Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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PRINTING ~ACHINE
The present invention relates to printing
machines and more specifically the present invention
relates to a printing machine of the kind where
impressions are reproduced on forms or documents
by rolling on a roller platen across the face of
a form or document which is placed over a surface
having embossed characters thereon.
:~anual an~ electrically oFerated printing machines
for many ]cinds and types of credit cards, medical
cards, bank cards, etcetera are available today.
Most of these printing machines, however, are designed
to print on a form having a specific thic]sness and
form an embossment on a card or the like, with a
specific height. Thus, a printing machine which is
suitable for printing from one type of card may not
print clearly from a different type of card. Further-
more, if a paper from a document was of a different
thickness, it might not fit under the roller platen,
or may not print legibly. In this day and age when
stories and businesses accept many different types
of credit cards, a problem arises as to finding a
printing machine which can utili~e all these credit
cards. Another problem is in the use of medical cards
where hospitals sometimes have to print forms from two
or three different cards having different thicknesses.
Most existing printing machines exert a certain
pressure on the form or document to be printed, and
as the form has a standard thickness or similar number
of copies, and the embossed height on the card is also
standard, the machine prints satisfactorily. Most
print cards have embossed characters with a height of
.018 inches and this seldom changes. However, as soon
as the thickness of the form or number of copies
changes, or as soon as the thickness of the card
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changes, then the roller platen must move to a
different position and either no printing occurs,-
or the print is illegible. Furthermore, if the
thickness of the card and form is too great,-then
the pressure on the forms from the roller platen
is so high that it is difficuIt for an operator to
move the printing head carriage across the form.
Another problem-that occurs when the pressure from
the roller platen is too high, is that the emhossed
characters on a plastic card are crushed which damages
the card so it cannot be used in other printing machines.
One purpose of the present invention is to provide
a printing machine that attempts to overcome all the
above mentioned problems occurring with existing printing
machines. It is an aim of the present invention to
provide a printing machine that can print different
thicknesses of forms from different thicknesses of
print cards. It is a further aim of the present invention
to provide a printing machine that provides an even
pressure from the roller platen on the form when rolling
over the e~kossed prin~ing characters regædless of the tric~sness
of paper forms or thickness of print card.
A still further aim of the present invention is
to provide a printing machine that may easily be modified
to hold many different embossed cards of different thick-
nesses and can be fitted with templates, masks or guides
to allow the customer to change the card position by
choosing the right 'emplate when the paper form or
document is changed or redesigned. It is another aim
to be able to use two cards on a print bed, the cards
having different thicknesses and yet be able to reproduce
the characters from both cards on one or more forms with
equal print intensity.
The present invention provides a printing machine
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for printing on forms of varying thickness from a
surface having embossed characters thereon comprising
a base; print bed means on the base for holding
embossed printing characters facing upwards; elongate
member having a rectangular cross section, the member
positioned above, extending across and parallel to the
print bed means and supported from the base; roller
head carriage positioned about the elongate member for
reciprocal movement thereon print roller platen
supported from the carriage beneath the elongate member,
adapted to roll over the embossed printing charcaters on
the print bed means when the carriage moves along the
elongate member; guide frame within the carriage having
roller means for reciprocal movement on the elongate
member with restricted tipping and slewing of the guide
frame relative to the elongate member; the guide frame
attached to the carriage and having restricted upward
movement in one plane relative to the carriage; and
spring bias r,leans pressing the guide frame upwards in
the one plane, pushing the print roller platen in the
carriage against the embossed characters on the
print bed means, and maintaining su~stantially
even printing pressure for varying
thickness of forms. In a preferred embodiment, the roller
means in the guide frame has two end stabilizer plates
with four guide rollers positioned therebetween, two of
the guide rollers rolling on top of the elongate member
and the other two of the guide rollers rolling underneath
the elongate member, the four guide rollers restricting
tipping of the guide frame relative to the elongate
member, and side guide rollers positioned axially on
and at each end of the four guide rollers adjacent the
elongate member, the side guide rollers restricting
slewing of the guide frame relative to the elongate
member.
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In other embodiments of the in~ention, the
print bed means has at least one open sided template
to accomadate a card having embossed characters
thereon, the template permitting the card to be slid
into a fixed position for printing, the spring bias
means maintaining substantially even printing pressure
for different thicknesses of cards. In another embodiment
a slide cover slides over edges on the base, and the cover
has at least one cut-out for holding a card having embossed
characters thereon. Adjustable stops may be attached to
the base for providing a guide for positioning a form.
The elongate member can be supported at both ends
or can be cantilevered from one end. In one embodiment
the elon~ate member is supported at both ends and is
pivoted to aIlow the roller head carriage and the elongate
member to be swung open.
The operation of the roller head carriage may be
manual or motorized to provide a reciproaal movement. In
the case of a motorized unit, a cover is supplied to
protect the mechanism and a tripping means is provided
on the cover to activate the motorized unit.
In drawings which illustrate embodiments of the
invention;
Fig. 1 is an isometric view showing one embodiment
of a printi~g machine according to the present invention;
Fig. 2 is an isometric view showing another
embodiment of a printing machine;
Fig. 3 is an isometric view showing a motorized
version of a printing machine according to the present
invention with the elongate member and roller head
carriage pivoted open;
Fig. 4 is an isometric view showing the motorized
printing machine as shown in Fig. 3 with the elongate
member and roller head carriage in the closed position
ready for printing;
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Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a roller head
carriage taken at line 5-5 of Fig. l;
Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken at line 6-6
of Fig. 5;
Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken at line 7-7
of Fig. 5;
Fig. 8 is an isometric exploded view, partially
in section, showing the base and print bed of a printing
machine with various templates, masks and guides to
hold embossed cards;
Fig. 9 is a schematic view of the electric
motorized drive for the printing machine shown in
Figs. 3 and 4.
One embodiment of a printing machine 10 is shown
in Fig. 1 having a base 12 with a top plate 14 thereon
representing a print bed. Details of the manner in
which embossed characters are mounted on or secured to
the print bed 14 will be explained hereafter. The base
12 has four rubber suction mounts 16 which stop the base
12 from moving when printing occurs. These rubber mounts
16 are not essential, but are preferred. Other devices
may be provided to hold or lock the printing machine in
a fixed location.
An elongate member 18 is positioned above the
print bed 14 parallel to the print bed and extending
across the base 12 from one side to the other. The
elongate member 18 has a rectangular cross section and
in a preferred embodiment is a square tube. Support
plates 20 at both ends of the elongate member 18 hold
the member 18 rigidly to the base 12. The support
plates 20 have an arm 22-that is su~stantially parallel
to the base 12 and then extends down to the corner of
the base 12 thus providing access forms and the like
to be inserted from the sicle or straight through from
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the front to the back of the print bed 14. A roller
head carriage 24 is mounted on the elongate member
18 and is able to reciprocate on the elongate member
18. Details of the roller head carriage 24 will be
explained hereafter. A handle 26 is mounted on top
of the roller head carriage 24 for manual operation.
Fig. 2 illustrates another embodiment of a
printing machinè wherein the elongate member 18 is
cantilevered from one side. This provides a printing
machine which has a single post 30 extending from one
corner of the base 12, and a support arm 32 which in
turn is formed integral with the elongate member 18.
In the embodiments shown, the post 30, support arm 32
and elongate member 18 are all made from square tube
material of the same size and welded together so that
the elongate member 18 is rigidly held in the
position above the print bed 14. A stop 34 is provided
on the open end of the elongate arm 18 to prevent the
roller head carriage 24 from being pushed off the elongate
member 18.
Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate a motorized printing
machine in comparison with the manually operated printing
machine shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In the case of the
motorized unit, the elongate member 18 is supported
at both ends hy support plates 20 and the support plates
are pivoted at the corners to the base 12. Thus the
assembly of elongate member 18 and roller head carriage
24 may be pivoted open for ease of inserting plates
and forms for printing. Fig. 3 illustrates the elongate
member 18 and roller head carriage 24 pivoted open and
Fig. 4 shows the assembly in the closed position ready
for printing. A lock may b~ provided to hold the
assembly in the closed position, however, a lock is
not essential, and printing can occur in the locked
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or unlockéd position. Details of the drive mechanism
will be shown hereafter. The movement of the roller
head carriage 24 may be set by limit switches or stops
so that it extends for a portion of the length of
elongate member 18 or for the full length depending
on the type of printing and form required. The
motorized unit has a cover 40 protecting the motorized
drive mechanism with an activating lever 42 at the
front of the cover which activates the drive and the
roller head carriage 24 reciprocates across the print
bed 14. Pushing down on the activating lever 42
ensures a solid contact between the support plates 20
and a stop positioned on the base 12. While printing,
the print roller platen moves upwards in the roller
head carriage 24 above the print bed 14. The elongate
member 18 does not pivot open while printing occurs.
It is not necessary to lock the elongate member 18 and
roller head carriage 24 assembly in the print position
although a lock is provided for transportation purposes
and for continuous printing. An interlock is also
provided so that the printing sequence does not take
place until the elongate member 18 and roller head
carriage 24 assembly are in the printing position.
Details of the roller head carriage are shown in
Figs. 5, 6 and 7. The carriage 24 has two end plates
50 joined together at the top by a top plate 52. A
print roller platen 54 is supported at the bottom of
the two end plates 50 on a shaft 56 extending from two
holes 58 in the end plates 50. The print roller platen
54 may be impregnated with ink, or may be formed from a
resilient material with no ink thereon. When an ink
impregnated platen 54 is used, it rolls over a form or
forms on top of the embossed characters on the print
bed 14 and leaves ink where the embossed characters
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push the form upwards. For a non-inked platen 54,
the paper forms are sensitive to pressure, or have
a layer of carbon or other pressure printing layer
therein, so the embossed characters are highlighted.
A spring shaft 60 extends between the two end plates
50 just above the print roller platen 54 and is held
in place b~ socket screws through holes 62.
A guide frame 54 is positioned inside the roller
head carriage 24 akout the elongate member 18. The
guide frame 64 has two end stabilizer plates 66 adapted
to be positioned adjacent the insides of the two end
plates 50 of the carriage 24. The stabilizer plates
66 both have four round holes therein arranged sub-
stantially in a square to hold the roller shafts 68.
Each roller shaft 68 has both ends extending through
the two stabili~er plates 66 into vertical slots 70
provided on the insides ~f the two end plates 50 of
the carriage 24. The four end slots 70 provide
restricted linear movement in one plane for the guide
frame 66. Two top guide rollers 72 on the two upper
roller shafts 68 roll on the top surface of the
elongate member 18, and two bottom guide rollers 74,
which are shown in two halves with a space therehetween,
roll on the edges of the bottom surfaces of the elongate
member 18, thus the elongate member 18 fits precisely
within the guide rollers 72 and 74 and prevents the
guide frame 64 from being tipped when it moves on the
elongate member 18. Side guide rollers 76 are provided
on each of the four shafts 68 positioned at the sides
and having a diameter larger than the guide rollers 72
and 74. The side guide rollers 76 have their edges
running against the vertical sides of the elongate
member 18 and thus restrict slewing action between
the guide frame 64 and the elongate member 18. A leaf
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g
spring 78 passes over the spring shaft 60 and under
the two lower shafts 68 between the guide rollers 74
and biases the whole guide frame 64 upwards within
the housing 24. Inasmuch as the only movement that
can occur between the guide frame 64 and the housing
24, is the restricted linear movement due to the slots
70, there can be no tipping or slewing action for the
roller head carriage 24 relative to the elongate member
18. When pressure occurs on the print roll platen 54,
it has provisions to rise up against the leaf spring
78 with the guide roller shafts 68 sliding in the slots
70 of the end plates 50. However, the downward pressure
on the print roll platen 54 remains substantially the same
throughout the whole movement of the guide frame 64
within these slots 70. A set screw 79 and lock nut
are fitted through one of the end plates 50, so the
stabilizer plates 66 can be adjusted fordistance apart,
ensuring side guide rollers 76 are the correct distance
apart to restrict slewing.
As shown in Fig. 8, the base 12 is preferably made
from square tube sections 80 welded together at the
corners. The dimension of the square tube sections 80
in one embodiment is substantially the same dimension
as the elongate tube 18. The print bed 14 is attached
to the square tubes 80 and has lips 82 at both sides
for a slide cover 84 with wrap around edges 86. The
lips 82 act as guides for the cover 84. Cut-outs 88
may be provided in the cover 84 for cards having
characters embossed thereon. Fig. 8 shows two cut-outs
88 for two separate cards with a smaller cut-out in the
center which can be used for a date or numbering system.
The date or numbering system can be incorporated into
the base in a known manner. Various covers 84 may be
made available, and if it is desirous of changing the
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position of the card, the form to be printed, or
the shape and dimension of the card, then a different
cover 84 can be slipped over the print bed plate 14.
A double mask 90 having the same cut-outs as the
cover 84 is shown. This double mask 90 may be made
from sheet metal, plastic sheet or other suitable
material and glued or otherwise attached to the print
bed plate 14. An open sided template 92 is also shown
for mounting on the print bed plate 14. The template
92 accomodates a card having embossed characters thereon
and permits the card to be slid into a fixed position
on the print bed plate 14. Similarily a further template
or mask 94 is shown for attaching to the print bed plate
14.
Guides or stops 96 for forms or documents have a
U-shaped elongate member 98 which fit into holes 100 in
the square tube 80 of the base 12, and allow different
sizes of forms to be positioned to suit the print bed
14. Whereas back and side stops 96 are shown, it will
be apparent that front guides and stops can also be
provided. Most print cards are made of plastic and
have embossed characters with a height of .018 inches.
Paper thicknesses vary from .0005 up to .040 inches
and in some cases, a form can have several sheets of
paper with carbonsin between. ~ost plastic print cards
vary in thickness from .018 to .030 inches and the
present invention takes a variation in thickness of
credit card. The height of the embossed characters
can be more or less than the norm. It has been found
that up to 20 sheets of paper may be used on the
printing machine of the present invention and still
obtain a legible print of the characters on the top
sheet. In one embodiment, the elongate memher 18
is twelve inches long and provides a roller head carriage
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movement of nine and a half inches. This distance is
sufficient for two cards and a rotary date change stamp
in between.
The masks and guides as shown in Fig. 8 may be
formed of metal or plastic. They may be glued or in
other ways attached to the print bed plate 14. In one
embodiment, magnetic clips are used to position the
mask or guide, however, these should not be used with
a print card having a magnetic strip thereon, as it may
erase the magnetic code on the card. Plastic clips may
be glued to the print bed plate 14 or onto a cover plate
84 as shown in Fig. 8.
A stop 102 is forme~ integral with the base 12
on the opposing back corners. The stop provides a solid
contact in the embodiment wherein the elongate member 13
is pivoted. The two support plates 24 are pivoted
upwards to open the machine, but the stops 102 provide a
solid position for printing.
Details of the drive mechanism are shown in Fig.
9 wherein a gear motor 110 attached to one support arm
20 has a pinion 112 which drives a gear 114. A sprocket
116 attached to gear 114 moves a drive chain 118 baG~rds an~
forwards from a fixed sprocket 120 at the other end of
the elongate member 18. Another sprocket 122 with a
clutch mechanism therein is attached to the roller head
carriage 24. In operation the gear motor 110 drives the
roller head carriage backwards and forwards on the elongate
member 18. The safety clutch on sprocket 122 prevents
fingers getting caught under the roller or too thick
cards being placed on the print bed. If an obstruction
is encountered, the safety clutch disengages from one
side of the chain 118, and engages the other side,-so
the carriage 24 returns to the starting position. Stops
may be positioned on the elongate member to vary the
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travel distance.
A micro switch 12~ is activated by lever 42
to start the printing. An interlock microswitch 126
is provided on one support arm to prevent the gear
motor 110 from being started when the elongate arm
18 is not pivoted to the fully closed position.
It has been found that the print roller platen
has a longer life when used with the present p~inting
machine due to the fact that it always provides an
even pressure across the surface of the cards, and
always presses downwards in one place.
Various changes may be madè to the embodiments
shown herein without departing from the scope of the
present invention which is limited only by the following
claims.
