US2304386A - Printing mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 8, 1942. vAHLE PRINTING Mrscumusray Filed Dec. 17, 1940 s sheets-sheet 1 Dec. 8, 1942. 1:2.v VAHLE 2,304,386

PRINTING MECHANISM Filed Dec. 17, 1940 j 3 'Sheets-Sheet 2 v Dec. 8, 1942. R., VAHLEV 2,304,386

` PRINTING MEcHANIsM AFiled De. 17, 1940 -3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Dec. 8, 1942 PRINTING MECHANISM Raymond Vahle, Tappan, N. Y., assigner to Leon Benoit, New York, N. Y.

Application December 17, 1940, Serial No. 370,474.

r Claims. (Cl. lOl-292) The device of the present invention, in the form shown, isl especially adaptable for recurrently applying a date or other marking to a tape or strip which may be employed to seal packages or cartons while advancing processionally. Such a tape or strip, which is usually continuous, is severed and adhered to the respective packages or cartons, and it is to the. sealing sections of such a tape or strip that the printingr or stamping isV desirably applied.

The present mechanism, however, may be used for recurrently, and at uniform intervals, stamping or marking a continuous strip employed for other than sealing purposes. For convenience, however, I shall refer to the present mechanism as a dating device, and in illustrating the particular use for which it is intended I haveicombined the device with a carton sealing mechanism such as is illustrated and described in the Benoit pat-- ent, No. 2,116,259, of March 3, 1938, wherein a continuous sealing strip is fed from a roll and applied over the joint between two cover sections, the` pressure exerted by the advancing carton itself being utilized to actuate thel mechanism for feeding and cutting the adherent strip.

The present dating device, which is constructed as a self-contained unit, is adaptedA for direct attachment to a sealing machine, of' which one example is set forth in the. patent aforesaid, whenever it is desired to date or otherwise specially mark the packages, cartons, or other objects being sealed. Y

Further details of the invention will appear from the description thereof in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a strip feeding mechanism of the character shown in the aforesaid Benoit patent, with the dating device of the present invention securedl thereto;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the dating device;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the same, looking inwardly toward the strip feeding mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a plan view partly in section, taken on line` 4--4 of Fig. 3, with the top frame section removed:

Fig.. 5 is a sectional elevation, taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6` isa sectional deta' of Fig. 4; and v Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the receptacle which holds the dating type. p

.The dating device is mounted upon standards l0 which spring upwardly froma. table or platform lil along which the cartons or otherobjects are Aadvanced in the lmanner described in the `f taken on line 6-6 Benoit patent aforesaid, in which each carton, as it moves toward the sealing position, exerts a pressure which serves to operate the mechanism for feeding the adherentv strip downwardly.

In the present embodiment of the invention here being described, the shaft I2 is a shaft to which a single rotation is imparted by the passage of each carton, and theA rotation of this shaft is utilized to actuate the dating stamp of the present invention, so that each section of the continuous strip will receive the date or other imprint in preparation for the application of the leading strip section to a carton or the like as it comes into position to be sealed in the manner described in the Benoit patent aforesaid.

The. standards lll` are notched'at their upper ends I3 to receive a spindle Hlwhich,` mounts a roll `R. of adherent strip material S which is fed down from the roll in front of the sloping surface of an obliquely disposed frontplate l5', which is secured to the spaced standard I0 in preparation for the moistening and severing of the leading section in lche manner described in said Benoit patent.

The` dating device. is carried by a framev ccmprising an upper frame section I6 and a lower frame section I1, each provided with inwardly sp-aced legs I8. The legsr of the upper and Iower frame sections on one side embrace a block I9 which is secured to the face of the adjacent standard l0, by means of screws 20. The inner ends of the legs are pivoted upon a pintel 2l which extends through the block, which arrangement permits the frame as a whole to be swung outwardly to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 4,. as occasion may require. The lower frame section is extended on its outer edge to afford a platform 22 which carries a pair of spaced vertically disposed spindles 23 which afford mountings for a pair of ribbon spools 24 carrying an inking ribbon 25 which affords the inked surface for applying the imprint to the sealing strip through the action of type 26 mounted within a rectangular block'2l (Fig. 7) provided with a recess 28`for the reception of the group of type which are clamped lin place by a plate 29 and a thumb screw 3U. The block 2T is slidably mounted between the upper and lower frame sections, and the thumb screw is entered through a slot 3l which permits the type block to reciprocate toward and from the sealing strip. The ends of the recess 28 are closed by side plates 32, and the type block is positioned between spacer bars 33- which not only serve to afford guides for the type block but also serve to unite the upper and lower frame sections which are held together by the tie bolts 34.

Immediately below the upper frame section is located a lever 35 which is pivoted at one end on a shouldered screw bolt 3S entered into a spacer block 3l located at the front left hand corner of the frame, to which the lower frame section is secured by means of a screw bolt 35i. The lever near its free end is provided with a shouldered screw 39 entered through a slot di? in the upper frame section, which affords limited swinging movement for the lever and at the same time holds the free end against sagging. |lfhe medial portion of the lever lies within a shouldered recess lil in the front upper face of the typebloclr 21 and embraces the upper end of a pintlet which is entered through a slot 43 in the lever to permit the oscillating movements of the lever to impart in and out movements to the typ-e block and the group of type carried thereby.

The free end of the lever constitutes the armature for an electro-magnet 44 which is energized momentarily during the vpassage of each section of the sealing strip. The energizing of the magnet is'effected through the closing of a spring switch 45 (Fig. 1) which is contacted momentarily by a cam i6 on the shaft l2, which is rotated once 4during each passage of a carton or the like, .in the manner described in the Benoit patent aforesaid. The energizing of the magnet draws theY lever 35 inwardly against the tension of a spring 47 (Fig. 2) which is connected at its forward end to a nger 43 extending from the lever, and atits opposite end to a linger 49 outwardly projecting from the pivoted leg of the upper frame section. This forces the type vand inking ribbon inwardly to imprint a date orother marking on the sealing strip. In order to feed the inking ribbon after each impression has been recorded,`each ribbon spindle 23 is provided near its lower end with a ratchet t having saw teeth 5i which present their abrupt faces inwardly for contact with an intermediate dog 52 having oppositely disposed teeth E3 for contact with either of the ratchets.

The dog is pivoted upon a pintle 5d carried by a linger 55 outwardly extending from the type blockl 2!so that the dog partakes of the reciprocating movements imparted to the type block by the lever 35i, and thus imparts a feeding stroke to the ratchet with which the dog may be engaged for the time being.

The dog is located between the toothed vedges of the ratchets which limit its swinging move-Y ment. and the dog has depending. therefrom a linger 5l entered through registering. slots 5B and 59, the former of which is formed ,in the lower frame section and the latter in a lever St, which is pivoted on a shouldered screw iil and terminates in aA handle t2 which permits the dog to be shifted in one direction or the other in order to engage either one of the ratchets.

The tooth of the dog, when adjusted, is held in engagement with the selected ratchet by the ac.u tion of a'spring pin 6.3. the free end of whichis entered through the depending nnger 5l while its opposite end is entered through a collar et and secured by a screw 65 to the under face of the lever Bi).- The action of the spring serves to hold the dog under spring tension in either direction.

The frame is normally held in locked position with thelegs ofthe upper and lowerframe sections embracing a spacerblock G5 which is bolted to the front plated `5. p A thumb screw 6?, entered through a bracket 5B which vis bolted to the plate l5, serves to lock the frame and at the same time permits it to be swung back into the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4, as occasion may require.

The ribbon spools are fitted to the respective ratchets 5t and are provided with pins so entered into apertures 69 in the ratchets that the parts will rotate in unison, and the spools are held in position by a bridge bar lll, which at each end bears against anv arch spring 7| held in place by a thumb nut l2 screwed onto the upper end of the spindle 23. This arrangement affords a light tension suflicient to hold the spools steady, but

Y in order to prevent overfeeding of the spools, the

lever Gil is provided with a stud it through which is entered a flat spring lll whose ends are adapted to bear against the teeth of the respective ratchets, so that when adjusted in either direction the teeth of the active ratchet will be engaged by the associated end of the spring which prevents baci: turning of the ratchet on the inward movements of the dog whilev coming back over the ratchet teeth.

Operation In use, the cartons or other objects to be sealed will advance as a procession to the sealing point, and as each carton moves into sealing position it will impart rotationto the shaft l Zwhich carries the cam 4t. At the proper instant the cam will close the switch t5, thereby energizing the magnet and drawing in the free end of the lever 35, which will advance theV type block and the group of type carried thereby toward the sealing strip, thereby applying a date mark or other desired imprint at the intended point on each section of the strip vin turn. 1

-With each inward movement ofthe type block, thelever which carries the dog 52 will be drawn inwardlyfand when the magnet is deenergized, the tension of the spring Il? will restore the lever to its outermost position, and thus impart a thrust to the dog, which will VVadvance the engaged ratchet by a single tooth so that the ribbon will be progressively fed from one spool tothe other until it. becomesnecessary to reverse the ribbon feed by throwing the dog into engagement with the other ratchet. v

When it becomes necessary to change the type, the thumb screw 61 will be loosened-which allows the entire framev to be swung outwardly on the shouldered bolt 2l as a pivot, so that easy'access may be obtained to the type block. By loosening the thumb screw St and relieving the pressure upon the clamping plate 29, `the type may be withdrawn and others substituted. 1 p The device as a whole constitutes a self-contained unit which may be readily secured to any form of strip feeding device which is recurrently actuated to feed forward the strippsections, Vso that the dating orother marking will be applied in connection with each feeding operation of the strip. Y Y

Although thedevice is particularly adaptedfor use in the dating of strip sections intendedfor the sealing of cartons, it may be readily employed to apply the intended imprinttolany kind of a strip, adhesive or otherwise, and it'is immaterial whether the strip be cut into "sections or otherwise employed. V-

Although the invention has been described with particularityas to detail, it is noti the intention, unless otherwiseindicated in 'the' claims, tolimitthe invention -to `the precise form shown, since numerous'variations in detail may be incorporated without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, adapted to operate in association with strip feeding mechanism, a type holder1 having type located adjacent to the position to be traversed by the strip, means for guiding the type holder in reciprocating movements toward and from the strip, an electro-magnet located at one side of the type holder and an armature in the form of a lever pivoted at one end and extending transversely of the type holder and having its free end in proximity to the magnetand connected with the type holder for imparting a printing movement to the type holder and type when the magnet is energized and the free end of the armature lever drawn toward the magnet and means adapted to operate in synchronism with the strip feeding mechanism for recurrently energizing the magnet.

2. In a device of the class described, adapted to operate in association with strip feeding mechanism, a type holder having type located adjacent to the position to be traversed by the strip, means for guiding the type holder in reciprocating movements toward and from the strip, an electro-magnet located at one side of the type holder and an armature in the form of a lever pivoted at one end and extending transversely of the type holder and having its free end in proximity to the magnet and connected to the type holder for imparting a printing movement to the type holder and type when the magnet is energized and the free end of the armature lever drawn toward the magnet, means for energizing the `magnet including a switch in the magnet circuit, and a device adapted to operate in synchronism with the strip feeding mechanism and adapted to close said switch during each feeding cycle of the strip feeding mechanism.

3. `In a device of the class described, adapted to operate in associationwith strip feeding mechanism mounted within a support, a printing unit comprising a frame adapted to be pivoted at one end to said support, a type holder slidably mounted within the frame and carrying type adapted to move toward and from the strip, a pair of ribbon spools mounted upon the frame and a ribbon having its ends wound upon the said spools and having an intermediate portion of the ribbon carried across the face of the type, a ratchet associated with each of the ribbon spools, an adjustable dog movable with the type holder and means for moving the dog into engagement with either of the ratchets, means for moving the type holder and type toward and away from the position traversed by the strip to cause the ribbon to imprint thereon and adapted with each imprinting movement to impart a feeding movement through the dog to the engaged spool ratchet and the spool associated therewith, the means for moving the type holder being in the form of an armature lever CII pivoted at one end and a magnet adapted to be secured to said support in proximity to the free end of the armature lever when in normal position and adapted when energized to draw the armature lever toward the magnet and means adapted to coact with strip feeding mechanism for recurrently energizing the magnet during each stripfeeding operation, the frame and parts carried thereby being adapted to be swung as a unit away from its normal position adjacent the feeding line of the strip.

4. In a device of the class described, adapted to operate in association with strip feeding mechanism mounted Within a support, a printing unit comprising a hingedly mounted frame normally standing adjacent to the line of travel of the strip, a type holder slidably mounted within the frame and carrying type and adapted to move toward and away from the strip, a pair of ribbon spools mounted upon the frame and a ribbon having its ends wound upon said spools and having an intermediate portion of the ribbon carried across the face of the type, spool feeding means adapted to be moved by each movement of the type holder and means adapted to operate .in synchronism with the strip feeding mechanism for imparting a printing movement to the type holder with each strip feeding operation, the frame being adapted to be swung as a unit away from its normal position` adjacentthe feeding line of the strip.

5. In a device of the class described, adapted to operate in association with strip feeding mechanism mounted within a pair of standards, a frame consisting of upper and lower frame sections hingedly mounted as a unit upon one of i the said standards in position to be swung into or away from engagement with the other standard, a type holder slidably mounted between said frame sections and carrying type in proximity to the `line of movement of the strip, a pair of ribbon spools mounted upon the lower frame section each being connected with a ratchet, a dog pivoted to the type holder and adapted to have its acting end thrown into coactive relation with either of said ratchets and means for thus adjusting said dog, a ribbon having its surface passing across the face of the type and having its ends mounted upon the ribbon spools and means operable when the frame is in closed .relation to both standards for moving said type carrier toward and away from the strip to imprint the same, said means being in the form of a lever pivoted at one end to one of the frame sections and connected at an intermediate point to the type holder, a magnet located in proximity to the free end of the lever and adapted when energized to draw the lever toward the magnet and means adapted to be actuated in synchronism with the strip feeding mechanism for momentarily energizing said magnet during each strip feeding operation.

RAYMOND VAHLE.

Images