US2047201A - System of printing - Google Patents

Description

July 14, 1936- w. T. GOLLWITZER SYSTEM OF PRINTING Filed Oct. 1'7, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 John B. Doe

414 Main 5t. 1 Plainville, Ohio lainville NahonalB Plainvile, Ohio r-x 3 r1 Ohio JAN. APRIL JULY John B. Doe

414 Main Si. Plainville 51H I l John B. Doe

414 Main St.

Ploinville Ohio ivniglH o :1" QZQ Q 352956,

July 14, 1936. w. 'r. GOLLWITZER SYSTEM OF PRINTING Filed Oct. 17, 1954 4 Sheets -Sheet 2 {H Lu nuli MI /l/l/lA llillllli July 14, 1936. w.'T. GOLLWITZER SYSTEM OF PRINTING Filed Oct. 17, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 July 14, 1936. w. T. GOLLWITZER SYSTEM OF PRINTING Filed Oct. 1'7, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 and (:2

w 1 1 E E B nu -P aa July 1 ,193

PATENT OFFICE 2.047.201 SYSTEM or PRINTING Walter T. Gollwitzer, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor -to Addressograph Company, Wilmington, Del.,

a corporation of Delaware Application October 17, 1934, Serial No. 748,705

15 Claims.

This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for printing in which a series of printing members, such as holders carrying printing plates,

are serially fed into a printing position and impressions made therefrom.

Many printing systems involve the printing of a name and address, together with other information, and for this purpose a holder, arranged to carry an embossed printing plate or plurality of such plates and a visible indicia carrying card is used.

As a simple illustration of the use of my invention, I may mention printing from a series of address plates which carry not only an individuals name and address, but data in regard to his business, followed by the name of the particular agent in charge of that account. The first plate might carry the name and address, to-

gether with all other data, and the impressions printing of forms in a tax billing system. In such a system several of the printing plate units may carry related subject matter. For instance, when the systems are used for tax billing purposes, one unit may bear the name and post oflice address of the taxpayer, while other units bear data conceming the specific parcels of taxable property owned by such taxpayer, such as legal description. Still others may bear data regarding special assessments which run without change over a period of time. a

Certain parcels of property require a comparatively long description for identification by the tax payer; while others require only a brief description, Hence, when the printing plates and holders, used in the system, are all of the same size, as has been the custom in the past, the printing plates may be either too large or too small. In the former instance, a second holder and printing plate unit is required, while in the latter instance much space is wasted. I The amount of space required for lndicia used by the collecting and billing oilice varies. In some instances, indicia representing comparatively lengthy descriptions of property is materially shortened by use of standard abbreviations and symbols, while in other instances the space required for indicia cannot be conveniently designated by symbols and abbreviations and hence requires a comparatively large space. Thus, it is obvious that where the plates are each of the same general dimensions, this factor also con- 5 trols the number of printing units required.

In printing systems, such as above mentioned, certain of the printing members are used over a long period of time, indeed at times over a period. of many years. Hence, to protect the printing 10 plates, during constant handling, the holder must be durable. Other plates in the group may be used for a comparatively short period of time. For instance, the names and mailing addresses of the tax payers are constantly changing, which 15 necessitates changing of the address bearing printing plates, whereas thegreat bulk of the taxable property remains unchanged as to description, thus permitting the use of the plates carrying such descriptions over long periods of time.

Not infrequently parcels of property are broken up into a plurality of parcels thus requiring revision and replacement of the plates containing the description of such properties. Therefore, for economy the printing plates are removably secured in position on their respective holders, so that anew printing plate may be substituted for a discarded plate, without causing the loss of a holder. It follows, from the above, that the holders are in use for comparatively long periods of time, and are constantly handled for the purpose of striking impressions therefrom, for maintaining the plates in proper sequence, and for removing one printing plate from its holder and substituting a new printing plate in its place.

To permit the holders to be used over a long period of time, the holders and printing plates are preferably made of metal or other similar durable material. Sheet metal of relatively light weight is preferably used. The plate holders are reinforced for strength and durability;-to avoid distortion of the printing member, in most instances also comprises a thin strip or plate of metal or other durable material having the required printing character embossed thereon.

In printing systems, such as tax collection systems, many thousand printing plates and their holders are often used. A quantity of such plates and holders are stored in a suitable filing drawer and a number of drawers used to store the holders representing the entire list. The drawers are normally retained in storage racks or cabinets and manually removed therefrom and the holders transferred from such drawers to the printing machine. Impressions are made from the plates and the holders are returned to a filing drawer by the mechanism of the printing machine. Such drawer then is manually removed 5 from the machine and replaced in the storage rack by the operator and another drawer of holders is used.

It is evident that the constant handling of the holders for printing purposes and for replacing and removing plates to maintain the list current and accurate comprises a comparatively large item in the cost of maintaining such a system. The custom has been to utilize holders of the same size throughout so as to eliminate excessive mechanical equipment and to prevent disorganization of the holders during the various operations. Such holders, together with their plates which likewise have been all of the same size, because of their number, present a relatively great weight which is constantly being handled, and this, of course, is a disadvantage of this method of printing. Another disadvantage arises from the fact that if all of the plates and holders are made smaller than the size required for the largest item to be printed, the

number of such units is greatly increased, whereas when the plates and holders are all of the size required by the largest item, there is much wasted or unused holder or plate area and the weight is greatly increased.

The general object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus to eliminate the disadvantages above mentioned without requiring an undue alteration of, or addition to existing mechanical equipment and I prefer to accomplish this by the utilization, in the method and apparatus, of printing plates and holders of various sizes, each size being substantially that required by the item or items thereon.

Another object of the invention is to enable a series of printing members, especially holders bearing printing plates, certain of which holders vary in maximum height from each other, to be combined with a printing machine which will feed successive holders from the group and advance them, in the direction of their height, one at a time to the same printing position, regardless of the variation in such height.

Other objects of my invention will become more apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. The essential features of the invention will be summarized in the claims.

Referring now to the drawings, Figs. 1 to 5 each 55 represent a plan view of a printing plate holder especially adapted for use in my invention, the various holders representing certain of the various sizes of holders and printing plates adapted for use in the improved method. Fig. 6 is a side 60 elevation of the holder shown in Fig. 1; Figs. 7 and 8 are sections through a holder and printing plate, as indicated by the correspondingly numbered lines on Fig. 1; Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section through a printing machine especially adapt- 65 for use in my improved method; Fig. 10 is a plan view of the machine shown in Fig. 9, certain parts broken away to more clearly illustrate the construction; Fig. 11 is a view of a filing cabinet; Fig. 12 is a plan view on an enlarged scale, of a 7 filing drawer removed from the cabinet; Fig. 13 is a section as indicated by the line |3-i3 on Fi 12.

Referring now to the drawings, and especially to Figs. 1 to 8, inclusive, i0 indicates in general 75 a printing plate holder used in my improved method. Removably mounted on the holder iilis a printing member ii and an identification card II. The holder ill, for reasons heretoiore' explained, preferably comprises a fiat, comparatively light metal plate, approximately ten to 5 fifteen-thousandths of an inch in thickness.

The printing plate may be, as shown, a thin. metallic plate or strip of substantially the same material as the holder and having embossed thereon suitable printing characters It. length 01' the printing strip is approximately the same length as the holder, and the height in most instances is materially less, in order that a sufilcient amount of holder surface may be provided .to support the identification card l2. 16

As shown in Fig. 1, the printing plate II is removably secured in position on the lower portion or area of the holder. The lowermost edge of the holder is bent upwardly and inwardly on itself, forming a lip ll extending across substan- 20 tially the entire lower edge of the holder, and beneath which lip the printing plate may be slid to position on the holder. The upper edge of the printing plate is positioned by a series of lips it, which are struck up from the body of the plate 25 and then bent downwardly parallel to the surface of the holder to overlie the upper edge of the printing plate. The printing plate is prevented from endwise movement by suitable abutments is, carried by tongues 20 which are separated 30 from the holder on three sides, in order that they may be depressed to enable the printing plate to be slid over the abutment for the purpose of placing it on or removing it from the holder.

The identification or data-bearing card [2 is 35 removably secured to the top portion or area of the holder. This card is preferably paper or cardboard and has suflicient rigidity to enable it to be retained in place on the holder in such a manner that the greater portion of the card will 40 be visible to the operator. As shown in Figs. 1,

3, and 7, the upper edge of the card l2 underlies a lip 22, which is bent upwardly and downwardly parallel with the body of the holder, while the lower end of the card is retained by a series of 45 lips 23, struck up from the plane of the holder and overlying the bottom edge of the card.

The card I2 is prevented from shifting sidewise of the holder by a suitable corner lip 23a, and sometimes an additional lip overlying the left- 50 hand of the card, both of which lips are struck up from the holder in a manner'similar to the lip 23. An abutment 25 is struck up from the holder at the right-hand side of the card i2, and prevents the card from moving toward the right in Fig. 1. The cards are preferably flexible, and therefore may be readily raised above the abutment 25 for removal or insertion on the holder.

From the foregoing, it is readily seen that the lips l1 and 22, which aid in retaining the plate ii and the card l2, respectively, in place on the holder, together with the lips 23 and i8, serve to materially strengthen the holder against bending in a direction transverse to the card and the printing plate. However, they do not aid in preventing the bending of the plate in holders along lines parallel with the long dimensions of the printing plate or card.

In the past, the holders have been strengthened by reinforcement members extending in lines normal to the long dimensions of the printing plates. For this purpose the sides of the holder have been bent inwardly upon the back of the holder for its entire length, the bent part, then upset between its inner and outer flanged edges and The 10- squeezed together to form a spacing flange". The flanges "were also designed to space the plate holders so that when they were stacked flat oneon top of another, the bottom of the' holder wouldnot rub or mar the impression surface of the Pri ting plate carried by the holder directly below. Such a holder is shown in Patents 1,096,495and 1,812,894, issued to the Addressograph Company, as assignee of J. S. Duncan, May 12th, 1914, and V. J. Mohler, July 7th, 1931, respectively.

To overcome the disadvantages, as heretofore mentioned, I propose to use a series of plate holders of different sizes, so as to enable their use in the printing of, for' instance, tax bills and other complicated systems, and at the same time maintain the number of holders at a minimum and also maintain the total weight of such units at a minimum. Figs. 1 to 5 illustrate various sizes of plates, which I propose. to use to facilitate the printing of records such as heretofore mentioned.

I likewisepropose to use printing plates of various sizes. For instance, ranging in size from the largest shown at A in Figs. 3 and 5, to the smallest shown at C in Fig. 4. In printing systems similar to that used in real property taxation billings, the size of printing plate IIC shown in Figs. 2 and 4, readily accommodate the name and address of the tax payer, while any of the various sized plates illustrated may be used for the impression of the description of the property upon which the tax is levied, according to the length of such description. Hence, the printing plates A, B, and C may correspond substantially to the space required for the printing of the separate parcels of taxable property. It follows therefore that I may employ one printing plate for the name and address of the tax payer and arrange such plate as to -be no larger than that is required for such address, while each of the other plates may represent the separate parcels of property owned by that taxpayer. The latter plate may then be of such a size so as to accommodate the description of such property only. Generally, the difference in the dimensions of the printing plates vary an amount equivalent to or a multiple of the space required for one printing line, thus enabling the utilization of a series of standard sized plates.

The identification cards may likewise vary in size according to the data required for identification or record purposes. In Fig. 4, the identification card.l2A is of a' size approximately equal to the size of the printing plate IIC, carried by the same holder III. Hence, such card readily accommodates the name and address of the taxpayer. 'The card 123 in Fig. 1 is likewise of, substantially the same size as the printing plate IIB carried by the same holder. Both the arrangement shown in Fig. 1 and the arrangement shown in Fig. 4 are therefore used when the data on the identification requires substantially the same space as the data on the printing plates.

In Fig. 2, the identification card I2C is considerably larger than the printing plate IIC, carried by the same holder. This card is'used where data is required on the identification card in addition to the data on the associated printing plate. For instance, it may be desired to maintain a record of the dates of payments, or the number of other holders which are to be associated with the tax payer represented by the address printing plate or any other additional data desirable for the record purpose, which would Inother instances, such as shown in Fig. 3,

.the identification card I21), by the use of symbols and abbreviations, may be made consider- 5 ably smaller than the printing plate carried by the same holder. In certain cases, no identification whatsoever is required, no identification card is used, a holder similar to that shown in Fig. 5 is then preferably used.

It is thereby seen that I propose to use printing plates varying from each other in one dimension, preferably by the height required for one or a multiple of printing lines. Likewise, identification cards varying from each other in 15 one dimension, preferably by the height required for one or a multiple of printing lines. The card and plate are so arranged on the holders that the holders likewise vary from each other in one direction. It follows, therefore, that the amount 20 of variation in the holders is likewise equal to the space required for one or a multiple of printing lines and that the variation may be in the area covered by the printing plate, the area covered by the identification card, or both.

While it may at first glance seem that an innumerable number of different sizes of cards, plates and holders is required, nevertheless for practical purposes I have found that a comparative small number of different sizes are required; inmany instances only those sizes illustrated in the drawings suflice. The use of such plates, cards and holders, for all practical purposes, eliminates all excess weight and extra holders.

Such a printing system embraces the use of a printing machine. The printing machine shown in Figs. 9 and 10 is especially adapted for use in carrying out my invention, and, in many respects is similar to the printing machine disclosed in my Patent No. 1,930,798, issued October 17th, 1933. The machine, as illustrated, includes a frame 50, which supports a printing device magazine M, a printing platen P, together with suitable mechanism to feed the printing devices across the table of the machine from a magazine to a suitableanvil located below the platen, and mechanism to place the plates in a storage drawer after an impression has been struck therefrom.

In the printing mechanism illustrated in the drawings, the printing devices 10 are stacked in the magazine by the operator and are successively withdrawn therefrom and passed along the guideway 5| by pawls 52, suitably mounted on a feed bar 53, carried by rollers 54 which are rotatably mounted on the studs carried by the side walls of the guideway.

The feed bars are reciprocated from a drive rocker 55, joumalled on a drive shaft 56, carried by the main frame 50. The shaft 56 is oscillated in any well known manner. Pivotally connected to the feed bars 53 by a link 66, is a bell crank 51, which is mountedon a suitable stud 58 carried by the frame 50.

The bell crank 51 is connected by a link 68 to a rock arm 59, pivotally mounted on a shaft 60 carried by the frame 50. The rock arm 59 is in turn connected by a link 6 I to the driving arm 55, heretofore mentioned. This arrangement is such that when the driving arm swings in a clockwise direction, the feed bars will be drawn rearwardly (towards the left in Fig. 9) and when the rock arm 55 is swung in a counter-clockwise direction, the feed bars will be drawn forwardly (toward the right). During the latter or forward movement of the feed bar, the pawls 52 engage the printing plates and advance them step by step that it is slightly less in width than that portion from the magazine to a position above the anvil O2, in which position the printing device ICE is;

shown.

The platen P is of the oscillatory type and is mounted so as to strike the printing devices while they rest on the anvil 52. As shown in Fig. 9, the platen is carried on the outermost end of a platen arm 83, which is pivotally mounted on the shaft 60, heretofore described. The lower end of the platen arm 83 is provided with a roller 64, arranged to coact with a cam slot 65 in the driving arm 55, heretofore mentioned. The oscillating movement of the driving arm is thereby imparted to the platen arm. Consequent upon the clockwise movement of the driving arm, the

platen arm swings the platen in a clockwise di-- rection toward the anvil and an impression is made from the printing device thereon through the medium of a suitable inking ribbon (not shown), and consequent upon the counter-clockwise movement of the driving arm 55 returns the platen arm to the position shown in Fig. 9.

I have so arranged my plate holders that they will coact with the feeding mechanism of the printing machine in such a manner that the printing plates carried by such holders will be accurately positioned relative to the platen, despite the facts that the one holder may vary in size from other holders in the group, and that the holders are fed in the direction of the variable dimension. As heretofore mentioned, the printing plate holders are fed by the pawls 52. Such pawls normally engage a rearmost edge or edge of the holder. It is thus seen that under normal conditions, the use of various sized holders, such as shown in Figs. 1 to 5, would cause the feeding mechanism to position the printing plate itself out of registration with the platen. This would be due to the variations in the dimension of such holders, in the direction of feed As shown in the drawings, such dimension is indicated by the dimension lines Y which indicate the distance from the rearmost edge of the holder to the foremost edge of the printing plate. I have, however, arranged the printing plate holder and the printing mechanism so that the variation of the dimension Y above mentioned does not affect the positioning of the printing plates relative to the platen. As shown in the drawings, and especially Figs. 1 to 8, each printing plate holder has, as heretofore mentioned, a reinforcing rib extending along opposite sides of the plate, such ribs being shown at 30 in the drawings. As shown in the drawings, the sides of the holder are. formed into beads by being bent inwardly upon the back of the holder and then upset between the inner and outer edges thereof and squeezed together to form a spacing flange or reinforcing flange. I have so arranged my printing holders that the rearmost edge of this flange or bead is engaged by the feeding pawls 52, and I have so arranged this head that it extends the same distance rearwardly, from the foremost edge of the printing plate, on all sizes of holders. In Figs. 1 to 5 the length of the flange 30 is represented by the dimension line X.

To provide clearance for the pawls 52, so that they may readily slide by the rear portion of the holder and engage the abutment 3i formed by the rearmost edge of the reinforcing flanges 30 at either side of the printing plate holder, the portion to the rear of the flange 30 is arranged so of the holder carrying the flange II.

Thus, it will be seen that the foremost edge of the printing plate will always be positioned at a definite point relative to the foremost edge of the s platen P and the anvil 62, thereby insuring the positioning of the printingplates carried by the holders directly beneath the platen P. Obviously, the platen is made of such size as to accommodate the largest printing plate used in this system.

As heretofore mentioned, the variations in height of the printing plates comprises the distance represented by the height of one printing line or a multiple thereof. The platen is therefore of such a size as to readily print from the 15 maximum-sized plate, the foremost line of each plate being printed by the foremost portion of the platen. This positioning of the foremost line of printing type in the same position relative to the platen and the frame of the machine enables 20 the use of paper feeds and guides for locating the material to be imprinted.

The printing plates, when not in use, are

normally stored in a filing cabinet in suitable drawers. I propose to use an improved form of 25 storage drawer D, shown in Figs. 9, l1, and 12. This drawer is readily supported in the printing machine on suitable supporting members 10, in a position to receive the printing plates after they have been shoved from the anvil 62 by the feed- 30 ing pawls 52. As shown in Fig. 9, the feeding pawls shove the printing plate holder forward to a position to where they slide by gravity down an inclined guideway 12, which directs such holders into the forward end of the drawer D. A 35 suitable packer mechanism 14 is provided to cause the holders to be packed into the drawer by shoving them rearwardly therein, so that the next subsequent holder may fall into position between the packer and the last holder in the drawer. A suitable friction device 15, mounted in the drawer, engaging the walls thereof, retains the holders in an upright position in the drawer.

The side walls 16 of the drawer D are provided with overhanging flanges 11. These 45 flanges are adapted to overlie the shoulders 3| formed in the rearmost edge of the reinforcing member 30 and thereby retain the printing plates in the drawer, in event such drawer should be inverted. The flanges l'l are cut away adjacent the forward end of the drawer, as indicatedin Fig. 9, at 18. After one drawer has become filled, a bar 19 telescopically arranged within the flanges, are slid forward over the edges of the holders in the forward portion of the drawer, and are locked in such position by suitable set screws 19, carried by the respective bars passing through elongated slots in the upper surface of their respective flanges 11.

The drawers D are readily transferable from a. filing cabinet, such as illustrated at E in Fig. 11, to the magazine of the printing machine. As shown in Fig. 10, I prefer to provide the magazine M with a pair of L-shaped front corner members 80, arranged to engage the forward corners of the printing plate holders; I also provide the magazine with a pair of rear angle corner bars 8|, each of which has a surface 82 parallel with the guideway and arranged to embrace the side of the holders to the rear of the bead 30. Each bar 8i is also provided with a surface 83 extending at right angles to the guideway arranged to engage an abutment 3i formed by the rearmost wall of ribs II of the holder. Thus, it will be seen 75 that by making the length of the ribs 30 of each plate identical with every other holder in the series, I can readily position all of the holders in the magazine A, feed such holders through the the printing machine advancing the holder too far or too short a distance to enable the data on the printing plate carried by such holder to be impressed by the platen P.

From the foregoing description, it is readily seen that I have provided a method of printing in which the printing plates are of a minimum number and I have greatly reduced the total weight of the plates to be handled in such a system, and have enabled a series of printing members, which vary in maximum height from each other, to be combined with a printing machine to facilitate the making up of such lists as are used in tax billing and various other similar systems.

.While I have described the operation of my method of and apparatus for printing, in connection with a system of taxation billing, it is, nevertheless, readily understood that such a method and apparatus may be used with similar advantages in many other systems, such as, for instance, in billing systems of public utilities where several rates apply to several different customers, and where several invoices are sent out to one address. Likewise, such a system is readily utilizable in deferred payment systems, where it is desired to keep records on the various identification cards, of the various payments made to various articles purchased under the deferred payment system, and where more or less data is required on the identification card than is required on the printing plate and in addressing systems where certain addresses comprise three or four lines where other addresses may require eight to ten lines. In all of such systems, it is obvious that my improved method and apparatus greatly reduces the total weight of the holders required for the printing operation. Reference is made to my copending application No. 631,767, filed September 6, 1932, for claims directed to the address printing devices themselves which are illustrated herein.

I claim:

1. A method of printing by the use of a group of printing members having printing indicia thereon, and some of which vary in size from other members in the group comprising stacking said members indiscriminately without regard to their varying heights and feeding the members successively from the stack into a printing position by moving each member the same distance in the direction of the variable dimension thereof.

2. A method of printing by the use of a series of printing members, having printing characters thereon, comprising the employment of a succession of members of various maximum heights, feeding the members successively to a printing position by engagement with a standard height section of each member.

3. A method of printing by the use of a group of printing plate holders, each carrying a printing plate thereon, some of which holders vary in size from other holders in the group, comprising stacking said holders indiscriminately without regard to the varying heights thereof and feeding the holders successively from the stack into a printing position by moving each holder the same distance in the direction of a variable dimension thereof.

4. A method of printing by the use of a group of printing plateholders, each carrying a print- .ing plate, some of which holders have one dimen sion varying in length from the corresponding dimension of other holder's, comprising stacking said holders indiscriminately without regard to the varying heights thereof and feeding the holders successively from the stack in the direction of the varying length to a printing position by engagement with a surface normal to the direction of feed.

5. A method of printing by the use of a group of printing plate holders, each carrying a printing plate, some of which holders vary in dimension from the forward to the rearmost edge thereof from the corresponding dimensions of other holders in the group, and wherein the forward edge of each printing plate is positioned the same distance from the forward edge of its holder, comprising stacking said holders with their forward edges in substantially the same plane, feeding said holders successively to a printing position so that the forward edge of each printing plate, when so positioned, lies along the same line.

6. A method of printing by the use of a group of printing members, having printing characters thereon, comprising employing a succession of' such members of various maximum heights, stacking such members one above the other by engagement with a standard height section of each member, feeding such members one at a time to printing position by engagement with the standard height sections thereof, striking an impression from such members successively when they reach such printing position, subsequently storing such members in a storage receptacle and retaining the members in such receptacle by engagement with the standard height sections thereof.

'1. A method of printing by the use of a group of printing plate holders on each of which is mounted a printing plate, and on some of which are mounted non-printing data bearing cards, certain of the plates varying in height from other printing plates and certain of the cards varying in height from other cards and wherein each holder has substantially the same height as the combinedheight of the card and plate thereon, whereby certain holders differ in height from other holders in the group, stacking said holders indiscriminately without regard to the varying heights thereof and feeding the holders of such group one at a time from the stack to a definite printing position by engagement with standard height sections of the holders at either side thereof.

8. A method of printing by the use of address plate holders on which are mounted printing plates and index cards, comprising employing a succession of holders of various maximum height reinforced at their ends by ribs of standard height, the printing plates and the index cards differing in height in different holders, and feeding said plates by means engaging their reinforcements.

9. A method of printing comprising employing in a continuous operation successive address plate holders on which are mounted printing plates and index cards, said holders having a plurality of heights and having at their ends reinforcing ribs of the same height irrespective of the height of the holder, whereby feeding means or storin means may engage all of the plates in similar manner, some of the holders having their printing plates occupying substantially all of the height between the ribs, and others of the holders having printing plates of materially less height than the ribs and the index cards depending into the region between the ribs, and feeding said plate by means engaging the ends of their ribs.

10. A method of printing by means of holders carrying printing plates and address cards, comprising arranging all of the holders to have a lower region of the same area, and upward extensions which are shorter than the lower regions and project above the same to various heights in different holders, ribs at the opposite ends of the lower regions confined to the portion of the holder where the lower region projects beyond the extension, there being means for holding printing plates on the lower regions and index cards on the extensions, said index cards in some of the holders depending into the lower region, whereby the holders of various heights and carrying different-sized plates and cards may be used indiscriminately in the same feeding and storing mechanisms, and positioning and feeding said plates by engagement with the ends of their ribs.

11. A method of printing, using a group of printing plate holders on each of which is mounted a printing plate, comprising employing a group of substantially rectangular printing plate holders of substantially the same width but some of which holders vary from other holders in height, each of said holders having opposite end portions of the same height as corresponding end portions on the remaining holders, stacking said holders indiscriminately without regard to the varying heights thereof and feeding such holders from the stack into a printing position by engaging the standard height end portions of such holders.

12. A method of printing, comprising the feeding of a series of address plate holders one at a time to printing position, striking an impression from each holder when it is in printing position, feeding such holders into a storage receptacle without disturbing their order, storing such receptacle for future use, wherein the plate holders are of substantially the same width, and of varying heights, each of said holders having reinforced opposite edge portions running from the lowermostedge upward along one face of the holder a standard distance, the upper end of which edge portions are engaging to feed the holders into printing position by a shoving motion, whereby the lowermost edge of each successive holder is placed in a predetermined position relative to the printing mechanism, regardless of the height of the holder.

13. A method of printing by the use of a plurality of printing plate holders, comprising employing a series of holders, each having a printing plate removably secured to the lower portion of the holder and extending-upwardly from the lowermost edge of the holder one distance on one holder and other distances on other holders, there being space above the printing plates for the retention of identification and data bearing nonprinting cards, some of said cards varying in height from other cards and said holders underlaying in all instances both the card and the printing plate despite the total variations in height of the holders, one from another, stacking said members indiscriminately without regard to the varying heights thereof and feeding said holders successively from the stack so that their lowermost edges reach a predetermined line defined by the lowermost line of a printing area, by engagement with the foremost end of standard height end regions of the holders, making an impression from such positioned holders and subsequently storing such holders without disturbing their order.

14. A method of printing by the use of a group of substantially rectangular printing plate holders, each carrying a substantially rectangular printing plate thereon, some of which holders vary in height from other holders in the group, each holder having a top edge portion the same distance in height from one of the horizontal edges of the printing plate thereon as on each other holder, comprising stacking said holders indiscriminately without regard to the varying heights thereof and feeding such holders successively from the stack into printing position by engagement with such edge portions.

15. A method of printing by the use of a plurality of printing plate holders, comprising employing a series of holders, each having a printing plate secured to the holder, certain printing plates and/or their holders varying in height from other printing plates in the group by a distance equal to the height of a printing line or multiple thereof, stacking said holders indiscriminately without regard to the varying heights thereof and successively feeding such holders from the stack to a printing position with the same predetermined line in each plate subjected to the same area of the printing mechanism.

WALTER T. GOILWI'I'ZER.

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