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March 1o, 1942.
F. Q. »RAST
PRINTING MECHANISM
'
2,275,653
March l0, 1942.
F. Q. RAST
2,2 75,653
PRINTING MECHANI SM
Filed June lO, 1939
2 Sheets-Sheet 2
Patented Mar. 10, 1942
2,275,653
UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE
l2.275.653 _
PRINTING MiscnANrsM
Frederick Q. Rast, Bingliamton, N. Y., assignor
to International Business Machines Corpora
tion, New York, N. Y., a corporation oi’ New
York
Application June 10, 1939, Serial No. 278,472-À`
3 Claims. (Cl. 101-297)
This invention relates to printing mechanisms
and, more particularly, to those printing mecha
nisms o! the mechanical trip type which are
actuated by a record sheet inserted in the print
ing position to receive a registration thereon.
like where printing occurs upon insertion of a
time card, and i‘s contemplated to be an improve
ment in the card-controlled printing construction
oi' the machine shown in my pending application
Serial No. 217,955, illed July 7, 1938.
Automatic printing mechanisms familiar in the
art, generally speaking, have been comprised of
various forms of electrical contacts adapted to
be actuated upon insertion of a sheet into print
ing position to cause energization of a solenoid,
weakly-tensioned contact strap.
sure on the card is concerned, with those electri
cal mechanisms which have intermediate levers
between the record sheet and the controlling
contacts, such as described in my pending appli
cation to which reference has been previously
made. In that application, the record sheet
comprised an ordinary time card of the usual
type used in job time recorders which is equally
suitable for use in the preferred embodiment of
operation. These electrically controlled mecha
nisms, although widely used, as a rule are more
or less subject to such electrical troubles as arc
ing of the contacts,`burning out of the solenoids,
complete disability upon power failure, etc. 'I'he
reason for the preference of the electrical struc
ture over the mechanical trip mechanism has
apparently been that the former has been more
the present invention.
It is further contemplated to provide a single
mechanical means for preventing a printing
operation when the record sheet is not in a proper
predetermined printing position when any of the
adapted to be actuated by thinner record sheets
since, normally, less pressure is required to effect
printing by electrical means. This preference
type elements is being positioned, and during a
l is considerably lessened by the present invention
print hammer restoring cycle.
which proposes an improved, straight-mechani
cal trip mechanism adapted to be actuated by
a record sheet upon insertion into the printing
position, and requiring only slight pressure on
the record sheet to _actuate the trip mechanism
to eil’ect a printing operation.
More speciiically, it is an object of the in
vention to provide means for printing on a rec
„ ord sheet including a normally-cocked hammer
mer to its normally-cocked position upon corn
pletion of the printing operation. It will be noted
that in regard to a power failure under this type
of construction that printing is not rendered
completely ineffective as it would be in a strictly
electrical construction, since one imprint may "
structure the necessity of having card-controlled
contacts and solenoids energized under the con
Other objects of the invention will be pointed
out in the following description and claims and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which
disclose, by way of example, the principle of the
invention and the best mode, which has been
contemplated, of applying that principle.
In the drawings:
Fig. 1 is a view taken sectionally through the
casing of the machine revealing the card-con
40 trolled printing mechanism as it appears when
during a printing operation to restore the ham
be made after the power failure- has occurred,
after which the motor simply fails to restore
the hammer. Also, in the proposed mechanical
However, the
proposed mechanical structure of the present
'invention does compare favorably, as far as pres
or in some cases a motor, for eiïecting a printing
adapted to be triggered oil? by a straight-mechan
constituting a structure which is more economi
cal, substantial, and eillcient than equivalent
types of electrically-operated printing mecha
nisms.
It is not to be inferred from the above that
the pressure applied to the record sheet where
the straight mechanical structure is used is as
light as certain electrical constructions wherein
the inserted sheet operates directly against a
The instant invention is especially adapted for
use in job time recorders, time stamps, and the
ical trip mechanism under control of a card or
the like, and a motor drive means rendered effec
tive upon the forward movement of the hammer
trol thereof has been eliminated and these parts
replaced with simple, durable mechanical parts
the machine is viewed from a sidewise direction.
Fig. 1a is a detail view in perspective of a por
tion of the card-operated mechanism.
Fig. 2 is a detail sectional View of a portion of
' the printing mechanism shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a front view of the card receiver and
the printing mechanism.
Fig. 4 is a detail view of the clutch and hammer
restoring mechanism.
‘
Referring now to the drawings and particu
larly to Fig. 1, vit is noted that a supporting cas
ing, generally designated I0, provides a conven
ient mounting for a card receiver il formed with
a tapered mouth at the top thereof to facilitate
insertion of -a time card C.
At the lower end of
2,275,653
2
the card receiver is an abutment I2 which is po
sitionable in accordance with preselected time
periods in the manner explained in my pending
application mentioned hereinbefore. An exten
sion i3 of abutment l2 has pivotally mounted
thereon a bell crank member I4 which extends to
the left, as viewed in Fig. 1, into the path of the
inserted time card C. A vertical swivel bail I5 is
pivotally carried by a supporting member I6 in
slightly beyond the normal position of the latch
point. For further detailed description as to the
hammer latching mechanism, reference should be
made to the aforementioned pending application.
Brieñy, then, it is seen that insertion of a time
card in receiver II and downward pressure on
the card causes actuation of bell crank lever I4
in such a manner as to rock the vertical bail I5
and cause trip arm I1 to be moved to the right to
tegral with casing l0 and has slidable connection lO impart movement to the latching member I9
sufficient to trip the hammer 2l and thereby to
` 54a, with the other arm of bell crank lever I4.
effect printing. The hammer, in its printing
The vertical bail is loosely connected with one
end of a releasable trip arm I1 which extends
through a slotted guideway in an ear I8 of a
latching member I9 which is loosely mounted on
shaft 2B. A printing hammer 2I is normally
latched up on latching member I9, the hammer
tail 2id being in direct engagement with mem
ber i9, and a powerful spring 22 urges the ham
mer over towards type elements 23.
movement, actuates an arm 24 which rocks shaft
20. Knock-off arm 20a which is fixed to shaft 20
operates to disengage trip I1 to prevent a repeat
operation for one depression of the lever I4. Arm
25 closes contacts 26 to energize the motor and
releases pawl 21 to provide a drive connection to
the motor through ratchet 29. Cam plate 32 is
Thus, upon 20 rotated and -arm 31 rides out of the depression
32a to keep contacts 26 closed and to keep shaft
2B actuated so as to hold the latching member IS
away from its normal position. Cam 33 causes
vertical follower arm 34 to be operated in such a
printing operation.
Referring to Fig. 3, it is noted that the forward 25 manner that a rocking motion is imparted to
shaft 36 sufficient to move the hammer back to
movement of the hammer causes actuation of an
its normal position `lust previous to the return
arm 24 by the hammer tail Zia. Arm 24 is fixed
of the latching member I5 by' its spring Ißa near
to shaft 2B so that this shaft is rocked in a coun
the
end of the cycle when arm 31 again enters
terclockwise direction. A knock-off arm 20a,
fixed to shaft 22E, moves down causing the trip 30 the depressed portion of cam plate 32.
In the operation just described, if the card is
arm l1 to be rendered ineffective. At the ex
held depressed, no further printing may occur
treme right end of shaft 20, as viewed in Fig. 4,
since the trip arm I1 once released by knock»
is a contact operating arm 25 also fixedly mount
off arm 20a moves to the right so that its normal
ed to the shaft and biased to a latching position
engaging point with latching member I9 is past
by a spring 25a. A pair of contacts 26 are mount
this member and therefore ineffective. Thus, the
ed on a bracket 21 which is secured to the sup
operating gear including lever I4, bail I5, trip
porting frame IG. Contacts 26 are thus arranged
arm I1, and latch I9, is effective for one and only
to be closed by arm 25 and, when closed, provide
one printing operation upon each insertion of the
for energization of the drive motor (not shown).
movement of latching member I9, the hammer is
released and permitted to fly forward to press
the card C against type elements 23 to effect a
Concurrently with the closing of contacts 26, 40 card into printing position.
It is necessary in most time recorders to pre
pawl 21 is released from itsl normally latched po
sition on arm 25 and a spring 28 urges it into
engagement with drive ratchet 29 which is fas
tened to the motor shaft 3l. Pawl 21 is pivotally
mounted on a cam plate 28 so that upon engage
vent printing entirely at certain times even
though a time card is inserted, such as when the
card receiver is laterally removed from its proper
45 printing alignment, when the type elements are
being positioned, or when the hammer restoring
cycle is occurring. A convenient and unique
printing lock-out means is provided in the form
is a cam 33 which actuates a follower arm 34,
of a long vertical link 40 located to the left of
imparting vertical movement thereto. Arm 34
has operative connection with a crank arm 35 50 the printing mechanism. This link is operated
from either shaft 4I through cam 42 during a
fixed to hammer shaft 36 in such a manner that
program change, from hammer shaft 36 through
thev movement of arm 34 provides crank action
cam 43 during a printing cycle, or from shaft
for rocking the shaft 36, causing the hammer
45 through bail 46 and bell crank arm 41 upon
tail 2Ia to be restored to its latched position on
lateral shifting of the card receiver to an off
latching member I9. The hammer mechanism
position. Pins 40a on link 4U cooperate with
is mounted on the shaft 36 in such a manner
cams 42 and 43, and bell crank 41 fits over a
that it may lire free of the shaft and yet be
stud 40h on link 40 so as to force the link down
restored when the shaft is rocked in a clockwise
when any of the above operating conditions pre
direction.
vail. A spring 48 normally biases link 40 in an
Freely mounted upon the end of shaft 20 is
upwardly
direction.
another arm 31 which is operated upon Iactuation
A bail 50, loosely mounted on shaft 20, has
of the shaft. The purpose of this arm is to main
operating connection 49 with link 40 and is
tain shaft 20 in its actuated position and also to
ment of the pawl and ratchet, plate 32 is rotated.
Mounted on the other side of the cam plate 32
maintain contacts 26 closed until the end of the
cycle. Arm 31 follows the periphery of cam plate
32 and has a normal position in a depressed por
tion 32 which position it assumes at the end of
each cycle of operation. As the lower end of
rocked downwardly upon downward movement
of the link. A projection 50a on the right-hand
end of the bail engages the top of the releasable
trip arm I1, thus forcing arm I1 down into an
ineffective position so that printing may not oc
cur even though pressure is exerted on an in
arm 31 moves into the depression 32a under the
biasing action of spring 31a near the end of a 70 serted card.
While there has been shown and described and
cycle, latching member I9 is permitted to restore
pointed out the fundamental novel features of
to normal under the biasing action of spring ISa.
the invention as applied to a single modification
The latching sequence is such that latching mem
it will be understood that various omissions and
ber I9 is moved up into latching position just
after the hammer tail 2Ia has been moved up 75 substitutions and changes in the form and de
2,275,653
tails oi the device illustrated and in its opera
tion may be made by those skilled in the art
without departing from the spirit of the inven
tion. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited
only as indicated by the scope of the following
claims.
What is claimed is:
l. A card-controlled impression mechanism
3
biased impression member, a latch for holding
the impression member in its normally cocked
position, a trip arm pivotally connected to said
bail and having an abutting connection with the
latch for tripping said latch to cause opera
tion o! the impression member upon actuation
of the pivoted lever by the card, and means re
sponsive to the movement of the impression mem
comprising a supporting frame, a card receiver
ber for removing the trip arm from its -normal
carried by said frame for receiving and guiding l0 abutting connection with the latch so as to pre
a time card into an operative position, a posi
vent further impressions upon continued opera
tionable abutment also carried by said frame for
tion of the card actuated lever.
controlling the depth of insertion o1’ the card
3. A card-controlled impression mechanism
into the receiver, a bell crank lever pivoted to
comprising, in combination, a supporting frame,
said abutment and extending into the path of the
a card guide carried by said frame for receiving
card for actuation thereby as the card is fully
and guiding a card into operative position, a
linserted in the card receiver, a rocker bail mount
positionable abutment also carried by the frame
ed on the frame and having slidable connection
for limiting the depth to which the card may be
with the bell crank lever so as to be rocked by
inserted so as to determine the location of the
the actuated lever regardless of the position of 20 impression to be made on said card, a card con
the abutment, a spring-biased impression mem
trolled device carried by said abutment arranged
ber, a latching device normally holding the im
to be actuated by the card upon its insertion
into the card guide in operative position, a rocker
pression member in its cocked position, and a
bail mounted on the frame and provided with an
trip member pivotally connected to the bail and
having direct abutting connection with the latch 25 operative connection with the card controlled de
vice for actuation by said device in all positions
ing device for releasing the impression member
ot the abutment, a spring-biased impression
from said device to eli'ect an impression on the
member, a latch for normally holding said mem
inserted card.
ber in a cocked position, a trip arm connected
2. A card-controlled impression mechanism
comprising, in combination, a supporting frame, 30 to the bail and abutting the latch for moving
said latch to trip the impression member upon
a card receiver carried by said frame for receiv
ing and guiding a card into an operative posi
actuation of the card controlled device, a drive
tion, a positionable abutment also carried by said
motor, means responsive to the operative move
frame for limiting the depth to which the card
ment of the impression member for energizing
may be inserted so as to determine the location 35 the motor to drive said member back to its
of the impression to be made on said card, a
latched position, and mechanical means also con
pivoted lever carried by said abutment and lo
trolled by the impression member for maintain
ing the trip arm inen'ective to operate the latch
insertion into the card receiver, an elongated
while the member is being restored regardless
bail having an operative connection with said 40 of repeated operations of the card controlled
lever so as to be operated by the said lever in
device.
all of the positions of the abutment, a spring
FREDERICK Q. RAS’I'.
cated so as to be actuated by the card upon its