Marking devices

Claim 1

IN A DEVICE FOR MARKING SPACED PARCELS CARRIED ALONG BY A CONVEYOR MOVING ON A FRAME, A SECOND FRAME MOVABLY MOUNTED ON THE CONVEYOR FRAME, A PRINTING ROLLER ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SECOND FRAME IN A MANNER SO THAT WHEN SAID SECOND FRAME IS MOVED TOWARD THE SURFACE OF THE PARCEL TO BE MARKED, SAID PRINTING ROLLER WILL BE IN ROLLING CONTACT WITH SAID SURFACE, SAID SECOND FRAME BEING SPRING-BIASED TO MOVE SO THAT SAID PRINTING ROLLER INTERSECTS THE PLANE OF THE PARCEL SURFACE TO BE MARKED, A BAR PIVOTALLY MOUNTED AT ONE OF ITS ENDS TO ONE OF SAID FRAMES AND EXTENDING WITH ITS FREE END IN THE GENERAL DIRECTION OF CONVEYOR MOVEMENT, SAID BAR BEING SPRING-BIASED TO MOVE SO THAT ITS FREE END SHALL ENTER BETWEEN PARCELS ON THE CONVEYOR, AN ELEMENT EXTENDING FROM ONE END OF SAID PRINTING ROLLER, A SECOND ELEMENT ON SAID BAR IN SUCH POSITION THEREON THAT SAID SECOND ELEMENT IS IN THE LOCUS OF MOVEMENT OF THE FIRST ELEMENT WHEN BOTH SAID PRINTING ROLLER AND THE FREE END OF SAID BAR ARE IN CONTACT RESPECTIVELY WITH THE PARCEL SURFACE TO BE MARKED, WHEREBY ON THE TURNING OF SAID PRINTING ROLLER, THE FIRST ELEMENT WILL BE INTERCEPTED BY THE SECOND ELEMENT AND THEREBY HALT THE ROTATION OF SAID PRINTING ROLLER WHEN SAID ELEMENTS ARE IN CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER, MEANS ON SAID PRINTING ROLLER TO FRICTIONALLY ENGAGE THE PARCEL ON SAID SURFACE, WHEREBY ON MOVEMENT OF SAID PARCEL WITH THE CONVEYOR, SAID PRINTING WHEEL WILL BE ROTATED AND A SLIPPAGE MEMBER FIXED ON SAID PRINTING ROLLER AT SUCH POSITION THAT SAID SLIPPAGE MEMBER WILL CONTACT SAID PARCEL SURFACE WHEN THE SECOND ELEMENT INTERCEPTS THE FIRST ELEMENT, TO THE EXCLUSION OF SAID FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT MEANS ON SAID ROLLER, SAID SLIPPAGE MEMBER OFFERING TRACTION ON SAID PARCEL SURFACE WHEN THE PRINTING ROLLER IS FREE FOR ROTATION AND SLIPPAGE WHEN SAID ROTATION IS HALTED, THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE CIRCLE DETERMINED BY THE SURFACE OF THE PRINTING CHARACTERS ON THE PRINTING ROLLER, BEING LESS THAN THE LENGTH OF THE PARCEL TO BE MARKED, SUCH LENGTH BEING IN THE DIRECTION OF CONVEYOR MOVEMENT.