IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINES
Year: 1885

page_text: I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County. of Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PRINTING MACHINES" which invention has been communicated to me from abroad..
by R. Hoe and Company of the City County and State of New York in the
United States of America, Printing Machine Manufacturers to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to Machines of the class referred to in the Specification of
a prior patent No 1127 dated 27th March 1875 and applies only when the web is.
broad enough to have two or more pages abreast printed thereon, and it consists in
longitudinally severing the web into two or more webs before it has received its
second impression and then reversing each severed web separately.
The broader the web the greater is the length of web in the reversing apparatus
and on account of the elasticity of paper this fact has proved a serious drawback
in the practical application of the Invention described in the Specification of the
aforesaid Patent to the printing wide webs. For example in printing 12 page
papers from type it is often convenient to place three pages abreast and this
requires a web 69 inches broad in the case of the "New York Herald" (whose
pages are rather below than above the average size) and the length of paper in the
reversing apparatus must be between 20 and 30 feet. By the method of separate
reversing, this length need not be much more than one third the above.
It is possible to have the pages imprinted on the web, in orders which are
impossible when it is reversed as described in the Specification of the aforesaid
Patent.
The reversing mechanism may be provided with a fixed cylinder with a plurality
of other fixed cylinders perpendicular thereto and parallel to one another carrier
rollers being arranged in combination therewith whereby the several webs running
side by side are reversed separately.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Printing Machines.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields in the County of Middlesex
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention which has been com-
municated to me from Abroad by R: Hoe & Co of the City County and State of
New York in the United States of America Printing Machine Manufacturers and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :—
This Invention consists in an improvement or modification of that described in
the Specification of Letters Patent No 1127 dated 27th November 1875. In the
said Specification a web is described as being printed on one side and then by
means of inclined turners it is returned to the same printed surface or to one
parallel therewith and receives an impression on the other side. The present
invention applies only when the web is broad enough to have two or more pages
abreast printed thereon.
The invention consists in the combination with printing mechanism of means
for longitudinally splitting a web into two or more webs before the second
impression is imparted thereto and for reversing each strip or narrow web
separately and in the combination with a single turning bar of a plurality of
turning bars arranged at appropriate angles thereto, which preferably will be right
angles and guiding rollers all of which is hereinafter fully explained.
By my Invention it is possible to have the pages imprinted on the web in orders
which are impossible when it is reversed, as described in the said patent. For
instance, most of the arrangements exhibited in table W of the Specification of
Letters Patent No 9920-1884 for an improvement in printing machines are
impossible when the web is reversed, as shewn in the said patent.
Figure 1 represents a side elevation and Figure 2 a bottom plan view of a
machine illustrative of my Invention. Figures 3 and 4 showing plan views of
modifications of the reversing apparatus shown in Figures 1 and 2.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2, P indicates the form-cylinder; D M the impression
cylinders; CC the slitting mechanism for longitudinally splitting or dividing the
web. It consists of two cylinders, the lower having grooves and the upper co-
operating circular knives which split the web into three (in this instance) equal
strips or webs.
EL denote rollers for conducting the web respectively to and from the reversing
apparatus.
F indicates a fixed cylinder or turning-bar inclined to the axis of the form-
cylinder, and having a common tangent plane with the roller E.
K¹ K³ K³ indicate three shorter fixed cylinders or turning-bars arranged parallel
to one another. Their axes are also inclined to that of the form-cylinder, and they

page_text: are fixed at right angles to the turning-bar or cylinder F; as shewn in the drawings.
All three turning bars or cylinders must have a common tangent plane with the
roller L and the roller G must be fixed so as to have one common tangent plane
with the turning bar or cylinder F and another with the turning-bars or
cylinders K¹ K' K³ all of which things are manifest from an inspection of the
drawings.
A marks the web. After longitudinal splitting one side of each of the then
three webs is denoted by A1 A2 A3 respectively and the other side by B¹ B* B³
respectively.
r
The course of the web is easily traced. It first passes between the longitudinal
slitting mechanism C C and then round the impression cylinder D thereby getting
printed on one side. It next passes round roller E to the turning-bar or cylinder F
thence round the roller G and from there the three parts of the paths of the webs
diverge. The strip A¹ passes round the turning cylinder K¹ and thence round
the roller L the strip A³ round the turning bar K and thence round the roller L
and the strip A round the turning bar K' and thence round the roller L. Thus
all three strips pass round L and thence they go round the impression cylinder M,
thereby receiving an impression on their other sides.
It is evident that the slitting mechanism CC may be placed at any convenient
part of the path of the webs prior to its reaching the point where the severed strips
diverge. Thus the roller G might have suitable longitudinal slitters working in
connection with it.
In Figures 1 and 2 the three webs or strips A' A² A³ travel different distances in
passing through the reverser. By using three rollers G¹ G² G³ as shown in Figure 4
in place of the single roller G each strip will travel the saine distance and this
distance will be much less than if the web had been reversed in one piece as in the
aforesaid patent. By using three shorter parallel turning-bars or cylinders in place
of the one long turning bar or cylinder F in other words by using three entirely
independent turners the distance of travel may be still further reduced; but the
length of travel in Figure 4 is not in most cases inconveniently great and when the
order of the pages only needs to be considered, then the apparatus in Figures 1
and 2 is most appropriate.
Figure 3 illustrates the case of a three breadth web which has been divided or
slit longitudinally into two portions only. Similarly to the preceding case the
roller G may be replaced by two rollers and the single turning bar or cylinder F
by two turning bars or cylinders.
In the figures the various webs are always reversed without receiving any
lateral transfer; but it is obvious that by suitably moving the turning bars or
cylinders K K K³ parallel to themselves (and corresponding rollers) the positions
of the webs may be interchanged &c. Thus the web A¹ might be caused to pass
over the roller L opposite to the position of A³ before it enters the apparatus and
similarly the web A³ may pass over roller L opposite to the position of A¹ before
entering the apparatus; or all the webs may undergo any desired lateral transfer
&c and of course the webs may be transversely severed before they pass through
the reverser, being (after cutting) suitably conducted by tapes; and it is clear that
the webs after reversal may receive their second impression from another cylinder
parallel to the form-cylinder P, instead of, as in the figure from the form-cylinder P
itself.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
First. In a web printing machine, the combination with printing mechanism, of
mechanism for longitudinally slitting or dividing a web into narrow webs before it
has received its second impression and mechanism for reversing the separate webs

page_text: so that their paths of travel are not the same while being reversed all substantially
as described.
Second. The combination with a single turning bar or cylinder of a plurality of
turning bars or cylinders at appropriate angles thereto and parallel to one another
and rollers to guide the webs between said bars or cylinders whereby a plurality of
webs running side by side are reversed all substantially as described.
Dated thi. 06th dow of June 1886