US1746642A - Duplicating machine - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 11, 1930. J. J. FLANIGAN DUPLICATING MACHINE Filed Feb. 15, 1928 7 Sheets-Shet v J -EJLZIW J/UL IF/ou Feb. 11, 1930. J. J. FLANIGAN DUPLICATING MACHINE Filed Feb. 15, 1928 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jaw/hr? Feb. 11, 1930. J. J. FLANIGAN DUPLICATING MACHINE '7 Sheets -Sheet Filed Feb. 15, 1928 OJL W Email?? J/uz'f Ila/1i 19730- J. J. FLANIG AN DUPLICATI NG MACHINE Filed Feb. 15, 1928 TShets-Sht 5 I Feb. 11, 1930. Y J, FLANIGAN 1,746,642

DUPLI CATING MACHINE Filed 1928 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Patented Feb. 11, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN J. rLAnIeAn, or OAK PARK, ILLINOIS DUPLICATIN'G MACHINE Application filed February 15, 1928. Serial No. 254,334.

This invention relates to duplicating or .ers; and in the preferred form of the inven-' tion, hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawings, the machine is adapted to simultaneously take impressions from a plurality of master sheets containing 29 original bills, and subsequently reprint the same on a single wide copy sheet which may subsequently be divided-into individual bills corresponding to the bills 'onthe individual master sheets.

A popular form of bill" at present extensive- 1y employed consists of a slip carrying a printed form suitably ruled to provide on the left half data such as the period covered and the meter readings and on the right half the total units consumed, the amount of the gross bill, and the amount of the net bill if paid on or before a discount day; the name and address of the customer appearing in association with the items on the right hand half. Attached to the right hand end of the bill slip, usually by a scored or perforated line, is a stub on which is printed the identical mat ter appearing on the right hand half of the main bill slip. The original or master sheet. after the impression thereof has been made on the machine, is retained by the company. The copy consisting of the slip and its stub HbOVQ-(IGSCIlbGd is mailed to the customer. If the customer pays by check, he mails in his check, together with the stub, which latter is then checked with the original bill and if pay ment is correct both are Withdrawn from current records and filed away; the customer keeping the main portion of the bill for his records. If payment is made by cash, both the main and stub sections .are stamped receipted, the main section is handed to the customer, and the stub is retained by the company and checked up and filed away with the original bill.

The foregoing description of a method of billing now in common vogue is given in order to make clearer the utility of the present invention in facilitating such a method of billmg.

In the machine of the present invention, the platen carriage carrying the roller which impresses the master sheets and the copy sheets on the gelatin matrix is power-operated; and an important feature of the machine resides y in a clutch-controlled mechanism, operated by the attendant of the machine, by which the platen carriage is first given a long or full stroke to impress the master sheet or sheets on the matrix; is then given a second long or full stroke to print the entire bill on the main portion of the copy sheet, and is then given a short or half stroke, after the copy sheet has been shifted to a new position on the matrix, to print the matter on the right hand half of themai'n sheet or slip on the stub section of the copy sheet. The above described printing operations require the rear end edges of the master and copy sheets to "be set at different positions, when impressing said sheets on thematrix; and another important feature of the present invention resides in a margin bar equipped with a plurality of stops to arrest and position the lower end edges of the sheets at different points in the lengthwise direction of the matrix.

The invention, its manner of manipulation, and-the advantages inhering therein will be readily understood bypersons familiar with copying machines of this general character from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which I have illustrated one practical and useful embodiment of the invention which in practice has been found to satisfactorily effectuate the stated purposes and objects thereof, and referring thereto- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine viewed from the right of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view, showing the platen carriage at the forward limit of its full stroke; v

' Fig. 3 a vertical cross-section on the line 33 of Fig. 2, but showing the platen carriage at its starting position, and also illustrating by dotted and full lines, the first and second positions of the copy sheet, when printing'the main and stub sections of the latter respectively, as determined by spaced stops on the margin bar;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary transverse section, similar to Fig. 3, showing the starting position of the master sheet, as determined by a third stop on the margin bar;

Fig. 5 is a detail elevation of a manuallyoperated device by which certain stop fingers on the margin bar are shifted into and out of a stop position;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical section, taken on the line 66 of Fig.1, through a clutch and clutch-control mechanism that form part of the operating connections from the motor to the platen carriage;

Fig. 7 is a plan section, taken on the line 77 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 88 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a horizontal section taken on the line 99 of Fig. 8'

Fig. 10 is a sectidnal detail of the clutch.

shifter dog and its support and guideat a point in the descent of the dog where it first engages the clutch shifter plunger;

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 10 illustrating a fully engaged osition of the shifter dogl with the clutch shi ter plunger, wherein it as compressed a spring which operates the clutch shifter;

Fig. 12 is an elevation of the clutch and clutch shifter, viewed from the rear of Fig. 6, and showing the driving and driven clutch members engaged;

Fig. 13 is a top plan of Fig.12, showing the driven clutch member partly broken out and in section;

Fig. 14 is an enlarged vertical section on the line 1414 of Fig. 12;

Fig. 15 is a perspective elevation of the clutch separating cam sleeve and its ratchet;

Fig. 16 is a group View showing a group of master bills such as are simultaneously impressed on the duplicating bed;

Fig. 17 is a View 'of a multiple copy sheet V on which the bills shown in Fig. 16 have been printed on both the main sections and the stubs.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates each of a pairof upright skeleton side frame members, the upper horizontal limbs 10 of which are connected and spaced by "horizontal tie rods 11. Mounted on the tie rods 11 guide rod 20 on whichis slidably mounted the hinge sleeve 21 of the platen carriage designated as an entirety by 22. In the carriage 22 is pivotally mounted at 23 (Fig. 3) a yoke frame 24 carrying a platen roller 25 which serves to roll the sheet gut on the duplicating band after the frame 24 has been pushed forwardly by a handle 26 thereon. The roll 25 cooperates with a spring-pressed paper gripping roll 27 to grip the sheet and positively carry it down onto the duplicating band. Mounted on the carriage 22 is an upwardly and forwardly inclined pan 28 to support the sheets as they are positioned onthe machine preparatory to impressing themon the duplicating band said pan 28 being herein shown as divided transversely by ribs 28 (Fig. 2) into four compartments to receive an equal number of master sheets or sli s.

it the front or receiving end of the machine and rigidly supported by and between the side plates 14 is a margin bar or plate 29 that is equipped with three stops for determining the positions of the lower end edges of the sheets at the inception of the printing operations. The rearmost sto consists of an undercut strip 30 (Fig. 3 the intermediate stop 31 is formed by a downward offset in the plate 29; and the forward stop is formed by the front ends of a group of fingers 32 that are fast on a rock shaft 33 journaled on and beneath the bar 29 and are preferably formed with depending tips 34 that play through registerin holes 35 (Fig. 4) slightly in rear of the forward edge of the margin bar 29. By reference to Figs. 3 and 4 it will be seen that the margin bar 29 is formed with a plurality of vertical slots 29 extending through and in rear of the offset stop 31, for the passage of the fingers therethrough. When this forward stop is to be employed, the fingers 32 are rocked downwardly by the simple mechanism illustrated in Fig. 5 consisting of a rock shaft 36 in rear of the rock shaft 33, depending arms 37 and 38 on the rock shafts 33 and 36, respectively, a link 39 connecting saidarms, and a hand crank 40 fast on the rock shaft 36. When the intermediate stop 31 is used, the fingers 32 are rocked upwardly to permit the paper sheet to slide therebeneath into edge contact with the stop 31, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. When the rear stop 31 is used, as shown by the dotted line position of the copy sheet in Fig. 3, the

passes thereover.

This margin bar, equipped with a plurality of stops for determining the printing position of the sheet, performs an important oflice in the machine when used for the printing of bills of the general character hereinbefore described.

Referring next to the clutch-controlled power-mechanism for efl'ecting the forward printing movements of the platen carriage, attached to and .depending from the horizontal bar 10' of one of the side frames 10 is a bracket 41 in which, and in a bracket (not shown) on the opposite side frame member of the machine, is mounted a fixed shaft 42. On

one end portion of shaft 42, just inwardly of the bracket 41 is rotatablymounted a sleeve 43 having on one end thereof a disc 44 formed in its periphery with spaced notches 45 for a purpose hereinafter disclosed, and formed on its other end with two pairs of long cams 46, and intermediate short cams 47 this member being well shown in isolated detail in Fig. 15. Projecting from the inner face of the disc 44 are two pairs of short pins 48 and inter mediate long pins 49. Rotatable on the sleeve 43 is the hub 50 of an upwardly extending arm' 51, the upper end of which arm is connected by a link 52 to a collar 53 that encircles a stud 54 (Fig. 1) on the sliding sleeve 21 of the platen carriage and may be confined in place by a locking ring 55 and set screw 56. By this connection the platen carriage can be swung upwardly on its hinge sleeve 21 without disturbing the operating connection of the arm 51 thereto. The platen carriage is normally urged to its rear or starting position by a pull spring 57 (Fig. 1) anchored at one end to the arm 51 and at its other end to a stud 58 in the side plate 14.

- The hub 50 constitutes the driven member of a power-operated clutch, for which puror clutch teeth 62 and63 (Figs. 12, 13 and 14)..

The two clutch members are normally held apart by means hereinafter described, and when the driving clutch member 61 is urged toward the driven clutch member 50, .as hereinafter described, as'soon' as the overhanging portion on each clutch member registers with the countersunk portion of the other, the tooth 62 drivingly engages the tooth 59 so that the drivenclutch member 50 is rotated until the two clutch members are positively separated by one of the cams 46 and 47 engaging a pin-64 (Figs. 6 and 7) that is mounted in the inner face of-the driving clutch member 61, and is backed by a screw 65 which enables fine adjustment of the position of the pin 64.

Describing the means for continuously rotating the driving clutch member 61, 66 (Fig. 1) designates a pair of hangers depending from the tierods 11 and supporting a platform 67 on the under side of which is mounted an electric motor 68.

Referring to Figs. 1,6 and 7, the armature of the motor, 68is connected by a pulley 69, belt 70 and pulley 71 to an ordinary worm reducer comprising a worm shaft 72, worm 73 thereon, worm wheel 74, worm wheel shaft 75, gear 76 on worm wheel "shaft 75, and gear 77 fast on or integral with driving clutch member 61. The spur gears 76 and 77 are sufliciently wide to accommodate the slight shifting movement of the clutch member 61 without disengagement of said gears.

Describing next the means normally holding the clutch members apart, and referring to Fig. 6, on the bracket 41 is an inwardly extending arm 78, onthe inner end of which is pivoted at 79 an ordinary forked clutch shifting lever 80, the forked end of which engages a circumferential groove 61' in the clutch member 61. A-leaf spring 81 fastened at 82'to the arm 78 exerts an outward thrust on the upper arm of the lever 80.

Referring next to the anism-for eifecting wor 50, and referring to Fig. 1, 83 designates a pedal lever pivoted at 84 on the frame and connected at 85 to the lower end of a rod 86 that extends upwardly through a guide lug 87 (Figs. 7 and 8) on the frame bar 10' and is encircled above said lug by a thrust spring 88 abutting against a washer 89 on the upper end of the rod, whereby the rod and lever are normally maintained in elevated position. Fast on the rod 86 is a bracket 90, inwhich is pivoted at 91 the lowerend of a hook pawl 92, that is pressed toward the pins 48 and 49 of the disc 44 by a leaf spring 93. The

end of arm 96 is reduced and rounded to form a bearing 96' for the hub 98'. of aninwardly projecting dog 98, the hub 98 being rotatable on the bearing 96'. and limited as to movement by a pin 99 in the bearing 96 projecting through a slot 100 in the hub 98. Thedog 98 is urged to thedownwardly inclined position shown in Figs. 6 and 10 by a bow spring 101 connected at one end to the dog, by a lateral pin 102 and anchored to the inner face of a guide block 103 (Fig. 9) that 1s attached pgdal-actuated mech 'ng engagement of j the clutch member 61 with the clutch member cave recess 107 to receive the hub of the dog in its lowest position, the upper free edge 107 of the recess 107 constituting a cooperating stop for the dog 98 to raise the latter against the spring 101 and cause it to perform its function of indirectly shifting the clutch shifter lever 80.

Referring to Figs. 6, 10, 11 and 12, rigidly secured to the lower end of the clutch shifter lever 80 is a hollow guide 108 containing a slidable plunger 109 and a thrust spring 110 backing said plunger. On the outer end of the plunger 109 is a forwardly projecting nose 109 that cooperates with the dog 98 in the manner hereinafter set fort-h in the general description of the operation.

- While the extent of the forward travel of the platen carriage is limited by the long and short clutch throw-out cams 46 and 47, I find it desirable to provide positive stops for said carriage to prevent overthrow of the latter through momentum. A very simple selective stop mechanism for this purpose is illustrated in Figs. 1, 6, 7 and .8, and consists of the following. On the platen guide rod 20 is a fixed collar 111 that positively limits the full or long stroke of the platen carriage permitted by the long cams 46. Pivoted between depending lugs 111' (Fig. 1) of the collar 111 is a lever 112 having on its forward end a concave stop block 113 adapted to be thrown up against the under side of the guide rod 20 1n front of the collar 111, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. The rear end of the lever 112 is connected by a link 114 to a rearwardly extending arm 115 of a second lever that is fulcrumed at 116 on the frame bar 10 and has its forwardly exgending arm 117 extending across the circular path of travelpf the long pins 49 carried by the disc 44; sa d arm 117 not being affected by the short pins 48. Whenever a down stroke of the pawl 92 brings one of thelong pins 49 beneath the arm 117, the'latter is raised, and the stop 113 is thrown up to working position wherein it positively" limits the short or half stroke of the'platen carriage. As soon as the pin 49 rides out from beneath the arm 117, the stop shoe 113 and its operating parts are restored to normal idle position by a spring 118 (Fig. 1).

Referring to Figs. 1 and 8, attached to the bracket 41 is a spring detent 119 that'bears on the periphery of the disc 44 and snaps intov one of the notches 45 thereof each time the pawl 92 completes its down stroke,-and locks the disc against back turning under the friction of the rising pawl, the spring detent also opposing a slight back turning tendency of the disc under the thrust between the clutch pin 64' and the clutch throw-out cams 46 and 47 A weighted arm 120 fast on the driven clutch member 50 may be employed if desired to aid the pull of spring 57 in returning the carriage to starting position.

For greater convenience and celerity in operating the machine, the rear portion of the frame thereof is preferably extended upwardly as shown at 10 in Fig. 1 to carry a plate or shelf 121 on which is mounted a cabinet containing one or more tiers of compartments 122 for containing the master sheets and also the copy sheets if desired, the front open ends of said compartments lying just behind and above the upper end of the guide vpan 28, so that the operator readily draws the sheets out and loads the pan from the compartments.

In the operation of the machine, the motor is started, and the driving clutch member 61 is rotated idly. being held out of engagement with the driven clutch member 50 by the spring 81. The operator draws from one of the compartments 122 a plurality of the master sheets M, Fig. 16, (four in the instance shown) and lays them in the corresponding compartments on the pan 28, with the printed side of the sheet lowermost, and

the right hand end of the sheet, as shown 'in Fig. 16, downward. It will be observed from Fig. 16 that the last column on the sheet is blank, and the width of this column is equal to the distance between the margin bar stop 31 and the rear edge of the printing bed. 'The rock shaft 33 is turned to raise the stop fingers 32, as shown in Fig. 4, and the sheets are slid downwardly until. their lower edges abut the stop 31. The operator then by a forward push on the yokeihandle 26 depresses the platen roller 25 which forces the sheet onto the bed, and then depresses the pedal lever 83. This, through the pawl 92, disc 44 and one of the pins 48 or 49, turns the cam sleeve 43 in a clockwise direction viewing Fig. 8 through one-sixth of a revolution, bringing one of the long cams 46 into working position. During the final portion of the downward movement of the lever 83 the dog 98 engages the nose 109 of the plung-v the driving clutch shifts to the left, viewing Fig. 6, under the thrust of spring 110 (which is stronger than spring 81), bringing the shoulder or tooth 62 into driving engagement with the shoulder or tooth 59,. as is shown in Fig. 12; The parts are so timed that at this instant the low end of one of the long cams 46 l1es directly opposite the pin 64 carried by the driving clutch member, so that said pin is carried into engagement with the base of the cam. The driven clutch member 50 is thus turned, and the arm 51- fast thereon is swung rearwardly carrying the platen carriage in the same direction. During this movement the pin 64 rides up the cam 46 and separates the two clutch members at the end of the predetermined stroke of the carriage operating arm 51. As the lever 80 is swung to clutch closing position by the thrust of spring 110, the free end of the plunger tip 109' is slightly lowered out of thrust engagement with the dog 98 to the position beneath the nose of the dog shown in Fig. 12, which permits the spring 110 to return the plunger 109 to its normal outer position, and relieves the thrust of the spring 110.0n the lever 108. It will be understood that the friction between the teeth 62 and 59, under the stress 1 of the load, aided by the down thrust of dog 98 on plunger tip 109' (Fig. 12) prevents spring 81 from separating the clutch members before they are positively separated by.

the cam 46; the function of spring 81 being simply to insure-against accidental coupling of the clutch members when pedal lever 83 is not depressed. The foot ressure on the pedal having been released, t e spring 88instantly returns the pedal and parts depressed thereby to normal elevated position, bringing the pawl 92 into engagement with the next pin 48 or 49. The-platen carriage is returned to starting position by the spring 57, and

during this full first stroke of the carriage the full length of the printed portion of each master sheet is impressed on the printing bed of the machine. During the return travel of the carriage the master sheets are peeled olf, and a copy sheet C, Fig. 17, is then drawn from the cabinet and laid facedown on the partitions 28" of the pan 28, and it is then slid downwardly and rearwardly to occupy.

the position shown by dot and dash lines in Fig 3,,wherein. the l ower end of the sheet (corresponding to the right hand end viewing Fig. 17) abuts against the rear stop .30 of the margin bar. The distance from the stop 30 to the rear end of the printing bed is.

equal to the length of the stub portion C of the copy sheet 0, so that during the next printing operation that portion of the sheet receives no impression. The platen roller having beenthrown down, the pedal lever is again depressed, and the platen carriage again makes a full length stroke bythe mechanism above described, the clutch being thrown out by the engagement of the pin 64 with the next long cam 46. During the second return travel of the carriage, the impressed portion of the copy sheet is peeled off, and the copy sheet is then drawn for- :the advantages secured, and hence all such variations, modifications and mewardly and upwardl on the pan 28. and its lower edge is reste the end of the stop fingers 32, as shown in full lines in Fig. 3. The platen roller having been again lowered,.the foot pedal is again depressed, and this time the carriage makes a. half or short stroke due to the fact that the pin 64 is then engaged with one of the short cams 47, which opers ates to disconnect the clutch when the carriage has traveled far enough to print the stub of the bill onthe copy sheet, the same consisting of the printed matter appearing on the right hand half. of the master sheet. This results in the production of the complete bill and stub as shown in Fig. 17. Simultaneously with the depression of the pedal lever to elfect the final and short stroke of the platen carriage, one of the long pins 49 on the disc 44 rides under the lever arm 117 and thereby throws the movable stop 11?; up into position to check the momentum of the carnage at the termination of the short stroke; the fixed collar 111 serving the same function in connectionwith the long or full strokes of the platen carriage.

By the, machine herein described, very rapid printing of the master and copy sheets can be effected by a skilled operative, and hand labor in manipulating the platen carriage back and forth over the bed is avoided.

While .I have described the machine as adapted for getting out bills of the kind herein illustrated, it is manifest that the machine may be employed to advantage for printing other matter either by successive carriage movements of the same length or of different lengths, since manifestly the carriage move ments may be rendered uniform in point of length by making all of the controlling cams in the clutch of uniform length and using all' the details ofthe machine may obviously be resorted to without departing from the op erative principle thereof or sacrificin any of reserve chanical equivalents as fall within the spirit and purview of the claims.

ity of paper sheet stops spaced lengthwise of the bed.'

1. In a duplicating machine, the combinain engagement with 2. In a duplicating machine, the combina- .tionwith a'printing bed, and a platen'carriage reciprocable thereover, of a margin bar pposite oneend of said bed equipped with riage reciprocable thereover, of a margin bar opposite one end of said bed, a movable paper sheet stop adjacent to the forward edge of said margin bar, and a fixed paper sheet stop in rear of said movable stop.

4. In a duplicating machine, the combination with a printing bed, and a platen carriage reciprocable thereover, of a margin bar opposite one end of said bed, a vertically mov able paper sheet stop adjacent to the forward edge of said margin bar, a fixed stop in rear of said movable stop, and a second fixed stop in rear of said first-named fixed stop.

5. In a duplicating machine, the combination with a printing bed, and a platen carriage reciprocable thereover, of a margin bar opposite one end of said bed, said margin bar being formed with a downward offset in rear of its front edge forming a paper stop, and a vertically movable paper sheet stop located forwardly of said ofiset.

6. In a duplicating machine, the combination with a printing bed, and a platen carriage reciprocable thereover, of a margin bar opposite one end of said bed, said margin bar being formed with a downward ofiiset in rear of its front edge forming a paper stop, a vertically movable paper sheet stop located for Ward of said offset, and a transversely disposed strip on said margin bar in rear of said offset forming a third paper sheet stop.

7. In a duplicating machine, the combination with a printing bed, and a platen carriage reciprocable thereover, of a margin bar opposite one end of said bed, said margin bar being formed with a downward offset in rear of its front edge forming a paper sheet stop, a rock shaft journaled on said margin bar, and a group of forwardly extending fingers fast on said rock shaft overlying the forward portion of said margin bar, the forwardends of said fingers in the loweredposition of the latter constituting a paper sheet stop.

8. In a duplicating machine, the combination with a printing bed, and a'platen carriage reciprocable thereover, of a margin bar opposite one end of'said bed, said margin bar being formed with a downward offset in rear of its front edge forming a paper sheet stop, and with a row of apertures forwardly of said offset, a rock shaft journaled on said margin bar, and a group of forwardly extending fingers fast on said rock shaft overlying the forward portion of said margin bar, the forward ends of said fingers being formed with de pending tips entering said apertures in the lowered position of said fingers.

9. In a duplicating machine, the combination with a printing bed, and a platen car-,

riage reciprocable thereover, ofa margin barv opposite one end of said bed, said margin bar being formed with a downward offset in rear of its front edge forming a paper sheet stop and having vertical slots extending through and in rear of said offset, a rock shaft beneath said margin bar in rear of said offset, and a group of fingers fast on said rock shaft extending forwardly through said slots and overlying the forward portion of said margin bar, the forward ends of said fingers, in the lowered position of the latter, constituting a paper sheet stop.

10. In a duplicating machine, the combination with a printing bed, and a platen carriage reciprocable thereover, of a motor, transmission mechanism, includingcooperating clutch members, between said motor and said carriage, a spring normally maintaining said clutch members disengaged, means operable by the attendant of the machine for en-v gaging said clutch members, and automatic means for disengaging said clutch members at the end of a predetermined forward movement of said carriage.

11. In a duplicating machine, the combination with a printing bed, and a platen carriage reciprocable thereover in movements of variable lengths, of a motor, transmission mechanism, including a normally idle clutch, between said motor and said carriage, means operable by the attendant of the machine for throwing in said clutch, and automatic means for throwing out said clutch at the end of each of successive variable length forward movements of said carriage.

12. In a duplicating machine, the combination with a printing bed, and a platen carriage reciprocable thereover, of a motor, a driven clutch member and operating connections therefrom to said carriage, a driving clutch member driven by said motor, spring-actuated means normally maintaining said clutch members disengaged, means operable by the attendant of the machine for bringing said clutch members into engagement with each other, and automatic means for separating said clutch members at the end of a predetermined forward movement of said carria e.

13. In a uplicating machine, the combination with a printing bed, and a platen carriage reciprocable thereover in movements of variable lengths, of a motor, a driven clutch member and operating connections therefrom to said carriage, a driving clutch member driven by said motor, spring-actuated means normally maintaining said clutch members disengaged, means operable by the attendant of the machine for bringing said clutch members into engagement with each other, and automatic means associated with said clutch members for separating the latter at the end of each of successive variable length forward movements of said carriage.

14. In a duplicating machine, the combination with a printing bed, and a platen carriage reciprocable thereover, of a motor, transmission mechanism, including a normally idle clutch, between said motor and said carriage, means operable by the attendant of the machine for throwing in said clutch to thereby eifect a forward travel of said carriage, automatic means for throwing out said clutch at the end of a predetermined forward travel of said carriage, a stop to prevent excess forward travel of said carriage, and a spring acting to return said carriage to starting position.

15. In a duplicating machine, the combination with a printing bed, and a platen carriage reciprocable thereover in movements of variable lengths, of a motor, transmission mechanism, including a normally idle clutch, between said motor and carriage, means operable by the attendant of the machine for throwing in said clutch, automatic means for throwing out said clutch at the end of each of relatively long andshort forward travels of said carriage, a fixed stop to prevent excess forward movement of said carriage on its long travel, a movable stop to prevent excess forward movement of said carriage on its short travel, automatic means for shifting said movable stop into working position, and a spring acting to return said carriage to starting position.

JOHN J. FLANIGAN.

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