Abstract: A continuous motion ribbon imprinter moves with and marks a moving web on a packaging machine and has an easily set control adjusting step-by-step advance of the ribbon across the type block to accommodate wide variations in the size of the printed indicia so as to always present just enough length of fresh ribbon to cover the type for the next imprint. A frame mounting the type block and ribbon reels swings in either a clockwise or counterclockwise orbital path having a dwell stroke on the moving web, and a lift stroke spacing the ribbon from the web. The ribbon remains stationary on the type block during the dwell stroke and is advanced across the type block on the lift stroke. A single input shaft drives the frame through its orbital path and also drives the mechanism for unwinding the fresh ribbon from one reel and winding the spent ribbon on a second reel.

Abstract: Stencil printing apparatus especially useful for printing on a curved or irregular underlying surface is described. It features a peripheral, elastically compressible and deformable stencil supporting wall and a flexible stencil screen having its outer peripheral edge sealingly mounted on the supporting wall, the stencil screen being deformable into continuous contact with the underlying surface with the supporting wall elastically compressed thereby for extrusion of printing fluid through the stencil screen onto the underlying surface to be printed.

Abstract: A printing machine using the `Bienne transfer` process, comprising a pad-holder carriage and a plate-holder carriage which, for their horizontal movement, are connected to links respectively coupled themselves to a control rod subjected to pivotal reciprocating motion about a fixed pivot under the action of a pneumatic actuator.

Abstract: An apparatus for stamping indicia on workpieces moving in a path, in a combination which comprises a rail extending along but spaced from the path of workpieces movement, and a stamping unit which is movable along this rail to and from a rest position adjacent an end portion of the rail, and which includes a housing having a lower part which is movable transversely to the workpiece movement path. Cam and follower means are provided for biasing the lower part against a workpiece moving in the path, and an inking box adjacent the end portion of the rail is so positioned so as to be in tight engagement with the housing of the stamping unit when the unit is in its rest position, so as to be protected against ink evaporation and entry of contaminants.

Abstract: A screen printing apparatus having a screen support carriage and squeegee support mechanism which are both mounted for separate lateral back and forth movement on horizontal support bars which are in turn mounted for vertical movement. The vertical movement of the support bars and the lateral movement of either the squeegee support mechanism or the carriage support mechanism is produced by penumatic cylinders which are sequentially operated through a pneumatic control system.

Abstract: An offset screen-printing machine for applying a design in color to the surfaces of a succession of articles, such as articles of ceramic ware, comprising a transfer plate affording a flat, non-absorbent, surface constituting an intermediate surface, screen-printing means enabling color to be applied by a screen-printing process on to that intermediate surface, an article support for supporting an article to which the design is to be applied, a deformable transfer pad in the shape of an inverted dome, and blade means operative to scrape residual color from the intermediate surface.

Abstract: The invention relates to a printing machine which makes it possible to effect ink or dry letterpress printing of different objects or to make moulds for stamps.The invention provides a printing machine having a movable head which carries a printing unit and a support for holding objects to be printed. The movable head is designed to receive different accessories, such as an inking device, and the support is designed to receive different platens according to the object to be printed. The invention is applicable to manual or automatic printing machines.

Abstract: A method of decorating a surface of a ceramic body in which a thin uniform film of colorant composition material is carried by a decorating member in a suspended state across an opening of selected area and shape corresponding to the designs to be applied to the surface of said body, the colorant material being deposited thereon by breaking the surface tension of the suspended film by contact with said surface. An apparatus for decorating a surface of a ceramic body including a receptacle for the colorant composition material, decorating members for holding one or more films of colorant composition material in a suspended state across openings configured to the shape of the design to be applied to the ceramic body; said decorating members being movable to immerse said decorating members in said colorant composition material and to deposit under gravitational forces said film on said surface.

Abstract: There is provided a sealing device for use in a note counting machine. A note holder which has a note supporting plate with an arcuate slot is mounted on a rotary shaft. A supporting arm having a cylinder portion in which a seal impression holder is vertically movable through the arcuate slot is pivotably mounted on the rotary shaft. A seal impression holder driving means drives the seal impression holder through the movement of the supporting arm just after the counting has been completed.

Abstract: In an electrostatic print marking apparatus for printing markings on steel plates wherein an intermediate image carrying medium is used for transferring a toner image from an electrostatic image recording drum to a steel plate, a toner image transferred from the drum to the intermediate image carrying medium is re-charged before it is transferred from the image carrying medium to the steel plate.

Abstract: An electro-mechanical marking device for use with various types of apparatus, having a stack sheet feed assembly, includes an open-ended housing adapted to loosely receive and hold interchangeable marking heads in a self-leveling position. The interchangeable marking heads include a resiliently mounted food device which engages the stacked sheets prior to the marking actuated position. The housing includes a solenoid which selectively energizes a drive element to move the element between an at rest position, and an actuated position. The interchangeable marking heads, such as bar-coders, imprinters, marginal word imprinters, daters and numberers, hot die stampers, foil stampers and label affixers, are held in engagement with the drive element to permit the operative movement of the selected interchangeable marking head between the inward at rest position and an outward actuated position.

Abstract: A marking device for round objects such as tennis balls which has a vertical stand, an object holder slidably secured to the bottom of the stand and movable through 180.degree. to present a flat or a curved surface to the object, an inverted "L" shaped bracket vertically and slidably mounted on the stand, a type holder resiliently carried on the bracket, character type pivotally and removably secured on the holder, and a handle means to move the type holder toward an object on the object holder.

Abstract: An imprint marking device utilizing transfer tape moved from a tape supply reel to a take-up reel across an imprint station with a moving marker head having raised indicia movable against the tape to press the tape against an article to be marked. A tape drive system includes a drive roller and an opposed idler roller. Both the tape drive system and the marker head are actuated by a single power cylinder which has power rods extending from opposite ends connected to a single common internal piston, one of the rods operating the marker head and the other of the rods operating the tape drive system.

Abstract: A relatively large supply of fast drying ink is stored by an ink supply device having an elongated tubular housing connected at one axial end to a transversely enlarged ink reservoir extension. A wick extends from the ink in the reservoir through a restricted passage formed in the tubular housing by an indentation to conduct capillary flow of ink to a foam filler retained by the indentation in contact with a filter assembly closing the other opened end of the tubular housing through which the ink is dispensed to a marking device.

Abstract: An electrophotographic print marking apparatus for printing markings on rolled steel plates while the steel plates are being fed in a heated condition. A part of an image transfer belt which is brought to a transfer section where the powder image carried by the belt is transferred to the steel plate is made movable up and down by means of a pair of lower rollers. The rollers are moved up and down to bring the part of the belt in the transfer section close the steel plates when the powder image is transferred to the steel plates and to separate the belt far apart from the steel plates when the powder image is not transferred. A tension roller is provided to absorb the change in tension of the transfer belt accompanying the up and down movement of the lower rollers.

Abstract: A large area intermittent imprinter having transfer tape supply and take-up reels carried by a main frame with guide means directing the tape past a large area imprint head carried on a shaft reciprocatingly journaled in the main frame support and coupled to a reciprocating drive means through a cam and follower connection to a pivoted force transmitting member whereby the large area imprint head is stabilized through the journal support with the drive connection consisting of a simple rigid linkage.

Abstract: A printing mechanism including a carrier shiftable into and out of a limiting position toward and short of a surface to be printed, an inertia member carrying printing type and being carried by the carrier for movement therewith and inertial movement beyond the carrier into printing position, and resilient means operative to yieldably resist inertial movement of the inertia member and instantaneously return the latter on printing engagement.

Abstract: A method for printing designs, patterns, characters, letters, and other desired images on an object having a convex or raised surface, wherein the images to be transferred onto the object is first carried on a flexible image carrier, then this flexible image carrying medium is disposed in a mutually opposed relationship with the object to be printed at a predetermined space interval provided therebetween, thereafter the flexible image carrying medium is caused to expand or bulge out toward the raised surface of the object to be printed by a fluid pressure to act on the flexible medium from one side thereof opposite to that where the image is carried, while controlling a degree of expansion of the flexible image carrying medium is controlled by a restrictive frame for the flexible image carrying medium to attain an intimate contact between the flexible image carrying medium and the object to be printed over the entire surface thereof.

Abstract: The invention concerns automated check-out systems of the type where items offered for sale are individually marked with a machine readable code that identifies the item. For flexibility in changing the prices of the goods, prices are not ordinarily marked on the individual items offered for sale but rather the price of each item is automatically marked on it at the check-out station at the time of purchase. At the check-out station, a scanner reads the machine readable code on an item and derives signals that are sent to a computer. The computer correlates the code read by the scanner with the prices of items stored in a programmable memory device and transmits signals representing the price for the item. At the check-out station, a printer responds to the price signals by printing the price in human readable form on an adhesive tag. The tag is then placed by a tag dispensing mechanism upon the item whose code was read.

Abstract: Apparatus for identifying the load characteristics of a centerfire firearm cartridge which has been loaded by a process including insertion of an unstruck primer into a primer pocket in the cartridge head and in which indicia identifying the load characteristics of the cartridge are imprinted onto the unstruck primer. The apparatus is contemplated as being particularly useful with reloaded cartridges which are to be again reloaded subsequent to use.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for printing materials, wherein ink is applied to an intaglio matrix and then scraped off to such an extent that ink remains only in the depressions of the matrix. A printing pad having a surface which is normally repellent to ink is pressed onto the matrix such that ink adheres thereto in accordance with the pattern of the depressions of the matrix. The printing pad is then pressed against a material to be printed such that the ink on the printing pad is substantially completely transferred to the printed material.

Abstract: Cylindrical two-piece cans are decorated with thermally curable inks and coatings and are placed on generally horizontally extending pins of a pin-chain conveyor. The cans are then moved through a flame drying chamber to dry the inks and coatings by direct impingement of flame on the can surface. The cans are thereafter moved through a cooling chamber and then are discharged from the pin-chain conveyor which circulates back to the decorator unit to receive newly decorated cans. The pins of the pin-chain conveyor can be at an angle to the horizontal and the pins can have brushes or the like to grip the internal surface of the can. The flame dryer unit consists of gas and air-fed burner heads disposed in one of several different patterns along the path taken by the cans through the flame dryer housing. Flame impinges directly on the can and the can moves through the tunnel at a speed sufficient to prevent heat damage to the can.

Abstract: This invention relates to marking apparatus which is capable of imprinting a complete elongated straight mark on a suitable object or stack of objects without the use of a separate guide means. The apparatus consists of an elongated cylindrical rod which comprises the marking element. The rod is disposed in the legs of a holder which is U shaped in cross section in such a manner that a portion of the side of the rod is disposed within the U and another portion of the side of the rod extends beyond the U. Means are provided for providing ink to the outer surface of the rod, and means are provided for rotating the rod about its longitudinal axis. In operation, the rod is placed up against an object to be marked and the rod is rotated. The rod imprints a pattern with the ink from its surface when it is adjacent the object.

Abstract: A technique for producing a pre-distorted design format on a printing plate for use in a print transfer system in which an inked design engraved on the plate is picked up by a soft transfer pad and applied to the irregular surface of an article to be decorated, the pad being forced against the surface and conforming thereto to impress the inked design thereon. In this technique, a physical master is created which is an exact replica of the article to be imprinted, the irregular surface of the master being engraved or otherwise prepared to accept ink to define the design which is to appear on the article. The design on the master is inked, and this inked design is picked up by the transfer pad and applied to the regular surface of a proof sheet, whereby the distortion in the design impressed on the proof sheet reflects the distortion introduced by transferring from the irregular to the regular surface.

Abstract: Apparatus for applying printed matter to the rear sides of webs of photographic paper in a copying machine has an upright frame for a vertically reciprocable housing which is lifted by a first rotary electromagnet and retained in raised position and thereupon released by a second rotary electromagnet. The housing is movable up and down with several modules each of which contains a wheel having at its periphery a set of symbols. Selected symbols can be moved to positions at the lowermost points of the respective wheels by remotely controlled electromagnets so that such selected symbols face a ribbon which is located above the rear side of a web of photographic paper. The modules are movable downwardly in the housing against the opposition of separate springs and the frame carries a projection which intercepts the housing, after the housing is released by the second electromagnet and while the housing descends by gravity, before the selected symbols can press the ribbon against the web of photographic paper.

Abstract: An apparatus for applying markings to packed articles transported by a conveyor is provided with a stamp, which is laterally expulsed when an article passes by. The stamp comprises a holder and a printing head connected with the holder by at least one spring. The lateral movement of the holder is interrupted by an abutment in the driving mechanism before the printing head reaches the article, after which the printing head is shot out by the kinetic energy so as to hit the article. The printing head engages an ink pad in the intervals between successive printing operations. The ink pad is attached to the bottom of an ink container by means of a bearing ring and is made of a hard porous material. The printing head is provided with a resilient ring tightly engaging the edge of the bearing ring when the printing head lies against the ink pad. Thus, a suction occurs when the printing head leaves the ink pad, whereby the ink is drawn into the ink pad from the container.

Abstract: A printing device to identify wound yarn packages being automatically doffed from a winder. The device has a stamp with a marking end to be inked by an ink pad and is spring-loaded to strike and retract from a package for marking. A triangular shaped cam slot is used for cocking and releasing the stamp responsive to pressure contact of the device with a yarn package.