Postage meter

Claim 2

A postage meter having a drum support and a rotatable drum carried for rotation upon said support, said rotatable drum comprising a directly accessible, hand manipulative postage value selector means supported by, an rotatable with said drum for manually setting a postage value to be printed, a variable postage value printing means supported by said drum for rotation therewith and operatively connected to said selector means, said printing means printing an amount of postage in accordance with the amount set by said selector means, and a postage registering means supported by said drum for rotation therewith and operatively engageable with said selector means for accounting for postage which is set and printed, said printing means and said registering means being operative only when said drum is caused to rotate from a rest position through a postage metering cycle, said postage printing means comprising at least one rotatable die wheel having a plurality of postage values upon a periphery thereof, the die wheel being rotatably movable between an offset print position and a properly aligned print position upon rotation of said drum from the rest position through said metering cycle.

Claim 3

The postage meter of claim 1, further comprising a stationary sun gear carried by said drum support, said drum rotating about said sun gear, and wherein said selector means comprises a planetary gear that is engagable with said sun gear and revolves about said sun gear when said drum is caused to rotate through a metering cycle.

Claim 4

The postage meter of claim 1, wherein said drum support comprises a Geneva mechanism in combination with the sun and planetary gears for causing said drum to accelerate from said rest position, rotate with substantially constant velocity through a printing portion of said metering cycle, and decelerate back to the rest position.

Claim 5

The postage meter of claim 1, wherein said selector means comprises a selector wheel and a ducking gear integrally operative with said selector wheel, such that as a postage amount is selected by turning said selector wheel, teeth of said ducking gear are caused to be displaced.

Claim 6

The postage meter of claim 4, wherein said register means comprises an input gear that is operatively engagable with said ducking gear of said selector means.

Claim 7

The postage meter of claim 1, wherein said printing means and said register means are each operatively connected to said selector means by interconnecting gear drives.

Claim 8

The postage meter of claim 6, wherein the interconnecting gear drive between the printing means and the selector means comprises a pivotable gear that is engagable with the selector means when said drum is in a rest position, and which pivots out of engagement with the selector means when said drum is caused to rotate through a metering cycle.

Claim 9

The postage meter of claim 7, wherein said drum support comprises a camming track, and wherein said pivotable gear is connected to a pivoting lever at one end thereof, lever, said pivoting lever carrying a cam follower on another end thereof, said cam follower riding upon the camming track, whereby the pivoting lever is caused to pivot the pivotable gear out of engagement with the selector means when the drum is rotated about said camming track.

Claim 10

The postage meter of claim 8, wherein said drum comprises a locking pin, said pivotable gear being engagable with said locking pin when said pivotable gear is caused to pivot out of engagement with said selector means, said locking pin causing said pivotable gear to be locked against rotation when engaged therewith.

Claim 11

A postage meter having a drum support and a rotatable drum carried for rotation upon said support, said rotatable drum comprising a postage value selector means, a variable postage value printing means, and a postage registering means, each of which is supported by said drum and rotatable therewith, means operatively connected to said drum for rotating said drum from a rest position through a metering cycle, said printing means comprising at least one rotatable die wheel containing a plurality of postage values upon a periphery thereof, said die wheel being rotatably movable between an offset position and a properly aligned print position upon rotation of said drum from the rest position through said metering cycle.

Claim 12

A postage meter having a drum support and a rotatable drum carried for rotation upon said support, said rotatable drum comprising a postage value selector means, a variable postage value printing means, and a postage registering means, each of which is supported by said drum and rotatable therewith, means operatively connected to said drum for rotating said drum from a rest position through a metering cycle, said printing means comprising at least one rotatable die wheel containing a plurality of postage values upon a periphery thereof, said die wheel being rotatably movable between an offset position and a properly aligned print position upon rotation of said drum from the rest position through said metering cycle.

Claim 13

The postage meter of claim 10, further comprising a stationary sun gear carried by said drum support, said drum rotating about said sun gear, and wherein said selector means comprises a plenetary gear that is engaged with said sun gear and revolves about said sun gear as said drum is caused to rotate through a metering cycle.

Claim 14

The postage meter of claim 11, wherein said drum support comprises a Geneva mechanism in combination with the sun and planetary gears for causing said drum to accelerate from said rest position, rotate with substantially constant velocity through a printing portion of said metering cycle, and decelerate back to the rest position.

Claim 15

The postage meter of claim 10, wherein said selector means comprises a selector wheel and a ducking gear integrally operative with said selector wheel, such that as a postage amount is selected by turning said selector wheel, teeth of said ducking gear are caused to be displaced.

Claim 16

The postage meter of claim 13, wherein said register means comprises an input gear that is operatively engagable with said ducking gear of said selector means.

Claim 17

The postage meter of claim 10, wherein said printing means and said register means are each operatively connected to said selector means by interconnecting gear drives.

Claim 18

The postage meter of claim 15, wherein the interconnecting gear drive between the printing means and the selector means comprises a pivotable gear that is engagable with the selector means when said drum is in a rest position, and which pivots out of engagement with the selector means when said drum is caused to rotate through a metering cycle.

Claim 19

The postage meter of claim 16, wherein said drum support comprises a camming track, and wherein said pivotable gear is connected to a pivoting lever at one end thereof, said pivoting lever carrying a cam follower on another end thereof, said cam follower riding upon the camming track, whereby the pivoting lever is caused to pivot the pivotable gear out of engagement with the selector means when the drum is rotated about said camming track.

Claim 20

The postage meter of claim 17, wherein said drum comprises a locking pin, said pivotable gear being engagable with said locking pin when said pivotable gear is caused to pivot out of engagement with said selector means, said locking pin causing said pivotable gear to be locked against rotation when engaged therewith.

Claim 21

A postage meter comprising a rotatable drum assembly, a selectable postage value printing means carried by the drum assembly, a setting means carried by the drum assembly for setting the value to be printed, first connecting means for operably connecting the setting means to the printing means so that actuation of the setting means to set a value causes a corresponding setting of the value in the printing means, register means carried by the drum assembly, second connecting means for operatively connecting the setting means to the register means so that activation of the setting means to set a value causes a corresponding adjustment in the register means upon rotation of the drum assembly, means for rotating the drum assembly to print a postage value from the value printing means, cam means operatively connected to, and actuatable by rotation of the drum assembly, the setting means and printing means being connected when the drum assembly is in a rest position, and being disconnected by said cam means when the drum assembly is rotated to provide a printing of a postage value, the first connecting means being disconnected from the setting means and causing a positioning of the printing means to a properly aligned postage value printing position, when the drum assembly is rotated.

Claim 22

A postage meter comprising a rotatable drum assembly, a selectable postage value printing means carried by the drum assembly, a setting means carried by the drum assembly for setting the value to be printed, first connecting means for operably connecting the setting means to the printing means so that actuation of the setting means to set a value causes a corresponding setting of the value in the printing means, register means carried by the drum assembly, second connecting means for operatively connecting the setting means to the register means so that activation of the setting means to set a value causes a corresponding adjustment in the register means upon rotation of the drum assembly, means for rotating the drum assembly to print a postage value from the value printing means, cam means operatively connected to, and actuatable by rotation of the drum assembly, the setting means and printing means being connected when the drum assembly is in a rest position, and being disconnected by said cam means when the drum assembly is rotated to provide a printing of a postage value, the first connecting means being disconnected from the setting means and causing a positioning of the printing means to a properly aligned postage value printing position, when the drum assembly is rotated.