Improvements in Elastic Cushion Hand Stamps.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in Elastic Cushion Hand Stamps.
I, RICHARD HALE SMITH, of 293, Main Street, Springfield, in the County of
Hampden, State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Manufacturer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
My invention relates to that class of rubber stamps having an elastic cushion
between the printing die and the stamp head and my object is to provide a
cushion for such stamps which will fulfil its office more satisfactorily than those
heretofore made.
My object is further to provide a construction wherein the elastic cushion is
rendered more elastic or yielding at one or more of its edges than in the central
portion thereof, so as to avoid blurring which often results when the cushion is
of the same elasticity throughout.
My object is further to produce a construction of cushion for hand stamps by
the employment of which the resulting imprint is of uniform character through-
out, regardless of the fact whether the printing die is carried down evenly upon
the paper or not.
I accomplish the objects of my invention by the construction herein shown.
In the accompanying drawing in which like letters of reference indicate like
parts,
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wood mount rubber hand stamp provided
with my improved cushion.
Fig. 2 is an end elevation of one form of my improved cushion.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a moulding mount rubber hand stamp provided
with my improved cushion.
Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 are end elevations of metal mount rubber hand stamps
provided with different forms of my improved cushion.
Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a hand stamp showing another form of
proved cushion.
my
im-
2
Figs. 9 and 10 are end and side elevations of a rubber hand stamp showing
a modified form of my improved cushion, and
Duis Q77

page_text: Fig. 11 is an end elevation showing a cushion attached to the mount with its
wider face joining the mount and with the die mounted on the smaller face.
In detail a indicates the plate or block upon which the cushion is mounted,
a handle, c cushion and d printing die.
The construction and operation of my device will be readily understood upon
reference to the drawings in connection with the description herein.
In the operation of printing with rubber hand stamps, the die cannot always
be struck down exactly true upon the paper or other surface to be printed upon
and it is evident that either one edge or the other of the printing die will strike
first before the stamp rights itself and make a contact with the whole printing
surface and in this way the outside line or portion of the die which strikes first
receives more pressure than the rest of the die which often results in an uneven
imprint and this of course is objectionable, as such imprint does not present the
desired harmonious appearance.
My invention is designed to avoid this objectionable feature by so constructing
the cushion that it is more yielding at one or more of its edges, than in the rest
of the cushion, so that notwithstanding the fact that such edge is first brought
in contact with the surface being printed upon, the imprint will be uniform
throughout, because of the fact that the edge being more yielding gives way under
pressure and the type mounted upon that portion of the cushion will not be sub-
jected to a larger degree of pressure, than the remainder of type upon the die
and at the same time, as will readily be seen the desirable and extreme care
heretofore required in bringing the printing die squarely down upon the surface
is unnecessary and a uniform imprint may be made more readily than if the
cushion was not more yielding at its edge than in its central portion.
While the simplest form of cushion having an edge more yielding than the
body portion is constructed, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, 5, and 7, that is flaring
downwardly from the top to the bottom, it will readily be seen that a cushion
having a double flare such for instance, as illustrated in Figs. 2, 4, 6, 9 and 10
will accomplish the same result and in some instances be found more desirable,
depending of course upon the surface to be printed upon and in some cases
upon the area of the printing die and the location of the surface being printed
upon with reference to the operator.
In Fig. 8 I illustrate a modification, it being a cushion formed in steps and
it will readily be seen that this construction as well as the straight flare may be
formed in one piece or of separate and of independent layers of elastic material.
While I prefer that the cushion be constructed of rubber sponge or similar
material or constructed as shown in Letters Patent No. 858 dated 14th January
1895 heretofore issued to me for improvement in cushions for hand stamps. It
will readily be seen that any suitable elastic material, may be employed and if it
be so constructed as to have less backing at the edges than toward the central
portion of the die the desired result will be accomplished.
In some instances I construct the cushions so they flare at all their edges while in
others this becomes unnecessary and as generally used the flaring at the sides
is found sufficient as the stamp is usually applied with one of the long sides
towards the operator and in. cushions which may conveniently have square ends.
I, in some instances manufacture the cushion in long strips and of various
widths, so that the retailer who usually assembles the mount die and cushion
as ordered by the customer may cut from the strip lengths suitable for the die
and mount for which it is intended, thus providing a cheap and serviceable
cushion which may be applied to both metal and wood mounts of various styles,
sizes and constructions.
Another advantage found in the employment of a cushion having faces of
different widths or formed with flaring edges, is that if a party care to sacrifice
the super elastic edge he may invert the cushion and attach the wider face to the
mount and attach the printing die to the narrower face, thus the cushion may
be employed with and will fit mounts of two different sizes.

page_text: I find that when the die is attached to the narrow face that the resulting
imprint is more uniform than if a cushion having plain vertical walls be used,
because of the fact that with such vertical walls, there is a tendency of the
cushion to buckle at the edge and thus tend to distort the die at the edge. This
objectionable feature is entirely avoided when the walls of the cushion do not
present a plain vertical face.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1st. An elastic cushion for a rubber printing stamp constructed of one or
more layers of rubber or other elastic material and having its die carrying
surface projecting beyond the adjacent portion of the body of the cushion, sub-
stantially as described.
2nd. In a printing stamp an elastic cushion interposed between the printing
die and the mount block when the cushion is formed with under-cut edges for
the purpose described.
3rd. In a printing stamp an elastic die cushion, constructed with undercut-
edges, substantially as shown and described.
4th. In a printing stamp, an elastic cushion having under-cut edges, inter-
posed between the printing die and the stamp head.
5th. A cushion for hand printing stamps having one or more flaring edges
whereby the same is rendered more yielding at such edge.
Dated this 9th day of September 1898.
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicant.