US1434582A - Paper-feeler mechanism - Google Patents

Description

L.R. BARBER. PAPER 'F-EEI E-R MECHANISM APPLICATION-"FILED AU.G.22', 1 92.1,

Patented Nov. 7, 1922.

INVENTOR LRBarbeJ' ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 3,

LEWIS R. BARBER, OF FRESNO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO LISENBY MANUFACTURING COMIPANY, 01E FRESNO, CALIFORNIA, A GORPORA'IION.

PAPER-FEELER MECHANISIVI.

Application filed August 22, 1921. Serial No. 494,072.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, LEWIS R. Barman, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fresno, county of Fresno, State of Califon 5 nia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Paper-Feeler Mechanism; and I do declare the followin;; to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accmnpanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which if rm a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in printing presses of the individual-sheet printing type, and especially to those of the general type shown in United States Patent Nos. 1,016,756, dated February 6th, 1912, and 1,0413%, dated October 15th, 1912.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a means for preventing the printing cylinder of the press from being moved to press against the. inked form unless a piece of paper or other matter to be printed has been fed between the cylinder and the form. In this manner the cylinder is pre vented from becoming coated with ink by contact with the type, which of course would be deposited on the reverse side of the next piece of material fed into the press to be printed, necessitating the discarding of this and probably other pieces of material, unless the press is stopped and the cylinder wiped off.

Such a procedure is costly, both as to the waste of material, and the loss of time involved in stopping the press, which is apt to have to be done quite frequently, especially with l'iandfeeding of the paper.

The object of the invention is carried out in a general way by holding the latch. which usually locks the operating rod in place, iu active. This results in the latter, which is spring-pulled, being free to return without moving the printing cylinder, which con trolled thereby, down against the chase and type thereon for the period in the operation of the press when printing should take place.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which willbe exceedingly effective for the purposes for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

is being fed into the plane of the printing cylinder.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view, showing the position of the feeler mechanism when the operating rod latch has engaged the lockingblock of the latter, allowing a printing operation to take place.

Fig. 3 is a similar view, showing the position of the feeler mechanism at the instant the paper is being passed over the feedplate into the path of the printing cylinder.

Fig. 4 is another similar view, showing the position of the feeler mechanism at the time a piece of material to be printed should be, but is not, passing over the feedplate.

5 is a top plan view of a feeler release or lift-lever.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the numeral 1 denotes the stand or frame of the press, in which is slidably mounted a moving bed 2 which bears the type chase, and which is adapted to be reciprocated lengthwise of the frame by any suitable means, not here shown.

The operating rod 3 of the press is slidably mounted to be movedto the right or rear end of the press by the moving bed, but to rei turn of itself by suitable spring means, not shown. This rod carries a rack 41 adapted to mesh with a gear 5 on the shaft 6 oi: the

- printing cylinder 7, ti e latter being eccentrically mounted on. its shaft and arranged to be lowered when the gear is rotated with a movement of the rod and bed to the right. The rack considerably shorter than the length of travel of the rod, so that it Wlll of course only be in mesh with its gear for a standard and connnon on this type of press.

My new feeder mechanism will now be described. This mechanism consists of a feeler lever 12 fixed at its upper end on a pin 13 journaled in one of the boxes 8, this pin projecting through the box and having formed on that end a feeler-finger 14, adapted to pass through a hole 15 provided in the feed plate 9.

A rod 16 having a flexible connection with the lever 12 leads therefrom to a rigid though adjustable connection with a latch plate 17 slidably mounted alongside the latch or look 11 on a pin 18 projecting from a. rigid plate 19 fixed on the frame 1, said pin passing through a horizontal slot 20 in the latch plate. A pin 21 projects from the member 11 above the plate 17 The top surface of the plate 17 is horizontally stepped as at A and B, with a slope or bevel C 0011- necting the two levels, the beveled portion facing toward the lever 12 or away from the lock 11.

The position of the latch 17 relative to the pin 21 is such that when the finger 14 is projecting through the feed plate 9 as in Fig. 4, the high-level surface A of the plate 17 will be directly under said pin, preventing the lock 11 from dropping in front of the block 10; when the finger 14 is held from passing through the feed plate by reason of a piece of paper being thereunder, the junction of the surfaces A and C will be slightly forward of the pin 21, while when the finger is raised entirely clear of the feed plate as in Fig. 2, the lock 11 will be allowed to drop in front of the block 10 with a clearance between the pin 21 and surface B to spare.

A spring 22 acts on the lever 12 to normally hold the finger 14 connected thereto projecting through the plate 9.

In order to release or throw the lever 12 at predetermined periods, so as to raise the feeler 14 above the feed plate, a release or lift lever 23 is provided, which is pivoted as at 24 on a block 25 on the frame to the rear of the lever 12. Journaled to said lever 23 on the opposite side of the block on an axial pin to the rear of the pin 24 is a roller 26 adapted to ride on a bumper block 27 carried on the moving bed 2. The relation of this block, roller and lift lever to the lever 12' is such that when the roller is riding on the block the release lever is held away from the lever 12 allowing the spring 22 thereon to function, while when the bumper block moves from under the roller the latter drops and the release lever kicks against the lever 12 by reason of a spring 28 on the former exerting its force to that end.

The lever 12 is not actually struck by the lever 23 itself, but by a button or stem 29 projecting from the latter, the stem being adjustable so that an accurate relation between the members may be readily attained.

Vith the above described structure therefore, when a piece of paper as at 30 is fed onto the feed plate, the finger on the lever 12 drops onto said paper, the lever having been just released by reason of the roller 26 of the lift lever being engaged by the block 27 at that point, with the travel of the moving bed to the right. This movement of the feeler lever places the plate 17 in the position shown in Fig. 3, which allows the lock 11 to then drop in front of the block 10, this movement being had by reason of the fact that the strength of the spring acting downwardly on the lock 11 is greater than that of the spring 22, thus allowing the pin 21 to press down on the bevel edge C of the plate 17, moving the latter forwardly and causing the lever 12 to be likewise moved, raising the feeler 14 above the paper so as not to retard the feeding of the paper.

For a predetermined and necessary period the lock-latch 11 is held against the block 10 while the cylinder 6 is held down as previously described, and the printing operation is had.

On the return of the moving bed to the left, the lock 11 is automatically raised, and as soon as the block 27 clears the roller 26 with this return movement, the lift lever 23 will be released, tripping the lever 12 and holding it in the position as shown in Fig. 1, until the return of the bed to the right and the subsequent release of the feeler-lever for another paper-feeling operation as already set forth.

If however no paper has been fed against the paper stop fingers 31 in proper sequence to the preceding piece, this releasing of the feeler-lever allows the feeler to project through the feed plate, placing the plate 1.7 under the pin 21, preventing the lock 11 from engaging the block; 10, and allowing the operating rod to r(- turn to the left witbv out the rack thereon properly holding the printing cylinder in printing position. With the return of the moving bed, the feeler lever is again released and the feeler raised as before.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

lVhile this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail maybe resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A paper-feeler mechanism for printing presses having a moving bed, a chase thereon, a printing cylinder, a feed-plate leading thereto, an operating rod operatively con nected with the moving bed and printing cylinder for positioning the latter in cooperative relation with the chase, and a locklatch adapted to engage and hold the operating rod ata predetermined period inits operation, comprising a movable plate adapted to prevent locking movement of the latch or to be positioned to allow such movement, a lever connected to said plate, and a finger connected to thelever and. adapted to lie substantially level with said. plate or to project therethrough, the plate when the finger is in the first position allowing the locklatch to engage the ope ating rod butmoving to hold said latch inactive when the tinger is in the latter position.

2. A. press comprising a moving bed, a chase thereon, a printing cylinder, a teedplate leading thereto, an operating rod operatively connected with the moving bed and printing cylinder for positioning the latter in cooperative relation with the chase, a lock latch adapted to engage and hold the operating rod at a predetermined period in its operation a movable plate adapted to prevent locking movement of the latch or to be positioned to allow such movement, a lever connected to said plate, a finger connected to the lever and normally projecting through the feed-plate, and a release lever adapted to move against the lever to raise the finger from the feed plate, the movement of said lever being controlled by the movement of the moving bed.

3. A structure as in claim 2, in which the release lever is provided with an adjustable member for actual engagement with the finger lever, whereby the timing of the raising of the finger may be regulated.

4. A paper-feeler mechanism for printing presses having a moving bed, a chase thereon, a printingcylinder, a feed plate leading thereto, an operating rod operatively connected with the moving bed and printing cylinder for positioning the latter in co-operative relation with the chase, and locking means for engaging and holding the operating rod at a predetermined period of its operation, comprising movable means controlling the actuation of said locking means, a lever connected to said movable means, a finger connected to the lever and normally projecting through the feed plate, and a lever pivoted onto the frame of the press and arranged to co-act with the first named lever; said last named lever having a roller arranged in eccentric relation to the pivotal point of the lever and which is arranged to be engaged by a cam-surface of the moving bed.

In testimony whereof I a'liix my signature.

LEWIS R. BARBER.

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