Improvements in Rapid Copying Presses.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Dec., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 5th Sept., 1892-Accepted, 22nd Oct., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rapid Copying Presses.
A communication from EMILE BEAUTHIERE, of Forest, in the Kingdom of
Belgium, Engineer.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
M.I.M.E., do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This copying press is arranged for operation by the foot and is mainly
characterized by
1. The arrangement or mode of suspension of its press-plate adapted always to
return to its normal position of its own accord and by its own weight;
2. The combination of a pedal with a single rod supporting the movable plate
and transmitting pressure to the same; and
3. The peculiar, simple and elegant construction of the supporting frame,
replacing the hand-press-supports, which besides being expensive and unsightly
had to be fixtures, which the present supporting frame need not be.
This supporting frame mainly consists of a hollow upright of any suitable
height and size in section, which is mounted upon a base or stand and terminates
at the top in two arms arranged in the shape of an inverted yoke and connected
with each other at their ends by a horizontal stationary plate the upper surface of
which forms a table.
Between the vertical arms of the yoke is guided the movable press plate which
by a central socket is placed upon and supported by the upper end of a vertical
rod passing through 'the hollow standard, its lower end bearing upon the foot 'lever
which enters the base on one side and whose fulcrum is situated upon the inner
edge of the base of the standard. At the top of the rod underneath the movable
plate is arranged a set-screw provided with a hand-wheel whereby the distance
travelled by the movable plate at each stroke may be adjusted at will.
It will now
be readily seen that to copy a letter it is only necessary to place the letter-book
in the usual manner between the two plates, the lower plate, however, being the
movable one; then the pedal is pressed down by the foot and owing to the powerful
lever a sufficient pressure is instantaneously obtained. As soon as the foot is
removed from the pedal the movable plate with its rod or link descends by its own
weight both resuming their normal positions while the pedal rises so as to be ready
for further operation.
The whole process is thus completed in one second at most while an important
advantage of this press lies in the fact that its cost is comparatively speaking very
low, seeing that almost all its parts may be castings.
Dated this 5th day of December 1901
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Rapid Copying Presses.
A communication from EMILE BEAUTHIEÈRE, of Forest, in the Kingdom of
Belgium, Engineer.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, 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 :-
This invention relates to an improved arrangement of a copying press mainly
distinguishable from other similar apparatus hitherto employed by the fact that
while producing excellent copies it enables the copying operation to be completed
in one second or less; and that while thus operating with the utmost perfection
and being exceedingly neat and attractive in its appearance the press is of very
economical construction.
With a view to ensuring perfect operation in copying letters and other MSS., a
pedal press is devised in which the compressing plate or platen having an upward
action, itself supports the letter-book and presses it against the stationary upper
plate, being centrally arranged upon the upper end of a single pressure rod or
pitman guided vertically in the frame and the lower end of which rests upon the
pedal, so that when the pressure exercised through the medium of the pedal upon
the letter-book is discontinued the three parts above-named, i.e. the platen, the
pitman and the pedal automatically resume their normal positions by their own
weight.
Thus the whole of the labour connected with the operation of copying a letter,
or the like, amounts to once depressing the pedal with the foot, and owing to the
considerable disproportion of the lever-arms this depression need only be of
momentary duration.
In practice the improved rapid press is preferably constructed as shown in the
accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the complete apparatus and
Figures 2 and 3 a view of the lower end of the pressure rod and pedal
respectively.
The frame mainly consists of a foot P' upon which is erected a post C having a
yoke S formed at its top, which yoke carries the stationary plate P. Between
the arms of the yoke is freely guided the platen P' the central socket D of which
is simply placed upon the upper end of the pressure rod or pitman T which is
guided in a straight line within the hollow post C its lower end resting upon
projections Qformed on the shorter arm of the pedal L which for the purpose
projects into the post through a suitable slot provided in the side thereof. The
pitman T for this purpose terminates in a fork F which embraces the shorter arm
of the pedal L and rests with its ends upon the projections Q. The pedal itself
simply rests by its heel portion t upon the inner edge of the foot P and is thus
adapted to oscillate at will under the action of the foot when it is desired to raise
the platen and to drop of its own accord or by its own weight when released.
It will be seen that by means of this arrangement a constantly uniform pressure
is ensured, even though the stroke or amount of displacement of the platen should
be altered more or less by the insertion or removal of sheets of blotting paper, or
the like, from the letter-book, so that this will in no case disturb the proper
operation of the press. Besides, the stroke of the platen may be adjusted at will
by the interposition between it and the upper end of the pitman T of an adjusting
device of any suitable construction, which in the form of press here shown by way
of example, consists in a screw V entering the suitably threaded top of the pitman T
and capable of being turned by means of a hand-wheel M.

page_text: The supporting column or post may be made in one or more parts, of cast iron or
other suitable material; and the movable parts such as the platen, pitman and pedal
are readily fitted together by their mere superposition, the screw-threaded portion
at the top of the pitman, where the device such as described for the adjustment
of the platen is used, being the only special provision required for fitting up the
press.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a copying press with a platen adapted to carry the letter-book and having
an upward action, the guiding in a straight line of the pitman T upon the lower
end of which a pedal L is arranged to act, the heel to which pedal rests on the
foot P so that however the stroke of the platen P¹ may be adjusted it will always
exercise a uniform pressure while the active or operating parts as soon as the
action of the pedal upon them ceases automatically and by their own weight resume
their normal positions, substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
2. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete copying
press substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 5th day of September 1892.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.