US1365062A - Marking-machine - Google Patents

Description

C. F. ROBBINS.

MARKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION mmAPn. 17. 1919.

1,365,062. mm Jan. 11,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

C. F. ROBBINS. IARKING IAOHINE' APiucAnol FILED A". 11. 1919.

1,365,062. Patented"Jan.11',1921.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 2- which the work issupported and a printing a UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

cnlmnns r. ROBBINS, or soon: WEYMOUTH, massacnosn'r'rsfnssrenon 'ro mnnxnm MACHINE COMPANY, or BOSTON, massacnusnrrs, A amm- TION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

MARKING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 17, 1919. Serial No. 290,799.

tion, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to marking machines or printing machines of that type which involve a work-supporting platen on head movable toward and from the platen and carrying printing characters. One of the objects of the invention is to provide a marking machine of this type in which the movement of the printing head away from the platen is upwardly and rearwardly so that when theprinting head is in its retracted position it is situated not only above, but to the rear of the platen.

Anotherobject of the invention is to provide a novel meansffor supporting and op erating *tliefprinting head by which the printing face will'always be maintained in parallel relation'with the platenin all positions of theprinting head, and still another object of the inventionis' to provide a marking machineof thistypehavinga yieldingly-sustained platen with means for auto-' matieally locking theplaten from upward movement, andnmeans .to release the'lock when the printing head is in printing position."

Other objects of theiinvention are to imp ove marking machines of this type, all as willbe 'more'fully hereinafter set forth.

In order to givej'an understanding. of my invention, 1 haveillustrated inthe drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will nowbe described, after whi chthe novel featu'res will bepointed out the appended.

claims. 1 k

In the'drawings, Figure 1 is a verticalsectional view of -a marking machine embody]- ing my inventions ing the. printing head in printing posit?!) i "Fig.2isa

ctr n on the line 2 2, 1'; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig.1{showing the printing head mats-:amma position; 1 indicates asuitableframe which is designed to be placed on ab ench or table and WlllCh supports the operative parts of-the machine. The Work-supporting platen is shown at 2 and it is carried by a plunger 3 which 1s mounted for vertical movement in the frame and which is acted upon by asuit-' able spring 4 tending to hold it yieldingly Patented Jan. 11,

in its elevated position. The printing head" is shown generally at 5, and it is mounted for movement toward and from the platen 2, as usual in printing machines of this type. The printing head may have anysuitable construction, that herein shown being of the famillar type which includes a plurality of type disks 6, each having a plurality of type characters 7 thereon, and each being rotatably mounted in the head so as to bring any one of its type characters into printing posis.

tion. This type of printing head is more or less commonly used in printing machines of th s character. The printing head is sustained on .a supporting arm 8 which is mounted for movement upwardly and rearwardly from the position shown in Fig.1 to that shown in Fig. 3. This movement of the arm is of such character that the printing face of the printing head will be always parallel with the platen in all positions of 1 the arm. The supporting arm 8 is shown as "pivotally connected at 11 and 12 to two rocking members 9 and 10 that are mounted on two parallel. shafts 13 and 14 that are carried in the frame 1. These rocking members 9 and 10 are also connected by links 15,

said links-beingpivoted to the rocking members at 16 and 17, respectively. The rock.-

ing members 9 and 10, links 15 and arm 8 thus make a sort of parallel-ruler construc- 10 are swung from the position shown in Fig 1 to that showriin Fig. 3, the arm 8 will be carried upwardly and rearwardly and tion, and whenithe rocking members9 and during the entire extent of movement of the arm, it will be parallel to the positions 5 shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The rocking members 9 and 101maybe given their rocking movement by any suitable means. I have herein shown. the member 9 as pivotally connected at 18 to a link or connecting rod 19 which in v turn is pivotally connected to the crank pin 20 of a crank arm 21 carried 'b a driving shaft 22. Hence at. each rotation of the driving shaft, the printing head will be moved from its retracted position shown in Fig. 3 into its printing position shown in Fig. 1 and then back into its retracted position again. One advantage of this construction is that the retractive movement of the printing head is upwardly and rearwardly so that when the printing head is in its retracted position it is back of the platen and thus does not interfere at all with the operation of placing work on or removing it from the platen.

23 indicates an inking pad which is carried by supporting arms 24 that are hung from the frame 1. .This inking pad is situated so that the type characters of the printing head will be brought into contact therewith when the printing head is at the extreme limit of its rearward movement, as shown in dotted lines Fig.- 3.

The arms 24 are shown as pivotally hung on the frame 1 at 43, the upper ends of said arms being connected by a bridge portion 44. This bridge portion has a bolt or rod 45 screw-threaded thereto, which bolt extends loosely through an opening in a. lug or ear 46 formed on the frame. 47 is a spring encircling said rod and situated between the lug or ear 46 and the head 48 at the end of the rod, said spring yieldingly holding the inking pad 23 in its proper position. A collar 19 adjustahly mounted on the rod 45 limits the upward movement of the inking pad. When the type are brought into engagement with the inking pad the spring 47 permits said pad to yield downwardly slightly and then returns the pad to the position shown in the drawings. Thus a proper engagement of the type with the ink pad is always assured.

It will be noted that the rocking members 9 and 10 are so constructed and arranged that when they swing from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 3, the centers 11 and 12 will be carried to the rear of the pivotal shafts 13 and 14. \Vhen the centers 11 and 12 are directly over the shafts 13 and 14, the arm 8 will be in its highest or most elevated position, and the movement of the rocking members farther to the rear into the dotted line position, Fig. 3, will result in lowering the printing head. Hence the retracting movement of the printing head is first an upward and rearward movement and then a downward and rearward movement.

The driving shaft 22 is actuated by a suitable clutch device indicated generally at 25 which is constructed to bring the shaft to rest in the full line position Fig. 3 with the printing head slightly separated from the inking pad. When the machine is started the initial rotative movement of the driving shaft will swing the rocking members 9and 10 into the dotted line position, Fig. 3, thus lowering the printing head into contact with the inking pad 23, and continued rotative movement of the shaft lll then move the printing head upwardly and forwardly from the inking pad, and then downwardly and forwardly to bring the printing head into printing position shown in Fig. 1. The printing head will, therefore, always be freshly inked each time that the machine is platen automatically in its depressed po-- sition each time that it is lowered and means for releasing the lock each time a printing impression is made whereby different thicknesses of stock can be printed on without requiring any adjustment in the position of the platen.

The platen 2 has associated therewith means for automatically looking it in depressed position and means are provided for releasing the lock each time the printing head is in printing position so that during the making of the printed impression the platen is free to be moved upwardly by the spring 4, thus insuring a proper pressure of the type on the work.

The plunger or stem 3 has a collar 26 on its lower end to which is pivotally connected one end of a link 27, the other end of said link being pivoted to a lever 28 that in turn is pivoted to the frame at 29. The rear end 'of this lever has ahead 30 formed with a curved surface 31 that is concentric with the axis 29. 32 indicates a locking lever which is pivoted to the frame at 33, said lever carrying at its end a locking roll 340 which is adapted to engage the surface 31. The construction of the locking lever 32 is such that the roll 340 is situated above a line joining the centers 33 and 29 and, therefore, any tendency to move the friction surface 31 downwardly will result in locking the lever 28 from movement; The locking roll 340 permits the friction surface 31, however, to move upwardly freely. Downward movement of the platen 2 .will swing the head 30 of the lever 28 upwardly, and hence the lock herein shown is such as to freely Kermit the platen to move downwardly.

he roll 340, however, cooperates with the friction surface 31 to lock the platen from upward movement. Means are provided whereby this lock is automatically released each time that the printing head is carried into the position shown in Fig. 1 so that while the printing impression is being made the platen is free to be moved vertically. This releasing of the lock is herein provided for by means of an arm 34 which is rigid with the locking lever 32 and extends upwardly therefrom and which is adapted to be engaged by a projection 35 carried by the links 15 when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1. This projection 35 is shownas in the form of a bridge connecting the twolevers 15 and as'carrying an adjusting screw 36 that engages the upper end of the arm 34. I

Under some circumstances it is desirable to make the same printed impression on a plurality of pieces of sheet material, and when this is to be done, the various pieces of sheet material may all be stacked up and the stack placed on the platen 2. When the machine is set in operation the printing head will be lowered into contact with the top piece of the stack and the movement of the head will force the platen downwardly against the action of the spring 4 until the printing head has reached the lower limit of its movement, this downward movement of the platen being freely permitted by the lock herein described.

As the printing head begins its return or .retractive movement the lock becomes operative to hold the platen in its depressed position. While-the printing head is retracted the operator will remove the top sheet from the stackwith the printed impression, and upon the next downward movement the printing head will make a printed impress'ion on the sheet which is now exposed to the top. As the printed impression is made, the lock is released so that the spring 4 acts to raise the platen an amount equal to the thickness of the sheet which has been removed, whereby a proper printing contact will be provided between the printing head and the top sheet of the stack. Thus the successive sheets may be 'printedand removed as they are printed and the platen will gradually move' up under the influence of t e spring 4 as theprinted sheets are remove i This construction also has the advantage successively printed without ,making any adjustment of the platen to accommodate varying thicknesses, for at each printing wardly against the action of the spring .4

into a position corresponding to the thick- A downward movement of the platen, a lever connected to said platen and having a friction locking face, a locking lever pivoted to the frame and having a roll engaging said .friction face, vertically-extending arm rigid with said lever, a printing head, actuating means therefor by which the printing head is moved toward and from the platen, and a projection carried by saidactuating means and adapted to engage said arm when the printing head is in printing position thereby to release the lock.

2. In a marking machine, the combination with a frame, of two rocking members pivoted thereto to turn about parallel axes, a supporting arm pivotally connected to the ends of the rocking levers, a printing head carried by said arm,.means to oscillate said rocking members from a position in which the pivotal connections between), said members and said supporting arm and the axes about which said members rock are in line to a position where the pivotal connections between said members and arm are above but back of said axes, a platen situated to be enga ed by said head when the arm is in the rst-named position, and an inking pad situated to he engaged by said head when the arm is in the last-named position.

3 In a marking machine, the combination w' h a platen, of two lever members pivoted intermediate of their ends to turn about parallel axes, a link connecting said lever members at one end, a supporting arm pivotally connected to said members at the other end, a printing head carried by said arm, and means c onnected to one of said lever members and arranged to oscillate them from a horizontal position to e a position slightly beyond a vertical position, "and a platen with which the printing head engages when the lever members are in their horizontal position. i i

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification. impression the platen will be forced down-

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