Improvements in Stencil Printing Machines.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Nov., 189 -Acc pted, 22nd Dec., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Stencil Printing Machines.
I, BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, of 23 Southampton Buildings, in the
County of London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention,
(a communication to me from Albert Blake Dick, residing at Chicago, in the
County of Cook and State of Illinois, United States of America, Manufacturer)
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The present invention relates to that class of stencil printing machines which
are known as automatic, wherein, instead of using a hand roller for inking the
stencil, a printing roller is employed, operated directly by mechanical means.
The object of the present invention is to secure a simple and durable machine,
which shall be economic of construction and which will produce highly satisfactory
prints, while prolonging the life of the stencil, which ordinarily will be a coated
paper sheet stenciled in any appropriate manner.
In carrying out my invention I provide a stationary printing platen and a
printing roller which traverses the face of said platen and which preferably is in
contact with the platen while traversing it only in one direction.
This printing roller is carried by a carriage which preferably is attached to the
mechanism imparting movement to it at a point substantially coincident with the
central line of travel, and is guided on such line of travel, whereby a certain freedom
of movement is given to the carriage and consequently the printing roller carried
by it, so that some play will occur between the printing roller and platen, thereby
permitting a certain amount of self-adjustment between the two.
Preferably the mechanism for imparting movement to the travelling carriage is
a sprocket chain attached to a point on the longitudinal axis of the carriage and is
operated by sprocket wheels receiving motion from a suitable arrangement of gears
operated by a crank, which when turned in one direction, propels the carriage
along the platen, and when turned in the other direction, reverses the travel of
the carriage without obliging the operator to travel with the carriage. The
arrangement of sprocket chain and wheels allows some flexibility of movement and
may in that sense be somewhat superior to a worm and nut, although the latter
would answer the purpose to a considerable extent and save the operator moving
with the carriage.
The elevation of the printing roller above the surface of the platen in travelling
in one direction, is effected by providing an arm tripped into a position by a stop,
incline, plane or other device on the frame of the machine, whereby the said arm
will elevate the shaft of the printing roller above the platen, and a lock in the
nature of a dog or other catch, likewise operated by a device on the frame for
locking said arm in the elevated position.
Preferably the said elevating arm, at its loose end, is provided with a small
wheel, as also is the locking dog, so that said parts will travel without undue
friction over the frame of the machine.
Also, the locking dog preferably is carried on the printing frame by a slotted
connection whereby it more readily is adapted to be elevated into a vertical
position, which is the locking position, and preferably also this locking dog is
thrown into the vertical or locking position by a spring-pressed contact piece, which
will follow up the said dog after it has thrown the same into the vertical position

page_text: to ensure its retention in the elevated position until the elevating arm or lever has
passed off its elevating plane at one end of the machine.
Many other features of improvement will be hereinafter disclosed and more
specifically pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings forming part of this Specification,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying my improvements, showing
the printing carriage in dotted lines about midway of the machine, and in full
lines at the end of its path of travel in one direction;
Fig. 2. is an elevation similar to Figure 1 with the carriage shown at the other
end of the machine, certain of the parts being broken away and the stencil carrying
frame being shown raised in the position it occupies when an impression sheet is to
be placed thereunder or removed;
Fig. 3 is a plan view with the printing carriage about midway of the machine;
Fig. 4 is a plan view of the frame of the machine with the stencil frame and
inking roller removed;
Fig. 5 is an inverted plan view of a part of the frame for the travelling carriage,
taken between the lines 5-5 and 55, Figure 4 ;
Fig. 6 is a detail of the locking dog; and
Fig. 7 is a cross-section showing in detail the arrangement of the stencil frame.
The frame of the machine is preferably rectangular in shape, and is provided
with suitable legs A which sufficiently raise the top B of the frame from the table
or other surface on which the machine is placed to permit of the introduction of
the mechanism for imparting motion to the printing carriage between the table
and frame top. Two rods C, C pass from one end of the frame to the other, and
upon these rods is mounted the printing platen D. This printing platen is of any
usual material, and when the machine is used for printing from a paper stencil, the
platen is provided with a pivoted 2-part frame for holding the stencil. This frame
comprises a part E of the same shape as the printing platen and adapted to fit
around the same so as to be practically on the same level, and a part F, which is
simply a metallic rectangular frame entering a groove in the part E. These two
parts are held together by suitable fasteners G. A stencil sheet is arranged so
that the edges of the same may be forced by the part F into the groove in the
part E, when, by turning the fasteners G, the two parts are clamped together and
consequently the stencil is held taut.
Travelling over the printing platen, which is stationary is a carriage carrying a
printing roller H and certain other mechanism, the function of which will be
hereinafter explained. This carriage is composed of a box I at each end, con-
nected by a cross-bar J passing beneath the printing platen and sliding over the
guide rod K whereby the height of the machine is reduced and the carriage
adequately guided. This cross-bar is also provided with a teat L, to which is fixed
a link of a sprocket chain M passing over sprocket wheels N, N driven by the
bevel gears O, P from the handle or crank Q, whereby by the movement of the
handle, the sprocket chain and the printing carriage with its rollers, is caused to
traverse the printing bed in any direction governed by the crank Q. The arrange-
ment of sprocket chain and wheels shown permits of some latitude of movement
between the printing roller and platen whereby the former may adjust itself to
the latter, and thereby an uneven bearing upon the stencil sheet is avoided.
The printing roller H before referred to has its bearings in slots R in the
travelling carriage, a spring S bearing upon the shaft T of the printing roller at
each end, said spring being designed to hold the printing roller to its bearing, and
being adjustable as to tension by means of a set-screw U, the spring itself being
secured to the end pieces I', as shown in Figures 1 and 2, by a set-screw V.
It being the preferred mode to operate the machine herein described so that ink
shall be applied to the stencil while the carriage is travelling in one direction
only, to the end that the life of the stencil may be prolonged and to avoid heavy
inking, I have provided devices for controlling the position of the printing
roller.

page_text: These devices are preferably carried in part by the boxes in which the roller
is journalled and in part on the side pieces of the frame of the machine.
The parts carried by the boxes are an elevating arm hung so as to pass beneath
the shaft of the printing roller, the outer end of which arm is moved upward by an
incline or its equivalent on the frame of the machine, thereby elevating the shaft
of the printing roller and consequently the printing roller itself, and a dog brought
into action at one end of the path of travel of the printing carriage so as to force
the elevating arm into its highest position and lock it there, and at the other end
to be dropped out of the locked position, thereby permitting the said elevating arm
to return to its lower position. Preferably the said dog is brought into its locking
position by striking against a spring-pressed piece, and is tripped out of its locking
position by an incline on the frame. In the drawings I have shown both the
locking dog and the elevating arm provided with rollers whereby their operation is
facilitated and friction reduced. The movable arm is lettered W, and carries a
roller X. The locking dog is lettered Y and its roller Z. The spring-pressed
pieces are lettered a, and, as shown, are movable against the force of the coil
spring b, being guided by screw-pins c, c projecting through a slot d in a vertical
flange e rising from the frame. The mechanism is arranged so that the roller Z
carried by the dog Y strikes against the movable spring-pressed piece a, and the
continued travel of the carriage of course tends to bring the dog into a vertical
position, said dog being provided with a slotted connection f. A ping projects
from the boxes I, so that the movement of the dog imparted by contact with the
spring-pressed piece a will not be too great. As shown in Figure 1 in full lines,
the spring-pressed piece has just forced the dog into the vertical position, or rather,
into a position slightly inclined from the vertical, the upper part of the dog resting
in a notch has shown more clearly in Figure 2, whereby the arm W is locked and
the printing roller elevated, as shown in Figure 1 in full lines. At the other end
of the path of travel of the printing carriage are provided devices for disengaging
the dog and swinging arm. These devices are in the form of two inclined planes,
one for the roller ✗ and the other for the roller Z, that for the roller X being of
greater pitch than that for the roller Z, whereby the arm W is swung away from
the dog, the similar incline over which the roller Z passes co-acting to effect the
release by throwing the dog into a more inclined position although by making the
incline for the roller X of greater pitch, the incline for the roller Z might be
dispensed with. The incline for the roller X is lettered i, and that for the roller Z
is lettered j.
The stencil frame is automatically raised so as to permit an impression sheet to
be placed on the printing platen, as shown more clearly in Figure 2, by the contact
of the inclined arms & secured to the stencil frame, which arms, by passing under
and in contact with the cross-bar 1 carried by the travelling carriage, will be
depressed and thereby the stencil frame, which is pivoted by the pivot m to two
pieces n, n carried on the printing platen, the pieces being best shown in Figure 4,
is swung on its pivot into the elevated position shown in Figure 2. This stencil
frame is provided with a projecting plate o, and the inclined arms k are held in
their inclined position relatively to the stencil frame by means of the spring arm p
secured to the side of the frame at 9 and carrying a pin r which snaps into a hole
at the inner end of the frame k, said arm itself being pivoted at s to the plate t
carried by the side of the stencil frame.
The printing platen is made adjustable on its supporting rods C, C, as shown in
Figure 4, its position in one direction being regulated by the stops u adjusted by
set-screws on said rods C. At the other end, the platen is provided with a
handle w.
The object of this provision is to remove the printing platen and its
stencil frame away from the roller during the operation of re-inking, a shield w¹
being provided around the printing roller for the same object, that is to avoid
soiling the hands. At the sides of the main frame are screw-studs on which may
be hung shelves to receive the impression sheets before and after printing.
The operation of the machine will be readily understood it being simply

page_text: necessary to state that the crank Q, when rotated in one direction, causes the
travelling carriage to traverse the printing platen and to ink the stencil sheet laid
over the same. A reversal of the crank causes the carriage to travel in the opposite
direction, and such reversal taking place at the end of the path of travel, it will be
apparent that the device for elevating and locking the printing roller in its elevated
position will have been brought into play and on the return or reverse movement,
said roller will be out of printing relationship to the platen.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination in a printing apparatus of a stationary platen, a travelling
carriage carrying the inking roller and a guide for such carriage located beneath
the platen substantially as set forth.
2. The combination in a printing apparatus of a stationary platen, a travelling
carriage carrying the inking roller, a central guide rod located beneath the platen
for guiding said travelling carriage, substantially as set forth.
3. The combination in a printing apparatus, of a stationary platen, a travelling
carriage carrying the inking roller, a sprocket chain connected to said carriage,
sprocket wheels for propelling said chain, and mechanism for driving the sprocket
wheels, substantially as set forth.
4. The combination in a printing apparatus, of a stationary platen, a travelling
carriage carrying the inking roller, a sprocket chain connected to said carriage at a
point substantially coincident with its central line of travel, sprocket wheels and
mechanism for driving the same, substantially as set forth.
5. In a printing apparatus, the combination with a stationary platen, of a
travelling carriage composed of a box at each end for receiving the shaft of the
inking roller, a cross bar connecting said boxes and passing beneath the platen, and
mechanism for driving the said carriage connected to said cross bar, substantially
as set forth.
6. In a printing apparatus, the combination with a stationary platen, a travelling
carriage carrying the inking roller, a crank having rotary but not lineal movement,
and mechanism substantially as described, intermediate said crank and the
carriage, whereby by turning the crank the carriage is caused to travel, substantially
as set forth.
7. The combination in a printing apparatus, of a platen, a travelling carriage, an
inking roller carried thereby in slotted bearings, an elevating arm for elevating said
printing roller, and a locking device locking the elevated arm in the elevated
position, substantially as set forth.
8. The combination in a printing apparatus, of a platen, a travelling carriage, an
inking roller carried thereby in slotted bearings, an elevating arm for elevating
said printing roller, a trip for tripping said elevating arm into the elevated position,
a lock for locking said arm in that position, and a device on the frame for operating
said locking arm, substantially as set forth.
9. The combination in a printing apparatus, of a platen, a travelling carriage, an
inking roller loosely carried thereby, an arm pivotted to said carriage and extending
beneath the shaft of the inking roller, a trip on the frame for elevating the loose
end of said arm, and a lock for locking said arm in the elevated position, substantially
as set forth.
10. The combination in a printing apparatus, of a platen, a travelling carriage,
an inking roller loosely mounted therein, a pivotted arm, a trip for elevating said
arm, a lock comprising an arm attached to the carriage by a slotted connection, and
a stop on the frame for throwing the locking arm into substantially a vertical
position, whereby the same will lock the elevating arm, substantially as set forth.
11. The combination in a printing apparatus, of a platen, a travelling carriage,
an inking roller loosely mounted therein, a pivotted arm passing beneath the shaft
of the inking roller, a roller carried by said arm, and an incline plane on the

page_text: frame over which said roller passes for elevating the said arm, substantially as set
forth.
12. The combination in a printing apparatus, of a platen, a travelling carriage,
an inking roller loosely mounted therein, a pivotted elevating arm on said carriage,
a locking dog connected by a slotted connection with the said carriage, and a roller
carried by said locking dog, substantially as set forth.
13. The combination in a printing apparatus, of a platen, a travelling carriage,
an inking roller loosely mounted therein, a pivotted elevating arm on said carriage,
a locking dog connected by a slotted connection with the said carriage, a roller
carried by said locking dog, and a spring-pressed stop for said dog, substantially as
set forth.
14. The combination in a printing apparatus, of a platen, a travelling carriage,
an inking roller loosely mounted therein, a pivotted elevating arm carried thereby,
a locking dog also carried thereby, an incline at each end of the frame over which
said elevating arm passes, a spring-pressed piece at one end for the locking dog,
and an incline at the other end for the same, substantially as set forth.
Tarea LIIS AULI UNY U
November 1904
HALEA LIIS AUDI UNY UL
B. J. B. MILLS,
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.