Arresting support for type wheels

An arresting support for type wheels of printing mechanisms in franking and postage machines and in portable postage and numbering devices includes a bearing shaft having pins disposed thereon. The bearing shaft has a blind bore formed therein extended in axial direction of the pins. An elastic insert is disposed in the blind bore. The bearing shaft also has a given number of stepped bores formed therein extending perpendicularly to the axial direction of the bearing shaft. Two resilient arresting spheres of different diameter are disposed in each respective stepped bore. The given number of type wheels are disposed next to each other on the bearing shaft. The spheres rest in cup-shaped indentations formed in the type wheels. The type wheels are retained in a selected position by the resilient arresting spheres and the type wheels are adjusted against pressure provided by the resilient arresting spheres.

The invention relates to an arresting support for type wheels of printing 
mechanisms in franking and postage machines as well as in portable postage 
and numbering devices, in which the type wheels are disposed next to each 
other on a bearing shaft provided with pins, the type wheels are retained 
in a selected position by resilient arresting spheres and the type wheels 
can be adjusted against the pressure of the arresting spheres. 
In order to align type wheels for printing numbers having more than one 
numbers place or digit, for example, which is formed by a corresponding 
number of adjacent type wheels, it is known from German Patent DE-PS No. 
30 43 683 to insert a coil spring into the opening of a support which 
serves as a shaft for the printing wheels. The base of each type wheel is 
made of plastic which guarantees elastic deformation when the type wheels 
are set. 
It is also known from German Published, Non-Prosecuted Application DE-OS 
No. 31 40 982 to use plastic arresting shafts as arresting supports, 
having holes in which springs act on spheres in such a way that the 
spheres extend into recesses in the type wheels and act as arresting 
elements. The channels for the spheres are constricted ar the ends thereof 
so that the spheres cannot fall out. 
These types of arresting supports for the alignment of type wheels are not 
commercially cost-effective with respect to the manufacture of tools, the 
assembly and the maintenance required, because of fatigue of some springs, 
for example. Furthermore, if comblike springs are used, the type wheels 
can generally only be adjusted in one direction. 
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an arresting 
support for type wheels, which overcomes the hereinafore-mentioned 
disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices of this general type, which 
permits cost-effective production and which is furthermore 
maintenance-free and allows adjustment of the type wheels in two 
directions. 
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in 
accordance with the invention, an arresting support for type wheels of 
printing mechanisms in franking and postage machines and in portable 
postage and numbering devices, comprising a bearing shaft having pins 
disposed thereon, the bearing shaft having a blind bore formed therein 
extended in axial direction of the pins, an elastic insert disposed in the 
blind bore, the bearing shaft having a given number of stepped bores 
formed therein extending perpendicularly to the axial direction of the 
bearing shaft, two resilient arresting spheres of different diameter 
disposed in each respective stepped bore, and the given number of type 
wheels disposed next to each other on the bearing shaft, the spheres 
resting in cup, ball-cup or socket-shaped indentations formed in the type 
wheels, the type wheels being retained in a selected position by the 
resilient arresting spheres, and the type wheels being adjusted against 
pressure provided by the resilient arresting spheres. 
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the elastic insert is 
a rubber cord having a circular cross section. 
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the spheres include 
smaller and larger spheres with given diameters, and the stepped bores 
have means in the form of specific dimensions thereof for limiting 
movement of the larger spheres in axial direction of the stepped bores 
over a distance being small in comparison with or smaller than the given 
diameter of the larger spheres. 
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the type wheels 
include means for preventing the spheres from escaping. 
In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, the bearing 
shaft has walls with inclinations each defining a transition between a 
smaller and a larger diameter of a stepped bore. 
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are 
set forth in the appended claims. 
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in 
an arresting support for type wheels, it is nevertheless not intended to 
be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and 
structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit 
of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the 
claims.

Referring now to the single FIGURE of the drawing in detail, there is seen 
a bearing shaft 10 provided with cylindrical pins 11, 12. A blind bore 13 
has been formed through one pin 12 in the bearing shaft 10 in axial 
direction of the pins 11, 12. Furthermore, the periphery of the bearing 
shaft 10 is provided with stepped bores 50 which are perpendicular to the 
axial direction and which correspond in number to the number of type 
wheels 20 to be installed. 
During assembly of the printing mechanism, an elastic insert 40 is placed 
into the blind bore 13 in the bearing shaft 10. A rubber cord with a 
circular cross section is preferably used as elastic insert 40. 
Spheres 30, 31 are inserted into the stepped bores 50. The stepped bores 50 
are formed in such a way in relation to the diameters of the spheres 30, 
31, that the larger spheres 31 abutting against the type wheels 20 can 
only be moved to a limited extent out of their position in the axial 
direction of the stepped bores 50, for example, typically 1/10 to 1/8 of 
the diameter of the spheres. The freedom of movement of the smaller 
spheres 30 resting on the elastic insert 40 corresponds to that of the 
larger spheres. A step at the transition from the larger to the smaller 
diameter of each stepped bore 50 is in the form of an inclination 51 of 
the wall of the bore, the angles of which correspond the tangential angle 
of the contact point of the larger sphere 31. 
After inserting two spheres 30, 31 into each one of the stepped bores 50, 
the associated type wheel 20 is pushed onto the bearing shaft 10, which at 
the same time prevents escape of the spheres 30, 31. The inner peripheries 
of the type wheels 20 have preferably ball cup or socket or cup-shaped 
indentations formed therein, which correspond in number at least to the 
number of different characters on the outer periphery thereof and in which 
the respectively associated larger spheres 31 rests. 
The type wheels 20 can be arrestingly adjusted in two directions in this 
configuration. During adjustment, the spheres 30, 31 move away into the 
elastic insert 40 and then are again arrested in the next indentation of 
the type wheel 20 when it is moved. The material of the elastic insert 40 
is selected in such a way that no lasting deformation can occur. 
The printing mechanism illustrated in the drawing is suspended in a 
non-illustrated support device, which prevents the outer type wheels 20 
from sliding off the bearing shaft 10. 
The foregoing is a description corresponding in substance to German 
Application No. P 37 11 009.8, dated Apr. 2, 1987, the International 
priority of which is being claimed for the instant application, and which 
is hereby made part of this application. Any material discrepancies 
between the foregoing specification and the aforementioned corresponding 
German application are to be resolved in favor of the latter.