IMPROVEMENTS IN LITHOGRAPHIC PRINTING MACHINES,. AND IN PRINTING MACHINES GENERALLY
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Greig and John Greig, both of Edin-
burgh, in the County of Mid Lothian, North Britain, for the-
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LITHOGRAPHIC PRINTING MACHINES,.
AND IN PRINTING MACHINES GENERALLY."
Scaled the 15th December 1868, and dated the 19th June 1868...
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Greig and John..
Greig at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their:
Petition, on the 19th June 1868..
We, DAVID GREIG and JOHN GREIG, botli of. Edinburgh, in the
County of Mid Lothian, North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LITHOGRAPHIC PRINTING MACHINES,
AND IN PRINTING MACHINES GENERALLY," to be as follows, that is to say:-
This Invention relates to an improved parallel gripper applied to the.
cylinders of lithographic or other printing machines for holding the
sheets of paper while receiving the impression as the paper revolves
with the cylinder.. The gripper consists of an angle plate of metal, one.
of the sides of which is formed in continuation of the printing surface
of the cylinder, and the inner edge of the plate is. bevilled.off, so. as to.

page_text: fit a check or incline formed on one of the outer edges of the printing
surface of the cylinder; the other side of the angle plate is attached to
two or more rods or links which slide through the axle of the cylinder.
On these rods or links spiral springs are placed which act against the
axle of the cylinder and tend always to keep the gripper in the check
formed on the surface of the cylinder. The gripper which slides up
and down in grooves or V slides attached to a flange on the ends of
the cylinder is actuated by wipers fixed upon a shaft passing through
the cylinder. On the end of this shaft a lever is fixed outside of the
cylinder, and on the end of the lever an antifriction roller is placed,
which in passing over a circular surface during that part of the
revolution of the cylinder when no printing is being done lifts the
gripper from the check by means of the wipers before mentioned, and
the sheet of paper which has been printed is removed and replaced by
a clean sheet. In consequence of the parallel motion of the gripper
no displacement of the sheet of paper is caused after being laid to the
guage, which is a great advantage especially in registering for coloured
work in many printings. This gripper will operate either with or
without points in registering.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said David Greig and John Greig in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 18th December 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, DAVID
GREIG and JOHN GREIG, both of Edinburgh, in the County of Mid
Lothian, North Britain, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-cight, in the
thirty-first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said David Greig and John Greig, Her
special license that we, the said David Greig and John Greig, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as wc, the said
David Greig and John Greig, our executors, administrators, or 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

page_text: 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 LITHOGRAPHIC PRINTING
MACHINES, AND PRINTING MACHINES GENERALLY," upon the condition
(amongst others) that we, the said David Greig and John Greig, by
an instrument in writing under our hands and scals, 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 we, the said David Greig and John Greig,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say:-
Our said Invention relates to an improved parallel gripper applied to
the cylinders of lithographic or other printing machines for holding the
sheets of paper while receiving the impression as the paper revolves
with the cylinder. The gripper consists of an angle plate of metal, one
of the sides of which is formed in continuation of the printing surface
of the cylinder, and the inner edge of the plate is bevelled off so as to
fit a check or incline formed on one of the outer edges of the printing
surface of the cylinder; the other side of the angle plate is attached
to two or more rods or links which slide through the axle of the
cylinder. On these rods or links spiral springs are placed, which act
against the axle of the cylinder and tend always to keep the gripper in
the check formed on the surface of the cylinder. The gripper which
slides up and down in grooves or V slides attached to a flange on the
ends of the cylinder is actuated by wypers fixed upon a shaft passing
through the cylinder. On the end of this shaft a lever is fixed outside
of the cylinder, and on the end of the lever an antifriction roller is
placed, which in passing over a circular surface during that part of the
revolution of the cylinder when no printing is being done lifts the
gripper from the check by means of the wypers before mentioned, and
the sheet of paper which has been printed is removed and replaced by
clean sheet. In consequence of the parallel motion of the gripper no
lisplacement of the sheets of paper is caused after being laid to the

page_text: guage, which is a great advantage especially in registering for coloured
work in many printings. This gripper will operate either with or
without points in registering.
And in order that our said Invention may be properly understood,
"we now proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or
manner in or under which the same is or may be used or practically
carried into effect, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
Figure 1 is a transverse section of a lithographic printing machine
cylinder, and Figure 2 is a plan of the same having part of the surface
of the cylinder broken off to show the method of applying the improved
gripper. The gripper is formed of an angle plate a which slides up and
down in guides 6 fixed to the cylinder c. The outer side of the gripper
a is formed so that when it is closed down its surface forms a continuation
of the printing surface of the cylinder c, the inner edge being bevelled
off, as shown at d, so as to fit an incline formed on the cylinder. The
gripper a is actuated by two wypers e, e, fitted on the shaft f situated
inside the cylinder c. On the inner face of the gripper a forked
eyelets i are fixed and support a shaft g, on each end of which the forked
links are hung. The links j are connected to the spindles k which
pass through the axle of the cylinder c and on which spiral springs
.m are fitted, as shown, for the purpose of pulling and holding down the
gripper a. The shaft is actuated by a wyper n which passes over the
curved bar o fixed to the framing p of the machine during each
revolution of the cylinder.
The action of the gripper is as follows:-In beginning the operation
of printing the cylinder c is brought into position to receive a sheet of
paper from the feeding table r, and in so doing the wyper n is raised by
coming in contact with the point of the curved bar o, thus turning the
shaft, and the wypers e fixed thereon act against the under side of the
eyelets and push up the gripper a, which movement compresses the
spiral springs m. The gripper is kept open while the cylinder is at rest
and a clean sheet of paper is fed in. As soon as the cylinder c is put
in motion again the wyper n drops over the point of the bar o, and the
force of compression on the springs m draws down the gripper a, which
closes on the paper and holds it fast while receiving the impression in
passing round with the cylinder until the wyper n comes in contact
with the point of the bar o, when the gripper is again pushed up. The

page_text: lithographed sheet is then removed and replaced by a clean sheet, when
the cylinder is again started and the operations herein-before described
are repeated. Curved plate or other springs may be used for the
purpose of pulling and holding down the gripper a. This gripper from
its parallel movement has no tendency to displace the sheet from its
position, insuring by this means a perfect register in coloured work,
where a number of different colours are wanted on the same shect,
thereby dispensing with the use of needles or registering points in what
is commonly called "croma" lithography.
Having now described the nature of our said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is or may be used or practically carried into
effect, we would observe in conclusion that what we consider novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the arrangement and
construction of parallel moving grippers for lithographic or type
printing cylinders as herein-before described and shown on the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings or any mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof, we, said David Greig and John Greig, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Sixteenth day of Decomber
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
DAVID GREIG. (L.S.)
JOHN GREIG.
(L.S.).