AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR COPYING LETTERS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS
Year: 1878

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Angelo Antonio Tremeschin at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th June 1878.
ANGELO ANTONIO TREMESCHIN, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster.
" AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR COPYING LETTERS AND OTHER
DOCUMENTS."
•
This Invention consists in an improved method of and apparatus for copying
letters and other documents in a very rapid, simple, and efficacious manner.
The apparatus is contained in a rectangular box, at the upper part of which is a
rectangular frame, which fits the interior thereof, such frame being hinged to one
end of the box, so as to be capable of being lifted or depressed without becoming
detached therefrom. A transverse bar is hinged below that end of the frame which
is attached to the box.
Catches or suitable contrivances are provided for holding the said end of the
frame and transverse bar firmly together.
The upper surface of the transverse bar has a strip of india-rubber or other
suitable clastic material attached thereto. A strip of india-rubber is also placed on
the under side of the frame, so as to close down at the side of the first-mentioned
strip, and thus hold one end of the paper.
On the upper part of the opposite end of the frame a transverse bar is hinged at
one end, so as to be capable of being raised, a suitable catch being attached to the
frame so as to hold the bar firmly in position when desired.
The said last-mentioned transverse bar has a strip of india-rubber attached to the
under surface thereof, a corresponding piece being attached to the transverse bar of
the frame, and when the hinged bar is closed down the strips of india-rubber are
side by side, and thus hold the opposite end of the paper.
Another portion of the apparatus consists of a flat rectangular tablet, a portion of
one side of which has inserted and fitted therein a piece of fine wire gauze, the
meshes of which are of exceedingly small diameter.
The said frame having been raised, the tablet is placed in the interior of the box
(supports being provided therefor) with the wire gauze uppermost, a sheet of tissue

page_text: paper prepared by preference, as herein-before described, and fixed in the frame,
being placed thereon, such paper being stretched and held by the pressure of the
respective strips of india-rubber or other elastic material.
The letter or other document of which it is desired to obtain copies is then
written on the said prepared paper by means of a style having an agate, metallic,
or other suitable point, the pressure of which on the meshes of the wire gauze
through the prepared paper causes the latter to be perforated thereby, and thus
produces the letters or words in a series of minute perforations.
The frame and prepared paper are then raised, and the tablet reversed, a piece of
blotting paper (by preference) placed thereon, and the prepared paper laid upon the
latter, which is then coated by means of a roller or other suitable appliance with
carbonaceous ink adapted for the purpose, as will be well understood.
The blotting paper having been removed, plain paper is placed beneath the per-
forated tissue paper, and pressure exerted thereon by means of the roller or other
inking appliance, when the ink will pass through the perforations, and a perfect
copy of the writing will be produced in a series of dots upon the plain paper.
The latter operation may be repeated as often as desired, and any requisite
number of copies of the original writing on the prepared tissue paper produced.
It should be mentioned that the box for holding the apparatus may be dispensed
with, and the other portions used without the same, as will be well understood.
It is preferred to prepare the tissue paper by means of a mixture of boiled cotton
seed oil, spirits of turpentine, and Canada balsain.