IMPROVEMENTS IN. PRINTING MACHINERY
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Little, of the Strand, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN. PRINTING MACHINERY."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Little at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th
June 1855.
.
I, WILLIAM LITTLE, of the Strand, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINERY" to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in cylinder printing
machines, suitable for printing from engravings or casts from engravings like
printing surfaces. For this purpose; the cylinder carrying the printing surfaces
is caused to rotate constantly in the same direction on a horizontal axis. One
or more portions or sections of the surface of the cylinder are made moveable,
yet readily fixed to the cylinder, in order to have printing surfaces applied
thereto; and by having several such sections, some may be in use on the
cylinder whilst others are having printed surfaces fixed thereon. These
sections of cylinders may be arranged for having bent stereotype or electrotype
plates or engravings fixed thereon.
"
-The form of machine preferred_consists of one cylinder.carrying-the-print-
ing surface or surfaces with three, impression or printing cylinders, each.

page_text: printing or impression cylinder being arranged with double feeding apparatus,
so that two feeders may be constantly employed to each printing or impression
cylinder. The other parts of the surface or periphery of the cylinder not
occupied by the printing surface or surfaces is made into an inking table, and
when three impression or printing cylinders are used three sets of distributing
rollers are employed. By these means a comparatively small diameter of
cylinder with printing surfaces thereon may be used, and a very large number
of impressions obtained in a given time.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Little in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th
December 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
LITTLE, of the Strand, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of Junc, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Little, Her special licence that I, the said William Little, my execu-
tors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Little,
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 Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTE IN PRINTING MACHINERY," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Little, 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 Little, 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
thereof (that is to say):
This Invention has for its object improvements in cylinder printing machines,
suitable for printing from engravings, or casts from engravings like printing

page_text: surfaces. For this purpose, the cylinder carrying the printing surfaces is
caused to rotate constantly in the same direction on a horizontal axis. One or
more portions or sections of the surface of the cylinder are made moveable, yet
readily fixed to the cylinder, in order to have printing surfaces applied thereto;
and by having several such sections, some may be in use on the cylinder whilst
others are having printed surfaces fixed thereon. These sections of cylinders
may be arranged for having bent stereotype or electrotype plates or engravings
fixed thereon.
The form of machine preferred consists of one cylinder carrying the printing
surface or surfaces with three impression or printing cylinders, each printing or
impression cylinder being arranged with double feeding apparatus, so that two
feeders may be constantly employed to each printing or impression cylinder.
The other parts of the surface or periphery of the cylinder not occupied by the
printing surface or surfaces is made into an inking table, and when three
impression or printing cylinders are used three sets of distributing rollers are
employed. By these means a comparatively small diameter of cylinder with
printing surfaces thereon may be used, and a very large number of impressions
obtained in a given time..
..
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed.to
describe more fully the manner of performing the same..
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING..
Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section of a printing machine combined and
arranged in a suitable manner for carrying out my Invention; Figure 2 shows
a transverse section, and Figure 3 part of the cylinder on which the plates are
fixed. The object of this Invention is to prepare and employ bent electrotype
plates, or bent electrotype plates combined with stereotype plates, and so that
they may be printed from by a cylinder printing press. I would state that I
am aware that stereotype plates have been before bent and used on a printing
cylinder. In making the electrotype plates, and electrotype plates in combina-
tion with stereotype plates, I produce them as heretofore, but in place of using
them flat I cause them to be bent to such a curvature as to admit of their
being fixed to a cylinder, and the best means of fixing such plates is that
shewn by the Drawing; but I do not confine myself thereto. And the best
means of bending the electrotype plates, or combined electrotype and stereo-
type plates, is by means of three rollers, set as shewn at Figure 4, in such
manner that the axes of the two lower rollers may be adjusted to and from
each other, and also in such manner that the axis of the upper roller
may be
raised or lowered by such means, and by giving motion to the upper roller a

page_text: .
plate may be bent to the desired curvature. In the printing machinery shewn
by the. Drawing, a is the cylinder on which the bent electrotype plates or the
compound plates are fixed, they being first secured by screws or otherwise to
the segment pieces 6. which are made with bevilled edges, and such is the case
also with the electrotype and compound platesc, c. The segment pieces 6 with
the plates c fixed.thereto, are made fast to the cylinder by means of the wedge
piece d, which is fixed to the cylinder by screws or otherwise; the other edge of
the segment pieces are fixed by the dovetail formed on the cylinder, as shewn by
this arrangement, and by having several segment pieces, some can be in use on
the cylinder when others have been removed to have the bent plates changed.
The machine shown is arranged for six feeding places' e, f, g, h, i, and k, as is
well understood; the tapes and other details, however, are not shewn, they
being well understood by workmen acquainted with cylinder printing machines.
l, m, and n, are, three impressing or printing cylinders, and o, p, q, are three sets
of inking rollers, and, the space of the cylinder a where not occupied by the
plates is used for a distributing table.
Having thus described the nature of my said. Invention, I would have
it understood that what I claim is, the application of bent electrotype and
compound electrotype and stereotype plates in cylinder printing machines.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Little, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eighteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
WILLIAM LITTLE. (L.S.)