CH315623A - Printing type photographic machine - Google Patents

Description

  

  The present invention relates to a photographic machine for composing printed characters. Photo graphic composition machines are intended to produce lines of characters, from lines composed of individual elements carrying characters, directly on a film or on a sensitized paper; a printing plate suitable in particular for offset and gravure printing processes can be prepared from this film or from this paper.

   In these known machines, the lines of characters are produced, letter by letter, from lines of elements carrying characters which are capable of being photographed and have a basic shape and dimensions.

   The elements may have the general shape of the dies used in commercial line composition and block line molding machines, but have on their flat and wide side a character capable of being photographed. These character-bearing elements are individually and successively removed from a composed line to be transferred to a camera with a view to photographing their respective characters on the sensitized film or paper.

   The correct letter and word spacings for successive photographic exposures are obtained by moving a film holder step by step for each exposure, the amplitude of the movements step by step being controlled by the thickness of the edge of the removed elements. successively; this thickness is equal or proportionate to the com position width of the particular character arranged on the wide side face of the element considered. A machine of this type has been described in Swiss patent N 284815.



       These machines are normally mounted on a heavy metal frame and their total weight, of the order of 1400 kg, practically eliminates the possibility of moving them easily from one right to another. These machines, however, function satisfactorily, but the need arises for a simplified photographic composition machine of relatively low weight, operating on the same principles and capable of being added to the high efficiency machines of the type mentioned or replace them if necessary.



  It is therefore advisable to produce a photocomposition machine of this type, which is relatively light and transportable, for example a machine which can be mounted on an ordinary desk and in which most of the heavy supports and mechanisms of the machine have been eliminated. high efficiency machine.

   The sequence of operations carried out in the photocomposition of the characters, using the machine described in the patent cited above with reference, essentially comprises 1 - the composition, in an assembly slide slide, of the dies carrying the individual characters to photograph; 2 - transfer of the assembled line to an assembly elevator; 3 - the rise of the elevator to trigger an electrical contact with a view to allowing a delivery trolley actuated by a spring to propel the line to a justification station; "4 - optional justification of the assembled line or a selected part of it at the justification station;

    5 - the release of a mobile power supply rack with the assembled line and simultaneous start-up of the camera mechanism comprising the means responsible for transporting the dies, one by one, from the front end of the assembled line to to the pho tographic station and from there to a matrix recovery system; 6 - the return of the feed rack and the delivery carriage to their initial positions when the photograph of a line of dies has been carried out, and the return of the film holder in the camera to its position initial start so that it is positioned to photograph the next line of characters.



  In the photocomposition machines described in the above-mentioned patent and used with the flexible justifying mechanism described in Swiss Patent No. 302927, all of these operations, except for Operation No. 3, are carried out mechanically. by mechanisms actuated by a main camshaft driven by an electric motor.

   The dies are arranged in a channel-shaped magazine, from where they are taken out for composing in an assembly elevator by manipulating a keyboard; when the elevator has been lifted by hand to release the delivery cart and thereby advance the compound line to the justifying station, cam operated levers operate in a timing plane to control the mechanism of justification; when this is completed, the feed rack is released so that it can move forward; the camera and the die recovery systems then begin to operate.



  When the photograph of a dialed line is completed, the feed rack and delivery carriage are automatically returned to their starting positions, in which they are locked until they are released again by the continuation of operations.



  The printing type photographic machine according to the invention is of the type in which matrices carrying characters intended to be photographed are successively composed, delivered and justified before being brought one by one to a station. photographic, by a synchronized mechanism comprising an assembly elevator, a delivery trolley and a supply rack, the intermittent advance of which is controlled as a function * of the thickness of each die, this rack producing a movement rectilinear and corresponding intermittent of a film carrier so that the characters are photographed in linear succession.

   It is characterized by the fact that it comprises a manual composition device, a jus tification mechanism intended to be actuated by hand, means intended to be actuated by hand to release the supply rack in order to enable it. to move forward, and to simultaneously actuate the photographing mechanism, and other means intended to be actuated by hand to effect a withdrawal movement of the delivery carriage, the feed rack and the film holder , when the photography of a compound line is finished. Machines of this kind are particularly useful for certain special printing jobs in which direct hand-made composition is preferred over keyboard-based.

   For example, many of the Eastern and Middle Eastern languages have alphabets made up of a very large number of individual characters; as striking examples of these languages, we can cite Chinese and Japanese. In these cases, keyboard composition is impractical and it is essential to use direct composition by hand. Likewise, the composition of mathematical signs and other scientific signs frequently requires the use of a very large number of specialized characters, and the machine according to the invention is particularly useful for this kind of work.

   Such a machine can be used for the composition of advertisements in which relatively small texts are employed in cooperation with illustrations and for various special printing works relating to, for example, greeting cards, catalogs, labels and others. articles in which lines of text or single words are to be printed on maps and the like. \ A particular embodiment is also particularly suitable for line repetition operations. Thus, in printing different business printed matter, such as ruled printed matter, it is desirable to photograph the characters of a given line made up of different elements a large number of times.

   The present machine may be quite suitable for this kind of work. It is also desirable in some cases to repeat a line a large number of times, changing only one character or two characters, for example. Thus, in the irripression of books, the first line of each page may include the title of the book and the page number; therefore, the top lines of successive pages differ from each other only by the numbers used for page numbering.



  The appended drawing represents, by way of example, an embodiment of the machine which is the subject of the invention.



  The fis. 1 is an elevational view thereof; did it. 2 is an end view of a die return corridor as well as the upper lock of this corridor; did it. 3 represents a matrix in perspective; did it. 4 is a perspective view of the lower left portion of the fis. 1; it shows the lower portion of the housing of a camera and the film holder, as well as elastic means cooperating with a line delivery lever and the die elevator;

    did it. 5 is a perspective of a die composition device and shows the relative positions of an assembly carriage and a sizing member with respect to the split support of the composition device; tears and the separation of some parts allow to show a stop which limits the movement of the assembly carriage and the line of dies, inside the elevator; did it. 6 is a vertical section showing the elevator and shows in particular how the elevator engages a line of dies which are introduced therein by the assembly carriage;

    did it. 7 is an elevational view of part of the assembly carriage; it shows the rear wall of the elevator and a line of masters which are partially withdrawn from the assembly carriage by the elevator; did it. 8 is an elevational view of the right portion of the fis. 1; it shows on a large scale a mechanism for adjusting the length of the lines and an index device facilitating the adjustment of the composition device; did it. 9 is a plan view of part of the line length adjustment mechanism and shows how the dialer sizing device is positioned relative to the line length index to ensure proper relative adjustment of the assembly carriage and the calibrator;

    fig. 10 is a vertical section taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 9, with this difference however that in fig. 10 the composition device has been introduced into its channel, while in fig. 9 the channel does not contain the dialing device; this fig. 10 shows the split support of the composition device in the operating position and the assembly carriage in its extreme left position, in which it supports a line of dies inside the elevator;

    fig. 11 is a broken vertical section taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 8 and shows the relative positions of the different parts of the composition device and of its channel as well as the graduation of the drum and the line length index; fig. 12 is an enlarged elevational view of the central portion of FIG. 1 and shows in particular the mechanism which automatically produces the full intensity of the light source during the photography of a line of elements;

    fig. 13 is a view of part of the mechanism for adjusting the light intensity, this view being taken along line 13-13 of FIG. 12; fig. 14 is an elevational view of the right-hand portion of the light intensity regulating mechanism of FIG. 12; fig. 15 is an elevational view of a control bar of the justification lock and shows the bar in a position corresponding to the unlocked position of the justification mechanism;

    fig. 16 is a view similar to FIG. 15 of the justification locking mechanism control bar and shows this bar in the position it occupies when the locking mechanism has been placed in the justification mechanism locking position; fig. 17 is a perspective view of part of the line follower and shows how the release lever of this member acts on it;

    fig. 18 is a vertical section along the. line 18-18 of fig. 1 and shows the justification lever, the support bar of a justification control rail and - all the details of the justification locking mechanism, all of these parts being shown in the row receiving position, it is ie before justification; fig. 19 is a view similar to FIG. 18 and shows the parts in the justifying position and the locking mechanism in the locking position; fig. 20 is a section taken along line 20-20 of fi-. 18;

    fig. 21 is a rear perspective view of the justification lever, parts of the justification mechanism and the justification locking mechanism; it shows in particular how the control bar of the locking mechanism co-operates with the latter; .



  fig. 22 is a diagram of the light intensity control circuit; fig. 23 is a vertical section taken along line 23-23 of FIG. 26 and shows one end of the die return conveyor, the guide block for guiding the dies to the conveyor, and the interconnection between the guide block and the joining bar plate, as well as some parts. the locking control mechanism of a power rack; fig. 24 is a perspective view of the feed rack lock and its operating mechanism;

    the fia. 25 is a front view of the central part of FIG. 1, but parts of the front of the machine are removed to show the die recirculation mechanism; fig. 26 is a plan view of the central part of the machine, with the assembly bar plate in its upper position, and shows the mechanism by which the downward movement of the die return corridor initiates the operation of the machine. camera canism; fig. 27 is a view similar to FIG. 26, but with the assembly bar plate in the closed position;

    fig. 28 is a vertical section taken on line 28-28 of FIG. 23 and further shows the return die conveyor and guide block; fig. 29 is a section similar to FIG. 28, with the assembly bar plate in the down position;

    fig. 30 is a rear perspective view of the central part of the embodiment and shows the electric motor which drives the die return conveyor, as well as parts of the mechanism by which the die return passage initiates operation. of the camera mechanism and also unlocks the power supply rack; fig. 31 is a vertical section taken along line 31-31 of FIG. 26 and shows the interior of the die return corridor as well as the assembly carriage and some associated mechanisms;

      fig. 32 is a horizontal section taken along line 32-32 of FIG. 31 and shows some details of the assembly carriage brake. The embodiment of the machine shown in the drawing is, for most of its details, substantially the same as the machine described in Swiss patent No. <B> 284815. </B> As explained in this patent, the characters to be photographed are mounted on dies such as those shown in fig. 3.

   The character-bearing arrays are composed into a line of the desired length and then individually photographed on a sensitized surface to produce a line of characters thereon. The dies have a thickness commensurate with the compositional width of the characters they carry, and the thickness of each die is used to adjust the motion of the film and achieve correct character spacing in the compound line. .



  The embodiment of the machine shown in the drawing is mounted on the upper part of a console designated as a whole by 8 (fig. 1). If we consider the right-hand portion of FIG. 1, we see. that a line of M-1 masters is intended to be composed by hand in a composition device 10 which can be withdrawn from the machine or introduced into the latter. The compound line is capable of being lifted by hand to a top position, where it triggers a lever 14 for releasing the line follower. Releasing the lever 14 releases a line delivery lever 16 which is pushed to the left by a spring 188.

   This lever 16 is connected to a delivery trolley, the front or left end of which, looking at FIG. .1, is connected to a line follower 20, which pushes the line composed of the dies from the lifted elevator and along a supply channel 22 to a justification station 24. When the follower of line 20 reaches the justification station 24, it engages a line length determination member constituted by a jumper 26 carried by a supply rack 27, and worm rust on this jumper.



  At the justification station 24 there is a justification mechanism designated as a whole by 28 and similar, in broad outline, to the mechanism described in Swiss Patent No. 302927. At the justification station 24, the mechanism 28 measures the difference between the real length of the line made up of ma trices and the desired line length, in order to determine what will be called in what follows the K line insufficiency>, and modify the movement of the film support of my deny that the line insufficiency is distributed over the line of characters produced on the film or over a selected part of this line.

   At the same time as the justification measurement operation is performed, the line composed of the dies at station 24 is pushed to the left against an end wall C which forms part of the camera housing. When the justification measurement is complete, the characters of the arrays are photographed individually by a camera mechanism designated as a whole by 30 and comprising a film holder 32 capable of moving vertically.



  To initiate the photograph, if it is desired to accumulate the photographic matrices on an accumulation bar, an accumulation bar plate 34, shown at the top of the central portion of FIG. 1 and bearing the accumulation bar 36, is likely to be lowered by hand. When plate 34 approaches its lower part, it activates a clutch which triggers various parts of the camera mechanism.

   These parts include two endless conveyors (not shown) which transport the head element of the die line, i.e. the die abutting a wall C, from the justification station 24 to a photographing position, in which the character carried by the die is photographed, then to a discharge position 35 where the die is discharged onto the accumulation bar 36. Lowering the plate 34 of the die bar The accumulation triggers, in the accumulation position, the supply rack 27 to allow it to move to the left. The supply rack 27 is connected by the mechanism 28 to the line follower 20.

   The movement of the rack to the left therefore occurs in successive jolts, when each die reaches the wall C and leaves the composition line.



  The rack 27 is connected by an assembly 38 of a shaft and gears to a vertical rack 40, on which the film holder 32 normally rests. Thus, this holder 32 moves downward step by step as each element. is pictured. The magnitude of each lowering movement of the film carrier depends on the com position width of the character being photographed, and also on the line insufficiency mentioned above. However, if one wants to compose tables, and if one does not wish to apply to them "a correction of justification, each movement of the film support 32 is then only proportioned to the width of composition of the photographic character.



  When the photography of a line of masters is completed, the line follower 20 is removed by hand to the right by means of a button 42 fixed on it. This withdrawal of the line follower 20 moves the delivery lever 16 to the right, that is to say to its position shown in FIG. 1, and at the same time lifts the film holder 32 to its upper position by means of a chain 44. In addition, the withdrawal of the line follower 20 removes the feed rack 27 in a similar fashion. raise the rack 40 to its upper position, in order to support the film support 32 during the next photographing operation.

   We can then lift the plate 34 of the accumulation bar to disengage the clutch uniting the photographic mechanism to its drive and to lock the rack 27 in its withdrawn position. The dies which have been accumulated on the bar 36 are then removed and they are disposed of as desired. A composition rod constitutes a means of removing the masters from the bar 36.



  Plate 34 is pivotable about a horizontal axis from an upper position shown in fig. 1 to a lower position in which the accumulator bar 36 is aligned with the die discharge position 35. Thus, if the bar 36 is in the lower position after being photographed, each element moves to the discharge position 35 and the accumulator bar 36, from which a line of elements can be removed for them. redistribute in a store or dispose of it in some other convenient way.

   The matrices accumulate on bar 36 in the reverse order to that of their original arrangement; it is therefore not possible to reintroduce directly into the machine, in order to repeat a line, the line of dies accumulated on bar 36. However, a mechanism is provided to assemble the dies again automatically, if desired. , in the order in which they were originally composed and at a point where they can easily be machine fed again if it is desired to photograph them once more.



  This mechanism allowing to renew the photograph returns the matrices one by one <B> of </B> @the discharge position 35 at the assembly elevator 12. For this purpose, a horizontal die return conveyor 50 extends from then a point adjacent to the discharge position 35 to a point located above the right end of the elevator 12. Near this end is a die return passage 52, which is pivotally mounted so as to be able to swing from an inoperative horizontal position shown in Figure fig. 1 to a vertical position which is shown in FIG. 25 and in which its lower end (discharge end) is close to the elevator 12.

   When the lane is in this vertical position, it can receive the dies from the end of the conveyor 50 and guide them down into the elevator 12 and in the order suitable for the renewal of the photograph. When the line of dies has been assembled again in the elevator 12, the latter rises again and the operations described above are repeated.

   The initiation of the movement of the endless conveyors, in order to transfer the head element from the line of the dies to the photographic station, the initiation of the photographic mechanism, and the release of the feed rack 27 to allow its displacement to the left, are carried out when the corridor 52 approaches its lowest position next to the elevator 12.



  Various adjustment members make it possible to adjust this embodiment from several points of view. The way in which these adjusting members act has been described in principle in the patents already cited by reference. If we start with the left side of fig. 1, it can be seen that these adjustment members comprise a dial @ 47 for adjusting the line spacing, which makes it possible to adjust the amplitude of the movement of the film for each line, a dial 48 for adjusting the lenses, thanks to which the length can be modified. photogra phic enlargement of the characters of the elements, a gearbox 51, which is interchangeable with other boxes.

   of gears, so as to be able to change the ratio between the movements of the rack 27 and of the film support 32, a lever 53, the movement of which makes it possible to disengage the gearbox 51, as well as the assembly 38 and its gears, a knurled disc 54 (fig. 4) by which the initial position of the film holder 32 can be adjusted so as to achieve precise alignment of the left margin of the character column for different degrees of enlargement, and finally a lever 46 which is arranged at the lower left part of FIG. 1 and which, when lowered,

   allows film to advance one line spacing within film holder 32 to photograph characters from another line of elements or to re-photograph a recirculated line. The adjusting members also comprise a lever 56, which can be moved vertically to actuate the line measurement and justification control mechanism 28, a margin control lever 58 for aligning a short line of characters. , either on the left margin or on the right margin, as desired,

   a main electrical contact 62 located near the base of the machine and used to control the power supplied to the electric motor which drives the photographic mechanism, as well as the energy supplied to the light source of the camera, a rheostat button 60 and an associated ammeter 61 to adjust and indicate respectively the intensity of the current supplied to the light source, a button 64 for rotating a graduated drum 66 having graduated scales corresponding to different dimensions of points, and finally a flywheel 68 which allows to place an index 70 relative to the graduated drum 66 in order to indicate the dimensions of the points of the desired line,

   and also to place the jumper 26 for determining the line length in the correct position on the supply rack 27.



  As has already been indicated in the present description, the keyboard and the magazine of a known photo-composition machine, entirely autorriatic or with a high efficiency of this type, are replaced by a manual composition device. Any suitable and practical means can be used for storing the dies, for example the drawers of the desk on which the machine is mounted. The manual dialing device is clearly shown in Figs. 5, 7 and 9 to 11 of the drawing.

   If we consider fig. 5, it can be seen that this manual composition device comprises a slotted support designated as a whole by 80 and constituted by a base 82 having a longitudinal slit 84, a relatively high rear wall 86 and a relatively low front wall 88. The base 82 and the walls 86 and 88 form a channel in which is disposed an assembly carriage 90 having a longitudinal slot 92 coinciding with the slot 84 and a vertical end wall 94. @ The carriage 90 has a right end 96 which is curved to facilitate manual movement of the carriage relative to support 80.



  An adjustable guide 98 is mounted on the assembly carriage 90 and has a vertical wall 100 aligned with the wall 94 of the carriage 90. The guide 98 is fixed by adjustment on the carriage 90 by means of a rotary lock 102 and a stepped shoe 104. The latch 102 (Fig. 7) has a handle 106 extending laterally, and a pin <B> 108 </B> which projects downwards and which is screwed into the shoe 104. An upper step 110 of the shoe 104 is able to slide in the slot 84 of the support 80 and a lower step 112 constitutes a frame which prevents, . In a manner which will be described in detail a little later, the separation of the carriage 90 and the support 80.



  The steps 110 and 112 have a height such that, when the latch 102 is turned clockwise, the guide 98 is firmly clamped on the carriage. 90, but the latter can slide freely relative to the support 80. The guide 98 can be adjusted relative to the carriage 90 by rotating the latch 102, counterclockwise, sufficiently to allow allow the pin 108 to slide freely in the slot 92 of the assembly carriage. The guide 98 of the carriage 90 is initially adjusted so as to form between the walls 94 and <B> 100 </B> a space equal to the desired line length.

   How to control this setting is described below. When the desired spacing has been obtained, the latch 102 is rotated clockwise so as to secure the guide and the carriage together and a line of dies is made by hand in the die. space between the walls 94 and 100. The line composed of the dies is then introduced into the machine, as will be explained below.



  The mechanism for adjusting the length of the lines, which can be clearly seen in fig. 8, 9 and 11 of the drawing, is generally similar to that described in the patent cited above by reference. It comprises the manual control handwheel 68, the index 70 and the graduated drum 66. The handwheel 68 (fig. 9) has a handle 120 extending forward and is provided, on its rear face, with a conical pinion 122 which meshes with a second conical pinion 124 wedged on a threaded rod 126.

   The rod 126 (FIG. 4) is screwed into the part carrying the index 70 and this part ends with a fork 128 which covers a guide rod 130; in this way, the index cannot rotate with the threaded rod. The rotation that is im prime to the threaded rod 126 using the handwheel 68 therefore moves the index 70 laterally with respect to the graduated drum 66.



  The drum 66 (fig. 8 and 11) has at its periphery a series of graduated scales on which the dimensions of the points are marked, and the drum can be turned by hand by means of a button 132 so as to present the desired scale at the index 70, as was explained in detail in the patent cited above by reference. The threaded rod 126 is connected by a series of shafts and gears, generally designated 134, with the jumper 26 for determining the line length.

   When the handwheel 68 is rotated so that the index 70 indicates the line length on the graduated drum 66, the jumper 26 is placed automatically, with respect to the front wall C of the camera housing, in the position determining the desired line length.



  The index 70 and the graduated drum 66 are arranged in a housing 136; in the lower left front part thereof is fixed a notch member 138 intended to receive the wall 94 of the assembly carriage 90 of the manual composition device. If we consider in particular FIG. 9, we see that to adjust the guide 98 relative to the assembly carriage 90, the wall 94 is introduced into the notch 138, and the wall 100 of the guide 98 is placed in front of the index 70. In this way, the space between the walls 94 and 100 can be given a length equal to the desired line length.



  When a line of dies has been composed in the manual composition device 10, it is introduced into the machine. A channel-shaped member 150 is fixed to the upper part of the housing 136 (Fig. 9); this member is fixed to the casing by screws 152. The member <B> 150 </B> (Fig. 11) can receive the slot support 80 of the manual compositiôn device 10, so that this support slides on the member 150; the support 80 is held in place in the organ 150 by a plate 154 fixed to the organ 150 by dis 156 (FIG. 9) and covering the channel.

   The composition device 10 (fig. 8) slides in the organ <B> 150 </B> in the shape of a channel until its left end hits a stop <B> 158 </B> part of the elevator 12.



  The line composed of the dies is lifted up to the level of the supply channel 22 by the elevator 12, the construction of which is clearly shown in Figs. 4, 6 and 8 of the drawing. The elevator (Fig. 6) is U-shaped in cross section; it comprises a front plate 160 and a rear plate 162 spaced from the front plate, the rear plate comprising on its lower edge a part 164 which projects laterally and serves to fix the two plates together. A handle 165 is attached to the front plate 160 to facilitate lifting of the elevator 12.

   The sail lante portion 164 of the elevator 12 is connected by a link 166 to the front end of a lever 168 which is articulated on the console 8 (FIG. 4). A spring 170 fixed to the console 8 is also fixed at an intermediate point of the lever 168 so as to exert an upward force on the elevator 12. The tension of the res out 170 is chosen so that it almost equilibrates, but not completely, the weight of the elevator 12, of the rod <B> 166 </B> and lever 168. Thus, the elevator 12 can be lifted by light pressure with the hand, but it descends by its own weight to its low position when it is abandoned.



  The line composed of the matrices is introduced into the elevator 12 by hand tightening the curved end 96 of the sliding assembly carriage 90 and pushing the left end thereof between the upper ends of the plates. <B> 160 </B> and 162 until the upper step 110 of the shoe 104 comes into contact with the end of the slot 84. The latter has a length such that, when it is engaged by the step 110, the dial is correctly placed inside the elevator.



       The dies are provided with upper lugs 172 (Fig. 6) and lower lugs 174 which extend laterally beyond the sides of the wall 94 of the sliding assembly carriage.

   The plates 160 and 162 of the elevator 12 are provided with flanges 176 and 178 capable of coming into contact with the ears 174 of the dies, and also respectively have flanges <B> 180 </B> and 181 capable of engaging and supporting the upper ears 172 of the dies. Thus, when the elevator is lifted, the line composed of dies is withdrawn from the carriage 90 (Fig. 7).



  The elevator 1, 2 (fig. 1), when it reaches its highest position, engages and swings the line delivery release lever 14, thus releasing the line follower 20 and the delivery lever 16. line to allow them to move to the left. The connection between lever 14 and line follower 20 is shown in Figs. 15 to 17.

   These two organs are connected to each other by a sis <B> 182 </B> (fig. 21) provided with wheels 184 which roll on horizontal rails, upper and lower, serving to guide the line follower along a horizontal path. 184 wheels roll forward in channels <B> 185 </B> arranged opposite each other in a support frame 187 having in cross section the general shape of a C.



  If we return to fig. 1, it is seen that the line follower 20, when it moves to the left, drives the line composed of ma trices from the elevator 12 and along the supply channel 22 to the justification station 24, where the line follower is stopped by the jumper 26 for determining the line length.



  If we now come back to the end. 4, it can be seen that the line delivery lever 16 is pivotally mounted at 186 on the console 8 and that it is pushed, in the anti-clockwise direction, by the relatively powerful spring 188, which is connected at one end to the console 8 and at the other end to the delivery lever, at a point spaced from the pivot 186. The delivery lever 16 is provided near the pivot 186 with an arm 190 connected by a link <B> 192 </B> to a known damping device 194 which dampens the movement of the delivery lever and prevents excessive shock between the line follower 20 and the jumper 26 at the end of the delivery stroke. A second damping device 196 is mounted on the console 8 and connected in a similar manner to the film support 32.

   This device 196 dampens the step-by-step descent of the film support 32. <I> Mechanism of </I> justification <I> and its lock </I> The justification mechanism is shown as a whole in fig. 1 and various parts thereof are shown in detail in FIGS. 16 and 18 to 21. As can be seen in FIG. 1, this mechanism comprises a movable rack 200, which can move vertically and carries a laterally adjustable rider 202, and a fixed rack 204 also carrying a laterally adjustable rider 206.

   A control rail 208 brings together the two jumpers; it is articulated on the rider 202 and mounted sliding on the rider 206.



  If we now consider in particular the left part of FIG. 16, in which the line follower 20 is seen in the position it occupies after a large number of the matrices of a line designated b12 have been removed from the justification station for photographing, it can be seen that the Line follower comprises two cooperating line clamping members shown in dotted lines. One of these members is a vertically movable wedge 210 which can slide in guides of follower 20 and carries a roller 212 at its lower end. This corner 210 has a slot 214 engaged by a finger <B> 216 </B> which cooperates with it to limit the amplitude of the vertical movement of the wedge.

      The other line clamping member is a plunger 218 capable of sliding horizontally and pushed to the right by a res out 220. This plunger 218 comprises a head 222 capable of resting against the right end of the line of dies A12 at the justification station and carrying, inside the follower 20, a roller 224 which can come into contact with the inclined surface 226 of the wedge 210. When the wedge 210 moves upwards, it pushes upwards. left the plunger 218 which clamps the dies of the compound line against the end wall C mentioned previously.

   The amplitude of movement of the diver's head 222 is equal to the line insufficiency mentioned above; therefore, the upward movement of wedge 210, which produces this movement of plunger 218 to the left, also measures line insufficiency. The roller 212 and the wedge 210 are lifted by the rider 202 of the movable rack 200 by means of a mechanism which will be described now. The line insufficiency thus measured serves to modify the movement of the film carrier so as to produce a justified line of characters on the film. By correctly adjusting the position of jumpers 202 and 206, it is possible to distribute this correction of justification, either over the entire line or over a part of the line chosen in advance.

   However, it suffices for the present presentation to consider the case where the justification correction is distributed over the entire line. In this case, the jumper 202 is placed on the rack 200 so that the pivoting connection of the jumper and the control rail 208 is aligned with the axis of the roller 212. The control rail 208 (fig. 1) is initially horizontal. , but when the rack 200 and the jumper 202 are lifted by the mechanism which will now be described, the control rail 208 presents itself with an inclination angle proportional to the line insufficiency.



  When the line tightening operation is completed, the camera is triggered and the feed chain 27 is released. Then the matrices are transported from the left end of the compound line, to the end wall C, to the photographing position; when each die is withdrawn, the res exits 188 from the line delivery lever drives the line follower 20, the line determination jumper 26 and the rack 27 to the left and lowers the film holder by a corresponding amount 32 through assembly 38. As line follower 20 moves to the left, roller 212 descends along control rail 208 and thereby lowers wedge 210.

   The roller 224 moves along the surface 226 and the head 222 of the plunger 218 is gradually retracted towards the body of the line follower. As a result of this removal of the plunger 218, the line follower and the feed rack 27 move to the left, each time a die is withdrawn for photographing, of a length slightly greater than the thickness of the die. my machine is removed, and this small difference in displacement is transmitted to the film medium in such a way that the justification correction is distributed over the entire length of the photographed line.



  The mechanism for moving the mesh cage 200 and the jumper 202 upwards is clearly shown in figs. 18 to 21 of the drawing. As can be seen from the upper part of fig. 18, the movable rack 200 is fixed to a transverse bar 230 which is supported by two vertical rods 232 and 234 (FIG. 20). The rods 232 and 234 may be slid vertically in holes made respectively in bosses 236 and 238 fixed to the frame of the machine in a manner not shown in the drawing. The boss 238 com carries a stop 240 which limits the descent of the cross bar 230.

   Under the bosses 236 and 238, the rods 232 and 234 are joined by a bracket 242 which carries a rusting worm rod 244 directed downward. Two springs 246 and 248 respectively surround the rods 232 and 234 and are interposed respectively between the caliper 242 and the bosses 236 and 238 so as to push the transverse bar 230 downwards against the stop 240.



  The locking rod 244 (fig. 18) passes through a hole 250 made in a locking member 252 which has at its left end a ledge 254 projecting downwards. <B>; </B> the member 252 is supported by its rim 254 on a fixed stop 256. The locking member 252 is pushed in the direction of clockwise, so as to pivot about the contact between the rim 254 and the stopper 256, by a spring 258 which bears against the upper surface of the worm member 252 and which is held in place by a screw 260; this screw passes through the spring and the locking member and engages in a threaded hole of the stop 256.



  The locking member 252 ends (Fig. 2), at its end opposite the rim 254, with a fork which receives the lower end of a control rod 262 articulated by a pin 264 on the worm member. rusting 252. Near its upper end, the control rod 262 passes through a guide block 266, which is fixed to the main frame of the machine by means of screws 268. The control rod 262 is provided at its end upper of a block 270-, which slides along an adjacent edge of the block, guide 266.



  The upper part of the control rod 262 cooperates with a return of its net 272 articulated on the frame of the machine. This bell return 272 comprises an arm 314, by means of which. the bell return is actuated in a manner which will be explained later, and a fork-shaped arm 274 which partially embraces the control rod 262 between the upper end 270 and the part of the guide block 266 to tra where the rod passes.

   The arrangements are such that a rotation of the return 272 in the opposite direction to that of clockwise causes the arm 274 to rest against the underside of the block 270 so as to lift the rod 262; conversely, a rotation of the return 272 in the direction of clockwise allows the rod 262 to move downwards.



  The rise of the transverse bar 230 and its rack is effected by means of a control lever 280 intended to be actuated by hand and provided at its outer end with the button 56, this lever 280 being articulated by an axis 284 on the built from china. At its lower end, the control lever 280 has a rounded boss 286 which rests against the underside of the central portion of the caliper 242. Thus, when the button 56 is grasped and lowered, the The yoke 242 is moved upwards, despite the opposing action of the springs 246 and 248, and lifts, via the rods 232 and 234, the transverse bar 230 carrying the mesh 200.



  During the period of time a line of features is photographed (and assuming a justification correction must be made), crossbar 230 is locked in its upper position by the cooperating action of locking rod 244. and the locking member 252. The hole 250 (Figs. 18 and 19) of the locking member 252 has a diameter slightly greater than that of the locking rod 244. When the parts are in the position shown in fig. 18, with the control rod 262 in its upper position and the locking member 252 substantially horizontal, no locking occurs.

   Under these conditions, if the button 56 is lowered to raise the transverse cross bar 230, and if it is then released, the bar 230 immediately returns to its lower position, in contact with the stop 240, under the action of the springs 246 and 248. The parts can be put in the locking position by lowering the rod 262 to the position shown in FIG. 19; the locking member 252 then pivots around the rim 254 until the upper front edge and the lower rear edge of the orifice 250 come into contact with points on the surface of the rod 244 by pressing on these points.

   The parts being in the position shown in fig. 19, it is obvious that a movement of the locking rod 244 upwardly relative to the locking member 252 tends to make the latter pivot counterclockwise and to eliminate thus the pressure between the upper and lower edges of the port 250 and the locking rod; on the contrary, if a force is exerted to move the rod 244 downward with respect to the locking member 252, the pressure between the parts increases instantly to prevent such movement.

    Therefore, if the parts are in the position shown. on the fia. 19, and if the caliper 242 is moved upward by lowering the button 56, the caliper remains locked in its upper position when the button 56 is released until the locking member 252 rotates in the direction counterclockwise under the action of an upward movement of the rod 262.



  The operating rod 262 is lowered, to place the parts in the locking position, by the line delivery movement of the line follower, and is raised, to prevent locking of the parts, by the return movement of the follower line at the end of the photography operation. The manner in which the movement of the control rod is effected will now be described. It has already been pointed out previously that the control rod 262 is driven upwards and downwards by the pivoting of the bell return 272 (FIG. 15). The latter is actuated itself by a control bar 300 which can slide laterally on the main frame of the machine.

   The bar 300 ends at its left end with a fork which embraces a finger 302 fixed to the main frame, and it has at its right end a slot 304 in which is engaged a finger 306 fixed to the main frame of the machine. The bar 300 is pushed to the left by a spring 308 fixed to the main frame at 310 and connected at its other end to the finger 312 fixed to the bar 300. The movement of the control bar 300 to the left is limited by the finger 306 engaged in the slot 304 of the right end.

   The longer arm 314 of the bell return 272 is arranged so as to be in contact with the finger 312 of the bar 300; thus, when the bar 300 moves horizontally, it rotates the bell deflection 272 so as to raise or lower the control rod 262. The arm 314 is normally held in contact with the finger 312 by the weight of the handle. control rod 262 and parts associated with it, as well as by the spring 308. The relation between the finger 312 and the arm 314 of the bell return 272 is clearly shown in FIG. 21.



  - The mobile frame 182 (fig. - 21) on which the line follower 20 is mounted, carries an oscillating trigger <B> 316 </B> which is articulated on the rear surface of the chassis; the movement of this trigger counterclockwise (looking at fig. 21) is limited by the wall <B> 318 </B> of chassis 182.

   Coming back to fig. 15, and in particular on its right side, we see that the trigger <B> 316 </B> is shown pressed against the wall 318 of the frame 182 and in contact with an arm 319 which extends rearwardly and which forms part of an adjustment member 320 which is itself fixed in a remote manner. sliding on the bar 300. -The member 320 can slide along the rear surface of the end of the bar 300 and has a slot <B> 321 </B> in which is engaged a guide finger 322 fixed to the bar 300.

   The member 320 is fixed in an adjustable manner to the bar 300 by means of a screw 323 which extends forwardly through the slot 321 and which screws into the bar 300, so as to allow adjustment. relative lateral between the arms 319 and the bar 300 and consequently an adjustment of the right position of the bar 300.



  The parts being in the position shown in fig. 15, the line follower 20 and its associated frame 182 are held against any movement to the left by the line delivery release lever 14, and the trigger 316 holds the control bar 300 in its right-hand position by the line delivery release lever 14. 'intermediate the arm 319. Through the finger 312, the bar 300 maintains the bell return 272 tilted to the right, as seen in the drawing, and the arm 274 of the bell therefore maintains the rod. control 262 in its upper position and prevented the locking of the justification mechanism.



  When the line delivery release lever rotates as a result of the lifting of the elevator 12, the line follower 20 and its associated frame 182 move to the left to the position shown in FIG. 16.

    From the start of the movement of the line follower 20, the trigger 316 moves away from the arm 319 and thus allows the bar 300 to move to the left under the influence of the spring 308; the bell return 272 then rotates counterclockwise to lower the control rod 262 and place the locking mechanism in the operative position.

   As shown in the dotted line representation of FIG. 16 and fig. 21, the swing trigger 316 contacts the upper part of the arm 314 of the doorbell 272, and then passes over this arm as the line follower 20 approaches the end wall C.



  At the end of the photographing operation, the line follower 20 is withdrawn to its right position, as seen in fig. 15, and this removal of the line follower 20 and its associated frame 182 allows the trigger 316 to come into contact with the arm 314 of the bell return 272 to rotate it clockwise, and lift the control rod 262 thereby unlocking the justification mechanism. When the line follower reaches its right-hand position, the trigger 316 again comes into contact with the arm 319 of the bar 300 and pulls the latter to its right-hand position shown in FIG. 15.

   The finger 312 then maintains the bell return 272 inclined to the right in order to maintain the control rod 262 in its upper position, that is to say in its unlocking position.



  The justification device is constructed in such a way that the short lines can be arranged either at the left margin of the character column (left-flush operation), or at the right margin of the character column (operation flush right), and also allows normal justification of a full row. In order to perform the flush operation on the right, the transverse bar 230 is left in its lower position, and this operation is carried out quite simply by not lowering the lever 56. At the beginning of the description, we considered referred briefly to the lever 58 which, in its upper position, performs the normal operations of justifying and, in its lower position, performs the flush operation on the left.

   The left flush operation is performed by bolting the control rail 208 to the cross bar 230 so that this rail remains horizontal when the cross bar 230 is raised.



  The structure for bolting the control rail to the crossbar 230 has not been fully shown in the drawing. However, part of this structure is shown in fig. 18. It can be seen that the lever 58 is indicated in phantom and that it is mounted on a rotary shaft 330 to which is fixed a toothed wheel 332 engaged by a chain 334.

   When the lever 58 is moved from its high position to its low position, the toothed wheel 332 rotates and drives the chain 334 to slide a bolt (not shown) carried by the crossbar 230 until it comes in. contact with the control rail 208; as a result, the control rail 208 rises horizontally when the lever 280 is lowered to raise the crossbar 230. When the control rail is raised (Fig. 16), the die line M2 is clamped as it is. explained above, but when the feed rack 27 is released, the roller 212 moves in a horizontal line and therefore no justification correction is applied to the movement of the film carrier.

    



  When lever 58 is raised to its up position, chain 334 moves in the opposite direction to remove bolt (not shown) from drive rail 208, to allow the normal justifying operation which has been explained. previously.



  The camera is essentially the same as that described in the patent cited above by reference. It comprises two endless chains 646, one of which is partially shown in the upper right part of the fia. 30 and serves to individually lift the dies of line M2 to a photographing position where the characters carried by the dies are photographed, then to a discharge position where they are discharged.



  The camera also comprises lenses and movable shutter means which are driven, together with the conveyor chain and other movable parts, by means of a continuously rotating electric motor and by means of a clutch. In the high efficiency machines described in the patent cited above by reference, this clutch is actuated by a cam of the main camshaft, but in the present embodiment this clutch is actuated, to trigger the photographic mechanism. , by manually moving the accumulator bar plate 34 or, in accordance with one embodiment, by manually moving the return passage 52 in a manner which will now be described.

         <i> Repeated photography </I> As described, the present embodiment comprises an apparatus for returning the dies from the unloading station 35 to the elevator 12 in a suitable order for photographing them again to repeat a line. The conveyor 50 (Fig. 25), made as an endless belt, is mounted on spaced pulleys 336 and 338, the pulley 336 being located near the discharge station 35 and the pulley 338 being located approximately. above the right hand end of elevator 12. The belt is held tight on pulleys 336 and 338 by a known belt tensioning device 340.



  If we now consider fig. 28, it is seen that the dies are discharged at the discharge station by a pusher 342, the operation of which has been disclosed in the patent cited above by reference. The advance position of pusher 342 is indicated in dotted lines and designated by the reference number <I> 342a. </I> A block 344 is disposed above the conveyor 50, near the unloading station 35, and mounted on a vertical wall 462 of a sliding block 460;

   this com block carries a curved deflection member 346 which guides or deflects each die so as to bring it into the desired horizontal position on the conveyor 50.



  As previously indicated, the pivoting die return corridor 52 is located at the discharge end of the conveyor 50 to guide the dies to the elevator 12. Referring to Figs. 30 and 31, it is seen that the corridor 52 comprises two spaced side walls 348 and 350 connected to each other by a cross member 352 at the upper end of the corridor, and by a cross member 354 at the lower end. from the hall. The latter is mounted to pivot on a shaft 356, which is itself supported in a channel 358 forming part of the frame of the machine;

   the corridor can turn around the shaft 356 from the horizontal position shown in FIG. 1 up to the vertical position shown in fig. 30 and 31. Two spaced guide members 360 and 362 (Fig. 31) are fixed to the side wall 350 of the corridor 52; these guide members define a guide slot 364. The other side wall 348 of the passage 52 has a similar guide slot (not shown). Below the lower end of the slot 364 is a deflector 366 inclined at a suitable angle to guide the dies towards the elevator 12.

   A similar deflector member 368 (Fig. 30) is attached to the side wall 348 of the aisle 52. At the base of the aisle 52, i.e. at its discharge end, is a star wheel 369 mounted on it. a shaft 370, which is rotated by means which will be described later, in order to ensure correct placement of the dies in the elevator.



  The dies are transported by the carrier 50 to a guide channel 372 formed in the channel 358, and they are guided to the upper end of the guide slot 364 and the corresponding slot in the side wall 348 of the dies. corridor 52. The dies then fall through the corridor and pass between the deflector members 366 and 368 and the arch 37_4 urged by a spring, to finally arrive at the star wheel 369 which pushes them one after the other in the elevator 12.



  The conveyor 50 is driven by the louse 338, while the star wheel 369 is driven, via a shaft 370, using means which will be described now. The power required to drive the conveyor is supplied by an electric motor 376 shown in dotted lines near the base of FIG. 1. This motor is connected by a gear reducer (fig. 30) to a shaft 378 on which is wedged a pulley 380. This pulley 380 drives, via a belt 382 and a pulley 384, a shaft 386 rotatably mounted in a fixed block 388 fixed to the channel 358.

   Considering fig. 26, we see that the shaft 386 passes through a pulley 338 which is wedged on it; the rotation of the shaft 386 therefore drives the louse 338 and the conveyor 50. A toothed wheel 390 is also wedged on the shaft 386, near its front end, and meshes with a toothed wheel 392 wedged on a shaft 394 mounted rotating in channel 358. A pulley 396 is attached to shaft 394 and is connected by a belt 398 (Fig. 25) to a second pulley 400 disposed at the discharge end of the passage 52.

   The pulley 400 is fixed to the shaft 370 on which the star wheel 369 is also mounted, so that the latter is driven through the pulley 396, the belt 398, the pulley 400 and of ar bre 370.



  Considering again FIG. 31, it can be seen that the dies introduced into the elevator 12 by the star wheel 369 are assembled against a finger 402 which forms part of a sliding assembly carriage 404 pushed to the right by a device 406 with a similar spiral spring. to those used on typewriters. The free end 408 of the spring device 406 is connected to a hook 410 attached to the lower left end of the sliding carriage 404; this end 408 passes over a idler roller 412 mounted between the hook 410 and the spring device 406. The spring tension in the device 406 can be adjusted by rotating a shaft 414 carrying a worm 416 which meshes with a toothed wheel 418 disposed inside the device 406.



  If reference is made more particularly to FIG. 32 and in fig. 31, it is seen that the sliding assembly carriage 404 is provided with a brake designated as a whole by 420 and comprising a brake arm 422 mounted to pivot on an axis 424. The carriage 404 passes through an opening 426 of the arm 422 and this opening is slightly wider than the cha riot. The brake arm 422 is pushed in a clockwise direction by a res out 428 connected to the arm and a fixed pin 430. The construction is such that the carriage 404 can be easily moved to the left, but is held against any movement to the right by the frictional forces exerted on it by the front left and rear right portions of the side walls of the opening 426.

    



  The brake 420 can be released, either by hand or automatically. A tab 432 extends laterally near the front end of the brake arm 422; this tab can be lowered by hand to rotate the arm 422 a small angle counterclockwise, thus allowing the spring 428 to bring back the carriage 404. Considering the part lower part of fig. 31, it can be seen that provision has been made for the automatic release of the brake 420, a lever 434 pivotally mounted at 436 and pushed by a spring 438 against a stop 440. The lever 434 is provided, at its right end, with a finger 442 which engages in a slot 444 of a rocking arm 446 articulated at 448.

   The upper end of the arm 446 is arranged such that when the lever 434 is lifted it engages a finger 450 attached to the rear of the brake arm 422 and rotates the latter counterclockwise. of a watch to allow the spring 428 to return the carriage 404 back. The lever 434 is raised by the movement of the elevator 12 upwards. The left end 452 of lever 434 is located above a control surface 454 of elevator 12, which surface contacts end 452 as elevator 12 rises.

   The end 452 is far enough above the surface 454 to allow the line of dies to clear the top of the finger 402 before the carriage 404 is released. <i> Simple photography </I> As indicated above, the present embodiment is suitable either for the type of operation in which the matrixes are collected on an accumulation bar 36 after having been photographed, or for the operation with repetition of lines.

   If we now refer to fig. 23, 28 and 29, it can be seen that the plate 34 can be lowered to a horizontal position (fig. 29) using a handle 648 provided with a hook 650 (fig. 23) in order to engage a latch 652 (fig. 1); in this position the bar 36 is aligned with the unloading station 35 of the machine and the dies are collected on the assembly bar from where they can then be removed in any way, for example by means of the manual device of composition 10 shown in FIG. 1.



  When the plate 34 is lowered, the deflection member 346 is withdrawn out of the path followed by the dies, so as to leave a free space allowing the bar 36 to be moved onto the path of the dies; a description will now be given of the structure which thus makes it possible to erase the guide block 344. If we consider the upper right-hand part of FIG. 30, it can be seen that a fixed support plate 456 is fixed to the frame of the machine; this plate is provided with guide members 458 responsible for guiding the block 460 mounted slidingly on the plate 456. The sliding block 460 comprises the vertical wall 462 on which the guide block 344 is fixed (FIG. 23).

    A pin 464 is screwed into the left end of block 460 and is connected by a spring 466 to channel 358 of the machine frame such that block 460 is pushed to the right (looking at Fig. 23). ) in order to place the guide block 344 above the return conveyor 50 of the dies.



  We will now refer to FIGS. 26 and 27. A rod 468, on which is mounted a small roller 470, is formed on the block 460 and near the wall 462 (Fig. 30). The roller 470 (fig. 23) is engaged by a bar 472 (fig. 27) fixed to the plate 34 of the accumulation bar.

   This roller is set apart in an appreciable manner from a pivot 474 of the plate 34; thus, when the plate 34 is moved to its horizontal position, the bar 472 and the roller 470 cooperate to retract the slurry block 460, despite the tension of the spring 466, and consequently to remove the guide block 344 and its guide block. deflection member 346 of the path followed by the unloaded dies.

   Therefore, when the plate 34 is in its low position (Fig. 29), the bar 36 is placed in the die receiving position, while when the plate 34 is in its highest position (as in the Fig. 23 and 28), the deflector 346 is in position to deflect the dies downwards and bring them onto the conveyor 50.



       The camera mechanism comprises various parts driven by an electric motor through a clutch. When the line composed of the dies has been moved to the justification station 24 and when the line measurement and justification control operations have been carried out, the camera clutch is engaged to successively drive the dies until 'at a photography station 33 (fig. 1 and 30). Referring to fig. 26 and in particular to the left part of this figure, it can be seen that the clutch of the cam mechanism is effected by moving a rod 476 to the left.

   A bell return 478 is mounted on the plate 456 by means of a screw 480 so as to move the rod 476 to the left. The bell return 478 comprises an arm 482 capable of engaging the rod 476 and an arm 484 in which is engaged a screw 486 capable of being attacked by the wall 462 of the sliding block 460. Thus, when the plate 34 is lowered and the block 460 retracted, the bell return 478 rotates so as to move the rod 476 to the left and therefore start the camera mechanism.



  During the repeat line operation, the plate 34 remains in its upper position and a separate mechanism is intended to start the camera mechanism in this case. When the machine is prepared to perform the repetition of a row, the camera is started by the pivoting of the corridor 52 for returning the dies to its lowest position. Considering again figs. 26 and 27, it can be seen that the bell return 478 can rotate, not only by removing the block 460, but also by means of a rod 488 provided at its left end with a head 490 capable of striking the arm 482 of the doorbell 478.



  Now considering fig. 30, it is seen that the rod 488 can slide at its right end in a post 492 rising from the plate 456. The left end of this rod 488 is fixed to an oscillating arm 494 mounted on a shaft 496 which can oscillate in the block 388. A pivoting arm 500, provided with a contact screw 501 at its outer end, is also wedged on the shaft 496. The corridor 52 is provided with a finger 502 arranged in so as to be able to come into contact with the screw 501 when the corridor approaches its vertical position.

   Thus, when the lower end of lane 52 approaches elevator 12, finger 502 rotates shaft 496 so that rod 488 moves to the right and rotates bell return 478, so push rod 476 to the right and start the camera mechanism.



  It can also be seen in FIG. 30 that the rod 488 is pushed to the left by a spring 504 which surrounds the rod 488 and which is interposed between the post 492 and the upper end of an arm 506 wedged on a shaft 508. A tie collar 510 is attached to rod 488 in order to keep spring 504 compressed. It appears that as lane 52 finger 502 moves rod 488 to the right, shaft 508 rotates clockwise at the same time as camera start rod 476 is actuated.

   The rotation of the shaft 508 releases the supply rack 27, through the intermediary of a mechanism which will be described now, at about the time of the starting of the camera. Considering fig. 23, 24 and 25, it can be seen that the supply rack 27 has an orifice 512 in which a locking bolt 514 can be engaged which can move axially. This bolt 514 comprises a lateral finger 516 capped by a fork of the lower end of an arm 518 of a bell transmission 520 capable of rotating around a pivot 522.

   The other arm 524 of the bell return 520 is articulated on the lower end of a rod 526 provided at its upper end with an extension 528 of reduced diameter which co-operates with the main part of the rod 526 to form a annular shoulder 530. A spring 532 connects the arm 524 to the frame of the machine; this spring is normally under tension and tends to push the locking bolt 514 into the hole 512 of the supply rack 27.

   A fork lever 534 is attached to the front end of the shaft 508 which has already been mentioned with reference to FIG. 30 ; this lever 534 is arranged so as to be able to engage with the shoulder 530 of the rod 526. The left end of the lever 534 is constituted for this purpose by a fork which embraces the extension 528 of the rod 526 (fig. . 24).



  To prevent the feed rack 27 from being inadvertently released, a mechanism is intended to prevent removal of the locking bolt 514 until the compound line has been moved and has reached the justification station 24. Near from the lower end of the rod 526 there is a part 536 which can be arranged so as to prevent the lowering of this rod and the withdrawal of the locking bolt 514; this part 536 can pivot about an axis 538 to come into a position allowing the lowering of the rod 526 and the withdrawal of the locking bolt 514.

   A wedge-shaped piece 540 is attached to the lower end of the pivot pin 538; a spring 542 is connected to the wedge 540 so as to tend to push the part 536 under the rod 526. The pivoting of the axis 538 in a clockwise direction, in order to move the part 536 away from below the rod 526, is effected by a bar 544 capable of pivoting to the left to turn the wedge 540. The pivoting of the bar 544 is produced by the engagement of a part of the line follower 20 with this bar when the line follower approaches the justification station.

   As noted above, movement of die return neck 52 to its lowest position rotates shaft 508, which brings lever 534 into contact with shoulder 530; this lever thus lowers the rod 526, and as a result, the locking bolt 514 is released from the supply rack. Therefore, when the corridor 52 has reached its low position, the camera mechanism starts up and the power rack 27 is unlocked at about the same time.



  When the machine is used to collect the dies on the bar 36, the neck 52 remains in its horizontal position. Under these conditions, the feed rack is unlocked when the upper end of the extension 528 of the rod 526 is lowered by the plate 34 moving to its lower position. Lowering plate 34 therefore starts the camera mechanism and unlocks feed rack 27 at about the same time.



  Considering in particular FIG. 12, it is seen that the bar 544 is articulated at spaced points on the lower ends of two parallel links 602 and 604, which are themselves articulated at their upper ends on the main frame of the machine so that the bar 544 can swing freely in the lateral direction. The line follower 20 is provided with an arm 21 which extends forwards; when the line follower approaches the line length determination rider 26, this arm 21 lifts a latch 29 pivotally mounted on the rider 26 and passes under this latch, thus locking the line follower on the rider 26.

   Latch 29 is aligned with bar 544; when it is lifted by the arm 21 of the line follower, it engages the bar 544 and rotates it up and to the left. Bar 544 then engages and rotates wedge 540, as previously indicated, to place the feed rack release mechanism under the desired conditions allowing the rack to be released when plate 34 is released. lowered.



  In order to keep the bar 544 in its left position until the line follower has been retracted after the end of the photographing operation, a trigger mechanism has been provided (Figs. 12, 13 and 14). The upper end of the rod 604 (fig. 12) is provided with a shoulder 606 (fig. 13) in which a pivoting arm 608 can engage. This arm 608 is articulated, between its ends, on one end. moth rod 610 which can slide axially in the support brackets 612 and 614.

    A spring <B> 616 </B> is interposed between the fitting 612 and the left end of the rod 610 and surrounds this rod; this spring 616 therefore tends to push the rod to the left. This carries at its right end a block 618 provided with a finger 620 (fig. 14) extending downwards and capable of engaging the upper part of the line follower 20. The way in which the finger 620 comes into contact with the upper part of the line follower 20 appears in particular in FIG. 5. When the line follower is in its right position, the parts are arranged as in fig. 12, with the arm 608 disengaged from the link 604.



  When the line follower 20 begins its line delivery movement, it is seen that the released rod 610 moves to the left under the action of the spring 616 and that the front end of the arm 608 comes to rest elastically. ct against link 604, at a point slightly below shoulder 606. As it approaches justification station 24, line follower allows latch 29 to swing bar 544 to the left, and, as a result of this movement, the shoulder 606 of the link 604 is slightly lowered, which allows the front end of the arm 608 to engage in this notch and thus to maintain the bar 544 in its left position.



  The conveyor 50 and the star wheel 369 of the return corridor 52 are driven by the electric motor 376 (Fig. 1). The motor 376 is supplied with current via a circuit comprising a conductor 546 connected directly to the motor and a conductor 548 connected to a microswitch 550 which is itself connected to the motor by a conductor 552. The microswitch 550 (also shown in FIG. 31) is provided with a contact button 554 capable of being engaged by the passage 52 when the latter is in a horizontal position.

   The electrical connections are such that when lane 52 is horizontal the power supply circuit to motor 376 is cut off, and when lane 52 rotates downward it moves away from contact button 554 to close the circuit and start the engine 376, and consequently the conveyor 50 and the star wheel 369.



  A lock keeps the corridor 52 in a horizontal position. This latch 556 (wire-. 2) is constituted by a curved spring and fixed at its lower end on the frame of the machine, it rests on the underside of the corridor 52. To release the corridor and allow it to pivot downwards, a latch 556 is lowered by hand, ie it is pushed to the right, looking at fig. 2.



  Referring to the lower left part of fig. 30, it can be seen that a lock 558 is intended to lock the corridor 52 in its lowest position. The latch 558 includes a bell return capable of rotating on a fixed pivot 560 and having the arms 562, 564 and 566. The arm 564 is connected by a res out 568 to the frame of the machine; this spring tends to make the bell return turn anti-clockwise around pivot 560. The rotation of the bell return anti-clockwise is limited by a stop 570 on which the arm 562 can rest.

    When the corridor 52 approaches its lowest position, the net sound return arm 566 moves behind the corridor under the action of the spring 568 until the moment when the arm 562 strikes the stop 570; in this way the corridor is locked, with its discharge end adjacent to the elevator 12.



  The lock 558 is unlocked by the return movement of the line delivery lever 16. This lever comprises a curved arm 572 capable of coming into contact with the arm 564 when the lever 16 approaches its retracted position, and thus of moving the arm 566 to release it from behind the corridor 52 thus unlocking the latter.



  Line delivery lever 16 and line follower 20 can be retracted by hand by means of the ball knob 42 mounted on the forward end of a bar 574 attached to line follower 20 (Fig. 30). Bar 574 is arranged to engage lane 52 when line follower 20 is retracted. The layout of the parts is such that when the delivery lever and line follower approach their retracted position, the delivery lever arm 572 unlocks the lane 52, and the bar 574 then engages the lane and rotates it slightly. by moving it away from the elevator 12, the new position of the passage being indicated in phantom in FIG. 31.

   With this arrangement, the lane 52 cannot be locked again to start the camera mechanism, until the elevator 12 has been lifted again to release the line delivery lever and the line follower. line and bring a line of matrices to justification station 24.



  Referring to the fi-. 30, and in fig. 6, it can be seen that the elevator 12 is provided with a door 576 which can be pivoted forwards around a pin 578 to access a line of dies contained in the elevator. Gate 576 is useful during the row repeat operation, in cases where it is desired to change one or two dies and then repeat a row. <I> The electrical circuit </I> The electrical circuit of the present machine is shown in fig. 22.

   It can be seen in this figure that a known plug 580 for the current outlet, capable of being inserted into a corresponding socket, is connected by a conductor 582 to one end of the primary of a transformer 584, and by a conductor 586, the electrical contact 62 and a conductor 588 at the other end of this primary. Contact 62 is precisely the manual start contact shown on <U> fi-. </U> 1. Reference num ber 590 designates the electric motor driving the camera; this motor is connected to conductors 582 and 588 by respective conductors 592 and 594.



  The secondary of transformer 584 supplies electrical energy to a lamp 596 which is the light source for the photographic operation. The location of the lamp 596 is shown in fig. 12. To prolong the life of the lamp, means make it possible to supply it constantly with a low intensity, except when it is actually used for carrying out the photography operations.

   If we consider in particular FIG. 12, it can be seen that a member 600 for controlling the electrical contact is pivotally mounted on the upper pivot of the rod 604; when the bar 544 pivots to the left, this member 600 moves upwards and actuates a contact 622 (fig. 22) in order to increase the energy supplied to the lamp 596.



  If we now return to fig. 22, we see that one end of the secondary of transformer 584 is grounded, while the other end is connected by a conductor 624 to a resistor 626 itself connected to a fixed point 628 of the contact 622. The other fixed point 630 of the contact 622 is connected, via the rheostat 60 and the conductor 624, to the secondary of the transformer 584. The different locations which can be given to a rheostat 60 are indicated in FIGS. 1 and 12.



  The lamp 596 comprises a filament 632, one end of which is connected to earth while its other end is connected by a conductor 634 to a movable member 636 of the contact 622. The arrangements are such that, when the pivoting bar 544 is in in its lowest position, the movable member 636 is in contact with the fixed point 628 and the lamp is supplied with current through the resistor 626; the lamp therefore consumes relatively little current.

   On the contrary, when the bar 544 is moved upwards and to the left by the line follower 20, the movable member 636 comes into contact with the fixed point 630 and the lamp 596, which is then supplied via the rheostat. 60, operates at a relatively high intensity. The light intensity of the lamp can be adjusted with the rheostat 60 during photographing operations. The light intensity of the lamp 596 is measured by a selenium photocell 638, which is connected by conductors 640 and 642 to an ampere meter 61, the location of which is shown in FIG. 1.

   Obviously, when the line follower 20 is withdrawn at the end of the photographing operation, the rod 610 is retracted to disengage the trigger 608 from the rod 604. The bar 544 then pivots downward until it stops. lower position and the movable member 636 comes into contact with the fixed point 628, thus reducing the energy supplied to the rheostat 60, until the forward movement of the line follower line again occurs .



  The operation of the form of execution should emerge fairly easily from the preceding description, but it seems desirable, however, to briefly summarize the successive stages of this operation in the order in which they occur. First, the embodiment is adjusted for the dimensions of the characters to be printed expressed in points and for the line length that is desired.

   The order in which these initial settings are made is irrelevant. These settings are as follows, with reference to fig. 1 a - adjust the position of the graduated drum 66 so as to bring into the position of co-operation with the index 70 a graduation bearing the appropriate dimensions expressed in points;

    b - turn the handwheel 68 so as to have the index 70 indicate the desired line length on the graduated drum 66; the rotation of this flywheel, as indicated above, also places the jumper 26 for determining the line length in the appropriate position on the supply rack 27; c - adjust the dial 48 of the lenses for the appropriate dimensions in points; d - place the knurled disc 54 for adjusting the margin to obtain the appropriate dimensions in points; e - introduce the appropriate gearbox 51 into the drive train of the rope support;

    f - place the line spacing dial 47 in the desired position to give the film the correct line advance movement; g - adjust the justification mechanism 28 by placing the justi fication conditioning lever 58 in the appropriate position. If one wants to compose tables, other adjustments of the justification mechanism 28 are necessary, as was explained in Swiss patent No. 302927 cited above by reference. When all these adjustments have been carried out, the start contact 62 is actuated to supply energy to the machine.



  We compose a line of matrices <I> MI </I> in the manual device 10 and it is introduced into the machine. The compound line is then introduced into the elevator by moving the sliding organ of the manual switching device. Elevator 12 is then raised to remove the die line from the slurry member and device 10 is removed from the machine.



  When the elevator reaches its upper position, it actuates the release lever 14; line delivery lever 16 and line follower 20 then move the compound line to justification station 24. Movement of line follower 20 to the left rotates bar 54-1 to the left (fig. . 24); as a result, wedge 540 rotates and places the feed rack unlocking mechanism in the desired position to unlock this rack.



  When line follower 20 reaches line determination jumper 26, it becomes rusty with it, and the compound line is then placed at justification station 24 between line follower 20 and the ex wall. end C. The lever 56 is then lowered to measure the line insufficiency and the machine is ready to photograph the characters of the dies. If we want to collect the matrices on the accumulation bar 36 after the photographing operation, it is then necessary to lower the plate 34 of the accumulation bar; this operation starts the camera mechanism and also unlocks the power supply chain 27.

   It is then that the photographing operation which has been fully described in the patent cited above is performed. The dies are successively moved upwards from the justification station 24 to the photographing station 33 by transport chains, and they are then elevated to the discharge station 35, from where they pass. on the accumulation bar 36. The film support 32 moves downward by successive advances, the amplitude of which is controlled by that of the movement of the feed rack 27.

   The amplitude of each feed, as already noted, is determined by two factors, the thickness of the element removed from the head of the line and the justification correction to be applied.



  When (the jumper 26 for determining the line length reaches the end wall C, the line follower 20 is automatically unlocked from this member. The button 42 of the line follower is then entered and the latter is returned to its right position. During its retraction movement, the line follower puts the feed rack 27 and the film support 32 back into place. In the event that the die return channel 52 is in its lower position , the withdrawal of the line follower 20 unlocks this corridor and pivots it away from the elevator 12.



  When the line follower has been returned to its right position, and has been locked by raising the right end of lever 14, the plate 34 of the accumulator bar is lifted, which disengages the clutch. drive of the camera, and releases the feed rack locking mechanism to allow the bolt 514 to enter the hole 512 of the rack and lock the rack. The elevation of the plate 34 also allows the spring 532 (Fig. 24) to lift the rod 526;

   the spring 542 then moves the part 536 to bring it under the rod 526, so as to prevent the lowering of the plate 34, the starting of the camera mechanism and the release of the supply rack 27, until that the line follower has placed another line at the justification station. The unloaded dies are removed from the accumulation bar 36 and returned to the store. Lever 46 is then manually lowered to advance the film and the machine is ready for another cycle of operation. In the case where the machine is arranged to perform the line repeating operation, the accumulator bar plate is left in its upper position.

   The operation is the same as that explained above until the operation consisting in lowering the lever 56 of the justification mechanism 28. Then, the latch 556 of the die return corridor 52 and the die return corridor are lowered. votes down as it approaches elevator 12. The initial movement of lane 52 activates electrical contact 550 to start motor 376 which drives transporter 50 and the star wheel at the discharge end of the lane .

   As the lower end of lane 52 approaches elevator 12, lane finger 502 rotates shaft 496 to move rod 488, start the camera mechanism, and unlock power rack 27. The corridor is then locked against the elevator 12 by the lock 558 and the photography of the characters of the dies takes place as before.



  The dies arriving at the unloading station 35 are pushed by the pusher 342 against the deflection member 346 which guides them onto the conveyor 50, where they are then transported to the upper end of the aisle 52. dies are then guided one behind the other through the corridor 52, then pushed successively into the elevator 12 by the star wheel. Since the dies are assembled in the elevator in the order they were unloaded at the unloading station, they are in the correct order to be photographed again.

   When they have been assembled again in elevator 12, the line follower is removed, as explained above, in order to unlock the lane 52. When the line follower is in its fully withdrawn position, it rests against the corridor 52 and maintains the latter away from the elevator towards the outside, as can be seen particularly clearly in FIG. 31. If it is desired to repeat the dialed line again, the elevator 12 is raised to allow the line follower to advance the line again to the station. justification, and the operations described above are repeated.

   If a single character or only a few characters are to be changed in the dialed line, door 576 of elevator 12 can be opened and the desired die (s) entered before the elevator rises again to repeat. line.

 

Claims (1)

CLAIM Photographic typeface composition machine of the type in which matrices bearing characters intended to be photographed are successively composed, delivered and justified, before being brought one by one to a photographic station, by a synchronized mechanism comprising an assembly elevator, a delivery trolley and a feed rack whose intermittent advance is controlled according to the thickness of each die, this 1st rack producing a rectilinear and in termittent corresponding movement of a film support so that the characters are photographed in linear succession, a machine characterized by the fact that it comprises a manual composition device, a justification mechanism intended to be actuated by hand, means intended to be actuated by hand to release the supply rack in order to allow it to move forward, and to simultaneously actuate the photographing mechanism, and other means intended to be operated by hand to perform a retraction movement of the delivery carriage, the feed rack and the film support, when the photograph of a compound line is finished. SUB-CLAIMS 1. Machine according to claim, characterized in that it comprises mechanisms for recirculating the dies, these mechanisms being able to be selectively controlled so as either to accumulate the used materials, or to them. return to repeat the photograph, these mechanisms comprising an accumulation bar capable of being placed by hand to receive the dies when they are unloaded from the camera, and a conveyor comprising a lane capable of being placed by hand at instead of said bar, to return the dies to the assembly elevator in the order in which they were unloaded from the camera. 2. Machine according to Claim and Sub-Claim 1, characterized in that the accumulation bar and the passage are respectively arranged so as to release the supply rack and to trigger the operation of the camera mechanism. 3. Machine according to claim and sub-claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the means for releasing the supply rack comprise a locking worm member, a mechanism capable of being actuated by hand to engage the member. locking mechanism in the rack and to release it, and an intermediate piece arranged normally to render said mechanism inoperative, but capable of being moved to a position allowing the rusting worm member to disengage from the rack in response to the initial movement of a line follower on the delivery cart. 4. Machine according to claim and sub-claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises a mechanical linkage connecting the locking member of the supply chainring to said mechanism allowing this locking member to be moved, the intermediate piece normally being pushed towards its position of engagement with the mechanical linkage, other means being intended to disengage said intermediate piece from the linkage in response to the advance of the line follower. 5. Machine according to claim and sub-claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the justification means comprise a justification control rail, a support bar on which the control rail is pivotally mounted, and a manual member to raise the support bar, locking means for locking this bar being arranged to lock the bar under the action of the initial movement of the line follower. 6. Machine according to claim and sub-claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the locking means of the support bar comprise a locking rod fixed to the bar and a locking member which surrounds the rod and capable of incline to clamp the rod and prevent it from moving downwards, a rod for controlling the locking member being capable of moving in one direction to tilt the latter to its locking position, and move in the other direction to move it to the unlock position. 7. Machine according to claim and sub-claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the operation of the control rod of the locking member is conditioned by a bar subjected to the action of a spring and capable of 'be released by an initial movement of the line follower. 8. Machine according to claim and sub-claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it comprises a light source on its optical axis, means for adjusting the intensity of this source comprising a susceptible electrical contact, when it is actuated , to increase the supply current of said source and arranged so as to be actuated by a movable member capable of being driven by part of the line follower, and means for maintaining the electrical contact in the operative position during the photography, these means comprising a member subjected to the action of a spring and capable of becoming operative under the action of the initial advance of the line follower and inoperative under the action of the return movement of the latter. 9. Machine according to claim and sub-claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the mechanism for recirculation and return of the dies to repeat the photography comprises an endless conveyor, one end of which is disposed near the unloading station of the camera to receive the elements when they are unloaded, and the other end of which is located substantially above the assembly elevator, a neck extending from this second end of the conveyor to the elevator to guide the elements one behind the other to the interior thereof. 10. Machine according to claim and sub-claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the corridor is capable of pivoting from an inoperative horizontal position to a substantially vertical operating position and close to the elevator, means motors being intended to drive the endless conveyor, and an electrical contact being intended to engage the motor means, this contact being actuated by the movement of the corridor to its vertical position. 11. Machine according to claim and sub-claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the passage has a part which is arranged so that when it is in the operative position it actuates the mechanism for releasing the rack. power supply and camera mechanism. 12. Machine according to claim and sub-claims 1 to 11, characterized in that a deflection member is arranged above the end of the conveyor and near the station for discharging the dies out of the camera, to guide the dies unloaded to a horizontal position on the carrier, this deflection member being capable of being withdrawn outside the path of the dies by the accumulation bar when the latter passes into the accumulation position. 13. Machine according to claim and sub-claims 1 to 12, characterized in that it comprises a latch for locking the lane in '-its operating position, this latch being arranged so as to pass into the unlocking position when the follower line is retracted, so that a new lane rusting worm in its operative position is necessary each time a com- posed line is to be photographed again. 14. Machine according to claim and sub-claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the composition device comprises a support, an assembly carriage mounted on the support and capable of sliding into a channel of the assembly elevator , an adjustable guide mounted in the assembly carriage and capable of moving relative thereto, and locking means for locking the assembly carriage and the guide together so that they can be removed from position. 'a single block up to the elevator in order to' transfer a compound line there, these locking means comprising a shoe capable of sliding in a slot in the support, the end of this slot, which is adjacent to the elevator, constituting a stop against which the shoe can come to rest to limit the movement of the assembly carriage and of the guide in the elevator. <B> 15. </B> Machine according to claim and sub-claims 1 to 14, characterized in that it comprises a device for determining the line length which comprises a graduation and an index capable of being move in relation to this to indicate the length of the line to dial, and a notched centering member aligned with one end of the graduation and capable of receiving one of the end walls of the composition device to facilitate the relative adjustment of the walls thereof in correspondence with the line length chosen.