IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR STAMPING LETTERS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Carl Pieper, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent,
of 109/110, Gneisenau Strasse, Berlin, S.W., Prussia, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR STAMPING LETTERS." A communication
from Wilhelm Löffelhardt, of Hamburg, Germany.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Carl Pieper at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th September 1880.
"
CARL PIEPER, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, of 109/110, Gneisenau
Strasse, Berlin, S.W., Prussia. IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR STAMPING
LETTERS." A communication from Wilhelm Löffelhardt, of Hamburg, Germany.
This Invention relates to a machine by which the stamping of letters, postal
cards, &c. at post-offices, i.e., the printing of the date and place of reception and
delivery thereon, and the cancelling of postage stamps may be effected mechanically.
The machine consists of two rollers placed one above the other, the upper one
being provided with grasping-fingers of india rubber or other similar material, by
which the letters, &c., are pulled one after the other between the rollers, and
moreover with the requisite printing-dies. Opposite to the latter there is an
inking roller. The letters are piled up in an inclined position on a series of straps
which run over small rollers pivoted in a table or frame fixed close to the main
rollers. An angular block which is attached to the said straps serves to keep the
pile of letters in the position stated. Against the face of the front or upper letter
two bars or arms provided with springs or acting by their weight exercise a light
pressure, while two stationary india rubber retaining-fingers projecting from below
through the said table or frame act against the lower edge of the letter.
The machine being put in motion, the grasping-fingers of the upper roller,
operating by friction against the front letter, pull the same between the rollers,
while the said retaining-fingers serve to hold back the second letter of the pile.
During the passage of the front letter between the rollers it is stamped by the
above-mentioned dies, while the grasping-fingers which, during operation, are
pressed outward by springs, recede into notches in the upper roller as soon as they
come in contact with the lower roller. The pile of letters is pushed forward by a
rotation of the small rollers over which the aforesaid straps run

page_text: The inking roller may consist of a hollow cylinder, whose perforated periphery is
covered with felt or other permeable material, and in which printing-ink is
contained.
Considering that the postage stamps are not always put on the letters in the
same place, the upper or stamping 'roller of the machine at the forwarding post-
office must be of such a nature that it will print over the whole face of the letter
certain marks, such as lines or dots, so that in no case the postage stamp will fail
to receive the cancelling-stamp.
If it should be preferred, the feeding apparatus of the machine may be combined
with a stamping mechanism differing from the one described, for instance, with a
mechanism having a reciprocating instead of a rotary motion. Moreover, the
letters instead of being fed forward in longitudinal direction with regard to the
center-line of the machine, may be brought under the action of the grasping-fingers
from the side or from below.
In a modified arrangement of the machine, the inventor fixes the grasping-fingers
to a chain which runs over the stamping roller, and an auxiliary roller placed near
the delivery end of the apparatus, these rollers being fitted with a series of annular
disks of india-rubber which assist in carrying the letters along through the machine.
With this arrangement a mechanism is combined, serving to throw aside any
letter which may have passed the stamping-roller without having received an
impression, as will be the case whenever two letters are accidentally drawn forward
by the grasping fingers. This mechanism is as follows:-
In the table of the machine extending forward from the stamping-roller there
are a number of transverse slits through which the teeth of a sort of ruke project
upward. This rake is operated upon by levers and rods from a cam-disk keyed on
the shaft of the stamping-roller, and is thus caused to travel speedily across the
machine, and backward after the passage of every letter along the table. The
surface of the table is covered with a material presenting a certain degree of
roughness or of frictional resistance against the forward motion of the letters, such
as india-rubber. When under this arrangement two letters are drawn into the
machine at once, and the upper one only is stamped, the lower one will be retained
on the table by the covering of india-rubber, &c., while the grasping-fingers carry
the upper letter forward. As soon as the latter has passed the aforesaid slits in the
table, the teeth of the rake execute the motion as described, and thereby push the
letter which has remained on the table sideward into a special receptacle.
The same object may be attained without the rake-mechanism by placing the
table and the rollers laterally at such an angle that a letter retained by the rough
surface of the table will slide down by its weight as soon as the grasping-fingers
have drawn the upper letter away from it.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Carl Pieper in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th March
1881.
CARL PIEPER, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, of 109-110, Gneisenau
Strasse, Berlin, S.W., Prussia. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR STAMPING
LETTERS." A communication from Wilhelm Löffelhardt, of Hamburg, Germany.
This Invention relates to a machine by which the stamping of letters, postal-
cards, &c., at post-offices, i.c., the printing of the date and place of reception
and delivery thereon, and the cancelling of postage stamps, may be effected
mechanically.
The machine is represented in two different arrangements on the annexed two
Sheets of Drawings.
The Figures 1 and 2 show the first arrangement in elevation and in plan.
Figs. 3 to 6 represent an inking-roller of a new design.
Figs. 7 and 8 show the second arrangement of the machine in elevation and in
plan, while Fig. 9 is a section of a part of the same.
Fig. 10, finally, is a modification of a part of the latter machine.
The machine represented by Figs. 1 and 2 consists of two rollers c and c', placed
one above the other. The upper roller c', which may be fixed on the shaft of the
fly-wheel, is provided with the grasping or transporting-fingers h, h, made entirely
or partly of india-rubber or other elastic material presenting considerable friction.
By these fingers the letters, &c., are drawn one after the other between the rollers.
The said fingers are jointed to the roller c', and while being free from the roller c
they are maintained in the position shown in the Drawing by means of springs,
whereas during their passage between the two rollers they recede into grooves cut
into the roller c¹. This roller is moreover provided with the requisite printing-dies.
Opposite to the course of the latter there is an inking roller g.
The letters are piled up in an inclined position on a series of straps q which run
over the rollers p and o, pivoted in a table or frame B³ fixed close to the main
rollers. An angular block B, which is attached to the said straps by being hooked
on the pins n, or otherwise, serves to keep the pile of letters in the position stated.
It has been found advantageous to place the roller p lower than the rollers o, so that
the straps with the letters run upward in an inclined direction, and this inclination
may even, if preferred, be made such as to cause the letters to assume a horizontal
position. Also instead of using the endless straps q, the block B¹ may be moved
forward by straps or strings which are coiled up on suitable rollers rotated
mechanically, and the block may be provided with wheels.
Against the face of the front or upper letter the bars or arms l, provided with
springs m or acting by their weight, exercise a light pressure, while the stationary
retaining fingers a, made of india-rubber or other similar material, and projecting
from below through the table B2, act against the lower edge of the letter.
The operation of the machine is as follows:-Either of the fingers h (of which
in the Drawing, for instance, two have been shown), having arrived during its
rotation with the roller c¹ close to the pile of letters, presses against the upper or
front letter, and, by friction or adhesion, draws it between the rollers c and c¹,
while the retaining fingers a serve to hold back the second letter of the pile.
During the passage of the letter between the rollers it is stamped by one of the
dies with which the roller c¹ is provided, and of which there must be as many as
there are fingers h. At the same time the finger which had drawn the letter
forward recedes into the corresponding groove of the upper roller when it comes
in contact with the lower roller. The letter after been stamped drops into

page_text: the box D. The pile of letters is pushed forward by a rotation of the roller P
by hand or by a suitable mechanism.
either
For the purpose of inking the stamping-dies, the machine may be provided with
any suitable known arrangement, but the improved inking-roller which the
inventor prefers to use, and which is shown on a larger scale by Figs. 3 to 6,
consists of a hollow cylinder d¹ closed at the ends, but having holes f¹, and provided
with a covering g' of cloth, felt, or any other suitable material adapted to imbibe
the printing-ink, which is put into the cylinder and which passes through the
holes f¹. For the purpose of allowing the cylinder to be filled with ink the
cover e¹ may be arranged so that it can be taken off, or other convenient means are
provided for this purpose. This roller is placed in bearings or between centres
opposite to the path of the stamping-dies of the roller c¹, so that the dies will
touch the same at every revolution, the ink required for stamping being thus
transferred to the face of the die.
In so far as the stamping of the letters with the date and place of reception and
of delivery is concerned the described machine is complete. Moreover, if the
postage-stamps where always put on the letters in the same place according to a
strictly enforced rule, such stamps might be cancelled by the die for the place
and date of reception, or by any additional die, which would only have to be
suitable located for the purpose. Considering, however, that the postage-stamps
are not always to be found in their proper place, the upper roller c' of the machine
at the forwarding post-office must be of such a nature that it will print over the
whole face of the letter certain marks, such as lines or dots, so that in no case the
postage stamp will fail to receive the cancelling stamp.
If it should be preferred, the feeding-apparatus of the machine may be combined
with a stamping-mechanisin differing from the one described; for instance, with a
mechanism having a reciprocating motion, but this arrangement would not present
the same advantages as the rotary motion of the stamping-dies. Moreover, the
letters, instead of being fed forward in longitudinal direction (with regard to the
centre-line of the machine) may be brought under the action of the grasping-fingers
from below.
In the modified arrangement of the machine represented by Figs. 7, 8, and 9, the
transporting-fingers are attached to an endless chain b, which runs over chain-
wheels fixed on the roller c¹ and an auxiliary roller c² placed near the delivery end
of the apparatus. Instead of the chain an endless band might be used. The said
rollers are fitted with a series of annular disks a³, consisting of or covered on their
periphery with india-rubber, which assist in carrying the letters along through the
machine. The stamping-dies / are attached to the disk fixed on the roller c¹ or
forming part of the same. The fingers are rigidly connected with the chain, and
this connection may be made by the pieces d, each of which is fixed to two pins of
the chain. To the roller c¹ motion is imparted from the fly-wheel e by the medium
of a cord f, or in other suitable manner. The roller will rotate by the friction
between it and the disks a³, but a special gearing, by preference a frictional gearing,
may be employed to drive the same from the roller c¹. B represents the pile of
letters, which is held in an inclined position by the supporting-block B¹, and the
forward motion of which is limited by the small rollers i, i. Instead of the latter
a thin plate may be employed, which covers the front letter with exception of
its lower part, against which the fingers h are to act. 7,1, are rods pressing by
their weight against the lower edge of the letters, and a retaining-fingers similar
to those described above. The letters B rests on straps q running around the
rollers o, o.
The manner of presenting the letters to the grasping-fingers may,
however, be varied as has already been stated herein before.
The machine described so far operates similarly to the machine of the first
arrangement. When it works any pair of the fingers h on touching the letter or
card which is at the top of the pile, draws it forward, and carries it between the
disks a³ and the roller, the said disks thus assisting the fingers in moving the
letter forward. During its passage between the rollers the letter is stamped by

page_text: the die k'. The operating pair of fingers continuing to press on the letter, draws
it towards the end of the table A. and ejects it at the end of the same.
As it may however happen that, in spite of the retaining-fingers a, two lettres
be introduced into the machine at once, the same is provided with a mechanisın
Berving to throw aside the second letter, which will pass the stamping-rollers
without receiving a print. This mechanism is as follows:-
In the table A there are a nmuber of transverse slits n, through which the
teeth n of a sort of rake project upward. This rake is acted upon by a lever p₁
turning on the fulcrum p², and provided at its outer end with a slit, through which
the pin p of the rake passes, so that the latter may move in a straight line, while
the lever operates in a circle. The said lever is connected by a rod having a
universal joint at either end to one arm of a bell-crank lever 1, Figs. 8 and 9,
whose other arm is jointed to the vertical rod r², this rod being guided at its upper
end and provided with a pin projecting into the cam-groove a¹ of the disk t, which
is keyed on the corresponding pivot of the roller c¹. The rotation of t thus causes a
vertical alternating motion of the rod 2, whereby the lower arm of the lever r¹ is
made to oscillate by an angle w, Fig. 9, and the lever p' by the angle w', Fig. 8.
The teeth n will consequently travel within the slits n from their position of rest
to the position u, u, and back. For the purpose of keeping the body of the rake at
a right angle to the direction of its motion, and of preventing a jamming of the
teeth n¹ in the slits n, the rake must be provided with a suitable guide or guides.
The form of the cam-groove 8¹ of the disk t, and its position with regard to the
roller c', are such that the rake will for the greater part of the time remain in its
position of rest shown in the Drawing, and that it will speedily travel across the
machine and backward after the passage of every letter along the table. The
surface of the table is covered at m, m, with a material presenting a certain degree
of roughness or of frictional resistance against the forward motion of the letters, such
as india-rubber. In addition thereto the retaining-fingers a³ may be used.
When under this arrangement two letters are drawn forward at once by any pair
of the fingers h, both will at first pass together between the rollers c¹ and k³, and
the upper one will be stamped. The letters however in their farther course meeting
with the rough surfaces m, m, these retain the lower letter while the upper letter
is carried onward by the transporting-fingers. As soon as the latter has completely
passed the slits n the teeth of the rake execute the motion described, and thereby
push the letter which has remained on the table sideward into a special
receptacle.
In this case the
Fig. 10 shows a modification of the specified arrangement.
table and the rollers are placed laterally at such an angle that a letter retained by
the rough surfaces m, m, will slide down by its weight after the fingers / have
drawn the upper letter away from it. No mechanism for pushing aside the letter
is thus required. Motion is transmitted to the roller c¹ from the fly-wheel e by
means of bevel-wheels f³.
If it should be preferred the stamping-arrangement may be combined with the
roller c, Figs. 7 and 8, instead of with the roller c¹, and a pair of springing-levers
operated by a cam-disk may be introduced for the purpose of stopping the letter
at the point of its course where it is to be stamped. Moreover, the device for
preventing two letters from passing the machine at once may consist in a roller
covered with india-rubber or other material presenting considerable friction, the
said roller being located close to the pile of letters, which is placed before the
machine in such a manner that the letters lie horizontal or nearly so. The said
roller rotating in a direction contrary to the roller c¹ will return to the pile any
letter which may have unduly been drawn forward together with the uppermost
letter.
Having thus described the nature and object of this Invention, and the
manner in which it is to be carried out in practice (as cominunicated to me by
my correspondent), I hereby claim as new and important features of the same,-
1. In a machine for stamping letters, postal-cards, and other similar articles to

page_text: be or having been forwarded by post, the combination of the transporting-fingers h.
made of india-rubber or other elastic material which presents considerable friction
with the rotating stamping-roller c¹, Figs. 1 and 2, or with an endless chain b
running over chain-wheels fixed on the two rollers c¹ and c³, Fig. 7 and 8, as and
for the purpose described.
2. The combination with the rollers c' and c, the chain b, and fingers h of the
disks a³, made of or covered with india-rubber or other similar material, and fixed
on the said rollers, as and for the purpose specified.
3. In combination with the transporting-fingers h the retaining-fingers a, made
of india-rubber or other similar material, substantially as berein-before described.
4. The inking-roller g, Figs. 3 to 6, consisting of a closed but perforated rotating
cylinder d¹, provided with a covering adapted to imbibe the printing-ink, the said
roller being placed so as to be touched by the stamping-dies, as hereinbefore
specified.
5. In combination with the essential parts by which the letters are caused to
pass through the machine, a stamping-device consisting either of a rotating disk or
cylinder, provided with a stamping-die or dies and a counter-pressing-roller or of
a reciprocating stamping-arrangement, as herein before described.
6. The combination with a letter-stamping-machine, in which the letters are
transported forward by elastic fingers fixed to an endless chain or band b, of an
apparatus serving to retain and throw aside the lower one of two letters which may
have passed into the machine at once, and consisting of the retaining-surfaces m,
of india-rubber or other suitable material presenting considerable friction (with or
without the retaining-fingers a²), and of a rake having the teeth or pins n¹ pro-
jecting through transverse slits n, and operated by a suitable mechanism so as to
travel across the table A and back after the passage of every letter, substantially as
specified.
7. In a letter-stamping-machine of the system represented by the Figures 7
and 8, the inclined arrangement of the table A. and the rollers c', c², and k³, together
with the parts belonging thereto, as described with reference to Fig. 10, for the
purpose of causing any letter not having received a stamp to slide from the table
by its own weight and without the use of the rake-arrangement.
In witness whereof, I, the said Carl Pieper, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fifteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty-one.
CARL PIEPER.
(LS.)