Pocket Hand Stamp

Abstract

A pocket hand stamp comprising a holder holding a printing plate on its bottom and a pair of box-shaped covers pivoted to the upper portion of the holder in which said covers serve to cover the printing plate when they are turned to a position under the bottom of the holder and serve to provide a handle for the stamp when they are turned to a position above the holder where they are placed upright back to back.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a pocket hand stamp and more particularly to a pocket hand stamp in which the printing plate can be covered to prevent the ink on the printing plate from contaminating other objects and when the stamp is to be used a handle for the stamp is provided by opening the covers.

Pocket hand stamps of such type so far known have been disadvantageous in that they are complicated in structure and unstable when in use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a pocket hand stamp of the type mentioned which is simple in structure and stable when being used.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description of the preferred embodiments given hereinafter.

The pocket hand stamp in accordance with the invention comprises a holder holding a printing plate on its bottom and a pair of box-shaped covers pivoted to the upper portion of the holder, in which said covers serve to cover the printing plate when they are turned to a position under the holder and serve to provide a handle for the stamp when they are turned to another position over the holder where they are placed upright back to back.

Also in accordance with the invention, in the above mentioned pocket hand stamp, the holder has a detachable cover plate on its top, said holder and cover plate have each a pair of recesses to form bearing holes, in mutual cooperation, at the outer sides of both ends, and each of said box-shaped covers has pivots at the inner sides of both ends to engage with said bearing holes.

Also in accordance with the invention, in the above mentioned pocket hand stamp, said holder has a pair of bearing holes at the outer side of both ends and each of the box-shaped covers has pivots at the inner sides of both ends to engage with said bearing holes.

The pocket hand stamp in accordance with the invention uses for the printing plate an elastic sponge material having numerous fine continuous foams.

Also the pocket hand stamp in accordance with the invention has ink replenishing holes in the cover plate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partially broken away, of an embodiment of the pocket hand stamp in accordance with the invention, with the box-shaped covers turned to the position under the bottom of the holder to cover the printing plate,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view, partially broken away, of the pocket hand stamp shown in FIG. 1, with the box-shaped covers turned to another position over the top side of the holder and placed upright back to back to provide a handle for the stamp,

FIG. 3 is a front view, partially in cross-section, of the pocket hand stamp shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a front view, partially in cross-section, of the pocket hand stamp as shown in FIG. 2,

FIG. 5 is a split perspective view of the pocket hand stamp shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 6 is a front elevation, partially in cross-section, of another embodiment of the pocket hand stamp in accordance with the invention with the box-shaped cover turned to the position under the bottom side of the holder to cover the printing plate,

FIG. 7 is a front view, partially in cross-section, of the pocket hand stamp shown in FIG. 6, with the box-shaped covers turned to another position over the top side of the holder and placed upright back to back to provide a handle for the stamp,

FIG. 8 is a split perspective view of the pocket hand stamp as shown in FIG. 6,

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a cover plate for still another embodiment,

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken through line A--A in FIG. 9,

FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the cover plate, and

FIG. 12 is an end view of the same.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, a holder 1 is of a shape of a box with an open top 2 and an open bottom 3 and is preferable made of acrylic butadiene styrene copolymer resin. The bottom 3 has a inner flange 4 and the top 2 has a pair of recesses 5 at the outer side of each end.

A printing plate 6 has a printing surface 7 on its one side and is preferably made of an elastic sponge material having numerous fine continuous forms e.g. of nitryl butadiene copolymer rubber. The most suitable method for manufacturing this porous material includes the applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 3,342,911 (corresponding patents German 1,301,473, French 1,488,216, Italian 760,731, Japanese 448,019).

The printing plate 6 is supported on the flange 4 so that its printing surface 7 extends outward beyond the flange 4. An ink pad 8 is positioned on the printing plate 6 in the holder 1. The ink pad 8 is preferably made of a porous material of polyvinyl formal resin or felt. Therefore by impregnating the printing plate 6 and the ink pad with ink in advance, continuous stamping is possible without using a separate stamp pad.

A cover plate 9 is tray-shaped and detachably mounted on the open top 2. The cover plate has a pair of recesses 10 at the outer side of each end. Each of the recesses 10 is to be combined with each recess 5 of the holder 1 to form a bearing hole.

An indicating plate 11 and a transparent plate 12 are overlaid within the cover plate 9, the projections 13 on both ends of the transparent plates 12 being removably fitted in holes 14 at the ends of the cover plate 9.

A pair of box-shaped covers 15, preferably made of polyacetal resin, have each of them pivots 16 on the inner sides of both ends to engage the bearing holes formed by said recesses 5, 10. The box-shaped covers 15 may be pivotally affixed to the holder 1 by fitting the pivots 16 into the recesses 5 and then fitting the cover plate 9 on the open top 2 of the holder 1.

The box-shaped cover 15 has a pair of snap members 17 for opening or closing at its flange, and has ribs 18 in the inside for reinforcement and non-slippage when holding.

The box-shaped covers 15 cover the printing plate 6 when they are turned to the position under the bottom side 3 of the holder 1 (see FIGS. 1 and 3), and provide a handle for the stamp when they are turned to the position over the top 2 of the holder 1 and are placed upright back to back. (see FIGS. 2 and 4).

When the covers 15 are placed to cover the printing plate 6, inner edges 19 of the snap members 17 engage each other to maintain the box-shaped covers 15 in closed position, thereby preventing the ink on the printing plate from comtaminating other objects.

In accordance with the invention, when the box-shaped covers provide a handle, one may grip the covers 15 with his hand at the ribs 18 for reinforcement of the covers 15 and non-slippage during gripping, so that the holder 1 can be supported without swinging with respect to the covers 15, thus making it possible to use the stamp in a stable manner.

When the ink is to be replenished, the cover plate 9 is removed from the holder 1 and some ink is dropped from the top opening of the holder 1 and is dispersed in the ink pad 8, whereby the ink gradually reaches the printing plate 6 so as again to perform clear and continuous stamping without using a separate stamp pad.

The pocket hand stamp of the invention uses a relatively small number of component parts and therefore a relatively small quantity of materials.

If such plastic material as mentioned before is used, the hand stamp becomes lighter and more pocketable.

In the flange 4 at both ends of the holder 1 are provided recesses 20 for communication of air between the inside and the outside of the holder 1.

In the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, a holder 21 is of box shape and has a tray-shaped top plate 22 and an open bottom 23. The tray-shaped top plate 22 has lattice-shaped ribs 24 in its inside. An indicating plate 25 and a transparent plate 26 are superposed within the tray-shaped top plate 25. Projections 27 formed at the ends of the transparent plate 26 are removably fitted in holes 28 provided at the ends of the tray-shaped top plate 22.

An ink pad 29 and a printing plate 30 are superposed in the holder 21. A metallic frame 31 is fitted at the open bottom 23 of the holder 1 between the peripheral edge of the printing plate 30 and the inner surface of a side wall 32 of the holder 21, whereby the printing plate 30 is supported by the holder 21 and a printing surface 33 of the printing plate 30 extends outward beyond the metallic frame 31.

The holder 21 has a pair of bearing holes 34 in the outer portion of each top end. Longitudinal grooves 35 are provided along the outer surface of the side wall 32 of the holder 21 and extend from the bearing holes 34 to the bottom 23.

A pair of box-shaped covers 36 has pivots 37 at the inner sides of their ends to engage said bearing holes 34.

The box-shaped covers 36 may be pivotally secured to the holder 1 by making the pivots 37 go via the longitudinal grooves 35 into the bearing holes 34 by using the elasticity of the "box shaped" covers 36.

The box-shaped covers 36 have snap members 38 in their flange for opening or closing and has ribs 39 in their interior for reinforcement and slipage-prevention when holding.

The cover plate 9 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 may be of a shape having an ink replenishing hole a as shown in FIGS. 9, 10, 11, 12 in order to the easily replenish the ink. In this case, the covers 15 can not be removed without removing cover plate 9' from the holder 1. Thus, after having removed the transparent plate 12, the indicating plate 11 and a plug b ink is dropped through the ink replenishing hole a and absorbed in the ink pad 8 whence its invades the printing plate 6 and reaches the printing surface 7. Therefore it is possible to perform clear stamping for a long period of time.

Claims

I claim:

1. A pocket hand stamp comprising, in combination, a box-shaped holder having an open top and an open bottom; said top having a pair of first recesses at the outside of each end; said bottom having a flange on the inner side thereof; a cover plate detachably mounted on said top and having a pair of second recesses at the outer side of each end, said first recesses being respectively combined with said second recesses to form bearing holes; a printing plate provided between said cover plate and said flange and supported on the latter, said plate being made of an elastic sponge material having numerous fine continuous foam portions for receiving ink; a pair of box-shaped covers of the same size, having pivots on the inner sides of both ends to engage said bearing holes respectively, and snap members on the outer sides of said covers; said snap members having inner edges which are engageable with each other; said covers having inner ribs in the inside thereof for reinforcement and non-slippage when being held by the user, and serving to cover said plate and being interengaged, when said covers are turned to a first position under said bottom of the holder, and provide a handle for the stamp, and placed upright back to back, so that said ribs are turned outwardly when said covers are turned to a second position over said top of the holder.

2. A pocket hand stamp comprising a holder for holding at its bottom a printing plate which is made of a foamed elastic sponge material having numerous fine continuous pores; a pair of box-shaped covers pivoted at their ends to respective ends of the top of said holder, said covers having inner ribs and a snap member on an upper flange thereof; and a detachable cover plate on said top of the holder; both said cover plate and said holder having pairs of recesses at their outer ends for mutually forming bearing holes; said covers having pivots to engage respective bearing holes at the inner sides of said ends of the covers; said covers being of the same shape and size, serving to cover said plate and being interengaged when they are turned to a first position under said bottom of the holder, and provide a handle for the stamp, and placed upright back to back, so that said ribs are turned outwardly when said covers are turned to a second position over said top of the holder.

3. The pocket hand stamp as defined in claim 2, wherein said cover plate on said top of the holder has therein a hole for filling in ink to be received in said pores of the sponge material.