Marking apparatus

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR MARKING SHEET MATERIAL DURING MOVEMENT OF THE LATTER, COMPRISING A BACK-UP ROLLER HAVING A RESILIENT SURFACE MOVABLY SUPPORTING THE SHEET MATERIAL, ROTATABLY MOUNTED SUPPLY AND TAKE-UP REELS FOR A STAMPING TAPE, GUIDE MEANS LEADING THE TAPE FROM SAID SUPPLY REEL TO SAID TAKE-UP REEL ALONG A PATH THAT INCLUDES A PORTION EXTENDING OVER THE SHEET MATERIAL ON SAID BACKUP ROLLER IN THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE SHEET MATERIAL, A ROTATABLE DIE WHEEL DISPOSED ABOVE SAID BACK-UP ROLLER AND HAVING MARKING MEANS PROJECTING FROM AT LEAST ONE PERIPHERAL PORTION OF THE DIE WHEEL FOR EXERTING ROLLING PRESSURE UPON THE STAMPING TAPE AGAINST THE SHEET MATERIAL ON SAID RESILIENT SURFACE OF THE BACK-UP ROLLER IN ORDER TO APPLY A MARKING TO THE SHEET MATERIAL, INTERMITTENTLY OPERABLE DRIVE MEANS FOR TURNING SAID DIE WHEEL FROM AND TO INOPERATIVE POSITIONS WHERE SAID MARKING MEANS FACES AWAY FROM THE STAMPING TAPE AND THROUGH AN ANGULAR EXTENT THAT IS LARGER THAN THE ANGULAR EXTENT OF SAID MARKING MEANS ON THE DIE WHEEL SO THAT THE MARKING MEANS EXERTS SAID ROLLING PRESSURE UPON THE TAPE TO APPLY A MARKING TO THE SHEET MATERIAL DURING SAID TURNIG OF THE DIE WHEEL, WHEREAS THE SHEET MATERIAL IS FREE TO MOVEON SAID BACK-UP ROLLER INDEPENDENTLY OF SAID DIE WHEEL AND THE TAPE WHEN SAID DIE WHEEL IS IN SAID INOPERATIVE POSITIONS, A TAPE FEEDING ROLLER FRICTIONALLY ENGAGING THE STAMPING TAPE AT A LOCATION ALONG SAID PATH BETWEEN SAID PORTION OF THE LATTER AND SAID TAKE-UP REEL SO THAT THE TAPE IS FED BETWEEN THE DIE WHEEL AND THE SHEET MATERIAL ON SAID BACK-UP ROLLER IN RESPONSE TO TURNING OF SAID FEEDING ROLLER, MEANS ACTUATED BY SAID DRIVE MEANS TO POSITIVELY TURN SAID FEEDING ROLLER FOR FEEDING THE TAPE DURING SAID ROLLING PRESSURE OF THE MARKING MEANS UPON THE TAPE THROUGH AN ADJUSTABLY PREDETERMINED DISTANCE EQUAL TO THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL EXTENT OF SAID MARKING MEANS ON THE DIE WHEEL AND PREVENTING TURNING OF THE FEEDING ROLLER IN THE OTHER DIRECTION WHEN THE DIE WHEEL IS AT ITS INOPERTIVE POSITIONS, DRAG MEANS FRICTIONALLY RESISTING THE FEEDING OF TAPE FROM SAID SUPPLY REEL, AND RESILIENT TAPE PULLBACK MEANS ENGAGING THE STAMPING TAPE AT A LOCATION ALONG SAID PATH BETWEEN SAID SUPPLY REEL AND SAID DIE WHEEL AND BACK-UP ROLLER AND BEING URGED IN ONE DIRECTION BY TENSION IN THE STAMPING TAPE, SAID TAPE PULL-BACK MEANS HAVING A RESILIENT RESISTANCE TO DISPLACEMENT IN SAID ONE DIRECTION WHICH IS SMALLER THAN THE FRICTIONAL RESISTANCE OF SAID DRAG MEANS SO THAT, DURING FEEDING OF THE TAPE, SAID TAPE PULL-BACK MEANS IS DISPLACED IN SAID ONE DIRECTION AND, THEREAFTER, WHEN THE DIE WHEEL IS IN SAID INOPERATIVE POSITIONS, RESILIENTLY RETURNS IN THE OTHER DIRECTION TO PULL BACK ANY FEED OF THE TAPE BETWEEN THE DIE WHEEL AND BACK-UP ROLLER IN EXCESS OF SAID DISTANCE RESULTING FROM INDENTATION OF THE TAPE BY THE PRESSURE OF SAID MARKING MEANS AGAINST SAID RESILIENT SURFACE DURING A PRECEDING MARKING OF THE SHEET MATERIAL.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR MARKING SHEET MATERIAL DURING MOVEMENT OF THE LATTER, COMPRISING A BACK-UP ROLLER HAVING A RESILIENT SURFACE MOVABLY SUPPORTING THE SHEET MATERIAL, ROTATABLY MOUNTED SUPPLY AND TAKE-UP REELS FOR A STAMPING TAPE, GUIDE MEANS LEADING THE TAPE FROM SAID SUPPLY REEL TO SAID TAKE-UP REEL ALONG A PATH THAT INCLUDES A PORTION EXTENDING OVER THE SHEET MATERIAL ON SAID BACKUP ROLLER IN THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE SHEET MATERIAL, A ROTATABLE DIE WHEEL DISPOSED ABOVE SAID BACK-UP ROLLER AND HAVING MARKING MEANS PROJECTING FROM AT LEAST ONE PERIPHERAL PORTION OF THE DIE WHEEL FOR EXERTING ROLLING PRESSURE UPON THE STAMPING TAPE AGAINST THE SHEET MATERIAL ON SAID RESILIENT SURFACE OF THE BACK-UP ROLLER IN ORDER TO APPLY A MARKING TO THE SHEET MATERIAL, INTERMITTENTLY OPERABLE DRIVE MEANS FOR TURNING SAID DIE WHEEL FROM AND TO INOPERATIVE POSITIONS WHERE SAID MARKING MEANS FACES AWAY FROM THE STAMPING TAPE AND THROUGH AN ANGULAR EXTENT THAT IS LARGER THAN THE ANGULAR EXTENT OF SAID MARKING MEANS ON THE DIE WHEEL SO THAT THE MARKING MEANS EXERTS SAID ROLLING PRESSURE UPON THE TAPE TO APPLY A MARKING TO THE SHEET MATERIAL DURING SAID TURNIG OF THE DIE WHEEL, WHEREAS THE SHEET MATERIAL IS FREE TO MOVEON SAID BACK-UP ROLLER INDEPENDENTLY OF SAID DIE WHEEL AND THE TAPE WHEN SAID DIE WHEEL IS IN SAID INOPERATIVE POSITIONS, A TAPE FEEDING ROLLER FRICTIONALLY ENGAGING THE STAMPING TAPE AT A LOCATION ALONG SAID PATH BETWEEN SAID PORTION OF THE LATTER AND SAID TAKE-UP REEL SO THAT THE TAPE IS FED BETWEEN THE DIE WHEEL AND THE SHEET MATERIAL ON SAID BACK-UP ROLLER IN RESPONSE TO TURNING OF SAID FEEDING ROLLER, MEANS ACTUATED BY SAID DRIVE MEANS TO POSITIVELY TURN SAID FEEDING ROLLER FOR FEEDING THE TAPE DURING SAID ROLLING PRESSURE OF THE MARKING MEANS UPON THE TAPE THROUGH AN ADJUSTABLY PREDETERMINED DISTANCE EQUAL TO THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL EXTENT OF SAID MARKING MEANS ON THE DIE WHEEL AND PREVENTING TURNING OF THE FEEDING ROLLER IN THE OTHER DIRECTION WHEN THE DIE WHEEL IS AT ITS INOPERTIVE POSITIONS, DRAG MEANS FRICTIONALLY RESISTING THE FEEDING OF TAPE FROM SAID SUPPLY REEL, AND RESILIENT TAPE PULLBACK MEANS ENGAGING THE STAMPING TAPE AT A LOCATION ALONG SAID PATH BETWEEN SAID SUPPLY REEL AND SAID DIE WHEEL AND BACK-UP ROLLER AND BEING URGED IN ONE DIRECTION BY TENSION IN THE STAMPING TAPE, SAID TAPE PULL-BACK MEANS HAVING A RESILIENT RESISTANCE TO DISPLACEMENT IN SAID ONE DIRECTION WHICH IS SMALLER THAN THE FRICTIONAL RESISTANCE OF SAID DRAG MEANS SO THAT, DURING FEEDING OF THE TAPE, SAID TAPE PULL-BACK MEANS IS DISPLACED IN SAID ONE DIRECTION AND, THEREAFTER, WHEN THE DIE WHEEL IS IN SAID INOPERATIVE POSITIONS, RESILIENTLY RETURNS IN THE OTHER DIRECTION TO PULL BACK ANY FEED OF THE TAPE BETWEEN THE DIE WHEEL AND BACK-UP ROLLER IN EXCESS OF SAID DISTANCE RESULTING FROM INDENTATION OF THE TAPE BY THE PRESSURE OF SAID MARKING MEANS AGAINST SAID RESILIENT SURFACE DURING A PRECEDING MARKING OF THE SHEET MATERIAL.