US2690710A - Value-printing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 5, 1954 K. AuRBAcH VALUE-PRINTING APPARATUS 6 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Nov. 1.9,J 1951 [n1/enfan- Kur'r Au rboch ATTORNEYS Oct. 5, 1954 K. AURBACH 2,690,710

VALUE-PR1NT1NG APPARATUS Filed Nov. 19, 1951 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 '3 J/vvENToR Imm Oct. 5, 1954 Filed NOV. 19, 1951 K. AURBACH VALUE-PRINTING APPARATUS 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Kurt Aurboch myn M ATTORNEY Oct. 5, 1954 K. AURBACH 2,690,710

VALUE PRINTING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 19, 195]. 6 Sheets-Shea?l 4 MANIF 5L/43.15

17.6.50 1. ARNHEM Inl/enfer.'

Kurt Aurboch mii/ M ATTORN EYS Oct. 5, 1954 K. AURBAbH VALUE-PRINTING APPARATUS Filed NOV. 19, 1951 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 fmfenar: Kurt Aurbcach BY M Oct. 5, 1954 K. AURBACH 2,690,710

VALUE-PRINTING APPARATUS med Nov. 19, 1951 @sheets-sheet s I'hvent or! Kum-t Ana-bull B3 www.

Patented Oct. 5, 1954 UNITED STATS ArtNr OFFICE VALUE -PRINIING APPARATUS poration of Germany Application November 19, 1951, Serial No. 257,083

Claims priority, application Germany December 1, 1950 9 Claims. l

My invention. relates to value printing machines in which a value, determined by the setting or operation of adding mechanisms, is printed upon vouchers or other imprintable matter placed against a guiding or feeding device.

It is an object of my invention to provide a value-printing apparatus which permits the use of imprintable mattei' with a print-receiving surface subdivided into a plurality of areas, and which is capable of separately printing a plurality of impressions upon such a selected individual area of smallest possible dimensions.

To this end, and in accordance with one of the features of my invention, I provide the typecarrying members (type members) and the pertaining counter members (platen members) of the printing apparatus with a connecting transmission of such a ratio that the type members, though performing a plurality of revolutions, can produce only one imprint during the passage of the object to be imprinted.

According to a more specific feature of my invention, I provide a row of mutually spaced, rotary printing devices whose respective printing operations occur sequentially so as to successively place the respective impressions upon the one selected area While the object is passing along the printing devices in the alignment direction of the row; and I further interconnect the type member and the pertaining platen member of each printing device by a transmission whose transmission ratio is different from unity, so that each device produces only one imprint in the proper paper area although its type' member performs more than one revolution during a single passage of the paper.

According to another feature of the invention, relating especially to an apparatus with three coordinated printing devices aligned along the path of the object, the above-mentioned transmission between the two coactive members of each device has a 'transmission ratio of 2:3.

According to a further feature of my invention, the release of the machine and hence the rotation of the printing device is controlled by va feeler engageable by the paper to be imprinted,

and this feeler is also designed as a setting device for placing the selected surface area of the print-y receiving object into the proper position.

The foregoing and other objectives and features of my invention are apparent from the following description of the embodiment exemplied by the drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the printing apparatus of a value-printing machine;

Fig. 2 is a cross section. through part of the same apparatus, the section being taken substantially along the line-denoted by II--II in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a view of the feeler and setting device pertaining to the same apparatus, this view taken from the top at the righthand side of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 shows an example of a record sheet of paper or cardboard with a subdivided multipleentry el'd, suitable for use with the illustrated machine;

Fig. 5 is a verticalY sectional view of the apparatus showing the driving transmission of the printing devices;

Fig. 6 shows a cross section along the line VI- VI indicated in Fig. 5 and is a continuation` of Fig. 2 when placed at the right-hand side of the latter ligure, and

Fig. 7 is a separate illustration of details including those apparentin the lower right corner of Fig. 1 and partly also shown in Fig. 3.

The illustrated printing apparatus has a housing I mounted on a horizon-tal plate 2 with two rows of openings 3 and 3a (Figs. 1, 2). Located beneath the plate 2v and spaced therefrom-v a distance corresponding tothe thickness of the card, paper or other matter to be imprinted, is another horizontal plate ll'- (Figs. l, 2, 7) with openings 5 and 5a adjacent to the respective openings 3 and 3a. of plate 2. Two feed rollers 6 (Figs. 1, 2), mounted on respective hubs 7 (Fig. 2), are disposed beneath eachpair of openings 5 and 5u (Fig. 2). The hubs 'lof each roller pair are pinned onto a common shaft 8 (Figs. 2, 1, 5', 6). Three of the feed roller pairs are joined with a revolvable platen member 9 (Figs. 1, 2). Each platen member has a single radial projection (Fig. l) which extends over only a small portion of the periphery to act as the platen area proper. The remaining pair of feed rollers 6, located at the right-hand side of the apparatus as shown in Fig. 1,` is not equipped With a platen member as it cooperates only with a pair of auxiliary feed rollers En; (Figs. 1, 3, 7).

In Figs. 1` and 2 the feed rollers 6 are illustrated in the inactive position. For lifting the feed rollers 6 and' platen members 9 to the active' position, each of the pertaining shafts 8: is journalled in an arm I'Il pivoted on a shaft I I. Each arm has an extension I2 joined with a spring I3 which tends to move the arm oounterclo'ckwise (Fig. 1') to the active position. The extensions I2 have respective pins III passing through respective elongated holes i6 of a horizontally displaceable control bar I5 (Figs. 1, 5, 6). Fig. 1 shows the control bar I5 in its rest position where it retains the feed rollers 6 and platen members 9 in the inactive, lowered position. As will be further described in a later place, the control bar I5 is actuated by the machine mechanism in such a manner that it moves toward the right (Fig. 1) at the beginning of an individual machine run and returns to the illustrated position at the end of the run. Hence, duiing the machine operation, the feed rollers and platen members are moved upward to the active position by the force of the biasing springs I3 and then enter through the openings 5 and 5a into the guide way between plates 2 and 4.

The feed rollers 6 and platen members 9 cooperate with respective type members A, B and C (Fig. 1), each consisting of a composite drum structure. Each of these drum structures has two axially spaced feed rollers I1 and I8 (Fig. 2) with intermediately located sets of type wheels. The type wheels of member A (Figs. 1, 2) indicate the amounts to be printed. The type wheels 2I of member B (Fig. 1) denote the calendar date, and the type wheels 22 of member C (Fig. 1) indicate an identifying member. The type wheels 2I and 22 are manually adjustable, for instance with the aid of rotatable buttons such as those shown at 22a in Fig. 2. The type member C is also equipped with a cliche 22a (Fig. 1) adjacent to the type wheels 22. In each type member the pertaining type wheels are revolvable on a shaft, such as shaft 20a in Fig. 2, which extends between the feed rollers I1, I8 of the type member in eccentric relation to the axis of revolution of the type member. Hence, only the selected one type of each type wheel lies at the periphery of the type member at a time and can produce an imprint when it is in the lowermost position and when the platen area of the pertaining platen member 9 is in its uppermost position at the same time.

As will be more fully explained, the platen member and type member of each printing device are actuated by a common drive whose transmission ratio between the two members is 2:3 so that the platen members 9 (Figs. 1, 2) revolve three times while the type members perform only two full revolutions during each machine operation. During this operation, the selected types and the platen area pass only once through coincident positions so that only one impression is made by each printing device.

The types and the cliche are inked by inking rollers 23 (Figs. l, 2). The inking rollers 23 are journalled in respective arms 24 which are pivoted on stationary pivot pins 24 (Fig. 1) and are biased toward the type members by means of respective springs 25. As the type wheels during the rotation of each type member A, B and C pass by the pertaining inking roller 23, this inking roller comes into engagement with the one type of each type wheel that is to produce an imprint. The type wheels 20 of type member A are joined through concentric tubes 26 (Fig. 2) with respective spur gears 21. The tubes 26 are freely revolvable relative to one another and relative to the shaft 20a, each tube forming a rigid connection beween one type wheel and one of the respective gears 21. The gears can be brought into meshing engagement with a set of coaxial and individually revolvable spur gears 28 (Figs. l, 2) which form part of a transmitting mechanism that comprises for each of gears 28 a train of intermediate spur gears 29, 3l), 3| and 32 (Fig. 1) The gears 28 are individually revolvable about a common shaft 28a (Fig. 2) Similarly the sets of gears 29, 30, 3|, 32 are revolvable about shafts 29a, 36a, 3Ia and 32a respectively (Fig. l). The shafts 28a, 29a, 38a, 3Ia are all rigidly secured to a pivotally mounted support structure 231) (Figs. 1, 2).

Each of the gear trains 28 to 3| is driven by the pertaining gear 32 (Figs. 1, 2). The gears 32 are mounted on respective tubes 32h concentrically seated on shaft 32a and revolvable relative to one another (Fig. 2). Rotary motion is imparted to the tubes 32h from a setting mechanism (not illustrated) of known design as customary for business machines. Such a setting mechanism, suitable for use with the present invention, is illustrated and described in U. S. Patent N0. 1,954,694. Latch pawls 33 and 34 (Figs. 1, 2) are provided for securing the gear trains 28 to 3| in the adjusted position. Further latch pawls 35 (Figs. 1, 2) cooperate with the type wheels 26. After the type wheels 20 are adjusted to the amount to be printed, the spur gears 28 are disengaged from the spur gears 21 by shifting the support 28h and with it the geartrain mechanism counterclockwise about a pivot 31 (Fig. 1) so that the spur gears 28 move from the position shown in Fig. l to the inactive position shown in Fig. 2. In the latter position, the type member A is free to revolve and has its type wheels so adjusted that the amount to be printed appears on the individual types now located at the periphery. When the support 28h is being shifted in the just-described manner, the spur gears 3I move downwardly out of engagement with the gears 32.

The shifting movement of support 28h is effected by means of a pin which is firmly secured to the support 28h and engages a slot 89 of a lever 88. Lever 88 has a lug 90 entering into a recess 9| of a disc 92 firmly mounted on the main drive shaft 53. Lug and disc 92 lock the main drive shaft as long as the support 2317 and its train of gears 28 to 3I are in the illustrated position (Fig. 1). When the lever 88 is turned counterclockwise about its pivot, the support 28h is placed in gear disengaging position and the main shaft 53 is released for subsequent operation of the printing devices A, B, C through the transmission gear means described in the following.

The drum structure of each type member with the pertaining feed roller I8 is seated on and pinned to a shaft 31 (Figs. 1, 2). The shafts 31 are journalled in a side wall portion 31a of the housing and carry respective spur gears 38 (Figs. 5, 6). Two of the spur gears 38 mesh with a larger spur gear 39, while the remaining spur gear 38 is driven through an intermediate spur gear 40. During the operation of the printing apparatus, the large gear 39 is driven to perform one complete counterclockwise revolution (Fig. 5). Since gear 39 has twice the diameter of gears 38, each gear 38 then performs wo complete clockwise revolutions. Hence, the shaft 31 of respective type members A, B and C also turn twice clockwise.

The one-revolution gear 39 is mounted on a sleeve 4I revolvable on a stationary bearing pin 42 (Figs. 5, 6). The bearing pin is riveted to a side Wall 43 of the housing (Fig. 6). Also mounted on the sleeve 4I are a cam disk 45 and a spur gear 46 (Figs. 5, 6). The sleeve 4I is held on pin 42 by means of a screw 4Ia. The parts 39, 44, 45 and 46 are rigidly joined with the sleeve 4I by pins 41 (Fig. 6). The spur gear 4B meshes with a spur gear i3 (Figs. 5, 6) which is seated on a hub portion 49 of a further spur gear 5B with which the gear 48 is rigidly joined by screws 5l (Fig. 6). rIhe spur gear 50 is iirmly pinned on an extension 52 of a shaft 53 (Figs. 6, 2). Shaft 53 is the main drive shaft so that gear 5i] serves as the power input gear of the entire gear transmission.

Three spur gears 5d pinned on three respective shafts 8 (Figs. 5, 6) are in meshing engagement with the spur gears 38 of respective shafts 3l. A fourth spur gear 54 on the shaft 8 of the one feed roller 6 that cooperates with the auxiliary feed roller 6a is linked with the adjacent spur gear 5d by an intermediate gear 65 (Fig. 5). As described, each of shafts 8 is journalled near its. platen member and feed roller assembly in a pivotally movable arm .5 (Figs. 1, 2) so that this shaft end can be raised and lowered under control by the horizontally displaceable control bar i5. To permit such a shaft movement without interfering with the shaft revolution, the other end of each shaft 8 is journalled in a swivel structure designed as follows.

As. shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the swivelled end of each shaft is joined with a bearing sleeve 59. The sleeves 55 are mounted on a frame 55 whose short-side portions are attached to the machine frame structure 58 by means of pivot pins 51. An abutment ring 6e prevents the respective shafts 8 from displacement relative to the frame 55. It will be recognized that by virtue of the swivel bearing, the left portion of each shaft 8 (Fig. 2) may be moved up and down about a pivot point located at the right-hand end (Fig. 6) of the shaft 8 at the point where the pertaining driving gear 54 is located. Consequently, the gear 5d of each shaft is Virtually stationarily journalled and remains in meshing engagement with the gear transmission driven from the input gear i5 (Fig. 5).

The control bar i5 (Figs. l, 5, 6) carries a pin Si (Figs. 5, 6) straddled by the bifurcated end (i2 of a lever 63. Lever 53 is pivotally mounted on a stationary pin Eli and carries a roller 55 which engages the cam disk 45 under the biasing force transmitted to the lever t3 (Fig. 5) by pin 5l, slider i5, pins lli and arms l!) (Fig. 1) from the springs i3. At the beginning of the one full revolution performed by cam disk 45 (Fig. 5) for eachmaehine operation, the roller B5 moves along the face toward the cam center so that lever (i3 turns counterclockwise about its pivot 643 and shifts the control bar I5 to the right, thus causing the arms lll (Fig. 1) to raise the feed rollers .5 and platen members 9 into the active position as mentioned previously. At the end of its revolution, the cam disk 45 forces the roller 55 and hence the arm 53 back to the illustrated position (Fig. 5) for retracting the printing devices to the inactive position.

` After the type members of the apparatus are set in the above-described manner so that spur gears 3l' are disengaged from gears 32 (Fig. l), and aiter a voucher or other slip of paper to be imprinted is placed in proper position into the range of the first pair of feed rollers E and 6a at the right-hand side of the machine (Fig. l) the drive for actuating through shaft 53 the gear trains (Figs. 5, 6) of the printing devices A, B, C

is ready for operation. This operation may be started in any known manner, for instance, by an operator-controllable push button which controls the energizationvof an electric motor (not 6 shown) or effects mechanically or by electric circuit means the closing of a coupling connecting the main drive shaft 53 of the gear transmission with a running motor. In the illustrated apparatus, the drive is released for operation by placing the voucher or other object into the proper position against the first feed roller. To this end, the apparatus has a positioning or lay-on member '19 (Figs. 1, 3) which is designed as. a feeler so that its displacement, caused by the laidon voucher, releases the machine for operation by the above-mentioned drive motor.

The feel-er member 'lil is pivoted on a pin 'Il and a curved shape so that normally its middle portion enters into one of the openings of the plate e (Fig. l). A shaft 54 (Figs. l, 7) of the driving mechanism carries a locking disc 93 (Fig. 7) which is normally latched by a lockingpawl S5 pivoted at 95 and biased by a soft spring 9.9. A rod 5? links the pawl 965 with an arm 98 rigidly joined with the feeler it. When the voucher is inserted beneath the raised free ends of the feeler, it shifts the feeler upwardly thus Ylifting the pawl 95 from disc 53 thereby releasing the shaft Sli and hence the entire mechanism for operation by the conventional manual crank drive or drive motor. The feeler ends define a frameshaped opening (Fig. 3) whose dimensions are in accordance with the individual surface areas of the object to be imprinted, such as the entry elds 6i, 82 of the receipt card 83 shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. a shows in field 8l of card 83 an imprint giving an amount (73.75), a calendar date (17.6.55) and an identifying number printed by the respective type members A, B and C. In addition, the field 8l has a standard impression made by the cliche of type member C. The iield 52 is similarly imprinted, except that a different cliche is used.

For causing the previously adjustedA printing devices of the apparatus to produce an imprint on any selected eld of the card, the operator places the card upon the plate 4 so that the one Selected eld lies in front of the feeler member '55. By inserting the card, the feeler member 1E] is raised and releases the machine for operation. Hence, when the operator now starts the machine drive motor, the cam disk 45 starts rotating and causes the feed rollers to catch the card and advance it through the guide-way slot between plates (l and 2 to the other side of the apparatus. As the selected entry field of the card passes by the type member A, the amount-(73.75) is printed, and as the same iield passes by members B and C, the datev (17.6.50) and the rest of the impression are sequentially added. The angular position of the type members relative to one another is such that the component prints appear in the desired juxtaposition.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that my invention is readily applicable for producing composite prints of any number of component impressions and that it may be modified in various respects and embodied in apparatus other than the one specifically illustrated and described, without departing from the essential features of my invention and within the scope of the claims annexed hereto.

I claim:

l. Value-printing apparatus, comprising a plurality of aligned printing devices each having a revolvable type member and a revolvable platen member, said type member of each device having type elements selectively adjustable, in accordance with the amount to be printed, to a given place at the periphery of said type member so as to face said platen member of said device only in a given position of revolution of said type member, said platen member having a peripherally limited platen area facing said type member only in a given position of revolution of said platen member so that said two members are in printing condition only when said two positions coincide, feeding means having a guide-way extending along said printing devices and between said two members of each device for passing an object to be imprinted between said members, and drive means having a transmission interconnecting said two members of each device for revolving them simultaneously and in displaced phase relation to said respective two members of each of said other printing devices, said transmission having between the two members of each device a transmission ratio diierent from unity so that only one impression is produced by each of said devices during a plurality of full revolutions of each member of said device, whereby said object is sequentially imprinted as it passes by said respective printing devices.

2. Value-printing apparatus, comprising a plurality of aligned printing devices each having a type member and pertaining platen means, said type members being revolvable about respective parallel axes transverse to the alignment direction, each of said type members having type elements selectively adjustable to a given place at the periphery of the type member so as to face the pertaining platen means only in a given position of revolution of said type member, said platen means having a revolvable member and having a platen area operatively adjacent to said type member only in a given position of revolution of said revolvable member, feeding means having a guide-way extending between said type member and said platen means for passing therebetween an object to be imprinted, transmission means interconnecting said respective type members with a unity transmission ratio and in phase displaced relation to one another for sequentially imprinting the object as it passes by said printing devices, and transmission means connecting each type member with said revolvable member of the pertaining platen means and having a transmission ratio different from unity so that each device produces only one impression during the passage of the object.

3. Value-printing apparatus, comprising a row of printing devices each having a type member and a platen member both being revolvable about respective parallel axes transverse to the row direction, each of said type members having type elements selectively adjustable to a given place at the periphery of said type member so as to face said platen member only in a given position of revolution of said type member, said platen member having a peripherally limited platen area facing said type member only in a given position of revolution of said platen member so that said two members are in printing condition only when said two positions coincide, feeding means for passing an object to be imprinted between said two members or each of said printing devices, and drive means connected with said feed means and having a first transmission mechanism interconnecting said type members for cooperative rotation at equal speeds and a second transmission mechanism interconnecting each pair of type and platen members for cooperative rotation and having a transmission ratio different from unity, said printing devices being in phase displaced relation to one another so that each devicev produces only one impression during the passage of the object.

4. In a printing apparatus according to claim 2, said transmission means between each type member and the pertaining platen member having a transmission ratio of 2:3.

5. Printing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a movable feeler member for startcontrolling said drive means, said feeler member being disposed at the entrance of said guide-way and having a frame-shaped portion substantially matching the area to be imprinted on the object, said feeler member being engageable by the object to be moved thereby.

6. Value-printing apparatus, comprising a plurality of revolvable type members having respective parallel axes, revolvable platen members cooperatively related to said respective type members, feed means extending along said type members for passing an object to be imprinted between said type members and said platen members, each type member and each platen member having respective peripherally-limited action areas opposite each other only at coincidence of given revolutionary positions respectively of said two members, bearing structures on which said respective platen members are revolvably mounted, said bearing structures being movable for displacing said platen members toward and away from said type members, stationarily journalled drive gears connected with said respective platen members, transmission means connecting said drive gears with said respective type members for simultaneously revolving said type members and said platen members, said transmission means having between said type members and said platen members a transmission ratio smaller than unity and unity transmission ratio mechanism interconnecting said type members for cooperative rotation, said printing devices being in phase displaced relation to one another.

7. Value-printing apparatus, comprising a row of printing devices, each of said devices having a revolvable type member and a revolvable platen member, said two members of each device having respective peripherally-lirnited action areas opposite each other only at coincidence of given revolutionary positions respectively of said two members, said type members having respective axes of revolution parallel to each other, feed means extending along said row of printing devices for passing an object to be imprinted between said type members and said platen members, said feed means having feed rollers adjacent to and coaxial with said respective platen members to revolve together therewith, said platen member and said feed roller of each of said printing devices having a shaft in common, stationary support means forming a pivot and having a pivot axis transverse to the axis of said shaft, said shaft being movably mounted on said pivot at a point of the shaft spaced from said platen member and feed roller to permit moving said platen member and said feed roller about said pivot axis toward and away from said type member, transmission means connecting each of said shafts at said respective points with said respective type members and having a transmission ratio difierent from unity and unity transmission ratio mechanism interconnecting said type members for cooperative rotation, said printing devices being in phase displaced relation to one another.

8. Printing apparatus according to claim 6,

comprising spring means connected with said respeetive bearing structures and biasing said bearing structures and said platen members toward said respective type members, a control element engaging said respective bearing structures for holding said platen members away from said type members in opposition to said spring means, said control element being movable to a position in which said spring means are released for moving said platen members toward said respective type members, and drive means connected with said transmission means and with said control element for operating them in a given relation to each other.

9. In combination with printing apparatus aoeording to claim l, said object to be imprinted consisting of a sheet having a multiplicity of fields, all of the same size, to be selectively irnprinted, and said drive means comprising a feeler member for start-controlling said drive means, said feeler member being disposed at the entrance of said guide-way and being operable by engage- 1i) ment with said sheet being inserted, said feeler member being frame-shaped and having a frame opening of substantially the same size as said individual elds to serve as a lay-0n device for selecting the one eld to be imprinted at a time.

References Cit-ed in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 542,358 Carter July 9, 1895 711,590 Post Gct. 21, 1902 1,351,175 Lehr Aug. 31, 1920 1,506,242 Keller Aug. 26, 1924 1,643,608 Priestly Sept. 27, 1927 2,307,264 Hamlin Jan. 5, 1943 2,517,868 Goodwin Aug. 8, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 674,746 Germany Apr. 21, 1939 824,656 France Feb. 14, 1938

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