Meter setting indexing gear apparatus
AssigneePitney Bowes Inc.
InventorsJames R. Swaniger, Keith E. Schubert
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A postage meter conversion apparatus is disclosed that will convert a mechanical, lever operated postage meter into an electrically controlled postage meter. The conversion apparatus is easily assembled and disassembled from a standard lever operated postage meter. Each lever of the meter is operated in a sequential manner. The conversion apparatus is so constructed that only one lever of the meter can be actuated at any time in the sequence. The conversion apparatus can be used to make the mechanical meter compatible in an electrical environment containing equipment such as a computer, a digital scale, and other postage system processing devices.
Claims10
The combination of a lever operated mechanical postage meter having a number of levers to set postage, and a conversion apparatus for converting the mechanical postage meter into an electrically controlled postage meter, the combination further comprising:
- a rotatably mounted, movably adjustable master pinion gear for sequential engagement with a plurality of racks;
- a number of racks, each for sequential engagement with said master pinion gear, one rack for each respective meter bank, each rack having an arm operatively connected to a lever of a respective meter bank;
- a pivotable drive means operatively connected to said master pinion gear for rotating said master pinion gear to cause each of said racks to move when engaged with said master pinion gear;
- and
- indexing means connected to said master pinion gear for sequentially engaging said master pinion gear with each of said racks.
a conversion apparatus for converting a mechanical lever operated postage meter into an electrically controlled postage meter, said conversion apparatus comprising:
- a rotatably mounted movably, adjustable master pinion gear for sequential engagement with a plurality of racks;
- a number of racks, each for sequential engagement with said master pinion gear, one rack for each respective meter bank, each rack having an arm operatively connected to a lever of a respective meter bank;
- a pivotable drive means operatively connected to said master pinion gear for rotating said master pinion gear to cause each of said racks to move when engaged with said master pinion gear;
- and
- indexing means connected to said master pinion gear for sequentially engaging said master pinion gear with each of said racks.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.