US2221424A - Toy metal embossing machine - Google Patents

Description

Nov; 12, 1940. w. E. Rr-:XFORD ETAL 2.221,424

`TOY METAL EMBOSSING MACHINE Filed June 25, 1938 2 Sheets-Smetl l ATTORNEY NOV- 12, 1940- w. E. RExFoRD Erm. 2,221,424

TOY METAL EMBOSSING MACHINE Filed June 25, 195s 2 Sheets-'Sheet 2 2 /8 f "m 7/ 44 a f6 Y "'7 /44 KIN?" 4@ r rw- H ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 12, 1940 p UNITED STATES PATENT oEricE TOY METAL EMBOSSING MACHINE York Application June 25, 1938, Serial No. 215,848

17 Claims.

This invention relates to embossing machines, especially for embossing letters or numbers on a metal tape, and more particularly to such a machine designed for use by children.

The primary object of the present invention is to generally improve embossing machines, and a more particular object resides in the provision of such a machine adapted for manufacture and sale at a reasonable price for use as a toy yby children. With this same object in view, the machine is so designed as to be safe in operation, the parts being so arranged as to make it diiiicult for a child to injure himself when using the machine.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing gen eral and other more particular objects which will hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the embossing machine elements and their relation one to the other, as are hereinafter more particularly described in the specification and sought to be dened in the claims. The specification is accompanied by drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an embossing machine embodying features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the same;

Fig. 4 is a section taken in the plane of the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is explanatory of the manner in which the tape is severed by the cutting die;

Fig. 6 is a bottom View of the machine showing the relation of the parts when the operating lever is elevated;

Fig. 7 is a similar View showing the relation` of the parts when the operatinglever is depressed;

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section taken in the plane of the line 8 8 in Figs. l and 3; and

Fig. 9 is a transverse section through the movable printing wheel, it being taken in the plane of the line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

Referring to` the drawings, the machine comprises a base l2 on which is mounted a stationarily journalled printing wheel I4 and a movably journalled printing wheel I6. Wheel I4 may be rotated by means of a knob IS to select any desired letter or character to be printed. Ap-V propriate gearing is provided within base l2 for simultaneous rotation of wheel I6, thus keeping the wheels in registration. The Wheels may be relatively moved to impress the letter on tape 2) by means of an operating handle 22. This is done through the medium ofk a pusher 24 which bears against the periphery of wheel it and movesit toward wheel I4. The handle 22 is restored to its upward position by a `snitablere- (Cil. IS7- 6.4)

storing spring carried within base l2, and during the restoring movement tape 20 is fed forwardly by appropriate feed wheels 26 and 23. A roll of tape is carried in housing 3S, and the tape is fed intermittently in step-by-step fashion as 5 the printing wheels are actuated. After the tape has been embossed with a name or other information, the printed length of tape is severed by means of a cutting die generally designated 32 and operated by means of a separate operating 10 handle 34.

Considering the mechanism in greater detail, the printing wheel i4 is preferably cast4 to finished shape, as by means of die-casting, though it may, of course, be formed in other ways. .it is formed integrally with the knob i8, as is best shown in Fig. 8. The upper surface 35 is appropriately colored and has lettered thereon a series of letters and numerals, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1. These correspond to the impressions on the periphery of the wheel. In the present example, the wheel I4 is a female wheel and the various letters and numbers are indented in the surface of the wheel, as is clearly shown in Fig.

3 on the periphery of the wheel. If the wheel `25 is made by die-casting, the letters may be formed as a part of the die-casting operation. The wheel I4 is hollowed on its underside to form the space 4D, best shown in Fig. 8, thus providing room for a substantial bearing 42. The wheel is formed integrally with a shaft or journal Ml received in bearing t2. The lower end of shaft lil is squared at t and receives a spur gear it which may be stamped out of sheet metal. Gear it is secured on squared end 45 by riveting the end of the shaft against the gear. Printing wheel ifi is supported against downward movement by reason of the fact that it rests directly on the upper surface of base i2. ft is supported against upward movement because gear .43 bearsagainst `4,0.

the lower end of bearing ft2. Bearing it is iixedly secured to the base by driving the lower part of the bearing through a mating aperture in the base as far as the collar il, whereupon the lower end of the bearing may be staked or otherwise upset, as is indicated at 52, in order to lock the bearing in place.

The movable wheel liimates with wheel i4, and in the present case the wheel it is, therefore, male, that is, it has raised letters on its periphery. No knob is needed or provided for wheel It. It is also not essential to provide let'-` ters on the top surface of the wheel, but in the present case such letters `have been provided, as is clearly shown in Fig. l, thus illustrating at grally with a shaft 54 having a squared lower end 56. Shaft 54 is journalled in a bearing 58. This bearing may be die-cast and is formed integrally with a rectangular plate 66, said plate being received in a rectangular slot 62 in base I2. Referring to Fig. 7, it will be seen that the width of slot 62 equals the width of plate 68, but that slot 62 is longer than plate 68, thus permitting a limited movement of the plate to-wardfor away from the stationary wheel. The plate is guided between bearing plates 64 secured above base I2, as is best shown in Fig. 9,l and rivet heads 66 located below base I2. Plates 64 are riveted in place by means of rivets 68, and the heads of these rivets are made so large as to overlap the bottom of slidable plate 60, as is clearly shown in Figs. '7 and 9. The bearing is normally moved away from the stationary printing wheel by resilient means, here exemplified by a spring 'III best shown in Fig. 8, said spring being located between a bracket 'I2 secured to the base and bearing 58.

The printing wheels are supported against wobbling, despite their single short bearings, and despite the movable mounting of bearing 58, because the wheels rest directly on the base at their peripheries.

The squared lower end 56 of shaft 54 carries a spur gear I4 which meshes with the gear 48 previously referred to. These gears remain in mesh at all times. In Fig. 6l, the gears are shown in separated position, and it will be seen that the teeth are long enough sothat they are still in mesh. There is also enough tooth clearance to permit the desired closing movement of the printing wheels, and in Fig. 7 the printing wheels have been moved against one another, thus bringing the teeth into closer mesh. This, incidentally,

, brings the printing wheels into exact desired registration, for the teeth are so vshaped that there is no appreciable sideward or rotative play when the wheels are moved into the close position shownin Fig. 7.

It is desirable to' provide a detent action so that the printing wheels will naturally tend to stop on' a letter rather than between letters when rotating the same by means of the knob I8. In the present case, two such detent wheels are used, but they function as one, for the wheels are mounted in superposition on the squared end 56 of the movable printing wheel. The detent wheels are placed on opposite sides of gear 'I4 and are made larger in diameter than the gear, thus providing a means for maintaining gears 48 and 'I4 in mesh even though they are quite thin,- being formed of sheetmetal, though of heavy gauge. Specifically, we provide an upper detent wheel 'I6 and a lower detent wheel 78, these wheels being exactly alike and being disposed above and below gear 14. The detent wheels overlap gear 48 and thus hold the gears 48 and I4 in edge-to-edge relation, as is clearly shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings.

A detent roller 80 cooperates with both detent wheels. It is carried on an arm 82 pivoted at 84 and normally urged toward the detent wheel by means of a spring 86.

Movable wheel I 6 is moved by pusher 24 which in turn is slidable in a slot 25 in base I 2 (Fig. 6). The pusher is arcuately shaped tomate with the periphery of wheel I6, as is best shown in Fig. 1. Moreover, the pusher is cut away, as is shown at 96 in Fig. 8, in order to clear the raised letters on the periphery of the wheel. The pressure of the pusher is thus exerted on the periphery of the wheel near the top and bottom and without danger of mutilating the letters. The pusher is guided by the side walls of the slot in base I2. 'I'he part above base I2 is wider than the slot, thus preventing downward movement of the pusher, and a channel-shaped member 92 is secured to the bottom of the pusher, as is clearly shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 8, thus preventing upward movement of the pusher. The channel-shaped member 82 preferably functions as a support or housing carrying the detent mechanism previously referred to, and this has the advantage that the detent roller is pushed hard into the detent teeth at the time of the printing operation, thus insuring accurate registration. The resistance of the detent is reduced toA a comparatively light amount when the printing Wheels are separated, thus making it easy to rotate the wheels to the desired setting each time a new character is to be printed.

Operating handle 22 may be formed by pressing heavy gauge sheet metal in suitable dies. The handle is pivoted at 94 between ears 96 struck upwardly from base I2. The operating lever is connected to pusher 24 by means of a link 98 which may be formed of sheet metal bent to channel-shaped cross-section. The connection between the operating lever and the pusher will be evident from inspection of Figs. 21 and 8. It Will also be evident that when the handle is depressed, thus moving it from the solid tothe broken line position shown in Fig.` 8, the pusher moves wheel I6 against wheel I4 with a very substantial increase in leverage. The motion of the handle may, if desired, be limited by an appropriate stop screw |00.

The tape is preferably made of a thin, soft metal. 'Ihe roll of tape may be loaded into housing 38 by simply unscrewing the screw |82, best shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4. When centering screw |82 is removed, the cover |04 of housing 38 may be lifted, whereupon a roll |86 of the metal tape may be dropped inside the peripheral wall |88 of the housing. This wall is interrupted to form the discharge passage III), best shown in Fig. 1.

Cover I |34 is flanged to fit around wall |08, but the ange is also interrupted at the discharge passage, as will be seen in Fig. 3.

The metal tape is led from housing 30 to feed rolls 26 and 28. These are preferably provided with a frictional surface and may, for example, be made of rubber. In the present case, only one of the feed rolls is positively driven, it being intermittently rotated by pawl and ratchet mechanism next described with particular reference to Figs. 6, 7, and 8vof the drawings. The lower end of the shaft of wheel 28 carries a ratchet wheel II2. I'his is surrounded by an oscillatable pawl guide II4. In the present case, the pawl consists of a pin I I8 which also functions to pivot guide I I4 to a link I I8 which extends all the way back to the lower end |28 of the operating lever. Pawl guide I I4 is slotted at |2I and the shaft |22 of the feed roller passes through the slotV I2I. A restoring spring |24 is tensioned between one wall of base I 2 and the end of link I I8. The main function of spring |24 is to pull the `operating lever '22 to its upward position, as is shown in Fig. 8. However, referring to Fig. 6, it will be noted that spring |24 is not aligned with link I I8, but instead is so directed as to tend to pull link ||8 toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 6. In this way, spring |24 fullls the auxiliary function of moving pawl pin I I6 against the teeth of ratchet wheel H2. Pawl pin I I6 can move radially outwardly `when passing backwardly over the pawl teeth, as is shown in Fig. 7, because of the slot I2 On examining the drawings, it will be seen that downward movement of the operating handle 22 causes a rearward movement of link H8, and this causes the pawl pin H6 to be moved rearwardly over a ratchet tooth without, however,` producing any movement of the ratchet wheel. During the upward or resto-ring movement of handle 22, the link H8 moves forwardly under the influence of spring |24, and at this time the pawl pin H6 moves ratchet wheel H2, thus feeding a new section of the metal tape to the embossing wheels preparatory to the next printing operation or the next depression of the operating handle.

Reverting now to Fig. l, the tape may, if desired, be additionally guided by metal guide rollers |26. The shafts cf these guide rollers also serve to hold a top bearing plate |28 in position, said bearing plate receiving the upper ends of the shafts of the feed wheels 26 and 28. Plate |28 also holds the metaltape against upward movement, the tape being guided between the top of base I2 and the bottom of plate |28. l

After passing the printing wheels I4 and I 6, the metal tape runs through the cutting-ofi' mechanism 32. This mechanism comprises a pair of spaced die plates |36, said plates being cut out, as indicated at |32, to receive the punch or male die element |34. The punch |34 is secured to the sidewardly bent end |36 of a plate |38 which is slidable in a bearing or `guide |40. Guide |453 is formed at the upper edge of a plate |42 secured to the side of base I2. An operating arm` IM is pivoted at |46 and is normally moved upwardly by a restoring spring |48. The upper end of arm IM is bent sidewardly to form the handle 3d previously referred to. The slide bar |33 is connected to operating arm M4 by means of a pin |56, this pin preferably being received in a slot on arm I 54 in order to allow for angularity of the arm during its operating movement. On examination of Fig. 2, it will be understood that upon depressing handle 34, the slide |38 is moved forwardly, thus forcing punch I 311 through die plates ISS. In accordance with regular die practice, the punch |34 has a configuration accurately fitting the die openings |32 in plate |30, and the `metal tape has a corresponding portion thereof cut away, as is indicated in Fig. 5. The punch cuts away the part |52, thus providing the printed sections of tape with ornamental ends, as is indicated at |54.

It is believed that the construction and operation'of our improved embossing machine, as well as the advantages thereof, will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description. The printing wheels are readily moved to set the same for the desired character to be printed, this being done by simply spinning the knob I8. Both wheels turn in unison because of their gear connection. The necessarygearing is simplified and reduced in cost by simply using two spur gears which may be stamped from heavy gauge sheet metal. The movable: wheel is carried in a movable bearing but the high pressure printing movement of the wheels is not applied to the bearing. Instead, the operating handle moves a pusher which bears directly against the movable wheel at a point diametrically opposite the stationary wheel, thereby moving the wheels together for printing engagement. The wheels are properly registered by the tightening of the gear mesh and by means of detent wheels which serve the additional function of keeping the spur gears in edge-to-edge mesh. The detent is yieldably moved against the detent wheels with aA variable pressure, the pressure being Very light when selecting the letters to be printed, but being suitably increased during the printing operation. This result is obtained by the comparatively simple expedient of mounting the detent on the pusher block. The tape is fed with an intermittent step-by-step movement, it being moved dur'- ing the upward or restoring movement of the operating handle. `The printing wheels are supported against wobble and the tape is guided against transverse movement by utilizing the top of the base `of the machine as a support for the printing wheels and the tape. The parts are all made of sheet metal shaped up in suitable dies, except for a few parts, specifically, the printing wheels, the bearings for the same, and the pusher block, which, however, may also be made inexpensively by die-casting the same.

It will be apparent that while we have shown and described our invention in a preferred form,

many changes and modifications may be made in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention defined in the following claims.

We claim:

l. A toy embossing machine comprising stationary and movable printing wheels, and means to bring said wheels together for the `desired printing operation, said means including a pusher block disposed near the periphery of the movable wheel at a point diametrically opposite the stationary wheel, an operating lever, and means whereby movement of the operating lever moves the pusher block against the movable wheel and further, and thereby moves the wheels into printing engagement.

2. A toy embossing machine comprising stationary and movable printing wheels, means to rotate one of said wheels to print a desired letter,

gearing for rotating said wheels in unison so as,

to keep the wheels in registration, and means to bring said wheels together for the desired printing operation, said means including a pusher blo-ck disposed near the periphery of the movable wheel `at a point diametrically opposite the stationary wheel, an operating lever, and means whereby movement of the operating lever moves the pusher block against the movable wheel and further, and thereby moves the wheels into printing engagement.

3. A toy embossing machine comprising relatively movable printing wheels rotatably mounted with their axes parallel, one of said wheels be-r ing journalled in a stationary bearing and the other in a movable bearing, said movable bearing being slidably mounted for bodily transverse movement of the movable wheel while maintaining the axes of the wheels parallel, means for rotating one of said wheels, directly meshing spur gears secured `to said wheels, the teeth of said gears being so large that they remain in mesh `during movement of the movable wheel, an operating lever, and means whereby said operating lever moves the movable wheel toward the stationary wheel.

4. A toy embossing machine comprising relatively movable printing wheels, one of said wheels being journalled in a stationary bearing and the other in a movable bearing, means for rotating' one of said wheels, sheet metal spur gears secured to said Wheels in mesh, detent wheels `formed of sheet metal and disposed on opposite sides of one of said spur gears, said detent wheels 4being larger in diameter than said one gear and overlapping the other gear, thereby keeping the gears in mesh, the vteeth of said gears remaining in mesh during movement of the movable wheel, and a yieldable detent cooperating with the peripheries of the detent wheels.

5. A toy embossing machine comprising relatively movable printing wheels, one of said wheels being journalled in a stationary bearing and the other in a movable bearing, means for rotating one of said wheels, sheet metal spur gears secured to said wheels in mesh, detent wheels formed of sheet metal and disposed on opposite sides of one of said gears, said detent wheels being larger in diameter than said one gear and overlapping the other gear, thereby keeping the gears in mesh, the teeth of said gears remaining in mesh during movement of the movable wheel, a yieldable detent cooperating with the peripheries of the detent wheels, an operating lever, a pusher disposed near the periphery of the movable wheel at a point opposite the stationary wheel, and means between said operating lever and pusher for moving the pusher and movable wheel toward the stationary wheel.

6. A toy embossing machine comprising relatively movable ,printing wheels, one of said wheels being journalled in a stationary bearing and the other in a movable bearing, means for rotating one 4of said wheels, sheet metal spur gears secured to said Wheels in mesh, detent wheels formed of sheet metal and disposed on opposite sides of one of said gears, said detent wheels being larger in diameter than said one gear and overlapping the other gear, thereby keeping the gears in mesh, the teeth of said gears remaining in mesh during movement of the movable wheel, a yieldable detent cooperating with the peripheries of the detent wheels, an operating lever, a pusher block disposed near the periphery of the movable wheel at a point opposite lthe stationary wheel, and means between said operating lever and pusher block for moving the pusher block and movable wheel toward the stationary wheel, said detent being mounted on said pusher block.

7. A toy metal embossing machine comprising a generally flat horizontal base Xedly carrying one vertical bearing and movably carrying another vertical bearing, a printing wheel Aresting on top of said base and journalled in said fixed bearing, a mating printing wheel resting on top of said base and journalled in said movable bearing, a pusher slidably mounted on said base adjacent the periphery of the movable wheel at a point opposite the stationary wheel, means for rotating said wheels, a main operatinghandle, and appropriate linkage between said handle and said pusher.

8. A toy metal embossing machine comprising a generally flat horizontal base lxedly carrying one vertical bearing and movably carryinganother vertical bearing, a printing wheel resting on top of said base and journalled in said iXed bearing, a mating printing wheel resting on top of said base and journalled in said movable bearing, a pusher slidably mounted on said base adjacent the periphery of the movable wheel at a point opposite the stationary wheel, means for rotating one of said Wheels, gearing within said base for causing simultaneous rotation of the wheels, detent mechanism in said base for causing registration of the wheels, a main operating handle, and appropriate linkagebetween said handle and said pusher.

9. A toy embossing machine comprising a rst printing wheel rotatable ina stationary bearing, a second :printing Wheel rotatable in a bearing mounted for movement toward or away from the first printing wheel, means for turning said Wheels, a detent wheel mounted for rotation with said movable wheel, an operating lever, a pusher block disposed near the periphery of the movable wheel at a point diametrically Iopposite the stationary wheel, a detent yieldably mounted on said pusher block for cooperation with the detent wheel, and linkage whereby movement of the operating lever moves the pusher block against the movablewheel and further, and thereby moves the wheels into printing engagement.

10. A toy embossing machine comprising a first printing wheel rotatable in a stationary bearing, a spur gear rotatable with said printing Wheel, a second printing wheel rotatable in a bearing mounted `for movement toward or away from the iirst prin-ting wheel, a mating spur gear rotatable with said second printing wheel and meshing with the gear of the first printing wheel, the teeth of saidY gears being so arranged that; they remain in mesh when the wheels are separated and yet permit movement of the movable wheel toward the stationary wheel for the printing operation, means for rotating one of said'wheels, an operating lever, a pusher block' disposed at the periphery or" the movable wheel at a point diametrically opposite the stationary wheel, and linkage whereby movement of the operating lever moves the pusher block against the movable wheel and further, and thereby moves the wheels into printing engagement.

` 11. Atoy embossing machine comprising a Iirst printing Wheel rotatable in a stationary bearing, a spur gear rotatable with said printing wheel, a second printing wheel rotatable in a bearing mounted for movement toward or away from the iirst printing wheel, a mating spur gear rotatable with said second printing wheel and meshing with the gear of the rst printing Wheel, the teeth of vsaid gears being so arranged that they remain in mesh when the wheels are separated and yet permit movement of the movable wheel toward the stationary wheel for the printing operation, means for rotating one of said Wheels, a detent wheel mounted for rotation with said movable wheel, an operating lever, a pusher block disposed near the periphery of the movable wheel at a point diametrically opposite the stationary wheel, a detent yieldably mounted on said pusher block for cooperation with the detent wheel, and linkage whereby movement of the operating lever moves the pusher block against the movable wheel and further, and thereby moves the wheels into printing engagement.

12. A toy metal embossing machine comprising a generally at horizontal base, a pair of printing wheels arranged with their axes perpendicular to the base and having large-diameter portions resting directly on top of said base, means for rotating said wheels to select a character to be printed, and means for relatively moving said wheels toward one another to print the character.

13. A toy metal embossing machine comprising a generally iiat horizontal base having a downwardly turned peripheral ilange, a pair of printing wheels arranged with their axes perpendicular to the base, said printing Wheels each having a top face and a relatively `broad downwardly extendingy periphery resting on saidrbase as Well as a downwardly extending shaft at the center, bearings for said shafts mounted on said base, one of said bearings being slidably mounted on the base so that the printing wheels may be relativelyy moved toward orvaway from one another,4 said bearings projecting upwardly from the base into the hollow space formed within the Wheels, whereby the hollow interior of the base is left clear ty receive the operating mechanism of the embossing machine including appropriate gearing secured to the lower ends of the shafts of the wheels Within the base.

14. A toy metal embossing machine comprising a generally iiat horizontal base, a pair of printing Wheels arranged with their axes perpendicular to the base and having large-diameter portions resting directly on top of said base, means for rotating said wheels to select a character to be printed, means for relatively moving said wheels toward one another to print the character, feed mechanism on said base near said Wheels for feeding a metal tape between the wheels, said feed mechanism comprising a pair of feed Wheels arranged with their axes perpendicular to the base and having their lower ends resting directly on the base, whereby the lower edge of the metal tape rests on and is guided by the base as it moves through the feed wheels and through the printing wheels.

15. A toy metal embossing machine comprising a generally dat horizontal base xedly carrying one vertical bearing and movably carrying another vertical bearing, a printing wheel'having a large-diameter portion resting directly on top of said base and journalled in said xed bearing, a mating printing wheel having a large-diameter portion resting directly on top of said base and journalled in said movable bearing, means for moving the movable Wheel toward or away from `the stationary wheel, means for rotating said printing.

wheels, a housing for a roll of metal tape disposed on top of said base, said roll of tape rest- `ing directly on said base, feedvmechanism on rests on and is guided by the base as it moves l through the feed mechanism and the printing wheels.

16. A toy embossing machine comprising relatively movableiirst and second printing wheels, means for turning said wheels in unison, a handle for moving said wheels together to print a character, a detent wheel mounted for rotation with one of said wheels, a detent cooperating with said detent wheel, and linkage between said handle and detent for moving the same, the arrangement being such that the d-etent pressure is light when the wheels are being rotated While separated, but is heavy during the printing operation.

17. A toy embossing machine comprisinga first printing wheel rotatable in a. stationary bearing, a second printing wheel rotatable in a bearing mounted for movement toward or away from the rst printing wheel, means for turning said Wheels in unison, a detent wheel mounted for rotation with one of said wheels, a pusher block disposed near the periphery of the movable wheel at a point diametrically opposite the stationary wheel, means for moving the same tov cause the wheels to print, a detent yieldably mounted on said pusher block for cooperation with the detent wheel, the arrangement being such that the detent pressure is light when the wheels are being rotated, but is heavy when WILLIS E. REXF'ORD. RAYMOND LO'HR.

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