Improvements in Platen Printing Machines for "ing,, or, and.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Sept., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 23rd June, 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 10th Aug., 1888
Improvements in Platen Printing Machines for "Taking off" the
Paper, Cards, or other Material being Printed from the Platen,
and Delivering the same on to the Table in Front of the Operator
and with its Printed Side Uppermost.
ALFRED MORFITT Engineer Hockley Mill and CHARLES BUTTERFIELD Mechanic,
62 Woodhouse Street, both of the Town and County of Nottingham do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
A novel arrangement and combination of Machinery of which the Improvement
applies to machines of the "Empress " "class and such as have oscillating Platens
and consists, Of one or more arms turning with, and on the same axes as the
platen, the lower ends of these arms carry axles carrying vibrating levers, to the
uppermost ends of which is fixed a bar carrying the Grippers and rod for operating
the same, and lifters for lifting the material being printed so as to allow the Grippers
to seize it. The Grippers are opened by means of a lever fixed at the end of said
rod coming in contact with a tumbler cam fixed to the foot of one of the first
mentioned arms, or the platen, and are closed again by a spring attached to the
Gripper rod and bar. In delivering the printed matter on to the table which is
placed at a suitable distance, the Grippers are opened by a stationary cam fixed to it,
or to the frame of machine, and closed by the spring above mentioned. The lower
end of one of the vibrating levers, carries a truck or bowl which bears against the
periphery of the Plain Wheel of the machine whose centre is behind the centre of
the axis of the platen, and is caused to press against it by means of a spring.
The lower end of the said vibrating lever also carries a cam which is acted upon by
an adjustable truck carried by one of the connecting links of the machine at such
a time when the Typebed of machine shall have moved away from the platen a short
distance after the impression has been taken to allow the Grippers to pass between
the platen & Typebed in the manner described below, as to cause the vibrating lever
and the bar with the Grippers attached to advance to take hold of the material
printed.
A rod having an adjustable screw is fixed to the moveable platen stops of the
machine, giving a movement to the ordinary Friskets at the right moment so that
they shall hold the sheet to be printed untill the impression is taken when the stops

page_text: are knocked out in the usual way, and with them the rod and screw.
A spring
fixed to the Frisket bar now pushes against the rod and releases the printed sheet
and allows it to be brought away by the Grippers. In delivering the sheets of
printed matter, at the same time as the Grippers are open, the sheet comes in
contact with stops which arrest it in its motion the Grippers continuing their outward
movement clear of the sheet allow it to fall on the table directly in front of the
operator with its printed side uppermost.
In applying our invention to machines with Platens having the centre of their axis of
vibration below the centre of Platen a modefied arrangement is necessary in so far as
the utilizing of the parts of the machine as above nained are conserned, and which is
described below.
The mode of operation of our invention is as follows. Having placed a sheet to be
printed upon the platen, and put the machine in motion, The frame to which the
platen is attached turns upon its axes, and, as it is brought into the position in
which the sheet receives the impression the platen moveable stops come into their
position in the usual way and lock the frame to which the platen is attached, the
rod and adjustable screw being fixed to the moveable platen stops, has imparted to
it a movement which causes the adjustable screw to push the frisket bar so as to
bring the Friskets close on to the material being printed and hold it until the
impression has been taken. At the same time as the platen has been brought to its
position, the arms, which carry the vibrating levers, Gripper bar, Grippers, rod, and
lever and lifters, being fixed to and moving round the same axis as the Platen, are
lifted upwards and forwards in the arc of a circle. At the same time the cam carried
by the lower end of the vibrating lever bearing against the periphery of the Plain
Wheel, the forward movement of the axle of the vibrating lever in the are of a circle
whose centre is the same as the axle of the platen frame, and in advance of the centre
of the axle of the plain wheel, thereby causes the upper end of it to move downwards
bringing the Grippers and lifters close up to the edge of the platen where they remain
until the impression has been taken, and the Typebed has receeded a short distance
from the platen, when the rod with adjustable screw before, mentioned is moved
forwards by the platen stops being knocked out in the usual way. A spring pressing
on the adjustable screw rod, & fixed to the Frisket bar, causes the Friskets to release
the printed matter. Now when the connecting links of the machine which give an
oscillating motion to the Typebed have passed their outward centre and are going
forward to move the Typebed away from the platen, which movement is performed by
the axles in the plain wheel and cam wheel in the ordinary manner, the adjustable
truck which is carried by one of these links is brought to bear against the cam
fixed at the lower end of vibrating lever pushing it forward and causing the other
end to which the Gripper bar and lifters are fixed, to move downwards between the
platen and Typebed, at the same time the lever on the end of Gripper rod coming in
contact with the tumbler cam open the grippers so that the sheet which has been
raised by the lifters fixed to and in advance of the lower blade of Grippers enters
between the Grippers. The vibrating lever continuing its movement a little further,
the Gripper bar lever slips over the end of tumbler cam and causes the Grippers
to close on the sheet. The platen now moves backwards and outwards carring with
it the arms, levers Grippers bar & rod, lever, lifters and printed sheet, into its former
position as at the cominencement of the operation to receive a new sheet, just before
they have however obtained this position the Gripper lever comes in contact with a
fixed cam causing them to be opened and the sheet liberated, and the sheet coming in
contact, with the stops which are also fixed to the table, stops its further movement.
The vibrating levers and Grippers moving a short distance more outwards come clear
of the paper and allow it to drop on to the table.
11 011 1
L1007

page_text: Improvements in Platen Printing Machines for "Taking off" the
Paper, Cards, or other Material being Printed from the Platen,
and Delivering the same on to the Table in Front of the Operator
and with its Printed Side Uppermost.
We, ALFRED MORFITT, of Hockley Mill, engineer, and CHARLES Butterfield, of
62 Woodhouse Street, mechanic, both of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, 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 our invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in platen
printing machines; and which invention has for its object to facilitate the taking off
of the paper, cards or other sheets being printed and to deliver said sheets with
their printed sides uppermost upon the table in front of the operator.
We now proceed to describe my said invention, reference being had to the
accompanying drawings and the figures and letters of reference marked thereon ;
similar letters indicating like parts throughout.
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of a platen printing machine shewing the manner
in which our invention is applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a detached elevation of our
invention, seperate from the other well known parts of the machine, and Fig. 3 is a
plan of same. Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views of portions of the platen, shewing the
tumber cam and connections carrying the oscillating levers, only one of which is
shewn. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the lifter bar and the mechanism appertaining
thereto. Figs. 7, 8, and 9 are detail views of the lifters, brackets and fingers.
Fig. 10, is a side elevation of a platen printing machine shewing a modified form of
our invention applied thereto. Fig. 11 is a detached elevation of our invention in its
modified form and Fig. 12 is a part front elevation of same. Fig. 13 is a part side
elevation of a platen printing inachine shewing a modification in our invention as
shewn in Fig. 10. Figs. 14 and 15 are detail plan views of the lifter bar and
mechanism appertaining thereto. Fig. 16 is an end elevation of Fig. 15.
In the drawings, we have shewn only such parts of a platen printing machine as
will enable us to describe and illustrate our invention, and in what manner the same
is operated.
A, represents one of the arms attached to the platen B by means of the stud b and
clip . Firmly attached to an axle protruding at the extremity of the arm A, is a
lever C which carries at its upper end the lifter bar D. Hinged or pivoted to the
lifter bar D at d is the rod d' and lever d², the lever d² carrying an axle and truck d³,
said lever d² being acted upon by a spiral spring d which keeps it in its normal
position. Suitably attached to the lifter-bar D and the hinged or pivoted rod d' are
the fingers d and brackets do, to which are hinged or pivoted at d the lifters ds.
Fixed to the platen B is a frame E, which is adapted to be moved up or down a slot
in the platen for adjustment, and in which frame E is pivoted a tumbler came which

page_text: is formed with a projection e¹ to prevent it turning when the truck d³ passes over a
projection. The truck d³ runs up from the angular portion of e which causes the
fingers d to be opened, and said truck d³ having passed this projection, the spring d
presses the lever down and said fingers are thereby closed. Said truck d³ in its
return movement passes under the projection e and the tumbler cam is turned over on
its axis, so that said truck may pass it without giving motion to the lever; said
tumbler cam then turns back into its normal position by reason of the weight
of the projection e. The lower end of the lever C has a truck e mounted upon an
axle, and which truck is kept in close contact with the plain wheel F, by the spring c¹
coiled around the axle a and having one extremity bearing against a stud or pro-
jection a¹ in the arm A, and its other extremity bearing against the lever C as shewn
at c². Said lever C also carries a cam which is pushed outwards by the adjustable
truck mounted in the connecting link G. Suitably attached to the platen stop HL is
a rod h, having at one extremity an adjustable screw and nut for operating the
friskets I. A spring fixed to the frisket har i releases the friskets when the
stop H is knocked out. The table J is provided with stops or guides for the purpose
of guiding the printed sheets. A shield in combination with a cam is also attached
to the table J or the frame of the machine. The cam serves to raise the lever d
when the lever C is in its backward position, thus opening the fingers and releasing
the printed sheets at the proper time.
A modified form of our invention is necessary when it is to be applied to certain
platen printing machines which have the axis of vibration of the platen, below the
centre of said platen; said modification may be described as follows; reference
being had to figs. 9 to 16 of the drawings.
K represents a lever mounted at one end upon a shaft & and having at its other end
a truck which is adjustable in the slot K. The shaft k has formed upon its
circumference a flat surface which is adapted to receive the bridge which, by
means of the set screw serves to hold the lever L securely to the shaft k. Coiled
around a boss situate at the lower end of the lever L is a spring 1 one end of which
bears against a projection and the other end bears against a bracket which carries
the aforedescribed imechanism. The spring has a constant tendency to keep the lever
in its outward or backward position against the stop 13, and it also serves to keep the
truck K against the periphery of the cam M, or, (as shewn in an alternative form
Fig. 13.) the truck K mounted at the end of the lever L', against the adjustable cam gl
carried by the connecting link G. Said cams M and glimpart an oscillating to and
fro movement to the levers K, L, and levers L, L. At the upper end of the lever L,
is suitably hinged at m the lifter bar M' which is pressed upward against a stop 1 on
lever L by the spring M², one end of which presses against a small projection on
lever at and the other end against the lifter bar MT. Suitably attached to the
lifter bar M', is the lever m', at one end of which is mounted the truck m², which,
when brought into contact with the cam B¹, carried by the platen B, causes the lifter
bar M to be pressed downward. Hinged to centres or bearings m³ upon the lifter
bar M is a rod M³ and lever m having tail-piece at one end, and at its other
extremity a truck M. The hinged rod M³ carries the fingers, d' above referred to,
and suitably attached to the lifter bar, are the brackets de to which are hinged or
pivoted at d the lifters d having projections at their inner ends, which are acted
upon by the spring d³. The fingers on the hinged rod M³ in their normal position
lie between the lifter hinges d' and press upon the lifters d by the tension of the
spring M², one end of which bears against the lifter bar, M, and the other end against
the lever m. Pivoted in a frame E upon the platen B, is the tumbler cam e afore
described.
a
The operation of our said invention is as follows:-
The movement of the oscillating lever L to remove a printed sheet is in the opposite
direction to the platen, and is so timed that the truck m² shall pass under the cam B¹
when the platen has nearly completed its backward motion after the impression has
been taken, and as the lifter bar M descends to take the sheet, (said lifter bar being
moveable on the centres m), the fingers and lifters are adjusted to the varying angles

page_text: of the platen B by the cam B1, which presses the lifter bar M' in the opposite direction
to the tension of the spring and the lifters are thereby guided to the paper to be
picked up.
As the lifter bar descends, the truck M upon the lever m¹ passes over the
projection e² of the tumbler cam e, thus causing the fingers to be opened, and the
lifters being freed fall upon the platen B or blanket to which they are kept in close
contact by the spring d. By a still further downward movement of the lifter bar M',
said lifters d are carried under the printed sheet and lift it between themselves and
the fingers d. At this time, the truck M falls over the end of the projection e² of
the tumbler came and the fingers closing upon the lifters d³, push their inner
projections downwards, thereby causing the points of the lifters to pick up the printed
sheet from the platen. The fingers and the lifters now simultaneously close
upon it, and the lever L moves backwards to take the sheet from the platen: the
truck M going under the projection turns the tumbler cam e, over and passes on
without giving motion to the lever m': The tumbler cam e then falls into it's normal
position. When the tail piece of the lever m comes into contact with the shield 1,
the fingers and lifters are simultaneously opened and the paper is released. The
lifters turn upon their axis and the projections upon their inner ends move upward
by the pressure of the spring and the printed sheet is delivered and guided onto
the table J at the same time as the lever L is completing its outward movement. The
stop prevents the lever I from being carried too far back by the spring l.
Our taking off mechanism is capable of being wholly thrown out of gear, for
convenience in "making ready," and is moreover adjustable so as to take the sheets
from various positions of the platen in the direction of its depth, and which adjust-
ment may be effected in any one of the following ways:-by moveing the truck K'in
the slot K² of the lever K; by moving the came in its slot, or by moving the cam gl
in the socket at the end of the connecting link G. By releasing the set screw k³ or
by moving the projection on the clip in the bridge 2, the taking off mechanism may
be thrown out of use altogether and the lifters remain stationary under the shield
and the machine may be used in the usual way without them.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1) In a platen printing machine, the combination, of the arm C, of the cam ca
carried by the arm C, said cam being adapted to engage with the truck g, of the
truck c made to bear against the plain wheel F, and of the axle a all substantially as
and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.
2) In a platen printing machine, the combination, of the lever C, secured upon the
axle a, of the spring c¹ one end of which bears against the projection a' and the other
end against the lever C, of the lifter bar D secured to the lever C, of the rod d¹ and
lever hinged to said lifter bar D, of the truck d³ mounted upon the lever d³, of the
spring acting upon said lever d², of the brackets attached to the lifter bar D, of
the fingers d' attached to the hinged rod d¹ and of the lifters d hinged in said
brackets, all substantially as and for the purposes herein before set forth.
3) In a platen printing machine, the combination, of the platen B with the frame E
adjustable in a slot in said platen, and of the tumbler came hinged in said frame E,
all substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.
4) In a platen printing machine, the combination, with the platen stop H, of the
bar h attached thereto, of the adjustable screw and nut in the end of said bar, and of
the spring attached to the frisket bar i and adapted to release the friskets when said
bar h is pushed outwards, all substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set
forth.
5) In a platen printing machine, the combination, of the connecting rod G with
the truck g adjustable in the slot in the end of said connecting rod G, and adapted to
engage with the cam c³, all substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set
forth.

page_text: 6) In a platen printing machine, the combination, with the "taking off" mechanism,
of the cam, the shield, and the guides j, all substantially as and for the purposes
herein before set forth.
7) In a platen printing machine, the combination, of the lever K mounted at one
end upon the shaft k, and having at its other end the truck K' adjustable in the
slot K³, said truck K¹ adapted to engage with the cam M, of the shaft & having a flat
surface k, of the bridge ², the lever I secured to said shaft k by means of the bridge
or clip, of the spring l, one end of which bears against the projection and the
bracket 2 and of said bracket 12 all substantially as and for the purposes herein before
set forth.
8) In a platen printing machine, the combination, of the lever L mounted upon
the shaft k, of the truck K¹ mounted in the end of the lever L' and adapted to engage
with the cam g', of the cam g' adapted to engage with the truck K' and adjustable in
the end of the connecting link G, all substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore
set forth.
9) In a platen printing machine, the combination, of the lever L, having a stop 14,
of the lifter bar hinged to the lever L, of the spring M2, adapted to press upward
against the bar M³, of the lever attached to the lifter bar M and carrying a
truck m², of the rod M³ and lever m hinged to said lifter bar M, said lever m* having
a tail piece, of the truck M at the end of said lever M, of the fingers d³ carried by
the hinged rod M³, of the brackets & attached to the lifter bar M³, of the lifters ³
hinged in said brackets, of the spring d'acting upon said lifters d³, all substantially as
and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.
Dated this 23rd day of June 1888