Improvements in Apparatus for Use in Ascertaining the Necessary Postage of Letters, Parcels, and the like.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 1st June, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 30th Aug., 1894-Accepted, 6th Oct., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Use in Ascertaining the Necessary
Postage of Letters, Parcels, and the like.
I, JULES GOLAZ of 130 Rue de Tocqueville, Paris, in the Republic of France,
Instrument Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The present invention relates to an apparatus designed to indicate the amount of
inland or foreign and colonial postage for articles such as letters, printed matter,
samples, or commercial papers, without the intervention or employment of weights
and by a simple indication furnished by one or more index fingers or pointers
on a suitable dial or index.
In order that the invention may be clearly understood I have shewn the
improved apparatus, by way of example only, in the accompanying drawing, in
which
Figure 1 is a front view of the apparatus.
Figure 2 is a rear view, and
Figure 3 is a section on the line 1-2 of Figure 1.
The articles to be stamped, for which it is desired to ascertain the postage are
placed on a plate a which rests on a vertical rod b held at or near its upper end by
a small link c and pivoted at its lower end to the short arm d of a lever which turns
freely on the axis or pivot e and the long arm of which is provided at its end with
a weight or ball g designed to balance the articles placed on the plate a. To the
said lever is attached in a suitable manner a rod h which is also pivoted to the
axis e and on which are mounted four index fingers or pointers i, j, k, I by means of
short pins i, j, k, l, Figure 3.
The number of these pointers can be varied according to the number of
indications which the apparatus is required to give.
The pointers are displaced in front of graduated scales or indexes marked on
the dial or sector plate m supported by a standard m¹ on a suitable base m².
The said base rests on three points of support of which two are fixed, the
third being adjustable and consisting of a regulating screw, which allows the
indexes or pointers to be brought to the zero position before weighing a letter or
the like.
In the dial or sector plate m are formed slots n, o, p, q, of circular form, in
which the rods i, j, k,l carrying the index fingers or pointers i, j, k, l'are
displaced. It is obvious that the number of slots will depend on the number of
pointers.
As shewn in Figure 1 the upper pointer i noves in front of a scale A, A' which
gives the weight of the article placed on the plate a.
The scales marked on the edges of the slots n, o, p, q will give the amount to be
paid for stamping this article; the divisions on the edges of the first slot n will
furnish the indications for letters, those of the second slot o for printed matter,
those of the third slot p for samples, and those of the fourth slot for commercial
papers.
9
The divisions marked on the upper edges indicate the amount necessary for
inland postage, and those on the lower edges the amount to be paid for foreign
postage.
Thus an article being placed on the plate a, the division of the scale A, A'
before which the pointer i stops, will indicate immediately the weight of the
article, and if this last is to be sent to a foreign country as printed matter, the

page_text: i
charge for stamping will be shewn by the lower division in front of which
the pointer j stops.
On the contrary if the article is to be sent as commercial papers in the same
country, the charge will be given by the upper divisions in front of which the
pointer stops.
The weight of the article which is to be sent and the charge for postage of the
same is therefore ascertained immediately by a simple reading. It is evident that
this improved apparatus can be constructed of any dimensions and that its shape
can be modified according to requirements.
Dated this 1st day of June-1894. _
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Use in Ascertaining the Necessary
Postage of Letters, Parcels, and the like.
I, JULES GOLAZ of 130 Rue de Tocqueville, Paris, in the Republic of France,
Instrument 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 :-
The present invention relates to an apparatus designed to indicate the amount of
inland or foreign and colonial postage for articles such as letters, printed matter,
samples or commercial papers, without the intervention or employment of weights,
and by a simple indication furnished by one or more index fingers or pointers on a
suitable dial or index.
In order that the invention may be clearly understood I have shewn the improved
apparatus, by way of example only, in the drawing left with my Provisional
Specification, in which
Figure 1 is a front view of the apparatus.
Figure 2 is a rear view and
Figure 3 is a section on the line 1-2 of Figure 1.
The articles to be stamped, for which it is desired to ascertain the postage are
placed on a plate a which rests on a vertical rod b held at or near its upper end by
a small link c and pivoted at its lower end to the short arm d of a lever which turns
freely on the axis or pivot e and the long arm f of which is provided at its end with
a weight 9 designed to balance the articles placed on the plate a. To the said lever
is attached in a suitable manner a rod h which is also pivoted to the axis e and on
which are mounted four index fingers or pointers i, j, k, by means of short
pins i, j, k, l, (Figure 3).
The number of these pointers can be varied according to the number of indications
which the apparatus is required to give.
The pointers are displaced in front of graduated scales or indexes marked on the
dial or sector plate m supported by a standard m' on a suitable base m². The said
base rests on three points of support of which two are fixed, the third being adjust-
able and consisting of a regulating screw r, which allows the indexes or pointers to
be brought to the zero position before weighing a letter or the like.
In the dial or sector plate m are formed slots n, o, p, y of circular form, in which
the rods i, j, k, carrying the index fingers or pointers i, j, k,l are displaced. It
is obvious that the number of slots will depend on the number of pointers.
As shewn in Figure 1 the upper pointer i moves in front of a scale A, A¹ which
gives the weight of the article placed on the plate a.
The scales marked on the edges of the slots n, o, p, q, will give the amount to be
paid for stamping this article; the divisions on the edges of the first slot n will

page_text: furnish the indications for letters, those of the second slot o for printed matter,
those of the third slot p for samples and those of the fourth slot q for commercial
papers.
The divisions marked on the upper edges indicate the amount necessary for
inland postage, and those on the lower edges the amount to be paid for foreign
postage.
Thus an article being placed on the plate a, the division of the scale A A' before
which the pointer i stops, will indicate immediately the weight of the article, and
if this last is to be sent to a foreign country as printed matter, the charge for
stamping will be shewn by the lower division in front of which the pointer; stops.
On the contrary if the article is to be sent as commercial papers in the same
country, the charge will be given by the upper division in front of which the
pointer stops.
4
The weight of the article which is to be sent and the charge for postage of the
same is therefore ascertained immediately by a simple reading. It is evident that
this improved apparatus can be constructed of any dimensions and that its shape
can be modified according to requirements.
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 :-
An apparatus for indicating the weight and the amount of postage for stamping
articles, such as letters, printed matter, samples, or commercial paper, characterized
by the arrangement of pointers mounted on the same rod and each moving in front
of a series of graduations corresponding to the respective natures of the articles,
and shewing the corresponding charge, this rod being firmly secured to a lever one
of the arms of which is pivoted to a rod carrying a plate on which the article to be
stamped is placed, and the other arm of which carries a counterweight, substantially
as hereinbefore described, with reference to the drawing and for the purpose above
specified.
Dated this 30th day of August 1894.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.