US2191667A - Automatic postage stamp printing - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 27, 1940. A'. R. KIVIALHo ET AL AUTOMATIC POSTAGE STAMP PRINTING Filed March 29, 1937 2"She ets-Sheet 1 Feb.'27, 1940. A. R. KlvlALHo-E-r Al. 2,191,657

lAUT-M'J.'IC POSTAGE STAMP PRINTING l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 `Filed March 29, 1937 [/v vf/v 70H5. mm1 Ruhm( K/v/ALHo and Toivo adu- OLU'ONEAQ the envelopes.

Patented Feb. 2 7, 194

y 2,191,667; AUTOMATIC POSTAGE STAMP IfRINTING Aksel Richard Kivialho andn'loivo yPetterlol jenen, VHelsingfors, Finland; Alli SanniKoljonen executrix of said '.loivo` Petter Koljonen,

deceased .Application March 29, 1937, serial'A No. 133,638

` 2 Claims.

The postage is usually paid by stamps .glued to .The purchase of such stamps, however, causes some inconvenience to the public, especially in the country, Where the post offices are open during some ,few hours only. .To keep the post offices open day and night would, again, cause too large expenses to the post administration. To remove this drawback, We have invented an apparatus by the aid of which the letters may be provided `with a printed stamp corresponding to the postage to be paid on inserting into the apparatus the amount ofthe postage, for instance a2 cent coin.

The construction of this apparatus is illus-v trated on the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a front .elevation partly in section and partly in perspective of theA apparatus.

I Fig. 2 a sectional view along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 a sectional View along line 3-3 of 1.

Fig. 4 a cross vsectional view along line 4-4 of Fig. 1 sho-wing the ccin channel.

Figure 5 shows the base plateseen from the same point as in Fig.v l but drawn to a larger scale.

vFigure 6 is a section thereof taken on the line 6 6 cf Figure 5. l

Figure 7 is a sectionthereof taken on the line 1-|1 of Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a plan of the slide and Figure 9 is a side elevation thereof.

In Fig. l reference I 6 indicates the place at which the letterv to 4be stamped is placed.y II is the die by the aid of which the letters are provided with a printed. stamp. The shaft o f this die is .extended and its forged end I2 reaches into the magnetic coil I3. When it is desired to stamp the letter I0, an electric current is fed to the windings of the coilI3 whereby the electromagnet will pull4 the piece I2 of forged iron into the middle of the coil and the die II will thus eiect the stamping of the letter.

A spring I4 is provided for the purpose of pulling the die II back into its original position .after the stamping ofthe letter. The top end I2 of thel die and the return spring I4 are conveniently placed Within a cylinder I5, provided at its base with openings I I. These openings Aare covered by a rubber ring I1 surrounding theshaft of the die and attached to the lid of the cylinder I5.

When the die moves downward for the purpose of stamping the letter, the iron block I2, formed into a piston of the cylinder, expels the air through the openings 4I6 which is not prevented by the rubber ring I1. The letter III is placed and yreach the switch in which theyfwill upon a rubber cushion I8 for the purpose of obtaining a soft contact between the die 'and the letterto be stamped. When the die is again raised 'the rubber ring I1 will close the air holes coins to be inserted into the apparatus. vFor the purpose of preventing the introduction civ toov small coinsl into the switch I9 the `channel 2l leading from the coin slot is arrangedin' an inclined position and in its bottoinfsurface'v an opening 23 is provided, through which too small coins are adaptedl to fall out so that they` will not reach theswitch I9. Coins ofthe proper size will allfrom the path 2'I into thechannel v21| havel the position shown at 25. f

A slide 21 is horizontally movable on the bottom plate 26 the construction of said members being illustrated in Figures- 5 to 9. The plate 26 has a' hole 61. in the middle as'shown in. Figs..5,

6 and 7. Said slide'21 is .made of a straightplatev as illustrated in Figures 8 and 9 and for the guidance of said slide 21. there are in the plate 26 grooves 68 'on either side of the hole 61 in which grooves vthe slide 21 `moves' forwards and backwards. AsY can beseen from. Fig. 8 the slide v21 Whichenters the coin `passage 29 when the slide"l is in a state `oi rest, has a recess 28 ,in the thickness` of the coin passage. and plate 26 are shown in section, thersection being taken on .thelinef3-3 of Fig. 1 but the contacts are in full lines, being disposed above the section line. For,r the pin 39 the base plate has a'hole, shownA in Fig. 5, and designated by the number 69. The-slide 21 will -no't therefore be in the way of thexpin 39. From the recess in thev slide 21 the coins are ejectedwhen the 4slide moves inthe direction of the arrowshowrr in turn, guide them into the` passage 46 which leads them into the cash box of the apparatus The base plate has in the passage 24 a hole 29 right throughenabling the coins to fallout of the apparatus Which may only take place when the bottom plate 6I is pushed to one side which Fig. j1, towardsthe springs -whichfin their N is achieved by means of the members 63 and 62.'

lThe construction of the switch I9 is best shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

'Ihe switch is formed by two springs 3G and 3l separated by an insulating member 32 on which the spring 3l is mounted so as to lie substantially parallel to the spring v3l). The conductors 33 and 34 are connected to the contacts35 and 36 carried by the opposing faces of the springsv land 3|. lower end into` U shape and at its end fixed to a part of the structure whilst the connectionV of,

the spring 3l with the spring 36 is above the bend as shown in Fig. 2 so that said spring 3l will follow the movement of the., spring 36 when the button 37 is pressed in the direction .of the arrow so that the spring 3l comes against the member 39. If a coin is in the colnchannel'at 25 the member 39 will form an abutment and stop the further movement of the spring 3l and Y in the continued pressing of the button 31 in the direction of the arrow 38, the movement of the spring 3l being stopped, the spring 30, will move towards the spring 3l bringing together. the contacts 35 and 36 completing theelectric circuit whereby themagnetic coil is energised and the die moved'downward and will effect the stamping of the letter Il). If there is no coin in the coin channel at 25 but the button 3l is nevertheless pressed in the direction of the arrow 33 the top end of the spring 36 will hit against the abutment 46 before the spring 3l reaches the slide 2l. Thus the contacts 35 and 36 cannot close the electric circuit unlessthere is a coin in the coin channel When the die l l is brought to move downwardly the pin 4l attached to its shaft will bring the bell-crank 43 which is attached to the shaft 42 to .turn its arm a down and its arm b sideways as indicated by the arrow. By the aid of the arm 44 the slide 2l is likewise pushed sideways on the bottom plate 26. By the` iniluence of the springs 45 attached t0 the bottom plate 26 the coins v25 will then be thrown from the cavity 28 (Fig. 3) vof the slide 2l into the coin channel 46 and thence into the'box 4l. When the die Il returns to its ,uppermost position the slide 2l will likewise return so that its'cavity 28 will be level with the coin path 2,6. v l .For therpurpose of countingthe number vo stamped letters the apparatus is provided with a controlling ydevice 48. For the control a` paper tape 49, which may be provided with gures, is transported along the table 56. On Aa shaft 42 situatedabove the die a rod 5| is attached, which by a link 52 is connected to a two-armed lever On stamping lthe letters the end c of the lever 53 is moved downwardly and the needle 54 will make va hole in the paper tape 49. Simultaneously the pawl 55 attached at the end d of the lever .53 will release theratchet 56 by one tooth. When the lever 53 returns to its preceding position the pawl 55 will rotate the ratchet 56 and the paper tape will move forwardly between the wheels 5l. The number of holes made by the pinl into-the tape indicates` the number of stamped letters. s

If the control tape 49 is nished and the post administration does not desire the apparatus to Y The .spring 35 is bent at itsy upon the paper tape will, when the tape is iinished, become depressed into a slot 59 made in the control table. On the top end of this arm is attached a plate 60 which will then fall in front of the coin opening 2li thus preventing the intro- Y l. apparatus, after introduction of the coin does not desire the same to stamp a letter. For this purpose the coin path 24 (Fig. 2) is made movable.

The member 6I of the coin path 24 comprises a lever 62 journalled in the bottom plate 26. On pushing the rod 63 the bottom 6l will move away from below the coins which will then fall into a ychute 46 conducting the coins out from the apparatus. For the event that the coins should, sometimes, become fastened in the inclined coin path 22, the one wall 64 of the coin path` is made turnable upwardly on the pin 65 (Fig. 4). By pulling the rod 66 the wall 64 of the path 22 is raisedk and the coins become free. The rod 66 may, by the intervention of a lever, not shown, be connected l,

to a button situated outside of the apparatus. The most convenient arrangement is to connect the movements of the rod 63 and the arm 66 to a press button situated outside of the apparatus,

so that the bottom 6l of the coin path and one f side 64 of the coin sieve will open simultaneously. It is obvious that many changes may be made in the parts of the apparatus without deviating` from the scope of the invention, theA above described embodiment being shown simply by way of example as a prefered embodiment which hasy been found to operate well in practice.

Having now particularly described and ascertained this lour invention and in what manner the r same is to be performed, we hereby declare that what we claim is: 1

1. An apparatus for stamping printing on letmoving the switch to a position wherein the pin thereon abuts the coin and whereby further movement of the button causes the switch to close to energise the solenoid. f

2. An apparatus for stamp printing on letters, a support for the letter, a die, a reciprocable rod at its lower end carrying said die, an armature carried by the upper end of said rod, a coil surrounding said armature, said armature sliding in said coil, an electric circuit connected to said coil, a switch in said circuit, said switch `including two parallel plate springs having opposing contacts, a coin slot in front of the apparatus, a coin passage connected with said slot, a push button f or operating the switch, a pin actuated by said switchand abutting a coin in the coin passage closing the switch to energise the'solenoid and means for retractng the die.

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