Inking mechanism for a postage meter

Claim 1

A postage meter inking mechanism for a vertically oriented postage meter having a vertically oriented printing drum, comprising: a reservoir containing ink fluid, said reservoir generally oriented in a horizontal plane with respect to the vertically oriented postage meter; a vertically oriented inking roller mounted for rotative engagement with a vertically oriented printing drum of said postage meter, said inking roller supplying ink to said drum as it rotatively engages therewith; a supply roller generally horizontally mounted for rotation within said reservoir, said supply roller obtaining a supply of ink as it rotates within said reservoir; a bevel-shaped transfer roller mounted for axial movement along a diagonal axis between said inking roller and said supply roller, said bevel-shaped transfer roller being intermittently engageable with said inking roller and said transfer roller, and when so engaged being caused to rotate when the inking roller is caused to rotate, and thereby causing the engaged supply roller to likewise rotate, whereby the supply roller will obtain ink from said reservoir as it turns, and said bevel-shaped transfer roller will transfer the obtained ink to said inking roller; a spring mounted along said diagonal axis of the transfer roller, in biasing opposition to the movement of said transfer roller into engagement with said inking roller and said supply roller; and engaging means mounted in operative contact with said transfer roller for causing said transfer roller to move in an axial direction along said diagonal axis, and against the biasing of said spring for engaging said inking roller and said supply roller, said engaging means comprising a intermittently energized solenoid having a push rod in operative engagement with said bevel-shaped transfer roller for causing said transfer roller to move axially into intermittent engagement with the supply roller in order to supply the vertical printing drum with ink.