IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING STEREOTYPE PLATES FOR PRINTING PURPOSES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING STEREOTYPE PLATES FOR PRINTING
PURPOSES."A communication from abroad by Richard March Hoe, of
New York, in the United States of America.
Sealed the 12th May 1863, and dated the 25th February 1863. '
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th February 1863.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for. "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCING STEREOTYPE
PLATES POR PRINTING PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
This Invention of improvements in producing stereotype plates for printing
purposes, relates to a means of producing curved plates. To this end the
matrix is made on a sheet of steel or other elastic substance, the normal shape
of which is curved. But in order either to cast the stereotype plate, or to
form the printing surface by electro-deposition, the curved plate must be made
to assume a flat or straight form by being secured down in any convenient
manner to a flat plate, table, or surface. The clay, wax, or other suitable
plastic material to form the mould or matrix is then put on, and the impression
is taken;
the elastic plate is then loosened, when it assumes the curved
form, and the matrix or mould is then put on a curved plate or bed and dried,
and the stereotype plate is then cast or formed by electro-deposition.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 25th August 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said William Edward
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and. at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ire-
land, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN PRODUCING STEREOTYPE PLATES FOR PRINTING PURPOSES," being a communica-
tion from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Edward Newton, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Edward Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention of "Improvements in Producing Stereotype Plates for Printing
Purposes," relates to a means of producing curved plates. To this end the matrix
is made on a sheet of steel or other elastic substance, the normal shape of
which is curved; but in order either to cast the stereotype plate or to form
the printing surface by electro-deposition, the curved plate must be made to
assume a flat or straight form by being secured down in any convenient
manner to a flat plate, table or surface. The clay, wax, or other suitable plastic
material to form the mould or matrix is then put on the plate, and the impres-
sion is taken therein. The elastic plate is then released, when it assumes the

page_text: curved form, and of course the matrix takes a corresponding form; the matrix
or mould is then put on a curved plate or bed, and dried, and the stereotype
plate is then cast or formed by electro-deposition.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 represents the elastic or steel plate a
in its normal or curved form. The plate is provided with dovetailed end bars
a', a', whereby it is held down when required. Fig. 2 is a plan view, and
Fig. 8 a side view of the table 6, on which the plate a is to be laid out flat to
receive the wax or other plastic material to form the matrix. When the plate
a is to be laid out flat for this purpose, one of the dovetail end pieces a¹ is to
be passed under the fixed clamp c, Figs. 2 and 3, which is secured to the
table 6 for the purpose. The other dovetail end piece a' is embraced by the
moveable or screw clamp c', and by tightening up this latter by means of the
thumb screw d, the plate a will be drawn perfectly flat and level ready to
receive the wax or other plastic material. When the matrix is formed the
plate a is to be released by unscrewing the screw d, and when the plate a,
with the matrix thereon is removed from the table, it will assume its normal
or curved form, as shewn in Fig. 1. The electro-depositing process or other
operation for producing the printing surface is then proceeded with in the
well known manner, and a curved stereotype plate is produced as above men-
tioned.
Having now described this Invention of improvements in producing stereo-
type plates for printing purposes, and having explained the manner of carry-
ing the same into effect, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent
I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid, the
use of the elastic plate a, or its equivalent, for holding the plastic material for
forming the matrix or mould as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.s.)