US3608485A

US3608485A - Clipboard data recorder

Info

Publication number: US3608485A
Application number: US790785A
Authority: US
Inventors: Erwin F C Schulze
Original assignee: Multigraphics Inc
Current assignee: DBS Inc
Priority date: 1969-01-13
Filing date: 1969-01-13
Publication date: 1971-09-28
Anticipated expiration: 1988-09-28
Also published as: BE742550A; NL7000404A; FR2028175A1; DE1952489A1

Abstract

A printing machine with a separable portable tray and a roller platen. The tray has a clip to hold a form set by one edge and allow the other edge to extend without restraint. The tray serves as a common reference plane for a separable printing plate and variable data wheels both carried by the tray.

Description

United States Patent lnventor Erwin F. C. Schulze Novelty, Ohio Appl. No. 790,785

Filed Jan. 13, 1969 Patented Sept. 28, 1971 Assignee Addressograph Multigraph Corporation Cleveland, Ohio CUPBOARD DATA RECORDER 1 Claim, 2 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 101/269 B4lf 3/04 Field of Search 101/269, 274, 250, 407, 45

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,232,230 2/ 1966 Sheldon 101/269 3,083,641 4/1963 Childset et al. 101/269 3,188,949 6/1965 Hill 101/269 3,236,177 2/1966 Perry et al. 101/269 3,274,931 9/1966 Patterson 101/269 3,358,596 12/1967 Davis 101/269 3,405,634 10/1968 Maul 101/45 3,446,144 5/1969 Frampton et al. 101/269 3,447,458 6/1969 Hu 101/269 3,485,166 12/1969 Wright et a1 101/269 X Primary Examiner-William B. Penn Att0rneysRussell L. Root and Ray S. Pyle ABSTRACT: A printing machine with a separable portable tray and a roller platen. The tray has a clip to hold a form set by one edge and allow the other edge to extend without restraint. The tray serves as a common reference plane for a separable printing plate and variable data wheels both carried by the tray.

CLIPBOARD DATA RECORDER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the early use of printing recorders, the printed documents were human read and analyzed. Impact or pressure was sufficient to produce a copy legible enough for human scan. As purchasing by credit cards increased, and as the use of such record printing spread to other phases of business, it became necessary because of high volume demands, to scan the printed records by machine readers. Multiple copies also became necessary. Roller platen pressure has become recognized as the preferred manner of applying the required printing pressure to produce machine readable copy.

It was then found that the inherently better results by roller imprinting was often nullified whenever multiple-leaf form pads are used for multiple copies, because of a tendency for the leaf, and others to a lesser degree, tending to follow after the roller, causing a distortion of the printing.

Prior to this invention, the accepted method of holding a form, or pad, was to establish guides, as shown for example, in US. Pat. No. 3,236,177. For general use, in human reading and few leaves, such a retainer is satisfactory.

A second facet of consideration is involved whenever separable trays are used for assembly of printing plates and form sets apart from the impression machine. Such approach is advocated for use in situations where several persons can make use of one machine. The tray makes possible the assembly of a printing member and a form set apart from the machine, but introduces a problem of manufacturing tolerances.

The space between the top of the printing characters on av printing member and the platen must be less than the combined thickness of a sheet which receives the printed impression and the pressure-release ink sheet or ribbon. This space is critical. It has been discovered that excessive variation in printing quality between areas printed by the plate and areas printed by handset dater wheels and similar devices is due to lack of a common reference. Machines which have a fixed bed' 40 to hold the plates and dater wheels can be adjusted into a common plane and thereafter will remain in proper relationship.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a roller platen machine, and a separable field board tray for transporting printing impression members and forms.

FIG. 2 is a section taken along line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the field board.

FIG. 4 is a section as viewed along line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a section as viewed along line 5-5 of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The illustrated embodiment of the invention, preferred in this instance because of its combination of at least two novel features, is one of a series of printing machines of the type adapted to take impressions from replaceable printing plate members, and employing a separable portable tray. The machine is indicated generally by the reference character in FIG. 1. A printing plate 11, recognizable as a portable embossed device such as commonly carried by patrons of business establishments, and referred to as a credit card, is illustrated as the source of the date to be imprinted upon a suitable form. A roller platen 12, shown only in FIG. 2, is the device used to actually make the impression from the printing plate 1 1.

According to this invention, a portable tray 14, sometimes referred to in the trade as a field board, has an upper surface 15 for supporting various elements during the printing operation. The tray 14 is shown separated from the combination machine in the FIGS. 3 through 5.

In this embodiment of the tray 14, an indentation I6 is provided to accept the printing plate 11. The indentation makes possible the insertion and removal of the plate member 11 without auxiliary fastening devices. A station plate I7 is used to identify the location at which the printing machine is located, or provide similar semipermanent information for every impression, and therefore is attached on the surface 15 in at least a semipermanent manner. Date wheels 18, which consists of a series of individual wheels with characters on the periphery thereof, are handsetable to provide a date for the transaction. Sometimes such wheels provide count or other information.

According to this invention, a clip 20 is provided on the edge of the tray 14 for holding a paper form. The normal form is a plurality of thin paper elements separated by sheets of carbon paper. Normally there are several such sheets in a form set. In order not to have an excessive thickness which will cause a reduction of clarity in the imprinted form, the paper is made as thin and light weight as practical. Because of this thin nature, and because the carbon paper has a tendency to act as a lubricant, these paper sheets, and particularly the top sheet, have a tendency to slide relative to one another. When the form set is placed on the printing plate 11 and rolled by the platen 12, the necessary exact registration is lost by such slippage. Therefore, the paper clip 20 is provided to grasp the edge of a form set, and the clip is placed on the side of the tray in the area where the tray first encounters the platen.

In this instance, the tray is designed to pass from the righthand side of the machine, under the roller platen 12, and out to the left side. Therefore the left side of the tray in FIG. 3 is the lead edge. Hence, by placing the clip 20 on the left side, it is thereby placed in the area of the tray adjacent the first platen position to contact the tray during the printing action. The paper clamp serves to fasten a document to the tray in a position to overlie the printing member 11 held by-the indentation 16 with the form extending from the clamp 20 from left to right which is a direction along the path of platen travel. The platen may be said to reach a second platen position after it has traversed the length of the portable tray 14.

Although the illustration and description is with respect to a fixed roller platen 12, it will be observed that the description of relative encounter of platen and tray is such that a movable platen could be used with respect to a stationary tray.

Referring to FIG. 4, the clip 20 will be seen to be mounted by a pivot 21 and to extend to handle edge 22. An edge area 23 of the tray is tapered downwardly toward the clip area in order that the clip may rest upon the edge 23 with the clip top at a level which is no higher than the normal operating height of the printing plate and form set. A spring 24 carried under the edge 23, and projecting to the handle 21, urges the clip 20 against the edge 23.

The illustrated embodiment of the machine 10 for use of the portable tray 14, is built upon a base 27. There are three rollers 28 built into and carried by the base 27. See FIGS. 1 and 2. A drivebelt 30 tracks around the three rollers. A drive gear train 31, deriving power from a motor 32, is conventionally applied to the rollers 28 to drive the belt 30.

In FIG. 2 there are illustrated two opposed tracks 35. The tray 14 has a lower surface 36 which slides over the top surface of the tracks 35. Depending from the lower surface 36 are two oppositely spaced guides 38 which interlock with the tracks 35 and provide guiding stability for the tray as it moves over the surface of tracks 35.

In a fixed bed data printing machine, the card printing plate 1 1 takes its reference plane from the fixed bed with respect to the platen. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the printing plate 11 takes its reference from the upper surface 15 of the tray 14, and in turn that upper surface 15 takes its reference from the upper surface of the track 35. The space between the roller 12 and the upper surface of track 35, therefore, becomes a critical clearance in this type of machine wherein the portable tray is removable from the machine.

it has been discovered that in order to produce accuracy in aseparable tray situation it is desirable, if not necessary, to carry the date wheels 18 on the tray 14 rather than as a fixed part of the machine 10. Refer to FIG. 5. Here is shown a sling 41 to support the date wheels 18. Each of the several wheels 18 has a plurality of characters 42 around the periphery thereof. The printing plate 11 carries embossed characters 44. In the FIG. it is shown that by placing the date wheels on the tray 14, the

characters

42 and 44 are accurately aligned into one plane under all circumstances. The problem of machine tolerances in manufacturing are substantially reduced with respect to proper alignment of the printing surfaces into a plane. Wear of any surface becomes much less a cause of variance in the pressure spacing.

Alsodepending from the bottom surface 36 of the tray 14 is a rack 47 having teeth 48. The teeth 48 are positioned to interlock with the drive teeth on the belt 30 for drive of the tray along the tracks 35.

Finally, standard 50 and crossarm 52 are provided to hold the roller platen 12 in its desired location above the path of travel for the tray 14. In the form illustrated, a degree of resiliency is provided in the support of platen roller 12, and known truss structures may be added if rigidity is desired.

Whereas the present invention has been shown and described herein in what is conceived to be the best mode contemplated, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention which is, therefore, not to be limited to the details disclosed herein, but is to be afforded the full scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. In the art of printing machines of the type adapted to use portable printing plates, a machine comprising:

a base;

a roller platen;

a portable tray defining a printing bed, said bed having a surface to receive a printing plate, said bed removably seated on the base; I

said tray having at least one edge border area, a paper form holder clip located on said tray in said border area, said clip including pivot means, said pivot means and all portions of said clip lying substantially at or below the level of said bed surface which supports said printing plates;

means for driving said platen and tray relative to one another in a printout path so that a part of the tray which carries the clip completely underlies the relative path traversed by the platen and tray with the clip positioned in the path, said clip and platen being so positioned as to pass relative to one another;

said tray affording a generally rectangular planar printing bed adapted to support a printing plate for having an imprint made therefrom;

guide means for locating a document on a tray in fixed position to be held by said clip;

means on the tray for temporarily securing the printing plate thereto;

whereby any document that is fastened by the clip to the edge area of the tray will thereby be prevented from billowing when a printing operation is taking place.

Claims

1. In the art of printing machines of the type adapted to use portable printing plates, a machine comprising: a base; a roller platen; a portable tray defining a printing bed, said bed having a surface to receive a printing plate, said bed removably seated on the base; said tray having at least one edge border area, a paper form holder clip located on said tray in said border area, said clip including pivot means, said pivot means and all portions of said clip lying substantially at or below the level of said bed surface which supports said printing plates; means for driving said platen and tray relative to one another in a printout path so that a part of thE tray which carries the clip completely underlies the relative path traversed by the platen and tray with the clip positioned in the path, said clip and platen being so positioned as to pass relative to one another; said tray affording a generally rectangular planar printing bed adapted to support a printing plate for having an imprint made therefrom; guide means for locating a document on a tray in fixed position to be held by said clip; means on the tray for temporarily securing the printing plate thereto; whereby any document that is fastened by the clip to the edge area of the tray will thereby be prevented from billowing when a printing operation is taking place.