IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING PRESSES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING PRESSES." A communication from abroad by
Thomas Forknall, of the City and State of New York, United States of
America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th October 1880.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent
Agents, Southampton Buildings, London. “IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING PRESSES."
[A communication from abroad by Thomas Forknall, of the City and State of New
York, United States of America.]
This Invention relates to improvements in printing presses especially adapted
to job work, by which improvements simplicity, power, and convenience are
secured.
A printing press embodying my Invention is constructed substantially as
follows:-
The side frames of the press are supported by cross-bars. The driving shaft has
its bearings in the side frames, and motion may be imparted to it by crank treadle,
pulley, or other gear according to the power to be employed. The driving shaft
has a pinion meshing into a gear wheel loose upon a crank shaft, but bolted to the
crank so as to avoid the strain usually put upon the shaft when the gear wheel is
keyed to the same, and also to apply the power from the gear wheel to the throw
of the crank directly.
A pitman or a similar contrivance connects the crank shaft and the arms of a
toggle joint or joints. The arm or arms of the toggle joint or joints is or are
connected by side arms to the yoke of the platen. The toggle joint arm or arms on
one side of the joint may be supported on the frame, and the pitman or other
connection may form the arm or arms on the other side of the joint, or the arm or
arms on the other side of the joint may be supported in or on a bar, or by other
means so as to move in contact with a guide or guides formed to give the requisite
period of motion and rest to the platen, so that it will rest when down to afford
time to change the work and rest when up to secure a good impression.
...מ

page_text: On the top of the bed is a chase holder consisting of a bar in suitable bearings,
and having a projection to hook over the edge of the chase and hold it in place,
and having a projection between which and the bed is a spring and also a
projection, which can be operated by pressure of the hand. By pressing upon the
operating projection the holding projection is raised from the chase, this allows the
same to be removed and replaced as may be requisite.
On the ends of the sliding bar that supports the toggle joint arm or arms on one
side are excentrics, which turn in the ends of the side arms connected with the
platen. On one end of the bar is a lever to which is pivoted a pitman. The other
end of the pitman is pivoted to the yoke of the platen. By means of the hand
lever this mechanism may be caused to draw the platen from the bed for a short
distance, when it is desired to avoid taking an impression.
Two ink roller arms are keyed on the ends of a bar having bearings in the frame.
Motion is imparted to them by a lever on the bar connected by a pitman to the
toggle arm.
A rod having three inclined planes, one near each end, and one in the middle,
and having trunnions at its ends to rest in bearings passes through the gripper-bar,
which has three inclined planes to correspond with the three inclined planes on the
rod. An excentric is pivoted on the gripper-bar to connect the same with the rod
with the inclined planes, and to cause it to reciprocate. The excentric pivot is
provided with a hand lever; grippers enter the gripper bar and turn under a
sliding rod by which they are held in position, and by the movement of which
they are tightened or loosened. When loosened they drop onto the platen for
convenience of adjustment.
The guide or guides may be a slot or slots in the side frame or frames, or a track
or tracks thereon, or any other suitable construction may be employed. The form
of the guide or guides at the point to secure rest to the platen when down may be
described from the centre of the ends of the trunnions of the platen yoke, taking
the length of the side arms as a radius. When the platen is up, the crank on the
crank-shaft being on one centre, and the toggle joint being straightened out, the
requisite period of rest of the platen is afforded.
One ink plate and one set of rollers may be used, but to get a better distribution
of the ink, two ink plates and two sets of rollers should be employed, in which
case the front plate is behind the bed in the usual manner, and the rear plate
is behind the front plate. The rollers on the front plate are operated in the usual
way, and the rollers on the rear plate are preferably placed at an angle to each
other to cut the ink, and are operated in a similar manner to the front rollers.
The rear set of rollers merely take the ink from the rear plate and put it on the
front plate, which is done while the front rollers are inking the type.
I may also provide the press with a card dropper.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Scal Patent Office on the 13th
April 1881.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent
Agents, Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING PRESSES."
A communication from abroad by Thomas Forknall, of the City and State of New
York, United States of America.
This Invention relates to improvements in printing presses, and has for its object
the construction of a strong, simple, and powerful press suited for job-work.
The said Invention comprises stationary guides in combination with the platen,
and intermediate and operating mechanism to give the requisite period of motion
and rest to the platen, and to exert force during the impression.
In the accompanying Drawings,-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of my Invention shewing the
stationary guides curved downward.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of another form or modification of my Invention
shewing the stationary guides curved upward.
Figures 3 and 4 shew in side view modifications of stationary guides curved
upward.
Figure 5 is a side view illustrating a detail of the guides shewn in Figure 1.
In the machines shewn A, B, are side frames connected at the bottom by
rods C, D, and at the top by the bed E, which supports the chase that holds the
type. On the rod C is hung loosely a lever treadle F detachably and loosely
connected by the rod or pitman r, with the crank shaft H having bearings a, a, in
the side frames. The crank shaft projects at one end outside of the side frame B
and carries a fly wheel W thereon. On the other end of the crank shaft within the
side frames is a pinion or wheel K, which gears into a spur wheel L (Figures 2, 3,
and 4), on a shaft U having its bearings in the side frames, or into a spur wheel L,
Figure 1, having its bearing on a stud b in the side frame A. To the crank pin c
is loosely connected one end of a rod or pitman M, the other end of the said pitman
being loosely connected to the rod d connecting the inner ends of the arms e, f, g, h,
of the toggle joints.
The toggle arms e, f, are connected at their outer ends to a rod k supported in
the side frames. The toggle arms g, h, are connected at their outer ends to a rod N,
which extends outside of the side frames, and is there connected to the side
arms O, P, pivoted at m, n, to the yoke R to which the platen S¹ is connected.
On the rod N are rollers p supported in or on the stationary guides S, T, of the
form shewn.
The curves of the stationary guides which give rest to the platen may be
produced in the form shewn, by taking with a pair of compasses the distance
between the centres of the pivot holes in the side arms; then when the press is
open describing from the centres of the ends of the pivots on the yoke to which the
platen is connected the curves, as aforesaid.
The platen S¹ for carrying the material to be printed is adjustable by set-screws
in the yoke.
By operating the aforesaid treadle motion is imparted to the gear wheels, the
toggle-joints, the rod in or on the stationary guides, the side arms, the yoke, and
the platen.
The said stationary guides are so formed that the platen rests or pauses when
down to afford time for removing the material printed, and for replacing it with
other material to be printed, and also rests when up to afford time for a good
impression.

page_text: Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it under-
stood that the treadle may be dispensed with, and power applied by a band wheel
or otherwise. Moreover I may provide the machine with only one stationary
guide, and the said machine may otherwise be varied with regard to the details of
its construction and operation, and I wish it understood that I claim in a printing
press,
First. The combination of the platen, the bed, the yoke, the arms O, P, the
stationary guides, the rod N, the toggle arms e, f, g, h, the rod or pitman M, the
spur wheel and pinion, the crank-shaft, the fly wheel, and the treadle, all sub-
stantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Second. The combination of the platen S¹, the arms O, P, the stationary guides,
the rod N, the toggle arms, and the supporting and operating mechanism, all
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Third. The stationary guides in combination with the platen, the toggle joints,
and intermediate operating and supporting mechanism, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
Fourth. The stationary guides in combination with the platen, and intermediate
operating and supporting mechanism for giving to the platen the requisite periods
of motion and rest, and the force required in and during the impression, all
substantially as set forth.
Fifth. A stationary guide so formed and arranged in combination with the
platen and intermediate operating and supporting mechanism, as to give rest to
the platen when down for placing and removing the work, and also when up to
afford time for a good impression, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.