Patent GB-401164-A (GB)
Abstract: 401,164. Postmarking-machines. MOORE, M., 3820, Douglas Road, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada: March 3, 1933, No. 6529. [Class 10& (ii).] A postage meter comprises a base having a letter slot, a feed means for the letters, a printing, plunger carrying a postage-indicating stamp, a shaft carrying a eam for reciprocating the plunger; a drive shaft, means, comprising a spring-loaded clutch, and a sensitive trigger arm extending through a slot in the base to engage the letter, to positively connect the drive and cam shafts, and spring-pressed feet mounted on the plunger to hold the letter in printing-position. The base 1, Fig. 1, of the machine has a slot between plates 3, 4, along which the letters are fed by friction rolls 44, 48 driven from a shaft 30 ; the rolls 44 move faster than the others so that the letters are fed out faster than they enter. Reciprocating printing-plungers 13, 14 print through holes in the plate 4 and the plunger 13 which carries the date stamp is provided with spring-pressed feet 93 which project below the date stamp and have serrated ends to grip the letter just before the printing-surface makes contact. The plungers 13, 14 are reciprocated against their springs 15 by yielding cams 77, Fig. 5, mounted on the cam shaft 18 and acting against rollers 16 on the plunger heads. The cam shaft 18 is rotated from the driven shaft 30 by bevel gears 27, 32, to which the shaft is clutched by members 25, 26, mounted on a slidable sleeve 19 and on the gear 27 respectively. The dating- stamp 80, Fig. 9, slides into a dove-tail groove 79 on the plunger 13 and is withdrawn to change the date-type by means of hinged links 82 fastened to a crosshead slide 83, within a drawer 84. The drawer slides into the casing of the machine and may be latched into position, and the hinged links permit actuation of the plunger. The plunger 14 has a printing- surface 97 and two value-printing rotatable dies 98, 99 to enable values up to 99 cents to be printed. On the spindle of each die is a gear 100, Fig. 5, with which engages a rack 102 slidably mounted on the plunger. The racks are set by sliding bars 106 mounted on the machine frame and engaging the racks by a pin-and-slot connection 104. The bars 106 are set by levers 109, 110 and finger-keys 112 which move in a graduated slot 114. On each lever 109, 110 is a stepped quadrant 115 adapted to engage a tongue 119 on a sliding plunger 117 which has rack teeth 118 driving a counter 132 through a ratchet and gear 124, 128. Two cams 136, 140 are mounted on the camshaft 18 and control through levers 134, 138 two actuating arms 135, one of which passes through a slot in each plunger and, resting against a spring inside the plunger, alternately presses the plunger forward until stopped by the quadrant 115, and permits it to make the return, thus actuating the counter. The two cams 36 are set at an angle to each other so that the units addition is completed before the tens addition. Tripping-arrangements.-The clutch 25, 26, Fig. 1, is engaged by a spring 55 and disengaged by the interaction of a cam surface 23 on the sleeve and a roller 59. A stopmember 63 on a bell-crank lever 62 normally engages a bevel 21 on the sleeve and holds the clutch open, but when a letter comes to the printing position it engages a trigger 69 hinged to the lever 62 and releases the sleeve 19, so that the cam shaft 18 makes one printing revolution before it is disengaged by the cam surface 23. The trigger 68 has two arms 70 carrying rollers 71 which move in slots 72 of plates 66 on the frame. The slots have a horizontal and a sloping part so that, as the letters move forward against the trigger, the trigger is first held vertical for a sufficient time to effect the unlatching of the sleeve 19 and then, as the rollers 71 come into the sloping part, is permitted to turn about its hinge-pin 65 and out of the way of the letter. When the letter has passed, the lever 62 is drawn back by a spring 73 to relatch the retracted sleeve 19. Inking-apparatus.-An inking-tray 142, Figs. 1, 5, 14 and 16, slides on rods 141, so as to move from under an inking-roller 162 under the printing-plungers, and is actuated by a lever 155, which has at one end a roller riding on a cam 54 on the cam shaft 18, and is connected at the other end to a flexible link 146 lying in a recess 145 in the bottom of the tray. An inking-pad 150 lies in the tray and has pins 152 riding in diagonal slots 149 in the sides of the tray. The front edge of the pad is adapted to engage stops 157 on the plate 4 so that, as the tray moves forward, the pad is stopped and raised by the slots 149 to contact with the plungers 13, 14 then in the raised position, and remains in contact with them until another cycle is started, thus preventing illegal impression. The roller 162 comprises a perforated felt-covered roller with a cut-away hollow spindle through which the ink is supplied.