Stamp Dispenser

Abstract

A stamp dispenser including means for cutting stamps from a weblike supply of uncut stamps weakened as by perforations between adjoining stamps; means for feeding the web of uncut stamps forward to the cutting means including a polygonal-shaped feed wheel, the length of each side of the feed wheel being substantially equal to the length of the stamp or stamps to be dispensed, the feed wheel being driven in unison with the cutting means; and means for holding a portion of the web of uncut stamps in contact with the feed wheel such that at least one of the web perforated portions is always bent about one corner of the feed wheel whereby to maintain the web of uncut stamps in nonslip contact with the feed wheel and in constant registration with the stamp cutting means.

Description

This invention relates to a stamp dispenser, and more particularly, to a stamp dispenser with improved stamp feeding means.

In automatic addressing systems, it is usually desirable to provide in-line means to stamp the addressed articles, normally envelopes or cards, as they leave the labeling machine. For this purpose, a stamp applicator mechanism may be provided to affix the stamp or stamps to the individual articles, stamps being supplied to the applicator from a dispenser. Since the supply of stamps is normally in the form of an uncut roll, which is normally perforated between stamps, the stamp dispenser necessarily includes some type of cutter to separate the individual stamps from the roll supply for use. As can be readily understood, it is imperative that the stamp supply always remain in proper registration with the cutter as the stamps are fed forward from the supply roll since any loss in registration can result in mutilation and consequent invalidation of the relatively expensive stamps by the stamp cutter.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a new and improved stamp dispenser.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a dispenser for postage stamps incorporating an improved stamp feeding means adapted to assure registration of the stamps with the stamp cutting means.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved stamp dispenser having a polygonal-shaped stamp feeding wheel.

This invention relates to an apparatus for dispensing stamps from a weblike supply of uncut stamps where the portions of the web between adjoining stamps is weakened to facilitate separation of the web into individual stamps or combinations thereof, the combination comprising; stamp cutting means for severing the web of uncut stamps; and stamp feeding means operable in timed relation with the cutting means to advance the web of uncut stamps forward in increments of at least one stamp length to the cutting means whereby to enable the cutting means to sever the web between adjoining stamps, the stamp feeding means including, a rotatable feed wheel having at least two register corners extending transverse to the direction of rotation of the feed wheel, the length of the periphery of the feed wheel between adjoining corners being substantially equal to one stamp length or multiple thereof, and means to maintain the web of uncut stamps in driving contact with the feed wheel such that at least one of the weakened web portions is bent at an angle over one of the feed wheel register corners whereby to maintain the weblike supply of uncut stamps in nonslip relation with the feed wheel and in proper registration with the cutting means.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the ensuing description and drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the stamp dispenser of the present invention coupled with a stamp applicator;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an alternate feed wheel configuration with web tensioning arrangement for the dispenser shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the feed wheel of the FIG. 2 arrangement turned through an angle of 60.degree.; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a second alternate feed wheel configuration with web tensioning arrangement for the dispenser shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown the stamp dispenser 10 of the present invention. Dispenser 10, which can be used with automatic article processing equipment such as addressing machines, serves to supply stamps 11 from a suitable stamp supply such as roll 12 to a suitable user such as stamp applicator wheel 14.

Where dispenser 10 is coupled with an automatic addressing or labeling machine (not shown), stamp applicator wheel 14 may be suitably disposed downstream of the labeling apparatus so as to apply stamps 11 to the labeled articles 15 as the articles are discharged from the labeling machine. In the exemplary arrangement shown, the labeled articles 15 are carried past stamp applicator wheel 14 on conveyor 16.

As will be understood, the supply of uncut stamps on roll 12 is in the form of a continuous web 18. The portion 19 of web 18 between individual stamps 11 is normally perforated or otherwise weakened as by prefolding to facilitate separation of stamps 11 from one another. To separate one or a combination of several stamps 11 from supply web 18, dispenser 10 includes a stamp cutting means 20 which in the exemplary arrangement shown comprises cooperating knife and anvil rollers 22, 23 respectively.

Knife roller 22, the peripheral dimension of which is greater than the length of stamp 11 to be cut, carries a suitable knife 24 which cooperates with anvil roller 23 therebelow to sever web 18. Knife roller 22 is driven in unison with feed wheel 26 and at a speed greater than that of feed wheel 26, the resulting slipping or skidding movement between knife roller 22 and web 18 serving to maintain tension on web 18 and assure driving contact of web 18 with feed wheel 26. In the exemplary arrangement shown in FIG. 1, feed wheel 26 turns one-fourth a revolution for each revolution of knife roller 22.

Stamp dispenser 10 includes suitable framework (not shown) on which the several component parts including knife and anvil rollers 22, 23 respectively, feed wheel 26, idler roller 28, and stamp roll supply 12 are suitable journaled for rotation. Suitable driving means exemplified by gearbox 21 is provided to rotate knife roller 22 and feed wheel 26 in unison in the directions shown by the solid line arrows in the drawing. Gearbox 21 is arranged to rotate knife roller 22 one revolution for each one-fourth revolution of feed wheel 26. A suitable source of power such as an electric motor (not shown) is provided to drive dispenser 10 via gearbox 21. Suitable retard means (not shown) may be provided to inhibit rotation of supply roll 12 and obviate any tendency of roll 12 to overrun during unwinding of supply web 18 therefrom.

Idler roller 28 is disposed between stamp supply roll 12 and feed wheel 26. A first guide roller 33 is arranged between wheel 28 and supply roll 12 with a second guide roller 35 between idler roller 28 and feed wheel 26. Guide roller 35 is displaced out of the path between roller 28 and feed wheel 26 to maintain, in cooperation with a third guide roller 36, a substantial area of stamp supply web 18 in contact with feed wheel 26 and to assure driving engagement therebetween.

The third guide roller 36 is arranged downstream of feed wheel 26, roller 36 cooperating with the intermediate guide roller 35 to hold web 18 in driving and registering engagement with feed wheel 26 as will be more fully described hereinafter. It is understood that suitable bias means (not shown) may be provided to maintain guide rollers 33, 35, 36 in operative contact with stamp supply web 18.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, feed wheel 26 comprises a square-shaped element. The length of the sides s of feed wheel 26 are substantially equal to the length of web 18 to be severed, normally the distance between adjoining perforations 19. It is understood that other multisided or polygonal shapes such as a pentagon, triangular, etc., may be used in place of the exemplary square 26.

In the arrangement shown, guide rollers 35, 36 are below feed wheel 26 with their web-engaging peripheries closely spaced adjacent to one another. Through this arrangement, web 18 is, in effect, wrapped about approximately three-fourths of feed wheel 26 at all times. The perforated portions 19 of supply web 18 are bent or turned at an angle of 90.degree. or more over the four corners 26' of wheel 26. Through this arrangement, the supply web 18 is interlocked with feed wheel 26 so that slippage and loss of registration of web 18 with respect to cutting means 20 is prevented.

A decurl roller 39 is provided adjacent to and on the downstream side of guide roller 36, decurl roller 39 serving to reversely bend web 18 to remove or reduce any tendency of stamps 11 to later self-curl. A pinch roller 40 is provided opposite knife roller 22 and upstream of anvil roller 23. Suitable spring means 41 are provided to bias roller 40 against knife roller 22 with sufficient force to maintain contact between knife roller 22 and stamp web 18, the bias force being insufficient to generate the requisite cutting resistance required by knife 24 to sever supply web 18.

While the aforedescribed arrangement contemplates the dispensing of one stamp 11 at a time, it will be understood that the number of stamps 11 dispensed with each operational cycle of cutting roller 22 may be increased by altering the drive ratio between knife roller 22 and feed wheel 26. Alternately, the length of sides s of feed wheel 26 may be increased to correspond to the length of stamps to be dispensed.

The severed stamps 11 discharged by knife roller 22 are attached by suitable holddown means as vacuum (not shown) to shoe 60 of stamp applicator wheel 14. Wheel 14, which is rotated in the direction shown by the solid line arrow of the drawings in timed relationship with the movement of articles 15 on conveyor 16, carries the stamps 11 into physical contact with the articles 15. Moistening roll 53, which is suitably journaled in liquid container 54 adjacent the path of rotation of applicator shoe 60, serves to wet or moisten the adhesive bearing underside of the stamp 11 carried therepast on transfer wheel 14. Where stamps 11 do not bear adhesive, moistening roll 53 is replaced by a suitable glue dispensing roller. In that event, container 54 serves to hold the supply of glue.

In operation, stamp supply web 18 is unwound from roll 12 and fed forward by rotation of wheel 26 and knife roller 22. Guide rollers 33, 35 cooperate to guide web 18 into contact with a substantial portion of feed wheel 26 while pinch roll 40 holds web 18 in contact with the periphery of knife roller 22. Knife roller 22, which is rotated or overdriven at a speed greater than that of feed wheel 26, slips or skids on web 18 and thereby holds web 18 in tension and tightly wrapped about the peripheral portion of feed wheel 26. By this arrangement, stamp supply web 18 is drivingly interlocked with feed wheel 26 at all times thereby obviating any slippage and loss of registration in the feeding of stamp supply web 18.

As knife roller 22 rotates through a full cycle, knife 24 thereon comes opposite anvil roller 23 to sever the length of web 18 fed forward by feed wheel 26 at perforations 19. In the exemplary arrangement shown, feed wheel 26 rotates one-fourth turn for each cycle of knife roller 22 to feed web 18 forward in increments of one stamp length at a time. Accordingly, knife 24, although overdriven, severs web 18 at perforations 19 between adjacent stamps to provide a single stamp output.

Stamps 11 leaving knife roller 22 are picked up by shoe 60 of applicator wheel and carried thereby past moistening roller 53 into physical contact with the article passing thereunder on conveyor 16.

In the exemplary arrangement shown in FIG. 1, guide rollers 35, 36 are positioned to maintain stamp supply web 18 wrapped around a substantial portion of the periphery of feed wheel 26. It will be understood however, that the web-engaging peripheries of guiding rollers 35, 36 may be separated a further distance from one another than that shown in FIG. 1 as will appear.

Referring to FIGS. 2, and 3, the feed wheel 65 there shown is the shape of an equilateral triangle, the sides s of which are substantially equal to the length of web 18 between adjoining perforations 19 or some multiple thereof. Guide rollers 66, 67 for web 18 on opposite sides of feed wheel 65 are arranged such that an imaginary plane 69 drawn through the points of tangency of wheels 66, 67 with supply web 18 is below the parallel plane 70 coincident with the least radius r of wheel 65. As seen in FIG. 3, this disposition of guide rollers 66, 67 assures that supply web 18 is always bent at least partially over one corner 65' of wheel 65 to provide the desired interlocking engagement of web 18 with wheel 65.

In this arrangement shown in FIG. 4, a two-sided feed wheel 75 is there shown, the distance along each side s thereof being substantially equal to the length of web 18 between adjoining perforations or a multiple thereof. As explained heretofore, in conjunction with FIGS. 2 and 3, the guiding means for web 18, rollers 76, 77, are disposed so that their point of tangency with supply web 18, as indicated by the imaginary plane 69, is below the parallel plane 70 passing through the minimum radius r' thereof.

While the invention has been described with reference to the structure disclosed, it is not confined to the details set forth, but is intended to cover such modifications, or changes as may come within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for dispensing stamps from a weblike supply of uncut stamps, the portions of said web between adjoining stamps being weakened to facilitate separation of said web into individual stamps or combinations thereof, the combinations of:

stamp cutting means for severing said web of uncut stamps; and

stamp feeding means operably in timed relation with said cutting means to advance said web of uncut stamps forward in increments of at least one stamp length to said cutting means whereby to enable said cutting means to sever said web between adjoining stamps, said stamp feeding means including,

a rotatable feed wheel having at least two register corners extending transverse to the direction of rotation of said feed wheel, the length of the periphery of said feed wheel between adjoining corners being substantially equal to one stamp length or multiple thereof; and

means to maintain said web of uncut stamps in driving contact with the feed wheel such that at least one of said weakened web portions is bent at an angle over one of said feed wheel register corners whereby to maintain said weblike supply of uncut stamps in nonslip relation with said feed wheel and in proper registration with said cutting means,

said cutting means comprising cooperating cutting and anvil rollers, and means for overdriving said cutting roller relative to said feed wheel whereby to tension said web and maintain driving contact of said web with said feed wheel.

2. In an apparatus for dispensing stamps from a weblike supply of uncut stamps, the portions of said web between adjoining stamps being weakened to facilitate separation of said web into individual stamps or combinations thereof, the combination of:

stamp cutting means for severing said web of uncut stamps; and

stamp feeding means operably in timed relation with said cutting means to advance said web of uncut stamps forward in increments of at least one stamp length to said cutting means whereby to enable said cutting means to sever said web between adjoining stamps, said stamp feeding means including,

a rotatable feed wheel having at least two register corners extending transverse to the direction of rotation of said feed wheel, the length of the periphery of said feed wheel between adjoining corners being substantially equal to one stamp length or multiple thereof; and

means to maintain said web of uncut stamps in driving contact with the feed wheel such that at least one of said weakened web portions is bent at an angle over one of said feed wheel register corners whereby to maintain said weblike supply of uncut stamps in nonslip relation with said feed wheel and in proper registration with said cutting means,

said last mentioned means including a first web guide roller upstream of said feed wheel, and a second web guide roller downstream of said feed wheel, the plane passing through the web-engaging portions of said first and second guide rollers being below the plane passing through the point of least radius of said feed wheel.

3. In an apparatus for dispensing stamps from a weblike supply of uncut stamps, the portions of said web between adjoining stamps being weakened to facilitate separation of said web into individual stamps or combinations thereof, the combination of:

stamp cutting means for severing said web of uncut stamps; and

stamp feeding means operable in timed relation with said cutting means to advance said web of uncut stamps forward in increments of at least one stamp length to said cutting means whereby to enable said cutting means to sever said web between adjoining stamps, said stamp feeding means including,

a rotatable feed wheel having at least two register corners extending transverse to the direction of rotation of said feed wheel, the length of the periphery of said feed wheel between adjoining corners being substantially equal to one stamp length or multiple thereof; and

web tensioning means to maintain said web of uncut stamps in driving contact with the feed wheel such that at least one of said weakened web portions is bent at an angle over one of said feed wheel register corners whereby to maintain said weblike supply of uncut stamps in nonslip relation with said feed wheel and in proper registration with said cutting means,

said web tensioning means comprising a web feeding roll downstream of said feed wheel, and means for rotating said web feeding roll at a speed faster than said feed wheel.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 in which said stamp cutting means includes a cooperating pair of knife and anvil rollers, said web tensioning means feeding roll comprising said cutting means knife roller.