Improvements in or connected with Machinery or Apparatus for Printing from Rollers.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Nov., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Sept., 1890-Accepted, 25th Oct., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Machinery or Apparatus for
Printing from Rollers.
We, JAMES KERR, of the firm of F. Steiner and Company, of Church, in the County
of Lancaster, and JAMES NASMYTH WILSON, Consulting Engineer, of Southport,
in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to machinery or apparatus for printing from rollers and
has for its object to provide in connection therewith means whereby electricity
can be employed for effecting the starting and for stopping or retarding the
motion of the engraved or printing roller. In carrying out this invention we
employ a combined clutch wheel and box analogous to those described in the
Specification to Letters Patent granted to us as of the 2nd day of November 1886
No. 14076 but instead of controlling the engaging and disengaging clutch by
mechanical means as described in the said Specification we effect it by means of
electricity as hereinafter described.
The box wheel is provided with one member of the clutch and the end of the
axle of the printing or engraved roller carries the other member thereof which is
secured by means of a cotter or its equivalent to a spindle sliding longitudinally
in the end of the said axle. This spindle carries an armature which is in
proximity to the poles of an electro magnet which is magnetized and demagnetized
at the proper times by any convenient arrangement of make and break device, for
instance if a circular one with adjustable contacts be used, the moveable contact
may be driven from any suitable part of the printing machine or in any other
convenient manner.
So long as the electro magnet is excited its poles will attract and hold the
armature, and through the spindle and cotter maintain the members of the clutch
engaged so that the printing or engraved roller will be rotated by the box wheel
through the clutch and cotter in connection with the end of its axle. The teeth of
the respective members of the clutch have inclined meeting pieces which when the
magnet is demagnetized cause the teeth of the two members of the clutch to become
disengaged and so stop the roller. There may be provided a spring for pressing the
spindle with the armature outwards the said spring not being sufficiently strong to
overcome the overriding of the inclined faces of the clutch teeth when the magnet is
not magnetized.
1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Machinery or Apparatus for
Printing from Rollers.
We, JAMES KERR of the firm of F. Steiner & Company of Church, in the County
of Lancaster and JAMES NASMYTH WILSON, Consulting Engineer of Southport, in
the County of Lancaster 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 machinery or apparatus for printing from rollers and
has for its object to provide in connection therewith means whereby electricity can
be utilized for engaging and allowing of the disengaging of the device used for

page_text: driving the engraved or printing rollers so that the said rollers are always
presented in proper position for printing. As the driving device we may employ a
combined box wheel and clutch analogous to those described in the Specification of
Letters Patent No. 14076 granted to us conjointly with Joseph Haworth as of the
2nd day of November 1886 but instead of controlling the engaging and disengaging
clutch at the proper times by mechanical means as described in the said Specification
we effect it by electricity.
And in order that our invention may be fully understood we will describe the same
with reference to the accompanying drawings premising however that we do not
restrict ourselves to precise details and arrangement of the parts illustrated and
described as variations may be made therein without departing from the nature of our
invention.
Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section showing the clutch and box wheel
which drives the printing roller and the electrical device for keeping the clutch engaged
at the proper times.
Figure 2 is an end view of the same and
Figure 3 is a plan.
Figure 4 is a detail illustrating the preferred form of the clutch teeth and
Figure 5 is a plan of a switch suitable for intermittently breaking the circuit or
diverting the electric current to stop the printing roller at the required periods. The
box wheel A which is mounted on a bush A2 on the mandrel or axle B of the
printing roller is provided with one member a of the clutch and the other member b
of the clutch slides on the bush A2 which is made fast to the axle B the member b of
the clutch being secured to the spindle C by means of a cotter c, passing through the
member b and through slots or openings a² and d in the bush A2 and axle B
respectively so that the said spindle C can slide longitudinally in the said axle B.
The spindle C is connected to an armature D which is shewn as being effected by
means of a cross head c² and rods e³. The armature D is in proximity to the poles of
an electro magnet or electro magnets E the core or cores of which is or are magnetized
and demagnetized at the proper times by any convenient arrangement of current
diverter or switch for instance a circular one with adjustable contacts as shewn in
Figure 5 and hereinafter described the moveable contact arm of the switch being
driven from any suitable part of the printing machine or in other convenient
So long as the magnets E are magnetized their poles attract and hold the
armature D and so through the rods c³ cross head c² spindle C and cotter a hold
the miember of the clutch in engagement with the member a so that as long as the
armature D is so held the printing roller rotates by the box wheel A or other driving
device driving it through the clutch and cotter in connection with the end of the
axle B of the said roller. It is preferred that the teeth of the respective parts a and b
of the clutch should have inclined meeting faces as shewn in Figure 4 so that when
the magnets E are demagnetized and the box wheel A or other driving device continues
to rotate the inclined faces of the teeth on the member of the clutch ride over the
inclined surface of the teeth on the member a and force the clutch out of engagement
and so the rotation of the printing roller is stopped. F is a spring pressing on the
end of the spindle C as shewn and tending to maintain the members of the clutch
engaged but not being strong enough to overcome the over ridingof the inclined
faces of the clutch teeth when the magnets are not magnetized.
manner.
The current diverter or switch shewn in Figure 5 is so constructed that during
any pre-determined portion of the revolution of the arm H, corresponding to a
portion or the whole of the period during which the printing roller is off the fabric the
circuit is broken or diverted from the electro-magnets E and during the remaining
portion if any of its rotation, whilst off the fabric together with the period when
on the fabric corresponds to the remaining portion of the revolution of the arm H
during which the current not being broken or diverted energises the electro
magnets.
The arm H is insulated from its driving gear and only conducts the current from
the ring I, either on to the ring K or on to the ring or surface L, from which latter

page_text: it may be discontinued entirely, or passed through a resistance, the main object being
to discontinue the contact on the ring K so that the circuit leading therefrom to the
magnets is broken at the required intervals which may be regulated as required by
increasing or decreasing the length of the surface L over which the moveable contact
arm H travels. The magnets E are made of soft iron cores wound with fine
insulated copper wire and so arranged that the current may be passed around them as
required. These magnets are shewn arranged in a group and act as one large magnet
being merely made separate for convenience of construction.
When a current of suitable strength is allowed to pass round the magnets E (i.e.
when not broken or diverted by the switch) the cores become highly magnetised the
armature D being then attracted and held up to them as long as the arm H on the
switch is in contact with the rings I and K thus the armature D will be held fast
during a portion of a revolution of the arm H so as to hold the clutch in gear and
will during the other portion of the revolution of the arm H be free to slide away
from the magnets.
If the magnets be arranged as shewn so that they rotate, it is necessary to pass
the current through a device which will allow of this rotation such for example as is
shown at M which is so arranged that the current is conducted to stationary
clips N N² whence it passes to the rotating rings 003 which are insulated
from each other and are connected respectively to the terminals P P² and thence
round the magnets E.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. In or connected with machinery for printing from rollers means whereby
electricity is employed for causing or allowing the engagement and disengagement
of the printing-roller or rollers with the driving device so as to rotate the roller
and stop its rotation during the desired periods substantially as hereinbefore
described.
2. In machinery or apparatus for printing from rollers, the combination with
means for driving the printing roller of a clutch and an electro magnetic device for
effecting or allowing the engagement and disengagement of the clutch with the
driving means at and during the required times substantially as and for the purpose
hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
3. The combination with machinery or apparatus for printing from rollers, of
a driving device, and a clutch with inclined teeth and an electro-magnetic
device for effecting the engagement of the clutch with the driving-device at and
during the required times all substantially as and for the purposes herein before
described.
4. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the mechanism sub-
stantially as and for the purposes herein before described and illustrated in Figures 1,
2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 18th day of September 1890.
JAMES KERR.
JAMES NASMYTH WILSON.