Abstract:
A stamp, comprising a stamping case; a rail provided inside said stamping case, having a locus of making a U-turn on a stamping surface of a stamp; and a strip belt for sliding along said rail by being engaged with the rail, attached a plurality of stamping surfaces at predetermined intervals and provided with a tab protruding outside of said stamping case.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to a stamp for stamping a mail address, date, telephone number, etc., particularly relates to a stamp having a stamping surface being attached to a strip belt. 
   2. Description of the Related Art 
   As a date stamp for stamping a date, etc., those having a ring belt or a closed belt are generally used. For example, a rotation type stamp capable of selecting a desired stamping surface by putting ring belts in parallel around a supporting base so as to be able to freely slide and operating a tab provided on an outer circumferential surface of the belt has proposed in the Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-27428. Other than that, there are proposed rotation type stamps having a ring belt in the Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 3-62863 and the Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 7-53981. 
   Those rotation type stamps having a ring belt as above are assembled by putting each belt on a supporting base while straining it, which is extremely troublesome. Particularly, when fitting the belt on the supporting base while straining it, a tool exclusively for straining the belt is necessary. 
   Also, due to an error in production of the ring belt and the supporting base, the belt fitted on sometimes becomes lax or inversely too tight in the rotation type stamps having a ring belt. As a result, operationality becomes uneven at the time of selecting a desired stamping surface. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   An object of the present invention is to provide a stamp having excellent assembling performance and operationality. 
   To attain the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a stamp comprising a stamping case; a rail provided inside said stamping case, having a locus of making a U-turn on a stamping surface of a stamp; and a strip belt for sliding along said rail by being engaged with the rail, put thereon a plurality of stamping surfaces at predetermined intervals and provided with a tab protruding outside of said stamping case. 
   In the above invention, while not particularly limited, the rail is assembled by combining a plurality of divided sub rails. 
   Also, in the above invention, while not particularly limited, the strip belt is comprised of a plurality of sub belts to be engaged with the respective sub rails. 
   A stamp according to the present invention is assembled by combining and setting a plurality of divided sub rails in a stamp case, and then, inserting strip belts from open ends of the respective sub rails. Accordingly, it becomes unnecessary to strain the belts to assemble as done in the case of using a ring belt and only a simple insertion work is necessary, so the assembling performance widely improves. 
   Furthermore, durability (lifetime) of the belt improves because the belt is not strained and the operationality of selecting stamping surfaces depends only on an engagement state of the belt and rail, so unevenness in production becomes small and the operationality improves. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     These and other objects and features of the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the attached drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1A  to  FIG. 1C  are views from three viewpoints of a stamp according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view along the line II—II in FIG.  1 A. 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view along the line III—III in FIG.  1 A. 
       FIG. 4  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the IV portion in  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a disassembled perspective view of a belt and a rail according to the present invention: 
       FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of a stamp case according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of a rail according to the present invention; and 
       FIG. 8  shows a plan view, a view from a side and an enlarged view from the side of the belt according to the present invention. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be explained based on the drawings. 
   Note that as a stamp  1  of the present embodiment, an example is taken from those having a plurality of stamping surfaces  51  to  54  on each of belts  41  to  44  arranged in four lines for stamping four-digit figure, etc., but the digit number is not particularly limited and 5 or more belts  4  can be provided in the same method as will be explained below to compose a stamp  1  for stamping five-digit or more figures, etc. Also, the stamp is not limited to figures but may be a letter or a pattern. 
   First, the stamp  1  of the present embodiment comprises a stamp case  2  comprised of a grip  21 , a stamping portion  22  and a head cap  23 . The grip  21  is, as shown in FIG.  1 B and  FIG. 6 , formed by vertically divided two portions  21   a  and  21   b,  which are fit together for assembling. A protrusion  25  formed on one grip portion  21   b  in  FIG. 6  fits in a recessed portion (not shown) of the other grip portion  21   b,  so that the two are assembled. 
   Furthermore, inside the stamp case  2  is provided with a rail  3  comprised of five sub rails  31  to  35  shown in  FIG. 4 ,  FIG. 5 , FIG.  7  and  FIG. 8 and a  belt  4  comprised of four sub belts  41  to  44  engaged with the rail  3 .  FIG. 4  shows a state where five sub rails  31  to  35  and the four sub belts  41  to  44  are fit together,  FIG. 5  shows only one belt  41  and two rails  31  and  32  among them,  FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the five sub rails  31  to  35 , and  FIG. 8  shows one belt in detail. 
   With reference to an overall cross-sectional view in  FIG. 2 , a key portion cross-sectional view in  FIG. 4 , a disassembled perspective view in  FIG. 5 , a cross-sectional view of the rail in  FIG. 7 and a  view of the belt in detail in  FIG. 8 , detailed configurations of the rail  3  and the belt  4  according to the present invention and their relationship with the stamp case  2  will be explained. 
   As shown in FIG.  5  and  FIG. 8 , the sub belt  41  according to the present embodiment is a strip belt wherein both ends are not connected (not closed) and made by an elastic material, such as polyester elastomer or rubber. As will be explained later on, the sub belt  41  is inserted along the rail  3  and formed trenches  45  for giving flexibility at regular intervals so that the sub belt  41  can make U-turn at a stamping portion  22  as shown in FIG.  2 . Also, as shown in FIG.  5  and  FIG. 8 , one main surface of the sub belt  41  is formed nails  46  for mounting a stamping surface holder  61  at regular intervals. As a result that the nails  46  engages with nails  62  of the stamping surface holder  61 , the stamping surface  51  mounted on the stamping surface holder  61  is fixed to the sub belt  41  at regular intervals. Note that the stamping surface  51  is inserted to the stamping surface holder  61  and fixed by using an adhesive, etc. 
   Furthermore, one end of a main surface identical with the main surface being mounted the stamping surface  51  of the sub belt  41  is formed a tab  47 , which, as shown in  FIG. 1A , FIG.  1 B and  FIG. 2 , protrudes outside from a slit portion  24  formed in a longitudinal direction on a grip  21  of the stamping case  2 , so that a user can select the stamping surface  5  positioned at the stamping portion  22  by touching the tab  47  to slide with a finger. 
   On the other hand, on an opposite main surface of the sub belt  41  is provided with projections  48  having a T-shaped section at intervals along the longitudinal direction. The projections  48  engage with a later explained space S formed between the sub rails  31  and  32 . As a result, the sub belt  41  is guided along the rails  31  and  32  to be able to slide. 
   The rail  3  is comprised of five sub rails  31  to  35  being combined.  FIG. 5  shows only two sub rails  31  and  32  among them and  FIG. 7  shows the five sub rails  31  to  35 . Each of the sub rails  31  and  32  having a shape as shown in FIG.  5  and  FIG. 7  is formed projections  36  on one main surface while recesses  37  for receiving the projections  36  are formed on the other main surface near its both ends. By the projections  36  and the recesses  37 , the five sub rails  31  to  35  are combined and assembled as shown in FIG.  4 . The sub rails  31  and  35  positioned at both edges of the combined five sub rails are formed projections  39  for fitting in holes formed on a wall of the grip  21 . 
   Also, as shown in FIG.  5  and  FIG. 7 , a notch  38  is formed on the respective sub rails  31  to  35 . When combining the adjacent sub rails  31  and  32 , the notches  38  form a space S (refer to  FIG. 4 ) with witch the above projections  48  of the sub belt  41  are engaged. Note that a range of the notch  38  is made to be a range of R shown in  FIG. 5  in the present embodiment, and by setting an end as such, the notch  38  also serves as a stopper of a sliding movement of the belt  4 . Note that the stopper function for the sliding movement of the belt  4  may belong to the tab  47  and the slit portion  24  of the grip  21 . 
   To assemble the stamp  1  configured as above, the following processes are taken. 
   First, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the notch  38  of one of sub rails positioned at both edges (the sub rail  31  in the present embodiment) is engaged with the projection  48  of a sub belt (the sub belt  41  in the present embodiment) corresponding to the sub rail  31  by bending the sub belt  41  to be a U-shape for setting. 
   Next, the adjacent sub rail  32  is fit to the sub rail  31  which is half-engaged with the projection  48  of the sub belt  41 . As a result, the sub belt  41  is supported by being sandwiched by the two sub rails  31  and  32 , and the projection of the sub belt  41  is engaged with the space S between the two sub rails  31  and  32  formed by the notches  38  so that sliding becomes possible. 
   Furthermore, next sub belt  42  is bent for being set in a notch  38  formed on the opposite main surface of the sub rail  32 , so that the adjacent sub rail  33  is fit. Then, the same procedure is taken for setting the sub belts  43  and  44  and sub rails  34  and  35 . Consequently, an assembled article wherein four sub belts  41  to  44  are supported by being sandwiched between five sub rails  31  to  35  is completed. 
   The completed assembled article of the sub rails and sub belts is set in grip portions  21   a  and  21   b  of the stamping case  2  longitudinally divided into two shown in  FIG. 6 , then the grip portions  21   a  and  21   b  are fit together. The grip  21  is inserted to the stamping portion  22  and a head cap is put thereon, so that the stamp  1  of the present embodiment is completed. 
   Note that the stamping portion  22  is not essential for the stamp  1  of the present invention and only the grip  21  can be used for stamping. 
   The stamping surface of desired figures, etc. can be selected by looking at the stamping surface appearing at the stamping portion  22  and sliding the tab  47  protruded from the grip  21 . 
   Note that the embodiments explained above were described to facilitate the understanding of the present invention and not to limit the present invention. Accordingly, elements disclosed in the above embodiments include all design modifications and equivalents belonging to the technical field of the present invention. 
   According to the stamp of the present invention, assembling can be easily done only by inserting strips of belts into rails, which attains remarkable improvement of assembling performance comparing with ring belts of the related art wherein the belts are fit to a supporting base while being strained. 
   Also, since no additional tension affects on the belts, the belts do not degraded and the durability improves. 
   Furthermore, since a sliding operation of a belt is controlled only by a friction force of the belt and the rail, light sliding becomes possible and operationality at the time of selecting a desired stamping surface remarkably improves.