A Manifold Copying Apparatus and Process by Means of which Printed Matter, Wood Cuts and other Matter can be Repro- duced Direct from the Original
Year: 1884

page_text: A Manifold Copying Apparatus and Process by Means of which
Printed Matter, Wood Cuts, and other Matter can be Repro-
duced Direct from the Original
I, JOHN PETER MALVIN MILLARD of No 28 Southampton Buildings in the
county of Middlesex, Clerk do. hereby declare the nature of my Invention for
A MANIFOLD COPYING APPARATUS AND PROCESS BY MEANS OF WHICH PRINTED
MATTER, WOOD CUTS AND OTHER MATTER CAN BE REPRODUCED DIRECT FROM THE
ORIGINAL (a communication to me by Otto Steuer of Dresden, Saxony, German
Empire) and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
This invention relates to an improved manifold copying apparatus and to the
process combined with the same for reproducing printed matter, wood cuts, writing
and other matter direct from the original.
The object of the manifold copying apparatus or press as represented in the
accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side view and Figure 2 an
elevation, is, to overcome the difficulties hitherto experienced in reproducing
writings, drawings and other matters which required technical knowledge, skill
and experience, and to replace the said processes by a combined apparatus in such
manner that the said process can be effected in mechanical manner and thus place
the advantages of the lithographic process within the reach of the inexperienced
and enable the same to produce copies of like clearness by employing my improved
apparatus as can otherwise be attained by employing several processes whereby
technical skill is absolutely necessary.
The apparatus consists of the frame a in the centre of which two rollers are
arranged, one above the other in vertical supports or standards 6 of which said
rollers the lower roller c is a smooth wood or iron roller whilst the upper roller & is
provided with an elastic covering of india rubber or other suitable elastic material―
Both rollers are so arranged that they can be adjusted to each other; the bearing
of the roller c being adjustably arranged in the standards b by means of the angle
levere which is operated on by the screw g by means of which the vertical
adjustinent of the roller c is attained (Figure 1).

page_text: A third roller his arranged in front of the india rubber roller & which said
roller d is rotated by means of a crank k. The axis of this said third roller h is
arranged in such manner that the said roller can be adjusted horizontally.
A spring operates against the one end of the roller journal so as to press the
said roller continuously towards the crank side of the apparatus whereas the
discs attached at an incline to the crank shaft presses the protruding journal of
the roller towards the side where the spring fis arranged at every rotation of the
said crank so as to causo a continuous friction against the roller d in horizontal
direction Fig: 2. The object of this movement is to equably distribute the printing
ink over the surface of the roller d.
The roller is held in constant contact with the roller & by means of the
spring f¹ and is caused to rotate through the friction between the said roller k
and the roller d.
I furthermore employ a fourth roller which is provided with a covering of a
suitable fabric which said fabric is saturated with a chemical preparation in order
to prevent the printing ink adhering to the parts of the stono or metallic plato
which contain no matter to be reproduced.
At one end of the board i which carries the stone or metallic plate I attach a flat
sheet metal lid m, which acts as cover by means of suitable hinges.
The operation is carried out in the following manner-
The writing, drawing or other matter, which must be executed with autographic
ink, is laid on the stone or metallic plate in the board or table i, covered with the
metallic cover m and passed several times through the rollers c and d after which
the negative will be found transferred onto the stone or plate and the distribution
of the printing ink over the roller & simultaneously effected.
The inking of the negative is carried out when the board or table i is moved
back with open lid m.
Before the inking roller d comes in contact with the stone or plate the roller ?
passes over the same and communicates the protective preparation composed of
glycerine, water and tannic acid to the said stone or plate so that only those parts
of the same which are covered with the writing, drawing or other matter tako up
ink whereby the inking is effected in a perfectly equable manner by the automatic
inking roller d.
After the stone or plate has been moved back paper is applied to the surface of
the stone or plate in order to be printed, the lid m let down over the same and the
rollers cd which now act as pressure rollers put in operation by means of the
crank k.
In this case the roller is automatically put out of operation by means of the
device n attached to the journal of the roller whereby one of the projections to n
comes in contact with the lid or cover in and the other with the pin or projection t
so that the journals of the roller aro raised in the slot o.
As soon as the lid or cover m is removed the roller falls automatically and
comes in contact with the stone or plate.
If it is desired to place the roller entirely out of operation it is only necessary
to press the journals of the same into the lateral extension of the slot o.
In order to reproduce letter press printing, wood cuts and such like in my
apparatus direct from the original id est, without letters, blocks, etc it is only
necessary to thoroughly saturate the object in question with the abovenamed
protective preparation of glycerine, water and tannic acid wash well with water
and after drying provide the same with a certain kind of autographic ink.
The object to be copied is now laid on the stone or plate and after being
repeatedly submitted to pressure the negative is transferred to the stone.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1-A manifold copying apparatus in which, by employing a certain kind of ink
for producing the original, the printing ink is automatically distributed over the

page_text: inking roller d by means of the roller which is caused to move in the horizontal
plane by the inclined disc 8, the protective preparation composed of glycerine,
water and tannic acid is automatically communicated to the stone or plate by
means of the roller which said roller is automatically put out of operation by
the part n, the transfer of the negative onto the stone or plate and the pressure
required for printing (the latter with closed cover m) is effected by the rollers c d
of which the roller c can be adjusted in the vertical plane by means of the angle
or bell crank lever e and adjusting screw g substantially as described and shown in
the accompanying drawings.
"
2-The process of reproducing printed matter, wood cuts and other like printed
matter direct from the original by saturating the said original print in the pro-
tective preparation of glycerine, water and tannic acid and treating the same with
a special autograpliic ink so that the negative can be produced on the stone or plate
and the so treated matter be printed or reproduced in my said improved manifold
copying apparatus substantially as described and shown in the accompanying
drawings.