IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING DAMPING AND FIXING POSTAGE STAMPS OR OTHER LABELS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, ALEC BROWETT of 161 Highbury Hill in the County of Middlesex, Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR SEPARATING DAMPING AND FIXING POSTAGE STAMPS OR OTHER LABELS" and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My Invention has for its object to provide a simple and convenient apparatus
for separating postage stamps or other labels singly from a sheet or strip damping
the same and affixing them on to letters or other surfaces whereby is obviated the
necessity for the objectionable method hitherto usually adopted of separating the
stamps or labels by tearing with the fingers and of damping the said stamps or
labels with the tongue.
I will describe my Invention with reference to the accompanying sheet of
drawings Figure 1 of which is a plan of the table or platform of the apparatus
upon which the sheet or strip of stamps or labels is placed in position to be
separated and damped as hereinafter described.
Figure 2 is a vertical section of the table the section being taken along the
line 1-2 in Figure 1 and Figure 3 is a similar section taken along the line 3-4
Figure 1. Figure 4 is a vertical section of the instrument used in conjunction
with the said table for effecting the separation of the stamps or labels singly from
the sheet or strip, effecting the damping of the separated stamps or labels and
afterwards the affixing of them on to letters or other surfaces. Figure 5 is a
vertical section at right angles to Figure 4 of the lower portion of the said
instrument and Figure 6 is a plan of the under side or face of the said instrument.
The sheet of stamps or labels is placed on the surface of the table A with the
gummed side downwards or next the table and with the corner stamp or label of
the sheet or the end stamp or label of a strip or stamps inserted in a slit or
opening a provided between the surface of the table and a guide B secured thereto,
which guide is for the purpose of ensuring the stamp or label to be separated;
being placed in the correct position to be severed by the instrument Figures 4. 5
and 6 as hereinafter described This guide may be formed in one with the
cutter C as shewn in my drawings or it may be made separato therefrom and fixed
to the table by any suitable means. The cutting edge of the cutter extends along

page_text: two sides of a rectangular parallelogram as shewn in Figure 1 so as to act upon
the two unsevered sides of the corner stamp or label This cutter is fixed in
a recess in the table A with its cutting edge level with or slightly below the surface
thereof, so as to prevent it from interfering with the feeding up of the stamp or
label to be severed from the sheet or strip.
Within this cutter is fitted a piece or block of absorbent material or substance D
(pumice stone is I believe the most suitable substance for the purpose) the upper
surface of which is maintained in a wet condition by capillary attraction the lower
part of the block being immersed in water contained in a trough or reservoir E
fixed to the underside of the table A and supplied with water through an
opening b closed by a suitable plug or stopper c The block D is provided with a
cylindrical or other passage or chamber F in which is fitted to work a piston G.
The face of this piston is normally maintained above the surface of the block D by
a spring & bearing at one end against the under side of the head of the piston and
at its opposite end against a collar e fixed in the chamber or passage F which collar
also serves as a guide to the stem ƒ of the piston G.-The height to which the
piston G is made to project above the block D may conveniently be regulated as
desired by a cap g screwed more or less on to the stem of the said cap in the normal
position of the piston bearing against a nut h which holds the cylinder or
chamber F in position.-The corner stamp or label of a sheet or strip having been
placed in position on the guide B as herein before described the plunger H of the
instrument Figure 4 is inserted in the guide B The edges of the face of this
plunger form a cutting edge sliding inside and in contact with the cutter C so as
to operate therewith after the manner of shears to separate when depressed the
stamp or label from the sheet or strip. The stamp or label thus separated from
the sheet or strip is by the further depression of the instrument Figure 4 pressed
against the top surface of the block D whereby the gummed surface of the stamp
is damped The piston G is by the descent of the plunger H forced into the
cylinder F the spring & being consequently compressed.
A passage is formed through the plunger H communicating with a tubular
stem I fixed to the rear of the said plunger and having fixed to its upper end a
collapsible structure or vessel such for example as a hollow ball or chamber K of
india rubber or other suitable flexible material enclosed in an outer casing L
which forms the handle or knob by means of which the plunger H is depressed.
This casing is fitted to slide on the tubular stem I and in or over the corre-
spondingly formed extension H¹ of the plunger, a spring M being interposed
between the said plunger and the casing L which tends to separate them from
each other.
When pressure is exerted upon the knob L for the purpose of separating the
stamp or label from the sheet or strip and of pressing it into the damping block D
the casing is caused to slide on the tubular stem I and cylindrical portion H' of
the plunger whereby the flexible ball or chamber I and the spring M are com-
pressed and the air eontained in the flexible chamber is forced therefrom through
the tubular stem I, passage k in the plunger thence through the branch passage k¹
and past the spring valve k³.
When pressure is removed from the plunger and the plunger raised from the
block D the vacuum caused or suction exerted by the tendency of the collapsible
vessel or ball K to return to its original position will cause the damped stamp or
label to adhere to the plunger the removal of the damped stamp or label from the
block D being facilitated by the simultaneous rising of the piston G by the
expansion of the spring d.
The plunger with the damped stamp or label adhering thereto is then removed
from the guide B, and pressed upon the letter or other surface to which the stamp
or label is to be affixed-The pressure exerted upon the knob K for this purpose
will cause the vacuum or power of suction previously formed to be destroyed, by
admitting air through the valve k², and thus the stamp or label will be released
from the surface of the plunger which stamp will then adhere to the surface against

page_text: which it was pressed. I are passages communicating with the recess in the table
in which the plunger slides to allow the air to escape as the plunger H descends
therein for the purpose of damping the stamp.
I do not limit myself to the precise details herein before described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings as it will be evident that they may be varied
within considerable limits without departing from the nature of my Invention.
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
First The combination of parts, constituting an apparatus for separating,
damping and fixing postage stamps and other labels, constructed arranged and
operating substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by my drawings.
Second-For effecting the separation damping and fixing of stamps or other
labels an instrument for causing the stamp or label to adhere thereto by the power
due to suction or a vacuum brought into action substantially as herein before
described with referred to Figures 4, 5, and 6 of the accompanying Drawings.
:-
Third The apparatus for effecting the separation and damping of stamps or
labels preparatory to fixing them upon envelopes or other surfaces substantially as
herein before described and illustrated by Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying
Drawings.
J. HENRY JOHNSON,
Agent for the said Alec Browett.