IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR HOLDING OR SUPPORTING STEREOTYPE PLATES WHILST TAKING IMPRESSIONS THEREFROM
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Worster, of Southampton Street, Cam-
berwell, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR HOLDING OR SUPPORTING STEREOTYPE PLATES
WHILST TAKING IMPRESSIONS THEREFROM."
Scaled the 9th April 1869, and dated the 13th October 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Worster at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th October 1868.
I, JAMES WORSTER, of Southampton Street, Camberwell, in the
County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR HOLDING OR SUPPORTING
STEREOTYPE PLATES WHILST TAKING IMPRESSIONS THEREFROM," to be as follows:-
The Invention has for its object improvements in means or apparatus
for holding or supporting stereotype plates whilst taking impressions
therefrom. For this purpose I form the blocks on which the stereotype
plates are supported whilst impressions are taken therefrom in parts
(four by preference), each part being of the form of a triangle or

page_text: approaching thereto and being provided with flanges, projections, or
"catches" rising above the surface of the supporting block or blocks,
such flanges, projections, or "catches" being suitably undercut or
inclined on their inner sides so as to hold the stereotype plate, as is
well understood, and I form the triangular parts or blocks in various
sizes so as to facilitate the making up of a block to the size of the
stereotype plate to be supported. By these means a stereotype plate
has support given to it over its entire surface, and much time is saved
in making up a form whilst the liability for the plate to. spring or
buckle, as has heretofore been sometimes the case, is avoided.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Worster in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 13th April 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
WORSTER, of Southampton Street, Camberwell, in the County of Surrey,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said James Worster, Her special licence that I,
the said James Worster, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said James Worster, 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 MEANS OR APPARATUS
POR HOLDING OR SUPPORTING STEREOTYPE PLATES WHILST TAKING IMPRESSIONS
THEREFROM," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
James Worster, 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

page_text: be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Worster, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
The Invention has for its object improvements in means or apparatus
for holding or supporting stereotype plates whilst taking impressions
therefrom. For this purpose I form the blocks on which the stereotype
plates are supported whilst impressions are taken therefrom in three or
more parts (four by preference), each part being of the form of a triangle
or approaching thereto and being provided with flanges, projections, or
"catches" rising above the surface of the supporting block or blocks,
such flanges, projections, or "catches" being suitably undercut or inclined
on their inner sides so as to hold the stereotype plate, as is well under-
stood, and I form the triangular parts or blocks in various sizes so as to
facilitate the making up of a block to the size of the stereotype platę
to be supported.
And in order that my Invention may be more clearly understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed, aided by the accompanying
Drawings, more fully to describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a plan of a block constructed according to my Invention
for holding or supporting a stereotype plate whilst impressions are being
taken therefrom, and Figure 2 is a section thereof taken on the line 1, 1, of
Figure 1. Each block consists by preference of four parts, two side
pieces a, a, and two end pieces b, b, each part being of the form of a
triangle, as shewn, or approaching thereto, and being provided with
flanges, projections, or " catches " c, c, suitably inclined or undercut on
their inner sides to hold the stereotype plate, as is well understood.
Figure 3 is a plan of a larger block constructed in a similar manner
to that before described in which similar side pieces a, a, are employed,
but having larger end pieces b, b, of a form somewhat modified from
that employed at Figure 1; Figure 4 is a plan of another block in which
end pieces b, b, of different sizes are employed in order to obtain a block
a half size smaller than that shewn at Figure 3. The side pieces a, a, I
prefer to employ of the same size for blocks varying in size from that

page_text: shewn at Figure 1 to that shewn at Figure 3, whilst I employ end
pieces b, b, of various sizes in connection therewith to facilitate the
making up of a block to suit the size of the stereotype plate to be held
thereby. The stereotype plate is placed on the various parts of the block
with its edges under the "catches" c, c, and the block is then wedged
up in the usual manner, when it is ready for. the printing press. Blocks
constructed according to my Invention may be made of wood, as
indicated in the Drawings, or they may be made of cast or other metal,
as will be well understood, the "catches" forming part of such blocks or
being formed separately and connected thereto, as shewn in the
Drawings. By these means a stereotype plate has support given to it
over nearly its entire surface and much time is saved in making up
a. "form" whilst the liability for the plate to spring or buckle as has
heretofore been sometimes the case is avoided.
;
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the
mode in which I prefer to carry the same into effect, I would have it
understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein
shewn and described, as such may be varied without departing from the
peculiar character of my Invention; but what I do claim is, the em-
ployment of blocks constructed of three or more triangular parts for
holding or supporting stereotype plates whilst taking impressions there-
from, in manner substantially as herein shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Worster, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.
JAMES WORSTER. (L.S.)
Witness,
FRED. HARRIS,
Patent Agent,
35, Southampton Buildings.