IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SELF-INKING STAMPS FOR POSTAL
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to François Edouard Massey, of 39, Rue de l'Echiquier,
Paris, in the Empire of France, Mechanical Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SELF-INKING STAMPS FOR POSTAL
Sealed the 22nd August 1861, and dated the 23rd February 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said François Edouard, Massey.
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 23rd February 1861.
I, FRANÇOIS EDOUARD MASSEY, of 39, Rue de l'Echiquier, Paris, in the
Empire of France, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SELF-INKING STAMPS
BOR POSTAL AND OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in a peculiar arrangement of the motive mechanism.
and ink reservoirs of self-inking stamps, by means of which more certain and:
uniform results are obtained than by the instruments of that class at present'
known.
In my improved combinaison the whole motive mechanism is enclosed in
the hollow branches of a metallic frame, screwed or keyed to a wooden or
other handle. Between the two branches.is mounted (for postal purposes) a
double-faced die, one face of which carries the name of the district with the

page_text: moveable date, while the other forms the obliterating stamp. At the lower
extremity of the handle, and at a short distance above the upper face of the
die, is fitted a permeable pad communicating with an ink reservoir which is
lodged in a cavity immediately above, but still sufficiently low to be beyond
reach of the heat of the hand while the stamp is in use. By this position of
the ink reservoir I overcome one of the great obstacles to the general utility
of stamps of this description hitherto known. In such stamps the ink is
enclosed in a cavity formed in the entire length of the handle, and being there
liquified and expanded by the heat of the hand, percolates through the pad in
such excess as to destroy the sharpness of the impression produced. The
motive mechanism in each branch of the frame is mainly composed of a spiral
spring, combined with a small steel hook acting on a couple of upright pivots
secured to each side of the die. This die is so arranged as to run freely in the
branches between which it is suspended, and to turn over on its axes under
the pressure of the spiral spring. The escapement is completed by metallic
stays, and is secured in the branches of the frame by a simple key piece,.
which may be opened and closed at will by a movement of the handle, so as to
permit, of readily dismounting the detached pieces in case of need. At each
stroke of the stamp thus arranged, the die slides upwards between the
branches of the frame, compressing the spiral spring on each side until
checked by the pressure of its. upper: face on the inking pad. During this
movement the impression is produced by the opposite face. On the hand
being raised the spirals expand, repel the die by their pressure on the side
plates carrying the pivots, which catching in the downward passage on each
hook spring, turn over the die, and reverse the position of its faces; the one
which has just produced the impression being presented to the ink pad, while
the other inked at the same moment is presented to the object to be stamped.
The same series of movements is repeated at each stroke, one face of the die
being inked while the other produces the impression, and so on continuously.
'
In certain cases, as for instance, when a single-faced stamp only is required,
the flat inking pad may be replaced by a pierced cylindrical reservoir, covered.
with flannel or other permeable material, and the escapement be so arranged
as to produce at each stroke a complete revolution of the die, instead of a
half revolution, as in the postal stamp above described. On the other hand,
the number of stamping surfaces may be multiplied, if desired, the mechanism
being in this case so distributed as to divide each complete revolution of the
die by the number of stamps employed.
.
When such modifications are introduced it is simply requisite to increase or
diminish, as the case may be, the number of the turn pivots and of the hook-

page_text: spring catches, the rest of the mechanism being retained, as above described.
The general details of form, and mounting of the complete stamp, may be
varied according to the purpose for which it is intended.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of. the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said François Edouard Massey in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 22nd August 1861.
:
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANÇOIS,
EDOUARD MASSEY, of 39, Rue de l'Echiquier, Paris, in the Empire of France,.
Mechanical Engineer, send greeting.
:
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters:
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand. eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,:
the said François Edouard Massey, Her. special licence that I, 'the said.
François Edouard Massey, my executors, administrators, and assigns,. or such:
others as I, the said François Edouard Massey, 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 THE CONSTRUCTION OF SELF-INKING STAMPS
FOR POSTAL AND OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said François Edouard. Massey, 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 François Edouard Massey, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing, in
all the Figures of which the similar parts of the mechanism are indicated by
the same letters of reference, that is to say:
My Invention consists in a peculiar arrangement of the motive mechanism
and ink reservoirs of self-inking stamps, by means of which more certain. and
.

page_text: uniform results are obtained than in the instruments of that class at present
known...
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing is a full-sized front view of a stamp
for postal purposes. Figure 2 represents one of the sides of the same stamp,
less the moveable pieces, which are seen in detail in Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
Figure 9 represents the re-union of these moveable pieces, less the plate seen.
in Figures 7, 8. Figure 10 is a reproduction of the same Figure, with the
addition of the plate, Figures 7, 8. Figure 11 is a side view of the complete
stamp. As will be seen in the Drawing, the whole motive mechanism is
enclosed in.the hollow branches A, A, of a metallic frame B, B, screwed or
keyed to a wooden or other handle C. Between the two branches is mounted
a double-faced die D, one face of which (say, a) carries.the name of the dis-
trict, with the moveable date; while the other 2 forms the obliterating stamp.
In each side b, b, of this die D.is.pierced a hole, serving as bearing to the axles
of rotation, hereafter described. At the lower extremity of the handle, and at
a short distance above the upper face of the die, is.fitted a permeable pad E,
composed of several thicknesses of cloth, .flannel, or felt covered by a metallic
gauze, or pierced metal strainer F, communicating with an ink reservoir G,
which is lodged in a cavity immediately above, but still sufficiently low to be
beyond reach of the heat of the hand while the stamp is in use. By this
position of the ink reservoir I overcome one of the great obstacles to the
general utility of the stamps of this description hitherto known. In such
stamps the ink is enclosed in a cavity formed in the entire length of the handle,
and being there expanded and rendered more fluid by the heat of the hand,
percolates through the pad in such excess as to destroy the sharpness of the
impression produced. This reservoir, the form of which is seen in Figure 2,
and by the dotted lines Figures: 1, 11, may be closed
cork H, or by a caoutchouc or other suitable stopper.
in each branch of the frame is composed of a spiral
Fig. 6) combined with a small steel hook J, (seen apart in Eig. 5,) acting on a
couple of upright pivots K, L, secured to each side of the die. M is a small-
feather spring pressing in each branch on: the hook J.; N is a small plate
(seen apart in Figs. 7, 8) which when set in the framing covers in and main-
tains the detached parts of the mechanism, while its pivot 'n; passing into the
hole 6 of the die piece, forms one of the axles on which the latter revolves.
Figure 3 is a plate. by which the entire mechanism is covered in. This plate:
is fixed to the lower part of the framing B by a mortice. formed for that
purpose, and at the top by the platten O, O, provided with a stud or holdfast
át each side...A metallic. collar. P, P, screwed. on the threaded portion Q of
either by an ordinary
The motive mechanism
spring I, (seen apart in

page_text: the handle Fig. 2, serves to close down the plate 0, 0, and consolidate the
whole. A set of the detached pieces, above described, being enclosed in each
of the branches A, A, of the frame B, B, we have the complete apparatus as
seen in Figures 1; 11. At each stroke of the stamp thus arranged, the die D
slides upwards between the branches A, A, of the frame B, B, compressing the
spiral spring I on each-side until checked by the pressure of its upper-face Z
on the inking pad E. During this movement.the face Z is inked, while the
impression is produced by the opposite face a. In this position the spirals I
are compressed, as above noted, and one of the pivots (say, 'K, on each side is
caught by the hook J. On the hand being raised the spirals expand, repel
the die by their. pressure on the side plates carrying the pivots, which held in
the downward passage by each hook, turn the die over and reverse the position
of its faces; the one a which has just produced the impression being presented
to the ink pad, while the other Z inked at the same moment is presented to
the object to be stamped. The same series of movements is repeated at each
stroke, one face of the die being inked, while the other produces the impres-
sion, and so on continuously.
In certain cases, as for instance, when a single-faced stamp only is required,
the flat inking pad may be replaced by a pierced cylindrical reservoir or roller
covered with flannel or other permeable material, the escapement being so
arranged as to produce at each stroke a complete revolution of the die, instead
of a half revolution as in the postal stamp, above described. On the other
hand, the number of stamping surfaces may be multiplied, if desired, the
mechanism being in this case so distributed as to divide each complete revo-
lution of the die by the number of stamps employed.
When such modifications are introduced, it is simply requisite to increase or
diminish, as the case may be, the number of the turn pivots K, L, and of the
catches of the hook springs J, the rest of the mechanism being retained, as
above described. The general details of form and mounting of the complete
stamp may be varied according to the purpose for which it is intended.
.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of the said improve-
ments, and the manner of carrying them into effect, I would have it understood
that I not confine myself to the precise mechanical details above laid down, as
these may in many cases be modified without deviating from the principles or
main features of my Invention; but what I claim and desire to secure by
Letters Patent is, the construction and arrangement substantially as above
described and represented in the accompanying Drawing, of a revolving self-
inking stamp for postal and other purposes, which stamp is distinguished from
2.

page_text: all others of similar nature hitherto known by the following characteristic
features:
1stly, the enclosure of the entire motive mechanism or escapement in
hollow branches forming the two wings of a metallic frame, in which the die
piece is so suspended as to slide upwards to the inking pad at each stroke.
2dly, the peculiar arrangement of the ink reservoir, forming an independent
capacity at the lower extremity of the handle and beyond reach of the heat
evolved by the hand of the operator while the stamp is in use..
In witness whereof, I, the said François Edouard Massey have hereto.
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of. August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
F. E. MASSEY. (L.B.)