US2799399A - Stamp holding device - Google Patents

Description

July 16,1957 B. B. CANNON I 2,799,399

STAMP HOLDING DEVICE' Filed Nov. 4, 1952 9 INVENTOR.

ENJAM/N B. C A NNON:

ATTORNEY.

United States v Patent 2,799,399 STAMP HOLDING DEVICE Mich., assignor to Bur- Benjamin B. Cannon, Detroit,

Mich., a corporation of This invention relates to a stamp holding structure and has to do particularly with a structure comprising a tie vice for holding stamps in prearranged order permitting cyclic use thereof together with means for mounting the device so that the next succeeding stamp automatically replaces a removed stamp.

Accounting machines are available for accomplishing the accounting procedure required in normal business functions and while some of these machines include a typewriting machine as a component part, many do not include this typewriting equipment. Machines of the latter type can, for instance, accumulate and record all of the information for the issuance of payroll checks including the posting of hours worked, rate per hour, gross wages, authorized deductions and net wages; however, such machines do not provide means for identifying by name the employee whose time is being accounted on the payroll check or accounting ledger.

One object of the present invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive device for use with a machine of the above-described type to increase the utility of the machine by providing a means of complementing the functions performed by the machine with certain written information without the necessity of employing a typewriting machine.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a device for maintaining and storing preassembled, information-containing-devices in position for ready access and use.

A further object of the present invention is a provision of a stamp tray and rack therefor permitting the prearrangement of devices containing preassembled information and permitting cyclic use and return of the devices to the prearranged order.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a stamp holding tray capable of being stored in a conventional manner when not inuse; i. e., horizontally in a storage cabinet, and a stand support for positioning the tray when in useso that gravity, may operate upon the stamps within the tray to bring them into usable position. j

Another object of the present invention in accordance with the preceding objects is to provide a stamp holding tray havingprovisions for supporting the stamps vertically within the tray and further provided'withmeans'fornormally retaining the stamps within the tray but permitting removal and return of the stamps at pred'esignated' openmgs.

Another object of the present invention is theprovi's ion of a rack for supporting a stamp carrying tray in position to permit the forces ofgravity to move the stamps within the tray, the rack being provided with openings-topermit access to the stamps within thetray and withmeans for locking the tray within the rack. 1

A further object of the present invention in-accordance withthe preceding objects is the provision of astamp carrying tray and 'supporting racktherefor wherein both the tray and supporting rack are-provided withceoperat Patented July 16,1957

ing cut-away portions permitting ready access to the stamps within the tray.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a stamp carrying tray and rack for the tray wherein both the tray and rack are provided with complementary portions effecting a locking of the tray within the rack.

Another object of the present invention is to provide in a tray for supporting a plurality of stamping devices a means for spacing the stamps from the base of the tray and for .slidably supporting the stamps within the tray;

'Further objects and features of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the 'art by reference to the specification and appended drawings illus-' trating a preferred embodiment in which:

Fig. l is a perspective showing of the tray and rack of the present invention with the lower portion of the tray shown resting in the rack and with the remainder of the tray broken away and withdrawn above the rack in a position parallel to that which it would assume if positioned within the rack;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the tray within the rack as contemplated by the present invention, the section being taken normal to the plane of the bed of the rack and tray;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of a modified form of the present invention taken in the same manner as is employed to develop Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of a portion of the tray of the present invention with a side wall cut away to show the stamps and supports therewithin.

The present invention comprises a tray 10 which may be of sheet metal construction having a base portion 11 andside walls 12 and 13 extending into folded-over re.- taining lips '14 and 15. The ends of the tray 10 are closed by end plates Hand 17 suitably secured to the side walls 12 and 13 as by screws, rivets or spot welding at the front and rear respectively. The end plate 16 is provided with a handle 18 hingedly supported between this plate and a strap 19.- A pair ofspacer'bars 21'and 22 may be secured by any suitable means (not specifically shown) to the base portion 11 or to the side walls 12 and 13 respectively and extend along the length of the tray to function in a manner to be more fully described hereinafter.

The tray 10 is adapted to support a plurality of stamps 23 or other information containing devices of a similar type constructed of a body portion 24 provided with a printing surface 25 of a suitable material such as rubber. The stamps may also be provided with an identification label 26 at the top thereof to indicate the information which is etched or assembled on the printing surface 25.

The folded-over retaining lips 14 and 15 are cut away an equal extent at their respective ends as shown inPig. 1 to provide an opening or exit 10a for permitting the removal of the bottom-most stamp 23 at one end of the tray 10 and to permit the return of the stamp through an opening or entrance 10b at its other end. The rear end plate 17 also is cut away at 17a to provide more ready access to the bottom-most stamp. A pair of pins 2-0 are secured to the rear end'plate 17 by any suitable manner and are positioned to cooperate with other parts of the invention to be described hereinafter.

The present invention further includes a tray-support ing rack 27, which may also be of sheet metal construction, having a base portion 28" and side walls 29 and 31. The bottom end of the rack is closed by a folded ever end portion 32 and is provided with a pair of inwardly extending but spaced barriers 33 and 34 respectively formed from a portion of the side walls 29 and 31 while the top end of the rack is open. convenient use of the present invention, rack27 is adapted ice to stand at an acute angle to the surface uponwhich For the purposes of,

- a 3 it is supported, this being accomplished by a pair of support legs 35 and 36 secured to the rack as by welding and in the manner as shown in Fig. l. Strips of cushioning material 39 are secured by suitable means to the horizontal portions 40 of the support legs 35 and 36 to prevent marring of the supporting surface upon which the rack is placed'and to prevent sliding of the rack when it is in use.

The rack 27 is adapted to have the tray 'removably inserted therein between its side walls 29 and 31 with the base 11 of the tray resting on the base portion 28 of the rack 27. As the tray 10 moves downwardly on the base portion 28 it is limited by engagement of its end plate 17 with the-upper edges of barriers 33, 34 whereby the tray is arrested in spaced relation with end portion 32 of therack: In this position the previously described pins 20 are positioned under and in locked relation with 33, 34 to prevent accidental displacement of the lower: end of tray 10 from the rack when the lower-most stamp 23 is withdrawn from the tray. The barriers 33, 34 being spaced, ready access is provided to the lowermost stamp 23 through the cut-away portion 17a of end plate 17.

In Fig. 2 the tray is shown inserted in the rack 27 in the manner in which it is intended to be used. From this figure it can be seen that the stamps 23 are slidably supported at their lower outer edges on the bars 21 and 22 at a sufiicient height to prevent the printing surfaces 25 from contacting the base 11. It can likewise be seen that the tray may be transported without concern for the stamps 23 falling out as their top surfaces cooperate with the folded-over retaining lips 14 and except for those portions defined by the exit 10a and entrance 10b, and means may readily be devised to prevent dropping of the stamps from these openings, as for instance by an expansible element (not shown) which can be inserted in the tray when not in use to hold the stamps tightly between the end plates 16 and 17.

In Fig. 4 wherein the stamps 23 are shown in side elevation itcan be seen that there is a slight concave indentation 37 along the lower side surface of the stamp and a chamfered edge 41 at the top. The concave indentation provides a surface which may readily be grasped by a finger of the user to assist in removal of the stamp from the tray. In the process of removing the bottommost stamp from the tray, the next succeeding stamps in the tray drop by the action of gravity towards the bottom-most position and the chamfered edge 41 allows the next succeeding stamps to travel gradually downwardly in the tray until the substantially removed from the tray.

Fig. 3 shows a modified form of the present invention wherein the body portion of the tray is made from one piece of sheet metal. The bars 21 and 22 of Figs. 1 and 2 are simulated by fabricated folds in the formation of the base portion of the tray to provide barriers 51 and 52 upon which stamps 24 may be slidably supported.

The functional operation of the stamp tray and rack of the present invention is readily apparent from the preceding description of its parts. The invention is particularly adaptable for use in an oflice or business procedure wherein an employees name or similar designation is required on a plurality of forms and in which the required bottom-most stamp has been names or designations in the procedure recur in a periodic cyclic manner, although it is to be understood that the use is not restricted to this application alone as many other uses will be readily apparent. An example of an application for the stamps and the present invention is in performing a payroll operation when using an accounting machine that is not provided with an included typewriter, When the stamps contain information, such as anemployees name, such information can be stamped on the payroll ledger sheet, the pay check, the time card employee is to use, and on any other record media in the operation and other required numerical 4 data may be entered on such media by any well known accounting machine. The operator making up the payroll need only place in the rack 27 the tray containing the stamps 23 having the names of those employees whose payroll is being processed, then remove the bottom-most stamp through exit opening 10a and after inking the printing surface 25 stamp those records which require that employees name. After all of that employee's records have been stamped, the stamp 23 may be returned to the tray 10 through the top opening 10b and the next stamp 23 at the bottom may then be removed and used for stamping the records of the corresponding employee. When the records of the employees whose stamps are in the tray in present use have been completed, a condition indicable by a blank marking stamp giving notice of completion of the cycle of the stamp, the stamps are again in their original order and the tray may be returned to its storage cabinet (not shown) and the next tray of stamps may be placed in the rack. When the entire payroll has been processed, all the stamps will be in their original order and all will be readily and orderly accessible for the next pay period operation.

While the functional operation of the illustrated embodiment of the present invention has been described in some detail as applicable to a payroll operation it is understood that the invention may have many other applications in business and other operations, and while certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been specifically disclosed, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, as many variations will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A device for use in an operation requiring periodic cycle identification of information comprising in combination an elongated tray for holding a plurality of identifying means, said identifying means having a supporting portion at each side thereof and a printing portion intermediate said supporting portions and projecting beyond the supporting surfaces thereof, means for retaining said identifying means within said tray, a rack for supporting said tray at an acute angle with respect to a horizontal reference, said rack including means for removably receiving said tray, said retaining means having first cutout portions defining an exit therein at the end which is lowermost when said tray is supported in said rack permitting the removal of the bottom-most identifying means from said tray and second cutout portions defining an entrance therein at the end which is uppermost when said tray is supported in said rack providing a return opening for said identifying means to said tray, spaced support means within said tray adapted to slidably engage said supporting portions of said identifying means and support said identifying means thereon, said retaining means being in spaced relation permitting identification of said identifying means throughout its normal travel on said support means through said tray, and said tray and rack having cooperating cutout portions therein at their lowermost ends permitting ease of removal of said identifying means from said tray.

2. A device for holding stamping devices for use in a cycle posting operation or the like comprising in combination an elongated rectangular tray providing an enclosure forholding a plurality of stamping devices in a prearranged cyclic order, said stamping devices having a supporting portion at each side thereof and a printing portion intermediate said supporting portions and projecting beyond the supporting surfaces thereof, retaining means holding said stamping devices within said tray, said retaining means having spaced cutout portions defining spaced openings therein for permitting the removal of one stamping device at a time and for permitting the return of said removed stamping devices to their prearranged cyclic order, a pair of bars extending longitudinally of said tray and slidably engaging said supporting portions of said stamping devices, a rack for supporting said tray at'an acute angle with respect to a horizontal reference to cause said stamping devices to slide along said longitudinal supports by. gravitational force, said rack including means for removably receivingsaid tray, and cooperatingcutout portions in said tray and rackfor permittingease of access to saidstamping devices.

3. A device for use in an operation requiring. periodic cyclic identification of informationcomprising in combination an elongated tray for enclosing a plurality of identifying means, said identifying means having a supporting portion at each side thereof and a printing portion intermediate said supporting portions and projecting beyond the supporting surfaces thereof, a rack for supporting said tray at an acute angle with respect to a horizontal reference, laterally spaced support means within said tray for slidably engaging said supporting portions of said identifying means and supporting said identifying means thereon, a pair of retaining means for retaining said identifying means against accidental displacement from within said tray, said retaining means having first cutout portions defining an exit therein at the end which is lowermost when said tray is supported in said rack permitting the removal of the bottom-most identifying means from said tray and second cutout portions defining an entrance therein at the end which is uppermost when said tray is supported in said rack providing a return opening for said identifying means to said tray, each of said pair of retaining means being laterally spaced one from the other permitting observation of said identifying means throughout the normal travel thereof through said tray between said exit and entrance, said tray and rack being provided with third and fourth cutout portions respectively at their lowermost ends permitting ease of access to said identifying means within said tray, and cooperating locking means on said tray and rack for releasably locking the lowermost end of said tray against lateral displacement from said rack.

4. A structure of the class described for holding a plurality of stamps to permit repeated cyclic use thereof, said stamps each having a supporting portion and a printing portion adjacent thereto and projecting beyond the supporting surface thereof, said structure comprising a stamp supporting member having a substantially straight elongated stamp supporting surface for slidably engaging said supporting portion of said stamps and supporting said stamps thereon in stacked relation crosswise of said surface, means for releasably mounting said supporting member with said stamp supporting surface slanting in its lengthwise direction with respect to a horizontal reference, guide means for maintaining said stacked stamps in aligned relationship on said supporting surface, stop means disposed at opposite ends of said supporting surface for defining limiting positions of said stamps, and stamp retaining means extending above said stamps with respect to said supporting member between points spaced from the respective stop means by at least a distance sufficient to permit the insertion and removal of a stamp.

5. A structure of the class described for holding a plurality of stamps having a stamping surface on one side thereof and a supporting portion adjacent said stamping surface to permit repeated cyclic use thereof, said structure comprising a stamp supporting member having an elongated, generally rectangular surface for slidably engaging said supporting portion of said stamps and supporting said stamps with the stamping surface facing toward the supporting surface and crosswise thereof, guide means for maintaining said stamps in aligned, stacked relation on said supporting surface while permitting sliding movements thereon, means disposed at opposite ends of said supporting surface for defining limiting positions for said stamps thereon, stamp retaining means extending above said stamps with respect to said supporting surface between points spaced from the respective limiting means at the ends of said supporting surface by a dissaid supporting portions of said stamps, end portions at tan'ce sufficientsto. permit the insertion and removal of" a stamp, and supportingmeans for releasably mounting said stamp supporting member with the surface thereof in a slanting. relation with respect to a horizontal reference with one-end of said elongated stamp supporting surface lowermost.

6. A structure of the class described for holding a plurality of stamps to'permit repeated cyclic use thereof, said stamps being provided with a stamping surface on one side thereof and a supporting portion adjacent said stamping surface, comprising a stamp supporting member including an elongated, generally rectangular surface for slidably engaging said supporting portion of said stamps and supporting said stamps with the stamping surface facing toward the supporting surface and crosswise thereof, guide means for maintaining said stamps in aligned, stacked relation on said supporting surface while permitting sliding movements thereon, means disposed at opposite ends of said supporting surface for defining limiting positions for said stamps thereon, stamp retaining means extending above said stamps with respect to said supporting surface between points spaced from the respective limiting means at the ends of said supporting surface by a distance sufiicient to permit the insertion and removal of a stamp, supporting means for mounting said stamp supporting member with the surface thereof in a slanting relation with respect to a horizontal reference with one end of said elongated stamp supporting surface lowermost, and interlocking means on said stamp supporting member and said mounting means for releasably latching said stamp supporting member onto said mounting means therefor.

7. A tray for holding a plurality of stamps in stacked relation and permitting withdrawal and reinsertion thereof at respective opposite ends of the device one at a time to maintain said stamps in a predetermined order, said stamps having a supporting portion at each side thereof and a printing surface intermediate said supporting portions and extending below the supporting surface of said portions comprising a generally rectangular bottom portion for slidably supporting said stamps, a pair of side portions for maintaining said stamps in aligned relationship, end portions limiting endwise movement of said stamps, retaining means extending inwardly from at least one of said side portions partly over said stamps to prevent removal thereof in a direction away from said bottom portion parallel to their normal position thereon, said retaining means terminating short of said end portions by a distance at least suflicient to permit removal and insertion of said stamps one at a time, and laterally spaced support means extending along each side of said bottom portion adapted to slidably engage said supporting surfaces of said portions of said stamps and support said stamps thereon.

8. A tray for slidably holding a plurality ofstamps in a stacked relation and in a predetermined sequence to permit repeated cyclic use thereof and adapted to be removably mounted in a slanting position with respect to a horizontal reference on a supporting rack provided with lock-receiving means, said stamps having a supporting portion at each side thereof and a printing portion intermediate said supporting portions and projecting beyond the supporting surface thereof, said tray comprising a generally rectangular stamp supporting member, substantially parallel stamp guide portions extending along each side of said member and adapted to slidingly engage each end of said member, stamp retaining means extending inwardly from at least one of said side portions and spaced from said supporting member by a distance sufficient to accommodate stamps therebetween for sliding movements on said member longitudinally thereof while preventing movements of said stamps away from said member parallel to their normal stacked position thereon, said retaining means extending between points spaced .27 from said end members by a distance'at least sufficient to remove and insert said identifying means one at a time, and locking means mounted on oneof said end portions of said stamp supporting member and adapted to releasably engage said lock receiving means on the 5 supporting rack.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 168,140 Cannon Nov. 11, 1952 8 Fenn Aug. 15,: Weiss Sept. 25, Ray May 28, Smith Dec. 30, Dunn 'J-une 19, Eckerly May 6, Owitz Aug. 29, Hermani Dec. 26,

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