Abstract: A postage meter has a secure housing, an accounting register within the secure housing, and a print rotor the rotation of which defines a paper path. The rotor axle is formed of two halves, and within the two haves is a lengthwise cavity along which setting racks are capable of axial movement. The racks engage with print wheels at one end and are accessible to the main body of the postage meter at the other end. Each rack engages with its value wheel in a rack-and-pinion engagement. The axle halves are made of plastic and they snap together. The racks slide within grooves, and are held in place with pins. The axle has journal bearings and a thrust bearing defining its movement relative to the secure housing. A worm gear in the housing engages a worm wheel in the rotor to bring about rotation of the rotor for the printing of postage.

Abstract: A postage meter has a secure housing and a printing means and accounting register within the secure housing. Formed in the secure housing is postal lock. In the postal lock, a door is movable between first and second positions relative to a cavity. When the door is closed (in its first position) it renders the cavity inaccessible, and when the door is open (in its second position) it renders the cavity accessible. The door has a latch. The latch is spring-loaded so that it engages a latch feature in the cavity and holds the door closed. Pushing the latch the other way (against the spring) causes the latch to engage a pawl in the cavity, and the pawl tends to push the door open. A protruberance on the rear of the door engages a locking gear in the cavity. The locking gear allows separation of two halves of the meter housing, or holds the two halves together. If the locking gear is in the position that permits separating the halves, then the door cannot be closed because the gear abuts with the protruberance.

Abstract: A postal-lock mechanism for preventing unauthorized recharging of a postage meter and identifying tampering of a postage meter is disclosed. It contains a cylinder-like assembly mounted in the postage meter housing. The postage meter is "locked," i.e. made inaccessible for adding postage, when the postal-lock is in a predetermined angular position. To add postage to the meter, the postal-lock is rotated to activate a limit switch in the meter, subsequent to which action additional postage may be added, for example via keyboard. The postal-lock mechanism also locks the meter housing to the meter chassis, obviating the need for a separate locking mechanism. The postal-lock mechanism may be used in conjunction with a wire and lead seal, a frangible membrane, a wire and lead seal and a frangible membrane, a key lock, or a key lock and a wire and lead seal.

Abstract: A rotor unit comprises a rotor cylinder which is fastened to a shaft and is rotatably supported via an external bearing. A gear motor is arranged in the interior, which gear motor drives a first double gear wheel in both rotating directions (a, b) via its power take-off shaft and a pinion. The double gear wheel is supported on a disk and a bearing plate in a freewheel bearing and engages with a second double gear wheel. In one rotating direction (b), the freewheel bearing locks the toothed wheel, so that the latter, rigidly together with the disk, is carried along by the pinion. In this way, the second double gear wheel engages serially with one intermediate gear in each instance, wherein every such engagement is exactly positioned by means of a ball catch. In the other rotating direction (a), the motor in each instance turns a number wheel via the aforementioned gears and accordingly sets e.g. one digit of the postage meter machine's value stamp.

Abstract: A postage meter having a movable shutter covering the printing die of the meter and mechanisms associated either with the postage meter or a meter base for locking the shutter and moving it, are disclosed. In one embodiment a keyswitch is provided which control locking and unlocking of the shutter and its movement. The meter base locks the postage meter therein with unlocking being controlled by the keyswitch.

Abstract: A locking arrangement is disclosed for a machine, such as a postage meter, which includes a rotatable member (12) which rotates when the machine performs an operating cycle and a mechanical or electromechanical register (22; 20) for being incremented or decremented in response to operation of the machine. The arrangement includes a clutch (24) arranged between a fixed structure or member (28) and the rotatable member (12) the clutch being operable to engage or release said fixed structure or member. Means (60; 78) are associated with the registers (22; 20) for actuating the clutch to prevent rotation of the rotatable member (12) when the register displays a predetermined value.

Abstract: A tamper-proof odometer having an odometer register including a plurality of sequentially driven odometer dials carried on a common shaft with a pinion gear supported on an individual bracket disposed between each adjacent pair of dials to engage gears formed as part of each dial of an adjacent pair. A protective cover for the odometer register comprising a shield supported on each of the brackets with all shields forming collectively a partial barrier cover over the odometer register dials exposing only the register readout numbers.

Abstract: A counter employs a barrel for rotatably mounting high order counter wheels and a shaft integrally extending from the barrel for mounting the lowest order counter wheel. The barrel forms a groove in which the transfer pinion assembly is located. The walls of the groove are engageable by the pinion assembly to limit skewing of the pinion assembly components. The transfer pinions are configured to prevent axial jamming displacement against the counter wheels. The lowest order wheel is snapped onto the shaft and secured in position by means of a semi-flexible mounting hub and cooperative shaft detents. The counter forms an efficient internal light path for illumination of the counter.

Abstract: A value wheel rod lock is used to selectively lock value rods, mounted to a rotatable shaft of a postage meter, against axial movement according to the rotary position of the shaft. The rod lock includes a knife blade pivotally mounted to the shaft for rotation with the main shaft. The knife blade is spring biased away from engagement with the value rods. The knife blade is mounted to a cam follower which engages a circumferential cam surface surrounding the shaft. The cam surface is configured so that over a range of angular positions of the shaft the knife blade is biased against the value rods. This forces the value rods against a high friction backing pad mounted to the shaft with sufficient force to keep the value rods from being moved axially. When the shaft is at its home position, during which the meter values can be changed, the knife blade is biased away from the value rods to allow the value rods to be freely movable.

Abstract: A counter employs a barrel for rotatably mounting high order counter wheels and a shaft integrally extending from the barrel for mounting the lowest order counter wheel. The barrel forms a groove in which the transfer pinion assembly is located. The walls of the groove are engageable by the pinion assembly to limit skewing of the pinion assembly components. The lowest order wheel is snapped onto the shaft and secured in position by means of a semi-flexible mounting hub and cooperative shaft detents.

Abstract: A system for locking objects for a predetermined time on the basis of prepayment. A central processing unit (1) is connected to a plurality of object-locking devices (27) which may be locked after prepayment has been made into said unit. During count-down of the unit (1) to zero the object-locking devices can be unlocked for access, but only once. When the count-down continues below zero unlocking is prevented until additional payment has been made.The System is particularly appropriate as a parking system for bicycles, a system for locking washing machines in laundromats, and a system for lockers at bus and railroad stations and at airports.

Abstract: A reset mechanism for a cyclometer register employs teeth formed on an axially resiliently urged shaft to engage abutments formed on cyclometer drums to permit resetting of the cyclometer drums. The teeth are normally maintained out of alignment with the abutments by resilient urging of a spring and are manually displaced into engagement for resetting. Carry pinions on a pinion shaft are urged into mesh with respective gearwheels on the cyclometer drums by a pair of springs. During resetting, the pinion shaft, with its pinions, is displaced outward. When the pinions are displaced outward, one or more teeth on each pinion enter a window disposed adjacent thereto in the frame of the cyclometer register. The windows lock the pinions into a predetermined angular position which enables proper mesh to be made with the gearwheels at the conclusion of the resetting operation when the springs again urge the pinions into meshed engagement.

Abstract: Tape cassettes, particularly video tape cassettes, are provided with means internally to count the number of times the cassette is subjected to a sequence of user operations. This enables a hirer of such cassettes to see how many times the cassette has been used and to charge a hire fee accordingly. The counter may be mechanical, electro-mechanical or electronic, and is actuated by means associated with the tape release mechanism already built into such cassettes as a standard component; thus, no modification to of extra interaction with, the cassette player is needed.

Abstract: A safety cash box includes a housing body and a slide drawer which can be moved back and forth within the housing. The drawer can be brought into a retracted, irreversibly locked and further jammed condition when, at the occurrence of disturbing conditions, an outer pushbutton is pressed or when a remotely generated electrical signal is applied to act on an electromagnetic triggering device arranged in the safety cash box. Thus, the safety cash box according to the invention comprises first, a mechanical arrangement intended to keep the slide drawer firmly in a locked position prevented from being shifted forward and, secondly, a backup security assembly which, when actuated, causes the drawer to become forcefully wedged in place in response to mechanical failure brought about on the locking arrangement.

Abstract: A secured housing for an electronic device having an electronic memory mounted therewithin is provided which has an access aperture which provides tamper proof security and electro-magnetic interference protection while permitting access to the memory for reading the information maintained in the memory. Opening of the access aperture disables the electronic device from further operation by unlatching a switch which disconnects the electronic device from its power supply while preventing relatching of the switch to reactivate the electronic device. Use of the access aperture provides a visible indication of access to the interior of the housing. In one embodiment of the invention, the electronic device is an electronic postage meter and the electronic memory is a nonvolatile memory containing postage accounting information.

Abstract: The present disclosure has to do with the prevention of the fraudulent alteration of postage meter tapes whereby they can be used without paying the proper postage. A simple locking device may be added to existing postage meters whereby the postage meter cannot be operated unless the actual meter is in place. Therefore if the meter is removed the postage meter will not be operational until the machine is replaced. Mechanical or electronic counters can also be installed to record the removal activity and if it is exceptionally high could be questioned by proper authorities.

Abstract: At least one presetting digit wheel consists of a rotatably mounted digit-carrying wheel part, a rotatably mounted resetting wheel part, and a non-positive two-way coupling means connecting the digit-carrying wheel part and the resetting wheel part for joint rotation. A rotatably mounted resetting shaft is provided. Lost-motion one-way coupling means are adapted to connect the rotatably mounted resetting shaft and the resetting wheel part for joint rotation only in one sense and only when the resetting shaft and said resetting wheel part are in a predetermined rotational position relative to each other. Detent means are adapted to hold the resetting shaft against rotation in a predetermined rotational position thereof, and locking key means are manually operable to hold the digit-carrying wheel against rotation when the resetting wheel part is rotated by said resetting shaft.

Abstract: An interface for facilitating user resetting of a mechanical registering mechanism interconnects a decrementing register with a remote meter resetting lock. The user is provided with the current lock combination after debiting the user's account for the amount to be incremented into the register. With the lock released, a resetting knob is rotatable to drive a gear train which engages a pinion on a register numeral wheel. Rotation of the knob initially releases numeral wheel lockout combs to permit the gear train to advance the numeral wheel. A separate gear train is provided for each register wheel to be reset with a Geneva transfer tooth in the driven gear train indexing an adjacent gear train which drives a higher order numeral wheel. The interface additionally provides for conventional meter resetting by authorized personnel through the implementation of manually actuatable thumb wheels for optionally driving the gear trains.

Abstract: The printer includes at least a receipt paper feeding and printing mechanism and a journal paper feeding and printing mechanism each operated in synchronism by a control circuit. A mechanical switching means is provided in either one of the receipt and journal paper feeding and printing mechanism adapted to be operated for rendering it to be inoperative and a switch is provided connecting the one of the receipt and journal paper feeding and printing mechanism to the control circuit. The switch is operatively coupled with the switching means so that, when the one of the receipt and journal paper feeding and printing mechanisms is rendered to be inoperative by the switching means, the switch is opened so as to electrically disconnect the one of the receipt and journal paper feeding and printing mechanism from the control circuit.

Abstract: A cylinder lock wherein the insertion and rotation of a selected one of associated keys results in a projection of certain pins, mounted in a row parallel to the axis of the cylinder, radially beyond the cylinder surface in response to the irregularities of the key. The displaced pins effect a closing of contacts in a pattern to produce selected circuit functions. According to the invention the pins, when activated, deflect overlying respective parallel flexible wires extending transversely of the pin row. The deflected wires urge, via an insulated member, overlying movable contact reeds to engage overlying fixed contact members, so that circuits are closed as determined by the irregularities of the key.