IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINES FOR POLYCHROMATIC PRINTING, AND IN THE METHOD OF PRO- DUCING POLYCHROMATIC PRINTS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Lloyd Wise, of Chandos Chambers, Adelphi, in
<<
the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING
MACHINES FOR POLYCHROMATIC PRINTING, AND IN THE METHOD OF PRO-
DUCING POLYCHROMATIC PRINTS." A communication from abroad by Albert
Henry Payne of Leipsic. Saxony.
Sealed the 25th July 1879, and dated the 5th February 1879,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Lloyd Wise at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th February 1879.
WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of Chandos Chambers, Adelphi, in the County of Mid-
dlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINES FOR POLYCHROMATIC PRINTING,
AND IN THE METHOD OF PRODUCING POLYCHROMATIC PRINTS." (A communication
from abroad by Albert Henry Payne, of Leipsic, Saxony).
This Invention has for object improvements in printing machines for polychro-
matic printing and in the method of producing polychromatic prints, and
relates to a rotating machine for producing polychromatic prints in which
are employed an impression cylinder and a plate cylinder, the two having a
uniform circumferential velocity, and having their circumferences so relatively
proportioned that the circumference of the impression cylinder shall always in sizo
exceed the plate cylinder by a certain fraction or part, so that for instance on one
sheet of paper fed into the machine six equal copies of a picture, illustration, design,
or pattern may each one be polychromatically colored with five different colors
before the sheet leaves the printing machine.
Each separate plate of the plate cylinder is adapted for printing a certain
definite colour and each plate comes into printing use during one rotation of the
plate cylinder. The polychromatic printing of pictures or illustrations, or the pro-
duction of polychromatic designs or patterns is effected on one printing sheet, and
the whole is accomplished by a single insertion of the printing sheet into the
machine.
The machine is provided with a separate ink or colour reservoir, ductor, distri-
buting or transmitting rollers, and inking rollers, for each plate of the plate cylinder,
and this apparatus is arranged for transmitting certain colours on to certain plates
of the said plate cylinder.
There is also an arrangement for producing contact between the inking rollers
and the printing plates, and for again raising said rollers out of contact. To this

page_text: end the spindles of the inking rollers have at each end small wheels running
-on-rails..
When a plate, say for instance one for printing in red, comes under the corres-
ponding or red rollers and is to be inked, the wheels of these rollers fall into slots,
and the rollers will be in contact with the plate; this will be repeated with every
set of rollers of corresponding colours when the corresponding plate passes under-
neath them..
As soon as the plate has passed the corresponding rollers the latter rise again in
consequence of the wheels leaving the slots, and these rollers will only again come
in contact with the corresponding plate when the latter comes round again.
The action of the machine is as follows:-A sheet of paper from the heap lying
on the feeding table is presented by the feeder in such a manner that the one end
of the sheet may be seized by the grippers after they have been opened. Assuming
the machine to be a five colour one, when it has made five revolutions, i.e., the
plate cylinder six and the impression cylinder five, the grippers open and the sheet
of paper runs on to suitable tape bands by which it is taken off. The grippers
again close (on a fresh sheet of paper laid ready for them) and a second impression
is taken, and so on.
It-results from the above described mode of operation of the machine that the
printing of the colours will be perfectly exact with regard to their particular posi-
tion to each other.
The proportion of the cylinders to each other, which in a five colour machine is
as 5 to 6 (the periphery of the impression cylinder being 1/8th larger than the peri-
phery of the plate cylinder) may vary according to circumstances, for examples,
the cylinders may be in the proportion of 7 to 8, or of 13 to 14 to each other, the
impression cylinder being necessarily larger by one fraction or part than the plate
cylinder.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Lloyd Wise in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 2nd
August 1879.
WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, late of Chandos Chambers, Adelphi, in the County of
" IMPROVE-
Middlesex, now of 7, Whitehall Place, in the City of Westminster.
IN
MENTS IN PRINTING MACHINES FOR POLYCHROMATIC PRINTING, AND
METHOD OF PRODUCING POLYCHROMATIC PRINTS." (A communication from
abroad by Albert Henry Payne, of Leipsic, Saxony.)
THE
This Invention has for object improvements in printing machines for polychro-
matic printing and in the method of producing polychromatic prints, and relates to
a rotating machine for producing polychromatic prints, in which are employed an
impression cylinder and a plate cylinder, the two having a uniform circumferential-
velocity, and having their circumferences so relatively proportioned that the cir-
cumference of the impression cylinder shall always in size exceed the plate cylinder
by a certain fraction or part, so that for instance on one sheet of paper fed into the
machine six equal copies of a picture, illustration, design, or pattern may each one
be polychromatically colored with five different colors before the sheet leaves the
printing machine.
My foreign correspondent says,-

page_text: printed.
2. Extraordinary capabilities for work.
3. Small expenditure of working power.
4. Small space occupied, and
5. Cheapness of production.
The actuating principle of the machine is that two cylinders of unequal diameter
being combined by means of cog wheels, change their points of contact in direct
proportion to the number of revolutions performed by them relatively, and even-
tually come in contact again at the original point of contact.
The accompanying Drawings on one Sheet represent a machine adapted for printing
in five colours; Fig. 1 being a sectional view, and Fig. 2 an elevation.
A is the impression cylinder carrying the paper to be printed on; B is the plate
cylinder carrying the segmental plates which are to be printed from; C is a wheel
which, being carried by the same shaft as the driving pulley, on being set in motion,
acts on the toothed wheel D, which is fixed on the axle of the impression cylinder
A; E, E, E, are three uprights carrying L, L, L, L, L, the five colour reservoirs
with the five inking rollers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, which are connected by means of transferring
and distributing rollers, with loose running inking rollers a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a;
F and G are the two cog-wheels which connect the two cylinders with each other;
H is a small toothed wheel, which being set in motion by the cog-wheel F commu-
nicates the motion to the wheel I by which the five cog wheels K, K, K, K, K, the
spindles of which carry distributing rollers are set in motion.
M is the frame which carries the cylinders; N is the frame carrying the ink reser-
voirs and rollers; O is a wooden table on which the paper to be printed is laid and
from which the machine is fed; P is an ordinary tape taker-off (called a flyer in
printing presses) such as is usually attached to printing machines to remove the
printed sheets; Q is a segment attached to the impression cylinder whereby the
grippers are opened and closed; S, S, S, S, S, ductor-apparatus which alternately
rising and falling convey the ink from the reservoirs to the inking rollers; T is the
bed plate. As the circumferences of the two cylinders are proportioned to each
other as 5 to 6, it is evident that if five plates carrying different coloured inks be
fixed to the plate cylinder and a sheet of paper be put on the impression cylinder,
the length of which sheet of paper shall correspond with the circumference of such
impression cylinder, the following results will be obtained:-The first one fifth
segment of the plate cylinder carries the red plate, the second the black, the third
the yellow, the fourth the green, and the fifth the blue plates respectively.
Now the plate cylinder will in its first revolution print as follows:-
Red upon the 1st one sixth segment of the impression cylinder.

page_text: The action of the machine is as follows:-A sheet of paper from off the heap
lying on the table O, is presented by the feeder in such a manner that the one end
of the sheet may be seized by the grippers after they have been opened. When the
machine has made five revolutions, i.c., the plate cylinder six, and the impression
cylinder five, the grippers open and the sheet of paper runs on to the tape bands P,
by which it is taken off. The grippers again close on the fresh sheet of paper laid
ready for them, and a second impression is taken, and so on.
It results from the above described mode of operation of the machine, that the
printing of the colours will be perfectly exact with regard to their particular posi-
tion to each other.
The proportion of the cylinders to each other, which is as five to six in the
machine shewn in the Drawing, may be altered according to circumstances, and
these cylinders may be in the proportion of 7 to 8 or of 13 to 14 to each other,
the impression cylinder being necessarily larger by one fraction or part than the
plate cylinder.
Having described the nature of the said Invention, and explained in what
manner the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical effect, I
would have it understood that I do not limit myself to the number of colours men-
tioned in this Specification, as this number may as required be varied with the
proportion of the two cylinders to each other, but what I claim as secured to me
under the Letters Patent herein before in part recited is,-
1. In a rotating machine for producing polychromatic prints, the use or employ-
ment of an impression cylinder and a plate cylinder both caused to rotate at the
same surface speed or circumferential velocity, but the circumferences of which are
so relatively proportioned that the circumference of the impression cylinder shall
always in size exceed the plate cylinder by a certain fraction or part, substantially
as described.
2. In a machine for producing polychromatic prints, the use or employment sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described, of a plate cylinder, each separate plate of which
is adapted for printing a certain definite colour and comes into printing use during
one rotation of the plate cylinder.
3. The method of polychromatically printing pictures or illustrations, or pro-
ducing polychromatic designs or patterns on one printing sheet in rotating printing
machines, the whole being accomplished by a single insertion of the printing sheet
into the machine, substantially as hereinbefore described.
4. The entire arrangement of a machine for printing in colours, as hereinbefore
described and illustrated in the Drawings, for producing polychromatic prints,
patterns, or designs.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Lloyd Wise, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
W. LLOYD WISE. (L.S.)