Patent EP0073132A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0073132A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Printing in register on sheets
Assignee: McCorquodale Machine Systems Ltd
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Filing: 1982-08-16
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2002-08-16
Abstract
Abstract This invention is concerned with the high speed printing of a line of text on a sheet in very accurate registration with an edge of the sheet or another feature (for example an existing print line) on the sheet. The sheet is fed without pre-registration on to a track (10, Figure 1) which passes the printing station (20). A detector (16) adjacent the track senses the arrival of the edge or some other feature of the sheet and a printing control means (14) responsive to the detector signal initiates the firing of the printing hammer (22) when the print line reaches the printing station, a registered operation being thereby effected without stopping the sheet. The detector signal may start the operation of a counter (70, Figure 4) and a firing signal is sent to the hammer control circuit (100, 102, 104) when the count reaches a value dependent on the distance between the detector and the point at which the printing operation takes place and (unless the new print is to be in alignment with a detected print line) also dependent on the distance on the sheet between the edge or feature detected and the position at which the new print is to appear.
Inventors
- 👤 Donald George Billington
- 👤 Reginald Douglas Brooker
- 👤 Harry Powell
- 👤 Roger Walker
- 👤 David Roy George Wilkins
- 👤 Stuart Weaver
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 14:01
CPC Classifications
B; B41; B41J; B41J13/00; B41J13/26; B41J13/32; B41K; B41K3/00; B41K3/44; B41K3/48
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
189 words
Apparatus for printing on each of a series of sheets so that the resulting printed mark on a sheet is registered with respect to an edge of the sheet or with respect to an operation previously performed on the sheet, the apparatus comprising: means defining a flow path for the sheets; a printing station (20) located at a predetermined point along the flow path and including type faces (22) and a hammer (21) or hammers to cause impact printing of a sheet against the type faces; and further comprising sheet-feeding means (30) feeding each sheet continuously along the flow path and past the said station; sensing means (16) detecting the arrival of the edge of the sheet, or the arrival of a feature resulting from the said previous operation on the sheet, at a given point along the flow path and providing a corresponding electric signal; and printing control means (Fig. 4) responsive to the signal from the detecting means to initiate the firing of the printing hammer or hammers when the print line reaches the printing station whereby a registered printing operation is effected without stopping the sheet.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
189 words
Apparatus for printing on each of a series of sheets so that the resulting printed mark on a sheet is registered with respect to an edge of the sheet or with respect to an operation previously performed on the sheet, the apparatus comprising: means defining a flow path for the sheets; a printing station (20) located at a predetermined point along the flow path and including type faces (22) and a hammer (21) or hammers to cause impact printing of a sheet against the type faces; and further comprising sheet-feeding means (30) feeding each sheet continuously along the flow path and past the said station; sensing means (16) detecting the arrival of the edge of the sheet, or the arrival of a feature resulting from the said previous operation on the sheet, at a given point along the flow path and providing a corresponding electric signal; and printing control means (Fig. 4) responsive to the signal from the detecting means to initiate the firing of the printing hammer or hammers when the print line reaches the printing station whereby a registered printing operation is effected without stopping the sheet.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
18 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which the sensing means is located upstream of the printing station.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
107 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim.lor 2 in which the sensing means detects the arrival of the edge of the sheet or the said feature on the sheet at the given point before the arrival of the portion of the sheet to be printed at the printing position and in which the printing control means comprises timing means (12, 70) controlled in accordance with the distance of the said portion of the sheet from the printing position at the moment of detection to initiate the firing of the printing hammer or hammers after an interval equal to. the time required to advance the sheet through the said distance.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
27 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 3, in which the timing means (12,70) is further controlled in accordance with the speed of movement of the sheet feeding means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
85 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 4, in which the printing control means includes a counter (70), the operation of which is initiated by the signal (TEXT) from the detecting means, and a circuit (102-104) which initiates the firing of the printing hammer or hammers towards the sheet when the counter reaches a predetermined count, the apparatus further including a pulse generator (12) supplying the counter (70) with clock pulses at a rate corresponding to the speed of movement of the sheet along the flow path.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
45 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 5, in which the pulse generator includes a shaft encoder (12) coupled to a shaft for driving a belt (10) on which the sheet is advanced along the flow line to the printing Istatition, for providing the said clock pulses.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
97 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 5 or 6, in which the sensing means provides a first signal (DOCUMENT) in response to the detection of the edge of a sheet and a second signal (TEXT) responsive to the detection of an existing mark on the sheet, the first signal initiating counting in a second counter (62) and the second signal being used to cause the contents of the second counter, representing the distance between the said edge and the existing mark, to be applied to comparator means for determining whether the said distance lies within a predetermined range.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
33 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 5, 6, or 7, including means for reversing the count in the or in each counter if the sheet moves in the reverse direction along the flow path.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
92 words
Apparatus in accordance with any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the first counter (70) is loaded with a value dependent on both the distance between the detector and the point along the flow path at which the printing operation takes place and the distance on the sheet between the edge or feature detected and the position at which the print is to appear, and counts clock pulses from the moment of response of the detecting means, the printing hammer or hammers being fired when the count reaches the preloaded value.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
65 words
Apparatus in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, in which the printing hammer (21, Fig. 7) is driven against a spring (110) by a cam (108) and thereafter released to allow the spring to throw the hammer towards a print wheel (22), the apparatus further including a stop (114) which is hit by the hammer when the hammer reaches the point of printing.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
68 words
Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, in which the sensing means are arranged downstream of the printing station at a position such that when the edge of a sheet or the feature on the sheet is detected by the sensing means and the resulting signal is used to initiate the firing of the printing hammer or hammers immediately, the resulting print on the sheet is in correct register.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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