Improvements in Coin Freed Apparatus for Delivering Stamps.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Coin Freed Apparatus for Delivering Stamps.
I, JAMES FRASER, of 73, Canal Street, Perth, in the County of Perth, Scotland,
Plane Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in coin freed apparatus for delivering
stamps, and for automatically stamping letters and the like, the object being
to carry on these operations in a new and improved manner and by means of
improved apparatus.
In carrying out my invention, according to the modification in which stamps
are merely delivered, I employ a slide or drawer, which when closed is locked by
a lever, such lever being actuated by the coin which falls and is retained upon
it until it is knocked off by a finger actuated by the slide. The stamps are
arranged consecutively in a long strip; such strip being wound round a roller
of such dimensions as to permit of a considerable number being kept thereon.
The strip (of stamps) passes from the roller through a spring pressing appliance
and from thence to the top face of the slide where such strip is moved forward
stamp by stamp, every time the slide is opened, by a device which engages with
the perforations between each stamp. This device consists of a reciprocating
lever at whose front end is the appliance which engages with the perforations
such lever being hinged to a slide immediately at its back. The front lever is
at its lowest position during its forward movement and when travelling back
it is raised and with it the engaging appliance. The slide to which it is hinged
carries the coin tilting finger and it is so arranged that it, in its forward motion,
moves a certain distance at a lower level and then rises, that is to say when at
its lowest level it engages with the drawer and when it rises it disengages itself.
In this manner the drawer, back slide and front lever all move forward together
a certain distance and afterwards the drawer moves alone for the remainder of
its travel.
When these three parts and their appurtenances are moving forward together
they take with them the stamps, the amplitude of such movement being equal
to, or a little more than the distance between each set of perforations. A rubber
pressing roller, keeps the stamps down upon the drawer. Small spikes in such
slide are employed to retain each stamp in position after the engaging appliance
ceases to move forward, that is to say when the strip of stamps ceases to move,
the slide, by means of the pressing roller and the spikes causes the end stamp
to move forward with it and thus severs it from its neighbour. When the drawer
is fully out such detached stamp is exposed to view and may be removed and
used.

page_text: Sometimes I may employ an indicator or counter, after the type used in gas
meters or for counting the number of revolutions of engines to show the number of
stamps left on the roll.
Doted this 12th day of Moroh 1807
GEO. C. DOUGLAS & Co.,
41, Reform Street, Dundee,
Agents for Applicant.
Improvements in Coin Freed Apparatus for Delivering Stamps.
I, JAMES FRASER, of 73, Canal Street, Perth, in the County of Perth, Scotland,
Plane Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in coin freed apparatus for delivering
stamps, and for automatically stamping letters and the like, the object being
to carry on these operations in a new and improved manner and by means of
improved apparatus.
And in order that my said invention and the manner of performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice may be properly understood, I have hereunto
appended two explanatory sheets of drawings in which the same reference numerals
are used to indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where shown, that is
to say:-
Figure 1 (Sheet 1) is a front view of the apparatus.
Figure 2 (Sheet 1) is a cross section at AA (Figure 3).
Figure 3 (Sheet 1) is a plan.
Figure 4 (Sheet 1) is a plan with the top removed and Figure 5 (Sheet 2) is a
longitudinal section at B B (Figure 4).
Figure 6 (Sheet 2) is a separate plan of drawer carrier and slide with the
drawer full out.
Figure 7 (Sheet 2) is a separate plan of under side of piece hinged on drawer
carrier.
In carrying out my invention, according to the modification in which stamps
are merely delivered, I employ a slide or drawer 10, which when closed is locked
by a lever 11, such lever being actuated by the coin which falls and is retained
upon it until it is knocked off and made to fall into a drawer 20 by a finger 12
actuated by the slide, that is to say the coin is dropped into the aperture 13 and
guided by the spout 14 drops on to the receiver 15 where it remains until removed
by the finger 12 which forms part of the slide 26. The weight of the coin
depresses the lever 11 and so causes the opening 16 to come opposite the projec-
tion 17 such projection being then free to pass. The stamps are arranged con-
secutively in a long strip 18, such strip being wound round a roller 19 of such
dimensions as to permit of a considerable number being kept thereon. The strip
(of stamps) passes from the roller through a spring pressing appliance 21 on to
the fixed guide 21" and from thence along the top face 22 of the, slide 10 where
such strip is moved forward stamp by stamp, every time the slide 10 is opened,
by a device 23. This device consists of a reciprocating lever 24 at whose front
end is the appliance which pulls forward the stamps-such lever being hinged
at 25 to a slide 26 immediately at its back, the hinge being carried in slides 55
by means of its pin 25. The front lever is at its lowest position during the forward
movement, and when travelling back it is raised by means of the cam 27 and

page_text: with it the forwarding appliance, that is to say the pin 28 which is fixed to the
lever 24 passes under the cam 27 in its forward motion, while on going back
it passes over it, thus lifting the forwarding appliance clear of the stamps. The
cam is attached to a hinged hood 29 such hood being held down by means of
the spring 30. The slide to which the forwarding appliance is hinged carries the
coin tilting finger 12. This slide 26 is moved forward for a certain proportion
of the drawer travel by means of the projection 31 engaging with the notch 32.
When the pins 33, which move in slots 34, come to the forward end of their stroke
they are elevated, in this manner disengaging the lever 26 from the projection 31.
Thus the drawer 10, backslide 26, and front lever 24 all move forward together
a certain distance and afterwards the drawer moves alone for the remainder of
its travel.
When these three parts and their appurtenances are moving forward together
they take with them the stamps 18, the amplitude of such movement being equal to
or a little more than the distance between each set of perforations. A rubber
pressing roller 35 keeps the stamp down upon the drawer. Small spikes 36 in
the slide 10 are employed to retain each stamp in position after the engaging
or forwarding appliance ceases to move forward, that is to say when the strip
of stamps ceases to move the slide 10 by means of the pressing roller 35 and the
spikes 36 causes the end stamp to move forward with it and thus severs it from
its neighbour, the operation being facilitated by the projections 37 engaging
with the perforations. When the drawer 10 is fully out such detached stamp
is exposed to view and may be removed and used.
Sometimes I may employ an indicator or counter 38, after the type used in
gas meters, or for counting the number of revolutions of engines, to show the
number of stamps left on the roll. Attached to the front lever 24 is a finger 39
which actuates a wheel 40 when such lever rises, as previously described by means
of the cam 27.
The strip of stamps is attached to the roller 19 by means of a spring 41 which
is set so as to bear against a plate 42, the end of the strip being gripped between
them. 43 is a drag spring which presses against the side of the roller 19 and
thus keeps it from rotating too freely. In order to show when the stamps are
done I have provided a device which consists of a bell crank 44 in one of whose
arms is a pin 45 which always tends to bear against the strip of stamps which
is rolled round the cylinder. 46 is a recess in the roller which passes the pin 45
so long as it is covered with stamps. When all the stamps are used the recess
becomes uncovered and the pin 45 will then glide into it and in so doing will
allow the horizontal arm 57 of the bell crank to fall and so bring the word "empty"
opposite the aperture 47.
The lever illustrated by Figure 7 and which is hinged at 54 is locked in the
position shown in Figures 2 and 5 by means of the catches 48. If such catches
be opened, the lever and its appurtenances, such as the roller 35, front lever 24
and back slide 26 may be lifted for examination. The cover 49 fits into four
grooves 50 and can be removed by lifting it up. In order to lock it in position
a rod 51 is attached to the cover at one of the corners and a pin 52 attached to
the back of the drawer 20 is arranged to engage with it when such drawer is shut.
By locking the drawer the cover is locked also, because it cannot be lifted up
owing to the pin 52 being fixed to the drawer.
The apparatus operates in the following manner:-On dropping a coin of the
value of a stamp into the slot 13 the lever 11 is depressed, and the opening 16
comes opposite the projection 17 and so permits of the slide 10 and its appurte-
nances being drawn out. The slide 10, lever 24, slide 26, and the strip of stamps
are simultaneously drawn forward by means of the knob 53 for a certain distance
and then on the slide 26 being disengaged from the plate 31 by being raised
by means of the pins 33 which move in the upturned slots 34, the slide 10 com-
pletes its travel alone and in so doing carries with it one of the stamps which
is in this way detached from the strip. As the slide is being withdrawn the

page_text: finger 12 tips the coin off the lever causing it to fall into the drawer. On the
slide being pushed in again the projection 31 comes against the slide 26 at 34 and
thus pushes it back with it, and in order that the strip of stamps may not be
disturbed, the lever 24 and its appurtenances are raised by means of the pin 28
travelling back over the cam 27. The stamps terminate in a blank strip of such
a length that when the last stamp has been removed the indicator shows the word
empty."
"
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:
―
In coin freed apparatus for delivering stamps, the combination and arrangement
of parts for storing the strip of stamps and indicating when such strip is exhausted,
with the devices for moving forward such strip stamp by stamp; detaching
and delivering them one by one on the deposit of a coin; indicating the number
of stamps left on the roll and for locking the apparatus in order that access may
not be obtained to the interior substantially as described and shown on the annexed
drawings.
1007
GEO. C. DOUGLAS & Co.,
41, Reform Street, Dundee,
Agents for Applicant.