US957595A - Check-writing machine. - Google Patents

Description

G. M. BARKER. CHECK WRITING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.9,1909

5&595 Patented May 10, 1910.

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CHECK WRITING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.9, 1909.

95?,595, Patented May 10, 1910.

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G. M. BARKER. CHECK WRITING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED PEB.9,190'9.

Q1595, Patented May 10, 1910.

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mm mdz Geo. M. Barker .4 6 d ETTT TAT GEORGE M. BARKER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-EIGHTH TO JACOB RANZ, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

CHECK-WRITING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 16, 1910.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE M. BARKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Check-\Vriting Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevational View, partly in section, of my improved check writing machine. Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the same. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view, illustrating the arrangement of the printing segments. Fig. 4 is a view illustrating acheck written by my improved machine.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in check writing machines, the object being to construct a machine of the character describedso that the several printing segments thereof can beindividually adjusted into columns to which they relate to set up difierent amounts to be written in the body of the check. These segments are carried by a step-over frame and are normally supporte above the inking roller. The adjusted segments can thus be inked and the frame stepped over to make a printing impression in the body of the check to be printed.

Another object of my invention is to heat the platen on which the check is supported during the printing operation so that in making a printing impression the paper is forced by the printing type against the heated platen. The temperature of this heated platen is such that the printed portion of the paper to which the ink is applied as. well as the fresh ink is fixed when the paper comes in contact with the heated platen.

With these objects in view, the invention consists! in the construction, arrangement and combination of the several parts, all as will hereinafter be described and afterward pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, 1 indicates a base casting in which is arranged an inking trough 2.

3 is an inking roller designed to take the ink from said trough and convey it to a distributing roller 4 whence it is communicated to the final inking roller 5. On the end of the shaft supporting roller 3 is arranged a ratchet wheel 6 with which cooperates a fiat spring 7 constituting an operating pawl, said spring 7 being mounted upon the lower end of a post 8 whose upper end is supported in position by a spring 9. Post 8 is prevented from turning by a slot and pin connection with its guiding sleeve 10. Whenever the post is depressed the inking rollers are rotated.

11 indicates a standard in whose forward end is pivotally mounted a bail-shaped frame 12 which, in the operation of the machine, is designed to be stepped over from its rearward position where it is supported on the post 8, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, to its forward position shown in full lines in said figure. Frame 12 is provided with an operating handle 13. A shaft 14 is mountedin frame 12, on which shaft are mounted the several printing segments 15, said segments being arranged side by side, as shown in Fig. 2 and having operating handles 16 extending upwardly therefrom as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. These handles are reduced by having portions thereof cut away as at 1 so that their outer ends may be made to yield laterally.

18 are end frames mounted on the shaft 14 and carrying radial arms 19, said arms supporting a slotted indicator plate 20 through the slots of which the handles 16 project. The side edges of these slots in the indicator plate 20 are notched, as shown at 21 in Fig. 2, each notch being numbered zero and from one to nine inclusive. The handle 16 may be adjusted in any one of these notches and by such an adjustment a printing type corresponding to the number opposite the notch is brought into the printing line.

In order to maintain parallelism between the frame 18 and the base, I connect frame 18 with standards 11 by means of links 22 and 23' (see Fig. 1), which links are arranged inside of standards 11 while the arms of the frame 12 are arranged outside of said links; thus the links can each pass the frame arms in their travel. The distance between the pivotal centers of links 2223, and the pivotal center of frame 12 and center of shaft 14, is the same; but links 22 and 23 are displaced relative to each other and with respect to the frame 18 so that said frame 18 is supported at three points, to-wit: by shaft 14 and by the pivotal connections of links 22 and 23. Frame 18 is thus rigidly main- *tained in its upright position, regardless of the position of the frame 12.

In operation, the check to be written is placed in position on the base casting 1 and against an adjustable guide 24 which insures the correct printing point of the type. The

' the printing segments in position by engaging the notches 21 in the indicator plate 20. If it is desired to print a series of zeros to the left of the numbers in the tens and units columns, then all of the handles identified with printing segments of higher order are adjusted to the zero notches which fills out the printing lines,- as shown in Fig. 4. If, however, it is desired not to print zeros in front of the number printed, the handles 16 can be left in their normal position in which the printing type are in a non-printing position, as shown at the upper portion of Fig. 2. In order to accomplish the filling in of the body of the check, that is, printing the amount in figures and in words, I alternate the figures and words on the printing segments so that when the printing impression is made, if it is zero, there will be a. series of crossed bars above .the zero, the zero itself preferably being provided with crossed lines as shown at the top of Fig. 3.

In the cents and dimes column, each digit appears as a numeral with thecrossed bars thereabove, a decimal preceding the digit indicating the dimes. In the units column, the digits are spelled out as one, two, three, etc. and under these words are the proper numerals. In the tens column, the words spelled out are ten, twenty, thirty, etc. under which are the proper numerals. In the hundreds column are the Words one hundred, two hundred, etc. (hundreds being abbreviated), the proper numeral appearing thereunder. In the thousands column are the words one thousand, two thousand, etc. with the proper numeral thereunder. Inthe tens of thousands column are the words ten thousand, twenty thousand, etc. with the proper numeral arranged thereunder. The capacity of the present machine is $99,999.99 but it is obvious that this can be increased as high as desired.

In the example illustrated ,in Fig. 4 it will be observed that in the body of the check appears the sum in dollars written in words Sixty-seven, the cents, preceded by a decimal, being written in figures. The amount in dollars is also written in figures so that when a check is written by my improved machine the body is completely filled out and it is. unnecessary to write either the words or the figures by hand.

provided for. After the type in the printing line have been inked, the frame 12 is stepped over forwardly, causing the printing segments to move in an arc of a circle from the roller '5, to the check a. After the printing impression is effected, the frame '12 and its carried parts are restored to their normal rearward position.

In order to prevent erasures of the matter printed in the body of the check, I heat the platen 26 on which the check 0 is supported during the printing operation. This platen is the upper plate of anelectric heating unit supported in a groove in the upper face of casting 1, the bottom part of the unit being in the form of a plate 27, between which is arranged suitable resistance wire 28 wound about asbestos sheets. The entire heating unit is preferably insulated from the casting, and suitable terminals are These form no part of my invention, are

well known, and hence need not be illustrated or further described.

While I have referred to electricity as the energy constituting the heating medium for the platen, it is obvious that other means for generating heat may be used. I prefer the use of electricity, however, on account of its cleanliness, convenience and ease of manipulation, such as cutting in and cutting out the circult.

, In operation, the platen is preferably heated to a temperature of between five hundred and seven hundred degrees Fahrenheit, enough to slightly char the moist paper forced in contact therewith so as to fix or cook the ink and permanently discolor the paper throughout its thickness, but not enough to burn or char the dry paper surrounding the inked portions.

If desired, the platen 26 may be a little lower than the and described, without in the least departing from the nature and principle of my. nvention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a check writing machine, the com bination with a swinging frame carrying a series of printing segments, of an inking roller on which the faces of the printing segments are positioned when the frame is swung to a position of rest after the printing operation, rotary means for applying ink to the surface of the inking roller, and a yielding support forming a rest for the swinging frame, and which yielding support engages and imparts movement to the rotary ink-applying means when engaged by the swinging support.

2. In a check Writing machine, a swinging frame, a series of independently adjustable printing segments carried by said frame, an inking roller which is engaged by the faces of the printing segments when the frame is swung to a position of rest, rotary ink feeding rollers adapted to deliver ink to the surface of the inking roller,

and a vertically disposed spring held post forming a rest for the swinging frame, the lower portion of which post engages and imparts motion to the rotary ink feeding means when said post is engaged by the swinging support.

3. In a check writing machine, the combination with a swinging frame carrying a series of printing segments, of an inking roller, which is engaged by the faces of the printing segments when the frame is swung to a position of rest, ink feeding rollers for delivering ink to the surface of the inking roller, a ratchet wheel on one of said ink feeding rollers, a yielding post forming a rest for the frame when the same is swung to a position of rest, and a flat spring pawl carried by said yielding post, the point of which pawl engages the teeth of the ratchet wheel on the ink feeding roller.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this 2nd day of February, 1909.

GEORGE M. BARKER.

\Vitnesses F. R. CORNWALL, LENORE CLARK.

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