on side surfaces of planar articles of any one of a plurality of different sizes, said printing apparatus comprising a printing station, printing means at said printing station for effecting the transmittal of data to an upright side surface of an article disposed at the printing station in an on edge orientation, hopper means spaced apart from said printing station for holding a plurality of the articles in an on edge orientation and with their side surfaces in an upright position, and article feed and transport means for sequentially feeding articles from said hopper means and transporting them to the printing station, said article feed and transport means including feed means for feeding articles one at a time from said hopper means, conveyor means for receiving articles from said feed means, for transporting the articles along a path to the printing station, and for supporting each of the articles in turn at the printing station, said feed means including means for engaging an upright side surface of each of the articles in said hopper means in turn and for moving an engaged article into said conveyor means with the article in an on edge orientation, said conveyor means including belt means for engaging a lowermost edge portion of an on edge article, for moving an engaged article to the printing station with the side surfaces of the article in an upright position, and for supporting the engaged article at the printing station with the side surfaces of the article in an upright position during the transmittal of data to the side surface of the article at the printing station, register means for stopping movement along the path of each article in turn when an upright leading end portion of the article has been moved by said conveyor means to a predetermined position relative to said printing means and means for varying the predetermined position at which the upright leading end portion of the article is stopped by said register means between any one of a plurality of different positions to enable said printing means to be utilized to print on the upright side surface of the article at any one of a plurality of different distances from the leading end portion of the article, said register means including first and second movable members which cooperate to at least partially define a registration nip, and motor means operable between an active condition in which said motor means is effective to drive at least one of said members and an inactive condition in which said motor means is ineffective to drive said one member, said conveyor means being operable to move the upright leading end portion of an article into engagement with said registration nip when said motor means is in said inactive condition to stop movement of the article along the path with the leading end portion of the article in the predetermined position, said motor means being operable to the active condition to drive said one member and move the leading end portion of the article away from the predetermined position.

26. A printing apparatus as set forth in claim 25 wherein said means for varying the position at which the leading end portion of the article is stopped by said register means includes means for moving said motor means and said members toward and away from said printing station.

27. A printing apparatus for printing on side surfaces of planar articles of any one of a plurality of different sizes, said printing apparatus comprising a printing station having a first side portion opposite from a second side portion, printing means at said printing station for effecting the transmittal of data to an upright side surface of an article disposed at the printing station in an on edge orientation, hopper means spaced apart from said printing station for holding a plurality of the articles in an on edge orientation and with their side surfaces in an upright position, and article feed and transport means for sequentially feeding articles from said hopper means and transporting them to the printing station, said article feed and transport means including feed means for feeding articles one at a time from said hopper means, said feed means being disposed adjacent to said first side portion of said printing station, conveyor means for receiving articles from said feed means, for transporting the articles along a path to the printing station, and for supporting each of the articles in turn at the printing station, said feed means including means for engaging an upright side surface of each of the articles in said hopper means in turn and for moving an engaged article onto said conveyor means with the article in an on edge orientation, said conveyor means including belt means for engaging a lowermost edge portion of an on edge article, for moving an engaged article to the printing station with the side surfaces of the article in an upright position, and for supporting the engaged article at the printing station with the side surfaces of the article in an upright position during the transmittal of data to the side surface of the article at the printing station, register means for stopping movement along the path of each article in turn when an upright leading end portion of the article has been moved by said conveyor means to a predetermined position relative to said printing means and means fo varying the predetermined position at which the upright leading end portion of the article is stopped by said register means between any one of a plurality of different positions to enable said printing means to be utilized to print on the upright side surface of the article at any one of a plurality of different distances from the leading end portion of the article, said register means being disposed adjacent to said second side portion of said printing station which is opposite from said first side portion of said printing station, said belt means includes a longitudinally extending upper run which engages the lower edge portion of an article and extends bftween said first and second side portions of said pfilitihg station, and means for moving the upper ruri Bfiii belt means toward and away from said printing station to enable said printing means to be utilized to print on the upright side surface of an article at any one of a plurality of distances from the lowermost edge portion of the article.

28. A printing apparatus as set forth in claim 27 wherein said means for moving the upper run of said belt means includes means for moving said hopper means, feed means and belt means relative to said printing station.

29. An apparatus comprising a work station, means at said work station for effecting the transmittal of data to a side surface of a planar article at the work station, hopper means for holding a plurality of planar articles, and article feed and transport means for sequentially feeding planar articles from said hopper means and for transporting them to the work station, said article feed and transport means including first and second spaced apart surface means for engaging a side surface of an article disposed in said hopper means, suction means for urging an article into engagement with said first and second surface means, said suction means including means for continuously exposing the portion of the side surface of an article which is located between said first and second surface means to a source of relatively low fluid pressure to continuously urge the side surface of the article into engagement with said first and second surface means, a pair of rotatable feed members defining a feed nip, conveyor means for receiving articles from said feed members and for transporting the articles along a path to the work station, means for supporting an article for movement under the influence of said first and second surface means from a first position in which the leading end portion of an article is spaced from said feed nip and a second position in which the leading end portion of the article is disposed in engagement with said feed nip, said feed members being operable to accelarate an article relative to said first and second surface means upon engagement of the leading end portion of the article with said feed nip, and drive means connected with said conveyor means, said first and second spaced apart surface means and said feed members for continuously driving said conveyor means, for continuously driving at least one of said feed members and for intermittently driving said first and second surface means to effect in intermittent feeding of articles from said first position to said second position, said drive means including motor means for providing drive forces, first force transmitting means for continuouslytransmitting drive forces from said motor means to said conveyor means to effect continuous operation of said conveyor means, second force transmitting means for continuously transmitting drive forces from said motor means to said one of said feed members to effect continuous rotation of said one feed member, and third force transmitting means for intermittently transmitting drive forces from said motor means to said first and second surface means to effect intermittent movement of said first and second surface means, said article feed and transport means further including register means for stopping movement along the path of each article in turn when a leading end portion of the article has been moved by said conveyor means to a predetermined position relative to said data transmitting means, and means for varying the predetermined position at which the leading end portion of the article is stopped by said register means between any one of a plurality of different positions to enable said data transmitting means to be utilized to transmit data to the side surface of the article at any one of a plurality of different distances from the leading end portion of the article, said register means including a pair of rotatable register members for defining a registration nip, and means for rotating at least one of said register members at a higher surface speed than the speed at which said conveyor means transports the articles along the path to the work station to accelerate an article relative to said conveyor means,

30. An apparatus as set forth in claim 29 further including first and second cylindrical members defining said first and second surface means, means for supporting said first cylindrical member for rotation about a first axis and for supporting said second cylindrical member for rotation about a second axis which is spaced apart from and extends parallel to said first axis, said means for exposing the side surface of an article to a source of relatively low pressure including means for exposing a portion of the side surface having an extent equal to the axial extent of said cylindrical members to the source of relatively low fluid pressure.

31. A printing apparatus for printing on side surfaces of planar articles of any one of a plurality of different sizes, said printing apparatus comprising a printing station, printing means at said printing station for effecting the transmittal of data to an upright side surface of a stationary article disposed at the printing station in an on edge orientation, hopper means spaced apart from said printing station for holding a plurality of the articles in an on edge orientation and with their side surfaces in an upright position, and article feed and transport means for sequentially feeding articles from said hopper means and transporting them to the printing station, said article feed and transport means including feed means for feeding articles one at a time from said hopper means, said feed means being disposed adjacent to a first side of said printing station, conveyor means for receiving articles from said feed means, for transporting the articles along a path to the printing station, and for supporting each of the articles in turn at the printing station, said feed means including means for engaging an upright side surface of each of the articles in said hopper means in turn and for mvoing an engaged article into said conveyor means with the article in an on edge orientation, said conveyor means including belt means for engaging a lowermost edge portion of an on edge article, for moving an engaged article to the printing station with the side surfaces of the article in an upright position, and for supporting the engaged article at the printing station with the side surfaces of the article in an upright position during the transmittal of data to the side surface of the stationary article at the printing station, register means for stopping movement along the path of each article in turn when an upright leading end portion of the article has been moved by said belt means to a predetermined position relative to said printing means, said register means being disposed adjacent to a second side of said printing station which is opposite from said first side of said printing station, said belt means including a longitudinally extending upper run which engages the lower edge portion of an on edge article and extends between said first and second sides of said printing station and engages the lower edge portion of the on edge article during the transmittal of data to the upright side surface of the article at the printing station, and means for varying the predetermined position at which the upright leading end portion of the article is stopped by said register means between any one of a plurality of different positions to enable said printing means to be utilized to print on the upright side surface of the article at any one of a plurality of different distances from the leading end portion of the article.

32.. An apparatus as set forth in claim 31 wherein said feed means includes friction drive means for frictionally engaging the upright side surface of an article at spaced apart locations, and suction means for urging an upright article into engagement with said friction drive means, said suction means including means for exposing at least the portion of the upright side surface between said spaced apart locations to a source of relatively low fluid pressure.

33. An apparatus as set forth in claim 31 wherein said means for engaging the upright side surface of an article in said hopper means includes a first upright membet, a second upright member spaced from said first upright member, drive means for rotating said first and second upright members about spaced apart vertical axes, and suction means for urging an upright side surface of a first one of the articles into pressure engagement with said first and second upright members, said suction means including means for exposing a portion of the upright side surface of the first article to a source of relatively low fluid pressure between said first and second upright members.

34. A printing apparatus as set forth in claim 33 wherein said feed means further includes separator means for engaging a side surface of the first article and the leading end portion of a second article disposed in abutting engagement with a side surface of the first article to separate the first and second articles as the first article is moved toward said conveyor means for said feed means.

35. A printing apparatus as set forth in claim 34 wherein said separator means includes a separator finger having a flexible tip which is flexed by engagement with the leading end portion of the first article as it is moved toward said conveyor means.

36. An apparatus for printing on an upright side surface of a planar article, said apparatus comprising a printing station, printing means at said printing station for effecting the transmittal of data to the right side surface of an article disposed in an on edge orientation at said printing station, means for holding a plurality of articles in an on edge orientation, feed means for feeding on edge articles one at a time from said holding means with the side surfaces of the articles in an upright position, belt means for receiving each of the on edge articles in turn from said feed means, for transporting the articles to said printing station with the article in an on edge orientation, and for supporting each of the articles in turn in on edge orientation at said printing station with the side surfaces of the article in an upright position, said belt means including an uper run which is disposed in engagement with the lowermost edge portion of an article as it is transported to and supported at said printing station by said belt means, drive means for continuously moving said belt means along said upper run during the sequential transporting of a plurality of articles to said printing station and the transmittal of data to the upright side surfaces of each of the articles in turn at said printing station,

and register means for engaging a leading end portion of each of the articles in turn. when the article is in a predetermined position relative to said printing station, and holding each of the articles in turn against movement relative to said printing station under the influence of said continuously moving belt means during the transmittal of data to the upright side surfaces of the articles.

37. An apparatus as set forth in claim 36 wherein said register means includes a pair of members which at least partially define a registration nip, second drive means for driving at least one of said members to move an article away from the printing station after the transmittal of data to the upright side surface of the article at the printing station.

38. An apparatus as set forth in claim 37 further including means for moving said upper run of said belt means toward and away from said printing station to vary the position on the article at which data is transmitted to the side surface of an article.

39. An apparatus as set forth in claim 38 wherein said means for moving said upper run of said belt means includes means for moving said feed means with said upper run of said belt means to maintain a substantially constant positional relationship between said feed means and the upper run of said belt means as the position of the upper run of said belt means is varied relative to said printing station.

40. An apparatus as set forth in claim 37 further including means for moving said register means relative to the upper run of said belt means to vary the position on the article at which data is transmitted to the article.

41. An apparatus comprising a work station, means at said work station for effecting the transmittal of data to a side surface of a planar article at the work station,

hopper means for holding a plurality of planar articles,

and article feed and transport means for sequentially feeding planar articles from said hopper means and for transporting them to the work station, said article feed and transport means including first and second spaced apart surface means for engaging a side surface of an article disposed in said hopper means, suction means for urging an article into engagement with said first and second surface means, said suction means including means for continuously exposing the portion of the side surface of an article which is located between said first and second surface means to source of relatively low fluid pressure to continuously urge the side surface of the article into engagement with said first and second surface means, a pair of rotatable feed members defining a feed nip, conveyor means for receiving articles from said feed members and for transporting the articles along a path to the work station, means for supporting an article for movement under the influence of said first and second surface means from a first position in which the leading end portion of an article is spaced from said feed nip and a second position in which the leading end portion of the article is disposed in engagement with said feed nip, said feed members being operable to accelerate an article relative to said first and second surface means upon engagement of the leading end portion of the article with said feed nip, and drive means connected with said conveyor means, said first and second spaced apart surface means and said feed members for continuously driving said conveyor means, for continuously driving at least one of said feed members and for intermittently driving said first and

Claims

1. A printing apparatus for printing on side surfaces of planar articles of any one of a plurality of different sizes, said printing apparatus comprising a printing station, printing means at said printing station for effecting the transmittal of data to the side surface of an article at the printing station, and article feed and transport means for sequentially feeding articles and transporting them to the printing station, said article feed and transport means including feed means for feeding articles one at a time, conveyor means for receiving articles from said feed means, for transporting the articles along a path to the printing station, and for supporting each of the articles in turn at the printing station, register means for stopping movement along the path of each article in turn when a leading end portion of the article has been moved by said conveyor means to a predetermined position relative to said printing means, means for varying the predetermined position at which the leading end portion of the article is stopped by said register means between any one of a plurality of different positions to enable said printing means to be utilized to print on the side surface of the article at any one of a plurality of different distances from the leading end portion of the article, and means for varying the position at which an article is supported at the printing station by said conveyor means in a direction transverse to the path along which said conveyor means transports the article to enable said printing means to be utilized to print on the side surface of the article at any one of a plurality of distances from an end portion of the article which extends transversely to the leading end portion of the article, said conveyor means includes a continuous belt which engages the transversely extending end portion of the article, said means for varying the position at which an article is supported at the printing station by said conveyor means including means for moving said belt toward and away from the printing station.

2. A printing apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said register means includes first and second movable members which cooperate to at least partially define a registration nip, and motor means operable between an active condition in which said motor means is effective to drive at least one of said members and an inactive condition in which said motor means is ineffective to drive said one member, said conveyor means being operable to move the leading end portion of an article into engagement with said registration nip when said motor means is in said inactive condition to stop movement of the article along the path with the leading end portion of the article in the predetermined position, said motor means being operable to the active condition to drive said one member and move the leading end portion of the article away from the predetermined position.

6. A printing apparatus as set forth in claim 5 wherein said separator means includes a separator finger having a flexible tip which is flexed by engagement with the leading end portion of the first article as it is moved toward said conveyor means.

8. A printing apparatus as set forth in claim 7 wherein said feed means is disposed adjacent ot a first side of said printing station, said register means is disposed adjacent to a second side of said printing station which is opposite from said first side of said printing station, and said conveyor means extends between said first and second sides of said printing station.

10. A printing apparatus as set forth in claim 7 further including hopper means for holding a plurality of the articles in an on edge orientation and their side surfaces in an upright position, said feed means including means for engaging an upright side surface of each of the articles in said hopper means in turn and for moving an engaged article onto said conveyor means with the article in an on edge orientation, said conveyor means including belt means for engaging a lowermost edge portion of an on edge article, for moving an egaged article to the pringing station with the side surfaces of the article in an upright position, and for supporting the engaged article at the printing station with the side surfaces of the article in an upright position, said belt means having a horizontal upper run which engages the lowermost edge portion of an article and which is disposed below said printing station and extends from said feed means to said register means.

11. A printing apparatus for printing on side surfaces of planar articles of any one of a plurality of different sizes, said printing apparatus comprising a printing station, printing means at said printing station for effecting the transmittal of data to the side surface of an article at the printing station, and article feed and transport means for sequentially feeding articles and transporting them to the printing station, said article feed and transport means including feed means for feeding articles one at a time, conveyor means for receiving articles from said feed means, for transporting the articles along a path to the printing station, and for supporting each of the articles in turn at the printing station, register means for stopping meovement along the path of each article in turn when a leading end portion of the article has been moved by said conveyor means to a predetermined position relative to said printing means, means for varying the predetermined position at which the leading end portion of the article is stopped by said register means between any one of a plurality of different positions to enable said printing means to be utilized to print on the side surface of the article at any one of a plurality of different distances from the leading end portion of the article, means for varying the position at which an article is supported at the printing station by said conveyor means in a direCtion transverse to the path along which said conveyor means transports the article to enable said printing means to be utilized to print on the side surface of the article at any one of a plurality of distances from an end portion of the article which extends transversely to the leading end portion of the article, and hopper means for holding a plurality of the articles in an on edge orientation and their side surfaces in an upright position, said feed means including for engaging an upright side surface of each of the articles in said hopper means in turn and for moving an engaged article onto said conveyor means with the article in an on edge orientation, said conveyor means including belt means for engaging a lowermost edge portion of an on edge article, for moving an engaged article to the printing station with the side surfaces of the article in an upright position, and for supporting the engaged article at the printing station with the side surfaces of the article in an upright position, said belt means having a horizontal upper run which engages the lowermost edge portion of a article and which is disposed below said printing station and extends from said feed means to said register means, said means for varying the position at which an article is supported at the printing station by said conveyor means includes means for raising and lowering said upper run of said belt means.

12. A printing apparatus as set forth in claim 11, wherein said means for raising and lowering said upper run of said belt means includes means for raising and lowering said hopper means and said feed means with said upper run of said belt means.

13. A printing apparatus as set forth in claim 11 wherein said means for raising and lowering said upper run of said belt means includes means for raising and lowering said register means with said upper run of said belt means.

15. A printing apparatus for printing on side surfaces of planar articles of any one of a plurality of different sizes, said printing apparatus comprising a printing station, printing means at said printing station for effecting the transmittal of data to the side surface of an article at the printing station, and article feed and transport means for sequentially feeding articles and transporting them to the printing station, said article feed and transport means including feed means for feeding articles one at a time, conveyor means for receiving articles from said feed means, for transporting the articles along a path to the printing station, and for supporting each of the articles in turn at the printing station, register means for stopping movement along the path of each article in turn when a leading end portion of the article has been moved by said conveyor means to a predetermined position relative to said printing means, means for varying the predetermined position at which the leading end portion of the article is stopped by said register means between any one of a plurality of different positions to enable said printing means to be utilized to print on the side surface of the article at any one of a plurality of different distances from the leading end portion of the article, and means for varying the position at which an article is supported at the printing station by said conveyor means iN a direction transverse to the path along which said conveyor means transports the article to enable said printing means to be utilized to print on the side surface of the article at any one of a plurality of distances from an end portion of the article which extends transversely to the leading end portion of the article, and hopper means for holding a plurality of the articles in an on edge orientation and their side surfaces in an upright position, said feed means including means for engaging an upright side surface of each of the articles in said hopper means in turn and for moving an engaged article onto said conveyor means with the article in an on edge orientation, said conveyor means including belt means for engaging a lowermost edge portion of an on edge article, for moving an engaged article to the printing station with the side surfaces of the article in an upright position, and for supporting the engaged article at the printing station with the side surfaces of the article in an upright position, said belt means having a horizontal upper run which engages the lowermost edge portion of an article and which is disposed below said printing station and extends from said feed means to said register means, said means for engaging an upright side surface of each of the articles in said hopper means in turn includes first and second friction surface means for engaging the upright side surface of an article at spaced apart locations, said feed means further including suction means for urging the upright side surface of an article into engagement with said first and second friction means, said suction means including blower means for providing a source of relatively low fluid pressure and conduit means for connecting said blower means in fluid communication with the portion of the upright side surface which is between said first and second friction surface means, said means for varying the position at which an article is supported at the printing station by said conveyor means includes means for raising and lowering said upper run of said belt means, said hopper means and said suction means.

16. An apparatus for performing an operation on upright side surfaces of planar articles, said apparatus comprising a work station, means for performing a work operation on the upright side surface on an article at said work station, means for holding a plurality of articles in an on edge orientation, feed means for feeding articles one at a time from said holding means with the side surfaces of the articles in an upright position, belt means for receiving each of the articles in turn from said feed means, for transporting the articles to said work station with the article in an on edge orientation, and for supporting each of the articles in turn at said work station with the side surfaces of the article in an upright position, said belt means including an upper run which is disposed in engagement with the lowermost edge portion of an article as it is transported to and supported at said work station by said belt means, drive means for continuously moving said belt means along said upper run during the sequential transporting of a plurality of articles to said work station and the transmittal of data to the upright side surfaces of each of the articles in turn at said work station, register means for engaging a leading end portion of each of the articles in turn and holding each of the articles in turn against movement relative to the work station under the influence of said continuously moving belt means during the transmittal of data to the upright side surfaces of the articles, and means for moving said upper run of said belt means toward and away from said work station to vary the position on the article at which data is transmitted to the said surface of an article.

17. An apparatus as set forth in claim 16 wherein said register means includes a pair of members which at least partially define a registration nip, second drive means for driving at least one of said members to Move an article away from the work station after the transmittal of data to the upright side surface of the article at the work station.

18. An apparatus as set forth in claim 16 wherein said means for moving said upper run of said belt means includes means for moving said feed means with said upper run of said belt means to maintain a substantially constant positional relationship between said feed means and the upper run of said belt means as the position of the upper run of said belt means is varied relative to said work station.

19. An apparatus as set forth in claim 16 further including means for moving said register means relative to the upper run of said belt means to further vary the position on the article at which data is transmitted to the article.

20. An apparatus comprising a work station, means at said work station for effecting the transmittal of data to a side surface of a planar article at the work station, hopper means for holding a plurality of planar articles, and article feed and transport means for sequentially feeding planar articles from said hopper means and for transporting them to the work station, said article feed and transport means including first and second spaced apart surface means for engaging a side surface of an article disposed in said hopper means, suction means for urging an article into engagement with said first and second surface means, said suction means including means for exposing the portion of the side surface of an article which is located between said first and second surface means to a source of relatively low fluid pressure, and drive means for moving said first and second surface means relative to said hopper means to move an article disposed in engagement with said surface means at least partially out of said hopper means, said feed and transport means further includes a pair of rotatable feed members defining a feed nip, means for rotating at least one of said feed members at a higher surface speed than the speed at which said drive means is operable to move said first and second surface means, means for supporting an article for movement under the influence of said first and second surface means from a first position in which the leading end portion of an article is spaced from said feed nip and a second position in which the leading end portion of the article is disposed in engagement with said feed nip, said feed members being operable to accelerate an article relative to said first and second surface means upon engagement of the leading end portion of the article with said feed nip, conveyor means for receiving articles from said feed members, for transporting the articles along a path to the work station, and for supporting each of the articles in turn at the work station, register means for stopping movement along the path of each article in turn when a leading end portion of the article has been moved by said conveyor means to a predetermined position relative to said data transmitting means, and means for varying the predetermined position at which the leading end portion of the article is stopped by said register means between any one of a plurality of different positions to enable said data transmitting means to be utilized to transmit data to the side surface of the article at any one of a plurality of different distances from the leading end portion of the article, said register means includes a pair of rotatable register members for defining a registration nip, and means for rotating at least one of said register members at a higher surface speed than the speed at which said conveyor means transports the articles along the path to the work station to accelerate an article relative to said conveyor means.

27. A printing apparatus for printing on side surfaces of planar articles of any one of a plurality of different sizes, said printing apparatus comprising a printing station having a first side portion opposite from a second side portion, printing means at said printing station for effecting the transmittal of data to an upright side surface of an article disposed at the printing station in an on edge orientation, hopper means spaced apart from said printing station for holding a plurality of the articles in an on edge orientation and with their side surfaces in an upright position, and article feed and transport means for sequentially feeding articles from said hopper means and transporting them to the printing station, said article feed and transport means including feed means for feeding articles one at a time from said hopper means, said feed means being disposed adjacent to said first side portion of said printing station, conveyor means for receiving articles from said feed means, for transporting the articles along a path to the printing station, and for supporting each of the articles in turn at the printing station, said feed means including means for engaging an upright side surface of each of the articles in said hopper means in turn and for moving an engaged article onto said conveyor means with the article in an on edge orientation, said conveyor means including belt means for engaging a lowermost edge portion of an on edge article, for moving an engaged article to the printing station with the side surfaces of the article in an upright position, and for supporting the engaged article at the printing station with the side surfaces of the article in an upright position during the transmittal of data to the side surface of the article at the printing station, register means for stopping movement along the path of each article in turn when an upright leading end portion of the article has been moved by said conveyor means to a predetermined position relative to said printing means and means for varying the predetermined position at which the upright leading end portion of the article is stopped by said register means between any one of a plurality of different positions to enable said printing means to be utilized to print on the upright side surface of the article at any one of a plurality of different distances from the leading end portion of the article, said register means being disposed adjacent to said second side portion of said printing station which is opposite from said first side portion of said printing station, said belt means includes a longitudinally extending upper run which engages the lower edge portion of an article and extends between said first and second side portions of said printing station, and means for moving the upper run of said belt means toward and away from said printing station to enable said printing means to be utilized to print on the upright side surface of an article at any one of a plurality of distances from the lowermost edge portion of the article.

29. An apparatus comprising a work station, means at said work station for effecting the transmittal of data to a side surface of a planar article at the work station, hopper means for holding a plurality of planar articles, and article feed and transport means for sequentially feeding planar articles from said hopper means and for transporting them to the work station, said article feed and transport means including first and second spaced apart surface means for engaging a side surface of an article disposed in said hopper means, suction means for urging an article into engagement with said first and second surface means, said suction means including means for continuously exposing the portion of the side surface of an article which is located between said first and second surface means to a source of relatively low fluid pressure to continuously urge the side surface of the article into engagement with said first and second surface means, a pair of rotatable feed members defining a feed nip, conveyor means for receiving articles from said feed members and for transporting the articles along a path to the work station, means for supporting an article for movement under the influence of said first and second surface means from a first position in which the leading end portion of an article is spaced from said feed nip and a second position in which the leading end portion of the article is disposed in engagement with said feed nip, said feed members being operable to accelarate an article relative to said first and second surface means upon engagement of the leading end portion of the article with said feed nip, and drive means connected with said conveyor means, said first and second spaced apart surface means and said feed members for continuously drivinG said conveyor means, for continuously driving at least one of said feed members and for intermittently driving said first and second surface means to effect in intermittent feeding of articles from said first position to said second position, said drive means including motor means for providing drive forces, first force transmitting means for continuously transmitting drive forces from said motor means to said conveyor means to effect continuous operation of said conveyor means, second force transmitting means for continuously transmitting drive forces from said motor means to said one of said feed members to effect continuous rotation of said one feed member, and third force transmitting means for intermittently transmitting drive forces from said motor means to said first and second surface means to effect intermittent movement of said first and second surface means, said article feed and transport means further including register means for stopping movement along the path of each article in turn when a leading end portion of the article has been moved by said conveyor means to a predetermined position relative to said data transmitting means, and means for varying the predetermined position at which the leading end portion of the article is stopped by said register means between any one of a plurality of different positions to enable said data transmitting means to be utilized to transmit data to the side surface of the article at any one of a plurality of different distances from the leading end portion of the article, said register means including a pair of rotatable register members for defining a registration nip, and means for rotating at least one of said register members at a higher surface speed than the speed at which said conveyor means transports the articles along the path to the work station to accelerate an article relative to said conveyor means.

32. An apparatus as set forth in claim 31 wherein said feed means includes friction drive means for frictionally engaging the upright side surface of an article at spaced apart locations, and suction means for urging an upright article into engagement with said friction drive means, said suction means including means for exposing at least the portion of the upright side surface between said spaced apart locations to a source of relatively low fluid pressure.

33. An apparatus as set forth in claim 31 wherein said means for engaging the upright side surface of an article in said hopper means includes a first upright member, a second upright member spaced from said first upright member, drive means for rotating said first and second upright members about spaced apart vertical axes, and suction means for urging an upright side surface of a first one of the articles into pressure engagement with said first and second upright members, said suction means including means for exposing a portion of the upright side surface of the first article to a source of relatively low fluid pressure between said first and second upright members.

36. An apparatus for printing on an upright side surface of a planar article, said apparatus comprising a printing station, printing means at said printing station for effecting the transmittal of data to the right side surface of an article disposed in an on edge orientation at said printing station, means for holding a plurality of articles in an on edge orientation, feed means for feeding on edge articles one at a time from said holding means with the side surfaces of the articles in an upright position, belt means for receiving each of the on edge articles in turn from said feed means, for transporting the articles to said printing station with the article in an on edge orientation, and for supporting each of the articles in turn in on edge orientation at said printing station with the side surfaces of the article in an upright position, said belt means including an uper rUn which is disposed in engagement with the lowermost edge portion of an article as it is transported to and supported at said printing station by said belt means, drive means for continuously moving said belt means along said upper run during the sequential transporting of a plurality of articles to said printing station and the transmittal of data to the upright side surfaces of each of the articles in turn at said printing station, and register means for engaging a leading end portion of each of the articles in turn when the article is in a predetermined position relative to said printing station, and holding each of the articles in turn against movement relative to said printing station under the influence of said continuously moving belt means during the transmittal of data to the upright side surfaces of the articles.

41. An apparatus comprising a work station, means at said work station for effecting the transmittal of data to a side surface of a planar article at the work station, hopper means for holding a plurality of planar articles, and article feed and transport means for sequentially feeding planar articles from said hopper means and for transporting them to the work station, said article feed and transport means including first and second spaced apart surface means for engaging a side surface of an article disposed in said hopper means, suction means for urging an article into engagement with said first and second surface means, said suction means including means for continuously exposing the portion of the side surface of an article which is located between said first and second surface means to source of relatively low fluid pressure to continuously urge the side surface of the article into engagement with said first and second surface means, a pair of rotatable feed members defining a feed nip, conveyor means for receiving articles from said feed members and for transporting the articles along a path to the work station, means for supporting an article for movement under the influence of said first and second surface means from a first position in which the leading end portion of an article is spaced from said feed nip and a second position in which the leading end portion of the article is disposed in engagement with said feed nip, said feed members being operable to accelerate an article relative to said first and second surface means upon engagement of the leading end portion of the article with said feed nip, and drive means connected with said conveyor means, said first and second spaced apart surface means and said feed members for continuously driving said conveyor means, for continuously driving at least one of said feed members and for intermittently driving said first and second surface means to effect an intermittent feediNg of articles from said first position to said second position, said drive means including motor means for providing drive forces, first force transmitting means for continuously transmitting drive forces from said motor means to said conveyor means to effect continuous operation of said conveyor means, second force transmitting means for continuously transmitting drive forces from said motor means to said one of said feed members to effect continuous rotation of said one feed member, and third force transmitting means for intermittently transmitting drive forces from said motor means to said first and second surface means to effect intermittent movement of said first and second surface means.

42. An apparatus as set forth in claim 41 wherein said article feed and transport means further includes register means for stopping movement along the path of each article in turn when a leading end portion of the article has been moved by said conveyor means to a predetermined position relative to said data transmitting means, and means for varying the predetermined position at which the leading end portion of the article is stopped by said register means between any one of a plurality of different positions to enable said data transmitting means to be utilized to transmit data to the side surface of the article at any one of a plurality of different distances from the leading end portion of the article.

43. A printing apparatus for printing on upright side surfaces of planar articles, said printing apparatus comprising a printing station, printing means for effecting the transmittal of data to the upright side surface of a stationary article at said printing station, hopper means disposed to one side of said printing station for holding a plurality of articles in an on edge orientation with their side surfaces disposed in upright planar abutting engagement, friction surface means for engaging an upright outer side surface of one of the articles disposed in said hopper means, suction means for applying a relatively low fluid pressure to the outer side surface of the one article to urge the outer side surface of the one article into engagement with said friction surface means, drive means for moving said friction surface means to at least initiate movement of the one article out of said hopper means, with the side surfaces of the one article in an upright position, separator means for engaging an end portion of another article having a side surface disposed in abutting engagement with an upright side surface of the one article to hold the other article against movement out of said hopper means under the influence of forces transmitted to the other article from the one article upon initiation of movement of the one article, conveyor means for engaging a lowermost edge portion of the one article, for moving the one article to the printing station with the one article in an on edge orientation, and for supporting the one article at the printing station during transmittal of data to the upright side surface of the stationary article at the print station, said conveyor means including belt means for transporting the one article to said printing station and for supporting the one article at said printing station with the side surfaces of the one article in an upright position, said belt means including an upper run which is disposed in engagement with the lowermost edge portion of an article as it is transported to and supported at said printing station by said belt means, register means disposed on a side of the printing station opposite from the one side for engaging a leading end portion of the one article to locate the leading end portion of the one article in predetermined position relative to the printing station, and means for enabling the position of said register means relative to said printing station to be changed to change the distance between the leading end portion of an article and the portion of the article to which data is transmitted at said printing station.