AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OP NUMBERING APPARATUS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Eugène Tardif, of Bruxelles, in the Kingdom of
Belgium, Merchant, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OP
NUMBERING APPARATUS."
Sealed the 24th April 1855, and dated the 6th March 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Eugène Tardif at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th March 1855.
I, EUGÈNE TARDIF, of Bruxelles, in the Kingdom of Belgium, Merchant,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
CONSTRUCTION OF NUMBERING APPARATUS" to be as follows:
The object of this Invention is to facilitate the printing of consecutive
numbers from hand stamps, by applying thereto a contrivance for turning
the numbering discs while the apparatus is being moved by the hand (after
each impress) to the inking pad to take up a fresh supply of ink. I am
thus enabled to bring round the number in their proper rotation to ink the
discs, and print off an impression in the same time and with as quick succession
as impressions can be given off from a simple stamp.
The means which I prefer to employ for effecting the axial motion of the
discs is to attach the click which acts upon the unit's disc wheel to a sliding

page_text: bar which works in guides in the frame of the numbering apparatus, and
to connect this sliding bar to a rod, which passes through the handle of the
apparatus, and carries a button or knob at its upper end to receive the pressure
of the thumb of the operator. A coiled spring in the handle will, after each
depression, return the rod to its elevated position, and thereby draw the click
into a proper position for acting upon the next succeeding tooth of the unit's
disc wheel. By thus providing a means of imparting axial motion to the
numbering discs by the pressure of the thumb or a finger of the hand which
carries the apparatus, it will be evident that the time now occupied in
adjusting the discs of hand stamps. employed for consecutive numbering after
each impression will be saved, and thus the operation of consecutive numbering
by hand stamps will be greatly facilitated.
To the lower part of the apparatus I apply a rest, which will enable the
operator to bring down the printing surface with great precision on to
the book, ticket, or other article to be printed, and thereby ensure a good
impression of the numbers.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Eugène Tardif in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th September 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EUGENE
TARDIF, of Bruxelles, in the Kingdom of Belgium, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Iler reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Eugene Tardif, Her special licence that I, the said Eugene Tardif,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Eugene Tardif, 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 CON-
STRUCTION OF NUMBERING APPARATUS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Eugene Tardif, by an instrument in writing under my band and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,

page_text: 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 Eugene Tardif, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to. be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
The object of this Invention is to facilitate the printing of consecutive
numbers from hand stamps. For this purpose I apply to the hand stamp or
numbering apparatus a contrivance for turning the numbering discs during
the transit of the apparatus (after each impress) from the article stamped
to the inking pad to take up a fresh supply of ink; I am thus enabled to
bring round the numbers in their proper rotation, to ink the discs, and print
off an impression in the same time and with as quick succession as impressions
can be given off from a simple stamp.
The means which I prefer to employ for effecting the axial motion of the
dises is shewn in several views in the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 being a
front elevation of the apparatus complete; Fig. 2, a partial back elevation;
Fig. 3, a vertical section taken through the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a
partial section taken through the line 3, 4, of the same Figure; and Fig. 5,
a vertical section taken through the central line of the numbering discs.
a, a, is a metal frame connected to a hollow handle b, by which the operator
holds the apparatus when in use. A removable pin c, which has its bearings in
the lower end of the metal frame a, carries the numbering discs d and the
star or ratchet wheels e, with which they are respectively connected. These
star or ratchet wheels are each acted upon by a click f, as in the ordinary
construction of numbering apparatus, for the purpose of rotating the num-
bering wheels or discs d. The click f, which acts upon the unit's disc
wheel d, is attached to a sliding bar g, which works in guides i, i, in the
frame a. This sliding bar is connected by means of a lug projecting there-
from to a rod k, which passes through the handle 6 of the apparatus, and
carries a button or knob at its upper end to receive the pressure of the
thumb of the operator. A coiled spring m in the handle 6 serves to retain
this rod and button at their highest elevation, but when the button is pressed
upon,
it will yield to the pressure and permit the bar g, and with it the click f*,
to move down and drive the star wheel attached to the numbering disc d'
round the distance of one tooth. When the pressure is removed from the
-button 1, the elasticity of the spring m will return the rod to its elevated

page_text: position, and thereby draw the click f* into a proper position for acting upon
the next succeeding tooth of the unit's disc wheel. By thus providing a
means of imparting axial motion to the numbering discs by the pressure of
the thumb or a finger of the hand which carries the apparatus, it will be
evident that the time now occupied in adjusting the discs of hand stamps
employed for consecutive numbering after each impression will be saved, and
thus the operation of consecutive numbering by hand stamps will be greatly
facilitated. In order to insure the proper action of the click f* upon its
wheel e, I connect it loosely to the bar g, forming in the bar a slot, which
receives an ear projecting from the back of the click, and securing the con-
nection by means of a spring which is attached to the bar and presses upon
the click. On the descent, therefore, of the bar by the pressure put on the
button, the click will drive round the ratchet wheel e one tooth, and as
the coiled spring m acts to return the click to its raised position, the click
will be free to slide over the tooth next succeeding that which it had just
driven down, and take a position above it ready for the next operation. The
numbering wheels are provided (as shewn at Fig. 4) with spring clicks f and
stop pins, as is usual in such apparatus for communicating rotary motion from
one to the other (the unit wheel being the prime motor), after every tenth
hundredth and one thousandth impression (respectively) made by the appa-
ratus. At the hinder part of the frame a, spring stops o, o, are provided, for
the purpose of bearing against the star wheels, and preventing the numbering
discs from moving on their axle, except when driven as above explained. To
the lower part of the apparatus I apply a rest, which will enable the operator
to bring down the printing surface with great precision on to the book, ticket,
or other article to be printed, and thereby ensure a good impression of the
numbers. This rest consists simply of a plate of metal p, to which two
parallel rods q, q, are attached. These rods pass through two lugs, which
project from opposite sides of the frame a, and they thus hold the plate p so
that the bottom edge of the plate will be in a line with the lowest row of
figures on the numbering discs. To prevent the unsightly and useless printing
of 0 before the numeral, the figure 0 on all the numbering discs but the unit
disc are made removable (see Fig. 5), and they are severally inserted in their
respective places just prior to their being called into use.
Having set forth the nature of my Invention of An Improved Construc-
tion of Numbering Apparatus, and explained the manner of carrying the
same into effect, I wish it to be understood, that under the above in part
recited Letters Patent I claim,.—
First, actuating the numbering discs of hand stamps by the means above

page_text: described, or any mere modification thereof, whereby I am enabled to expedite
he operation of stamping numbers by hand, the apparatus being virtually
elf-adjusting.
And, secondly, I claim the use of the rest in combination with the apparatus,
s above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Eugene Tardif, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Third day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
EUG. TARDIF. (L.S.)