IMPROVEMENTS IN TAKING-OFF APPARATUS FOR LITHO- GRAPHIC AND LETTER-PRESS PRINTING MACHINES.
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edmund William Roxby, Engineer and Machine
Maker, of Quebec Foundry, Leeds, in the County of York, and
Thomas Walker, Draughtsman, Quebec Foundry, aforesaid, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN TAKING-OFF APPARATUS FOR LITHO-
GRAPHIC AND LETTER-PRESS PRINTING MACHINES.
"
ealed the 27th July 1875, and dated the 6th May 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edmund William
Roxby and Thomas Walker at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 6th May 1875.
We, EDMUND WILLIAM ROXBY, Engineer and Machine Maker, of
Quebec Foundry, Leeds, in the County of York, and THOMAS WALKER,
Draughtsman, Quebec Foundry, aforesaid, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN TAKING-OFF APPARATUS FOR
LITHOGRAPHIC AND LETTER-PRESS PRINTING MACHINES," to be as follows, that
is to say:
-
Our Invention relates to taking off the sheets of paper from the
printing cylinder as they are printed, and laying them in a pile at the
end of the machine. For this purpose we fit a set of small oscillating

page_text: grippers in such a position with the printing cylinder of the printing
machine that when the cylinder arrives at a given point the oscillating
grippers open and afterwards, close on the paper, taking it from the
grippers of the large cylinder, whose grippers also open to release the
printed sheet. The taking-off grippers having got firmly hold of the
sheet of printed paper carry it away on to tapes running on tape pullies
by means of a toothed segment fitted on the end of the gripper shaft,
which works in another toothed segment fixed on the end of the
cylinder; these segments working together after the sheet has been
gripped causes the printed sheets to be carried away on the tapes until
they are brought over the flyers, these flyers oscillate on a shaft and are
actuated by a cam and spring and deliver the paper, forming a pile at
the end of the machine. The tapes are driven by grooved pullies
actuated by a pulley fitted on the end of the cylinder shaft.
The whole apparatus is so arranged that the slightest variation in the
position of the cylinder from lifting as it comes in contact with the
stone, or from other causes, produces a corresponding variation in the
position of the grippers, tapes, and pullies, and allows the same distance
always to be maintained between the cylinder, oscillating grippers, tapes,
and pullies.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edmund William Roxby and Thomas Walker in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th November 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, EDMUND
WILLIAM ROXBY, Engineer and Machine Maker, of Quebec Foundry,
Leeds, in the County of York, and THOMAS WALKER, Draughtsman,
Quebec Foundry, aforesaid, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-eighth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said Edmund William Roxby and Thomas Walker,
Her special licence, that we, the said Edmund William Roxby and
Thomas Walker, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such

page_text: others as we, the said Edmund William Roxby and Thomas Walker,
our 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,
i 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 TAKING-OFF APPARATUS FOR LITHOGRAPHIC AND LETTER-PRESS
PRINTING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the
said Edmund William Roxby and Thomas Walker, our executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under our 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 Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Edmund William Roxby and
Thomas Walker, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference
being had to the Drawings hereto annexed, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon, that is to say :—
The said Invention relates to taking off the sheets of paper from the
-printing cylinder as they are printed, and laying them in a pile at the
end of the machine. For this purpose we fit a set of small grippers in
such a position with the printing cylinder of the printing machine that
when the cylinder arrives at a given point the grippers open and after-
wards close on the paper, taking it from the grippers of the large
cylinder, whose grippers also open to release the printed sheet. The
taking-off grippers having got firmly hold of the sheet of printed paper
carry it away on to tapes running on tape pullies by means of a
toothed segment fitted on the end of the gripper shaft, which works in
another toothed segment fixed on the end of the cylinder; these segments
working together after the sheet has been gripped cause the printed
sheets to be carried away on the tapes until brought over the flyers;
these flyers oscillate on a shaft, and are actuated by a cam and spring,
and deliver the paper, forming a pile at the end of the machine. The
tapes are actuated by a pinion and segment.

page_text: forced down by the lever K, which is fixed on the shaft L by a pin
passing through the boss of the lever and through the shaft; on the
shaft L is fitted another lever M, having a friction pulley N, which is
actuated by a cam O' fixed on the end of the printing cylinder A. As
the grippers C in the taking-off cylinder B close, the grippers J of the
large cylinder open, releasing the paper, and allowing the cylinder B to
take it away. On the end of the gripper shaft P is fitted a lever Q, to
which is fixed a connecting rod R, having a lever S fitted to it, on which
is fitted a pulley T actuating a cam U; when the friction pulley T comes
O in contact with the cam U the grippers J open and release the paper,
which is carried away by means of the taking-off grippers C fitted on the
cylinder B and actuated by the pinion D coming in contact with the
segment F, Figure 5, Sheet 1.
When the taking-off cylinder B is brought to its stationary position.
5 it causes the end of a lever V, Figure 4, Sheet 1, to enter a notch cut
in the end of the taking-off cylinder; on the other end of the lever V is
fitted a friction roller W, which works on a guide X fixed on the end
of the printing cylinder.
During the travel of the friction roller W on the guide X the taking-
) off cylinder remains stationary and the lever V is released from the
notch by a spring Z, when the friction roller W leaves the guide X.
The taking-off grippers C are closed by two springs A¹ fitted on, the
ends of the taking-off cylinder B; the ends of the grippers rest on the
springs directly the cam O, Figure 4, Sheet 1, ceases to act on the
levers M and K the springs A¹ close the grippers C. The small cam B¹,
Figure 4, Sheet 1, is for releasing the paper from the small grippers,
leaving it free to be carried forward to the tapes C¹; the tapes pass
round the cylinder B and on the tape pullies D¹.
The paper having been carried by the tapes C₁ over the flyers E¹ to
the stop F is thrown over by the flyers on to a board at the end of the
machine in the ordinary way. The flyers are actuated by a pinion G¹
fitted on the flyer shaft working in a segment H' formed on the end of
the lever I'; the lever I' is fitted to a connecting rod J¹, which is con-
nected to a lever K¹ fitted on the shaft L'; on this shaft is fixed another
lever, to which is fitted a connecting rod M', and connected to a lever N'
fixed on a shaft O¹.*

page_text: On the lever N' is fitted a friction roller P', which is actuated by a
cam Q¹ fixed on the main shaft R¹; the cam Q' revolving actuates the
flyers by working the segment H¹, and the segment is brought back
by means of the spring S¹; by these means the sheets of paper arc
delivered.
On the shaft T¹ are fitted two levers U¹, these levers carry the taking-
off cylinder B, and also two shafts Land V₁; the shaft V₁ carries the
small pressure pullies W₁ resting on the taking-off cylinder B, and pre-
vent the paper falling back after the small grippers C have delivered
it; the pullies W¹ have the same number of revolutions as the
cylinder B.
On the shaft T is keyed a lever X', enabling the operator to lift the
whole apparatus out of the way if required. The frame carrying the
tapes and flyers can also be lifted by means of the balance weight Y¹
fixed to a chain Z¹ passed over a pulley A³, the other end of the chain Z'
is attached to the frame carrying the flyers, tapes, and gear.
The sector B2 is for the purpose of fixing the apparatus for working
or out of gear when not required. On the cylinder shaft C³ are fitted
side plates D working through slides E²; the side plates D³ carry the
shaft T¹, on which is fitted a slot lever K², which enters either of the
openings For G³, and can be fixed on either opening by means of the
nut lever I³, so that when the printing cylinder rises from the pressure of
the stone the whole apparatus rises with it.
Having thus described our improvements, and the best means we are
acquainted with for carrying the same into effect, we would have it
understood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details shewn
and described, as these may be varied without departing from the
peculiar character of the Invention, but what we do claim is,-
Firstly. The construction, combination, and arrangement of the small
gripper cylinder for taking off the sheets of paper from the printing
cylinder, substantially as described and represented in the accompanying
Drawings.
11
ן
n

page_text: they receive the sheets of paper from the printing cylinder, as herein-
before described and represented in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said Edmund William' Roxby and
Thomas Walker, have hereto set our hands and seals, this
Fourth day of November, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-five.
EDMUND WILLIAM ROXBY.
THOMAS WALKER.
Witness,
WALTER JA'. TURNER, C. E.,
Patent Agent,
Bradford.
(L.S.)
(L.8)