US788814A

US788814A - Addressing-machine.

Info

Publication number: US788814A
Application number: US8711301A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles A Belknap
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1901-12-24
Filing date: 1901-12-24
Publication date: 1905-05-02
Anticipated expiration: 1922-05-02

Description

PATENTBD MAY 2, 1905.

C. A. BELKNAP.

ADDRESSING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED DEG. 24. 1901.

B SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED MAY 2, 1905.

C. A. BELKNAP.

ADDRESSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 13110.24, 1901.

6 BEETS-SHEET 2.

PATENTED MAY 2, 1905.

G. A. BELKNAP.

. ADDRESSING MACHINE.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 24, 1901.

wit am e a PATENTEI; MAY 2, 1905.

C. A. BELKNAP. ADDRESSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION IILED 9120.24, 1901.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

a 1 m. A a u vfi 3 1 1 Z 2 n w M z, a M 6 Z 1X) new as $13 atto'zvl.

No. 788,814. PATENTED MAY 2, 1905.

'c. A. BELKNAP.

ADDRESSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEU- 24, 1901.

qsHnnTs-srmnl' 5.

WWW.- a v Jvwe/n/tor/ No. 788,814. 7 PATEINITEDY MAY 2, 1905.

' 0. A. BELKNAP.

ADDRESSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED mac. 24,1901.

6 SHEETS-SHEET a.

UNITED STATES Patented May 2, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

ADDRESSING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 788,814, dated May 2, 1905.

Application filed December Wk, 1901. Serial No. 87,113.

To all whont it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES A. BELKNAP, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the borough of Brooklyn and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Addressing L/Iachines, of which the following is aspecification.

The present invention'relates to machines for addressing wrappers, envelops, &c., or for any other purposes where printing is accomplished through the medium of what are known as stencil-cards, examples of which class of machines are shown by my prior patents, No. 628,385, dated July 4, 1899, and No. 634,39 L, dated February 13, 1900.

Among the objects of the present invention are contemplated the provision of means for guiding the stencil-cards properly and rapidly along the stencil-carrier; means for enabling the filing of the cardbozges in a suitable case or cabinet for ready reference and for mountin =3 the cards on the machine so that the cards from one box may be passed through the machine and transferred to another box, which may then be removed and the emptied box put in its place; -means for causing a proper distribution of the ink; improved means for preventing the smudging of the cards, and re a liable means for gathering up the cards into the card-receiving box from the stencil-carrier.

Additional objects of the invention are to provide an addressing or printing-machine, which is up to date, is simple, easily managed, may be run by foot or motor power, as by an electric motor, and which is substantial and economical.

With these objects in View my invention consists of certain novel features and details to be hereinafter fully described and then claimed.

In the accompanying six sheets of drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of an add ressinginachine embodying my invention, parts in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is aview of the opposite side of the machine, the lower portion of the same being broken away. In both these figures the upper ends of the card-boxes (hoppers) are broken away and the machine is printing. Fig. 3 is a view of the same side as Fig. 2, the stencil-carrier being shown in the act of delivering the used stencil-card to the receiving-box. Fig. 3 is a detail showing the eccentric adjustment for the links which support the impression-roll. Fig. 4=is a sectional plan view on line A 4, Fig. 1, the card-boxes and the ink-reservoir being omitted. Fig. 5 is a sectional detail on line 5 5, Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a plan, and Fig. 7 an edge view, of one of the stencil-cards such as may be employed. Figs. 8 and 9 are detail longitudinal sections, parts omitted, showing how the cards are fed and conducted from the supply-box to the receiving-box. Fig. '10 is a sectional view of the lower part of the holder for the receiving-box, showing a detail thereof. Fig. 11 is a rear view-of the lower or cam portion of the machine. Fig. 12 is adetail view of the ink-reservoir, showing the preferred means of supporting the same. Fig. 18 is a detail front view showing the supports and holder for the receiving-box and the front end of the stencil-carrier,which is in its lower position'for printing. Fig. 14 is a similar view of same parts in position just delivering a used stencil-card to the receiving-box, and Figs. 15Vand 16 are details of the cardcatches.

Referring now to the drawings, A indicates the frame of the machine, which supports the stencil-carrier B, that, is ordinarily pivoted at B to said frame and is provided with longitudinal ways 6 for the printing-cards or stencil-cards O, that are best made of parchmentpaper perforated by needle letters or characters and reinforced by a suitable frame, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. This is the form of card to which this machine is best adapted and which form is well known. The frameA is provided with a suitable impression bed or table A. A driving-shaft D, provided with belt-pulley D is journaled in bearings of the frame A, and this shaft may be operated from any suitable source of power, as an electric motor or the like, or foot-power, if desired. Preferably three separate cams are used to drive the parts of the machine, these cams D" D D being keyed to the shaft D. The cams appear in Figs. '1 and 11. The cam D receives in its cam-groove an antifrictionroller b on the lower end of an arm B which is fixed rigidly to the transverse rock-shaft B, forming the pivot of the oscillating stencilcarrier B, that is provided with a bottom plate I), having a longitudinal slot or slots 6 in which the pusher E moves and is guided for the purpose of pushing or feeding the stencilcards along the said stencil carrier. The pusher consists, preferably, of a suitable plate guided on bottom plate I) and provided with rearwardly beveled noses e, that protrude through the slots 6 so as to push the cards forwardly upon the forward movement thereof and to simply glide under them without any effect on the rearward movement. Cam D receives a roller f on a lever F, pivoted at f to the frame of the machine, and which conveniently operates the pusher E by means of it link F connecting the said pusher and said ever.

Cams D D are so laid out that when the stencil-carrier B moves downwardly into the position shown in Fig. 9 the pusher moves forwardly to feed a stencil-card from a supply-box, while when the stencil-carrier moves upwardly, as shown in Fig. 8, the pusher moves back in about the way disclosed in my earlier patent referred to. A pivoted stop E is designed to engage the card lying under it and to prevent that card and the one or ones in front from creeping back. A spring-arm E is fixed to a cross-piece E between the sides of the stencil-carrier and extends forwardly in the direction of travel of the stencil-cards, so as to press down upon the middle portions of the said cards, thereby flattening them and holding their ends in proper sliding contact with the ways I) of the stencil-carrier; otherwise the cards would perhaps buckle or run hard and objectionably in their guides.

I-leretofore the stencil-card boxes were rigidly fixed to the machine in the form of stationary hoppers. Now they are removable, and, in fact, they may be simply slipped into and out of the machine. To this end the frame of the machine is usually formed with brackets G G at each side of the same, the rear portions of the brackets having opposite upwardly extending slideways g g, which portions form a holder or socket for the supply-box 1-], while the front portions have upwardly-extending slideways g g, which likewise form a holder or socket for the receiving or collecting box H. For convenience, in some of the claims the box and its support will be designated a hopper. The lower end of each holder g or g is ordinarily made smaller than the upper end, which receives the removablebox, the shoulder formed thereby being for the supply-box H indicated by g and for the receiving-box by g. The crossarea of the lower portion of each holder is in correspondence with that of the box in position, and the box is pushed in until it rests on or abuts against the appropriate shoulder. This means of mounting the box removably on the machine also obviates the use of special means of attachment. The removable boxes may first serve as supply-boxes and then as collecting-boxes, or vice versa. The great advantage of detachable, and particularly freely and quickly detachable, boxes is that a set of, say, twelve boxes may be contained as drawers in a suitable case or cabinet, and each box may contain addresses for a certain county, State, or locality. Also the ready detachability of the boxes obviates the necessity of the operator handling the cards and so dirtying the hands as to soil the work.

At the front end of the bottom plate 5 of the stencil-carrier the same is cut out at 5 so as to provide an opening or recess, which is located above the platen portion of the table A, permitting an imprint to be made upon a sheet, card, or envelop which may be placed on the table.

I 1 indicate inking and impression rolls, respectively, the first inking the latter, so as to enable it to ink the stencil-card under it. These rolls are preferably arranged in permanent contact on shafts z' c", which are journaled in suitable reciprocating devices. The shaft t' of. inking-roll I is journaled in the ends of a pair of links '5 that are pivoted to the forks of a lever 2' operated from the cam D while the shaft 2" of the impression-roll I is journaled in extension-links 2", which are pivoted to the links 71 The roll I is guided in in a-straight path under and in working contact with a suitable inking means or pad by means ofastraight guideway 'on both sides of the stencil-carrier B, the shaftt'carryingapair of guide-rollers j, which turn thereon and travel upon the surfaces of the said guideways. Rotation is imparted to the inking-roll I by a rack J, fixed stationary to one side of the stencil-carrier, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and by a pinion J, keyed to shaft z' and meshing constantly with said rack, so as to rotate the inking-roll I and cause it to rotate the impressionroll 1, which is accomplished, as shown by Fig. 1, by means of a gear-wheel 7a, keyed on shaft 2' and meshing with a gear-wheel 7c, having less teeth and keyed to the shaft of impressionroll I. The impression-roll 1 is thus speeded to turn faster than the contacting inking-roll I, with the result that the roll acts as a doctor to prevent any surplus ink from being applied to roll I. Only a thin film of ink is therefore evenly distributed onto the impression-roll I, and as the latter is inked afresh with each reciprocation of the rolls a very neat and uni form imprint of an address, label, or any other matter is made through the underlying stencilcard. In the detail view Fig. 3 there is more clearly shown the means for adjusting the throw of the impression-roll. This consists in slitting the ends of links 11 and in forming a circular hole in each to receive a rotary disk U, which fits snugly therein and may be I clamped in position by a set-screw is entering the slit portion of the link. The pivot-screws 70, which connect the forked lever i with the links i pass through eccentric holes Z in the rotary adjusting-disks Ztfin consequence of which the axial adjustment of the said disks determines the finalimpression position of the impression-roll.

Ways j for guiding the inking-roll in a straight path are located at the inner sides of the side pieces of the stencil-carrier B, and on the outside of the same are ways Z Z for the impression-roll. The portions Z of.the ways Z Z run parallel with the Waysj; but the portions Z thereof at the free end of the stencil-carrier are arranged off to one side, so as to form a "drop, so to speak, for the impression-roll. Shaft t" of the roll I carries loose rollers Z which travel along the surfaces of the ways Z Z, and, due to the articulation of the links supporting the rolls I I, the roll I" is moved laterally and is caused to drop when its shaft enters the guideway portion Z. The construction of guideways Z Z with the intermediate cam or shoulder Z is to cause the impression-roll to drop into contact with the stencil-card to be inked just after the roll clears the marginal portion or frame of the stencil-card, thereby avoiding the smudging or inking of any portion except the real stencil or perforated portion. This contact is adjusted by the adjusts ing means such as shown in Fig. 3*.

As the ways for the impression-roll are somewhat wider than the rollers Z which travel therein, a helical tension-spring L connects the links atone side of the machine for giving a spring action to the impression-roll. The said spring L raises the impressionroll clear of the stencil-cards upon its backward motion. The spring Z does not raise the impression-roll upon a forward movement of the roll, for the reason that the conformation of the guide Z Z is such, as will be apparent from Fig. Z, that the impression-roll cannot rise until it is moving in contact with the shoulder Z This is brought about by the lifting action of the said spring, and the shoulder Z causes the impression-roll to be depressed upon the forward movement of the said roll. The shoulder causes the roll to be lowered onto the stencil-card for printing and does not permit the roll to rise until it is moved in contact therewith by the action of the said spring.

Preferably a padded inking device, such as shown in my copending application filed Jannary 30, 1901, Serial No. 42,286, is the medium for supplying ink. Fig. 12 shows substantially the same, and some of the other figures indicate its position. The inking device consists of a reservoir P, that contains a supply of suitable ink and which is provided with a padded bottom covered by a fabric or gauze of fine mesh, onto the lower surface of H. "of automatic catches in the lower ends of the which the ink exudes. Reservoir P is provided with an annular groovep and an annular series of ratchet-teeth 1). guides P, which are fixed to the upper edges of the stencil-carrier B or other suitable support, fit in the groove 19, and a suitably-actuated spring-retracted pawl Q takes against the ratchet-teeth p and imparts intermittent rotation to the reservoir. The pawlQis pivoted. to a slide Q, mounted on a fixed guide rail or rod Q around which is coiled a helical spring Q, that acts on the slide and holds the pawl in normal retracted position. Slide Q is extended to form a contact projection g, which is struck by a tappet 9, formed by the upward prolongation of the adjacent fork of lever 6 which reciprocates the impressionroll. Simultaneously with the forward operative movement of the impression-roll the ink-reservoir is given a partial rotation to present a varied inked surface to the inkingroll.

Means are provided in this machine for gathering or catching up the stencil-cards which have been used each time the stencilcarrier moves up toward the collecting-box To this end there are mounted a number guide-pieces g, which are preferably so constructed that each time a card is caught up it is held so positively that any downward pressure on the collected cards cannot open the catches, as they respond only to upward motion; Said catches consist in the form here shown (see Figs. 13, 8-10, and 1314i.) of upright pivots m, swivelecl in the lower ends of the guide-pieces g, and cam-noses m on the lower ends of said pivots. Suitable springs m fixed to the guide-pieces 9, act on cranks m formed on the pivots 'm, and protruding through recesses m in said guidepieces. The arrangement of cranks and camnoses described is such that the springs cause the cam-noses .to protrude inwardly beyond the inner walls of the guide-pieces 9, so that 'when a used stencil-card is brought forcibly up by the stencil-carrier the edges of the card will act on the incline of the cam-noses and result in pushing them to, one side, in doing which the spring-controlled pivots m are rotated approximately a quarter-turn. After the catches have once been forced by the said cards the same spring back under the card and no amount of downward pressure will cause the springs which act on the cam-noses to allow the same to be retracted. The pivotshafts must first turn before a card can enter or be removed. Holes m are made in the swinging end of the stencil-carrier to allow the catches to enter and clear the same as it moves up to deliver a card.

they are caught up into the collectinghopper.

Supporting-' One device for this purpose is a gravity dog or weight n, pivoted to the shaft of the inking-roll I, so as to enter forwardly under the impression-roll I, said gravity device simply gliding along the stencil-cards, and theweight or pressure of the same being brought to bear upon the frame of the card being printed prevents the frame from rising up both during printing and when the used card is being thrown up into the collecting-hopper. Another device with said end in view is shown more clearly in Fig. 10 and consists of a presser-foot or follower n, which is guided by a hole n in the lower end of each guidepiece 9', and a helical springmf, which is coiled about the guide-stem n of said presser-foot, so 'as to project the same. When the stencilcarrier rises to its full limit, the second stenoil-card is brought in contact with the presser-.

foot n, so as to positively grip it and prevent it from jumping up or shifting from its position. This presser-foot also forces the second card down and prevents it from catching when the stencil-carrier moves down. These two devices are referred to as precautionary devices; but it is apparent that they are used for different purposesthat is to say, the Weight nv acts upon the first card and the presser-foot or follower n acts upon a second card, and both devices act to more perfectly guide or maintain the stencil-cards in their proper position and relation.

Without limiting myself to the construction and operation shown and described, I desire it understood that various changes are within the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new and'of my invention is 1. In an addressing-machine, the combination of a frame constructed with guides to support two removable boxes forming a part of the machine, means for forwarding the stencilcards from the guides for receiving one box to the guides for the other, and means for printing, through the said cards, substantially as described.

2. In an addressing-machine, the combination, with a frame provided with two rollers, of a removable printingcard-supply box having an open lower output end,and there fitted to one holder, a removable printing-card-receiving box, having an open lower input end, and

there fitted to the other holder, and both boxes tion, with a frame provided with a socket-like holder having a less interior area at its lower end to form a shoulder, of a stencil-card box inserted in said holder and resting on said shoulder, substantially as described.

6. In an add ressing-machine, the combination, with a rotary ink-reservoir turning on an approximately vertical axis and provided at its under side with a flat, meshed, ink-exuding surface, of an inking-roll for contacting with said surface, and means for shifting the inking-roll transversely to the said axis of the reservoir in contact with the inking-surface, substantially as described.

7. In an addressing-machine, the combination with a rotary ink-reservoir, of a pair of rolls, one an inking-roll and the other an impression-roll, said inking-roll being movable transversely to the axis of said reservoir for taking ink therefrom, substantially as described.

8. In an addressing-machine, the combination with an impression-bed and a rotary inkreservoir arranged in a plane above the said bed and having a lower ink-exuding surface, of an inking-roll shiftable transversely to the axis of the said reservoir and taking ink therefrom, and the impression-roll movable over the said impression-bed, said impression-roll being supplied with ink by said inking-roll substantially as described.

9. In an addressing-machine, the combination, with a roll-inking device, of two rolls supported in constant contact, one an inkingroll and the other an impression-roll, means for shifting the rolls together, and means for shifting the impression-roll relatively to and concentrically with the inking-roll, substan tially as described.

10. In an addressing-machine, the combination, with an inking-roll and means for reciprocating it, of pivoted links on the shaft of the said roll, and an impression-roll carried by said links, substantially as described.

11. In an addressing-machine, the combination, with an impression bed or table, and a movable stencil-carrier, of an inking mechanism provided with a transfer or inking roll, an impression-roll, means for guiding the inking-roll in a direct path, means for guiding the impression-roll in a dissimilar path, with a drop, over the impression-table, and means for operating said rolls, substantially as described. I

12. In an addressing-machine, the combination, with an impression bed or table, and means for feeding stencil-cards over the same, of an inking mechanism provided with a transtoo fer or inking roll, an impression-roll, means for guiding the rolls in dissimilar paths, and causing the impression-roll to drop toward the impression-table, and means for operating said rolls. substantially as described.

13. In an addressing-machine, the combination, with an impression bed or table, and means to r feeding stencil-cards over the same. of an impression-roll, jointed links connected with the roll, means for reciprocating the link, and means for inking said roll, substan tially as described.-

14. In an addressing-machine, the combination, with an impression bed or table, and means for feeding stencil-cards over same, of an inking mechanism provided with a transfer or inking roll, an impression-roll, means for guiding said rolls in dissimilar paths, a pair of supporting link members connected with the inking-roll, a pair of link members pivoted to the other link members, and connected with the impression-roll, and means for operating the links, substantially as described.

15. In an addressing-machine, the combination, with a pair of constantly-contacting rolls forming an inking-roll and an impression-roll, of means for supporting the impression-roll to permit a movement laterally with respect to the inking-roll, substantially as described.

16. In an addressing-machine, the combination, with an impression bed or table, an impression-roll, and reciprocating pivoted links for carrying said roll, of means for guiding said roll with a drop toward the impressionbed and a spring action on said links and lifting the roll from the impression-bed on the rearward movement of the roll, substantially as described.

17. In an addressing-machine, the combination with an inking-roll, which receives the ink from the ink-supply, and an impressionroll in contact with the inking-roll, and receiving its supply of ink from the same, of

A, in Letters Patent No. 788,814.

[sEAL] o o on L L o L) It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 788,814,

upon the application of Charles A. Belknap, of Brooklyn, New York, for an improvemeans for speeding one roll faster than the other, substantially as described.

18. In an addressing-machine, the combination, with the receiving or collecting hopper, of card-catchers comprising projecting noses swiveled in the hopper, substantially as described.

19. In an 'add ressing-machine, the combination, with suitably-supported swiveled noses, of springs acting thereon, substantially as described.

20. In an addressing-machine, the combination, with suitably-swiveled noses, and cranks connected with the same, of springs acting on said cranks to turn the noses, substantially as described.

21. In an add ressing-machine, the combination, with a movable stencil-carrier, of swiveled card-catchers, and springs acting thereon, substantially as described.

22. In an addressing-machine, the combination, with the stencil-carrier, of a weight for resting on the frame of the front stencil-card, substantially as described.

23. In an addressing-machine, the combination, with the stencil-carrier, of a spring-actuated presser-foot adapted to bind upon the second card, while the first card is being discharged, substantially as described.

24. In an addressing-machine, the combination, with the platen, and means for retaining a stencil-card in printing position against the platen, of an impression-roll, and means for adjusting and setting the roll so as to correct and define the place of impression of the roll on the stencil-card in position to be impressed, substantially as described.

Signed at New York this 23d day of December, 1901.

CHARLES A. BELKNAP.

Witnesses:

RUMsEY W. Soon, GEO. L. WHEELOOK.

granted May 2, 1905,

ment in Addressing-Machines, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction, as follows: In line 47, page 4, the word rollers should read holders; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiice.

Signed and sealed this 16th day of llIay, A. 11,1905.

F. I. ALLEN,

Commissioner of Palen fs.

fer or inking roll, an impression-roll, means for guiding the rolls in dissimilar paths, and causing the impression-roll to drop toward the impression-table, and means for operating said rolls. substantially as described.

A, in Letters Patent No. 788,814.

Signed at New York this 23d day of December, 1901.

CHARLES A. BELKNAP.

Witnesses:

RUMsEY W. Soon, GEO. L. WHEELOOK.

granted May 2, 1905,

Signed and sealed this 16th day of llIay, A. 11,1905.

F. I. ALLEN,

Commissioner of Palen fs.

Correction in Letters Patent No. 788,814.

ment in Addressing-lilachines,

788,814, granted May 2, 1905,

of Brooklyn, New York, for an improve- It; is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. upon the application of Charles A. Belknap,

an error appears in the printed specification requiriug correction, as follows: In line 47, page 4, the word rollers should read 110M675, and that the said Letters Patent should he read with this correction therein that in the Patent Office.

the same may conform to the record of the case Signed and sealed this 16th day of May, A. D.,

F. I. ALLEN,

Commissioner of Paienrel [SEAL]