US2687692A - Date wheel setting device - Google Patents

Description

J. v. KUBOVY ETAL 2,687,692 DATE WHEEL SETTING DEVI CE 2 Sheets-Sheet l ISnventors /7 V IQfbO V) i /ff V 47/ s a Aug. 31, 1954 Filed Aug. 17, 1951 Aug. 31, 1954 Filed Aug. 1'7, 1951 J. V. KUBOVY ET AL 2,687,692 DATE WHEEL SETTING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 (Inc -neg Patented Aug. 31, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OF FICE 2,687,692 DATE WHEEL SETTING DEVICE Joseph V. Kubovy and ford, 001111., assignor Stamford, 001111., a 0

Application August 17, 1951, Serial No.

4 Claims. I i This invention relates to particularly to meters.

printing and more date printing in postage printing small opening in the casing opposite the stopping position of the date printing die through which a skill to operate, and which can be used Without the date wheel types.

It is another object of the invention to provide for undershooting or overshooting the desired setting.

Still another feature of the invention is the provision of a wheel rotating means located with Robert C. Pitney, s to Pitney-Bowes, Inc.,

Stamorporation of Delaware impairing the visibility of I setting mechanism.

In postage printers mail.

Another object provide date wheel rotating means so arranged that it can operate from the exterior of the printposition.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is i1- lustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

, gage the wheel 23.

The printing drum H carries on its surface a postal indicia die l which surrounds a slidably mounted town die ll within which is also slidably mounted a dater die IS. The dater die includes a month printing wheel 2|, two days wheels 23 and Z5 and a year wheel 21. The wheels 2|, 23, 25 and 2'! are coaxially arranged on a shaft 29 fixed to the carriage or yoke 3| which forms the foundation of the dater die l9. Detent means such as indicated at 33 in Fig. 1 is provided for retaining each of the wheels at the desired setting.

Operating means is provided for projecting the town and dater dies to printing position, and for retracting the dater die alone or the town and. dater die together to non-printing position. This means is indicated generally by reference character 35 in Fig. 1 and is preferably of the type described in detail in the application of Berthold Knauer, Serial No. 214,750 filed March 9, 1951.

The present invention provides means mounted in the drum H for rotating certain of the date wheels to the desired setting. In the form day wheels 23 and 25 only which are provided with such means, since these are the only wheels which must be moved frequently, and hence the wheels where the inconveniences of prior setting arrangements are most strongly felt. It will be realized, however, that similar operating means can be provided for the month wheel 2! or the year wheel El if desired.

The wheels 23 and 25 are, first of all, provided with grooves 31 between their type faces, so configured as to form ratchet teeth and which takes the place of the grooves normally provided for engagement by a stylus. Below the wheels, and slidably arranged in a pair of parallel bores 39, Al in the yoke 3! are the crossheads Q3 and Q5. The crosshead 43 carries a pivoted pawl 41 operating through a slot 43 and arranged to en- The crosshead 45 carries a pivoted pawl 5i operating through a slot 53 to engage the wheel 25. A coil spring 55 reposes in the bore 39 and engages the inner end of crosshead 43. A similar spring (not shown) reposes in the bore M and engages the inner end of the crosshead A5. The springs act in a direction tending to force the crossheads towards the bore openings.

The pawls l! and 5| are so configured that in their gravity positions they tend toextend beyond the ends of their respective crossheads and to present a sloping cam face to the corresponding spring. When any pressure is placed on the assembly to compress the springs, the pawls :l'! and 5! are immediately cammed upwardly by the springs to project them through their slots 49 and 53 and into operative engagement with their respective date wheels.

In order to reciprocate the crossheads :3 and 45 and their pawls M and 5!, manually operable plungers 51 and 59 respectively are provided. The plungers are slidably mounted in suitable openings in. the printing drum H and are urged outwardly by springs such as springs 5! in Fig. 1. The plungers 5i and 59 are of such length that when retracted by their springs they lie wholly outside the town die ll, so that the town die l1 or dater die 19 may be retracted whenever desired by the mechanism 35 without danger of interference from either of the plungers 51 or 59. When the plungers are manually depressed against the force of the opposing spring, each will finally engage its corresponding crosshead 43 or 45 to drive the pawl 41 or iii and thereby the appropriate rotate the corresponding date wheel 23 or 25 clockwise as seen in Fig. 1. This rotation is preferably in the direction of increasing numbers as shown in the drawing. Furthermore, the stroke of the plungers 5i and 59 after making contact with the corresponding crosshead, is preferably arranged to be such as will produce a movement of the wheel from one number to the next adjacent number. Access to the plungers is provided by a small aperture 63 in the tamper-proof housing 13. The aperture 63 is opposite the plunger ends whenever the drum H is in its stopping position, and may be provided with a movably mounted closure 65.

In order that the operation of setting the date wheels may be clearly viewed while it is in progress, and hence be accurately and quickly carried out, the invention further provides inspection means adapted to give the operator a clear, normal reading view of the date types at all times. This consists of a small inspection opening 61 in the tamper-proof housing l3, which opening lies adjacent the stopping position of the dater die It, and hence takes the place of the ordinary setting opening found in the previous stylus-operated devices. The opening is filled by a closure 59 hinged to the casing is as indicated by reference character ii. The inner surface of the closure 69 carries an optical reflector or mirror 13. The parts are so arranged that when the closure 69 is positioned approximately as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the operator is able to see the date types. They also appear reversed by the mirror (59 so that they are directreading and quite easily legible.

To operate the device of the invention the town and dater dies are projected to printing position by means 35, and the closures E5 and 59 are opened, the latter to approximately the angle shown in Fig. 2. The operator then inserts his fingers through the opening 63 and depresses either the tens plunger 5'! or the units plunger 59, or both, depending upon the particular date change to be effected. Each depression of a plunger causes feeding of the corresponding wheel one step, and this can be continued until day setting is arrived at. During this procedure, the operator is simultaneously watching the rotation of the wheels by looking into the optical reflector 13. Since the types are reflected in a direct reading position, they are easily interpreted, and no difficulty is ex perienced in bringing the date wheels to the proper setting without undershooting or overshooting. Once the setting is made, of course, release of the plungers 51 and 5S permits them to retract fully under the influence of their springs, such as spring GI, and subsequently the dies l1 and 19 may be retracted and projected as desired by means 35 without danger of interference from the plungers.

While the plungers 51 and 59 have been described and shown as equipped with springs such as spring M which will retract them automatically when released, it will be understood that this is merely the preferable construction and that they may be arranged to operate without such springs or their equivalents in which case manual retraction of the plungers 51 and 59 would be required before the town die IT! or dater die l9 can be retracted to non-printing position.

Having described the invention, what is claimed meter a rotatable having an opening 1. In a postage printing printing drum; a carriage therein and slidable in said drum between printing when both the town die and carriage are in mg and non-pr1nting positions; date printing printing position and an operating plunger carwheels rotatably mounted on said carriage; and ried by said drum, extendable through the town plunger carried by said drum and movable said town die and carriage.

through the carriage opening to engage with and 4 In a postage prm l meter, a Drlntlng drum drive said device and retracting means supported having a postage indicia die, a carriage having Within the drum and engaging said plungel, an opening therein, an adiustable type wheel havwhereby the plunger 1s normally retracted to a ing a notched peri heral surface and mounted in position clear of the carriage to permit ietracsaid carriage, sald calrlage being adJ 110 tion of the carriage when desired. place the type wheel in a printing or non-printing :2. [n a postage printing meter; a rotatable position relative to the postage indicia die, a printing drum; a town die slidable in said drum pawl engageable with a notch in said type wheel between printing and non-printing positions and and slidably mounted in the carriage. a plunger with n said town die between printing and nonagainst the pawl to eifect type wheel setting when printing positions; date printing wheels rotatably the carriage 1s m a printing position and means mounted on said carriage, and manually conto urge said plunger beyond the path of the contacting device movably mounted on said car- Reffilellces Cited in the fi this pa e riage and aligned with said town die opening 2 U I ED STATES PATENTS when both the town die and carriage are in printing position and an operating plunger car- Number Name Date ried by said drum, extendable through the town 16008O8 Dukehart Sept 1926 die opening, and engageable with said device to 1623478 Jahp 1927 drive the same when the town die and carriage 1730904 smlth 1929 are in printing position, said plunger being mov- 2014727 Flood Sept 1935 able to a position clear of said town die and 325 2 fi g a r a t permlt r ra tlon th f wh n 2,248257 Thatcher July 8, 1941 3. In a postage printing meter; a rotatable 2386442 Davldson 1945 printing drum; a town die slidable in said drum 2510-350 Ewan June 1950 between printing and non-printing positions and 2524543 Ryan 1950' having a lateral opening; a carriage slidable FOREIGN PATENTS within said town die between printing and non- Number Country Date printing positions; date printing wheels rotat- 5 478 Great Britain 4 1910 ably mounted on said carriage, and manually u controlled means for engaging a d rotating one OTHER REFERENCES of Said date Whee s, a d means comprising a Serial No. 314,407, Mercier (A. P. 0.), published wheel contacting device movably mounted on May 25 943 said carriage and aligned with said town die open-

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