US2349693A - Carbon paper support for accounting machines - Google Patents

Description

y 1944. w. A. ANDERSON 2,349,693

CARBON PAPER SUPPORT FOR ACCOUNTING MACHINES Filed May 1, 1942 2 SheetsSheet 1 INVENTOR WALTER A. ANDERSON ATTORNEY y 1944- w. A. ANDERSON CARBON PAPER SUPPORT FOR ACCOUNTING MACHINES Filed May 1, 1942 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR WALTER A. ANDERSON BY i;

4 'ITORNEY Patented May 23, 1944v UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE cannon PAPER surron'r FOR ACCOUNTING MACHINES Walter Anderson, Bridgeport, Conn., assignor to Underwood Elliott Fisher Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application May 1, 1942, Serial N 0. 441,339

Claims.

This invention relates to paper carriages for accounting. machines, and more particularly to have the carbon paper interleaved between these two sheets and line spaced therewith. This results in a. waste of carbon paper, in that the space between the lines of printing is unused.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide means for advancing the carbon paper only the necessary amount, and only at such times as it is found necessary.

A further object is to provide a means that will hold the carbon paper securely in its adjusted position, and which may be readily released, and latched in released position to permit easy insertion, removal or adjustment of the carbon sheets.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which is constructed of a few inexpensive parts, and which may be easily assembled.

With these 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 ap- .pended claims, and a preferred embodiment of which is hereinafter described with reference to the drawings which accompany and form part of the specification.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of a carriage equipped with the present invention,

Figure 2 is a right side elevation of the forward portion of the carriage showing the front feed bail closed and the carbon clamped in printin); position, I

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but with the front feed bail opened,

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 but with the carbon supporting device shown released ready for adjustment of the carbon,

Figure 5 is a perspective taken from the rear and showing the carbon holding device in effective, clamping position, and

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 5.

the type of carriage used on the machines disclosed'in the U. S. Patents Nos. 2,060,954 and 2,194,270, issued to Oscar J. Sundstrand on November 17, 1936, and March 19, 1940, respectively, or on those disclosed in U. S. Patents Nos. 2,185,424 and 2,275,671, issued to Walter A. Anderson on January 2, 1 940, and March 10, 1942, respectively. The invention is an improvement on the Carbon paper support disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 2,236,589, issued to Walter A. Anderson on April 1, 1941.

Carriage in general Referring to Figure 1, the carriage is mounted for movement along a track I. As the carriage moves from right to left, it is stopped in various columnar positions so that type bars (not shown) on the accounting machine may print on the work forms fed around a platen 2. The mecha nism for tabulating the carriage from column to column and for returning it to its initial position is disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent No.

tions of the machine by suitable feed pawl mechanism (not shown) cooperating with teeth on a ratchet wheel I secured to shaft 6. This mechanism is disclosed in the above-enumerated Patent No. 2,060,954.

Mechanism for guiding and holding Paper For introducing front fed sheets, a pair of guide chutes l0 and II (Figure 1) are provided. These chutes are formed with sides 12 which act front fed as edge guides, and are secured on separate The invention is illustrated in connection with brackets l3 mounted for sliding movement along rods M. The opposite ends of rods M are secured by screws, such as l5, to upstanding arms l6, pivoted on semi-cylindrical studs 'll (see also Figure 2). Arms I6 are held in engagement with studs ll by studs, such as 20 (Figure 2) secured in the carriage side walls. In operation, this bail structure is swung forwardly from what is known as the closed position shown in Figures 1 and 2, to what is known as the open position shown in Figure 3, the paper then inserted, and the bail swung back to the position shown in Figures 1 and 2.

After the paper is passed downwardly through the chutes, it is directed under the platen, first by the upper portion of a plate 2| (Figure 3) secured to the frame of the accounting machine. Plate 2| deflects the paper toward a guide which takes the form of a lip 22 secured on a square rod 23 pivoted in the carriage side walls. Movement of the bail to closed position causes the lip to pivot upwardly from the position shown in Figure 3 to a position quite close to the platen, as shown in Figure 2, in the manner disclosed in Patent No. 2,185,424. This serves to bend the paper around the platen from a position below the printing point. Pressure rolls such as 24 (Figure 1) are provided to hold the paper firmly against the platen abovethe printing point.

Mechanism for guiding and feeding rear fed paper The rear fed paper may be a single sheet, as shown in Figure l, or may take the form of a continuous journal sheet as illustrated in Patent No. 2,185,424.

It first passes over a paper table 25 extending across the entire width of the carriage. The paper table 25 is suitably secured to the carriage side walls and extends downwardly to a point quite close to the platen, and is held at its lower end securely in the carriage frame by screws (not shown). Two paper guides 26 lie over the paper table 25 and are adjustably mounted on a rod (not shown) in the manner disclosed in the above-mentioned patent.

After passing over the paper table 25, the journal sheet passes between the platen and rear feed rolls such as 3i (Figure 2) and then continues around the platen 2 and passes under a tear plate 32 that extends lengthwise of the carriage above platen 2. Flanges 33 are formed integral with the upper edge of plate 32 on the opposite ends thereof. These flanges are secured to brackets 34 which, in turn, are mounted on the upper rod l4 of the bail structure to rigidly support the tear plate in position above the platen. The upper edge of plate 32 is s'errated as at 35 between flanges 33 to facilitate tearing of a completed portion of the rear fed journal sheet or a used portion of the carbon.

Mechanism for holding and adjusting carbon paper Mechanism is provided to hold a sheet 'or strip of carbon paper 36 along its upper edge. The carbon paper is interleaved between ledger sheet 4 and journal sheet 3, and may take the form of a continuous strip fed from a supply roll (not shown) or a single sheet, as shown, terminating at approximately that point indicated by the arrow 31 in Figure 2. The means for holding the carbon paper along its upper edge comprises a bail 38 having flanged ends 4| and 42 that fit within corresponding flanges 43 and 44 formed on the opposite'ends of plate 32. Flanges 4| and 42 are pivoted to flanges 43 and 44 on studs 45. Flange 42 is/formed with an upstanding projection 46 having a horizontally disposed flange 41 formed on its upper end that serves as a finger piece to rock bail 38 counterclockwise as viewed in Figure 2, away from tear plate 32. A spring 48, connected at one end to a pin secured in projection 46 and at its opposite end to a pin 52 secured on the underside of the adjacent flange 33, normally tensions bail 38 clockwise (Figure 2) about studs 45 to hold the body portion of the bail against plate 32, A latch 53 having a finger piece 54 extending upwardly through a slot 55 in flange 41 is pivoted at on projection 46.

A pin 58 fixed on latch 53 extends through an arcuate slot 6i in projection 46. A spring 51 connected at one end to pin 58 and at its opposite end to a pin 62 secured in projection 46, normally tensions the latch counterclockwise (Figure 2) about pivot 56. In this position, the forward end of latch 53 rests on the top of the adjacent flange 33. Bail 38 has a plurality of inwardly projecting nodes 63 (Figures 5 and 6) secured at spaced points therealong, that fit within correspondingly spaced apertures 64 provided in tear plate 32.

When it is desired to insert a sheet or strip of carbon, the front feed bail structure is moved from the closed position shown in Figure 2 to the open position shown in Figure 3. The operator, by exerting a slight downward pressure on finger piece 41 (Figure 4). rocks bail 38 counterclockwise about studs 45 against the tension of spring 48 until the forward end of latch 53 engages the forward edge of the left flange 33, under the tension of spring 51, as shown in Figure 4, to hold the parts latched in this position. The amount of movement of bail 38 is suflicient to withdraw nodes 63 from apertures 64 and to provide sufficient clearance between the inner faces of the nodes and the inner surface of tear plate 32 to permit easy insertion and adjustment of carbon 36. Following such adjustment, the operator releases bail 38 by exerting a. slight rearward pressure upon the finger piece 54 of latch 53 causing it to swing to the dot-and-dash line position shown in Figure 4.- Immediately upon release of the latch, bail 38 swings clockwise (Figure 3) under the tension of spring 48 causing nodes 63 to firmly press the portions of the carbon lying opposite to the nodes into aperture 64, as shown in Figure 6, to securely grip the carbon in its adjusted position.

As before stated, it has been customary to advance the carbon with the work forms when the latter are line spaced, the same sheet of carbon being used over and over for successive work forms until the carbon ceases to give satisfactory impressions. With the present mechanism, however, the carbon is not advanced with the work forms but is kept in one location for successive impressions, until it no longer gives satisfactory impressions, whereupon it is advanced only an amount sufficient to bring a fresh carbon impression line into alignment with the printing line of the platen. This permits the entire carbon surface to be used. Line adjustment of the carbon is made in identically the same manner as described in the foregoing.

The proximity of finger piece 54 of latch 53 to plate 32 and bail 38 permits the operator to release the latch by using the finger of one hand while the carbon is held by both hands in its adjusted position. This precludes slippage of the carbon in the interim between the adjustment and the release of bail 38 to carbon holding position. When the carbon has been advanced an appreciable amount, the sulplus used portion may be torn off along the serrated edge of the tear plate, thus preventing such used portion from contacting and smudging the journal sheet 3.

It has been found in practice that this construction effects a considerable saving of carbon paper since full use is made of each line on the carbon in each adjustment thereof, the adjustment not being made until a particular line ceases to give satisfactory carbon impressions. It has also been found in practice that, by the provision of latch 53, carbon adjustment and insertion of a new carbon is greatly facilitated by allowing the operator the use of both hands for performing these operations and by completely relieving tension on the carbon during its adjustment.

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 claims which follow.

I claim:

1. In a paper carriage having a platen, means situated above the platen for holding a sheet of carbon paper in printing position, said meanscomprising a plate, a bail pivoted on the plate, means normally urging the ball into contact with the plate to hold a sheet of carbon therebetween, a finger piece for rocking the bail away from the plate, and means on the bail for latching the bail in its rocked position.

2. In a paper carriage having a platen, means for supporting a sheet of carbon paper in printing position, said means comprising a plate and a bail pivoted together above the platen to form a clamp, means normally urging the ball into contact with the plate, said plate having spaced apertures therein, nodes on the bail opposite the apertures and fitting therein, means on the bail for rocking it out of clamping relation with the plate, and means for latching the bail in such rocked position.

3. In a paper carriage having a platen, a tear plate having spaced apertures therein mounted above the platen, means for supporting a sheet of carbon paper in printing position, said means comprising a bail pivoted on the plate, meang normally urging the ball into contact with the to hold the carbon paper in adjusted position between the bail and the plate and release the latch with one hand.

4. In a paper carriage having a platen, a tear plate mounted above the platen, means for holding a sheet of carbon paper in printing position, said means comprising a clamping member pivoted on the tear plate, a spring normally urging the clamping member into contact with the tear plate, means on the clamping member to enable rocking of member out of contact with the plate against the tension of the spring, a latch on the member operable when the clamping member is rocked out of clamping position to hold the member in such rocked position, and means on the latch to facilitate release thereof following adjustment of the carbon paper between the plate and the clamping member.

5. In a paper-holding device for paper carriages having a roller platen, a pair of members hinged together and supported above the platen, means normally urging opposite faces of the members toward each other in paper-holding relation, means on the members for securely gripping a sheet of paper between the members, and means on one of the members for releasably latching said member out of paper-holding relation with the other of said members to facilitate adjustment of the paper between the members.

WALTER A. ANDERSON.

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