IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MAKING AND COPYING DRAWINGS AND WRITINGS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Eugenio de Zuccato, of Padua, in Italy, and of
No. 34, Hunter Street, Brunswick Square, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Licentiate in Law, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR MAKING AND COPYING DRAWINGS AND WRITINGS.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Eugenio de Zuccato at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 27th October 1871.
I, EUGENIO DE ZUCCATO, of Padua, in Italy, and of No. 34, Hunter
Street, Brunswick Square, in the County of Middlesex, Licentiate in
Law, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MAKING AND COPYING DRAWINGS AND WRITINGS," to
be as follows:-
My Invention relates to a new mode of making and copying by the
agency of improved apparatus, such as herein-after described, any
drawing or writing of which copies are required to be reproduced.

page_text: The drawing, or writing, or figure, or mark, is drawn or written with
a style or point upon the coated surface of a metallic plate previously
coated on one side with a non-conducting substance, varnish, or paint
suitable for the purpose, such as resin or sealing wax dissolved in spirits
of winc. The plate which I employ is a compound one mado of steel
with a zinc border, but plates compounded of other suitable metals or
simple plates made of suitable metals may be used.
The style indents and removes portions of the varnish or paint, and
uncovers the metal where the lines of the drawing or writing are required
to be produced. The opposite side or surface of the metallic plate which
is free from varnish or paint is then, by means of any suitable mechanical
arrangement, connected with the positive pole of an electric or galvanic
battery. The coated side of the metallic plate upon which the lines of
the drawing or writing are traced is placed upon a sheet or sheets of
suitable paper which has been previously soaked with a solution of
prussiate of potash, muriatic or nitric acid, and gum arabic, in proper
proportions; for ordinary purposes about half a teaspoonful or eighteen
drachms of prussiate of potash, three or four drops of acid, and half an
ounce of gum arabic previously dissolved, mixed in two and a half
ounces of water may be employed. The paper employed may be the
unsized or sized, but if sized the sheets should be thin. The sheet or
sheets of paper soaked with the above solution is or are placed upon a
tin, zinc, or other suitable metallic plate, which serves as a supporting
or table plate, and is connected with the negative pole of an electric or
galvanic battery, so as to cause currents of electricity to pass through.
The coated metallic plate upon which the letter, drawing, figure, or mark
has been written or drawn, and the paper soaked with the proper
solution, and the metallic plate upon which the paper rests are then
placed and pressed in a suitably arranged pressing apparatus.
The apparatus which I employ is constructed like an ordinary copying
press, suitable means being provided for connecting the metallic plates
above mentioned respectively with the respective poles of a battery.
The coated metallic plate being connected with the positive, pole of the
battery, and the uncoated metallic plate. being connected with the
negative pole of the battery, the acid of the solution in which the copying
paper is soaked is thereby caused to attack the exposed parts of the
coated plate, and marks or lines corresponding to the drawing or
writing required to be copied are thereby marked or deposited upon the

page_text: copying paper. By forming the metallic plate used for receiving the
coat on which the drawing or writing is indented of two metals as above
described, the danger of the copies being produced with blurred or
marked or confused borders is obviated.
:
In carrying my Invention into effect if the coated plate upon which
the letter, drawing, or writing is indented be an iron or steel one the
colour of the copy will be blue, because the iron deposited upon the
paper soaked with the solution under the agency of electricity combines
with the prussiate of potash of the solution and forms a blue colour.
By varying the metal used for the metallic plates and the solution
employed other colours, as is well known to chemists, may be pro-
duced, and be imparted to the copies required in the manner above
described.
Where it is found more convenient the process may be slightly varied
in detail by placing the soaked paper upon the marked surface of the
coated plate, instead of placing the coated plate upon the paper, and
the non-coated plate is then placed upon the soaked copying paper, the
coated plate being connected with the positive pole, the non-coated
plate with the negative pole of the battery, and pressure being applied
as before described.
Although I have described the application of my Invention to the
case where a copying apparatus of the ordinary construction is used,
it is obvious that by employing suitable batteries in connexion with
suitable metallic plates in the manner above described my Invention
may be applied in cases where other descriptions of copying presses are
employed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Eugenio de Zuccato in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 25th April 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EUGENIO
DE ZUCCATO, of Padua, in Italy, and of No. 34, Hunter Street, Brunswick
Square, in the County of Middlesex, Licenciate in Law, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the

page_text: thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Eugenio de Zuccato, Her special licence
that I, the said Eugenio de Zuccato, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Eugenio de Zuccato, 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 thercin
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 for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR MAKING AND COPYING DRAWINGS AND WRITINGS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Eugenio de Zuccato, 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 Eugenio de Zuccato, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and a
by the following statement, that is to say :-
My Invention relates to a new mode of making and copying by the
agency of improved apparatus such as herein-after described any drawing
or writing of which copies are required to be reproduced..
The drawing, or writing, or figure, or mark of which a copy is desired a
is drawn or written with a style or point upon the coated surface of a
metallic plate previously coated on one side with a non-conducting sub-
stance, varnish, or paint suitable for the purpose, such as resin or sealing
wax dissolved in spirits of wine. The plate which I employ is a com-
pound one made of steel with a zinc border, but plates compounded of a
other suitable metals or simple plates made of suitable metals may be
used.
The style indents and removes portions of the varnish or paint and
uncovers the metal where the lines of the drawing or writing are required
to be produced. The opposite side or surface of the metallic plate which 3
is free from varnish or paint is then by means of any suitable mechanical
arrangement connected with the positive pole of an electric or galvanic
battery. The coated side of the metallic plate upon which the lines of

page_text: the drawing or writing are traced is placed upon a sheet or sheets of
suitable paper, which has been previously soaked with a solution of
prussiate of potash and muriatic or nitric acid and gum arabic in proper
proportions; for ordinary purposes about half a teaspoonful or 18 drachms
of prussiate of potash, three or four drops of acid, and half an ounce of
gum arabic previous dissolved, mixed in two and a half ounces of water
may be employed. The paper employed may be the unsized or sized, but
if sized the sheets should be thin. The sheet or sheets of paper soaked
with the above solution is or are placed upon a tin, zinc, or other suitable
metallic plate which serves as a supporting or table plate and is con-
nected with the negative pole of an electric or galvanic battery so as to
cause currents of electricity to pass through. The coated metallic
plate upon which the letter, drawing, figure, or mark has been written or
drawn and the paper soaked with the proper solution and the metallic
plate upon which the paper rests are then placed and pressed in a
suitably arranged pressing apparatus.
•
The apparatus which I employ is constructed like an ordinary copying
press, suitable means being provided for connecting the metallic plates
above mentioned respectively with the respective poles of an electric or
galvanic battery. The coated metallic plate being connected with the
positive pole of the battery, and the uncoated metallic plate being
connected with the negative pole of the battery, the acid of the solution
in which the copying paper is soaked is thereby caused to attack and
dissolve the exposed parts of the coated plate and thereby marks or lines
corresponding to the drawing or writing required to be copied are
marked or deposited upon the copying paper. By forming the metallic
plate used for receiving the coat on which the drawing or writing is
indented of two metals as above described, the danger of the copies
being produced with blurred or marked or confused borders is obviated.
In carrying my Invention into effect if the coated plate upon which
the letter, drawing, or writing is indented be an iron or steel one the
colour of the copy will be blue, because the iron deposited upon the
paper soaked with the solution under the agency of electricity combines
with the prussiate of potash of the solution and forms a blue colour.
By varying the metal used for the metallic plates and the solution
employed, other colours as is well known to chemists may be produced
and be imparted to the copies required in the manner above described.

page_text: Where it is found more convenient the process may be slightly
varied in detail by placing the soaked paper upon the marked surface
of the coated plate instead of placing the coated plate upon the paper,
and the non-coated plate is then placed upon the soaked copying paper,
the coated plate being connected with the positive pole, the non-coated
plate with the negative pole of the battery, and pressure being applied
as before described.
Although I have described the application of my Invention to the
case where a copying apparatus of the ordinary construction is used,
it is obvious that by employing suitable batteries in connexion with
suitable metallic plates in the manner above described my Invention
may be applied in cases where other descriptions of copying presses are
employed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Eugenio de Zuccato, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Twenty-fifth day of April, in the 1
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.