US676034A - Sorting-plates. - Google Patents

Description

No. 676,034. Patented lune ll, I90l. S. ELLIOTT.

SORTING PLATES.

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SORTING PLATES.

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Wilnuow u a; 44 d No. 676,034. Patented lune II, l90l. S. ELLIOTT.

SORTING PLATES.

(Application filed July 7, 1897. Renewed Nov. 12, 1900.) (No Model.)

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No. 676,034. Patented lune ll, l90l- 8. ELLIOTT. I

SORTING PLATES.

(Applimiou filed July '7, 1897. Renewed Nov. 19, 1900.) (No Model.) 4 Shaots-$heet 4.

JOHN SMIITH SIN/IIIITIHIVILLE MASS JE JHN SMIITIH] SMIITIHIVIILILE MASS JCQHN SMIITIHI S-MIITHIVII LIL. E

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STERLING ELLIOTT, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE ELLIOTT COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SORTlNG-PLATES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 676,034, dated June 1 1, 1901. Application filed July 7, 1897. Renewed November 12, 1900. Serial No. 36,294. (No model.)

To all whom it Ina/3,1 concern:

Be it known that I, STERLING ELLIOTT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sorting-Plates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to sets of cards, plates, or articles which are intended for repeated use-as, for instance, plates for printing the names and addresses of subscribers for newspapers or periodicals, but some of which are used foragreaternumberoftimesthan others; and my invention consists in providing the different plates of the set, including all for any given purpose, with regular successions of bearing or contact points terminating at different points upon the different plates, according to the number of times the plates are to be used, said bearing or contact points being situated so as to cooperate with a movable controller upon the moving part of a machine, whereby certain of the plates, according to the predetermined arrangement of the contacting points or parts, may be separated from the others, as fully set forth hereinafter and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of an apparatus for addressing newspaplates embodying my improvement. Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional elevation on the line 4 4, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a part sectional edge view of the lever device shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 isa perspective view illustrating a modified form of apparatus, and Figs. 7 to 11 illustrate different forms and arrangements of printing cards or plates.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention I have shown it in connection with an apparatus for printing addresses upon newspapers in connection with a series of stencils or stencil-cards A, each of which has series of perforations so arranged as to outline the name and address of one of the subscribers. The stencils may be designated by the general term plates, as they may be of different kinds, but each series of which constitutes practically a set, some of which are to continue in use for a longer time than others. These stencils, one for each subscriber, are placed one above the other in a holder B, arranged above a table or platform D and above a channel 00 in said platform, in which channel reciprocates a pusher E, which may be carried back to the position shown in Fig.1 at the rear of the lowermost stencil of the pile and which when moved in the direction of its arrow, Fig. 1, pushes the said lower most stencil A along the channel w to a position opposite another channel y at right angles to the channel 00 and directly below a reciprocating head J. This head has a projection 5, around which extends a saturated strip 6, supplied with a suitable liquid ink, which can pass under pressure through the perforations in the stencil-plate to the surface of the wrapper of a newspaper X, supported below the stencil-plate upon a bed F, which may be raised and lowered by means of a pedal G.

Under the normal action of the parts described the pusher E will first push the lower stencil-plate from below the pile to a position below the head J. The operator places anewspaper X upon the bed F and then lifts the latter by means of the pedal to press the newspaper against the under side of the stencilplate. The head J descends and presses the saturated strip 6 against the upper part of the stencil-plate, causing the ink to pass through the perforations and onto the wrapper of the newspaper. Meanwhile the pusher E has moved back to the position shown in Fig. 1. The operator then releases the treadle, takes off the paper addressed, and inserts another in its place, the head J rising and the pusher E moving forward and pushing another stencil into place, the contact of the second stencil with the first causing the latter to be discharged from the recess 8 at the right, Fig. 1, onto an inclined plate 7 and thence into any suitable receptacle. (Not shown.) As the second stencil takes its position the operator presses the pedal, lifts the second paper into position, and the head J descends and the second name and address is printed.

It is of course desirable that the above-described operations, in connection with the mechanism described or with any suitable mechanism that will properly shift the addressing-plates and bring them successively into position to print addresses upon successive papers or other matter, shall continue so long as the successive stencils contain the names of those whose terms of subscription have not expired. It is also desirable to throw out of operation or discard or separate from the remaining stencils those containing the names of subscribers whose subscriptions have expired or will expire upon the receipt of the paper or other matter being printed. To this end each of the stencils is provided with a bearing or series of bearings or cont acts, (all of which I include under the term bearings,) the arrangement of which upon the stencil varies according to the length of the term for which the subscription is given or the number of times the plate must be used before being automatically separated from the active plates or those which must continue in use, and these hearings so cooperate with a pin or its equivalent (which I term a sorter) upon the machine that the latter will operate to mechanically discharge or separate from the others any stencil after the printing from the latter of the last number of the publication covered by the subscription.

In the apparatus illustrated the head J carries a sorter-pin K, which may be arranged progressively in different positions upon the head or successively at different points thereon, the position being changed or advanced at each issue of the publication or at each passage of the mass of plates through the apparatus-that is, there being a succession of openings y to 3 in the head J (when the publication is a monthly publication) the pin is arranged first in the opening y and its position is successively advanced upon the printing of each monthly edition. If, however, no subscriptions are taken for less than acertain time-say eight weeksthe pin need not of necessity be put in place until two monthly editions have been printed.

Assuming that the bearing or coacting feature of the stencils consists of imperforate or solid parts or spaces, there is actually or theoretically upon each stencil twelve points coinciding with the twelve openings y of the head J, and an opening it is made in each stencil at such a point as will coincide with the position which the sorter-pin K will occupy with the issue of the number with which the subscription expires. Thus assuming that the subscription of John Smith, of Smithville, Mass, expires with the sixth issue of the publication after the subscription is received the stencil A, containing the subscribers name, embodies five bearing-points which on successive passages contact with the sorting-pin and is punched at the sixth point upon the stencil, and the pin K will coincide with this point after the sixth adjustment of the said pin.

In the construction shown the pin slides freely in each opening, but is held in any position to which it is adjusted by the contact of a spring 15, and when the head J risesthe upper end of the pin strikes the flange of a contact-piece L upon the frame of the machine, so that the head continues to rise While the pin is held stationary. \Vhen the head descends, if the end of the pin makes contact with the face of the stencil the movement of the pin is arrested While the head continues its descent, and this will be the case upon each reciprocation of the head until the pin in its descent, instead of meeting a bearing on the face of the stencil, is brought toward a stencil having an opening in line with the pin, in which case the latter will pass through the opening and meet and bear upon a contact-piece L, completing an electric circuit, which causes, through suitable mechanism, a second pusher E to move forward as the head rises and push the opposite stencil A into the channel y and when the next stencil is pushed into the channel y the first is discharged from the said channel into a suitable receptacle. (Not shown).

In the apparatus illustrated the pusher E is connected with an operating-lever M, which moves outward under the influence of a spring 17 and inward under the action of a cam or toe 18 on a rotating shaft 19, the said cam bearing upon a wing 20, pivoted to one side of the lever M and having an opening 22, adapted to receive a bolt 23, carried by the lever M. As shown, the bolt 23 is the core of a solenoid N and normally is held out of the opening 22 by the action of a spring 25; but when the circuit is completed by the contact of the pin K and contact-piece L the coil is excited and the core 23 is thrown outward and into the opening 22, looking the wing 20 to the lever M. So long as the wing is not locked to the lever it will swing freely under the action of the cam 18; but when it is locked to the said lever the wing and the lever together will be swung by the action of the cam, and the pusher E will operate to push the opposite stencil into the channel y.

In the apparatus shown the shaft 19 drives a shaft 26 through bevel-gears 27, and a cam 28 on the shaft 26 swings an operating-lever M in a direction to carry the pusher E inward, while a spring 30 carries the parts in the opposite direction.

I wish it to be understood that in describing the above apparatus I have done so only to illustrate the application of my invention and do not here claim the same, nor do I claim an apparatus embodying the general features specified, as this is the subject of a separate application, Serial No. 2,050, of 1900. I have referred to stencils and stenoil-plates; but instead of these there may be printing-plates --as, for instance, thin metal lic plates provided with rubber type 8, (see Fig .7 )--any necessary changes being made in the printing-machine required by the change in the character of the printing-plates. Further, instead of bearing-points followed by openings permitting the passage of the pin when the printing-plate is to be discarded there may be openings permitting said passage, so long as plates are to be retained followed by bearings, so that the shifting of the pin by final contact with the bearing of the plate causes the discharge of the latter, or a metallic strip or piece may be cemented to the printing-plate in proper position to make contact with the pin at proper times and complete a circuit. Further, the plate mayhave pins at the edge, Fig. 9, or openings at the edge, as shown in Fig. 10, for the reception of pins placed in proper position to make contact with cooperating devices, or there may be movable type -blocks, one, 15, longer than the other, Fig. 11. Any of these may serve to vary the action of the shifters to throw out certain of the plates, and the said cooperating devices instead of being electrical may be mechanical. Instead of one pin K two or more may be used.

It will be evident that my improvement may be used not only in connection with a set of printing-plates or cards of any character whenever it is necessary that the different cards or plates of the set shall be repeatedly used; but some for a greater number of times than others.

While I have shown the pin K or controller as adjustable in respect to the indicators upon the plates, the said pin may occupy a stationary position upon the head J or other moving part, and the plates may be so carried as to progressively occupy different positions.

Without limiting myself to any special character of plate, I claim 1. A set of plates for automatic sorting consisting of a plurality of plates provided with ,bearing or contact points arranged in regular succession and terminating in different positions upon different plates of the set, to coact with an automatic sorting device to vary the action of the latter in connection with the plates after the number of operations of the plates in connection with the sorting device determined by the arrangementof said bearing-points,substantially as set forth. 2. A set of sorting-plates for repeated use consisting of a plurality of plates provided with means for actuating a sorting device, arranged in regular succession throughout the set according to the number of times the different plates are to be used, to vary the number of operations in connection with the sorting device according to the disposition of the actuating means on the plates, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

STERLING ELLIOTT.

Witnesses:

FRANK J. HOWELL, M. R. MAGUIRE.

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