Improvements in Taking Off Apparatus for Printing Machines.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Aug., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 13th May, 1895-Accepted, 3rd Aug.,
1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Taking Off Apparatus for Printing Machines.
We EDWARD THOMAS CLEATHERO of 16 Tollington Place, N., in the
County of London, Engineer and EDMUND WILLIAM HORNSEY WALKER, of
31 Bouverie Street, London E.C. Printers Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the construction and arrangement of a taking off
apparatus for printing machines, whereby the taking off apparatus can be quickly
lifted away from the cylinder of the printing machine, and also quickly brought
back into working position, by means of an overhead balance beam or weight,
which is connected by chains or other suitable method to sheaves, which sheaves
are mounted on to an horizontal shaft passing longitudinally above the printing
machine cylinder, at a sufficient height to allow the balance beam (or weight)
to descend, as the taking off apparatus ascends when raised out of the way of
the cylinder for the purpose of making ready. The apparatus when being lifted
out of the way, is suspended by means of chains or other suitable connections,
one end of each chain is fastened to the apparatus, whilst the other end of the
chain is fastened on to a sheave pulley of a given diameter. The balance beam
or weight is also connected in the same manner to sheave pulleys of smaller
diameter so that the balance beam descends proportionally less than the upward
travel of the apparatus, thus keeping the space overhead as little as possible
beyond the top of the apparatus. The apparatus is held in position by means of
bosses (or guides) which are fixed, one on each side of the apparatus, to vertical
shafts or guide bars, the said vertical shafts or guide bars are fixed to the frame
work of the printing machine, also two other vertical shafts are fixed in a similar
manner to act as guides for the balance beam or weight. The two vertical shafts
on cach side have crossheads mounted on the top with bearings to carry the
longitudinal shaft with chain sheaves mounted.
By another arrangement for taking the sheets off the printing machine cylinder,
we provide an oscilating shaft carried in bearings at each side of the printing
machine, above the printing cylinder, with projecting arms mounted on the shaft,
the projecting arms have grippers mounted at the extreme ends the oscilating shaft
imparts a pendulum motion to the projecting gripper arms, and is geared to time
with the cylinder of the printing machine, to take off the sheet after it is printed
and another set of grippers mounted on slides travel horizontally forward and
receives the sheet from the grippers of the projecting arms and then travels
backwards sufficient distance for the printed sheet to be entirely clear out of the
way of the printing cylinder, when the grippers open and thus delivers the sheet
onto a board fixed for the purpose, without allowing the printed side of the sheet
to come into contact with any part of the printing machine, thus preventing
smearing by always keeping the face side of the sheets upwards.
E. T. CLEATHERO.
E. W. H. WALKER.

page_text: Improvements in Taking Off Apparatus for Printing Machines.
We, EDWARD THOMAS CLEATHERO, of 16 Tollington Place, N. in the
County of London, Engineer, and EDMUND WILLIAM HORNSEY WALKER, of
31 Bouverie Street, London, E.C. Printers Engineer, 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 :-
This invention relates to taking off mechanism for use on printing machines.
In the three accompanying sheets of illustrated drawings,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of one method of carrying our invention into effect,
in which we employ an oscillatory or pendulum motion shaft. A to give motion to
the arms B carrying the grippers C.
Figure 2 is a side elevation showing in outline a part elevation of the printing
machine with our improvements attached thereto, but having a continuously
revolving shaft A¹ instead of an oscillatory shaft A as in Figure 1, and Figure 3
is an end elevation of the same.
Figure 4 is a side elevation of the carrying forward grippers D, Figure 5 is a
plan, and Figure 6 is a part end elevation thereof.
In carrying our invention into effect in the manner shown in Figure 1, we
arrange a counter shaft E upon the framework of the machine, to give motion by
means of an eccentric and weighted rod FF to the crank lever G upon the end of
the oscillating shaft A. Upon this oscillating shaft A we secure brackets H for
carrying the gripper arms B and upon the ends of the arms B we pivot grippers C.
We give a compound motion to the oscillating shaft by means of a second
eccentric I and rod I in order to enable the grippers to clear the cylinder K upon
its downward path. To produce this downward supplementary motion we cause
the eccentric I to be set in such a position upon the cylinder shaft L as to raise
the oscillating shaft and its grippers at that period of its downward motion which
will permit of the grippers passing the periphery of the printing cylinder; while
ou the return motion these grippers are opened by rollers O secured to the gripper
arms P, which pass over a cam like path M formed as a bracket upon the side
standard N, and thus raising the arms P and so opening the lower tongues or jaws
of the grippers ready for taking off the sheet from the cylinder which has at that
moment of the gripper opening arrived at the taking off position of the revolution
of the cylinder.
After the grippers C have opened and taken the sheet from the impression
cylinder, the arm G under the action of the cam or eccentric F moving in the
direction of the arrow continues its upward vibratory motion and the sheet within
the grippers is carried with its face uppermost until the arm B reaches nearly the
end of its vibration when the projection upon the inclined path causes the rollers O
to be moved upwards and thus to open the jaws of the grippers ready for the
carrying forward grippers to receive the sheet and carry it forward face uppermost
for laying upon the pile.
Instead of employing a vibrating or oscillating arm we sometimes cause the
gripper shaft to revolve continuously as shown at A' Figures 2 and 3, the action of
the grippers in opening and closing to take the sheet from the impression cylinder
being arranged by an inclined path and contact rollers which are caused to be
raised and lowered by projections formed upon the path in the manner hereinbefore
described when a vibrating shaft A is employed.
We obtain the necessary circular instead of an oscillatory motion from ordinary
gearing R connected with suitable motion shafts upon the machine, care being
taken that the speed of the gripper shaft A shall be that of the cylinder shaft L.

page_text: After having carried the paper either by the rocking or the revolving shaft
grippers to the point where such grippers are released, we provide carrying forward
grippers D to take up the sheet as shown in Figures 2 to 6. Upon the framework
of the machine we arrange a shaft S and communicate a rocking motion to it by
means of any reciprocating link attached to the arm S¹ and actuated from a
suitable eccentric mounted upon any convenient motion shaft of the machine. The
rocking arm S² we connect by means of a link or links T to a gripper slide frame U
having the taking off grippers D mounted thereou. These grippers D carried by
their frame U travel under the action of the link T backwards and forwards upon
the guide bars V. Upon these guide bars we mount cam like projections V1 V2 for
the purpose of opening the grippers at each end of the stroke so that the sheet may
be engaged and taken from the rotating or rocking grippers C at one end V₁ of
the stroke, and then carried forward and released at the opposite end V2 of the
stroke, at which end releasing operation of the grippers the sheet falls face
uppermost upon the pile on the taking off board W.
Upon the slide frame shaft U we secure a spiral spring box U2 for the purpose
of giving a turning tendency to the shaft, so as to keep the lower gripper jaw D'
in the closed or gripping position against the upper jaw D which is fixed on the
stretcher shafts U₁ U³. The opening action of the lower jaw D' which is rigidly
secured to the shaft U' is accomplished by making the shaft U' turn in its bearings
in the side frame U against the permanent tendency of the spring, by means o.
cam like brackets V V arranged at each end of the slide bar so as to cause the
contact rollers O2 with their lever arms 03 to be raised.
We feed the paper from either end of the machine, and arrange the taking off
apparatus at the opposite end to suit the particular conditions or requirements of
the machine to which our improvements are to be attached, but we prefer to
construct a machine as shown in Figure 2 in which the feeding and taking off
arrangements are provided upon the same side of the machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is
-
1. The improvements in taking off mechanism for printing machines substantially
as hereinbefore described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. In a printing machine, the arrangement of taking off grippers travelling with
a circular motion above the impression cylinder for delivering the sheet to the
carrying forward grippers substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
3. The combination of circularly moving grippers having opening rollers attached
for travelling over a circular path provided with projections for opening the gripper
aws substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated in the accompanying
Irawings.
4. In a printing machine the arrangement of carrying forward grippers mounted
pon a slide frame and arranged to open at each end of the stroke of the sliding
rame so as to clip and release the sheet, substantially as hereinbefore described
nd as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 13th day of May 1905
MARKS & CLERK,
18 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.