US2846239A - Machine for posting and manifolding business records - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 5, 1958 w. D. WINDERS MACHINE FOR POSTING AND MANIFOLDING BUSINESS RECORDS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 4, 1954 INVENTOR William flak 145226262 5 BY %/Q/ ATTORNEY Aug. 5, 1958 w. D. WINDERS MACHINE FOR POSTING AND MANIFOLDING BUSINESS RECORDS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 4, 1954 INVENTOR V il i'llz'am DaZe 772170 876 ATTORNEY m w m g- 1958 w. D. WINDERS 2,845,239

MACHINE FOR POSTING AND MANIFOLDING BUSINESS RECORDS Filed Aug. 4, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 9g H O IIIYI-I' 32 3a F/& .5

a? g Q as L INVENTOR 74 77 William Dale Wi'n ei' BY {Mu- ATTORNEY Aug. 5, 1958 w. D. WINDERS MACHINE FOR POSTING AND MANIFOLDING'BUSINESS RECORDS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 4, 1954 are BY ARTICLE annual cRlnlr BALANCE 1 VENTOR William fiaie W zdez's ATTORNEY United States Patent MACHINE FOR POSTING AND MANIFOLDING BUSINESS RECORDS William Dale Winders, Columbus, Ohio Application August 4, 1954, Serial No. 447,867 8 Claims. (Cl. 2,82--)-- This invention. relates to record-manifold-ing; machines, thesamerhaving particular reference to an improved: ma.- chine-- for posting and manifolding bookkeeping records, such as. those of commercial establishments selling goods on. credit, or. other organizations. in. which installment and various other periodic payments. are made by purchasers, bor owers, or other customers.

Machines for facilitating andgoverning the making.

and entering of installment and other similar payments are disclosed in my prior Patents Nos. 2,656,198 and 2,656,199; granted October 20, 1953. The; present-invention aims primarily to simplify, render more, compact, and. improve generally the mechanical construction of such. machines, and particularly the machines disclosed in. said. patents, throughrendering thesame more posi tive, reliable, and effective in their operation, smaller in overall dimensions, and less likely to produce error as, a result of operator-performed mistakes. or oversights; in the mechanical. actuation of the machines.

Another aim or object of the present invention is to. Pro a manifolding ma o e ge e al? us s and purposes set forth, and which is formed to embody a casing structure having a flat, record-receiving, top wall, in hich is. provided; an en rv-p fi s s t, nd erein-th interior of the casing structure is formed, in vertical registry with said slot, with a rotatably mounted, drum, type.- platen, the relative order of these: parts being such as t enab h pl n o uppor on i ou er c rcwn: ference; a n a nm n w th. dv ot, a plurality of p ra e n yg. h ets which r en ire y con.- fined within. the. machine as g, but which are adapted to have selected areas thereof aligned for. manifolded postingwithone or more record Sheets di posed on. the upper surface of the top wall, of said casing structure, the platen serving to reduce the. total length of the structure. by avoiding longitudinal shifting of. flatly maintained; entry.- or ledger sheets placed'within the machine, as herecfore r quir d.

A further object is to provide a. manifolding machine.

of the character indicated in which arecord sheet may be inserted. into a side-opening receiving pocket formed there.- for in.- the outer casing construction. of the machine, and wherein a rotatable platen is so arranged withinv said casing as to eng e. a. sheet inserted. into. said pocket and; upon. rotation of the. platen, to advance, variousv portions ofjthe sheet into registry with an-associated posting slot formed in the casings top wall, whereby to provide a relatively short compact machine assembly.

Another object is to provide. a posting or manifolding machine of this category wherein a spool actuated', entryreceiving ribbon or tape may beemployed as: a lockprotected, unaltered journal or daily receipts record, and. wherein the ribbon or tape is movable between mounting and. receiving spools provided therefor within: the casing, the same being so arranged that the; length of the: tape. can tending between said. spools; will? pass. over the. uppermost pan of the. outer circumference ofthe; movable platen roll rqtatably mounted within the. casing; the:s.trip being thus locally presented to a. posting slot formed in the top wall of the casing, the: arrangement providing for locked retention of the journal tape within the casing and the posting of entries thereon from the exterior of the machine.

A still further object of the invention is to provide the top wall of the outer; casing of such a machine with a hingedly movable, sheet-clamping plate, the latter beingoperable to fixedly retairr one or more separable record sheets in fixed positions on the upper surface of said top wall and with selected areas of the sheets in registry withan associated posting slot formed in said top wall, and wherein an improved manually released latch mechanism is provided for normally retaining the clamping plate in a lowered record-clamping position in which the plate is disposed in adjoining parallel relation with said top wall.

Other objects are: to provide manually operated means" for imparting incremental rotation to the receiving spool of the casing-protected journal tape, said means being interrelated with the releasing latch mechanism of the aforesaid hinged record sheet clamping plate, so that in order to release said plate to permit it toberaised or otherwise moved to a position providing for the insertion of record sheets into or the removal of such sheets from clam-ping engagement with the plate, the construction and actuation of the manually operated means. are such that the same will, first, partially rotate. the tape-receiving individually identified entry-receiving areas of a concealed" machine-contained ledger sheet are externallyviewable when. the plate is raised, whereby to enablean operator,

through. rotation of an associated. external platen roll' control, to move or adjust a ledger sheet so that a given entry-receiving area thereon may be alignedwith acooperative posting slot of the machine; to provide in such' a machine an improved clutch mechanism for imparting" incremental rotation to the receiving spoolof a journal ribbon on tape and wherein the construction of the clutch mechanism is such as to rotate the spool when an exteriorly. projecting, manually actuated control is rocked in one. direction and to release the spool when the control rocks. in a return or opposite direction; andto provide a machine which constitutes an improvement generally in machines. of this classification,

For a further understandingof the present invention, reference may now be had to the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a manifolding machine formed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken through. the machine on the line 2-2' of Fig. l;

Fig. 31 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the plane disclosed by the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a similar View on theli'ne 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is. adetail fragmentary longitudinal sectional" plane indicatedby Fig. 12 is a fragmentary plan view of a ledger card used in connection with my improved manifolding machine;

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary vertical transverse sectional view showing the cover plate in its elevated position suitable for the placement of a record sheet on the upper surface of the machine for the making of an entry thereon;

a pair of transversely spaced, vertically disposed, side walls 22, a from wall 23, a back wall 24, and a flat top wall 25, the latter, as shown, sloping forwardly and downwardly in an inclined plane between the back and front walls, 24 and 23, respectively. The lower edge of the back wall 24 is hinged, as at 21, to the rear edge of a stationary base plate 40, the front wall 23 being provided with a key-operated lock 41 which cooperates with a keeper 42 to retain the cover in its normally lowered position.

.- In the forward and lower part thereof, the wall 25 of the cover is formed with a rectangular depressed region 26. In this region there is provided an elongated, relatively narrow posting or writing slot 27. Also occupying the recess is a sheet-holding or clamping plate 28 which is formed with a slot 28a adapted to register with the slot 27 when the plate 28 is lowered. The latter is hinged, as at 29, along one of its longitudinal edges, the hinge including spring means 30 so arranged as to apply forces to the plate tending to move the same normally to an elevated position above the recessed region 26. To hold the plate against such spring bias in its lowered sheetclamping position, as shown in Figs. 4 and 6, the edge of the plate opposite to and parallel with the hinged edge 29 thereof is formed with a rigid, depending keeper yoke 31 which extends through an opening 32 formed in the top wall 25, so that the yoke may receive the beveled end of a sliding latch member 33. I

This latch member, as shown herein, is formed to be slidably received in a boxing 34 carried by the under side of the wall 25, a coil spring 35 being disposed in said boxing in a position in which one end of the springbears on the latch member to force the latter reawardly into latching contact with the yoke 31. The latch member includes a rigid, depending, angularly formed operating stem 36 which projects through a slot provided in the bottom of the boxing and has an out-turned end disposed between a pair of spaced lugs 37 projecting from the periphery of a disk 38 carried by a spool shaft 39 which Through the provision of manually actuated means, hereinafter more fully defined, rocking movement is adapted to be imparted to the disk 38 to bring one of the lugs 37 thereof into engagement with the stem 36, thereby controlling the retraction of the latch member against the force of the spring 35 in releasing the clamping plate and allowing the same to swing upwardly under the influence of the spring hinge 29 This spring-induced raising'of the plate permits one or more record or receipt sheets R,

extends transversely of the casing 30 and interiorly thereher C when the latter is closed and in adjacent parallel relation with the side Walls 22 thereof, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Connected with the upper portions of the flanges 45 is a table plate 46 which, when the cover member is closed, extends immediately below and in parallel relationship with the top wall 25 of the cover member. The plate 46 is formed with a slot 47 arranged in vertical vregistry with the posting slot 27.

Toward their rear ends the side flanges 45 are formed with bearing openings for the reception of a removable mounting or supply spool 48. On this spool there is wound a paper tape or strip 49, the spool containing the tape being inserted upon or removed from the flanges 45 when the cover member C occupies its raised position. With the cover member so raised, the free end of the tape or strip is trained over the upper surface of the table plate 46, so that when the cover member is subsequently lowered and locked in its closed position, an elongated webforming length of the tape, indicated at w, will be disposed between the table plate 46 and the top wall 25 of the cover member. This web will register with the slots 27, 28a, and 47, so that through carbon impression-transferring means contained on a receipt sheet or sheets R,

held by the clamping plate 28 on the upper surface of the top Wall 25, one writing an entry or other record on a top sheet R will cause the simultaneous posting of the same entry or record on the tape or strip 49.

' The web w of the tape 49, at the region thereof in registry with the aligned writing slots 27, 28a, and 47, is supported by a cylindrical drum-shaped platen 50. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the platen is mounted on and rotatable with a shaft 51 which is journaled for rotation in aligned openings 52 formed in the side flanges 45 of the channel member 43. There is mounted on the channel member 43 in spaced, parallel relation to one of its side flanges 45 a vertical wall 54, the latter defining the inner or closed side of a pocket 55 employed for receiving ledger sheets 56 adapted for use in connection with the machine. The shaft 51 at one end thereof includes an exteriorly disposed hand knob 57, and one of the side walls 22 of the cover 20 is slotted, as at 58, for the reception of the hub of the knob 57. Preferably the outer periphery of the platen 50 is raised, as at 58, where the platen is in registry with the slots 27, 28a, and 47, so that the raised portion will project into the slot 47 of the table plate 46 to bring the record sheets to be manifolded into close order with each other. Internally, the drum-type platen 50 'is provided with end-positioned spiders 59 formed with hubs for the reception of the shaft 51.

The pocket 55, in addition to its closed side Wall 54, is further provided with and defined by a sloping bottom wall 60, a vertical rear wall 61 disposed adjacent to and' in parallel order with the tape/mounting roll or spool 48, and an open side, as shown at 61a, the latter being formed, as shown in Fig. 9, by registering slots formed in one of the side walls 22 of the cover member 20 and one of the side flanges 45 of the channel member 43. A longitudinally extending, laterally adjustable guide flange 62 is arranged at the closed side of the pocket to limit insertive movement of the ledger sheets 56 when the latter are introduced into the pocket 55 through the open side there-' of. The flange 62 forms in effect an adjustable continuaa tion of the fixed pocket wall 54. Clamping screws 63 may be employed in retaining the adjustment of the guide flange 62, the shanks of the screws being slidably arranged in slots 64 formed in the bottom wall 60 of the pocket.

Ledger sheets introduced, with the upper faces thereof disposeddownwardly, into the machine through the open side of the pocket are deposited flatly on the bottom wall 60, the same being advanced by finger pressure orgravity into engagement with the bottom portions of the platen 50 and into contact with rollers 65 mounted at intervals in an arcuate front wall 66 of the pocket 55. As shown in Fig. 10, the upper end of the front wall 66 terminates, in this particular construction, in a flat extension 67 extension being slotted; asv at: 68,- .to; permit the-upper part}.

of. the'platenito projectxtherethrough'. Beyond the-flat! tened andrslotted'iportion thereof; the. extension terminates. inJan arcuateilip 69 extendinginzpart around the platen;

and? equipped: with: one of the rollers 65-.

Thus=,.wherr= one of the sheets 56. is: inserted. intozthe pocket 55 and brought into edge engagement with the: lower part. of the platen, normal rotation. of the latter will cause the insertedsheet'tozfollow the platen and to move in unison. with: the latter by passage. through the arcuate: slot formed between the outer circumferential wall ofthe platen and the arcuate. forwardly disposed wall 66 of saidapo'cket. The ledger sheetsuso positioned: willf be advanced by. theplatenuntildesired regions or: selected. entry receivingareason the ledger sheets will be presented: in: a position. of: registry with writingslots 27 28a, and47 andv in close contact withthe receipt or record: sheetsR placed. on the top of the machine beneath theclamping platei 28', andialso in close engagement withtthe tape. on'strip' 49- which is'movably supported under lock and key retention. within. the. casing structure of themachine.

In advancing thestrip' or tape 49 longitudinally by incremental? progression. for each posting operation, so that a fresh"=-unused'portion.-of: the tapeywill'be brought into registry with the posting slots for the making of manifoldedientries; thezforward end: of the web w of the tape is. directed: downwardly. over. a guide lip 70 (see- Fig. 2)' formed on the forward end of the. table plate 46. This free end of thetape is suitably: united with a: wind ing or: receiving spool 71 rotatably= supported on the front. end. of the machine base. In this instance thebodfysof' the: spool'71 is fixed on the shaft 39 which has its oppositeends journaled in openings formed in bracket plates 73 secured tothe inner'faces oftheside flanges 45 oftthe channel members. 43 of the-machine base.

In order to apply" step-by-step rotation to the spool 71,- means-are provided to move fresh portions of the tape 49, which preferably is in the form: of' ajournal or daily receipts record; into-registry with the posting slots, and to coordinate the': movement of the tape with the actuation of the clamping: plate 28; so that the: operator of the machinewilh not be permitted to overlook moving the tape for the making of 'each' entry; Toward" this end, the disk 38 on which the latch-operating" lugs 37 are formed: is provided, as shown in Figs. 6 and" 7; with a radial: slot 74'fomned to provide a rounded inner end and! an outwardly diverging portion which extends to the periphery of the disk 38; Positioned in the rounded inner endof theslot 74* isthe cylindrical bearing portion: of a crank pin 75. Carried by and projecting outwardly andv radially from the pin-.75 throughthe flaring outer portion of the slot 74' is a crank arm 76; Pivoted,

as at; 77', toa'head formed on the outer end of the 76 is one end of a link 77', the opposite end of said link being pivotally'joined; as at 78, with the weighted end 79' of an os'cillatory'manually actuated lever 80;.

The hub 81 of this lever is mounted for free turning movement on' the shaft 39*at one end of the latter, and the. control lever 80'inclu'des a forwardly projecting-end which, as shownin' Fig. 6;, extends for oscillatory move-= ment through. a vertical slot. 82 formed inthe front wall ofthe cover C,.the movement of the lever 80 being indicated' by full and: broken lines in Fig; 6.

To produce longitudinal movement of the journal strip or tape 49'during'substantially'the full downstroke of the lever 80 and prior to unlatching of the clamping plate, thev crankpin 75' is formed with a semicylindrical' end 83" which is adapted to be positioned between adjacent faces of a pair: of semicircular clutch elements 84* and: 84', the element 84' having a: recess therein in:

which the semicircular outer surface of. the end' 83 of the crank pin is rockably positioned; It will be: seen that when the lever 80 is manually depressed, the resulting.* upward; movement. of? the weighted end 79 thereof;

through the: linkage 77;:joined therewith causes rocking:

movement on the. part: of: the:v crank pin 75. about; its; longitudinal? axis.

Thismovement of: the pin causes the semicylindricah flattened: end thereof to so engage the adjacentfaces of.

the. clutch: elements8i4z as to produce when turned: sepa=.

rationor outward. expansion. of said elements, so that the: arcuate. outer faces of the. clutchelements frictionally grip.)the-circularperipheral wall surfaces of a chamber 85 in which the clutch elements are positioned. The chamber-85: lS.fOIII1Ed1iI1 one end: of. the. front spool 71 insorder that; the oscillatory motion of the: downwardly moving lever 8'0.- will, upon initial movement thereof; be transmitted: to. the clutch: elements and. thence. to; the.

tape; spool, thus pulling. the tape. forwardly a desired:

linear distance. Toward: the end of this forward. movee merit-(me ofr'theilugs 37 0f. the: disk 38 contacts the. stern relativelyfragile parts which. are apt: to break or become;

out; of f working order.-

To: hold? the front: spool 71: positively in its positionsof adjustment between: increments: of arcuate. movement thereof; the: spoof shaft.39,.. as shown in Fig. 5, carries atone endi a disk 86-havingarcuate recesses 87sformedi in. itsv outer; circumference. Adapted to enter and slot in.:these: recesses is'iaroller: 88' mounted on an upper link. memben 89: 01165 end of this link; member is pivotally connected; asrat 9.0;. to: a stationary supporting member 911carrieda'by. a base element: of the machine. Pivotally connected. to: the: lower end. of." the. member 91f is the rear; end of'a movable; arm 92'which extends forwardly beneath the under portion en'd's' the-arm. 92.. andrthe link. member 89 are; united by in coil". spring 93 which serves to maintain theroller 88in a seated' position in any one of the recesses. 87. ton

hold! the front spool against rotation unless positivelyactuatedr by the; lever 81% At its front end the arm 92 terminates in: a projecting: finger 92a; shouldered: at 92b for: engagement: with a lug 92c carried by; and. extending. inwardlypfromv the: front wall: offthe coveror lid C; When the-latter-isclosed', asin- Fig. 5, the bracket or lug- 92c presses downwardly. on the finger 92a in a. mannerhold? ing, the detent; roller 88? inthe notches of thewheel: 86",- the spring 93 being placed under tension.

Gne; of theimportant features of the present invention resides in providing; the; recessed region. of the top:wall'- of the cover C with: a window opening 95. This opening each formed with ruled parallel lines providing between.

them, as shown in; Fig. 15, individually identified entryreceiving spaces 96, as by the use of consecutive numbers.

When theledger sheet is placed. in the pocket 55 of the machine, withthe ruled face thereof: disposed: downv wardlygthe subsequent rotation of the platen 50 will bring theinser-tedledger sheet upwardly around-the platen and intov alignment with the casing-formed posting slots. In. aligning a.- partieular space on the ledger sheet with the'posting: slots; the machine operator notes the number identifying the space in' which a given posting is to be entered; When the identifying number, or other insignia, of thisselected space is viewed through the window opening. 955,v the operator will be informed as to the accuracy of the alignment. It will be noted that tomake such a viewing and determination, the clamping plate must be elevated, and toeifect such elevation itis first necessary of the. disk 86. The outerfor the operator to actuate the lever 80, thus. moving theijournal tape 49 to present a fresh unused area thereof to the posting slots. These features of interaction between the clamping plate release and the tape-spooling control require correct operation automatically on the part of the various elements of the machine, so that error ormistakein. its operation is virtually automatically precluded.

In the use of my improved machine, asv it. is employed in crediting customers installment or other periodic payments, the control lever 80 is first depressed in order that it may be rocked fromthe full lineposition of Fig. 6 to the broken line position. This movement of the lever, through the immediate expansion of the clutch elements 84 .and 84, produces turning movement of the front spool 71 throughout substantially the full downward movement of the outwardly projecting front end ofthe lever and at the same time lifts the weighted .rear extension 79 thereof. Thus, following depression of the front end of the lever and customary release thereof, the lever will return automatically to its original or normal position, as shown by full lines in Fig. 6, by the gravitational response of its weighted end 79. During depression of the lever, the journal strip has its intermediate length w moved linearly as a result of the lever and clutch effected rotation of the front spool 71, whereby to present a-fresh unused area thereof to the aligned posting slots. During return movement of the .lever from its depressed position to its elevated normal position, the clutch releases and the spring-pressed retaining means 87 and 88 operate to hold the front spool against rotation.

After the front spool has been thus rotated to bring an unused region of the tape 49 into registry with the posting slots, the latch mechanism 33 is operated when the outer end of the lever 80 reaches approximately the lower limit of its travel. At this time one of the lugs 37 on the disk 38 contacts the latch stem 36 to withdraw the latch from holding engagement with the keeper yoke of the clamping plate 28 sothat the latter may be moved upwardly to a record-receiving position by the action of its springbiased hinge mounting 29.

vWith the clamping plate so elevated, a ledger sheet 56, containing a given customers account, is positioned with thev face .thereof disposed downwardly on the sloping bottom wall 60 of the pocket 55. The platen 50 is then rotated to bring the proper entry-receiving line or space 96 of the sheet 56 in which an entry is to be posted into registry with the vertically aligned posting slots formed in the upper casing walls. This alignment may be determined accurately from the exterior of the machine by viewing the identifying number, or other insignia, appearingin connection with the selected line or space through said window opening.

The customers receipt sheet R is then placed in the recessed or depressed region 26 of the top wall 25, with the line or lines thereon in which an original entry is to be made disposed over the posting slots. Thereafter, the plate 28 is lowered and latched, thereby retaining the record sheet, or sheets if more than one is employed, against casual displacement and in fixed relative order. It will be noted that the edges of the writing or posting slot formed in the plate 28 are inwardly and downwardly curved in a manner causing the plate when closed to engage and force the sheet or sheets R into the posting slot to bring the same into close engagement with the underlying tape and ledger sheets and the upper surface of the platen 50. If desired, the upper edge portion of the clamping plate may carry a removable guide strip 98 showing the particular headings orcolumns of the entryreceiving sheet or sheets in which postings are to be made.

In producing manifold copies of entries hand written on the record sheet R, it will be appreciated that the back of such a sheet may be provided with spotted carbon areas so that the entries made on the customers record sheet may be transferred to the underlying journal tape or strip 49. Also, the lower or back surface of this tape or strip maylikewise be provided with carbon areas for the. automatic transference of the record sheet and tape entries or postings to the'ledger sheets 56. While separate carbon sheets or strips may beused in effecting such manifolding of entries made on the top record sheet to sub-placed record sheets, the so-called spot carbon method of transference is employed in the interest of simplicity.

The rotatable platen is advantageous in a machine of this type in reducing its total lfillgtl'h. In the machines disclosed in my prior patents, considerable length was required in order to permit a flatly inserted ledger sheet to be adjusted in a horizontal plane longitudinally of the machine in aligning a selected entry-receiving space on the sheet with the posting slots or openings. The rotatable platen herein disclosed enables the sheets 56 to be curved about the outer cylindrical -'wall of the platen, so that a substantial shortening of the total length of the machine is made feasible. Again, with the use of the rotatable platen, the ledger sheets when operatively arranged within the machine are; entirely concealed from view. Thus, in order to ascertain alignment of a given region thereon with the posting slots, it is necessary to operate the control lever 80 to move the tape or strip 49 before the clamping plate 28 can. be raised to permit the line-identifying numbers on the ledger sheets to be viewed through the window opening 95. The tape or strip is maintained under lock and key retention within the machine, and at the end ofa day or other period, the tape or strip may be removed by one in authority and the dayscash receipts reckoned therefrom. The machine thus provides a cashier with a simple and convenient means for posting simultaneously a given entry on a plurality of different record sheets. By so manifolding such an entry, the customer, cashier, and management are provided with accurate duplicative records, so that errors and misunderstandings are avoided. As a result of the lock-controlled journal tape, misappropriation of receipts is minimizedthrough the relative ease by which ready detection thereof is made possible.

After an entry inscription has been made one. ledger sheet 56, the platen may be further rotated in the same direction it was rotated in presenting the ledger sheet to the inscription slot in order that thesheet. may be redelivered to the pocket 55 for removal from the machine, as shown in Fig. 10. An alternative construction has been illustrated in Fig. 11, wherein a blind recess 99 is formed in the baseframe of the machine which receives the ledger sheet during entry inscription, but which requires that the direction of rotation of the platen be reversed when the inscribed ledger sheet is to be-returned to the pocket 55. In this form of my invention the table plate 46 is extended to provide a stationary shelf extension 100 which acts as a support or platen, so that the drum 50, merely serves as a ledger sheet-advancing and retracting means.

,Other variations, or modifications are, of course, contemplated within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

l. In a manifolding register; an elongated box-like casing having a top wall formed with an intermediately disposed transversely extending entry-writing slot; a clamping plate mounted on saiditop wall for movement between a lowered record sheet-,clampingposition and a relatively elevated position of' sheet release; means within said casing for supporting and guiding a concealed record sheet in the form of an elongated web beneath said top wall and the slot therein; means for drawing said web past said slot embodying a rotatable member mounted in one end of said casing and to which one end of the web is fastened to effect windingthereof upon said member asthe latter is rotated; manually operated means for imparting incremental rotation to said member, including a shaft; an'exteriorly accessible'operating lever mounted for oscillatory movement on said shaft; means biasing said lever to return the same to an initial position following manual actuation and release thereof; single-acting clutch means operative upon manual actuation of said lever to impart turning movement to said rotatable mem-v ber and to release said member upon return movement of the lever to its initial position; latch means disposed within said casing and normally retaining said plate in its sheet-clamping position; spring means tending to move said plate to an elevated sheet-releasing position; and trip means operative only following predetermined webadvancing movement of said rotatable member for actuating said latch means in the release of said plate.

2. In a manifolding register; an elongated box-like casing having bottom, side, end and top walls defining an internal compartment, the top wall intermediately of its length being formed with a transversely extending posting slot, said wall supporting thereon an upper record sheet in adjustable registry with said slot, one of said side walls being formed with a longitudinally extending opening; a manually operated platen drum rotatably mounted in said casing compartment adjacent the slot in said top wall; supply and winding rolls rotatably mounted in longitudinally spaced order in said compartment, said rolls receiving the end portion of an intermediate record sheet in the form of an elongated web; guide means arranged in said casing for advancing an intermediate length of said web beneath said top Wall and between the upper part of said platen drum and said slot; manually operated means for imparting intermittent movement to said web in withdrawing the same from the supply roll and winding it upon the winding roll; and guide devices positioned in said compartment forming a pocket accessible through the opening in the side wall of the casing, said devices including a forwardly inclined bottom structure that terminates beneath said drum in an upwardly and arcuately formed portion disposed in sheet-guiding concentric relationship with the adjacent forward portion of said drum, said devices serving to direct a forward edge of a bottom or third record-receiving sheet deposited in said pocket on the inclined bottom structure thereof into engagement with the lower portion of the drum, so that upon rotation of the drum in a predetermined direction the sheet engaged thereby will be caused by the arcuate portion of said guide devices to be flexed about said drum and brought into entry-receiving registry with said slot.

3. Manifolding register mechanism as defined in claim 2, and wherein the top wall of said casing adjacent one end of the slot therein is formed with window means to enable an operator to visually ascertain the particular part of the casing-enclosed third record sheet in registry with said slot; a clamping plate hingedly mounted on said top plate for maintaining an upper record sheet in a fixed position of registry with said slot, said plate when in its sheet-clamping position being extended to conceal said window means from external view.

4. Manifolding register mechanism as defined in claim 2, and wherein the top wall of said casing adjacent one end of the slot therein is formed with window means to enable an operator to visually ascertain the particular part of the casing-enclosed third record sheet in registry with said slot; a clamping plate hingedly mounted on said top plate for maintaining an upper record sheet in a fixed position of registry with said slot, said plate when in its sheet-clamping position being extended to conceal said window means from external view; latch means carried by and arranged within said casing for retaining said plate in its clamping position against a spring bias; manually operated means for imparting incremental turning movement to said web-winding roll; and trip means operable following predetermined movement of said web for operating said latch means to release said plate.

5. Manifolding register means as defined in claim 2, and wherein blind pocket-forming means are provided in conjunction with and immediately beneath said top wall for the support of rearwardly extending portions of a third or bottom record sheet held by said drum in registry with the top'wall slot and which project beyond the upper circumferential portion of the drum.

6. Manifolding register means as defined in claim 2,

and wherein the arcuate portions of said guide device are provided with pressure rolls having sheet-confining contact with adjacent peripheral portions of the drum.

7. In an entry-manifolding register; an elongated boxlike casing having a flat, substantially horizontally disposed top wall, the latter being formed intermediately of its length with a transverse inscription slot; a record clamping plate carried by said top wall for movement between a substantially horizontal position of clamping engagement with a record sheet removably placed on said top wall over said slot and a relatively elevated position of sheet release; biasing means serving to move said clamping plate automatically from a latched sheetclamping position to its elevated position of sheet release; latch means disposed within said casing and normally holding said plate in its sheet-clamping position against the action of the biasing means; means arranged within said casing for directing a second record sheet in the form of an elongated web along the under part of said top Wall into entry-receiving registration with said slot, said last-named means including longitudinally aligned, relatively spaced, supply and winding spools for the web; manually operated means independent of said plate operable to impart incremental rotation to said winding spool in advancing said web beneath the slot in said top wall; and means operable only following the impartation of predetermined movement to said web by said manually operated means for withdrawing automatically said latch means from its position of holding engagement with said clamping plate.

8. In a manifolding register; a casing having a top wall formed with a slot; a winding spool for the reception of an entry-receiving web rotatably mounted within said casing beneath said top wall and the slot therein; manually operated means for imparting successive increments of rotational movement to said spool; a record sheet clamping plate hinged to said top wall on the upper surface thereof for movement between an active sheet clamping position of parallel engagement with said top wall and an elevated position of sheet release; releasable latch means disposed within said casing and normally holding said plate against movement when in its sheet-clamping position; and means connected with said manually operated means and engageable with said latch means only following incremental rotational movement of said spool for releasing said latch means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Bradley Feb. 18, 1930 Winders Oct. 20, 1953 Winders Oct. 20, 1953

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