05/250194

03/05/1974

05/04/1972

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Burroughs Corporation (Detroit, MI)

101/233

101/91

B41K3/14; B41K3/00; B41F7/22

101/232-235,91,95,99 74/572 192/12

3191526	High speed rotary selective endorser	June 1965	Ross
3438323	ARTICLE CONTROLLED ROTARY ENDORSER	April 1969	Shitzer
2674356	Air operated clutch-brake mechanism	April 1954	Eason
3242765	System for the rapid starting of a mechanism	March 1966	Zahn

Pulfrey, Robert E.

Coven E. M.

Parker, Ralzemond Uren Edwin Miller Kenneth B. W. L.

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 835,145, filed June 20, 1969, now abandoned.

What is claimed is

1. In printing apparatus for endorsing bank checks and similar forms of documents, in combination:

2. In printing apparatus for endorsing bank checks and similar forms of documents, in combination:

3. The printing apparatus defined in claim 1 characterized in that the brake means is in the form of a coiled torsion spring having its convolutions wrapped around its end of the shaft sufficiently tight enough to quickly stop rotation thereof when the clutch means is disengaged.

4. A compact, self-contained printing apparatus for endorsing bank checks and similar forms of documents comprising, in combination:

5. A compact, self-contained printing apparatus for endorsing bank checks and similar forms of documents comprising, in combination:

6. The invention defined in claim 5 characterized in that one of said closely spaced parallel members is mounted for retractible movement away from the other member in order to increase the space therebetween.

7. In printing apparatus for endorsing bank checks and similar forms of documents, in combination:

8. In printing apparatus for endorsing bank checks and similar forms of documents, in combination:

9. In printing apparatus for endorsing bank checks and similar forms of documents, in combination:

10. In printing apparatus for endorsing bank checks and similar forms of documents, in combination:

11. In printing apparatus for endorsing bank checks and similar forms of documents, in combination:

12. A self-contained printing apparatus for endorsing bank checks and similar forms of documents composed of parts physically and operatively combined together into a unitary assembly and including, in combination:

13. The invention defined in claim 12 characterized in that each of said pair of guide members has an aperture therein intermediate its length and aligning generally with one another, the aperture in one of said guide members allowing the printing face of the print head to project therethrough and traverse the same during its rotative movement, and further characterized in that a platen roller is journaled on the other guide member so that its periphery enters the aperture thereof for making line contact with the printing face as it traverses the aperture in the said one guide member of the pair.

14. The invention defined in claim 13 characterized in that means is carried by the supporting frame for bodily adjusting the position of the platen roller either laterally toward or away from the path of movement traversed by the printing face of the print head and in that further means is carried by the supporting frame for adjusting the inclination of the axis of rotation of the platen roller.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION FOR PATENT

Reference is made to copending application of Harry L. Wallace and Bruno Parysek Ser. No. 817,718, filed Apr. 21, 1969, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,557,694, and entitled Print Head Latching Mechanism, which is directed to the print head latching provision of the apparatus disclosed herein and which is of common ownership herewith.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to that field of art pertaining to printing apparatus and particularly to such apparatus installed in equipment for making printing impressions, such as endorsements, on documents fed thereby at high rates of speed.

Various attempts have been made in the past for providing apparatus of this nature for printing on documents, such as bank checks, moving at high speeds. Exemplary of such apparatus are the devices disclosed in the U.S. Pat. Nos. to Gonzalez et al., 3,037,447, Siegel, 3,039,385, Kelly, 3,164,082, and Kelly, 3,217,639 all of common ownership herewith. The first two of these patents disclose document endorsing mechanisms for cyclical printing operations on documents, such as bank checks, which are initiated by the approach of each document to a print wheel and which include a clutch mechanism operable when activated by such an approach to drive the print wheel through a predetermined angle of rotation to effect transfer of the endorsement to the document as it moves thereby.

Although the devices disclosed in these patents provide improvements in the field of art to which this invention relates, the parts making up the printing assemblies are disposed in relatively inaccessible locations in the apparatus rendering it difficult for the operator to maintain, clean and/or replace parts. In the aforesaid Gonzalez et al. and Siegel patents, the respective printing apparatus therein have the print wheels and cooperating impression rollers coupled to horizontal shafts approximately midway of their lengths. In both instances the endorsing print wheels are also located below the guideway for transporting documents and as a result are relatively inaccessible for operator attention and adjustment. The aforesaid Kelly patent, for example, discloses a pulsed electromagnetic device for changing the settings of batch print wheels carried on a larger continuously rotating print wheel located in a relatively inaccessible position. In all three patents, the printing assemblies is disclosed therein are driven by endless belts from relatively remote power sources.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An important object of the invention is to provide an efficiently constructed, compact, and self contained printing apparatus for endorsing documents, such as bank checks, and for accomplishing its function with a minimum use of movable parts.

Another important object of the invention is to provide improved printing apparatus of this nature which is designed in a novel manner to include its own source of motive power and as well as supporting framework for easy installation into and removal from an enclosure employed for handling and processing documents, such as bank checks, and which can be readily modified and positioned to serve either as a front or rear document endorser.

A further important object of the invention is to provide improved printing apparatus of this nature composed of relatively few parts physically associated into a compact unit which when installed in a cabinet presents a printing couple including a rotatable print head and a cooperating platen roller in a readily accessible location for convenient attention by the operator.

In carrying out the objects of the invention, a printing apparatus is provided which includes an intermittently rotatable shaft along the length of which several operating parts of the apparatus are efficiently distributed. At one end the shaft carrys a print head releasably and removably locked thereon for joint rotation therewith. At another portion of a shaft, a fly wheel is provided which coaxially surround the shaft but is independently journaled with respect thereto and which during the operation of the apparatus is continuously rotated in one direction. A clutch mechanism is utilized for operatively coupling the fly wheel to the shaft and causing rotation of the latter and its print head for a predetermined angular distance, at the completion of which the clutch automatically disengages and frees the shaft. Operatively associated with a still further portion of the shaft is a brake mechanism which acts to quickly stop the shaft's rotation once it is free from the driving connection to the fly wheel.

The above described endorser assembly is accommodated in a frame, preferably of general rectangular formation, which when installed in a cabinet or other supporting structure for which this apparatus is designed will support the shaft in an upright or substantially vertical position with the print head on the upper end thereof in operator accessible location. Further, the endorser assembly is rendered self containable as a unit by the provision of its own source of power in the form of an electric motor mounted on the frame in compact relation with the shaft and other parts of the apparatus. During operation of the apparatus the motor continuously drives the fly wheel in one direction. The clutch mechanism is preferably actuated to engaged and disengaged positions by the approach of bank checks or other documents to the print head for endorsement. Other features of the invention include the novel mounting provision which provides the optional choice of supporting the endorser unit in different positions in the cabinet for which it is intended for endorsing either the front or reverse sides of the documents. Another feature of the invention relates to the cooperating provisions for making fine adjustments of the platen roller with respect to the rotatable print head in order to equalize the printing pressures applied to different areas of each document fed therebetween.

The above listed objects, advantages and other aspects of the invention will be fully explained in the following detailed description. For a more complete understanding of the invention reference may be had to the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a document endorser mechanism embodying the invention and constructed as a self contained unitary assembly for convenient installation into and removal from a supporting structure;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the endorser unit of FIG. 1 and illustrating in full lines and in dotted outline two installable positions of the unit in a supporting structure on opposite sides of the document transport path;

FIG. 3 is a detail view of the clutch mechanism employed in the endorser unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view through the ink supply assembly of the endorser unit taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the platen roller area of the endorser unit showing provisions for adjusting the platen roller with respect to the path of movement of the peripheral printing face of the rotatable print head;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the print head and associated operating parts of the endorser unit;

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view through the top portion of the endorser unit showing the manner of releasably locking the print head to the upper end of its rotatable shaft; and

FIG. 8 is a detail of the circuit for the electric motor of the endorser unit.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference initially to FIG. 1, the invention is illustrated as being embodied in a compact, self contained unit designed for convenient and quick installation in and removal from an enclosure in which other components of a larger system are contained. For this purpose, the illustrated embodiment includes a basic supporting structure shown herein in the form of an open frame generally indicated at 10 and of rectangular configuration. The frame is preferably formed of light weight material, such as cast aluminum or glass filled phenolic, and it may be molded into the shape illustrated in FIG. 1 having integrally joined horizontal and vertical sections, such as the top section 10a, bottom section 10b and the side sections 10c and 10d. The frame may be cast in two substantially like half sections secured to one another by screw members 11. In normal usage, the unit would be mounted in the vertical position shown in FIG. 1 in a larger enclosure or cabinet along with the other components of the data processing system with which it is associated. FIG. 2 is illustrative of such a mounting relation in a cabinet where the upper portion only of the unit becomes visible and accessible when a top cover plate of the cabinet is lifted.

Extending through the frame 10 of the unit, and in the vertical position in which the frame is intended to be mounted, is a driven shaft indicated by the reference character 12. This shaft is longer than the vertical dimension of the frame 10 and is mounted therein so that its upper end projects above the top portion 10a of the frame and its lower end likewise projects below the lower portion 10b of the frame. Carried by the upper portion of the shaft above the frame is a print head 14 which, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, may be of segmental construction, although for other uses it may take the shape of a full wheel carrying duplicate sets of printing elements. The print head is slidably removably secured to the upper end of the shaft for joint rotation therewith as will be more fully described in connection with FIG. 7.

Coaxially surrounding another portion of the shaft, in this instance an intermediate portion thereof, is a weighted member of fly wheel 16 which, as shown in FIG. 1, may occupy the lower portion of the area encompassed by the frame 10. As will be described more fully later herein, although the fly wheel's axis coincides with that of the shaft 12 it is journalled for independent rotation relative to the shaft.

Acting on the lower end portion of the shaft 12 which projects below the frame section 10b is a brake mechanism indicated generally at 18 which serves to retard rotation of the shaft as will be fully explained hereinafter. The brake mechanism is herein shown as a coiled torsion spring 20 whose individual convolutions closely encircle the shaft in frictional engagement therewith. The opposite ends 21--21 of the brake spring are shown as extending laterally therefrom and past the opposite sides of a depending post 22 secured to the underside of the frame. By virtue of the spring tension tending to further collapse its coil upon the shaft, the two ends 21--21 grippingly engage the post and thereby act to hold the ends from sliding therealong. Preferably, the brake encircled end of the shaft 12 is fitted with a bushing 24 slidably keyed thereto which is composed of wear resistant material. The shaft 12 may have its lower extremity designed to form a shoulder for holding the brake spring onto the shaft as well as secure the bushing in place, and for this purpose a locking ring or the nut 25 may be employed. The post 22 may be secured by a bolt 26 having an oversized head and the post may be oval or elliptical in cross section so that it may be rotatably adjusted about its axis to vary the spread of the ends of the brake spring 20 and thus its gripping engagement on the bushing 24. Flat wire stock has been found to be very satisfactory for the brake spring.

Suspended below the frame 10 is a source of motive power in the form of an electric motor 28 whose drive shaft 30 carries a gear wheel 32 which meshes with a larger gear 34 fixed to the underside of the fly wheel 16. Both the fly wheel and the gear wheel 34 are suitably journaled for rotation about the axis of shaft 12, such as by a thrust bearing assembly generally indicated at 36. Suitable supports 38-38 are shown for mounting the motor in suspended relation to the frame 10, and in order to reduce the overall size of the unit it is preferred that the motor be disposed in overlapping relationship to the lower end of the driven shaft 12 as shown in FIG. 1. It is evident that upon rotation of the motor's armature it will drive the gear wheel 32 and that in turn will drive the larger gear 34 and the fly wheel 16 superimposed thereon. In the operation of this printing apparatus, the motor will be set into continuous operation driving the fly wheel continuously in one direction. For the particular embodiment of the invention illustrated herein, a speed of approximately 500 RPM has been found to be very satisfactory.

Located in the mid portion of the frame 10 above the fly wheel 16 and coaxially surround the drive shaft 12 is a clutch mechanism generally indicated at 40. This clutch mechanism is generally like that employed in the aforesaid referenced U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,037,447 and 3,039,385, and attention is called particularly to FIGS. 2 and 3 of the former and to FIG. 9 of the latter. Attention may be also called to the U.S. Pat. No. 3,373,851 where a similar type of clutch is disclosed. With reference to FIG. 3 herein, it is noted that the clutch mechanism includes two substantially end abutting hubs or sleeves 42 and 44 surrounding the drive shaft 12, the first of which is pinned at 45 in FIG. 1 or otherwise secured to the shaft for joint rotation and the latter is free to rotate relative to the shaft but is secured at its lower end to the fly wheel 16 for receiving a driving torque therefrom. In overlapping relation to the abutting end portions of the hubs 42 and 44 is a radially expansible and contractible coiled springs 46 having one end thereof entering a collar 47 fixed to the hub 42 and the opposite end turned out and entering an enclosing sleeve 48 which may be formed of molded plastic material. The sleeve is provided with an outwardly extending lateral projection 50 running the axial length thereof which is engagable by a retractable stop member 52.

When the stop member 52 is retracted out of engagement with the rojection 50 on the sleeve 48 of the clutch mechanism, the coiled spring 46 contracts upon both of the hubs 42 and 44 thereby coupling the continuously rotating driving hub 44 to the normally stationary hub 42 on the shaft 12 and causing the two hubs and the sleeve 48 to rotate jointly together and impart rotation to the shaft 12. This will rotate the segmental print head 14 about the axis of the shaft for that period of time that the clutch is in engaged condition. In order to disengage the clutch and free the shaft 12 from the fly wheel 16, the stop member 52 is advanced into the path of movement of the projection 50 causing the later to abut it and stop the sleeve with the result that the clutch spring 46 expands radially and disengages from the driving hub 44 which is rotating with the flywheel.

The movement of the stop member 52 is controlled by an electromagnetic device in the herein illustrated embodiment of the invention which is in the form of a solenoid 54 supported on the level with the clutch 48 in a sub-frame 56 similar to that illustrated in FIG. 9 of the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 3,373,851. The stop member is carried on the end of a cylindrically shaped member 51 which enters the solenoid and functions as an armature thereof moving to retracted position when the solenoid is energized and being spring urged to projected sleeve stopping position where the stop member 52 enters the path of movement of the projection 50 of the sleeve 48 to halt further rotation thereof. The energization and de-energization of the solenoid is controlled in the present embodiment of the invention by electrical switching elements sensitive to the passage of the documents or bank checks as they are successively advanced toward and tangentially into the path of movement of the print head 14 to receive printing impressions therefrom. Document sensing provisions of this nature are disclosed in the aforesaid U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,037,447 and 3,039,385.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 the segmentally shaped print head 14 of the illustrated embodiment of the invention is provided on its peripheral face 60 with a printing plate 61 which may be of resilient material such as rubber or plastic adhesively secured to the arcuate surface thereof. It is also provided with two sets of printing wheels 62 and 64 which as shown have then respective axes located in offset relation to the axis of rotation of the print head 14 but parallel thereto so as to be flush with the printing plate 61 thereof. As the print head rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIGS. 2 and 6, the print face 60 first wipes past an ink supply and transfer mechanism including an idler roller 66 serving to apply ink to the printing plate 61 and the exposed characters on the wheel sets 62 and 64. After this, the now inked print face 60 sweeps by a platen in the form of a resilient roller 68 carried on the upper frame section 10a of the endorser unit and between which the documents are successively fed, thereby transferring to the documents the inked impressions on the plate 61 and the exposed characters of the wheel sets 62 and 64.

An important feature of the invention is the contribution of the endorser unit to the document transport system in the form of a short section thereof which is fixed to the upper end of the endorser unit and constitutes a permanent part thereof. When the endorser unit is installed in an enclosure, the short transport section on the endorser unit bridges a gap intentionally provided in the longer document transport system of the enclosure. To this end, the top frame section 10a carries two juxtaposed platelike members 71 and 72 which cooperate with the platen roller and rotating print head. The confronting surfaces of these members extend in closely spaced apart parallel relation to provide a guideway extending between and tangential to the roller platen and to the path of movement of print face 60 of the print head. Member 70 has a rectangular opening 74 opposite to the platen roller 68 of a size to permit the peripheral print face 60 of the print head to swing therethrough. This enables the printing plate and the wheel sets of the head to cooperate with the platen roller 68 to make printing impressions on a document moving through the guideway formed by the parallel members 70 and 72. Member 72 is likewise shaped with a rectangular opening and extending thereacross is the platen roller 68. As will be described more particularly hereinafter, the two guide members 70 and 72, although they are carried by and form part of the endorser unit, also function as part of the document transport system in the cabinet in which the unit is installed.

With further reference to FIG. 2 and also to FIG. 4, the inking roller 66 receives its ink from a source of such material within a ink supply unit represented by a circularly shaped housing or casing 76. Enclosed within the casing is a circular rotatable body 78 of porous material in which fluid ink is contained. A satisfactory material of this nature is that known in the trade as "Porelon" manufactured by the Johnson Wax Company of Racine, Wis. The ink transfer roller 66 and the porous ink body 78 are journaled for rotation about their respective axes and are carried on a common supporting member 80 located offset to the path of movement of the print head 14 as shown in FIG. 2. The transfer roller 66 is journaled about an upright post 67 fixed at its lower end as shown in FIG. 4 to the inner portion of the supporting member 80, and the porous body 78 surrounds a hub structure 79 shaped to be slidably received and journaled on the upright post 81 supported at its lower end on the outer portion of the common support 80. The casing 76 has a side opening through which the inking body 78 projects and it is evident that in operating position the casing is slidably received on the post 81 with the opening facing the idler roller 66. The casing 76 is normally held stationary on the supporting member 80 while the porous body contained therein is rotated about the axis of post 81.

The common support 80 for the transfer roller and ink supply unit is itself swingably mounted on a vertical post 82 intermediate its length. The post 82 is in turn secured to the outer extremity of an arm 84 which immediately overlies the upper section of the frame 10. The inner end of the arm 84 is centered for arcuate adjustment on the axis of the driven shaft 12 upon which the ead 14 is releasably locked. The pivotal mounting of the ink supply support 80 enables it to be swung on its post in the direction to bring the transfer roller 66 into ink transfer relation with the printing plate 60 and the two sets of type wheels 62 and 64 of the print head after which the support 80 is fixed in adjusted position. The adjustment of the arm 84 about the shaft 12 may be accomplished by the provision of arcuate slots 86 formed therein and centered on the axis of shaft 12. Suitable threaded members 88 extend through these arcuate slots and into threaded holes in the upper frame section 10a which when tightened serve to hold the support arm in adjusted position. Certain advantages of the adjustable feature will be brought out later herein in connection with the mounting of the endorser unit in the cabinet structure of the system in which the unit functions.

In order to yieldingly urge the porous inking body 78 against the transfer roller 66, the supporting member 80 is shaped in its outer end portion with a slot 90. The lower end of post 81 enters the slot 90 and is shaped to be guided thereby for movement only in the direction of the slot. The casing 76 and its inking supply body 78 are yieldingly urged against the idler transfer roller 66 by a U-shaped garter spring 92 which is located in the plane of the support 80 and resiliently contractually encircles the portion of the post 81 in the slot 90. The opposite ends of the garter spring are attached to a bolt 94 which traverses member 80 and post 82 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 and is threaded in the latter for tightening member 80 in adjusted position. The garger spring will exert a force tending to bodily shift the ink supply post 81 toward the transfer roller 66 and thus compressing the ink supply body 78 against the latter. Contrary to conventional endorsing equipment where the ink supplying elements are positively driven and require additional driving elements for this purpose, the idler transfer roller 66 and the ink supply body 78 of this invention will rotate about their respective axes only at the time that the transfer roller is engaged by moving surfaces of the rotating print head, otherwise these two elements of the ink supply remain stationary during the operation of the apparatus.

As previously mentioned, the print head 14 will usually also include two sets of printing wheels 62 and 64 in addition to the printing plate 61 as shown in FIG. 2. These wheel sets have their respective axes in offset relation to the axis of rotation of the print head but parallel thereto and close to the periphery of the head so that they will likewise engage the ink transfer roller 66 as the head is rotated thereby. One set of print wheels, such as illustrated at 62, may consist of such elements bearing type for printing dates and capable of being set to indicate the dates of a calender year. The other set of wheels 64 may consist of printing wheels bearing type for printing a row of decimal numbers and being capable of individual rotation so that they can indicate any number from zero to a maximum determined by the number of wheels in the set. As will be later described in connection with FIGS. 6 and 7, the first set of print wheels 62 can be manually set to indicate any date of the year. As for the second set 64, they are operatively connected to one another in such a manner that for every revolution of a lesser significant digit wheel an incremental advancement will be made to the next higher order digit wheel. Moreover, automatic means is provided as will be described hereinafter for incrementally advancing the number set of wheels 64 for each rotation of the print head 14 with the result that a consecutively different number is printed on each document fed past the print head. Print wheel sets of the kind referred to are available in the trade, such as from Veedor Root Company of Hartford, Conn.

With reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the endorser print head 14 is provided with a bore 96 into which the upper end of the shaft 12 is slidably received. The print head is removably slidably keyed to the shaft for joint rotation therewith such as by a flat 98 (FIG. 6) on the shaft 12 which complements a corresponding flat formed on the inside of the bore. A limit ring 100 (FIG. 7) is circumferentially affixed to the shaft to limit downward slidable axial travel of the print head. For ease in assembly of its parts, the print head is preferably formed of two complementary half sections 102 and 104 secured together by a bolt 106. The printing plate 61 overlaps these two secured sections of the head. As for the two ses of wheels 62 and 64, the two halves of the head are provided with aligned bores for receiving and mounting these wheel sets.

The endorsing print head 14 is preferably releasably locked to the upper end of the shaft 12 in readily accessible position for inspection and removal and for replacement if need be. For this purpose it is desired to use the latching device disclosed and claimed in the referenced copending application for patent in the anmes of Harry L. Wallace and Bruno Parysek, Ser. No. 817,718, filed Apr. 21, 1969, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,557,694. FIGS. 6 and 7 herein correspond generally to FIGS. 4 and 5 respectively of this referenced patent application. Briefly, the latching device comprises a resilient member 108 composed of a base which is secured to the upper end of shaft 12 and two or more similar resilient arm-like extensions 110--110 integrally connected to the base and rising upwardly from the outside margins thereof. The resilient extensions terminate in enlargements 112--112 which may be cylindrically or spherically shaped as shown thereby providing cam-like surfaces. When the shaft is fully received in the bore 96, the resilient extensions 110--110 are sprung out bringing their enlargements into abutting engagement with a bevel or chamfer 114 around the upper end of the bore 96 in the print head. In this position the enlarged ends of the extensions resist withdrawal of the print head from the upper end of the shaft.

In order to positively lock the endorser head 14 on the upper end of the shaft 12, means is provided which enters the path between the enlargements 112--112 and acts to hold them in their spaced apart condition seated on the chamfer 114. As illustrated herein this means takes the form of a vertical extending reciprocable plunger 116 of cylindrical shaped having a cross sectional area which when inserted between the enlargedments of the reciprocal arms 110--110 holds the latter in expanded condition seated on the chamfer. The plunger is retained and guided in its reciprocal movement by a holder indicated at 118 which made be formed of plastic material. The holder is shaped at one end for securement by the bolt 106 to the print head and shaped at the other end to form a hood or partial housing 120 over the upper end of the bore 96 of the print head. The hood is provided with a hole therethrough coaxial with that of the bore 96 which receives the plunger 116 and enables it to be slidably guided for vertical travel relative to the enlargements on the ends of resilient arms 110--110. In its lower position, as shown in FIG. 7, the plunger 116 blocks the resilient arms against contraction thus locking the print head to the upper end of the shaft. However, when the plunger is raised to the extent to withdraw its lower end from between the enlarged ends of the resilient arms, the latter may be contracted toward the axis of the bore thereby camming their enlarged ends over the chamfer. This will enable the print head 14 to be lifted off of the shaft and to be cleaned, reset or replaced if need be.

As earlier mentioned herein, the endoser unit is so mounted within an enclosure or cabinet that the upper portion thereof bearing the print head 14, ink supply 66 and 67 and guide members 70 and 72 is the only part normally accessible to the operator. Usually, this area is closed by a cover member 122 shown in FIG. 7 which when in fully closed position presents a depending abutment 124 immediately above the plunger 116 acting to prevent upward movement thereof and thus locking the print head to the shaft. Associated with the cover 122 is a sensing device generally indicated at 126 which detects whether or not the cover is fully closed. The detector herein illustrated comprises a reed switch 128 associated with a magnet 130, one of which is secured to the supporting structure in which the endorser unit is mounted and the other to the underside of the cover 122. These two elements of the detector are so mounted that in the fully closed position of the cover the magnetic field of the magnet will spring the switch contact blades of the reed switch to closed condition. However, when the cover 122 is raised, the influence of the magnet on the reed switch will be reduced thereby enabling the switch contact elements in the switch to assume their opened condition. The reed switch is connected into the circuitry of the motor 28 such that when the cover 122 is not fully closed the reed switch will be opened and either prevent or stop the motor from operating, whereas to the contrary when the cover is fully closed the reed switch contact elements will likewise be closed enabling the motor to be operated.

When the cover 122 is substantially lifted or swung to a substantially opened position, the endorser print head 14 may be removed from the upper end of the shaft 12 by having the operator grasp with his fingers an oversize disc or ring 132 mounted on the upper end of the plunger 116. By pulling up on this disc, the plunger is first lifted to clear the lower end from between the enlarged ends of resilient arms 110--110 and then thereafter a limit ring 134 carried by the plunger abuts the underside of the hood 120 thereby lifting the hood while at the same time sliding the balance of the print head off of the shaft. In so doing the enlarged ends of the resilient arms 110--110 are contracted toward one another by the chamfer 114 for subsequent travel through the bore 96. In a similar fashion, the disc 132 may be gripped by the fingers of the operator to return the print head to the upper end of the shaft. By downward exertion of finger pressure on he disc the print head is pushed down upon the upper end of the shaft and in so doing contracting the resilient arms against a second chamfer 135 as they are slidably introduced into the lower end of the bore 96. The print head should be depressed fully on the shaft until the enlarged ends of the resilient arms spring out and seat on the upper chamfer 114. Unless these enlarged ends are fully expanded and seated on the chamfer, the plunger 116 cannot enter therebetween, and unless the plunger is fully positioned between these enlarged ends the cover 122 cannot be completely closed with the consequence that the read switch will remain open and the motor 28 will not operate. This prevents the apparatus from operating if the print head is not fully received and locked onto the shaft.

Documents to be printed upon by the print head 14 as it rotates around the axis of shaft 12 are fed to and between the head and the platen roller 68 assisted by parallel guide members 70 and 72 which as earlier mentioned herein from part of the transport path through which the documents are conveyed. Except for these two guide members of the endorser unit, the remaining adjacent portions of the document transport path form relatively fixed parts of the cabinet structure in which the endorser unit is mounted. The transport path of the cabinet structure may be composed of similar, closely spaced, vertically extending side wall elements 136--136 between which the documents are conveyed with the surfaces thereof extending in a vertical direction. The transport path of the cabinet structure is interrupted intermediate its length to form a gap into which the two guide members 70 and 72 of the endorser unit are projected and positioned so as to align with the adjacent portions of the transport path. As shown in FIG. 2, one section of the transport path 138, assisted by pairs of opposed rollers 139, feeds documents to the guide members 70 and 72 of the endorser while the section 140 of the transport path on the other side of the gap conveys the documents away from the endorser unit assisted by similar pairs of rollers 139. It is apparent that when the endorser unit is installeed in the cabinet the guiding members 70 and 72 of its printing station contribute to the document conveyance system of the cabinet by effectively bridging the gap.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, guide member 70 forms the outer end portion of a hinged arm generally indicated at 142 in FIG. 5 and is shaped to form a rectangular recess opening toward the other guide member 72. The platen roller 68 is vertically mounted in the mouth of the recess for cooperation with the print head 14. A feature of the invention is the provision for accurately aligning the platen roller 68 with the print face of the rotatable print head 14 so that equal pressure may be applied by all the printing characters carried by the head. This is accomplished by the adjustable provisions shown in FIG. 5 for making a fine bodily adjustment of thhe platen roller in a direction toward and away from the path of movement of the print head 14 and for making a fine adjustment of the inclination of the axis of the platen roller. By such provisions, the pressure along any point of the line contact between the platen roller 68 and the printing elements of the print head 14, in the absence of a document therebetween, may be made equal thereby providing an equal impression of all printed lines on the documents fed therebetween.

In achieving these advantages, the axis of rotation of the platen roller 68 is mounted in eccentric relationship to the axis about which it may be adjusted to provide the lateral bodily displacement of the roller either toward or away from the path of movement of the print head 14. This is accomplished as shown at FIG. 5 by mounting the resilient portion of the platen roller 68 upon a sleeve 144 which is journaled for rotation about the external bearing surface of a cylindrical part 146 of an elongated vertical shaft 148 extending through the platen roller and projecting beyond the opposite ends thereof. The cylindrical bearing 146 about which the platen roller is journaled has its axis A--A eccentric to the axis B--B of the shaft 148 as shown by the similarly referenced lines in FIG. 5. The lower end of the shaft 148 has a rotating, sliding fit in the lower part of the frame of the guide member 70 enclosing the platen roller. It is evident that upon rotation of the shaft 148 about its axis it will cause the platen roller to move bodily toward or away from the path of movement of the print head. A slight motion of the roller will also occur in the direction parallel to the guide members as a result of its gyration around the axis B--B of the shaft but this will not have any appreciable effect on the printing operation. The rotational adjustment of the shaft 148 may be accomplished by providing a threaded extremeity 150 which extends through a hole in the upper portion of the guide member 70 and terminates in a tool receiving slot 151 for turning the shaft. Following adjustment of the shaft, it is locked in such position on the member 70 by a nut 152 threaded to this extremity.

In order to provide the fine adjustment of the inclination of the platen roller 68 to the path of movement of the print head 14 the arm 142 of which the gate member 70 is a part is pivotally mounted for rotation about a bolt 154 (See FIG. 2) having a central section 155 and two end sections 156 and 157, all of different diameters. As shown in FIG. 5, the central section 155 serves as a journal bearing having an axis identified at C about which the arm is hinged for pivotal movement enabling the guide member 70 to swing as a gate from an operating position shown in FIG. 5 to a retracted open position shown in dotted outline in this Figure. The two end sections of the bolt have a common axis identified at D and serve as trunnions mounted in spaced journal supports 158--158 which may be cast integrally with the frame 10. It is evident from the eccentricity of axis C to axis D that upon rotation of the bolt 154 about axis D it will cause a gyrating motion of the journal mount 155 with the result that the arm 142 and the platen roller 68 carried thereby will also partake of a slight gyrating motion varying the inclination of the platen roller 68 a few degrees as the pivotal axis C of the arm is displaced about the trunnion axis D. When suitable rotatable adjustment of the bolt has been made, it is releaseably locked in adjusted position as shown in FIG. 2 by a nut 159 threaded on end section 157 of the bolt and drawn tightly down on the adjacent journal support 158.

In whatever position the bolt 154 is angular adjusted about its axis D, the arm can be swung from operating to retracted position about the axis C. In operating position, the lower end of the guide member 70 abuts an upright projecting portion 160 cast integrally with the upper section 10a of the frame. In fully retracted position, the underside of the hinged arm 142 abuts the inclined surface 162 of the frame. To releasably lock the arm and guide member 70 in operating position, it is preferred to employ a toggle clamp generally indicated at 164, the clamping position being shown in FIG. 1 and an unclamped gate opened position being shown in dotted outline in FIG. 5. The toggle clamp illustrated herein is of conventional design and no further description is deemed necessary except to say that as illustrated the base 166 of the clamp is secured to the back of the pivoted arm 142 and that the foot end 168 of the clamp carries a shoe 170 of resilient material which abuts the side frame section 10c in the locked position of the clamp. The yieldable nature of the shoe provides the added advantage of allowing guide member 70 to give a little in the event of a document jam at the printing station.

It is evident that the adjusting provisions shown in FIG. 5 provide both a fine lateral bodily variation in the operating position of the platen roller 68 with respect to the path of movement of the print head and a fine variation of the inclination of the axis of the platen roller to that of the print head so that equal printing pressures may be applied over all of the area of each document upon which printing pressure is exerted. These adjustments of the platen roller are readily accessible from the top of the cabinet structure in which the endorser unit is mounted, thus making it eay and convenient for adjustment.

As earlier mentioned herein, the set of numerical type wheels, indicated at 64 in FIG. 6, are incrementally advanced each time the print head 14 rotates about the axis of shaft 12. This may be accomplished in the manner illustrated in FIG. 6 by the provision of a roller 172 on the underside of the head 14 which is attached by arm 174 to the shaft 176 about which the numerical type wheels rotate. The arm and roller are yieldingly urged toward a cam 178 shown in FIG. 6 and also in FIG. 1 which is fixed to an extension 10e of the frame 10. As the print head rotates the roller rides on the periphery of the cam 178, and as it traverses the high point thereof the arm 170 is rocked slightly first in one direction and then in the other, which motion is conveyed to the lowest order wheel of the set advancing it one increment. Suitable stop elements, such as shown at 180 in FIG. 1 for the date type wheels 62, may be used to prevent return rotation of any wheel incrementally moved by the rocking motion of the arm 174.

An important feature of the invention is the provision for optionally mounting the unitary printing assembly illustrated in FIG. 1 on one or the other side of the document transport path so that the print head thereof can print on one or the other side of the documents fed along the path. In the environment in which the invention illustrated herein is employed, the cabinet structure also includes an encoder schematically shown by the block E in FIG. 2. The encoder is intended to print certain characters, usually numerical, upon the front side of bank checks or other documents as they are conveyed through that section 182 of the transport path which in another part of the cabinet joins the transport section 138. The encoder includes a rotatable print wheel 184 and a cooperating hammer 185 for printing the coded symbols or characters on each document as it passes therebetween.

In certain instances, such as in foreign countries, it is desired to endorse the bank checks on the front faces thereof and contrary to the practice in the United States of endorsing such documents on the reverse sides thereof. The optional mounting feature of the present invention enables the same printing assembly to be used for printing on either the front or the reverse faces of the bank checks fed along the transport path 182-138-140. For the purpose of mounting the illustrated unitary assembly in the cabinet structure, the frame 10 is provided with several laterally extending supporting elements which are shaped and spacially located with respect to the cabinet so as to mount the assembly in the cabinet with the print head 14 on either one or the other side of the gap in the transport path between the sections 138 and 140 thereof. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention three such lateral supporting elements or ears 186, 187 and 188 are employed, two on one side of the assembly and one on the other side as shown in FIG. 2. These ears are secured by suitable threaded members or studs 190 to an appropriate support in the cabinet structure.

Preferably, as is shown in FIG. 2, a metallic deck or shelf of the cabinet structure indicated at 192 is disposed on a level below that of the document transport sections 138 and 140 and provided with a large rectangular shaped opening 194 therein which is of a size to accommodate the upper portion of the unitary printing assembly in either of its two mounted positions in the cabinet. Referring in FIG. 2, tapped holes 196, 197 and 198 are formed in the shelf and spacially located so as to coincide with the stud holes of the ears 186, 187 and 188 respectively of the frame 10. In the presently illustrated embodiment of the invention, the endorser unit is introduced into the cabinet below the shelf 192 and raised upwardly through the opening of 194 thereof until the lateral extensions or ears 186, 187 and 188 abut the underside of the shelf in alignment with the tapped holes therein. When the studs 190 are threaded through the ears and tapped holes of the shelf 192 the endorser unit is secured in the opening 194 with approximately 40 percent of its vertical dimension above the shelf and the balance therebelow.

The three tapped holes 196, 197 and 198 are so geometrically located in the shelving 192 that when the endorser unit is mounted in the opening 194 in the full line position shown in FIG. 2, its two document guiding members 70 and 72 bridge the gap in the document transport path in alignment with sections 138 and 140 thereof. During the act or raising the endorser unit through the relatively narrow opening 194 of the shelving, the ink supply assembly carried on the supporting member 80 is removed and the arm 84 is loosened and shifted clockwise with respect to its position in FIG. 2 to bring it over the upper frame section 10a and wholly within the opening. After the endorser unit is mounted in the cabinet, the arm 84 is swung back and locked in the angular position which will bring the transfer roller 66 into engagement with the type wheels 62 and 64 and the printing plate 61 as they sweep by during rotation of the print head. Following this the removed parts are replaced on the member 80. In properly adjusted position the garter spring 92 will yieldingly hold the ink supply roller 78 against the transfer roller 66 and any shock encountered by the two rollers will be taken up by the garter spring. In the full line position of the printing assembly as shown at the right in FIG. 2, it is capable of endorsing the reverse sides of bank checks previously marked by the encoder assembly E and conveyed to the assembly by the section 182 and 138 of the document transport path.

For endorsing the front sides of bank checks and like documents, the endorser unit is rotated approximately 180° before being introduced upwardly through opening 194 of the cabinet shelf 192. In this new position the inker assembly will now be on the opposite side of the transport path in the dotted position shown at the left in FIG. 2. Likewise, in this reversed position, the print head 14 and the shaft 12 will be located on the left side of the transpot path as viewed in this Figure. The positions of the two document guiding members 70 and 72 will also accordingly be reversed from that shown in FIG. 2 but will still extend in alignment with the adjacent sections of the document transport path. However, the arm 142 and clamp 164 will now be located on the right side of the transport path as viewed in this Figure. The apparatus will now be operable for endorsing the front sides of the documents conveyed along the transport path from encoder E.

When installed in this reversed position the three lateral projecting elements or ears 186, 187 and 188 will be oppositely located with respect to the opening 194 so that two of the ears will be located on one side of the opening 194 where only one had been located before and the remaining ear will be located on the other side of the opening 194 where the two proceding ears were located. Moreover, the geometrical arrangement is such that two of the three tapped holes in the shelving are used again for securing the ears of the frame thereto. The two tapped holes used in either installation are those that are closest to the transport path, namely, 196 and 198. To accommodate the one remaining ear and to provide securement thereof to the shelving, the latter is provided with an additional tapped hole 200 shown in unused full line condition in FIG. 2. In this reversed position for endorsing the front sides of the documents the tapped hole 197 of the shelf 192 is not used. It is evident from the arrangement described that in either mounted position of the endorser unit the disposition of the ears of the frame and the tapped holes of the shelving are such that the document guiding members 70 and 72 are in alignment with the transport system in either position and close the gap therein.

When adjusting endorser units embodying this invention for either mounting arrangement with respect to the document transport path, consideration must be given to the direction of rotation of certain major parts. In the right hand position viewed in FIG. 2, the fly wheel 16 and the print head 14 rotate in a counterclockwise direction whereas in the left hand position these parts rotate clockwise. Accordingly, the circuit of the motor 28 is changed to reverse the direction of current flow therethrough as will be later described in connection with FIG. 8, and likewise the clutch 48 is modified for operation in the reverse direction. Necessarily, the numerical type wheel set 64 should be selected for operation corresponding to the direction of rotation of the print head. The ink supply assembly is altered for either mounting position. For example, for changing the endorser from the right to the left position in FIG. 2, the common support 80 is turned upside down before placement on the post 82 and the bolt 94 to which the garter spring 92 is attached is fitted into a second hole in the post 82 extending approximately 90° to the former hole. These changes could be made in existing endorser units embodying the invention for accommodating each endorser unit for one or the other mounted position in the cabinet, but in the usual production practice, the endorser will be made up in advance for installation in either one or the other position.

For changing the motor circuit for reversing the direction of the motor's rotation, reference made be had to FIG. 8 where the two lines 202 and 204 connect to a source of alternating current and from which branch leads 206 and 208 lead to the main winding of the motor and branch leads 210 and 212 lead to the starting winding of the motor. An external capacitor is shown at 214 and a thermal cutout is indicated at 216 for breaking the connection to the power source in the event of malfunction. The circuit illustrated in FIG. 8 will provide rotation of the motor in one direction. For reversing this direction the two leads 206 and 208 associated with the main winding are reversed with respect to the power source connections 202 and 204.

It is apparent that as a result of this invention a compact, self contained printing apparatus has been provided which is especially adapted for endorsing bank checks and similar documents and which is capable of being mounted in either one or two positions in a supporting structure on opposite sides of document transport path. Moreover, in the mounted position the printing apparatus has its operator controlled parts in readily accessible position for its attention and maintenance. In operation, the motor and the fly wheel are continuously rotated in one direction, such as at speeds of approximately 500 RPM, and the print head is intermittently clutched to the fly wheel for distinct rapid angular motionss in timed relation to the passage of documents thereby. The provision of the fly wheel absorbs the load of the print head as its clutched thereto and accomplishes this function with a minimal speed variation of not more than 3 percent. The provision of the brake device provides almost instantaneous stopage of the rotation of the print head and its shaft following disengagement of the clutch, and the mounting provision for the ink supply assembly assure a correct amount of ink transfer to the print head without the necessity of the positively driving the rotating elements of this assembly. The provision for finely adjusting the platen roller enables a uniform printing impression to be applied to all areas of the documents fed to the apparatus. This feature is assisted by the parallel guide members constituting a part of the unitary printing assembly yet serving as a part of the document transport path when the apparatus is installed in a data processing system.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown annd described, it will be understood, of course, that it is not desired that the invention be limited thereto since modifications may be made, and it is therefore, contemplated by the appending claims to cover any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.