IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR PRINTING MEASURING TAPES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Chesterman, of the Bow Works,
Sheffield, in the County of York, Measuring Tape Manufacturer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR PRINTING
MEASURING TAPES."
Scaled the 19th April 1876, and dated the 26th October 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Chesterman
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 26th October 1875.
I, WILLIAM CHESTERMAN, of the Bow Works, Sheffield, in the County
of York, Measuring Tape Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR PRINTING MEASURING
TAPES," to be as follows:-
:-
This Invention relates to improvements in machines for printing
measuring tapes, and consists in mounting upon a frame a drum or
cylinder to receive the tape from feed rollers. The tape is wound partly
round the drum and partly round a roller in spirals, and guided by
vertical pins to preserve the spirality of the tape while being drawn off

page_text: roller
the drum to the printing or type roll or rolls. I fit a pressure
upon lever bearings, and regulate the degree of pressure on the tape, or
the removal of it by a hand or foot lever within reach of the workman
attending the machine.
The working parts of the machine are driven by spur gearing from a.
cone, drum, or pulley, and in order to stop the rotation of the tape drum
or cylinder for any reason I fit a cone or pinch disc on the shaft, and
cause the disconnection by the removal of a cottar, the push in of the
cottar fixing one of these spur wheels and the disc into contact to rotate
as one body.
As a modification of the foregoing machine I arrange the spiral
wrappings of the tape upon a single drum or a pair of drums by a
tension pulley or pullics, caused to traverse the machine under the
action of a threaded rod, which is rotated by gearing from the side.
Below this drum I arrange a table to carry the type, the table being
caused to move to and fro and effect the printing of the tape upon the
drum.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said William Chesterman in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 26th April 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CHESTERMAN, of the Bow Works, Sheffield, in the County of York,
Measuring Tape Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Chesterman, Her
special license that I, the said William Chesterman, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Chester-
man, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great

page_text: Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR PRINTING MEASURING TAPES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Chesterman,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Chesterman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to improvements in machines for printing
measuring tapes, and consists in mounting upon a frame a drum or
cylinder to receive the tape from feed rollers. The tape is wound partly
round the drum and partly round a roller in spirals, and guided by
vertical pins to preserve the spirality of the tape while being drawn off
the drum to the printing or typo roll or rolls. I fit a pressure roller
upon lever hearings and regulate the degree of pressure on the tape or
the removal of it by a hand or foot lever within reach of the workman
attending the machine.
The working parts of the machine are driven by spur gearing from a
conc, drum, or pulley, and in order to stop the rotation of the tape drum
or cylinder for any reason I fit a cone or pinch disc on the shaft and
cause the disconnection by the removal of a cottar, the push in of the
cottar fixing one of these spur wheels and the disc into contact to rotate
as one body.
As a modification of the foregoing machine I arrange the spiral
wrappings of the tape upon a single drum or a pair of drums by a
tension pulley or pullies, caused to traverse the machine under the
action of a threaded rod, which is rotated by gearing from the side.
Below this drum I arrange a table to carry the type, the table being
caused to move to and fro and effect the printing of the tape upon the
drum.
The first part of my Invention consists of machinery by which the

page_text: the necessary tension to the tape, thence partly round a cylinder whose
circumference is some given dimension, thence past a pin to give it a
spiral direction partly round a cylinder of any convenient size and back
again to the first cylinder, and so on for any number of revolutions.
From thence it passes between guides to keep it in a straight line, over
the printing cylinder, and under the pressure roller, and the printing is
effected. The tape is then passed over head over one or more flanged
pullies running at a great speed on the surface, the friction of which
on the dry side of the tape carry it over as fast as it is printed and
delivers it on to racks or into hampers as may be desired.
This machine is shown in the accompanying Drawings.
Figures 1 and 2.-Figure 1 is a plan and Figure 2 a side elevation,
and the descriptive letters apply to both alike as follows:-A, frame-
work; B, cone driving pulley; C, printing cylinder; D, printing
cylinder shaft; E, framework for inking apparatus; G, ductor roller;
H, ink box; I, inking roller; K, pressure roller covered with india-
rubber or printing cloth and hung in centres; L, lever to raise and
lower pressure roller; M, intermediate driving shaft; N, measuring
cylinder keyed to shaft R; O, idle cylinder running in centres; P, P,
pair of tension rollers with weighted lever; Q, shaft to carry lever L;
R, measuring cylinder shaft; S, friction plate keyed to shaft R; T, spur
plate wheel loose on shaft R and recessed so as to admit part of friction
plate S; U, cotter for connecting or disconnecting the plate S to the
wheel T; V, small rollers on upright pins to guide the tape in a spiral
direction. I have not lettered the other part of the gearing as it will be
readily understood by any ordinary mechanic.
The driving pulley B can be turned by hand or other power. This
turns the ductor roller G, which as it passes the ink box H carries with
it past the ductor a supply of ink, from which the inking roller I receives
its supply and feeds the printing cylinder C. Motion is given to the
printing cylinder by the pulley B through the medium of spur gearing,
and the motion is communicated to the measuring cylinder N through
the shaft M, and the spur gearing as shown. The framework E which
carries the inking apparatus is mounted on V slides for the purpose of
putting into gear or withdrawing therefrom.
The method of printing is as follows, viz. :-The lever L is pushed to
the right hand and into a notch in the side of the frame. This lifts the

page_text: pressure roller K out of contact with the type and holds it there. The
tape is passed through a guide between the tension rollers P, and then
over the cylinder N, between two of the rollers V, under the cylinder O,
over the cylinder N, and so on as often as thought desirable. Ink is
then put into the ink box H, the cotter U is loosed, and the machine is
run a few revolutions so as to charge the printing cylinder with ink.
In consequence of the cotter U being loose the spur wheel T revolves
upon the shaft R without turning the cylinder N. The printing
cylinder C being now charged with ink the machine is stopped and the
tape drawn straight over the top of the printing cylinder. The pressure
roller K is lowered on to it by means of the lever L, the cotter U is
driven tight and the machine started.
The tape as it comes from the printing cylinder is passed overhead on
quick running flanged cylinders or rollers (not shown in Drawings),
which convey it away, or it may be led away, by any other plan. The
printing cylinder C is made rather larger than the measuring cylinder N,
in order that it may have a tendency to take more tape than the
measuring cylinder N will give off. By this means the tape is always
kept at an even tension, and is easily guided direct to the printing
surface. Assuming the machine to be arranged to print one yard at
every revolution of the printing cylinder, it will be seen that at every
revolution of the cylinder N it takes on one yard of tape at one end,
while it gives off exactly the same quantity at the other end. The
printing cylinder is made large enough to take all it can get, while the
measuring cylinder will give only just so much as is actually required.
I prefer to make the printing cylinder and the measuring cylinder of
one size, but it will be easily understood that they may be made any
multiple one of the other provided the gearing be arranged accordingly.
In the above arrangement I have provided only for the printing from
a cylinder with the design in relief (typography), but it will be easily
understood that it is equally applicable for printing from cylinders in
intaglio similar to calico printing. It would require only the alteration
in the printing cylinder and inking apparatus, such as are commonly
used in calico and lithographic printing.
I claim in this the first part of my Invention,―
1
machine as docenited and

page_text: drums F and cylinder E are now coupled by the rods R as already
explained. The printing type or form upon the table D is inked in the
ordinary manner. The table D is raised to the necessary height by the
handle Q, and a little more than one revolution of the driving pulley
effects the printing of the whole of the tape. The drums F and cylinder
E are again disconnected, and the table N dropped into gear. The first
end of the tape is released from the cylinder, another end being fastened
in its place, and as the piece to be printed is wound on the piece that is
already printed is led away.
The above is capable of a variety of modifications without affecting
the principle, thus the table D and cylinder E may be connected by rack
and pinion instead of the steel bands as shown, or the type table D may
carry more than one type forme of the same or different colours, and two
or more revolutions of the cylinder E may be taken to effect the
printing.
In the above arrangement I have provided only for the printing from
formes with the design in relief, but it will be easily understood that it
is equally applicable for printing from engraved plates or lithographic
stones.
I claim as the second part of my Invention,-
Firstly. The combination of appliances arranged and acting in the
manner described and shown, whereby a tape to be printed is laid on a
drum in spiral form by a carriage caused to travel transversely across a
machine under the control of a threaded rod.
Secondly. The printing of tapes when laid in spirals upon a drum by
type or its equivalent upon a reciprocating table or by cylinder printing,
as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Chesterman, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of April, One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.