AN IMPROVED STAMPING MACHINE
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Louis Charles Meaulle, of No. 52, Rue Bicoquet,
Caen (Calvados), in the Empire of France, Surveyor of Highways, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED STAMPING MACHINE."
Sealed the 2nd May 1865, and dated the 8th November 1864
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Louis Charles Menulle at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th November 1864.
I, LOUIS CHARLES MEAULLE, of No. 52, Ruc Bicoquet, Caen (Calvados),
in the Empire of France, Surveyor of Ilighways, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED STAMPING MACHINE," to be as
follows:-
This improved stamping machine rests on a wooden, marble, or metal
stand, and its applications are varied and numerous.
The accompanying Sheet of Drawing forming part of this my Provisional
Specification represents the machine in position, the stamp resting on the
inking cushion or pad, Figure 1 being an elevation, and Figure 2 plan of
same.
S, S, indicating supports forming bearings; A, II, horizontal shaft; A, P,
axle perpendicular to the horizontal shaft; B, stamp, carrying balance beam;
C, C, straps or bands; E, stirrup or fork picce; L, lever; L', pedal; B, T,
knob; C, H, horizontal cylinder or slide bar: R, S, springs; 'T, P,. inking
cushion; B, R, brush; F, fountains with sump or cock; P, C, small spurs
P

page_text: or tumblers; P, P, small claws serving to turn the sheets, letters, or other
articles; T, stamp; G, V, large fly wheels; T, C, compensating rod; C, H, A,
chains.
When the hand presses on the knob B, T, the lever L receives the force
and transmits it to the hook or stirrup piece E, which in its turn commu-
nicates it to fly wheels by means of the straps or bands C, C. The horizontal
shaft A, H, makes half a turn forward, and the stamp carrying balance
beam B following this movement describes at its upper part half a circle,
the effect of which is to cause the stamp to leave the pad and go on to the
paper, while the lower part of the same balance B follows a horizontal line
traced by the cylinder C, H. This combination permits the balance B to
execute a movement analogous to that which must be made by the arm in
stamping by hand. I would, however, here observe that each pressure
of the hand on the knob B, T, permits the stamping of a sheet of paper,
whereas to produce the same result in stamping by hand two pressures of the
hand are required, the one to take the necessary ink and the other to impress
the stamp on the paper.
.
The inking cushion of pad T, P, receiving a circular motion by the action
of two small spurs or tumblers P, C, moved by eccentrics, presents all its
parts successively in passing under the brush B, R, which receives ink from
the fountains with cock or sump F, firstly to the ink distributing arrange-
ment and then to the stamp T. The result of this arrangement is, that the
stamp never rests twice on the same spot of the cushion T, P; that a part
of the cushion coming directly from the inking apparatus is constantly pre-
sented beneath the stamp T, thus giving to every stamp impressed a perfectly
.uniform tint. The inking cushion T, P, carries a toothed ring having 100
teeth, which are numbered from 1 to 100 (or more at pleasure), and thus
form a tell-tale indicating constantly and with the greatest exactness the
number of stamps impressed. After each operation the springs R, S, replace
the entire arrangement in position, and the stamping may be re-commenced
and continued indefinitely.
When the machine is worked by a pedal, the lever L' placed bneath the
'fect receives the dircct pressure of the foot, and effects analagous to those
above described are produced, but with a much greater rapidity than by hand
pressure, and presenting the paper to the machine becomes much easier as
both hands are at liberty. When the machine works at great speed its move-
ment is taken from a large fly wheel G, V, to which an indefinite number of
revolutions is given. The fly wheel may be worked by the pressure of the
foot, or by steam, gas, hydraulic, or any other power.

page_text: The machine will itself place and withdraw the papers, letters, or other
articles thrown in a pile within reach of the balance beam B by means of two
small claws P, P, receiving motion from the small spurs P, C, which turn the
inking cushion, from special eccentrics.
To obtain a dry stamp all that is required is to lower a small piece of
caoutchouc on to the inking cushion to prevent the stamp from taking ink.
By pressing on the knob B, T, the usual movement is produced, and the
stamp comes against a matrix which is placed on the spot where the wet stamp
was previously impressed.
These arrangements permit wet and dry stamping to be effected by the
same machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Louis Charles Meaulle in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 5th May 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LOUIS
CHARLES MEAULLE, of No. 52, Rue Bicoquet, Caen (Calvados), in the
Empire of France, Surveyor of Highways, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Louis Charles Meaulle, Her special licence that I, the said Louis
Charles Meaulle, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Louis Charles Meaulle, 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 STAMPING MACHINE," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Louis Charles Meaulle, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Louis Charles Meaulle, 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 :-
My improved stamping machine rests on a wooden, marble, or metal stand,
and its applications are varied and numerous.
The accompanying Sheet of Drawing, forming part of this my Specification,
represents the machine in position, the stamp resting on the inking cushion or
pad, Figure 1 being an elevation, and Figure 2 plan of same.
S, S, indicating supports (forming bearings); A, II, horizontal shaft;
A, P, axle perpendicular to the horizontal shaft; B, stamp-carrying balance
beam; R, R, fly wheels; C, C, straps or bands; E, stirrup or fork piece;
L, lever; L', pedal; B, T, knob; C, H, horizontal cylinder or slide bar;
R, S, springs; T, P, inking cushion; B, R, brush; F, fountains, with sump
or cock; P, C, small spurs or tumblers; P, P, small claws serving to turn
the sheets, letters, et cetera; T, stamp; G, V, large driving wheel; T, C,
compensating rod; C, II, A, chains.
When the hand presses on the knob B, T, the lever L receives the force
and transmits it to the hook or stirrup piece E, which in its turn commu-
nicates it to the fly wheels R, R, by means of the straps or bands C, C.
The horizontal shaft A, H, makes half a turn forward, and the stamp-
carrying balance beam B following this movement describes a its upper part
half a circle, the effect of which is to cause the stamp to leave the pad and go
on to the paper, while the lower part of the same balance B follows a horizontal
line traced by the cylinder C, II. This combination permits the balance B
to execute a movement analagous to that which must be made by the arm in
stamping by hand. I would however here observe that each pressure of the
hand on the knob B, T, effects the stamping of a sheet of paper, whereas,
to produce the same result in stamping by hand, two pressures of the hand
are required, the one to take the necessary ink and the other to impress the
stamp on the paper. It is therefore evident that the use of my improved
stamping machine reduces the actual labour by one half, inasmuch as each
pressure of the hand produces a stamp, while by hand stamping each impression
exacts two pressures of the hand.
The inking cushion or pad T, P, receiving a circular motion by the action
of two small spurs or tumblers P, C, moved by eccentrics, presents all its
parts successively in passing under the brush, B, R, which receives ink from
the fountain with cock or sump F, firstly, to the ink distributing arrange-
ment and then to the stamp T. The result of this arrangement is that the

page_text: stamp never rests twice on the same spot of the cushion T, P, that a part
of the cushion fresh from the inking apparatus is constantly presented beneath
the stamp T, thus giving to every stamp impressed a perfectly uniform tint.
The inking cushion T, P, carries a toothed ring having 100 teeth, which
are numbered from 1 to 100 (or more at pleasure), and thus form a tell-tale
indicating constantly and with the greatest exactness the number of stamps
impressed. After each operation the springs R, S, replace the entire
arrangement in position, and the stamping may be re-commenced and con-
tinued indefinitely.
When the machine is worked by the pedal L' it receives the direct pressure
of the foot, and effects analagous to those above described are produced but
with a much greater rapidity than by hand pressure, and presenting the
paper to the machine becomes much easier, as both hands are at liberty.
This manoeuvre is all the easier to practice inasmuch that it is not necessary
to run the sheets under the stamp but only to place them in a pile in front
of the balance B. It will be sufficient to uplift the part which it is desired
to stamp, or to take the sheets in one hand and allow them to fall the one
on the other, assisting this operation with the other hand. In fact the
operation is reduced to a mere running or turning over of the papers. This
operation is effected with all the more rapidity in that it is unnecessary to
entirely unfold the sheet of paper, the uplifting of the part which is to be
stamped being all that is required. It is always at one of the angles' or on
the margin of a sheet of paper that the stamp should be impressed in order
to leave it free of the writing or printing occupying the other parts of the
sheet. When the machine works at great speed its movement is taken
from a large fly wheel G, V, to which an indefinite number of revolutions is
given. The fly wheel may be worked by the pressure of the foot, or by steam,
gas, hydraulic, or any other power.
The machine will itself replace and withdraw the papers, letters, et cetera,
thrown in a pile within reach of the balance beam B, by means of two small
claws or paws P, P, receiving motion from the small spurs P, C, which turn
the inking cushion, or from special eccentrics.
To obtain a dry stamp all that is required is to lower a small piece of
caoutchouc on to the inking cushion to prevent the stamp from taking ink.
By pressing on the knob B, T, the usual movement is produced and the
stamp comes against a matrix which is placed on the spot where the wet
stamp was previously impressed.
These arrangements permit wet and dry stamping to be effected by the
same machine.

page_text: The stamping machine is constructed of any size, from 4 inches to 2 yards
long and more, which permits its application to every possible use, even to
printing.
It should be here observed that several stamp-carrying balance beams may
be, placed. on the same stand, and that each beam may carry several stamps
according to the number of impressions it is desired to produce at one blow.
The machine, may be arranged so as to apply. a wet and a dry stamp at the
same moment.
When several stamp-carrying balance beams are placed on the same stand
or plate, they are set in motion by levers similar to those shewn on the
Drawing, but so arranged as to be in proximity to the fingers, and, in a row
like the keys of a piano. The movements of my improved stamping machine
may be obtained by toothed gearing and escapement wheels, in fact I have
made some machines on these principles which. I have not deemed it
necessary to illustrate on the Drawing inasmuch as they do not in any way
alter the combinations of the apparatus, simply constituting different means of
arriving at the same result, and emporting no change into the method.
In witness whereof, I, the said Louis Charles Meaulle, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
L. C. MEAULLE. (L.s.)