GB2037227A - Printing stamps - Google Patents

Abstract

A hand printing stamp has a platen 5 whose surface carries an array of substantially identical indicia 21. In a preferred form the stamp comprises a dished housing 1 having a peripheral portion 12 surrounding a central portion 11, the peripheral portion being such that it can support the stamp on a surface to be printed, and the platen being mounted in the housing for relative movement therewith from an operative position in which, when the stamp is supported by said peripheral portion on the surface to be printed, the indica are in contact with said surface to a retracted position in which the indica are spaced apart from said surface. The stamp is intended primarily for use in competitions where the entrant has to indicate on a football action photograph the supposed position of the ball.

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to hand printing stamps This invention relates to hand printing stamps.

In recent years great popularity has been enjoyed by a form of competition, usually promoted by newspapers, in which there is published a photograph showing football players in action but from which the position of the football itself has been obscured by appropriate modification of the photograph prior to publication. The object of the competition isfortheentrantto mark on the photograph by means of a small indicum, usually in the form of a small cross, the position which he estimates corresponds to the centre of the football in the original photograph before modification. These competitions are usually known as "spot the ball" competitions.Each entrant is permitted a multiplicity of entries to the competition by use of a corresponding multiplicity of indica marked on the photograph, and the entrance fee payable by the entrant is proportional to the number of entries made. If he so wishes, an entrant can make a large number of entries, for example up to 250 or even 500, each entry requiring the marking on the photograph of a separate cross. It will be appreciated that where a large number of entries is made the marking of the crosses on the photograph can be timeconsuming and laborious; and it becomes difficult to mark the crosses sufficiently closely together and in sufficiently small dimensions effectively to increase the entrant's chance of winning the competition.

There is now provided according to the present invention a means by which an entrant can mark a multiplicity of indica on a "spot the ball" competition photograph and ensure that the entries are sufficiently small and sufficiently close together to enhance his chances of winning the competition.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a hand printing stamp having a platen a surface of which carries an array of substantially identical indica.

The indica are preferably arranged on the platen of the stamp so as to have a uniform spacing between them. The array is conveniently rectangular in shape, for example a rectangular array of a number of parallel rows of the indica which can, for example, be in the form of crosses, circles, dots, or the like.

The array conveniently has a gridiron configuration.

The number of indica can be, for example, in the range 50 to 250.

In a preferred form of the invention the platen of the stamp is retractable so as to facilitate accurate location of the platen over the appropriate part of the photograph. Further two facilitate accurate location there is preferably provided means by which the user can observe the relative position of the platen over the photograph, and this can conveniently be provided by use of a body or frame in which the platen is mounted, the body having at least a central portion thereof which is transparent and which enables the user to observe said relative position of the platen.

There is now described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying informal drawings a hand printing stamp according to one embodiment of the invention. In the drawings: Figure 1 is an elevation of the stamp which comprises a housing or body la a rod 2, a cap 3, a platen 5, a backing plate 4 for the platen and a compression spring 6; Figures 11 and 111 are respectively an elevation and a plan view of the housing 1; Figure IV is an elevation of the rod 2; Figure Vis an elevation of the cap 3; Figures VI and Ill are respectively an elevation and plan view of the backing plate 4; Figure VIII is a plan view of the platen 5 showing a small proportion of the indica thereon; Figure IX is an elevation of the spring; and Figure Xis a view showing the relation between a rectangular piece of paper on which the indica are to print and the periphery of the housing 1.

The housing lisa dished member of transparent plastics material, for example the polymethylmethacrylate sold under the Trade Mark Perspex, comprising a central portion in the form of a flat circular plate 11 and a peripheral portion in the form of a dependent cylindrical flange 12. The central portion of the plate has located therein a circular aperture 13.

The rod 2 is of mild steel and consists of a cylindrical shank 14 having formed at one end thereof a screw-threaded spigot 15 of smaller diameter than that of the shank. In the region of the other end of the shank there is a small drilled recess 16 to receive a grub screw. The cap 3 is of mild steel having a recess 17 of a diameter such that the cap is a sliding fit on the shank of the rod 2. In the side wall of the cap there is a screw-threaded hole 18 to receive a grub screw 19 the end of which can engage with recess 16 and thereby assist retention of the cap on the rod.

Referring now to Figures VI, VII and VIII, the platen of Figure VIII consists of a rectangular metal plate 20 carrying embossed indica 21 in the form of an array of identical small letter X's disposed in an array of columns of straight lines so that they have a gridiron configuration. Only some of the indica are shown in Figure VIII. The indica can, for example, be formed in the metal surface of the platen or can be formed of rubber bonded or otherwise secured to the platen.

The platen 20 is bonded or otherwise secured to the backing plate which consists of a rectangular piece of transparent plastics material 22, for instance of Perspex, having formed therein a centrally located, screw-threaded aperture 23 whose dimensions are such that it can receive in screw-threaded engagement the spigot of the rod 2.

In the assembled stamp shown in Figure I the platen 20 is bonded or otherwise secured to the backing plate 22 the aperture 23 of which engages the spigot 15 of the rod. The shank 14 of the rod passes through the aperture 13 in the body and the end of the rod distant from the spigot carries the cap 3. The compression spring 6 surrounds the shank and serves to bias the cap and rod in the direction away from the housing 1 thereby retracting the platen 20 and its backing plate 22 to a position wherein the backing plate is in contact with the inner face of the plate 11. The dimensions of the cylindrical flange 12 of the housing are such that when the platen and its backing plate are in the retracted position the indica surface on the platen lie inwardly of the plane containing the edge of the flange 12.

In use, the stamp is placed on the paper or other surface on which the indica have to be printed, the stamp being supported on the edge of the flange 12 so that the platen is parallel to the paper. The paper is conveniently supported on a resilient mat. The user then adjusts the position of the stamp with relation to the paper so that the platen is brought into the appropriate position, and then the platen is brought into contact with the paper by applying hand pressure to the cap, the pressure overcoming the resistance of the compression spring. The pressure on the cap is then released, and the platen returns to its retracted position under the influence of the spring. If desired, the stamp can then be moved with respect to the paper so that the platen is brought into alignment with an adjacent portion of the paper on which it is desired to mark the indica, and the operation is repeated.

Claims (8)

1. A hand printing stamp having a platen a surface of which carries an array of substantially identical indica.

2. A hand printing stamp according to Claim 1, in which said indica are crosses all of which are of the same dimensions.

3. A hand printing stamp according to Claim 1 or 2, in which the indica are disposed in a gridiron configuration.

4. A hand printing stamp according to Claim 1,2 or 3, which comprises a dished housing having a peripheral portion surrounding a central portion, the peripheral portion being such that it can support the stamp on a surface to be printed, and the platen being mounted in the housing for relative movement therewith from an operative position in which, when the stamp is supported by the said peripheral portion on the surface to be printed, the indica are in contact with said surface to a retracted position in which the indica are spaced apart from said surface.

5. A hand printing stamp according to Claim 4, in which the platen carries a guide extending substantially transversely of the indica-carrying surface of the platen and said central portion has an aperture formed therein in which the guide is slidably received, and there is provided means by which the platen is biassed towards said retracted position.

6. A hand printing stamp according to Claim 5, in which at least said central portion of the housing is transparent whereby the user of the stamp can better judge the position of the indica with reference to said surface.

7. A hand printing stamp according to any of the preceding claims, substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

8. A hand printing stamp substantially as described herein and substantially as shown in the accompanying drawings.