US3013339A

US3013339A - Micrometer device for operating the movable straightedge of a line-up table and the like

Info

Publication number: US3013339A
Application number: US856687A
Authority: US
Inventors: Claire N Brewer; Charles O Goss
Original assignee: INTERNATIONAL TYPOGRAPHICAL UNION OF NORTH AMERICA
Current assignee: INTERNATIONAL TYPOGRAPHICAL UNION OF NORTH AMERICA
Priority date: 1957-08-08
Filing date: 1959-12-02
Publication date: 1961-12-19
Anticipated expiration: 1978-12-19

Description

Dec. 19, 1961 c. N. BREWER ETAL 3,013,

MICROMETER DEVICE FOR OPERATING THE MOVABLE STRAIGHTEDGE OF A LINE-UP TABLE AND THE LIKE Original Filed Aug. 8, 1957 BY idfmwww ATTORNEYS This application is a division of our co-pending applica tion Serial No. 677,001, filed August 8, 1957, now Patent No. 2,942,351 granted June 28, 1960, for Micrometer Device for Operating the Movable Straightedge of a Line-up Table, and the Like.

This invention relates broadly to the printing art and, more particularly, relates to so-called line-up or register tables which are used in performing such make-up operations as lining, ruling, scoring negatives and the like.

In United States Letters Patent Nos. 2,252,535 and 2,- 421,686 there are disclosed line-up tables of the type to which the invention relates and with respect to which this invention constitutes an improvement. In these tables there is provided a straightedge which is mounted for movement from end to end of the work surface of the table and which is used in drawing parallel lines extending transversely of the sheet of paper or other material laid on the work surface. Because of the requirements of the printing art the spacing of the lines made with the straightedge is of extreme importance and must be accurate to very close tolerances which are measured in thousandths of an inch. In line-up tables now known to the art the straightedge is moved by rotating a shaft through a Vernier adjustment causing operation of the means which moves the straightedge. It has been found that this known means for moving the straightedge may not be operated to produce the very fine and accurate adjustment of the straightedge to thousandths of an inch, as is required for such purposes as compensation for expansion or shrinkage of the plates from which the lined paper or the material is printed.

Our invention has to do with the operation of the straightedge of line-up tables of the type and construction described and has had for its principal object the provision of means for operating the straightedge through increments, and to the accuracy, of thousandths of an inch, and for successively moving the straightedge through exactly the same distance with rapidity and un-varying and absolute accuracy for any number of successive times, thus greatly improving the usefulness of such tables and their operation.

An embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional View taken on line 11 of FIGURE 2., showing the device in operative relation to parts of a line-up table;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of a device according to the invention with parts broken away, and

FIG. 3 is a view taken on line 33 of FIG. 1, showing the parts of the frame in open, gear-disengaged position.

This invention provides means for operating the movable carriage of a line-up table of this type, construction States Patent 3,013,339 Patented Dec. 19, 1961 and purpose described in the Letters Patent referred to hereinbefore, and which tables are now commercially available. Parts of such a table are shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings and comprise a work table 2, having a flat upper surface 4- on which a paper, mat or other device or sheet is to be laidfor the purpose of drawing thereon a plurality of parallel lines equally spaced apart by a distance which must, be exact to the thousandth of an inch. Thestraightedge 6 against which the lines are drawn forms part of a carriage 8 which is mounted for movement along the table and which also includes a shaft 10 which is adjacent the straightedge and parallel to it. The carriage is moved along the table by suitable and known means, such as a rack and pinion device, and such movement may be efiected by rotating a shaft 12, to one end of which is attached a knob 14. A Vernier device 16 is usually provided for adjusting the amount of movement of the carriage. It will be understood that the shaft 12, knob 14, Vernier 16 and the parts operated thereby are mounted on the carriage and move with it along the work surface. As stated, the operation of the carriage by means of the knob 14 and shaft 12, with the use of the Vernier 16, cannot be performed with the required accuracy, but permit only the accurate movement of the carriage to ten one-thousandths of an inch. In a typical line-up table one complete rotation of knob 14 and shaft 12 produces a two inch movement of the carriage 8 and straightedge 6 along the work surface of the table and the invention will be described in this specification as applied to such a table, although it will be understood that the invention is not limited to any specific relation between a complete rotation of the shaft and knob and the distance of movement of the carriage and straightedge along the work surface.

Means are provided by the invention for quickly and accurately moving the straightedge 6 and other parts of the carriage any number of successive times through any desired distance and with accuracy to one-thousandth of an inch. In the embodiments of the invention disclosed in this specification there is provided a two-part frame, one part of which is formed by a lower plate 23 having attached thereto a fitting 22 which surrounds and is fastened to the shaft 10 of the carriage 8, whereby the device provided by the invention is mounted on the carriage and moves therewith. The second part of the frame is formed by an upper plate 23 which is pivotally connected at its one side, as at 26, to one side of plate 20 adjacent the upper part thereof. Adjacent its other side the plate 20 is provided with an elongated, curved slot or recess 25 having closed ends, which receives a pin or screw 24 which is mounted on plate 23. Clamping means, having handles 27, 28, are associated with the

pins

24, 26 for locking the plate 23 in open or closed position with respect to plate 20.

A shaft 50 is rotatably journaled in the lower plate 20 of the frame and a relatively large gear 54 having external gear teeth on its periphery is fixedly attached to shaft 50' for rotation therewith. The shaft St) is preferably axially aligned with the operating shaft 12. of the line-up table carriage and is connected thereto by a coupling 56 which prevents binding when the shaft 12 is rotated by the gear 54 and shaft 50, and an adapter device 58 is attached to the knob 14 and has a shaft 60 which is attached to one side of the coupling device 56.

A second shaft 200 is journaled in the upper frame part 23 and is parallel to, and spaced from, shaft 50. A gear '74, which is small relatively to gear 54, is fixed to shaft 200 and has external teeth which mesh with those of gear 54 when the

frame parts

20, 23 are in closed position. Shaft 200 has fixed to it by screws 202 a relatively larger dial or disc 204 and a knob 206 which is attached to the shaft by a set-screw 208. Dial 204- has an annular series of graduations 210 on its outer face adjacent its periphery and, in the disclosed embodiment and with the specifications and relation of parts described hereinafter these graduations extend from to 250. A second dial or disc 220 is mounted on shaft 200 in front of the front surface of dial 204 and is mounted on the shaft that it may rotate with respect to the shaft and the dial 204. An annular series of graduations 221 is marked on dial 220 adjacent the periphery thereof and extends in reverse order to the series of graduations 210 and, in the disclosed embodiment, this series extends from 0 to 250. Dial 220 has a cylindrical knob 222 concentrically attached to its front surface in surrounding relation to the knob 206 on shaft 200 and a series of gradautions 224 may be marked on the outer cylindrical surface of this knob and will correspond in number and position to the peripheral series on the front surface of dial 220. A felt disc 230 surrounds shaft 200 and it is positioned between

dials

204 and 220 and is in face-to-face engagement with both of them. A pressure plate 232 surrounds the shaft 200 Within the knob 222 in front of dial 220 and is separated from the dial by a felt disc 233. The pressure plate is constantly urged into engagement with the front surface of the felt disc 233 by a spring 234 which surrounds shaft 200 and bears at its one end on plate 232 and at its other end on the inner surface of knob 206, thus holding

dials

204 and 220, pressure plate 232 and the intermediate felt discs in frictional engagement. A pointer 240 is connected at its lower end to the upper frame part 23 and extends upwardly therefrom behind dial 204 and at its upper end is turned outwardly and downwardly across the outer peripheral parts of dials 20 i, 220, to provide an indicating edge 242 which is positioned adjacent the series of graduations on the two dials.

As stated, the operating means for the carriage and straightedge of the line-up table may be so constructed that one complete revolution of the operating shaft 12 produces a two-inch movement of the carriage and straightedge. If this relationship exists, the operating device provided by the present invention may, if desired, be constructed in the following manner. The relatively large gear 54 may have eight times the number of teeth of the relatively small gear 74 and, in a preferred embodiment, the larger gear will have 96 teeth and the smaller gear will have 12 teeth. The periphery of dial 204 will have 250 graduations and the periphery of dial 220 will have the same number of graduations arranged reversely to those on dial 204. It will be seen that the following relations will result from these specifications:

1 rotation of shaft 12 causes 2 inches of carriage movement.

1 rotation of dial 204 causes 1 rotation of small gear 74.

1 rotation of dial 204 causes Vs rotation of large gear 54.

8 rotations of dial 204 cause 1 rotation of large gear 54.

8 rotations of dial 204 cause 2 inches of carriage movement.

4 rotations of dial 204 cause 1 inch of carriage movement.

1000 dial division movements cause 1 inch of carriage movement.

1 dial division movement causes .001 inch of carriage movement.

In the use and operation of the invention, the operating device is mounted on the carriage 8 by assembling the fitting 22 to the carriage shaft 10 and by connecting the adapter 58 to the knob 14 of the operating shaft 12. The two

parts

20, 23 of the frame are now separated by moving the part 23 about its pivotal connection to part 20, thus moving gear 74 out of mesh with gear 54. Both

dials

204 and 220 are now separately rotated by their respective knobs until the zero indication on both dials is opposite the indicator edge 242. If it is assumed that parallel lines .160 inch apart are to be drawn on a sheet on work surface 4 the smaller or front dial 220 is turned in a counterclockwise direction by its knob 222 until the mark on its scale registers with the indicator edge 242. It will be seen that this rotation of dial 220 will not turn shaft 200 or dial 204 or the

gears

74, 54 or the operating shaft 12 of the carriage S, as dial 220 is not connected to shaft 200. When the described rotation of dial 220 has been made the knob 206 is rotated in a clockwise direction until the zero graduation on dial 220 registers with the indicator edge 242. This rotation of knob 206 will cause the same rotation of dial 204, shaft 200, gear 74, gear 54 and carriage operating shaft 12, thus producing a carriage and straightedge movement of .160 inch. The same carriage movement may be repeated any number of times by rotating the dial 220 in a counter-clockwise direction to the position in which its 160 mark registers with the indicator edge 242, without rotating the dial 204 at all, and then rotating both dials in the opposite direction until the zero graduation on dial 220 registers with the indicator edge 242.

The dial 204 indicates in thousandths of an inch any movement of the carriage or straightedge. Thus, if it should be desired or necessary to draw two lines .010 inch apart and then another pair of such spaced lines after an interval of .160 inch, the dial 204 would be used to produce the .010 inch spacing of the lines of each pair and the dial 220 would be used to produce the spacing between pairs of lines.

While we have described and illlustrated one embodiment of our invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the arts to which the invention relates that other embodiments, as well as modifications of that disclosed, may be made and practised without departing in any way from the spirit or scope of the invention, for the limits of which reference must be made to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for turning the operating shaft of a line-up table to impart movement to a movable straightedge forming part of such table and which is adapted and intended to be moved upon rotation of the shaft to parallel positions along which lines may be drawn, comprising a relatively large rotatable gear, means for connecting said gear to the operating shaft of a line-up table, a relatively small rotatable gear meshed with the first gear, a rotatably mounted circular dial having graduations marked about its periphery, means connecting the dial to the relatively small gear to cause rotation of said gear upon rotation of the dial, a second dial mounted adjacent and concentrically with the first dial for rotation with respect thereto and having graduations marked about its periphery corresponding to those on the first dial but in reverse order, and means urging said dials into frictional engagement with each other whereby the second dial may be rotated independently of the first dial or, alternatively, may be rotated with the first dial to rotate the two gears.

2. A device according to claim 1 comprising, in addition, an indicator mounted adjacent the peripheries of the dials and fixed with respect thereto.

3. A device for turning the operating shaft of a line-up table to impart movement to a movable straightedge forming part of such table and which is adapted and intended to be moved upon rotation of the shaft comprising a frame, a relatively large gear rotatably mounted on the frame, means for connecting the gear to the operating shaft of a line-up table, a shaft rotatably mounted in the frame, a relatively small gear fixed to said shaft and meshed with said relatively large gear, a dial fixed to said shaft and having graduations marked on its periphery, a second dial 6 mounted on said shaft for rotational movement with reengaging the first and second dials, and means urging the spect to the shaft and the first dial and having graduations second dial and the friction member toward the first dial. marked on its periphery which correspond in number to those on the first dial but are in reverse order, and means References Cited in the file of this patent whereby the second dial may be rotated independently of 5 the first dial and the shaft or, alternatively, with the first UNITED STATES PATENTS dial and the shaft. 1,760,938 Edgar June 3, 1930 4. A device according to claim 3, in which the last 2,421,686 Dodge June 3, 1947 named means comprises a friction member between and 2,743,699 Hollis May 1, 1956