US2783711A - Stamp - Google Patents

Description

Mafch 5, 1957 H. VANCE STAMP Filed sept. 3,1954

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United States Pater STAMP Hart Vance, St. Louis, Mo.

Application September 3, 1954, Serial No. 454,986

3 Claims. (Cl. lill- 333) This invention relates to stamps, and more particularly to collapsible stamping devices, which may, with its inking device, be conveniently carried in the pocket or may be incorporated in a writing instrument or other pocket accessory.

United States Patent No. 2,456,904 discloses a pencontained stamping set, the inking pad being fixed within a slotted section of the pen casing and the stamp being pivotally connected to a tubular cap by means of a lostmotion linkage. The cap normally envelopes the slotted part of the pen casing, which contains the inking pad and stamp, but it may be drawn out axially clear of the casing. As the cover clears the pen casing, the lost-motion linkage coupled to the stamp becomes eiective to limit further axial movement, whereupon the elongate cap is pivoted to a position at right angles with the stamp. The stamp is then lifted from the pad and is manipulated during a stamping operation by means of the cap. Although the arrangement has some merit, it suffers from a serious defect. The device is essentially a novelty, yet the cost and complexity of operation substantially preclude its sale in the novelty market.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device of the character described at reduced cost and without the complexities inherent from the pivotal, lost-motion linkage between the stamp and the telescoping cap. Indeed, this linkage is entirely eliminated and in place thereof, I form a boss on the back of the stamp, the boss being of a height sufficient to engage the inner Wall of the cap as it is telescoped home (thereby to hold the stamp against ythe inking pad), and the boss otherwise being of a shape such as to have a snug iit within the mouth of the cap (thereby to permit manipulation of the stamp by use of the cap as a handle). This boss pref* erably is formed as a resilient element, either as a piece of rubber attached to the back of the stamp or as a projection upset from a spring metal backing for the stamp.

Also, the pen casing in the aforesaid patent is constituted by a conical nose piece and a relatively rotary center piece of cylindric shape, apparently to provide for feeding of a lead point from the nose, although the description is not very clear. In any event, there is nothing to discourage rotation of the cap relative to the center body section of the casing (this being a thing .to be expected as one. experiments with the device), yet such rotation may well damage the lost-motion linkage. The present invention contemplates a somewhat different arrangement, which simplies construction and improves the general appearance. Briefly, the pen casing is a unitary hollow member, one end of which is tapered and the other end or" which is closed with a xed nut and relatively rotatable screw. The stamp receptacle is iixed to the rear face of the screw, and the cap has a press iit therewith so that the cap and screw rotate together. A writing unit is then seated against the other end of the screw so as to advance and retract through the tapered end of the casing as the cap is turned relative to the casing.

Other features will be in part apparent and in part ice pointed out in the following detail description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is an oblique exploded View illustrating a pen stamping device embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is longitudinal sectional view of the device, with the stamp receptacle closed by the cap; and

Fig. 3 is a view similar to that of Fig. 2 showing use of the cap as a handle for the stamp.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown an elongate hollow body or casing 1, one end of which Itapers to a port 3 and the other end of which holds a nut 5. The nut 5 is fixed within the body 1, as by threads 7, and is internally threaded for cooperation with a screw 9. A rod-like writing element 11 is seated against the front part of the screw to extend forwardly toward the opening 3 at the other end of the body, a compression spring 12 being provided to hold the writing element 11 against the screw. When the screw 9 is rotated in one direction, the writing element is advanced against the bias of the spring through the opening 3, .the element 11 being lretracted within the casing by reverse rotation of the screw. It should be understood, however, that no claim is made to this structure apart from its use in combination with the other features of construction described below.

In particular, it will be noted that a radially-opening tubular receptacle 13 is secured to the screw 9 in rearwardly projecting relationship. That portion 14 of the receptacle adjacent the screw is circular, but a slot is otherwise cut at 15 to form a chamber of semi-circular cross section, the end of the `chamber being defined by a wall 17 having a flange 19 overhanging the opening 15. An inking pad 20 is then secured within the bottom of the receptacle for cooperation with a stamp 21. The arrangement is one wherein the stamp is approximately in the axis of the receptacle and is retained against the inking pad 2i) by an elongate tubular cap 23.

The stamp 21 is formed with the usual raised rubber indicia held upon a backing member 25. This piece 2S can be stamped from sheet metal, and in being stamped, a boss 27 is upset centrally between the ends thereof. This boss should be of a height suticient to engage the inner wall surface of the cap 23, so that the front of the stamp is held against the inking pad (Fig. 2), and it should be of an outline such that it may be fitted snugly within the mouth of the cap (Fig. 3). The cooperation between the cap 23 and boss 27 may be slightly resilient, it being understood the back 25 may be formed from spring metal. Alternatively, the boss 27 could be formed as a rubber button, secured to the back of the stamp.

In operation, the cap 23 telescopes over the receptacle 13, the stamp thereby being pressed against the inking pad and the mouth portion of the cap having a tight fit with the forward cylindric portion 14 of the receptacle. As such, the stamp receptacle is sealed, and the screw 9 is prepared for rotation by turning of the cap relative to the body 1. Normally, the writing element (for example, a ball-point unit) is retracted within the body, but it is readily advanced by turning the cap.

When the stamp is to be used, the cap is pulled oft", and is manipulated to engage the boss 27 snugly within the mouth. The stamp is then lifted from the pad 20 throughl :the opening 15.

In replacing the stamp, oneend is i'rst entered into the circular portion 14 of the receptacle adjacent the screw 9, and the other end is then locked beneath the ilange 19. Necessarily, the stamp is somewhat longer than the opening 15, hence the cap is readily detached from the stamp, while it is held within the receptacle 13. Finally, the capl is telescoped over the receptacle to seal the same, with the stamp in engagement with its inking pad.

When in the proces-s of applying the cap 23 over receptlacle 13, the two parts have been telescoped to an 3 extent sufficient that the interior of the clap engages the surface or boss 27, it becomes practically impossible to turn the cap re-lative to the receptacle. rl`hat is attributable to the inherent resilence of the parts and their interitting relationship as it is observed that any effort to rotate the cap relative to the receptacle, while the interior of the cap is engaged with boss 27, tends to twist the stamp V2l within the receptacle so that the greater the effort exerted to rotate the cap relative to the recepacle, the tighter the wedging action which tends to restrain-such relative rotation; but when the interior of the cap is free of engagement with boss 27, the cap may be readily rotated relative to receptacle 13, The same result could be accomplished, of course, by providing one or more interfitting groves and ridges in the outer surface of the boss 27 and the interior periphery of cap 23. The feature that it is practically impossible to turn the cap relative to the receptacle when the cap is in the position shown in Figure 2, is important not only from the standpoint of being able to operate the retracting mechanism of the writing instrument by gripping and turning the cap relative to the body 1, but is also important from the standpoint that the position of opening is indicated with certainty by the position of the cap or some mark or attachment such as the conventional clip 28. The importance of this will be `appreciated when it is realized that, if in the process of removing the cap the device is held in a position such that the opening 15 is down, the stamp 21 will readily fall out when the cap is removed therefrom. Accordingly, if the user takes pains to remember that the cap 23 be applied to the receptacle 13 in a position such that the clip 23 is in alignment with boss 27, and takes pains to remember to hold the clip up when the cap is removed, the danger of dropping stamp 21 is overcome. When the cap is in its full telescoping position, as shown in Figure 2, it may be rotated to operate the retracting 4mechanism as in this position the cap may rotate relative to body 1 and nut 5 (over which the cap has a free fitting relation) without rotating relative to the receptacle 13 through which the retracting mechanism is operated.

While the invention has been disclosed with particular relationship to a writing instrument, which may be either a pen or pencil, it may also be incorporated with other pocket accessories such as lipstick cases (which are usually provided with a rete-acting mechanism), cigarette lighters, and such like.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that the entire device is inexpensive to manufacture and simple to operate, thereby meeting the primary requirements for sale in its normal market. Although only one embodiment is illustrated, it should be understood that the invention is not limitedto the specific details described, but that the principles thereof are susceptible to diverse modications and adaptions without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope thereof, as set forth in the claims.

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Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. A printing device comprising an elongate hollow body having a removable cap telescoped over one end thereof, a radially-opening receptacle projecting from said body into sealing engagement with said cap, said receptacle containing an inking pad and a stamp, the back of said stamp having boss-forming-means engageable with the inner wall of the cap to hold the stamp against said inking pad, said boss otherwise being of an outline such as to be snugly engageable with the mouth of the cap, said body containing a retractable writing element atithe opposite end from said cap, a nut xed within the body at the end thereof opposite the writing end, a screw threaded through said nut, said writingelement being slidably received in said body and coupled to said screw for axial displacement upon rotation of the screw, saidv stamp receptacle being fixed to said screw so as to be rotatable with the screw and relative to the body; said cap, receptacle and boss being shaped and proportioned to restrain relative movement therebetweenV when the cap is in position enveloping said boss but free for relative movement otherwise.

2. A printing device comprising an elongate body formed with an elongate receptacle at one end thereof, said receptacle opening radially and containing a relatively xed elongate inking pad and a relatively removable stamp, an elongate hollow cap removably telescoped over said receptacle, said cap being slightly tapered away from its mouth and toward its closed end along the inner wall, the back of said stamp having boss-forming means projecting radially for engagement with the tapering portion of the cap when the cap is telescoped over the receptacle so as to wedge the stamp tightly against the inking pad, said boss-forming means being of an outline such as to wedge within the mouth of the cap.

3. A printing device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said receptacle is of a length greater than that of said stamp but has means at the ends of its opening for overlianging the ends of said stlamp when the stamp is at one end of the receptacle, the stamp being removable from the receptacle by movement toward the opposite end to clear one end of the stamp from the overhanging means at one end of thc receptacle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain July 13, 1 948 warme#

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