US2229583A - Duplicator - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 21, 1941. F. B7 MQRRE 2,229,583

nurucuon Filed Oct 28, 1939 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

Jan. 21, 1941. a B. MORRIS 2,229,583

DUPLICATOR 7 Filed Oct. 28, 1959 a Shets-Sheet s INVENTOR.

A ORNEY.

Patented Jan. 21, 1941 UNITED STATES DUPLICATOR Fred B. Morris, Havel-lo idex Co poration, of Michigan rd, l'a., assignor to Bai Detroit, Mich a. corporation Application October 28, 1939, Serial No. 301,714

8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in du plicating machines of the type by which a plurality of copy sheets may be made from a master sheet.

5 In duplicating machines, suitable dissoluble copying ink is employed in writing or typing the characters or data on the master sheet and prior to contact with the master sheet, the blank copy sheets are moistened with a volatile quickly diffusing fluid, such as alcohol or other activating agent which will dissolve a minute but suflicient amount of the ink from the master characters to form clear legible duplicate characters on the copy sheets when they engage the master sheet under pressure.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a new and improved duplicating machine in which positive supply of the moistening activating agent to the clear copy sheets is assured.

Another object of the invention is to supply the moistening fluid to the clear copy sheets by and in accordance with operation of the machine to insure that each copy sheet will be properly 2 moistened prior to engagement with the master sheet.

Another object of the invention is to provide for equal distribution of the moistening fluid over the copy sheets.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of my duplicating machine having parts broken away and in section 3 to show certain details of construction;

Fig. 2 is a vertical view of the machine shown partly in elevation and partly in section, taken along the line and in the direction of the ar-- rows 2--2 of Fig. 1, and showing the operating 40 parts in the positions they will assume durin the making of a copy;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 taken along the line and in the direction of the arrows 3-3 f Fig. 1 showing the operating parts in the position they will assume prior to the feeding of a copy sheet to the machine;

Fig. 4 is a vertical view partly in elevation and partly in section of the machine, taken along the line and in the direction of the arrows 4-4 50 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of my wick holder with the wick removed therefrom;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the wick, and

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the wick holder and wick assembled.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference. the present machine includes two spaced apart, substantially parallel upright side or frame members Ill, rigidly secured together by cross rods II and at oneor the rear end of the ma- 5 chine the uprights are provided with upwardly extended portions l2 having aligned apertures to receive stub shafts l3 which rotatably support a drum platen ll. In the present instance, the drum l4 comprises an open ended tubular member and end members l5 secured in and to the opposite ends thereof, the end members l5 being provided with apertures or bearings to receive the stub shafts [3. A manually operable crank lia. may be provided to rotate the drum H or the drum may be power driven, as de sired.

A master sheet may be attached to the platen drum It by any suitable means, the drum in the present instance being provided in its outer periphery with an elongated recess slot, or slideway I 8 in which a slidable bar or clip I9 is adapted to hold the master sheet secured to the drum by a border portion of the sheet along one edge thereof. Any suitable attachment means may be provided for releasably attaching the master sheet to the drum M.

The side members or uprights H) are provided with inwardly directed bosses and 3|, rearward of the drum I 4, and these bosses are provided with inwardly facing opposed slots 32 in which are received and sup orted, end portions of a removable, flat, rectangular container or holder 33 for a wick 34. The wick holder 33 is angularly disposed with respect to the front and 35 rear of the machine and extends downwardly and toward the drum It, the forward edge of the holder 33 being closely adjacent the outer periphery of the drum it below the axis thereof and only slightly above a horizontal plate support 35 which supports the blank copy sheets and which in turn is supported by the side uprights In. Referring in detail to the holder 33 and wick 34 shown in detail in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, the holder is in the form of a casing having a bottom wall 31, an integral rear wall 38, end walls 39 and a cover or top wall 4|. Reenforcing strips a may be welded or otherwise secured to the holder end walls 39, externally thereof and having end portions 42 projecting 5 past the forward edge 43 of the holder bottom wall 31 to which portions 42, the cover 4| is pivoted, as at 44, at its opposite ends and adjacent the formed edge 45 thereof. The holder on being shoved into position in its retaining slots 32 may. be properly located by outwardly pressed detents (not shown) but which may be provided in the bosses, 30, 3| and engage in sockets 38a in the holder end reenforcing strips 4|. The forward edges 43 and 45 of the holder 33 are spaced apart providing an opening to permit a border portion 46 of the rectangular shaped wick along a longitudinal edge thereof to project externally of the holder for engagement by the blank copy sheet. As shown in Fig. '1 the forward edge 43 of the bottom wall 31 is spaced rearward of the forward edge 4|b of the cover to expose the lower edge 34a of the wick for engaging the blank copy sheets. A metallic locating and reenforcing strip 41 for the wick 34 may be riveted thereto, as at 48, the reenforcing strip extending longitudinally of the wick and having opposite, bent end portions 50 for seating in locating notches 5| provided in the upper edges of the holder end walls 39 providing for accurate and easy positioning of the wick in the holder 33 so that a proper portion of the wick projects externally of the holder. In the wick holder 33, and extending along the rear wall 38 thereof, a conduit or tube 52 is provided to supply or convey a suitably volatile and quickly diffus ing fluid, such as alcohol, to the wick, the tube 52 being provided with spaced outlets 53 therealong. It will be seen that as one edge of the removable wick becomes soiled, the wick may be turned over or reversed whereby all four longitudinal edges of the wick may be employed which is advantageous in that it reduces the expense of wick replacements.

In order to. insure equal distribution of the activating agent or alcohol on the blank copy sheets there is provided spring fingers 54, Figs. 1 and 2 which engage the wick holder cover 4|, adjacent the forward edge thereof and may be adjustably tensioned to vary the pressure on the wick. The spring fingers 54 are secured to collars 55 which are adjustably mounted on a cross rod 56, connecting the upright III of the machine, the springs being held in the desired lateral position, or at points along the holder where pressure is needed, by set screws 51 which thread into the collars in engagement with the cross rod and also hold the springs under the desired tension. Instead of employing the two spring fingers 54 a single tensioned plate member extending substantially entirely the length of the holder in engagement therewith may be used, if desired.

In order to insure proper molstening of the copy sheets to attain clear legible copies of the master sheet characters, the moistening fluid or alcohol is supplied from a container 60 by a pump 6| to the wick holder 33 on operation of the drum M. The container 60 is positioned between and supported by the upright supports l8, below the wick holder 33, and is provided with a filler opening closed by a cover 62. The pump 5|, which may be of any suitable type, is disposed in the container 60 immediately below the boss 38 which is provided with a vertical threaded aperture to receive a tubular adjustment thumb screw 63 having a guide bore which slidably receives and guides a vertically reciprocal rod 64 that is connected to the pump plunger (not shown). Beneath the lower end of the adjustment screw 63, the reciprocable pump rod 64 carries a pin 65 which engages the lower end of the adjustment screw as a stop, the position of the adjustment screw thus determining the pump stroke and quantity of fluid delivered to the wick holder 33 each stroke of the pump 6|. The adjustment screw 63 is positioned in a recess provided in the wall of one of the uprights II, the recess opening externally of the upright to give ready access to the adjustment screw. Connected to the outlet side of the pump 6|, a tube 66 is connected to the holder tube 52 by a flexible tube or hose 61 so as to provide for ready removal of the wick holder 33.

The pump operating rod 64 projects above the boss 38 and is provided with a laterally extending abutment member in the form of a pin 69 for abutment by a lever 10 which is pivoted to the adjacent upright l by a pivot pin 1|, the leverbeing operated by a cam 12 which may be formed integral with the drum end member l externally thereof. The lever loosely abuts the abutment pin 65 by the pump rod 64 providing for adjustment of the pump rod stroke by the thumb screw 63. Preferably, the end of the lever 10, adjacent the pump rod 64 is provided with a laterally bent portion 10a providing a handle or grip for direct manual operation of the pump 6|. That is, if the machine has been idle for a time, the pump 6| may be manually operated to supply fluid to the wick 34 to insure that the wick 34 is sufliciently supplied with fluid before operation of the machine is begun. During operation of the machine, a predetermined quantity of liquid, depending upon the pump stroke adjustment, is supplied by the pump 6| to the wick holder 33 each revolution of the drum platen l4. The wick holder 33, except for the opening through which the wick edge 34 projects, is fluid tight and the wick preferably occupies substantially the entire volume of the holder to which fluid may be supplied under pressure by the pump.

Beneath the drum and adjacent the forward edge of the wick 34, a pressure roller 13 is adapted to engage the outer periphery of the drum H, the roller 13 serving to press the blank copy sheets against the master sheet on the drum to provide good clear copies. The roller 13, which may be formed of rubber, extends substantially coextensive and parallel with the drum I4 and may have a metallic core provided with opposite reduced end portions 16, rotatably and loosely supported in the ends of a pair of levers 11 which are pivotally supported intermediate their ends to respective side members |8 by pivot pins 18. Connected to the other ends of the levers 11 are helical coi1 springs 18 which yieldingly urge the roller 13 into contact with the drum l4, the lower ends of the springs 19 being adjustably anchored to integral bosses 8|! of the side uprights l0 .beneath which bosses adjustment screws 80a receive threaded ,pins 8| to which the springs are secured.

Beneath the wick, adjacent the forward edge thereof, a shaft 82 is rotatably supported in the opposite side uprights l0 and welded or otherwise secured to the shaft is pressure plate 83 for urging the blank copy sheets into contact with the exposed wick edge. Along one longitudinal edge thereof, the plate 83 may be weld- -ed or otherwise secured to the shaft 82, the plate having an upper convex surface curving upwardly and forwardly and terminating adjacent the front edge of the wick. Mounted upon and secured to the shaft 82 is a bell crank lever 84, which is disposed adjacent one of the side uprights l0 and is provided with a horizontal lever arm 85 carrying a roller 86 arranged to be engaged by a cam 81 provided in the outer face of the drum end member II. The lever 44 is biased to pivot in one direction or toward the drum l4 by a helical coil spring 88 such movement of the lever being limited by a stop pin 89 5 against which the other or depending arms 90 of the lever abuts. It will thus be seen that for each rotation of the drum 14 the cam 81 in engagement with the roller 86 pivots the lever 84 and moves the pressure plate 83 downwardly away from the wick. This movement of the pressure plate 83 takes place before entrance of each blank copy sheet between the plate and wick after which the spring I8 is released by the 4 cam 81 and moves the pressure plate upward to hold the blank sheets in contact with the moistening edge of the wick 34.

In operation, assuming that the master sheet I! has been attached to the drum M as herein described, a stack of blank copy sheets which may be supported on the horizontal plate are then fed the machine one at a time or one for each turn of the drum. On each turn of the drum l4 the drum cam 12 pivots the lever II moving the rod 69 downward to actuate the pump 6| which then supplies a predetermined amount of fluid from the container 60 through the tubes 56, 61 and 52 into the wick holder 33 at the rear edge of the wick 34 therein. As previously mentioned the quantity of liquid supplied to the wick holder may be varied by rotating the adjustment screw 63 by which the stroke of the pump may be changed. Just prior to the entrance of a blank sheet between the wick 34 and the pressure plate 83 the drum cams 81 engage the rollers 86, pivoting levers 84 and moving the pressure plate 83 downwardly out of engagement with the exposed wick edge to permit entrance of the paper between the said wick edge and the pressure plate 83 immediately after the entrance of the blank sheet between the wick and pressure plate,

the cams 81 move out of engagement with the rollers 86 permitting the springs 19 to urge the pressure plate upwardly to press the blank sheet against the wick edge. The blank sheet now being properly moistened enters between the drum l4 and the pressure roller 13 which presses the moistened sheet against the master sheet on rotation of the drum.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have provided a new and improved duplicating machine in which a volatile fluid, activating agent is positively supplied to a wick to maintain the same properly moistened for properly moistening blank copy sheets fed to the machine. It will also be seen that in the present machine the fluid activating agent is supplied to the wick by and on operation of the drum platen and that the quantity of fluid supso plied may be varied as desired. Furthermore in the present machine new and improved means for tightly but easily and quickly attaching the master sheet to the platen drum has been provided. In addition a novel wick holder assembly is provided to which the activating or moistening fluid is supplied. It will be appreciated that by exerting pressure on the wick by spring fingers or by supplying fluid under pressure to the wick holders, or both, together with inject- 70 ing the fluid into the holder at points along the rear edge of the wick that good distribution of fluid to the wick will be had.

What I claim is: 1. In a duplicating machine for making a 15 plurality of copies of a master sheet, a rotatable drum platen to which the master sheet is attached, a wick for moistening the copy sheets with a liquid prior to contact with the master sheet, a liquid container, a container for the wick, pump means operable on rotation of the drum for delivering the liquid to said wick container, and means directly connecting said liquid container and said wick container.

2. In a duplicating machine for making a plurality of copies of a master sheet, a rotatable drum platen to which the master sheet is attached, a wick for molstening the copy sheets with a liquid prior to contact with the master sheet, a container for the wick, a container for the liquid, pump means operable on rotation of the drum for delivering the liquid to said. wick container and arranged entirely within said liquid container, and means operatively connecting said drum and said pump means.

3. In a duplicating machine for making a plurality of copies of a master sheet, a pair of spaced side frame members, a rotatable drum platen to which the master sheet is attached and supported by said frame members, said frame members having inwardly directed slotted bosses, a wick for moistening the copy sheets with a liquid prior to contact with the master sheet, a container for the wick and having its ends retained in said slotted bosses, a liquid container supported at its opposite ends by said frame members, pump means operable on rotation of the drum for delivering the liquid from said liquid container to said wick container, and means for varying the quantity of liquid delivered to said wick container each revolution of the drum.

4. In a duplicating machine for making a plurality of copies of a master sheet, a rotatable drum platen to which the master sheet is attached, moisture absorbing means for moistening the copy sheets with a liquid prior to contact of the copy sheets with the master sheet,

' a container for the moisture absorbing means and having a flexible wall portion, pump means operable 0n rotation of the drum for delivering the liquid to said container, and means acting on said container flexible wall portion to exert pressure on said moisture absorbing means.

5. In a duplicating machine for making a plurality of copies of a master sheet, a rotatable drum platen to which the master sheet is attached, a wick for moistening the copy sheets with a liquid prior to contact with the master sheet, a container for the wick, and pump means operable on rotation of the drum for delivering the liquid to said wick container, said container having a flexible wall portion, a tensioned member acting on said wall portion to apply pressure on said wick, said member being movably adjustable to change the point of application of pressure on said Wall.

6. In a duplicating machine for making copies of a master sheet, a rotatable drum platen to which the master sheet is attached, a wick for moistening the blank copy sheets with a soluble liquid prior to contact of the copy sheets with the master sheet, a container for the wick, a container for the liquid, a pump for delivering the liquid to the wick container and having an upwardly extending stem provided with an abutment, cam means carried by said drum to actu-' ate said pump, and a lever engaging and operated directly by said cam means, said lever having an arm resting on said abutment for actuating same.

7. In a duplicating machine for making copies of a master sheet, a rotatable drum, an impression roller movable bodily into and'out 01 engagement with said roller, cam means carried by said drum for moving said roller away from said drum, means for moving said roller into engagement with the periphery of said drum and arranged immediately therebeneath, a wick tor moistening the copy sheets prior to contact of the copy sheets with the master sheet. a liquid 10 reservoir immediately below said wick, and pump with the master sheet, a container for said wick and having an upper flexible wall, and adjustable springmeans abutting said flexible wall portion to bring pressure on said wick.

' y FRED B. MORRIS.

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