IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PRINTING."
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Gourley Russell, of the City of Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster, Lithographic Printer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PRINTING."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Gourley Russell
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 1st April 1858.
I, CHARLES GOURLEY RUSSELL, of the City of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Lithographic Printer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PRINTING," to
be as follows:
I apply to printing cylinders, whether of metal or stone, two pairs of inking
rollers and one pair of distributing rollers in connection with a damping
apparatus, all working together at the required times or intervals, the dis-
tributing rollers supplying the exact amount of ink for each impression by
coming in contact with an expanding drum or cylinder, which supplies the
place of the ink table in ordinary machines, the said expansion being for the
purpose of adapting the cylinder to the exact diameter of the printing cylinder,
so that the speed of both circumferences shall be perfectly uniform. The
aforesaid motions are produced by one or more cams working rods which
operate upon the arms or levers to which the rollers are connected, change

page_text: wheels being employed so as to influence the cams, in order to give to the
rollers a greater or less speed, according to the requirements of the work, the
pressing roller being moved as required either by the exteriors of the aforesaid
cams or by others placed separately. The driving shaft may be connected
with the expanding cylinder or the ink feed cylinder, giving motion at the
same time to the printing cylinder, the machinery being worked either by
hand or power. The aforesaid improved machinery can be advantageously
applied to lithographic, typographic, zincographic, block, or any other descrip-
tion of surface printing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Gourley Russell in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 1st October 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
GOURLEY RUSSELL, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Lithographic Printer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of April, in the year of our Lord One thou-
sand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Charles
Gourley Russell, Her special licence that I, the said Charles Gourley Russell,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles
Gourley Russell; my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
.MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PRINTING," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Charles Gourley Russell, 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 Charles Gourley Russell, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement (that is to say):-

page_text: My said Invention consists in applying to printing cylinders, whether of
metal, wood, or stone, two pairs of inking rollers in connection with a damping
apparatus, and instead of the ink tables in the ordinary printing machines, I
employ an expanding and contracting drum or cylinder supplied with the
exact quantity of ink for each impression by means of one pair of distributing
rollers coming in contact with it. The expansion and contraction of the
cylinder is for the purpose of adapting it to the exact diameter of the printing
cylinder, so that the speed of both circumferences shall be uniform, which
is a desideratum never before obtained. The distributing rollers are raised
and lowered from the ink cylinder to the expanding and contracting cylinder,
and the inking rollers from the latter to the printing cylinder, by means of
one or more cams working rods, which operate upon certain arms or levers to
which the rollers are connected, a greater or less speed being obtained by
employing change wheels.
The presser roller is moved by cams of the required length placed
either on the exterior of the aforesaid internal cams or in any other convenient
position.
These improvements will be clearly understood by reference to the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings, with the figures and letters thereon.
Fig. 1 is an external elevation of my improved printing machinery or
apparatus; Fig. 2 an elevation, with one of the frames removed, in order to
shew some of the working parts more plainly; Fig. 3 a transverse elevation
of the principal parts of the machine; Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are detached views of
the damping apparatus; Fig. 7 a transverse section of the expanding and
contracting cylinder in its expanded condition; Fig. 8 a transverse section of
the same in its most contracted condition; Fig. 9 a side view of part of
the interior; and Fig. 10 an external view of one of the ends.
In the aforesaid Figures a represents the framing of the machine, 6 the
printing cylinder, c the expanding and contracting cylinder, d the ink cylinder,
e the ink through, f the doctor, g and h the two pairs of inking rollers, i thé
one pair of distributing rollers, k the presser roller, the pressing levers for
acting upon it, m the external cams for acting upon the said levers and
presser, n the internal cams for operating upon the inking and distributing
rollers, and also the damping apparatus, o the shaft to which the said cams
are fixed,p the intermediate or countershaft, q the driving shaft, r the fly wheel,
s the feeding table, and t the delivery table.
In order to work the machine, motion is given to the driving shaft either
by power or by the handle u on the fly wheel r, thus turning the change
wheels v, geared as required, into other change wheels won the countershaft p

page_text: which shaft also carries the driving pinion x, geared into the wheel y on the
shaft o, thereby turning the internal and external cams.
On the driving shaft 9 there is a spur wheel a¹ geared into a spur wheel b¹ on
the shaft c¹ of the printing cylinder, which wheel is geared into another spur
wheel d' on the shaft e¹ of the expanding and contracting cylinder. On the
shaft e is a spur wheel geared into another spur wheel g¹ on the shaft k¹ of
the ink cylinder, so that when the driving shaft is made to revolve all the
cylinders are turned at the desired speed. The presser roller is furnished with
the endless tympan or blanket 7, which changes its position as the printing
cylinder revolves in contact with it. The ends of the presser roller work
in slots in the pressing levers 1, which are supported on the fulcrums m¹
adjustable by the screw n¹ so as to lift up the presser, and also to cause it to
give more or less pressure on the printing cylinder by means of the external
cams m, which are made of any desired length, according to the work to be
printed.
At each side of the machine I place a rod o' working in suitable guides,
and furnished at p with a bowl or roller fitting the groove n, forming one of
the internal cams, so that as it revolves an up-and-down motion is given to
its corresponding rod. The shafts of the inking rollers g and h, fit elastic
bearings in the levers q' and r¹, which levers are of such lengths that one pair
of rollers may pass outside the other. Two of the said levers are fixed to
the cross shaft s¹ working in suitable bearings in the main framing, and the
other two levers upon bosses upon the same shaft. On each end of the shaft s¹,
I fix a short lever t', and a similar lever to a boss working upon the shaft,
which levers are connected by the rods u¹ to cross heads v¹ on the rods o¹, so
that, as the latter move up and down, one pair of inking rollers will be on the
expanding and contracting cylinder, and the other pair on the printing cylinder,
the pairs being alternately changed at each revolution of the cam shaft.
The rollers are adjusted with extreme accuracy by screws and set nuts
at the ends of the levers t¹, which shift the rods u¹, and lengthen or shorten
the levers. The spindles of the distributing rollers fit elastic bearings in the
levers w¹, which are also moved up and down by means of the aforesaid rods o¹,
so that the rollers may alternately come in contact with the ink cylinder d, and
also the expanding and contracting cylinder c, thereby taking up ink and
giving it off with uniformity and exactness. The distributing rollers move
laterally upon the cylinders in opposite directions by means of a right-handed
screw on one spindle, and a left-handed screw on the other, fitting corresponding
nuts attached to the levers w¹. The winding and unwinding of the screws,
and consequent alternate lateral movement of the distributing rollers, are

page_text: caused by the reverse motions of the ink and expanding cylinders, the wheel
on the shaft of one being geared directly into the wheel on the shaft of the
other. The doctor f rests upon the ink cylinder, and is fixed to arms or
levers in a frame y', having centres working in bearings attached to the
main framing, the ends of the aforesaid arms or levers rest upon rods 2¹, con-
nected to other lever a furnished with balance weights 62, which arrange-
ment is for the purpose of tempering the action of the doctor, and also for
allowing the facility of removing it when required; a lateral action is given to
the doctor by means of the oval cam on the ink cylinder shaft. In order
to give the necessary dampness to the printing cylinder, I employ two rollers
damped by means of a circular brush d², all revolving simultaneously by
means of the small toothed wheels e, which apparatus is seen detached in
Figs. 4, 5, and 6. The circular action of the rollers and brush is given by fixing
on the shaft of the brush a star or ratchet wheel ƒ³, Figs. 3, 5, and 6, which
is moved the distance of a tooth by causing a projection or peg g³ on the spur
wheel b¹ to come in contact with it. The circular brush and rollers are placed
in the water trough h, the whole of which is raised and lowered at certain
required intervals, so that the rollers may be in contact with the printing
cylinder and give it the desired moisture or dampness by causing certain pins
or projections ² on the bottom of the trough to be acted upon by cams or
inclines at the ends of segments m² on the bosses n². one of the said segments
having grooves inclining to the left, and the other to the right, of such length
as to maintain the damping rollers against the printing cylinder the time
required, thus lifting both rollers and trough for thr purpose of damping, and
then allowing them to fall when that purpose is accomplished. Or, instead of
the aforesaid cams and segments, I employ levers operated upon by cams
placed upon the cam shaft o so as to cause the roller c when damped to
transmit their moisture to the printing cylinder by coming in contact with it,
the said rollers being afterwards released at the required time.
give the return movements to the pressing levers, and also to maintain all
the parts in their necessary working conditions, I employ weights, one of
which is shewn at 0%, the said weights being connected by chains or ropes
according to the size and strength of the machine. Instead of weights, springs
may be employed when desired. In each of the main frames of the machine
there is a moveable piece, part of which is shewn at p³, in order to be able to
remove or change the printing cylinder when required.
In order to
In Figs. 7 and 8, representing sections of my improved expanding and con-
tracting cylinder, e¹ is the shaft fixed to bosses and plates forming the sides of
the cylinder. In the interior, near, the ends, I fix to the said shaft two sets

page_text: of cams q3 and 2, one set behind the other, the external edges of which sup-
port by means of rods s² eight segments t², of metal or other material, so that
as the cams are turned one way the segments shall extend from the centre and
enlarge the diameter of the cylinder, and if turned the reverse way contract
it. The rods & are guided in rings 2, and the edges of the cams are formed
with care and exactness. The segments are surrounded with a thick ring or
belt v, made of caoutchouc or other elastic material, so as to be adapted to
the various diameters of the cylinder. In Fig. 9, the rods and rings are
shewn detached, w being the guiding holes.
In Fig. 10, representing one of the ends of the expanding and contracting
cylinder, it will be seen that the shaft is furnished with hexagonal projections
a², so that a key or lever may turn the said shaft, and also the cams, their
positions being held firm by means of the ratchet wheel y² and spring catch ³.
Although the aforesaid cylinder is shewn with eight segments and corre
sponding cams, it is evident that any other suitable number may be used
according to the size and requirements of the work. I may here observe that,
the employment of an expanding and contracting cylinder to supply the place
of the ordinary ink table, forms an important feature of my Invention, enabling
me to adapt it to the varied diameters of printing cylinders, so that the speed
of both shall be equal under all circumstances. The arrangement of the
improvements before described may be varied in any suitable manner, and
placed in framing of any shape and strength.
The aforesaid improved machinery is peculiarly adapted for lithographic and
zincographic printing, but by removing the damping apparatus, which can be
performed in an instant, and employing a printing cylinder with moveable
type, block, or stereotype, I can employ the machine for those modes of
printing.
Having thus fully described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I desire it to be distinctly understood,
that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein set forth, as such
may be varied or modified without departing from the principle thereof, but I
claim as my Invention, and which to the best of my knowledge and belief has
not been hitherto used within the realm,-
Firstly, the employment of an expanding and contracting cylinder in the
place of the ordinary ink table, the said cylinder to consist of any suitable
number of segments surrounded by an elastic ring or belt, and expanded or
contracted by any suitable number of cams.
Secondly, the employment of two pairs of inking and one pair of distri-
buting rollers, arranged to work at the required intervals.

page_text: Thirdly, a self-acting damping apparatus, in order to give moisture to the
printing cylinder at the proper time.
And, fourthly, the general arrangement of my improved machinery or
apparatus, as herein described and illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Gourley Russell, have hereunto set
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
my
CHARLES GOURLEY RUSSELL. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named Charles Gourley Russell,
in the presence of
JOHN BLOODWORTH, Patent Agent,
Manchester.