Improvements in or applicable to Guards or Means for Preventing Accidents in Printing Machines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 29th July, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 20th Apr., 1900-Accepted, 2nd June, 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or applicable to Guards or Means for Preventing
Accidents in Printing Machines.
I, MAXIMILIAN THOMAS BARBER, of 37, Fountain Street, Manchester, Printer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My said invention relates to means for preventing accidents in printing
machines and is more particularly applicable to what are known as platen
machines in which a reciprocating platen carrying the paper alternately
approaches and recedes from the type bed. When using such a machine acci-
dents happen by the hand of the operator not being promptly withdrawn and
so becoming trapped between the platen and the type bed.
According to one part of my said invention I employ a guard or fence mounted on
a rocking shaft extending across the machine in front of the type bed in such a
manner as to have imparted to it a motion of partial rotation and an up and
down motion derived from a convenient part of the machine by suitable arms
or links.
The
The upward motion lifts the guard from between the platen and the type bed
as the former approaches the latter. The downward motion depresses the guard
between the type bed and the platen when the latter leaves the former.
lowermost position and the width of the guard are so arranged that as the guard
rises and makes a partial rotation about its axis its lower edge sweeps upwards
or outwards along the face of the advancing platen and pushes away the hand
of the operator.
In some cases I make the lower or acting part of the guard of india rubber
or the like soft or elastic material or apply thereto a cushion or buffer. One
advantage of a guard placed in such a position and operating as described is that
there are no attachments to the platen itself which is left perfectly clear.
According to another part of my said invention I connect a guard with a
friction clutch a belt shifting or other stopping device so that should the guard
fail to lift the hand of the operator or should any obstacle prevent the approach
of the platen to the type bed the machine will be instantly stopped.
Da dor of T., 1800
E. T. WHITELOW, A.M.Inst.C.E.
70, Deansgate, Manchester, Agent for the Applicant.
Improvements in or applicable to Guards or Means for Preventing
Accidents in Printing Machines.
I, MAXIMILIAN THOMAS BARBER, of 37, Fountain Street, Manchester, 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:-
nrintin

page_text: machines and is more particularly applicable to what are known as platen
machines in which a reciprocating platen carrying the paper alternately
approaches and recedes from the type bed. When using such a machine acci-
dents happen by the hand of the operator not being promptly withdrawn and
so becoming trapped between the platen and the type bed.
According to my said invention I employ a guard or fence mounted on
a rocking shaft extending across the machine in front of the type bed in such a
manner as to have imparted to it a motion of partial rotation and an up and
down motion derived from a convenient part of the machine by suitable arms
or links.
The upward motion lifts the guard from between the platen and the type bed
as the former approaches the latter. The downward motion depresses the guard
between the type bed and the platen when the latter leaves the former.
In the accompanying drawings which illustrate my said invention.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing the position of the guard when the platen
is at its lowest position.
Fig. 2 is a corresponding side elevation showing the raised position of the
guard when the platen is in contact with the type bed.
Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the guard as seen in the direction of the arrow y
of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a side elevation to a larger scale.
In Figs. 1 and 2 the main frame A carrying the type bed at B and the
oscillating platen C are indicated by dotted lines.
In many types of platen printing machine the platen is partly operated by
side levers D and arms D¹ driven by suitable gearing from the main driving
shaft A of the machine. These particular means for operating the platen form
however no part of the present invention and they are merely utilised and shown
by way of example as a convenient source from which to operate the guard.
Connected to the side levers D are brackets c at each side of the machine
carrying a rocking shaft 6 having a guard or fence a mounted thereon and
extending across the machine in front of the type bed.
In order to partly rotate the guard or fence as it is lifted or lowered by means
of the side levers D I attach to the rocking shaft ba slotted arm e engaging
with a link hinged to the arms D¹ so that as the angle between the bracket e
and the link f becomes more acute the rocking shaft b turns about its axis.
A stretched spiral spring 9 extending from a fixed collar h on the rocking
shaft to a set screw assists the rotation of the guard when the platen is
moving towards the type bed. On the upward motion of the platen C the
guard a rises from between the platen C and the type bed B as the former
approaches the latter finally assuming the position shown in Fig. 2. On the
downward motion of the platen C the guard a returns between the type bed
and the platen into the position shown in Fig. 1. The lowermost position and
the width of the guard are so arranged that as the guard rises and makes a
partial rotation as indicated by dotted lines about its axis its lower edge sweeps
upwards or outwards along the face of the advancing platen and pushes away
the hand of the operator.
The lower or acting part a¹ of the guard is formed of india rubber or the
like soft or elastic material or in some cases I apply thereto a cushion or buffer.
One advantage of a guard placed in such a position and operating as described
is that there are no attachments to the platen itself which is therefore left
perfectly clear.
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:-
In a platen printing machine a fence or guard lying between the type bed

page_text: and the platen when the latter is down and rising upwards and outwards and
partly rotating as the platen approaches the type bed substantially as and for
the purpose set forth and shown.
Dated this 13th day of Anril 1900
E. T. WHITELOW, A.M.Inst.C.E.
70, Deansgate, Manchester, Agent for the Applicant.