Selection mechanism for a postage meter

Claim 2

In a postal meter having: a. a descending register and an ascending register; b. a single Thomas-type mutilated drum actuator for each register; c. a printing head having settable value print wheels; and d. a drive shaft for rotating said actuators and mounting said print head; e. a selection mechanism comprising:

Claim 3

a plurality of ordinally arranged register driving gears arranged concentrically around each of said actuators and movable parallel thereto; 2. a manually settable bar for individually setting the ordinally identical ones of said driving gears for both registers in selected value positions; 3. ordinally arranged rack means mounted on the exterior of said drive shaft for setting the value print wheels carried by the printing head; 4. means connecting each settable bar to its ordinally related rack means for causing movement of the latter differentially with the movement of the manual means; and

Claim 4

a plurality of ordinally arranged register driving gears arranged concentrically around each of said actuators and movable parallel thereto; 2. a manually settable bar for individually setting the ordinally identical ones of said driving gears for both registers in selected value positions; 3. ordinally arranged rack means mounted on the exterior of said drive shaft for setting the value print wheels carried by the printing head; 4. means connecting each settable bar to its ordinally related rack means for causing movement of the latter differentially with the movement of the manual means; and

Claim 5

means for maintaining the said connecting means in engagement with said rack means and said bar throughout a cycle of operation.

Claim 6

means for maintaining the said connecting means in engagement with said rack means and said bar throughout a cycle of operation.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for maintaining the connecting means in engagement with said rack means and said settable bar comprises: a. an auxiliary rack member; b. a gear train connecting said settable bar to said auxiliary rack member; c. a grooved disk mounted on said auxiliary rack member; and d. a pin mounted in said rack means and engaging the groove in said grooved disk.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 1 comprising also a means driven by said shaft and operating on said settable bar for returning said register driving gears at the end of a cycle of operation to a zero position.

Claim 9

The mechanism of claim 3 comprising also a means for disabling said returning means.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 1 comprising means cooperating with said settable bar for locking said settable bar in an adjusted position.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 5 comprising also means for disabling said locking mechanism.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 1 comprising in addition means driven by said shaft and operating on said settable bar for restoring said register driving gears to a zero position subsequent to the entry of value into the registers and the printing of a value by the print head, and means associated with said settable bar for disabling said restoring mechanism and locking said register driving gears in an adjusted position.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the restoring means comprises a rack on said settable bar, a restore cam on said drive shaft for feeding said rack step-by-step toward a zero position during the latter portion of a cycle of operation, means for rocking said settable bar to displace said racks from engagement with said restore cam, and means for locking said settable bar in an adjusted position when so rocked.

Claim 14

In a postal meter having an ascending register and a descending register, a hollow cylindrical drive shaft, a printing head mounted on said drive shaft, and a single Thomas-type mutilated drum actuator having nine differentially lengthened teeth on the periphery thereof for each register, and a selection mechanism comprising in each order: 1. a selection bar lying outside the periphery of and movable longitudinally of the axis of the mutilated drum actuators; 2. manual means for setting said bar in a selected value position; 3. means for detenting said bar in a differentially adjusted position; 4. a register driving gear adapted to be moved parallel to the periphery of each of the said actuators; 5. means attached to said bar for setting the ordinally related register driving gears differentially with respect to their respective mutilated drum actuator; 6. means set by the differential movement of said bar for displaying the value to be printed and registered;

Claim 15

In a postal meter having an ascending register and a descending register, a hollow cylindrical drive shaft, a printing head mounted on said drive shaft, and a single Thomas-type mutilated drum actuator having nine differentially lengthened teeth on the periphery thereof for each register, and a selection mechanism comprising in each order: 1. a selection bar lying outside the periphery of and movable longitudinally of the axis of the mutilated drum actuators; 2. manual means for setting said bar in a selected value position; 3. means for detenting said bar in a differentially adjusted position; 4. a register driving gear adapted to be moved parallel to the periphery of each of the said actuators; 5. means attached to said bar for setting the ordinally related register driving gears differentially with respect to their respective mutilated drum actuator; 6. means set by the differential movement of said bar for displaying the value to be printed and registered;

Claim 16

an exterior rack means mounted on the exterior of said drive shaft for setting the value print wheels; 8. an interior rack lying within the hollow drive shaft for controlling the operation of said exterior rack; 9. means for continuously connecting said interior rack to said exterior rack for causing movement of the latter differentially and in like manner with the movement of the interior rack; and 10. means for continuously connecting said selection means to said interior rack, whereby the differential setting of the selection bar will cause a like differential setting of the exterior rack.

Claim 17

an exterior rack means mounted on the exterior of said drive shaft for setting the value print wheels; 8. an interior rack lying within the hollow drive shaft for controlling the operation of said exterior rack; 9. means for continuously connecting said interior rack to said exterior rack for causing movement of the latter differentially and in like manner with the movement of the interior rack; and 10. means for continuously connecting said selection means to said interior rack, whereby the differential setting of the selection bar will cause a like differential setting of the exterior rack.

Claim 18

A selection mechanism for a postage meter having 1. a Thomas-type mutilated drum actuator; 2. selection gears longitudinally displaceable along said drum; 3. a descending register driven by said selection gears; 4. a second mutilated drum actuator for an ascending register;

Claim 19

A selection mechanism for a postage meter having 1. a Thomas-type mutilated drum actuator; 2. selection gears longitudinally displaceable along said drum; 3. a descending register driven by said selection gears; 4. a second mutilated drum actuator for an ascending register;

Claim 20

longitudinally displaceable selection gears movable along said second drum; 6. an ascending register driven by said lastmentioned selection gears; 7. a printing drum for printing postage on mail matter; 8. a hollow cylindrical drive shaft carrying one of said actuators and said drum and driving the other drum; said selection mechanism comprising in each order: a. a selection bar; b. manual means for differentially adjusting said selection bar; c. means carried by said selection bar for adjusting the descending register selection gear along its mutilated drum actuator and for adjusting the ascending register selection gear longitudinally along the mutilated drum actuator for the ascending register; d. means for detenting said bar in an adjusted position; e. means for displaying the differential value set in said selection bar; f. a restore cam having nine cam faces to restore said selection bar step-by-step to its zero position; g. a rack on said selection bar and in one angular position of said rack adapted to be engaged by said restore cam to restore said bar to its zero position and in another angular position of said selection bar to be disengaged from said restore cam; and h. manual means for rotating said selection bar.

Claim 21

longitudinally displaceable selection gears movable along said second drum; 6. an ascending register driven by said lastmentioned selection gears; 7. a printing drum for printing postage on mail matter; 8. a hollow cylindrical drive shaft carrying one of said actuators and said drum and driving the other drum; said selection mechanism comprising in each order: a. a selection bar; b. manual means for differentially adjusting said selection bar; c. means carried by said selection bar for adjusting the descending register selection gear along its mutilated drum actuator and for adjusting the ascending register selection gear longitudinally along the mutilated drum actuator for the ascending register; d. means for detenting said bar in an adjusted position; e. means for displaying the differential value set in said selection bar; f. a restore cam having nine cam faces to restore said selection bar step-by-step to its zero position; g. a rack on said selection bar and in one angular position of said rack adapted to be engaged by said restore cam to restore said bar to its zero position and in another angular position of said selection bar to be disengaged from said restore cam; and h. manual means for rotating said selection bar.

Claim 22

The apparatus of claim 10 comprising also: a. a latching plate; b. a second rack on said bar in the first angular position of said bar to be disengaged from said locking plate and the second angular position of said bar to engage said latching plate to prevent movement of said bar.

Claim 23

The apparatus of claim 11 comprising also: a. an interior value setting rack mounted in the interior of said cylindrical drive shaft; b. a gear train for connecting said interior rack to one of said racks on said selection bar; c. an exterior bar journalled within a slot in the exterior wall of said main drive shaft; and d. means for connecting said last mentioned rack with said interior rack through the wall of said cylindrical drive shaft.

Claim 24

A selection mechanism for a postage meter having 1. a Thomas-type mutilated drum actuator; 2. longitudinally displaceable selection gears movable along said drum, said gears being concentrically arranged around the periphery of said actuator; 3. a first register driven by said selection gears; 4. a second mutilated drum actuator for a second register; 5. longitudinally displaceable selection gears movable along said second drum; 6. a second register driven by said selection gears; 7. a cylindrical drive shaft for driving said actuators; and 8. a printing drum mounted on said drive shaft for printing postage on mail matter; said selection mechanism comprising in each order: a. a main selection bar; b. manual means for differentially adjusting said selection bar; c. means carried by said selection bar for adjusting the first register selection gear along its mutilated drum actuator; d. an auxiliary selection bar for said second register, said auxiliary selection bar being attached to said main selection bar for movement therewith; e. means carried by said auxiliary selection bar for adjusting the second register selection gear longitudinally along the second mutilated drum actuator; f. means for detenting said selection bar in an adjusted position; g. means for displaying the differential value set in said selection bar; h. a restore cam having nine cam faces to restore said selection bar step-by-step to its zero position; i. a rack on said selection bar and in one angular position of said rack adapted to be engaged by said restore cam to restore said bar to its zero position and in another angular position of said selection bar to be disengaged from said restore cam; j. a locking plate; k. a second rack on said bar, in the first angular position of said bar to be disengaged from said locking plate and the second angular position of said bar to engage said locking plate to prevent movement of said bar; l. an interior value setting rack mounted in the interior of said cylindrical drive shaft; m. a gear train for moving said interior rack differentially connecting said interior rack with said selection bar; n. an exterior setting rack journalled within a slot in the exterior wall of said main drive shaft adapted to set mechanism in said print head; o. means for connecting said exterior setting rack with said interior rack through the wall of said cylindrical drive shaft through a full rotation of said drive shaft; p. means for resiliently detenting said selection bar in a set position; and manual means for rotating said selection bars.

Claim 25

A selection mechanism for a postage meter having 1. a Thomas-type mutilated drum actuator; 2. longitudinally displaceable selection gears movable along said drum, said gears being concentrically arranged around the periphery of said actuator; 3. a first register driven by said selection gears; 4. a second mutilated drum actuator for a second register; 5. longitudinally displaceable selection gears movable along said second drum; 6. a second register driven by said selection gears; 7. a cylindrical drive shaft for driving said actuators; and 8. a printing drum mounted on said drive shaft for printing postage on mail matter; said selection mechanism comprising in each order: a. a main selection bar; b. manual means for differentially adjusting said selection bar; c. means carried by said selection bar for adjusting the first register selection gear along its mutilated drum actuator; d. an auxiliary selection bar for said second register, said auxiliary selection bar being attached to said main selection bar for movement therewith; e. means carried by said auxiliary selection bar for adjusting the second register selection gear longitudinally along the second mutilated drum actuator; f. means for detenting said selection bar in an adjusted position; g. means for displaying the differential value set in said selection bar; h. a restore cam having nine cam faces to restore said selection bar step-by-step to its zero position; i. a rack on said selection bar and in one angular position of said rack adapted to be engaged by said restore cam to restore said bar to its zero position and in another angular position of said selection bar to be disengaged from said restore cam; j. a locking plate; k. a second rack on said bar, in the first angular position of said bar to be disengaged from said locking plate and the second angular position of said bar to engage said locking plate to prevent movement of said bar; l. an interior value setting rack mounted in the interior of said cylindrical drive shaft; m. a gear train for moving said interior rack differentially connecting said interior rack with said selection bar; n. an exterior setting rack journalled within a slot in the exterior wall of said main drive shaft adapted to set mechanism in said print head; o. means for connecting said exterior setting rack with said interior rack through the wall of said cylindrical drive shaft through a full rotation of said drive shaft; p. means for resiliently detenting said selection bar in a set position; and manual means for rotating said selection bars.

Claim 26

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said selection mechanism comprises: 1. a plurality of register drive shafts circumferentially arranged around said actuator; 2. selection gears slidably but non-rotatably mounted on some of said shafts and adapted to be engaged by a mutilated drum actuator; 3. a tens-transfer gear slidably but non-rotatably mounted on each of said shafts; 4. a register driving gear rigidly mounted on each of said shafts; 5. a dial driven by each of said register driving gears;

Claim 27

a tens-transfer gear on each of said shafts except the lowest order; and 7. means operated by the passage of a dial between its 0 and 9 value positions for positioning said tens-transfer gear into a position to be driven by said actuator.

Claim 28

a tens-transfer gear on each of said shafts except the lowest order; and 7. means operated by the passage of a dial between its 0 and 9 value positions for positioning said tens-transfer gear into a position to be driven by said actuator.