Obliterating Postage Stamps, and other such like Purposes.
Year: 1884

page_text: Obliterating Postage Stamps, and other such like Purposes.
I, WILLIAM HENRY BECK of 115 Cannon Street in the City of London, Consulting
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"A NEW OR IMPROVED STAMPING APPARATUS FOR STAMPING LETTERS, OBLITERATING
POSTAGE STAMPS, AND OTHER SUCH LIKE PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
The apparatus forming the subject of the present invention is intended more
especially for stamping letters and obliterating postage stamps, but it is also
applicable to other similar purposes; it is of simple construction, of low cost in
order to make it generally applicable to post office use, and is operated in a manner
which differs but little from the hand apparatus at present in use, but it possesses
the advantage over the latter of causing less fatigue to the person using it, by
restricting the movements to what is absolutely necessary, and consequently of
enabling the machine to produce much more perfect work, to work inore rapidly,
and to yield a greater production.
In principle the new or improved apparatus is composed of a kind of arm with
a jointed pivot fixed on a table of any suitable kind and of a special arched form
to allow of the storing (on the side of the pivoted joint) of a large number of the
letters to be stamped and obliterated, and carrying, at the end presented to the
the mechanism intended for the operations of stamping and obliterating. This
mechanism comprises :-
user,
A vertical stem furnished at its lower end with the required dies and die-carriers
mounted on the said stem by a bayonet sleeve.
A simplified arrangement for inking the said dies by means of a perforated
tubular inking roller covered with cloth or felt and provided with a stirrer in order
to keep the ink agitated.
An elastic piston which serves to hold the letters steady before, during, and after
the stamping operation, to detach the letter from the die after stamping, and to
render the manipulation less fatiguing and quicker by causing the pivoting part to
rebound.

page_text: An arrangement of levers carrying the inking roller by which it is caused to
retire on the descent of the dies, and to remain stationary at the moment of
stamping.
The mechanism is actuated by one hand applied to the stem for the purpose of
effecting its descent, at the same time that it is directed to the right or left as
required by the position of the postage stamps on the letters, which letters are
distributed or placed one by one under the dies by the other hand. The ascent of
the stem is effected by a spiral spring of steel wire of great length, taking its point
of support on the pivoting arm, and acting uniformly on the stem of the die-carrier
to raise it and effect the inking of the said dies.
A case or frame is arranged on the fixed pivot, in which various materials and
utensils may be carried, such as ink, oil, etcetera.

page_text: The axis e, which is fixed at bottom in a shoe e' screwed on the table t, serves to
support a case or frame e¹ the compartments of which are intended to receive
bottles of ink, lubricating oil and so forth.
The arch b is a prolongation of the pivot a and forks at the other end into two
parallel branches c c¹ on which are taken the points of supports and pivoting of the
parts of the stamping and inking mechanism.
This mechanism comprises first the stem f carrying the dies g g¹ and the essential'
part h for stopping and holding the letters during the stamping; second the levers i
and j which oscillate on to fixed axes k and crossing the branches c c¹, and are
jointed at f1 f to the stem fs so as to form a parallelogram f¹ fl. k; third the
inking roller the journals of which take into the ends of two independent
levers m m¹ oscillating on a common axis n which is paralled to the axes kl, and
like them crosses the branches c c¹ of the crane and fourth, the spiral spring R
enclosed between the plates p p¹ of a kind of barrel, and raising, by its free end,
the lever i, the stem fand the other lever j.
The stem between the joints f¹ ƒ is cylindrical for being held by the hand and
serving as a handle, but it is also furnished above the joint f' with a small saddle
(sellette) q on which the fingers of the hand are placed astride the stem f, in order
to exert on the latter the pressure necessary for its descent.
Below the joint f' the stem f is shaped so as to present at 8 8¹ to the right and
left, the cages or sockets into which the die-carriers g g' are fitted, and at 83 the
place for the piston h. This piston is mounted elastically with easy friction and is
regulated by means of the nut h¹, in order that the external and lower face shall
come in contact with the envelope to be stamped before the dies.
These dies are mounted in the die-carriers g g¹ both alike and shaped as shown
in Figure 7 that is to say, with a base g to receive the stamp, a flattened
cylindrical part g³ for adjustment in the vertical hole, of the same diameter, with
which the parts 8 and 8 of the stem is perforated, and finally a tail or
appendage g which has a double object. In the first place it serves for locking the
stamp carrier in one or other of the parts 8 8¹ which for that purpose are grooved
from top to bottom externally in a plane perpendicular to the general axis of the
crane, the flattened part of the die stem passes into the groove in the direction of
the thickness; it is sufficient to lower the tail on the axis to fix the die carrier to.
the stem f by a bayonet sleeve which fixture is maintained by springs u u¹ with
catches or tappets falling into the notches of the tails or appendages g*. In the
second place these appendages are useful for stamping by hand in case of emergency
and when from some cause the machine cannot be used, and it is required to stamp
and obliterate one or more envelopes or letters. The removal of the dies from
the die carriers 8 8¹ is facilitated by pressure brought to bear on them by a pointed
instrument introduced into the hole gº.
The upper lever i of the parallelogram has near the middle of its length a plate
on which the lifting spring R acts, which plate bears (at the extreme upper position
of the die carrier f) against a stop covered with leather or other substance for
deadening shock.
The lower lever j is furnished externally with two friction rollers v v¹ which
correspond to the two levers m m¹ carrying the inking roller r¹. These levers are
of a special form which concurs with the action of the die carrier to ink the dies
and to leave the inker at rest during the time the stamping is taking place.
Oscillating.at n the two levers m m obey the spring x fixed on the lower cross
piece y connecting the branches c.c¹ and acting on a rod x' connecting the levers m m¹
below their pivoting point n. This spring tends constantly to place the roller ¹
in the extreme position shown in the drawing which position is limited by the cross
stopy of the branches c c¹. When the stem f is lowered the friction rollers v v¹
quickly reach the levers m m¹ and force them (after the inking is effected) out of
the way of the passage of the dies and hold them steady while the impression is
being made and especially at the moment of the blow the effect of which is that

page_text: The double jointed pivoting arrangement of the arm or crane b consisting of
the pivot a, the gallows-piece d, and the fixed pivot e, whereby the arm or
crane b is enabled to carry the stamping mechanism to a greater or less
distance from the pivot e, as hereinbefore described, and illustrated in
Figure 1 of the drawings hereto annexed.
The method of jointing the gallows-piece d to the pivot of the arm or crane
whereby the said arm or crane can be quickly removed or dismounted, as
hereinbefore described, and illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings hereto
annexed.
The employment of a parallelogram k f¹ƒ³l with a stem fat the end of an
arched arm 6 capable of turning completely round on its pivot.
-Mounting the die carriers g g₁ on the stem ƒ by means of sleeves with
bayonet joints, as hereinbefore described, and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 5,6
and 7 of the drawings hereto annexed.
The arrangement of the spring piston h connected either with the stem for
with the levers i and j, for the purpose of holding the letter before, during
and after the stamping and for detaching the letter from the die after
stamping, as herein before described, and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of
the drawings hereto annexed.
-The independent arrangement of the levers m m¹ carrying the inking roller,
and their combination with the lower oscillating lever j of the parallelogram
as hereinbefore described, and illustrated in Figures 1, 3, 4, 9 and 10 of the
drawings hereto annexed.
The arrangement of the spiral spring R with adjustable tension for the
purpose of raising the inking and stamping mechanism as hereinbefore
described, and illustrated in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings hereto
annexed.
-The employment of a case or cases e¹ on the fixed pivot e for receiving
various accessory utensils, as herein before described and illustrated in
Figures 1 and 8 of the drawings hereto annexed.
-The application of the machine to a simple shelf t which allows of its being
placed in position without previous preparation.
The tubular inker r¹ the friction plug r³, the covering of cloth, cotton or
felt r cut obliquely and simply sewn at the two ends and the middle, the
stem or rod for stirring or agitating the ink the whole arranged, combined
and operating as herein before described, and illustrated in Figures 4, 11
and 12 of the drawings hereto annexed.
-The arrangements whereby the machine can be used with one or two dies
at pleasure as herein before described.
A
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1
CAT
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