IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO PRINTING AND PRINTING MACHINES
Year: 1873

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Hubert Ellis Smith and Charles
Fountain at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 22nd November 1873.
We, HUBERT ELLIS SMITH, Engineer, and CHARLES FOUNTAIN,
Printer, both of the City of Hereford, in the County of Hereford, do
hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND
APPLICABLE TO PRINTING AND PRINTING MACHINES," to be as follows:—
The Invention relates more especially to perfecting printing machines,
but in part is applicable to others. Its chief feature is the printing
from several rolls of paper simultaneously (that is to say, in succession,
intermittently) with one " set of two " type cylinders.
The expression "paper" herein used is to be understood as signifying
any material at present in use, or which may be convenient for printing
upon, and the expression "type" as including stereotype.
.
We print both sides of one or more rolls of paper simultaneously
from one set of type, for which purpose we employ two rotating
cylinders of suitable diameters to carry the type and form ink tables.
The cylinders are mounted in a framing, and in connection with each

page_text: we employ one or more impression cylinders. The rolls of paper are
mounted in bearings, and uncoiled by grip rollers, and divided into
sheets by any suitable cutting apparatus, but preferably by passing
the paper between a pair of rollers of convenient diameter corre-
sponding with the size of the sheet to be printed. The one roller
is fitted with a knife either fixed or capable of being actuated by a
cam or other mechanism to vary the size of sheet. The second roller
is slotted or recessed for the knife to enter when cutting the paper,
and is fitted with a sliding plate actuated by mechanism to insure
the edges of the sheet leaving the slot or recess when cut. The sheets
then enter tapes travelling at a higher speed than the grip rollers,
and acquiring the speed of the tapes are severally passed between
two type and impression cylinders, and delivered by vibrating flyers
to suitable receivers. The receivers are mounted on springs or otherwise
so arranged that the weight of papers accumulating shall cause them 1
to recede from the flyer, maintaining as nearly as practicable one set
distance between the last paper delivered and the flyer.
We propose in some arrangements to cause the sheets to cross each
other's path intermittently at properly timed intervals when passing
to their second impression cylinder; to admit of this we return the
tapes (which carry the sheets) round rollers fixed near a central
position between the type cylinders, and thus allow the sheets to
cross in two directions. At this stage we guide them by fixed or
oscillating guides, in some cases formed with rotating or traversing
tapes.
An intended modification in whole or in part of the above improve-
ments contemplates the adaptation of them to hand and other machines
fed with paper in sheets instead of from a 'roll or rolls, and embraces
the feeding into one set of impression cylinders from several feeding
boards or places intermittently.
Another feature of the Invention applicable to the machinery or
apparatus above described, and to printing machinery as hitherto con-
structed, is the application of a current of air to fly or lay, or 'to assist
in flying or laying the sheets. The object is 'to insure an accurate
and uniform delivery, for which purpose each receiver has a constant
or intermittent current of air attracted towards it by an exhaust fan,
steam jet, or any other convenient means, the receivers being sometimes
perforated or fitted in a hollow casing.

page_text: Other features are damping the paper previously to printing, and
treatment of the ink to be used for printing.
We intend damping the paper either in roll or in sheet by the appli-
cation of steam or vapor, and to obtain as nearly as practicable an
uniform température of the ink irrespective of the temperature of the
surrounding atmosphere.
We intend the application of steam, hot air, or a liquid of suitable
temperature to the casing of the ink troughs, or to a receiver adjacent
thereto, the ingress and egress being under control.
It is to be understood that the Invention includes the combination
as well as the separate employment of all or some of the several
improvements so far as such combination may be found convenient
or desirable.