US2182110A - Accounting machine - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 5, 1939. w. A ANDERSON ACCOUNTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 7, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR MATE/Q ,4. A/VDf/RW/V ATTORNEY QM. i In..-

Dec. 5, 1939. w. A ANDERSON ACCOUNTING MACH INE Filed Feb. '7, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR [WIN ER ,4. ANDERSON ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 1939 UNITED STATES ACCOUNTING MACHINE Walter A. Anderson, Bridgeport, Oonn., assignor to- Underwood Elliott Fisher Company. New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application l 'ebruary 7, 1938, Serial No. name 1 Claim.

This invention relates to accounting machines, and more particularly to means for accommodating and feeding cards that are adapted to be printed on such machines.

3 It has been found that many business establishments use cards for keeping various records, the upper portion of the cards being preprinted with identifying data, and the lower portion being left blank to receive a limited number of entries 10 by the printing mechanism of an accounting machine.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide suitable guiding, holding, and feeding means to handle such cards.

ll With this and incidental objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, the essential elements of which are set forth in appended claim, and a preferred embodiment-of 20 which is hereinafter described with reference to the drawings which accompany and form part of the specification.

In said drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of an account- 25 ing machine having a paper carriage embodying the present invention,

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the paper carriage showing the invention,

Figure 3 is a sectional view of a portion of the 30 paper carriage taken from the right side of the machine, and shows the parts in position to have a card inserted for printing, and

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing the position of the parts after a card is inserted 5 and the front feed bail closed.

The accounting machine I (Figure 1) has a traveling paper carriage 2, and is similar to that disclosed in the co-pending application Serial No. 581,800 of Oscar J. Sundstrand, filed Decem- 40 her 18, 1931, and United States Patent No. 2,060,954, issued to Oscar J. Sundstrand on May 9, 1932. As fully disclosed in Patent No. 2,060,954, a front feed bail 3 (Figure 2), having side arms 4 (Figures 1 and 2) connected by rods 45 5 and 6, is pivoted at its opposite ends on two similar studs 1, only one of which is shown in the drawings. Arms 4 are held in engagement with studs 1 by pins 8, one of which is shown in Figure 2.

50 Figure 3 shows the front feed bail 3 in what is commonly known as its open position. When in this position, the operator may place record material in printing position by inserting it downwardly past the platen from a position- 55 above and in front of it. The bail is then closed to the position shown in Figure 4 by the operator pushing it toward the rear of the machine. In closing, the bail pivots about studs I and bends the inserted record material around the portion of the platen that is opposite the printing type. 5

The bail is retained in either its open or closed position by a detent Ii pivoted to the left hand arm 4, and tensioned against a stud l2 on the frame of the carriage by a spring l3, detent ii being provided with two notches to hold the bail in either its open or closed position.

A link i4 (Figure 2) is connected to arm 4 by a pin and slot connection and is secured to a plate l5 pivoted at its lower right and left hand corners in the carriage frame, as illustrated at Hi. When the front feed bail is open, the upper end of link l4 moves forwardly, tilting the upper edge of plate l5 forwardly a short distance. The above parts are provided for accommodating the customary statement sheets and other front fed forms, and is substantially the same as the corresponding mechanism disclosed in Patent No. 2,060,954.

For the purpose of inserting and feeding cards the following parts are provided.

A series of pressure rolls i1 (Figure 2) lie immediately below the platen and are supported between side arms l8, there being two arms i8 for each roll ll. Arms l8 are pivoted on brackets 2 I a separate bracket being provided for each pressure roll. The brackets are secured to the under side of achannel bar 22 secured in the carriage frame. A rod 23 is secured between the two arms of each pair, and acts as a brace to insure uniform movement of the arms. Cams 24, one for each rod 23, are secured to plate [5 and overlie rods 23. Rolls l'l are normally held in contact with platen 25 by springs 26 connected between arms i8 and channel bar 22. When front feed bail 3 is in its closed position, illus- 40 trated in Figure 4, earns 24 do not bear against rods 23, but when the front feed bail is moved to its open position, illustrated in Figure 3, cams 24 press rods 23, downwardly, moving the pressure rolls away from the platen. When the front 5 feed ball is again closed, springs 26 return the pressure rolls toward the platen, holding the inserted card, illustrated by the arrows in Figures 3 and 4, firmly against the platen, so that when the platen is rotated the card is fed up- 5 wardly.

To facilitate insertion of the card into the machine, rods 5 and 6 (Figure 2) are cut away to accommodate a bracket 21 secured to rods 5 and 6 by four screws 23, two at the left side of bracket :1, as shown in Figure 2, and m at the right side, not shown. Il'wo blocks ll, only one of which is shown, are secured to bracket 21, and have secured thereto two angle plates 32, only one of which is shown. To their forward downwardly extending portions, each angle plate 32 has secured thereto a guide 33, the two guides together forming a chute for the cards. Guides 33, as shown in Figure 2, consist of rear portions having their upper edges bent toward the rear of the machine and relatively smaller front portions having their upper edges bent toward the front of v the machine, the front and rear portions being connected by flanges 34. When the front feed bail is in its open position, shown in Figure 3, the card is inserted in the chute, the latter automatically directing it between the platen and the upper tapered ends 35 of arms l8, these tapered ends acting as a further guide to direct the card over and behind the pressure rolls ll. Further insertion of the card brings it into contact with a surface 36 of an irregularly shaped plate 31 secured to channel bar 22, the surface 36 directing the card downwardly until it strikes a surface 38 on plate 31. Surface 3! forms a positive stop for the card, informing the operator that it is fully inserted.

The front feed ball is then closed, bending the card around the platen, as illustrated in Figure 4. As mentioned above, when the front feed bail is closed, pressure rolls I! press the card against the platen, so that after each printing operation the platen may be rotated to feed the card upwardly for printing in successive line space positions of the card.

As illustrated in Figure 1, the card chute and feeding mechanism may be situated at one side of the carriage, leaving space for insertion of the customary ledger sheet I by the front feed mechanism illustrated in Patent No. 2,060,954. In addition to this. the customary tally strip 42 maytbe fed around the platen behind the ledger shee While the form of mechanism herein shown and described-is admirably adapted to fulfill the objects primarily stated, it is to be understood that it is not intended to confine the invention to the one form of embodiment herein disclosed for it is susceptible of embodiment in various forms all coming within the scope of the claim which follows. 7

What is claimed is:

In a machine of the class described, a platen rotatable on a fixed pivot, front feed mechanism including a pivoted bail movable toward and away from the platen and supporting one or more pressure rolls for holding the work sheet against the platen, the bail also having an offset portion supporting a card chute, the chute being composed of spaced guide members located at each side of the chute, each guide member having a front and rear portion lying in close proximity to each other so that inserted cards will be accurately directed downwardly, other pressure rolls lying beneath the printing point, and means for moving said other pressure rolls toward and away from the platen in coordination with the movement of the front feed bail, to hold an inserted card firmly against the platen. I

WALTER A. ANDERSON.

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