Патент USA US2600998

June 17, 1952
Filed June 7, 1946
w. J. HANSON
‘
LETTER ACTUATED TRIPPING DEVICE
IN POSTAGE PRINTING MACHINES
2,600,990
2 SHEETS-SHEET 1
M/é/ J%ELEZZ
ATTORNEY
June 17, 1952
'
Filed’ June 7, 1946
w. J. HANSON
2,600,990
LETTER ACTUATED TRIPPING DEVICE
IN POSTAGE PRINTING MACHINES
2 SHEETS-SHEET 2
-(46
f/y
INVE TOR
4/750”
BY
'
6%; /@
ATTORNEY
I
Patented June 17, 1952
2,600,990
‘UNITED
PATENT e-OfFéFll-CE
LETTER ACTUATED TRIPPINGD-EVIGE ‘IN
POSTAGE PRINTING'MA’CHINES
Walter J. Hanson, Port Chester,
1X, assign‘or
to Pitney-Bowes, Inc., Stamford, Conn” ‘a ‘cor
*poration of Delaware
Applicationlune'l, 194.6,“SerialNo. 675,110
1
1 Claim.
This invention relates to a tripping mecha
nism for use in ya postage printing device, where
in the printing unit of said device effects print
ing by reciprocating means, and ‘more speci?cally
(Cl. 101-4287‘)
.2
.
For :f-urt'her ‘detail in vconnection with said print~
ing "operation, reference can be made to "Patent
No. {2,344,609.
1
It is desirable that the ‘postage Timpress’ion‘b‘e v'lo
relates to letter actuated release means which 5 cated at a predetermined position with relation
is associated with a normally locked drive mecha
to the upper and right edges of the letter. To
nism, and which is adapted to free said drive
only when the letter is in correct position for
the printing of a postage impression thereon.
It is the principal object of the invention to
provide means to arrest the normal operation of
the drive mechanism and, through a trip mem
ber connected with the arresting means, pro
obtain such accurate positioning, the right side
of letter must engage with a side stop 24 and
the upper edge must engage a back stop 25.
With regard to the side stop, the operator can
see whether the letter is engaged therewith, but
cannot see whether the upper edge of the letter
engages the back stop. In view of the latter
vide an arrangement whereby the placing of a
condition, trip mechanism is provided which will
letter in correct position for printing, will effect 15 function only when the letter is in engagement
engagement of the upper edge of the letter with
with the back stop 25.
the trip member, thereby moving the trip mem
The trip mechanism comprises a lever 26, piv
ber and effecting the consequent release of the
otally mounted on a pin 21, which pin is suit
arresting means relative to the drive.
ably supported within a wall 28. Said trip lever
In the drawings:
26 has an upwardly extending arm 29, with a
Fig. 1 is a plan view of a postage printing de
vice with part broken away and showing the
letter stop portion 3| thereof, normally extended
parts which cooperate with the trip mechanism;
stop 25. Associated with said trip lever 26 is
another lever 32, carried by a pin 33, also sup
Fig. 2 is a side elevational view looking in the
direction of the arrow 2 of Fig. 1, with parts
broken away and showing the trip and arrest
ing, mechanism in a drive arresting position, also
showing a portion of the printing unit; and
Fig. 3 is a view somewhat similar to Fig. 1,
a predetermined distance in front of the back
ported by the wall 28.
Said lever 32 has an
elongated opening 34 therein, which opening is
engaged by a sidewardly bent projection 35 of
an arm 36, projecting from the trip lever 26.
Projecting upwardly from the lever 32 is an
with the trip and drive arresting mechanism in 30 arm 31, which is provided with a sidewardly
a tripped or released position.
disposed lip 38.
Within a casing II! a printing mechanism is
Forming a part of the actuator mechanism is
provided, which comprises a ?xed impression
an actuator gear segment 39 which is ?xed to
member II and a movable platen I2, normally
the shaft [9, and is adapted to be rocked in the
spaced apart as indicated in Fig. 2. Said platen 35 direction of the arrow during a cycle of opera
member I2 is mounted at one end of a lever l3,
tion. Said actuator gear segment 39 has a por
pivoted at [4, and is adapted to be moved up
tion thereof cut back to form a shoulder 4|, and
ward to a printing position with relation to the
is arranged so that the lip portion 38 of the lever
impression member II. The means for e?ecting
31 will be positioned directly in the path thereof
said upward movement comprises an actuator 40 to obstruct operation of the drive when the mech
bar l5 having a cam portion l6, which bar is
anism is in a normal home position, as shown in
adapted to be moved to the right, as viewed from
Fig. 2. By means of a light spring 42, coiled
Fig. 2, by the action of a lever ll, when said
about the pin 33, and having its ends 43 and
lever is rocked in counter-clockwise direction.
44 under tension and in engagement with the
Rocking of said lever 11 is effected by means of 45 projection 35 of a trip lever 26 and a lug 45 pro
a crank [8 which is joined with a shaft I9, said
jecting from the base respectively, the letter en
shaft also having the lever 11 secured thereto.
gaging portion 3! and lip 38 are normally main
When the crank I8 is rocked, ?rst in a counter
tained in the paths of the letter and shoulder
clockwise direction, then returned, the cam por
4| respectively.
tion [6 is drawn between a roller 2! on said 50
Upon inserting a letter to a printing position,
lever l3, and another roller 22 on a spring ten
the
upper edge of the letter will engage with
sioned lever 23. The effect of said action will
the letter stop portion 3| and cause said lever
cause the platen to rise and move a letter, in
26 to be moved about its pivot 21. Rocking of,
dicated at L, against the impression member H
to effect the printing of the postage impression. 55 the lever 32 is thus e?ected to withdraw the lip
38 from the path of the shoulder 4!, thereby
2,600,990
permitting the rotation of the actuator gear seg
ment 39 and the normal operation of the ma
chine. After the printing cycle of operation has
been completed, the actuator gear is returned to
its normal position, as in Fig. 2, and the trip
mechanism is returned to an actuator obstructing
position under tension of the spring 42.
Having described the invention, what is claimed
is:
In a postage printing device. a printing die 10
member, a platen member, one of said members
which is engaged by the letter becomes aligned
with the backstop, whereupon the lip of the drive
arresting member will have been moved to a non
arresting position relative to the shoulder portion.
'
ation of the reciprocable member, means to posi
tion a letter correctly relative to the printing die
member including a back stop arranged for en
gagement by the upper edge of the letter and
a side stop arranged for engagement by the right
hand edge of the letter, a letter actuated trip
lever having a letter engaging portion normally ,
positioned ahead of the back stop member, an
element ?xed to the drive shaft and having a
shoulder stop portion associated therewith, a
drive arresting member connected with the trip
WALTER. J. HANSON.
REFERENCES CITED
being reciprocable relative to the other, drive
means including a drive shaft to e?ect the oper
4
lever and having a lip portion normally urged into
a drive arresting position relative to the shoulder
stop portion, said letter engaging portion being
adapted to be engaged by the upper edge of the
letter and be moved thereby until that portion
The following references are of record in the
?le of this patent:
UNITED STATES PATENTS
Number
1,596,967
2,070,310
2,084,098
2,087,315
2,104,668
2,120,247
2,130,898
Name
Date
Hansen __________ __ Aug. 24,
Ostler ____________ __ Feb. 9,
Long ____________ __ June 15,
Bugg ____________ __ July 20,
Persson __________ __ Jan. 4,
Funk _____________ __ June 14,
1926
1937
1937
1937
1938
1938
Ogden __________ _.. Sept. 20, 1938