US2676659A

US2676659A - Centering guide mechanism

Info

Publication number: US2676659A
Application number: US136002A
Authority: US
Inventors: Emmer Charles Edward
Original assignee: General Binding Corp
Current assignee: General Binding Corp
Priority date: 1949-12-30
Filing date: 1949-12-30
Publication date: 1954-04-27
Anticipated expiration: 1971-04-27

Description

April 27, 1954 c. E. EMMER CENTERING GUIDE MECHANISM Filed Dec. 30, 1949 v a .m: "I, r ....u lung r mu 6 fiat plate H, the top of which forms a table supporting the sheets to be punched. The plat II is mounted at its ends on side frame members l2, l2 and is shown in Figure 1 as being bent downwardly over the advance ends of said side frame members to close the forward end. of the punching machine. The plate H, as herein shown, has two slots l4 and i5 extending therealong for a portion of the length thereof and each opening to an opposite outer edge of said plate. The slots 14 and I5 form guides for side guide elements it and I1 guided therein for movement therealong and adapted to be inserted in said slots from the open ends thereof during assembly of the mechanism. The side guide element it, as shown in Figure 3, has a depending tab 13 extending downwardly through the slot 14 and seemed to the top surface of a sliding element 25, for movement therewith. The guide element i6 may rest on its undersuriace on the top of the plate -il and forma support for one end of the Sliding element 23. The opposite end of the sliding element is supported and guided in a rectilinear guide 2i secured to the bottom of the plate I i on opposite sides of the element 20, and extending downwardly along opposite sidesof said element and across the bottom thereof.. The rear face of the sliding element20- is recessed to form opposite shouldered ends 23, 23 adapted to be engaged by pins 24, 24 which form stops to limit rectilinear travel of said sliding element. The stops 24, 2d also serve as abutment members to hold rack teeth 25 on the opposite side of said sliding element from the pins 24, 24 into mesh with the teeth of a pinion 21." The pinion 21 is rotatably mounted beneath the' top of the plate I l on a pin 29 secured to and depending from said plate. The pinion 2'! also meshes with rack teeth 33, cut along one side of a Sliding element 3| carrying th side guide element ll. The sliding element 3! is slidably supported on the bottom of the plate i i for movement therealong'in parallel relation with respect to the sliding element 20 on spaced gibbed guidin members 32, 32 and 33;"33. are secured to the bottom of plate I I on opposite sides of the pinion 21 and have supporting guiding engagement with the undersid'es and opposite edges of the sliding element 3 l.

Thus, when the side guide element [6 is moved along the table l I the side guide element ['1 will be moved along said table toward or from the side guide eleziuent it by means of the rack 25, pinion 2'! and rack. ill to accurately center the paper with respect to the punches of the gang punch Ill.

A locking screw 35 engageable at its inner end with the forward side of the sliding element 3|, in alignment with the pin 29 and pinion 2], is provided to lock the side guide element'si'lli and i! in the desired position of adjustment.- 'As herein shown, the locking screw 34 extends through the downwardly turned forward end portion of th plate H to a position adjacentthesliding element 3! and is threaded within a block 36 secured to the inside of the downwardly turned forward end portion of said plate. A knurled head 35 of said locking screw is on the outer side of said forward end portion of said plate and affords a convenient means for turning said screw by hand.

The collapsible side guide element 11 is shown in Figures 4 and 5 as extending th'rough'a transverse slot 31 formed in the sliding element 3] and as having an" offset projecting locking end 39 depending therefrom. The portionofi the collapsi- The guiding members 32, 3'2 and .33, 33 L ble side guide ll within the slot 31 is of a bosslike formation, offset to one side of the upwardly projectin portion of said side guide element, and pivotally mounted on the sliding element 3! within the slot 31 on a transverse pivotal pin 40. The offset locking end 39 of the collapsible guide element i1 is offset to th opposite side of the pivotal pin 40 from the vertically extending guide portion of said guide element, and has an upwardly facing shoulder M. The shoulder AI is engageable with the bottom surface of the sliding element 3| adjacent the outer edge of the slot 3'! and held in engagement therewith by a leaf spring 43. The leaf spring 43 is secured adjacent one of its ends to the bottom surface of the sliding element 3! in spaced relation with respect to the slot 31, as by rivets 44, 4d, and has a transversely extendin upwardly opening recess or notch 45 formed therein adjacent its outer end. The notch 35 is engaged by the end portion of the locking end 39 of the side guide element H, to lock said side guide in a, vertical position and to permit said side guide element to be readily flicked by the finger into the collapsed position within th slot l5, beneath the top sur face of the table II, and offer no resistance to the passage of sheets over the surface of the table.

It may be seen from the foregoing that a new and improved form of self-centering paper punching guide has been provided, one of the side uide elements of which is collapsible out of the way of the paper being inserted for punching or withdrawn after the punching operation by a simple flick of the finger. Thus, after the proper side positions have been determined for the sheets to be punched and the centering mechanism is locked in position by the locking screw 3 3 the side guide element ll may be flicked downwardly'into the slot i5 beneath the surface of I the plate H, and permit the sheets to be moved into position against the side guide element It with a sliding motion along the top of th table of'the punching machine.

It should here be noted that since two parallel side guide elements are used that said elements may be either'iiat as shown or may be round to avoid the necessity of having the guide exactly perpendicular to the back gauge of the punch, since the important factor in the punching of paper for binding is that the punch holes be parallel to the edges of the bound sides of the sheets. It should also be noted that the collapsible guide element need not be recessed beneath the top of the table when collapsed, as long as it offers an uninterrupted surface over which the paper may pass,v and that it may be detachable as 'well as collapsible or instead of collapsible if desired.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the pres ent invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an'aligning paper guide adapted to center paper or the like for punching, a table, two sliding elements mounted beneath said table for movement therealong and. a gear connecting said elements together and transferring the motion of one of said elements to the other, causing said elements to move together or apart upon movement of one of said elements, a vertical guide element mounted on one of said elements and extending vertically along one side of said table and movable with said element for adjustable movement along said table, and a collapsible guide element pivotally mounted on the other of said sliding elements and movable to extend vertically of said table in parallel relation with respect to said first guide element and to collapse With respect thereto, said collapsible guide element having a depending end extending beneath the pivotal axis thereof, and a leaf spring on said sliding element engageable with said depending end, for selectively holding said collapsible element in an extending or collapsed position.

2. In a paper centering and aligning guide adapted to center paper or the like for punching, a table, two sliding elements mounted beneath said table for movement therealong, and a gear connecting said elements together and transferring the motion of one of said elements to the other, causing said elements to move together or apart upon movement of one of said elements, said table having parallel spaced slotted portions extending therealong in alignment with said sliding elements, a vertical guide element extending along one side of said table and mounted on one of said sliding elements and guided for movement along one of said slotted portions, and a collapsible guide element pivotally mounted on the other of said sliding elements and guided for movement along the other of said slotted portions, said last named guide element being movable into a vertical guiding position parallel to said first element and being collapsible into its associated slotted portion to permit the uninterrupted insertion of sheets into and the withdrawal of sheets from said guide by movement along the top of said table, and yieldable locking means having yieldable engagement with said collapsible guide element, to hold it in a vertically extended or collapsed position.

3. In a paper centering and aligning guide adapted to center paper or the like for punching, a table, two sliding elements mounted beneath said table for movement therealong and a gear connecting said elements together and transferring the motion of one of said elements to the other, causing said elements to move together or apart upon movement of one of said elements,

said table having parallel spaced slotted portions extending therealong in alignment with said sliding element disposed therebeneath, a vertical guide element extending along one side of said table and mounted on one of said sliding elements and guided for movement along one of said slotted portions, a collapsible guide element pivotally mounted on the other of said sliding elements and guided for movement along the other of said slotted portions, said last named guide element being movable into a vertical guiding position in parallel relation with respect to said first element and being collapsible into its associated slotted portion to permit the uninterrupted insertion of sheets into and the Withdrawal of sheets from said guide along the top of said table, said collapsible guide element having a depending portion extending from said associated sliding element, and a leaf spring member secured to said sliding element and having a transverse notch formed therein engageable with the end of said depending portion of said guide element, and releasably locking said guide element in a vertically extended or collapsed position.

4. 'In an aligning paper guide adapted to center paper or the like for punching, a table, two sliding elements mounted beneath said table for movement therealong and means connecting said elements together and transferring the motion of one of said elements to the other, causing said elements to move together or apart upon movement of one of said elements, a vertical guide element mounted on one of said elements and extending vertically along one side of said table and movable with said element for adjustable movement along said table, and a collapsible guide element pivotally mounted on the other of said sliding elements and movable to extend vertically of said table in parallel relation with respect to said first guide element and to collapse with respect thereto, said collapsible guide element having a depending end extending beneath the pivotal axis thereof, and a leaf spring on said sliding element engageable with said depending end, for selectively holding said collapsible ele ment in an extended or collapsed position.

5. In a paper centering and aligning guide adapted to center paper or the like for punching, a table, a sliding element mounted beneath said table for movement therealong, said table having a slotted portion extending therealong in alignment with said sliding element, a collapsible guide element pivotally mounted on said sliding element and guided for movement along said slotted portion, said last named guide element being movable into a vertical guiding position and being collapsible into said associated slotted portion to permit the uninterrupted insertion of sheets into and the withdrawal of sheets from said guide by movement along the top of said table, and yieldable locking means having yieldable engagement with said collapsible guide element, to hold it in a vertically extended or collapsed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 328,078 Stowe Oct. 13, 1885 769,111 Pierce Aug. 30, 1904 941,199 Johnson Nov. 23, 1909 1,127,975 Elwing Feb. 9, 1915 1,946,375 Wentjar Feb. 6, 1934 2,158,466 Little May 16, 1939 2,316,971 O veracker et a1. Apr. 20, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 163,237 Germany Oct. 3, 1905