IL31202A - Reversible rotary inking device - Google Patents

Description

REVERSIBLE ROTARY INKING DEVICE n»an aainoa η> » τρηπ The present invention relates to inking mechan sms for use with printing or marking machines, and more particularly, it relates to inking mechanisms which utilize a movable inking ribbon. ; I Rotary inking mechanisms are commonl ι employed in cooperation with marking head structures which are of a type that are mounted for continuous rotation so that the die or dies which are attached about the outer surface of the head must rollingly engage the outer surface of the inking mechanism for transfer of ink therebetween. One field which has special requirements with regard to rotatable inking mechanisms is the fruit and vegetable handling field where rotatable fruit marking or stamping machines ! are used with the marking dies being mounted for continuous rotation and being required to adjust for fruit of various shapes and sizes. The marking; dies for such stamping machines, which are used to imprint trademarks or other Identifying indicia upon fruit surfaces, are generally comprised of a soft plajstic or rubberlike material having raised type on the marking surfaces thereof to receive the ink.

One general prior art method of provi'ding j ink for the rotating dies of a fruit machine has an inking drum rotatably mounted parallel to and adi jacent to a rotatable marking wheel structure, and an jink impregnated ribbon is placed about the cylindrical outer surface of the drum for tangential rolling engagement with the dies that are spaced about the cylindrical surface of the marking wheel structure. tage of relative1 simplicity, they also possess :some significant disadvantages. Large rolls which have an I inked ribbon covering their entire surface area' are particularly difficult and messy to handle when they are changed, and they require frequent changing! since only the ribbon that is exposed on the surface jof the drum can be utilized during any single continuous running of the machine. Of course, changing ofj a ribbon requires a shut down of the entire machine, and frequent ribbon changes therefore mean frequent Interruptions in processing of the fruit. Another disadvantage of the drum-type Inking mechanisms1 is the large surface area of the ribbon which is c ntinu- i ously exposed to evaporation. Furthermore, if the ribbon is rolled about the transfer surface in a i plurality of layers, difficulties are experienced in i controlling the ink flow to the dies so that itj will neither be too great nor too little, and this problem is compounded by the variations in ink flow through the ribbon roll as the size of the roll is reduced.

A more sophisticated rotary ribbon-type ink- i ing mechanism is known wherein a plurality of ribbons are wound circumferentially about an Inking drutii with the ribbons being aligned with the fruit marking dies that extend transversely across the marking wheel and with the inking ribbons each being carried upon! spools within the structure of the inking drum. Ratchet means are used to intermittently move the ribbons i circumferentially about the face of the drum so i that J fresh ribbon surface is continuously being exposed to type of rotary inking device is the fact that it re- ! quires the changing of a number of ribbons when; the i ribbons come to the limit of their travel in one direction. Furthermore, since this condition might occur I without warning at any time, a stop for changing of i the ribbons might take place in the middle of a run j of fruit to the marking machine. A further disadvantage of this plural-ribbon type of inking device is the fact that all of the ribbons do not need to; transfer the same amount of ink to the dies since frjult is very seldom fed evenly to each of the sets of marking dies that are spaced transversely across the marking machine, and, even though some of the inking ribbons i may be relatively fresh as compared with others, they all must be changed at the same time when the ribbons i are fully wound upon the take-up spools. It is also to be noted that the ribbon take-up spools are ί ratcheted by a fixed angular amount during each rotation of the inking amount during each rotation of the ί I inking device; therefore, the ribbons will be moved more rapidly when the take-up spools are full t!han j they will when the spools are nearly empty, and the i last section of the ribbons will therefore be subjected to less contact with the dies than the initial ,section i of the ribbons. j The rotary inking device of the present in- i ventlon utilizes an ink impregnated ribbon as with the aforementioned prior art mechanisms but presents a unique method of feeding and controlling the jribbon so as to achieve the maximum benefit therefrom jand the marking structure while the ribbon is changed, reinked, or repositioned. i ί The Inking ribbon of the present invention is mounted for movement between a feed spool arid a take-up spool so as to extend across an arcuate, longi tudinally extending transfer face of the inking device for rolling contact with each of a series ;of dies extending transversely across an adjacent marking wheel structure. Means are provided to intermittently feed the ribbon across the transfer face so that a fresh surface of the ribbon will be continuously ex-posed to the dies. A cam-operated lever accomplishes the feeding of the ribbon, and both the used and un- i used ends of the ribbon are wound upon the spools within the body of the Inking device so as to prevent undue evaporation therefrom.

The objects and features of the present in-vention will be best understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: i I Figure 1 is a section through a fruit marking machine which includes the rotary inking device i ■ of the present invention; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the machine shown in Figure 1 particularly illustrating thje drive means therefor; i I Figure 3 is an enlarged section taken along i the line 3-3 of Figure 2 and Illustrating, in !plan, the rotary inking device of the present Invention with portions thereof bein broken away for the pur- Figure is a transverse section generally taken along line -k of Figure 3 ; Γ Figure 5 is a side elevation of the rjotary I ■ I inking device shown in Figure 3 » i Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective! taken generally in the direction of arrow 6 of Figure! 3 Par-tlcularly illustrating a portion of the mounting of the inking ribbon; i i Figure 7 is a schematic of the electrical circuitry that controls the feeding of the inking ribbon; j Figure 8 is an enlarged section taken along the line 8-8 of Figure 5 with portions thereof ;being broken away for the purpose of clarity; j Figure 9 is a fragmentary section similar to Figure 8 but illustrating the ratchet actuating mechanism In a position different from that shown in j Figure 8 ; j Figure 10 is a section taken along the I line 10-10 of Figure 9 showing the lower portion of one of the ribbon carrying spools with the ribbon ■ i roll thereon being shown in phantom lines; Figure 11 is an enlarged section taken along the line 11-11 of Figure 3 particularly illustrating the ribbon driving cam; j Figure 12 is a section taken along the line 12-12 of Figure 11 with the position of the cam with respect to its drive motor being shown in phantom lines; and j Figure 13 is an end elevation of the, cam line I3-I3 and showing the cam in one of its operating positions with a portion thereof being in section and with the alternate, second operating position of the cam beingshown in phantom lines. j The rotary inking device 10 of the present invention is shown in Figure 1 as it might be used in cooperation with a rotary marking wheel structure 12 i In order to provide ink for a series of marking! dies l angularly spaced about the periphery of the wheel so that the dies can imprint an ink mark upon the sur-faces of fruit F which are carried by a conveyor l6 j into pressure engagement with the dies. The fruit carrying conveyor includes a plurality of rotatable rollers 18 which continuously rotate the fruit as they are moved into engagement with the dies soj that the surface of each fruit and the surface of its associated die will be travelling at approximately the same speed at the point of engagement to prevent skidding of the die upon the fruit surface and resul- i tant blurring of the mark. The dies, which are; provided with raised type on their fruit engaging surfaces, are carried centrally of and at the outer i periphery of resilient fruit gripping members 15 of generally tubular shape which resiliently engage and control the movement of the fruit at the discharge end of the conveyor while the ink marks are applied. j Although Figure 1 shows only oneangularly related set of dies and their associated fruit gripping members, it will be recognized that a uniformly spaced series of such angularly related dies and gripping members j to extend transversely across the. machine and that the fruit carrying conveyor 16 may, in a similar manner, include a series of uniformly spaced fruit extending transversely across the conveyor, as well as longitudinally thereof, in alignment with .the trans-versely spaced sets of dies on the marking wheel.

The drive means for the fruit marking! I machinery of Figure 1 is shown in Figure 2 and is i seen to comprise a motor 20 which powers a drive shaft 22 for the fruit carrying conveyor 16 by means of an endless chain 23 and a drive sprocket that is keyed to the drive shaft. Also fixed to the 'conveyor drive shaft is a second sprocket 26 whichjdriv-ingly engages a main drive chain 27 that is trained about a drive sprocket 28 keyed to the rotary marking i wheel drive shaft 29 and a drive sprocket 30 that is keyed to a drive shaft 31 for the rotary inking; device 10. It can be seen that the driving force supplied by the motor 20 will provide continuous rotary move- i ment for both the marking wheel and the inking device to' rotate these mechanisms, in the direction of ! the I arrows shown in Figure 1 , so that the dies willjbe moved into tangential pressure contact with an ink impregnated ribbon 35 extending along the oppositely posi tioned, arcuate faces of the inking device. Both the marking wheel drive shaft 29 and the inking mechanism i drive shaft 31 extend through and are rotatably supported at oneend thereof by a side plate 36 which 'is slidably mounted upon a fixed side frame structure 37 1 supporting the conveyor drive shaft 22 so that the j to the conveyor. A second slidably mounted side plate 36a (Figure 1 ) rotatably supports the opposite I end of the marking wheel drive shaft and also rbtat- ί ably supports a short stub shaft 38 fixed to the oppo- site end of the rotary inking mechanism. j The rotary Inking mechanism 10 of the; present Invention is seen to comprise a generally U-shaped, cast frame structure 40 which is provided with arcuate transfer faces 42 extending longitudinally of the inking device and on opposite sides thereof. Guide plates 3 are mounted over the ribbon at spaced intervals i along the transfer faces to maintain the ribbon in engagement with the faces so that proper ink transferring contact with the marking dies 14 of the! fruit marking machine 12 is provided. End plates 41 |are i carried at each end of the frame and serve to fixedly mount the inner ends of the drive shaft 31 a*id ithe stub shaft 38 so that the frame is positioned for rota-tion between the side plates 36 and 36a . Rotatably mounted within the lower portion of the U-shape|d frame structure are a pair of ribbon supporting spools 44 and 45 which are arranged to alternately feed out and i reel in the ink impregnated ribbon 35 · i Each of the spools 44 and 45 is similarly constructed and is rotatably mounted by means o'f a shoulder bolt 50 which is rotatably received within a j bearing sleeve 48 (Fig. 10 ) pressed into a lower cylindrical extension 49 of the frame structure 40. ! The shoulder bolt includes a threaded portion at i s upper end which is screwed axially into the lower end of a end of the upright center post is also provided! with a laterally extending flange 53 which is tack welded at its outer edge to the lower face of a ratchet 55· A flat, circular plate 56 forms the bottom plate of the spool and is securely attached to the upper! face of the ratchet. Both the ratchet and the bottom plate j ■ are provided with apertures so that they can bej re- I ceived and centrally positioned upon the center! post. One longitudinally extending edge of the center! post (Figs. 8 and 9) is provided with a flat face 58j» and a loose sleeve 60 is received about the post so! as to provide a small, longitudinally extending space 6l for reception of the end of the inking ribbon 35· The ribbon is attached to the spool by inserting through a radial slot 62 in the sleeve and is fastened at its end about an upright pin Sk so that rotation of the center post will cause corresponding rotation of the sleeve through the end of the ribbon whilch is ί wedged therebetween. The uppermost portion of the spool (Fig. 5) includes a flat, circular plate !66 similar in size to the bottom plate 5& out having a central hub therein that is threaded onto a stud 68 projecting axially upward from the center post. An i internally threaded knob ?0 is secured to the stud i to hold the top plate onto the center post and! thus prevent the ribbon from pulling off of the spool dur-ing rotation of the Inking device. It can be seen that the ribbon may be changed by removing the j knob 70, the top plate 66, and the sleeve 60 from about the center post. j i ribbon 35 is secured at one end to the inner spool in the aforedescribed manner and is wound off of the spool about an upright cylindrical guide 75 that is i provided with an upper, ribbon holding flange ?6. The ribbon is then passed to the adjacent end of the Inking i device where it is trained about a rotatable bearing structure 77 (Fig. 6 ) . From the bearing, structure at one end of the inking device the ribbon is passied j along one of the longitudinally extending transfer faces 2 to the other end of the device where i't is received around an arcuate guide block 79· The ribbon is then passed across the frame structure to the oppo-site transfer face about an arcuate guide block 81 i which is similar in construction to the guide block 79· Guide blocks 79 and 81 are mounted upon flattened ί portions 80 and 82 of the frame structure, respectively, j and include flat plates 8½ upon their upper faces to prevent removal of the ribbon during rotation of the i frame. Between the guide blocks 79 and 81 thej ribbon is passed over a semi-cylindrical guide spool 86 which is attached to the end of a switch actuator rod 88 for a purpose to be described presently. The actuator rod is slidably mounted within an axial bore in the i stub shaft 38 and is urged inwardly of the frame structure of the inking mechanism to maintain (tension upon the ribbon by means of a leaf spring 89 (Figure ) which is mounted upon the side plate 36a for engagement with the outwardly extending nose 88a of the i rod. j From the guide block 81 the ribbon is of the inking mechanism and around a flanged guide ί block 87 at the opposite end thereof, which guide block is generally similar in construction to the aforedescrlbed guide blocks.79 and 81. The ribbon i is wound from the guide block 87 to the outer spool to which it is secured in the same manner as j it is to the inner spool ^5· The ribbon is maintained in tight rolls about the sleeves 60 of the spools by a ! double-ended, upright leaf spring $ which is pivot-ally mounted by means of a rotatable bracket 8½a upon the fixed frame structure of the inking mechanism. It will be apparent that the spring 9^ can rotate about the pivotal connection of the supporting bracket ^a I with the frame as the ribbon is transferred between the spools and that the upwardly projecting lateral i ends of the spring will maintain pressure engagement with the ribbon rolls. j Both of the spools are arranged to be j driven through the ratchets 55 attached to their bottom plates although they are not arranged to 'be driven at the same time; that is to say, when one i spool is being ratcheted, the other will be free to turn under the pull of the ribbon, and vice versa.

It is an important feature of the present invention that the drive for the spools is provided with means for automatically reversing the direction of feed of the ribbon when one spool has all of the ribbon | wound thereon so that operation of the inking device can be continuous and the ribbon will not need to be changed after each passage between the two spools. lever 90 is provided for reciprocal movement longitudinally of the inking mechanism, which cam lever is best shown in the operational views of Figures 8 and 9 where it is seen to extend laterally from the body of the inking mechanism through a slot 91 in one of the end plates The cam lever is attached to the i frame of the inking device by a pair of pivotal crank jarms 92 and 93 which are rotatably attached to the cam lever and which are rotatably mounted upon the side of the frame opposite to that along which the cam lever is positioned. The outer crank arm 93 is jUioun-ted adjacent to one of the end plates 1 and the inner j crank arm 93 is rotatably mounted about the base of the fixed cylindrical guide (Figure Pivotally mounted adjacent to the pivotal mounting of thejcrank i arm 93 at the inner end of the cam lever are a pair of drive pawls 95 and 96. The innermost pawl 96 is adapted for driving engagement with the ratchet that ! is attached to the inner spool ^5» and the oute^ pawl 95 is adapted to engage and drive the ratchet attached to the outer spool k-k. The pawls, however, operate independently and only one ratchet will be driven '■i during one operating cycle of the inking mechanism.

A double-ended leaf spring 98 is attached to the side i of the cam lever to urge both pawls into engagement with their associated ratchets. j The cam lever 90 is arranged to be contin- ! uously reciprocated by a circular cam 100 best shoim in Figures 11 , 12 and 13. An angle bracket 102 which is welded to the outwardly projecting end of thej cam ■ i cam follower is arranged for movement within a raceway 106 formed within the circular cam. The cam is mounted about the drive shaft 31 b means of a pair of parallel ears 108 attached to its upper side !edge which ears are fixedly secured to the oppositelyj pro- Jecting ends of a pivot pin 10 · The pivot pin is rotatably received within a fixed mounting block! 110 that is attached to the side plate 36. j I I As shown in full lines and in phantom lines in Figure 13, the cam 100 is arranged to be slightly inclined to the vertical when it is in either ofj its two operating positions so that the ¾am follower; 10^ will follow a circular path inclined to the vertical as the inking mechanism is rotated about the axis of drive shaft 31. It can be seen that the horizontal i shifting of the cam follower will cause the cam lever 90 to reciprocate within the body of the inking ! mechanism and that this reciprocation will causej the inner pawl $6 to rotate the ratchet of spool k$ when the cam is in the full line position of Figurel3 Figure 8 shows the cam lever being pushed inwardly, i in the direction of the arrow, to cause the drive I pawl 96 to rotate its associated ratchet. A stop pawl 112 is pivotally mounted to the frame of the inking mechanism adjacent to the spool k$ to catch the ratchet on the outward or return stroke of the cam ί lever to prevent the ratchet from being rotated back in the reverse direction by the drag of the driving pawl 96, and a leaf spring ll^ fastened onto the j crank i arm 93 urges stop pawl 112 into engagement with the When the cam is shifted to the phantom line i position of Figure 13 at the time that all of tlje ribbon is wound upon the spool 4<5 ("by means to be dls- closed presently), the cam lever will be pulled !in ari outward direction through the neutral position shown ■ · I in Figure 9 and into a position wherein the outer drive pawl 95 will be in ratcheting engagement with the ratchet on spool 44 to reverse the driving direc- i tlon of the ribbon and wind it upon spool 44 and off of spool 5· A stop pawl 116, similar to stop pawl 112, is mounted so as to catch the ratchet on spjool 44 on the inward strike of the cam lever to present the spool from turning clockwise ( /as viewed in F1ig- ί ures 8 and 9 ) > and a leaf spring 118 is mounted jupon the crank arm 93 similarly to the leaf spring 11 to urge the stop pawl into engagement with the ratchet.

! In order that the drive pawls 95 and 96 will not be urged into engagement with their respec-tive ratchets by the leaf spring 98 when they are not being utilized to drive their respective ratchets, a pair of pins 120 are attached to the cam leverj adjacent to the pawls. When the pawl 96 is drivin j spool 4-5 in a clockwise direction, for example, ,(as shown in Figure 8) the pin 120 positioned adjacent to the trailing pawl 95 will prevent this pawl from moving into engagement with the ratchet of spoolj44.

It will be appreciated that the pin 120 adjacent) to j the pawl 96 will provide a similar function whenj the cam 100 is shifted and pawl 95 is utilized to rotate spool in a counterclockwise direction. operating positions (shown in full and in phantom lines in Figure 13 ) by means of a small A.C. indue- tion motor Ml which is mounted upon a bracket 122 carried by the side plate 36. This motor, through a suitable reduction gear arrangement, is adapted |to drive a notched circular cam plate 124 through 180° increments of rotational movement. A projecting i roller 126 is carried upon the face of the cam plate i and is received between a pair of parallel plates 128 (Fig. 11 ) rigidly attached to the side edge|of the cam 100 with the roller being arranged for rolling movement between the plates to pivot the cam about the axis of support pin 109 · When the cam plate 124 is in the position shown in Figure 12 ^ the i cam 100 will be in the Inclined position shown in full in Figure 13 and the cam lever 90 will be re- I ciprocated as the inking mechanism is rotated to feed ribbon onto the spool 45 a*id off of spool 44. When all of the ribbon has been wound off spool 44, the i end of the ribbon will be held on the spool and ithe rapidly increasing tension on the ribbon will place pressure upon the movable semi-cylindrical guide spool 86 to force the slidable rod 88 outwardly th stub shaft 38 against the urging of the leaf 89 until the nose 88a actuates a limit switc positioned on the outer face of the side pla As can be seen in the schematic di Figure 7 » closing of limit switch LS-1 at th a ribbon feeding cycle completes a circuit b A.C. power lines LI and L2 and energizes a r open contact C-1A to provide power for the motor Ml " ! ' and opens the normally closed contact C-1B. While the motor Ml is being utilized to drive the cam!plate 12 (in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 12) i and thereby shift the position of the cam 100 , a i circuit is also completed through a diode Dl, a current limiting resistor R2, and a capacitor CI to place a predetermined charge upon the capacitorJ As ! the cam 100 starts to shift, the cam lever 90 wijll i move outwardly of the inking mechanism into a position, such as shown in Figure 9> where the stop 'pawl 112 is freed from the ratchet on spool 5 to thereby . i release the tension upon the ribbon. This will permit the actuator rod 88 to be pushed inwardly under the i urging of the leaf spring 89 to open switch LS-IL However, a second limit switch LS-2 will, by thls time, be closed to maintain current to the relay' RY-1 and, hence, to the motor Ml. Limit switch LS-2 i Is mounted upon a bracket 132 which is attached to the side wall 36. The switch is provided with a down- wardly extending actuating arm for engagement b j the •upper end of a plunger 13^ that is slidable and spring- urged downwardly within a sleeve 136 also carried by i the bracket 132. The lowermost end 137 of the plunger is tapered and is adapted to ride upon the outer [peripheral edge of the cam plate 124 which is provided I with a pair of notches 139 spaced 180° apart to receive the nose end of the plunger when the cam 100 is in one of its operating positions. With the cam Iplate 12 in the position shown in Figure 12 , energization of cam plate to be rotated in a clockwise direction as shown. When the tapered end 137 of the plunger irises j out of the notch on the cam plate the plunger will be cammed upwardly and the switch LS-2 will be closed to maintain the circuit to the motor. ! I The completed circuit through a closed switch LS-2 will be maintained until the cam plate has rotated 180° and the plunger is permitted to drop into the notch at the other side cf the cam plate to open switch LS-2. At this time, cam 100 will be in I its alternate operating position shown in phantcjm lines in Figure 13. When switch LS-2 is opened,! the relay RY-1 will be de-energized to open contact !C-IA and close contact C-1B. The closing of contact jc-lB will be seen to provide a circuit for discharge jof the charge on the capacitor CI through the current ί limiting resistor Rl and the motor Ml. This D.C!. transient current is passed through the field ofj the induction motor Ml and results in rapid braking of the j motor rotor due to the creation of opposed magnetic I I fields whereby the cam plate 12½ will be brought! to a quick stop to maintain the cam 100 in the proper position. By way of example, when ordinary 115 volt line voltage is provided by power lines LI and L2, capacitor. CI may be 200 mf, Rl may be 50 ohms, and R2 may be 200 ohms to provide a workable electric braking circuit.

With the cam 100 in the alternate operating position (shown in phantom lines in Figure 13) the cam i lever 90 will reciprocate so as to cause drive pawl 95 to actuate the ratchet on spool and wind the action will continue throughout a second ribbon! feeding cycle until the ribbon is completed wound upon the spool 44 at which time the cam 100 and the direction of ribbon feed will again be shifted. This process can be repeated continually until the ink Impreg-? nated in the ribbon is completely used up. I To summarize the operation of the device of the present Invention, thebody of the rotary inking mechanism, which carries the ribbon supporting spools 44 and 45, is arranged to be continuously rotated by the drive shaft 31. The ink impregnated ribbon 5 is attached at one end to the spool 44 and at the other I end to the spool 45. Between the two spools the ribbon is passed along the arcuate transfer face's 42 which is closest to the feeding spool will presumably have more ink therein than the ribbon section which is closest to the take-up spool. The dies 14 will be continuously rotated into tangential contact with the ί Inking ribbon 35 between.the guide plates 43. As can be seen from the plan view of Figure 3, the guide plates are arranged so that a row of four sets of dies gage the face of the ribbon at one time although it will be recognized that a greater number of dies maybe inked at one time by merely lengthenin the transfer faces 42 of the inking mechanism. During rotation of the inking mechanism, cam lever 90 will be contin- uously reciprocated by the cam 100 to intermittently ratchet one of the spools 44 or 45 through its asso- I elated drive pawl 95 or 96, In the operational jvlew shown in Figure 8, the cam lever 90 is moving inwardly (as indicated by the arrow) and the pawl 96 is Ratcheting spool 45 in a clockwise direction while {the spool 44 is free to rotate clockwise to intermittently feed increments of ribbon therefrom.

When all of the ribbon has been wound joff one spool, the increasing tension in the ribbon jcauses the slidable rod 88 to actuate limit switch LS-i and I automatically shift the operating position of th|e cam ! 100 while the rotary inking mechanism continues jto rotate. Shifting of cam 100 will, of course, shift the action of the cam lever from one spool to th'e other so that the ribbon will feed in the reverse direction. As previously mentioned, this process can be repeated continuously until such time as the ink in the ribbon has been depleted to the point where the dies are not properly or legibly marking the fruit.

! Since the inking ribbon 35 is automatically reversed while the inking device continues to rojtate and ink the dies 14 of fruit marking wheel 12, it will be recognized that the ribbon can be driven rapidly across the transfer faces 42 of the inking the dies because unused portions of the ribbon during one feeding cycle of the ribbon can be used during the subsequent feeding cycles of the ribbon. Furthermore, even though the ribbon will be incrementally moved by greater distances at the end of a ribbon feeding cycle than it will at the beginning of a cycle because of the greater diameter of the ribbon roll on i the driven take-up spool, the reverse feeding of the ribbon counteracts and thereby eliminates this prob- i lem by also feeding the ribbon by greater increments near the end of the cycle where the ribbon had been fed by small increments previously. For example,, as the ribbon is wound upon spool ^5» as shown in Figure 3» the feeding Increments will be small since only a , ■ i small ribbon roll is present upon spool 45 and the fixed angular movement of the ratchet 55 will roll only a small linear amount of ribbon upon the spool; however, the ribbon then being rolled upon spool; k$ was previously rolled upon the large ribbon roll; diameter of spool at large increments of movement, and consequently, all of the sections of the inking i ribbon will receive equal contact with the marking dies after one forward and one reverse or two complete feeding cycles of the ribbon. | j It will be seen from the foregoing description that the inking mechanism of the present invention is particularly adaptable for use with rotary printing machines such as fruit marking machines since anj ink impregnated ribbon lying on a hard backup surface is i utilized. Thus, the flexible dies of the marking machine ma leldabl en a Ink therefrom and. there are no problems connected with establishing a predetermined ink flow to the dies as i would be the case with a solid inking pad or with a i similar ink feeding system. In the present invention, the inking ribbon is rapidly passed across the marking faces of the inking mechanism to prevent undue evapor-atlon of ink from the ribbon and to distribute ink I more evenl to each of the marking dies during aj single run of the ribbon. The inking ribbon will automati- I cally reverse Itself when it is used up, and the; necessit for changing the ribbon will become appar- . ■ . 1. ent as the ink marks get lighter upon the stamped i fruit. I Although the best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention has been herein shown and described, it will be apparent that modifi- i cation and variation may be made without departing from what is regarded to be the subject matter of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims (2)

1. .31202 / 3 · : > φ - . . ■' . , ■ - J X., A .rotary inkfc»,«g device comprising a rotatable rotating 'about its own axis · ■■ ; .· · naenber/halving a rigid transfer face at its periphery1 extending in a direction parallel to the rotary axis thereof, a pair of spools mounted1, for rotation with said member, an ink impregnated ri.fefeom -ari_an¾e:d3 to.* be wound at the ends · ■ : ' ' .■ ' ' ΐ ' '· . · .thereof upon said e oOlsi: witth a poatt Kom o f the ribbon that extends between said spoo ls ' pas siagf aiionig saiidl transfer face, from one end of said rotatable member to the other end thereof in a direction parallel to said rotary axis, . means for driving the ribbon to wind it upon one of said spools and off of the other of said spools,means for! auto¬ matically reversing the drive means when the ribbon has been substantially completely unwound from a spool to initiate the winding of the ribbon upon that spool and the unwind¬ ing thereof from the other spool, and means for continuously rotating said member about said rotary axis to. bring' the ribbon on said transfer face. into pressure engagement with , ■ - r ''" 'i · ' ' ■ . ' ' · 'ϊ ' '.' ' - : ' a marking die. i ; ·> :;-v; / ' ;;- ".· '■■ '■ ' ■ " : ■ ■ ·■.:-.' ■ . :- ; . · ; · ·· ,'.

2. A rotary inking device according to claim 1, wherein said, ribbon driving means comprises arm means mounted i.' '' - '< ·■', · ' " ' ■ ·' '.' ·. ,· for reciprocating movement, said arm means being selectively operatively engageable with one of said spools for wind- ing the ribbon thereon, and said drive reversing means in«¾ eluding means for shiftingthe arm means from driving en- . · - ' - ■ · ■ ■ ■ i ." gagement with said one spool to engagement with the other spool when the directio of feed of the ribbon is to' be reversed. ! '. ' ; . .31202/4 second switch for stopping the cam in its operating '•position.'-. 7. A rotary inking device according to . any one of the preceding claims, wherein said rotat- is provided with a second transferable- face, the . able member/includes two longitudinally extending • bein . · ' ' · ' transfer faces /positioned on opposite, sides thereof with said portion of the ribbon between said spools extending along each face, said faces being curved in the direction of movement thereof* 8. A rotary . inking device according to, . claim 1, wherein the ribbon drive means includes a ratchet attached to each of said spools, ratchet actuating means movable during rotation of said rotat- - able member and engageable with the ratchet of a first of said spools for intermittently, winding said ribbon off of a second of said spools and onto said first spool, arid* means "for automatically shifting , the operating, position of,,said ratchet actuating \ means when the ribbon is substantially completely wound off of said Second.,spool<.to: cause said ratchet actuating means to move into ratcheting engagement with the ratchet attached to said second spool to initiate the winding of the ribbon thereon and off of said first spool. 9. A rotary inking device according to claim 8, wherein said ratchet actuating means includes first and second drive pawls pivotally mounted thereon, 31202/4 said first drive pawl being positioned to drive the ratchet attached to said first spool when ratchet actuating means is in a first operating position and said second drive pawl being positioned to drive the ratchet attached to said second spool when said ratchet actuating means is in a second . operating position, camming means for continuously reciprocating said ratchet actuatting means to ! rotate one of said ', ratchets, said shifting! jmeansvincludi g means for shifting said camming means to shift said actuating means between its operating positions when the rib-" bon is completely unwound from one of said spools. 10. A rotary inking device according to claim 9, wherein said camming means comprises a circular cam surrounding said longitudinal axis of the rotatable member, said ratchet actuating means extending longitudinally from said frame member and including a cam follower mounted for engagement with said cam, and means mounting the cam in said first operating position of the ratchet actuating means at an inclined angle to a transverse plane of said rotatable member so that said ratchet actuating means is caused to reciprocate within said rotatable member to intermittently rotate said first spool as the rotatable member is rotated about its longitudinal axis, said means for shifting the camming means causing said cam to be moved into a position oppositely 3S202/4 member to bring said ratchet actuating means into its second operating position to intermittently rotate ©aid second spool„ 11 A rotary inking device according to claim 1 for use with a fruit marking machine comprising a rotatable marking wheel having a plurality of fruit marking dieo uniformly angularly spaced about its outer peripher , said rotary member being mounted adjacent to and parallel ,to said marking w eel and having a rigid transfer face at its outer periphery positioned so as to tangentially engage the marking dies on the outer periphery of the marking whe©i8 an 13. A rotary inking device according to claim 11 or 12, wherein said spool driving means comprises arm means mounted for reciprocating movement, said arm means being se¬ lectively operatively engageable with one of said spools for winding the ribbon thereon, and said receiving means including means for shifting the arm means from driving engagement with said one spool to engagement with the other spool when the direction of f6ed of the ribbon is to be reversed. ■ 14. A rotary inking device according to claim 13, including a cam mounted about the rotary axis of said ro¬ tary member, said spool driving means including a cam fol¬ lower carried by a laterally projecting end of said arm means for engagement with said cam to reciprocate said arm means within said rotary member as it is continuously ro¬ tated to thereby rotate one of said spools, and said re¬ versing means including means for shifting said cam from a fir ti operating position to a second operating position to cause the arm means to rotate the other of said spools and thereby reverse the direction of feed of the ribbon. , < / ,15*. > A rotary, inking device according to claim 14, wherein said reversing means including a switch actuatable by the increased tension in the ribbon when the ribbon is completely unwound from one of said spools for causing said cam to be shifted between its two operating positions. 16. A rotary inking device constructed -and adapted ■to operate substantially as herein described with reference