PROVEMENTS IN HAND NUMBERING MACHINES, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO DATING AND ENDORSING STAMPS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Adam Millar, of Number 1, High Holborn, in
66
the County of Middlesex, Mechanician, for the Invention of IM-
PROVEMENTS IN HAND NUMBERING MACHINES, PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS
ARE APPLICABLE TO DATING AND ENDORSING STAMPS."
Sealed the 11th August 1871, and dated the 14th February 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Adam Millar at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th February 1871.
I, ADAM MILLAR, of Number 1, High Holborn, in the County of
Middlesex, Mechanician, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HAND NUMBERING MACHINES, PART OF WHICH
IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO DATING AND ENDORSING STAMPS," to be as
follows:
According to my improvements in hand numbering machines a
vertical frame is employed formed by two uprights and a cross piece
from which a tubular stem projects upwards. A hollow handle slides
within or upon this tubular stem, as is well understood in the con-

page_text: struction of stamps of this description. The lower part of the handle
is connected to a box which carries a series of wheels mounted on an
axis having a series of figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, engraved on
the periphery of each wheel. The box works in vertical guides to
prevent all lateral motion, such guides being part of or attached to
the box or to the vertical frame (either or both). The depression of
the handle causes the box with its figure wheels to descend until it
meets the paper or other surface to be numbered. The reverse or
upward movement is produced by a helical spring placed in the tubular
stem resting on the frame at one end and pressing upwards on the hollow
handle by the other end. A pair of ratchet wheels are attached to
each figure wheel, a pawl gears into one of each pair to prevent the
wheel from going backward, the others are caught by a thin arm which
acting on the ratchet teeth causes the wheels to revolve a part of a
revolution so as to bring the required figure into its proper position.
The ratchet wheels for giving rotation are of different diameters in a
diminishing series, the largest being on the unit wheel. The arms which
produce the revolution of the figure wheels project from a solid base
and have their points in the same plane so that when the arm of the
unit wheel is in gear with its ratchet wheel the other arms are not in
gear with their respective wheels. To bring the other arm into gear
one tooth is made of extra depth which allows the second arm to fall
into the teeth of the second ratchet, the third wheel is brought into
gear by a deep tooth in the second wheel, and so on for successive
wheels.
My improved arrangements for inking the figures on the figure
wheels consists of a plate of metal jointed to the vertical uprights at
the same height as the lower edge of the figure wheels when in their
highest position. The plate has a motion of 90 degrees, more or less,
and is so geared to the handle as to occupy the horizontal position under
the figure wheels when the handle is in its highest position, and to
occupy a vertical position or nearly so when the handle is depressed so
as to allow the wheel box to descend. To neutralize any imperfection
in the adjusting of the hinge plate or wearing of the gearing a supple-
mentary plate having a rocking motion is attached to the hinge plate.
The supplementary plate carries a piece of cloth or other bibulous
material charged with suitable ink. The handle is connected to the
wheel box with some degree of looseness to permit of a slight vertical

page_text: movement of the handle sufficient to push the inking plate out of contact
with the figures before the box begins its descent.
The improved arrangement of mechanism for guiding the figure wheel
box to prevent lateral movement and also the arrangement of inking
apparatus are applicable to dating and endorsing stamps.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Adam Millar in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 14th August 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ADAM
MILLAR, of Number 1, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
Mechanician, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Adam Millar, Her special licence that I,
the said Adam Millar, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Adam Millar, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time,
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HAND NUMBERING MACHINES,
PART OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO DATING AND ENDORSING
STAMPS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Adam
Millar, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Adam Millar, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to

page_text: be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
My improvements in hand numbering machines will be readily
understood from the following description, reference being had to the
Drawing hereunto annexed, which shews several views of a hand
numbering machine constructed in accordance with my improvements.
a is a vertical frame formed by two uprights a, a, and a cross piece a¹,
from which a tubular stem a projects upwards. A hollow handle slides
within or upon the tubular stem a³, as is well understood in the con-
struction of stamps of this description. The hollow handle b is connected
by a cross piece and two arms b¹, 61, to a box c, which carries a series of
wheels c¹ mounted so as to revolve on an axis c³, such wheels having a
series of figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, engraved on the periphery
of each wheel. The box c, according to this part of my improvements,
moves up and down in vertical guides or slots to prevent all lateral
motion, such guides being part of or attached to the box c or to the
vertical frame a (either or both). The inner faces of the uprights
a, a, form the guides for the ends of the box c to work between;
all motion in the direction of the axis of the figure wheels is thus
prevented. A guide block (or blocks) c* is attached to the box C, which
moves up and down with the box in a slot (or slots) a* in the uprights a,
by which the printing faces of the wheels are kept parallel with the
surface to be printed. The depression of the handle b, as shewn at
Figure 4, causes the box c with its figure wheels c¹ to descend until it
meets the paper or other surface to be numbered. The reverse or
upward movement is produced by a helical spring placed within the
tubular stem a², resting on the cross piece a¹ of the frame a on one
end, and pressing upwards within the hollow handle 6 by the other end
of such spring.
A pair of ratchet wheels d, shewn separately at Figure 5 are attached
to each figure wheel c¹, and one of the pawls e, e, gears into one of each
pair of the ratchet wheels d, to prevent the figure wheels c¹ from going
backwards, the other ratchet wheels being caught by a thin arm f¹ of
the driver f, which acting in the ratchet teeth causes the figure wheels c¹
to revolve a part of a revolution each time the handle bis depressed,
so as to bring the required figure into its proper position. The ratchet
wheels for giving rotation to the figure wheels care of different
diameters in a diminishing series, the largest being on the unit wheel.

page_text: The arms f, which produce the revolution of the figure wheels c¹ project
from a solid base f, and have their points in the same plane, so that when
the arm of the unit wheel is in gear with its ratchet wheel d, the other
arms are not in gear with their respective wheels. In order to bring
the next arm of the driver f into gear one tooth of the ratchet wheel is
made of extra depth, which allows the second or succeeding arm of the
series to fall into the teeth of the second or succeeding ratchet wheel
of the series, the third wheel being in like manner brought into gear
by a deep tooth in the second ratchet wheel of the series, and so on for
successive wheels.
My improved arrangements for inking the figures on the figure
wheels consists of a plate of metal g jointed at g¹ to the vertical
uprights a, a, at the same height or thereabouts, as the lower edge of
the figure wheels c¹ when in their highest position. The plate g has a
motion of 90 degrees more or less, and is geared or connected to the
arms ', b¹, of the handle by pins 7* on the arms b', 6', which enter
slots in the arms g², g², at each end of the plate g, by which arrange-
ment the plate is caused to assume a horizontal position under the
figure wheels c¹ when the handle is at its highest position, and to assume
a vertical position, or nearly so, when the handle 6 and figure wheels are
depressed, so as to allow the wheel box c to descend. To neutralize any
imperfection in the adjusting of the hinged plate g, or wearing of the
gearing, a supplementary plate g*, having a rocking motion (by means
of a ball-and-socket joint g* or other suitable connection) is attached to
the hinged plate g. The supplementary plate ' carries a piece of cloth
or other bibulous material charged with suitable ink. The handle b is
connected to the wheel box c, with some degree of looseness or freedom
between the box and the arms 6¹ of the handle 6 to permit of a slight
vertical movement of the handle sufficient to push the inking plate g¹
out of contact with the figures on the wheels c¹ before the box c begins
its descent.
The improved arrangement of mechanism previously described for
guiding the figure wheel box c to prevent lateral motion in its ascent
and descent, and also the improved arrangement and combination of
the parts constituting the inking apparatus are applicable to dating
and endorsing stamps.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing or carrying the same into practice, I would have it under-

page_text: stood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein shewn
and described, but what I claim is-
First. The improved arrangement of parts for guiding and controlling
the movements of the figure wheel box c, and also the method of
actuating the figure wheels of hand numbering machines, substantially
in the manner herein described herein described and shown in the
accompanying Drawing.
•
Secondly. I claim the improved arrangement and combination of
parts for inking the figures of hand numbering machines, substantially
as herein-before described and shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Thirdly. I claim the improved arrangement of mechanism for guiding
the wheel box c to prevent lateral movement, and also the arrangement
of inking apparatus, substantially as herein-before described and shown
in the accompanying Drawings, when applied in combination with
dating and indorsing stamps.
Lastly. I claim the general arrangement and combination of
mechanism as applied to the construction of hand numbering machines,
dating and indorsing stamps, substantially in the manner and for the
purposes herein-before described and shewn in the Drawing hereunto
annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Adam Millar, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
Witness,
J. G. TONGUE,
Patent Agent,
34, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lanc,
W. C.
ADAM MILLAR. (L.S.)