US367269A - Canceling-stamp - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

.Ni A. BUSH. CANCBLLING STAMP.

Patented July 26, 1887.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

NYE'A. BUSH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

OANCELlNG-STAMP..

SPECIFICATION forming Dart of Letters Patent No. 367,269, dated July v26, 1887.

Application filed September 15, 1886. Serial No. 213,600. (No model.)

-scription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it a-ppertains to make and use the same. v

My invention relates to cancelingstamps which, by means of a rotating central disk, deface the postage-stamp by scarifying and displacing a portion of its surface; and it con` slsts of novel constructions and arrangements of parts which will be hereinafter fullyV described, and pointed out in the claims, whereby this class of canceling -stamps is rendered v cheap in construction, solid and compact and durable, as well as positive and effective in their action upon the postage-stamp, while convenience for resharpening and repairing 1s afforded.

bar of the handle being partly in elevation and provided with an vordinary printinghead,

which, \withthe handle, isl shown in elevation and with one of my canceling-heads, which latter, with one end portion of the cross-bar of the handle, is shown in section and as it ap' pears previous to being put into operation. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of a portion of the cross=bar and the canceling-head as it appears when it .has been put in operation. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the rotating tubular screw to Vwhich the canceling-head is fastened. Fig. 4 is a bottom orface view of the cancel# lng and envelopeholding devices of the canceling-head. V

,The letter A in the drawings represents an ordinary solid handle; B, a cross-bar fastenedtoit; C, an ordinary post-office printing-head fastened to one end portion of the said crossbar; and D, my improved canceling head fastened to the other end portion of the crossbar by means of a screw, c, which is passed through the cross-bar C and screwed into the head portion of a cap, d, and thus holds the canceler tothe crossbar. The cap d is provided with a' cylindrical steel or iron rim, d', with inner and outer screw'threads, as shown.

By the inner screw-th read of the rim el a brass or alloy metal nut, E, is fastened to the cap d, Y

having screw-threads e, of quick pitch or very great inclination, into which a tubular screw, F, having screw-threads f corresponding to the threads e, isitted. The threads e and f are made righthanded for reasons hereinafter explained. l

Into the lower end portion of the tubular screw F a disk-cutter, G, is screwed, havinga stem or shank, g', with a left-hand screw'- t-hread, g, said stern litt-ing a corresponding inner left-hand screw-thread, f in the tubular screw. Ahorizontal annular space, g2, is left between the lower end surface of the tubular screw F and upper surface of the disk-cutter G, which 'space is occupied by a horizontal circular tlange, h, of a sliding sleeve, H, while the disk-cutter G itself is let into a horizontal annular depression, h', formed in the sleeve just beneath the flange h. The sleeve H thus connected to the canceling-head will move with the screw F and follow it in its upand revolving with it by means of a pin, I, which is for one half its diameter let into a groove, fi, in the outer cylindrical surface of thenut E, while its other half is fitted into a gutter, i, of corresponding shape in the inner surface of the sliding sleeve H. The gutter i3 permits the sleeve H to slide up and down along the nut E.

The pin I is provided with a slotted head, t", and screw-thread i, by means of which it is screwedinto the rim d of cap d and groove of nut E, and when it is thus screwed into position it is embedded for half its diameter in the rim of the cap and the outer surface of the nut, and it at the same time extends loosely in the gutter i3 of the sleeve, and thus the pin serves the purpose of permanently holding the nut Eand cap d together by preventing the turning or unscrewing of one on the other, and also as a straight or vertical guide to the sleeve H.

To the outer screw-thread of the rim d ot' thecap d is'screw-ed a cylindrical housing, J, the lower end portion of which is open and contracted, so as to form a stop or step, j, which serves as a lower abutment to an annular flange, h2, around the top portion of the sleeve H, while its lower or main body portion IOM is projecting through the lower opening of the housing, as shown in Fig. 1.

In its norlnal position the sleeve H is forced outwardly by a spiral spring, K, inclosed in the tubular screw F, which spring bears against the cap d and disk-cutter G, thereby keeping the ilange if in contact with the step j, as illustrated in Fig. l. The upper portion ofthe spring K is kept in a central position by the lower end portion ofthe screw @,which projects downwardly through the cap d into the spring to any extentdesired. The diameter of said spring K is such that when it is fully compressed,by pushing the sleeve H into the housing J, it bears against the inner sur- 'face of the tubular screw F without binding too much, and thus it is prevented from bulging sidewise injuriously or catching against the tubular screw or hooking into its upper corner.

The nut E is preferably made of brass, as this metal can be cut more easily than steel or iron, while the other parts, including the tubular screw F, are of steel. The screw surfaces being the one of brass and the other of steel, a very smooth operation is secured.

The peculiar construction of the screwthread for the nut E and screw F, as shown in the drawings, is the result of close observation, and is strictly in keeping with the relative hardness of each metal, the softer metal, brass, being provided with screw-threads having rounded inner corners, and thus preventing the usually rapid wear of such, and the steel threads being comparatively thin, be-

cause the wear of that metal is conlparativel y slow.

By makingihe nut separate from the cap and screwing the cap upon the nut, facilities for making the nut of brass are afforded, and by making the screw tubular and open at top and bottom the spring can be applied within it below cross-bar and cap, while the disk-cutter can be screwed into its lower end, and thus a very solid and compact implement is produced, and the same can be taken apart for repair or other purposes very conveniently.

The lower annular face, h3, of the sleeve H is provided with eccentric-curved ridges which ridges are set opposed to the motion of the disk-cutter, and which, when the canceling stamp is pressed upon the stamp and envelope take hold thereof and prevent them from turning. The lower face, g, ofthe disk-cutter G is provided with rhombic or square pyramids, g4, with sharpened edges, wl1ich,when pressed upon the postage stamp, will enter the same, and when revolyed will scarify or cut into its surface and scrape a portion of it away.

The movements of the dislrcntter head upward and around are caused by simply pressing the hand canceling-stamp down upon the paper with sufficient force to move the hous ing lT over the sleeve H until its upper end surface comes in contact with the under surface of the rim d of the cap d. During this jection of the cutters g4 over that ot' the roughened lower annular surface, h3, of the sleeve H, which surface takes a iirm hold of the corners of the postage-stamp and of the paper of the envelope, holds them down dat and level, and prevents them from being turned or twisted while the center of the postage-stamp is scraped or canceled.

The pyramidal points g require to be sharpened from time to time, and to provide for this-the disk-cutter G is adjusted vertically and in relation to the surface ha of the sleeve H by means of thin washers placed between it and the upper surface of the depression lf, one of such washers, g, being shown in the drawings.

It will be. seen that while the canceling implement is pressed down the spring K forces the cutters y' of the disk-cutter G into the postage-stamp, thereby creating a resistance to the revolution of the same great enough to unscrew the cutter-head from the screw F if their screw-threads were right-handed, or the same as the screw F; but by using the lefthanded screw, as described, the cutter-head is prevented from becoming loose while canceling a stamp. Then the canceling-stamp is removed from the envelope,the spring K forces the tubular screw, disk-cutter G, and sleeve H down, revolving the cutter-head to the right without any tendency to unscrewing the same, as the cuttcrhead revolves now without resistance.

I am aware that stamp-caneelers have been constructed with rotary cutters, and that such cutters have been operated by a screw and nut contrivance, as shown in Letters Patent No. 229,282. Ialso am aware that the nut has been kept from revolving while being reciprocated by means of guide-rods, as shown in said patent. My invention differs from said patent in the screw being made hollow, the spring being entirely inclosed within the screw, and all arranged below the crossbar of the stamp-cancelex'.

I also am aware thata rotary cutter attached to a canceling-stamp and operated by aspiral slot and pin and having a spring above-its barrel and all applied below the cross-bar or socket-plate of the handle has been devised; but this construction differs widely from my construction and mode of operation, and is not as firm and positive in its action as the work required to be done requires or demands.

I also am aware of Letters Patents No. 233,210, 195,552, 161,528, and the Letters Patent of Barlow and Taylor, No. 225,043; but these patents show constructions different from those claimed by me; and my invention may be regarded as an improvement thereon, it uniting in an improved Vorganization'or combination featuresrvi-'hich are common to these patented contrivances, and other features which are novel in th'e relations shown, and in such relation produce improved results.

What I claim as myinventjion is l. The withindescribed hand cancelingstamp comprising in its construction a handle,

A, cross-bar B, flanged and internally and eX- ternally screw-threaded cap d, stepped and grooved housing'J, screwed to the outside of the flange of the cap, guttered nut E, screwed into the said flange, tubular screw F, having solid thread and applied entirely below the cap and`cross--bar,` cutter-disk G, having its shank screwed into the screw F, spring K, bearing on the said shank g and located below;

the said cap and cross-bar and entirely in- -closed by the screw F, the fastening and guiding screw c, the grooved sliding sleeveH, having the iianges 7i h2, depression h', andV roughened surface h, and the pin I, screw-threaded along a portion of its surface and passed having the` disk-cutter G, nut E, spring K,

and washer g5, substantially as purpose described.

3. The combination, with the sliding sleeve H, housing J, hollow screw F, having projecting thread-nut E, cap d, and the disk-cutter G, of the spring K, applied within the screw and for the F between the cap d and disk-cutter G, and' belowthe cross-bar or basepiece of the handle of the canceler, substantially as and for the purpose described.

VIntestimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

NYE A. BUSH.

Witnesses:

BARENT VAN BUREN, G. J. WILfrsIE.

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