751,957. Counting -apparatus; transfer mechanism. RONEO-NEOPOST, Ltd. Jan. 18, 1954 [Oct. 17, 1952], No. 26062/52. Class 106 (1). A multi - order postal franking machine has two totalizing counters, actuated by mechanism comprising for each order a toothed wheel or drum the number of effective, teeth of which is variable, and having externallyoperated transfer mechanism. The actuators are set by means of spring- loaded plungers 7 having indicating drums 8. The plungers are rotated to drive cams 5 which project an appropriate number of teeth 4 into operative positions. Racks 9 bodily rotatable with the driving shaft 2 are simultaneously moved to set printing dies 12 in a drum 10 on the shaft 2. Adjustable date dies are also carried by the drum 10. The dies are inked by a roller 15 and impressions are taken by a printing head through an aperture 17. The driving shaft 2 is rotated by a motor or hand-crank, a pawl and ratchet preventing reverse rotation. The actuators drive two meters or totalizers, one of which is driven subtractively and is pre-set to a pre-paid amount. Each totalizer comprises driven pinions 21-24 for halfpennies, pennies, shillings and tens-of-shillings orders. Indicating discs 20 are fast with the driven pinions and further discs indicate hundreds and thousands of shillings respectively, these being overflow orders. Transfer mechanism. The halfpennies actuator is arranged to be effective before the other actuators and at every other step of the halfpennies disc 20, one of three transfer fingers 25 fast therewith advances a spur wheel 27 fast with the pennies disc. Also fast with the pennies disc is a finger 30 which at transfer rocks a lever 44 controlled by a toggle spring and pivoted on a slide 45. At the end of a cycle, the slide 45 is moved to the left by a cam 53 on the driving-shaft and a tooth 46 of the lever advances a wheel 31 fast with the shillings disc by one step. The lever 44 is then re-set by a fixed stop 47. Transfer from the shillings order is effected in a similar manner by a lever 48 on a slide 49 actuated after the slide 45. Transfer in the overflow orders is effected directly by fingers 36, 39 engaging wheels 37, 40. For re-setting purposes, the latter transfer mechanism may be disengaged by knobs 42. The spur wheels, e.g. 27, and a wheel 29 on the halfpennies are engaged by detent levers, e.g. 56. The transfer levers 44, 48 may be mounted on a single slide, the lever 44 being arranged to operate on the forward stroke and the lever 48 on the return stroke or they may be replaced by star-wheels. Alternatively, fixed star-wheels may be arranged between denominations, the transfer finger of a lower order conditioning the star-wheel for subsequent further rotation to enter a unit in the higher order. Specification 538,727, [Group XVI], is referred to.