US3136540A

US3136540A - Card aligning device

Info

Publication number: US3136540A
Application number: US207334A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frank A Digilio
Original assignee: Sperry Rand Corp
Current assignee: Sperry Corp
Priority date: 1962-04-24
Filing date: 1962-07-03
Publication date: 1964-06-09
Anticipated expiration: 1981-06-09
Also published as: US3156463A; GB969171A; DE1254891B; NL291489A; CH411419A

Description

F. A. DIGILIO CARD ALIGNING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY June 9, 1964 Filed July 5, 1962 ll ill tlllllllvllllilll llllllllll wma: 02.522

June 9, 1964 F. A. DlGlLlO CARD ALIGNING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 3, 1962 Eilliiiii.W

mm 0 g m R". 06 W mm VA w 8 mK m J v m 0 F Z mm mm R m 4| \J A H mw i lwmm w zrwm 9 0 2 2 S m O m m2: OZEUZDm ATTORNEY 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 F. A. DlGlLlO CARD ALIGNING DEVICE June 9, 1964 Filed July 5, 1962 ATTORNEY United States Patent Deiaware Filed July 3, 1962, Ser. No. 207,334 3 (Ilaims. (Cl. 271-55) This invention relates generally to sheet or card handling machines and, more particularly, to devices operating in conjunction with the card feeding mechanism of such machines for aligning a sheet or card in precise registration with other machine elements operating on the card during its course of feed through the machine.

The invention is herein disclosed in an embodiment adapted for use with high speed card advancing mechanism of the type shown in co-pending application of Anthony Raggozino et al., Serial No. 189,806, filed April 24, 1962. The mechanism disclosed in the aforesaid copending application operates to advance record cards, feeding at high speed through the machine, in row by row or line by line steps past a line of punches and employs a plurality of flexible pusher blades, reciprocally driven at high speed, adapted to engage in succession the trailing edge of a record card, each blade operating to advance a card one step. In a step-wise advancing mechanism of this sort, it has been found that the record has a tendency to drift laterally during the course of each step advance and that after several steps of advance the cumulative amount of drift may become objectionable so as to cause subsequent rows of the card to become considerably misaligned laterally with the processing station through which it is advancing. The machine for which the present invention is adapted is designed for operation up to speeds of three hundred cards per minute with the step-wise advancing mechanism operating to effect twelve stepping movements within each card feed cycle. Due to the high operating speeds involved, it has been found that the more conventional forms of aligning devices which are spring driven and cam restored would be unsuitable due to the floating and bouncing of the cam follower at these high operating speeds.

The device according to the present invention is adaptable for operating at the high speeds required by the type of equipment above described by reason of the fact that the aligning member is positively driven by cam in the aligning direction and is spring restored, contrary to the more conventional forms of aligning devices. The aligning members, furthermore, are mounted in a novel manner to provide a yield to give the device compliance in instances where the record cards may be slightly over-sized due to excessive temperatures, humidity, or other conditions beyond control.

It is therefore an object of this invention to enable the lateral alignment of records feeding step by step at high speed through a record processing machine.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a record aligning device in which the aligning member is positively driven towards its effective aligning position.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a positively driven aligning member with a yieldable connection enabling the device to comply with records of varying size.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a high speed record aligning device which is reliable in operation, comprised of a minimum number of parts and economical to manufacture.

Further objects of the invention together with the features contributing thereto and advantages accruing therefrom will be apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a record being advanced through the punching station of a business machine with the record aligned for punching in the first row of index positions.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the mechanism shown in FIG. 1 showing the means for driving the aligning member and including a showing of the step-wise card advancing mechanism.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the record card just prior to its first step-wise advance and with the aligning member in retracted position.

FIG. 4 is a detail in section along the lines 4-4 of FIG. 1 illustrating the yieldable coupling between the aligning member and its driving means.

FIG. 5 is a timing chart illustrating the step-wise advance of a record past the punching station and the timing of the aligning device coordinated therewith.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the punching station for the record card 10 includes a bed plate 11 for supporting the card during its step-wise advance past the punching line 12, said bed plate being formed with cut-away openings 13 in which are disposed card feed rollers 14 operable for conveying a card up to the punching station The bed plate 11 is also formed at its right hand side with a milled-out area 15 in which is suitably secured by screws or the like a permanently fixed aligning block 16 which, it will be understood, is thicker than the depth of the cut out in which it is mounted so as to provide a fixed aligning surface 17 for the right hand edge of the card 10.

The opposed left hand area of the feed bed is similarly formed with a milled-out area 21 in which is slide fitted a reciprocable aligning block 22 which also is thicker than the depth of the cut out 21 so as to be engageable with the left hand edge of the card 10. Aligning is achieved by driving the block 22 towards the permanent aligning block 16 at the time that the card is advanced into the first row punching position so as to urge the right hand edge of the card against the fixed aligning surface 17, in which position the card will be in correct lateral alignment with punches, not shown, arranged along the punching line 12.

The aligning block 22 is formed with its central bottom surface milled out so as to provide the block with a structural configuration resembling an open and inverted box-like member comprised of end walls 23, see also FIGS. 3 and 4, a top covering panel 24, partially broken away in FIG. 3, and a side wall 25 which serves as an aligning surface engageable with the left hand edge of the card 10. A pair of spaced apart leaf springs 26 are disposed across the milled-out portion of the block 22, the ends of the springs being suitably anchored in slots formed in the end walls 23. The springs 26 provide a yieldable connecting means between the block 22 and its driving mechanism, which mechanism includes a stud 27, see also FIG. 2, formed at the upper extremity of a rock arm 28 secured fast to one end of a pivot shaft Patented June 9, 1964.

AB 31. The shaft 31 is suitably journaled in a bearing member 32 secured to the frame of the machine and at its opposite ends carries a follower arm 33 supporting by means of a stud 34 a follower roller 35. A spring 36 compressed between the follower arm 33 and the machine frame urges the follower roller into engagement with a face cam 37 carried by one of the driving shafts of the machine so that during rotation of the cam, the cam follower is positively driven for a predetermined portion of each machine cycle to move the aligning block 22 into aligning position.

As is shown, the two spring members as straddle the stud 27 which projects through an over-sized opening 38 formed in the bed plate 11 so that the driving force of the cam is transmitted to the aligning block 22 through the springs 26 whose tensile strength is such as to provide a slight amount of yield near the limit of each aligning stroke of the driving mechanism. The extent of the driving stroke of the cam follower mechanism is predetermined so as to cause a slight flexure of the driving spring 26 when engaging cards of normal length. Thus, the mechanism will accurately align cards which may be slightly shorter than normal length and will also provide compliance for cards which may be slightly longer than normal length. A spring retainer clip 39 affixed to the stud 27' secures the flexible connection between the aligning block and the driving mechanism, it being understood that the top cover panel 24 of the block is formed with an over-sized opening 41 for receiving and allowing relative movement between the connected parts in the manner above described.

The feeding of the cards can best be understood by reference to FIG. 2. Each card is conveyed from a preceding stage in the feed path up to the punching station by means of the feed rollers 14 continuously rotating and operating in cooperation with opposed feed rollers 45. At the time when the leading edge of the card approaches the punching line, a cut-out portion 46 of the rollers 14 causes the feed rollers to disengage the card whereupon the stepwise advancing mechanism becomes effective for pushing the card in steps past the punching line. As more fully described in the. aforementioned patent application, the step-wise advancing mechanism comprises a plurality of yieldable pusher blades 47, of which there are twelve in the present instance to provide twelve steps of card movement, said springs being carried by a supporting framework 48. The frame 45 is connected by a flexible spring member 49 to an eccentric follower 51 driven by an eccentric cam 52 carried on one of the driving shafts of the machine. Longitudinal reciprocation of the frame by the mechanism just described causes the trailing edge of the card 16 to be engaged in turn by successive pusher blades 47 causing the card to be advanced in step-Wise manner past the punching line.

FIG. is a one cycle timing diagram of the step-Wise card advancing mechanism in a form which also illustrates the progress in inches of a card along the feed path. As can be seen from FIG. 5, after the feed rollers disengage the card at 16 of the cycle the first step advance of the card by the pusher blade mechanism occurs from 19 to 27 of the cycle which coincides with the time that the aligning block 22 is driven positively by the cam 37 into its aligning position. The simultaneous operation of the aligning mechanism with the first step advance of the card is an important factor contributing to reliable and effective operation of the mechanism since the several pusher blades 47, together with a suitable braking mechanism, not shown, bearing on the card create friction so that, if the aligning block were to operate or be driven to aligning position during a pause in the step-wise advance of the card, the static friction of the card under this frictional load would interfere with movement of the card into correct aligned registration. By timing the operation of the aligning mechanism concurrently with the first step advance of the card this problem is avoided, since the thrust on the card by the aligning block is able to take advantage of the reduced kinetic friction of the card while being advanced to thereby facilitate the lateral movement of the card into correct alignment registration. As can be seen by reference to the diagram of FIG. 5, the card remains immobile for a period of 14 of the cycle whereupon the second step of advance occurs over a 10 portion of the cycle, the card continuing in this manner at 14 and 10 intervals alternately until the card step-wise advance is completed and the card again comes under control of additional feed rolls, not shown, at about 308 of the cycle. The aligning block 22 is retracted at about 246 of the cycle and is fully retracted by 260 f the cycle so as to allow clearance for the leading edge of the succeeding card as it approaches the punching station. It is not necessary to retain the aligner in effective aligning position during the final steps of card movement by the advancing mechanism, since it has been found that after the card has once been aligned the amount of lateral drift occurring in one step of travel or even the cumulative drift which might occur in two or three steps of travel is of negligible extent.

The nature of the yieldable operation of the coupling between the aligning block 22 and its drive mechanism can best be seen by comparison of FIG. 1 with FIG. 3. In FIG. 3 the aligner is shown in its retracted position at a time just prior to the first step-Wise advance of the card. In this position it will be noted that the coupling spring members 26 are substantially straight since there is no strain imposed on either of them at this time. FIG. 1 shows the parts at the completion of the first step of card advance with the aligning block now actuated to urge the card into bearing engagement with the permanent aligning block 16. It will be noted that the inner-most leaf spring 26 which transmits the driving force to the block is somewhat bowed under these conditions thereby indicating the extent of yielding compliance required for registering the particular card shown in FIG. 1.

While there has been shown what is considered to be preferred embodiment of the invention it will, of course, be understood that modifications and changes in form could be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is, therefore, intended that the invention be not limited to the exact form herein shown and described nor to anything less than the whole of the invention as hereinbefore set forth and as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. An aligning mechanism for effecting lateral registration of a record member being advanced step-wise along the feed path of a record processing machine comprising,

(a) a fixed aligning member disposed along one side of said feed path and defining a limit surface for one side edge of said record member,

(b) a reciprocable aligning member disposed on the opposite side of said feed path and movable from a retracted to an effective aligning position, said reciprocable member when in the effective aligning position presenting a guiding surface for the other side edge of said record for urging said record into bearing contact with said fixed aligning member, said reciprocable aligning member being formed with a substantially centrally located hollowed-out chamber bounded on opposite sides by confronting surfaces of said reciprocable aligning member, a pair of spacedapart slits each extending generally parallel to said guiding surface formed in each of two of said confronting surfaces, and a pair of spaced-apart leaf springs, the opposite ends of which are received in respective ones of said pairs of slits, whereby said leaf springs are mounted for bridging across said chamber, and

(c) cam driven means coupled with said reciprocable member and operating in timed relation with the advance of said record member along said feed path 3. The invention according to claim'l wherein said cam for positively driving said reciprocable aligning driven means is timed to move said reciprocable aligning member to its effective aligning position and yieldmember to retracted position prior to the last step advance ably restoring said movable member to its retracted of said record member along said feed path.

position, said cam driven means including a driver 5 member projecting substantially centrally into said References Cited in the file of this patent chamber and between said leaf springs for two-way yieldable driving engagement with said aligning UNITED STATES PATENTS member- 1,418,117 Widell May 30, 1922 2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein the op- 10 2,334,645 Pl b N 16, 1943 eration of said cam operated means is timed to move said 2 555 054 Watrous A 21, 195 1 reciprocable aligning member into effective aligning posi- 2 595 30 Benuche May 6, 1952 tion concurrently with the first step advance of said 3 022,05 w id b 20 1962 record member along said feed path.

Claims

1. AN ALIGNING MECHANISM FOR EFFECTING LATERAL REGISTRATION OF A RECORD MEMBER BEING ADVANCED STEP-WISE ALONG THE FEED PATH OF A RECORD PROCESSING MACHINE COMPRISING, (A) A FIXED ALIGNING MEMBER DISPOSED ALONG ONE SIDE OF SAID FEED PATH AND DEFINING A LIMIT SURFACE FOR ONE SIDE EDGE OF SAID RECORD MEMBER, (B) A RECIPROCABLE ALIGNING MEMBER DISPOSED ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID FEED PATH AND MOVABLE FROM A RETRACTED TO AN EFFECTIVE ALIGNING POSITION, SAID RECIPROCABLE MEMBER WHEN IN THE EFFECTIVE ALIGNING POSITION PRESENTING A GUIDING SURFACE FOR THE OTHER SIDE EDGE OF SAID RECORD FOR URGING SAID RECORD INTO BEARING CONTACT WITH SAID FIXED ALIGNING MEMBER, SAID RECIPROCABLE ALIGNING MEMBER BEING FORMED WITH A SUBSTANTIALLY CENTRALLY LOCATED HOLLOWED-OUT CHAMBER BOUNDED ON OPPOSITE SIDES BY CONFRONTING SURFACES OF SAID RECIPROCABLE ALIGNING MEMBER, A PAIR OF SPACEDAPART SLITS EACH EXTENDING GENERALLY PARALLEL TO SAID GUIDING SURFACE FORMED IN EACH OF TWO OF SAID CONFRONTING SURFACES, AND A PAIR OF SPACED-APART LEAF SPRINGS, THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF WHICH ARE RECEIVED IN RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID PAIRS OF SLITS, WHEREBY SAID LEAF SPRINGS ARE MOUNTED FOR BRIDGING ACROSS SAID CHAMBER, AND (C) CAM DRIVEN MEANS COUPLED WITH SAID RECIPROCABLE MEMBER AND OPERATING IN TIMED RELATION WITH THE ADVANCE OF SAID RECORD MEMBER ALONG SAID FEED PATH FOR POSITIVELY DRIVING SAID RECIPROCABLE ALIGNING MEMBER TO ITS EFFECTIVE ALIGNING POSITION AND YIELDABLY RESTORING SAID MOVABLE MEMBER TO ITS RETRACTED POSITION, SAID CAM DRIVEN MEANS INCLUDING A DRIVER MEMBER PROJECTING SUBSTANTIALLY CENTRALLY INTO SAID CHAMBER AND BETWEEN SAID LEAF SPRINGS FOR TWO-WAY YIELDABLE DRIVING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID ALIGNING MEMBER.