Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Printing from Rollers.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Nov., 1886.
Complete Left, 2nd Sept., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 4th Oct., 1887.
Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Printing from
Rollers.
We, JAMES KERR of the Firm of F. Steiner and Company, Turkey Red Dyers and
printers at Church in the County of Lancaster, JAMES NASMYTH WILSON Consulting
Engineer of Southport in the County of Lancaster and JOSEPH HAWORTH Mechanic
in the employment of the said F. Steiner and Company do hereby declare the nature
of our invention to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to provide mechanism for the purpose of stopping or
retarding the engraved or printing rollers when they are off the material being printed
upon so that we can print any length of scarf or pattern with any circumference of
roller and thus save the hitherto necessary re-engraving of the same pattern upon
different sizes of rollers.
Our Invention consists of an arrangement of mechanism which takes the place of
the "box-wheel" usually fixed at the end of the printing roller mandril in printing
machines and used for driving the engraved or printing roller.
The invention is more particularly applicable to what is known as "intermittent
printing" but it is not confined thereto.
According to this Invention the mechanism is arranged so as to form a combined
box wheel and clutch. The clutch is actuated by a disengaging gear connected with
the machine or actuated by independent means and acts so as to cause the engraved or
printing roller (when it is off the material being printed upon) to stop and start at any
desired moment and to remain inactive as long as desired.
Or there may be arranged in the interior of the box-wheel a slide or catch bar which
forms the driver of the engraved or printing roller. This bar coming into contact with
a series of stops (as. may be required by the length of pattern), is regulated or operated
upon by means of a catch or ratchet wheel which works upon an excentric formed
upon the toothed rim of the box wheel. An arrangement of inclines on this ratchet
wheel operates upon the catch bar causing disengagement with the stops and allows of
the stopping or retarding of the engraved or printing roller of any desired period.
Dated this 2nd day of November 1886.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Printing from Rollers.
We, JAMES KERR of the firm of F. Stenier and Company Turkey Red Dyers and
Printers at Church in the County of Lancaster JAMES NASMYTH WILSON Consulting
Engineer of Southport in the County of Lancaster and JOSEPH HAWORTH Mechanic
in the employment of the said F. Steiner & Company 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 object of this Invention is to provide mechanism for the purpose of stopping or
retarding the engraved or printing rollers when they are off the material being
printed upon so that we can print any length of scarf or pattern with any circumi-
ference of roller and thus save the hitherto necessary re-engraving of the same pattern
upon different sizes of rollers.
Our Invention consists of an arrangement of mechanism which takes the place of
the "box wheel" usually fixed at the end of the printing roller mandril in printing
machines and used for driving the engraved or printing roller.
The invention is more particularly applicable to what is known as "intermittent
printing" but is not confined thereto.
According to this Invention the mechanism is arranged so as to form a combined
box wheel and clutch, the clutch is actuated by a disengaging gear connected with
the machine or actuated by independent means and acts so as to cause the engraved
or printing roller (when it is off the material being printed upon) to stop and start
at any desired moment and to remain inactive as long as desired.
In order that our Invention and the manner in which it can be carried into effect
may be fully understood we will describe the same more particularly with reference
to the accompanying drawings whereon Figure 1 is a plan showing so much of a
printing machine (to which our Invention is applied) as is necessary for the purpose
of describing our Invention.
A is a portion of the frame at one side of the printing machine. B is a portion of
the main bowl round which the material being printed passes. C is a portion of the
crown wheel which drives the "box wheel" K and thus the printing roller y through
the mandril Y in the direction indicated by the arrow.
Figures 2 to 12 are details of the arrangement of the "box wheel." Figure 2
showing it in front elevation. Figure 3 in section and Figure 4 in plan Figures 5,6
and 7 are details of the clutch E and F. Figure 8 shews the internal bush G
separately and Figures 9 and 10 shew the cams Hand I with their levers and i that
are used to move the clutch into and out of action. Figure 11 shews the collar J²
separately and Figure 12 is an elevation shewing the levers and cams as fixed in their
position upon the back of the "box wheel."
In the section at Figure 3 we show the interior of the box wheel complete the
clutch being in gear for driving the printing roller. K is the body of wheel its outer
portion forming the toothed rim gearing with the crown wheel Č. L is the fitting

page_text: in screw as in the ordinary type of "box wheels." E is the fixed part of the clutch
and F is the other or sliding part of the clutch operated to move it into or out of gear
with the part E by means of the cams H. I and levers hi in the following manner.
The end of the lever i which is part of the cam I engages by a slot in the said end i
with a stud M (see figure 1) fixed upon the side bracket N. This stud M thus allows
the roller y to move to and from the fabric being printed but will not allow the cams H
and I to revolve along with the "box wheel" or printing roller. At D we show a
portion of a circular disc which by preference is fastened to the cam which moves
the printing roller to and from the material being printed and revolves along with
the said cam. Upon this disc D is fixed by means of screws or otherwise a plate or
cam surface or a number of plates or cam surfaces one being shown at P. The disc D
may be driven from the measuring apparatus and may make one revolution in the
length of the scarf or pattern. It will be seen that this plate or cam surface P will
come into contact with the lever h and partially rotate it as the disc D revolves this
movement of the lever turning the high part of the cam H opposite the high part of
the cam so that the collar J will be pushed along towards the printing roller and
carry with it the sliding part F of the clutch so that it is disengaged from the part E
of the clutch. The printing roller now stops and will not start again until the plate
or cam surface P has passed from off the lever end h. Then the spring 0 (figure 12)
will bring the cam H into its original position and the spring R will force the sliding
part of the clutch F into gear with the part E of the clutch. The roller y will now
continue to revolve and will do so until the plate or cam surface P along with the
disc D has completed its revolution or part of its revolution as required by the length
of pattern. It will be seen that by regulating the length of the plate or plates or
cam surface or surfaces P the roller can be made to stop for any number of
teeth of the clutch wheel that may be required to bring the engraved printing roller
to the position for printing each scarf or cross pattern. In practice we have made
the teeth of the clutch wheel to represent one inch so that we can move the printing
roller any number of inches by this method to get the required length of scarf or
distance between each cross pattern.
Instead of the arrangement described we may employ an analogous one consisting
in arranging in the interior of the box wheel a slide or catch bar which forms the
driver of the printing roller. This in coming into contact with a series of stops (as
may be required by the length of pattern) is regulated or operated upon by means of
a catch or ratchet wheel which works upon an eccentric formed upon the toothed
rim of the box wheel. An arrangement of inclines on the ratchet wheel operates
upon the catch bar causing disengagement with the stops and allows of the stopping
or retarding of the printing roller at any desired period. This is illustrated in
Figure 13 as applied to the machine. Figures 14 to 24 are details as hereinafter
described.
As in the preceding Figure 1 A is a portion of the frame at one side of the
printing machine B is a portion of the main bowl round which the material being
printed passes and C is the crown wheel which drives the box wheel K and thus
drives the printing roller y through the mandril Y.
Figure 14 shews the box wheel in front elevation. Figure 15 shews it in back
elevation. Figure 16 shews it in section and Figure 17 shews it in plan with part
cut away so as to show the slide bar in position.
Figure 18 shows the body of the wheel K with an eccentric r for the catch wheel J
to work upon. Figure 19 shews the catch wheel J separately and Figure 20 the screw
collar Figure 21 is the plate k. Figure 22 the catch bar or slide g. Figure 23
the spindle for the spiral spring and Figure 24 the said spring all shewn
separately. In the section Figure 16 we show the slide or catch bar g in position for
driving the printing roller, the spiral spring (working on the spindle 2) pressing the
said catch bar into that position. Upon the catch wheel, or ratchet wheel J is the
incline (or inclines as required at x² for operating upon the catch bar g at the
required time, that is when the roller y is away from the material being printed. kis a
plate which by means of the screw collar / keeps the whole of the "box wheel" together.

page_text: m is the fitting in screw and n the internal bush as in the ordinary type of box
wheels. o is a
for fastening the box wheel upon the mandril Y. P is the
plate with its series of stops in this case we have shewn two marked p and p
respectively. Upon the boss of this plate can revolve the body part K when the catch
bar g is out of action but when in action it drives the printing roller. Referring to
Figure 13 we will describe the action of the apparatus.
The actions are repeated for every scarf or cross pattern printed. The printing
roller y is shown at the point when it rises away from the material being printed and
revolves in the direction indicated by the arrows on the printing roller and the box
wheel. The tooth y² of the catch wheel J comes into contact with the catch plate S
fixed upon the bracket T which is bolted to the block U into which works the printing
roller mandril. The plate S thus holds the catch wheel J until the box wheel K has
run or travelled through a certain angle or distance when in consequence of the
eccentric motion the tooth y2 is released and another tooth y2 of the catch wheel is
left in the position originally occupied by that first mentioned this takes place at every
revolution of the box wheel so we get the catch wheel J to move round the eccentric
thus bringing the incline or inclines upon J into operation at the required time.
It will be seen by figure 17 that the wheel is held for a certain time and as the box
wheel body is kept in motion the incline a² will withdraw the catch bar g and then the
printing roller will stop until the catch bar has moved round against another of the
series of stops.
The printing roller is now in the right position for printing the cross bar or
pattern. At each revolution of the box wheel the catch wheel is held by the catch
plate for the same period.
At the required time the printing roller moves to the material being printed prints
the cross bars or patterns then moves away again thus coming to the point shown in
Figure 13 from where we started. This is repeated for every scarf or pattern
printed.
A spring is applied at v to keep the catch wheel J from moving when it should not
do so.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this Invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is :-
First In combination or connection with machinery or apparatus for printing
from rollers means for automatically stopping and starting the printing roller or
rollers when off the material being printed substantially as and for the purpose
herein before described.
Second-For or in combination or connection with machinery or apparatus for
printing from rollers a combined box wheel and clutch or its equivalent substantially as
and for the purpose hereinbefore explained and illustrated respectively in Figures 1
to 12 and Figures 13 to 24 of the accompanying Drawings.
Dated this 2nd day of September 1887.