A New or Improved Apparatus for Damping, Dividing, and Affixing Postage Stamps or other Gummed Articles.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Dec., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 2nd May, 1889-Accepted, 6th July, 1889
IDIONAL DIBUITIVATION.
A New or Improved Apparatus for Damping, Dividing, and Affixing
Postage Stamps or other Gummed Articles.
.
1, LETITIA SMITH, of Thornbury, in the County of Gloucestershire, Spinster, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to a new or improved apparatus for damping, dividing and
affixing postage stamps or other gummed articles.
According to my invention I provide a foundation plate of india-rubber or
suitable material, whose under-side is formed with grooves or depressions to prevent
the same from slipping. Upon this foundation plate I erect contiguously a shallow
box, a middle compartment and a water reservoir. The box has a lid hinged upon a strip
of material fixed to the front wall of the middle compartment and whose front end
is curved up to form a handle. This lid rests upon a ledge formed around the
inner sides of the box, which ledge is provided all round with small notches, the
front and side notches being respectively equal to the width and length of a postage
stamp. This ledge is further furnished with narrow strips of horn or other suitable
material for holding the stamps in position in their centre. The under surface of
the said lid is provided with longitudinal and cross strips of horn or other suitable
material corresponding to the above mentioned notches and intersecting each other
so as to form rectangular and sharp outlines equal to those of the postage stamps
arranged below them and which they are intended to divide.
These stamps are placed upon a perforated sheet of india-rubber arranged in the
box above a layer of cotton wool, sponge or other suitable absorbing material placed at
the bottom thereof and reaching the perforated part of the front wall of the middle
compartment, which also forms the back of the box above described. This perforated
front wall forms one side, and a lower wall the other side of the said middle compart-
ment. This lower wall likewise forms the rear end of the water reservoir which has
a slanting top furnished with a tubular neck provided with a lid and serving for filling
purposes.
I further provide a tool having a rectangular basis and a curved and thin top whose
width is equal to that of a postage stamp.
HUGHES, ELI & HUGHES,
76, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents for Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Apparatus for Damping, Dividing, and Affixing
Postage Stamps or other Gummed Articles.
I, LETITIA SMITH, of Thornbury in the County of Gloucestershire, Spinster, 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, that is to say :-
My Invention relates to a new or improved apparatus for damping, dividing and
affixing postage stamps or other gummed articles.
According to my Invention I provide a foundation plate of india rubber or other
suitable material whose underside is formed with grooves or depressions to prevent
the same from slipping. Upon this foundation plate I erect contiguously a shallow
box, a middle compartment, and a water reservoir. The box has a lid hinged upon
a strip of material fixed to the front wall of the middle compartment and the front
end of which is curved up to form a handle. This lid rests on a ledge formed around
the inner sides of the box which ledge is provided all round with notches, the front
† P 83 I

page_text: and side notches being respectively equal in width and length to a postage stamp.
This ledge is further furnished with narrow strips of horn or other suitable material
for holding the stamps in position in their centre. The under surface of the said lid
is provided with longitudinal and cross strips of horn or other suitable material
corresponding to the above mentioned notches and intersecting each other so as to
form rectangular and sharp outlines equal to those of the postage stamps arranged
below them and which they are intended to divide.
I further provide a tool having a rectangular top and a curved and thin end whose
width is equal to that of a postage stamp.
And in order that my invention may be more fully understood I have shewn the
same in the accompanying sheet of illustrative drawings in which Fig. 1 is a sectional
elevation of my apparatus, Fig. 2 being a plan of the stamp box proper. Fig. 3 is a
plan of my improved tool for fixing the stamps. Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line xx
of fig. 3.
This apparatus, as already stated, is composed of three compartments, a stamp
box B, a central compartment C and a water reservoir R erected upon a foundation
plate P of india rubber or other suitable material. This stamp box has a lid L fixed
thereto and provided inside with horizontal scolloped ivory edges e e &c. intersecting
one another so as to form rectangles the size of a stamp and corresponding to the
intervals iii on the top of the box B as shewn clearly in Fig. 2. A drawer D
furnished with a handle H slides to and fro in the upper part of the said lid and
serves for the storage of the stamp sheets. The box B is divided into compartments
the size of a stamp by means of perforated india rubber partitions p, p, &c. as shewn
at 9, intervals ii &c. being left between the walls of each of these compartments for
the ivory edges e, e, e, &c. to penetrate therein as above stated and separate the
perforated edges of the stamp sheet. These compartments are filled up with suitable
porous material such as cloth &c., and which is covered with a sheet of leather or
other suitable material. A spaces is left between the box B and the compartment C
and is likewise filled with porous material its object being to prevent the water from
entering too rapidly in the box B and making the porous material too wet. This
middle compartment C is perforated at its base as shewn for the purpose above
stated and has an opening o at the top. The water reservoir is a separate receptacle R,
hinged at g to the compartment C and it is furnished with an opening o¹ corresponding
with the opening o of the middle compartment C, the said receptacle R has a lip. n
closed by a hinged lid 2, through which lip water is poured in the same. A handle c
is provided as shewn, and helps to raise the reservoir in order to pour a small
quantity of water in the compartment C. When this has been done, the water will
permeate through the compartments in the box B filled with porous material and
dampen them and with them the covering sheet of leather. A sheet of stamps
having now been placed on the top of the box, the lid is closed and thus severs
the stamps by means of its scolloped ivory edges and dampen them at the same
time as they are being pressed on the leather covering of the compartments. The
tool shewn in fig. 3 and made of vulcanite or other suitable material is then seized
by the hand and its thin edge m is passed under a stamp on the top of the box a
finger being laid thereon so that the stamp now dampened and severed, is
subsequently conveyed to an envelope, wrapper, or the like and affixed thereon by
merely pressing it with the thick end b of the tool. This thick end 6 forms a box b
containing a sponge or other porous substance which is dampened and used to
moisten the stamps, should the porous material be soaked in the water owing to the
apparatus having been accidentally upset. The india rubber foundation plate P is
provided with grooves t, t, to prevent slipping. When the apparatus is intended to
be used for labels, the size only of the compartments and tool have to be altered.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be, performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The improved apparatus for damping dividing and affixing postage stamps or

page_text: other gummed articles such as labels arranged, constructed and operating substantially
as and for the purpose described.
2. In combination with the above claimed apparatus, the use of a tool arranged
and operating substantially as and for the purpose described.
Dated this 2nd day of May 1889.
HUGHES, ELI & HUGHES,
76, Chancery Lane, London, W., Agents for the Applicant.