IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR STAMPING LETTERS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS WITH STAMPS REPRESENTING DIFFERENT VALUES.”
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Hiram Codd, of No. 58, King William Street, in the
City of London, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
STAMPING LETTERS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS WITH STAMPS REPRESENTING
DIFFERENT VALUES.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hiram Codd at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th March 1881.
HIRAM CODD, of No. 58, King William Street, in the City of London.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR STAMPING LETTERS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS
WITH STAMPS REPRESENTING DIFFERENT VALUES."
The object of the Invention is to provide apparatus by which letters or other
documents may be stamped with any one or other of a number of stamps repre-
senting different money values, and by which, each time that any one or other of
the stamps is used, the money value of that stamp may be recorded upon one
recording apparatus that is common to all the stamps.
For this purpose I connect each of the stamps with a lever or instrument in
such a manner that when one of the stamps is caused to be impressed on any letter
or document it shall give sufficient movement to the lover or instrument to enable
it to move the unit pointer or wheel of a recording apparatus one distance or unit,
denoting, say, a value of one half penny; and if another one of the stamps is caused
to be impressed it shall give a greater movement to the lever or instrument and
record a value, say, of a penny, and so on for any number of stamps used in the
apparatus. This may be effected by ranging the several stamps in a row, and
placing alongside of this row a lever, to which each stamp is connected, and which
has its fulcrum at a distance beyond one end of the row, so that when the stamp
furthest from the fulcrum is depressed it may turn the lever a certain distance and
cause the unit pointer or wheel of the recording apparatus to turn a distance
--

page_text: giving a record that denotes a value, say, of one halfpenny; and when the stamp
next to the end stamp is made use of, it may give a further movement to the lever
so as to move the pointer a distance that shall denote, say, one penny, and so on
for each stamp in the apparatus. Thus the total money value of all the stamps
impressed upon letters or other documents can be ascertained at any time from the
recording apparatus.
Or the fulcrum of the lever might be parallel with the row of stamps and at a
distance from them, and the several stamps be linked to the lever in such a
manner that when one of them is depressed it shall move the lever a certain
distance, and the others move the lever a greater and greater distance.
recording apparatus may be formed with a series of wheels or dials in any ordinary
manner.
The

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Hiram Codd in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th
September 1881.
HIRAM, CODD, of No. 58, King. William Street, in the City of London.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR STAMPING LETTERS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS
WITH STAMPS REPRESENTING DIFFERENT VALUES."
The object of the Invention is to provide apparatus by which letters or other
documents may be stamped with any one or other of a number of stamps repre-
senting different money values, and by which each time that any one or other of
the stamps is fused, the money value of that stamp may be recorded upon one
recording apparatus that is common to all the stamps.
For this purpose I connect each of the stamps with a lever or instrument in
such a manner that when one of the stamps is caused to be impressed on any
letter or document, it shall give sufficient movement to the lever or instrument to
enable it to move the unit pointer or wheel of a recording apparatus, one distance
or unit denoting, say, a value of one halfpenny; and if another one of the stamps
is caused to be impressed it shall give a greater movement to the lever or instru-
ment, and record a value, say, of a penny, and so on for any number of stamps
used in the apparatus.
In the Drawings hereunto annexed I have shewn two ways of arranging apparatus
to act in the above manner.
Figure 1 is an end elevation, and Figure 2 a horizontal section on a smaller scale
of one arrangement of apparatus.
In these Figures A, A1, A2, A3, are four stamps, each denoting a different value.
The stamp A may, for example, be a halfpenny stamp; A¹, a penny stamp ; A³, a
penny and half penny stamp; and A³, a two-penny stamp.
Any suitable arrangement may be adopted for depressing the stamps. In the
arrangement shewn the stem of each stamp is slotted at its upper end, and a
lever B is passed through the slot, and by this lever the stamp can be forced down-
wards. Or the upper end of the stem of each stamp might simply be furnished
with a disc shaped head; or if a more powerful pressure is required more powerful
lever depressing arrangements than the one shewn might be employed for the
purpose.
The stem of each stamp passes up through guides in a hollow arm C¹ extending
from the top of a casing C. Inside the arm each stem has a pin projecting from it
to come above the end of a lever D, the opposite end of which can turn freely
around an axis E, which is mounted at an angle to the row of stamps A, as shewn
at Figure 2, so that the arms D are of different lengths as shewn.
Fixed on this axis are short arms E' with their ends bent to come below the
lever arms D, so that if any one or other of the lever arms D is depressed the axis
shall be caused to turn.
At one end of the axis is fixed an arm E; this arm by a link F is coupled to
an arm G capable of turning freely around the axis H of a ratchet wheel; this
axis carries a pointer which in the arrangement shown is intended to turn in front
of a circular dial I divided into pence and half pence. The next dial J above it is
intended to be divided into 12 divisions representing shillings, the one above it
marked K into pounds, and the highest one marked L into tens of pounds.
The arm G extends on the opposite side of the ratchet wheel, and has a spring M
attached to it by which it is drawn up to a fixed stop. In this way when any one
or other of the stamps is depressed it will give a partial turn to the axis E, the
depression of one stamp giving one amount of turn, and the depression of any of

page_text: the others giving a different amount of turn, so that the unit pointer of the recording
train of wheels will be moved either one, two, three, or four steps, according to
which stamp it is that is depressed.
Figures 3 and 4 shew similar views of a modification of the above apparatus.
In this modification the axis E is parallel with the row of stamps; and the levers D
in place of being mounted on the axis E are upon separate axes, and these axes
are at different distances from the axis E as shewn. The levers D are coupled by
links to arms that can turn on the axis E, and these arms acting against fixed short
arms E serve to turn the axis E whenever any one or other of the stamps is
depressed. In other respects the apparatus is the same as described with reference
to Figures 1 and 2.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I would have it understood that I claim,-
The construction of apparatus for stamping letters and other documents with
stamps representing different values in such a manner that each time any one or
other of the stamps is used the money value of that stamp is recorded upon a
recording apparatus common to all the stamps, substantially as herein before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Hiram Codd, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twelfth day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.