IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINES
Year: 1884

page_text: I JOHN HENRY JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
PRINTING MACHINES" which Invention has been communicated to me from Abroad
by R. Hoe and Company of the City County and State of New York in the
United States of America Printing Machine Manufacturers to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in printing a web by means of a forme-bearing cylinder
so that the web may be continuously printed on, but yet not receive impressions
which are exact counterparts of the formes on the cylinder. Thus only a portion
of the formes may be imprinted on the web, or some of them may be repeated
oftener than others. Again two webs may be continuously printed on by the same
printing cylinder, so that entirely different matter is imprinted on the two webs,
or it may be partly identical and partly different.
These results are attained by arranging in conjunction with a forme bearing
cylinder one or more impression cylinders some or all of which are caused by cams
or other suitable devices, to periodically rise and fall When an impression
cylinder is in what may be called its "rise" position the web passing round it
does not get printed on but when it is in its "fall" position then the web is being
printed wherever a forme is crossing the line joining the centres of the impression
and forme-bearing cylinders-By passing the web round a suitable number of
impression cylinders, and suitably fixing its distance of travel between successive
ones the web may be continuously printed on. The formes may occupy the whole
surface of the cylinder or a fraction thereof, it not being necessary that the whole
circumference must be some multiple of the arc occupied by the formes or that
the number of impression cylinders round which the web passes must equal the
said multiple.
It is evident that a great variety of results may be produced by varying the
number of impression cylinders the times of the oscillations or movements and that
the said oscillations or movements may be produced in many different ways.

page_text: SUMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
I JOHN HENRY JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PRINTING MACHINES which Invention has been communicated to me from abroad
by R. Hoe and Company of the City County and State of New York in the
United States of America Printing Machine Manufacturers, and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
This Invention consists in printing a web by means of a single forme-bearing
cylinder so that the web may be continuously printed on but yet not receive
impressions which are exact counterparts of all the formes on the cylinder. Thus
only a portion of the formes may be imprinted on the web or some of them may be
repeated oftener than others. Again two webs may be continuously printed on
by the same printing cylinder so that entirely different matter is imprinted on the
two webs or the matter imprinted on the two webs may be partly identical and
partly different.
These results are attained by arranging in conjunction with a forme-bearing
cylinder one or more impression cylindera some or all of which are caused by cams
or other suitable devices to periodically rise and fall. When an impression
cylinder is in what may be called its "rise" position, the web passing round it
does not get printed on, but when it is in its "fall" position, then the web is being
printed wherever a forme is crossing the line joining the centres of the impression
and forme-bearing cylinders. By passing the web round a suitable number of
impression cylinders and suitably fixing its distance of travel between successive
impression cylinders the web may be continuously printed on. The formes may
occupy the whole or a portion only of the surface of the forme bearing cylinder.
A great variety of results may be produced by varying the number of impression
cylinders, the times of their "rising" and "falling" movements and so on; and
the said movements may be produced in many different ways. The accompanying
drawings shew how the required movements may be produced but of course any
other suitable device may be used without departing from this Invention.
Examples of the printing of a web with the said moveable impression cylinders
are illustrated in the drawings but it is evident that this system of moveable
cylinders may be applied in an almost innumerable variety of ways and to suit an
almost innumerable variety of requirements.
Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side view of a, printing or forme bearing cylinder
and its adjuncts illustrating this Invention and Figures 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 illustrate
various ways of imprinting the webs; Figure 7 is a side view of another printing
or forme bearing cylinder and its adjuncts. Figure 8 shewing one way of
imprinting the webs Figure 9. illustrates an example in which both sides of the
web are being printed by the same printing or forme bearing cylinder; and
Figures 10 and 11 are a side and an end view respectively of a device for causing
the movement of the impression cylinders as herein before described.
Referring to Figure 1 P* is the printing or forme bearing cylinder CE* G* K*
are the impression cylinders, and H* D* are carrier rollers S* R* T* are three pairs

page_text: of inking rollers. They must of course be in connection with inking apparatus
adapted to ink continuously but which it is not necessary to illustrate,
If only two formes be placed upon the cylinder P and the impression cylinders
do not move to give the "rise" and "fall" herein before mentioned then it is clear
that the two webs may be continuously printed on with identical matter. Thus
if the webs were one breadth webs they might be printed on as shewn in figure 4
and by conducting them to another similar printing cylinder the other side of the
webs may be continuously printed so that four page papers are printed on each web.
When thus printing, the inking rollers R' are not required. Now if four formes
(marked a¹ b c d be placed upon the cylinder P' and the impression cylinders C
and E* be caused to move so as only to print from the formes, a¹ and 6' while the
impression cylinders K* and G* are caused to move so as to print only from the
formes c¹ and d', then it is clear an eight page paper may be printed as indicated
in figure 2 four pages being printed on the web A and four on the web B, the other
side of the web being of course printed by another similar forme bearing cylinder.
If the webs be two breadth webs then with the same movement of the impression
cylinders a sixteen page paper may be printed as shewn in figure 3 (the formes
being placed lengthwise) or in figure 6 (the formes being placed breadthwise) the
other side of the webs being as before printed by another similar forme bearing
cylinder and its adjuncts. In these cases also, the inking rollers R' are not
required.
Again if the impression cylinder G' do not lift at all and the impression
cylinder K be permanently lifted so as not to print and if the impression
cylinders C and E oscillate so as to print only from the formes al b¹ then all
four formes a¹ b¹ c¹ d¹ will be printed from on the web B and only two formes
(those a b¹) on the web A. Thus if the webs were three breadth webs a sixteen
page paper might be printed as indicated by figure 5 the other side of the web
being printed by another similar forme bearing cylinder and its adjuncts-In this
case the inking rollers R₁ are required And it is evident that by other arrangements
of the rising movement of the impression cylinders numerous other results may be
obtained.
In figure 7 there are 5 impression cylinders and the circumference of the
printing or forme bearing cylinder equals six times the breadth of a forme The
impression cylinders C³ E³ N³ are in connection with the web A and the impression
cylinders K* G³ are in connection with the web B-D³ L³ H* are carryer cylinders
and S³ and R' are two pairs of inking rollers (connected of course with suitable
inking apparatus not shown) both of which ink the inking table formed by the
part of the surface of the cylinder P3 which is not occupied by formes. T³ are a pair
of inking rollers connected with an inking apparatus (not shewn) They do not
ink the inking table but they ink the formes as they pass round-The other rollers
are distributing rollers of the usual kind-Now let the impression cylinders
Go E³ N' have the aforesaid movements imparted to them so as to print from the
formes a b' only and let the impression cylinder Go not have such movements and
therefore print from all the formes and let the impression cylinder K³ have
the said movements given to it so as to print from the formes c d only Then if
two breadth rolls be employed a twelve page paper may be printed as indicated by
Figure 8 the other side of the web being printed by an additional similar forme
bearing cylinder and its adjuncts-If three formes only be carried by the cylinder P³
and the impression cylinders do not lift, two being employed for each web, then
with one breadth rolls six page papers can be printed and so on.
It is evident that the aforesaid system of moveable impression cylindera in
connection with one forme bearing cylinder may be applied whatever fraction of
the whole circumference of the forme bearing cylinder is occupied by the formes
the only limitation being that the said circumference must be a multiple of the
breadth of a forme (plus of course suitable margins) and whether they be placed in
two or more distinct portions or all together And it is also clear that the system
may be used when both sides of the web are printed by the same printing or forme

page_text: bearing cylinder as for instance is described in the Specification of the Patent
No 1127 dated March 27th 1875.
For example in figure 9 Po is the printing or forme bearing cylinder To indicates
the turning apparatus CE are impression cylinders which print one side of the
web and G K are impression cylinders which print the other side of the web.
Do and H are carrier cylinders-As before the two pairs of inking rollers must be
in connection with continuous inking apparatus-The cylinders C E must have
the aforesaid movements imported to them so as to print from the forms a² 66 only
and the cylinders G K must have the said movements so as to print only from the
formes cd-Thus a four an eight or a twelve page paper may be printed according
as a one or two or a three breadth web is employed and the web will have
different formes printed on its opposite sides instead of the two sides being
fac similes of one another as described in the Specification of the aforesaid
Patent.
Recurring now to the mechanism for giving the aforesaid movements to the
impression cylinders e (figures 10 and 11) is a cam fastened on the shaft of the
printing or forme bearing cylinder P³. The shape of the said cam depends on
the number and periods of the movements which each impression cylinder is
required to make In the drawing the impression cylinder to which the motion is
shewn as applied will be raised about one third of the time and will make one
"rise" for each revolution of the printing cylinder P³. Whether each moving
impression cylinder will need a separate cam depends on the relative nature of the
movements required for the particular kind of printing Thus in figure 9 one cam
may operate on both the cylinders C and E and another of the same shape but
keyed on the shaft in precisely the opposite direction may operate on both the
cylinders Go and K-k is the main frame of the machine and it has a recess k¹ in
which the sliding frame n moves radially the said sliding frame n containing
grooves for the purpose of acting as guides The sliding frame n is provided with
a bar p which is also guided in the main frame and which carries at its end a
friction roller bearing against the cam surface c The bar p and frame n are
pressed towards the centre of the shaft of the printing cylinder P3 by the spring &
one end of which bears against the main frame and the other against the shoulder q
of the bar p The sliding frame n contains a recess n' in which the bearing f of the
impression cylinder Q is adjustable by means of the screw h and the nuts g The
said screw his firmly fixed to the bearing f and passes freely through a cylindrical
space in the sliding frame n The impression cylinder Q may be adjusted so that
when printing the sliding frame n shall rest in contact with the main frame k of the
machine being firmly kept in contact therewith by the pressure of the spring 8
Or it may be adjusted so that the friction roller remains in contact with the cam
while the impression cylinder is printing and transmits the pressure thereto.
The foregoing description describes the mechanism on either side of the machine.
Of course precisely the same mechanism is required on each side.
The distance of travel of the web between successive impression cylinders will
naturally have to be suitably adjusted in each case but it is unnecessary to give the
particulars of the same in the illustrations because such adjustments are familiar to
those skilled in the art.
It is evident that all the foregoing applies to the case of cutting before printing
the sheets of course being suitably conducted by tapes and the circumference of the
printing or forme-bearing cylinder and the distances of travel being suitably
adjusted in accordance with the space between successive sheets at the time of
printing The aforesaid movements of the impression cylinders will produce an
alternate tightness and slackness of the web. But since the said movements may
be very small this is not likely to cause any inconvenience in practice but if it
should do so it may be easily remedied by causing rollers to be kept by springs
constantly pressed against the webs thus keeping them tight. Or the rollers may
be caused to move with the impression cylinders in such a way that its distance
}

page_text: of travel may remain the same for both the "rise" and "fall" positions of the
cylinders.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
In a printing machine the combination of a printing or forme-bearing cylinder
common to a number of impression cylinders and mechanism for causing the one
or more of the said impression cylinders to move as required to and from the said
printing or forme-bearing cylinder in such manner as to come into printing contact
with certain of the formes and be kept out of printing contact with the remaining
formes all substantially as described,