US1191680A - Check or ticket punch. - Google Patents

Description

pan s'rairns ran! FRED FARROW, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR'TO EMFIRE TICKET COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACI-IUSETTS,A VOLUNTARY ASSOCIATION OF MASSAGI-IUSE'ITS.

CHECK OR TICKET PUNCH.

Application filed April 6, 1916.

invention relates i punches used in restaurants for punching holes in customers checks to indicate the amount owned by the customer, and it has for its object to provide a simple and durable punch adapted to beeasily and convcniently manipulated in the performance of its function.

The invention consists in the improvements which I w1ll now proceed to descrlbe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification: Figure 1 reprethe guide.

sents a side view of a punch embodying my invention; F 1g. 2 represents a plan vlew of the same; Fig. 3 represents an enlarged section on line 33 of Fig.2; Fig. 4E represents an enlarged end view of the plunger; Fig. 5 represents a view similar to Fig. 3, showing a different form of means for pre venting the withdrawal of the plunger from The same reference characters indicate the same or similar parts in all the views.

In the drawings, 12 represents a looped resilient handle having at one end an arm 13 which is perforated to form a guide 14;.

has two oppositely inclined flat faces 18- and 18 which meet to form an obtuse angle 18. Each face by the intersection of its outer margin with the periphery of the plunger forms a cutting edge which is inclined relatively'to the longitudinal axis of the plunger. The face 18 is extended forward farther than the face 18*.

To the guide arm 13 is attached an ear 19, the outer portion of which is separated Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 18,1916.

Serial No. 89,256.

from said arm by a check-receiving throat 20. Said ear is provided with a female cutting the, preferably by forming therein an orifice 22, in which the male cutting die has a close sliding fit, said dies being formed to cooperate in punching a hole in a check or ticket inserted in the throat 20. The ear 19 is preferably detachably connected to the arm 13 by screws 24, so that when the female die becomes worn, a new one can be substituted for it. i v

The handle 12, which is preferably a strip of steel, is normally maintained by its own resilience with the arms 13 and separated.

sufficiently to retract the plunger from the throat 20. The handle is formed to be grasped and compressed by one hand of the user. lVhen the handle is thus compressed the plunger is projected through the throat 20 and into the female die, and punches at check or ticket in said throat. I

To compensate for the changes in the angular positions of the arms 13 and 15 caused by the compression of the handle, I provide a loose connection between the plunger. and the arm 15, preferably as follows. The arm 15 is provided with a plunger-receiving orifice 29 oflarger diameter than the plunger. A pin 30 passes through said orifice and through an orifice 31 in the plunger, of greater diameter than the pin. The plunger is therefore movable loosely in the arm and on the pin, so that it is adapted to reciprocate freely in the guide 1 1- without binding or sticking. WVhen the grip, of the operator on the handle is relaxed, the expansion of the handle retracts the plunger.

The side of the check-receiving throat formed by the female die is arranged to support a check with its sides at right anglcs to the longitudinal axis of the punch. h en the punch is projected the two cutting edges above described act successively to a certain. extent, the cutting edge of the face 18 commencing to out into the check before 7 the cutting edge of the face 18 commences to cut. I find that this successive action of the two cutting edges enables. a check to be punched with less muscular effort than would be required if both'edges commenced to cut simultaneously.

I am aware that the cylindrical male member of a punch has been provided with a single fiat end face inclined relatively to the axis of the member so that its intersection with one side of the periphery of said member forms an acute angled edge portion. The intersection of said face with the opposite side of the periphery of the male member necessarily forms an obtuse angled edge portion which experiences greater resistance in cutting, and requires the application of greater force than the acute angled edge portion. I am also aware that it has been proposed to form a concave face on the end of a cylindrical male member, said face being so arranged that a continuous or annular acute angled cutting edge is formed by its intersection with the periphery of the member, said edge being in a plane which is inclined relatively to the axis of the male member. Such concave face can only be formed and ground to sharpen the cutting edge by a special tool having a convex face and not capable of being reciprocated crosswise of the axis of the punch member, such special tool being therefore necessarily operated slowly and with considerable difficulty.

The flat faces 18 and 18 of my improved plunger obviate the objections above recited, each face having an acute angled cutting edge. Said faces can be readily formed and reduced or cut away to sharpen said edges by an ordinary reciprocating file having a flat face or faces, so that the operations of forming and sharpening said cutting edges may be quickly performed without the use of an appliance especially pro vided.'

I am also aware that the cylindrical male member of a punch has been provided with a V-shaped groove in its outer end forming two acute-angled cutting edge portions of equal height, and therefore commencing simultaneously to penetrate paper against which they are pressed, so that the entrance of both edge portions into the paper is simultaneously resisted at the commencement of the cutting operation. My improved punch member or plunger, having two acute-angled cutting edge portions of unequal heights and therefore successively commencing to cut, requires less force to cause it to perform its function than a plunger having two cutting edge portions of equal height and simultaneously commencing to cut.

The looped spring handle 12 constitutes a very simple and convenient means for operating the punch, its simplicity being such that an unskilled operator cannot fail to properly manipulate the punch. The handle is located at such distance from the punch members that there is no obstruction to the operators view of the same, hence the operator can manipulate the punch with one hand and hold the check or ticket with the other.

To prevent the entire withdrawal of the on the under side of the arm 15 when the plunger is retracted into the guide.

As shown by Fig. 5, the means for preventing the withdrawal of the plunger from the guide may be embodied in an extension 13* of the arm 18, said extension being curved so that its outer end portion bears on the under side of the arm 15. Said end portion may have a guide orifice receiving and guiding the lower end portion of theplunger, said orifice constituting .a supplemental guide in alinement with the guide 14. i

It is obvious that the plunger having a notch with two flat faces, one projecting farther forward than the other, may be used with a guide, a ticket-receiving throat, and a female die otherwise constructed and arranged, for example, as shown by my pending application filed September 14, 1915, Serial Number 50,607. I elect to claim said plunger in this application without limiting it to use in a structure which includes the elongated barreleshaped guide and the die-carrying arm disclosed by my former application.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A check punch comprising a guide, a plunger movable therein, the outer end of theplunger being provided with a notch having two flat faces meeting at an angle which extends across the plunger, the intersection of said faces with the periphery of the plunger forming two acute angled cutting edges which are inclined in opposite directions relatively to the axis of' the plunger, one of said faces projecting forward farther than the other, wherebyone of said cutting edges is caused to enter a check or ticket in advance of the other, an ear attached to the guide and provided with a female die separated from the guide by a check-receiving throat having a check-supporting side substantially at a right angle to the axis of the plunger, and manually operated means for projecting the plunger into the throat and die, resilient means being provided for retracting the plunger from the die and throat.

2. A check punch comprising a compressibleresilient looped handle normally expanded by its own resilience, an arm on one end of said handle, a plunger loosely engaged with and projecting from said arm, another arm on the opposite end of the handle having a guide for said plunger, and an ear attached to the guiding arm and provided with a female die separated from the guiding arm by a check-receiving throat, the said arms being held yieldingly separated by the normal expansion of the handle to retract the plunger from said throat, and the plunger being projected through said throat and into the die by the compression of the handle, the loose engagement of the plunger with the plungercarrying arm compensating for changes in the angular positions of said arms caused by the compression of the handle.

3. A check punch comprising a compressible resilient looped handle normally expanded by its own resilience, an arm on one end of said handle, a plunger loosely engaged with and projecting from said arm,

another arm on the. opposite end of the handle having a guide in which said plunger has a close sliding fit, an ear attached to the guiding arm and provided with a female die separated from the guiding arm by a checlrreceiving throat, the said arms being held yieldingly separated by the normal expansion of the handle to retract the plunger from said throat, and the plunger being projected through said throat and into the die by'the compression of the handle, and means preventing the withdrawal of the plunger from the guide.

In testimony whereof I have aiiixed my signature.

FRED FARROW.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C.

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