GB1376173A - Value dispensing mechanisms - Google Patents

Abstract

1376173 Postage meters PITNEY-BOWES Inc 18 Nov 1971 [23 Nov 1970] 53673/71 Heading B6D A postage meter is provided a setting mechanism 60, Fig. 1, rotating about an axis. 56 when driven by a one revolution clutch in response to tripping by an envelope E pressed against a resiliently mounted finger 38, the setting mechanism 60 including a selector mechanism 38 which indicates the amount of postage selected on selecting wheels such as 82.4, Fig. 3, sets the printing wheels such as 95.4 and also sets the cluster gears 62.1 to 62.4 which when the setting mechanism rotates drive pinions 72.1 to 72.4 of a register 74 comprising ascending and descending register sections. The selection mechanism 58, Fig. 9, includes a plurality of selecting wheels 82 journalled on a common shaft 84 and provided with a respective pinion 90.4, Fig. 3, meshing with a rack 104.4 of a selecting bar 100.4 which when displaced by the pinion 90.4 sets by means of a further rack 110.4 an associated printing sheet 95.4 and an associated cluster gear 62 each of which is provided with nine gear segments 94 and a gap, the number of teeth in the segments varying from one to nine such that when the setting mechanism is rotated about the axis 56 the segments 94 can engage the drive pinions 72.1, Fig. 8 to drive the input gears 77.1 and 79.1 of the ascending and descending register 74. The register 74 is prevented from misalignment or incorrect registering by providing the intermediate gears 73.1 of each register stage with a resiliently biased pawl 314.1, which during register drive is allowed to ride over the gears but at any other time is locked. The printing sheets 95 are aligned for impression by pawls 134, Fig. 9, whose lobes 140 are engaged by fingers such as 172.2, 172.4, Fig. 1, of leaf springs 168 to bias the pawls into engagement with associated aligning racks such as 132.4, Fig. 3, as the selecting bar 100.4 and in the aligned position the dished ends 142 of the pawls 134 which are passed through aligned apertures in a drive gear 54, Fig. 9, and a trip disc 260 are locked by angular displacement of the disc 260 whose apertures are displaced relative to the apertures in the gear 54. The pawls 134 are thereby prevented from pivoting.