Improvements in Means for Moistening and Affixing Postage Stamps.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Sept., 1898-Accepted, 29th Oct., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Moistening and Affixing Postage Stamps.
I, ADAM GEORG DIENZ, of Kaiser Allee 45, Aix la Chapelle-Burtschin, in the
Empire of Germany, 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 means for moistening and affixing
postage stamps.
The board on which the stamps are moistened is shown in the annexed drawing
in Fig. 1 in side elevation, in Fig. 2 in plan view, and in Fig. 3 in section on the
line of Fig. 2. The Figs. 4, 5, and 6 show the means for affixing the stumps
in side view perpendicular sections and an underneath plan view respectively.
The board a provided with feet has a slide upon which the sheet of stamps is
laid and secured by means of a cover 6 with co-operation of the springs 62 upon
which the arm c, pivoted at el presses. By turning the arm e to the side the cover
is set free and can be turned back on its hinge joint.
The sheet of stamps should lie so that its top end lies under the guide a² and
the first line of stamps lies completely free of the slide b. The slide is provided
with a downwardly projecting bar d, with ratchet teeth and guided in a slot a¹ of
the plate a so that its movements are always rectilinear. The forward movement
of this slide is caused as shown in Fig. 1 and 2 by an india rubber band r¹ passed
round a roller r and acting as a spring or by any other form of spring or in any
other suitable manner. Into the ratchet teeth of the bar d projecting below the
face of the board a there engages a bar g fixed on the movable block e and the
free end of which leans against the blocks on the under side of the board a.
The bar g serves as a locking pin permitting the forward movement of the slide b
each time only for the length of one tooth being the length of one stamp.
The movable block e having the size of a stamp is covered on its surface with a
cloth strip passing into a water reservoir m and upon this strip lies the stamp
€2
to be affixed, it is held in the position shown in Fig. 3 by means of a spring n
arranged on the under side of the board a. On two sides of the block e provided
with the openings el is fastened the guide knee f whose walls are provided with
slots f f in order to guide the stamper. The stamper shown in Fig. 4 to 6 consists
of the handle s whose lower four cornered parts carries an india rubber plate 3
provided with one or two needles t. The needles are joined inside the stamper
by a cross piece pressed by a spring tending to hold down or return the needles
always to the position shown in Fig. 5.
On one side of the four cornered lower part s' of the stamper is a cylinder o
carrying a piston bar influenced by a spring, provided on its lower end with a
four cornered plate o¹ of the same size as the india rubber plate s2, on the adjoining
side is a cylinder q with a piston bar q¹ influenced by a spring. The plate o' and
the bar q surpass at their lower ends the lower end of the india rubber plate s2.
The other two sides of the stamper foot s carry the guide pieces ppl with which
the stamper is guided in the slots f¹f of the knee or corner f. Instead of these
guide pieces p' simple guide pins may be arranged.

page_text: The method of use is as follows: The sheet of stamps is put upon the slide b
so that the front edge lies in the guide trench a² and the first stamp of the first line
against the corner f. The stamper s is put in the corner f, so that the guide
piece p lies in the slot fi and guide piece pin slot f³. The plate o¹ lies upon
the second stamp, and the bar q' upon the cover of the slide b. If now the
stampers is pushed down, the plate of and bar q¹ hold fast the sheet of stamps while
the india rubber plate s having almost the size of a stamp, in moving down presses
the stamp lying below it, against the wet cloth strip on the block e breaking it
off at the same time from the sheet of stamps. The block and the bar gare
pressed down therewith and the bar g moves clear of the toothed bar d. As long
as the stamper is pushed down, the slide is held at rest by the bar gl holding the
slide cover b. but as soon as the pressure stops, the slide will go forward by the
influence of the india-rubber cord r. By stopping of the pressure upon the block e
the latter and with it the bar g are lifted by the spring n, so the arm engages
again into the toothed bar d in order that, the forward movement of the slide may
be limited to one tooth, that is to say, 1 stamp, length.
1
In pushing down the stamper s the pins t go through the stamp into the open-
ings of the block e. On drawing up the stamper these pins carry up the
wet stamp which can then be affixed wherever desired the pins t go back into the
stamper foot now setting the stamp free.
Now a second stamp can be separated and so on till the stamps of the sheet are
finished. When the last stamp of one line is used, the slide b is brought back
into its original position by hand and the stamp sheet is readjusted with its edge.
in the guide a³.-
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. A stamp moistening device wherein on pushing down a block influenced by
a spring the stamp lying upon the block is moistened and separated and a ratchet
bar set free to move one tooth's length, thus permitting the forward movement of the
stamp sheet slide for the length of one stamp.
2. The combination with the said stamp moistening device as claimed under 1,
of a stamper provided, besides the carrying plate for the stamp, with another
plate o of about the size of a stamp and a bar q¹ both being movable up and down
in cylinders, whereby during the pushing down of the stamper in order to
separate the stamps the sheet of stamps and the slide are maintained in position.
3. The construction of stamp moistening and affixing devices substantially as
herein described and illustrated.
Dated this 9th day of September 1898.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C., London.