500,677. Postal-franking machines; counting-apparatus. MOORE, M. March 3, 1938, No. 6668. [Class 100 (ii)] [Also in Group XIX] In a postal-franking machine of the kind comprising a franking-die movable radially relatively to the driving shaft to printing- position, and a device actuated by the matter fed over the bed-plate of the machine to render the die operative, the shaft is driven by a motor through a friction drive. A shoe is raised by the matter fed into the machine to set the die in printing-position, means being provided for returning it to inoperative position. The die is adapted to be set to the desired value by an external device, and the amount of the frank is registered when the die is moved to printing-position. The machine is driven by a motor 9 connected to a gear-wheel 16 loose on the shaft 17 and spring-pressed into engagement with a cam 22 secured to the shaft so that the shaft can be set relatively to the gear-wheel during setting of the franking- die. The shaft carries a disc 21 on which is slidably mounted a printing-element 31 carrying a date stamp and a franking-die 40, the printing-element being normally held in inoperative position by springs. The die 40 is set by means of an external knob 157 connected to a hollow shaft 146 carrying a clutch element 148. The shaft is under the influence of a spring which acts to hold the element 148 out of engagement with its complementary element 50, and to lock the shaft against rotation by means of a key 152 and a slotted bearing 153. The knob is provided with an indicator moving over a graduated plate 160, and when the knob is pressed inwardly for adjusting the die, the clutch elements 148, 50 are engaged. The element 50 is mounted on the shaft 17 and is provided with a gear-wheel actuating the die. The values of the franks printed are recorded by an apparatus 178 driven by a gear-wheel 173 loosely mounted on the shaft 146. The disc 21 carries a projection 168 on which is pivoted a rocker 169 adapted to be spring-held in either of two positions. When a shaft 60 is oscillated during the operation of the machine, a lever 166 connected thereto sets the rocker 169 into position for a projection thereon to engage a projection 172 on the gear-wheel 173 so that the wheel is rotated against the action of a spring 176. The rotation is continued until the rocker is moved to inoperative position by a trip finger 163 which is secured to the clutch element 148 and is therefore set in position by the knob 157. The spring 176 returns the gear-wheel to normal position, during which movement the apparatus 178 is actuated. Inking-apparatus.-The dies are inked by a roller 128 having an absorbent covering surrounding a perforated shaft 127 to which ink is fed through a funnel 129 underlying an aperture 130 in the casing. The roller is carried by a yoke 123 supported by a slide 121 which is depressed by a lever 133 connected to the rock-shaft 60, its return movement being controlled by a spring 131 and dashpot 132. The inking-roller, on depression, first engages the periphery of the disc 21 so that it is speeded up before the dies reach the inking-position. Tripping-arrangements.-The matter to be franked is fed from a hopper 181 by a feedroller 78 under an adjustable gate 91 to feed-' rollers 77, 76, the feed-rollers being all driven from the motor 9. The roller 77 is in the form of a number of separate rolls co-operating with corresponding rolls 89 mounted in slotted bearings 90. Between the individual rolls are fingers 95 which are raised by the matter fed into the machine and so rock levers 116 cooperating with counterweighted levers 112 to cause projections 113 to close the letter-feeding opening until the fingers 95 are again allowed to fall. The fingers are connected to a rod 98 having a shoulder 104 on which normally, rests a bar 66 slidably connected to an arm 65 secured to the rock-shaft 60 which is adapted to be rocked by the cam 22. A spring 67 tends to hold the bar depressed, but when the bar is raised by the fingers, a pawl 68 is positioned opposite the notched end of the arm 74 of a bell-crank lever, the other arm 73 of which carries a roller engaging the arcuate rim 37 on the printing-element 31 to depress it into contact with a letter passing over the roller 76. Spring-pressed pawls hold the gear-wheels on the shaft 17 and franking-die against movement during depression of the printing- element so as to ensure their re-engagement when the element returns to normal position. If the trailing end of a letter has not released the fingers 95 when the shaft 60 returns to normal position, the bar 66, depressed by the spring 67, will bo unable to engage the shoulder 104 ; the pawl 68 will not therefore be opposite the arm 74 and rocking of the shaft 60 will not cause depression of the printing-element.