Printing wheel for package marking equipment

Claim 1

IN A PRINTING WHEEL OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED WHICH MOUNTS LIKE ADJUSTABLE NUMBERING DEVICES BETWEEN A PAIR OF CIRCULAR PLATES AND EACH NUMBERING DEVICE HAS TYPE FACES PROTRUDING BEYOND THE PERIMETER OF THE WHEEL FOR PRINTING AS THE WHEEL IS ROLLED UPON A SURFACE, A NUMBERING DEVICE HAVING A FRAME OPEN AT ONE END THEREOF AND A BRIDGE MEMBER SECURED ACROSS SAID OPEN END PROXIMATE TO THE PERIMETER OF THE WHEEL, A STRAIGHT SHAPE REMOVABLY JOURNALLED IN THE FRAME SPACED FROM SAID BRIDGE MEMBER, A PLURALITY OF FRICTION WHEELS FREELY ROTATABLE ON SAID SHAFT, EACH OF SAID FRICTION WHEELS HAVING ONE OF A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILAR CONTINUOUS ELASTIC BANDS OF PRINTING TYPE EXTENDING OVER SAID FRICTION WHEEL AND THE BRIDGE MEMBER, SAID BRIDGE MEMBER BEING CURVED TO FOLLOW THE CURVATURE OF SAID WHEEL, SAID FRICTION WHEELS ALL HAVING MOUNTING HOLES FOR SAID SHAFT OF THE SAME DIAMETER ALBEIT SAID WHEEL VARYING IN DIAMETER ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE SHAFT FOR MAINTAINING THE PRINTING BANDS UNDER SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM TENSION, THERE BEING MULTIPLE PAIRS OF SUCH FRICTION WHEELS WITH THE WHEELS OF A SPECIFIC PAIR BEING SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILAR IN DIAMETER THEREOF ALBIET THE PAIRS HAVING DIFFERENT DIAMETER WHEELS, THE DIAMETERS OF SUCH WHEELS INCREASING PROGRESSIVELY IN AN OUTWARD DIRECTION FROM THE MIDPOINT OF SAID SHAFT.