U.S. patent number 3,597,076 [Application Number 04/791,941] was granted by the patent office on 1971-08-03 for label-making system.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Pitney-Bowes, Inc.. Invention is credited to David W. Hubbard, Andrew W. Rastorguyeff.
United States Patent |
3,597,076 |
Hubbard , et al. |
August 3, 1971 |
LABEL-MAKING SYSTEM
Abstract
A deck of tabulating cards having names and addresses printed
thereon in legible form is used as a master mailing list. The cards
are passed through a photocopying machine which, in addition to the
usual document copying facilities, has equipment for tabulating
card handling. The cards are copied automatically in rapid sequence
and in overlapping relationship, so that a series of names and
addresses is printed on a continuous strip of copy paper with a
minimum of blank space between. Various aspects of the operation of
a conventional photocopying machine are altered to achieve a
continuous card copying cycle. A continuous output strip emerges
from the photocopying machine, and is subsequently processed by
conventional labeling machinery which severs the strip into
individual address labels and glues these to respective pieces of
mail.
Inventors: |
Hubbard; David W. (Stamford,
CT), Rastorguyeff; Andrew W. (Norwalk, CT) |
Assignee: |
Pitney-Bowes, Inc. (Stamford,
CT)
|
Family
ID: |
25155302 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/791,941 |
Filed: |
January 17, 1969 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
355/29; 271/4.1;
355/49; 355/65; 399/385; 355/43; 355/51 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G03G
15/28 (20130101); B41L 45/00 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B41L
45/00 (20060101); G03G 15/28 (20060101); G03G
15/00 (20060101); G03b 027/70 () |
Field of
Search: |
;355/29,43,49,51,64,65 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Matthews; Samuel S.
Assistant Examiner: Wintercorn; Richard A.
Claims
The invention we claim is:
1. In a photocopy machine having an illuminating station, a
document entrance to said illuminating station, means for moving
material through said illuminating station, and a document exit
from said illuminating station, the improvement comprising: a
record card supply hopper on said machine, means for delivering
record cards sequentially from said hopper to said illuminating
station, a record card exit means from said illuminating station, a
document exit means from said illuminating station separate from
said record card exit means, and means for selectively directing
said material through said record card exit means or said document
exit means.
2. In a photocopy machine as in claim 1, the additional improvement
comprising: a gate member moveable between a position in which to
divert to said document exit means any material issuing from said
illuminating station, and a position in which to divert said
material to said record card exit means.
3. In a photocopying machine having a station for copying material,
means for moving said material through said copying station, means
for storing an elongated strip of copy paper, printing means, means
for feeding said copy paper strip longitudinally through said
printing means, means for correlating the operation of said copy
paper feeding means with the passage of an original document
through said machine, and means including a knife for severing said
copy paper strip to the length of said original document; the
improvement comprising:
a record card supply hopper on said machine;
means for delivering cards sequentially from said hopper to said
station for copying;
card mode selecting means;
means responsive to said card mode selecting means for disabling
said correlating means to keep said copy paper feeding means
operating while a plurality of cards are copied whereby to
distribute the copies of said cards along the length of said copy
paper strip;
and means responsive to said card mode selecting means for
disabling said severing means during the copying of said cards
whereby to create a continuous strip of said copies.
4. In a machine as in claim 3 including means for driving said copy
paper feed means, and an exit through which said continuous copy
paper strip emerges from said machine after printing, the
additional improvement comprising: means adjacent said exit for
reeling up said continuous strip, said real-up means being driven
by said copy paper feed drive means.
5. The invention of claim 3 further comprising: means for disabling
said machine, and means for sensing at least one of the following
materials; said record cards in said hopper or said copy paper
supply; said sensing means being conditioned by said card mode
selecting means to actuate said machine-disabling means whereby to
interrupt said card copying operation when said material is not
sensed.
6. The invention of claim 5 further comprising: means responsive to
said sensing means to actuate said severing means notwithstanding
said disabling means, said sensing means being arranged to sense
said record cards in said hopper, whereby to sever said copy paper
strip when copying of the record cards in said hopper is
completed.
7. The invention of claim 5 wherein said machine-disabling means is
effective to interrupt said record card delivery means, and said
sensing means is arranged to sense said copy paper in said storage
means, whereby to stop feeding cards when said copy paper supply is
exhausted.
8. The invention of claim 7 wherein said machine-disabling means is
also effective to terminate the operation of said paper feeding
means when said copy paper supply is exhausted.
9. The invention of claim 7 wherein said sensing means comprises a
first device for sensing said record cards in said hopper and a
second device for sensing said copy paper supply, said
machine-disabling means being connected to both said first and
second sensing devices to interrupt said record card delivery means
when either said record cards are exhausted or said copy paper
supply is exhausted.
10. In a machine as in claim 9 wherein said severing means includes
electrically actuated means for operating said knife, and said
machine includes respective electrically actuated means for
interrupting said record card delivery means and for operating said
copy paper feed means, the additional improvement comprising:
respective circuits for energizing said knife operator, a first
switch responsive to said first sensing device, a second switch in
parallel with said first switch and responsive to said second
sensing device, said switches being connected to interrupt said
copy paper feed operator circuit and energize said knife operator
circuit when either said record cards or said copy paper are
exhausted, a circuit for energizing said record card delivery
interrupter, and a third switch responsive to said second sensing
device to energize said interrupter circuit whereby to interrupt
the delivery of said record cards when said copy paper is
exhausted.
11. In a photocopy machine having a copying station, means for
advancing document material through said copying station and
continuously operating drive means connected to said advancing
means for driving the latter, the improvement comprising: a record
card supply hopper on said machine, card feed means for removing
said cards from said hopper and transporting them toward said
copying station, a shaft connecting said card feed means to said
drive means for normally continuously driving said card feed means,
and clutch means interposed between said shaft and said drive means
for engaging and disengaging said shaft with said drive means
whereby to start and stop the feeding of said record cards
independently of operation of said document material advancing
means.
12. The invention of claim 11 wherein said card feed means
comprises rollers rotatably driven by said shaft and cooperating to
propel said record cards toward said copying station, picker means
reciprocating to remove successive record cards from said hopper
and deliver them to said rollers, and a crank mechanism for
reciprocating said picker means, said crank mechanism including
wheel means rotatably driven by said shaft.
13. The invention of claim 11 wherein said clutch means comprises a
driving hub on said shaft rotatable relative thereto and engaged
with said drive train, a driving hub affixed to said shaft for
rotation therewith, a coil spring surrounding said driving and
driven hubs, means anchoring one end of said coil spring relative
to said driven hub, said coil spring normally clutching said
driving hub for rotation therewith, means moveable between a
position for blocking the free end of said coil spring to prevent
it from rotating with said driving hub whereby to disrupt said
clutching relationship, and a position for freeing said spring end
whereby to restore said clutching relationship, and an actuator for
moving said blocking means between said positions.
14. The invention of claim 13 comprising first stop means fixed
relative to said shaft, second stop means movable toward and away
from a position of engagement with said first stop means at a fixed
angular position relative to said shaft to stop rotation of said
shaft at said angular position, and means responsive to the
movement of said blocking means to its declutching position to move
said second stop means into engagement with said first stop means
upon declutching.
15. The invention of claim 14 wherein said declutching responsive
means includes a spring biasing said second stop means into
engagement with said first stop means during declutching, said
blocking means being operative to drive said second stop means out
of said engagement in opposition to said spring when moving to its
clutching position, and to release said second stop means when
moved to its declutching position.
16. The invention of claim 11 wherein said machine further
comprises means pivotally supporting said hopper whereby said
hopper may be rotated to provide access to said card feed
means.
17. The invention of claim 16 further comprising a copying station,
means for feeding documents through said copying station, means
positioned for guide said record cards from said card feeding means
to said document feeding means for subsequent delivery to said
copying station, and means pivotally supporting said guide means
and pivotally connecting it to said hopper for movement therewith
to provide access to said card feed means.
18. In a photocopying machine having a copying station, the
improvement comprising: means for supplying a continuous series of
record cards to said copying station, an exit channel from said
copying station for said record cards, an output bin to collect
record cards emerging from said exit channel, and a vertically
floating card catcher mechanism in said bin comprising a card
catcher tray, vertical rail means disposed eccentrically of said
tray, paired wheels rotatably mounted on said tray and arranged to
clasp said rail means therebetween in response to the weight of
said tray whereby to mount said tray for vertical wheeled movement
on said rail means, and a counterbalancing spring mechanism biasing
said tray upwardly and yielding in proportion to the increasing
weight of record cards thereon.
19. In a photocopying machine having means for retaining a supply
of copy paper in continuous strip form, printing means, a copy
paper exit, and motor driven means for conveying said copy paper
from said retaining means through said printing means to said exit,
the improvement comprising: a takeup reel near said exit, and a
drive mechanism operated by said motor driven means for rotating
said takeup reel to wind up said continuous copy paper strip, said
conveying means comprising a plurality of rollers at least one of
which is driven, means connecting said driven roller to drive the
remainder, said connecting means including belts looped over said
roller for conveying said copy paper strip to said exit, said
takeup reel being secured to a shaft for rotation thereby, means
rotatably supporting said shaft and reel, said shaft having an
enlarged rim drivingly secured thereto, said rim having a
substantially larger diameter than said takeup reel and being in
driving engagement with one of said rollers, whereby said rim
drives said reel and supports it above the roller which engages
said rim.
20. The invention of claim 19 wherein said shaft supporting means
comprises a bracket having spaced arms extending therefrom to
support opposite ends of said shaft, said arms slanting so that
said shaft rolls downwardly thereon to bring said rim into gravity
biased driving engagement with said roller, and means for
supporting said bracket.
21. In a photocopying machine having a copying station, a document
feed channel terminating upstream of said copying station, document
feed rollers positioned to receive documents emerging from said
channel and deliver them to said copying station, and drive means
for said document feed rollers, the improvement comprising a card
supply hopper on said machine means driven by said drive means for
extracting successive cards from said hopper, including card feed
rollers positioned to grip said successive cards and driven by said
drive means to convey said successive cards toward said document
feed rollers, and a plate for guiding said cards into engagement
with said document feed rollers for subsequent transportation
through said copying station, said card feed rollers being driven
at a higher linear speed than said document feed rollers, whereby
said cards reach said copying station in overlapped relationship
for the production of a more compact copy thereof.
22. The invention of claim 21 further comprising means pivotally
mounting said card supply hopper and guide plate on said machine
for rotation thereof to provide access to said card extracting
means.
23. The invention of claim 22 comprising further means pivoting
said guide plate to said card supply hopper for joint pivotal
movement relative to said machine and relative to each other.
24. In a photocopying machine including means for storing copy
paper, a printing station, clutched means for feeding said copy
paper to said printing station, a solenoid for controlling the
clutching of said paper feed means, an energizing circuit for said
solenoid, a copying station, a channel for inserting a document
into said copying station, and means including an electrical switch
for sensing said document in said channel and completing the
energizing circuit of said solenoid to feed said paper only during
the passage of said document, the improvement comprising manual
feed control means arranged to close said document sensing switch
indefinitely whereby to feed an indeterminate length of said copy
paper, a record card supply hopper on said machine, and means for
feeding a stream of record cards from said supply hopper to said
copying station to create an elongated photocopy of successive
cards on said length of copy paper.
25. In a machine as in claim 24 including electrically actuated
copying means and means including an electrical switch responsive
to said document sensing switch for turning on said copying means
after said document is sensed thereby, the additional improvement
comprising a clutch for engaging said card feed means, and a
solenoid for engaging said clutch, said clutch solenoid being
connected for energization under control of said copying means
switch whereby to feed said cards only when said copying means is
turned on.
26. The invention of claim 24 further comprising means for latching
said manual feed control means in position to lock said document
sensing switch in its closed condition, and means for thereafter
unlatching said manual feed control means.
27. The invention of claim 25 further comprising a solenoid and
means connecting said solenoid to release said latching means to
terminate copy paper feed.
28. The invention of claim 27 wherein said sensing switch has a
feeler arm interposes in said channel, said manual feed control
means comprises a lever for manual operation, an actuator, means on
said actuator extending toward said channel for engagement with
said feeler arm to close said switch, and means movable in response
to said lever to move said actuator so that said means engages said
feeler arm, said latching means comprises a segment moveable with
said moveable means and formed with detents, and spring-loaded
means engaging said detents to latch said segment and said moveable
means in position to lock said switch, and said solenoid has an
armature responsive thereto and a linkage connecting said armature
to dislodge said segment.
29. The invention of claim 27 further comprising means for sensing
at least one of the following materials; said copy paper supply or
said cards in said supply hopper; and for energizing said latch
release solenoid in the absence of said sensed material.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates generally to the field of high-speed
automatic labelling, and particularly concerns the photocopying of
tabulating cards to produce mailing lists and labels.
THE PRIOR ART
At the present time, the best known technique for rapid and
automatic mail addressing is subject to a number of severe
disadvantages. This technique involves the use of a printing press
to make a series of labels, each one including the name and address
of one of the intended recipients. The printing presses which are
used for this purpose require a set of individual address plates on
which the printed material is represented by raised characters.
Such plates have to be made of relatively heavy guage metallic
material in order to withstand the printing impressions to which
they are subjected. Consequently, a full set of printing plates,
each one representing one address in a high volume mailing, is both
heavy and bulky, the raised characters contributing substantially
to the bulk.
Another disadvantage of these plates is that they are fairly
expensive to produce. Therefore economic considerations normally
dictate that they be stored after use. But storage can be a
considerable problem, in view of the bulk and weight involved. In
addition, the plates are somewhat vulnerable to bending and to
damage which may be inflicted on the raised characters. Therefore
transportation to a storage location must be done with a fair
amount of care, this adding to the burden.
Still another disadvantage of such plates is that the printing ink
which adheres to them must be washed off after each use.
Finally, the mechanism by which such plates are passed through the
printing press is complex, yet must withstand the loads imposed
thereon by the weight of the plates. Therefore the mechanism is
subject to breakdown, and also is too noisy for ordinary office
use.
SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
The present invention avoids all these problems, but without
sacrificing the advantages of rapid and automatic operation. The
solution is to take the name and address information from a deck of
flat, light weight record cards of a flexible material; for example
conventional tabulating cards. The advantages of this approach are
numerous. The tabulating cards have utility for other than printing
purposes. In most cases, a deck of tabulating cards with legible
name and address information printed thereon, and with the same and
other information also recorded thereon in punch code, is already
maintained for various business purposes. This deck now takes on
the additional function of acting occasionally as a set of printing
masters for mailing labels. Thus, no additional storage space is
required. Secondly, tabulating cards are flat instead of
three-dimensional, and they are light and flexible. Therefore they
take up less room than printing plates, they are easier to handle,
they are less vulnerable, they are inexpensively replaced when
damaged or outdated, and the apparatus required for handling such
cards is not as complex and not subject to the same operating loads
as a printing press. Furthermore, a deck of tabulating cards is
normally maintained in alphabetical or some other logical order,
and the order can be changed or cards selected out as required by
means of conventional tabulating equipment. Such flexibility and
ease of handling are not available with printing plates.
Accordingly, the objective of this invention may be broadly stated
as the provision of new equipment to be used for high volume mail
addressing and the like. In more specific terms, the objects of the
invention are to avoid printing plates and presses, with all the
weight, bulk vulnerability, expense, mess, noise, breakdowns,
inconvenience and problems of transportation and storage which they
entail; and to use instead tabulating cards which have utility
apart from mail labeling, which are light, flat, flexible,
inexpensive to prepare and replace, clean, quiet, convenient to use
and revise, and which pose no particular transportation or storage
problems.
It is also an object to copy these tabulating cards by means of a
photocopying machine which is quiet enough for an ordinary office,
trouble-free, useable by general-purpose clerical personnel, and
has all the conventional document copying capabilities of such
machines. Another object is to modify an existing photocopying
machine so as to provide additional card copying and label making
capabilites with minimal engineering changes and at a minimal
additional cost. Another object is to provide two entirely
different operating modes; i.e. single documents and continuous
card copying.
One form of the invention employs a plurality of record cards
formed of flexible sheet material, each card having an address
recorded thereon. The address may be recorded either in legible
form suitable for photocopying, or in magnetic ink, punch code, or
some other form readable by data processing equipment. Then a
photocopying machine, or suitable data processing equipment which
reads magnetic ink, punch code or the like and which has a printout
capability, reads the record cards sequentially, scans each address
in turn, and prints the addresses sequentially. Another part of the
mechanism feeds sheet material for successive labels sequentially
through the printing means; the printed addresses being thereafter
applied to respective pieces of mail.
In the preferred form of the invention, the copying machine
employed is a dual purpose device which can operate either in the
conventional document copying mode or for rapid sequential copying
of a deck of data cards. In the document mode the output of such a
machine consists of discrete photocopies, and in the card mode it
is preferably a continuous strip of copy paper with successive
mailing label information distributed along the length thereof.
This continuous strip is reeled up as it emerges from the
photocopying machine, and later put into a conventional labeling
machine of the type originally designed to accept the same type of
continuous strip output from address label printing presses. The
labeling machinery operates by severing the strip into discrete
labels and gluing these sequentially to respective pieces of
mail.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a sectional view, taken along a vertical plane, of a
photocopying machine in accordance with the present invention,
which is designed for conventional single document copying as well
as for sequential copying of tabulating cards.
FIG. 2 illustrates a typical segment of a continuous strip output
from the photocopying machine of FIG. 1 when operated in the card
copying mode. The strip has a series of mailing address labels
distributed along the length thereof.
FIG. 3 represents a typical piece of mail to which one of the
address labels has been applied, after being severed from the
continuous strip of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away for
clarity of illustration, of the tabulating card supply hopper and
card feed mechanism of the machine of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is a top plan view, taken along the lines 5-5 of FIG. 4,
showing additional details of the tabulating card supply hopper and
feed mechanism.
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken along the lines 6-6
of FIG. 7 looking in the direction of the arrows, and with parts
broken away for clarity of illustration, of the solenoid-operated
clutch for driving and tabulating card feed mechanism of FIGS. 4
and 5.
FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken along the lines 7-7
of FIG. 5, looking in the direction of the arrows, showing
additional details of the tabulating card feed and clutch mechanism
of FIGS. 4 through 6.
FIG. 8 a a front elevational view, with parts broken away for
clarity of illustration, of the tabulating card output bin of the
machine of FIG. 1.
FIG. 9 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away for
clarity of illustration, of the same bin.
FIG. 10 is a top plan view of a portion of the machine of FIG. 1,
showing the output mechanism to which the continuous address label
output strip and the discrete document copies are both
delivered.
FIG. 11 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away for
clarity of illustration, of the output mechanism of FIG. 10.
FIG. 12 is a vertical section of a portion of the photocopying
machine of FIG. 1, showing details of the feed control mechanism
and the copying station thereof, through which either single
documents or a stream of tabulating cards may be passed.
FIG. 13 is a sectional view, taken along the lines 13-13 of FIG.
12, looking in the direction of the arrows, of a portion of the
feed control mechanism of FIG. 12.
FIG. 14 is a sectional view, taken along the lines 14-14 of FIG. 5,
looking in the direction of the arrows, showing the card picker
mechanism of FIGS. 4 and 5.
FIG. 15 is an elevational view of a portion of the same card picker
mechanism, taken along the plan 15 of FIG. 14, looking in the
direction of the arrow.
FIG. 16 is a schematic electrical circuit diagram revealing the
control logic of the machine of FIG. 1, which enables it to
function either as a conventional single document copier or as a
sequential tabulating card copier in accordance with this
invention.
The same reference characters refer to the same elements throughout
the several views of the drawing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 shows the overall construction of a photocopying machine 20
which is designed for the performance of two alternative functions,
as the need may appear. On the one hand it is capable of rapid
automatic sequential copying of tabulating cards in order to
prepare a continuous strip of mailing address labels, and on the
other hand it is operable for conventional single document
copying.
In general terms, the document capability resides in conventional
copying mechanism including a copying station 22 at which a
document is passed over a transparent plate 24 to be scanned by the
beam 26 of a copying lamp 28. The light is reflected back from the
document as a beam 30 toward a mirror 32 which redirects the light
as a beam 34. The latter is focused by a lens 36 upon a strip of
copying paper 40 within a printing station 38.
When the machine is operated in the document mode, one document at
a time is manually inserted into a feed channel 46 formed between
upper and lower plates 48 and 50 and deflector plate 254. Manual
insertion causes the document to be fed around the bend of the
channel 46 by rollers 51 and 53, (FIG. 12) until it is gripped
between a pair of motor driven feed rollers 52 and 54, which then
convey the document through the copying station 22. Subsequently
another pair of motor driven feed rollers 56 and 58 convey the
document out of the copying station.
A special receiving tray 60 (shown detached from the machine 20) is
assembled therewith when the machine is to be used in the document
mode. Such assembly is accomplished by placing the document tray 60
over a sloping surface 62 at the front of the machine. In this
position a rear flange 64 hooks over the rear edge 66 of the sloped
member 62 to secure the tray in place. The flange 64 also abuts
eccentrically against a pair of gating members 70, rotating the
gates downwardly about their shaft 72 to the dotted line position
of FIG. 1. When so positioned, the gating members 70 divert the
original document upwardly as it emerges from between the feed
rollers 56 and 58, so that it is deposited in the document tray 60.
A restraining lip 74 at the front of the document tray 60 retains
the original document therein.
When operating in the document mode, the machine 20 automatically
cuts the copies to the length of the original documents. Copy paper
40 is taken, by means of a pair of feed rollers 76 and 78, from a
supply roller 42 wound upon a spool 44, which is rotatably mounted
upon a shaft 47. The rollers 76 and 78 are motor driven by means of
a conventional clutch (not shown) which is engaged during the time
it takes for the original document to pass a length sensing switch
SW-4 adjacent the channel 46. From rollers 76 and 78, the copy
paper passes through a cutoff knife mechanism 80 to another pair of
motor driven feed rollers 82 and 84. After a length of copy paper
equal to the length of the original document has been fed past the
cutoff knife mechanism 80, another switch SW-3 located adjacent the
channel 46 senses the trailing edge of the document and energizes a
circuit to actuate the knife mechanism 80, thus cutting the copy
paper to the proper length.
The photocopier 20 could be any known type, but is preferably an
electrostatic machine of the kind which has become common in recent
years. As such, it includes an electrostatic charging mechanism 86
through which the copy paper is fed by the rollers 82 and 84. Upon
emerging from the charging mechanism and passing through the image
station 38, the copy paper is gripped by another pair of motor
driven feed rollers 92 and 94, and fed into a conventional toner
solution contained within a reservoir 96. Upon emerging from the
toner reservoir it is fed by another pair of motor driven rollers
98 and 100 to a drying station 102. The copy paper is conveyed
through the drying station and toward an exit 104 by means of belts
106 and 108 and the rotating rollers 110, 112 and 114. The finished
copy may then be manually removed from exit 104.
The mechanism thus generally described is conventionally housed in
a cabinet comprising a rear panel 21, top panel 23, floor panel 25,
and front panel 436. The cabinet stands above table-top level on
feet 27, and has within it various internal partitions 29.
In accordance with this invention, when the machine 20 is operated
in the card copying mode, the document tray 60 is detached,
allowing the gating members 70 to return under spring bias to their
raised positions, illustrated by the solid lines of FIG. 1. The
material to be copied is a conventional deck of tabulating cards
116 fed from a hopper 120 mounted atop the machine 20. Motor driven
rollers 122 and 124 cooperate to feed successive cards into a
throat formed by the plate 50 and the deflector plate 254
immediately in front of the rollers 52 and 54. The latter rollers
then pass each card in succession through the copying station 22,
from which they are withdrawn by the rollers 56 and 58. Thus, as an
example of the way in which the card copying operation takes
advantage of the existing photocopying mechanism, the cards are
ultimately conveyed through the copying station by the same feed
mechanism as are the documents when the machine is in the other
operating mode.
The upper position of the gate member 70 causes each of the cards
emerging from the copying station to be diverted downwardly through
a passageway 379 into an output bin 126, where they are collected
upon a vertically movable card catcher tray 128. During operation
the tray 128 sinks lower to accommodate the increasing accumulation
of tabulating cards thereon.
In the card copying mode the cutoff knife mechanism 80 is disabled,
and a narrow strip of copy paper 41 (narrower than the document
size copy paper 40) is unreeled in a continuous strip from a supply
roll 43 which is wound on a spool 45 rotatably supported on the
shaft 47. The narrow strip 41 traverses the same path described
above for the wider strip 40, up to the point where they both
emerge from the cabinet at exit 104. Beyond that point, the narrow
output strip 41 (which has not been severed into discrete copies as
is the wide strip 40) passes around a motor driven feed roller 130
and is wound upon a takeup reel 132, to form an output roll 134.
The takeup reel 132 is driven by a shaft 136 which in turn is
rotated by a pair of large circular rims 138 in frictional driving
engagement with the motor driven roller 130.
A representative segment of the continuous output strip 41, as it
looks when torn from the roll 134, is shown in FIG. 2. There it is
seen that the card copying output strip 41 has successive name and
address blocks 138 distributed along the length thereof, each one
defining a label 142. Such an output roll 134 may then be used as
the input to a conventional mail labeling machine of the kind now
commercially available. (Such machines were originally designed to
take a similar output strip from a conventional address label
printing press.) The labeling machinery severs the individual
labels 142 from each other along the dashed lines 139, applies a
suitable adhesive material to the back of each label, and presses
the glued labels into adhesive relationship with respective pieces
of mail 144 (see FIG. 3).
FIGS. 4 through 7 provide a more detailed view of the tabulating
card supply hopper 120 and the mechanism for delivering a
continuous stream of cards from that hopper to the copying station
22. The machine 20 has a main drive motor, not shown, which is
connected to drive all the feed rollers 56 and 58, 52 and 54, 122
and 124, 76 and 78, 82 and 84, 88 and 90, 92 and 94, 98 and 100,
and the conveyor belt roller 110, either directly or indirectly
from a common drive chain 150. This type of drive is presently
conventional in electrostatic photocopying machines of the kind
modified for the purposes of this invention. For driving the feed
rollers 122 and 124, which insert the tabulating cards 116 into the
nip of rollers 52 and 54, the chain 150 engages a sprocket wheel
152 affixed to shaft 154 which is journaled in a vertical panel 157
of the machine 20 by means of a bushing 159. The shaft 154 drives a
gear 186 secured thereto, which in turn drives a gear 182 which
rotates on a shaft 183 protruding from a lug 184 formed in one
sidewall 178 of hopper 120. Gear 182 in turn drives a gear 176
secured to a lower roller shaft 174, which is journaled in both
hopper sidewalls 178 and has two lower card feed rollers 124
secured thereto. Shaft 174 also has a gear wheel 168 secured
thereto for driving a gear 169 secured to an upper roller shaft 171
which has two upper card feed rollers 122 secured thereto. Each
upper roller 122 is paired with one of the lower rollers 124 for
gripping and feeding successive tabulating cards 116.
In order to deliver successive tabulating cards 116 to the feed
rollers 122 and 124, there is employed a pair of card pickers 156
of the kind which is common in card handling machinery. As best
seen in FIGS. 14 and 15, each card picker 156 has a card-engaging
member 158 which protrudes slightly less than the thickness of a
tabulating card above the top surface of the picker so as to engage
a single tabulating card 116, i.e. the bottom one in the hopper
120. In order to reach the bottom card, the pickers 156 ride in
access slots 160 which are formed in the floor 162 of the card
supply hopper 120. The pickers 156 are reciprocated longitudinally
within these slots, as indicated by arrows 162, FIG. 5, by means of
a carrier shaft 166 164 engaging the opposite ends of a carrier
shaft 164. On each forward stroke of the pickers 156 (i.e. in the
downward direction as viewed in FIG. 4) the members 158 catch a
tabulating card 116 and deliver it to the feed rollers 122 and 124.
On each return stroke (upward in FIG. 4) the pickers return to
their initial position so that the members 158 can engage the next
tabulating card 116 and repeat the operation.
The drive links 166 are made to perform their reciprocating motion
by means of respective crank wheels, the gear wheel 168 and another
wheel 170, to which they are eccentrically connected by pins 172.
The crank wheels 168 and 170 are secured to opposite ends of the
lower roller shaft 174. Thus the drive to shaft 174 not only is
imparted to rollers 124, and via gear 169 to rollers 122, but also
serves to reciprocate the links 166 and the card pickers 156. The
motion of the card pickers 156 is guided in a linear direction
notwithstanding the cranking of the links 166, by pairs of side
rails 180 which are secured to the lower surface of the hopper
floor 162 and which extend laterally into sliding engagement with
slots 181 formed in the card pickers 156.
In order to interrupt the delivery of cards 116 by stopping the
card feed rollers 122 and 124 and the card pickers 156, there is
provided a clutch mechanism 190 (FIGS. 6 and 7) controlled by a
solenoid SOL-4 secured to a bracket 192 mounted upon one of the
hopper side panels 178. The gear 176 is continuously driven, but is
not continuously connected to the shaft 174. Instead, the gear 176
is secured to a cylindrical drive hub 194 which is rotatable
relative to the shaft 174. The drive hub 194 in turn may be
drivingly engaged with or disengaged from a driven hub 196 on the
shaft 174 which is continuously connected to that shaft by means of
a pin 198. In order to accomplish the engaging and disengaging
function, the clutch 190 comprises a coil spring 200 which
surrounds both hubs 194 and 196, and is normally wound sufficiently
tightly thereon so that the coil spring clasps them both and
drivingly connects the two hubs together. Under these conditions,
the continuously driven gear 176 and its hub 194 transmit power via
the clutching spring 200, hub 196 and pin 198 to the lower shaft
174. The shaft then drives the lower rollers 124 and the wheels 170
and 168, which actuate the links 166 to drive the card pickers 156,
and wheel 168 also drives the gear 169 to rotate the upper shaft
171 and rollers 122.
One of the rollers 124, seen at the right in FIG. 5 is affixed
directly to the shaft 174, while the other, as seen in FIGS. 6 and
7, is mounted upon the driven hub 196 and drivingly secured thereto
by means of a fastener 202. The fastener secures an eccentric arm
204 of the hub 196 to the central disc of the roller 124, and also
anchors the adjacent end 206 to the clutching spring 200.
In order to disengage the clutch 190, the free end 208 of the
spring 200 is engaged by a blocking member 210 which is mounted
upon a shaft 212 journaled within a bushing 214 secured to the
hopper side panel 178. The driving direction of the mechanism is
clockwise, as indicated by arrow 216 in FIG. 7. When the driving
hub 194 attempts to rotate the clutching spring 200 in that
direction, the blocking member 210 engages the spring end 208 and
blocks rotation of the clutching spring 200. To the extent that the
clutching spring 200 can be rotated by the drive hub 194, it only
serves to turn the spring 200 in the uncoiling direction relative
to the blocked end 208, thus releasing the clutching engagement of
the spring 200.
When it is necessary to release the spring end 208 and engage the
clutch 190, the blocking member 210 is moved to the left relative
to the view of FIG. 7 to remove it from blocking relationship with
the spring end 208. This is accomplished by rotating the blocking
member shaft 212 clockwise by means of a control link 218 secured
thereto. The control link in turn is pivotally connected by means
of a pin 220 to a connecting link 222 which functions by pulling
upwardly upon the pivot pin 220 to produce clockwise rotation of
the link 218. The connecting link in turn is actuated by the
armature 224 of solenoid SOL-4, to which it is connected by means
of a pivot pin 226.
So long as the solenoid SOL-4 is energized, its armature 224 is
attracted upwardly to lift the connecting link 222 and rotate
control link 218 and shaft 212 clockwise, thereby preventing the
blocking element 210 from interfering with spring end 208. Under
these circumstances the clockwise torque exerted on clutching
spring 200 by the drive hub 194 tends to tighten the spring against
the hubs 194 and 196 for a driving connection therebetween. The
clutch 190 is then engaged, to complete the drive train to the card
pickers 156 and the feed rollers 122 and 124.
When the solenoid SOL-4 is deenergized, its armature 224 is lowered
under spring bias, driving connecting link 222 down to rotate
control link 218 and shaft 212 counterclockwise. This returns
blocking element 210 to the position in which it interferes with
the spring end 208. Then, as soon as the clutching spring 200
completes its current revolution and comes into position for the
spring end 208 to reengage the blocking element 210, the clutch 190
is disengaged.
In order to bring the feed rollers 122 and 124 and the card pickers
156 to an immediate halt and insure that the pickers do not stop at
an indefinite position after disengagement of the clutch 190, there
is provided a stop member 230 secured by means of a pivot pin 232
to the underside of the hopper floor 162. This stop member is
normally rotated clockwise about its pivot pin, as seen in the view
of FIG. 6, by means of a biasing spring 234. One end of the spring
is hooked through an aperture 236 at one end of the stop member
230, and the other end of the spring is hooked around a pin 238
protruding downwardly from the lower surface of the hopper floor
162. When in its biased position, the stop 230 interposes its free
end in the path of rotation of a cooperating stop element 240 which
is secured to the central web of the nearby roller 124 by means of
a fastener 242. The roller 124 rotates clockwise relative to FIG. 7
until the element 240 strikes the member 230 to provide a positive
stop. This halts one of the rollers 124 and, because of their
mutual connection to shaft 174, also stops the other roller 124,
the upper rollers 122, and the card pickers 156. This causes the
entire card feed mechanism to stop in a known position, and also
cuts off the card feed abruptly and precisely.
In the blocking position of stop 230, its biased rotation about the
pivot pin 232 is limited by the blocking member 210 to prevent the
member 230 from rotating past element 240. When the solenoid SOL-4
engages the clutch 190, the motion of blocking element 210 to the
left relative to FIGS. 6 and 7 rotates stop 230 counterclockwise
against the urging of its biasing spring 234, so as to remove the
stop from blocking engagement with element 240, thereby releasing
card pickers 156 and the feed rollers 122 and 124 for a resumption
of card feed. When the solenoid SOL-4 is later deenergized to
disengage clutch 190, the return of blocking element 210 to its
initial position allows the stop 230 to return under spring bias to
its operative position. Then at the conclusion of the current
revolution of the nearby roller 124, element 240 once again engages
the stop 230.
When the clutch 190 is engaged, the pickers 156 slide each
successive tabulating card 116 across the hopper floor 162 and
through an exit space 250 between the hopper floor and the lower
end of a hopper rear wall 252. The size of the exit space 250 is
adjustable, by means of elements 251 and 253, (FIG. 14) to admit no
more than one tabulating card 116 for each picker cycle. The
element 251 is adjustable forwardly and rearwardly within a channel
255 (FIG. 5) formed in the hopper floor 162, and cooperates with
the element 253 which is adjustable up and down in a channel 257
(FIG. 14) formed in the hopper wall 252.
Each tabulating card 116 as it emerges from the exit space 250 is
gripped between the pairs of card feed rollers 122 and 124, and
thereby fed across a plate 254 which guides the cards into the grip
of feed rollers 52 and 54, which deliver all material to be copied,
documents and tabulating cards alike, to the copying station
22.
FIGS. 4 and 5 show the guide plate 254 is formed with a first pair
of lugs 256 at opposite sides thereof which are secured to
respective hopper side panels 178 by means of pins 258, which
permit the guide plate to pivot relative to the card hopper 120. In
addition, the guide plate is provided with two further depending
lugs 260 at opposite sides thereof which are pivotally connected by
means of pins 262 to the copying machine sidewalls 157. Finally,
the hopper sidewalls 178 are also provided with depending lugs 264
and bushings 265 by means of which the entire card hopper 120 is
pivotally mounted upon a shaft 266, which in turn is supported by
bushings 268 upon the copying machine sidewalls 157.
The hopper's downward movement is limited by a pair of depending
lugs 270, one of which is visible in FIG. 4, which strike against a
shaft 272 supported between the copying machine side panels 157.
Shaft 272 is so positioned that the hopper floor 162 is inclined to
the right as seen in FIGS. 4 and 7 to facilitate the exit of
tabulating cards 116 through the space 250. The front of the hopper
120 has a pair of short posts 274 (FIGS. 1 and 4) which serve only
to align the lower tabulating cards in the deck 116, and are not
required to retain the upper cards within the hopper 120.
Below the hopper floor 162 is a switch SW-7 (FIGS. 1 and 5) having
a feeler arm 280 which protrudes up through an aperture 282 in the
hopper floor 162 in order to sense the tabulating card deck 116. As
long as cards are present to depress the switch plunger 280, the
electrical control circuit (FIG. 16) is advised that the tabulating
cards are available in the hopper 120 to be copied. A heavy metal
card follower weight 117 (FIG. 1) keeps the cards flat for
engagement with the pickers 156, and for actuation of the switch
SW-7 even when only one card remains in the hopper. Weight 117
however has the usual relief (not shown) to prevent it along from
actuating the switch when the cards are exhausted. Under those
circumstances cards no longer depress the switch plunger 280 and
the control circuit is advised that the card copying operation has
been completed. The switch SW-7 also appears schematically in the
electrical circuit of FIG. 16, where it is revealed as one of the
elements controlling the circuit for energizing a solenoid SOL-2
which operates the copy paper cutoff knife mechanism 80. As is
described more fully below, one of the conditions for severing the
copy paper strip 40 is completion of the tabulating card deck 116;
hence the connection of the card sensing switch SW-7 to the cutoff
knife solenoid SOL-2.
Now that the mechanism for supplying successive tabulating cards
116 to the copying station 22 has been described, we turn our
attention to FIGS. 12 and 13 for a description of the copy paper
feed control, so that the dual capability of the machine 20 may be
more fully understood. There it is seen that the document sensing
switches SW-3 and SW-4 are suspended from a top panel 290 by means
of an inverted U-shaped bracket 292. These switches have respective
feeler arms 294 and 296 which extend downwardly into the document
channel 46. In the document mode, feeler arm 296 closes switch SW-4
to energize a solenoid SOL-1 (FIG. 16) over the entire length of
the document inserted into channel 46. Solenoid SOL-1 then engages
a conventional clutch (not shown) for driving the copy paper feed
rollers 76 and 78 during the time that it takes the original
document to pass the feller 296. As a result, the feed rollers are
made to unreel a length of copy paper 40 equal to the length of the
original document being copied. Then when the trailing edge of the
original document passes feeler 294, the latter closes switch SW-3
to energize the cutoff knife solenoid SOL-2 (see also FIG. 16). In
this way the copy paper 40 is cut to the length of the original
document. Such operation assumes of course that a four-ganged
switch SW-2, Which is the mode selector, is transferred to the left
relative to FIG. 16, so as to select the document mode.
For card copying, the machine and the electrical control circuit
operate quite differently. The mode selector switch SW-2 is
transferred to the right relative to FIG. 16, and the feed button
298 (FIGS. 12 and 13) is manually depressed to drive downwardly a
feed lever 300 mounted for vertical movement upon a vertical panel
312 by pins 302 engaging vertical slots 304 formed in the panel 312
by pins 302 engaging vertical slots 304 formed in the lever. The
lever is connected by means of a pivot pin 306 to a rotatable
segment 308 pivotally mounted upon a shaft 310 journaled in the
panel 312. The downward motion of the feed lever rotates the shaft
310 counterclockwise relative to the view of FIG. 12. At the
opposite end of the shaft is secured a link 314 by which the shaft
may be rotated clockwise under control of a pair of parallel links
316 connected by a pivot pin 318 to the armature 320 of a feed
break solenoid SOL-3 (see also FIG. 16).
A detenting leaf spring 322 is secured to the panel 312 by means of
a bracket 324 and suitable fasteners 326. The detenting spring is
bent to form a projection 328 which bears against an arcuate edge
of the member 308 and engages either of two detents 330 formed
therein to hold the segment 308 in either of two position.
The position illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13 is the one assumed by
the segment when the copying machine 20 is in the document mode.
Under these circumstances the feeler 296 of switch SW-4 is not
engaged by an actuator 334 connected by a pair of upstanding lugs
336 and a pin 338 to a pair of upstanding lugs 340 bent from a
bracket 342. The bracket 342 is formed with downwardly bent lugs
344 at either end thereof which receive the shaft 310. So long as
the element just described are in the illustrated document mode
position, the switch SW-4 operates the feed roller clutch solenoid
SOL-1 only when the feller arm 296 is actuated by a document.
But when the feed button 298 is manually depressed to drive lever
300 downwardly, segment 308 is rotated counterclockwise, relative
to the view of FIG. 12, and is thereby shifted to the other dented
position. This rotation of segment 308 turns shaft 310, so that a
lug 332 bent upwardly from the end of the actuator 334 and situated
eccentrically of the shaft 310 is then raised by member 314 to
engage the feeler arm 296 of switch SW-4. As a result, switch SW-4
is closed to energize the solenoid SOL-1, which engages the drive
to the copy paper feed rollers 76 and 78 for card copying
operation. The detenting spring 322 holds the actuator 334 in this
position to keep the switch SW-4 closed throughout a card copying
operation. In this use of the same switch SW-4 to control the paper
feed for card mode as well as document mode operation, we again see
how a conventional single purpose photocopier has been adapted to
do double duty as a card copier.
During such operation cards which are delivered sequentially across
the guide plate 245 by the card feed rollers 122 and 124 are then
gripped between the same rollers 52 and 54 which in the document
mode serve to extract the original document from channel 46. These
rollers then feed each card in turn across the transparent plate 24
of the copying station 22. The plate 24 is made of glass and is
supported upon a metal plate 350 having an aperture 352 therein to
admit the light beam 26 from the lamp 28 (FIG. 1). A roof plate 354
cooperates with the glass plate 24 to define the channel through
which the copied material passes.
A subsequent set of feed rollers 56 and 58 extracts the copied
material, either a document or a sequence of tabulating cards, from
the copying station 22 and ejects it to the left relative to the
view of FIG. 12. When the machine is in the card mode, the gates 70
are in the position illustrated in FIG. 12 and by the solid lines
of FIG. 1. In this position they direct the emerging tabulating
cards downwardly across a guide plate 356 and through passageway
379 into the output bin 126. Alternatively, when the machine 20 is
operating in the document mode, the tray 60 is put in place over
the panel 62, and flange 64 strikes the gates 70 at a location 71
above the center of shaft 72, causing the gates to rotate
downwardly as shown by the dashed lines of FIG. 1. This in turn
causes the documents emerging from between the rollers 56 and 58 to
be deflected across the top surface of the gates so that they fall
into the tray 60. When the tray 60 is removed, the gates spring
back up to the card position under the influence of respective
biasing springs 73 which are coiled about shaft 72. One end of each
spring is anchored within an opening 75 in the shaft, and the other
end presses upwardly against a flat 77 formed centrally of the
gates 70 above a bifurcation defined by a pair of spaced hubs 79
(see FIG. 8). The biasing springs are laterally contained within
this bifurcation.
In order to minimize the blank space between consecutive mailing
address labels printed on the output strip 41, the card feed
rollers 122 and 124 run at higher linear speed than the feed
rollers 52 and 54. As a result, during the interval when one
tabulating card 116 has slowed down to the speed dictated by
rollers 52 and 54 and the following tabulating card is still being
conveyed at the faster speed dictated by the rollers 122 and 124,
the second tabulating card catches up with the first one to some
extent and thus overlaps it. Consequently, successive tabulating
cards 116 arrive at the copying station 22 in an overlapping
relationship reminiscent of shingles on a roof. This causes the
consecutive address labels 138 to be printed closer together upon
the copy strip 41.
Whenever conditions call for an automatic termination of the card
copying mode, the solenoid SOL-3 is energized. This causes it to
retract its armature 320 and pull the parallel connecting links 316
to the left relative to the view of FIG. 12, so as to rotate the
member 314 and shaft 310 clockwise. When so rotated, the shaft 310
retracts the lug 332 of actuator 334 from the switch feeler 296, to
open switch SW-4 and terminate energization of the copy paper feed
roller clutch solenoid SOL-1. At the same time, the shaft 310
rotates the segment 308 clockwise to return it to its original
detented position, so that the mechanism remains out of the card
mode until the next time that the feed button 298 is manually
depressed.
The reader is now in a position to appreciate the electrical logic
of FIG. 16. Switch SW-1 of FIG 16 turns the machine 20 on and off
by controlling the AC supply from a pair of power input terminals
360 and 362. This switch is physically located on the front panel
364 of the machine 20 as seen in FIG. 1. Also located on that panel
is switch SW-2 of FIG. 16, which is a double throw device used to
select between the document and card copying modes of the machine
20. Electrically switch SW-2 comprises four individual switches
SW-2.1 through SW-2.4 in ganged relationship (dashed line 366).
Terminal D of each switch is the document mode terminal, and
terminal C is the card mode terminal. Switches SW-3 and SW-4 of
FIG. 16 are represented also in FIGS. 1, 12 and 13. In connection
with the latter two figures it was explained that, in the document
mode, switch SW-4 closes during the time that a document is fed
past the feeler arm 296, as a means of detecting the length of the
document, so as then to actuate the cutoff knife solenoid SOL-2 and
sever a matching length of copy paper 40.
In contrast, when the machine operates in the card copying mode,
switch SW-3 is cut out of the circuit by the mode selector switch
SW-2 so as to disable the cutoff mechanism 80 to provide an output
in the form of a continuous strip rather than discrete copies.
Switch SW-4, on the other hand, is still needed to advance the copy
paper 41, but is manually closed by the operating the feed button
298 and latched in that position by the detenting relationship
between segment 308 and spring 322 of FIG. 12. Subsequently, when
solenoid SOL-3 of FIGS. 12 and 16 is energized, the detenting
segment 308 is shifted and the switch SW-4 is allowed to reopen
(dashed line 368) to terminate card mode operation.
Solenoid SOL-3 is energized to accomplish this, when the selector
switch SW-2 is in its card mode position, by either of two switches
SW-7 and SW-8 of FIG. 16 which are electrically in parallel. Switch
SW-7 is physically represented in FIGS. 1 and 5, where it is seen
that is is positioned to sense the tabulating card deck 116. This
switch closed when the tabulating card deck is exhausted, i.e. when
the card copying run has been completed. Switch SW-8 is physically
represented in FIG. 1 where it is seen positioned adjacent the copy
strip 41 as it is unreeled from the supply roll 43. The feeler arm
371 of this switch senses the copy strip, and closes the switch
when the strip is exhausted or is broken upstream from the feed
rollers 76 and 78. Accordingly, in the card mode, when the copying
of the tabulating card deck 116 is completed, or the copy paper
strip 41 is exhausted or broken, the solenoid SOL-3 is energized to
release the feed switch SW-4 and terminate the feeding of copy
paper 41.
A further switch SW-5, which is represented only in the electrical
diagram of FIG. 16, is mechanically operated by a suitably driven
and timed cam 370 to provide time delay. This time delay relates to
the document mode, and its purpose is to allow the leading and
trailing edges of the copy paper strip 40 to travel from the point
of cutoff by the knife mechanism 80 down to the printing station
38, and to allow the leading and trailing edges of the original
document, after engaging the feeler arm 296 of switch SW-4, to
travel through channel 46 to reach the copying station 22, before
the copying lamp 28 and the electrostatic charging device 86 are
turned on (for leading edges) or off (for trailing edges). For this
reason, terminals 373 energized by the switch SW-5 are provided for
connection to the lamp 28 and charger 86 (not shown in FIG. 16).
Since the electrical connections to the lamp and charger and the
mechanical time delay mechanism are all conventional equipment on
copying machines which are now being marketed, it is unnecessary to
illustrate or describe them in any greater detail.
In another example of the way in which the existing mechanism for
copying documents is adapted for cards according to this invention,
the same switch SW-5 is used also to control the card feed clutch
solenoid SOL-4 in the card mode, so that the tabulating cards 116
are not fed from the card hopper 120 to the copying station 22
until the copying lamp 28 and the electrostatic charger 86 have
been turned on to render the machine 20 operative for copying.
FInally, there is a switch SW-9 which is ganged (dashed line 372)
with switch SW-8 of FIGS. 1 and 16. Switch SW-9 is in series with
the card feed clutch solenoid SOL-4, and opens to disrupt the
feeding of cards when the feeler arm 371 (FIG. 1) detects a break
in the continuity of the copy paper strip 41. In the card mode,
switch SW-9 acts immediately to deenergize the card feed clutch
solenoid SOL-4 and stop the feeding of cards abruptly when the
paper copy strip 41 is no longer available for copying them. This
immediate card feed cutoff makes it unnecessary to wait for switch
SW-8 to produce a delayed deenergization of solenoid SOL-4 via
dashed line 368, and switch SW-4.
A typical sequence of operations of the machine 20 will now be
described in detail with reference to the electrical logic of FIG.
16. To begin with, the machine is turned on by closing switch SW-1
on the front panel 364. Let us assume that one or more documents
are to be copied first. To set the machine 20 in the document
copying mode, the selector switch SW-2 on front panel 364 is
transferred to its D terminals of FIG. 16. As a result, switch
SW-2.4 disables the branch of the circuit which includes switch
SW-9, and the card feed clutch solenoid SOL-4, while switch SW-2.3
disables the copy paper feed release solenoid SOL-3. In addition
switch SW-2.3 prevents the card sensing switch SW-7 and the copy
paper sensing switch SW-8 from operating the knife solenoid SOL-2;
instead, the switch SW-2.1 connects the knife solenoid SOL-2 to the
document trailing edge sensing switch SW-3.
At this point the operator inserts a single document into the
channel 46 until it is grabbed by the driven rollers 51 and 53.
When the leading edge of the document contacts feeler 296, it
closes switch SW-4 and thereby energizes the solenoid SOL-1 to
clutch the drive chain 150 to the copy paper feed rollers 76 and
78, so that copy paper 40 is fed downwardly from these rollers
starting at the time that the document leading edge passes the
switch SW-4. Furthermore, the latter switch remains closed for the
entire time it takes for the length of the original document to
pass the switch feeler arm 296, so that feed rollers 76 and 78
continue to unreel a length of copy paper 40 equal to the length of
the original document. Then when the trailing edge or the original
document releases the feeler arm 296, switch SW-4 opens to
deenergize solenoid SOL-1 and stop feeding copy paper 40. Also when
the railing edge passes feeler arm 294, switch SW-3 closes and
energizes solenoid SOL-2 to actuate the cutoff knife mechanism 80,
severing the copy paper 40 to the length of the original
document.
The time which it takes the leading edge of the original document
to pass through the channel 46 from the switch SW-4 to the copying
station 22 is equal to the time that it takes the leading edge of
the copy paper strip 40 to pass from the point where it was last
severed by the cutoff knife mechanism 80 down to the printing
station 38. Similarly, the time that it takes the trailing edge of
the original document to pass from the switch SW-3 through the
copying station 22 is equal to the time that it takes the freshly
severed trailing edge of the copy paper 40 to pass downwardly from
the point where it was severed by the cutoff knife mechanism 80 and
through the printing station 38.
While the machine 20 is in this operating mode, a plurality of
document copies can be made only by repeating the process; i.e. an
original document must be manually inserted into the channel 46
once for each copying cycle of the machine 20.
In contrast, in the card copying mode, the machine 20 is
conditioned for a continuous copying run during which a steady
stream of tabulating cards 116 are copied in succession, and the
operation of the machine continues automatically in this manner
until it is deliberately shut off or the tabulating cards 116 have
all been copied, or the copy paper strip 41 is exhausted or suffers
an accidental break.
In order to operate in the card copying mode, the operator fills
the hopper 120 with the tabulating cards 116 and puts the card
weight 117 over the deck. He also replaces the 81/2 inch document
width copy paper roll 42 upon the shaft 47 with a roll 43
containing the narrower width copy paper strip 41 which is suitable
for address labels. Then the selector switch SW-2 is transferred to
its card copying mode position. Switch SW-2.1 then takes control of
the cutoff knife solenoid SOL-2 away from the document trailing
edge sensing switch SW-3, switches SW-2.2 and 2.3 respectively give
control over the cutoff knife solenoid SOL-2 and the copy paper
feed release solenoid SOL-3 to the parallel combination of the card
sensing switch SW-7 and the copy paper sensing switch SW-8, and
switch SW-2.4 gives control over the card feed clutch solenoid
SOL-4 to the copy paper sensing switch SW-9 and the time delay
switch SW.5.
The operator then presses down the feed button 298 and its lever
300 for manual closure and locking of switch SW-4. That switch
energizes the solenoid SOL-1 which engages a clutch to connect the
copy paper feed rollers 76 and 78 to the main drive chain 150, so
that the copy strip 41 is unreeled. At this moment the switch SW-5
is still open, and the card feed solenoid SOL-4 is still
deenergized along with the copying lamp 28 and the electrostatic
charger 86. After the passage of the time delay governed by SW-5
which is operated by cam 370, switch SW-5 then closes, turns on the
copying lamp and charger, and energizes the card feed clutch
solenoid SOL-4 through switches SW-9 and SW-2.4. Solenoid SOL-4
consequently engages clutch 190 to drive pickers 156 and feed
rollers 122 and 124, which then begin delivering the tabulating
cards 116 sequentially to the copying station 22. Operation in the
card copying mode will then continue automatically in this manner
so long as switches SW-7 and SW-8 are open and switch SW-9 is
closed.
There are two alternative conditions which automatically terminate
card copying operation. On of these is exhaustion of the tabulating
cards 115 in the hopper 120 when the card copying job has been
completed. When cards 116 are no longer sensed by the switch SW-7,
that switch closes to complete an energizing path for the cutoff
knife solenoid SOL-2 through switches SW-4 and SW-2.2. Solenoid
SOL-2 then actuates the cutoff knife mechanism 80 to sever the copy
paper strip 41 as is appropriate after copying all the cards 116 in
the hopper 120. In addition, the closing of switch SW-7 completes a
circuit to the feed release solenoid SOL-3 through switches SW-4
and SW-2.3, so that solenoid SOL-3 then releases the feed control
lever 300 to open the switch SW-4. This in turn deenergizes the
solenoid SOL-1 to declutch the copy paper feed rollers 76 and 78
and discontinue the delivery of the copy paper strip 41. In
addition, after the passage of the time delay, the switch SW-5
opens to deenergize solenoid SOL-4 and disengage the card feed
clutch 190, since the card hopper 120 is now empty.
The other condition which automatically terminates card mode
operation is exhaustion or discontinuity of the copy paper strip 41
upstream from the feed roller 76 and 78. When this happens, arm 371
is transferred and SW-8 closes. As a result, the solenoid SOL-3 is
energized to release the lever 300 and open the switch SW-4. This
declutches the paper feed rollers 76 and 78, which are no longer
needed once the copy paper strip 41 is no longer there to be fed.
The same movement of the sensing arm 371 which closes switch SW-8
also opens the other copy paper sensing switch SW-9, so that upon
interruption of the copy paper strip 41 the solenoid SOL-4 is
immediately deenergized and the clutch 190 disengaged to stop
feeding tabulating cards 116 to the copying station 22.
During card copying operation the successive tabulating cards 116
emerging from the copying station 22 under control of the rollers
56 and 58 pass between the gating members 70 and the plate 356, and
then pass below the panel 62 and fall through passageway 379 into
output bin 126 where they are caught upon the floating card catcher
tray 128. At the beginning of the card copying run, the catcher
tray is near the top of the output bin 126 so that the tabulating
cards can not flip over as they fall, but instead land flat upon
the tray. This insures that the cards will not be damaged as other
cards accumulate above, and also insures that they are deposited in
the proper sequence. But then as cards accumulate on the tray 128,
the effective card catching surface becomes the rising top of the
output deck 380. Therefore, in order to made room for the steadily
increasing thickness of that deck, and to keep the effective card
catching surface near the top of the output bin 126 so that
subsequent cards are caught in the same way, the tray 128 is
mounted upon a floating mechanism 382 which slowly lowers it toward
the bottom of the bin 126 in response to the increasing weight of
the output deck 380.
As seen in FIGS. 1, 8 and 9 the tray 128 is in the form of a plate
having depending ears 384 at opposite sides thereof. Each of these
ears is provided with an upper roller 386 journaled on a stub shaft
388 and a lower roller 390 journaled on a stub shaft 392. The lower
rollers 390 are set somewhat forwardly on the upper rollers 386,
and all four rollers are formed with peripheral grooves 394 to
receive respective vertical rail 396 on opposite sides of the
output bin 126. The center of gravity of the tray 128, with or
without the output deck 380, is forward of the rails 396, causing
the entire assembly to be gravity biased so that the rollers 386
and 390 on each side clasp their associated rails therebetween, to
suspend the catcher tray 128 at any required height along the
rails. In addition, the rollers 386 and 390 roll on the rails 396
to permit relatively easy adjustment of the vertical position of
the catcher tray 128.
Each of the rails 396 is supported at its top by tongue-in-groove
engagement with a holding bracket 398 which is secured to the rear
wall 400 of the output bin 126. At their lower ends the rails 396
have extension pins 402 which are received within appropriate
openings in the floor plate 404 of the output bin 126. The rear
wall 400 is formed with a cutout 401 at the top which defines the
lower edge of passageway 379.
The catcher tray 128 is held at whatever height is appropriate to
the instantaneous size of the tabulating card output deck 380, by a
counter balancing mechanism comprising a coil spring 406 anchored
at its lower end to a tab 408 which projects from the rear wall
400. The upper end of the spring is hooked through a suitable
opening in the center of a bar 410. The opposite ends of this bar
have openings to which are secured the ends of respective wires
412. The wires extend upwardly from the bar 410 and are wound first
about the smaller diameters 414 and then about the larger diameters
416 of a pair of compound pulleys, which are rotatably mounted by
means of stub shafts 418 on the rear wall 400. FRom the larger
diameter section 416 of each compound pulley the wires 412 extend
to the respective ears 384 of the catcher tray 128, and are secured
to openings 420 therein. By this means the counterbalancing spring
406 exerts a continuous, yielding upward force on the catcher tray
128. As the weight of the card output deck 380 increases, the
catcher tray 128 sinks within the output bin 126, and the wires 412
unreel from the compound pulleys 416, 414, raising the bar 410 and
extending the spring 406.
The cards 380 are further confined by a front panel 422 which is a
continuation of the top panel 62, and which bends over into
engagement with the floor panel 404 at the bottom of the bin. In
order to confine the cards 380 laterally, a pair of moveable side
panels 424 are provided, which are held in place by the horizontal
tension exerted by a pair of coil springs 426 engaging the side
panels 424 at one end and hooked at the other end into suitable
openings 428 formed in the rear wall 400. At the top, the side
panels 424 are formed with pins 430 which extend through suitable
openings in lugs 432 bent from opposite sides of the holding
bracket 398. At the bottom the side panels 424 are formed with
similar pins 434 which engage suitable openings in the floor panel
404. The pins 430 and 434 rotatably mount the side panels 424 so
that either panel can be swung aside against the force of its
spring 426, to provide access to the bin for removing the card deck
380. Afterwards the spring 426 returns the panel 424 to its
original position. Lugs 427 bent from the rear wall 400 serve to
limit the spring-baised motion of panels 424, and to define their
rest positions.
The entire output bin 126 is supported upon the front panel 436 of
the copying machine 20 by means of a pair of brackets 440 bent from
the bin rear wall 400. The gate shaft 72 passes through openings in
these brackets, and in turn is supported on the copying machine
side panels 157. Near the lower end of the output bin 416 are slots
441 which engage downwardly over fastener shanks 443 protruding
forwardly from the copying machine front panel 436. The shanks 443
are provided with enlarged fastener heads 442, which serve to
retain the shanks 443 within the slots 441. Enlarged openings 444
communicate with the slots 441 to provide for initial engagement
with the enlarged heads 442.
FIGS. 10 and 11 provide a detailed view of the mechanism which
delivers the copy paper strip to the exit 104 and winds it up on
the takeup reel 132 during card-copying operation. Roller 110 in
FIG. 1 is conventionally driven by the main drive chain 150, and
rotates on a shaft 450 suitably journaled in the side panels 157 of
the machine 20. This roller has looped thereover one end of each of
four conveyor belts 106, the upper strands of which move to the
left (as seen in FIGS. 1, 10 and 11) in response to
counterclockwise rotation of the roller 110. Thus belts 106 convey
the output strip 40 or 41 toward the machine exit 104. The four
conveyor belts 106 span a breadth which is adapted to convey the
81/2 inch width of document-sized copy paper 40 when the machine is
used in the document mode, while the two innermost belts 106 are
sufficiently closely spaced to carry the narrower width of copy
paper strip 41 which is used for address labels. The conveyor belts
106 also act as drive belts to rotate roller 112 upon a shaft 452
which is supported between machine side panels 157. The roller 112
is provided with grooves 456 for keeping the conveyor belts 106 in
proper alignment, and similar grooves (not shown) are preferably
formed on the roller 110.
The roller 112 is further provided with additional grooves 458 for
proper alignment of a further set of conveyor belts 108 which are
looped thereabout and are driven by the roller 112. The belts 108
serve to convey the copy machine output paper 40 or 41 the rest of
the way toward the exit 104. The four of them are spaced widely
enough to accommodate the 81/2 inch regular document width of copy
paper 40, which the two innermost belts 108 are properly spaced to
support the narrower width of address label copy paper strip 41.
The other ends of belts 108 are looped about the roller 114 and are
engaged in grooves 460 thereof for proper alignment. The roller 114
is secured to a shaft 462 which is journaled in a pair of side
panels 464 of a reel mechanism supporting member 465 located at the
machine exit 104. These side panels are formed with hooks 466 which
engage over the shaft 452 to keep the supporting member 465
properly positioned. The member 465 also includes a floor panel
480.
In the document mode, as each copy emerges from the exit 104 upon
the conveyor belts 108, it is manually retrieved by the operator of
the copying machine 20. But in the card mode, as the continuous
label strip 41 emerges from the exit 104, it is taken up
continuously upon a reel 132. The takeup reel is secured to a shaft
136 provided with large diameter rims 138 at the opposite ends
thereof. The rims 138 serve as lateral containment for the roll 134
of label output strip 41, and also serve as a driving means of the
shaft 136 and takeup reel 132. In order to accomplish this latter
function, the enlarged rims 138 are in frictional driving
engagement with the roller 130 which in turn is secured to a drive
shaft 467 to rotate the roller. The drive shaft 467 has a gear 468
at one end which in turn meshes with a gear 470 on the shaft 462 of
the conveyor belt roller 114. Consequently, the conveyor belts 108
provide the drive for the takeup reel 132.
The shaft 136 rotates on, and is gravitationally retained in place
upon, the arms 462 of a U-shaped bracket 474. The bracket in turn
is mounted on a rod 476 which is supported at either end by the
panels 464 and which extends through the bracket arms 472. A second
rod 478, also supported at either end by the panels 464, engages
the lower end of the bracket 474 in order to limit its rotation
about the rod 476.
When the copying machine 20 has completed its work, the reel 132
and shaft 136 carrying the label output roll 134 are removed
therefrom and operatively mounted in a conventional labeling
machine.
Any suitable means, such as a conventional-type photocell
arrangement, may be used to insure that the locations of the strip
cutting lines are between the successive field of said addresses.
Further the copy paper 40 may be provided with conventional indicia
or pin feed holes so that the output strip 41 may be efficiently
used in conventional-type labelling equipment. Here again suitable
means are provided for synchronizing the movement of such an output
strip and the feed of said tabulating cards 116.
It will now be appreciated that the present invention provides a
novel system, having both method and apparatus aspects, for the
rapid automatic printing and application of large numbers of
mailing address labels; the system dispensing with conventional
printing presses and plates, and thus avoiding the multitude of
disadvantages which they entail. In addition, the card copying
apparatus of the system involves several novel and advantageous
modifications to an existing photocopying machine which enables it
to copy a continuous stream of tabulating cards.
Since the foregoing description and drawings are merely
illustrative, the scope of protection of the invention has been
more broadly stated in the following claims. These claims should
therefore be liberally interpreted so as to obtain the benefit of
all equivalents to which the invention is fairly entitled.
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