Solenoid Controlled Paper Handling Mechanism

Abstract

A passbook handling apparatus for positioning and holding passbooks, deposit slips or other paper during printing. A guide assembly is provided for guiding a passbook, or the like, over the platen of a printing mechanism, gripping the passbook with a gripping roller when positioned and then having the guide means shift from a first to a second position by actuating a solenoid connected thereto for wrapping a portion of the passbook around the platen and holding it in position during printing. Means are also included for moving the passbook from one line to the next and for releasing the solenoid actuated gripping rollers and guide means upon completion of the entry.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to paper handling mechanisms and especially to a passbook handling mechanism suitable for insertion of a passbook, deposit slip, or the like, entering printed entries on the inserted paper and removal thereof.

In the past, paper handling mechanisms have been primarily directed towards devices for feeding the paper around a platen, starting on one side and feeding around the platen. Devices such as pinch rollers press against the platen for holding the paper around the platen at the desired position for printing. The paper can be fed from a roll or can be individual sheets inserted and removed upon completion of the printed entry by rotation of the platen until the paper comes out of the opposite side from which it was inserted. These mechanisms are typically seen in new and old typewriters, adding, and other accounting machines and have operated satisfactorily but have the disadvantage of being relatively time consuming, where the paper transactions are paper members such as passbooks or deposit slips which are inserted for short entries and then removed and handed to a customer. It is also desirable in these types of device to make more than one entry at a time so that, for instance, when making an entry on a deposit slip, the entry will be entered on a journal sheet on pressure sensitive paper beneath each deposit and also to utilize such mechanisms for computer terminals and having each transaction punched into a paper tape or recorded on a magnetic tape, or the like. To speed up the transactions commonly found in financial institutions where numerous and short entries are to be made on passbooks, deposit slips, and the like, various suggestions have been made including guide means for guiding a particular size passbook from the front or rear of a platen during the printing operation. For instance, a guide member could guide a passbook from the front of a printing platen to a desired position where it could be either gripped or hand held during the entry of the printing operation. These devices have proven satisfactory but it is one object of the present invention to provide an improved paper handling mechanism for handling passbooks, deposit slips, or similar pieces of paper where short transactions are to be entered and large numbers of such transactions are to be made.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a paper handling apparatus for positioning and holding passbooks, deposit slips and similar types of paper for entering printed entries thereon and includes a printing mechanism for printing the entries on flat members such as passbooks or deposit slips when the flat members are positioned against a platen. A guide assembly is provided for guiding flat members over the platen to a desired position which can be determined by markings on the guide assembly. The guide assembly is solenoid actuated from one position to a second position, with the first position being for inserting the passbook to a desired position, then actuating the solenoid for the guide means to move through a path to wrap the flat member around a portion of the platen and holding it wrapped in this position during entry of the printed material. A gripping roller first grips the passbook against the platen prior to the guide assembly wrapping it around a portion of the platen between the gripping roller and a paper engaging portion of the guide assembly. Solenoids also actuate the gripping roller and both solenoids are actuated by the operator, as desired. The platen is then power driven on command to shift from one printing position to another. A guide assembly is held on guide assembly support members which have arcuate slots therein so that the guide assembly can slide in these slots from one position to the other in a predetermined path of travel from the first to the second position so as to wrap the passbook around the platen and hold it during the printing operation. The mechanism also provides for side by side operation with a journal and receipt item handling mechanism which feeds a roll of paper from one roller to a second around the platen on a continuous basis and allows insertion of a deposit slip, or the like, which makes entries on the deposit slip and onto the journal paper, and which may grip the deposit slips in a similar manner and in a simultaneous operation, if desired, with the passbook handling portion of the mechanism. There is also provided various features such as a stop for stopping the passbook at a desired point, indicating means to indicate various points such as the binding in the middle of a passbook, and various means for connecting solenoids to the guide assembly and to the gripping rollers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from a study of the written description and the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view taken on the line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of FIG. 2 showing the journal roll and receipt insert;

FIG. 4 is a view taken on the line 4--4 of FIG. 2 showing the passbook in place and the character wheel contacting it; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of FIG. 2 showing details of the passbook guide assembly.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention relates to a mechanism which is solenoid operated to position and hold a passbook, deposit slip or receipt or similar flat member for printing entries. The solenoid has a de-energized or first position in which it holds a guide assembly for insertion of the flat member or passbook over a printing mechanism platen so that the book is positioned between the platen and the printing head. The markings on the front of the guide assembly allow the passbook to be positioned to the desired point for printing the next line and also to pick up the paper information from the book for entering into a computer. After the transaction has been entered the solenoid is energized which raises the guide assembly and wraps the passbook around the platen for printing.

THE PRINTING MECHANISM

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, a paper handling apparatus 10 is illustrated as having a passbook handling portion 11 and a transaction portion 12 for entering onto a receipt 37 and journal portions 11 and 12 operate for separate entries but operate together and utilize a single set of printing wheels 14. The printing mechanism 13 has a pair of printing or character wheels 14 which are inked by an ink roller 15. The character wheels 14 are driven by a square drive shaft 16 which in turn is driven by belt 17 driving a pulley 18. Belt 17 is driven either directly or through gears by a stepping motor (not illustrated). Fixed guide bar 20, and horizontal belt 21 are also utilized in moving the character wheels 14 transverse to the apparatus 10 and is driven through a pulley 22 driven by a drive shaft 23, and may also be driven by stepping motors. The character wheels 14 are adapted to move forward to impress a printing character against paper supported by the platen 24. The character wheels 14 are connected to brackets 25 and are driven by belts (not shown) and are adapted to swing forward against the platen 24 for printing. The printing mechanism 13 is described only generally since the invention is directed towards positioning and holding the paper on the platens 24 and 45 for printing by the character wheels 14 and any printing mechanism may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. The platen 24 is connected to a pulley 26 which is driven by drive belt 27 which is motor driven to rotate the platen 24 to move a permanent record tape 28 around platen 24 which is an elongated cylinder made of a compressible material such as rubber while the permanent record tape 28 goes from one roll around the platen 24, and wraps onto a second roll and may be of a pressure sensitive type paper whereby the character wheels 14 when printing on receipts 37 inserted in portion 12 will record the same data on the permanent record tape 28.

ITEM RECEIPT PAPER HANDLING PORTION

The Item Receipt Paper Handling Portion 12, as seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 has a gripping roller 30, which may be an elongated cylindrical rubber roller held by levers 31 which pivot on brackets 32 and which are adapted to swing the gripping roller 30 away from and against the platen 24 to hold an item receipt 37 being inserted next to the platen 24 and over the permanent record tape 28. Solenoid 33 has a rod 34 which is connected to linkage 35 in turn connected to a rod 36. Rod 36 is held by levers 31 so that actuation of the solenoid 33 will pull the rod 36 and turn the levers 31 to drive the gripping roller 30 against the platen 24. The journal and receipt portion 12 is illustrated also as having a deposit slip or item receipt 37 therein which is held by an item receipt positioning and holding member 38 and also by the gripping roller 30. Also illustrated is the framework 39 which supports the platen 24 and a roller 40 for the permanent record tape 28 to ride over. Thus, in entering transactions in journal and receipt portion 12, a receipt 37 is slipped in behind the receipt positioning and holding member 38, then solenoid 33 is actuated, which pulls a lever 35 seen in FIG. 2 connected to a bracket 42 and held at the base 43 of the apparatus 10. Lever 35 is adapted to pull the rod 36 and in turn the levers 31 to drive the rollers 30 against the receipt 37 in one position. A stop member 44 prevents the receipt 37 from being inserted too far. The receipt-positioning and holding member 38 is activated and travels an arcuate path to wrap the receipt 37 around the platen 24 and to hold it wrapped around the platen 24 between the gripping roller 30 and the holding member 38, while the character wheel 14 prints entries onto the receipt 37 which are simultaneously added to the record tape 28. The receipt positioning and holding member 38 is operated in connection with the passbook handling portion 11 of apparatus 10. The transaction portion 12 can be more clearly understood in connection with FIG. 3 where the solenoid 33 can be seen to be held by a bracket 55 secured to the base 43 and the lever 35 can be seen pinned by a pin 49 to the bracket 42. Solenoid 33 can be more clearly seen to have a return spring 56 wrapped around its rod 34 for returning lever 35 when the solenoid 33 is de-energized. The lever 31 has the roller 30 attached thereto gripping an item receipt 37 against the permanent record tape 28 which is wrapped around the platen 24 and also around the roller 40. The stop member 44 is for stopping the receipt 37 in a predetermined position and the printer character wheel 14 is seen printing against the receipt 37 which would also record on the record tape 28 when the receipt positioning and holding member 38 is moved into its upper position.

PASSBOOK POSITIONING AND HOLDING PORTION

The passbook handling portion 11 of the apparatus 10 is best illustrated in connection with FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5 and has a platen 45 which can be a separate platen from platen 24, or depending upon the particular design could be one continuous platen for both sides of the apparatus 10. The passbook handling portion 11 has a gripping roller 46 which can be an elongated cylindrical roll of rubber, or the like, rotatably connected to a pair of levers 47 which are pinned at 48 to brackets 50 which in turn are connected to the base 43. A bar 51 is connected between the levers 47 and has another lever 52 connected therebetween which is pinned to a bracket 53 in turn connected to the base 43. A solenoid 54 is supported by bracket 53 and connected to lever 52 whereby the solenoid 54 can drive the lever 52 and bar 51 to drive the levers 47 to drive the gripping roller 46 against the platen 45 for gripping a passbook 57 against the platen 45 when the passbook 57 is inserted.

Referring especially to FIGS. 4 and 5, the platen 45 can be seen to have a steel rod 56 passing through its center and having a passbook 57 wrapped partially around platen 45 and held by the roller 46. The roller 46 is connected to the levers 47 and the print wheel 14 prints on the passbook 57. A stop member 58 prevents the passbook 57 from being inserted more than a predetermined distance. The passbook guide assembly 60 includes a passbook guide assembly support 61 having a pair of generally arcuate shaped slots 62 and 63 therein, with one of these supports 61 on either side of the assembly 60. The assembly 60 also has a passbook guide 64 adapted for sliding the passbook 57 thereover during insertion, assembly 60 has an engaging portion 65 connected to the bottom thereof and has a pair of side members or guides 66 having the same general curved portion 67 as the guide assembly back portion 68 so that when the guide assembly guide 64, along with members 66 is moved from its first to its second position, the curved portion 67 will fit against back portion 68. The slots 62 and 63 each have pins 70 and 71 respectively located therein for sliding therein. Pin 71 is also connected to a lever 72 which is in turn connected to a shaft 74. Solenoid collar 73, fixed to shaft 74 is connected to the solenoid 75 and arm 76 by a linkage member 77. Thus, activating the solenoid 75 will drive the linkage member 77 with the arm 76 moving the solenoid collar 73 in a generally circular motion to drive the lever 72 guiding drive pin 71 in a slot 78 along slot 63, thereby driving passbook guide members 64 and 66 in a predetermined curved path which will in turn move the passbook engaging portion 65 in a curved path around the platen 45. With the passbook 57 inserted and the roller 46 engaging the passbook 57 against the platen 45 at one point, the movement of engaging portion 65 will wrap the passbook 57 neatly around a portion of the platen 45 and hold it in that position during the time period while the solenoid 75 is energized. Members 64 and 66 are held in their second position and allow the print wheel 14 to make printed entries onto the passbook 57. Once the entries are completed, the solenoid 75 can be de-energized and can be spring actuated to drive it back to its first position having the pins 70 and 71 slide in slots 62 and 63 driven by the lever 72 connected to the collar 73 and linkage member 77, to release the hold of engaging portion 65 on the passbook 57. Deenergizing solenoid 54 releases the gripping roller 46 from the passbook 57 so that the passbook 57 can be easily removed. As can be seen, the passbook 57 can be quickly engaged against the platen 45 and quickly removed without inserting and rolling around the platen 45 in either direction. Once inserted and engaged, however, the platen 45 can be driven to rotate and move the passbook 57 to different positions for making insertions on more than one line. A microswitch 80 and a contact 81 are illustrated connected to the apparatus 10 which indicates when the guide assembly 60 is in its second position. It should also be noted that engaging portion 65, in addition to holding the passbook 57, extends across the apparatus 10 and forms a coplanar unitary element with member 38 of the journal and item receipt entry portion 12.

OPERATION OF MECHANISM

In the normal entry sequence for a savings and loan institution or similar type financial institution, a receipt or deposit slip, or the like, 37 can be inserted into journal and receipt handling portion 12 of the apparatus 10 over the pressure sensitive record tape 28 and the passbook 57 can be inserted in the guide assembly 60 of the passbook handling portion 11 of the apparatus 10. The gripping rollers 30 and 46 will engage the receipt 37 and the passbook 57 and the paper engaging portion 38 and 65 of the guide assembly 60 can be activated to wrap the receipt 37 and the passbook 57 around the platens 24 and 45 along a predetermined path and hold them in the second position of the guide assembly 60 while the print wheels 14 print on the receipt 37 and record tape 28 and shifts along the square drive shaft 16 to the passbook 57 and inserts the desired information in the passbook 57 whereupon the guide assembly 60 can be released, along with the gripping rollers 30 and 46, and the passbook 57 quickly removed along with the receipt 37 for return to the customer, while at the same time leaving the permanent record tape 28 with the transactions entered thereon. The entry can also be simultaneously punched into paper tape or entered on magnetic tape or similar medium for storage and can be fed directly into a computer.

It should be clear at this point that the present invention is a paper handling mechanism for use in a computer terminal for use in savings and loan associations or other financial institutions which would be directly connected to a central computer for having the transactions stored for later entry or directly entered as they are being made in the terminal, while at the same time providing a permanent printed record of each of the journal entries.

It is also contemplated that other embodiments and variations are within the scope and spirit of the present invention. For instance, it is anticipated that microswitches would be used to indicate when the passbook 57 has been inserted all the way, when the passbook 57 was at the center binding so that printing would not be made in the middle of the passbook 57 on the binding, in addition to the microswitch 80 indicating when the assembly 60 is in the first and second position and it should also be realized that the solenoids 34, 54 and 75 are all activated by an operator who, following making the insertion of the item receipt in the passbook 57, would push the desired switches for activating the solenoids 34, 54 and 75, which switches would be pushed in a predetermined order according to the transaction being entered and the information typed on a keyboard.

Accordingly, the present invention is not to be construed as limited to the particular forms disclosed herein since these are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.

Claims

I claim:

1. A paper handling apparatus for positioning and holding flat members for printing entries thereon comprising in combination:

a. a frame;

b. a roller platen for holding flat members thereagainst for printing thereon, said platen being rotatably connected to said frame;

c. movable guide means for guiding a flat member over a portion of said platen, said movable guide means having a flat member engaging member and having a first position for insertion of a flat member to a desired location and a second position for holding a flat member against said platen with said flat member engaging member of said movable guide means;

d. solenoid actuated gripping means having a solenoid attached to said frame for driving at least one gripping arm member for gripping an inserted flat member at one position against said platen upon insertion of a flat member into said movable guide means; and

e. solenoid guide means actuating means having a guide means actuating solenoid connected to said frame and having a linkage mechanism connecting said guide means actuating solenoid to said movable guide means for moving said movable guide means between said first and second positions to move said flat member engaging member in a generally arcuate path to wrap a flat member around said platen between said gripping means and said flat member engaging member of said movable guide means; whereby a printing mechanism can print entries onto said inserted flat member held onto said platen by said gripping arm member and said flat member engaging member of said movable guide means.

2. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said solenoid guide means actuating solenoid includes at least one solenoid having energized and de-energized states, the energized state holding said movable guide means in said second position.

3. The apparatus in accordance with claim 2 including a stop means for preventing the insertion of said flat member past a predetermined point said stop means being attached to said frame.

4. The apparatus in accordance with claim 3 in which said movable guide means is supported by support members fixedly attached to said frame and said support members having generally arcuate slots therein, said arcuate slots having pins extending therethrough from said movable guide means and said pins being attached to said linkage mechanism for guiding said movable guide means from said one position to said second position over a predetermined arcuate path at least partially determined by said arcuate slots in said support members.

5. The apparatus in accordance with claim 4 in which said solenoid actuated gripping means includes a pair of solenoids for actuating a pair of gripping rollers simultaneously, each said gripping roller being located between a pair of supporting arm members supporting each gripping roller and said gripping rollers simultaneously gripping pairs of inserted flat members when actuated.

6. The apparatus in accordance with claim 5 in which said platen is power driven for positioning said flat members thereon.