IMPROVEMENTS IN LETTER-PRESS AND OTHER RAISED-SURFACE PRINTING MACHINES
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Murdoch Napier, of York Road,
Lambeth, in the Comity of Surrey, Engineer, for the Invention"
of IMPROVEMENTS IN LETTER-PRESS AND OTHER RAISED-SURFACE
PRINTING MACHINES."
Sealed the 29th September 1858, and dated the 23rd July 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Murdoch
Napier at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with 'his
Petition, on the 23rd July 1858.
I, JAMES MURDOCH NAPIER, of York Road, Lambeth, in the County
of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LETTER-PRESS AND OTHER RAISED SURFACE
PRINTING MACHINES" to be as follows:-
My Invention applies to that class of printing machines termed
flat surface" or "platten," as distinguished from cylinder printing
machines, and usually employed for the better descriptions of printing:
The object of my Invention is to effect a more complete distribu-
tion of the ink. and a more equal and complete inking of the "form" (

page_text: be printed from, than has hitherto been obtained, and which is very
necessary to the production of "fine work."
The nature and object of my Invention will be better understood by re-
ferring, in the first place, to the modes of distributing the ink and inking
the form of type, woodcut, or other raised surfaces usually employed in
platten machines, where the table on which the form is placed, along
with the inking table attached to it, are made to travel under the dis-
tributing rollers and inking rollers after each impression, and return
to their position ready for the next impression, thus passing twice
under the rollers during the interval between each impression, the
inking table alone coming into contact with the distributing rollers,
but both the "form" and the inking table acting upon the inking
rollers, the inking table giving the ink to the inking rollers, and the
form receiving the ink from them.
In that mode, where the "form" remains in a fixed position under
the platten, the inking rollers travel to and fro over the "form" while it
remains at rest, and during the rising and falling of the platten the
"form" being inked by the rollers travelling over it; and it may be
stated that in connection with this mode of inking the "form" various
means of distributing the ink are employed, which it will not be neces-
sary to detail.
The main features of the two modes of inking just described are,-
First, motion is given to the "form," which passes under the station-
ary inking rollers, and is thus inked and prepared for printing on its
return under the platten.
Second, the "form" does not move, but motion is given to the inking
rollers, which passing over the "form" prepares it for printing.
According to my improvements the "form" passes from under the
platten, and is inked by the rollers, which are in position for the "form"
to pass under them, but which, as soon as the "form" has reached its
extreme outward travel, or before it has quite attained to that position,
are made to move in their turn over the "form," which remains for a
time in the position it has attained to admit of the changing of the sheet,
or, in the case of double machines, during the time which is required to
take an impression from the other form. The inking rollers, imme-

page_text: diately they have passed over the form, return over the form to their first
position, when the "form" will again move, and pass under the rollers
to its position under the platten ready for printing, having been four
times inked by the inking rollers.
The arrangement for inking above explained admits of a very com-
plete system of distribution of the ink, for which purpose the inking
table is connected to the table on which the form is placed, and moves
with it; the distributing rollers are carried by the frame which carries
the inking rollers, so that the distribution of the ink is effected by the
combined movements of the inking table and the distributing rollers.
The inking table at one time passes under the rollers, and when at
rest the rollers pass over the inking table. During the printing of a
sheet the frame which carries the inking and distributing rollers travels
out and in, but, instead of inking the "form" during this operation,
the rollers (both the distributing and inking rollers) run upon the
inking table; thus, the ink will be further distributed, and the inking
rollers covered with ink ready to transmit it to the form," which as
soon as the rollers have returned to their position passes under them.
The distributing rollers may be placed diagonally in the usual way, and
the common method of supplying ink from the ink duet by a messenger
roller direct to the inking table may be employed; or, if preferred, the
ink may be distributed, first, upon a cylinder by a travelling mouse
roller (as used in what are called the American inachines), and after-
wards delivered to the table for further distribution.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by tho said James Murdoch Napier in the Great Seal
Patent Office, on the 23rd January 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JAMES MURDOCH NAPIER, of York Road, Lambeth, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the seventeenth

page_text: year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said James Murdoch Napier, Her special licence
that I, the said James Murdoch Napier, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Murdoch Napier,
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 for
IMPROVEMENTS IN LETTER-PRESS AND OTHER RAISED SURFACE PRINTING
MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
James Murdoch Napier, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, 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 Patcut.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Murdoch Napier, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof (that is to say):
My Invention applies to that class of printing machines termed
"flat surface" or "platten," as distinguished from cylinder printing
machines, and usually employed for the better descriptions of printing.
The object of my Invention is to effect a more complete distribution of
the ink, and a more equal and complete inking of the form to be
printed from, than has hitherto been obtained, and which is very
necessary to the production of "fine work."
The nature and object of my Invention will be better understood by
referring, in the first place, to the modes of distributing the ink and
inking the form of type, woodcut, or other raised surfaces usually
employed in platten machines. Where the table on which the form
is placed, along with the inking table attached to it, are made to travel
under the distributing rollers and 'inking rollers after each impression,
and return to their position ready for the next impression, thus passing

page_text: twice under the rollers during the interval between each impression,
the inking table alone coming into contact with the distributing rollers,
but both the form and inking table acting upon the inking rollers,
the inking table giving the ink to the inking rollers, and the form
receiving the ink from them..
In that mode, where the "form" remains in a fixe position under
the platten, the inking rollers travel to and fro over the "form" while
it remains at rest, and during the rising and falling of the platten the
"form" being inked by the rollers travelling over it; and it may be
stated that in connection with this mode of inking the "form" various
means of distributing the ink are employed, which it will not be
necessary to detail.
-
The main features of the two modes of inking just described are,-
First, motion is given to the "form which passes under the sta-
tionary inking rollers, and is thus inked and prepared for printing on
its return under the platten.
Second, the form" does not move, but motion is given to the
inking rollers, which passing over the "form" prepares it for printing.
According to my improvements the "form" passes from under the
platten, and is inked by the rollers, which are in position for the form
to pass under them, but which, as soon as the form has reached its
extremic outward travel, or before it has quite attained to that position.
are made to move in their turn over the "form," which remains for a
Linic in the position it has attained to admit of the changing of the
sheet, or, in the case of double machines, during the time which is
required to take an impression from the other form. The inking rollers,
immediately they have passed over the form, return over the form to
their first position, when the "form" will again move, and pass under the
rollers to its position under the platten ready for printing, having been
four times inked by the inking rollers.
The arrangement for inking above explained admits of a very com-
plete system of distribution of the ink, for which purpose the inking
table connected to the table on which the form is placed, and moves
with it; the distributing rollers are carried by the frame which carries

page_text: the inking rollers, so that the distribution of the ink is effected by the
combined movements of the inking table and the distributing rollers.
The inking table at one tine passes under the rollers, and when at
rest the rollers pass over the inking table. During the printing of a
sheet the frame which carries the inking and distributing rollers travels
out and in, but, instead of inking the "form during this operation,
the rollers (both the distributing and inking rollers) run upon the
inking table; thus, the ink will be further distributed, and the inking
rollers covered with ink ready to transmit it to the "form," which as
soon as the rollers have returned to their position passes under them.
The distributing rollers may be placed diagonally in the usual way,
and the common method of supplying ink from the ink duct by a
messenger roller direct to the inking table may be employed; or, if
preferred, the ink may be distributed, first, upon a cylinder by a travel-
ling mouse roller (as used in what are called the American machines),
and afterwards delivered to the table for further distribution.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed to
describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1, is an elevation; Figure 2, a cross section of what is
termed a double platten machine combining my improvements; as both
ends of the machine are similar in arrangement, one end of the cleva-
tion is broken off for convenience in shewing both views on the same
sheet; the same letters indicate the same parts in both Figures; in my
description I shall confine myself to one end of the machine, which
will serve for both, except in cases where it is necessary to explain the
combined action.
The form A, passes from under the platten B, and is inked by the
rollers c, c, c, which are in position for the form to pass under them;
but as soon as the formn has reached its extreme outward travel, as is
the case with the form A', at the other end of the machine, or before
it has quite attained to that position, the rollers c, c, c, are made to
move in their turn over the form, which remains for a time in the

page_text: position it has attained to admit of changing the sheet in the case of
single machines, or, in the case of double machines, during the time
which is required to take an impression from the other form. The
inking rollers, immediately they have passed over the "form," return
over the "form" to their first position, when the "forni" will again
move and pass under the rollers to its position under the platten B,
ready for printing, having been four times inked by the inking
rollers c, c, c. The arrangement for inking above explained admits of
a very complete system of distribution of the ink, for which purpose
the inking table D, is connected to the table E, upon which the form
is placed, and moves with it; the distributing rollers a, a, «, are car-
ried by the frame F, which carries the inking rollers c. c, c, so that the
distribution of the ink is effected by the combined movements of the
inking table and the distributing rollers. The inking table at one
time passes under the rollers, and when at rest the rollers pass over the
inking table. During the printing of a sheet by the form A, the
frame F, which carries both the inking rollers c, c, c, and the distribu-
ting rollers a, a, a, travels out and in, but, instead of inking the form
during this operation, the rollers (both distributing and inking rollers)
run upon the inking table; thus, the ink is further distributed, and the
inking rollers covered with ink ready to transmit it to the "form,"
which as soon as the rollers have returned to their position passes
under them. The distributing rollers may be placed diagonally in the
usual manner (they are so shewn in the Drawing), and the common
method of supplying the ink from the ink duct G, direct to the inking
table D, by the messenger roller b, may be employed; or, if preferred,
the ink may be given from the messenger roller b, on to the distribu-
ting cylinder II, and distributed upon this cylinder by a small travel-
ling roller attached to the apparatus shewn at I; the use of the travel-
ling roller for distributing ink upon a cylinder is well known, the axis
of the roller being set to an angle with the axis of the cylinder, and
as the roller revolves by its contact with the cylinder, which is in
constant revolution, the roller travels along the cylinder with a speed
due to its angular position, and on arriving at the end of the cylinder,
coming in contact with a stop or tappet, the angle of the roller is re

page_text: .
versed; it consequently travels back, and thus continues distributing the
ink on the cylinder; if this apparatus be employed the other messenger
roller d, will be necessary to transmit the ink from the cylinder II, to
the inking table D, on which it is further distributed, as before described.
...It now remains for nie to describe the mechanical means by which I
:propose to carry out the combinations for improved inking and dis-
tribution of ink above referred to, without going into a general
lescription of the machine, which in all other respects is well known,.
except so far as is necessary to make the combination understood.
The motive power is transmitted through shaft J, by wheel and
*pinion to shaft K, at each end of which are cranks attached by con-
necting rods to platten B, which is thus made to rise and fall. The
bevil wheels L, transniit motion to shaft M, and to the worm barrel
upon it; a slide piece is attached to the type table in the usual way,
which enters the grooves on the worm barrel; thus is the go and come
motion given to the tables, the circular part at each end of the
inclined planes on the worm barrels suiting the "rest"
necessary for
the tables at the time of each impression; upon the shaft K, are two
grooved cams N, and N', in opposite positions at each end of the shaft
within the frames of the machine; upon the axis O, is fixed a lever P,
at the upper end of which is a roller or slide, which, as the cam N,
turns round, follows in the groove, and thus gives a vibrating motion
to two levers Q, Q, fixed on the same axis; these levers are attached
by connecting rods to the roller frame F, which therefore partakes of
their motion. It will be observed that a portion of the cam N, is
concentric; during the time, therefore, that the roller or slide on the
end of lever P, is in this part of the groove no movement will take
place, but the roller frame will remain quiet, which interval of rest
takes place exactly at those times when the form of matter A, passes
under the inking rollers both after printing and when returning under
the platten B, the times for rest given to the roller frame being coinci-
dent with the times of motion given by the inclined planes on the
worm barrel to the form of type, and "vice ""versa," the motion of the
roller frame during the resting time of the "form" is a complete "go"
and "come," that of the form of type during the rest of the roller frame

page_text: alternately a "go" and "come." The cam R, fixed on axis O, acts
upon a roller at the short end of the bell crank lever S; at the
other end of this lever a connecting rod communicates the necessary
actions of rising and falling to the messenger rollers b, and d, by
levers attached to the axes upon which they vibrate, and at the same
time to a ratchet which turns the roller of the ink duct. A revolving
motion may be communicated to the distributing cylinder H, by a band
from the pulley T, on the end of shaft J, and conducted to a pulley
on the end of the spindle of the distributing cylinder. The sheets
to be printed may be placed on the boards U. U, and fed to the
machine in the usual way.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no
claim to the mechanical parts separately, nor do I confine myself to
the precise details. But what I claim is, the combined action of the
"form" and the inking apparatus herein described.
Tu witness whereof, I, the said James Murdoch Napier, have
hercunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of
January, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-four.
Witness,
FRED HARRIS.
JAMES M. NAPIER. (L.S.)