IMPROVEMENTS IN COLORING CAPSULES AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Thomas Dossett, of Batavia Mills, Upper Holloway,
in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
COLORING CAPSULES AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
1070 and led the 0th M
1074
Sealed the 3rd June 1970, and dated the 20th March 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Thomas Dossett at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th March 1879.
"
ROBERT THOMAS DOSSETT, of Batavia Mills, Upper Holloway, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer. IMPROVEMENTS IN COLORING CAPSULES AND IN APPARATUS
EMPLOYED THEREIN."
"
.
My Invention relates to the coloring of capsules, either plain or embossed on their
end with a trade mark or other required design or device, and it has for its object
enabling the coloring to be performed with greater rapidity, certainty, and
uniformity whilst preventing loss or waste of the color employed.
In carrying out my Invention in order to effect these objects I construct
apparatus in the following manner, so that the color is applied automatically to a
number of capsules in succession, the capsules being simply inserted and held in
position to be colored and removed after the color is applied. The apparatus is
formed with a circular plate or disc arranged horizontally, and having a series of
apertures therein at suitable intervals around it, within each of which apertures is
loosely fitted a frame hinged to the underside of the disc. In these frames the
capsules, either plain or embossed with the trade mark or other design or device
on top, are inserted a stencil plate or a plate with an opening or openings of a
suitable shape being provided at the upper part of the said frames so as to form a
shield to the capsule, or ensure the color being applied to the portions required.
Above the disc which constitutes a table are two sets of rollers-carried by hori-
zontal arms, which are secured to a carrier disc or boss fast on a vertical shaft
driven by power or otherwise. The two sets of rollers are arranged alternately,
one set forming the color rollers which apply the color to the capsules, and the

page_text: other set constituting distributing rollers which receive the color from a color
trough, beneath which they pass in their orbital motion, and by their combined
orbital and axial motions distribute it upon the table, the color rollers in their turn
in their combined orbital and axial motions taking up color from the table, and
applying it to the capsules as the rollers pass over the several openings in succession.
The distributing rollers may be cylindrical, but the color rollers are conical, the
larger end of the frustum of the cone being outwards, and it is preferred to arrange
the axes of the color rollers so that their inner ends extended will be tangential to
a circle struck from the centre of the vertical shaft, as by this means the color is
applied more uniformly and effectually than when the shafts of the color rollers
radiate from the centre of the apparatus.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Robert Thomas Dossett in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd September 1879.
ROBERT THOMAS DOSSETT, of Batavia Mills, Upper Holloway, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN COLORING CAPSULES AND IN APPARATUS.
EMPLOYED THEREIN."
"
My said Invention relates to the coloring of capsules, either plain or embossed on
their end with a trade mark or other required design or device, and it has for its
object enabling the coloring to be performed with greater rapidity, certainty, and
uniformity whilst preventing loss or waste of the color employed.
In carrying out my said Invention in order to effect these objects I construct
apparatus in the following manner, so that the color is applied automatically to a
number of capsules in succession, the capsules being simply inserted and held in
position to be colored and removed after the color is applied. The apparatus is
formed with a circular plate or disc arranged horizontally, and having a series of
apertures therein at suitable intervals around it, within each of which apertures is
loosely fitted a frame hinged to the under side of the disc. In these frames, the
capsules, either plain or embossed with the trade mark or other design or device on
top, are inserted a stencil plate or a plate with an opening or openings of a suitable
shape, being provided at the upper part of the said frames so as to form a shield to
the capsule or ensure the color being applied to the portions required. Above the
disc which constitutes a table are two sets of rollers carried by horizontal arms
which are secured to a carrier disc or boss fast on a vertical shaft driven by power or
otherwise. The two sets of rollers are arranged alternately, one set forming the color
rollers which apply the color to the capsules, and the other set constituting distri-
buting rollers which receive the color from a color trough, beneath which they
pass in their orbital motion, and by their combined orbital and axial motions dis-
tribute it upon the table, the color rollers in their turn in their combined orbital.
and axial motions taking up color from the table, and applying it to the capsules
as the rollers pass over the several openings in succession.
The color rollers are conical, the larger end of the frustum of the cone being out-
wards, but the distributing rollers may be cylindrical, and it is preferred to arrange
the axes of the distributing rollers so that their inner ends extended will be
tangential to a circle struck from the centre of the vertical shaft, as by this means
the color is distributed more uniformly than when the shafts of the rollers radiate
from the centre of the apparatus.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall now pro-
ceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to the
several Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the same letters of reference.
indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents a sectional elevation of an
apparatus for coloring capsules constructed according to my said Invention;
Figure 2 is a plan of the same corresponding to Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a
sectional detail of a portion of the apparatus.
A is a circular plate or disc, hereinbefore designated the table, which is carried
by the main framing B, and is formed with a series of apertures (three in the
example illustrated) arranged at equal distance apart around it. Within each
of three apertures is loosely fitted a frame C (shewn attached in Figure 3) which is
hinged at a to the underside of the table so as to be capable of being slightly
raised by hand, and then of returning by gravitation to its normal position. The
frames C, which are intended for the reception of the capsules to be colored are
each provieed with a plate b, having an opening c of a suitable shape to ensure the
color being applied to those portions and those portions only of the capsule
where color is required, a suitable number of attendants being stationed round the
apparatus to insert the capsules, one at a time in each of the frames C, press them
upwards, thereby slightly elevating the frames for the reception of the color as

page_text: hereinafter described, and then remove the capsules as they are colored and
introduced fresh capsules to be operated upon.
*Above the table A are two sets of rollers D, D¹, carried by arms c', which are
secured to a carrier disc or boss d fast on a vertical shaft E; this shaft passes through
the centre of the table A, and is supported in bearings therein and in the framing B
so as to be free to revolve, and carries a bevel wheel E' for receiving motion through
the intervention of another bevel wheel E2 and shafting and other gearing from
any suitable prime mover. The two sets of rollers are arranged alternately, the
one set (D), which are conical, forming color rollers which apply the color to the
capsules and the other set D', which are cylindrical, constituting distributing
rollers which receive the color from a color trough E (slotted on its under side),
beneath which they pass in their orbital motion, and by their combined orbital and
axial motions distribute the color upon the table A, the color rollers D in their
turn in their combined orbital and axial motions taking up color from the table
and applying it to the capsules as the rollers pass over the several frames C in
succession.
The axes c¹ of the distributing rollers D¹ are so arranged that their inner ends
extended would be tangential to an imaginary circle struck from the centre of the
shaft E, it being found in practice that by this arrangement the color is more
uniformly distributed over the table A than is the case when the axes radiate
from the said centre.
In operating with this apparatus the color trough F having been filled with the
required color, and the shaft E carrying the color rollers D, and distributing
rollers D¹ being in motion, the distributing rollers D', as they pass beneath the color
trough F, receive a charge of color which, during the continual rotation of the
shaft E, is by the revolution of the said roller D₁ uniformly distributed over the
surface of the table A, and as the color rollers D follow the distributing rollers D¹,
and by their contact with the surface of the table A are also caused to revolve as
they are carried round by the shaft they take up on their periphery a supply of
color from the table A. The attendants then stationed one opposite each of the
frames C take one by one the capsules to be colored and place them beneath the
plates b, raising the frames in the manner hereinbefore described. The portion of
the capsule to be colored contained beneath each of the plates b is thereby brought
within the range of the nearest color roller D, which as it is carried round is thus
caused to revolve over and in contact with the capsule, and impart thereto a portion
of the color with which its surface is charged. The attendant then withdraws the
capsule which has been colored and inserts another in its place in readiness for the
operation of the next color roller as it is brought round by the motion of the shaft,
and these operations are repeated in the case of each of the frames C, and so on in
succession during the operation of the apparatus.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original,
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein before in part
recited Letters Patent is,-
Coloring capsules by the employment of rollers having a combined orbital and
axial motion, the said rollers being arranged so as to operate substantially in the
manner and for the purpose herein before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Thomas Dossett, have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal, this Second day of September, One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.