GB1219882A - Improvements relating to printing machines - Google Patents

Abstract

1,219,882. Selective printing, ADDRESSOGRAPH MULTIGRAPH CORP. 17 Jan,. 1969 [18 Jan., 1968], No. 2975/69. Heading B6F. A credit card data-printing machine comprises a base (12), Fig. 1 (not shown), including a printing bed (16) and having a printing head (14) including a roller platen carriage (15) pivotally mounted thereon by a shaft 13, Fig. 3, the printing head (14) being movable from an open position away from the bed (16) to a closed position against the bed (16), locking means being provided whereby the printing head cannot be moved to the closed position for a printing operation until at least one of a plurality of print wheels such as P3 has been reset. Index-setting arrangements.-Each print wheel is formed with an integral pinion 44 which is engaged by a gear-wheel 42, the gear-wheel 42 having an integral extension gear 41 engaged by an idler gear 36 which is driven by a pinion 32 integral with an index wheel such as W3 formed with a knurled flange 35 and a hub 30 bearing characters corresponding to those on the print wheel P3. The gear-wheels 42 and respective integral extension gears 41 are rotatably mounted on a fixed shaft 48, the shaft 48 including detents each comprising pointed caps 64 urged apart by a spring 65 into recesses 68 in the inner surface of a bore in the respective gear-wheel. The extension gears 41 permit the index wheels to be spaced further apart than the print wheels. Interlocking devices.-Moving the printing head to the closed position for a printing operation causes, through gear segments 92, 88, a cam 86, a projection 84 and a spring 75, pivotal movement of a shuttle 76 about an axis 78. Such movement brings pawl teeth 72 into engagement with the print wheels for alignment and locking action, causes an adjustable stop 126 to engage a cradle 100 to pivot the cradle about a pin 82 and bring a roller 103 into engagement with pairs of teeth on the gear-wheels 42, the cradle being held in this position by an over-centre spring 112, and acts through a projection 142 to urge a lever 130 having an ear 138 projecting above the bed (16) so that the ear 138 is aligned with a notch (17, Fig. 1) in a wall of the printing head (14). After printing, the printing head is swung back and the shuttle 76 returns to release the print wheels, and return the lever 130 under spring bias to a position wherein the ear 138 is not aligned with the notch (17). The cradle 100 is held in place by the spring 112. The printing head cannot then be returned to the closed position owing to a blocking lever 120 pivoted at 82 and engaging a pin 80, thus preventing pivotal motion of the shuttle 76 and consequent movement of the lever 130, so that the ear 138 is engaged by the side wall of the printing head. Resetting of at least one print wheel is necessary, this acting to return the cradle 100 over-centre of the spring 112, bringing the lever 120 out of a position engaging the pin 80 and thus permitting pivotal movement of the shuttle 76.