GB501982A - Improvements in or relating to sheet-feeding mechanism for calculating, accounting and like machines - Google Patents

Abstract

501,982. Typewriters &c. BRITISH TABULATING MACHINE CO., Ltd., KEEN, H. H., and WOODHEAD, J. Sept. 8, 1937, No. 24528. [Class 100 (iv)] Sheet-feeding arrangements.-In sheet-inserting mechanism for calculating and like machines of the kind comprising gripping-means for automatically feeding a new sheet over a support and on to the platen or other rotary feeding-member when the old sheet is ejected by a long-feed mechanism, the front edge of the new sheet is registered by stops which are automatically moved out of the path of the sheet when the inserting-mechanism is operated. In the mechanism shown in the Figure, a support 14 at the rear of the platen 10 is provided with sheet-inserting mechanism comprising slides 21, each having a pin 23 engaging a fork 25 oil a cross-head 26 having an arm 27 which can rock on a pin 29 and is connected to the core 28 of a solenoid BFS. Each slide 21 carries a gripper-pad 36 and a spring-urged gripper-lever 37 having a tail 39 which normally abuts on a stop 40. Front stops 19 for the sheets are formed on spring-urged levers 17 and normally abut oil a sheet-guide 15. The gripper-pads, gripper-levers, and the stops 40 are adjustable in accordance with the length of the sheets. A sheet placed on the support is squared by means of the stops 19, and when the solenoid BFS is energized, the slides 21 are advanced, the gripper-levers 37 are depressed, and the slides engage lugs 42 on the levers 17 and thereby depress the stops. The sheet is then engaged by the gripperlevers and moved into engagement with the platen 10 and feed-rollers 16 and is fed forwards thereby. Towards the end of the advance-movement of the slides, they open contacts SSC, the solenoid BFS is de-energized, the slides are returned by means of springs 32, and the levers 17, 37 are returned bv means of springs 20 and the stops 40. To provide for manual insertion of sheets, the stops 19 can be depressed by rocking a shaft 43 having flats 45 co-operating with projections 46 on the levers 17. To facilitate insertion of the sheets, the support 14 may be provided with light bow-springs for holding up the trailing edge of the sheet passing around the platen. The sheet-inserting mechanism may be used in conjunction with the platen-rotating mechanism described in Specification 494,583, the control-circuits described therein being modified to include the solenoid BFS, contacts SSC, and a key for closing the circuit of the solenoid and thereby initiating sheet-insertion. The circuit of the solenoid is maintained by a holding-relay until the contacts SSC open. To provide for automatic sheet-insertion when the platen-rotating mechanism operates as an incident to total-taking, contacts which open on ejection of a sheet are arranged to complete the circuit of the solenoid BFS and contacts SSC. Plug-connections can be made in the control-circuits to provide for printing on a sheet on which a variable number of lines has already been printed, or for printing the first line in a constant position on all the sheets.