Improvements in Machines for Stamping Letters and other Packets.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Sept., 1895-4ccepted, 19th Oct., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Stamping Letters and other
Packets.
1, WINFIELD L. DINSMOOR, of 451, East Davis Street, Portland, in the
County of Multnomah, and State of Oregon, United States of America, Clothing
Salesman, 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 a machine especially adapted for applying stamps to
letters and other packets to be mailed, and the object of the invention is to provide
a machine of simple, durable, and economic construction, which is capable of being
operated by one hand, leaving the other hand of the operator free for the
manipulation of the packets to be stamped, and which is so constructed that a large
number of stamps may be stored within the machine and fed out one by one,
moistened and applied to a packet.
The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several
paris, as will be hereinafter fully set forth and pointed out in the claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
Specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts
in all the figures.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine, a portion of the body being broken
away;
Figure 2 is an edge view of the machine;
Figure 3 is a side elevation, the side shown being the reverse of that illustrated
in Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical section through the machine;
Figure 5 is a plan view of the water or moistening cup; and
Figure 6 is a horizontal section, taken practically on the line 6-6 of Figure 4.
The machine comprises a casing A and base B between which is provided a
space 11 which extends rearwards to the end frame 10 by which the casing A is
connected to the base B.
The body A of the casing forms a single chamber, and the casing and base inay
be, and preferably are, made in two parts secured together by screws or other
fastening devices.
The base is covered at the top by a table 12 and ways are constructed on the top
of the base upon which the said table may slide.
This table is given a cushioned upper surface 13 as shewn in Figures 1 and 4,
and a spring 14 is secured to the table, preferably at its outer end, the inner end
of the spring being attached to the base, the said spring acting to force the table
inward so that its inner end will engage with the inner face of the end frame 10 of
the casing.
Upon the lower face of the said table 12 a tongue 15 is secured, which extends
from a point near its inner end in direction of the outer end of the table, as shown
best in Figure 4; and the said table is furthermore provided with a handle 16,
preferably secured at one side and extending beyond the rear of the casing,
terminating in a knob, or its equivalent.
A chamber is made in the base B, in which a cup 17 is introduced, the cup being
adapted to contain water, as shown in Figure 4. Within this cup a lever 18 is
Fulcrumed at or near one of its ends, and the lever normally rests upon a cushioned

page_text: bar 19 in the bottom portion of the cup, being held firmly in engagement with the
cushion on said bar by means of a spring 21, which is usually coiled around the
pivot 20 of the lever. At the inner or lower end of this lever a receptacle 22 is
secured, preferably open at the top, the front and rear ends and a portion of the
bottom, and a sponge 23 is secured in this receptacle, being held between the side
plates thereof; or any equivalent of the sponge may be employed. The cushion
on the bar has its top surface substantially on a level with the water so as to
absorb a portion of the water and transfer the moisture thus absorbed to the
absorbent material in the receptacle 22; thus it will be seen that the material in
the receptacle 22 will not come in direct contact with the body of water, thereby
preventing an excess of moisture in said material. In other words, the cushioned
bar not only serves to limit the downward movement of the receptacle 22, but
also as a retarding device for an excess of moisture in the material carried by the
receptacle 22.
At or near the pivot end of the moistening lever 18, a hook or recess 23* is
made, which when the table 12 is moved outward receives the tongue 15 of the
table, and by means of the said tongue, the sponge or other moistening material
at the inner end of the said lever is elevated and made to pass up from the base.
A drum 24 is mounted to revolve in the upper portion of the chamber A, and
may be turned at will from the exterior of the casing through the medium of a
button 24 or like device attached to the spindle of the drum. A. tape 25, made
up of stamps, is wound upon this drum, the said line of stamps being constructed
by tearing the stamps in single rows from the sheet in which they come, and
connecting the ends of the rows.
The roll of stamps on the drum is engaged by a friction roller 26, mounted on a
spring shank, being attached to a support 26". Beneath the roll or drum of stamps
a wheel 27 is mounted to revolve in the bottom portion of the chamber A, which
wheel is provided with peripheral teeth 28 located at such intervals apart that the
teeth will enter the perforations between the stamps, since the tape of stamps
after leaving the tension roller 26 is passed around the wheel 27; and the
lowermost stamp is adapted to extend partially out through an opening 29 in the
bottom of the chamber, as shown in Figure 4, being guided to the said opening
by a spring throat plate 30, slotted for the passage of the pins 28 of the guide
wheel.
A spring guard 31 is secured in the casing in front of and preferably above the
said wheel 27, which spring guard extends downward along the front peripheral
portion of the wheel, engaging with the stamps and holding them in place, tension
being applied to the said spring guard by a door 34, closing an opening in the
front edge of the casing, through which the stamps are introduced to be placed
on the drum. The hinge of the said door, or any equivalent projection, engages
with the spring guard 31 when the door is closed, and a suitable lock 35 is provided
for the said door.
A plunger 32 is fitted to slide in the casing, back of the wheel 27, the said
plunger being adapted to travel out through the bottom of the casing immediately
in front of the opening 29 through which the stamps pass; and the plunger may
be forced downward sufficiently far to engage with the cushion 13 of the
table 12. The plunger is held normally within the casing through the medium of
a spring 33, which is placed under tension when the plunger is forced downward.
A lever 36, preferably a yoke lever, is made to straddle the casing at the rear,
the said lever which is pivoted to the casing at its forward end, being provided at
its rear end with a hook 36*, or other form of handle. This lever is held normally
in an upper inclined position through the medium of a spring 37, attached to the
casing and also to a cross bar 37ª, extending from one member of the lever to
the other, and passing through curved slots 38 made in the sides of the casing;
and when the lever 36 is depressed, the connecting bar 37ª will engage with the
top of the plunger 32, and force said plunger down.
The connecting bar 37* is provided with an arm 37b, extending downward from

page_text: ne of its ends; and the lower end of this extension or arm 37° is curved or bent
pon itself to form a dog, and enters a slot 39 made in one side of the casing,
s shown in Figure 3, this dog portion of the lever arm 37 being adapted to
nter any one of a number of recesses 40 made in the outer face of the wheel 27,
he said recesses being more or less inclined; and each time that the lever 36
forced downward, its attached dog will pass over the inclined portion of the
When, however, the
tamp-carrying wheel and the wheel will be free to turn.
ever is carried upward by its spring 37, the dog striking the squared or straight
portion of the recess 40 will rotate the wheel in a direction to carry the next
tamp to the opening 29 in the casing. A detent 41, is employed to hold the
wheel stationary when the machine is not in use.
In the operation of this machine the lever 36 is pressed down, for example, with
the thumb of the right hand, while the fingers of the same hand dropping naturally
Before
downward, will be enabled to grasp the handle 16 of the table.
manipulating the lever 36 the handle is forced outward, whereupon the sponge
or moistening device located in the water compartment of the base, will be
carried upward to engage with the gummed surface of the stamp, which will be
The handle 16 being
face downward and immediately beneath the plunger 32.
released, the table will return to its normal position, whereupon the lever 36 is
forced downward carrying the plunger 32 with it, and the front edge of the
plunger, which is provided with serrations or teeth 32, as the plunger moves
downward will cut the stamp from the one with which it is connected, and the
plunger will then press the moistened stamp upon the letter or packet which has
It is obvious that
previously been placed on the table 12 beneath the plunger.
with a machine constructed as above set forth, the stamping of packets or of
letters may be expeditiously and conveniently accomplished.
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. In a machine for stamping packets, a plunger, a lever operating the same,
a table located beneath the plunger, means, substantially as shown and described,
for moving the said table from beneath the plunger, and a moistening lever
operated by the movement of the table, as and for the purpose specified.
2. In a device for stamping packets, a spring-controlled plunger, a sliding table
located below the plunger, a stainp-feeding device independent of the plunger and
operated simultaneously with the upward movement of the plunger, and a
moistening device operated from the said table, as and for the purpose specified.
3. In a machine for stamping packets, a spring-controlled plunger, a lever
operating the same, a stamp-feeding device operated from the said lever, the
stamps being fed to the said plunger and beneath the same, a cutting surface
formed on the said plunger, a vertically-removable moistening device, and a
movable table with which the plunger is adapted to contact, a movement of
said table imparting motion to the moistening device, as and for the purpose
specified.
4. In a machine for stamping packets, a spring-controlled plunger, a lever
operating the same, a stamp-feeding device operated from the said lever, the
stamps being fed to the said plunger and beneath the same, a cutting surface.
formed on the said plunger, a table having sliding movement below the plunger,
a spring-controlled lever provided with moistening material, and an extension
from the table adapted for contact with the lever when the table is moved
outwardly, causing the moistening material to be carried upward substantially to
an engagment with the bottom of the plunger, as and for the purpose specified.
5. In a device for stamping letters and other packets, the combination, with a
spring-controlled plunger, a lever operating the same, a stamp-carrying wheel, and
5 a dog operated by the said lever and operating said wheel, the wheel being adapted
to feed the stamps carried thereby to the bottom of the plunger, of a water

page_text: receptacle located beneath the plunger, a table mounted to slide on the said
receptacle, a lever located in 'the said water receptacle, being provided with
moistening material, and an extension from the table, adapted for engagement with
the said lever, to elevate the moistening material thereof when the table is forced
outward, as and for the purpose specified.
6. In a device for stamping letters and the like, the combination, with feeding
mechanism, of a water receptacle, a moistening device comprising absorbent
material movable into and out of the said receptacle and a part supporting an
absorbent material in said water receptacle, serving to supply moisture to the
'movable absorbent material and also serving as a stop to limit the downward
.movement of said first named absorbent material, substantially as described.
Dated this 17th day of September 1895.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.