US2152178A - Label printer - Google Patents

Description

H. P. ELLIOTT LABEL PRINTER March 28, 1939.

Filed July 17, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR v Harmon B Elliott ATTO RN EY March 28, 1939.- H. P. ELLIOTT- LABEL PRINTER 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 1'7, 193'? arch 28, 1939.

H. P.ELL|OTT LABEL PRINTER Filed July 17, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 4- IIUHUJ iiiili ill! B a v INVENTOR i Harmon R E/lwll' ATTORNEY I IIIJL I l ll llll H. P. ELLIOTT LABEL PRINTER March '28, 1939."

" s Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 17, 1937 l in INVENTOR Harmon P E [I to! l ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES LABEL PRINTER Harmon P. Elliott, Watertown, Mass., assignor to the Elliott Addressing Machine Company, a corporation of Massachusetts Application July 17, 1937, Serial No. 154,155

14 Claims.

This invention comprises certain improvements in the general type of apparatus shown and described in my Patent No. 2,015,552, dated Sept. 24, 1935, for a Wrapper printing and addressing machine, and relates more specifically to improvements in means for applying a classification marking to a label, wrapper or the like, adjacent to the stenciled address thereon, to indicate the class of catalogue to be sent with the package,

to which the label on which the name and address is being printed is to be afiixed, before delivery thereof.

In the patent referred to provision is made for applying such a classification marking automatically by punching the stencils to form differently positioned contact openings through which a circuit is closed to energize one of severally electrically actuated printing devices to apply a catalogue class indication adjacent to the stencilled address.

In such previously patented apparatus there is a separate mechanism for applying each catalogue marking, whereas in my present invention but one apparatus is required which is adjustable to print any one of four different marks on the label being addressed, and that apparatus is merely a simple attachment to the reciprocating pressure platen of the main, address stencilling apparatus.

Also in the present invention the printing of some one catalogue marking can be made continuously on successive labels, and the selection of which one can be made manually by the operator who is running the machine. All this is con- 53;; tradistinguished from the patented apparatus in which such selection is predetermined and controlled by punching a hole in each stencil frame and becomes thus fixed.

Toguide the operator in such selection while using the present invention I make use of the old idea of marking on an extension of the stencil frame, and preferably on the back thereof as has become standardized practice in certain commercial types of stencil addressing apparatus, certain indicia such as records of previous purchases by the customer whose name and address are cut in the stencil. This requires that the stencils shall run through the machine with their backs uppermost, while in my patented apparatus the reverse arrangement is employed as in most machines of the Elliott type, and this similarly requires that the type and inking devices for the label marking shall be under the paper, which reverses the arrangement shown in my said prior patent, I

Again, this general rearrangement requires that the Web of paper on which the label markings are being printed shall run over the stencil, thus masking the selection controlling indicia unless some way to avoid that difiiculty has been devised, 1 and this said difficulty I have overcome by causing the stencils to be fed toward the operator sidewise of the stencilled panel, while the paper web is fed sidewise across his field of vision and then'causing the enlarged portion of each stencil frame on which the sales records appear to project beyond the near. edge of the paper web so that the operator can see it and easily read such record. Obviously, if the reverse arrangement shown in my. previous patent were retained in which the stencils are run endwise of their panels with the paper web lying across the frame extension any such legends which must be written on one of the longer sides of the stencil frames would be covered by the paper web.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of' means whereby any one of the catalogue markings may be automatically printed on all the labels, in case the selection is determined by geographic location of the customers, for instance, and all stencils of addresses in any particular location or type of location are segregated in particular magazines so that all of that class are run through the machine at one time. This will be useful in case one type of catalogues lists goods for urban customers while another deals with rural requirements, etc.

Finally, an object of the invention is the provision of simple, manually operated purging means by which the operator may eliminate from the set of stencils going through the printing zone any which should be eliminated therefrom for any reason. Furthermore the feeding actions of .two mechanisms on the web are rendered exactly equal.

The invention also has for its further object certain minor structural improvements in the elements cooperating for the general purpose above described, which will be hereinafter pointed out.

The best form of apparatus at present known to me suitable for embodying my invention is illustrated in the accompanying five sheets of drawings, in which F 1 is a top plan view of the machine.

Fig. 2 is a central vertical cross section on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1 with the power mechanism, which is ordinarily located near the base of the machine, omitted.

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal partial section on the irregular line 3--3 of Fig. 1, taken at right angles to that of Fig. 2.

Fig. 3a is a continuation to the left hand of Fig. 3, the section being taken centrally of the paper web at the left hand end of the machine.

Fig. 4 is a detail plan view on an enlarged scale, with portions of the table top broken away to show the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 5.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line55 of Fig. 4, with parts broken "away.

Fig. 5a is a detail view of the pin pressureplaten of the label marker and a portion of the main stencil printing head on which it is mounted, the same being shown in proper position relative to the mechanism illustrated inFig. '5. V

Fig. 6 is a view showing 'a-por'tion of the mechanism of Fig. 5 adjusted in a position to=produce continuous repetitions of one selected catalogue marking, and

Fig. 7 shows one of the labels which-has been printed-andmarked by the machine.

Referring-to the-drawings, the product of the present-machine is a label, wrapper or the like of the type shown in Fig.7 on which there has been .printed a symbol :having a predetermined significance, in addition to a name and address. This printing is doneon a web of ,paperfed step by step through the machine and aftertheprinting operation is =completed each printed label is cut off the end of the web, which is advanced step by step through the-machine.- :Thepresent purpose of the machine illustratedistoprint a symbol indicating-the: class ofj catalogue or: other publication or the like which should-properly be sent by the clerk who wraps up or ships the package to which the labelis pasted. Thus-the letter L in'Fig. 7 --means -large.

In the present embodiment of the invention, .the stencils are fed forward from the rear .of the machine in line with and directlytowards the operator and .come into printing position .under the paperwebywhich latter travels at right angles to the stencil line offeed.

-Iihe stencil proper, in printing :position, concealed from view of the-machine operator by the overlayofthepaper web, but this does not matter-as it is wrongside up for reading and an extension stub of thestenciI-frame projects beyond the web and presents visiblenotations, indicating to the operator the-class of catalogue to be sent to each stencilledadd-ress, and by manipulation of the codeflletterprinting device the operator adjusts the same so that the proper symbol will Y be printed on the time the addressis printed.

In the specific construction of -machine here shown a flat :horizontal table 5 is employed to carry the-mechanism. The operator of the machine is ordinarily seated at the front of the table in line with the stencil feed andJprinting mechanism, .the former extending centrally across the table from rearto front thereof. 7

'The stencil addressing mechanism includes a magazine or stencil holder 16, the construction "and operation of which isiwell known in the art and therefore need not be described in'detail. 7

Leading toward the'printing zone. from the stencil holder there is the usual .stencil "track, consisting of a pair of grooved, spaced rails 1, 1, thatextendv transversely across the table toa receivingrack or'holder8, in which the stencils normally are deposited by the-feed. action, after the. printing operation. I 1

"The stencils 9 (see Fig. 1) 'have'the usual web :at the same "er at any one operation is pushed out from under thestack into and along the track grooves in the usual manner by a pusher l2, which is vibrated in the' 'line of the track by an arm l3 suitably connected to be actuated by the power which drives the whole mechanism, but which is not shown. The arm 13 is vibrated continuously while the power mechanism is in operation and feedsa stencil from the stack into the track at each movementthereo-f toward thezprintingzone.

The printing mechanism comprisesthe .printing "roller =1 4 (-see Fig. "29 located below therails of the stencil track :and a reciprocating platen l5, that is located above the track.

The printing roller 14 is revolubly mounted between upwardly extending armsl6 of -a yoke-ll, carried by a rearwardly extending -arm l8 integraltherewith and disposed centrally of the yoke, Said arm being "pivoted at-l9 to the frame of the machine. The printing-roller is given motion into and out of contact relation with the stencil above-it by a cam -20 (pivoted; at 40*) *which, through rod --2 I extend-ing- -f-romthe. powermechanism, is oscillated in time with the intervals in-thefeed motions of the stencils, and the web.

The printing roller 14 is supplied with ink through an idler roller =22, forming :part :of-an inking mechanism not necessary to describe in greater detail since it may be anything suitable or well known in the art.

The platen I5 is mounted between-downwardly projecting lugs 23 of-arocker-frame which is formed o-f-apair of side arms 24, connected at the front and rear by cross bars-25,15. The rocker frame --is j ournaled to oscillate in bearings 26' on the machine frame and-extends below said bearings, beingprovided (centrally of its rear cross bar 25) with a downward extensioncarrying a roller'21. This roller is so placed as to engage the rear face 28 of the cam 20 by which the rocker frame is given the motion required'to move the plateninto and-out of printing relation with each stencil and with the ink carrying roller M, while such stencil is resting in printingposition.

After'passing through the printing zone, the stencils are given further intermittentforward movements in the tguides-andnormally are deposited'inthe receiving rack or holder 8 in the usual manner. The construction of the receiv-= ing-rack or holder here shown iswell known in the art and it will therefore not be necessary to describe the same in detail, as any suitable form may be employed.

:As the legends on the back of 'a particular stencil may indicate that for some reasonit should be eliminated from the particular stackbeing 'used,'I have provided ;a simple and convenient device which can be brought into operation "when desired to deposit any particular stencil in a separate receiver and which, -on the other hand,'when not so used serves to ensure the deposit of the used stencils in the main receiver 8. This is indicated in'Figs. 1 and '2 and comprises the small supplemental receiver 95 supported on the horizontally swinging arm 96 and normally located in the line of movement of the stencils outside of the main receiver 8, and. a switch plate 91 pivoted on a horizontal axis 98 over the mouth of main receiver 8. A compression spring 99 normally holds this plate in an inclined position as shown in Fig. 2 so that each oncoming stencil then strikes its under surface and is positively deflected downward into the main receiver. When, however, the operator wishes to switch a given stencil into the supplemental receiver 95 this plate can be swung by raising its extension handle W9 (Fig. 1) so that its edge nearest the end of the stenciltrack comes below said end and the next stencil will-then slide over the plate and into the supplemental receiver fordiscard or transfer to some other stack.

Whenever the accumulated stack of used stencils in main receiver 8 is to be removed the supplemental receiver 95 can be temporarily swung to the right (looking at Fig. 2) to afford access to the stack of stencils in the main receiver.

In order to apply a selected catalogue classification marking to the paper adjacent to such stencilled address and simultaneously in the operation of stencilling such address, a type bar 29 (Figs. 1 and 5) containing a number of code letters or other suitable characters 3|l,'is mounted in guides 3|, extending along one side of and in parallel relation to the stencil line of feed, as shown in Fig. 1. The guides 3| are so arranged as to enable the type bar to be moved endwise to bring any selected code letter thereon into position under pin platen 32 near one edge of the stencil about to be used in address printing. Normally this type bar is withdrawn from such-printing position and isyieldingly held thus in such position by a spring 29 secured at one end to the frame of the machine and at the other end to a stud or pin 29 depending from the under side of said bar (Fig. 5). This stud or pin 29 is also utilized in a manner to be later on described to move the type bar into a printing position and bring the desired character thereon under pin platen 32, which is mounted on the rocker frame 26, 25, carrying the stencil platen,

I5, and moves up and down with the latter.

This pin platen has a vertical screw thread adjustment 33 in its mounting on the rocker frame, permitting it to be raised or lowered to vary the pressure exerted by it on the type face beneath it so that a proper impression can be produced in the printing operation. The face on the lower ,end of the pin platen may be of rubber or other suitable cushioning material to coact yieldingly with the type below it.

Cooperating with the type bar there is an ink roller 34 carried by an arm 35 pivoted at 36 to-a bracket 31. The bracket is removably secured to the table by a set screw 39 and the ink roller is yieldingly held to contact with the face of the type by a spring 39.

As here shown, there are four code letters on the type bar but any number may be used and to enable any one of the letters to be slid into position with speed and certainty and without requiring either skill or undue exertion on the part of the machine operator, provision is made for effecting instant adjustment by merely pressing a button. Preferably as many buttons are employed as there are type faces, one for each character on the type bar, and the buttons are marked with the character of the type bar they are designed to control, as indicated at 40 in Figs. 1 and 4. I Separate and independent connections are provided from each button to the pin 29 of the type bar and as these connections are substantially through a slot 42 in the table and projects sufliciently above the upper surface thereof to provide clearance for movement of the button when it is pressed downward to move its particular character on the type bar into position for printing operation. Each bar 4| is pivotally connected at its lower end to one arm 43 of a bell crank which turns loosely on a short cross shaft 44. Attached to the other arm 45 of each bell crank there is a spring 46 which acts to yieldingly maintain the button normally above and clear of the table top. The upper end of each bell crank lever arm 45 has a pin and slot connection 41 with the free end of a link bar 33, the other end of which is pivotally connected at 49 to a horizontally disposed lever 5|]. Each lever is pivoted at 5| (see Fig.4) and its opposite free end 52, supported and steadied by one of the guides '53 (Fig. 5), projects into engaging relationship with the pin 29 of the type bar 29.

As any one button is pressed downward, its connection with its bell crank lever gives the latter counterclockwise movement (Figs. 5 and 6) against the action of its spring 46 and this motion, transmitted through its link bar to its horizontally disposed lever 50, causes the free end thereof to engage the pin 29 of the type bar and advance the bar in the guides from nonprinting position to one of its printing positions. The extent of move- 'ment given the free ends of any lever 50 determines which of the several characters on the type bar will'be brought into printing position, and by spacing the connections between the bar links 48 and the levers 59 at different distances from the common pivot 56 of said levers, the movement of the free end of each is graduated as required so that each advances the type bar far enough to bring its corresponding character directly under the pin platen 32 for the printing operation.

If for any reason the type bar characters fail to properly respond to a pressed button, an adjusting means should be provided by which the downward movement of any one or more of the buttons may be varied as required to in turn increase or decrease the movement of the levers 5t until proper registration is obtained between the type bar characters and the pin platen.

For this purpose each of the bell crank levers is provided as here shown with an adjustable stop in the form of a setscrew 54 (Figs. 5 and 6) by which the movement imparted to its connected lever 59 may be carried as required, and through the connections described a corresponding variation will be effected in the movement of the type bar 39.

The setscrews 54 are carried by a cross bar 55 secured by brackets 56 to the main frame of the machine.

When addresses in any considerable number are to be printed to which the same catalogue is to be sent, provision is made for utilizing power driven mechanism to automatically repeat the printing of the classification marking for each address stencilling operation and so save the machine operator the time and laborof repeatedly pressing the same type bar shift button.

The effect of this adjustment is to cause any one of the bellcrank levers 43, 45,-to be actuated by power rather than by hand through the buttons 40, as above described.

As the shifting of the type bar bearing the classification markersmust be in timed relation to the oscillating movement of the printing head carrying the platens, the platen rocker frame 24, 25,,is utilized as a convenient source of power, and

transmission of motion from the rocker frame to a cross shaft 51 is effected by a connecting rod 58 pivoted to a crank 59 on the end of 51 as shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 5.. The connecting rod 58 is suitably constructed to be elastically extensible lengthwise, as shown in Fig. 5, to compensate for movement of the platen rocker frame 24, 25, in excess over the movement requiredfor the power operation of the classification marking mechanism. In the construction shown in Fig. 5 this is accomplished by having the free end of rod 58 slide in a slotted housing I02 which is pivoted to the rocker frame and has a spring lfll confined between one end of the slot and the end of that rod. The cross shaft 5'! extends in parallel relation to the shaft 44 carrying the bellcrank levers 43, 45, and is mounted in extensions of the supporting brackets I63 for that shaft.

From the foregoing it will be seen that in the operation of the stencil printing mechanism, the cross shaft 5'! will be oscillated in time with the oscillations of the printing head and in order to selectively transmit this motion of the cross shaft 57 to any one of the bell-crank levers 43, 45, by which the classification characters on the type bar are adjusted to printing position, four identical devices are employed, one for each bellcrank lever.

These devices comprise four crank arms 59 each fast on the shaft 57. Pivoted at the outer end of each crank arm 59* is a link 60 which is also pivotally connected to the inner end of a key lever 6| and is normally held against upward movement by-a spring 62. The key lever extends beyond the front edge of the machine table and terminates in a button 63 conveniently accessible to the hand of the operator and marked with one of the classification characters of the type bar 29.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 4 there are four buttons 63 arranged in a row, in alignment with the buttons 40, each aligned pair of buttons having corresponding markings.

The alignment of the two sets of buttons brings the key levers in line with the vertically disposed arms 45 of the bell crank levers but normally there is no engagement between them. On depressing a key lever button 63 to shift it from its normal position shown in Fig. 5 to the adjusted position shown in Fig. 6, the link 60 is swung up so that the oscillating motion imparted to the key lever by its carrying shaft will be transmitted to the aligned bellcrank lever, as indicated in broken lines in Fig. 6, which in turn transmits it through a link bar 48 and lever 50 to the classification type bar 29. The efiect of this adjustment is to cause a classification character on the type bar, corresponding to the character on the depressed key, to be moved into printing position under the pin platen 32, for each operation of the printing head and to continue this action as long as the adjustment is maintained by holding the key depressed. While this could be done by hand for a few printing operations, it would not be satisfactory where the repeat action of the'classification marking is required for a large number of addresses the stencils for which may fill an entire file drawer,

notch 66 of the slot 'ing printing sectors at machine shown in Fig.

. as hereinbefore described. While and to enable the repeat key to be releasably looked as adjusted a pin and slot connection is provided between'the key lever andits crank-arm 59 of a form such that the pin 64 on the crank arm ridesfreely in the slot 65 of the key lever as thelatteris being depressed, but on full depression the pin snaps into an offset terminal as shown in Fig. 6, where .it is held under the tension of the spring 62 until released by the operator.

As previously stated, successive labels are formed from a long sheet or web 67 of paper contained on a roll 68, journalled rotatably upon the frame at the right hand end of the machine table, as viewed in Figs, 1 and 3. The sheet from the roll 68 passes between two guide rods 69 and thence around three feeding rolls vIll that are closely assembled and of relatively small diameter, so that the paper makes sharp bends around them. The rolls are geared together as indicated at I05 in Fig. 1 and one of the rolls, as the roll at the left when looking at Fig. 3, has a positive driving connection through bevel gears H and continuously rotating shaft .12, driven by a sprocket chain 13 from the power mechanism. The rolls are not in contact one with another and therefore exert a friction feeding action on the web which is not effective unless it is under tension. This tension is normally maintained by the floating slack take-up roll 74. From the rolls 10, the sheet runs downwardly in a loop around this roll 74, which is normally supported by the loop and guided for vertical movement between pairs of rods 75 so that it is free to move vertically without becoming displaced horizontally. The pairs of rods are provided at their lower ends with stop members 76 which support roll 14 if the loop of the web 61 allows it to drop that far. With this arrangement, when the paper loop is short enough to hold the tension roll above the supports, the weight of the tension roll puts enough tension on the sheet to bring the feed rolls 1!] into action and draw the sheet from the roll 68. When, however, the loop is long enough so that the tension roll rests on the supports, the paper loop is relieved from the weight of the roll and hence the frictional engagement between the sheet and the rolls 1:: is reduced and the sheet advance is reduced or ceases. The paper web passes upwardly from the lefthand side of the loop (see Fig. 3) and thence horizontally over an idler roll 11, through parallel guides 18, and through the stencil printing zone to the rotatthe left hand side of the These rotating sectors print the same legend on each label section of the web, as hereinafter explained, and also form the main web feeding mechanism, giving it the intermittent, step-bystep movements necessary for cooperation with the reciprocating stencil printing mechanism. It would not be practical to have this intermittent feed mechanism alone move the whole length of web passing through the machine and so be jerking it off the roll 68 intermittently. Consequently the supplemental web-feeding rolls 10 are used and run continuously to pull the web from roll 68. To allow the uniform motion given to the web by them to be changed into the intermittent movement required in the printing and cutting zones the floating slack take-up roll 14 is used the web portions in the printing zones are at rest, roll 14 drops gradually as rolls 10 continue .tofeed the righthand portion of the web forward from roll 68. When the feed sectors S ll (Fig. 3a) begin to operate they are timed to pull along in about a quarter of a machine cycle a whole label length of paper, while rolls 1i] will only feed that much during anentire cycle. Consequently while sectors 90 are in action take-up roll 14 is being lifted up. When the sectors release the web and friction finger 80 brings it to a stop andholds it stationary for about three quarters of a cycle, roll 14 gradually dropsdown to take up the slack of the right hand portion of the web being fed out by rolls M1, and so on.

The advantage of the light friction feeding action of rolls 10, and the cessation of that while that portion of the web is free from other feeding tension, arises from the fact that this takes care of any slight inequality between the feeding rates of the two feeding mechanisms 90 and 10. The rolls 10 should be geared to have a circumferential movement during each cycle very slightly in excess of a label length, while sectors 90 feed such length exactly. Consequently the length of the free loop carrying the floating roll 14 will slowly lengthen until at the end of some period of rest of the web in the printing zone said roll will rest on its stop 16, and as tension on the web portion then coming through rolls I0 is: accordingly released they will slip on the web and it will stop moving until the next slack take-up operation lifts roll 14. Consequently just the length of web required by the feeding apparatus at the left hand side of the machine (which is thus the dominating feed mechanism) will always be delivered by rolls 10 to the printing zones, and no more.

It will be observed that the course of travel 0 the paper sheet, as above described, is across the table at right angles to the line of feed of the stencils and, on reaching the stencil printing zone, the sheet passes over and above the stencils and. under the printing head carrying the platen l5 and in this position receives the imprint from the stencil and a marking from type bar 29, both on its under side.

From the stencil printing zone the sheet, continuing in the line of travel as above described, passes between a pair of parallel guides 19 and under a spring finger 80, which engages the sheet with sufficient tension to hold it against backward movement when the printing mechanism beyond the tension'finger is idle and the sheet consequently is not being advanced thereby.

The printing mechanism last above referred to may be employed to apply the senders name and address, instructions to the postmaster and other general matter common to all labels. As shown in Fig. 3a it comprises a printing roller 8! carried by a shaft 82, mounted in suitable bearings 83 below the paper web and a cooperative rotary platen 84 of the sector type, carried by a shaft 85 (which also carries sectors mounted in suitable bearings 86, above the web, the arrangement being such that the imprint is applied tothe under side of the web adjacent to each address thereon, as indicated at 4- in Fig. 7.

The printing roller shaft and the platen shaft are geared together, as indicated at 81 (Fig. 1) to rotate in opposite directions at the same speed and the printing roller shaft is suitably geared to be driven by the sprocket chain drive 13 which in turn is rotated by bevel gearing from shaft 12, as shown'in Fig. 3.

Cooperating with the printing roller 8! there is the usual inking mechanism indicated in part at 88. Pressing down on the plain surface of the roller 8| at each end beyond the type section are the previously described web feeding sectors formed by the raised arcuate sections 90 of predetermined circumferential extent that are designed to engage and give forward feed to the paper for a time during each cycle of operation. This movement is equal to the length of one label, and so timed as to properly locate the matter printed by roller 8| with relation to the addresses previously stencilled on the web.

Beyond the printing mechanism just described, a paper cutter isprovided for cutting off each label section from its web. The cutter shown is of well known form and consists of a fixed blade 9|, and a movable blade 92. The movable blade is pivotedat 93 (see Figs. 1 and 3a) and is suitably connected at its free end with the power mechanism, as indicated at 94, to be given up and down movement about its pivot in timed relation to each period of rest of the web. As the completed labels are cut from the web, they fall into the receptacle I04 located below the knife.

As will be apparent from the foregoing, the advance of the paper web from the tension device 80, within the lateral guides 19 is brought about by the feed action of the sectors 90 by which it is moved step by step through the printing mechanism to the cutter. The radii of the arcuate sections 90 are of course, equal to the radii of the arcuate platen 84.

As the operation of the various devices employed in the machine has been explained in sufficient detail to be clearly understood, it will not be necessary to further describe the same, but it may be added as to the general operation that the feed of the paper web and the line of stencils is step by step, in timed relation. The stencil pusher l2 and paper feed discs 89 acting in unison present a new section of the paper web for an impression as each stencil comes into printing position and theprinting is done in the intervals between the feed stops. 7

The selection and adjustment of the catalogue classification mark to accompany each stencilled address is made by the machine operator. Guided by the data or class mark on the stencil frame backs, the operator presses correspondingly marked buttons of either the upper setor the lower set, depending upon whether the mark is to be used for a single address or only successively for several, or whether it is to be used for a large number of addresses calling for the same catalogue. If for a single address or successively for a small number, the upper set of buttons is used and the selected button -may be pressed to move the classification marker into position, for each stencil printing operation or it may be pressed and held down until several operations have been completed. Where the number of successive stencils calling for the same class mark is large, the operator uses the outer set of buttons and, as the selected button is pressed down, it adjusts the power drive to automatically move the classification marker into desired position as the stencils are successively advanced into the printing zone. The self-locking action of the buttons of the lower set, when depressed, causes the power drive to continue in effective operation until the button is released by the operator. 7

The provision of the rather complicated duplicate mechanisms'for reciprocating the type bar into and out of printing position during each eration. If the buttons 40 are being used each one should be manually released after each cycle of operations even if the catalogue marking used is repeated, because. if left in operating position there will be insufiicient ink on the type face left after any one operation for a repetition thereof. Similarly where one of the buttons 63 is used the type bar is automatically reciprocated into printing position and out again under the inking roller 34 during each cycle of operations. The importance of the web feeding system having an automatic, self-adjusting action, and comprising the slightly separated friction rolls 70 running at a circumferential speed very slightly in excess of that needed to feed one label length during one cycle combined with the compensating, slack take-up action of floating roll 14 with its automatic release of tension on the web portion passing through said rolls at the moment when just the right length of web has been pulled off roll 68 by them (as previously described), arises from the practical impossibility of making two positively acting spaced-apart feed mechanisms operating on a continuous web run at exactly the same speed. That is to say, if the rolls 70, or any two of them, were set so close together as to positively pinch the web between them and the web length so fed by them during any one cycle of machine operation slightly exceeded that fed by sectors 90, web slack would gradually accumulate in the stencil printing zone and interfere with proper registry of the address printed there with the re-i peat matter 4 printed by roll 8|. On the other hand, if such web length so fed by rolls 10 were slightly less than the required amount to even the most minute extent, the web portion between rolls l0 and sectors would as a result be subjected to gradually increasing tension until it broke somewhere between l0 and 90.

Various changes in details of mechanism for producing this and other modes of operation hereinbefore described could be made without departing from the essence of the invention so long as the general mode of operation and results hereinbefore set forth are preserved.

Having described my inventi0n,'I claim:

1. In a label printing and addressing apparatus comprising a plurality of address-bearing stencils, a reciprocable member adapted for pressing ink through successive stencils, means for feed ing such stencils successively through the printing zone of such apparatus, means for feeding a web of paper also through said printing zone and apparatus for cutting it into a series of sections each bearing a stencilled imprint, a supplemental printing device operatively attached to and in part carried by said reciprocable member adapted for also printing one or another of a series of selected marks on each such label section.

2. An apparatus such as defined in claim 1 in which such stencils are fed toward that side of the apparatus at which it is most convenient for the operator to stand while said web feed is adapted to move it at right angles to said line of stencil movement above and across the line of stencils but in such position as to leave exposed to the operators view an extended portion of the stencil frame nearest to him on which records of significant data have been made.

3. A label printing and marking apparatus comprising a supporting horizontal frame with guides thereon extending toward that side of the frame at which the operator can most conveniently be located, a series of stencil cards arranged face dow ward in said guides and having data marked, on their exposed upper surfaces nearest such operators location, means for applying ink to the under surface of each stencil when in a said stencil; whereby the operator can select such marking as may conform to any data exposed on such stencil then in the printing zone.

4. An addressing apparatus comprising, in combination, means for advancing a web of paper and means including a moving line of stencils for applying different addresses in succession and suitably spaced apart for individual use to the under side of such paper Web advanced by the first mentioned means, the line of movement of the stencils being at an angle to the direction of feed of the paper and so disposed with reference thereto as to cause a considerable portion ofthe frame of each stencil when in printing position to be visible beyond the adjacent edge of the paper web; whereby the user may be guided in operating the apparatus by any indicia appearingon such protruding frame portion.

5. An apparatus such as defined in claim 4 combined with means for printing on the under side of such web immediately adjacent to each such address and simultaneously with the print-. ing thereof a mark related to such indicia.

6. An apparatus such as defined in claim 4 combined with manually operable selective means for printing on the under side of such web any one of a plurality of marks indicating the class of catalogue to be sent with any package to which the label simultaneously being printed is to be attached.

7. An apparatus for printing a series of names and addresses on a web of paperfed step by step through the printing zone thereof which come prises a reciprocating platerihead and a cooperating, oppositely reciprocating ink-bearing member, combined with a Second platen member mounted on said head with its free end adjacent to, and having a face lying substantially in the plane of said first mentioned platen, a typecarrying bar adapted to slide in a plane parallel and opposite to the face of such second platen, mechanism for reciprocating said bar so that any type face thereon may be moved into and out of registry with said second platen member during a portion of each printing cycle, and means for applying ink to such type face while out of such position of registry. 1

8. In a label printing apparatus employing a plurality of card stencils each having anextension frame on which selection-controlling indicia marked thereon will be visible when the stencil bearing it is in printing position, supplemental mechanism for applying a classification symbol successively to any desired number of such labels while the main legends are being printed thereon comprising, in combination, a reciprocating platen member, a cooperating type bar reciprocable at right angles to the line of reciprocation of said platen member and having a plurality of type formed on its surface which faces said member, an inking device cooperating with said type-. bearing surface, mechanism for reciprocating said bar and a plurality of push buttons, one for each type appearing on said bar; said last mentioned mechanism being adapted to move said bar through the inking zone into position to place opposite said platen member the particular type corresponding to any particular push button which may have been pressed by the operator after he has note-d the indicia visible on the stencil then to be utilized in printing a label.

9. In a label printing apparatus employing a series of address bearing members and an apparatus cooperating in such printing in successive cycles of operation, supplemental means for applying a particular mark to each label comprising in combination, a platen located near the first above mentioned apparatus, a cooperating type bar movable toward and from said platen, an inking device for the type on said bar located near said platen, and mechanism automatically operable by said first mentioned apparatus for moving said type into cooperation with said inking device before each label printing operation.

10. An apparatus such as defined in claim 9 in which said main printing apparatus comprises a reciprocating member, and said last mentioned mechanism comprises a motion-transmitting connection therefrom to said type bar.

11. An apparatus such as defined in claim 9 in which said main printing apparatus comprises a reciprocating member, and said last mentioned mechanism comprises a motion-transmitting connection therefrom to said type bar, together with manually controllable means for disabling it.

12. -In a mechanism for printing one or another of a series of supplemental markings on a sheet on which a longer legend is being printed, the combination of a longitudinally recip-rocab-le bar having type formed in its face along the line of its reciprocation, a single reciprocating platen adapted to cooperate with any one of said type, a series of levers having a common pivot at one end and loosely connected to said typebar at the other, and a series of type selecting members having substantially uniform limits of movement, but connected to said levers at difierent distances from their common pivot; whereby, on moving one or another of said members through its path, the type bar will be slid a greater or lesser distance so asto bring into cooperation with said platen the type corresponding to the member which has been moved.

13. In a device adapted to be operated either manually or automatically so as to print one or another of a series of classification or other marks, the combination of a series of cranks each manually rotatable separably about a common axis to effect the printing of a given mark, a second series of cranks fixed on a shaft parallel to said axis, each one of said second cranks moving substantially in theplane of one of the first series, power means for continually oscillating said shaft, and a member on each crank thereon adjustable so as to either engage and vibrate the corresponding member of the first series of cranks or vibrate idly, thereby leaving the selection and printing of any particular marks to be determined by manual operation of one of said first series.

14. An apparatus such as defined in claim 8,

which is supported from a horizontal table in which said push buttons are set along a straight line, combined with power means for reciprocating said type bar in the selective manner described in said claim, comprising a second row of the same number of push buttons set in a line parallel to that in which the first mentioned ones are arranged and opposite thereto, together with mechanism adapted to automatically reciprocate said type bar whenever one of said second set of buttons is depressed so as to bring it into the same printing position as would be the case if the corresponding one of said first set of buttons had been manually depressed.

HARMON P. ELLIOTT.

Images