US3013646A - Paper guides - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 19, 1961 A. A. SARGENT 3,013,646

PAPER GUIDES Filed June 12, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Piaf/fir 4% fir/MAW INVENTOR AZZerZA fiazyez ATTORNEYS 1961 A. A. SARGENT 3,

PAPER GUIDES Filed June 12, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS United States Patent Qfice 3,013,646 Patented Dec. 19, 1961 3,013,646 PAPER GUIDES Albert Amos Sargent, Grand Island, N.Y., assignor to Moore Business Forms, Inc., Niagara Falls, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 12, 1961, Ser. No. 116,572 5 Claims. (61. 197133) This invention relates to paper guides and more particularly to guides for continuous, multi-ply webs of record material during the passage thereof through a writing or imprinting machine.

in writing or imprinting machines such as typewriters, bookkeeping machines, etc. wherein a carriage mounting a platen roll moves from side to side while the imprinting point remains stationary; the feeding of continuous business forms from a stationary pack, and the refolding of these forms again into a stationary pack is made difiicult by the necessary angling of the web as the platen and carriage is shifted from side to side. The unprinted pack and the refolded pack are usually placed behind the machine and at a lower level. The Web is guided into and out of the machine by guides which normally comprise smooth surfaces over which the web will slide and these guide surfaces are normally parallel to the axis of the platen and carriage. The angling of the web, except when the carriage is in the center position, causes all the tension due to the weight of the hanging portion of the web to be applied to one edge of the web with a consequent looseness of the other edge of the web. The uneven distribution of the tension in the web often results in an undesirable angling of the web with respect to the platen or other feeding device and produces curved printing lines. Also, the angling effect makes it d'ifiicult to refold the web after the imprinting operation.

The effect of the angling of the web may be minimized by centering the unprinted pack and the refolded pack behind the machine. In this manner, the angling of the web, as the carriage moves between its extreme positions, may be reduced. However, resort to this expedient is a mere palliative and does not solve the p-roblem.

In the past, many types of side guides have been proposed for the purpose of eliminating this angling of the web; and weights, brushes and other tension devices have been used on top of the web to confine the web and hold it fiat between the side guides. None of these previous devices has entirely eliminated the problem and the complaint of curved printing lines on the imprinted forms has continued. Manifestly, it would be highly desirable if a simple web guide could be provided to preclude the application of nonuniform tensions in webs of record material advancing through writing or imprinting machines which result in these uneven lines of printing.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide new and improved web guides capable of being economically manufactured and applied to existing writing and imprinting machines and which will preclude the application of nonuniform tensions to webs of record material and its undesirable consequences.

It is another object of this invention to provide web guides for writing or imprinting machines which are of light weight construction so that they may be readily carried by the movable carriage of a Writing or imprinting machine without impeding the operation thereof.

It is a further object of this invention to provide web guides which are mounted on the carriage of a writing or imprinting machine for movement therewith and which terminate in smoothly curved tips over which portions of the web of record material will hang so that the tension in the web due to the hanging portions thereof will be applied to the center of the web rather than either edge thereof.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide web guides which will enable continuous automatic operation of power driven writing and imprinting machines without the need for constant observation or attendance by an operator.

Further objects of the invention include the provision of a web guiding device in which there is no need for adjustment to accommodate webs of different widths such as would be the case with any device with side guides. Also in the present development, there is no possibility of distortion of any known means of marginal fastening of multiple webs.

With these and other objects in view, the present invention contemplates the provision of a pair of web guides each comprising a pair of light weight metal rods mounted on the carriage of a writing or imprinting machine for movement therewith and projecting toward the rear of said machine in a substantially horizontal plane. The end portions of the rods of each pair are bent inwardly toward the longitudinal axes of the guides while being inclined away from the carriage. The inclined portions of the rods meet at the longitudinal axis of each guide to form smoothly rounded tip-s at the extreme ends of the guides. The guides may be either continuous metal rods or pairs of rods which are joined at the tips. stiffening rods are preferably coupled between the lateral rods adjacent the carriage to provide additional rigidity. When a continuous web of record material is threaded through the machine, the depending portions thereof hang from the tips of the guides which are at the extreme ends thereof. Consequently, the tension applied to the sections of the web on the guides and in the machine is directed to the centers of the web sections rather than either edge thereof to equalize the tension in both edges and preclude the imprinting of curved printing lines.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become readily apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view of a typical writing or imprinting machine provided with the web guides of the present invention and illustrates in addition the customary positioning of the unprinted and refolded packs of a zig-zag web of record material being imprinted in the machine;

FIGURES 2 and 3 are illustrations of the angling effect due to the use of prior art web guides, the surfaces of which are parallel to the axis of the platen roll or other web feeding device;

FIGURES 4 and 5 are views similar to FIGURES 2 and 3 and illustrate how the tension due to the depending portions of the web are applied to the center of the web; and

FIGURES 6 and 7 are perspective views of the web guides of the present invention for outgoing and incoming webs, respectively.

Attention now is directed to FIGURE 1 of the drawings wherein is illustrated a typical writing or imprinting machine, designated generally by the reference numeral 10. The machine comprises a base 11 which houses the operating mechanisms and a carriage 12 which is-laterally shiftable along base 11. A platen roll 14 is rotatably mounted on the carriage 12. No further detailed description of the machine 10 will be given since the showing is intended to be representative of various types of writing and imprinting machines having a movable carriage mounting a platen roll or other web feeding device, such as a travelling pin feed mechanism about which record material is advanced, and since the construction and operation of such machines are well-known to those skilled in the art.

The machine is aupplied with a continuous web of record material which may be single thickness or multi-ply. A web supply and take up device, designated generally by the reference numeral 16, is provided for use with the machine 10 and comprises a pedestal 18 mounting adjustable shelves 19 and 20. The shelf 19 supports a zig-zalg pack 21 of record material and the shelf supports a refolded pack 22 of record material which has been imprinted by the machine 10. As the machine 10 is operated, the web 15 is drawn from the pack 21, by the indexing of the platen roll 14, up and over a lower or incoming web guide, designated generally by the reference numeral 24. The web 15 passes around the platen roll 14 and is imprinted and then moves up onto an upper or outgoing web guide, designated generally by the reference numeral 25. The web 15 then slides over the end of the guide and descends toward the shelf 26 where it automatically refolds itself.

Attention now is directed to FIGURES 6 and 7 for a detailed description of the construction of the guides 24 and 25. The guide 25 comprises lateral portions 26 of metal or plastic rod. Terminal portions 28 of the rods 26 are bent inwardly at 29 toward the longitudinal axis 30 of the guide and meet on the axis 30 to define a smoothly curved or rounded tip 31. The rods 26, terminal 28 and tip 31 may be formed from a single rod bent to the shape shown in FIGURE 6, or alternatively, the guide 25 may be formed of separate rods 26 with the terminal portions 28 welded or otherwise joined to form the tip 31. The guide 25 is provided with a pair of mounting brackets 32; by means of which the guide 25 may be mounted on the carriage 12 or on a form feeding device used in conjunction with the platen 14. The specific configuration of the mounting brackets 32 is not significant since the shape thereof will depend upon the specific apparatus to which the guide 25 is to be affixed. Stiffening members 314 and 35 are secured to the guide 25 to give the guide additional rigidity, although these may be omitted.

The guide 24 is basically the same as the guide 25 and comprises lateral portions 36 and terminal portions 38 which meet at the longitudinal axis 39 of the guide 24 to define a smoothly curved or rounded tip 40. The guide 24 is provided with mounting brackets 41 and an optional stilfening member 42.

In order that a better understanding of the invention may be had, the mode of functioning of the guides 24 and 25 will now be described and compared with the functioning of prior art guides. Referring first to FIG- UR$ 2 and 3, there can be seen an illustration of the manner in which the web 15 buckles and has the tension concentrated in one of the edges thereof when various types of prior art web guides are used. Although these prior art guide devices take many forms, their common characteristic is that the surface over which the web slides, when changing from a vertical to a horizontal direction, is parallel to the axis of the carriage and platen roll and extends for at least a full width of the web. These prior art guides are designated 44 in FIGURES 2 and 3. FIGURES 2 and 3 represent the extreme positions of the carriage and platen roll and illustrate the buckling of the web 15 and consequent looseness of one edge of the web in each instance. ln FIGURE 2, the tension in the web supported by the guide 44, due to the depending portion of the web 15, will all be applied to the left-hand edge of the web as indicated by the arrow in FIGURE 2 since this is the only portion of the web touching the guide 44 at the point where the web bends over the guide. This unevenly applied tension will tend to produce a sliding of the left-hand edge of the web around the platen roll and result in a curved printing line. In FIGURE 3, the relative positions are reversed and all the tension is applied to the right hand edge of the web 15, and again the result will be a curved printing line. From the foregoing, it can be seen that when prior art guide devices having a guide surface parallel to the axis of the platen roll are used, tension in the web due to the weight of the depending portion of the web will be applied only to one edge of the web except when the carriage is in its central position.

Referring now to FIGURES 4 and 5, the manner in which the guides 24 and 25 function will now be described. The guide 25 is illustrated, although it will be obvious that both guides 24 and 25 function in an identical manner. FIGURES 4 and 5 again represent the two extreme positions of the carriage 12 and guide 25. The web 15 will buckle as before at the point where it is bent over the end of the guide 25. However, with the guides of the present invention, the web 15 is bent over the smoothly rounded tip 31 rather than over a surface parallel to the carriage 12 as was the case of the guide 44. In FIGURE 4, the left-hand portion 45 of the web 15 at the point of bend may be depressed while the right-hand portion 46 is elevated since the web 15 is supported only by the tip 31 at the point of bend. Consequently, there is a slackness of the web 15 in both the portions 45 and 46. The tension applied to the portion of the web 15 lying on top of the guide 25, will therefore be applied at a point directly over the tip 31, namely, in the center of the Web as illustrated by the arrow. This tension will be uniforrnally distributed over the entire web so that the tension in both edges will be equalized and there will be no tendency for one edge of the web to slip relative to the platen and cause curved printing lines. It is, of course, obvious that the opposite position, as illustrated in FIGURE 5, will also result in the tension being applied to the middle of the web rather than to either edge thereof. Since the web, at the point ofbend, is supported only by a small area at the center of the web, the foregoing relationships will hold through for any position of the carriage intermediate the extreme positions illustrated.

Thus it can be seen that new and improved guide devices have been provided which will equalize the tension in the edges of a web of record material being imprinted in a writing or imprinting machine having a movable carriage to avoid the detrimental effect resulting from the use of guides which concentrate the tension along one edge of the web as the web is angled due to shifting of the carriage. It is, of course, obvious that the guides 24 and 25 may be constructed in various manners most suitable to the work to be handled. For example, the guides for some purposes could be constructed of a solid sheet of material rather than from rods and the terminal portions 28 could be of curved or other configuration rather than straight as illustrated in the drawings. The most important feature of the guides are the tips 31 and 50 which provide a central point of support for the depending portions of the web irrespective of the carriage position. This construction results in an equalizing of the tension on the edges of the web which is positioned about the platen roll and thus precludes the printing of curved printing lines.

Although the manner of functioning of the webs 24 and 25 has been described in connection with the imprinting of a zig-zag web of record material, it is obvious that the guides will function equally well when the web supply and take-up are in the form of rolls.

It is to be understood that the above described arrangements are simply illustrative of a preferred embodiment of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art to achieve similar devices which will still embody the principal features of the present invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. In a writing or imprinting machine wherein a continuous web of record material is advanced about a platen roll mounted on a movable carriage and past an impression receiving position, a pair of vertically-spaced web guides mounted on said carriage and movable therewith for equalizing the tension on the edges of said web, said guides projecting rearwardly of said machine and having at least the rearmost portions thereof of diminishing transverse dimension and terminating in smoothly-curved, centrally-disposed tips.

2. In a writing or imprinting machine wherein a con tinuous web of record material is advanced about a platen roll mounted on a movable carriage and past an impression receiving position, a pair of vertically-spaced, horizontal Web guides mounted on and movable with said carriage for equalizing the tension on the edges of said web, said guides projecting rearwardly of said machine and having the ends thereof tapering toward the central axes of said guides in a direction away from said machine and meeting to form smoothly-curved, centrallydisposed tips.

3. In a writing or imprinting machine wherein a continuous web of record material is advanced about a platen roll mounted on a movable carriage and past a record receiving position, a first web guide mounted on and movable with said carriage for supporting and equalizing the tension on the edges of the incoming web, and a second web guide mounted on and movable with said carriage above said first web guide for supporting and equalizing the tension on the edges of the outgoing web, said guides projecting rearwardly of said machine and having at least the rearmost portions thereof of uniformly diminishing transverse dimension and terminating in smoothly-curved centrally disposed tips.

4. In a writing or imprinting machine wherein a continuous web of record material is advanced about a platen roll mounted on a movable carriage and past a record 6 receiving position, a first web guide mounted on and movable with said carriage for supporting and equalizing the tension on the edges of the incoming web, and a second web guide mounted on and movable with said 7 carriage above said first Web guide for supporting and equalizing the tension on the edges of the outgoing Web, each of said guides comprising lateral portions projecting rearwardly of said machine and perpendicular to the axis of said platen roll and terminal portions inclined toward the longitudinal axes of said guides and away from said machine, said terminal portions meeting in smoothlycurved tips disposed on the longitudinal axes of said guides. I

5. in a writing or imprinting machine wherein a continuous web of record material is advanced about a platen roll mounted on a movable carriage and past a record receiving position, a first web guide mounted on and movable with said carriage for supporting and equalizing the tension on the edges of the incoming web, and a second web guide mounted on and movable with said carriage above said first web guide for supporting and equalizing the tension on the edges of the outgoing web, each of said guides comprising a pair of rods projecting rearwardly of said machine in a horizontal plane from opposite ends of said carriage and perpendicular to the axis of said platen roll, the terminal portions of said rods being inclined toward the longitudinal axes of said guides and away from said carriage, said terminal portion-s meeting in smoothly rounded tips disposed on the longitudinal axes of said guides, said second guide being longer than said first guide whereby the tip thereof projects beyond the tip of said first guide.

No references cited.

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