Improvements in, or relating to, the Tympans of Printing Machinery.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in, or relating to, the Tympans of Printing
Machinery.
I, ARTHUR SAMUEL ALLEN, of No. 98, Ashmont Street, Boston, in the State of
Massachusetts, one of the United States of America, Printer, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In the process of printing it is necessary to secure nuiformity in the printed
surface, i.e., that the printing surface at the bed of the press, whether flat or circular
and its opposed tympan should be substantially parallel at the printing point from
edge to edge, and to ensure this parallelism to gain uniformity of printing, the
printer has frequently to build up with paper or other shims parts of the tympan, or
to raise parts of the type or other printing surface at the bed to the desired level.
The putting of the tympan surface and the printing surface in parallelism is
called "making ready," and frequently very considerable time is consumed in this
preparatory step.
T
The invention to be herein described relates to the production of a novel tympan,
by the use of which the operation of " making ready" is entirely obviated and
rendered unnecessary.
By the term tympan I mean that portion of a printing press which is opposed to
the printing surface and which acts to press the paper or other material which is to
be printed, against the printing surface of whatever form, and the tympan and the
printing surface may be either flat, curved, or circular, and may coact by a recipro-
cating to-and-fro movement, or by a rotary movement as in a cylinder press.
My improved tympan in its simplest form consists essentially of a series of spring
coils laid side by side or interlocked to form an auxiliary bed which is adapted to
rest on any usual reciprocating platen, or it may be the the cylinder of a press or
printing machine.
A tympan of the character stated may yield somewhat to any unusual unevenness
of printing surface, and thereby avoid injury to the printing surface, or to the
tympan, aud the yielding when it does occur is evenly distributed at or about the
point where the necessity for the yielding exists, and as a result of such yielding,
the printed surface will not show imperfect printing such as arises from lack of a
proper amount of colour, or unevenness of impression.
To make the tympan stronger and firmer I intend to and have designed my
improved machine with a bracing applied to the wires or spring coils used to
constitute its acting face said bracing consisting of a yielding compound or material,
-such for instance as a compound of india-rubber or equivalent material capable of
yielding somewhat to pressure,-being interposed between the wires or spring coils,
thus bracing and keeping in normal position the turns of the adjacent spring coils
at the face of the tympan.
I may apply this yielding bracing, extended or not as may be desired by the
addition thereto of-cork or other usual yielding material, into the interstices
between the wire, or the spring coils, and by usual processes said compound by the

page_text: action of pressure and heat may be cured, to thereby enable it to yield more or less
according to the strength and firmness desired for the tympan.
This bracing when used may be in the form of sheets, and the sheets may be
incorporated with the wire, or spring coils by pressure 'so that said bracing enters
more or less into the interstices or spaces between the wire, or the turns of the
spring coils, thus bracing up and strengthening the same, and these sheets may be
applied to one or both faces of said bed.
To obviate any sidewise creeping or moving of the wire, or spring coils, and also
to enable the tympan to resist heavy pressure, I may insert through the coils a
series of mesh wires which may be left in the bed, said mesh wires serving to join
or lock together the adjacent coils.
I may in some instances employ in the tympan two series of spring coils, one
superimposed on the other, and the wire entering into the coils of each series may
be of the same gauge, or of different gauge; or the coils may be of the same or
different diameter in cross section.
The invention herein contained as to the spring coils used comprehends any usual
shape or construction of spring coils occupying a position side by side, and it will
be understood that these coils may be interlocked more or less intimately or closely
together in any usual manner.
While it is preferred that the surface making the face of the tympan be com-
posed of a yielding material entering between the wire or spring coils to act as a
bracing, yet an improved tympan would be produced by adding to the spring coils
a sheet of material which may be laid on the wires or the spring coils.
The sheet of material of whatever form may have applied to it to constitute a
final smooth face on which the paper or material when receiving the impression may
lie, one or more layers of paper or cloth or equivalent substance commonly exposed
at the face of a tympan.
The printing surface or form may be of any well known desired or suitable
character, it containing the matter to be transferred on paper or other material by
printing; and may be a reciprocating platen, the latter carrying and containing my
improved tympan to be described.
My improved tympan is composed of spring coils or coils of wire arranged side
by side said coils resting on the platen, or cylinder according to the class of press
or printing machine in which it is used, said spring coils lying side by side, and
being suitably united or interlocked to form a fabric which may readily be handled
and applied to or taken from the platen.
A convenient exemplification of my improved tympan may be composed of spring
coils of peculiar shape, viz., 8-shape, and the upper portions of the spring coils are
surrounded in the bracing such a tympan presenting a single layer of spring coils,
the bracing covering but about one half of each spring coil.
If the mesh wires are left in the bed, they afford additional rigidity and enable
the tympan to stand up under greater pressure, but these mesh wires may be with-
drawn, leaving a series of tubular cells or pockets in the bracing.
The covering of paper or cloth may be added to the tympan; but the wires or
spring coils with its applied sheet or bracing constitutes a tympan which may be
used practically.
"
Portions of the spring coils may be exposed through the bracing.
It will be obvious that the tympan surface herein described may be applied to
any form of press or printing machine.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in, or relating to, the Tympans of Printing
Machinery.
I, ARTHUR SAMUEL ALLEN, of No. 98, Ashmont Street, Boston, in the State
of Massachusetts, one of the United States of America, Printer, 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:
In the process of printing it is necessary to secure uniformity in the printed
surface, .e., that the printing surface at the bed of the press, whether flat or
circular, and its opposed tympan should be substantially parallel at the printing
point from edge to edge, and to ensure this parallelism to gain uniformity of
printing, the printer has frequently to build up with paper or other shims parts of
the tympan, or to raise parts of the type or other printing surface at the bed to the
desired level.
The putting of the tympan surface and the printing surface in parallelism is
called "making ready," and frequently very considerable time is consumed in this
preparatory step.
The invention to be herein described relates to the production of a novel tympan,
by the use of which the operation of "making ready" is entirely obviated and
rendered unnecessary.
By the term tympan I mean that portion of a printing press which is opposed to
the printing surface and which acts to press the paper or other material which is
to be printed, against the printing surface of whatever form, and the tympan and
the printing surface may be either flat, curved, or circular, and may co-act by a
reciprocating to-and-fro movement, or by a rotary movement as in a cylinder
press.
My improved tympan in its simplest form consists essentially of wires bent to
present a series of spring coils laid side by side or interlocked to form an auxiliary
bed which is adapted to rest on any usual reciprocating platen, or it may be the
cylinder of a press or printing machine.
To make the tympan stronger and firmer I intend to and have shown a bracing
applied to the wires which are bent to present a series of coils or made as spring
coils, said coils constituting an acting face, said bracing consisting of a yielding
compound or material, such for instance as a compound of India-rubber or equivalent
material capable of yielding somewhat to pressure, being interposed between the
said wires or spring coils, thus bracing and keeping in normal position the turns of
the adjacent spring coils at the face of the tympan.
Fig. 1 represents one form of well known press with my improved tympan,
covered as it may be, the covering being partially broken away, to better explain
my invention.
Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of a piece of a tympan, it being represented as
composed of two series of spring coils and a bracing, the spring coils being repre-
sented as provided with mesh wires.
Fig. 3 represents a section of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 represents my invention applied to a press or printing machine having a
cylinder.
Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 refer to modified forms of tympan to be described.
In the drawings A represents the bed, and a the printing surface or form of any
well known desired or suitable character, it containing the matter to be transferred
ou paper or other material by printing; and B represents the platen, it in the torm
n which I have chosen to represent it in Fig. 1, being a reciprocating platen, the
atter carrying and containing my improved tympan to be described.

page_text: My improved tympan is composed of wire presenting a series of coils shown as
in spring coils a arranged side by side, said coils resting on the platen B, or
cylinder m, see Fig. 4, according to the class of press or printing machine in
which it is used, said spring coils lying side by side, and being suitably united or
interlocked to form a fabric which may readily be handled and applied to or taken
from the platen.
A tympan of the character stated may yield somewhat to any unusual unevenness
of printing surface and thereby avoid injury to the printing surface or to the
tympan, and the yielding when it does occur is evenly distributed at or about the
point where the necessity for the yielding exists, and as a result of such yielding,
the printing surface will not show imperfect printing such as arises from lack of a
proper amount of colour, or unevenness of impression.
To make the tympan stronger or firmer, I intend to and have shown a bracing a 2
applied to the said wires or spring coils used, said bracing constituting an acting
face, this bracing consisting of a yielding compound or material such for instance as
a compound of India rubber or equivalent material capable of yielding somewhat to
pressure, being interposed between the said wires or the spring coils, thus bracing
and keeping in normal position the turns of the adjacent spring coils at the face of
the tympan.
I may apply this yielding bracing, extended or not as desired by the addition
thereto of cork or other usual yielding material,-into the interstices between the
said wire, or the spring coils, and by usual processes said compound by the action of
pressure and heat may be cured, to thereby enable it to yield more or less according
to the strength and firmness desired for the surface of the tympan.
This bracing a² when used may be in the form of sheets, and the sheets may
be incorporated with the said wire, or spring coils, by pressure so that said bracing
enters more or less into the interstices or spaces between the said wire, or the turns
of the spring coils, thus bracing up and strengthening the same, and these sheets
may be applied to one or both faces of said bed.
To obviate any sidewise creeping or moving of the said wire, or spring coils, and
also to enable the tympan to resist heavy pressure, I may insert through the coils a
series of mesh-wires which may be left in the bed, said mesh wires serving to
join or lock together adjacent coils of the bed.
I may in some instances employ in the tympan two series of spring coils ax, b,
one superimposed on the other, as in Figs. 2 and 3, and the wire entering into the
coils of each series may be of the same gauge or of different gauge, or the coils
may be of the same or different diameter in cross section, see Fig. 7.
The invention herein contained as to the spring coils used comprehends any usual
shape or construction of spring coils occupying a position side by side, and it will
be understood that these coils may be interlocked more or less intimately or closely
together in any usual or suitable manner.
While it is preferred that the surface making the face of the tympan be composed
of a yielding material entering between the wire, or spring coils to act as a bracing,
yet an improved tympan would be produced by adding to the spring coils a sheet of
material E, see Fig. 8, which may be laid on the said wires or the series of spring
coils a*.*
The sheet or material of whatever form may have applied to it to constitute a
final smooth face on which the paper or material when receiving the impression may
lie, one or more layers of paper or cloth B2, B3, or equivalent substance commonly
exposed at the face of a tympan.
Fig. 5 shows a tympan composed of wire bent to present a series of spring coils
of peculiar shape, viz., 8-shape, and the upper portions of the spring coils are
surrounded in the bracing marked a 2, and in Fig. 6 I have shown a tympan
presenting a single layer of spring coils, the bracing marked a 2 covering but about
one-half of each spring coil.
If the mesh wires a¹, b¹ are left in the bed, they afford additional rigidity and

page_text: enable the tympan to stand up under greater pressure, but these mesh wires may be
withdrawn, leaving a series of tubular cells or pockets in the bracing.
but
The covering B2 and B3 of paper or cloth may be added to the tympan,
the said wires or spring coils with its applied sheet or bracing constitutes a tympan
which may be used practically.
In Fig. 2 portions of the spring coils * are exposed through the bracing.
It will be obvious that the tympan surface herein described may be applied to any
form of press or printing machine.
I have shown such an application of my invention in Fig 4 wherein m represents,
let it be supposed, the cylinder of a usual power press, and Athe tympan, the
spring coils being represented as showing somewhat at its face, said tympan being
shown as covered by a jacket or cover g which may be of paper or cloth such as com-
monly used.
•
Herein the edges of the turns forming the coils are made to receive and resist
pressure transversely to the length of the series of coils, and the edges of the coils
with the bracing constitute the upper surface of the bed, the face of the bed thereby
presenting a series of connected turns or coils one following another.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
1-The use in a printing press, of a tympan composed of a plurality of layers of
wire or spring coils, one lying on the other, and a bracing for one or both of said
layers.
2:-The use in a printing press, of a tympan composed of a plurality of series
of coils of wire superimposed, one of said series being enclosed in a bracing, one of
said series of spring coils being more flexible than the other.
3 The use in a printing press, of a tympan composed of spring coils laid side
by side, and mesh wires inserted in said spring coils, and a bracing for said spring
coils.
4-The use in a press for printing, of a tympan composed of spring coils lying
side by side and interlocked, said spring coils receiving upon them a suitable
covering to constitute the acting face of the tympan.
5: The use in a press for printing, of a tympan composed of a series of spring
wires, each bent to present a series of spring coils, and a suitable covering applied
to the said coils to constitute the face of the tympan.
6 The use in a press for printing, of a tympan composed of wire bent to form
a series of coils lying side by side, substantially as described.
7: The use in a press for printing, of a tympan composed of wire bent to form
a series of coils constituting spring coils lying side by side, and a suitable
covering applied thereupon to constitute the face of the tympan, substantially as
described.
8: In a printing press, a rigid unyielding type plate or printing surface,
combined with a tympan presenting a series of coils adapted to yield transversely
to their length at any point to any unevenness of the said type-plate or printing
surface, substantially as described.
9: A tympan for use in printing presses, consisting of wire bent to present a
series of coils or turns, and a yielding bracing incorporated therewith, substantially
as described.
10-The use in a press for printing, of a tympan containing wire bent to form
a series of coils constituting an acting face for the tympan, substantially as
described.
11. The use in a press, of a tympan composed of a series of interlocked spring
coils internally braced by a yielding substance, substantially as described.
12: The use in a printing press, of a tympan consisting of a series of
interlocked spring coils internally braced by a yielding substance between the
several twists of the spring coils, substantially as described.

page_text: 13: The use in a printing press, of a tympan composed of spring coils lying
side by side with the individual turns of one coil overlapping the turns of the
adjacent coil, and a yielding bracing in which said coils are embedded, substantially
as described.
14-The use in a printing press, of a tympan comprising wire bent to present
turns or coils and lying side by side, the turns of the coils in use receiving and
resisting pressure transversely, to their length, said turns or coils being internally
braced by a yielding substance, substantially as described.
15: The use in a press for printing, of a tympan composed of spring coils laid
side by side, and mesh wires inserted in said spring coils, substantially as
described.
he 29th day of December 1898.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.