IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR IMPRESSING THE POST-MARK AND OBLITERATING THE STAMP ON LETTERS, POSTCARDS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES, WHICH SAID IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO STAMPING MACHINES FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Edwin Ambrose Brydges at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd August 1882. Com-
municated to him by David Grove Sanitary Engineer of the City of Berlin'
and Andreas Plümécke of the town of Osterwedding in the Kingdom of
Prussia and German Empire.
EDWIN AMBROSE BRYDGES of the firm of Brydges & Co Engineers and
Patent Solicitors of 107 Königgrätzer Str. in the city of Berlin and German
Empire and of 6 St. Leonard's Terrace Upton in the county of Middlesex.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR IMPRESSING THE POST-MARK AND OBLITERATING
THE STAMP ON LETTERS, POSTCARDS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES, WHICH SAID
IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO STAMPING MACHINES FOR OTHER PURPOSES,'
a communication to me by David Grove, Sanitary Engineer of the city of Berlin
aforesaid and Andreas Plumecke of the town of Osterwedding in the Kingdom
of Prussia and German Empire.
"
This invention relates to improvements in machines for impressing the postmark
and obliterating the stamp on letters, post cards and similar articles, which said
improvements are applicable to stamping machines for other purposes, and is
intended to do away with the troublesome hand operation.
This said machine is so constructed that a lever arm is set in operation in such a
manner that the letters, postcards or other objects are stamped, and the stamp
which is attached to the said lever arm is automatically provided with fresh ink
or color
At the same time a combination of levers is set in motion, which causes the
stamped letters postcards or other articles to be thrown into a suitably arranged
basket.
.
With our machine letters, post cards or other similar articles can be stamped
with the greatest rapidity and certainty and automatically thrown into the
collecting basket.
The machine or apparatus is arranged on a table, and can be set in motion in
any desirable manner, for instance by means of a tread board to which a connecting
rod is fixed by means of a pivot.
This said rod is at its opposite extremity connected to a crank, which sets the
-

page_text: axle, which drives the various mechanisms, in motion. This axle runs in hanging
brackets and carries a fly wheel on one end for the purpose of assuring a steady
motion.
Two separate devices are arranged on the main axle, one consists of an
excentric, the rod of which is connected by a pivot to a slide. This slide runs on
suitable guides and is moved to and fro with every revolution of the excentric.
On the opposite side of the slide a connecting rod is arranged which acts upon a
pin or pivot. This pin moves in a slot in the table top or board, operates with its
top end on a lever, which is attached to the main pivot upon which the stamp-lever
turns and thus effects a revolution of the said main pivot.
On the opposite side of this said pivot a second lever is arranged which said
lever effects the action of the device for throwing off the letters.
The following is a description of the device for throwing off the letters:
An arm connected to the beforementioned lever slides up and down in a slot in
the table.
This arm is provided on the lower surface with an inclined projection, which
slides on the throw off arm, which said arm is also provided with a similar
projection. The throw off arm turns on a pivot and is provided at the bottom or
lower surface with a pin upon which springs are arranged to act; a suitable set
screw being employed to adjust the said springs. An india rubber plate is attached
to the lower surface of the throw off arm so that the thinnest letters and postcards
can be thrown off, without being injured in any way.
The before mentioned pivot is hollow and is provided at the top with a fork,
which said fork forms the bearings for the stamp lever.
The free end of this lever carries the stamp which is arranged so that the letters
and figures or the whole stamp is or are interchangeable.
For causing the stamp lever to fall with sufficient force a spring is employed, one
end of which moves in a slot of one of the fork arms of the hollow pivot and the
other end of which is connected to or carried by a small carrier, which is arranged
to slide on the upper part of the stamp lever and thus enables the said spring to be
adjusted
For the purpose of raising the stamp lever a rod which rests or works on a
suitable cam fixed to the axle of the machine, is arranged to work up and down
inside the before mentioned main pivot; this said rod being connected to the
stamp by means of a pin.
The ink or color pad is arranged to turn round so that the stamp does not stamp
twice in succession on the same point. The bottom of the color or ink pad is
provided with a pin or pivot upon which a small lever and a ratchet wheel are
arranged.
The opposite extremity of the lever rests loosely upon the connecting rod
which effects the turning of the pivot of the stamp lever. Suitable projections
are arranged on this said connecting rod, which said projections carry the small
lever to and fro with every stroke.
In order to prevent the pad from being moved backwards by the lever a spring
pawl is arranged to connect the ratchet wheel and the lever.
When the lever is moved in the one direction the ink pad and the ratchet wheel
are turned by the spring pawl, when however the lever is moved backwards the
pawl slides over the teeth of the wheel.
The second mechanism which is set in operation by the revolution of the shaft
or axle consists of those parts which effect the raising of the stamp lever and the
movement of the same between the ink-pad and the point of stamping. The
stamp lever is raised by means of a rod which works up and down in the interior
of the hollow pivot, and this said rod is set in action by a cam, the axle of which is
driven by a tooth wheel which is in gearing with another tooth wheel fixed to the
main axle.
The following is the mode of operation of the machine.
The axle is driven by treading the treadle or by means of a suitable motor,

page_text: This causes the beforementioned excentric to revolve and this motion is
transferred to the pivot of the stamp lever, by means of the slide, so that this said
main pivot causes the stamp lever to take up a position immediately over the ink
pad. During this time the cam which raises the stamp lever has, with a transfer
proportion of the tooth wheels of 1 to 2, performed a complete revolution and thus
the stamp lever is raised, and now consequent upon the descent of the raising rod,
the stamp-lever is caused to fall by the action of the spring.
During this first part of the movement, the ink-pad remains stationary as the
spring pawl to the ratchet wheel of the same glides over the said ratchet teeth,
although the lever to the same is moved by the projections on the connecting rod
to the pivot of the stamp lever.
When the main axle makes another half revolution the cam to the stamp lever
is caused to perform another complete revolution. With this movement the stamp.
lever is caused to strike the letter or post card desired to be stamped instead of
the inkpad.
With this movement the ink pad is caused to make a partial revolution by
means of the arrangement afore-described.
A second revolution of the axle now takes place. This causes the hollow pivot
to turn round and the inclined projection of the throw off arm is acted upon by
the corresponding inclined projection on the connection lever.
This causes the throw off arm to turn on its pivot until the two inclined or
tapering projections have passed one another, upon which the throw off arm in-
consequence of the action of the spring throws the stamped letter into the basket
or box provided for that purpose..
With the return motion of the connection lever the lever to the throw-off arm is
caused to slide over the same to its original position.
In order to avoid the consequences of the mechanism turning in the wrong
direction a suitable arrangement can be made on the fly wheel or otherwise so that
it can only turn in one direction.
We also employ a modification of our machine or apparatus, which has the
advantage that the sidewards motion of the stamp lever is obviated; the stamp
being so arranged that it receives its ink upon the.upward movement.
The stamp slides up and down between guides, which said guides are held by the
stationary double armed lever a few centimeters above the surface of the table.
The stamp lever which is worked up and down by means of a cam and spring as
before described is situate between the arms of the double armed lever,
The ink pad is in this modification arranged so that the stamp strikes the same
on the upward movement, a suitable ink receptacle being fixed above the same in
order to supply it regularly with ink. Behind the felt disc of the pad a metal disc
is arranged and upon this said disc a spring acts in order to cause the pad to come
into proper contact with the stamp.
The throw off mechanism is also considerably simplified in this modification.
This said mechanism is set in operation by a crank or arm which is fixed to the
main axle of the machine.
This arm operates on a small lever which is attached to a vertically arranged
pin or axle; this said pin or axle turns round and with it another lever, which is
fixed to the top of the said pin or axle.
In this manner the throw off arm by means of a suitable connection rod is caused
to take up the preparatory position, and as soon as the arm has passed the lever,
the strong spring acts upon the throw off arm and projects the stamped letter into
the basket.
A weaker spring is employed to bring the throw off arm back into its original
position.
The crank or arm for operating the throw off mechanism is arranged 90°
(degrees) in advance of the cam for raising the stamp lever so that after the
stamping has taken place and the stamp has performed a quarter of its distance the
throw off arm begins to operate.
1

page_text: Instead of using the abovementioned crank or arm and the two springs, we also
employ a disc attached in like manner to the axle and provided with a suitable
notch or recess so that the arm to the pin or axle enters the notch by means of the
torsion spring or its equivalent around the said rod and is at once forced outwards
so as to bring back the throw. off arm into its original position.
The arrangement for effecting the automatic revolution of the ink pad is as
follows.
The metal disc for holding the pad is provided with a pin or pivot upon which
a ratchet wheel is fixed. A pawl which gears with this ratchet wheel is attached
by a pin to a two-armed lever. The opposite extremity of this said lever is acted
upon by a tapering projection on the arm of the stamp frame. This motion is
transferred to the pawl and the pawl causes the ratchet wheel and with it the ink
pad to revolve a certain distance.
When the arm of the stamp frame descends a suitably arranged spring causes
the pawl to return to its original position where it remains until the stamp again
ascends..
By this means the ink pad is struck by the stamp always at a different point
and thus prevented from being too rapidly worn away in one position. An india
rubber disc is arranged between the ink pad and the metal disc in order to
compensate the blows of the stamp.
The pivot or axle of the ink pad is made hollow and orifices are made in the
india rubber disc so that the ink can be constantly fed to the ink pad.