IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC FEEDING PRINTING PRESS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Stettinius Clark, of 188, High Holborn,
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
AUTOMATIC FEEDING PRINTING PRESS."-A communication from S." W.
Wood and H. A. Bills, of the United States of America.
Sealed the 22nd January 1858, and dated the 28th July 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Stettinius Clark
at tho Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 28th July 1857.
I, WILLIAM STETTINIUS CLARK, of 188, High Holborn, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN AUTOMATIC FEEDING PRINTING PRESS," (a communication,) to be as
follows:-
The nature of the Invention consists, first, in feeding a printing press from
a continuous sheet of paper, said sheet having a continuous motion, and
which may be divided into smaller sheets of any desired size either before or
after being printed; secondly, in setting type in separate and independent
columns, so as to render said columns removeable; thirdly, notching or
grooving. type, so as to receive a series of keys for the purpose of securing
said type to their forms.
A frame of any desired form is provided, a series of rotating forms, com-
posed of a sufficient number of flat surfaces, upon which the columns are
secured. These flat columns are secured alternately upon the many sided

page_text: rotating beds, in order that the ordinary type may be employed, also that
they may be set in flat forms in the usual manner, instead of being set upon
the periphery of a cylinder or in the arc of a circle. By this arrangement
every alternate column is printed by each set of type. The first, or those
nearest the coil of paper, leave every alternate column blank, which blanks
are printed by the second set of type arranged alternate to the first. To
press the paper upon the type to leave their impression, a wheel of the
proper size to correspond with the type bed is placed for convenience above
the type and secured in bearings. In the periphery of this wheel are secured
segments of wheels arranged alternately, corresponding with the columns
of type, and also corresponding with the spaces formed by setting the
columns of type in flat forms. Hence it will be seen that as the paper is
carried through between the type and wheels and by its margin, the segments
of the wheel roll upon the face of the columus of type in a line perpendicular
with their centres. To secure the type upon the cylinder, the column lines
are grooved to receive the ends of the keys, the type being notched to receive
the keys flush with their surfaces.
To supply the press with paper, a roll or coil of any desired size may be
placed upon an endless belt of felt, or leather, or other material, moving with
the same velocity as the type. The ends of the shaft carrying the paper
extends into slotted guides formed in the frame of the machine to retain it in
a proper position when revolving. A knife is secured to a revolving framing
for severing the sheet in any desired size.
To dampen the paper for the press a wheel is arranged, which is covered
with any absorbent cloth, and the paper allowed to pass under it receiving its
moisture
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Stettinius Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 27th January 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM 3
STETTINIUS CLARK, of No. 133, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Iler s
reign, did, for Herself, Ier heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the

page_text: said William Stettinius Clark, Her special licence, that I, the said Williamı
Stettinius Clark, my exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others'
as I, the said William Stettinius Clark, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC FEEDING PRINTING PRESS," a
communication from S. W. Wood and H. A. Bills, of the United States of
America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Stettinius Clark, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Stettinius Clark, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to say):-
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of our improved printing press with but
the two lower set of flat rotating type forms, the upper typo forms to print
the opposite side of the sheet or sheets, being but a duplicate of the first set,
are not represented, not being deemed necessary.
Fig. 2 is an end elevation of Fig.. 1, showing the gearing which connects
and imparts motion to the several parts.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a common cylindrical type wheel or form with
four columns of type secured thereto, the columns being in section, to show
clearly the manner of keying in the type.
Fig. 4 is a section of the independent stick or form for holding type.
Fig. 5 are side views of type, showing the notch or groove by which they
are keyed or fastened to the form or bed.
Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a line of type, showing them as being set upon
a flat form with their key in position, the two ends of said key extending so
as to enter grooves formed in the column lines.
Fig. 7 represents a stick or form for holding type detached. This form
may contain type for a column, and is secured to a rotating bed by nuts and
bolts, or in any other convenient way.
Fig. 8 represents the independent columns in separate and independent

page_text: forms secured to cylinders in the usual manner, the opposite sides of the sheet
or sheets being printed alternately.
Fig. 9 represents a modified form of feeding printing presses from a
continuous sheet with a continuous motion, the type for one side of a sheet
being locked into a form in the ordinary manner, and secured upon the
periphery of a wheel or cylinder, the sheet being severed previous to being
printed.
The nature of our Invention consists, first, in feeding a printing press from
a continuous sheet of paper, said sheet of paper having a continuous motion,
and which may be divided into smaller sheets of any desired size either before
or after being printed in the manner described, or its equivalent; second,
setting type in separate and independent columns, so as to render said
columns removable, substantially as herein set forth; third, notching or
grooving type, so as to receive keys, as described, or its equivalent; fourth,
keying type to their forms, as described, or its equivalent.
To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our improved printing
press, wo will proceed to a description of the same in detail.
Like letters indicate similar parts in all the Figures. A, in the annexed
Drawings, represents the frame, the front side of which being removed to exhibit
the parts clearly, constructed of any suitable material and in any desired form.
D are the rotating forms composed of a sufficient number of flat surfaces (e),
upon which the columns (c) are secured to correspond with the number of
columns desired aud print upon each sheet: To these flat surfaces (e) the
sticks or forms (c), containing in this instance a column of type (m), cach aro
secured by bolts and nuts (a), or in any other convenient manner. These
flat columns are secured alternately upon the many sided rotating beds D, in
order that straight or common type may be usod, also that they may be set
in flat forms in the usual manner, instead of being set upon the periphery of
a cylinder or in the arc of a circle. By this arrangement every alternato
column is printed by each set of type, the first set or those nearest the roll
or coil of paper E leave every alternate column blank, which blanks are
printed by the second set of type arranged alternate to the first. To press
the paper upon the type to leave their impression, a wheel M, of the proper
size to correspond with the type bed D, is placed for convenience directly
above the type and secured in suitable bearings. To the periphery of this
wheel, or forming a part thereof, are secured segments of wheels (o), arranged
alternately so as to correspond with the alternate column of type (m). These
segments of circles (0) correspond with the spaces (u), formed by setting the
columns of type in flat forms. Hence it will be seen that as the paper is

page_text: carried through between the type and wheels B and M by its margin and
middle if necessary, the segments (o) of the dotted wheels or circles (a) roll
upon the faces of the columns of type (m) always in a lino perpendicular with
their centres. To print both sides of a sheet by once passing through the
press, a second set of type, with their corresponding segmental cylinders, may
be arranged, and which is our intention in constructing a press complete.
The "stick" or form in which the typo are secured may be made of any.
desired dimensions, the type being secured therein by wedges in the usual
manner, or by keys with or without said wedges. To secure type in position
by keys or their equivalent which is designed, particularly when setting them
upon a cylinder or in the arc of a circle, as shown in Fig. 8 and 9, the
column lines are grooved, see Fig. 3 and 4, to receive the ends of said keys
(s), the type (m) being notched, as seen in Fig. 5, to receive the keys flush
with their surfaces. When the columns are set in flat forms, as shown in
Fig. 1, the type may be secured by wedges, or keys may be used, if preferred.
To supply presses with paper, a roll E, or the paper may be coiled of any
desired size, may be placed upon an endless belt U of felt, leather, or other
suitable material, which belt runs with the same velocity as the type. The
ends of the shaft upon which the paper is rolled extend into slotted guides
formed in the frame, as seen in dotted lines behind the roll E, Fig. 1, which
retains said roll in position, always permitting it to remain in contact with the
belt, the friction of which rotates said roll at tho proper velocity regardless of
its size.
To feed a continuous sheet of paper to a printing press where the type are
set upon the periphery of a cylinder in the usual manner, that is, with one
form containing a page, more or less, of matter, the paper may be severed
before entering the press, the supply being taken from the roll or coil at
a rate that at the time the type have made one revolution, and presented
themselves to print the succeeding sheet, the required quantity will have
presented itself, and the knife P will have severed the sheet in time to allow
the fingers to seize the severed part and carry it round the wheel w to be
printed, the paper from the roll or coil moving constantly. In Fig. 9 the
paper (in red lines) is represented in two positions. At G the knife P has
just severed the sheet, while on the opposite side the sheet is fed but half its
width or longth towards the knife, as the form of type have made but half
their revolution.
The method of conveying away the printed sheets being no part of our
Invention, we omit further description of it here.
To dampen the paper to prepare it for the press, we have arranged a wheel

page_text: I, which may be made of or covered with any suitable material to absorb
moisture. This wheel is placed so as to roll upon the paper, and being
moistened in any convenient manner, and running with the same velocity as
the paper, dampens it sufficiently and equally to receive the impression from
the type. Several wheels may be arranged between which the paper may
pass if one is found insufficient; or, if preferred, the paper may pass through
steam to receive the required dampness.
To separate, or nearly so, the printed matter from the continuous sheet
into smaller sheets, we have constructed a revolving knife P, which revolves
once for every sheet, and at the same velocity with the type. This knife may
either sever the sheets entire or may leave small parts uncut at the two sides
or margin and in the middle, in order to leave sufficient strength to re-roll
the printed sheets, as herein-after described, and shown in Fig. 8.
J represents an endless belt running with the same velocity as the endless
belt U, by which the paper is supplied. The printed sheets upon this belt
J are re-rolled by its friction, being nearly severed by the rotating knife P.
The rotating type beds D, the segmental cylinders M, B, the rotating wheels
carrying the knife P, the endless belt U supplying the paper from the roll
or coil, the endless belt rolling up the printed sheets, the cylinder or cylinders
for dampening the paper, and the ink roll R for inking the type, all move
with the same velocity, being geared together by cog wheels T, Fig. 2. In
printing newspapers, the paper from the roll or coil passes beneath the
dampening roller, thence over the first set of type, where every alternate
column is printed, thence over the second set of type, where the alternate
columns, left blank, are printed, completing one side of tho sheet, thenco
beneath a corresponding set of type, not reprosented, which print the opposite
side, thence between the dividing knives P, where the printed sheets are
severed, or nearly so, and thenco to the endless belt J, where they are
re-rolled, when they are in readiness for distribution. When round cylinders
are employed, and the type set upon their peripheries, as seen in Fig. 8,
the type may be fused instead of wedging or keying them upon said cylinder
or arc of a circle. The manner of inking the type being no part of our
Invention, we represent a single roll R as being sufficient reference.
Having described our improved printing press, we claim, substantially as
set forth, or their equivalents, feeding printing presses from continuous sheets
of paper by continuous motion, which sheets may be severed into sheets of
any desired size either before or after receiving their impression; setting type
in separate and independent columns; notching or grooving type so as to
receive keys; keying type to their forms by keys or fusing.

page_text: We do not confine ourselves to the peculiar mechanism represented and
described, for various contrivances may be substituted to perform the same
offices without departing from our Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Stettinius Clark, have hercùnto
set my hand and scal, this Twenty-seventh day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
WILLIAM STETTINIUS CLARK. (L.S.)