Improvements in Marking-stamps.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Aug., 1894-Accepted, 22nd Sept., 1894
COMI LETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Marking-stamps.
I, CHARLES HUTCHINSON THOMPSON, of No. 39 West 27th Street, New York
City, in the County and State of New York, United States of America, Gentleman,
does hereby declare that the nature of his invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
The present invention relates generally to marking stamps and more particularly
to that class in which the characters are arranged to be readily removable to effect
a change in the matter to be marked.
The improvements are designed with the special object in view of providing
means by which the removable characters or printing or marking types or stamps
may be readily secured in place and removed or changed as occasion may require;
and to this end the invention comprises a novel form of holder or carrier and a type,
character, or the like, adapted to be removably secured, attached or connected to
the holder or carrier, as will be hereinafter fully set forth.
The accompanying drawings illustate a practical embodiment of the improvements
in their preferred form; in which drawings:
Figure. 1 is a side elevation of a rotary or circular form of holder or carrier
supporting the removable characters.
Fig. 2 is sectional plan view of the same.
Fig. 3 is a detail showing a removable character in the act of being placed in
position on the holding surface of the holder or carrier.
The holder or carrier A is preferably but not necessarily in the form of a rotary
block mounted on pivots a in a U or other shaped frame B having a handle b by
which the entire marking stamp may be handled and moved over the object, matter
or substance to be marked.
The frame B may support an inking device such as a roller C having pivots c
held in open bearings in the two outer ends of the frame and secured to the outer
ends of two springs d which act to hold the inking device or roller in yielding
contact with the characters or types held or carried by the holder or carrier. The
inking device or roller may be of any proper shape and form and the ink may be
supplied to it in any proper manner not necessary to specify. But it may be
stated that the roller may be a fountain, that is to say, hollow, capable of holding
and supplying ink to its surface, or ink may be supplied by some exterior means or
device to its surface.
The holder or carrier A is provided with one or more holding or receiving
surfaces or ribs a' which in the case of a rotary or circular holder will conform to
the rotary or circular shape and is preferably a continuous rib so that the characters
may be applied to the rib at any desired point.
The holding or receiving rib or ribs is or are preferably undercut on its or their
opposite sides as shewn in Figs. 2 and 3; and with these rib or ribs the removable
characters or type E are arranged to coact. Each character or type will bear on
its surface any desired character for printing or marking, such as the letters of the
alphabet, numerals, or other characters or signs and each individual piece whether
it bears one or more characters or signs will be provided with spring acting flanges
or lips e adapted to engage the rib a', as in Fig. 3, on its opposite sides, and yield
sufficiently to allow the type or character to be seated solidly against the surface of the
ib while the spring flanges e grasp the undercut sides of the rib as in Fig. 2, with
enough firmness to properly support the character on the holder. In practice the
ype or character face whatever it may be, will be secured to a thin metal strin

page_text: which has its ends bend rearwardly to form the spring flanges e. The location
and arrangement of the undercut portions of the ribs and the flanges or lips may be
changed from that shown.
From the foregoing it will be readily seen that the types or characters may be
readily applied to and removed from the holder or carrier, and that with a suitable
number of removable characters any desired matter may be set up on the holder
ready to print or mark the article or substance desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The improved marking-stamp or similar device constructed and operating
substantially as described.
2. The combination of a holder or carrier having a character-sustaining rib or
surface and removable characters or types constructed to be applied to said rib or
surface, as described.
3. The combination of a holder or carrier having a character-sustaining rib with
undercut sides and removable characters or types constructed to grasp and be held
by said rib, as described.
4. The combination of a holder or carrier having a character-sustaining rib,
with removable characters or types having spring flanges or lips to grasp said rib,
as described.
5. The combination of a rotary holder or carrier having a circumferential rib
and a plurality of removable characters or types adapted to be applied to said rib,
as described.
1724 2018 20th day 01 August A.D. 1994,
C. H. THOMPSON,
Per W. H. Beck,
Agent.