Improvements in Inking Apparatus for Platen Presses.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Dec., 1894-Accepted, 2nd Mar., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Inking Apparatus for Platen Presses.
Dr. WALTHER GIESECKE, Typefounder, Leipzig, Germany Brüderstr. 26/28
and GEORG GIESECKE, Typefounder, Leipzig Germany, Brüderstr. 26/28, 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 :-
We have been led by theoretical considerations of the inking of the form of
platen-presses to the conclusion, that when the inking rollers come only once into
contact with the form, a more perfect inking is attained, than when the inking
rollers come into contact with the form during their descending as well as during
their ascending travel.
Assuming, for example, that the ink adheres equally to the inking roller and to
the form, the inking by means of two inking rollers, a and b, each of which has
8 eights of ink, will be as follows:
During its ascending travel roller a will deposit on the form one-half, equal to
4 eights, of its ink, thus retaining eights. Roller b, on the other hand, finds the
form already covered with 4 eights of ink from roller a. To effect an equalisation
of ink, roller b deposits another 2 eights of ink on the form, so that both, form and
roller bare now each covered with 6 eights of the original quantity of ink on one
roller. During the ascending travel roller cannot deposit any more ink on
the form, as the equalisation of ink has already taken place during the descending
travel.
Roller a, on the contrary, on its ascending travel, only covered with 4 cights
of ink, comes into contact with the form, which is covered with 6 eights of ink.
This existing difference in the proportion of ink causes roller a to take up and carry
away from the form 1 eight of ink, so that the form now retains only 5 eights of
ink for the impression.
If, on the other hand, the one roller inks only when descending and the other
only when ascending, the result is the same, as when both rollers ink only when
descending and are elevated above the form during their return.
After the descent of roller a, both, it and the form possess, on the principle of
the equalisation of ink, 4 eights of ink each. When ascending, roller b, with its
full complement of ink, comes into contact with the form and, again on the
principle of the equalisation of ink, deposits 2 eights of ink on the form, so that
the latter is furnished with 6 eights of ink for the impression.
10
The inking is therefore 15 to 20% better in this case, than in the former one,
where each roller comes into contact with the form twice.
This defect of inking by rollers, which are in contact with the form during both
the descent and the return, is less apparent in the smaller sizes of platen-presses,
in which the circumference of the rollers is equal to the width of the form. On
the other hand, it is strikingly obvious in the larger sizes of platen-presses, in
which the circumference of the rollers cannot, as a rule, be made so large to
equal the width of the form; the consequence being, that the inking rollers have
completed their first revolution before leaving the torm, so that the lower part of
the form receives much less ink than the upper part, over which the roller makes
its first revolution.
This conclusion not only results from an application of the above theoretical
considerations to this case, but is also fully confirmed by practical experiments.

page_text: We have made a large number of such experiments and have invariably arrived
at the same unfavourable result.
We now remove this defect by causing the rollers to come once only into contact
with the form, and, in order to avoid simultaneously the formation of defects in
inking, arising from the small circumference of the rollers, we also cause one part
of the rollers to deposit ink only when descending, and the other part only when
ascending.
This arrangement, that one part of the rollers, should ink when returning,
has already been made known by Gally's construction; this, however, did not
remove the main defect, as in his system all the rollers passed over the form
during the return.
We attach special importance to the point, that, when several rollers are used,
the same roller never passes twice over the form.
It is only in the discovery, by theoretical considerations and by expensive
practical experiments, of the fact, that the inking rollers should touch the
form only once, that the inventive principle of our new construction lies.
Our invention therefore consists in the method to invariably cause one part of
the rollers to deposit ink when ascending, and the other part when descending,
at the same time employing mechanical contrivances to cause the rollers, which
are not engaged in inking the form to run raised or elevated above it.
:
In this way we are enabled in every case to remove the above-mentioned defects,
viz. the defect, arising from the too small circumference of the inking rollers
and the other defect, arising therefrom, that the same rollers touch the form in
descending and ascending.
There are various ways of ensuring that the inking rollers shall only once come
into contact with the form; of these we now enumerate three constructions:
The inking rollers are arranged in a rocking-frame accurately balanced by a
counterweight. The connecting rod acts at a point on the right side of the pivot
on the frame.
When this rocking frame with the inking rollers is drawn downwards, the pull
causes the frame to tip over towards the right, and the upper rollers ink the form.
When returning, the frame is tipped over towards the left, so that the lower rollers
ink the form (Fig. 15).
Having now described the principle on which our invention is based and the
general features of the constructions, which we employ for the practical application
of that principle, we now proceed to describe the said constructions in detail:

page_text: rollers bb alone touch the form when descending, (Fig. 3.), and the two upper
rollers a a alone, when returning, (Fig. 1). This is acted automatically by two
pairs of elevating levers c, which turn round pivots n on the carriage and are
joint together by a vertical connecting-rod d₁, so, that by a descending movement.
of the latter, the two upper rollers-bearings are elevated from the form, while by an
ascending movement the two other roller-bearings u are elevated, (Figs. 1, 2
and 3).
The reversion of the elevating levers is acted in the following manner :
When the roller carriage has arrived at the top of the inking cylinder, the
inking rollers with their bearings are so far drawn forward by running on to the
inking cylinder, that the elevating levers are released and fall automatically
by the weight of the connecting-rod, into the position, shown in Fig. 5 at
the top.
When the carriage is descending, the prolonged end d of one of the elevating
levers (Figs. 1, 3 and 5) strikes against a projection e (Fig. 5.) beneath the
form, so that the elevating levers are reversed, and while the carriage is in its lowest
position the two lower rollers are raised and elevated above the form for the
return travel (Fig. 5 at the bottom).
In order that the elevating levers may not have so much resistance to over-
come when reversing, the lower end of the carriage guide is provided with an
elevation in the form of an inclined plane, up which the lower inking rollers run
(Fig. 5 and 6).
When three inking rollers are employed, 2 rollers b deposit ink, when
descending, and 1 roller a when ascending, (Figs. 7-9).
When two inking rollers are employed, one roller binks when descending, and
one roller a when ascending (Figs. 10 and 11).
CONSTRUCTION II.
The guide for the roller-wheels has in its centre a grooved channel g and on
either side of this groove elevations h₁ (Fig. 14). The groove is so deep, that
those rollers, whose wheels run in it, touch the form (Figs. 13 and 14). Now the
wheels of the inking rollers are so arranged that, when 4 inking rollers are
employed, the wheels of 2 rollers bb, run in the groove during the descent of the
carriage, while the wheels of 2 rollers a a, run on the elevation h, so that these
2 rollers are raised above the form. On arriving beneath the form, the wheels of
the rollers a a run against the slanting projection and are thus pressed sideways
to the left into the lower-lying groove g. In the same way the roller wheels bb are
simultaneously pressed sideways to the left on to the elevation h₁, so that when
returning, the rollers with the wheels a a ink the form, while the rollers with the
wheels bb pass above the form without inking it again.
On reaching the top in front of the inking cylinders, the roller wheels a a are
pushed back into their original position by the wedge-shaped projection i, and
the roller wheels bb into their original position by the wedge-shaped projection k.
CONSTRUCTION III.
The two bearings of the rollers a a (Fig. 15) are placed in the upper part of a
rocking frame p, which swings around the pivot n; the bearings of the rollers bb
are placed in the lower part of the same rocking frame.
q is the point of action of the connecting rod of the carriage. The rocking
frame is attached to the side of the carriage P at n so, that it can move freely and

page_text: position that it rests against the lower set screw r. Now when the roller-carriage
connecting-rod, acting at the point 7, draws the carriage downwards, the rocking
frame, on leaving the inking cylinders, tips over in consequence of the pull, in such
a way that the upper part of it rests against the set screw and the rollers a a
touch the form, while the rollers bb are elevated above the form, (Fig. 15).
When the carriage is again drawn upwards, the rocking frame tips over towards
the other side, so that it rests against the set screw r, and the rollers bb touch the
form, while the rollers a a are elevated above it.
By employing the two set screws r and s, the adjustable guides may be entirely
dispensed with, as the set screws enable the rollers to be accurately adjusted for
any height of type, light or heavy impressions of solid matter, tone plates, &c.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare, that what
we claim is :
1. An inking apparatus for platen presses with up and down motion of the roller-
carriage, the said apparatus being so arranged that each of the up and down moving
rollers touches the form for the purpose of inking either only when descending or
only when ascending.
2. A contrivance for carrying out the arrangement claimed in Claim 1, the said
contrivance consisting of levers c for elevating the inking roller bearings u, which
said levers work alternately and in opposite directions, are connected together, and
are operated by the same mechanical contrivance; and when the roller carriage is
descending, raise a part of the rollers from the form, and when the carriage has
reached its lowest position, strike against a projection e, thus releasing the elevated
bearings and elevating the previously free bearings: and when the carriage has
reached its highest position, fall automatically by their own weight into their
original positions after the roller bearings have been raised above the levers by the
rollers running up on to the inking cylinder.
3. In the contrivance claimed in Claim 2, the use of a tapering, wedge-shapedl
projection at the lower end of the roller guides for the purpose of facilitating the
reversal of the levers.
4. A contrivance for carrying out the arrangement claimed in Claim 1, the said
contrivance consisting a) of a groove in the roller guide, in which groove those
wheels run, the rollers of which are engaged in inking the form, and 6) elevated
guides h h₁ cn each side of the groove, on which elevations the wheels of the non-
inking rollers run, in combination with e) projecting wedged--bajul surfrees
and, respectively, by means of which the roller wheels niay be alternately
diverted into the groove y or on to the elevated gnides h
5. A contrivance for carrying out the arrangement claimed in Claim 1, the said
contrivance consisting of a frame p rocking on a pivot on the carriage P, and
balanced by a counterweight o and caused by the change of stroke of the con-
necting rod, which acts at the point q, to rest alternately against the set screws
and 8, which are adjustable for any height of type and for light and heavy
impression.
Dated this 24th day of November 1894.
GEORG GIESECKE, and
DR. WALTER GIESECKE,
Typefounders and Partners of the Firm T. G. Schelter & Giesecke.