The present invention relates to stamp mounts for supporting print dies, for example, pre- inked dies. Previously proposed stamp mounts for pre- inked dies have consisted of many components, are difficult to assemble (requiring a jig and a pressing mechanism) and in use are difficult to position to ensure an imprint of the die occurs in the desired location.

It is an object to provide an improved stamp mount.

According to the present invention, there is provided a stamp mount comprising a housing defining an opening, a first bridge member spanning the opening, a gripping portion having a shank with a pair of downwardly depending legs, a second bridge member spanning the legs, a die carrier having leg engaging and locking means, for engaging and locking the legs of the gripping portion when passed through the said opening in a manner to straddle the first bridge member and resilient means for urging said two bridge members apart.

Advantageously an adjustable stop member is provided on at least one said bridge member to limit relative movement of the bridge members towards one another.

Preferably said leg engaging and locking means comprises a pair of spaced fingers defining a leg receiving space between them, at least one of said fingers being barbed to lockingly engage a ' recess in a said leg when the leg is introduced into the leg receiving space.

A stamp mount embodying the present invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic

drawings in which:

Pigure 1 is a perspective view of the moun ;

Pigure 2 is an exploded view of the mount; and

Pigure 3 is a cross-section to an enlarged scale o a central portion of the mount.

The stamp mount shown in Pigure 1 comprises an inverted tray-like housing 2 having four feet 4, one at each corner. The central part of the housing has a raised rib 2A running from one side to the other.

A grip member 10 has a bulbous upper end portion 8 arranged to be gripped by the hand of an operator and a narrow downwardly depending shank 6 which extends into the interior of the housing 2 through an opening in the centre of the raised rib 2A.

The upper surface of the housing 2 on opposite sides of the rib 2A is provided with a raised edge 2B extending around the perimeter of the housing. The shallow well formed by the raised edge 2B on each side of the rib 2A accommodates a protective cover 12 of transparent plastics material, for example, perspex. Each cover 12 can be lifted so that a sheet bearing an imprint of the die within the housing can be accommodated in the well in a position directly above the actual die itself. This will assist the operator in correctly locating the die over the precise position that an imprint is required. The raised edge 2B is preferably slightly undercut on its inne face to enable the cover 12 to form a snap fit under the rim of the edge 2B.

As shown more clearly in Pigure 2, the housing 2 accommodates a carrier 14 having a hollow underside which in turn accommodates a die (not

shown) , for example, of the pre-inked variety. The die is adhesively secured to the underside of the carrier 14 so that at least its raised surface (defining the impression to be made) projects below the side walls of the carrier 14. The carrier 14 is provided with a central upstanding wall block 14A which is arranged to be accommodated in the raised rib 2A. The wall block 14A is provided with a plurality of internal walls for engagement with the shank 16 of the grip member 10.

The bulbous upper end portion 8 of the grip member is formed by a cup-shaped portion 8A closed by a cover 8B. The cover 8B has two lateral ears 8C (only one shown) which are arranged to click into engagement with respective recesses 8D (only one shown) on the inner face of the cup-shaped portion 8A . In this way the lid 8B is secured to the cup- shaped portion 8A.

The opening in the raised rib 2A defines a channel of square cross-section, and a bridge member 20 spans opposite walls of the channel to leave two passages, one on each side of the bridge member 20. The lower end of the shank 6 is provided with a pair of parallel spaced legs 6A which are arranged to pass along the passages on opposite sides of the bridge member 20 when the shank 6 is lowered into the opening. The legs 6A are arranged to engage and lock with the internal walls of the wall block 14A of the carrier 14. The locking of the legs 6A with the carrier is illustrated more clearly in Pigure 3-

As shown the wall block 14A accommodates two pairs of internal walls 26, 28 and 36, 38. The two walls 26 and 28 define a passage to accommodate the lower end of one of the two legs 6A.

One wall has a barb 26A thereon which

projects into the passage and is arranged to engage a recess 6AA in a facing surface of the lower leg 6A and so lock the leg 6A to the carrier 14. The portion of the leg 6A below the recess 6AA is also provided with a barb 6AB facing in the opposite direction to the barb 26A. When the leg 6A is lowered into the passage between the two walls 26 and 28 the two barbs co-operate to cause the two walls 26 and 28 to move slightly- apart whereafter, when the barbs have passed one another the two walls 26 and 28 resite to their original positions and the two barbs 26A and 6AB are then locked together.

In a similar fashion the barb 36A on the wall 6 locks with the barb 6AB on the other leg 6A. A second bridge member 30 spans the two legs 6A adjacent their upper extremities and extends at right angles to the first bridge member 20. The second bridge member 30 supports a screw or nut 32 with its head extending above the upper surface of the bridge member and its shank passing through and depending downwardly from the underside of the bridge member 30, to normally lie spaced above the first bridge member 20. A helical coil spring 34 extends between the two bridge members 20 and 30 to urge the two members apart. The lower end of the coil spring 34 is located in a circular recess in the upper surface of the bridge member 20 while the upper end of the coil spring 34 is located by the shank of the ^~ bolt 32* The bolt 32 is in sc ew-threaded engagement with the bridge member 30 so that by rotating the bolt its lower end can be moved towards or away from the bridge member 20- The lower end of the bolt 32 acts as a stop when it engages the bridge member 20 so as to limit the downward movement of the shank 6.

The head of the bolt 32 may be knurled for ease of adjustment.

The upward movement of the carrier 14 is limited by the upper ends 26B and 36B engaging the underside of the raised rib 2A.

In operation the housing 2 is positioned in an area to be stamped using the imprint under the cover 12 to correctly locate the die in the area. The coil spring 34 holds the carrier 14 in a raised state with the upper ends 26B and 36B of the walls 26 and 36 engaging the undersides of the raised rib 2A.

The operator now grasps the bulbous portion 8 and presses downwardly against the resilience of the coil spring 34 until the downward movement is arrested either by the die engaging the area to be stamped or the lower end of the bolt 32 engaging the bridge member 20.

Upon release of the bulbous portion 8 the coil spring 34 will raise the legs 6A and thereby the carrier 14 to its former raised position.

It will be appreciated that with the described arrangement a correctly located imprint can readily be made. Furthermore, the relatively few component parts and simple construction enable ^' the stamp mount to be readily and speedily assembled without any mechanical aids such as a jig or a pressing mechanism even by relatively unskilled labour.