US2428510A - Combined marking machine and cutting blade - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 7, 1947. o M. BRADLEY COMBINED MARKING MACHINE AND CUTTING BLADE Filed Feb. 11, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY-Y.

Oct. 7, 1947. o. M. BRADLEY COMBINED MARKING MACHINE AND CUTTING BLADE Filed Feb. 11, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR fldzzellflfizadig, 4] 4 I ATTORNEYS;

Patented Oct. 7, 1947 UNITED COMBINED MARKING MACHINE AND CUTTING BLADE Oswell M. Bradley, Richmond, Va.

Application February 11, 1946, Serial No. 646,908

This invention relates to a marking machine and more particularly to a combined marking machine and cutter or tearing blade for use in preparing identification tabs that are to be attached to each of the articles being handled in such establishments as dry cleaning plants, laundries and the like.

In the handling of laundry or garments in cleaning establishments the practice has developed of listing each article to be handled and assigning .to such article or to each article of a particular group, a designated number or other identifying data, by printing such data on fabric tapes, after which the tapes are severed and each individual garment or article is identified by securing there .to the severed tape bearing the proper indicia thereon.

This process of marking has been carried out by means of conventional and Well known machines such as those put out by the Burroughs Adding Machine Co., in which type of machine a tape is fed to a tabulating carriage and around a roller platen into position to be acted upon by the printing bars.

Heretofore attempts have been made to provide a cutter or tearing blade for such machines by means of which the tapes can be severed into suitable widths for the purpose of attaching the severed portions to the garment. Of course it is desirable to provide these individual tapes in narrow widths so that when attached to the garments they will not be bulky or unsightly,

In the attempts heretofore made to sever the tape a cutter has been mounted directly on the tabulating carriage and is fixed thereto so that it moves with the carriage as it is tabulated.

In such constructions, when mounted on a Burroughs machine of the type employing vertically moving type bars, it has been necessary toso mount the cutter that it is spaced rearwardly from the forward face of the platen in order that the vertically moving type bars would not engage the cutting blade as they moved into printing position.

As the result of this construction it has been found that it is impossible to properly space the numbers along the tape so as to provide for economical use of the tape, and this has resulted,

7 Claims. (Cl; 197-133) first, in waste of the tape, which is relatively expensive, because it has been found to be necessarysevered by the machine,

of further trimming the tape after it has been Z The'present invention is designed to overcome the aforesaid difiiculties and to result in a satisfactory, economical and rapid means of preparing identification tabs of the proper width, thereby eliminatingwaste of the tape and any further handling thereof after it has been severed in the machine. a

It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide a cutting or tearing blade in combination with a marking machine,-in such a manner that the cutting blade can be operated without interfering with the normal operation of the marking machine.

A further object is to provide a cutting blade which can be mounted on conventional machines without in any way modifying or changing the construction of the machine.

It is a still further object to provide an extremely simple, inexpensive and efficient cutter suitably attached to the frame of the machine and movable into engagement with the tape fed around the platen so that the tape can be cut into strips of narrow width suitable for bearing the necessary identifying indicia and without the necessity for any further manual operations once the tape has been severed by the cutter.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, it being understood that I have illustrated here the preferred embodiment of the invention but do not intend to limit the same to details of construction other than those necessitated by the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1' is a fragmentary, diagrammatic, perspective view of a conventional marking machine with the cutter applied thereto and showing the machine in one of its printing positions;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the machine in position for severing the tape.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the cutter or tearing blade, and

Fig. 4 is a side view of the cutting blade shown 'in operative position in full lines to engage the tape'an-d in its normal disengaged position in dotted lines,

, In the drawings I have illustrated the present invention as being applied to a standard, conventional power-operated marking machine such as the machines now on the market manufactured by Burroughs Adding Machine Co., and others.

This includes a housing It] carrying a suitable keyboard ll, operating key l2, tabulating carriage i3, roller platen I4 for feeding the tape 4 therearo und, and the casing i 5 enclosing the type bars, "which in this particulartype of machine consists of a plurality of type bars which are selectively moved vertically into the desired printing position, after which they are forced into printing engagement with the tape or other matter being printed. Since such machines are of well known construction further description thereof is unnecessary, and it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to application to any particular type'of marking machine butis equally applicableto any suchmachine with which the machine is capable of operation.

In employing marking machines 'oft-his-character it is customary to feed a slip of paper around the roller platen 14 at one end of the platen, such as the left-hand end shown in Fig-1,

tion as shown in dotted liiis in Fig. 4, in which position it is spaced from the platen l4 so as to permit the platen carrying the tape to move into position behind the blade.

After the platen has been moved so that the tape is in position to be cut, the operator pulls the handle 29 so as to force the blade H into engagement with the tape, after which the tape is drawn across'the cutting edge' of 'theblade.

' For'purposes "of illustration, there has been shown a suitable supply of tape consisting of a ---reel 3i] journaled in a suitable support 3|, but

-;of course it is to be understood that the source "'of"supp1y for the tape may be provided in any and the tape upon which the identifying data riage is then moved to bring the-identifyingtapers intoprinting position, as showriin Fig. 1, after which the keys II are operated to;se1e ct*;the proper number and the operating key depressed, after which the vertically moving printing mem- -bers are elevated-to suitable position and forcedg against the tape. Where more than one articleis listed and consequently the" "same number must be applied for each article, the printing operation is repeated soas to apply toeach article in the given bundle the sameidentifyingnumbera After e a ehasb n s i tlel rr nt a th carriage is again manually moved in the present instance, to the right as seen in Fig. -2,,s o as, to position the tape directly to the rear -of the cut- "ting ortearing blade l1. i

The cutting blade 'Il is attachedto the side of the housing I 0 by meansof a bracket 1 8 provided with an ear ['9 havingv an opening zlltherein through which passes a's' crew for-securingthe ear "l9 to the top of the-machine. The bracket I8 is provided with apl ur ality trepertu wm 'to receivesuitable fastening means tosec'ure'the bracket to the'side face of t'he neuemeao, V The upper end of 'thebracket 'l S'isformeH-With atubular member 22 in which the cutter blade [1 Attached to t ereer ofthe' lilade I1 is a hinge leaf 23 terminating atsbticd Jloops 2lll'ying at opposite ends of 'thetubular portion 22 and 7 he blade ll issecured to theffhiiigefleaf'by means of fastening means such as'screws 28', and these 'screws 'also serve to-f secure jail operating handle 29 to the hinge leaf 23 an'd'b'lade IL As shown, the blade ll is curved""sojthatthe fi eil th re i firm r n ee th t rounding the platen I 4andegtends lgngitudinally ef-the platena distance equal'to the Widthof fi :The oprating han-dle 29 forthebl'ade '11 is such me s an is ezueeneu to the; blad l'! in 'fs'ucHr-elatio that the'fma-jorportionof the-hanld'e' depend belbwfthe pintle 5.' Consequently, -it Swill be seen I thatf. in its" normal "position the dalejde 11' occupies '8 'SubStantiaHYWitiCM posiin' registry therewith to receive the" hinge jointle suitable manner.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have 7 provided a cutting or tearing blade for marking machines in which the blade is fixed with reference to the longitudinal movement of the tabulating carriage, and is carried bya stationary part of the machine. Consequently, the cutter --isremoved from any possible'coiiflict with'i'niovee 'ment of the vertical;- printing'ba'rs to thereby avoid the --diffi'culties :hereto'fore* encountered where cutting members have been applied direct ly-to the tabulating carriage;

In operation, the carriage I iris positioned ias shown in Fig. 1 so-thatthe printingimemb'rsiwil engage the tape upon operation thereof.

' After the printingfhas' been 'accomplisheditl'ie carriage is moved'to-th'e position shown in FigI- Z,

carrying with it the tape; which isiper'mittedfdue {to-the fact that the cutting blade is in its normal :position spaced from "the platen. 'The: handleflS is then operated to'force "the blade "H into-"engagement with the "tape andthe tarpe -is"-'tor n along the cutting edge thereof. The platentM is then rotated to position the-next number 'ralb'ove the cuttin'g edge but closely-rad-j acent '5171181'9130,

which are relatively-small, each bearing'suitable to 'be "printed onby aiterwhich the next strip is tornfromthe'ftap'e. This operation-isrepeated so that stripsof tape no -definite fixed relation Withreference z torithe movable carriage; it i s apparenti that the identilf-ying marks can be spaced clo'selys:together "and the blade-operate dtoseverthe stripi-mmedi-ately above and below the. number. 'Consequeiitly',ima-

terial saving in "tape is "accomplished *Iand' tiie necessity-for-trimming :such' tape linrinaited'.

1. The combination with in ki' the type including a hou'si g ain mechanism and i a reeip' thereon: provided with -t feeding tap' around i said printing niec a.cutting blafde carriedby sai tape when "the earriage has" been recip from printing position to bring'the tapefiinto alignment with s'aid-blad'e. I p

'2: Th ecmbinationvwitn 'a fiiarkin the type includinga housing and havingimechanis'm' and a reams-eating platen carriage thereon provided with "-"tape feeding 'guides fr "feeding tape'afoundeeiu piaten '-'to be printed 'on -by said 'pifinti abutting biaee' pivo'ted'td "aid ousi-ng aha i-rito pesinep eehen sme r many lying 'mg aceu' r'elatibn said lat id blade being movable into 1 g tape when the carriagehas""been reciprocated from printing position to bring the tape into alignment with said blade.

3. The combination with a marking machine of the type including a housing and haVing printing mechanism and a reciprocating platen carriage thereon provided with tape feeding guides for feeding tape around said platen and into position to be printed on by said printing mechanism, of a cutting blade carried by said housing and normally spaced from said platen, said blade being mounted for movement into engagement with said tape when the carriage has been reciprocated from printing position to bring the tape into alignment with said blade, and means for moving said blade into engagement with said tape to permit severance thereof.

4. The combination with a marking machine of the type including a housing and having a printing mechanism and a reciprocating platen carriage thereon provided with tape feeding guides for feeding tape around said platen and into position to be printed on by said printing mechanism, of a cutting blade carried by said housing and normally spaced from said platen, said blade being mounted for movement into engagement with said tape when the carriage has been reciprocated from printing position to bring the tape into alignment with said blade, said blade being movable into engagement with said tape to permit severance thereof, and automatically returnable to its spaced position with reference to said platen.

5. The combination with a marking machine of the type including a housing and having printing mechanism and a reciprocating platen carriage thereon provided with tape feeding guides for feeding tape around said platen and into position to be printed on by said printing mechanism, of a cutting blade carried by said housing and normally spaced from said platen, said blade being mounted for movement into engagement with said tape when the carriage has been reciprocated from printing position to bring the tape into alignment with said blade, and means for moving said blade into engagement with said tape to permit severance thereof, said moving means comprising a weighted handle secured to said blade for movement thereof against said tape, said blade being so pivoted that the weighted handle normally returns the blade to said spaced position.

6. An attachment for a marking machine including a housing and having printin mechanism and a reciprocating platen carriage thereon provided with tape feeding guides for feeding tape around said platen and into position to be printed on by said printing mechanism comprising a cutting blade secured to said housing at one side of the printing members, said blade being pivoted for movement into engagement with the tape when the carriage has been reciprocated to move the tape from printing position to a position in alignment with said blade.

7. An attachment for a marking machine including a housing and having printing mechanism and a reciprocating platen carriage thereon provided with tape feeding guides for feeding tape around said platen and into position to be printed on by said printing mechanism comprising a cutting blade secured to said housing at one side of the printing members, said blade being pivoted for movement into engagement with the tape when the carriage has been reciprocated to move the tape from printing position to a position in alignment with said blade, and means for normally maintaining said blade in spaced relation to said platen, said means comprising a weighted handle depending below said pivot and operable upon release for swinging said blade away from said platen.

OSWELL M. BRADLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 836,143 Ruffin Nov. 20, 1906 1,566,287 Smith Dec. 22, 1925 2,139,743 Ganger Dec. 13, 1938

Images