US1697036A - Envelope-sealing device for postage-meter machines - Google Patents

Description

`w. H. WHEELER. JR

ENVELOPE SEALING DEVICE FOR POSTAGE METER MACHINES Jan. l, 1929.

Filed March 11, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet ENNEMI@ Jag. 1, 1929. 1,697,036

H. WHEELER, JR

ENVELOPE SEALING DEVICE FOR POSTAGE METER MACHINES Filed March 11. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. l, 1929.

Urrea s'rA'rEs 1,697,036 PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER H. WHEELER, JR., OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO IPITNEY- BOWES POSTAGE METER COMPANY, OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORA- TION OF DELAWARE.

ENVELOPE-SEALING DEVICE FOR POSTAGE-METER MACHINES.

Application filed March 1l, 1927. Serial No. 174,502.

This invention relates to envelope moistening and sealing devices; and is especially designed for use with small so-called postage meter machines; or like i'nachines adapted to print postage indicia upon envelopes and other mail matter. The principal object of this invention is to save labor by utilizing the operations heretofore required for printing the indicia on mail matter by such machines to also accomplish the opening, moistening and closing of the flaps of the envelopes.

ln the accompanying drawings the invention is shown as applied to a small hand operated postage meter machine, which is designed and has heretofore been used merely to print indicia on mail matter that had previously been sealed, but such machine when provided with the simple attachn'ient of the present invention, may also perform the operations of sealing envelopes with no eXtra effort; because, as will be described later, the act of placing an envelope in print-ing position in the machine andstarting it toward the printer automatically starts the operation of moistening the flap of the envelope, and the performance of the act of printing the envelope completes the moistening 'of the flap and closes it against the body of the envelope. l

The invention, however, may be adapted to other types of machines and indicia printingI machines, and l do not consider it restricted to a specific embodiment thereof illust-rated in the drawings.

To enable others familiar with the art to understand and use the invention, l will explain one practical embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying dra-wings, and refer to the claims for sumn'iaries of the essentials of the invention and novel features of construction and novel combinations of parts for which protection is desired.

ln said drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a small postage meter machine, with the parts broken awa-y to show the flap opening and meistening devices;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of said machine partly broken away to show the flap opening and moistening devices;

Fig. 3 is a detail bottom view of the flap opener and moist-ener, with an envelope with its flap partly moistened;

Fig. 4 is a detail top View of the flap opener and moistener.

'The particular construction of the postage meter machine does not form a feature of the present invention and the postage meter machine shown in the-drawings is a small portable machine a number of which are now in use. The said machine is adapted to print postage indicia upon letters, and the operating mechanisms thereof are enclosed in a easing` i. The operatin g mechanisms include printing dies 2a, 2b and 2c, mounted on a portable drum 2, which can be revolved by suitable mechanism, not shown, operated by means of a handle 3. The said dies co-operate with an impression roller 5, mounted in a yieldably supported arm 4l. The ends of the shaft of the impression roller 5 are yieldingly supported by springs 5S which allow the roller to accommodate itself to envelopes having uneven or wedge-shaped contents.

The supporting arm l is pivoted at 4a and is urged upwardly by suit-able spring means (not shown) to cause the impression roller 5 to press the envelopes into contact with the printing dies when the drum 2 is: rotated. rllhe arm il; also has a vertical flange lb on its rear side to guide the letters passing through the machine.

A feed table 6, fastened at 6a to the base of the machine, has a vert-ical guide flange 6b, in alignment with the guide'flange 4') of arm d. rlhe parts thus fair referredV to are parts of the aforesaid postage meter machine, as it is now sold, and are not features of the present invention.

ln the operation of this machine. the envelope to be printed is placed on table 6 and slid endwise by hand ,inward and along and over the support 4 until its forward end is under the arrow 7, marked on the housing l. The handle 3 is then turned, and the envelope is caught between drum 2 and roller 5 and is forwarded thereby and printed by 'the dies 2a, 2h, 2C, and discharged at the right-hand end of the machine.

Ilhe postagevmeter machine as thus constituted will only print postage indicia upon sealed envelopes. lt may be taken bodily to the post office and set for a certain amount of pre-paid postage by the postal oflicials, and

kmay then be removed and used to print postage indicia. on mail matter until the desired amount of postage paid for is used, and then ALY2 has to be reset. The machine being small, is portable bodily 'and does not require a removable meter, such as is required in the larger and .faster power operate dtypes of cmetered mail :postage meter machines.

The object of my invention is to provide an attachment for small postage meter printing machines of the `-type showr-`which Vcan be readily applied to such machines, and by which the envelopes may have their flaps opened, moistened and closed simultaneously with and by Vthe operations 'of printing the postage indicia thereon, without requiring any :addi tional operations, or any more work, on the part 'of the operator than has been heretofore required in passing sealed envelopes through the machine.

As applied to the -said machine the attachment is mounted von the support or arm As shown the attachment consists of a tank or reservoir 10; a. flap opener 11; "a 'moistener 14; a guard member 12; and anadjuste'r member 13. These parts are ,preferably 'constructed and arranged as illustrated in the said idrawings when the invention is Vused with the particular make Vof postage meter machine shown inthe drawings.

The tank or reservoir 10 is preferably detachably secured to the arm 4 by threaded studs 10iL and knur-led nuts l0", Said tank is preferably closed except for a slot in its top, near its outer end, throughq'which slot the moisteni'ng wick 14 enters. This permits the machine to be tipped back, without spilling water out ofthe tank, in order to v-moist'en 'the outer en d of the wick "if it should become slightly dry.

The flap 'opener 11 is 'preferably made of a piece of sheet metal bent upon itself in the shape of a wedge, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and having at its blunt end a` sleeve 11' by which it is hingedly mounted on a wire member 12a.

A moistener 14 of wicking, felt, or other suitable absorbent material, is held on the under side of the flap opener 11 by the fold 11; said moistener preferably extends the full lengt-h of the flap opener from the `point 11a, to lthe heel, 4and has a portion 14a extending loosely in the tank 10 which absorbs the liquid contained therein, and, through capillary attraction conveys it to the exterior part of the moistener at all points of its length.

y The member 12 is preferably formed of wire and has a loop or eye 12g formed at its left-hand end, Figs. 1 and 4; and extends upward therefrom and is bent to form a horizontal-portion 12, which extends across the tank and passes through the sleeve 11b of the flap opener 11. This portion 12l may be detachably engaged in notches 10C, in the sides of the tank 10; and acts rasa pivot and locating point "for the flap opener 11. At the right-hand side of tank10, thewire 12 is bent downward 'and upward i'na U bend as at 12b',

from 'this bend it extends inward, as at 12, approximately parallel to the 'rear edge of the opener 11, adjacent the rear edge of the moistener 14 therein, Near the free end of the flap opener 11, wire 12 is bent to the left and slightly inclined downward, as `at 12d, and its extremity is inclined sharply downward, fas at 12e. The part 12c of said wire acts as a guide for the flap of the envelopes passing `under ``he opener 11, and presses it upward into contact with the moistener J14 by which it is moistened. rifhe part 12, also guides the flap, a d the downward bend 12d is for the purpose yof directing the flap gently into position without shock. Theil bend 12b is designed to give resiliency to the part 12C. rlhe .part 12, as has been explained, acts as a pivot for the opener '11, and the eye 12g is engagecl i\*ith an adjusting member 13.

The adjusting member 13 is secured to the front fold 11c ofthe flap lopener 11 and controls its movement. This member 13 is shown as formed of a wire and has adownwardly 'extending portion adjacent floop 12g of wire, and is preferably bent as vshown in Fig. 2 and has a. straight threaded end portion 18aM which passes through the loop or eye 12g of wire 12, and on this 'threaded portion 13"-, at opposite sides of loop 112g, are nuts 15 and 15d.

By adjusting said nuts 15, 15?, the relative 'positions of the opener 11, and the guide wire 12c can be adjusted.

The point of the hap opener "111 is yieldingly pressed upward into Contact with the member of the casing, as shown,'by means of a spring 16 attached t'o eye 12S 'and to a threaded rod 16a, adjust'ably engaged with a. thumb nut 16D.

When the parts are properly adjusted the point 11 of flap opener 11 will be yieldin-gly held in contact with the under side 'of 'the housing 1, so that an envelope passed through the mach-ine in the regular way, as above described, will 4have to 'pass between the point 11l of the opener and the housing 1; and the point of the opener pressing against the under side of the envelope vwill engage the edge of the flap and open it, and enter the opener and moistener between the flap and the body of the envelope. The flap passing under the ope'ne is forced by the Dart 12c of wire 12 into contact with the `wick 14 and is moistened thereby. y

Preferably a shield or guard 127 is secured to the under side-of the housing l, above and adjacent to the opener 11, said shield being preferably made of spring metal. rllhis shield will lightly press theforw'ard end of the letters downward toward theimprcssion roller and against the tendency the opener 11, to raise them up the shield will alsoprotect the letter from being soiled by the ink fron'ithe printing dies,

The flap opening and n'iois'te'ning operaing by the machine in the usual manner; and

the operation of printinga letter completes the operations of opening, moistening` and closing, the flap.

The device is so positioned as regards the printing devices that the flap of the envelope is partially opened and presented to the moistener by the mere act of inserting an envelope in position for printii'igl it. The contact of the stripping corner of the opener with the casing prevents any envelope passing' between the two without having' its flap opened. The yi-eldable mountingof the flap opener enables it to readily accon'nnodate itself to envelopes having contents of varying; thickness. After the flap is moistened it passes between the printing` roller and the printing die which press the flap of the envelope against the body of the envelope before it is discharged from the machine.

In this machine the usual flap closer or light pressure mea-ns for ,closing the flap against the body of the envelope after moistening and before subjecting' the letter to substantial pressure by rollers is omitted; but the liap is closed against 'the bodv of the envelope by the bending' of the envelope before-,the vflap is pressed into close contact therewith by the die and impression roller. This bending' is accomplished by having the normal position of the moistener higher than the bite of the die and impression roller, or above or out of line of the path of the letter between the printing' and impression rollers, so that the bodyof the letter as it passes from the moistener to the rollers is curved and brought into contact with the Hap before the pressure is applied.

The impression roller in the machine shown is an idler and there is no mechanism. acting on the iiap to carry it forward. Unless the flap is properly in place at the beginning` of the pressure sealing' its tendency to lag would increase as the letter passes between the rollers; and, but for the said bending;` of the letter, this would result in a false or second crease above the normal crease of the flap.

It will be seen that no extra work is required by the use of my inif'ention in performing-the VHap opening', moistenino' and sealing` operations in addition to the printing; operation; and that the additional operations have no deleteriousvelfect on the printing1 operation. The very slight extra effort required to push the leading end of the letter past the point of the flap opener, (where formerly it had an unobstructed course) is negligible, and in the construction shown it is performed before the printing operation begins and does not affect that operation.

The flap opening and moisteninp attachment is readily detachable as aunit from the machine, so that if desired it can be removed when the machine is to betalren tothe post oliice for resetting.

claim:

1. in combination with a postage indicia printing' machine having' a rotatably mounted printing die, an impression roller co-operating therewithgand support for the impression roller; of flap opening' and moistendevices mounted upon the support for the impression roller in advance of said roller and closely adjacent thereto, the opener being above the bite of the die and roller, the die and impression roller co-operatinp` during,` the printing operation to draw the envelope past the `Hap opener and moistener.

2. lin combination with a postage indicia printing machine having a rotatably mounted printing die, an impression roller co-operatingl therewith; a yieldable support for the impression roller; and means for guiding an envelope to the printing die and impression roller; of flap opening and moisteningl devices mounted upon the support 4for the impression roller in advance of said roller and closely adjacent thereto, the opener being` above the bite of the die and roller; the die and impression roller co-operating` to draw the envelope past the flap opener and moistener and to close the moistened iiap during` the printing operation.

' 8. In combination with a postage meter machine havine' a rotatable printing die, an impression roller co-operating therewith; and

a movable support for the impression roller;

of a iiap opening` and moistening attachment mounted upon the support for the impression roller in advance of said roller and closely adjacent thereto said attachment comprising` a tank; a flap opener shaped and positioned to engage and open the flap of an envelope moving therepastthe said opener being above the bite of the die and roller; a moistener carried by said flap opener; a member adapted to direct the flap into Contact with the moistener as the envelope passes the flap opener and before is printed; the die and impression roller co-operating` to draw the envelope past the flap opener and moistener during the printing operation and to close the moistened flap.

fi. In combination with a postage indicia printing machine having a rotatably mounted printing die., an impression roller co-operating therewith; a movable support for the impression roller; and means for guiding an envelope to the printing' `die and impression roller g of flap opening' and moistening devices mounted upon the said support in advance of said roller and closely adjacent thereto and comprising, a tank, spring mea-ns for normally yieldingly holding` the Hap opener in flap engaging position the said opener being above the bite of the die and roller, a moistener att ched to the flap opener and extending into the tank, a guard wire adapted to cause the opened flap to engage the moistener as it passes; the die and impression roller cooperating to draw the envelope pastthe iiap opener and moistener and to close the moistened lap,

5. A moistening and iiap opening attachmentiforpostagemeter machines; comprising a tank; a itlap opener having a flap engaging point; a moistener carried by the fiap opener and extending into the tank; a winJ detachably mounted on said tank and having a depending eye at one ad, a portion extending parallel with the rear side of the flap opener, and another portion extending` adjacent the point ot the flap opener'7 said wire being adapted to guide the opened tlap into `contact with the 'meiste-ner; member' connected to said tiap opener' and having a threaded portion extending through the eye o't the irst wire; and a spring for nornrally holding the tlap opener, guard wire and moistener in -operative positionu '6. A moistening `and flap opening attachnent for postage met-er lnnichines; comprising a tank; a wedge shaped flap opener and having a -flap engaging portion at its thin end, a moistener carried by the 'Hap opener and eX- tending` into the tank; a wire detachably mounted on said tank and having a depending eye at one end; and having a portion eX- tending .parallel with the .rear side et the flap opener, `and another portion extending beside the point 1ot the lap opener; said wire bein adapted te guide an open iiap into con- .t ithenioist-ener; a second wire conn ed with said flap opener and having a threaded portion extending` through the eye 'of the tiret wire; adjusting members on the threaded portion ot said .second wire; Aand a spring 'for .normally holding the flap opener, moistener and guard wire in operative position.

7. A moistening and lilap opening attachment tor postage meter machines; comprising a tank; a wedge shaped iap opener and having a i enga ging point at its thin end Vano a lsleeve adjacent its thick end; a moistener carried by the flap opener having a portion extending into .the tank; a wire detach ably and pivotally mounted on said tank, and l'raving adepending` loop at one end below its pivotal portion.; said pivotal portion eX- tending Vthrough the sleeve of the flap opener, said wire having a portion extending` parallel with the rear side of the lap opener and another portion eXt-ending beside the point et the flap opener.; said wire being adapted to guide the open dap into contact with the moistener; a. second wire connected with said tlap opener and having :a threaded portion extending through the eye of the iirst wire; adjusting members'on the Athreaded portion et sait second wire, and spring connected with the first wire tor normally holding the iap opener7 meiste-ner and guard wire in operative position.

8. In a postage printingmachine having a rotatable printing die7 and co-operatingl impression roller; a flap opening and moisteninl device yieloably mounted immediately adjacent said impression roller and having its flap engaging portion normally above the line et' centae between the impression roller and printing die whereby the body of the letter is curved it passes from the moistener to the roller and the flap brought into conta rt with the body ofthe letter before the pressure is applied. l

9. ln a postage printing machine having a printing dies and eo-acting impression roller; a flap opening and moistening device .iinmcdiately adjacent said impression roller, said device being yieldably n'iounted andfhaving` its iiap engaging portion normally higher than the bite et the die and impression roller and in such relation to the point or" bite ot the die and impression roller that the body of the envelope is curved in passing between the moistener and the said point whereby the flap is brought into Contact with the body betere pressure is applied.

10. ln a postage printing machine having -a rotatably mounted and driven printing die,

and an undriven 'impression roller cooperating therewith; `a flap opening and meisten- .ing device Ahigher than `the -ibite yot `the die and impression roller Aand .immediately adjacent said impression roller7 said device being yieldably mounted and having its flap engaging portion normally in such yrelation to the point of bite ot the die and impression roller that the body of the envelope isicurved in passing between the moistener andthe said point whereby the body of the letter is'curved as it passes from the moistener to the roller and the i'lap brought into cont-act with the body ot the letter betere the pressure is applied.

ll. combination with a postage printing machine having a rotatably mounted vand driven printing die, and an undriven impression roller cooperating therewith; ot a -flap opening and moistening device mounted immediately adjacent said printing die and impression roller, said device being pivotally mounted and having its flap engaging point. normally above the line ot contact between the impression roller and printing die and a shield between-the moistener and `roller whereby the body ofthe letter is curved as it passes from the moistener'to theroller and the rflap brought into fcontact with-the body et the letter betere the pressure is applied.

ln testimony that my own, I atlix my claim the Yforegoing .as signature.

WWALTEEH. TVVHEELER, Je.

lll)

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