Patent GB-925376-A (GB)
Title: Postal franking machines
IPC: G07B17/00
Filed: 1961-02-22
Abstract: 925,376. Postal-franking machines. M. HENNEQUIN. Feb. 22, 1961 [March 9, 1960], No. 6551/61. Class 100 (2). A post - marking machine comprises means for feeding letters serially past a printing station at which two longitudinally spaced printing cylinders are rotatably mounted, type indicative of a postage fee, on the periphery of one cylinder and type indicative of other matter, e.g. a date mark, on the periphery of the other cylinder, and drive means for rotating both cylinders to print the postage fee and the post mark on each of the series of letters fed therepast. The leading end of a stack 21 of letters on a feeder belt 22 is located against a plate 35 and a flexible strip 36 is arranged so that the letters issue one by one from the belt 22 and proceed on a belt 38 moving a greater speed than the belt 22 which causes the series of letters to be spaced further apart as they approach printing cylinders 45, 46. Cylinder 45 carries a printing block 45a bearing a print of a postage stamp and a corporate seal, and cylinder 46 carries a block 46a, Fig. 6, bearing the date mark and advertizing matter. The cylinders 45, 46 are driven in synchronism from a shaft 47 which is itself driven from an electric motor through a friction coupling. The belt 38 is arranged in two spaced parallel portions, Fig. 5 (not shown), and a finger 122 projects therebetween and detects the leading edge of a letter and through linkage releases latch member 101 and allows shaft 47 to rotate the cylinders 45, 46 through one revolution. Inking.-Inking rollers 65 and 66 having felt or a similar absorbent lining are rotated intermittently one revolution every time a letter passes and co-operate with the printing blocks 45a, 46a, but not the remainder of the surface of the cylinders 45, 46. The ink is supplied from a reservoir 72 via ducts 73 and 74 and is forcibly metered out to continuously rotating steel rollers 67 and 68 through ducts 77 and 78 by rotatable members 75, 76 formed with axial grooves 79. Both felt-lined inking rollers 65 and 66 are adjustably mounted by means stated to provide compensation for wear, Fig. 8. The cylinder 66 is mounted in a twoarmed member 85 which is pivotable about a shaft 86 carried by one end of a bell-crank lever 87 which is itself pivoted about a shaft 88 carrying the steel-inking roller 68. A spring 91 biases the roller 66 against the roller 68 and a spring 92 biases it against the cylinder 46. An adjustable stop screw 94 limits the rotation of the assembly about the shaft 88 under the influence of the spring 92. Operation.-The cylinder 46 is fixedly mounted on the machine frame but the cylinder 45 is supported on a stamp register assembly 129, Fig. 11, removably connected to the machine frame. The register frame 132 is attached to the machine frame on a spindle 136 and is secured against rotation or axial movement thereon by a pin 137 and a latch arm 138 respectively. The cylinder 45 is driven by a radial member 133 which engages a notch 135 in said cylinder. If the postage fee to be stamped is twenty-five units gear sectors 141 and 142 on shaft 131 are provided with two and five teeth respectively. The sectors engage pinions 143 and 144 which in turn engage gears 145 and 146. Gear 145 has a tens counter wheel 147 secured thereto and gear 146 has a units counter wheel 148 secured thereto. Further counter wheels and transfer carry pinions 153 and 154 are also provided. Means are provided to prevent tampering or premature printing.