US2613598A - Code printing attachment for tape dispensing machines - Google Patents

Description

J. G M KAY CODE PRINTING ATTACHMENT FOR TAPE DISPENSING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 14, 1952 Flled Feb 25 1950 Oct. 14, 1952 McKA 2,613,598

CODE PRINTING ATTACHMENT FOR TAPE DISPENSING MACHINES Filed Feb. 25, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jaw/o 07/ f 1 M42425. Q/ZCZZIZ Oct. 14, 1952 McKAY 2,613,598

CODE PRINTING ATTACHMENT FOR TAPE DISPENSING MACHINES Filed Feb. 23, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Oct. 14, 1952 CODE PRINTING ATTACHMENT FOR TAPE DISPENSING MACHINES James G. McKay, Chicago, Ill.

Application February 23, 1950, Serial No. 145,659

1 Claim.

This invention relates generally to improvements in code printin devices and is particularly directed to the provision of a highly effective deviceowhich can readily be associated with a tape dispensing machine and which will imprint a group of characters upon the tape as it is being dispensed.

The principal objects of the invention lie in the provision of an extremely simple and foolproof attachment for a tape dispensing machine which will print a group of characters upon the tape; which is easy to attach to the tape dispensing machine; easily serviced; in which the printing characters are readily and simply replaceable; and in which a minimum of easily fabricated parts are used.

- The attachment is especially adapted to utilize the kind of printing wheel described and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 145,660, filed February 23, 1950, now Patent No. 2,607,293, issued August 19, 1952, for Printing Wheel, but is not limited thereto as will be apparent from the description.

A preferred embodiment is illustrated and described in connection with the drawings in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a tape dispensing machine having my code printing attachment associated therewith.

"Fig; 2 is a median sectional view through the attachment showing the manner in which same is mounted'upon the tape dispensing machine.

' Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the code printingattachment.

- Fig. i is an enlarged sectional view taken through the printing wheel in a plane perpendicular to the axis thereof.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken through the printing wheel along the line 5-5 of Fig. 2 and in the direction indicated.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken through the inking wheel along the line l--| of Fig. 2 and in the indicated direction.

Fig. '7 is an enlarged sectional view taken through an edge of the printing wheel where the same contacts the moving tape.

The construction of the tape dispensing machine designated lll forms no part of my invention since said machine is capable of being constructed in a great many ways, and my device is readily mounted upon the same irrespective of the constructional details thereof.

In Fig. l, I have shown the tape dispensing machine l0 having my attachment, designated generally 9 mounted upon the top thereof. The machine I0 has a housing I l mounting a roll of tape I2 threaded through various feeding and measuring mechanisms (not shown) and adapted to be dispensed as shown at l3 with the code characters l4 imprinted thereon. Although a manually operable lever l5 is illustrated, it is obvious that the tape may be dispensed b any suitable driving mechanism.

The machine is provided with a removable curved plate 16 having one end engaged at I! and the other end provided with a rounded leading edge l8 secured by the bolt l9 to housing I l. The tape i2 is threaded over the rounded leading edge "3 and down through a slot 20 and thence over a platen 2| which may be either a revolving member or fixed, and thence to whatever feeding mechanism may be provided. The plate I 6 is provided with a window 22 above the platen 21 which exposes the tape l2 as it passes over the platen 2| so that the code characters 14 may be printed thereon through the window. The slot 2|] may have adjustable blocks 23 at its ends to center the tape l2 as it passes therethrough.

I provide a channel shaped yoke 25 secured to the plate it by bolts 26 with a shaft 2! secured between the arms thereof. A pair of parallel spaced apart mountingplates 28 are pivotally mounted on the shaft 21 for limited rocking movement about the shaft. As will be seen in Fig. 6, the plates 28 may be strengthened along their upper and lower edges by flanges 29. Said plates 28 are maintained in spaced apart relationship by a pair of stub shafts 30 and 3| secured between the plates by suitable nuts, washers and the like as illustrated at 32 cooperating with the threaded ends 33 and 34 of the respective shafts. The shaftv 30 is mounted on the left hand end of the plates 28 as viewed in Fig. 2 in vertically slotted openings 35 while the shaft 3| is mounted at the right hand end in horizontally slotted openings 36.

The shaft 30 rotatably mounts a printin wheel designated generally by the character and the shaft 3! rotatably mounts an inking wheel designated generally by the character 4| in engagement with the wheel 40.

The wheel 40 comprises a pair of discs 42 spaced apart by means of a concentrically mounted annular ring or cylinder 43 and held in assembly by bolts 44. The cylinder 43 is spaced radially of the edges 45 to form a slot 46 substantially coextensive with the circumference of the wheel 40. The wheel 40 is mounted upon a bushing 41 by the nuts 48 which engage the threaded ends 49 of the bushing 41, and the bushing is journalled upon the shaft 30. The slot 46 is provided with readily removable flexible type strip members 50 having protruding characters 5| adapted to eX- tend radially outward of the edges so that the main body of the strip is positioned inwardly of the edges 45. The edges thereby limit the deformation of the type characters 5| during printing as shown in Fig. 8 and decrease wear of the characters 5|. Slits 52 are provided to facilitate the shaping of the strip members 56 to conform with the arcuate slots.

The edges 45 are preferably formed by deep knurling to provide frictional engagement between the tape l2 and the wheel 40 to cause rotation of the wheel, and thereby forming laterally offset deformations 53. The deformations 53 on the inside of the plates 42 comprise shoulders serving to retain the type strip members in the slot 46. The slot may be provided with stop members 54 to limit slipping of the type strip members along the slot 46 and to enable accurate positioning thereof, such as for example, if it is desired to symmetrically arrange the members 59 about the circumference of the wheel 40. The stop member 54 is arranged in Fig. 4 for clockwise rotation of wheel 40.

The wheel 46 is mounted so that the bottom thereof protrudes from the bottom of the plate members 28 and rides upon the tape l2 over the platen 2|. Obviously, as the tape I2 is pulled past the platen 2 I, the wheel 40 will rotate and the characters 5| will print the code M on the tape. The wheel 46 is biased against the tape l2 by the coil spring 55 which is secured at one end to a flange 29 and at the other end to the plate IE or the block 23 as shown.

The inking wheel 4| is formed of a pair of side plates 56 having a highly absorbent disc 51 of ink retaining material sandwiched therebetween. The material may be sponge or foam rubber. The disc 51 is mounted upon a spacer 58 and secured to the sleeve 59 by the nuts 60 in the same manner as the wheel 40 is secured to its sleeve 41. The sleeve 59 is journalled on shaft 3|. The inking wheel 51 has a narrowed edge 6| which is adjusted to rotate in engagement with the type characters 5| so that as the tape I2 is dispensed rotating the wheel 40, the inking wheel 4| will daub the characters 5| and the ink will thereby be transferred to the tape |2 It is believed that my invention and the preferred manner of constructing the attachment described herein have been explained sufiiciently to enable those skilled in the. art to understand and appreciate the advantages and benefits thereof. Many variations are possible with respect to size, shape, and other details, but I do not wish to be limited by the description except as circumscribed by the appended claim.

I claim:

An attachment adapted to be associated with a tape dispensing machine having a tape-exposing window past which the tape moves as a portion thereof is being dispensed, said attachment including a unitary channel-shaped yoke having substantial width adapted to be fixedly secured to said machine on the upper end thereof, a shaft secured between the arms of the yoke, a pair of vertically arranged plate members pivotally mounted in spaced relationship on said shaft adapted for limited rocking movement between the yoke arms, a printing wheel mounted between said supporting plates for engagement with the exposed tape so as to rotate and print thereon while same is dispensed, a coil spring having one end thereof secured to said attachment and its opposite end adapted to be secured to the machine for resiliently biasing the attachment in a direction disposing the printing wheel into engagement with the exposed tape, a rotatable inking wheel also mounted on the supporting plates in engagement with the printing wheel whereby to transfer ink thereto, said printing and inking Wheels each being rotatably mounted on a shaft secured between the supporting plates with said shafts arranged also to brace the supporting plates, said supporting plates each having a vertically arranged slot in which an end of the said printing wheel shaft is secured whereby to permit vertical adjustment between the printing wheel and the exposed tape and a horizontally arranged slot in which an end of the inking wheel shaft is secured whereby to permit horizontal adjustment between the inking wheel and the printing wheel.

JAMES G. MCKAY.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 994,099 Barlow May 30, 1911 1,202,560 Michael Oct. 24, 1916 1,276,868 Bradshaw Aug. 27, 1918 1,293,963 Snowden Feb. 11, 1919 1,422,666 Chestnut July 11, 1922 1,529,130 Inman Mar. 10, 1925 2,098,130 Binford et a1. Nov. 2, 1937

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