US1277432A - Straightening device for coiled strips of stamps or the like. - Google Patents

Description

r w. c. LANDON. STRAIGHTENING DEVICE FOR COILED STRIPS 0F STAMPS OR THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED NOV-1, I916.

1 Patented Spt. 3, 191%,

WITNESSES: l/Vl/f/VTOR Warren 5.

WARE-annc.- LANDDN, on neeziris'rnn, NEW YORK, ess-renon'ro MULTIPOST COMPANY, or'noonns'rnn, NEW Yorker-,- A oenronamron on NEW YORK.

STRAIGHTENING DEVICE'FOB; COILED STRIPS 0F STAMPS ORLI'KE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. a, wire.

anatee fired man-ata- 1, 11 516. serie'ino'. 1283879".

To all 'aflqom ii /may concern:

Be it known that I, WARREN Linn a, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Straightening Devices for Coiled Strips of Stamps or the like; and l do hereby declare the following to be a fnll, clear, and exact description of the sanie; reference being had to the aceoinpanyii'm drawings, forining a part of this specification, ml to the reference characters i'narked thereon. A

My inyention' has forits object to proii'de a straightening or anti-clirling device" for renio in'g the eurl from strips of stamps or the like Which are supplied in rolls or cons shell as strips of postage stamps used in stamp affixing ina chine s', whereby the curl in the stamps orl'abel s due to their close confineinent in the coil may be removed previous to their application to the objects to Which they are to aiiiXed'. To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and con'ibinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel reattiresteing pointed out in the claiins at the end of the specification.

In the drawings: y

Figi re 1 is an enlarged sectional new; titre of a machine illustrating oneeinbodi' ment of my iiiventi'on applied thereto;

Fig; 2 is a rear face" View of the straightening and stamp guiding inecha nisin, and

3 is a detail perspective View of the top portion ofthe removable stainpgni'de' carrying a portion of the straightening or anti-curling ine'ans. p I

Similar reference characters throughout the several Views indicate the sa ne parts.

In the use of stamporlabel aiiiXers, particularly in cases Where the stamps orlabels are Wound in strips npon spools it has been found that by reason of the confinement 0f the strips in the roll that the curvature p'rodii'eed in the separate stamps tends to remain therein when they are fed from the machine which occa sionally interferes NVlth their proper application by the affixing mechanism. It is the object of the present invention to provide a satisfactory device for reactin 'the curl in the stamps or labels to be fed from the affixers or other inachinesbefore said stamps reach the point Where they are to be aiiixed. In carrying out this idea I have preferably mounted the straightening dei ice upon a yieldi'ngly non'nted stamp guide nieniber hehi'nd Which the stamps are passed, thus obwdating' the necessity of eniplo'ying additional means for siipp'ortin this part.

VVhile'fhaYe shown the straightening or aiiti-cu'rl'er applied to a stamp afiixer it will be understood that the saine may be readily used in connection With stamp or label dispeiisingj or feeding machines of varions ty bee if desired.

he machine in conjunction With which my present invention is einpioyed, comprises a base 10 upon Which is inonnted a frame 11 carrying a reciprocating plunger 12' provided With a stamp affixing head 13. At one side of the machine the frame 11 is open and reino abl'y fitted therein is a circular stamp or label case 14, containing a roll of stamps or labels 15 on a spool 16, the end' of the strip passing downwardly throiig'h the gnid'eway composed of thebacle ing and. the removable and fleXihl'y inonnted guide meinb'er 18. The backing and guide inelnbers terininaite in laterally curved portions 19 and 20 respectively Whicl are adapted to direct the free end of. the stanip or label strip beneath the affixing head 13. The strip is fed for wardly and successivelyby a suitable feeding mechanism carried on the shaft or plunger 12: and in the present instance coinpri esfeeding fingers 21, the pointed ends of Which'are adapted to engag the perforations between the siiccessi e stainps dining their downward nioveinent. The reinov'abl'e guide for guiding the stam strip and preventing the Withdrawal of the same, by a force applied t'o' its free end, is provided With ineans for mounting said n1ein ber whereby it may be conveniently removed to facilitate the insertion of the stainp strip in a manner Which Will be pres ently explained. The removable guide is disposed in front of the giiideway 17 between the side Walls 22 of the casing and coniprises the spaced sides 23 betw een Which the feeding fingers 21 project, the sides being connected at their lower ends by the cnr ed portion 20 cooperating With the cnr ed portion 19 of the backing as previously stated to guide the stamp strip beneath the affixing head 13. The upper ends ofthe sides 23 are connected preferably by an integral horizontal bar 24 adapted to form the movable and yieldable portion of the straightening or anti-curling device. The bar is supported by the angular portions 25 of the guide plates 26. The lower wall 27 of the container carries a rounded straigl1tedge 28 beneath which is provided a curved recess 29 at the top of the backing or rear guide 17. The rear face of the straightening or anti-curling bar 24 is provided with a bowed or curved edge 30, the central point of which is the first to come in contact with the stamp strips at their centers whereby a greater pressure is produced upon the central portion of the strip than upon the sides or edges thereof. The edge 30 is rounded and extends into the recess 29 beneath the rounded lips 28 instead of being positioned directly opposite thereto. With this arrangement of the cooperating parts the edges of the strip beneath the straightedge 28 are brought relatively nearer together by effecting a greater deflection of the center of said strip, thus serving to remove the curl in the paper strip as it enters the guideway. The strip passing between the edges 28 and 30 being flattened in this manner, the separate stamps, or portions severed from the end of the strip do not our]. or warp when fed into affixing position. The means for resiliently mounting the anti-curling bar 24 in contact with the stamp strip comprises, in the present instance, the same means employed for yieldingly holding the movable guide in clamping position upon the backing 17 and comprises the laterally projecting horizontal ends 31 of the U-shaped member 32 attached to the guide member by means of the cars 33 at the bottom thereof. In forming the parts just described I have shown on the U-shaped member 32 outwardly curving loops 34 which extend beyond the edges of the side walls 22 to afford means whereby the member may be conveniently gripped by the operators fingers, so that he may simultaneously retract the projecting ends 31 and thus release the guide and remove it from the guideway. The clamping or guide member is caused to normally exert a slight frictional contact with the stamp strip and to this end there is applied to each side of the member a spring 35 held in position at one end by an upstanding lug 36 on the side 23 and having one end 37 secured beneath a lug 38 an another end 39 provided with an eye 40 embracing and bearing against the horizontal end 31 of the U-shaped member 32. By this arrangement the extended ends of the spring are adapted to yieldingly hold the removable guide and anti-curling bar in engagement with the underlying stamp strip. The

movable guide being thus yieldingly held will, when displaced at its lower end, rotate about the points 41 by reason of the movement afforded by the slots 42 and any additional tension under such circumstances is imparted to the spring 35 so that the greater the strain applied to the lower end of the stamp strip the greater becomes the clamping action between the plates 26 and the backing 17 of the guideway. This is also true with respect to the anti-curling bar and curved edge 28 as under such circumstances, the former will be moved nearer the latter to more tightly compress the stamp strip between the two. The shape of the anti-curling bar, as shown in Fig. 3, and its location beneath the straight edge is particularly adaptable for removing the curl from stamp or label strips which are gummed on one surface. In coiling the strips the gummed surfaces are on the inner sides of the convolutions and when the strips are fed forwardly the curved lips 30 of the bar 24 bearing against the paper not only bends it in a direction reverse to that which it occupied when in the coil, but also deflects it at the center to restore the fibers of the paper and stretch the gum coating on its inner face. By mounting the bar 24 so that it may yield means is provided for accommodating any inequalities occurring in the paper strip such as the enlargements or thickened portions occurring where the ends of short stamp strips are pasted together.

I claim as my invention:

1. A straightening device for stamp strips or the like, comprising a guideway, means for feeding strips through the guideway, a curved bar adjacent the guideway, and a wall having a curved recess with which said bar cooperates to straighten the strip.

2. In a straightening device for stamp strips or the like, the combination of a casing having an opening and a curved recess adjacent the opening, a bar having a curved edge, means for resiliently pressing said bar into said recess, and means for feeding said strip over the bar and curved edge in the recess to straighten the same.

3. A straightening device for stamp or label strips comprising means for supporting a stamp roll, a strip supporting edge, a guide for said strip, means for feeding the strip across the face of said edge and upon the guide, and means connected with the guide for applying pressure upon the side of the stripopposite the side engaging said edge and along the central portion thereof to a greater degree than upon the sides of the strip.

WARREN C. LANDON.

fiopiel of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the commissioner oi Patents, Washington, D. 0.

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