Patent GB-373206-A (GB)
Abstract: 373,206. Franking-machines. MACK, L. L., 402, Bank of Commerce Building, South Hill Street, Los Angeles, U.S.A. Nov. 20, 1930, No. 35006. [Classes 100 (i) and 100 (ii).] In a postage meter of the type in which mail matter is fed successively to a constantly rotating printing means, the latter is normally held against operative contact with the matter to be printed, and means are provided for locking the printing means in operative printing position during the printing operation, such means being controlled by the movement of the mail matter to printing position. Specification 252,760, [Class 100 (i), Feeding and delivering webs &c.], is referred to. Feeding letters.-The letters are fed singly from a container B, Fig. 7, past the separator E by feed-belts C and idler rollers D to printing position between the printing cylinder F and an adjustable impression roller G. The individual letters are held by a notch 17 in a roller K, which is frictionally connected to a continuously driven shaft 12 but is normally held against rotation by a latch 18 engaging a notch 22. The roller K is released by raising a shaft 19 by a spring-pressed lever which is displaced by a projection on a master cam M, Fig. 3, carried by a continuously-rotating master shaft f. The separator comprises a casing E<1> having a disc E which projects slightly below the edges of flanges e for engagement with the letters : the casing El is pivotally connected with an adjusting screw 26 carrying a compression spring 28 for varying the space between the separator and feed roller. Printing-cylinders.-The dies are mounted on a block N, Fig. 3, and are normally contained within the cylinder F, but they may be projected through apertures therein by moving to the left a spring-held sleeve' 30, carried on the master shaft f, driven either mechanically through gears 56, 42 and the shaft 57, or manually by the handle 55 and gears 53, 54. The cylinder F is held against reverse rotation by a series of spring-pressed pawls engaging in recesses in its periphery. Inking-apparatus.-Ink is supplied to the printing-cylinder by a rotatable inking-roller held in a removable hanger attached to the casing. The inking-roller is spring-held and is adjustable relative to the dies. Counting-apparatus; limit locking devices.- Two counting-registers, one ascending and one descending, comprise transfer mechanism of the Geneva type and are actuated whenever the dies are locked to make an impression. The descending register is capable of being reset. The printing-cylinder F, Fig. 7, is locked against rotation when the descending register reaches zero by a locking dog which falls into notches on the counter discs, thereby rotating a shaft 110 to rock a lever 113, engaging a slot 115 in a pivotally-held locking arm 116, when a projection 120 thereon engages a gap 119 in the cylinder cap. The actuating-mechanism is contained within a locked casing, windows being provided to view the counting-devices. Tripping-arrangements.-A cam M, Fig. 3, having an eccentric 61 is adapted to be engaged by a roller follower 62 carried on a lever 63. The lever 63 is pivotally held on a pin 64 and has a yoke 66 which straddles the shaft f and engages the rear end of the reciprocable sleeve 30 to project the dies and actuate the counting-mechanism. The movement of letters through the machine is regulated by an external arm R, Fig. 7, carried by a shaft 134, and having rigidly attached thereto an associated trip lever with an abutment which normally rests below the plane of contact of the rollers D and feedbelts C. As the letter moves through, the trip lever and the arm R are pressed to the right until the abutment is elevated above the moving matter. The shaft 134 further carries two arms 135, 136, Fig. 4, the former loose and the latter fixed on the shaft. Both the shaft 134 and arm 135 are spring-held against rotation, and the arm 136 is connected to arm 135 by a pin 138 engaging with a slot 139 on the edge of arm 136, so that movement of the shaft 134 by the arm R and trip lever moves the arm 136 and therefore the arm 135, but arms R and 136 and shaft 134 are restored irrespective of arm 135. This latter arm carries a pivotally connected cam 140 which consists of a sector with a cut-away portion adapted to normally engage the depending lug 146 of the operating lever 63. When the shaft 134 rotates and arm 135 is displaced, the cam 140 is moved to lock the lever 63 and the sleeve 30 in the extended position produced by the rotation of the cam M. When the roller K is unlatched by the retraction of the latch 18, an arm 147 on the shaft 19 is moved upwardly so that a hook 148 interferes with a lug 149 on a spring-held pawl 150 carried on the end of the lever to hold up momentarily the arm R and its associated mechanism until a piece of mail matter has moved beneath the trip lever, when the latter is restored to retard the entry of any succeeding piece. In operation, each piece of mail matter is separately fed forward by the roller K, as the latter is released intermittently for a single revolution by the cam M. The movement of the mail matter swings back the arms R, 135, 136 and causes the cam 140 to seat behind the lug 146 of the lever 63 after this lever has been operated by the cam M. The arms 136, R are restored to intercept any additional matter but the arm 135 is delayed by the dwell of the cam 140, the forward return movement of which is sufficient to hold the dies locked in printing position for the required period.