Improvements in Printing Presses.
Year: 1888

page_text: Improvements in Printing Presses.
I, JOHN FRANCIS WESLEY DORMAN, of 217 German Street, in the City of Balti-
more, County of Baltimore, and State of Maryland, United States of America,
manufacturer, 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 :-
The first part of the said invention relates to improved means for holding the
platen and rocker firmly in place while the impression is being made, in order to
counteract the tendency of the platen to tilt when the type or form is placed either
above or below the center of the bed.
The second part of the said invention relates to the combination of the inking-
rollers, the inking disk, and an ink-distributing roller, which is adapted to have a
vibratory endwise motion as it passes over the inking-disk to break up and evenly
distribute the ink thereon.
In the drawings forming a part hereof, Figure I is an exterior side view of the
improved printing-press with certain parts thereof removed. Fig. II is an exterior
rear view of the same. Figs. III to XIV, inclusive are details of the invention, as
hereinafter described.
In the said drawings, A is the frame of the press, and A₁ the driving-shaft to
which power is applied. The shaft A¹ extends entirely through the frame A, and is
provided with a fly-wheel, B, (shown only in Fig. I,) and a driving pulley, which
is is not represented in the drawings. The press is also provided with a treadle
and suitable connections, whereby it can be operated by foot-power, if desired.
At the end of the shaft A¹ is a pinion, a, which engages with a large wheel, B³, on
the shaft a¹.
C is a shaft from which the inking-rollers receive their motion, and the said shaft
derives its movement from the shaft a through the medium of the pair of gears b and b²,
which are of common or uniform size and fastened respectively, to the shafts a
and C.
C is the bed of the press, and its face is denoted by c, and D is the platen,
which in general construction differs in no essential particulars from those commonly
employed in printing-presses.
D is the front shaft or spindle extending through the body of the rocker D1 and
adapted to be turned therein. The ends of the front shaft or spindle, D₁, are
reduced in size and made eccentric with reference to the center portion thereof.
(See particularly Figs. VI and VII). The eccentric ends of the spindle or front
shaft are united to the pins c¹ c¹ on the gears B¹ and by means of the draw-
bars d. Where the draw-bars are united to the pins c¹ c¹, I employ grooved cams
and provide the draw-bars, which are slotted, with pins which enter the said grooves
to effect a stop in the motion of the platen, as is common.
To throw off the impression it is necessary to turn the front shaft so as to bring

page_text: its eccentric ends toward the bed of the press, which has the same effect as if the
draw-bars were lengthened, as will be readily understood. To obtain this movement
of the front shaft I employ a handle, e, (shown in Figs. X, XI, and XII,) the hub
of which is secured to the front shaft in any suitable manner. At the rear side of
this handle hinge a lever, el, having a tooth, projecting from one of its sides,
adapted to bear on the edge of a collar, f', which is attached immovably to the
rocker. (See Fig. XI.) A spring, g, is fastened to the outside of the hub of the
handle e and bears on the levere to keep the tooth closely in contact with
the periphery of the collar and make the same enter the notches g¹ g' in the said
collar. By means of these simple devices I am enabled to effect the same result as
is usually obtained by the combination of a large number of parts, thus cheapening
and simplifying the press.
F is a bar which extends across the frame A, to which it is fastened in any
suitable manner. The rocker D is furnished with two extensions, hh, which pass
under the bar F, and where the said extensions are in contact with the said bar they
are fitted with steel plates i, fastened thereto by means of screws i¹.
When, in the operation of the press, the contact-surfaces of the extensions of the
plates and the bar F become worn, the lost movement can be taken up by merely
inserting between the steel plates and the extensions / thin pieces of paper, metal, or
other substance.
A rod, j, confined between the extensions h h of the rocker D1, is united, by means
of an extensible bar or connecting-rod, F1, to the bar F, which is made cylindrical
at that point, so that the bifurcated ends of the said rod may turn thereon. This
extensible rod is. in two parts k and 1, the former passing within the latter, and is
provided with a spring, l, which is confined between a nut on the end of the
section and the projecting edge of the section 1, formed by enlarging the opening
therein which holds the spring . (See Fig. XIV.)
The object in making the rod F₁ extensible will be hereinafter explained. The
rocker D is driven forward and backward by means of the draw-bars dd, and
the lower part of the rocker is united to the fixed bar F by means of the connecting-
rod F. Consequently the rocker and platen, in their backward motion, are tilted
to admit of the placing on the platen the sheets to be printed. In this tilting.
motion the platen rocks on the curved wings m, which bear on the frame A. The
faces of the extensions are notched, in order that the platen when forced up to
the bed may fit around the rod G, as shown particularly in Fig. VI..
It will be understood that the position of the rod G is such that it does
not interfere with the full approach of the rocker toward the bed of the
machine; or, in other words, when the rod is in the notch, the rocker is fully up
to its place, and while the bottom of the said slot does not bear with any force
on the rod G, the edges of the said slot at the face of the rocker prevent the said
rocker from tilting, as will be understood. When the rocker is in this position, it
is held firmly by the rod G and the bar F, and no tilting motion can possibly.
take place, as pressure is applied to the platen.
I am aware that various locking devices have been employed to prevent the
tilting of the platen when the impression is being made but in all of them there
is great liability to wear of the frictional surfaces. In my improved press the
locking devices can only wear at the point where the extensions hh of the platen
are in contact with the bar F, and this can be easily compensated for by the
insertion of liners between the steel plates and the extensions, as hereinbefore
described. It will be seen that there can be no wear or friction where the notched
platen passes around the rod G, as the surfaces of the said parts are merely brought
together. In the backward movement of the draw-bars d d the spiral spring
the connecting-rod F¹ is compressed and the platen rocks, as before described.
in
H is an inking-disk, which is revolved in the usual manner, and therefore the
means for effecting its revolution require no description herein. The said inking disk
is provided with a brake, which consists of a headed stem, n, having at its upper end
a wooden plug to bear against the under side of the disk to cause friction, and a

page_text: spring, o, to keep the said stem extended. This brake serves to effect a regular
tension on the inking-disk, and prevents the same being carried around farther than
the distance traveled by the pawl p.
The inking-rollers are denoted by I, and the arms through which they receive
their backward and forward movement by J. The said arms oscillate on the shaft a¹,
and the motion is derived from a crank, K, forming a part of the shaft C, through
the medium of the connecting-rod L.
M is an ink-distributing roller supported by the arms J and sliding-stems and
springs, in a manner similar to the inking-rollers I. It differs, however, from them
in that its roller-wheels are of such size as to prevent the said roller coming in
contact with the type, while they permit it to roll on the inking-disk. The roller-
carriers N, which support the distributing-roller, are fitted with helical collars or
cams O, and the core or spindle P of the said roller is furnished with pins q, which
bear against the faces of the said cams. These pins project from opposite sides of
the roller core or spindle. Consequently, in the revolution of the distributing-roller,
the same receives a reciprocating endwise motion as it passes over the ink-disk, and
the ink is evenly distributed.
It will be understood that to make the vibratory ink-distributing-roller thoroughly
effective it is necessary that the ink-disk should have a regular motion, and this is
effected by the brake before described. With these two devices combined a result.is.
produced equal in all essential particulars to the more complicated and costly devices
now in use.
I am aware that rotative inking-disks have been used in connection with inking-
rollers placed in an angular position with reference to a line at a right angle with
the general path of the said rollers, the same having a vibratory movement in
view of their angular position and the action of the inking surface; but in this
arrangement the ink on the surface of the ink-disk is only carried over in the form of
a wave in one direction as the roller passes up, and in a contrary direction as it is
reversed or passes down. With my invention the roller is moved backward and
forward in an end wise direction on the rotative inking-disk as it travels either way,
cutting and distributing the ink more effectually than it is possible with the self-
vibratory roller above alluded to.
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. In a printing-press, the combination of the platen D having the extension 1, the
fixed bar F, and the rod & the said extensions being notched to fit around the said
rod, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
2. In a printing-press, the combination of a rotating inking-disk and an ink-
distributing roller adapted to pass over the said disk, the same being adapted to make
a full or complete endwise vibration at each revolution, substantially as and for the
purpose specified.
3. In a printing-press, the combination of a rotating inking-disk, an ink-distributing
roller supported by means of its spindle in the inking-roller arms, transverse pins
projecting laterally or radially from the said spindle near to its ends and in opposite
directions, and helical collars rigidly attached to the faces of the said inking-roller
arms, and between the said arms and the said radially-situated pins, whereby, in the
rotation of the said distributing-roller, the same is made to vibrate endwise on the
inking-disk, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 17th day of Nanh 1000