Improvements in Platen Printing Machines.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 27th May, 1886.
Complete Left, 28th Feb., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 10th May, 1887.
RESERV
IRUVIDIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Platen Printing Machines.
We CHARLES BUTTERFIELD of 62 Woodhouse Street, Mechanic and HENRY
SMITH CROPPER of Minerva Works, Engineer, both in the Town and County of
the Town of Nottingham do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The invention relates to improvements in the taking off apparatus of platen printing
machines. The said taking off apparatus comprises the following principal parts:
A drag-crank attached to the axle of the cam wheel, a gripper for taking the
printed sheet from the platen to the table, which gripper is hung at the back of the
type-bed; and is operated by the drag crank, by means of a lever and link, a frisket
bar suspended from the top of a frame carried by the platen and attached to the
standard by a link at its lower end, a spring acting as a cam, for giving a motion to
the gripper to keep the sheet off the type, and the lifter for raising the printed sheet
from the tympan, so as to allow the gripper to seize it.
After the sheet is laid on the platen the latter turns over towards the type-bed the
frisket closes to within about an eighth of an inch of the sheet, and by means of a
lever attached to the frisket-bar, which is acted upon by a cam which for convenience
is attached to the inner face of the cam-wheel, the frisket is made to hold the sheet
securely until the impression is given and the type-bed has receded, when the frisket
releases the printed sheet.
About the same time another cam, also for convenience attached to the inner face
of the cam-wheel acts upon the paper lifter and raises the bottom edge of the sheet, so
as to enable the gripper to seize it.
Owing to the drag-crank passing the centre later than the axle on the cam-wheel
the type-bed commences its backward movement while the gripper is completing its
forward motion.
The combined movements of the drag-crank and type bed give the gripper an
accelerated upward movement at the required moment, when it siezes the sheet before
the platen starts on its return motion,

page_text: As the gripper completes its forward motion it is operated by two cams, one of
which is attached to each standard. One cam opens the gripper and the other (called
the spring cam) acts on a lever fastened to the axis of the gripper, and gives the
whole of the gripper, which is now open, a slight rotatory movement towards the
type.
The gripper then siezes the bottom edge of the paper, the type-bed having receded
about a quarter of an inch from the printed sheet, and the platen commences its
upward movement.
At this time the type-bed and the drag-crank are both taking the gripper in the
same direction and their motions are such that the gripper-frame has very little
movement of its own on its axis.
The receding of the type bed, removes the gripper lever from its cam, which causes
the gripper to close, and the sheet is securely gripped and taken away by it.
About the same time the lever worked by the spring cam is released, and the
gripper performs a partial revolution on its axis, returning to its normal position in
its frame.
This partial revolution of the gripper carries the printed sheet with it; and keeps it
off the face of the type.
The drag-crank now gives motion to the gripper frame on its axis, which continues
until the type-bed has started on its forward motion.
When the gripper with the printed sheet reaches the end of its backward movement
the gripper lever is acted upon by a cam fixed to the type bed which opens the
gripper, and releases the printed sheet which falls upon a table fixed in a suitable
position.
CHARLES BUTTERFIELD.
HENRY SMITH CROPPER.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings,
Agents.

page_text: We, CHARLES BUTTERFIELD of 62 Woodhouse Street, Mechanic, and HENRY
SMITH CROPPER of Minerva Works, Engineer, both in the town and county of the
town of Nottingham, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
The invention relates to improvements in the taking off apparatus of platen printing
machines and is more especially applicable to that class of platen printing machine
which is known as the "Minerva " or the "Cropper."
The invention is represented in the accompanying drawings in the various figures.
of which like parts are marked with similar letters of reference.
Figure 1 is a side view of parts of a platen printing machine representing our
invention applied thereto. Figure 2 shows the parts of our taking-off apparatus
separate from the other parts of the printing machine. Figure 3 represents the
frisket bar and frisket and some parts connected therewith. Figure 4 represents a
face view of the gripper. Figure 5 represents an end view of parts thereof. Figure 6
represents a side view of a lever which acts in connection with the "gripper."
Figures 7, 8 and 9 represent the lifter. Figures 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 are various
views showing some of the parts more clearly than in the other figures and figure 15
represents the platen, frisket and lifter in the position they would occupy when
receiving a plank sheet.
a represents one of the frames or standards of the machine, A the crank or driving
shaft, the oscillating platen, c the type bed frame which is carried by an axis c
mounted in the lower part of the standards a; the type bed is moved to and from the
platen by links or connecting rods d attached at one end to studs c² and at the other
end to crank pins e fixed in the sides of the rotary dises or wheels e.
We have not thought it necessary to show the means for giving motion to and for
locking the platen nor have we shown the inking apparatus and some other of the
well known parts of the machine as such form no part of our present invention, but
we have shown such parts of the machine as will enable us to describe the application
of our present invention thereto.
fis a drag crank attached rigidly to the cam disc or wheel e by means of the crank
pin e; this crank is connected by a link or connecting rod f1 to a crank g' fixed on
the shaft or axis g which is mounted in bearings c at the back of the type bed
frame c; by these means in the motion of the cam wheel e and of the type bed
frame e an oscillating or rocking motion is given to the shaft or axis g to the extent

page_text: and at the times required to give the necessary motions to the gripper G which is
carried by the arms fixed to said shaft or axis g.
The gripper G is constructed in the following manner. The arms carry at their
inner ends a shaft or axis g³ on which the jaws are fixed the other or counteracting
jaw being carried by arms g, g mounted loosely on the shaft or axis g³, a spring g
acts upon the shaft g with a constant tendency to close the jaws g against the
jaw g
In the boss or bearing g²x of one of the arms 2 is mounted the stud or axis of a
lever g the upper end of which has a pin or stud 10 projecting therefrom which
enters a loop or eye g¹² fixed to the jaw and such lever also carries a truck or
roller which acts in combination with a cam lever mounted at its lower end.on
an axis of motion ¹ fixed to one of the standards a; this cam lever is acted upon
by a spring and is limited in its backward motion by a stop fixed to one of the
standards a whilst it is kept in correct relative position with the said lever g' so as to
secure its correct action thereon by means of a projection or stop carried by such
cam lever bearing against the type bed frame e as it advances to the position shown
in figure 1.
A spring g is connected at one end to the lever and at the other end to the axis
of the lever g in order to give the tail end gx of the lever g' a constant tendency to
bear against the arm except when the lever is acted upon by the spring cam h
to give a slight rotation to the gripper after which said spring acts to return the
gripper to its normal position.
i is a frisket bar carrying the frisket arms i*, this bar i.is mounted in bearings at
the top of a frame connected by centres or axes at 1 to the platen b, an extension j
from such frame is attached to one of the standards or frames a at its lower end by a
link to the axis of the frisket bar i is fixed a lever having at its lower end a stud
or projection which acts in combination with a cam attached to the inner face of
the cam wheel e for the purpose hereinafter described.
k. k. are lifter plates which are attached to a frame k', the upper end of which is
mounted on centres carried by the platen, such lifter frame is formed, with a stud
or projection which is acted upon by a cam in such manner as to cause the lifter
to raise the bottom edge of the printed sheet from the platen above the fixed stops
so as to enable the gripper G to seize it.
I is a table or board mounted on pins or studs carried by the frame a in suitable
position to receive the printed sheets as they are delivered thereto by the gripper, said
table is also supported by resting on the bracket a' and it is raised and lowered at its
outer end at the times required by the bar et acting on the cam piece so as to enable
the upper ends of the stops to escape the shaft g3 and to pass into the openings gla
in the jaw plate gỗ to push the printed sheet out of the gripper when the latter has
reached the position for delivering the same to the table 1.
.
are stops which are held in position by their shanks ¹ being passed between
the edge of the platen and the blanket frame these stops serve to support the blank
sheet until the frisket obtains control over the same.
The following is a description of the mode of working of the taking off apparatus
above described.
G
The sheet of paper to be printed is laid on the platen b, when the platen, frisket and
lifter are in the position shown at Figure 15 the said paper being placed so as to lie
upon the lifter plates & with its bottom edge against the fixed stops as shown by the
dotted line in said figure; the platen then turns over towards the type bed which
motion brings down the frisket ii* to within a short distance of the sheet then by
means of the lever which is acted upon by the cam 3, the frisket i, ix, is made to
hold the sheet of paper securely until the impression is given, and the type bed c has
receded at which time the frisket releases the printed sheet.
About the same time the cam gives motion to the lifter
lower edge of the sheet from the platen above the fixed stops
gripper & to seize it.
k, k so as to raise the
and thereby enable the

page_text: The combined movements of the drag crank and the type bed c give the gripper G
an accelerated upward movement at the required moment, and it seizes the printed
sheet before the platen starts on its return motion.
In consequence of the drag crank passing the centre later than the crank pins e
actuating the type bed c, the latter commences its backward movement while the
gripper G is completing its forward motion.
As the gripper G completes its forward motion it is operated by the cams h and m
the cam being attached to one standard a and the cam in to the other standard.
At the same time that the type bed e commences to recede from the platen b,
cam m by acting on the lever ga opens the gripper G as the latter rises and the spring
cam by acting on the lever gives the whole of the gripper, which is now open,
a slight rotary movement towards the type.
The gripper G then seizes the bottom edge of the paper, the type bed c having
receded about a quarter of an inch from the printed sheet, and the platen commences
its upward movement.
At this time the type bed and the drag crank are both acting to take the
gripper G in the same direction and their motions are such that the gripper frame has
very little movement of its own on its axis g.
The further receding of the type bed a from the platen removes the gripper lever gls
from its cam. m which permits the gripper G to close by the action of the spring
and the printed sheet is then securely gripped and taken away by it.
About the same time the lever worked by the spring cam is released and the
gripper G by the action of the spring g¹ is caused to perform a partial revolution on
its axis, returning to its normal position in its frame. This partial revolution of the
gripper carries the printed sheet with it and keeps it off the face of the type.
The drag crank now gives motion to the gripper frame on its axis which
continues until the type bed has again started on its forward motion.
When the gripper G with the printed sheet reaches the end of its backward.
movement the gripper lever 3 is acted upon by a cam n, fixed to the type bed c
thereby opening the gripper G and releasing the printed sheet which by the stops 13
acting thereon as before described is pushed out of the gripper jaws and caused to fall
upon the table l.
Figure 16 is a side view of parts of a "Minerva" or "Cropper" platen-printing
machine showing slight modifications in the construction of the taking off apparatus.
Figure 17 is a side view of the modified construction of taking off apparatus separate
from the well known parts of the machine. Figure 18 is a face view of the modified.
form of gripper. Figure 19 is a face view and Figure 20 is an end-view of hooked
moveable stops.
Figure 21 is a view representing the position of the platen, frisket and hooked
moveable stops when a blank sheet is being placed in position on the platen.
Instead of operating the gripper G by a drag crank connected to the link or
connecting rod as described with respect to the arrangement represented at
Figures 1 to 15 we according to the present modification dispense with the drag
crank fand in lieu thereof we employ a cam e fixed on the edge of the disc e at the
left side of the machine and we connect the link to the upper end of a lever fe
mayhe
cam e².
which at its lower end is mounted on a stud or axis f³ fixed to the frame a at the left
of the machine; the upper end of the lever is provided with a truck or roller ƒ
which is acted upon by the came and the said lever is kept up to its cam e² by the
spring acting against a stop 5 fixed to said lever; this stop is extended as
shown in order that by resting against the frame a it keep the truck or roller f*
just clear of the disc e and permit it only to bear against
The modified gripper is constructed as follows, the jaws g' are fixed to the shaft or
axis 73 which is mounted in bearings in the arms g² as in the first arrangement but
instead of employing a continuous jaw go fixed to arms 9, 9, we now employ two.
jaws fixed to a bar gs which is rigidly fixed to the arms g², a spring acts as
before on the axis g³ with a constant tendency to close the jaws g' against the jaws 'go.

page_text: On one end of the axis g³ is fixed a lever g¹ and on said lever is pin jointed a
latch which in its normal position rests on the projection g" on the lever 90 but
which as the gripper rises to seize a printed sheet bears against and is acted upon by
the part a of the frame a so as to turn the lever 18 and shaft g3 and thereby open the
gripper, and keep it open.until it has risen into position for seizing the printed sheet
when by the latch gs rising above the part a¹ of the frame a it allows the spring g³ to
close the gripper and seize the printed sheet, then in the descending motion of the
gripper the latch 18 will catch on the top of the part a which will cause it to turn on
its axis without giving any motion to the gripper.
The hooked moveable stops n are fixed to a bar n' formed with arms n which are
mounted.at n³ on necks or axes carried by the platen; one of the arms n³ is prolonged
beyond its axis and is formed with a stud or projection n which is acted upon by the
cam. These hooked moveable stops n when in the position relative to the platen
represented at Figure 21 act to support the blank sheet until the frisket has descended
and clipped the same against the platen after which they are caused by the cam n³ to
turn on their axis at n³ and thereby retire out of the way so as to avoid coming into
contact with the "furniture."
The modified construction of taking off apparatus operates in the following manner.
The blank sheet is laid upon the platen b, when the platen & the hooked moveable
stops and frisket arms are in the position shown at Figure 21 the platen then
turns over towards the type bed c which motion brings down the frisket i, ix until it
nearly touches the sheet; then by means of the lever which is acted upon by the
cam, attached to the inner face of the cam wheel, the frisket, i, ix is made to hold
the sheet securely until the impression is given and the type bed chas receded when
the frisket i releases the printed sheet.
As soon as the frisket has control over the printed sheet the hooked moveable
stops recede to the position shown at Figures 16 and 17 so as to be completely out
of the way of the furniture which motion is imparted to them by the cam n³ on the
large cam wheel e.
The impression is now given, at which point the gripper G dwells, that is to say
remains stationary until the type bed c has receded a short distance when an upward
motion is imparted to the gripper G by the came on the periphery of the plain disc e
on the left of the machine and the gripper is caused first to open and then to close
and thereby grip the printed sheet by a movement imparted to it by the lever and
latch as hereinbefore described, the frisket at the same time releasing its hold
upon the sheet. ..
During the withdrawal or backward movement of the type bed c, the combined
motion of the type bed c, cam e², lever and link f¹ causes the gripper G to descend
quickly, carrying the printed. sheet with it. When the type bed c is near the end of
its backward motion the gripper: G is opened by the the lever g" coming into contact
witli alug or cam.m fixed to the type bed c thereby releasing the printed sheet which
latter by coming into contact with the fixed stops is pushed out of the jaws of the
gripper and deposited on the table l..
We would here remark that by the peculiar construction and operation of the
gripper herein last described and by the bevelling of the lower edge of the blanket
frame as shown at Figures 16 and 21 we are enabled in the arrangement of taking off
apparatus described with respect to Figures 16 to 21 to dispense with the lifter kand
moveable table described with reference to the arrangement represented at Figures 1
to 15. The bevelled lower edge of the blanket frame allows the gripper to come
under the lower edge of the printed sheet and as the moveable stops n retire out of the
way there is nothing, to prevent the printed sheet being taken directly away by tho
gripper..
**
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 :-
In combination with platen printing machines the improved taking off apparatus
constructed substantially as herein shown and described.

page_text: 2. In combination with platen printing machines the frisket i* mounted in the.
upper part of a frame j the gripper G, the lifter k, fixed stops a, table 1, and parts for
carrying and giving motion to the frisket, gripper and lifter substantially as herein
shown and described with respect to Figures 1 to 15 and for the purpose stated.
3. In combination with platen printing machines, the frisket i ix, frame j,
gripper G, moveable stops n and table substantially as herein shown and described
with respect to Figures 16 to 21 and for the purpose stated.
Thanh thi. 001L
1002