US2707431A

US2707431A - adshead

Info

Publication number: US2707431A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1955-05-03
Anticipated expiration: 1972-05-03

Description

TICKET PRINTING AND ISSUING MACHINE Filed-April 6, 1953 5 vSl'leelLS-Sheel; l

""My 3,1955 c. w. ADsHEAD TICKET PRINTING AND ISSUING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 6, 1953 May 31571955 C. w. ADSHEAD 2,707,431

TICKET PRINTING 4AND ISSUING MACHINE Filed April e, 195s 5 shee'ts-sheei s May 3, 1955 c. w. ADSHEAD 2,707,431

TICKET PRINTING AND ISSUING MACHINE Filed April 6, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 May 3, 1955 c. w. ADsHEAD TICKET PRINTING AND ISSUING MACHINE Filed April 6, 195s 5 Sheets-Shout 5 United States Patent O TICKET PRINTING AND ISSUING MACHINE Charles William Adshearl, Walthamstow, London,

land, assignor to Setright Registers England, a British company Application April 6, 1953, Serial No. 346,864 Claims priority, application Great Britain April 15, 1952 8 Claims. (Cl. lOl-69) Eng- Limited, London,

The invention relates to` ticket printing and issuing machines of the kind comprising strip-printing and stripfecding mechanisms for printing tickets on a strip and for issuing the tickets after printing.

In the specification of United States No. 2,659,300 issued on November 17th, 1953 there is described a ma- A automatic operation of the selected `printing and issuing mechanisms to print and issue any one of a range of quantities of tickets (say 1, 2; 3 or 4 tickets).

The present invention has for its object the provision in the machine as described in the above specification of improved driving means for effecting operation of the printing and feeding mechanisms to print and issue any one of the predetermined quantities of tickets.

The invention provides, in a machine of the above kind, driving means for eifecting operation of the printing and feeding mechanisms to print and issue any selected one of a number of predetermined quanti-ties of tickets, comprising, a driving member, a releasable driving connection between the driving member and the printing and feeding mechanisms, a rotatable control member, means constantly urging the control member for rotation from a home station, releasa'ble holding means preventing such rotation, a group of independently operable quantity selecting` means each operable to release the holding means to permit rotation of the control member and also to effect the aforesaid driving connection, rotation-limiting means associated with the quantity selecting means to limit the rotation of the control member to different angles of rotation dependent upon the quantity control means, means for returning the control member to the home station during the resultant operation of the printing and feeding mechanism and means for releasing the driving connection when the control member reaches the home station, the extent of operation of the printing and issuing mechanism before release of the driving connection being determined by the angle through which the control means `is rotated.`

Preferably the Y rotation limiting means `comprise a group of stop members (one for each quantity selecting means.) rotatable with the control member and having stop faces at different angular positions, around the axis of rotation in combination with a corresponding group of cooperating stop members movable with the several quantity selecting means respectively each into. the' path of the corresponding stop face for engagement thereby to limit the angle of rotation of the controlmember.

The driving means may comprise,

i (a) A rotatable driving member,

2,707,431 Patented May 3, 1955.

(b) A rotatable primary driven member operatively connected to the printing and feeding means,

(c) A releasable pawl and ratchet driving coupling between the driving member and the primary driven member,

(d) A rotatable control member having an abutment which is rotatable with the control member to and from a position in which the abutment lies in the path of the pawl asl the pawl rotates and serves on contact by the pawl to disengage the ,pawl from the ratchet and thereby to release the drive,

(e) A group of independently manually operable quantity selecting members appropriated respectively to the aforesaid quantities of tickets,

(f) Means for constantly urging the control member and the abutment for rotation away from the ,pawl-dia engaging position of the abutment,

(g) Means for holding the control member and the abutment against such rotation,

(h) Means operable by each of the quantity selecting members to release the control member and abutment from the holding means for rotation as aforesaid thereby to permit the pawl to engage the ratchet and establish a driving connection between the driving member and the primary driven member,

(i)` Means for limiting the extent of such rotation of the QOntrol member according to the particular quantity selecting means operated, and

(i) A re-setting drive between the primary driven member and the control member to re-set the control member to the pawl-disengaging position of the abutment after the primary driven member has been rotated a number of times determined by the extent of rotation as aforesaid of the control member, to effect printing and issue of the quantity of tickets selected.

The means set forth in paragraph (f) above may com-V prise a spring which is energised during the re-setting movement of the control member.

The means set fort-h in paragraph (i) above may comprise a` group of stop members (one for each of the quantity selecting members) rotatable with the control member and Ahaving stop faces at different angular positions and, for each quantity selecting member, a co-operating stop member which is moved, on operation of the member, into the path of rotation of the appropriate stop face for engagement thereby to limit the angle of rotation of the control member.

The means set forth in paragraph (g) above may comprise a shaft, a cam on the shaft and movable by rotation .of the shaft to and from a position in which it holds the control member and abutment as aforesaid, a series of arms on the shaft, one for each quantity selecting member, and a series of abutments associated respectively with the `arms and quantity selecting members and each movable by its associated member to engage the arm to effect rotation of the shaft and thereby to move the cam from the position in which it holds the control member.

The means set forth in paragraph (j) may comprise a cam on the primary driven member, a ratchet -wheel rotatable with the control member, a rocker arm having a follower for co-operation with the cam and a paw-l engageable with the ratchet wheel to effect `partial oneway rotation thereof and of the control member `towards the pawl-.disengaging position on each rocking movement ofthe rocker arm produced by the cam on rotation of `the primary driven member.

The abutment may be a member (e. g. a roller) attached to `the `control member for movement therewith or it may `be constituted by a part of the control member itself (e. g. a face thereon).

One specific construction of a machine according to 3 the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the drawings in which:

Figure l is a plan view, with the cover removed, of the quantity selecting part of the machine,

Figure 2 is a view in the direction II-II of Figure 1, showing the parts before operation of a quantity control push button,

Figure 3 is a view corresponding to Figure 2 showing the parts immediately after operation of the push button relating to the issue of a single ticket,

Figure 4 is a View in the direction IV--lV in Figure l, and

Figure 5 is a view in the direction V-V in Figure l.

In the machine forming the subject of this example the means for printing tickets on the strips, for issuing the tickets after printing and for preselecting any one of the printing and issuing mechanisms for operation are as described and shown in United States Patent No. 2,659,300 and further description of them here is accordingly unnecessary. The following description relates to mechanism for selecting the quantity of tickets to be issued at any operation and replaces the mechanism shown in Figure 2C of the drawings of the specification of United States Patent No. 2,659,300.

As in the construction described in United States Patent No. 2,659,300 the machine is driven by an electric motor 1 which is energized on depression of any one of the quantity selecting push buttons 2 and drives through a worm 3 a wormwhcel 4 mounted for rotation on a shaft 5 which corresponds to the shaft 215 in the previous construction. Secured to the worm-wheel for rtation therewith is a wheel 6 having dog teeth 7. Secured to the shaft there is a disc S carrying on one face a spring-urged driving pawl lever 9. This lever is arranged to engage in the dog teeth 7 (see Figure 3) so that during engagement of the pawl with one of the teeth the shaft 5 is positively rotated by the motor.

Parallel to the shaft 5 there is a shaft 10 on which is mounted a control member 11 in the form of a radial arm. This member carries a roller 12 which constitutes an abutment for engaging the tail of the pawl lever 9 to disengage the pawl from the dog teeth 7. Secured to the shaft there is an arm 13 to which is attached a spring 14 urging the arm and shaft to rotate in the anti-clockwise direction. The arm 13 when at the limit of its movement in the clockwise direction as shown in Figure 2 engages a micro-switch 15 to hold the switch open. This switch controls the motor and effects energisation of the motor when allowed to close by movement of the arm in the anti-clockwise direction (e. g. to the position shown in Figure 3).

Secured to the shaft 10 there are also four arms 17, 18, 19 and 20 appropriated to the four push buttons respectively and at different angular positions on the shaft.

Each push button is attached to the end of a bar 22 which is guided for longitudinal movement on depression of its button. Adjustable stops 23 limit the movements of the bars. Each bar is formed with a notch 24 which serves as a stop limiting the movement of the arms f 17-20 associated with the push button when the bar is at the limit of its inward movement.

Below the bars 22 there is a further shaft 26 parallel to the shafts 5 and 10. This shaft carries a cam 27 which engages the control member 11 to hold it in the position in which the abutment roller 12 disengages the pawl 9. The shaft 26 also carries four arms 28 positioned for engagement respectively by rollers 29 on the bars 22, the arrangements being that depression of any one of the buttons rocks the shaft 26 in the anti-clockwise direction to disengage the cam 27 from the control member 11 so permitting the shaft 10 to rotate under the action of the spring 14 to the limit determined by engagement with the bar 22 of the button which has been depressed, of the particular one ofthe arms 17-20 associated with that button.

There is a ratchet wheel 30 secured to the shaft 10 and cooperating with this ratchet wheel there are two pawls 31, 32. The pawl 31is carried on a rocker arm 34 on the shaft 10. This arm has a roller 35 which engages with an eccentric 36 on the shaft 5. When the pawl is at the limit of its return movement (i. e. at the limit of the anti-clockwise movement of the arm 34 as shown in Figure 4) a dependent tail on the pawl engages a stop pin 37 to hold the pawl off the ratchet wheel 30. Each revolution of the shaft 5 causes the pawl 31 to engage the ratchet wheel and to feed the ratchet wheel one tooth.

The pawl 32 constitutes a non-return pawl for the ratchet wheel and is pivoted to the frame of the machine at 38. The tail end of the pawl lever is arranged for engagement by a roller 39 on an arm 40 attached to the shaft 26, so that in one position of the shaft 26 (i. e. that shown in Figures 2 and 4) the non-return pawl is held olf the ratchet wheel. Movement of the shaft 26 resulting from depression of any one of the push buttons moves the roller away from the pawl.

There is a stop member 42 pivotally supported on the shaft 10 and held against a stop pin 43 on the arm 34 by a spring 44. The stop member serves by engagement with a pad 46 secured to the pawl 32 to hold that pawl off the ratchet wheel after its release by lever until the rocker arm 34 has begun its clockwise stroke carrying the stop member with it. A spring 47 maintains the roller 35 in engagement with the eccentric 36.

The arm 13 in its return movement opens the switch 15 before completion of the issue of the last ticket and to ensure that the issue shall be completed there is provided a second micro-switch 50 connected in parallel with the switch 1S. This switch is opened at the end of the operation of the machine by a pin 51 on a slide bar 52 which engages with a blade 53 pressing on the switch plunger. The bar 52 is engaged by a cam 54 on the shaft 5 which permits the bar to move to the left when the operation of the machine has been completed.

Associated with each of the bars 22 there is a locking arm 55 carried on a shaft 56. These arms 55 are operable to engage in notches 57 in the bars 22 to prevent depression of any of the push buttons 2 unless a value selecting button has previously been depressed. The depression of a value selecting button rotates an arm 58 (Figure 5) in the clockwise direction to allow a counterweight 59 to rock the shaft 56 and so to lift the arms 55 clear of the bars 22.

Dependent from the shaft 10 there is an arm 60 which has at its lower end a hook 61 positioned to intercept the pin 62 on a disc 63 rotatable on the shaft 5. The disc 63 is coupled by a spring 64 to a gear 66 secured to the shaft 5 so that the device constitutes an inertia absorbing stop for the drive mechanism. The hook 61 is moved out of the path of the pin 62 on rotation of the shaft 10 when the control member 11 is released.

During the operation of the machine after the depression of one of the buttons 2, the cam 27 is locked by the control member 11 as shown in Figure 3. At the completion of the operation the cam 27 is released and the shaft 26 is rotated by spring 68 and arm 69 to restore the push button to its initial position and to prepare the mechanism for the neXt operation.

The machine includes means for preventing operation of a value selecting button while the machine is in operation. These means cooperate with the slide 337 described in United States Patent No. 2,659,300 and shown more particularly in Figure 12 of the drawings of that specification. The means consist of bar 52 and a further bar which are movable to the right as viewed in Figure 2 to lie in the path of a dependent portion added to the slide 337, Figure 3 shows bar 70 so moved and in this position the slide 337 is locked and so prevents operation of the value buttons. Bar 70 is pivotally attached to a pin 71 on cam 27 and the movements of the bar are effected by the rotation of the cam. The return movement of the cam occurs before issue of the last ticket has been completed and to ensure that the buttons remain lock u-ntil issue is completed. The bar` 52 is held in the path of slide 337 until it is released by cam 54 as already described.

Operation In the machine forming the subject of this example the arms 17, 18,` `19 and 20 are set for the isshe of one, two, three or four tickets respectively. The actual number of tickets 'to be issued on the operation of the several buttons may, however, be modified in any desired way, up to a maximum of ten tickets, by changing the relative angular positions of the arms. The operation of the machine to issue, say, a single ticket of a particular value, is as follows. The operator depresses the value selecting button appropriate to the value of the ticket required. The operator then depresses the one-ticketse'lecting button 2 which moves the bar 22 to the left as viewed in Figure 3 and rotates the shaft -26 to release the control 'member 11 from engagement by the cam 27. The shaft is then rotated by the spring 14 anticlockwise until the arm 17l engages in the notch 24 in the bar 223 At the same time the switch is allowed by movement of the `arm 13 to close and to start the motor. Rotation `of the shaft 26 frees the pawl 32 from its engagement with the rollerf39 but the pawl is held olf the ratchet wheel by the member 42. The pawl 31 is also held oit the ratchet wheel and `consequently the wheel is permitted to rotate with the shaft 10 in the anti-clockwise direction to the extent limited by the arm 17 as already described.

The movement of the control member 11 and abutment 1.2 permits the pawl 9 to engage with one of the dogteetfh 7 and the drive from the motor thereby to be transmitted to shaft 5. Cam 36 is accordingly rotated in the'iclockwise `direction to rock arm 34 and to engage the pawl 31 with the ratchet wheel 30 and so to turn the wheel by one tooth. Arm 34 carries with it member 42 which releases pawl 32 to engage the ratchet wheel and to prevent return movement. The single revolution of shaft 5 is transmitted to the ticket issuing mechanism to cause it to print and issue a single ticket.

The rotation of the shaft 10 by the single notch of the ratchet wheel restores the control member 11 and abutment 12 into the position shown in Figure 2 in which the abutment knocks the driving pawl 9 out of engagement with the dog teeth and so disconnects the drive. The cam 27 is permitted to return to the position shown in Figure 2 which allows the shaft 26 to rotate and so to restore the push button and to disengage the pawl 32 from the ratchet wheel. The member 42 then serves to hold the pawl olf the wheel.

The motor is stopped at the end of the operation by opening of the micro-switch after the micro-switch 15 has been opened by arm 13.

If it is desired to issue another number of tickets7 say four, the four-ticket button is depressed which allows shaft 10 to rotate by the greater amount (equal to four teeth of the wheel 30) necessary to bring arm 20 into engagement with the bar 22 of the four ticket button. It is then necessary for the shaft 5 to make four revolutions before the control member is restored to its initial position and the operation of the machine is stopped.

It is not essential that the push buttons employed in the machine have a reciprocatory movement as described and shown. They may, for example, be in the form of pivoted dollies and the term push-button is used herein to include such dollies.

I claim:

1. In a ticket printing and issuing machine of the kind comprising strip-printing and strip-feeding mechanisms for printing tickets on a strip and for issuing the tickets after printing; driving means for effecting operation of the printing and feeding means to print and issue any selected one of a number of predetermined quantities of tickets, comprising, (a) a rotatable driving member, (b) a rotatable primary driven member operatively connected to the printing and feeding means, (c) a releasable pawl and ratchet driving coupling between the -driving member and the primary driven member, (d) a rotatable control member having an abutment which is rotatable with the control member to and from a position in which the abutment lies in the path of the pawl as the pawl rotates and serves on contact by the pawl to disengage the pawl from the ratchet and thereby to release the drive, (e) a group of independently manually operable quantity selecting members appropriated respectively to the aforesaid quantities of tickets, (f) means for constantly urging the control member and the abutment for rotation away from the pawl-disengaging position of the abutment, (g) means for holding the control member and the abutment against such rotation, (l1) means operable by each of the quantity selecting members to release the control member and abutment from the holding means for rotation as aforesaid thereby to permit the pawl to engage the ratchet and establish a driving connection between the driving member and the primary driven member, (i) means for limiting the extent of such rotation of Ithe control member `according to the particular quantity selecting member operated, comprising a series of arms, one for each quantity selecting member, mounted at different angular positions around a common axis at different positions `along that axis and rotatable with the control member, the different angular positions corresponding to the different `limited degrees of rotation of the control member, `and `for each quantity selecting member apart thereof which is movable on manual operation of the quantityselecting member from a position in which it l-ies outside the path of rotation of the arm associated with the quantity-selecting member to a position in which it lies in that path and so constitutes a stop limiting rotation of the arm, and (j) a re-setting drive between the primary driven member and the control member to re-set the control member to the pawl-disengaging position of the abutment after the primary driven member has been rotated a number of times determined by the extent of rotation as `aforesaid of the control member, to effect printing and issue of the quantity of tickets selected.

2. ln a ticket printing and issuing machine of the kind comprising strip-printing and strip-feeding mechanisms for printing tickets on a strip and for issuing the tickets after printing; driving means as claimed in claim l in which the means identified as (f) of the claim comprise a spring which is energised during the re-setting movement of the control member.

3. In a ticket printing and issuing machine of the kind comprising strip-printing and strip-feeding mechanisms for printing tickets on a strip and for issuing the tickets after printing; driving means as claimed in claim 1 in which the means for holding the control member and the abutment in the pawl-disengaging position comprise a shaft, a cam on the shaft and movable by rotation of the shaft to and from a position in which it holds the control member and abutment as aforesaid, a series of arms on the shaft, one for each quantity selecting member, and a series of abutments associated respectively with the arms and quantity selecting members and each movable by its associated member to engage the arm to effect rotation of the shaft and thereby to move the cam. from the position in which it holds the control member.

4. In a ticket printing and issuing machine of the kind comprising strip-printing and strip-feeding mechanisms for printing tickets `on a strip and for issuing the tickets after printing; driving means as claimed in claim 1 in which the resetting drive between the primary driven member and the control member, identified as (j) in claim l, comprises a cam on the primary driven member, a ratchet wheel rotatable with the control member, a rocker arm having a follower for co-operation with the cam and a pawl engageable with the ratchet wheel to effect partial one-way rotation thereof and of the control member towards the paWl-disengaging position on each rocking movement of the rocker arm produced by the cam on rotation of the primary driven member.

5. In a ticket printing and issuing machine of the kind comprising strip-printing and strip-feeding mechanisms for printing tickets on a strip and for issuing the tickets after printing; means as claimed in claim 4 in which the pawl is operative in one direction of rocking movement of the arm and the return stroke of the arm is idle and in which there is included means for holding the paWl oii the ratchet wheel when the rocker arm is at the end of the idle stroke.

6. In a ticket printing and issuing machine of the kind comprising strip-printing and strip-feeding mechanisms for printing tickets on a strip and for issuing the tickets after printing; driving means as claimed in claim 4 and including a non-return pawl for engaging the ratchet wheel, means for disengaging the non-return pawl from the ratchet wheel and for holding the pawl so disengaged during rotation of the control member away from the drivingpawl-disengaging position and means for releasing the non-return pawl to engage the ratchet wheel during the return of the control member to Vthe driving-paWl-disengaging position.

7. In a ticket printing and issuing machine of the kind comprising strip-printing and strip-feeding mechanisms for printing tickets on a strip and for issuing the tickets for printing; driving means as claimed in claim 1 in which the part of the quantity-selecting member which is movable on manual operation of the member identified as (i) of claim 1 comprises, for each member, a bar and means are provided for guiding the bar for endwise movement.

8, ln a ticket printing and issuing machine of the kind comprising strip-printing and strip-feeding mechanisms for printing tickets on a strip and for issuing the tickets after printing; driving means for effecting operation of the printing and feeding mechanisms to print and issue any selected one of a number of predetermined quantities of tickets, comprising, a driving member, a driven member connected to the printing and feeding mechanisms to effect operation thereof, a releasable driving connection between the driving member and the driven member, a rotatable control member, means constantly urging 4the con-trol member for rotation from a home station, releasable holding means preventing such rotation, a group of independently operable quantity selecting means each operable to release the holding means to permit rotation of the control member and also to effect the aforesaid driving connection, rotation-limiting means associated with the quantity selecting means to limit the rotation of the control member to different angles of rotation dependent upon the quantity control means, and comprising a group of stop members, one for each quantity selecting means, rotatable with the control member and having stop faces at different angular positions around the axis of rotation in combination with a corresponding group of cooperating stop members movable with the several quantity selecting means respectively each into the path of the corresponding stop face for engagement thereby to limit the angle of rotation of the control member, means for returning the control member to the home station during the resultant operation of the printing and feeding mechanism and means for releasing the driving connection when the control member reaches the home station, the extent of operation of the printing and issuing mechanism before release of the driving connection being determined by the angle through which the control means is rotated.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS