US690942A - Mail-marking machine. - Google Patents

Description

No. 690,942. Patented Jan. I4, I902.

- c. v. FYKE.

MAIL MARKING MACHINE.

{Application filed. June 8, 1901.)

(No Mode,l.)

. NiTlED hlirarns Parr r 1 tries.

CHARLES V. FYKE, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

MAIL-MARKING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Fatent No. 690,942, dated January 14, 1902.

Application fil d June 8, 1901. Serial No. 63,738. (No model.)

To all 1072 0711, it may concern.-

Be itknown that LCHARLns V. FYKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson, State of Mis souri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mail-Marking Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to mail-marking machines, and has for its object to provide certain improvements in that type of machine disclosed in an application for Letters Patent filed by John H. Barr and Charles V. Fyke January 29, 1901, Serial No. 45,253.

Specifically stated, my present improvement consists in certain novel mechanism for controlling the position of the impression member with respect to the printing member, said mechanism being actuated by the movement of a letter through the machine.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan View of the major portion of a mailmarking machine embodying my improved construction. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the machine on the line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view on the line 3 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the mechanism for controlling the position of the impression member. Fig. 5 is a detail top plan view of the same, the main table being removed.

Similar numerals of reference denote corresponding parts in the several views. 7 In the said drawings the reference-numeral 1 denotes the main table of the machine, having fixed thereon suitable partitions 2, 3, and 4 for dividing the table into a letter-feeding space 5, a letter-receiving space 6, and an intermediate space 7 for the mechanism. Located on the upper side of said table 1 are two pulleys S and 9, connected-by a letter-feeding belt 10, the shaft 11 of pulley 9 being preferably power-driven and having mounted thereon gear-wheel12, meshing with a similar gearwheel 13 on shaft 14, carrying the mail marking or printing cylinder 15, as shown.

The partition 3 is provided with a vertical shoulder 16, affording a stop for each letter, the releasing device and the mechanism for operating the same not being herein shown, as they are the same as those disclosed in the application hereinbefore referred to and, moreover, form no part of the present invention.

Mounted on the upper side of the table 1, opposite the printing-cylinder 15 and on the opposite side of the partition 3 therefrom, is an impression-cylinder 17, the shaft 18 of the same passing freely through an aperture on the table 1 and being mounted in an arm 19, pivoted to the under side of said table 1 at 20, a com pression-spring 21, having a regulating nut 22, serving to normally force said impression-cylinder 17 in contact with the printing cylinder 15.

Mounted on the shaft 11 of the printingcylinder 15 is a wheel 23, having a cam-surface 24 thereon, in the path of which lies a roller 25, mounted on an elbow-lever 26, having a vertical and a horizontal arm, the latter pivoted on a shaft 27, carried bya hanger 28, bolted to the under side of the table 1, as shown. Also pivotally mounted on said shaft 27 is a vertical arm 29, having ears 30, between which is pivoted a swinging abutment 31, projecting toward and almost in contact with the upper end of the vertical arm of bracket 26. Said arm 29 also carries at its upper end a projection 32, passing through a,

loop 33, formed on the impression-cylinder arm 19.

Mounted on the upper end of a vertical shaft 34, supported in a suitable bearing 35 on the table 1, is a finger 36, normally lying in the letter-path, the lowerend of said shaft 34 having an arm 37, to which is pivoted a link 38, pivoted at its other end to the abutment 31, intermediate the length of the latter, a coiled spring 39 serving to retain said finger 36, abutment 31, and their intermediate parts normallyin the position shown in Figs. 1 to 4.

From the above description the operation of my improved construction will be understood to be as follows: Constant rotation is imparted to shaft 11 from any suitable source of power and is transmitted therefrom to shaft 14, carrying the printing-cylinder 15, by means of gear-wheels 12 and 13. The wheel 23, carrying cam-surface 24, is thus also constantly rotated ,the latterlifting roller 25 once during each rotation of the former, which also raises elbow-lever 26 on its pivot, and thus moves the upper end of its vertical arm outward, the same contacting with the free end of abutment 31 when the parts are in the po sition shown in Figs. 1 to 4 and moving it a correspondingdistance. Thisendwisemovement of abutment 31 is imparted to the upper end of pivoted arm 29, and through the engagement of the projection 31 thereon with loop 33 on the impression-roller arm 19 the latter and its impression cylinder 17 are moved a corresponding distance away from the printing position and against the tension of spring 21. It will be observed, moreover, by referring to Fig. 2 that the cam-surface 24 lies on the same side of shaft 14. with the printing-surface on printing-cylinder 15, so that this movement of the impression-cylinder 17 away from said printing position occurs just as said printing-surface reaches the printing position, theroller 25 passing off the cam-surface 24 as said printing-surface leaves the printing position, the printing-cylinder and the intermediate parts being returned to their normal position by spring 21. When, however, a letter is fed between the feedbelt 10 and the partition 3, it contacts with and trips finger 3G, lying across its path of travel, thus turning said finger to the position shown in Fig. 5. The shaft 34 is correspondingly rotated, thus turning arm 37, which through link 38 swings abutment 31 away from the path of travel of the upper end of elbow-lever 26, as shown in Fig. 5. I/Vith the parts in this position the movement of this elbow-lever 26, due to the contact of roller 25 thereon with cam-surface 21, will not affect vertical arm 29, and the impression-cylinder 17 will rotate in contact with the printing-surface on printing-cylinder, and thus impart the desired impression to the letter passing therebetween, a yielding tension being exerted on said impression-roller through spring 21 to permit it to yield to letters of extra thickness. The passage of the letter will permit the finger 36 and its controlled parts, including abutment 31, to resume their normal position, (shown in Figs. 1 to 4,) due to the tension of spring 39, and if no further letters follow the impression-cylinder 17 will be again carried away from the printing po sition, as hereinbefore described.

While the dead-weight of the elbow-lever 26 will probably be sufficient to keep the roller 25 constantly in contact with the wheel 23 or cam-surface 2%, I prefer to employ a coiled compression-spring 40, located between said elbow-lever 26 and the hanger 28 for positively accomplishing this result, as will be readily understood.

Having thus described my invention, what Ielaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a mail-marking machine, the combination with means for feeding the letters to be marked, a rotating printing cylinder, and an impression-surface, said cylinder and su rface normally lying at the printing position, of means for periodically moving one of said printing-couple from the printing position consisting of a cam on the rotating parts of ceases the machine, a pivoted elbow-lever moved by said cam, a pivoted arm connected with the movable member of the printing-couple, and an abutment intermediate said elbow-lever and arm for transmitting the cam-imparted motion from the former to the latter and from the latter to the movable member of the printing-couple, substantially as set forth.

2. In a mail-marking machine, the combination with means for feeding the letters to be marked, a rotating printing-cylinder, and an impression-surface normally lying at the printing position, of means for periodically moving said impression-surface away from the printing position consisting of a cam on the rotating parts of the machine, a pivoted elbow-lever moved by said cam, a pivoted arm connected with the impression-surface, and an abutment intermediate said elbowlever and arm for transmitting the cam-imparted motion from the former to the latter and from the latter to the impression-surface, substantially as set forth.

3. In a mail-marking machine, the combination with means for feeding the letters to be marked, a rotating printing-cylinder, an impression-surface, said cylinder and surface normally lying at the printing position, and means for periodically moving one of said printing-couple from the printing position consisting of a cam on the rotating parts of the machine, a pivoted elbow-lever moved by said cam, a pivoted arm connected with the movable member of the printing-couple, and a movable abutment intermediate said elbow-leverand arm for transmitting the camimparted motion from the former to the latter and from the latter to the movable member of the printing-couple, of a finger in the letter-path, and connections intermediate said finger and abutment and operated by said finger to shift said abutment from its position between the elbow-lever and arm, substantially as set forth.

4. In a mail-marking machine, the combi nation with means for feeding the letters to be marked, a rotating printing-cylinder, an impressionsurface normally lying at the printing position, and means for periodically moving said impression-surface away from the printing position consisting of a cam on the rotating parts of the machine, a pivoted elbow-lever moved by said cam, a pivoted arm connected with the impression-surface, and a movable abutment intermediate said elbow-lever and arm for transmitting the cam-imparted motion from the former to the latter and from the latter to the impressionsurface, of a finger in the letter-path, and connections intermediate said finger and abutment and operated by said finger to shift said abutment from its position between the elbow-lever and arm, substantially as set forth.

5. In a mail-marking machine, the combination of means for feeding the letters to be marked, a rotating printing-cylinder, an impression-cylinder normally lying at the printhaving a common pivot with the vertical arm,

ing-point, a pivoted arm carrying said im-' pression-cylinder, a vertical pivoted arm carrying a projection engaged with a loop on said impression-cylinder arm, an elbow-lever finger and operated by said finger to shift said abutment from its position between the elbow-lever and vertical arm, substantially 15 as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set a cam on the printing-cylinder shaft controlmy hand in the presence of two subscribing ling the movement of said elbow-lever, aux witnesses, abutment pivoted to said vertical arm and normally lying in the path of movement of I the free end of said elbow-lever when actuated by said cam, a finger in the letter-path, and means intermediate said abutment and CHARLES V. FYKE.

Witnesses:

NELLA P. OoWEN, E. L. SNIDER.

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