US3398618A

US3398618A - Punch alignment mechanism for business forms machine

Info

Publication number: US3398618A
Application number: US602924A
Authority: US
Inventors: Schriber Louis
Original assignee: Schriber Co
Current assignee: Schriber Co
Priority date: 1966-12-19
Filing date: 1966-12-19
Publication date: 1968-08-27
Anticipated expiration: 1985-08-27
Also published as: DE1561513A1; GB1170641A

Description

L. SCHRIBER PUNCH ALIGNMENT MECHANISM FOR BUSINESS FORMS MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec, 19, 1966 FIG -1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY LOUIS SCHRIBER BY WW Aug. 27, 1968 L. SCHRIBER 3,398,618

PUNCH ALIGNMENT MECHANISM FOR BUSINESS FORMS MACHINE Filed Dec. 19, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 @6 3 3 ml 9E United States Patent 3,398,618 PUNCH ALIGNMENT MECHANISM FOR BUSINESS FORMS MACHINE Louis Schriber, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to The Schriber Company, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Dec. 19, 1966, Ser. No. 602,924 4 Claims. (Cl. 83-343) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An alignment and drive mechanism for the file hole punch on a business forms machine includes a release device for disengaging the punch and die drive gears from the drive of the machine to permit an approximate locating of the file hole punch and die set, after which the gears are again engaged. Precise adjustment is accomplished through movement of pivotally mounted guide rollers at opposite sides of the punch and die set.

Background of the invention The invention relates to an adjustment mechanism for the units which are employed to form so-called file holes or perforations in a web of material. The most common use of such mechanism is in the forming of filing holes in snap out and continuous business forms, and the mechanism is usually attached to and driven from a printing press for printing such business forms. The location where the perforations are to be made in each form as the web passes through the perforating unit may vary with the particular job requirements, i.e., for the form being manufactured. For example, the fold line between successive forms is usually made along a partially perforated area, formed by a standard cross-perforating unit, which also provides a line along which the forms are separated during use. The perforations or holes for receiving file retainers may be located at variable distances from these crossperforations, or from the cut edge of a snap out form (the cuts being later made on a collator), and it is therefore necessary to adjust the phasing of the cross-perforating unit and of the so-called file punch and die set according to the job requirements.

This adjustment may call for a change in alignment up to several inches, therefore it is often necessary to make a rather large adjustment. The present invention provides a simple and quickly operable mechanism for making this adjustment accurately in two steps, and in a minimum of time.

Brief summary of the invention This invention relates to an adjustment for the file punch mechanism of a business forms manufacturing machine, and the invention has for its primary object the provision of a novel arrangement whereby the positive drive to the file punch unit can be disconnected quickly from the drive of the machine, for making large adjustments in the position of the file punch mechanism, whereby the precise alignment adjustment can be made through a small distance, in the order of a fraction of an inch; to provide a novel drive arrangement for the file punch unit, whereby an intermediate gear is maintained in mesh with the drive gearing of the business forms machine, but is movable into and out of engagement with the drive gears of the file punch unit, thereby providing a reference to which the drive gears of the file punch unit can be adjusted in alignment of the file punch to the particular job; and to provide such a drive arrangement wherein the intermediate gear can be quickly disengaged from the file punch gears, but is securely locked in driving engagement during normal operation of the unit.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be "ice apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

Brief description of the drawings FIG. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic side elevational view of the punch unit to which the present invention applies, shown receiving webs from the output of a business forms machine such as a web printing press;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view, taken generally along line 22 on FIG. 1, showing details of the mechanism for disengaging the gear drive to the file punching unit;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail view taken on line 33 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 illustrates a typical business form produced by the machine.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring to the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment .of the invention, the novel file punch unit is illustrated in a location at the output of a business forms manufacturing machine such as a web printing press, having provisions for receiving a web of material 10 which include multiple images thereon, of continuous business forms printed on the press. This web is pulled into a unit 15 which, in the usual case, forms the crossperforations at regular intervals to define the individual forms, and to split the web into several ribbons 10a, 10b and where necessary. Units of this type are well known, and details of the unit do not form a part of the present invention.

Before entering the unit 15 the web, indicated by the reference numeral 10, is passed through a line hole punch of conventional construction, which includes the usual punches 18 mounted on a cylinder 20 and operating against a die and back-up cylinder or roll 22 to form the series of holes 23 along the margins of the forms on the web, usually in the precise location where lines appear on the forms. These holes, of course, provide a means for accurate feeding of the forms during use.

Entering the line hole punch unit the web 10 is guided around a roller 25 from an adjustable roller 28. This roller is mounted on and offset from the center .of an adjusting worm gear 30. The worm 32 meshing with gear 30 can be turned by the shaft 33 which terminates in an adjustment handle 35 at the exterior of the machine. Rotation of the worm will move the roller in an are about the axis of worm gear 30, perpendicular to the web, thereby lengthening or shortening the path that the combined web must follow between the roller 25 and a preceding roller 37, which functions as a guide means to direct the web into the region between the line hole punches and dies. As will be described, adjustment of the roller 28, and a similar adjustment upstream of the file punch unit, provides the final alignment of the web with respect to the file punch unit.

Before reaching the guiding rollers 25 and 37 the web passes through the file punch unit, specifically between the rotatable punch cylinder 40 and the cooperating die cylinder 42. The punch cylinder carries one or more perforating punches 44, and the die cylinder 42 carries corresponding die units 45 which form holes in the combined web at predetermined positions along the length of the web. The purpose of these holes is to provide, upon separation of the forms, for use with filing rods or the like, and therefore the holes are to be located a predetermined distance from the margin of the forms defined by the cross-perforations between successive forms.

The web is guided into this file punch unit over a guide roller 48 and a further adjusting roller 50 which is mounted so as to move its axis of rotation along an are offset from the center of rotation of the worm gear 52. A worm 53, connected through shaft 54 to the external adjustment handle 55, controls the position of the Worm gear and hence the position of the roller 50. The web enters from the printing press, and the split web or ribbons pass on to a conventional winding drum.

Referring to FIG. 2., a lateral adjustment mechanism for the file

punch unit cylinders

40 and 42 is also shown. It should be understood that for convenience of illustration these two cylinders and their corresponding structure are shown to one side of each other in this view, although they are generally vertically aligned as shown in FIG. 1.

The cylinder 40 is mounted in bearings 60 which in turn are carried in sleeves 62 that are slidable to a limited extent within the side frame members 63. Similarly, the cylinder 42 is mounted in bearings 64 which are in turn held in slidable carriers 65 in the side frames. At one side of the unit, the side opposite from the drive, a plate 68 is fastened to the

carriers

62 and 65, and an adjustment screw 70 passes through this plate and is threaded into the side frame 63. A collar 71 is formed on the shank of the adjustment screw 70, and at the outer end of the shank there is fastened a lateral adjustment handle 72. The shank of the adjustment screw passes through a suitable bore hole in the plate 68, and is held captive within this hole between the collar 71 and the handle 72. Rotation of the handle 72 will push or pull the

carriers

62 and 65 with respect to the side frames, thereby adjusting the location of the file punch and die laterally with respect to the web.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the line hole punch unit is driven in timed relation to the remainder of the unit 15, and to the press itself, by a drive connection 75 with the main drive or line shaft 76 of the entire machine. An output gear of the unit 75 is indicated by the segment 77. It in turn meshes with the gear 80 connected to the back-up cylinder 22, and this gear meshes with a corresponding gear 82 connected to the cylinder 20, thereby providing the input power to the line hole punch.

An intermediate gear 85 meshes with gear 80, and as will be noted in FIG. 2, the gear 80 is sutliciently wide to permit substantial sliding motion of gear 85 while it remains in mesh with gear 80 The gear 85 is mounted for free rotation in a bearing 87 on the end of an adjustment shaft 88. This shaft, which does not rotate, is slidably mounted in bushings 89 within the respective side frame members 63. These for-n1 members may be extensions of the unit 15. A handle 90 is fixed to the other end of shaft 88, permitting it to be pushed and pulled between an engaging and a disengaging position, shown respectively in full and dot-dash lines, and a split clamp 92 fastened to the adjacent side frame, and surrounding shaft 88, is controlled by an arm 94 to clamp the shaft 88, particularly in its engaging position.

The normal operating position of gear 85 and its mounting shaft 88 is shown in full lines in FIG. 2. In this position the clamp handle 94 is turned to thread the screw of the split clamp 92 in a direction drawing the clamp tightly around shaft 88, hence the gear 85 is locked in its normal position. To set up a new job, as part of the operation of aligning the file punch unit for proper placement of the file holes with respect to the cross-perforations, the clamp 92 is released by rotating handle 94. By pushing inward on the handle 90, shaft 88 and gear 85 are displaced until the teeth of gear 85 are clear of the teeth of gear 95, which is keyed or otherwise fastened to the shaft of the file punch die cylinder 42- This gear in turn is in mesh with a gear 96 (preferably including a backlash adjustment as shown) that is keyed or otherwise fixed to the file punch'die cylinder 40. The split gear backlash adjustment is desirable to" minimize relative movement between the punch and die cylinders of the file punch unit, such that they rotate precisely together to avoid excessive play between the punch and die.

With the

gears

85 and 95 out of mesh, the cylinders of the file punch unit can rotate freely and an operator can move them until the punch and die of the file punch unit are approximately aligned with respect to the desired location of the file punch holes in the web. The degree of approximate alignment thus attained will depend upon the pitch dimension on the gears employed. In a typical embodiment, it is possible to accomplish this approximate adjustment within one eighth of an inch of the precise desired alignment. This approximate alignment can be made quickly and accurately, since the gear 85 remains in mesh with gear and provides a reference to the main drive to which the gears of the file punch unit can be set when gears and are brought back into mesh. At this time, the clamp 92 is tightened to lock the gear 85 again in its normal position.

Final precise alignment is obtained through adjustment of the position of the rollers 28 and 50, by rotating the

handles

35 and 55 appropriately. Particularly, the position of the roller 28 will adjust the length of the path along which the web must travel between the guiding means provided by the

rollers

25, 37, 48 and 50. For example, by raising the roller 28 as shown in FIG. 1, it is possible to lengthen this path, thereby decreasing the distance from the cross-perforation at which the file holes will be formed. Since the Web will leave the file punch unit and proceed to the line hole punch and since it is desirable to maintain a constant tension in the web as it passes through the file punch unit, it is desirable to have both the adjustable rollers 28 and 50 and their adjustment mechanism acting on the web, and their positions will be adjusted correspondingly. For example, if roller 28 is raised, the roller 50 will likewise be raised, thereby effectively shifting the web forward (with reference to its normal movement) through the file punch unit.

While the form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. For use with a machine for manufacturing a continuous web of business forms and the like and having a main drive for conveying the web through and from the machine; apparatus for perforating each form intermediate the sides of the web comprising:

a rotary punch and a rotary die cooperating to punch holes in the web in regular intervals,

drive gears connected to said punch and to said die for rotating them in predetermined and coordinated relation,

guiding means receiving the web to be perforated and directing the web into the region between said punch and die,

means forming a positive drive connection from said main drive to at least one of said drive gears including' a control for disengaging said drive connection to permit said drive gears to rotate together but independently of said main drive for making an approximate alignment of the location of the holes formed by said punch and die with respect to the margins at which the successive forms are connected, and means operable on said web immediately ahead of said punch and said die and cooperating with said guiding means to guide the web along a path of variable length whereby a change in the length of said path will accomplish the final adjustment in the alignment of the punch and die relative to said margins of the forms as the forms pass between said punch and die.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said positive drive connection includes a driving gear rotatable in fixed relation to and driven by the main drive, an intermediate gear rotatable by said driving gear and mounted for movement between a normal driving position completing a positive drive connection from said driving gear to one of said drive gears of said punch and die and another position at which said drive connection is disengaged at said intermediate gear, means for locking said intermediate gear in its said normal position, and means for moving said intermediate gear beween its two positions when unlocked.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said intermediate gear is continually in mesh with said driving gear and is movable into and out of engagement with one of said drive gears for said punch and die.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said means operable to adjust the length of the path of the web with said guiding means includes a roller contacting said web intermediate said guiding means, mounting means for said roller providing for movement of the axis of rotation of said roller along an arc intersecting the path of travel of the web, and means for adjusting said mounting means to vary the position of said roller to change the length of the path the web must follow past said guiding means and over said roller.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,836,018 5/1958 Key 83-303 X 2,670,796 3/1954 Orr 83-303 3,004,457 10/1961 Abbenante 83'573 X 3,145,649 8/1964 Baasher 83573 X 3,369,436 2/1968 Loase 83343 X 20 WILLIAM S. LAWSON, Primary Examiner.