US1932366A - Matrix assembler - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 24, 1933.

s. E. SPERRY 1,932,366

MATRIX AS SEMBLER Filed May 10, 1933 Patented Got. 24, 1933 MATRIX ASSEMBLER Samuel E. Sperry, Hollis, N. assignor to Inter type Corporation, Brcoklyn, N. 21., a corporation oi New York Application May 10, 1933, Serial No. 670,354, and in Germany May 24, 1932 8 Claims. (Cl. 199-39) The present invention relates to improvements in typographical machines of the general class disclosed in U, S. Letters Patent No. 436,532

granted September 16, 1890 to O. Mergenthaler,

wherein character bearing matrices stored in a magazine are delivered therefrom, under control of a keyboard, and assembled in a line from which a type bar or slug is subsequently cast, the

matrix assemblers of such machines being usually provided with'a so-called assembler slide having a finger against which the matrix line is assembled and the advance of which is resisted by a spring or weight which serves to return the slide to normal position after a line has been removed therefrom, a brake being arranged to act on the slide to prevent return movement thereof until after removal of the line.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide means for facilitating the operation of inserting, removing or substituting matrices or otherwise altering the composition of the matrix line. Heretofore, it has been necessary for the operator to release the brake to. allow a sufficient amount of return movement of the assembler slide to enable it to reengage the line and hold the matrices therein upright, as an operation separate from that of stopping and starting the operation of the assembling devices or of releas- ,ing a tight line by the usual tight line release lever. The present invention, however, enables such release of the brake to be effected automatically or concurrently with the operation of the controlling means for the driving means of the assembling devices or concurrently with the operation of the tight line release lever, the operation of changing the composition of the matrix line being thereby simplified and rendered more convenient for the operator and the proper holding of the line by the assembler slide, after a change has been made in the composition thereof, being automatically insured.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations and arrangements of parts all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the features of novelty being pointed out particularly in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the accompanying drawing- Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a matrix assembler for a typographical machine of the class referred to and embodying the present invention;

' Fig; 2 is a top plan view, partly in section, of

the assembler shown in Fig. 1;

Fig.3 is a fragmentary section taken'on the line 3-3 in Fig. 1 and looking downwardly; and

Fig. 4 is a detail vertical section taken on the line ll in Fig. 1.

Similar parts are designated by the same reference characters in the different figures.

The invention is shown in the present instance applied to a matrix assembler similar to that commonly used on typographical machines, the assembler comprising the usual revoluble star wheel-1, a belt pulley 2 adjacent thereto and over which the usual inclined matrix conveyor belt 3 passes, the belt 3 being arranged to receive the matrices released in the usual manner from the magazine 1 and dropping by gravity through passages between the guides or partitions 4 in the usual assembler front. The matrices received by the belt 3 are conveyed thereby to the star wheeland into an assembling receptacle 5, the star wheel being located at the entrance thereof and operating to stack or assemble the matrices successively in a line therein. The receptacle 5 in which the matrices are assembled is usually, composed of a so-called assembling elevator which is capable of being lifted, after a matrix line, has been assembled therein, to elevate the matrix line for removal therefrom and forwarding to the casting point at which the type bar or slug is cast against the character bearing edges of the matrices, in the usual and well known way.

The matrices introduced into the assembling receptacle 5 are assembled against a finger 6 which is carried by a so-called assembler slide '7, the finger 6 engaging the first or foremost matrix in the line to keep it and the succeeding matrices between the finger 6 and the star'wheelin upright position, and the assembler slide is ad-'. vanced by the line of matrices as the length thereof increases due to the progressive intro duction of the matrices therein by the star wheel,

' The finger 6 of the assembler slide is constantly urged toward the star wheel, as usual, by means such as a spring, 8 attached to one end of a lever 9, the latter being pivoted to the assembler frame at 10 and having its opposite endcon nected as by a link 11 to the assembler slide. As the matrices are brought into the line in the as sembling receptacle 5, the star wheel presses against each incoming matrix and thereby advances the finger 6 and the assembler slide, thereby moving the finger 6 away from the star wheel and stretching the spring 8. In order to prevent return of the assembler slide under the action of the spring 8 while the matrix line is being lifted from behind the finger 6 by the usual lifting of the assembling elevator by the operator for the transfer of the matrix line to the casting point, a brake 12 is provided, this brake as shown being pivoted at 13 to the assembler frame and carrying shoes 14 composed of fiber or other suitable material arranged to engage the upper and lower edges of the assen: bling slide 7, these shoes acting to clamp against said edges of the assembling slide to prevent return movement thereof but allowing the assembler slide to advance freely during assembling of the matrix line, the brake being then moved in a. direction to relieve the grip of the shoes on the assembler slide. A spring 15 connected to the brake normally holds the brake shoes in positions to clamp or grip the assembler slide. After a'matrix line has been removed from a position behind the finger 6 of the assembler slide, the brake 12 is released to permit the assembler slide to return to its normal or starting position under the action of the spring 8, by any suitable means such, for example, as that disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,648,847, granted November 8, 1927, to T. S. Homans.

The revoluble star wheel 1 and belt pulley 2, which constitute the operating matrix assembling devices of the assembler, are connected to be driven in the usual or any suitable way, as by a belt pulley 16 over which a driving belt 17 driven from any suitable part of the machine passes, and in order to enable these assembling devices to be thrown out of action momentarily, as may become necessary to permit an alteration to be made in the matrix line, as for example the correction of errors therein, adjustment of the line for proper spacing or the insertion of hand spaces or quad matrices for special characters, a loose belt pulley 18 is arranged adjacent to the driving pulley 16 so that the belt 17 may be shifted to this loose pulley to interrupt the operation of the matrix assembling devices, a belt shifting member such as a rod 19 being mounted to reciprocate in the assembler frame and having a fork 20 thereon to guide the belt 17 onto the loose pulley 18 to stop the operation of the assembler when the rod 19 is pushed rearwardly and to guide the belt 17 onto the driving pulley 16 to start the operation of the assembler when the rod 19 is shifted into its forward position.

Heretofore, when it has been necessary to stop the drive of the assembler and make an alteration in the matrix line, as for example by removing wrong matrices, restarting of the assembler, as by the shifting of the driving belt 17 onto the driving pulley 16, was necessary. However, since the removal or alteration of the composition of the matrices in the line leaves the line in a loose condition, it is necessary to release the brake 12 from the assembler slide so that the latter may be free to return to a sufiicient extent to clamp the line and hold the matrices between the finger 6 and the star wheel upright, before the assembler is again started into operation, and it has been the practice heretofore to release the brake manually by an operation independent of or in addition to that of moving the drive control shift rod 19. These separate or independent operations heretofore required are rendered unnecessary by the present invention which provides means controlled or actuated by the drive controlling means for the assembler for releasing the action of the brake on the assembler slide.

In the construction shown for this purpose in the present instance, a rod 21 is pivotally connected to the upper end of the brake 12 and extends to and has an end bearing against a cam 22 formed in a side of the drive control rod or member 19, this cam having a rise therein arranged to engage the rod 21, as the drive controlling rod 19 moves from driving position to stopping position and vice versa, and while this rise in the cam engages the rod 21 the latter will move the brake 12 into released relation with the assembler slide but when the drive controlling rod 19 is in either driving or stopping position, the rod 21 will be opposite to low portions of the cam and the brake will then be relieved of the influence of the rod 21 and will be free to grip the assembler slide. With this arrangement, it will be seen that if the assembler has been stopped by pushing the control rod 19 rearwardly so as to carry the driving belt 17 from the driving pulley 16 to the idle, loose pulley 18, starting of the assembler drive by pulling the controlling rod 19 forwardly and thereby shifting the driving belt 17 back to the driving pulley 16. after an adjustment of the matrix line has been made, will bring the high or raised portion of the cam 22 against the end of the rod 21 and will thereby move the latter in a direction to swing the brake 12 into a position to release it from the assembler slide. Such release of the brake will allow the assembler slide sufiicient re turn movement or movement toward the right in Fig. 1 to cause the finger 6 on said slide to close any gap left in the line by removal of matrices, and since such release of the brake is effected automatically or by the same operation which controls the assembler drive, it will be unnecessary, with the improved arrangement, for the operator to release the brake by an operation separate from that of starting and stopping the assembler drive, since the operator will be free to stop and start the assembler drive whenever desired and the brake will be released so that the assembler slide will always return to its proper position against the matrix line each time the assembler drive is started. 7

The present invention also provides means for releasing the brake from the assembler slide by operation of the usual tight line release lever. This tight line release lever 23, which may be pivoted to rock on a supporting shaft 24 so as to swing out of the path of a stop block 25 on the assembler slide, which limits the extent of the advance of the latter, in the event that it is desired to add an extra matrix to the line, is provided with a lug 26 arranged to bear on the forward end of a plunger 27 mounted to reciprocate in the assembler frame and constantly pressed forwardly by a spring 28. This plunger is provided with a cam 29 which projects from a side thereof, and a rod 30, which is connected to the upper end of the brake 12 and may be formed in one piece with the rod 21, is arranged to be engaged by the cam 29. This arrangement provides an additional or independent release for the brake which is located more conveniently at the point of assembly of the matrices rather than at the right hand end of the keyboard. In using this arrangement, when matrices are inserted or adjusted in a partly filled line by hand, the operator first advances the assembler slide and the finger 6 thereon to provide space for insertion or adjustment of such matrices, such advance of the assembler slide being permitted by the brake 12, but immediately after the line adjustment has been completed, rearward pressure against the tight line release lever 23 forces the plunger 27 rearwardly, thus bringing the cam 29 thereon against the rod 30 and thereby actuating the latter in a direction to release the brake 12 from the assembler slide, thereby freeing the latter for return movement or movement toward the right in Fig. 1 and thereby causing the finger 6 to take up any slack or excess space in the matrix line that the operator may have brought about by advancing the assembler slide to insert such matrices or to otherwise adjust the line.

If the tight line release lever 23 is raised by the operator to permit an extra matrix to be added to a full line, it is unnecessary to operate the tight line release lever to release the assembler slide brake since the assembler slide brake will be released automatically in the usual way to permit the assembler slide to return to its normal position, by the raising of the assembling elevator, as disclosed for example in said Patent No. 1,648,847. Although, when the assembler slide is advanced to permit an extra matrix to be added to a full line, the stop block 25 will be advanced so that it will be under the tight line release lever 23, it being understood that the assembler slide needs to be advanced only to the small extent required to admit one or possibly two thin matrices which can be added to the line, so that the stop block 25 will not be advanced to the left beyond the tight line release lever, the tight line release lever will merely rest on said stop block and the latter will be free to ride from beneath said lever and permit the assembler slide to return to its normal position when its brake is released in the manner just described.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a matrix assembler for typographical machines comprising assembling devices for assembling matrices in a line, an assembler slide to receive the matrices and to be advanced thereby while being assembled, means for driving the assembling devices including means for controlling the operation thereof, means acting to return the assembler slide, and a brake controlling return motion of said slide, means governed by the controlling means for said driving means for releasing said brake to permit return motion of said slide.

2. In a matrix assembler for typographical machines comprising assembling devices for assembling matrices in a line, an assembler slide to receive the matrices and to be advanced thereby, means for driving the assembling devices including means for controlling the operation thereof, means acting to return the assembler slide, and a brake controlling return motion of saidslide, means actuated by the operation of the controlling means for said driving means for releasing said brake from the assembler slide.

3. In a matrix assembler for typographical machines comprising assembling devices for assembling matrices in a line, an assembler slide to receive the matrices and to be advanced thereby during their assembly, driving means for the assembling devices including controlling means for stopping and starting the operation thereof, means acting to return the assembler slide and a brake controlling return motion of said slide, means actuated by operation of the controlling means for said driving means for releasing said brake and thereby permitting return motion of the assembler slide.

4. In a matrix assembler for typographical machines comprising assembling devices for assembling matrices in a line, an assembler slide to receive the matrices and to be advanced thereby during their assembly, means acting to return the assembler slide, a brake controlling return motion of said slide, and means including a reciprocatory member for controlling the operation of the assembling devices, said member having a cam thereon, and a rod cooperative with said cam and connected to the brake and operative to release the action of the brake on the assembler slide when said member is operated.

5. In a matrix assembler for typographical machines comprising devices for assembling matrices in a line, an assembler slide arranged to receive the matrices and to be advanced thereby during their assembly, means acting to return the assembler slide, a brake controlling return motion of said slide, means for limiting the extent of advance of the assembler slide, and a release member for said limiting means, and means governed by return of said release member for releasing the brake from the assembler slide to permit return motion thereof.

6. In a matrix assembler for typographical machines comprising devices for assembling matrices in a line, an assembler slide arranged to receive the matrices and to be advanced thereby during their assembly, means acting to return the assembler slide, a brake controlling return motion of said slide, means for limiting the extent of advance of the assembler slide, and a release member for said limiting means, means actuated by operation of said release member for releasing the brake from the assembler slide.

'7. In a matrix assembler for typographical machines comprising devices for assembling matrices in a line, an assembler slide arranged to receive the matrices and to be advanced thereby during their assembly, means acting to return the assembler slide, a brake controlling return motion of said slide, means for limiting the extent of advance of the assembler slide, and a release member for said limiting means, a spring pressed plunger mounted in a position to be actuated by said release member and having a cam thereon, and means cooperative with said cam and connected to the brake for releasing the brake when said plunger is actuated by said release member.

3. In a matrix assembler for typographical machines comprising assembling devices for assembling matrices in a line, an assembler slide to receive the matrices and to be advanced thereby while being assembled in a line, means for driving the assembling devices including means for controlling the operation thereof, means for limiting the extent of advance of the assembler slide, a release member for said limiting means, means acting to return the assembler slide, and a brake controlling return motion of said slide, means actuated by operation of the controlling means for said driving means or the release member for releasing the brake from the assembler slide.

SAMUEL E. SPERRY.

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