US3033107A - Hand stamp - Google Patents

Description

W. J. HANLEY May 8,- 1962 HAND STAMP Fi led March 25, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. WILLIAM J. HANLEY M KM ATTORNEY May 1962 w. J. HANLEY 3,033,107

HAND STAMP Filed March 25, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 n5 m I48 12 47 us i I '74 FIGS 7 :75 I 3 so FIG. 7

CM A/M/ ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofifice 3,033,107 Patented May 8, 1962 This invention relates to stamping devices and, more particularly, to stamping devices for use in handling postage stamps.

Canceling devices used by postal workers in canceling postage stamps have previously had a center date Wheel and a peripheral stamping die which had on it the name of the Post Office and the year. These dies carrying the name of the Post Otlice had to be changed each time the name of the Post Oflice was changed and since the dies were an integral part of the stamp, the entire stamp had to be destroyed and a new one obtained each time the name of the Post Office was changed. Also, at the beginning of each year, a new stamp had to be obtained.

The present invention contemplates the use of a removable peripheral stamp in combination with a date wheel in a postage canceling device wherein the name of the Post Office and the year can be removed and replaced each time it is necessary to change them, thereby saving the cost of a new device.

It is, accordingly, an object of this invention to overcome the disadvantages in previous stamping devices and, more particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a stamping device which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and simple and efficient to use.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved postage canceling device.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved device for canceling postage stamps.

A further object of the invention is to provide a stamp having a centrally disposed date wheel and a removable peripheral indicia carrying die.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide an improved stamp.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention consists of the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the form, size, proportions, and minor details of construction without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of a stamping device taken on line 11 of FIG. 3;

P16. 2 is a cross sectional view taken on line 2-2 of PEG. 3;

FIG. 3 is a bottom View of the stamping device and the type thereon;

, FIG. 4 is a view of the indexing stick for use with the stamping device;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the device shown in FIG. 5; and

H6. 7 is a cross sectional view of another embodiment of the invention.

Now with more specific reference to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a stamping device 10 having a handle shank 11 with a wooden handle 12 attached thereto. A ferrule 13 encases the small end of the handle 12. The handle 12 is bent in a hook like shape and terminates in a flange 59 which is welded to the end of the shank 11. A body 14 is a generally cylindrical metallic member having a neck 46 integrally attached thereto. The shank 11 extends through a bore 49 in a bushing support 15 and through a rubber support collar 16 with the flange 5t) resting on a shock pad 17.

The upper inside surface of the neck 46 has a bore 64 which has internal threads 47 which receive external threads 48 of the hollow cylindrical bushing support 15. The lower portion of the body 14 has external threads 44 and a bore 43 therein which defines a blind hold terminating in a flat surface.

A date wheel assembly 24 includes a generally cylindrical drum shaped shaft 65 with holes 66 axially bored therethrough from end to end and offset from the center. Spaced radial bores 67 are drilled into the shaft 65. The radial bores 67 contain springs 36 and spring urged detent balls 37. The date wheels comprise a month wheel 55, date of month wheels 56 and 57, a blank spacer 62, an hour of day wheel 58, an am. or p.m. wheel 59, and year wheels 60 and 61. These wheels have longitudinally extending, external peripheral spaced locking grooves 39 and an internal bore having internal detent grooves 46. Type 68 is engraved in the form of the desired characters on the fiat surfaces of the date wheels. The date wheels are received on the shaft 65 concentric thereto and spacer washers 34 are positioned at each end of the shaft 65. This assembly is supported inside the bore 43.

Pins 35 extend through holes 42 and 70 of the threaded portion 44 of the body 14. The pins 35 pass into lateral bores 69 of the washers 34. The holes 66 are lined up with the spaced lateral bores 69 and the pins 35 pass through the shaft 65 andthrough the washer 34 and then into the hole 7% similar to the hole 42.

A back up ring 22 which is L-shaped in cross section has one leg of the L supported against a bottom surface 71 of the body 14 with a take up pad 33 fitting about the flange of the back up ring 22. The back up ring 22 is L-shaped with one leg of the L lying along the end of the body 14 and the other leg enclosed outwardly and partly overlying a filler ring 20. Type letters 23 are arranged around the take up pad 33 with the filler ring 20 occupying the spaces which are not used around the canceling device.

The type letters or dies 23 are centered in position on the back up ring 22 and a hole '54 is drilled through the filler ring 20, the take up pad 33, and the flange of the back up ring 22 and into the flat bottom end surface 71 of the body 14. The hole 54 receives a type positioning pin 21 which locks the type dies 23 and the filler ring 20 in place. Since the type 23 may be made of individual letters or individual words, any combination of dates and names can readily be set up on the device.

A hold down collar 18 has internal threads 45 which thread onto the external threads 44 and hold the back up ring 22, the take up pad 33, the type 23, and the filler ring 29 tightly in position. After the device is assembled, a hole 52 is drilled through the hold down collar 18 and into the body 14 which receives an assembly locking pin 19. The pin 19 will be driven into place and ground off flush with the outside wall of the hold down collar 18, thereby locking the assembly in place and preventing tampering with the type 23.

The date wheels are locked into place by a wheel lock bar 25 which passes through a wheel locking hole 41. The wheel lock bar 25 is an elongated member with dovetailed lower edges which have two parallel beads or ridges which extend along the bottom surface of the wheel lock bar 25. These ridges are received in the date Wheels in locking grooves 39 which, when assembled, lock the preferred type 68 in position. The wheel lock bar 25 is inserted and withdrawn by the use of the wheel lock handle 3 38. Detent notches 31 and 32 are machined into the upper surface of the wheel lock bar 25. The notches 31 and 32 will receive a ball 30 of a detent assembly 26.

The detent assembly 26 is made up of a lock nut 27 threaded on a set screw 28. The set screw '28 has a bore 53 therein which contains a spring 29. The ball 30 is confined in the lower portion of the bore 53 by downward pressure from the spring 29. The ball 30 is held in check by a small flange about the end of the set screw 28. The lock nut 27 is tightened down on the set screw 28 in a counterbore 51.

To reset the date wheel assembly 24, the wheel lock bar 25 is withdrawn until the detent ball 30 drops into the notch 32. This will hold the wheel lock bar 25 in a locking slot 41 but it will still be free from the date wheels. An index stick 63 is used to turn the date wheels about to the desired type 68. The wheel lock bar 25 is then slid back into the slot 41 until the ball 30 drops into the notch 31, thereby holding the wheel lock bar 25 in position.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. and 6, a post marker 110 having a handle shank 111, a body 114, and a handle support 115 is shown. The handle support 115 holds a collar 116 against the handle shank 111 and, in turn, holds it in a counterbore 164 against a shock pad 117.

A hold down collar 118 functions the same as the hold down collar 18 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. A wheel lock 125 engages peripheral, spaced, axially extending grooves 139 in the date wheels. Spacers 134 are supported at the ends of the date wheels which hold them in spaced relation in a counterbore 143 in the body 114 and the wheel lock 125 extends into a wheel lock recess 141 in each of the spacers 134. The hold down collar 118 has internal threads 145 which engage external threads 144 on the body 114. -In this embodiment, the lock 125 is held in place by means of a radially movable lock bar instead of the axially movable bar 25 shown in FIG. 1.

A neck 146 has external threads 174 which are engaged by the internal threads on a lock nut 175. The lock nut 175 has a lower peripheral surface which engages locking pins 173 and urges them downwardly to force the wheel lock 125 down into the groove 139 in the periphery 168 of the date wheels. The pins 173 are freely movable inwardly and outwardly in bores 172 in the body 114. When the lock nut 175 is loosened, the pins 173 will move outwardly to allow the wheel lock 125 to move out of the grooves 139.

The handle shank 111 has a flange 150 on the end thereof which engages the shock pad 117 and the handle shank 111 passes through a bore 149 in the handle support 115.

The date wheel assembly has the date wheels which consist of a wheel 155 for the month, wheels 156 and 157 for the date, a wheel 153 for the time, a wheel 159 for am. or pm, and wheels 160 and 161 for the year. The numeral 162 represents a blank wheel which will indicate a space. The wheels are all supported on the outer periphery of a drum shaped shaft 165 which is supported on pins like the pins 35 in FIG. 1.

in the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 7, the wheel lock is actuated by means of a radially movable bar 225 actuated by a screw 2Z6. Wheels 255 to 262 have peripheries which rotate on a solid axis. A post marker 210 is shown having a body 214 with a hold down collar 218 which has internal threads 245 which engage external threads 244 on the body 214. A die 223 is held in place by aback up ring 222 and a date wheel assembly 224 is supported on the drum 265 which has holes 266 therein which receive date wheel assembly pins 235. The pins 235 extend up through holes 269 in the spacers and holes 270 and 242 in the body 214. A lower edge 271 of the body 214 engages the upper side of the back up ring 222 and holds it in position and a take up pad 233 is supported between the die 223 and the back up ring 222.

The drum 265 has axially spaced bores 267 which receive detent springs 236 and detent balls 237. The balls 237 engage notches 240 on the inside of the wheels 255, 256, 257, 253, 259, 260, 261, and 262 which are for the purpose of supporting the date, the time of the day, and the year on the date wheel assembly.

The wheel lock bar 225 is supported at its ends in spacers 234 and in wheel lock recesses 241 therein. The peripheries of the wheels 255 to 262 have peripherally spaced grooves therein which receive the lower edge of the wheel lock bar 225 and springs 22) urge the wheel lock bar 225 away from the date wheels. The springs 229 are inserted through bores 276 in the spacers 234.

A threaded bore 272 of the body 214 receives the detent screw 226 which has a head 228 thereon. The lower end of the detent screw 226 engages the top of the wheel lock bar 225. Therefore, when the detent screw 226 is loosened, the springs 229 will move the detent lock bar 225 away from the date wheels so that they can be reset. Then when they are reset at the proper position, the screw 226 can be tightened to lock the wheels in this position.

The entire assembly of the date wheels and the spacers 234 is received in a counterbore 243.

The foregoing specification sets forth the invention in its preferred practical forms but the structure shown is capable of modification within a range of equivalents without departing from the invention which is to be understood is broadly novel as is commensurate with the appended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A postage canceling device comprising a body, a bore in said body, a plurality of date wheels rotatably supported in said bore, a back up ring around the periphery of said bore and attached to said body, said back up ring being L-shaped in cross section, one leg of said L lying against the end of said body and the other leg extending outwardly, a filler member having a Post Oflice name on it supported in said L-shaped back up ring, and a collar on said body overlying said filler member and keeping it in said back up ring, said date wheels having circumferentially spaced, axially extending grooves in the periphery thereof, a locking bar radially movable out of said grooves, and means urging said bar into said grooves.

2. A stamp comprising a hollow body, a date wheel in said body, a part of the peripheral edge of said date wheel extending out from the open end of said hollow body, two lateral bores through said body intersecting the hollow therein, pins extending through said bores and rotatably supporting said date Wheel, said date wheel having longitudinal grooves in the periphery thereof, and an axially movable locking bar extending through said body, said bar engaging a said groove in said wheel whereby said wheel is locked against rotation, a back up ring around the periphery of said body concentric to the hollow therein, said back up ring being L-shaped in cross section, one leg of said L lying against the end of said body and the other leg extending outwardly, a filler member having a Post Office name thereon supported in said L-shaped back up ring, and a collar on said body overlying said filler member and keeping it in said back up ring.

3. The stamp recited in claim 2 wherein said date wheel is supported on said pins by means of a drum, said drum having spaced bores therein receiving said pins, said drum being received in said date wheel concentric thereto, a radial bore in said drum having a spring loaded detent therein, an internal bore in said date wheel, and internally peripherally spaced notches in said internal bore, said detent engaging said notches whereby said date wheel can be rotated and stopped at predetermined positions.

4. A stamp comprising a hollow body, a date wheel in said body, a part of the peripheral edge of said date wheel extending out from the open end of said hollow body, two lateral bores through said body intersecting the hollow therein, pins extending through said bores and rotatably supporting said date wheel, said date wheel having longitudinal grooves in the periphery thereof, an axially movable locking bar extending through said body, said bar engaging two said grooves in said wheel whereby said wheel is locked against rotation, a back up ring supported on the end of said body, a clamping ring attached to said body and spaced from said back up ring, and indicia members between said back up ring and said clamping ring.

5. A stamp comprising a hollow body, a date wheel in said body, a part of the peripheral edge of said date wheel extending out from the open end of said hollow body, two lateral bores through said body intersecting the hollow therein, pins extending through said bores and rotatably supporting said date wheel, said date wheel having longitudinal grooves in the periphery thereof, a locking bar extending through said body, said bar engaging two said grooves in said wheel whereby said wheel is locked against rotation, said bar being movable radially of said date wheel to move out of said grooves, and means to force said locking bar into said grooves to lock said date wheel in position, a back up ring around the periphery of said body concentric to the hollow therein, said back up ring being L-shaped in cross section, one leg of said L lying against the end of said body and the other leg extending outwardly, a filler member having a post oflice name thereon supported in said L-shaped back up ring, and a collar on said body overlying said filler member and keeping it in said back up ring.

6. A stamp comprising a hollow body, a date wheel in said body, a part of the peripheral edge of said date wheel extending out from the open end of said hollow body, two lateral bores through said body intersecting the hollow therein, pins extending through said bores and rotatably supporting said date wheel, said date wheel having longitudinal grooves in the periphery thereof, a locking bar extending through said body, said bar engaging two said grooves in said wheel whereby said wheel is locked against rotation, said bar being movable radially of said date Wheel to move out of said grooves, and means to force said locking bar into said grooves to lock said date wheel in position, said means to force said locking bar into said grooves comprising a collar threadably supported on said body and pins slidable in said body and engaging said locking bar, forcing said locking bar into engagement with said grooves in said date wheel, said collar being movable away from said pins to allow said locking bar to move out of said grooves in said date wheel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 508,865 Burgess Nov. 14, 1893 1,179,979 Troup Apr. 18, 1916 2,506,729 Morin May 9, 1950 2,708,403 Hanson et al. May 17, 1955 2,737,113 Rouan Mar. 6, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 94,562 Sweden Feb. 9, 1939

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