US2085088A - Photographic mounting press - Google Patents

Description

J. P. ENGSTROM 2,085,088 PHOTOGRAPHIC MOUNTING PRESS June 29, 1937.

Filed Dec. 26, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l lllll Joseph P Engsh'om J. P. ENGSTROM PHOTOGRAPHIC MOUNTING PRESS Jane 29, 1937.

Filed Dec. 26, 1934 2 SheetsSheet- 2 5 Joseph 1. Engsh om Patented June 29, 1937 UNETED STATES PTENT QFFIQE 3 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in presses particularly, though not exclusively, for use in mounting photographic prints on backings therefor.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, durable and readily operable press of the present character, having a platen adapted to rest upon and apply pressure by gravity to a pile of mounted prints and having means for lifting the platen from and returning it to the pile to permit the successive addition of prints to the pile as they are prepared one after the other.

Another object of the invention is to provide platen operating means that is adjustable to accord with different stages in the range of movement of the platen, a further object being to provide latching means for holding the platen at different elevations corresponding with the different stages of movement of the platen.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear in the following description, the invention resides in the novel combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevational View and Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of a press embodying my invention; Fig. 3 is a plan view'thereof; Fig. 4 is a perspective view in detail of the platen and a portion of the rack to 0 which the platen is attached, and Figs. 5 to 8 inclusive, are views similar to Fig. 1. Fig. 5 shows the platen resting upon a low pile of mounted photographs. Fig. 6 showsthe platen in the elevated position in which it would be latched above a pile of photographs such as that shown in Fig.

5; Fig. 7 shows the platen resting upon a relatively tall pile of photographs and Fig. 8 shows the platen in the position in which it would be latched above a pile such as that shown in Fig. 7. Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the illustrated form of my improved press is shown as being mounted upon the top H] of a table l l, but it will be understood that said device may be mounted upon any suitable supporting structure. The press includes a standard a, consisting of a base flange l2 and upright face and web flanges I3 and Hi, the base flange l2 having holes therein to receive screws l5 for anchoring said standard to the supporting structure. In-

0 cluded as a part of the standard a is a boss l6 which projects outwardly from the upper end of the face flange I3. Formed integrally with said boss 16 and projecting from one side thereof in parallelism with said face flange l3 is a hori- 55 zontally disposed bracket member ll carrying an upright guide 18, said guide being U-shaped in horizontal cross section, the open side thereof facing said boss. Formed integrally with said bracket member ii and boss 16 is a reinforcing flange i9. Slidably guided in the guide I8 is an upright rack bar 20, the toothed edge thereof being exposed at the open side of the guide. A headed stud 2| mounted in the boss l6, axially thereof, revolubly supports a pinion 22 formed with a hub 23, the teeth of said pinion being in mesh with the teeth of the rack 29. An upright spring leaf 24, constituting a latching pawl, is secured at its lower end to the closed side of the guide 18, said leaf having a head portion 25 turned toward the rack 20 at the top of the guide l3. Cut into the edge of the rack 20, opposite the teeth thereof, are vertically spaced notches 26, 21, each having an upper wall forming a shoulder 28 at right angles to said edge and also having an inclined lower wall forming a cam surface 29 (Fig. l).

Pivoted to the rack 23 at its lower end is a platen 30. This platen consists of an oblong block having upright ears 3| (Fig. 4) cast thereon centrally thereof. The lower end of the rack 20 is received between the ears 35, a pivot pin 32 being disposed in registering bores in said ears and in a bore in the rack, said platen being adapted to tilt longitudinally on said pin and being supplied with a facing 33 of sponge rubber or the like at the lower side thereof.

The pinion 22 is turned in a clockwise direction as seen in Fig. l to raise the platen and is controlled in its reverse rotation to lower said platen by means of a hand lever 34. This lever is inserted selectively into spaced radial sockets 35, 36 formed in the hub 23 of said pinion 22. These sockets have a definite relationship with respect to the notches 26, 2'1, in the rack 20 as will be fully understood from the following description of the operation of the device.

In mounting photographs, the operator afflxes the prints, one at a time, to their respective backings and as each one is prepared, it is placed in the press. At the outset, the lever 34, disposed in its socket 35, is grasped by one hand and, through a downward pull thereon, the platen 3?] is lifted sufiiciently to permit the first photograph to be placed by the other hand upon the supporting surface In beneath the said platen. With the photograph thus positioned, the platen, under control maintained through the lever 34, is allowed to descend to and rest upon said photograph. Upon being prepared, the next photograph is placed in the press on top of the one previously applied thereto, this operation being repeated until the particular batch at hand is under treatment or until the capacity of the press is reached, the platen, upon the addition of each photograph being lifted from the pile and lowered thereto through the medium of the lever 34. Said lever, in its socket 35, swinging to its lower convenient limit raises the platen only about one-half as high as it can be elevated in the use of the device to its full capacity. Therefore, if the pile of photographs in the press reaches the height occupied by the platen as shown in Fig. 6 and the pile is to be further developed, the lever 34 is removed from the socket 35 and placed in the socket 383. In thus changing the lever 34 from the one socket to the other, the building up of the pile to the full capacity of the press may continue with movement of the lever 34 confined approximately within the same convenient limits as at the outset of the operation. In order that the operator may have the use of both hands in attending to the building up or handling of a pile of photographs, he may cause the platen 30 to be latched in one of two elevated positions. Should the pile be low with the lever 36 in socket 35, the platen 38 would be latched in the elevated position shown in Fig. .6, but should the pile be comparatively high with the lever 34 in socket 36, the platen would be latched in the position shown in Fig. 8.

In latching said platen at either of said elevations, the pawl 24 is flexed against the rack 23 by one hand as the other is used to pull the lever 34 downwardly and thus raise the platen from the pile in the press. The notch 26 or 27, as the case may be, coming opposite the head 25 of the pawl 24, receives said head, whereupon both hands may be freed, the one from the lever 34 and the other from said pawl 24. Upon releasing the lever 34 and pawl 24, the head 25 of the latter is caught beneath the shoulder 28 of the notch with the result that the pawl is caught in the notch and the platen 38 secured in an elevated position clear of the pile of photographs. Upon again lowering the platen, the lever 3 is first pulled downwardly a slight distance to lift the shoulder 28 of the notch from the head 25 of the pawl 24, thus allowing said pawl to spring back into its inoperative position or causing its movement into such position, through the coaction of the cam surface 29 with said head 25 should the pawl, fail to free itself. With the pawl 24'freed from the rack 26), the weight of the platen 3E! and rack 26 tends to turn the pinion 22 and reverse the movement of the lever 34. Controlling such movement of said lever, the operator permits the platen to descend to the pile of photographs or to the supporting surface H] if the pile has been removed.

The different lever sockets 35, 3t in the pinion 22 provide for the ready manipulation of the lever 34 throughout the range of movement of the platen 30 and the particular relation of said' sockets with respect to the latching notches 26, 2! in the rack 20 provide for readily latching the platen at various elevations. These features promote speed in operation with minimum efiort, simplicity, durability and low cost of manufacture being additional features which render the device a very desirable accessory in the mounting of photographs and kindred tasks.

Changes in the specific form of my invention, as herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. Latching means for a device of the character described having a frame and a member reversely slidable thereon and tending to move in one direction, said means including a latching pawl mounted on said frame and a series of abutments on said member, the pawl comprising a body having a head thereon, said pawl being movable to bring said head into the path of an adjacent abutment and adapted to prevent the movement of said. member in the direction first mentioned upon the engagement of such abutment with said head, said pawl being self-movable to free said head from its engaged abutment and to position thehead clear of all of said abutments upon the movement of said member in a direction opposed to that first mentioned.

2. Latching means for a device of the character described having a frame and an elongated member longitudinally slidable up and down thereon, said latching means including a latching pawl mounted on said frame and an abutment on said member, the pawl comprising a body having a head thereon, said pawlbeing movable to bring the head thereof into the path of said abutment and adapted to prevent the descent of said member by gravity upon the engagement of said abutment with said head, said pawl being-self-movable to free said head from said abutment and position the head clear of the path of the abutment upon the movement of said member upwardly.

3. Latching means for a device of the character described having a, frame and an elongated member longitudinally. slidable up and down thereon, said latching means including a latch ing pawl consisting of an upright leaf-spring secured at its lower end to said frame and including, further, an abutment on. said member, said pawl being capable of being sprung to bring the upper end of the leaf-spring into the path of said" abutment and adapted to prevent the descent of said member by gravity uponbeing engaged by said abutment, said pawl being self-springing to freeits upper end from said abutment and position the same clear of the path thereof upon the upward movement of said member.

JOSEPH P. ENGSTROM.

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