Did You Know...
...that the inventor of the electric motor was a blacksmith named Thomas Davenport? Described as "a brilliantly unsuccessful inventor", Davenport invented the first rotary electric motor. In 1836 he headed out -- on foot -- from his Vermont home to file a patent application at the Patent Office in Washington, D.C. By the time he got there, he had squandered away his money and couldn't afford the $30 filing fee so he turned around and went home. When he later mailed in his application with money he'd raised, the Patent office was destroyed in a fire. He did finally get credit for his invention on Feb. 5, 1837.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7011728 | Container-labeling and-printing synchronization apparatus and process An apparatus for printing and labeling an object such as a container is provided. The apparatus includes a printer and a label applicator. The object is presented to both the printer and the label applicator during processing. ... | 03/14/2006 |
| 6805504 | Method and apparatus for flat surface treatment Apparatus for printing, scanning engraving or cutting a flat horizontal surface, particularly when the surface is of non-standard dimensions or is supplied in an non-standard manner. The apparatus is suitable for following outside electromechanically commanded instr... | 10/19/2004 |
| 6435089 | Manual imprinter for transferring the image of a relief formation to a writing surface A manual imprinter for transferring the image of a relief formation to a writing surface, preferably to imprint a document with the number of a security seal personalized by a relief numbering. The manual imprinter, in the presently preferred embodiment, ... | 08/20/2002 |
| 6164701 | Numbering apparatus for documents, and numbered documents To improve the security in data carriers, such as papers of value, bank notes, ID cards, etc., a numbering apparatus is proposed for individualizing the data carrier whereby the characters are engraved in the engraved blocks present on the numbering appar... | 12/26/2000 |
| 5971582 | Method for controlling printing and printing controlling apparatus therefor An optimum printing mode, which makes total printing through-put maximum, is selected by providing control programs comprising monitoring means 4 for monitoring printing condition of the printer, comparative means 5 for determining the printing mode which... | 10/26/1999 |
| 5921180 | Label stamper with tape loading means, guide means, holding means, stamping means, and replaceable cartridge An improved label stamper which is capable of stamping prices on labels attached on a tape so as to attach the stamped labels on commodities is disclosed. A tape loading mechanism of the label stamper is constituted such that a loading case goes in and ou... | 07/13/1999 |
| 5644980 | Numbering box Provided in a printing press having a printing-press housing and an impression cylinder are a numbering box having a numbering-box shaft for holding numbering devices, an inking device with an ink form roller, and a switching or control device, including ... | 07/08/1997 |
| 5642666 | Hand-held label printer A hand-held label printer has an integrated label applicator mechanism pivotably and exchangably disposed in opposing side walls of a printer housing and across a front wall opening in the housing. The label applicator mechanism is pivoted into a label ap... | 07/01/1997 |
| 5601018 | Automatic stamping device An automatic stamping device includes a document reading device 10 which reads a document and supplies the result of reading on an image memory 22, and a stamp memory control circuit 21 which produces various stamp image data on the basis of the number of... | 02/11/1997 |
| 5460089 | Flatbed credit card imprinter An imprinter (10) for imprinting a formset (12) with embossed data from a card (14) and a plate (16) in accordance with the invention includes a flatbed (20) having a top surface (22) on which the card and the plate are held below the formset during impri... | 10/24/1995 |
| 5396840 | Manual bar coder A manually set bar code generating device is easily attachable to a mail container such as an envelope. A housing rotatably mounts a series of concentric circular rings which are imprinted with bar code characters on one side and with alphanumeric charact... | 03/14/1995 |
| 5354367 | Radiation curable ink composition and method of making and using such composition A vehicle for a radiation curable ink composition and methods of making and using such vehicle and ink composition. The vehicle and ink composition are substantially water insoluble and include a water reducible resin which is present in the vehicle and i... | 10/11/1994 |
| 5251554 | Mailing machine including shutter bar moving means A mailing machine base adapted to have a postage meter mounted thereon, wherein the meter includes a printing drum and a drive gear therefor, and wherein the meter includes a shutter bar mounted for movement into and out of locking engagement with the dri... | 10/12/1993 |
| 5195433 | System for printing documents with a post-marking roller A system for printing a document (1) comprises a first motor (5) for driving the document with respect to the frame along a first horizontal direction, the document being vertically arranged; a printer (7) coupled to a vertical linear displacement system ... | 03/23/1993 |
| 5189953 | Electric motor driven imprinter An electric motor driven imprinter (60) in accordance with the invention includes a base (70) for receiving a print bearing element (62) having printing to be imprinted on a print receiving element (64) with the electric motor being mounted in the base; a... | 03/02/1993 |
| 5170705 | Postage meter having a removable print head The postage meter has a removable head on a base and includes a sheath carrying a print drum in the head. The sheath is rotatably mounted in the head. The bore in the sheath is accessible from a far side of the head. The meter further includes a spindle w... | 12/15/1992 |
| 5163366 | Print wheel adjustment device for franking machines Device for adjusting print wheels of a franking machine print head where said print head is removable from a base unit and comprises a print drum incorporating said print wheels and carried at a forward end of a sleeve having its rear end projecting from ... | 11/17/1992 |
| 5062361 | Credit card imprinter with one-piece slider A credit card imprinter has a flat imprinter base on which a merchant plate, a credit card and a form set are positioned. A hand operated carriage is pulled back-and-forth over the form set and imprints the merchant plate, in one direction, and the credit... | 11/05/1991 |
| 4893560 | Document and card positioning device for roller imprinter A card and form positioning device for easy and accurate alignment of the embossed area of a plastic card with the appropriate area of a form that is to be imprinted. The device has an L-shaped piece and pegs protruding upward from a flat guide base and t... | 01/16/1990 |
| 4742770 | Variable field credit card imprinter with disabling mechanism A variable field imprinter is provided including a platen carriage adapted to be reciprocated over an imprinting surface and then locked in a position to one side of the imprinting surface by a releasable blocking system. The blocking system consists of (... | 05/10/1988 |
| 4709630 | Printing wheel setting and aligning apparatus Apparatus for printing any line of characters comprises printing wheels on a common shaft, the wheels on the shaft together defining a printing line over a hammer. Each printing wheel is rotated by a respective stepping motor through a respective setting ... | 12/01/1987 |
| 4704962 | Printing machine A printing machine that prints on forms or documents from cards having embossed characters thereon takes into account different thicknesses of cards and forms. The machine provides an even pressure downwards. The printing machine comprises a base; a print... | 11/10/1987 |
| 4682541 | Postal mailing system having an adaptable postage meter A mailing system including a postage meter adaptable to either a high-speed mailing machine capable of parallel postal value selection or a low-speed mailing machine capable of serial value selection is disclosed. The postage meter includes a print drum w... | 07/28/1987 |
| 4680058 | White ink composition for ink-jet printing A dark or black print article is ink-jet printed with a white ink composition comprising at least a white pigment having a particle size of less than 3 μm, a solvent and a binder resin with a good print stability. The white ink composition has a good dis... | 07/14/1987 |
| 4630538 | Portable label maker A portable label maker adapted for in-field use by electricians and the like the apparatus is self contained and permits printing, in standard wire label format, of single wiring labels. The apparatus also allows the printing of multiple copies of a singl... | 12/23/1986 |
| 4603627 | Rotary shutter device for a postal mailing system A mailing system including a postage meter adaptable to either a high-speed mailing machine capable of parallel postal value selection or a low-speed mailing machine capable of serial value selection is disclosed. The postage meter includes a print drum w... | 08/05/1986 |
| 4549483 | Printing apparatus There is disclosed printing apparatus composed essentially of molded plastics material which has relatively few parts, is easy to manufacture and maintain, and is lightweight and portable. The apparatus is illustrated as being of the table top type which ... | 10/29/1985 |
| 4520725 | Setting mechanism for type wheels of a printing device The type wheels provided on a postage or franking head of a postage meter or franking machine are adjusted in stepwise manner from outside the franking head by means of adjusting push rods, which in each case engage a pinion associated with a type wheel. ... | 06/04/1985 |
| 4519311 | Auxiliary printing device for a postage meter In a postage meter, an auxiliary printing device is included for printing additional information on a mail piece relating to the type of mail being processed. The postage meter is of the flat printing type and a multi-faced printing member containing the ... | 05/28/1985 |
| 4457228 | Rolling platen imprinter An improved apparatus for imprinting characters embossed on cards comprising a substantially flat imprinting base having on its upper surface a plurality of printing elements including a card having embossed characters thereon; a platen carriage mounted o... | 07/03/1984 |
| 4441419 | Imprinting device and digit wheel assembly therefor A digit wheel assembly for use in connection with a variable imprinting device comprises a plurality of digit wheels rotatably mounted on a common fixed digit wheel shaft, each of said digit wheels having raised printing indicia spaced along the circumfer... | 04/10/1984 |
| 4421023 | Printer control systems for electronic postage meter In an electronic postage meter, the setting motors for setting the print wheels in the printing drum are directly controllable externally of the secure portion of the meter. The meter includes a shutter bar arranged to block rotation of the printing drum ... | 12/20/1983 |
| 4418619 | Imprinting apparatus with relocatable printing device Imprinting apparatus is provided which includes framework, a printing device, and a roller platen movably attached to the framework for movement from a print ready position to a home position. The roller platen is disposed for urging a pressure sensitive ... | 12/06/1983 |
| 4401029 | Credit card imprinter with card-sensing form insertion interlock A data recorder for imprinting credit card data on to paper sales forms for credit card transactions. The recorder includes a printing bed and a platen mounted for movement across the bed, whereby, when the card and form are in position on the bed, a roll... | 08/30/1983 |
| 4393768 | Variable data imprinter with rack centering and carriage interlock mechanism A varible data imprinting machine having an elongated flat printing bed section providing a document supporting surface and having a print wheel pack formed of closely adjacent peripherally notched print wheels, an imprinting carriage moveable through adv... | 07/19/1983 |
| 4364312 | Bar code printing device Herein disclosed is a printing device for printing bar codes, or the like. The printing device includes a printing head which is adapted to be received in the body of the printing device for printing and which can be removed for selecting the bar codes to... | 12/21/1982 |
| 4346657 | Duplication printer A duplication printer has a movable base slidably accommodated in a frame case and provided with a cushioning layer on which a relief plate bearing a relief pattern on top is placed, and then, on the relief plate, are stacked successively from bottom to t... | 08/31/1982 |
| 4345521 | Inhibiting means for postage register parcel identification system Mechanism for selectively inhibiting automatic advancement of the print wheels of a value printing mechanism, such as a postage register printing system having a rotatable printing head, whereby a previously printed value may be repeated on the next, or s... | 08/24/1982 |
| 4324178 | Imprinting machine with wheel setting rack mechanism A variable data imprinting machine having an elongated flat printing bed section providing a document supporting surface and having a print wheel pack formed of closely adjacent peripherally notched print wheels, an imprinting carriage movable through adv... | 04/13/1982 |
| 4287825 | Printing control system A printing control system includes a printing mechanism having settable print members. A gear is rotatably mounted and operably connected for selectively setting the print members. The gear is connected to control inhibiting the printing mechanism from be... | 09/08/1981 |
