Sign-making apparatus
AssigneeScott Machine Development Corporation
InventorGregory R. Waldron
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus for sign-making using dry transfer of letters from carrier sheets allows any of a number of different character sizes and row spacings to be provided. A carrier sheet bearing characters of a desired size is positioned relative to a carriage in dependence upon whether a row to be formed contains all upper case characters, or some or all lower-case characters. The carriage is movable smoothly in a horizontal direction to allow any desired horizontal spacing of characters, but movable vertically only in discrete increments. A plurality of row spacing indicators are positionable adjacent a sign blank to afford a preview of how characters of a given size having a given spacing will appear on a sign blank.
Claims42
Apparatus for forming signs which aids an operator to form an operator-selectable number of rows of operator-selectable characters of an operator-selectable height on a sign blank having a height selectable by the operator from a plurality of different sign blank heights, by transfer of successive characters from a carrier sheet carrying said characters, with said rows of characters having operator-selectable predetermined spacings between rows and operator-selectable predetermined spacings relative to a pair of edges and a centerline of said sign blank, comprising, in combination:
- a base having a surface for supporting said sign blank and means for locating one of said edges of said sign blank relative to said base in a predetermined reference position in a first direction;
- a carriage mechanism carried on said base including a carriage having means for gripping said carrier sheet and means for constraining movement of said carriage to a plurality of predetermined discrete positions relative to said base, said discrete positions being spaced apart a predetermined incremental distance in said first direction;
- and means for positioning said carrier sheet in said first direction to an operator-selectable gripping position relative to said carriage and said base so that movement thereafter of said carriage to various of said discrete positions will locate characters on said sheet in said first direction in accordance with said predetermined spacings.
Sign-making apparatus for forming one or more rows of characters on sign blanks in predetermined positions relative to the upper and lower edges and centerlines of said sign blanks by transfer of successive characters from carrier sheets, said sign blanks having a plurality of different predetermined heights and each having a reference edge, said apparatus comprising, in combination:
- a base having a generally planar surface;
- blank locator means for locating any one of said sign blanks on said surface with the reference edge of said sign blank in a predetermined position measured in a first direction with the height dimension of said sign blank extending in said first direction;
- indicator means mounted on said base and having a plurality of space and height indicator sections selectively positionable to a predetermined position in said first direction relative to said base adjacent an end of said sign blank, each of said indicator sections carrying a pattern of indicia representing a respective combination of heights and spacings of rows of characters, whereby positioning a selected one of said indicator sections to said predetermined position will provide a preview of how rows of characters of a particular height and having a particular spacing will appear on said sign blank;
- and a carriage mechanism for locating a carrier sheet relative to said base so as to locate characters on said sheet in predetermined positions in said first direction relative to said base and a selected one of said indicator sections.
Sign-making apparatus for forming one or more rows of characters on sign blanks by transfer of successive characters from carrier sheets, said sign blanks having a plurality of different heights and each having a reference edge, said apparatus comprising, in combination:
- a base having a generally planar surface for supporting a sign blank and a stop means against which said reference edgeof said sign blank may be abutted to locate said sign blank atop said surface at a predetermined location measured in a first direction relative to said base;
- a carriage for gripping one of said carrier sheets;
- a carriage travel mechanism carried on said base to allow movement of said carriage relative to said base in said first direction and a second mutually-perpendicular direction, said mechanism including means for constraining movement of said carriage in said first direction to a plurality of predetermined discrete positions relative to said base and spaced apart a predetermined incremental distance, each of said carrier sheets carrying rows of characters having baselines of characters in different rows spaced apart by integral multiples of said incremental distance and carrying means defining a reference line;
- and index means cooperating with the reference line on a carrier sheet to indicate a plurality of different predetermined positions measured in said first direction at which a carrier sheet should be gripped by said carriage.
In sign-making apparatus for forming one or more rows of characters on a sign blank by transfer of successive characters from a carrier sheet and which includes a base for supporting said sign blank, a carriage adapted to hold a carrier sheet carrying rows of transferable characters, and means for constraining movement of said carriage in a first direction to a plurality of positions spaced apart at an incremental distance, the improvement which comprises means for positioning said sheet relative to said carriage so that if the apparent centerlines of the characters of said rows on said sheet are spaced apart at in tegral multiples of said incremental distance said centerlines will lie along a plurality of predetermined lines spaced apart in said first direction, and means for locating said sign blank on said base so that the centerline in said first direction of said sign blank lies either on one of said predetermined lines or an integral multiple of said incremental distance therefrom.
Sign making apparatus for forming one or more rows of characters on a sign blank (B) by transfer of successive characters from a carrier sheet (S), which apparatus includes a base (10) for supporting said sign blank, a carriage (20) adapted to hold a carrier sheet carrying rows of transferable characters with the baselines of characters in successive rows on said carrier sheet being spaced apart in a first direction on said sheet at integral multiples (i) of a predetermined distance (d), means (17,25) for constraining movement of said carriage in said first direction to a plurality of discrete positions spaced apart at said incremental distance, gripping means (21) on said carriage for attaching said carrier sheet to said carriage so that movements of said carriage in said first direction locate the baselines of characters on said sheet at a plurality of locations spaced apart in said first direction at integral multiples of said incremental distance;
- characterized by first index means (40,41,T.sub.L) for locating said carrier sheet in said first direction in predetermined relationships with respect to said carriage and said base, and means (44,45) for setting the position of an edge of said sign blank in said first direction relative to the positions of said baselines of said characters on said carrier sheet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.