Improvements in or connected with Letter and other Matter Copying Presses or Apparatus.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Jan., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 27th Oct., 1892-Accepted, 21st Jan., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Letter and other Matter
Copying Presses or Apparatus.
I, SAMUEL AUGUSTINE DE NORMANVILLE, of Jermyn Street, Liverpool, in
the County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
A letter or other matter copying press or apparatus according to my invention,
comprises a roller and a pliable sheet connected at one end thereto.
In one form of my invention, the pliable sheet is made of waterproof material
which is connected to the roller at one end, which roller may be of divided form and
the edge of the sheet clamped in or between the parts by clamps, screws; or it may
be secured to the roller by equivalent means.
The waterproof sheet is, in some cases, provided with, or has, an inner surface
of an absorbent nature, so as to retain or receive moisture, and in the act of copying,
or in the acts preparatory to copying, this surface is damped with water to the
required degree, and the copying paper is laid on it. The letter or other matter to
be copied may then be placed upon the copying paper and the sheet with copying
paper and letter rolled upon the roller, by which action a pressure is exerted
between the copying paper and letter, and the letter is copied.
A separate damping absorbtive sheet may be used if desired.
The roller may be extended and provided with a handle for holding or rolling it.
In some cases, a vessel or hollow part may be provided in connection with or
adapted to fit on the roller, and serve to contain a sponge or other article or articles
used in connection with the apparatus.
In some cases the roller may be hollow and of metal or other suitable material,
and adapted to serve as a box in which copying paper and a sponge, or either of
them, or other articles used in connection with the apparatus, may be contained and
carried. In other cases the copying paper may be carried between the convolutions
of the pliable sheet, in a damp (or dry) condition, or otherwise, as desired. In
another modification a rubber or other expandible roller may be used, & expanded
by compressing the air therein by the hand, or otherwise.
The invention is not confined to the particular make-ups above specified, but may
be constructed and put together in different ways without departing from the
essential features of the invention.
Dated this 26th day of Januar 1800
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON, Fels. Chart. Inst. P.A.,
15, Water Street, Liverpool, Applicant's Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Letter and other Matter
Copying Presses or Apparatus.
1, SAMUEL AUGUSTINE DE NORMANVILLE, of Jermyn Street, Liverpool, in
the County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
A letter or other matter copying press or apparatus according to my invention,
comprises a roller and a pliable sheet connected at one end thereto.
In one form of my invention, the pliable sheet is made of waterproof material
which is connected to the roller at one end, which roller may be of divided form
Price 8d 1

page_text: and the edge of the sheet clamped in or between the parts by clamps or screws, or
it may be secured to the roller by equivalent means.
The waterproof sheet is, in some cases, provided with, or has, an inner surface of
an absorbent nature, or such as will retain or receive moisture, and in the act of
copying, or in the acts preparatory to copying, this surface is damped with water
to the required degree, and the copying paper is laid on it. The letter or other
matter to be copied may then be placed upon the copying paper, and the sheet with
copying paper and letter, rolled upon the roller, by which action a pressure is
exerted between the copying paper and letter, and the letter copied.
A separate damping absorbtive sheet may be used if desired.
The roller may be extended and provided with a handle for holding or rolling it.
In some cases, a vessel or hollow part may be provided in connection with or
adapted to fit on the roller, and serve to contain a sponge or other article or articles
used in connection with the apparatus.
In some cases the roller may be hollow and of metal or other suitable material,
and adapted to serve as a box in which copying paper and a sponge, or either of
them, or other articles used in connection with the apparatus, may be contained
and carried. In other cases the copying paper may be carried between the con-
volutions of the pliable sheet, in a damp (or dry) condition, or otherwise, as desired.
In another modification a rubber or other expansible roller may be used, and
expanded by compressing the air therein by the band, or otherwise.
In
In the drawings which illustrate my invention I shew in Figures 1 and 2, in part
sectional elevation and cross section, one form of copying apparatus provided with
my improvements; while in Figure 3 a. modified form of apparatus is shown.
Figures 4 and 5, which are sectional and outside elevations respectively, a
modification is shewn in which the roller or staff is made of metal. Figures 6
and 7 show other modifications.
Referring now to the drawings, a is the roller, is the pliable material or sheet,
and c is the handle of the roller.
It will be seen by Figures 1 and 2, that the material is fastened by forming the
roller a in halves, and by inserting one end between these two halves and clamping
them together by screws or other suitable means. In the construction shewn in
Figures 4 and 5, the material is fastened by wrapping it round, or otherwise
suitably fastening it to a metal or equivalent strip 6, the ends of which slip
under the metal as shewn, the strip itself lying in a longitudinal recess formed
in the roller.
In another modification, Figure 6, where wood or hollow metal rollers are used,
the wood may be grooved or recessed, and a lath or strip b', with one end of the
material b attached to it or merely laid under it, may be secured in such recess by
screws, end collars, or other suitable means.
Figure 7 shews a modified metal roller construction and mode of fastening the
material b. It consists in making the roller by forming the metal strips round into
a tube, and fastening the edges by screws or other means; while the edge of the
material is gripped in between the edges b', as shewn.
The handle c in the construction shewn in Figures 1 and 2 consists of a brass or
other suitable metal tube, secured onto the end of the roller a by screws as shewn,
or by screwing same on direct, or by other suitable means; and serves as a con-
taining receptacle for the damping sponge--which is shewn and is designated d.
The end of the hollow handle c is stoppered by a cap or stopper e, to which the
sponge may be attached by a cord or other fastener; by this means it can be easily
taken out and at the same time be less likely to get lost. Of course if desired, the
stopper e could be metal, in lieu of the wood, and it might be threaded and screwed
in the handle or sprung into it, and so secured, or fastened in any equivalent or
suitable way.
The interior of the handles may be tinned, galvanized, enamelled, lacquered, or
otherwise equivalently treated, so as to prevent any corrosive or other deleterious
action going on between the metal and the wet or damp sponge.

page_text: C
The holder in the apparatus shewn in Figure 3 is merely a continuation of the
roller a while the sponge b is held in a hollow cap e, which fits over the end of the
roller a.
This cap may have saw-nuts in it, to give it spring, so that it will press
in the desired manner on the roller and hold itself on.
Regarding the metallic apparatus shewn in Figures 4 and 5, in this construction
the interior of the roller a serves as a case in which to carry copying paper,
blotting paper, or other articles which may be used in connection with the apparatus,
access being had thereto by a removable stopper e²; and the sponge d is supported
in the handle e by a cord e' held by the stopper e.
As regards the nature of the material, I find that "American" cloth, or other
equivalent material with one waterproof surface, and one absorbent presenting the
textile material, is a very suitable class of material. When such a material is used
the mode of using the apparatus is as follows:-The material is unrolled from
the roller and laid upon a fairly even surface with its rough surface uppermost.
This surface is then damped with the sponge or otherwise, and superfluous moisture
removed with a squeezed out sponge, or towel, or by laying the said loose sheet
near it, and pressing gently with the hand. When the surface contains the required
degree of moisture, the copying paper is laid upon it, the letter or matter to be
copied is then laid upon the paper in the ordinary way, and the roller then rolled
or coiled up, the sheets under operation lying between the convolutions of the
waterproof material. The rolling should be done firmly, and the roller may be
pressed by the hand after rolling up, or further rolled on a flat surface under
pressure of the hand.
In this case the pressure causes the moisture to pass
from the damp absorbent surface onto the copying paper, and so the copying
action is obtained.
When a flat surface is not available, or if preferred, sufficient pressure for
copying may be obtained by grasping the roller firmly in one hand, whilst the
pliable sheet with the other sheets are rolled up by rotating the roller by means of
the handle c.
To prevent moisture passing on to the smooth surface of the material when
copying, a loose sheet of the same material may be placed over the back of the
letter and copying paper if desired.
It will necessarily depend upon circumstances as to the mode or manner of using
the apparatus as regards damping. For instance in some cases the surface of the
material may be thoroughly wetted and several sheets of copying paper damped
from it by rolling up before copying the letter or letters or other matters. By this
means a number of sheets may be kept evenly damped and ready for copying, and
then the letters or sheets may be copied one in each copying operation; or two or
more may be copied at one operation.
Again another mode consists in only damping the surface of 6 slightly, then
laying the copying paper down on the damped face, and ou the copying paper
the letter (or other matter) to be copied, and then rolling them directly up together
as described.
These modes suffice to shew that the method of using the copier will vary
according to the circumstances or conditions under which the apparatus would
be used, or according to the mode of proceeding which the user may find most
suitable or easiest.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. A copying apparatus consisting of a roller, a pliable sheet attached to the
said roller, and a handle on one end (or both ends) of said roller; substantially as
and for the purposes specified.
2. In the copying apparatus adapted to roll up, a pliable waterproof sheet
fixed to a roller, and having one side of, or provided with, absorbent or other

page_text: material or surface capable of holding moisture; substantially as and for the
purposes described.
3. The particular construction of copying apparatus set forth respectively with
reference to Figures 1 and 2; Figure 3; Figures 4 and 5; Figure 6; and
Figure 7.
Dated 24th day of October 1892
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON, Fels. Chart. Inst. P.A.,
15, Water Street, Liverpool, Applicant's Patent Agents.