Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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~240S52
BACl~GROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present i~vention relates t4 an apparatus
1 .
for printing individual sheet~ ~f papex, and more
particularly, to an apparatus for numberin~,~pe_torating,
and printing sheets of paper.
2. Description of the ~rior Art
Traditionally, "letterpres~" techniques for
printing ~heet~ require reciprocatin~ platens, and -
accessories must be provided for numberin~ and perfora-
. .
ting the sheet~. S~ techniques have limitation3,
~uch as low ~ee~, a~ compared with "flexographic"
printing pres,qes which utilize soft printing plate~
on a cylinder but are tradit~bnally limited t~ printing
continuous webs of paper, normally from a roll.
Offset printing, on the other hand, ha~ been
developed to incorporate rotary printing techni~ues
with the sheet feed apparatu~. Numbering deviceY with
proper interrupters have been developed for 8UCh an
offset machine as described in U. S. Patent 2,583,4
Durto et al,~ 1954. Further, various perforating machine~
have been incorporated in such o~fset preqses for
_ perforating the sheets.
However, the numbering apparatus i8 normally
an add-on feature and re~uire~ a second impxe~sion
cylinder a~ ~.t~ the perfor~tor or cutting features.
Furthermore, offset printing i~ ~ub ject to limitation~
which prevent it from having the versatili~y of printing
of a letterpre~ or flexo~raphic printing pre~.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Zt i8 an aim of the present invention to
provide a compact simple stand-alone pres~ which has
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A
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the certain advantages of an offset press but ~hiçh
can incorporate the features of the letterpres~ or
flexographic press.
It is also an aim of the present invention
to provide a rotary printing press with perforating,
numbering, and printing features a~out a single
lmpression cy'-inder.
:[~t is a ~urther aim of the pre~ent invention
to provide an improved pape~ feed mechanism'for
feedlng sinyle sheets of paper.
It is also an aim of the present invention
to provide an improved interrupter which'will disen~age
the impression cylinder from contact with the various
perforating, printing, and numbering device3 when the
supply of sheets is interrupted.
It is also an aim of the pxesent invention to
.
provide an improved ink unit.
It is a further aim of the present invention
to provide an improved delivery and stacking system
for use with a printing press.
E3sentially the printing press of the
present in~D~i n comprises a frame, an impression
cylinder mounted for rotation on the frame, and
means for feeding sheets of paper to the impression
cylinder. Means are provided on the impre~sion
cylinder for retaining the sheet of paper on the
surface of the impression cylinder as it rotate~
through a predetermined arc. A shaft is~mounted
on the frame in spaced and parallel relationship
to the axis of rotation of the impression cy]i,!der
and is contained within the arc. Means are provided
-- 3 --
()55~ ~
for driving the impression cylinder and the naft in
registry. Means are provided for mounting on the
shaft a numberi~g device~ a letterpress head and,/Gr
a flexographic~printing cylinder on the shaft,
either any one of these elements or all three of
them. The letterpress head, the numbering device,
and the f~exoqraphic prin~ing cylinder are mounted
such that thév ccntact the impression cylinder
surface within the arc. Ink feeding means.are
provided, including at least an ink roller for trans-
ferring printing ink to the printing devices o~ the
shaft, that is, the numbering device, letterpress
head and/or the fl`exographic printing cylinder.
Means are also provided for removing the sheet
from the impression cylinder at the end of the
predetermined arc.
A construction in accordance with the present
invention comprises a printing apparatus including an
impression cylinder, means for supplying sheets one
by one to the impression cylinder, gripping means
on the impression cylinder for gripping an edge of
a sheet an~ ad ancing the sheet so that it envelops
about the impression cylinder, perforating means
including strips of teeth adapted to be fixed to
the surface of the impression cylinder, ~ounter
roller means for pressing the sheet against the
perforating teeth, shaft means mounted parallel tc
the axis of the cylinder and having a keyway, t;3e
shaft means being driven in register wi'h the
impression cylinder, the shaft means being ad~ted
to recelve and mount at-l~ast one of a nun~ering
~4~552
means, a letterpress head, and a printing cylinder
for printing intelligence on the shee~'on the
impression cylinder, interrupter means for disengaging
the impression cylinder and moving it from th~e locus
of the at least one of the numbering means, the ,
letterprea~ head, and the printing means, inking
means including a plurality of auccessive rollers
with a transfer roller adapted to intersect the
circular locus o~ the ~urface of the at le~st one
of the numbering means, letterpress head, and
printing cylinder, and means for removing the
sheet from the impression roller and stacking the
sheet.
One of the important features of the pre~ent
invention is the provision of the various printing
devices and the numbering devic~ oper~ble on and co-
ordinated with the impression cylinder. In the
past, particularly in an offset press, the numbering
apparatus could be a separate add-on feature which
required further equipment, such as an impression
roller. It is also contemplated that in the case
of multi-colour printing, the printing unit may be
repeated in series, wherein the printing unit
includes an impression c,ylinder and an accessory
' shaft to w~lich can be mounted different printing
heads, such as a printing cylinder with flexographic
printing pads or a letterpress device. As many -,
head units including the impression cylinder and
the ink unit and the acceasory shaft as may be
required can be added for the different colour~ to
be utilized. Suitable transfer means is easily
5~2
~dapted for transfer of the sheet from one impre~sion
roller to the other.
The numberin~ acces~ory ~ay be in the fenm
of a num~ering counter with a printing surface~
moun~ed on the acces~ory ~haft for rotation,thereon:
and in contact with the peripheral Rurfacé of th
impres~ion cylinder. A cam.tripping device may be
mounted ad]acerlt the path of the numbering head with
means for su~c~s.~ively changing the number on the
10 . numbering head for each cycle of the numbering head.
The coun~..roller in the present invention
may hav~ d - longitudinally-convex outer slee.ve,an.d the axis
of the counter.roller would be parallel to the axie of the
impres~ion cylinder a~ opposed to the conven~ional
concave angled counter roller. The conve~ ~leeve on
the roller provides compensation for the deflection of
the c~leeve, particularly in the center a.ad ~hen prC~s-
ing the paper against the perforation teeth.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF TH~: DRAWINGS
Having thus generally de~cribed the nature
of the invention, reference will now be made to the
accompanying drawing~, showing by way of lllu~tration,
a pre~erred ~ ;liment thereof, and in which:
Figure 1 i9 a perspective view of the
. printing press;
Figure 2 i9 a top plan view of a printing
press:in accordance with the
- present invention with the hou~i~g
removed
Figure 3 i~ a side elevation of the printing
~ress in accordance with th~ present
invent ion;
,
~0~5;~
Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view,
taken partly in cro-qs-section and
in elevation ~long the longitudinal
axis of the printing press,.
Figure 5 is a further enlarged fragmentary
view, partly in cross-section, of
the apparatus ~s sh~wn in Figure 4
Figure 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional
view, similar to Figure 5~ but
showing the elements in a different
- operating position;
Figure 7 is a fragmentary enlarged view of a
detail of the apparatus, and in
particular of the paper supply
mechanism;
Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a
further detail of the apparatus
~howing in particuiar the paper
transfer mechanism;
Figure 9 is a fragmentary elevation showing a
detail of the paper 3upply mechani~m;
Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 8 but
showing the elements in a dif-'e~ent
operative position: .
Figure 11 is an enlarged elevational view of
a detail of the paper supply
mechanism;
Figure ,2 i~ a top plan view thereof;
Figure 13 is a vertical cross-section of the
detail shown in Figures 11 and 12,
Figure 14 i9 a fragmentary elevation showing
partl~ in cross-section a further
05~
detail~of the paper transfer
mechanism, ~ , ,
Figure 15 i~ a view ~imilar to,Fiquro 14 but
showing the elements the~e,in in a
S different operative po~ition;
Figure 16 is a vertical croa~-section of the.
interrupter detector;
Figure 17 i~ a perapective view of''a detail
of the apparatus and particularly
ahowing the impres~lon roller anA
t~e num~ering apparatus7
Figure 18 i~ an exploded view o~ a further
detail of the prese~t invention and
''''' particul~rly a ~rinting c~iinder
segment;
Figure 19 i8 a radiAl view of a furt~er detail
, o~ the pre~ent invention an~ ~howing
particularly a printing cylindçr:-
Figure 20 ~how~ a lateral e}evation of the
., . apparatu~ and in'particular the
counter roller and the impres ion
roller,~
~- Figur,e 21 i5 a fragmentaxy schematic end view af
- ' the counter roller an~ partial cros's-
2S section~ impression ~ller~a~d showing in
' par~icular a perforation mechanism;
'' ' ' Figure 22 i~ a fra~mentary,longitudinal cross-
~ectiG~ o~ a detail of the apparatus
showing in particuiar the numberlng
ao device in operation;
Figure 23 i~ a cros~-sectional view ~imilar to
Figure 22 but ~howing the numbering
- 8 -
~.
~Jto~
device in a different operative
position,
Figure 24 is a fragmentary side elevation of
a furt'ner detail of t'ne pre~ent
invention and in particular the
interrupter mechanism;
Figure 25 is a longitudinal cross-section
of the apparatus shown in Figure Z4
showing a further detail thereof;
Fi~lre 26 is a longitudinal cross-~ection
showing the ink unit;
Figure 27 is a side elevation of the apparatus
showing in particular a detail of
the ink unit;
Figure 28 shows a fragmentary cros~-section
sf the longitudinal cross-section
....
of a detail of the apparatus and in
particular the chain,delive~y,
. Figure 29 i9 a fragmentary cross-section
similar to Figure 2~ but showing the
chain delivery in a differ~nt
operative position,
Figur,e 30 is a fragmentary cross-sectio-.
~imilar to Figures 28 and 2g, ~ut
- showing the chain delivery in yet
a different operative position,
F;c,uro 31 is a fragmentary view in ~ide
elevation of a detail.of the
apparatus and in particular the
stacking unit;
Figure 32 is an enlarged detailed view of
the appara~.us shown in Fi~lre'31
_ g _ -,
12~055;~
but in a different oper~tlve positi.on;
Fi~ure 33 i~ a detail taken along tha lin~3
33-33 of Figure 3l; and ,~
Fiqure 34 i9 a further detail of th,é ~tacking
and jogging device. ,'
DESCRIPTION OI? ~rlE P~EFERREI~ E~BODI~l~T~
Raferring now to the drawings, the printing
press lO is shown in Figurea l to 5 a~ having a frame 14
mounting the various units of the press lO which, in
Figure l, i9 covered by a housing 12. At.the feed end
of the apparatu~, t~e is provided a paper supply unit
16, a paper transfer unit 18, an impres~ion cylinder .
20 with the accompanying accessory shaft for mounting
the printing heads, and an ink unit 22. A ch~n
delivery sy~tem 24 trans~ers the printed aheet from ~ e
impression cylinder 20 and carrie~ the sheet to th
stac~er 26.
Before proceeding,~ it should be mentioned
that the driven parts of the press lO are t'aken off from
.... . _ .
a drive str~p S (shown in Figure 3) which i~ connected
to a suitab1e driYe source and which rotates a pulley W.
~he paper aupply is best illustrated in
- . Figures 2, 4, S. 6, 7, 9 and lO. The paper ~upply 16 ,
is provided with a platform 28 ~hich is arranged'to
~5 move along a vertical axis by following in tracks 29
The platform i8 fixed to a`chain 88, the movement of
which will be de~cribed herein. There i~ a chain 88 on
both side~ of.the platform 28 ~as can"be seen in ~igu~e 2.
It i9 important that the top level o~ the
, 30 paper be always in a predetermined ho~izontal plar.e
such that the transfer mechanism 18 can pic~ off sheets
one at a time to feed the sheet~ to tha impre~sion
A - lo -
,~
5~
cylinder 20. There are numerou3 mecharical well-known
devices for ac~omplishing thia particular purpose. A
novel mechanical arrangement will be deacribed herein.
Figures 7, 8, 9 ~Id 10 illu~tr~te/t~e
mechanical linXages for intermittently raising the ~
platform having a supply of sheets P to maintain the- ,
top level of the ~upply o~ pa~ P in a pre~eterminl.d~
horizontal plane.
A ~ensor bar 30 is fixed to pivot pins on
either ~ide of the paper supply and passe~ thr-~gh
parallel walls 14a ~d 14b which form part of the fr*me
14. Pivot pin 31 pa~-~e~ through wall 14b and mou~lt~
a crank arm 36 to which i~ mounted a cam follower 38.
The cam follower 38 follow~ along the periphe~y of
cam wheel 40 mounted to driven sha~t 42. The ~ensor
arm 30 is norm1lly maintain~d in an upper position
free of the supply of paper P, as shown in dotted lines
in Figures 6 and 9, by tha cam wheel 4,P. As the cut-
away portion 40a of the cam 40 passes the cam Iollower
38, the senaor bar 30 -(see Fi~.- 7) will rotate down-~a~dly and
sense the top surface of the p~per supply P.
~he other end of the sensor bar 30 mounts a
pivot pin 32a passing through wall 14a to which a
levex 32 is fixed. ~. spring 34 urgea the lev2~ ~2 in
a counterclockwise direction and maintains pr~ssure on
the cam follower 38 on the other ~ide oP the housir.
against the periphery ~f the cam wheel 40.
on the wall 14a. a lever 44 is pivoted to a
~ pivot 6haft 72~ At the other end o~ the lever 44 1
i 30 a link 46 pivoted to the lever 44 at pivot pin 74.
The lir,k 46 i~ p~ovided with an elongated ~lot 48
adapted to receive d pin 86 mounted on a pivoting bar
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... . . . . . . . .. .
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r
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cg)552
52 which will be described. A spring 47 is connected
at one end to the link 46 and at the other end to the pin
86.
The pivoting arm 52 is mounted on the~shaft
60. At one end of the arm 52 is provided a pin 54 ~dapted
to be engaged by a locking lever 64. Locking lever 64
includes a notch 70 and is pivoted to pin 66 on the wall 14a.
A spring 68 urges the locking lever"~64, so t~at its notch
70 will engage the pin 54 on the bar 52.
A saw-toothed wheel 50 is mounted on shaft 60.
The teeth are directed counterclockwise in order to enable
a ratchet means 56, 58, 62 to engage the teeth, as shown
in Figures 9 and 10. More specifically, a ratchet lever
56 is pivotally mounted on pivot pin 58 on the bar 52 and
is urged against the teeth of the wheel 50 by means of a
sprin.g 62. As long as the ratchet lever 56 engages the
teeth of tne wheel 50, the wheel 50 is prevented from rotat-
ing counterclockwise.
Fixed to the wheel 50 is a bevel gear 84 which
mates with a bevel gear 85 connected at one end of a worm
gear 80 and journa;lled-in a bracket 78. The shaft 60 .
rotates in the journal 76 mounted to the bracket 78. The
worm gear 80 mates with a gear 82 mounted to the end of a
chain sprocket shaft 89 ~see Figures 2 and 4). The arran- :
gement is such that clockwise movement o~ the wheel 50 will
turn the gears, so as to raise the chain 38 and thus the
platform 28. ~ \
In operation, the lever 44 is driven in a ~ :
reciprocating fashion Inot shown~ could be:a cam and
follower on wall 14b). The stroke distance is shown ln
dott:ed lines in Figures 8 and 9, such as to reciprocate ~ -
link 46 against the pin 86. As long as the arm 52 is
~,
j: : :
- 12 ~
~05~
retaine~ by t~e locking lever 64, the pin 86 will not
be influenced by the link 46, since the stroke of the
link 46 is not greater than the length of the slot
therein. However, if the notch 7~0 of locking lever~64 were
to disengage the pin 54, the bar 52 would move counter-
clockwise by its weight and the urging of the spring
47 on the link 46. Thus, as the link 46 moves upwardly,
as shown in Figure 9 from its full`~line to lts dotted line
position, it engages the pin 86, thereby moving the bar 52
to rotate clockwise and thus advancing the ratchet lever
56, thereby rotating the wheel 50 in a clockwise direction
and thus rotating the gears to elevate the platform 28 by
means of the chains 88. However, the bar 52 is normally
in the position shown in Figure 9 with the locking lever 64
in position on the pin 54.
For every cycle of the cam wheel 40, the
sensor bar 30 will be allowed to move downwardly to
engage the top surface of the paper supply P. At the
same time that it moves downwardly, the lever 32 moves
counterclockwise in Figure 9 on the urging of the spring
34. If the level of the paper P has been lowered, the lever
32 may rotate far enough, so as to engage lock lever 64,
thereby pivoting it about pin 66 in a clockwise fashion
to disengage notch 70 from the pin 54, and thus allow the
bar 52 to move counterclockwise and be engaged by the link
46 which is continually reciprocating.
The cam 40 will causè\.th~ sensor bar 30 to
return to its original position, as shown in dotted lines
in Figure 9, to thereby retract the lever 32. As the
link 46 presses the bar 52 to rotate clockwise, the pin
54 again will engage the notch 70 on the lever
- 13 -
A
~405~i2
64. In the ~vent that the paper supply i8 high enough,
it is evident from the~e drawings that the bar 30 will
not rotate ~ar enough to dllow thé l.ever!32'to engage
the lock le~ex ~4.
In order that.the sheets of paper,'be ea~i~ly
removed rom the supply, a small air de~-ice, as shown,
in Figure~ 11, 12 and 13, i~ provided forwa~d of the
platfonm 28 in order to fluff or lift the edge~ o~ the
.paper by air. The device compri~es, for instance, a
~air of upstandir~ air pipes~ 9~i provided with a eleri~
- of apertures 98. ~e.pipe~ 96 are mounted on a cross
bar 94 which in turn is mounted to a holder 92;
Air to tl..e pipes 96 is supplièd by flexible
air'pipes 100, as shown in the drawings. Th~ aperture~
may be set at an angle to the longitudinal axis, to
allow the be~t distribution of the jets of air forth-
coming from the pipe~ 96. Although not shown, the
cro~s bar o r ~h~ pipe~ may be mounted for vertical
adjustable movement in order to adjust the hei~ht of
the air pipes 96.
The transfer mechani'sm comprise3, in this'
embodiment, a plurality of ~uction CUp8 102, which are
best shown in Figures 4, 5, 6, 14 and 15.~ The suct.ion
CUp8 102 are provided at the end o suction pipe~ 104
mounted on a bar 106 whi~h is journaled at its end~
to a pair of arms 108 which.in turn are mount~d to a
shaft 110. Also fixe~ly'mounted to the ~haft 110 on '.
the other side of the wall 14b is a crank arm 112 to
which ig mounted ~ cam follower wheel 114 which follow~
on the periphery of the cam 116, as ~hown in Figures
. _
14 and 15. At the end of the bar 106 i~ a lever llB
fixed theret~ LO which is mounted a cam follower wheel
- 14 -
,A. ' .
1~4()~2
120. The c~m follower wheel i9 meant to,follow cam
~lot 122 provided on the wall 14b.
Thus, in operation, the ~am follower wheel
114 will follow the periphery of the cam 116 providing
the vertical movement of the air pipe~ 104.,Howev~F,
as the arm 108 rotates clockwise, providing the vertic~l
lift to the air pipe~ 104, t~e;cam follower 120 will
follow in the slot 122 rotating the bar 106 relative
to the anm~ lOB in a further clockwise direction,
th~reby pivoting the air pipe~3 104, thus advar~cing the
s~ction CUp9 102 to~rd3 the nip fonmed ~y the driva
roller 134.
When th~ air pipe~ 104 have reached thelr
po~i~ion of maxih~um upward extension, the c~m ~ollower
114 will be riding on the area o~ greatest radiu~ sf
the cam llS, as ~hown in Fi~ure lS. At that poi~t,
the crank arm 112 will engage the cam wheel 131 at
the end of the valve lever 126 on the air pipe 130
just above the cam wheel 116. Thu~; the VAl ve 124
will be o~ened, allowin~ atmospheric air to enter
the vacuum air pipe 130, releasing the vacuum in the
suction cups 102, Thu~, the paper P i~ relea~ f~om
_ . the ~uction CUp8 102 and i~ picked up ~y the drive
xoller 134.
A~ the suction~pipe~ 104 and the auction
cupa 102 move back down to ~heir position above the
paper supply P, a~ ~hown in Figure 14, the crank anm
112 will diaerlga~e the cam wheel 131, allowing the
lever 126 to clo~e the valve 124 and maintain a vacuum
. in the air pipe 130 to the suction cupa 102.
- . A~ ~hown in Fi~ure 5. a driven roller 134 i~
provided for receiving the sheet of paper being relea~ed
. . .
....,. -- 1~ --
~l ,. , ~ ' ' .
~L~40~
by the suction cups 102. Pressure wheels 136 mounted
on the shaft 138 form a nip with the driven roll 134
but are normally disengaged therefrom. The shaft 138
is mounted at both ends to levers 140, which in turn are
mounted to a shaft 142 which passes at least through '
the wall 14b and mounts a lever 144 mounting a cam
wheel follower 146 (see Figure 8). Cam wheel follower
146 travels on the periphery of tha cam wheel 148 mounted
on shaft 42. The cam wheel 148 has a very slight off-
circle portion which, when engaged by the cam wheelfollower 146, forces the pressure wheels on the arms
140 to press against the drive roller 134. This is timed
' such that the pressure of the wheels 136 on the drive
rol:Ler 134 is applied just when a sheet of paper is engaged
by the nip.
A microswitch feeler 150 is provided down-
stream of the nip formed by the drive roller 134 and the
pressure wheels 136, as shown in Figure 16. This will
be described further.
The impression cylinder 20 is mounted
eccentrically on a shaft 12, and the shaft includes
enlargements 160 and bearings 162. The cylinder 30 includes
a hollow portion with an annular shell 164 defining an
opening 184. As seen in Figures 5 and 6, a gripper device
166 is located in the opening 184. The gripper device,l66
is clamped on a shaft 165. A plura~ity of gripper devices
166 are on the shaft 165, but for the purposes of sim-
plicity, only one gripper device 166 will be described.
Each gripper device 166 is urged closed by
' 30 means of a spring 178 attached at one end to a pin
.. . .
- 16 -
,.
!J ,~
7,
1~05~
member 180. A cam arm 168, shown in dotted lines ln
Figure 5, is connected to the gripper shaft 165 and
mounts a cam follower wheel 170. During the rotation
of the cylinder 20, the cam follower whe~l 170 -
presses over the cam ridge 172, forcing the grippex
166 against the spring 178 to assume an open pos t.ion
as shown in Figure 6. The gripper 166 i~ provided
with a blade 174 which is adapted to close aga_nst
the gripping surface 176 on the shell 164. As the
cylinder 2Q rotates in ~ counterclockwise manner,
driven by gear wheels 154 and 156 about the shaft 152,
the gripper will close as it passes the transfer
mechanism 18 just as a sheet i9 being fed between the
blade 174 and the surface l76, as be~t ~een in Figure
5. The gripper 166 will then entrain the ~heet about
the surface 182 of the cylinder 20 until it i8
approximately 190 from the transfer device, whereby
the gripper meàns 166 will be forced to open by mean~
of the cam ridge 172, and the delivery chain 24 will
remove the s~eet P as will be further described.
The various printing heads which are mG~nlted
on the shaft 188 must be provided with a ~lot whi~h
will register with the slot or opening 184 in the
impression cylinder 20. It is important that ~uoh a
slot be prov-cled in the various printing heads or at
least that the heads, such a~ the numbering head 202,
do not coincide with the opening 184 so as not to
press or otherwise interfere with the gripper 166.
Referring now to Figure 17, there is shown
a shaft 188 provided with a gear 186 meshing with gear
156 mounted to the cylinde~ 20. Shaft 188 is adapted
to be provided with a number of printing accessories,
- 17 -
,j ., - . - . , .
~40~
including, as shown in Figure 17, a numbering unit
190. In addition to the numbering unit 190, a printing
cylinder 214, as shown in Figure 19, can also be provided
either in place thereof or in addition to the numbering
unit 190. Also, a letterpress type printing head 208, as
shown in Figure 18, can be substituted or added onto the
shaft 188. The printing cylinder 214 is best suited for
a flexograph type soft printing pad, while the letter press
208 can receive, within the slot 210, an insert with the
printing characters protruding thereo~.
As shown in Figures 17, 18, 22, and 23, th~
numbering unit lso, as will be described, includes a
holder 192 adapted to receive a key 194 in the keyway 196
thereof, and a holder locking insert 198 is provided thereon
for retaining the holder in a registered manner on the shaft
188. A land 200 is provided on the holder 192 in order to
properly locate the numbering he~d 202 thereon or any other
printing head, such as pri~ti~g head 208.
In association with the numbering unit 190,
there is provided a shaft 218 on which is mounted a trip-
ping cam 220. Shaft 218 i8 journaled in the sleeve 222
provided on both walls 14a and 14b and is actuated by the
solenoid 232, as shown in dotted lines in Figures 22 and
23. A lever 234 tdotted lines) is fixed to the shaft 218.
As shown in Figures 20-21, the lmpresslon
cylinder 20 is adapted to ~eceive on the surface 182
thereof perforating strips 224 including upstanding teeth,
as are well known~ The perforating strips 224 are located
either laterally or peripn~rally of the cyllnder surface
182. A counter roller 226, which has an axis parallel to
- 18 -
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~, .
1240~5~
the axis of the cylinder 20, is provided adjacent the
cylinder 20 and has a longitudinally-convex surface.
The counter roller 226 presses the paper against the
projecting teeth 224, thereby callsing the sheet to be
perforated. The counter roller 226 is mounted on an eccentric
shaft 228, which can be angularly adjusted by means of
lever 230 urged by spring 231, as seen in Figure 24, by
adjusting the micro-adjustment screw 231, thus increasing
or decreasing the pressure of the counter roller 226 against
the perforating strips 224. The counter roller 226 includes
a longitudinally-convex sleeve, so as to compensate for
the deflection of the outer sleeve when.contacting the
teeth.
As mentioned earlier, the impression cylinder
20 is mounted eccentrically on the shaft 152. Rotation
of the shaft 152 in a clockwise direction will effect-
ively move the impression cylinder 20 away from the shaft
188 on which the various printing heads may be mounted.
In other words, the surface 182 of the impression cylinder
20 will be slightly spaced from the locus of the various
printing devices which could be mounted on shaft 188.
The mechanism for rotating the shaft 152 and thus moving the
cylinder 20 from the path or locus of the printing devices
is made up of ,the bellcrank arms 252 and 254 which are
fixedly connected by means of a hub 256 on the end of
! the shaft 152. A solenoid 250~is connected to the bell-
crank arm 252, while the other arm 254 mounts a pin 262.
A lock lever in the form of a bellcrank 260
includes a cam follower adapted to follow on the cam
wheel 264, shown in dotted lines in Figure 24~ On the
-- 19 --
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.,
~ ~o~
surface of the cam wheel 264, there is provided at
least one bump 265, which is effective to disengage bell-
crank 260 from a locked position with the pin 262 at
each rotation of the cam.
The bellcranks 252 and 254 are retained, in
the position shown in Figure 24 by lock lever 260
to maintain the cylinder 20 and itS cylindrical surface
182 tangent to the path of the printing devices mounted
on the shaft 188. A microswitch 266 includes a cam
follower wheel 267, which travels on cam wheel 268
even when the bellcrank 260 is disengaged from the pin
262 at each rotation of the cam. When the cam follower
267 passes over the bump 270 of cam wheel 268, current
which is furnished by microswitch 150 is allowed to pass
to solenoid 250 in order to activa~te and maintain the
cylinder retracted, thereby holding the shaft 152 in
position. However, if in any one cycle of the shaft 188
and of the cylinder 20 the microswitch 150 should fail
to be tripped by a sheet of paper, the micxoswitch 266
will be deactivated, thereby allowing the spring 258
to urge the bellcrank 52, 254 to rotate clockwise
against the locked bellcrank 260. When the locked
bellcrank 260 is disengaged from t~ pin 262, as
previously exprained, the bellcranks 252 and 254 will
thus move clockwise on urging of the spring 258, thereby
rotating the shaft 152, thus moVing ~he impression
cylinder 20 away. Any number of electrical circuits may
be provided for operating the solenoid 250 from the
microswitch 150.
Because of the timing factor of the cam wheel
264, the current may be fed to the solenoid 250 only
when the bump 265 on the cam wheel 264 is approaching
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~o~
the follower on bellcrank 260 such that when the
bellcrank 260 is disengaged from the pin 262, there is
current passing through the solenoid, thereby activating
it and retaining the bellcrank 252, 254 in its enga;ged
position, as shown in Figure 24. If the microswitch
150 fails to be tripped on any one cycle, the solénoid
will, of course, not be activated, and the bellcrank
arms 252 and 254 will rotate as the~cam wheel 264 trips
the bellcrank 260.
The solenoid 232 is affected by the signal
from the microswitch 150. As shown in Figures 22 and
23, every time the solenoid 232 is activated, it will
retract, drawing the lever 234 to rotate the tripping cam
220, thereby changing the number on the numbering head
202. However, if the microswitch 150 is not tripped
at any one cycle, the current will not be sent to solenoid
232, there~y leaving the tripping cam 220 in the position
shown in Figure 23 for that particular cycle~ Thus,
the numbering head 202 will pass unchanged.
In fact, microswitch 266 provides the current
to the solenoid 250 as its cam follower wheel 267 passes
over the bump 270. The current, however, will not pass
to the solenoids 232 or 250 when the microswitch 150 is
not depressed by the paper.
2S The gear rim 186 may be adjusted relative
to the gear hub 187 in order to adjust the register o~
the shaft 188 relative to the impression cylinder 20.
The ad~ustment mechanism includes an anchor 248 mounted
to the hub 187 which is provided with a threaded aperture
through which the threaded bolt 244 passes. The sleeve
246 is mounted to a link 238 which is in turn pivotally
articulated to the gear rim 186. A link 236 pivotally
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A
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~, ~d l-. X ~) 5 S~ ~
mounted to the rim at 240 is also provided and is
articulated with the link 238. As shown in Figure 25,
the head of the bolt 244 may be rotated by means of a ~
suitable Allen screw for adjusting the rim 186 relatlve
to the hub 187.
The ink unit 22 is shown in Figures 2, 26,
and 27. The ink unit 22 includes a sub-frame which
includes opposed pairs of wall plates 300a and 300b sup-
ported together by connecting rods 302, 304, and 306.
The wall 300b mounts pivot blocks 308 and 310 which are
meant to be seated on an upstanding pivot rod 312 mounted
to the frame 14. The ink unit 22 can be removed as one
separate unit by lifting it from the pivot rod 312.
It is also adapted to swing on the pivot rod 312 from
a position shown in Figure 2, for instance, where it is
disengaged from the printing heads to a position shown
in Figures 4, 26, and 27, where the walls 300a and 300b
are parallèl to the walls 14a and 14b respectively. The
ink unit 22 also lncludes a gear wheel 314, mounted to
a shaft 318, and a gear wheel 316, mounted to a shaft
320 spacedly frQm gear wheel 3147 wherein, in the last-
mentioned position, both gear wheels 314, 316 mesh with
gear wheel 186.
The shaft 338 also mounts a cam wheel 326 on the
outside outside of the wall 300b. The cam wheel 326 also
acts as a crank wheel mounting a stub shaft 330 to which
is connected a link 332. Link 332 includes a link pin
334 at the end thereof to which aremounted a pair of
levers 336 and 338.
Lever 336 is connected at its other end to a
threaded sleeve 340 through which a threaded screw 344
passes. Screw 344 rotates in a bracket 342 mounted to
, . . .
: ~,
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~4~
the wall 300b. A sleeve 345 is also mounted on the
screw 344 between the bracket 342 and the threaded
sleeve 340 mounted on the lever 336. The other end of
lever 338 is connected to a pivot 346 on a lever 348
which in turn is fixed to a ratchet bearing 352 on a
shaft 350.
Along opposite wall 300a, shaft 350 mounts
the roller 356 in an ink reservoir 353 (Fig. 26). Recip-
rocating movement of the lever 348, as shown in dotted
lines in Figure 27, causes the roller 356 to rotate clock-
wise intermittently by way of the ratchet bearing 352.
The stroke of the reciprocating lever 348 can
be adjusted by the screw 344. As the screw 344 is rotated
clockwise, it forces the lever 336 to reduce the angle
with lever 338. As the angle between levers 336 and 338
decreases, the stroke of the lever 348 is reduced. How-
ever, as the screw 344 is adjusted in the opposite
direction, the angle between the axis of Ti~vers336 and 338 is
increased, thereby increasing the stroke o the lever
348 and thus the speed at which the ink roller 356 passes
through the ink well 354.
Another cam wheel 322, mounted on shaft 318
~Figs 26,27), has a peripheral sur~ace which is eccentric
to the shaft 318, and a cam follower 360 follows the
periphery of the cam wheel 22, giving the arm 362 a
reciprocatlng angular movement. The arm 362 is fixed
to the shaft 364, as shown in Figure 26, to which is
mounted a first lever 366 connected by a spring 368 to
the connecting rod 306, thereby urging it in a counter-
clockwise direction.
A pair of levers 374 support by their yoke
ends 376 a shaft 372 mounting a transfer roller 370.
___ , ... ..
5'~
The angular movement of the arm 362 reciprocates the
lever 374, thereby moving the transfer roller 370 between
a position i~ contact with the ink roller 356 and the
transfer roller 380. The transfer roller 380 is mounted
on a shaft 383 adapted to slide in a vertical slidé
bracket 388, is in turn mounted to pivot 384 and presses
against the rollers 322 and 324 to transfer ink thereon
to these rollers. A spreading rol-l~er 382, mounted on
a shaft 381 slidable in brackets 388, presses downwardly
against the roller 380, in order to spread the ink
thereon in a thin film as the ink is intermittently
placed on the periphery of the roller 380 by means of the
transfer roller 370. The bracket 388 is urged against
the rollers 322 and 324 by means of a spring 386 connected
to the bracket 388 and to an upright projection 389 extend-
ing from the top edge of wall 30Ob.
The take-off of the paper sheet from the
impression~roller 20 can be provided in many ways. For
instance, a conventional cha~n delivery can be provided
which will be briefly described herein. On the other
hand, a chute can be provided adjacent the impression
roll~r for removing the sheets from the roller after the
gripping device 166 has released the she~t.
- In the Fresent embodiment, a chain delivery
has been described~ As previously mentioned, the
gripper 166 which includes a cam follower arm 168, will
release the paper as its cam follower wheel 170 engages
the cam ridge 172 as the impression roller 20 rotates
counterclockwise. Figure 28 shows the position in which
the cam follower wheel 170 engages the ridge 172, and
Figure 29 shows the next operative position whereby
, the gripper 166 has released the paper as the cam follower
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0 ~ ~
wheel 170 rides on the cam ridge 172.
The chain delivery 24 includes, as shown in
Figures 2, 5, 6, 28, 29, and 30, a pair of chains 400
and 402, which travel about respective pairs of sprockéts
404, 414, and 406 and 416. The sprockets 404 and~406
are mounted on a shaft 408 which in turn mounts a gear
wheel 436 adapted to mesh with the gear wheel 156 ~Fig. 6)
on the impression cylinder 20. The shaft 408 also mounts
a plurality of spaced-apart spacer wheels 420 (Figure 2)
which together form what is known as a false cylinder.
Ea~h spacer wheel 420 is provided with teeth 421 and a
sector-shape opening 422 merging with the central through-
bore of wheel 420 through which extends sha~t 408. Opening
422 registers with the opening 184 in the impression cyl-
inder, so as to avoid interference with the gripper 166
mounted in the opening 184 of impression cylinder 20.
The shaft 408 is mounted on a pair of sub-frames 410 and
412~ as shown in Figure 2.
Each chain 400 and 402 su~tends a plurality of
spaced-apart grippers 426. A cam device 424 is mounted
to the subframe 410 and is meant to coact with consecutive
grippers 426. The grippers 426 are arranged on the
chains 400 and 402, so that they coincide with the openings
422 when they pass over the spacer wheels 420. Each
gripper 426 includes a gripper bar 431 extending between
the chains 400 and 402 with levers 430 pivoted thereon,
to which is mounted a jaw 432. The jaw 432 is meant to
open and close against the bar 431 of the gripper 426,
and a rubber pad 434 may be provided on the face of the bar
431, so as to engage the paper P. The lever 430 mounts
a cam follower 428, which is adapted to follow on the
cam 424, thereby opening the jaw 432 when the gripper
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A
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s
426 approaches the tangential position relative to
the periphery of the cylindrical surface 182 of the
impression cylinder 20. As the jaw 432 passe~ the
position shown in Figure 28, it~is open and is adapted
to close on the edge of the sheet P to relieve the
the sheet from the gripper 166. As seen in Figure 29,
once the jaws are closed thereon, the paper sheet P
will be entrained about the falsè`cylinder formed by the
spacer wheels 420 and will be carried on the bottom race
of th~ chain 400, for instance. A flat tray can be
provided below the race to allow the shéets to slide
thereon. The chain delivery is designed to release the
sheet of paper over the stacker 26.
Stacker 26 is shown in Figures 31 to 34. A
tray 440 (Figure 4) is provided between the frame walls 14a
and 14b, ~n~ a Mec~.anlsm~for lowering the tray is illus-
trated in Figures 31 and 32. This mechanism includes
chains 478 to which tray 440 is attached. The mechanism
includes a crank wheel 438 mounted on an extension of the
shaft 418 past the wall 14a. The~crank wheel mounts an
eccentric stub shaft 442 to which an arm 444 is connected.
The other end of the arm 444 is pivotally connected to
a lever 448 by means of a pivot pin 446. The lever 448
pivots on the shaft 450, which mounts a toothed wheel 452
(the teeth being of the sawtooth type~, as well as a
ratchet lever 454 pivoted to the pivot pin 456 on the
lever 448.
A cam 462 is also pivotally mounted to the
shaft 450 and is fixed to a lever 464, which is adapted-
to be angularly adjusted in the bracket 466. A handle
460 is provided for adjustment of the lever 464. The
ratchet lever 454 is provided with a spring 460 urging
- ~6 -
.. .. .. .. .
the lever towards the toothed wheel 452. One end of
the spring abuts against a cam pin 458 which rides
on the cam 462. The position of the cam 462 lS determlned
by the position of the lever 464 in the bracket 466 and
the position of cam 462 will determine the effective
length of movement that the ratchet 454 will be éngaged on
the toothed wheel 452. For instance, when the cam 462 is
in the position as shown in Figure 32, the'ratchet lever
454 will engage the toothed wheel 452 for a much longer
di~tanc~ ln its stroke than-wh~n the cam 462 is'in the
position as shown in Figure 31. This results in a faster
descent of the tray 440,as will be explained further.
Also mounted on shaft 450 is a bevel gear 470
which is engaged with bevel gear 472 on the end of a
worm gear 474 rotatably carried by wall 14a. Work gear 474
turns th~'gear 476 which is mounted on a shaft 479. Altbough
not shown, a pair of sprockets are provided on the shaft
479 about`which chains 478 are entrained.
As the crank wheel 438 rotates clockwise, the
arm 444 will reciprocate a given distance, as shown in
dotted lines in Figures 31 and 32. The cam 462, as
previously explained, will determine the length of travel
that the ratchet 454 will engage the toothed wheel 452.
The toothed wheel 452, as it rotates counterclockwise,
a' ~ rotates the bevel gear 470 and thus the bevel gear
472 and, therefore, the worm gear 474 and the gear 476.
For each intermittent advance thereof, the chain 478
- will lower the tray 440 a proportional distance.
,, ,
Referring now to Figure 33, it will be evident-
that behind the crank wheel 438 is provided a cam path
dete~mined by a cam wheel 480, which causes pivoting
' movement of a follower 481 on lever 482, which is
.
- 27 -
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~f,
,,i
)5~Z
intermediately pivoted at 484 on the bracket 483 fixed
to the frame wall 14a. A follower on the other end of
the lever 482 travels between sleeves 488 and 489 mounted
on a sliding rod 486. The other end of the rod 486 is
threaded and engages in a bracket 49q which slides on
a guide rod 492. A jogger plate 490 is fixed to the
bracket 494 and reciprocates a given distance, as shown
in dotted-l rles in Fisura 33, in response to the action of the
cam wheel 480 on the lever 482. The jogger plate 490 is
effective to maintain sidewise alignment of the sheets of
paper which are being deposited on the tray 440 by the chain
delivery 24. As shown in Figure 2, there are two plates on
either side of the stack but only plate 4g0 reciprocates.
Plate 491 is static.
On the other side of the frame 14, that is, on
frame wall 14b, there i~ provided, as shown in Figure 34, 1
crank wheel 496 mounted on the shaft 418. A stub shaft 502
i5 eccentrically mounted on the crank wheel 496, to which
is connected an arm 500 which is pivotally connected at
pin 504 to a lever 506, which in turn is fixedly connected
to a shaft 513 (Figure 2) which is journaled to bracket 510.
The shaft 513 mounts a gearwheel 508, which in turn engages
a rack 514 sliding in a track 512. The end of the rack
514 is provided with a jogger plate 516, which reciprocates,
as shown in dotted lines in Figure 34, to align the ends
of the sheets of paper P in the stack. As seen, the
reciprocating movement is caused by the crank wheel 496
whlch, through the levers 500 and 506, causes ~he gear
- 508 to reciprocate the rack 514.
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