US3894624A

US3894624A - Left and right document aligning apparatus for office machines having split platens

Info

Publication number: US3894624A
Application number: US338654A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harold A Long; Albert J Green; Richard P Taylor; Madhu C Patel
Original assignee: NCR Corp
Current assignee: NCR Voyix Corp
Priority date: 1973-03-07
Filing date: 1973-03-07
Publication date: 1975-07-15
Anticipated expiration: 1992-07-15
Also published as: CH578215A5; DE2410632B2; CA997794A; FR2220383A1; DE2410632A1; DE2410632C3; FR2220383B1; JPS5041600A; GB1414100A

Abstract

A document aligning apparatus for an office machine having a platen and a document chute, for positioning a document on the platen at either one of two laterally opposed sides of the chute. The apparatus includes a first aligning mechanism for aligning a document at one of the opposed sides of the chute so as to position one edge of the document in parallel relationship with a printing line on the platen and a second aligning mechanism for similarly aligning a document at the remaining opposed side of the chute. A selection mechanism is used to select one of the aligning mechanisms to be actuated, and an actuating mechanism is used to actuate the aligning mechanism selected to thereby position the one edge of the associated document in parallel relationship with said printing line, and thereafter, the document is gripped by the compression rollers associated with the platen.

Description

[ July Is, 1975 United States Patent n 1 Long et al.

[54] LEFT AND RIGHT DOCUMENT ALIGNING 358L862 6/l97l Sandrone et 197/127 R APPARATUS FOR OFFICE MACHINES 11/1971 HAVING SPLIT PLATENS Agent, or Firm-J. T. Cavender; Albert L.

r J t h W W a e U n g r r E M or e e m U E m t n r mh mu it 1 16 PAS [75] Inventors: Harold A. Long, Wichita, Kans;

Albert J. Green, Kettering; Richard P. Taylor, Xenia, both of Ohio; Madhu C. Patel, Wichita, Kans.

[57] ABSTRACT A document aligning apparatus for an office machine [73] Assignee: NCR Corporation, Dayton, Ohio Filed: Mar. 7, 1973 having a platen and a document chute, for positioning a document on the platen at either one of two laterally opposed sides of the chute. The apparatus includes a [2|] Appl. No.: 338,654

first aligning mechanism for aligning a document at one of the opposed sides of the chute so as to position one edge of the document in parallel relationship with a printing line on the platen and a second aligning mechanism for similarly aligning a document at the remaining opposed side of the chute. A selection mechanism is used to select one of the aligning mechanisms to be actuated, and an actuating mechanism is 00 7 MN I W31] 1 a I2 9. 9O U24M am m Hn 8 W 3 1 R 0 7 V R 2 I18 N WW 1. 9 .l W m nun.) mmm Hr Ham mms3 L C d9 SLd ncl UIF ll] 2|..O0 555 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS used to actuate the aligning mechanism selected to thereby position the one edge of the associated document in parallel relationship with said printing line, and thereafter, the document is gripped by the compression rollers associated with the platen.

l97/l40 X l97/l27 R 16 Claims, 16 Drawing Figures 823L126 3J3), l 69 3.254.594 3266.6 l 2 3.508.032

"WW Wm 15 ms SHEET LEFT AND RIGHT DOCUMENT ALIGNING APPARATUS FOR OFFICE MACHINES HAVING SPLIT PLATENS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an apparatus for positioning a document in a predetermined direction relative to a platen of a business machine before being fed to the printing means of the machine.

In order to satisfy a variety of customers needs, it is necessary that business machines, like accounting machines, be as versatile as possible. These accounting machines must be capable of accepting pin-fed continuous forms and separate documents like ledger cards and pass-books. When these documents are inserted in the machine, they must be accurately aligned so that printing may be effected on predetermined lines on the documents, and reading and updating operations on magnetic ledger cards, for example, may be accurately performed.

Some prior art techniques for aligning documents like ledger cards in a business machine are shown in the following US. Pat. Nos.:

3,254,594 which issued on June 7, 1966 on the application of R. L. Phelan et a1;

3,266,612 which issued on Aug. 16, 1966 on the application of H. Kittel et al;

3,581,862 which issued on June 1, 1971 on the application of Bruno Sandrone and Antonio Toniolo; and

3,616,889 which issued on Nov. 2, 1971 on the application of Reinhard Kley.

The present invention discloses a first aligning means located on the left side ofa platen and a second aligning means located on the right side thereof with selection means to select which of the two aligning means is to be used to align a document in a business machine like an accounting machine in which this invention may be used. The present invention is of simple economical construction and greatly enhances the versatility of a machine in which it is used.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a document aligning apparatus for an office machine having a platen and a chute for aligning a document on the platen at either one of two laterally opposed sides of the chute. The apparatus includes a first aligning means for aligning a document at one of the opposed sides of the chute so as to position one edge of the document in parallel relationship with a printing line on the platen and a second aligning means for similarly aligning a document at the remaining opposed side of the chute. A selection means is used to select one of the two aligning means to be actuated, and an actuating means is used to actuate the aligning means selected to thereby position the one edge of the associated document in parallel relationship with said printing line, and thereafter, the document is gripped by the compression rollers associated with the platen and moved therewith. Each of the first and second aligning means includes a plurality pushing levers which have aligner bars thereon, which bars are moved into a blocking position in the chute to engage the one edge of the document. Each of the aligner bars has a switch associated therewith. When the edge of the document moves at least two of the aligner bars into a position substantially parallel to the printing line, the associated switches are closed to energize an actuating means which pushes the pushing levers and the document a short distance in a direction out of the chute to thereby accurately align the edge of the document with the printing line. Thereafter, the document is gripped, as previously stated, and the pushing levers are moved to a non-blocking position out of the chute.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. I is a side view, in elevation, taken along the line I-l of FIGS. 2A and 2B to show the arrangement of the document aligning apparatus of this invention as it is oriented in a business machine.

FIGS. 2A and 2B taken together show a top plan view of the aligning apparatus of this invention as taken from the viewpoint of line 2-2 of FIG. 1, and show additional details of the aligning apparatus including a plurality of pushing lever means with associated switches, and actuating means therefor.

FIG. 3 is a side view, similar to FIG. I, and is used to show a chute guide and the actuating means therefor.

FIG. 4 is a side view, similar to FIG. 1, and is used to show additional details of aligner bars which are moved into a blocking position in a chute means of the business machine.

FIG. 5 is a side view, in elevation, similar to FIG. 1, showing a compression roll means which is one of a plurality of such roll means which are spaced along the length of the platen.

FIG. 6 is a side view, in elevation, similar to FIG. 1, showing additional details of a clutch and cam means which are part of an actuating means for the aligner bars.

FIG. 7 is a side view, in elevation, similar to FIG. 1, showing a cam which is used to obtain the pushing motion for the aligner bars.

FIG. 8 is a side view, in elevation, similar to FIG. 1, showing a cam which is used for actuating the compression roll means.

FIG. 9 is a front view, in elevation, taken while looking in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1 to show a selection. means for selecting the left or the right aligning means to be actuated.

FIG. 10 is a general view in perspective of a selection lever assembly which is part of the selection means.

FIG. 11 is a side view, in elevation, similar to FIG. 1 to show additional details of the selection means.

FIG. 12 is a side view, in elevation, similar to FIG. 11, and is used to show additional details of the selection means.

FIG. 13 is a schematic block diagram showing a control means which may be used with this invention.

FIG. 14 is a front view, in elevation, of a conventional rotary clutch means used with this invention.

FIG. 15 is a side elevational view, taken along the line 15-15 of FIG. 14, to show a pawl means and a ratchet gear associated with the clutch means.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The document aligning apparatus of this invention may be used in a variety of business machines; however, an accounting machine has been selected to depict the use of this invention.

In general, accounting machines print upon continuous paper forms which have holes punched along the lateral edges thereof to be driven by pin-type, sprocketdriving wheels, and also print upon documents such as ledger cards, passbooks, etc., which are manually inserted in the machine. Such documents are generally inserted in the machine by front loading the documents in a special chute means.

The present invention is described in relation to an accounting machine which has a platen which is split into two parts. For convenience, the left part of the platen (as viewed by an operator using the machine) is called the left platen, and similarly. the right part of the platen is called the right platen. The document aligning apparatus of this invention may be used to align a document on the left platen or on the right platen.

FIGS. I and 2A orient the invention within an accounting machine which has a split platen. FIG. 1 shows the left side of an accounting machine as viewed from the right side of the machine. The machine includes a platen which is suitably mounted within a frame means in the machine and also includes a printing element 22 which may be of the golf ball" variety which traverses a printing line 23 shown as a dot on the stationary platen 20. A line guide 24 is conventionally placed between the platen 20 and the printing element 22. A chute means 26 is provided for front loading the documents in the machine as previously explained.

The document aligning apparatus of this invention includes a first aligning means, a second aligning means, selection means for selecting which of the two aligning means is to be used, and means for actuating the aligning means selected.

If an operator desires to front load a document on the left side, for example. of the chute means 26, he closes a selection switch 252 (FIG. 13) to enable the first or left aligning means, which aligning means for the sake of convenience may be considered to be located on the left side of the chute means 26. While several of the various switches to be discussed herein are described as manual switches, it is understood that these switches may also be electronic switches which are controlled or actuated by a control unit 256 or a central processor and a program therefor which are associated with the business machine in which this invention may be used. After the first aligning means is enabled, the operator then closes a second switch 254 (FIG. 13) entitled Load Document." Only a general description of the invention will be presented now, and a more detailed description will follow.

Closing the Load Document switch 254 actuates the selected first aligning means. Upon actuation, a chute guide 28 is lowered slightly from the position shown in FIG. 1 to the position shown in dashed outline in FIG. 3 to deflect a document, which is inserted between the line guide 24 and the platen 20 into the chute means 26. As the chute guide 28 is lowered, a plurality of aligner bars 30 are moved from the non-blocking position shown in FIG. 1 to a blocking position (shown in dashed outline in FIG. 4) within the chute means 26. As the document is inserted into the chute means 26, the lower edge thereof will abut against the aligner bars 30 which are resiliently biased to a skewed position relative to the printing line 23 on the platen 20. As the document is pushed against the lateral left side of the chute means 26 and against the aligner bars 30, the bars 30 will be pivoted to a position which is substantially parallel with the printing line 23. Upon reaching this position, switch means 32 associated with each of the aligner bars 30 will be closed.

The closing of at least two of the switch means 32 (FIGS. 1 and 2A) by a document being inserted in the chute means 26, signifies that the lower edge of the document is aligned substantially parallel to the printing line 23 on the platen 20. The closing of the two switch means 32 may be conventionally, logically combined to energize an actuating means, to be later described, which moves the aligner bars,30 a short distance out of the chute means 26 towards the platen 20 to thereby accurately align the lower edge of the document with the printing line 23 on the platen 20.

After the document is accurately aligned as explained in the previous paragraph, compression roll means 34 (FIG. I) push the aligned document against an auxiliary feed roll 36 to grip the document therebetween. The aligner bars 30 are then moved to the nonblocking position out of the chute means 26, and the chute guide 28 is raised to the position shown in FIG. I. The auxiliary feed roll 36, with the document gripped thereto, may then be conventionally indexed by a conventional timing belt 37 and reversible indexing motor 39 (FIG. 3) so as to position the gripped document at a desired line thereon for printing thereon. After being positioned, conventional compression rolls 21, associated with the platen 20 as shown in FIG. 3, grip the document to hold the document against the platen 20, and thereafter, the compression roll means 34 are moved away from the auxiliary feed roll 36. Any additional indexing of the document may be conventionally done by the platen 20 and compression rolls 2]. When the printing or updating operations are completed on the document, the compression roll means 34 are again actuated to regrip the document and the compression rolls 21 move away from the platen 20. When the document is regripped, the auxiliary feed roll 36 will move the document in a direction out of the chute means 26. Thereafter, a release switch 260 is closed to open the compression roll means 34 to permit the document to be withdrawn from the chute means 26.

Having described the invention in general terms, a more detailed explanation will follow.

Each of the aligner bars 30, alluded to earlier, is pivotally mounted on one end of a pushing lever 38 by a pin 40 as shown in FIG. 4. The lever 38 has an elongated slot 42 therein between its ends, by which slot 42 each lever-38 is pivotally mounted on a rod 44 which is supported in the frame means of the machine. Suitable bushings 45, placed on each side of the lever 38 and the rod 44, permit the lever 38 to pivot and slide in a plane which is perpendicular to the printing line 23 on the platen 20. A tension-type spring 46, having one end secured to a stud 48 on the lever 38 and the remaining end secured to a rod 50 mounted in the frame means, is used to resiliently urgethe lever 38 and its associated aligner bar 30 into a blocking position in the chute means 26 and to urge them in a direction out of the chute means 26 towards the platen 20. The remaining end of the lever 38 has a short rod 52 rigidly secured thereto which rod 52 extends from both sides thereof. The pushing levers 38 are spaced along the platen 20 as shown in FIGHZA.

The short rods 52 (FIG. 4') cooperate with a first actuating shaft means to move the associated aligner bars 30 into the blocking and non blocking positions earlier described. The first actuating shaft means includes a first shaft 54-L, for the left aligning means, and an actuating arm 56-L for each pushing lever 38. The shaft 54-L is rotatably mounted in frame means including the spaced,

vertical plates

58 and 60 shown in FIG. 2-A.

The actuating arms 56-1. are fixed to rotate with shaft 54-1. and engage the short rod 52 of the associated pushing lever 38. The shaft 54-L and the actuating arms 56-1. thereon are rotated between first and second positions by a first drive means to be later described. When the shaft 54-L is in the first position shown in FIG. 4, the associated pushing levers 38 and the aligner bars 30 are in the non-blocking position shown. When the shaft 54-L is rotated in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 4), the arm 56-1. moves away from the rod 52 to a second position permitting each of the springs 46 to pivot the associated pushing lever 38 on the rod 44 and thereby move the aligner bars 30 into the blocking position in the chute means 26. The pushing lever 38 is restored to the non-blocking position by rotating the shaft 54-L and the arms 56-L thereon in a clockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 4). One side of the chute means 26 has a panel 62 thereon, which panel 62 has appropriate openings therein to receive the aligner bars 30.

The short rods 52 (FIG. 4) also cooperate with a second actuating shaft means to move the associated aligner bars 30 a short distance towards the platen to accurately align the lower end of a document inserted in the chute means 26 with the printing line 23 on the platen 20. The second actuating shaft means includes a shaft 64-L and an actuating arm 66-L for each pushing lever 38, with each said arm 66-L being fixed to the shaft 64-L to rotate therewith. When the shaft 64-L and the arms 66-L are in the position shown in FIG. 4, the associated pushing levers 38 are in the right most position. When the shaft 64-L is rotated in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 4, the arms 66-L move away from the rods 52 permitting the springs 46 to pull the associated levers 38 towards the platen 20. This pulling motion occurs after the aligner bars are located within the chute means 26 to enable the aligner bars 30 to push a document inserted in the chute means 26 a short distance (approximately A inch) towards the platen 20 where the aligner bars 30 abut against a stop bar 31 (FIG. 4) to thereby accurately align the document relative to the printing line 23 on the platen 20. The rotation of the shaft 64-L permits the aligner bars 30 to abut against the stop bar 31 which is conventionally adjustably mounted in the frame means to be parallel to the printing line 23 on the platen 20. After the aligning operation is completed, the shaft 64-L is rotated in a clockwise direction to move the associated pushing levers 38 to the position shown in FIG. 4.

As previously stated, each of the aligner bars 30 has a switch means 32 associated therewith as shown in FIGS. 2-A and 4. The switch means 32 and the aligner bar 30 are conventionally, adjustably fixed (relative to the stop bar 31) to the end of the pushing lever 38 and each switch means 32 has an actuating arm 68 and roller 70 thereon. The arm 68 is spring biased to move the aligner bar 30 to the skewed position (relative to the printing line 23) as shown in FIG. 2-A. The aligner bar 30 has an overhang portion 72 (FIG. 4) which limits the rotational movement of the aligner bar 30 on the pushing lever 38. When the aligner bars 30 are in the blocking position in the chute means 26, and the lower edge of a document being inserted therein abuts against the aligner bars 30, the bars 30 will be rotated in a clockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 2-A) against the bias of the arm 68. When the aligner bar 30 reaches a position which is substantially parallel to the printing line 23 on the platen 20, the associated switch means 32 will be closed. There are several such aligner bars 30 spaced along the length of the platen 20 as shown in FIG. 2-A, and when any two switch means 32 are closed by a document being inserted in the left side of the chute means 26, the left aligning means is actuated to move the aligner bars 30 the short distance out of the chute means 26 to accurately align the document.

The chute guide 28 (FIGS. 1, 2-A and 3), alluded to earlier, extends along the entire length of the platen 20 and is pivotally mounted at its opposed ends on rods 74 (FIG. 2-A) mounted in the frame means of the machine. The chute guide 28 is lowered from the position shown in solid outline in FIG. 3 each time either the first (left) aligning means is to be used or the second (right) aligning means is to be used.

The linkage used for lowering and raising the chute guide 28 is shown substantially in FIG. 3. An L shaped lever 76 has one end secured to the midpoint of the guide 28, and the remaining end is bifurcated to receive a stud 78 which extends from one end of a bell crank lever 80 which is pivotally mounted on the rod 44. The remaining end of lever 80 has a stud 82 extending therefrom to fit into an elongated slot 84 in one end of a link 86. One end of a tension spring 88 is secured to a stud 90 fixed to link 86, and the remaining end is secured to the stud 82. The remaining end of link 86 is pivotally joined to a lever 92 which is rotatably mounted on an actuating shaft 54-R. The lever 92 has the special shape shown in FIG. 2-A, and has an extension 94 pivotally joined to a link 96 by a pin 97. The link 96 is part of the actuating means for moving the aligner bars 30 and will be later described herein. For the moment, it is sufficient to state that as link 96 is pulled to the right (as viewed in FIG. 3), lever 92 will be rotated in a counterclockwise direction, and chute guide 28 will be lowered to the position shown in dashed outline where it deflects a document into the chute means 26. At the same time that chute guide 28 is being lowered, the first actuating shaft 54-L or the second actuating shaft 54-R (depending on which aligning means is selected) will also be rotated in a counterclockwise direction permitting the associated aligner bars 30 to move into the blocking position in the chute means 26 as previously described. Notice from FIG. 2-A that shaft 54-L and shaft 54-R are axially aligned with each other to actuate their associated aligner bars 30; however, only either the left aligning means or the right aligning means is actuated at one time by the selection means to be later described. When the link 96 is pushed to the left (as viewed in FIG. 3) the chute guide 28 is moved towards the platen 20 to the position shown in solid outline. Regardless of which aligning means is selected to be used, the chute guide 28 is lowered and raised as previously explained. An adjustment screw 81 (FIG. 3), cooperating with lever 80, adjustably limits the chute guide 28 when moved to the lowered position.

The compression roll means 34, alluded to earlier, are shown in FIGS. 1, 2-A and 5, and each includes a pair of hell crank type levers 98 and 100 (FIG. 2-A) which are rotatably mounted on the rod 44 (FIGS. 1 and 5) located in the frame means. The

levers

98 and 100 are spaced apart in parallel relationship to support a compression roll 102 therebetween on one end thereof. Each roll means 34 has a short rod 104 (FIG.

5) passing through both

levers

98, 100 thereof at the remaining ends thereof. Each compression roll means 34 is biased to rotate in a clockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 5) by a tension spring 106 which has one end secured to a stationary rod 107 and the other end thereof secured to a short rod 108 which is fixed to the

levers

98 and 100.

The actuating means for moving the compression roII means 34 between the open and closed positions includes a third actuating shaft means (shown in FIG. 5) which includes a third actuating shaft ll-L and a plurality of actuating arms ll2-L thereon. Each arm ll2-L is fixed to the shaft ll0-L to rotate therewith, with one such arm 1I2-L being provided for each compression roll means 34 to engage the short rod 104 thereon. The compression roll means 34 are spaced along the length of the platen 20 as shown in FIG. 2-A. When the shaft ll0-L is in the position shown in FIG. 5, the compression rolls 102 are spaced from the auxiliary feed roll 36 permitting a document to be inserted into the chute means 26. When the shaft ll0-L and the arms ll2-L are rotated in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 5) by actuating means to be later described herein, the arms ll2-L move away from the short rods 104 permitting the springs 106 to rotate the compression roII means 34 in a clockwise direction, thereby gripping a document between the auxiliary feed roll 36 and the compression rolls 102. After the document is gripped, the feed roll 36 may be conventionally indexed to index the document to the appropriate line therein for printing or performing other operations.

While the first, second, and third actuating shaft means have been described relative to the first, second, and third actuating shafts 54-L, 64-L and ll0-L, respectively, for actuating the first or left aligning means, it is apparent from FIG. 2-A that the second or right aligning means contains identical counterparts for actuating the second aligning means. For example, the first actuating shaft for the second aligning means is marked as S4-R and has the actuating arms 56-R thereon, and the shafts 54-L and 54-R are axially aligned with each other. Similarly, the second actuating shaft for the second aligning means is marked as 64-R and has actuating arms 66-R fixed thereto as shown. The third actuating shaft for the second aligning means is marked as ll0-R and has the actuating arms l12-R (identical to actuating arms II2-L) fixed thereto in a manner similar to that employed for the left aligning means. Shafts 64-L and 64-R are also axially aligned with each other, and shafts ll0-L and 110-R are similarly aligned. The second aligning means operates in the same manner upon the pushing levers 38 and the compression roll means 34 as the left aligning means. It should be noted that the selection means for selecting either the first or the second aligning means to be used is located substantially between the

plates

58 and 60 in FIG. 2-A; however, FIG. 2-A does not show the selection means in order to simplify the explanation of actuating means just described. While only a few aligner bars 30 and compression roll means 34 are shown in FIG. 2-A, these few are merely representative of a plurality of such bars 30 and roll means 34 which are regularly spaced along the length of the platen on both the left and right sides thereof.

When a document is to be inserted on the right side of the platen 20, the operator inserts the document into the chute means 26 (FIG. 1) after the second aligning means has been enabled. The right side of the document should contact the right side 114 (FIG. Z-A) of the chute means 26 as the lower edge of the document engages the aligner bars 30 of the second aligning means to align the document as previously explained. In the embodiment shown, the right side 114 of the chute means 26 may have a magnetic read-write head 116 located thereat for use with documents of the magnetic ledger card variety. After the magnetic ledger card is aligned, as explained in conjunction with the left aligning means, the compression roll means 34 and the auxiliary feed roll 36 may be used to feed the ledger card sufficiently far into the chute means 26 to read all the data on the card. The data read may then be used by a control unit 256 or computer associated with the accounting machine for processing and actuation of the printing element 22 where appropriate. As stated earlier, any conventional means may be used to index the auxiliary feed roll 36 (FIG. 1) to the appropriate line on the ledger card (after reading) for updating by the read-write head 116 when necessary or appropriate. The feed roll 36 may also be conventionally rotated to move the card in a direction out of the chute means 26 to facilitate its removal therefrom when the updating operations are completed.

It should be recalled that earlier, only a portion of the actuating means was described; the remaining part thereof will now be discussed in relation to FIGS. 2-A, 2-B; 6, 7 and 8.

Link 96, shown in FIGS. 2-A and 6, is the link which actuates the chute guide 28 and moves the aligner bars 30 into the blocking position as previously explained. One end of link 96 is pivotally joined to one end of a follower arm 118 by a pin 120. The arm 118 is pivotally mounted between its ends on a shaft 122 (FIG. 6), and the remaining end of the arm 118 has a roller 124 thereon which rides on a cam 126 whose contour is shown in FIG. 6.

The cam 126 (FIGS. 2-A, 2-B, 14, 15 and 6) is driven by a conventional rotary clutch means 136 which will be described only briefly. The power for actuating the cam means is derived from a motor 128 whose rotary output is connected to a conventional speed reducing unit 130. The rotary output from the unit 130 is connected to a shaft 132 by a conventional coupling 134 and the shaft 132 is continuously rotated by the motor 128. The clutch means designated generally as 136 (FIGS. 2-A, 2-B, l4 and 15) has two

discs

138 and 140 associated therewith. Disc 140 is pinned to the shaft 132 to rotate therewith and carries a ratchet gear 141 which is fixed to and rotates with the disc 140. Disc 138 is rotatably mounted on shaft 132 and carries therewith via a collar 143 the cam member 126, and a pawl means 145 which is resiliently biased for engagement with the ratchet gear 141 on the disc 140 by a spring 147, but the pawl means 145 is kept out of engagement with the ratchet gear 141 by an abutment member 142 shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 15. The abutment member 142 is pivotally mounted on a shaft 144, and is biased into the abutting position shown in FIG. 15 by a spring 146; a stationary rod 148 limits the extent of rotation of the member 142 into the abutting position.

When the abutment member 142 is in the abutting position shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 15, the disc 140 of the clutch means 136 (FIG. 2-A) is rotated by the shaft 132; however, the pawl means 145 is kept out of engagement with the ratchet gear 141 on disc 140 by the member 142, and consequently, disc 138 and the cam 126 connected thereto will remain stationary. When the rotation of cam 126 is desired, a solenoid 150 FIGS. 6 and is momentarily energized to pull the abutment member 142 out of the abutting position shown, permitting the pawl means 145 on disc 138 to engage the ratchet gear 141 on the disc 140, thereby driving the disc 138 and the cam 126 connected thereto. The clutch means 136 is of the variety which rotates 180 for each actuation of the solenoid 1S0; consequently, the cam 126 will be rotated 180 each time the solenoid 150 is actuated. The shaft 132 and cam 126 (when coupled thereto) rotate in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 6 and FIG. 15) at a rotational velocity of 72 R.P.M. for the embodiment shown. An antibackup pawl member 152 (FIG. 1) is pivotally mounted on a rod 154 and biased in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 1) by a tension spring 156 secured to the pawl member 152 and a stationary rod 158; the rod 158 also limits the counterclockwise rotation of the pawl member 152. As the disc 138 of the clutch means 136 rotates through an angle of 180 degrees as previously explained, a projection 160 FIGS. 1 and 15), located on the side of the disc 138, contacts the pawl member 152 and rotates it in a clockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 1), and upon completion of the 180 rotation, the pawl member 152 will rotate behind the projection 160, as shown in FIG. I, and thereby prevent the disc 138 and associated cam 126 from backing up or rotating in a clockwise direction. There are two such projections 160 (FIGS. 14 and 15), located 180 apart on the disc 138, to maintain the associated cam 126 in the desired positions.

The cam 126 (FIG. 6) is shown in one of its two detented positions with the follower arm 118 located on the high point of the cam 126. When the solenoid 150 is energized by the closing of the Load Document switch 254, the cam 126 will be rotated 180 in a counterclockwise direction from the position shown by the clutch means 136, permitting a tension spring 162 (FIG. 6) secured to follower arm 118, to rotate the arm 118 in a clockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 6) as the arm 118 approaches the low point on the cam 126, which low point is 180 away from the position shown. The clockwise rotation of follower arm 118 pulls link 96 to the right (as viewed in FIGS. 6 and 3) and lowers the chute guide 28 as previously explained. When the solenoid 150 is again energized to actuate the clutch means 136, the link 96 will be pushed to the left to raise the chute guide 28.

The movement of link 96 to the right and left as viewed in FIG. 6 is also used to actuate the first actuating shaft 54-1,, for example, to move the associated aligner bars 30 into the blocking and non-blocking positions relative to the chute means 26; however, a discussion of this aspect will be postponed until the selection means for selecting the first or second aligning means to be actuated is described.

The actuating means for pushing the aligner bars 30 the short distance towards the platen to complete the alignment of a document being inserted in the chute means 26, and the means for actuating the compression roll means 34 are shown principally in FIGS. 1, 2-A, 2-5, 4, 5, 7, and 8. This actuating means includes a second rotary clutch means designated generally as 164 in FIGS. 2-A and 2-8. The clutch means 164 is identical to the clutch means 136 already described, therefore similar parts in both clutch means 164 and 136 will be given the same basic reference numerals; however, the parts in clutch means 164 will be given the added notation of a letter A as for example disc 138 A.

Similarly, spring l46-A is identical to spring 146; stationary rod 148-A is actually a portion of stationary rod 148; disc -A is identical to disc 140; and abutment member 142-A is identical to abutment member 142.

Disc 138-A of clutch means 164 (FIGS. 2-A) has two

cams

166 and 168 fixed thereto to rotate therewith whenever the clutch means 164 is actuated. Cam 166 has the shape shown in FIG. 7 and is used to push the aligner bars 30 the short distance towards the platen 20 and to retract them as previously explained. A follower arm 170 has one end pivotally mounted on a stationary rod 172 which is mounted in the frame means of the machine. The remaining end of arm 170 has a roller 174 rotatably mounted thereon, and a tension spring 176, secured to a pin 177 passing through the arm 170, keeps the roller 174 in engagement with the periphery of the cam 166 which is shown in one of its two detented positions which are degrees apart. One end of a link 178 is pivotally joined to the arm 170 by the pin I77, and the remaining end of link 178 is operatively connected to the second actuating shafts 64-L and 64-R (FIG. Z-A). When the cam 166 is in the position shown, the aligner bars 30 are in a first position, and when the solenoid ISO-A is actuated, the cam 166 rotates through an angle of 180 degrees in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 7. In so rotating, cam 166 permits the spring 176 to pull the link 178 upwardly, which in turn, permits the selected second actuating shaft 64-L or 64-R to rotate in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 4) which in turn permits the springs 46 to pull the selected pushing levers 38 and the aligner bars 30 thereon the short distance towards the platen 20, In so moving, the aligner bars 30 abut against the stop bar 31 and accurately align the lower edge of a document with the printing line 23 on the platen 20 as previously explained. During the latter part of this 180 degrees of rotation of cam 166, the link 178 is pulled downwardly (as viewed in FIG. 7) causing the aligner bars 30 of the selected aligning means (left or right) to move away from the platen 20 (after performing the aligning operation) towards the first position. Actuation of solenoid 150-A a second time causes the aligner bars 30 to remain in the first position for the second 180 degrees of rotation of cam 166.

The compression roll means 34 are also actuated when the second rotary clutch means 164 (FIGS. 2-A, 2-13) is actuated. As stated earlier, cam 168, whose outline is shown in FIG. 8, is also rotated whenever clutch means 164 is actuated. The cam 168, has associated therewith, a follower arm 180 having one end pivotally joined to the rod 172 and a roller 182 rotatable mounted on the remaining end thereof to ride on the periphery of cam 168 as shown. A tension spring 184 is used to keep the roller 182 in contact with the earn 168. A link 186 has one end pivotally joined to the arm 180 by a pin 188, and the remaining end thereof is operatively connected to the third actuating shafts 1l0-L and 110-R (FIG. 2-A). Cam 168 is shown in the first of two detented positions which are 180 degrees apart. In this position the cam 168 and the associated link 186 are operative to keep the compression roll means 34 out of engagement with the auxiliary feed roll 36. When the second rotary clutch means 164 is actuated a first time by energizing its solenoid l50-A, the cam 168 is rotated for 180 defrees (from the position shown) in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 8. In so rotating, the spring 184 will pull the link 186 upwardly (as viewed in FIG. 8) permitting the springs 106 (FIG. 5) to rotate the compression roll means 34 of the selected aligning means (left or right) into engagement with the auxiliary feed roll 36. When the clutch means 164 is actuated a second time, the

cam 168 is rotated through another 180 permitting.

link 186 to pull downwardly (as viewed in FIG. 8) thereby rotating the selected third actuating shaft, ll-L or 1l0-R, in a clockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 5) to move the compression roll means 34 to the opened position shown in solid outline in FIG. 5. Because

cams

166 and 168 are actuated by the same clutch means 164, it is apparent that these cams (166, 168) operate in timed relationship with each other. Before proceeding with a detailed description of the operation of the aligning means of this invention, it is necessary to describe the selection means which was alluded to earlier herein.

The selection means for selecting the left or the right aligning means is shown principally in FIGS. 9, l0, l1, l2 and 2-A. Stated generally, the selection means operates by blocking the rotation of either the left half or the right half of the first and third actuating shafts for example, if the first or left aligning means is selected, the rotation of the actuating shafts 54-R and ll0-R is blocked by the selection means, permitting only shafts 54-1. and l -L to operate as previously described. The second actuating shafts 64-L and 64-R do not operate in conjunction with the selection means for reasons to be later described herein.

The selection means includes a selection lever assmebly designated generally as 190 and shown in perspective in FIG. 10. The assembly 190 includes a supporting shaft 192 which is pivotally mounted in the plates 58 and 60 (FIGS. 9 and 2-A) and a first pair of

arms

194 and 196 which are spaced apart in parallel relationship and fixed between their ends to shaft 192 to pivot therewith. One end of the

arms

194 and 196 has a short rod 198 passing therethrough, and the remaining ends have a short rod 200 similarly passing therethrough. The assembly 190 also has a second pair of

arms

202 and 204 which are mounted thereon, with one end of each of the

arms

202 and 204 being fixed to rotate with shaft 192. The

arms

202 and 204 are spaced apart in parallel relationship with each other and the first pair of

arms

194 and 196 and have a short rod 206 passing through the free ends thereof. A single arm 208, has one end thereof fixed to shaft 192 to rotate therewith, and the remaining end thereof has a short rod 210 extending therefrom to cooperate with the operating arm 212 (FIG. 11) of a selection switch 214. The switch 214 is connected to a visual indicator 215 (FIG. 13) on the machine to show which aligning means has been selected.

The selection lever assembly 190 cooperates with actuating means to actuate the first or'second aligning means selected to be used. The first actuating shafts 54-1. and 54-R (FIG. 2-A) and the third actuating shafts l10-L and 110-R have generally planar selection members fixed thereto to rotate therewith. Shaft 54-L has a selection member S4-LS fixed thereto as shown in FIG. 2-A and shaft 54-R has a selection member 54-RS connected thereto; the profiles of these selection members 54-LS and 54-RS are shown in FIG. 11. Shaft ll0-L has a selection member ll0-LS fixed thereto and shaft 1l0-R has a selection member ll0-RS attached thereto; the profiles of these selection members l10-LS and ll0-RS are also shown in FIG. 11. The line 96 has fingers 216 and 218 (FIG. 2-A) which support the pin 97 which fits into an arcuatelysshaped recess 220 (FIG. 11) of the selection members 54-LS and 54- RS. The link 186 (FIG. 2-A) similarly has

fingers

222 and 224 which support a transversely mounted pin 226 which fits into an arcuately shaped recess 228 (FIG. 11) of the selection members ll0-LS and -RS which have the same profile in the area of the recesses 228. However, the selection member ll0-RS has an abutting portion 230 (FIG. 11) which is displaced farther from the shaft ll0-R than abutting portion 232 on selection member 1l0-LS is displaced from its shaft ll0-L. Similarly, the selection member 54-RS has an abutting portion 234 which is displaced farther from its associated shaft 54-R than an abutting portion 236 on selection member 54-LS is displaced from its associated shaft 54-L.

The selection members 54-LS, 54-RS, 1l0-LS, 110- RS just described cooperate with the selection lever assembly in the following manner. The assembly 190 is retained in a second position shown in solid outline in FIG. 11 by a tension spring 238. When in this second position, the second or right aligning means is selected to be actuated. Notice that the abutting portion 236 of selection member 54-LS is aligned with the rod 200 on the

arms

194 and 196, and similarly, the abutting portion 232 on selection member 110-LS is aligned with the rod 206 on

arms

202 and 204. When the first rotary clutch means 136 is actuated to move the aligner bars 30 into the blocking position, it should be recalled that the link 96, for example, moves away from the shafts 54-L and 54-R, and the associated pin 97 moves out of the recesses 220 in the selection members 54-LS and 54-LR. Because the rod 200 (FIG. 11) is aligned with the abutting portion 236 on selection members 54-LS, shaft 52-L will not rotate; however, the abutting portion 234 of selection member 54-RS is free of rod 200 and consequently, selection member 54-RS will be permitted to rotate. Accordingly, shaft 54-R will rotate in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 11 under the influence of springs 46 (FIG. 4) associated with the pushing levers 38. When shaft 54-R rotates in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 1, the aligner bars 30 for the pushing levers 38 of the second (right) aligning means will be'moved into the blocking position in the chute means 26 as previously explained. Similarly, when the second rotary clutch means 164 is actuated and link 186 moves upwardly as viewed in FIG. 8, the pin 226 on the upper end thereof will move out of the notches 228 in the selection members 110- LS and ll0-RS. Because the rod 206 on the selection lever assembly 190 is aligned with the abutting portion 232 on the selection members 110-LS, only the selection member ll0-RS will be free to pivot in a counterclockwise direction as viewed inFlG. 11. When the selection member l10-RS is free to rotate, the associated actuating shaft 110-R will rotate in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 11) under the influence of springs 106 of the compression roll means 34 of the second (right) aligning means, and consequently, these compression roll means 34 will be rotated towards the auxiliary feed roll 36 to grip a document therebetween.

When the first (left) aligning means is to be selected for loading a document on the left side of the chute means 26, a selection switch (not shown) is closed to energize a solenoid 240 shown in FIGS. 9, l and I1. When energized, solenoid 240 pulls the selection lever assembly 190 (by the pin 198) to pivot it slightly in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. II) to the position shown in dashed outline in FIG. 11. When the assembly 190 is in this dashed outline position, rod 200 will be aligned with the abutting portion 234 of selection member 54-RS and rod 206 will be aligned with the abutting portion 230 of selection member ll0-RS. Consequently, when the first and second rotary clutch means 136 and 164 are energized as previously explained, only the shafts 54-L and lI0-L will be rotated to move the aligner bars 30 of the first (left) aligning means into the blocking position in the chute means 26, and to move the compression roll means 34 into engagement with the auxiliary feed roll 36, respectively.

It should be noted that no selection member, comparable to selection members 54-RS and 54-LS, for example, is needed for the actuating shafts 64-L and 64-R; these shafts 64-L and 64-R control the movement of the aligner bars 30 the short distance towards the platen to accurately align the lower edge of a document with the printing line on the platen 20. The shafts 64-L and 64-R have arms 64-LA and 64-RA, respectively, connected thereto to rotate therewith as shown in FIGS. 2-A and I2, and these arms 64-LA and 64-RA have the profiles shown in FIG. 12. The arms 64-LA and 64-RA have arcuately-shaped recesses 242 therein to receive a rod 244 supported in fingers 246 and 248 (FIG. 2-A) on the upper end of link 178. When link 178 is pulled upwardly (as viewed in FIG. 7) upon actuation of the second rotary clutch means 164, the rod 244 (FIG. I2) moves out of the recesses 242 in arms 64-LA and 64-RA permitting both shafts 64-L and 64-R to rotate in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 4). Consequently, the springs 46 will pull all the pushing levers 38 and aligner bars a short distance towards the platen 20. It does not matter whether the first (left) or second (right) aligning means is selected because the aligner bars 30 of the nonselected aligning means will move towards the platen 20 but will not be located in the blocking position in the chute means 26, as they will be located below the chute means 26. When the second rotary clutch means 164 is actuated a second time, the lever 178 and rod 244 will rotate the arms 64-LA and 64-RA in a clockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 12) and consequently move the pushing levers 38 to the position shown in FIG. 4.

Having described the elements included in this invention in detail, it appears appropriate to discuss the operation thereof in detail. If a document is to be front loaded into the chute means 26 on the left side of the platen 20, the selection switch 252 (FIG. 13) is closed to energize the solenoid 240 thereby rotating the selection lever assembly 190 to the position shown in clashed outline in FIG. 12. From this position, the first (left) aligning means will be actuated. After the selection is made, a second switch 254 entitled "Load Document is closed. As previously stated these switches may be manual or electronic switches under the control of control unit 256 or a central processor; however, because this aspect may be conventional, it is not described in great detail. The closing of the Load Document switch 254 energizes the solenoid of the first rotary clutch means 136 (FIGS. 2-A, 2-B) a first time to move the chute guide 28 into the lower position and to move the aligner bars 30 into the blocking position in the chute means 26. After a document is inserted in the chute means 26, and the lower edge thereof closes at least two of the switch means 32 as previously explained, the closing of the two switch means 32 will energize solenoid I50-A of the second rotary clutch means 164 a first time, and the aligner bars 30 will be moved the short distance towards the platen 20 to accurately align the document relative to the printing line 23 on the platen 20. The document will also be gripped by the compression roll means 34, and after gripping, the aligner bars 30 will be moved away from the platen 20 as part of the movement associated with the first actuation of the second clutch means 164. Sequence switches like 250 shown in FIG. 1 associated with the cams I26, 166 and 168 of the two rotary clutch means 136 and 164 or a manual or an electronic switch 258 (FIG. 13) may be used conveniently to energize the solenoid I50 of the first clutch means 136 a second time to move the aligner bars 30 out of the blocking position and to move the chute guide 28 towards the platen 20. After the document inserted in the chute means 26 has been printed upon or updated, the document is moved substantially out of the chute means 26 by the auxiliary feed roll 36 and compression roll means 34. Thereafter, a manual or electronic release switch 260 is closed to activate solenoid I50-A of the second clutch means I64 a second time to open the compression roll means 34 to permit the document to be withdrawn from the chute means 26. The method of operating the aligning means when the right aligning means is to be utilized is similar to that just explained, except the right aligning means is selected to be actuated.

What is claimed is:

l. A document aligning apparatus for an office machine having a platen and a chute means for positioning a document relative to the platen at either one of two laterally opposed sides of the chute means, comprising:

first aligning means for aligning a document at one of the opposed sides of said chute means so as to position one edge of the document in parallel relationship with a printing line on said platen; second aligning means for aligning a document at the remaining one of said opposed sides of said chute means so as to position one edge of the document in parallel relationship with said printing line;

selection means for selecting one of said aligning means to be actuated; and

actuating means for actuating the selected one of said aligning means, to thereby position said one edge of the associated document in parallel relationship with said printing line;

each said first and second aligning means comprising:

a plurality of aligner bar means spaced along said platen with each said aligner bar means having an aligner bar pivotally mounted thereon and resiliently biased to a skewed position relative to said printing line, and a switch means associated therewith; and compression roll means for gripping a document inserted in the chute means;

said actuating means comprising, for each said aligning means:

a first actuating shaft means for moving said aligner bars from a non-blocking to a blocking position in said chute means where one edge of a document being inserted therein abut against said aligner bars;

each said aligner bar. when moved to a position substantially parallel to said printing line by said edge of said document, being effective to close its associated switch means;

second actuating shaft means which are energized upon the closing of at least two of said switch means for pushing said aligner bars and said document a short distance in a direction out of said chute means to an aligned position whereby said edge is accurately aligned parallel to said printing line; and

third actuating shaft means for energizing said compression roll means to grip said aligned document in said aligned position.

2. The document aligning apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a stop bar positioned parallel to said printing line to provide a stop for said aligner bars when said aligner bars are moved said short distance out of said chute means to thereby accurately align said aligner bars parallel to said printing line.

3. The document aligning apparatus as claimed in claim 2 further including a stationary rod, and in which each said aligner bar means further comprises:

a pushing lever having one of said aligner bars and associated switch means mounted on one end thereof;

said pushing lever having an elongated slot therein located between the ends of the pushing lever with said stationary rod passing therethrough to pivotally mount said pushing lever thereon; and

spring means to resiliently pivot said pushing lever so as to move the associated aligner bar into said blocking position and to urge said aligner bar to move said short distance.

4. The document aligning apparatus as claimed in claim 3 in which each said pushing lever has a short rod mounted on an end thereof which is opposite to said one end having said switch means thereon; and in which said first actuating shaft means comprises:

a first actuating shaft pivotally mounted in a frame means of said apparatus, for movement between first and second positions;

a plurality of first arms fixed to said first actuating shaft to rotate therewith, with one arm being provided for each said pushing lever to engage the associated short rod thereon to hold the pushing lever in said non-blocking position when said first actuating shaft is in said first position and to release said pushing lever when the first actuating shaft is moved to said second position to permit said associated spring means to pivot the pushing lever and thereby move the associated aligner bar into said blocking position.

5. The document aligning apparatus as claimed in claim 4 in which said second actuating shaft means comprises:

a second actuating shaft pivotally mounted in said frame means for movement between first and second positions; and

a plurality of second arms fixed to said second actuating shaft to rotate therewith, with one arm being provided for each said pushing lever to engage the associated short rod thereon to hold the pushing lever in a first position when said second actuating shaft is in said first position and to release said pushing lever when the second actuating shaft is moved to said second position to permit said associated spring means to move the associated aligner bar said short distance to a second position where the aligner bar abuts against said stop bar to thereby align a document pushed thereby with said printing line.

6. The document aligning apparatus as claimed in claim 5 in which said compression roll means comprises:

an auxiliary feed roll mounted in parallel relationship with said platen;

a plurality of bell crank levers pivotally mounted in said frame means and spaced along the length of said platen;

each said crank lever having a compression roll on one end thereof and a rod on the remaining end thereof; and a spring means to urge the compression roll into engagement with said feed roll;

said third actuating shaft means comprising:

a third actuating shaft pivotally mounted in said frame means for movement between first and second positions; and

a plurality of third arms fixed to said third actuating shaft to rotate therewith, with one such arm being provided for each said crank lever to engage the associated rod thereon to hold the associated compression roll away from said feed roll when said third actuating shaft is in said first position and to permit the associated spring means to pivot said crank lever when said third actuating shaft is moved to said second position to thereby move the associated compression roll into engagement with said feed roll to grip a document therebetween.

7. The document aligning apparatus as claimed in claim 6 in which said selection means comprises:

a selection lever assembly pivotally mounted in said frame means for movement between first and second positions to cooperate with said first and third actuating shaft means;

spring means to resiliently urge said assembly to said second position and actuator means to move said assembly to said first position;

said assembly having abutment means thereon to cooperate with said first and third actuating means to permit the rotation to said second position of only said first and third actuating shafts of said first aligning means when said assembly is in said first position and to permit the rotation to said second positions of only said first and third actuating shafts of said second aligning means when said assembly is in said second position.

8. The document aligning apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further including a chute guide means and means for pivotally mounting said chute guide means for movement between first and second positions relative to said chute means;

said actuating means including lever means to move said chute guide means to said second position where it facilitates guiding a document into said chute means;

said chute guide means being moved to said second position everytime the aligner bars of either the first or the second aligning means are moved into said blocking position. i I

9. A document aligning apparatus for aligning a document relative to a platen of an office machine having a frame means and a chute means mounted therein, comprising:

a plurality of aligner bar means spaced along said platen;

first actuating shaft means for moving said aligner bar means between a blocking position in said chute means and a non-blocking position out of said chute means in response to a control means;

each said aligner bar means having an aligner bar pivotally mounted thereon against which an edge of a document may be positioned when said aligner bar means are in said blocking position; said aligner bar being resiliently biased to a skewed position relative to a printing line on said platen; and switch means associated with each said aligner bar;

each said aligner bar, when moved to a position substantially parallel to said printing line by said edge of the document being inserted in the chute means, being effective to close said associated switch means;

compression roll means for gripping said document when in said aligned position;

said first actuating shaft means in response to said control means being effective to move said aligner bar means to said non-blocking position to enable said document to be indexed by said compression roll means.

[0. The document aligning apparatus as claimed in claim 9 further comprising a stop bar positioned parallel to said printing line to provide a stop for said aligner bars when said aligner bars are moved said short distance out of said chute means to thereby accurately align said aligner bars parallel to said printing line.

11. The document aligning apparatus as claimed in claim 10 further including a stationary rod and in which each said aligner bar means further comprises:

12. The document aligning apparatus as claimed in claim 11 in which each said pushing lever has a short rod mounted on an end thereof which is opposite to said one end having said switch means thereon, and in which said first actuating shaft means comprises:

a first actuating shaft pivotally mounted in said frame means for movement between first and second positions; and

plurality of first arms fixed to said first actuating shaft to rotate therewith, with one arm being provided for each said pushing lever to engage the as sociated short rod thereon to hold the pushing lever in said non-blocking position when said first actuating shaft is in said position, and to release said pushing lever when the first actuating shaft is moved to said second position to permit said associated spring means to pivot the pushing lever and thereby move the associated aligner bar into said blocking position.

13 The document aligning apparatus as claimed in claim 12 in which said second actuating shaft means comprises:

a plurality of second arms fixed to said second actuat ing shaft to rotate therewith, with one arm being provided for each said pushing lever to engage the associated short rod thereon to hold the pushing lever in a first position when said second actuating shaft is in said first position and to release said pushing lever when the second actuating shaft is moved to said second position to permit said associated spring means to move the associated aligner bar said short distance to a second position where the aligner bar abuts against said stop bar to thereby align a document pushed thereby with said printing line.

14. The document aligning apparatus as claimed in claim 13 in which said compression roll means comprises:

an auxiliary feed roll mounted in parallel relationship with said platen;

: a third actuating shaft pivotally mounted in said frame means for movement between first and second positions; and

a' plurality of third arms fixed to said third actuating shaft to rotate therewith, with one such arm being provided for each said crank lever to engage the associated rod thereon to hold the associated compression roll away from said feed roll when said third actuating shaft is in said first position and to permit the associated spring means to pivot said crank lever when said third actuating shaft is moved to said second position to thereby move the associated compression roll into engagement with said feed roll to grip a document therebetween.

15. The document aligning apparatus as claimed in claim 14 further comprising:

first cam and lever means for moving said first actuating shaft between said first and second positions;

second cam and lever means for moving said second actuating shaft between said first and second positions; and

third cam and lever means for moving said third actuwithsaid first cam and lever means to move said chute guide means to said second position where said chute guide meansfacilitates guiding a document into said chute means whenever said aligner bars are moved into said blocking position.

Claims

1. A document aligning apparatus for an office machine having a platen and a chute means for positioning a document relative to the platen at either one of two laterally opposed sides of the chute means, comprising: first aligning means for aligning a document at one of the opposed sides of said chute means so as to position one edge of the document in parallel relationship with a printing line on said platen; second aligning means for aligning a document at the remaining one of said opposed sides of said chute means so as to position one edge of the document in parallel relationship with said printing line; selection means for selecting one of said aligning means to be actuated; and actuating means for actuating the selected one of said aligning means, to thereby position said one edge of the associated document in parallel relationship with said printing line; each said first and second aligning means comprising: a plurality of aligner bar means spaced along said platen with each said aligner bar means having an aligner bar pivotally mounted thereon and resiliently biased to a skewed position relative to said printing line, and a switch means associated therewith; and compression roll means for gripping a document inserted in the chute means; said actuating means comprising, for each said aligning means: a first actuating shaft means for moving said aligner bars from a non-blocking to a blocking position in said chute means where one edge of a document being inserted therein abut against said aligner bars; each said aligner bar, when moved to a position substantially parallel to said printing line by said edge of said document, being effected to close its associated switch means; second actuating shaft means which are energized upon the closing of at least two of said switch means for pushing said aligner bars and said document a short distance in a direction out of said chute means to an aligned position whereby said edge is accurately aligned parallel to said printing line; and third actuating shaft means for energizing said compression roll means to grip said aligned document in said aligned position.

3. The document aligning apparatus as claimed in claim 2 further including a stationary rod, and in which each said aligner bar means further comprises: a pushing lever having one of said aligner bars and associated switch means mounted on one end thereof; said pushing lever having an elongated slot therein located between the ends of the pushing lever with said stationary rod passing therethrough to pivotally mount said pushing lever thereon; and spring means to resiliently pivot said pushing lever so as to move the associated aligner bar into said blocking position and to urge said aligner bar to move said short distance.

4. The document aligning apparatus as claimed in claim 3 in which each said pushing lever has a short rod mounted on an end thereof which is opposite to said one end having said switch means thereon; and in which said first actuating shaft means comprises: a first actuating shaft pivotally mounted in a frame means of said apparatus, for movement between first and second positions; a plurality of first arms fixed to said first actuating shaft to rotate therewith, with one arm being provided for each said pushing lever to engage the associated short rod thereon to hold the pushing lever in said non-blocking position when said first actuating shaft is in said first position and to release said pushing lever when the first actuating shaft is moved to said second position to permit said associated spring means to pivot the pushing lever and thereby move the associated aligner bar into said blocking position.

5. The document aligning apparatus as claimed in claim 4 in which said second actuating shaft means comprises: a second actuating shaft pivotally mounted in said frame means for movement between first and second positions; and a plurality of second arms fixed to said second actuating shaft to rotate therewith, with one arm being provided for each said pushing lever to engage the associated short rod thereon to hold the pushing lever in a first position when said second actuating shaft is in said first position and to release said pushing lever when the second actuating shaft is moved to said second position to permit said associated spring means to move the associated aligner bar said short distance to a second position where the aligner bar abuts against said stop bar to thereby align a document pushed thereby with said printing line.

6. The document aligning apparatus as claimed in claim 5 in which said compression roll means comprises: an auxiliary feed roll mounted in parallel relationship with said platen; a plurality of bell crank levers pivotally mounted in said frame means and spaced along the length of said platen; each said crank lever having a compression roll on one end thereof and a rod on the remaining end thereof; and a spring means to urge the compression roll into engagement with said feed roll; said third actuating shaft means comprising: a third actuating shaft pivotally mounted in said frame means for movement between first and second positions; and a plurality of third arms fixed to said third actuating shaft to rotate therewith, with one such arm being provided for each said crank lever to engage the associated rod thereon to hold the associated compression roll away from said feed roll when said third actuating shaft is in said first position and to permit the associated spring means to pivot said crank lever when said third actuating shaft is moved to said second position to thereby move the associated compression roll into engagement with said feed roll to grip a document therebetween.

7. The document aligning apparatus as claimed in claim 6 in which said selection means comprises: a selection lever assembly pivotally mounted in said frame means for movement Between first and second positions to cooperate with said first and third actuating shaft means; spring means to resiliently urge said assembly to said second position and actuator means to move said assembly to said first position; said assembly having abutment means thereon to cooperate with said first and third actuating means to permit the rotation to said second position of only said first and third actuating shafts of said first aligning means when said assembly is in said first position and to permit the rotation to said second positions of only said first and third actuating shafts of said second aligning means when said assembly is in said second position.

8. The document aligning apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further including a chute guide means and means for pivotally mounting said chute guide means for movement between first and second positions relative to said chute means; said actuating means including lever means to move said chute guide means to said second position where it facilitates guiding a document into said chute means; said chute guide means being moved to said second position everytime the aligner bars of either the first or the second aligning means are moved into said blocking position.

9. A document aligning apparatus for aligning a document relative to a platen of an office machine having a frame means and a chute means mounted therein, comprising: a plurality of aligner bar means spaced along said platen; first actuating shaft means for moving said aligner bar means between a blocking position in said chute means and a non-blocking position out of said chute means in response to a control means; each said aligner bar means having an aligner bar pivotally mounted thereon against which an edge of a document may be positioned when said aligner bar means are in said blocking position; said aligner bar being resiliently biased to a skewed position relative to a printing line on said platen; and switch means associated with each said aligner bar; each said aligner bar, when moved to a position substantially parallel to said printing line by said edge of the document being inserted in the chute means, being effective to close said associated switch means; second actuating shaft means which are energized upon the closing of at least two of said switch means for pushing said aligner bars and said document a short distance in a direction out of said chute means to an aligned position whereby said edge is accurately aligned parallel to said printing line; and compression roll means for gripping said document when in said aligned position; said first actuating shaft means in response to said control means being effective to move said aligner bar means to said non-blocking position to enable said document to be indexed by said compression roll means.

10. The document aligning apparatus as claimed in claim 9 further comprising a stop bar positioned parallel to said printing line to provide a stop for said aligner bars when said aligner bars are moved said short distance out of said chute means to thereby accurately align said aligner bars parallel to said printing line.

11. The document aligning apparatus as claimed in claim 10 further including a stationary rod and in which each said aligner bar means further comprises: a pushing lever having one of said aligner bars and associated switch means mounted on one end thereof; said pushing lever having an elongated slot therein located between the ends of the pushing lever with said stationary rod passing therethrough to pivotally mount said pushing lever thereon; and spring means to resiliently pivot said pushing lever so as to move the associated aligner bar into said blocking position and to urge said aligner bar to move said short distance.

12. The document aligning apparatus as claimed in claim 11 in which each said pushing lever has a short rod mounted on an end thereof which is opposite to said one end having said switch meaNs thereon, and in which said first actuating shaft means comprises: a first actuating shaft pivotally mounted in said frame means for movement between first and second positions; and a plurality of first arms fixed to said first actuating shaft to rotate therewith, with one arm being provided for each said pushing lever to engage the associated short rod thereon to hold the pushing lever in said non-blocking position when said first actuating shaft is in said position, and to release said pushing lever when the first actuating shaft is moved to said second position to permit said associated spring means to pivot the pushing lever and thereby move the associated aligner bar into said blocking position.

13. The document aligning apparatus as claimed in claim 12 in which said second actuating shaft means comprises: a second actuating shaft pivotally mounted in said frame means for movement between first and second positions; and a plurality of second arms fixed to said second actuating shaft to rotate therewith, with one arm being provided for each said pushing lever to engage the associated short rod thereon to hold the pushing lever in a first position when said second actuating shaft is in said first position and to release said pushing lever when the second actuating shaft is moved to said second position to permit said associated spring means to move the associated aligner bar said short distance to a second position where the aligner bar abuts against said stop bar to thereby align a document pushed thereby with said printing line.

14. The document aligning apparatus as claimed in claim 13 in which said compression roll means comprises: an auxiliary feed roll mounted in parallel relationship with said platen; a plurality of bell crank levers pivotally mounted in said frame means and spaced along the length of said platen; each said crank lever having a compression roll on one end thereof and a rod on the remaining end thereof; and a spring means to urge the compression roll into engagement with said feed roll; a third actuating shaft pivotally mounted in said frame means for movement between first and second positions; and a plurality of third arms fixed to said third actuating shaft to rotate therewith, with one such arm being provided for each said crank lever to engage the associated rod thereon to hold the associated compression roll away from said feed roll when said third actuating shaft is in said first position and to permit the associated spring means to pivot said crank lever when said third actuating shaft is moved to said second position to thereby move the associated compression roll into engagement with said feed roll to grip a document therebetween.

15. The document aligning apparatus as claimed in claim 14 further comprising: first cam and lever means for moving said first actuating shaft between said first and second positions; second cam and lever means for moving said second actuating shaft between said first and second positions; and third cam and lever means for moving said third actuating shaft between said first and second positions.

16. The document aligning apparatus as claimed in claim 15 further including a chute guide means and means for pivotally mounting said chute guide means for movement between first and second positions relative to said chute means; link means interconnecting said chute guide means with said first cam and lever means to move said chute guide means to said second position where said chute guide means facilitates guiding a document into said chute means whenever said aligner bars are moved into said blocking position.