AN IMPROVED HAND STAMP FOR PRINTING LETTERS, NUMERALS, AND OTHER FIGURES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Johnson Aspinall, of Tuebrook, near Liver-
pool, in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
HAND STAMP FOR PRINTING LETTERS, NUMERALS, AND OTHER FIGURES."
Sealed the 1st December 1865, and dated the 5th June, 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Johnson Aspinall
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th June 1865.
I, ALFRED JOHNSON ASPINALL, of Tuebrook, near Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVED HAND STAMP FOR PRINTING LETTERS, NUMERALS, AND OTHER FIGURES,"
to be as follows (that is to say):-
This Invention has for its object an improved hand stamp for priuiting
letters, numerals, and other figures, such as postmarks on letters, and other
like impressions, and consists of a handle or shank the lower end of which is
formed with a pair of forked jaws or standards, between which are mounted,
on a transverse axle, wheels, on the periphery of which are engraved the
numerals, letters, or other devices required. On the end of the fork is fitted
an oval, square, circular, or other suitably formed frame or plate, which may
be engraved, say, in the case of a post marking stamp, with the naine of the
town, and so forth, and through which plate a mortice or hole is formed in the

page_text: centre thereof, so as to allow the wheels (on the periphery of which are
engraved the letters and figures for impressing the date, that is to say, the
month and day of the month, and the year when required,) to revolve and be
brought up flush with the surface of the fixed frame or plate.
In one modification of this date-impressing stainp one wheel may be used,
upon the periphery of which is engraved the names of the twelve calendar
months, but in the case of the numeral wheels, it is preferred to have only one
series of numerals on each wheel. If preferred, in place of engraving the
whole of the letters required to spell each separate month on one wheel, two
or more wheels may be substituted therefor, for the purpose of reducing the
number of letters required to spell the names of the months. The wheels,
on the periphery of which are engraved the letters and numerals, are held in
position by means of transverse locking pins, or bolts, which pass through the
sides of the frame standard, and into holes formed in the side of the wheels.
Of course it will be understood that the letters, figures, or other devices, on
the periphery of the wheels, and the stationary face plate may be produced by
casting, engraving, chasing, or in any other convenient manner. The stationary
face plate may be permanently attached to the parallel jaws of the apparatus,
or it may be constructed so as to be held in position by the transverse
locking pins or bolts herein-before described, for holding the several
wheels in position, by which means the face plate may be changed at
pleasure.
"
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-Assume that the apparatus is
for post marking letters, the stationary face plate will have engraved upon it,
say, London, W.C., and the official number and letter of the post office and
the date is formed by turning the wheels round to the proper position to im-
press the date, when the said wheels are held in position by means of the
latteral locking pins or bolts herein-before described; when the stamp is ready
for use all that is required being to ink the same and impress the same on the
letter to be marked in the ordinary way.
In some cases it is preferred to mount the stamp on the end of a stationary
or swivelling arm, and to provide the apparatus with a self-acting inking pad,
when the apparatus may be actuated by concussion or in any other convenient
way, which modification may be carried out by causing the handle of the
stamp to work through a coller or hole on the outer end of an arm, which may
be either stationary or formed so as to swivel; and the self-acting inking pads
may consist of two small ports or flaps, mounted horizontally on fixed bearings
below the stamp when elevated, small springs or their mechanical equivalent
being used to keep the inking pad flaps against the face of the stamp when

page_text: elevated, but which give way downwards and latterally on the descent of the
stamp, so as to allow it to pass between them and on the letter or other article to
be marked. On the stamp being again elevated, which can be done by means of
& spring, or in any other convenient manner, the inking pad flaps return to
their horizontal position, and again come into contact with the face of the
stamp.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alfred Johnson Aspinall in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 5th December 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
JOHNSON ASPINALL, of Tuebrook, near Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Alfred Johnson Aspinall, Her special licence that I, the said Alfred
Johnson Aspinall, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Alfred Johnson Aspinall, 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 "AN IMPROVED HAND STAMP FOR PRINTING LETTERS, NUMERALS, AND OTHER
FIGURES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alfred Johnson
Aspinall, 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 Alfred Johnson Aspinall, 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 (that is to say):-
This my said Invention has for its object an improved, hand stamp for

page_text: printing letters, numerals, and other figures, such as postmarks on letters
and other like impressions, and consists of a handle or shank, the lower end of
which is formed with a pair of forked jaws or standards, between which are
mounted on a transverse axle, wheels, on the periphery of which are engraved
the numerals, letters, or other devices required. On the end of the fork
is fitted an oval, square, circular, or other suitably formed frame or plate,
which may be engraved, say, in the case of a post marking stamp with the
name of the town and so forth, and through which plate a mortice or hole is
formed in the centre thereof, so as to allow the wheels (on the periphery of
which are engraved the letters and figures for impressing the date, that is to
say, the month and day of the month, and year when required) to revolve, and
be brought up flush with the surface of the fixed frame or plate.
In one 'modification of this date impressing stamp one wheel may be used,
upon: the periphery of which are engraved the names of the twelve calendar
months, but in the case of the numeral wheels I prefer to have only one series
of numerals on each wheel. If preferred, in place of engraving the whole of
the letters required to spell each seperate month on one wheel, two or more
wheels may be substituted therefor, for the purpose of reducing the number of
letters required to spell the names of the months. The wheels, on the
periphery of which are engraved the letters and numerals, are held in position
by means of transverse locking pins or bolts, which pass through the sides of
the frame standard; and into holes formed in the side of the wheels. Of course
it will be understood that the letters, figures, and other devices on the periphery
of the wheels and stationary face plate may be produced by casting, engraving,
chasing, or in any other convenient manner. The stationary face plate may
be permanently, attached to the parallel jaws of the apparatus, or it may be
constructed so as to be held in position by screws, or be so fitted as to be held
in position by the transverse locking pins or bolts herein-before described, for
holding the several wheels in position, by which means the face plate may be
changed at pleasure.
The action of this my improved apparatus is as follows:-Assume that the
apparatus is for post marking letters, the stationary face plate will have engraved
upon it say, "London, W.C.," and the official number or letter of the post office,
and the date is formed by turning the wheels round to the proper position to im-
press the date, when the said wheels are held in position by means of latteral
locking pins or bolts herein-before described. When the stamp is ready for
use, all that is required being to ink the same and impress the same on the
letter to be marked in the ordinary way.
In some cases I prefer to mount the stamp on the end of a stationary or

page_text: swivelling arm and to provide the apparatus with self-acting inking pads; as
is well understood, but for which I make no claim, when the apparatus may
be actuated by concussion, or in any other convenient way; which last
modification may be carried out by causing the handle of the stamp to work
through a coller or hole on the outer end of an arm. which may be either
stationary or formed so as to swivel. And the self-acting inking pads may
consist of two small ports or flaps, mounted horizontally on fixed bearings below
the stamp when elevated, small springs or their mechanical equivalent being
used to keep the inking pad flaps against the face of the stamp, when elevated, but
which give way latterally on the descent of the stamp so as to allow it to pass
letween them and on the letter or. other article to be marked. On the stamp
being again elevated, which can be done by means of a spring, or in any other
convenient manner, the inking pad flaps return to their horizontal position and
again come into contact with the face of the stamp. -
That this my said Invention may be more clearly understood, I have: here-
unto annexed Drawings of so much of a hand stamp, constructed according to
my Invention, as will be necessary to enable any ordinary person acquainted
with the art to carry out the Invention, like letters and figures marked thereon
being used to denote similar parts:
Figure 1 is a front or face view of one of my improved hand stamps!;
and Figure 2.is a side view of the head of the apparatus;. Figure 3. is à
longitudinal section, taken from a to b, Figure 1; Figure 4 is a section, taken
from c.to.d, Figures 1 and 3, which contains the wheel on the periphery of
which is engraved the names of the months of the year, and which it will be
observed is formed with a blank, so that the stamp may be used, if required,
to allow the name of the month to be afterwards written in. Figure 5 is the
first numeral wheel for the day of the month, and which it will be observed is
cut so that on the flat portion being turned round to the face of the stamp it
will give no impression; and Figure 6 is the second numeral wheel for the
units of the day of the month, it being engraved on the periphery with the
numerals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 0. Figure 7 is a longitudinal section,
taken from to f, Figures 1 and 3, on the periphery of which is engraved the
year A.D.
G, handle of the stamp, which it is preferred should be of wood, and
which takes into II a socket on the end of the stamp, formed with J, a frame
or forked jaw, to the head of which is attached K, a frame, the surface of
which may
be engraved, with any required device, and which is attached to tho
forked frame by L, screwed pins; M, the transverse pin which forms the axis
of the several wheels; N, the locking pin, which is held in position by P, the

page_text: screwed nut; Q, the wheel, on the periphery of which the months of the year
are engraved; R, the first numeral wheel for the date of the month; S, the
second numeral wheel for the date of the month; T, the wheel on the
periphery of which is engraved the year A.D.; U, the holes through the sides
of the wheels for receiving the locking pin N; W, the holes for receiving the
axle pin M.
It will now be readily observed that when the stamp is required for use, by
taking off the nut P, the locking pin N may be withdrawn, when the several
wheels will be free to turn on their axis, that they may be adjusted to give
the required date; when the locking pin is returned and the nut P screwed on
the apparatus is ready for use. In using the apparatus all that is required is
to apply the surface of the stamp first to the inking pad and then to the article
to be impressed or printed with the required date, and so forth..
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of this my said
Invention, and how I believe the same may be best carried into practical
effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise
forms in detail, relative proportions, or dimensions herein-before described
and set forth, as it will be readily seen the same may be considerably. varied
without departing from the Invention, but what I claim as new and my
Invention is, the general arrangement and combination of the various parts of
the apparatus, substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein-before
described and set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Johnson Aspinall, have hereunto
set my hand and affixed my seal, this Fourth day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
ALFRED JOHNSON (L.B.) ASPINALL.
Witness,
WILLIAM WALKER,
Of 44, Castle Street,
Liverpool.