568,995. Franking-machines. AKTIEBOLAGET H. SCHMIDT. March 24, 1944, No. 5513. Convention date, March 23. 1943. [Class 100 (ii)] A postal franking-machine of the kind in which rotation of the main shaft 1 operates franking printing-mechanism 2 and also operates mechanism for printing the total value and number of the franking operations upon a prepaid control slip supplied by the Post Office and also a registering device is operated to register the number of times the machine is unlocked to permit of a series of stampings, is constructed so as to print on a separate slip 11 a register of the state of these two registering device before and after the machine is unlocked and then looked, e.g. at the beginning and end of a day. In this way a check can be taken by comparing the slip 11 with the number of letters &c. handed in for posting. The slip 11 is placed on s support 10 and registered against the bottom ledge thereof which is kept in contact with the lower edge 25a of a lever 25 by means of a spring 27 which can yield to allow the support 10 to be lowered to the position indicated by dotted lines after an impression has been taken on slip 11 of the registering devices 30 to give a record of the state of these at the commencement of a series of frankings 11. To start the machine a lever 13 is moved clockwise to rotate a disc 14 fitted with a pair of pawls 15 connected by a spring 16 and normally restrained by pins 17. The front pin 15 actuates an impression. hammer 19 against the action of a spring 22 to make an impression through an ink ribbon 32 from the registering wheels 30, and then the lever 25 is actuated to depress the support 10 which causes a pin 8 to actuate a stop 5 so as to release the driving-shaft of the franking- machine. At the end of the operations the lever 13 is returned to its original position to lock the machine and the second pawl 15 then acts upon the printing-hammer to cause a second record to be taken of the state of the wheels 30. The support 10 is automatically returned on the return of the lever 13. In a modification a series of cams operated by the lever 13 replaces the pin-and-pawl mechanism described. Specification 406,654 is referred to.