A NEW AND IMPROVED MACHINE FOR Effecting, eitHER IN ONE OPERATION OR SEPARATELY, THE CANCELLING OF POSTAGE STAMPS ON POSTAL LETTERS AND CARDS, THE IM- PRESSING THE RECEIVED DATE STAMP ON SUCH LETTERS AND CARDS, AND REGISTERING THE NUMBER OF LETTERS OPERATED ON, ALSO FOR THE CAN- CELLING OF DOCUMENTS, SUCH AS BANK NOTES, BONDS, DEEDS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Vaile, of Queen Street, in the City of Auckland,
in the Colony of New Zealand, for the Invention of "A NEW AND IMPROVED
MACHINE FOR Effecting, eitHER IN ONE OPERATION OR SEPARATELY, THE
CANCELLING OF POSTAGE STAMPS ON POSTAL LETTERS AND CARDS, THE IM-
PRESSING THE RECEIVED DATE STAMP ON SUCH LETTERS AND CARDS, AND
REGISTERING THE NUMBER OF LETTERS OPERATED ON, ALSO FOR THE CAN-
CELLING OF DOCUMENTS, SUCH AS BANK NOTES, BONDS, DEEDS."
Sealed the 27th July 1877, in pursuance of an Order of the Lord Chancellor, and
dated the 22nd January 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Vaile at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd January 1877.
ROBERT VAILE, of Queen Street, in the City of Auckland, in the Colony of New
Zealand. "A NEW AND IMPROVED MACHINE FOR EFFECTING, EITHER IN ONE
OPERATION OR SEPARATELY, THE CANCELLING OF POSTAGE STAMPS ON POSTAL
LETTERS AND CARDS, THE IMPRESSING THE RECEIVED DATE STAMP ON SUCH LETTERS
AND CARDS, AND REGISTERING THE NUMBER OF LETTERS OPERATED ON, ALSO FOR
THE CANCELLING OF DOCUMENTS, SUCH AS BANK NOTES, BONDS, DEEDS."
My Invention relates to stamping and cancelling machines principally for the use
of post offices, and consists of two rollers furnished with an ink fountain and roller.
I cause the letters or post cards to pass between these two rollers, by which means
the postage stamp thereon is cancelled and the received date impressed, the number
of letters operated on being at the same time registered by the movement of one of
the rollers caused by the letters passing through; when used for postal purposes I
employ a compound inclined plane to convey the letters or cards to the rollers, but
for ordinary cancelling purposes, such as bank notes, bonds, deeds, no inclined plane
is necessary.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Robert Vaile in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 31st July 1877.
ROBERT VAILE, of Queen Street, in the City of Auckland, in the Colony of New
Zealand. "A NEW AND IMPROVED MAChine for EffeCTING, EITHER IN ONE
[Price 6d.]

page_text: OPERATION OR SEPARATELY, THE CANCELLING OF POSTAGE STAMPS ON POSTAL
LETTERS AND CARDS, THE IMPRESSING THE RECEIVED DATE STAMP ON SUCH LETTERS
AND CARDS, AND REGISTERING THE NUMBER OF LETTERS OPERATED ON, ALSO FOR
THE CANCELLING OF DOCUMENTS, SUCH AS BANK NOTES, BONDS, DEEDS."
My Invention relates to a novel arrangement of stamping and cancelling machine
suitable for use in post offices, banks, and counting houses, for marking letters and
other documents with any desired device, and for cancelling stamps thereon. This
machine may be described as consisting mainly of a printing and a pressing
roller for receiving between them the letters or documents to be impressed, and of
an inking apparatus for supplying ink to the printing roller.
For cancelling letters the printing roller is provided with a suitable device,
which may consist of cancelling lines, and of a circle containing the name of the
locality or district in which the letter was posted, also the date or time of posting
the same.
By mounting the printing roller in fixed bearings while the pressing roller is
carried by moveable bearings the axle of the pressing roller will receive a slight up-
and-down motion as the letters or other documents are passed between the two
rollers. This motion of the pressing roller I avail myself of for working a counting
apparatus, which will indicate the number of letters or post cards stamped and
'cancelled during the day or any other given period.
In Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings Fig. 1 shows my improved machine
in perspective view fitted for the requirements of a post office, it being applied
to a table at which a letter sorter may be seated, having an inclined guide or shute
for conducting the letters from the table level to the bite of the rollers.
Fig. 2, Sheet II., is a partial side or end elevation of the machine.
Fig. 3 is an elevation of the opposite end of the machine shewing the means for
working the counting apparatus.
Fig. 4 is a partial sectional elevation showing the inking apparatus for imparting
ink to the inking roller; and Figures 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 are various views of the
printing roller and its fittings.
By reference to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the machine is set on the slant; this
is to ensure the descent of the letters and post cards with their top edge in contact
with the side of the inclined guide or shute, and thereby of their stamps being
passed under the cancelling lines of the printing roller.
A, Figures 1 and 4, is the printing roller mounted (see Figures 2 and 3) in fixed
bearings carried by the metal cheeks or side plates B, which are bolted to an
inclined board B¹, and form with it the framing of the machine. This board B¹ is
fitted with a flange at one edge and constitutes the guide or shute for conducting
the letters down to the rollers. The board B' is fitted at its lower end with a
plate b made of elastic steel (see Fig. 4) for supporting the letters and guiding them
into the bite of the rollers; C is the pressing roller carried by sliding bearings c,
which are retained in position by tension springs c¹. The rollers A and C are
geared together by spur wheels a, and rotary motion is imparted thereto through a
band pulley al on the axle of the upper roller, which pulley may be actuated from
a treadle or otherwise. A spur pinion a² on the axle of the roller A gears into a
pinion a³ on the axle of the inking roller D, and by this means rotary motion is
transmitted to this roller; E is the reservoir, the feed opening of which is in close
contact with the roller D. As therefore this roller is rotated it will take a supply
of ink from the reservoir and impart it to the printing roller.
The supply of ink to the roller D is regulated by means of an adjustable conical
valve e attached to a spindle e¹, which is threaded and works in a tapped hole
formed in the reservoir. By screwing down this valve to its seat the supply of ink
may be cut off when desired. The lip on the upper side of the feed opening
constitutes a scraper, which takes off the superfluous ink from the inking roller and
guides it into a receiver E¹.
The inking roller D is mounted in adjustable arms d pivoted to the side plates

page_text: or framing B, and the ink reservoir is carried by a bracket piece attached to these
arms.
Bearing on one of the axles of the pressing roller C is the short arm of a crank
lever F, Fig. 3, which is pivoted to the side plate B. This crank lever is held in
contact with the axle of the roller by the pressure of a spring f. The upper end of
this crank lever carries a pawl g, which enters the teeth of a ratchet wheel G
mounted on a stud axle projecting from the side plate B. This ratchet wheel
represents the first of the train of wheels of a counting apparatus, and by its
intermittent axial motion the counting apparatus is set in action.
When a letter is passed between the rollers A and C the lower roller will be
forced from the roller A a distance equal to the thickness of the letter, its supporting
springs c allowing that motion of the roller, and the crank lever F, following its
motion by reason of the pressure of the spring f, will be caused to draw forward the
pawl g a distance of one ratchet tooth.
When the letter has passed out of the bite of the rollers the lower roller will rise
again into contact with the printing roller, and in doing so its axle will tip the
crank lever F and cause it to rack the wheel G one tooth. This motion being
communicated to the counting apparatus after the passage of every letter or post
card between the rollers A and C, an indication of the total number passed through
the machine in any given time will be readily ascertained.
It will be understood that when this counting apparatus is employed the letters
must not succeed each other in close proximity, as if that were so no counting
action would take place. To prevent carelessness in this respect a spring stop may
be provided to arrest the downward motion of each letter, the stop being withdrawn
by a motion derived from the letters discharged from the machine or by any other
convenient means.
Supposing it is desired to cancel letters in the manner indicated at Fig. 10,
Sheet I., I fit the printing roller in the following manner :-In that portion of the
periphery of the roller A which lies opposite the inking roller radial recesses, say
three in number, are formed as shown at Fig. 8, to receive cylindrical printing
blocks (see Fig. 9) which are cast in type or other metal, and will bear on their
rounded face the name of the post town, and any other permanent device required
to designate the locality. These cylindrical blocks are made hollow at back, and
are fitted with a screw plug h¹ which takes into a thread on the inner periphery of
the cylinder. In the face of the blocks are recesses to allow of moveable types
being inserted therein from the back to mark the day, month and year on which
the letters were posted. These types are cast with a lateral projection on their tail
ends to receive the gripping pressure produced by the screwing in of the plug h¹.
These blocks are secured in place by means of screws ², the ends of which enter
slots made in the periphery of the cylinder and prevent the same from turning in
their recesses.
,
The periphery of the printing roller is turned down to receive segment pieces h³,
which are cast with parallel lines or some equivalent device for impressing a
cancellation mark upon the letters or other documents submitted to the machine.
In Fig. 6 three such segment pieces are shown as intended to surround the roller.
On the inner face of these segment pieces are cast lugs which enter radial recesses
in the roller (as shewn at Fig. 7) and are intended to receive the coned ends of
clamping screws h, by turning which the segment pieces may be tightened up or
released from the roller A; h³ are openings made in the end of the roller A in line
with the cylindrical blocks to admit of the insertion of a tool for prizing the
blocks h out of their seats.
When the printing roller is fitted, as described, it will serve to cancel the postage
stamps of letters passed through the machine, and also at the same time to
impress the date on which the letters were posted, and likewise the locality of the
receiving house.
For stamping letters with the date at which they are to be delivered the printing
roller of the machine employed for that purpose will require no cancelling lines, but

page_text: will be fitted with printing blocks similar to that shown in the detached view, Fig. 9,
and in passing the letters through this machine they will be impressed at their back,
as shown in the diagram Fig. 11, Sheet I.
In the foregoing explanation I have described the machine as constructed and
fitted for use in a post office. When however it is to be employed in banking and
counting houses the inclined shute may be dispensed with and a horizontal table
employed in lieu thereof, the machine in that case being mounted horizontally.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention, 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, the improved machine above described for
cancelling postage stamps on postal letters and cards, for marking the same, and also
bank notes, bonds, and other documents, with any desired device, and also for
registering the number of letters or other documents passed through the machine.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Vaile, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Thirtieth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-seven.