Patent GB-552155-A (GB)
Abstract: 552,155. Postal-franking machines. SOPER, H. N., and UNIVERSAL POSTAL FRANKERS, Ltd. Aug. 22, 1941, No. 10737. [Class 100 (ii)] [Also in Group XVIII] In a machine for franking postal packets, coinfreed mechanism simultaneously effects the setting of a value-printing wheel and also the release and opening of a door through which a letter can be passed to the franking device, the letter being automatically directed to its proper position by a flicking device; the opening of the door frees an operating handle which can then be moved to actuate mechanism to effect (1) the franking of the letter, (2) the closing of the door, and (3) the return of the various parts of the mechanism to their normal positions in readiness for the next insertion of coins and letter. In the construction shown the machine is provided with two coin slots for pennies and halfpennies (say) leading to two shoots 17, 18 down which the coins pass to vertical guides 19, 20, other shoots 35, 36 and through a slot 37 to the till. A coin on its way down one of the guides 19, 20, strikes a lever 21, and a pawl 22 on this lever rotates a ratchet wheel 23 through one or two teeth according to the value of the coin, as described in Specification 531,294, [Group XVIII]. The ratchet wheel is fixed to a value-printing wheel 15 and sets the latter accordingly, the ratchet wheel being held in its set position against the action of a restoring spring. The coin also engages one end 26a of a lever 26 which it rocks and so disengages a stop 31 on the lever from a catch 32 on a door 27 mounted on a vertical pivot, the door being then opened by a spring 30. As the door opens through 90 degrees (1) a link 41 connected thereto moves a plate 42 to a position in which it will support a letter above a slot 44 leading to a mail collecting box (not shown), (2) a link 46 rotates a bell crank 47 to rock levers 49, 50 and a pawl 52 to release an operating handle 54 normally locked by the pawl, and (3) a cam slot 55 on the crown of the door acts through a pin 56 on a lever 57 to rock a vertical shaft 58 carrying a letter-trip device and'a a vertical plate 60 which is moved into position to act as a gauge limiting the thickness of letters which can be inserted in the machine. Insertion of letter. A letter can now be inserted by hand through the open door into a pocket 61 until the leading edge of the letter engages a stop 62 fixed to the edge of a side wall 63 of the pocket. As the letter is pushed in its leading edge strikes a finger 67 which trips a pawl 68 and releases a plate 69 on a spring-loaded flicking device 70 which feeds the letter forward against the stop 62 if the operator does not push the letter in far enough by hand. Franking of letter. The handle 54, fixed to a shaft 71, is now rotated by hand through 90 degrees, its rate of movement and return being controlled by a combined dashpot and spring unit such as an ordinary door-closing device, an arm 78 on the shaft being connected by a link to the dashpot and spring. The franking is effected when rollers 106 press the letter against the value-printing wheel 15, a frank die 87 and a postmark and date stamp die 88, an endless inking ribbon 86 passing over the front faces of the wheel and dies. The rotation of shaft 71 effects the following operations-(1) the endless inking ribbon 86 is fed forward by a feeding roller 95 and ratchet wheel 96 driven from the shaft 71 through a cam 100 and pawl 99; the ribbon is pressed into engagement with the roller by a spring 97, (2) the pressure rollers 106 are now pressed against the back of the letter by means of a shaft 48 driven by bevel gearing 81, 82 from the shaft 41 and acting on the rollers through an eccentric 101 and toggles 103, the toggles compensating for varying thicknesses of letters and (3) the door 27 is closed after the printing has been completed, by the continued rotation of shaft 48, a lever 107 on this shaft engaging the bell crank 47 connected by link 46 to the door, and the door being locked in the closed position by the catch 32 riding over the stop 31. As the door closes link 41 connected thereto moves the letter supporting plate 42 to one side of the slot 44 and the letter drops through this slot to the box beneath. Also, the cam slot 55 in the crown of the door rotates shaft 58 and returns the letter gauging plate 60, the trip finger 67 and the flicking device 70 to their inoperative positions. The flicking device is reset by means of a cam 108 on the shaft 48 acting through a link 110, and is then locked by its pawl 68. The inking ribbon passes over a guide plate 89, a stud 90, and rollers 91, 92, and is tensioned by the roller 91 which is mounted on a spring loaded arm 93. The postmark and date stamp unit is accessible through a locked door 112A and is supported on the end of a hollow stem 113 mounted in a slide 115. The unit is held in position to resist printing pressure by a latch, so arranged that the door 112A cannot be closed unless the latch is in use. A trailing pawl on the handle 54 ensures that the handle must be moved its full stroke in either direction. Specification 513,436, [Group XVIII], also is referred to.