Mechanisms for producing precisely-timed intermittent operations

In a machine for performing on a sheet material such as tapes, cards, or the like, a plurality of operations which include as one operation at least intermittently feeding the sheet material in at least one direction, so that the sheet material undergoes feeding intervals during which the sheet material moves and dwell intervals which alternate with said feeding intervals and during which the sheet material remains stationary, and another operation working on the sheet material with a reciprocating tool such as a punch during dwell intervals of said feeding operation when said sheet remains stationary, so as to achieve a product such as punched tape or a punched card, a plurality of mechanisms for respectively performing said operations, each of said mechanisms comprising an oscillating drive means for providing an oscillating driving movement having continuously repeating oscillating cycles all of which are identical so that said operations of working on the sheet material and intermittent feeding intervals during which said sheet material moves are completed during the same oscillating cycle, said oscillating drive means including an output member which oscillates along a predetermined path back and forth between opposed dead center positions during each oscillating cycle of said oscillating drive means, driven means for performing one of said operations on said sheet material in response to being displaced from a rest position to an operating postion, motion-transmitting means for transmitting motion from said oscillating drive means to said driven means, said motion-transmitting means having an operating position situated in said path of movement of said output member to be moved thereby along a predetermined motion-transmitting path, and said driven means having an input portion situated at said motion-transmitting path to be engaged by said motion-transmitting means and moved thereby for operating said driven means from a rest position to an operating position to perform one of said operations on the sheet material, said motion-transmitting means also having a retracted rest position situated beyond said predetermined path of said output member so that when said motion-transmitting means is in said retracted rest position thereof said driven means is not operated and remains in a rest position while said oscillating drive means continues to operate, control means operatively connected with said motion-transmitting means for displacing the latter between said operating and rest positions thereof for controlling when a drive is transmitted from said oscillating drive means through said motion-transmitting means to said driven means, said oscillating drive means including resetting means for engaging said driven lever during each oscillating cycle that said driven means performs an operation on the sheet material, to thereby return said driven means to said rest position during said oscillating cycle that said driven means performs said operation on the sheet material.