Front feeding device for an accounting or like machine

Claim 1

In an accounting machine including a frame, a platen rotatably mounted in said frame, and a front feeding device comprising two end plates operably mounted on said frame, said end plates being respectively positioned adjacent the respective ends of said platen, a forwardly disposed first transverse guide member, a rearwardly disposed second transverse guide member, said first and second guide members being secured in parallel relationship to said end plates, a forwardly disposed first inserter slidably mounted on said first guide member for guiding a first sheet of paper in front of said platen, a rearwardly disposed second inserter slidably mounted on said second guide member for guiding a second sheet of paper in front of said platen, said first and second inserters being movable transversely of the machine in noninterferring relationship with each other, a plurality of paper pressing rollers normally effective for clampling said sheets to said platen immediately below a writing line of the machine, and a pair of clamping means respectively associated with said respective first and second inserters and normally ineffective for clamping the corresponding sheets above said writing line, the improvement wherein each of said clamping means includes yieldable projection means secured to the associated inserter, and a flap movably mounted on said end plates and operable for clamping the corresponding sheet against the associated projection means, each of said flaps extending transversely of the machine a distance at least as great as the distance between the positions of the associated projection means at the extreme transverse positions of the associated inserter, and said front feeding device further comprises a rotatably mounted main shaft, and operating means operably connecting said main shaft to said flaps and to said paper pressing rollers, said operating means including a pair of movably mounted cam members respectively operably interposed between said main shaft and said respective flaps, said operating means being actuated by said main shaft upon rotation thereof through one-half revolution for simultaneously opening said paper pressing rollers and closing at least a first one of said flaps and being restored by said main shaft upon rotation thereof through another one-half revolution for simultaneously closing said paper pressing rollers and opening said first flap.