An Improved Portable Letter Copying Press.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 19th May, 1891-Accepted, 27th June, 1891
An Improved Portable Letter Copying Press.
I, FERDINAND FANTA of 85 Gresham Street, in the City of London, Consulting
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 the construction of a new letter copying press and has
for its special object to provide an apparatus combining all accessories necessary
for the copying process in one compact and easily removeable appliance thus
dispensing with sponge brush etc.
In order that my invention may be thoroughly understood I have appended the
accompanying sheet of drawings.
In these drawings
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation and Fig. 2 a plan of my improved letter
copying press.
Fig. 3 is a modification hereinafter referred to of the lever for obtaining
pressure.
According to my invention I use two boards A B of the description of ordinary
drawing boards. Between the boards A B the copying book is placed and the
necessary pressure is obtained by means of a leather belt or strap M. which is
placed round the boards A B so as to embrace the whole one end of the belt being
hooked by means of a cross bar E into suitably notched bars a fixed on the upper
surface of the top board A whilst the other extremity of the same belt is provided
with a lever D shaped in such a fashion as to fit into racks & similar to the notched
bars a placed on the other end of the board A. The latter end of the belt is
carried by a cross bar E¹ the ends of which are provided with guide pieces c¹
through which the arms of the lever D pass. The belt is not fixed to either of the
boards being independent of the same. By simply pressing the lever D downwards
pressure is obtained on the top board.
To replace the water and brush hitherto used in the ordinary copying process ]
provide a tray H made of zinc or other suitable metal in which tray I place a
number of sheets of linen or combination of linen and india-rubber or parchment
and linen or any other material which will readily absorb moisture when pressed
against a wet material but which at the same time will not retain too much water
and I also place at the bottom of the tray a piece of felt or thick spongy cloth.
This latter is kept thoroughly wet and has for its object to provide moisture for
the sheets referred to above. This moistening takes place during the process of
copying the sheets being placed as they are in the tray which is itself between
the copying book and the top board this latter forming so to speak the lid of
the tray.
The copying process follows in the usual way the damp sheets or india-rubber
sheets being used instead of the ordinary oil paper and in the same fashion.
It will be easily understood that these sheets being replaced in the tray on the
top of the sheets which have not yet been used will absorb fresh moisture at the
next operation and that in this way they can be kept damp enough for several
consecutive operations without having to apply any fresh water to the pad.
It is also evident that the pressure will always be the same whether a few or
many copies are being taken simultaneously as it is clear that the distance between
the boards remains the same in consequence of the thickness of the book being
increased by an amount equal to that by which the thickness of the sheets in the
tray is reduced.

page_text: I further wish to observe that the two sets of racks or notched bars on the top
board are not of the same pitch that is to say the notches are not equally distant
from each other in the two sets. By this means any desired pressure can be
obtained by shifting either one or the other or both ends of the belt according to
requirements.
The belt can be replaced by strong, woven material by chains or cords or any
other suitable material.
I generally provide each end of the two boards with a small roller K so as to
reduce the friction on the edges of these boards and also to ensure greater
regularity and evenness in the tightening of the belt.
Fig. 3 represents a modification of the pressure lever D referred to above and
has for its object to provide a continued tension of the belt M after the lever has
been pressed down. For that purpose the lever D the outer ends c c of which rest
in the racks bb is provided with a V-shaped bar D' fitted at each end with a small
guide piece m capable of sliding on the arms of the outer lever D. The cross
bar E engages at its two ends in these guide pieces. In the centre of the inner
lever D the guiding rod O is fixed and is made to pass through the centre of the
outer lever D into a casing which may be covered with wood or other suitable
material and is used as the handle of the combination lever. The spring S
surrounding the rod O is secured to the upper end of the rod and bears at its other
end against the outer lever D. In this way when the ends c c of the combination
lever become engaged in the racks and the lever is pressed down as before
described the tension of the belt will then make the lever D move away from the
lever D and whilst in this position the spring S acting on the lever D gradually
pulls both so as to bring them closer to each other thus automatically increasing
the tension of the belt.
This system of press can be applied to other purposes than the one set forth in
the present Specification. It can be arranged for letter press for lithographic
purposes for card pressing for ink photographic process for paper glazing etc. and
generally whenever a regular and constant intermittent or continuous pressure is
required. It is important to mention that the system ensures the same pressure
every time the lever is pressed downwards and thus for the same series of notches
the same pressure is always maintained with mathematical precision without same
being possibly exceeded owing to the special disposition of the different parts of
the apparatus and that the lever retains its position with the maximum pressure
bearing on the material to be pressed without having to use any set screw or other
similar device.
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). In a portable copying press in which two parallel boards or plates are
pressed together by means of an encircling belt or strap the arrangement of
differential racks for the purpose of holding therein the two ends of the belt or
strap substantially as described..
(2). In copying presses as described and claimed in Claim 1 parallel rollers at
the ends of the boards or plates for the purpose of preventing the belt or strap
being hampered by the friction on the same substantially as described.
(3). In combination with a portable copying press as described and claimed in
Claim the use of a tray containing damping material and the insertion of the
same between the said boards or plates substantially as described.
(4). The construction and use of a tray containing damping material with a
depressing board substantially as described for the purpose of inserting such tray
damping material and depressing board between the pressing surfaces when used in
connection with either a portable or with a stationary copying press substantially
as described.

page_text: (5). In combination with a portable copying press as described and claimed in
Claim the use and construction of a combination lever for the purpose of
providing automatic continued pressure after the tension has been obtained by the
operator substantially as described.
1011 1
1001
FERDINAND FANTA.