AN IMPROVED METHOD OF ENGRAVING, AND OF COPYING FIGURES, PATTERNS, AND OTHER DEVICES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Archibald Brooman, of 166, Fleet Street,
in the City of London, E.C., Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED METHOD OF ENGRAVING, AND OF COPYING FIGURES, PATTERNS,
AND OTHER DEVICES, "A communication.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Archibald
Brooman at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 23rd June 1857.
I, RICHARD ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, E.C., Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF ENGRAVING, AND OF COPYING FIGURES, PATTERNS,
AND OTHER DEVICES," (communicated to me by a foreigner residing abroad.), to
be as follows:-
This Invention is of certain improvements in machinery in connection with
the employment of electro-magnets for producing copies of designs, drawings,
or any pattern or device, or for regulating and bringing into action a graver,
by breaking and closing an electric circuit in accordance with some previously
prepared design.or figure, the passage of which under a "style" will effect
the breaking and closing of said electric circuit, and thereby bring into action
the graver situated at a distance, but moving in a regulated manner, and

page_text: :
governed by the action of the style, whereby movement will be imparted to
said graver at the moment of the breaking and closing of the circuit.
The simplest form of this Invention, and whereby the general view may be
had of its scope and design, consists in having two metal plates, one of which
is a conductor of electricity, and which plates are placed at a short distance
apart, each moving in guide frames lying parallel to each other. These
plates are connected by-a lever, so that a movement of one plate would
transmit a similar movement to the other along these guides. One of the
plates will have the pattern upon it which is to be copied, and the other is the
plate intended to be engraved according to said pattern. If the design is to
be on a reduced scale, then this latter plate will be moved by a link placed near
to the fulcrum of the lever, its movements in its guides being reduced accord-
ingly; and, vice versâ, if enlarged, its link will be arranged to work from the
long end of the lever. Centrally placed over the paths of these plates are
two other guide rails striding the other guides at right angles; that over the
pattern plate, has a slide into which is affixed a pointed style placed vertically,
its point resting, upon the pattern plate beneath. Upon the guide over the
other plate is affixed also a slide, upon which is a helix, with magnets and an
armature placed properly for being actuated in the usual manner of electro-
magnets. The armature has affixed to it a graving tool standing vertically,
having its cutting edge, when the armature is not in contact with its magnet,
just above the surface of the plate to be engraved. The slide having the style
in it, and this slide with the magnetic armature, &c., are also connected together
by a lever, so that the movement of one will produce like movement in the
other, or with the proportional differences of motion if arranged for enlarging or
diminishing as before stated for the plates. A galvanic battery is now put in
connection, in such way that one pole thereof will be connected to the pattern
plate, and the other pole to the style over that plate, so that whenever the
style touches the pattern plate the circuit will be closed, and when passing
over any non-conducting substance on it will be broken. The effect of this
upon the graver is to produce a.like action, the closing of the circuit bringing
the armature upon the magnet which brings the graver upon the plate. Now,
if while the circuit is closed the pattern plate be moved a certain distance,
then will a line be engraved upon the other in accordance with the extent of
its movement. By drawing a device upon the pattern plate in some non-
conducting material, as varnish, a copy may be engraved by moving the plates
and style in the following order: First, bring the style to one side of the
pattern plate, the graver will also be thereby transferred to one side of its
plate. The style is then allowed to come into contact with its plate, when the

page_text: circuit will be immediately closed, and the graver will also be brought to press
upon its plate; the pattern plate now being drawn along a straight line will
continue to be engraved until the style, strikes a place varnished, when the
circuit will be broken, and the graver be lifted off its plate during the passage
over the varnished surface. On leaying that the circuit will again be closed,
and the graving go on again, this interruption taking place as often as a.
portion of the pattern is intercepted during the passing of the plate under the
style. The style is to be lifted up, and the pattern plate returned to its first
position, then the style moved the distance across for the next line, and the
operation repeated. Thus the whole plate will be gone over in parallel lines,
and the graver in like parallel lines, except, when the circuit has been broken
by the figure which will accordingly have been engraved in fac-simile, if the
movements of the two plates have been alike, or will be enlarged or diminished
if actuated as already noted.
. Instead. of operating the graver directly by the armature and magnet, I
propose various modifications in which this may be accomplished by the
armature setting in operation some suitable machinery, according to the break-
ing and closing of the circuits by the pattern. Its use may also be extended.
to carving, weaving, &c., &c...
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Archibald Brooman in the 'Great Seal Patent:
Office on 'the 22nd December 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD.
ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, E.C., Patent
Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Richard Archibald Brooman, Her special licence that I, the said Richard
Archibald Brooman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great.
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention

page_text: for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF ENGRAVING, AND OF COPYING FIGURES, PATTERNS,
AND OTHER DEVICES," (a communication from a foreigner residing abroad,) upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same,
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
This Invention is of certain improvements in machinery in connection with
the employment of electro-magnets for producing copies of designs, drawings,
or any pattern or device, or for regulating and bringing into action a graver
by breaking and closing an electric circuit in accordance with some previously
prepared design or figure, the passage of which under a "style" will effect the
breaking and closing of said electric circuit, and thereby bring into action the
graver situated at a distance, but moving in a regulated manner and governed
by the action of the style, whereby movements will be imparted to said graver
at the moment of the breaking and closing of the circuit. The simplest form
of this Invention, whereby the general view may be had of its scope and
design, is represented in the annexed Drawing, and consists in having two
metal plates a and b, one of which a, is a conductor of electricity, and which
plates are placed at a short distance apart, each plate moving in guide frames
a', and b', lying parallel to those of the other. These plates are connected by a
lever c, so that a movement of one plate would transmit a similar movement
to the other along these guides. One of these plates, as a, will have the
pattern upon it which is to be copied, and the other b, is the plate intended to
be engraved according to said pattern. If the design is to be on a reduced
scale then this latter plate will be moved by a link d, placed near to the
fulcrum of the lever, its movements in its guides being reduced accordingly;
and vice versa, if enlarged, its link will be arranged to work from the long end
of the lever. Centrally placed over the paths of each of these plates are two
other sets of guide rails e and f, striding the first-named guides at right angles.
That at e, over the pattern plate has a slide into which is fixed a pointed
style, placed vertically, its point resting upon the pattern plate beneath.

page_text: Upon the guide over the other plate is affixed also a slide f, upon which is
a helix g, with magnets, and an armature h, placed properly for being actuated
in the usual manner of electro-magnets. The armature has affixed to it a
graving tool k, standing vertically, having its cutting edge, when the armature
is not in contact with its magnet, just above the surface of the plate to be
engraved. The slide e¹ having the style i in it, and the slide f' with the
magnetic armature, &c., are also connected together by a lever 1, so that the
movement of one will produce like movement in the other, or with the pro-
portional differences of motions if arranged for enlarging or diminishing, as
before stated for the plates. A galvanic battery is now put in connection, in
such way that one pole thereof will be connected to the pattern plate, and the
other pole to the style over that plate, so that whenever the style touches the
pattern plate the circuit will be broken, and when passing over any conducting
substance on it will be closed. The effect of this upon the graver is to
produce a like action, the closing of the circuit bringing the armature h upon
the magnet, which brings the graver k upon the plate b. Now, if while the
circuit is closed the pattern plate a, be moved a certain distance, then will a
line be engraved upon the plate b, in accordance with the extent of its move-
ment. By coating the pattern plate with some nonconducting material, as
varnish, and drawing thereon down to the metal any device, a copy may be
engraved by moving the plates and style in the following order: -
First, bring the style i to one side of the pattern plate, the graver k will
also thereby be transferred to one side of its plate. When the style, as the
plate is being moved, comes into contact with it, the circuit will be imme-
diately closed, and the graver will also be brought to press upon its plate.
The pattern plate now being drawn along a straight line will be engraved
upon the plate b, until the style on a strikes a place varnished, when the
circuit will be broken, and the graver will be lifted off its plate during the
passage over the varnished surface. On leaving that, the circuit will again be
closed, and the graving go on again; this interruption taking place as often
as a portion of the pattern plate is intercepted during the passing of that
plate under the style. The style is to be lifted up and the pattern plate
returned to the first position, then the style moved the distance across for a
next line, and the operation repeated. Thus the whole plate will be gone
over in parallel lines, and the plate bin like parallel lines, whereby, in those
places in which the circuit has been broken by the figures, this plate will
accordingly have been engraved in fac-simile, if the movements of the two
plates have been alike, or will be enlarged or diminished if actuated as
already stated.

page_text: Instead of operating the graver directly by the armature and magnet, the
Inventor proposes various modifications, in which this may be accomplished.
by the armature setting in operation some suitable machinery according to the
breaking and closing of the circuits by the pattern. Its use may also be
extended to carving, weaving, &c.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim the method of
employing electro-magnetism in the production of copies of drawings, patterns,
or designs, substantially as set forth herein..
In witness whereof, I, the said' Richard Archibald Brooman, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of December, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
R. A. BROOMAN. (L.S.)