Actuating means, resetting means and ribbon feed means in settable printing machines

Claim 2

In a machine for typing information on a sheet, means for supporting the sheet for typing thereon, a plurality of coaxial typing members, means supporting the latter members for rotary movement about a common axis, each of said members having a plurality of types angularly distributed about said axis, means for angularly positioning said members with respect to said axis for locating selected types of said members along a given typing line which is parallel to said axis, all of said members having with respect to said axis a given starting position, means for advancing the sheet support and the typing members relatively toward each other to carry out a typing operation during a typing cycle, swingable bail means coacting with said plurality of typing members for returning all of said members to said starting position at the end of a typing operation, drive means including a unidirectional drive shaft for carrying out a typing cycle when said drive means is actuated, and transmission means driven by the drive shaft of said drive means and operatively connected with said bail means for automatically swinging the latter to return said members to the starting position at the end of each typing cycle in preparation for the next typing cycle.

Claim 3

The combination of claim 1 and wherein an inking ribbon extends across said typing members and is in alignment with said typing line to transfer impressions from said selected types at said line to a sheet, a pair of spools on which said ribbon is wound, a spool-turning means coacting with the spools for turning them to transfer the ribbon between said spools, and second transmission means driven by said drive means an being operatively connected with said spool-turning means for actuating the latter also at each typing cycle, said second transmission means and spool-turning means coacting for automatically reversing the direction of ribbon travel between the spools in response to tension in the ribbon when the unwinding thereof from one spool is terminated so as to automatically bring about rewinding of the ribbon onto said one spool and unwinding thereof from the other spool.

Claim 4

The combination of claim 2 and wherein said spool-turning means includes a pair of rotary ratchets operatively connected with the spools for transmitting rotary movement thereto, a feed pawl and a holding pawl coacting with each ratchet, a pair of swing levers respective swingable about the axes of said ratchets and carrying said feed pawls, a link extending between and interconnecting said swing levers so that they swing simultaneously, said second transmission including a push-pull bar longitudinally reciprocated by said drive means and having at an upper edge a control cam having at the elevation of said upper edge a dimension along the latter equal to the stroke through which said bar is reciprocated first in one direction and then in the opposite direction by said drive means, one of said swing levers, having a roller engaging said bar at said upper edge thereof, and spring means urging said roller first against one end of said cam and then against the opposite end thereof, said cam automatically displacing itself beneath said roller first to one side thereof and then to the opposite side thereof in opposition to said spring means in response to tension in the ribbon when the unwinding thereof from a given one of said spools terminates, said cam coacting with said roller-carrying swing lever and through said link with the other swing lever for swinging both of said levers simultaneously back and forth through a first pair of given angles when said roller is at one end of said cam and through a second pair of given angles when said roller is at the other end of said cam, and additional cam means coacting with said feed and holding pawls for maintaining the feed and holding pawls which coact with one ratchet out of engagement with the latter while the other feed and holding pawls are in active engagement with the other ratchet during swinging of said levers back and forth through said first pair of given angles so that the spool connected with said other ratchet will have the ribbon wound thereon, while the ribbon is simultaneously unwound from the other spool, whereby when unwinding the ribbon from said other spool terminates the roller will automatically become situated at the other end of said cam at said upper edge of said bar for bringing about swinging of said pair of swing levers back and forth through said second pair of angles, and said additional cam means then coacting with said feed and holding pawls for maintaining the feed and holding pawls which coact with said one ratchet in operative engagement therewith while simultaneously maintaining the other feed and holding pawls out of engagement with said other ratchet, so that the tap will now be reversed and wound onto the spool operatively connected with said one ratchet.

Claim 5

The combination of claim 3 and wherein a plurality of shafts are mounted on a plate, said levers, ratchets and spools are turnably mounted on said plurality of shafts with said shafts having axes respectively coinciding with the parallel axes of said spools, said plate being formed with a cutout edge which forms part of said additional cam means.

Claim 6

The combination of claim 4 and wherein said swing levers themselves have edges respectively forming part of said additional cam means.

Claim 7

The combination of claim 5 and wherein said edges of said cutout form that part of said additional cam means which coacts with said feed pawls while said edges of said swing levers form that part of said cam means which coacts with said holding pawls.

Claim 8

The combination of claim 1 and wherein said bail means includes a pair of levers swingable about the common axis of said type members and an elongated rod extending between and connected to said levers and extending parallel to said axes, said transmission means including a toothed sector connected to one of said levers and extending around said axis, and said transmission means including a lever swingable about a second axis and having a toothed sector meshing with said first-mentioned toothed sector, said drive means including a rotary shaft carrying a cam means which coacts with the said transmission lever for swinging the latter about said second axis.

Claim 9

The combination of claim 7 and wherein a rotary platen whose axis is parallel to the common axis of said type member engages a sheet on which the information is to be typed, a swingable frame carrying said platen and being swingable about an axis parallel to the common axis of said type members, and a link interconnecting said cam means with said frame for swinging the latter in proper timed relationship with respect to the swinging of said bail means for bringing paper on the platen into engagement with the line of type during each operating cycle.

Claim 10

The combination of claim 1 and wherein an inking ribbon of two colors extends along the type members at the line of type for transmitting impressions of a selected one of said two colors from the preselected types at the line of type to a paper sheet, a hollow shell forming part of a cylinder and housing said type members at least at the region of said line of type, said shell being formed with an axial slot in alignment with the ribbon and carrying guides for guiding the ribbon longitudinally along said slot, and said shell being swingable about the common axis of said type members between a pair of positions where different-colored portions of the ribbon are respectively aligned with the line of tyPe, and selecting means coacting with said shell for selecting the position of the latter at the instant when the ribbon is engaged through the slot of said shell by the selected types during transfer of impressions therefrom through the ribbon to a sheet of paper.

Claim 11

The combination of claim 9 and wherein the means for positioning said shell in a selected one of said positions includes an automatically operable means selectively operable for maintaining said shell stationary in one of said positions thereof throughout successive typing cycles and for freeing said shell for swinging movement to the other of said positions for typing with a different color at each of said cycles, so that when typing with the latter color, the shell swings at each operating cycle while when typing with the former color, the shell remains stationary.

Claim 12

The combination of claim 1 and wherein a two-colored inking ribbon extends along the line of type for transferring an impression from preselected types to sheets of paper, means responding to operations of said drive means at each typing cycle for feeding the ribbon through a given increment, a pair of spools carrying the ribbon, means responding to tension in the ribbon when unwinding thereof from one spool terminates to automatically reverse the direction of feed of the ribbon, means carrying said ribbon for placing a selected one of the colors thereof along the line of type, a platen carrying paper which is to receive the imprint from the type members through the ribbon, a frame carrying said platen, and a transmission operated by said drive means at each typing cycle and coacting with said frame for swinging the latter with said platen toward the line of type to press the paper on the platen against the ribbon at each typing cycle.

Claim 13

The combination of claim 1 which uses an inked ribbon, a pair of spools on which an inked ribbon is wound, a pair of turning means respectively coacting with said spools for turning the latter, first in one direction and then in an opposite direction, and means responding to tension in the ribbon when unwinding thereof from either one of said spools terminates for automatically reversing the feed of the ribbon.