Patent GB-1398108-A (GB)
Title: Stamp affixer
IPC: B42D15/10
Filed: 1972-12-15
Abstract: 1398108 Stamp affixers DATA-LINK CORP 15 Dec 1972 [31 March 1972] 58147/72 Heading B8F In a manually-operable stamp affixer wherein stamps are drawn by a rotor 110 from a stamp roll in a receptacle 10 within the affixer housing 18, and are successively cut from the strip and applied to an envelope surface 12 by a knife 170 and pad 184 carried on a reciprocably-movable plunger 150 after said surface has been moistened by a water dispenser 200, the receptacle comprises a cup having semicircular wall 61, which is circumferentially extended by an arcuate rib 58 on an access door 42 pivoted to the housing and an arcuate wall 72 pivotallyattached to the door. The pivoted arcuate wall terminates in a bead 79, which, after a stamp roll has been placed in the receptacle with the free roll end threaded over the rotor and the door closed, co-operates with a beaded bar 102 to form a decurler. Guide surfaces 106 and 108 are provided on the housing and receptacle for cooperation with the bead 79 to guide the pivoted arcuate wall into position during opening and closing of the door. The door also carries an arcuate stamp strip guide 94, which partially embraces the rotor when closed. The rotor comprises a pair of triangular or other shaped blocks 114 and 116 having stamp perforationengaging pegs 322 and a ratchet wheel 120, which is provided with peripheral notches 121 and side slots or grooves 122, 122 and 124 terminating in peripheral shoulders 130 and inner ramps 128. The rotor is rotated stepwise to feed a stamp through an opening in a shear plate 146 until the perforations reach the edge of the shearplate by a peg 132 at the end of an arm 134 affixed to the movable housing cap 16. On depression of the cap against springs 198, the peg abuts a respective ratchet wheel shoulder 130 to turn the rotor until the slot associated with the shoulder is vertical, inertial overrun of the rotor being prevented by the engagement of the peg with the outer side wall of the respective slot whilst a pawl 144 engages a respective ratchet wheel peripheral notch to prevent reverse rotation of the rotor. The plunger 150 is also carried by the cap so that depression of the latter causes the stamp, which has been fed through the shear plate opening, to be severed by the knife and pressed on to the moistened envelope. The knife is of L-shaped construction and is biased by virtue of its resiliency against the shear plate. The water disperser comprises a plastics container releasably-retained in the housing by a flexible arm 202, Fig. 5 (not shown), and has dispensing apertures 232 releasably sealed by a pad 230, which is carried on the end of a pivotal lever 218 and which is urged against the apertures by a spring 228 and a buffer 234. In operation, on depression of the plunger 150, the lever is moved to the right until a pivoted member 178 on the plunger moves past a lever abutment 220 whereupon the spring 228 and buffer push the lever to the right thus ejecting water through the orifices prior to the pad sealing the same. The affixer construction permits the majority of the components, such as the housing door cap receptacle and rotor to be made of plastics material.