IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH THE MEANS OF PRODUCING FAC-SIMILE COPIES OF ORIGIinal Writings, DRAWINGS, PRINTINGS, AND OTHER DELINEATIONS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Andrew Anderson, of Camberwell, in the County of
Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH THE
MEANS OF PRODUCING FAC-SIMILE COPIES OF ORIGIinal Writings, DRAWINGS,
PRINTINGS, AND OTHER DELINEATIONS."
Sealed the 27th February 1880, and dated the 3rd September 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Andrew Anderson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 3rd September 1879.
ANDREW ANDERSON, of Camberwell, in the County of Surrey. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN OR CONNECTED WITH THE MEANS OF PRODUCING FAC-SIMILE COPIES OF ORIGINAL
WRITINGS, DRAWINGS, PRINTINGS, AND OTHER DELINEATIONS.".
This Invention relates to improvements in or connected with the means of
producing fac-simile copies of original writings, drawings, printings, or other
manuscript devices, which it may be desired to reproduce rapidly without the
expensive aid of printing devices, or of presses, or other apparatus of a complicated
nature.
I am well aware that there have lately been designed many methods and
apparatus of various descriptions for effecting the above objects, but so far as I am
aware they are all mostly owing to the special apparatus which they require, or to
their clumsiness and uncleanliness in use, inoperative without skilled labor, or
troublesome, uncleanly, and therefore not fitted for office use or the especial purposes
for which they are designed.
Now the especial objects of my Invention are to remove these great disadvantages,
to render the process capable of immediate application in its use, to simplify the
means necessary to effect the required purpose, to reduce the cost thereof to a
minimum, and to bring it down within reach of the mass of those requiring it, and
especially to enable any spoiled reproducing part, or such part as is unfit for further
use, to be immediately removed without detriment to the immediate use of the
remainder, and which I believe it is not possible to do with any existing appliances
in use for this purpose.

page_text: Hitherto the transferring medium has been most generally prepared in a solid
mass in a tray or otherwise; this is of great disadvantage in that it is very
wasteful and troublesome when one negative is spoiled or unfit for further use, and
it is de-ired to prepare another for use because the negative thus not further
required cannot be simply washed off the surface of the transferring medium but
has to be washed out of its substance, and thus renders its surface uneven and unfit
for further use without special evening or other manipulation which takes time to
effect, and is uncleanly in effecting..
In order to avoid these and the other above-mentioned disadvantages, and
to attain the above mentioned very desirable objects, I prepare the transferring
medium by thinly coating or covering paper or other suitable material with any
suitable gelatinous and absorbent composition which will act as the transferring
medium.
Any kind of paper in ordinary use if it be well sized and has a smooth surface
may be used.
The essential ingredients of a composition which is very serviceable in covering
the paper, and for subsequent use in copying are, gelatine, glycerine, and water, a
valuable addition being carbolic acid; and the following may sometimes be added
with advantage, oxide of zinc, alum, or chrome alum and sugar, or other saccharine
matter. But I do not lay any claim to the exclusive use of such a composition,
neither do I limit myself thereto, as the paper may be covered with any other
suitable composition of the character referred to according to my Invention.
The paper may be covered with the composition by various means, such as by
the use of a brush, or by being floated in sheets of a suitable size upon the surface
of the composition, kept liquid by heat, or the paper in lengths of 30 or 40 feet
may be formed into an endless band or ring, and be passed over a pair of rollers
one above and one below, the lower one just dipping into the composition, the
paper being covered therewith by the turning of the rollers. I prefer to take the
paper in a web or roll of considerable length and draw it off the roll over and in
contact with the surface of the composition, kept liquid in a trough by heat, and
pass it onto a drum or reel on which it is wound; but I do not limit myself to the
use of any such means.
The paper prepared or coated with a suitable transferring medium, according to
my Invention, may be used in various ways according to choice or convenience. A
piece of any required size may be laid upon a table or desk and so used, or for
greater convenience of sale and use the sheets may be piled and kept one upon
another, and the upper one after having been used may be stripped off and removed.
I prefer, as being a very convenient way of using my improved copying paper, to
use it in a box furnished with a roller at each end, the copying paper being wound
onto one of the rollers and the end of it being passed along the box to the other
roller, the box being of such a shape as that the portion of paper between the rollers
is placed in a convenient position for being used. A portion of the paper having
been used is then wound on the second roller, and a fresh portion is thereby drawn
off the first roller; but as the improved copying paper may be used with advantage
otherwise I do not limit myself to its use in the way I have indicated.
: It is of course necessary that the writing or design should be prepared in a
suitable ink of a diffusive nature, such as are well known and in use; red, blue, and
purple inks of this nature may be made from the aniline colors, and black may be made
by adding tartaric acid or other vegetable acids to a solution of sloeline; but I do
not lay any claim to the exclusive use of such inks.
The writing or design as thus prepared is lightly pressed by any convenient even
edge upon the prepared sheet of copying paper, and leaves thereupon a negative or
reverse impression of the writing or design, and from which negative a considerable
number of copies may be taken by similarly lightly pressing clean sheets of paper
or other material into contact therewith.
Thereupon the principal object of my Invention, which consists essentially in the

page_text: preparation of a copying paper upon each portion of which but one negative is
intended to be taken, but from which negative many copies or transfers of the
original writing or design can be taken, as herein before described, is rendered most
apparent in its advantage, as upon such negative being spoiled or becoming unfit
for further use, it can be immediately removed and a fresh negative immediately
taken upon the adjacent prepared surface, or upon the next sheet from which
reproductions can be immediately taken, without the necessity as there has hitherto
been of waiting while the negative is washed out of the composition and its surface
made ready for another negative, and which processes as above mentioned take much
time and are very uncleanly; and moreover another great advantage I derive is that
I attain a great economy of cost, as the improved copying sheets can be prepared
and retailed at a very small cost.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by'
the said Andrew Anderson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1st March
1880.
"
ANDREW ANDERSON, of Camberwell, in the County of Surrey. IMPROVEMENTS
IN OR CONNECTED WITH THE MEANS OF PRODUCING FAC-SIMILE COPIES OF ORIGINAL
WRITINGS, DRAWINGS, PRINTINGS, AND OTHER DELINEATIONS."
This Invention relates to improvements in or connected with the means of
producing fac-simile copies of original writings, drawings, printings, or other
manuscript devices which it may be desired to reproduce with economy and
despatch, and without the aid of printing machines, presses, or other appliances
hitherto employed.
or
In order to effect that object I prepare paper or other pliant material of a similar
character with a special covering, as hereafter described, on which reverse
negative impressions from writing or designs in the well known aniline transfer or
other diffusive inke may be taken.
The preparation of my paper or other pliant material of a similar character, here-
inafter designated as paper, is as follows:-
I first take paper of sufficient strength and suitable material, but have hitherto
found none sufficiently sized for my purpose. I therefore re-size the paper in a
composition made from rosin or other similar material dissolved in benzole or other
similar solvent. I use paper in continuous rolls of considerable length, from which
the paper is easily unrolled and drawn through a trough containing the above
mentioned size. Thence it passes through two scrapers, one of which removes all
size from one side of the paper leaving only that absorbed into the tissue, whilst
the other scraper removes only the air bubbles and excess size, leaving a uniform
coat of size over the whole of one face of the paper, sufficient when dry to be non-
absorbent of watery fluids.
To dry the paper I pass it on to a reel with moveable concentric spokes which
keep an air space between the rolled sheet. The drying is much facilitated by a
gentle heat.
When the paper is thus sized and dried I cover it with a receiving composition
composed chiefly of one part of gelatine, five parts of glycerine, and two parts of
water by weight, though these proportions may be slightly varied. To this
composition I may add a portion of carbolic acid for its preservative effect, oxide of
zine or other pigments to give a good tone to the paper, and alum or chrome alum
which renders the composition less soluble.
To prepare this composition I first steep the gelatine in the water, and then
melt by a gentle heat. The glycerine, previously warmed, is then added and the
whole well mixed: It is filtered whilst warm and is then ready for use.
The sized paper may be covered with the composition on one or both sides by
various known means, but I prefer to effect this by drawing it from the reel on
which it has been dried, or other reel, or roll on which it may have been stored,
through the liquid composition in the same manner as described in the sizing. The
strip of paper is passed through the scrapers as described where it is desired to
have only one side covered with the composition, or free of them when it is desired
to leave both sides covered. The paper thus covered is received upon a reel with
moveable concentric spokes, as before described. If both sides of the paper be
covered for copying purposes, a considerable space must be left between the trough
and the receiving wheel, so that the composition may be somewhat set before
touching the spokes of the reel. When the composition is properly set, which is
usually the case in a few hours, the paper is ready for use.

page_text: " I now desire to state that I do not attempt to claim the general application of
any other gelatinous composition to sheets of paper for copying purposes; but
distinctly limit myself to the definite composition. applied to a paper sized as here-
inbefore' described.
"
Having thus prepared my improved copying paper in rolls of considerable length,
I may store it for sale upon convenient rollers or bobbins from which it may be
used directly; or by means of the following apparatus, reference being had
to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon:-
Figures 1 and 2 are the elevation and plan of a box A containing the prepared
copying paper wound in a strip of considerable length round the two rollers B and
C. The rollers B and C have milled heads D, cranked handles, or other mechanical
appliance by which the copying paper can be wound from one roller on to the other.
Under the portion of the paper on which the negative or transfer has to be taken,
and projecting above the lower edge of the rollers is placed an elastic pad E upon
which the paper is thus strained tightly: When a portion of the copying paper has
been used it can be wound on to the empty roller B, and a further portion of the
paper thereby drawn from the roller Cover the copying pad E. In order to
effectively strain the copying paper over the pad, I use two ratchet wheels fitted one
to each roller, with a spring ratchet gearing in each, in opposite directions, so as to
prevent mutual rotation. If then one spring ratchet is disengaged the rollers may
revolve freely, but when again allowed to engage the rollers cannot both rotate
and the paper is thus strained tightly between them. The rollers may be so
formed that a portion of them is removeable, a new reel being inserted to replace
the exhausted one.
An alternative apparatus is shown in Figures 3 and 4, which are respectively
elevation and plan. F, F, is a pair of. rollers covered with india rubber or other
soft and elastic substance, which are pressed together by springs S, or other means.
At either side of F, F, is a roller G, G', placed at the end of the box or stand, and
so fixed that paper wound from one roller to the other passes between the centre
rollers. One of these outside rollers C is fitted with a crank handle or other
revolving apparatus to conveniently rotate the same, and thus draw the paper
rapidly through the centre rollers F, F.
The prepared copying paper in this case is first imprinted with the required
writing or impression, and is taken a little longer than the circumference of the
centre rolls F, F, so that when it is wound round one of them the ends may overlap
and adhere, thus assisting to keep the copying paper in position on the roll. A
similar strip of copying paper may be thus fixed round each of the centre rolls, the
outside surfaces being imprinted respectively with whatever writing or design it
may be desired to reproduce on the back and front of the copied impression. The
plain paper K, on which the copies are required, is wound on one of the outside
rollers G, the end is passed between the centre rollers F, F, covered with the
negatives, and is then attached to the roller G' fitted with the crank handle. The
rotation of this roller G¹ thus draws the plain paper through the centre rollers and
produces any number of successive copies, both back and front. These successive
copies may be made very convenient for after separation by the roll of plain paper
being perforated across at suitable intervals between each copy.
Having now fully declared the nature of my Invention, and the apparatus
for practically carrying the same into effect, I wish it clearly understood that
I claim,
1st. The preparation of a copying paper specially sized and coated with the
composition of gelatine, glycerine, and water, with alternative additions, substantially
as herein described.
2nd. The convenient application of prepared copying paper in the form of a

page_text: continuous roll or strip, whereby a disused negative can be at once disposed of, as
and by the apparatus substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Andrew Anderson, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this First day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty.
In presence of
S. P. WILDING,
23, Rood Lane, London, E.C.,
Patent Agent.
ANDW. ANDERSON. (L.s.)