Year: 1887

page_text: I, DANIEL JOSEPH HARDING, residing at 49, Bull Block, Louisville, in the County
of Jefferson, and State of Kentucky, one of the United States of America, gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of the said invention, and in what manner the same is to
he performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This invention has relation to instruments for canceling stamps, checks, etc and it
consists in the construction and novel arrangement of parts as hereinafter described
and claimed.
In the accompanying drawings, the letter A designates the metallic body of the
instrument, which may be provided with a metallic or wooden handle B, which is
usually attached to said body by means of its threaded extremity C, the latter engaging
the threaded bearing D in the body of the instrument.
Usually, I provide on one side of the body an ordinary dating stamp E which is set
upon a spring or springs and works upon a guide or guides.
As usually constructed, the body A consists of a cap plate, G, and the boxings F
and H, respectively for the dating stamp and for the canceller.
Or the body may be single being provided only with the boxing H for the canceller.
The boxing H is preferably cylindrical and is formed with a central bore I in
opposite sides of which are formed the oblique cam grooves a, a which have an angular
deviation from the axial plane of about fifteen or twenty degrees, the object being to
give a positive and quick action to the cutter K whose stem P, is provided with the
studs, cc, on opposite sides engaging said cam grooves.
Above the central bore I, in the boxing is the interspace, i, which gives play to the
cutter stem and guide rods when the impact is made.
Said boxing H is also formed with guide apertures, dd, parallel with the central
bore and adapted to receive the guide rods L, of the bearing head N. These guide
apertures are enlarged in their lower portions to receive the springs e, which engage
the bearing head and serve to force it outward when not pressed down upon the stamp
or paper. In the lower face of the bearing head is usually formed an annular groove
or seat for the annular pad, g of cork or other proper material.
The bearing head is as shown, usually made of considerable greater diameter than
the cutter which works in the central portion thereof in order to assist in securing true
action of the latter and to provide a guard to permit the cutter from being forced too
deeply into the envelope or other paper upon which the instrument is acting. To

page_text: insure greater security in this particular, the head N is provided with an outer circular
guard, which is formed with oblique slots through which are passed the screws k which
engage threaded perforations of the head; when these screws are loosened, the annular
guard can be turned to adjust its height relatively to that of the cutter, so that the
latter can be given just as much action as may be required. In this manner the head
may be adjusted to permit the cutter to act on the stamp of an envelope without cutting
the material of the envelope under the stamp.
The central bearing of the head N is usually cup shaped or formed with a conical
bottom shoulder to provide a seat for the under portion of the cutter head, m, which
is also usually conical in form the object being to provide a bearing against which the
cutter can easily and readily revolve when the impact is made. As usually constructed
this bearing, 7, is made in the form of a hushing let into the central opening of the
head N.
The cutter K consists of the stem portion P and the head. The stem portion is
provided with the studs or. projections c c on opposite sides to engage the cam grooves
of the boxing H.
It is also formed with a stop, o, at its inner end to engage the inner end of the
central hearing of the boxin gto prevent the cutter from moving outward beyond a certain
point. Usually this stop is made in the form of a large headed screw which is secured
in a central threaded perforation of the stem as shown: The stem is also provided
with a transverse pin or stop, s which serves a similar purpose with reference to the
bearing head N, preventing the cutter from projecting beyond the face of the latter
beyond a certain point. It will be observed that in this construction, the instrument
is adapted to be readily and easily taken to pieces for repair or other purpose.
The head of the cutter is usually somewhat larger than the stem in diameter, as
hereinbefore indicated. Its face which is set a little beyond or above the head N is
formed with radial cutting edges indicated at vv, made by removing V-shaped
portions of the face of the cutter as shown. These cutting edges are usually in the
Same plane, and are rectilinear or so related to each other that their action will be
uniform, the cuts made by them being of the same depth throughout.
The action of the cutter is rotary. In the normal position, the bearing head N is
held outward or away from the boxing by the spring action. When however the
impact is made by a quick smart blow, the instrument being struck downward upon
the stamped envelope or other matter, the boxing is forced downward toward the
bearing head and moving along the stem of the cutter acts upon the latter by the
engagement of its cam grooves to forcibly rotate the cutter when in intimate or
forcible contact with the stamp cutting the latter to such depth as may be permitted
by the adjustment.
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 stamp canceller, the combination with the boxing having the oblique cam
grooves, and guide apertures of the independent bearing head, its guide rods and
springs surrounding said rods, the cutter having stem projections engaging said cam
grooves, and the stops respectively for the box bearing and the head bearing,
substantially as specified.
2. In a stamp-canceller, the combination with the bearing head carrying a rotary
cutter centrally located, of the adjustable annular guard having oblique slots, and the
screws, whereby said annular guard is secured to the bearing head, substantially as
specified.