IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINES AND FLYING GRIPPERS FOR REMOVING OR TAKING THE PRINTED SHEETS. FROM THE MACHINE CYLINDER
Year: 1870

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Walter Richard, John Richard,
and Walter Miller Richard at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 22nd August 1870.
We, WALTER RICHARD, JOHN RICHARD, and WALTER MILLER
RICHARD, of Edinburgh, Letter Founders, trading under the Firm of
Miller and Richard, in Edinburgh, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINES AND FLYING
GRIPPERS FOR REMOVING OR TAKING THE PRINTED SHEETS. FROM THE MACHINE
CYLINDER," to be as follows:-
'
ઃ
This Invention consists in the application to printing machines, 1st.,
of apparatus for "flying" or taking off the printed sheets, whereby tapes-
which have hitherto been used are here dispensed with; 2nd, in the
manner of driving the impression and inking tables..
The apparatus for "flying" the printed sheets consists of two levers,
one at each side of the machine, and so connected to the machine framing.
at their lower end as to be capable of oscillating along the sides of the
machine in the direction of its length; these levers are attached firmly
together and at a proper distance apart by a stay passing above the back

page_text: board of the machine and joining their upper ends; passing through these
levers, at a point a little below the stay above referred to, is a shaft upon
which are fitted grippers capable of being shifted to and set at any place
in this shaft, and so at any place in the width of the machine. Connected
also to the before-mentioned levers, and made capable of moving round
the above-mentioned shaft, are; two small levers, one at each side, these
also are connected together across and above the machines by a rod of
suitable shape, and upon this rod are sliding pieces capable of being
moved and set to any place in the width of the machine, and when in
use are set to suit the width of the sheet being printed, and to coincide
with the grippers, as it is upon these the grippers close having the sheet
between them when in operation. The first-mentioned levers are
actuated by a disc attached to one of the shafts used in operating other
parts of the machine, and these levers may be attached to any part in
the circle of this disc, and so bring the grippers into such proximity with
the cylinder at any part of its revolution as to take off a sheet of any size
within the compass of the machine.
The manner of driving the machine consists in an annular wheel
which also forms part of the framing and is therefore stationary; in the
centre of this wheel an upright crank shaft is placed (which is driven
by means of bevel wheels from the main driving shaft of machine),
the crank of this upright shaft describes a circle whose diameter is half
the diameter of the annular wheel, and on the pin of the crank and made
to revolve with it is placed a wheel the diameter of which is half that
of the annular wheel, and at the pitch line of this wheel is fixed a stud;
when the shaft and wheel are made to revolve this stud describes a
straight line; to this stud is attached the inking and impression table,
(and thereby all links, connection rods, and levers are dispensed with,)
which produces a smooth and steady motion not liable to any jerking
from a reversing of the driving parts as the motion of the crank
shaft and wheel are continuously in one direction, and produce the
return motion of the tables in a remarkably smooth and easy manner.