Improvements in Distributing and Damping Rollers for Printing Machines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd July, 1389
*. Complete Specification Left, 2nd Apr., 1890-Accepted, 3rd May, 1890 .
Improvements in Distributing and Damping Rollers for Printing
Machines.
I, DOUGLAS GARDNER of 4 Clifton Place Wynn Street, Great Colmore Street
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick Machine Printer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object to automatically distribute the ink upon the inking
rollers used in Letterpress and Lithographic Printing Machines or to distribute the
water upon the stones in Lithographic Printing Machines in a manner that can be
readily provided for upon any ordinary machine with the ordinary distributing roller
and in a more complete way than is at present possible.
In carrying my invention into effect when constructing a distributing roller for a
Letterpress or Lithographic Printing machine, I make a spindle hollow or solid, of
steel or other suitable material which may be covered with any composition, or left
plain at will the end of this roller 1 screw, and cause it to work into a similarly
screwed socket, which socket I apply to the roller forks or supports attached to the
table of the machine.
Instead of applying a separate socket to fit into the forks or to be secured to the
same, I sometimes form the fork or supporting frame in such a manner that it acts as
a socket for the screwed end of my roller to work into ; but I prefer to attach or
secure the socket by means of a flange containing a screw or bolt to the fork frame
rather than to tap or screw the frame itself. When the distributing roller revolves it
travels backwards or forwards in the socket, depending upon the direction in which
it is revolving and in so automatically traversing to and fro it of necessity distributes
the ink thoroughly and effectually upon the inking rollers.
By another system of construction I arrange that the roller shall revolve and also
travel backwards and forwards by employing a hollow tube or cylinder to act as the
rolier or distributor, having its ends or one end screwed internally; and I arrange a
fixed spindle to pass through this hollow roller having formed upon its ends, or end a
screw to suit the internal screw or screws of the roller; so that when the roller
revolves it moves along the spindle within it and thus a traversing motion is obtained.
The central spindle I attach and fix upon the frame of the printing machine which
may be either for letterpress or lithographic work in any ordinary manner, ensuring
only that the spindle remains stationary while the outer roller revolves.
I sometimes employ two or more rollers for large machines or to suit special
circumstances.
When applying my invention for working upon the stone or stones in a Litho-
graphic Printing Machine I employ precisely the same methods of construction and
attachment as herein before set forth for the distributing roller for distributing the ink
upon the inking rollers, care being taken to coat or cover the roller with suitable
absorbent material for the purpose of damping the stones.
2000
Dated tins 1st day of July Lo
MARKS & CLERK,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Distributing and Damping Rollers for Printing
Machines.
I, DOUGLAS GARDNER of 4 Clifton Place, Wynn Street, Great Colmore Street,
Birmingham in the County of Warwick, Machine Printer, do hereby declare the
D077

page_text: 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:—
My invention has for its object to automatically distribute the ink upon the inking
rollers used in letterpress and lithographic printing machines or to distribute the
water upon the stones in lithographic printing machines in a manner that can be
readily provided for upon any ordinary machine with the ordinary distributing roller,
and in a more complete way than is at present possible.
In carrying my invention into effect when constructing a distributing roller for a
letterpress or lithographic printing machine, I make a spindle hollow or solid, of steel
or other suitable material which may be covered with any composition or left plain at
will; the end of this roller I screw, and cause it to work into a similarly screwed
socket, which socket I apply to the roller forks or supports attached to the table of
the machine.
Instead of applying a separate socket to fit into the forks or to be secured to the
same, I sometimes form the fork or supporting frame in such a manner that it acts as
a socket for the screwed end of my roller to work into; but I prefer to attach or
screw the socket by means of a flange containing a screw or bolt to the fork frame
rather than to tap or screw the frame itself.
When the distributing roller revolves it travels backwards or forwards in the
socket, depending upon the direction in which it is revolving, and in so automatically
traversing to and fro it of necessity distributes the ink thoroughly and effectually
upon the inking rollers.
By another system of construction I arrange that the roller shall revolve and also
travel backwards and forwards by employing a hollow tube or cylinder to act as the
roller or distributor having its ends or one end screwed internally and I arrange a
fixed spindle to pass through this hollow roller having formed upon its ends or end a
screw to suit the internal screw or screws of the roller; so that when the roller
revolves it moves along the spindle within it and thus a traversing motion is obtained.
The central spindle I attach and fix upon the frame of the printing machine which
may be either for letterpress or lithographic work, in any ordinary manner ensuring
only that the spindle remains stationary while the outer roller revolves.
I sometimes employ two or more rollers for large machines or to suit special
circumstances.
When applying my invention for working upon the stone or stones of a litho-
graphic printing machine I employ precisely the same methods of construction and
attachment as herein before set forth for the distribuing roller for distributing the
ink upon the inking rollers.
In order that my invention may be properly understood and readily carried into
effect append hereunto two sheets of explanatory drawings to be hereinafter
referred to.
On Sheet. 1 Figure 1 is a plan of a portion of a cylinder printing machine, showing
my improved arrangement of distributing rollers. Figure 2 is an elevation and
Figure 3 is a side view of the same. Figure 4 and Figure 5 are details of the dis-
tributing roller showing its attachment to the fork frame of the machine. Figure 6
is a diagramatic view of the inking and distributing rollers showing the direction in
which they revolve.
On Sheet 2. Figure 7 is an elevation of my improved arrangement of distributing
roller when applied to the small "Arab" printing machines; Figure 8 is a
diagramatic view of the rollers and distributor; Figure 9 is a side elevation of
the rollers upon the table of the machine, and Figure 10 is a detail view of the
ends of my improved distributing roller.
A A A are the inking rollers of the usual ordinary construction carried by the
forks or frames D, D; or by the well known methods. B B B are my improved
distributing rollers; the ends are reduced down and are carried by sockets and
nuts E E attached to the existing fork frames of the machine. The rollers B B Bu
I construct out of hollow or solid metal and I sometimes cover the metal with a
suitable composition

page_text: I cause one or both ends of my improved distributors to be screwed and to fit into
a suitably screwed socket or nut E, so that when the nut or socket E is held firmly in
position and the roller B is caused to revolve by the friction of the inking roller A,
then the distributing roller B will be caused to travel along and to screw itself into
and through the nut or socket E; the direction of travel which this distributor B will
take being determined by the direction of motion of the inking roller A.
Thus when the table with the type form travels down in one direction it will cause
the rollers A A' A" to revolve say from left to right; while when returning, it will
cause the same rollers to revolve in the opposite direction, namely, from right to left.
By this contrary motion imparted also to the distributors B B B they will be caused
to travel backwards and forwards over the whole surface of the roller or rollers with
which they may be in contact, and thereby they effectually distribute the ink upon
the rollers no matter in what direction the table may be moving..
In order to prevent violent shock and any jar upon the sudden reversal of the
motion of rollers B B B", I sometimes place a spring K upon the end ', and
sometimes upon both ends 6 and 6½ of the rollers. When attaching my nut or
socket E to the fork frame D, I provide for any irregularity in width of the openings,
and likewise ensure that the nut or socket shall fit between the forks without
possibility of moving or slipping, by employing a narrower socket than the actual
width of the fork requires; but I tighten the socket or nut up to the fork by means
of a screw F and nut f, the head G of the screw serving as a flange or head against
one side of the fork while the nut f engages the other side and thus causes the socket
to be clipped into its position.
When constructing a new machine I do not always provide open forks to receive
the nuts or socket ends E, but cause the frame to be made with bosses or suitable
brackets instead, which are screwed to receive the threaded surface of the ends of the
rollers. The end of the roller I protect and cover with a stop or washer H, while
on the other end I sometimes place a collar or nut L against which the spring K
can thrust.
an
When applying my improved arrangement of distributing to the inking rollers of
"Arab machine, I cause the roller A sometimes to ride between the two inking
rollers B B as shown in Figure 7 and Figure 8; Figure 8 being a sectional
diagramatic view taken upon the line y of Figure 7. The ends bb of the roller
I carry within socket plates M which I secure to the roller bearers or frame O by
means of the screw N, the plate M embracing the frame O by means of the turned
down end m. When constructing a new machine to which my improved distributor B
is to be fitted I prefer to provide a boss or screwed bracket into which the ends 6 of
the roller may be placed. Sometimes instead of employing nuts and brackets with
internal threads, I cause the roller B to have an internal thread or threads P as shown
in Fig. 10, and to work upon a fixed projecting spindle on end b Fig. 10, carried
by the plate M. When adopting this system I do not require to cause any great
length of the roller B to be screwed, but only a sufficient portion to receive the
projecting spindles ; this object too, I sometimes provide for by placing a bush
within the ends of the roller into which the screwed portion of the projecting
spindles may work.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is-
I. The construction of distributing rollers for distributing ink upon inking rollers,
or water upon rollers for lithographic printing, which distributing rollers are carried
on or between the inking and damping rollers by means of brackets and sockets
as and for the purposes hereinbefore described and substantially as set forth in the
accompanying drawings.
II. The construction of distributing inking or damping roller or rollers, having
ends screwed to receive or fit into corresponding screwed nuts or projecting screws
carried upon the framework of the printing or lithographic machine as and for the

page_text: purposes herein before described and substantially as set forth in the accompanying
drawings.
III. The construction of inking distributing rollers provided with clips and sockets
such as E and F G to fit within the forks and frames of ordinary printing machines,
or for similarly fitting into the frames of lithographic machines when such rollers
are used for damping as set forth.
IV. The construction of an ink distributing roller to run between two existing
rollers, and having ends such as M, and projecting spindles such as bas set forth
in the accompanying drawings Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10 inclusive.
1000
514
MARKS & CLERK,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for Applicant.