IMPROVEMENTS IN LITHOGRAPHIC PRINTING MACHINES AND IN APPARATUS FOR GRINDING OR PREPARING THE SURFACE OF THE STONES USED FOR LITHOGRAPHIC PURPOSES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for
Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN LITHOGRAPHIC
PRINTING MACHINES AND IN APPARATUS FOR GRINDING OR PREPARING THE
SURFACE OF THE STONES USED FOR LITHOGRAPHIC PURPOSES."-A com-
munication from abroad by Richard March Hoe, of the City and
State of New York, United States of America.
Sealed the 31st January 1871, and dated the 29th August 1870.
I
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 29th August 1870.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
3 Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LITHOGRAPHIC

page_text: PRINTING MACHINES AND IN APPARATUS FOR GRINDING OR PREPARING THE SURFACE
OF THE STONES USED FOR LITHOGRAPHIC PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
"
The first part of this Invention relates to improvements in reciprocating
table machines and the application of such machines for lithographic
printing. The mode of governing the motion of the cylinder in driving
the bed and the various improvements in the inking and feeding
apparatus as employed in type printing, and for which I have applied
for Letters Patent, dated August 24th, 1870, are applicable to and may
be employed with advantage together with the other improvements in
lithographic printing machines hereafter set forth. The damping or
wetting apparatus is arranged above the table of the machine and behind
the impression cylinder, and consists of a water reservoir having a roller
dipping into it, which is made to revolve slowly. A "taking-up roller
mounted in rocking arms rises up to this roller by the action of a cam,
(the quantity of water taken off or given out being regulated by the
space through which the two rollers run in contact) the roller then
drops and gives its water to a brass intermediate roller, which in turn
puts it on two stone wetting rollers with which it is always in contact.
These rollers are covered with a suitable elastic material and run in
journal boxes, fitted in the roller brackets. In order to keep them
constantly turning for the better distribution of the water and also to
prevent them from slipping on the stone, they are driven by spur gear
from a side rack on the reciprocating bed. Vibrating brushes in place of
rollers may be employed for damping the stone. These brushes may be
made of sponge or any suitable material attached to bars and made
capable of adjustment to give the required pressure on the stone. They
are caused to vibrate endways in opposite directions while the stone is
passing under them and receive their water from the reservoir by the
taking-off rollers as before.
The second part of the Invention relates to an improved rotary
lithographic printing press in which the lithographic stone or stones of
suitable shape are secured on the periphery of a cylinder revolving past
damping rollers, inking rollers, and an impression cylinder mounted in
bearings in the same frame, somewhat similar to the type revolving printing
machines, which have been in use for some time and are well known.
Part of the periphery of the cylinder is made flat to receive the bed or
form" in which the stone is secured and its outer surface is rounded to

page_text: "
correspond to the curve of the periphery of the "form" cylinder. The
impression cylinder is furnished with fingers to catch hold of and carry
in the paper in the usual manner. The damping rollers are arranged at
one side of the machine and receive their water from a reservoir by a
taking or carrying roller, and intermediate rollers as before described.
That portion of the periphery of the "form" cylinder not occupied by the
stone may be used as an ink distributing surface; its radius is less than
that of the stone in order that the impression cylinder and damping
rollers may not touch it. The ink from the fountain is distributed over
this surface by a vibrating taking roller. The "form" or stone inking
rollers turn in bearings or slots in the upper part of the frame of the
machine and run on the inking surface of the "form" cylinder and
receive their ink from it. The tracks on which the rollers of the inking
apparatus run are of such form that as the cylinder revolves they lift
the rollers from the inking surface to the height of the stone, then drop
to the inking surface to distribute and receive a fresh supply of ink.
"form":
Two or more impression cylinders may be placed around the same
cylinder having each their set of wetting and inking rollers, so as to
increase the number of impressions.
The third part of the Invention relates to the apparatus employed for
grinding to a proper curve the printing surface of the stones used in
rotary lithographic printing presses. A cylinder revolving in bearings in
side frames is provided with four flat surfaces on its periphery, upon
which the beds and stones are secured by a central screw. A grinding
cylinder mounted in sliding adjustable bearings is fed up to the stones
to be ground. The stone and grinding cylinder receive their, motion
by belts, and are so driven that their surfaces in contact shall run in
opposite directions. A sliding endway motion is given to the grinding
cylinder by means of a loose revolving collar having a right and left
thread groove, into which a fork held by a bracket takes. The shaft
and grinding cylinder is thereby forced to travel back and forth. The
grinding cylinder may be made of iron, copper, or any other suitable
material, and be supplied with sand, and water when grinding as in the
ordinary stone grinding process..

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 28th February 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special
licence that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Edward
Newton, 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 LITHOGRAPHIC PRINTING MACHINES AND IN APPARATUS FOR
GRINDING OR PREPARING THE SURFACE OF THE STONES USED FOR LITHOGRAPHIC
PURPOSES," being a communication to me from abroad by Richard March
Hoe, of the City and State of New York, United States of America,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward
Newton, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 I, the said William Edward Newton, do
hereby declare the nature of the 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 Drawings
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is
to say) :-
The first part of this Invention relates to "Improvements in Reci-

page_text: procating Table Machines and the Application of such Machines for
Lithographic Printing. The mode of governing the motion of the
cylinder, of driving the bed, and the various improvements in the inking
and feeding apparatus as employed in type printing, and for which I
have applied for Letters Patent, dated August Twenty-fourth, One
thousand eight hundred and seventy, are applicable to and may be
employed with advantage together with the other improvements in
lithographic printing machines hereafter set forth. The damping or
wetting apparatus is arranged above the table of the machine and
behind the impression cylinder, and consists of a water reservoir having
a roller dipping into it, which is made to revolve slowly. A "taking-up
roller" mounted in rocking arms rises up to this roller by the action of
a cam (the quantity of water taken off or given out being regulated by
the space through which the two rollers run in contact), the roller then
drops and gives its water to a brass intermediate roller, which in turn
puts it on two stone wetting rollers with which it is always in contact;
these rollers are covered with a suitable elastic material, and run in
journal boxes fitted in the roller brackets. In order to keep them
constantly turning for the better distribution of the water, and also to
prevent them from slipping on the stone, they are driven by spur gear
from a side rack on the reciprocating bed. Vibrating brushes in place
of rollers may be employed for damping the stone; these brushes may
be made of sponge or any suitable material attached to bars, and made
capable of adjustment to give the required pressure on the stone. They
are caused to vibrate endways in opposite directions, while the stone is
passing under them, and they receive their water from the reservoir by
the taking-off rollers as before.
The second part of the Invention relates to an improved rotary
lithographic printing press, in which the lithographic stone or stones (of
suitable shape) are secured on the periphery of a cylinder, and revolve
past damping rollers, inking rollers, and an impression cylinder mounted
in bearings in the same frame in a somewhat similar manner to the type
revolving printing machines, which have been in use for some time, and
are well known. Part of the periphery of the cylinder is made flat or
shaped so as to receive the bed or form on which the stone is secured,
and its outer surface is rounded to correspond to the curve of the
periphery of the form cylinder. The impression cylinder is furnished
with fingers to catch hold of and carry in the paper in the usual manner.

page_text: The damping rollers are arranged at one side of the machine and receive
their water from a reservoir by a taking or carrying roller and inter-
mediate rollers, as before described. That portion of the periphery of
the form cylinder not occupied by the stone may be used as an ink-
distributing surface; its radius is less than that of the stone in order
that the impression cylinder and damping rollers may not touch it. The
ink from the fountain is distributed over this surface by vibrating taking
rollers. The form or stone inking rollers turn in bearings or slots in the
upper part of the frame of the machine, and run on the inking surface of
the form cylinder, and receive their ink from it. The tracks on which
the rollers of the inking apparatus run are of such form, that as the
cylinder revolves they lift the rollers from the inking surface to the
height of the stone, then drop to the inking surface to distribute and
receive a fresh supply of ink. Two or more impression cylinders may be
placed around the same form cylinder, having each their set of wetting
and inking rollers, so as to increase the number of impressions.
The third part of the Invention relates to the apparatus employed for
grinding to a proper curve the printing surface of the stones used in
rotary lithographic printing presses. To this end a cylinder revolving
in bearings in side frames is provided with four flat surfaces on its
periphery, upon which the beds and stones are secured by a central
screw. Or instead of flat surfaces it may sometimes be desirable for the
purpose of decreasing the weight of stone to be carried by the cylinder,
or for other reasons, to curve the bed so as to fit on the periphery of the
cylinder and to cut the under side of the stone concentric with the face.
A grinding cylinder mounted in sliding adjustable bearings is fed up to
the stones to be ground. The stone and grinding cylinder receive their
motion by belts, and are so driven that their surfaces in contact shall run
in opposite directions. A sliding endway motion is given to the grinding
cylinder by means of a loose revolving collar having a right and left
thread groove into which a fork (held by a bracket) takes. The shaft
and grinding cylinder is thereby forced to travel back and forth. The
grinding cylinder may be made of iron, copper, or any other suitable
material, and may be supplied with sand and water when grinding, as in
the ordinary stone grinding process.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1, Sheet I., represents a side
elevation of a lithographic printing machine constructed according to the
present Invention, and with an improved wetting arrangement, adapted

page_text: thereto; Fig. 2, Sheet II., is a partial plan view of the same, and Fig. 3
is a transverse vertical section.
In a water reservoir 175, Fig. 1, made of copper or any suitable
material, the roller 176 is made to revolve slowly by a belt 174 from the
small cone rest leg 177 on the shaft 178 passing around the pulley 179
on the shaft of the roller 176. A taking-up roller 181 runs in bearings
in the arms 173 on the shaft 182, and rises up to the roller 176 by the
action of the cam 185 through the forked rod 184. The quantity of
water given out is regulated by the distance the two rollers 176 and 181
run in contact, and this is governed by the cam 185, which is made in
two parts, so that by moving round one part, the "lift" of the cam
can be lengthened or shortened as desired. These parts are shewn
detached at Figures 4 and 5. The taking-up roller 181 then drops and
gives its water to the brass intermediate roller 186, which in turn
transfers it to two stone wetting rollers 187, with which 186 is always
in contact; these rollers are covered with a suitable elastic material, and
run in journal boxes fitted in the roller brackets 188, and their pressure
on the stone is regulated by the thumb screws 189. In order to keep
them constantly turning (for the better distribution of the water), and
also to prevent them from slipping on the stone they are driven by the
rack 190 (on the side of the bed) gearing into the pinions 191 fixed on
their shafts.
The mechanism for stopping, holding, and starting the impression
cylinder, also for inking the printing surface, and communicating the
reciprocating motion to the travelling bed on which the lithographic
stone is placed, and some other parts of the mechanism, are similar in
general construction and arrangement to that shewn aud described
in the Specification of the Patent granted to me the Twenty-fourth
August One thousand eight hundred and seventy, as a communication
from Richard March Hoe, for improvements in typographic printing
machinery.
The several Figures in Sheet III. represent another wetting arrange-
ment, which consists in using two vibrating brushes 195, Figures 8, 9,
and 10, in place of rollers for wetting the stone; these brushes are made
of sponge or any suitable material fixed to the bars 196, and can be
adjusted by the set screws 197, Figures 7 and 8, so as to give the
required pressure on the stone. They are caused to vibrate endways in
opposite directions (while the stone is passing under them) by means of

page_text: a properly shaped cam 198, Fig. 7, on the shaft 199, giving motion to
them through the arm 200, the upright shaft 201 and the crosshead 202,
which is connected to the brush bars 196. They receive their water
from the reservoir 175 by the taking roller 181 dropping down into
contact with them in the same manner as just described above for
wetting rollers.
Sheet IV. Figures 11, 12, 13, 14, represent a rotary lithographic press
having a lithographic stone of a suitable shape on the periphery of a
cylinder, and causing it to revolve against wetting rollers, inking rollers,
and an impression cylinder on the principle of the American type
revolving printing machine. 232 are the side frames of the machine
mounted on the foundation plate 233, and 234 is the "form" cylinder
having one part of its periphery cut away, and made flat to receive the
bed 259 in which the stone 235 is secured. The bed rests on four
adjusting screws 236 near its corners and is held firmly against them by
the central screws 237. The stone is secured in the bed by the set
screws 250 and its outer surface is rounded to correspond to the curve of
the periphery of the form cylinder; 238 is the feed board, and 239 is the
impression cylinder furnished with fingers 251 in the usual manner.
In Fig. 12, 240 are the wetting rollers, which receive their water from
the reservoir 241 by the taking-up roller 242 and the intermediate
rollers, in the same manner as previously described in the improvement
for wetting flat lithographic stones. That portion of the periphery of
the form cylinder 234 not occupied by the stone 235 is used as an ink
distributing surface, and its radius is about one-fourth of an inch less
than that of the stone, so that the impression cylinder 239 and wetting
rollers 240 will not touch it. The ink from the fountain roller 242* is
first distributed on the inking cylinder 243, and is then put on the
inking surface of the form cylinder 234 by the taking roller 245. The
form or stone inking rollers 246, 246, turn in suitable slots in the frame
of the machine and run on the inking surface of the form cylinder, and
receive their ink from it. Their shafts have friction rollers 247, Fig. 13,
near each end which run on a track 248, Figures 11 and 13, fixed on the
form cylinder at each end of the bed 259. These tracks 248 are of the
same radius as the surface of the stone 235, and their ends are formed
into inclined planes, so that as the form cylinder revolves they lift the
rollers from the inking surface to the height of the stone. The rollers
ink the stone as it passes under them and then drop to the inking

page_text: surface to distribute and receive a fresh supply of ink. The stone is
adjusted in height by the screws 236, 236, Figure 12, until its surface
coincides with the top of the tracks which can be easily determined by
placing a straightedge across them. A sheet to be printed is placed in
position on the feed board 238, and when seized by the fingers 251 of the
impression cylinder 239 is carried down and receives an impression from
the stone 235, passes around the cylinder 239, and is transferred to the
delivering cylinder 252, from whence it passes down to the tapes 253
and the sheet flyer 254, which deposits it on the fly board 249. In the
meantime the stone passes on, and is wetted by the wetting rollers 240,
and inked by the inking rollers 246 ready to receive another impression.
In Sheet V., is shewn a rotary lithographic printing press arranged
for printing in colors; Fig. 15, shews the rotary cylinder and the inking
and wetting rollers in section; Fig. 16, Sheet VI., is a side view of the
machine. The cylinder A carrics four lithographic stones A¹, A², A³,
and A, curved on their outer face and secured to the cylinder by set
screws in the manner described with reference to Sheet IV. Portions A*
of the periphery of the cylinder between the stones are employed as
distributing surfaces for their several colors. This cylinder A is mounted
in bearings in side frames B, Fig. 16, and has arranged around it four
sets of color apparatus, C, D, E, and F, consisting of fountains and
distributing and color rollers. The colors are distributed from the
fountain rollers to the inking cylinder and then deposited on their
respective distributing surfaces A* by the taking-up rollers C', D', E¹,
and F, which are mounted at the ends of the vibrating levers C², D³, E³,
and F. They are operated by cams C³, D³, E³, and F³, on the cylinder
shaft. Each of these cams operates through the rods C, D, E*, and F*,
on its respective levers, and taking-up rollers C¹, D¹, E', and F¹, once
only for every revolution of the main cylinder A. The wetting apparatus
is arranged at one side of the cylinder A and is in every respect the
same in construction and operation as that before described with
reference to Fig. 12, Sheet IV. The impression cylinder G is also placed
with respect to the form cylinder A in the same manner as that shewn
at Fig. 12, Sheet IV., but as the impression cylinder G must retain hold
of the paper to be printed and carry it round four times in order that it
may receive color from the four stones, the arrangement of mechanism
for closing the fingers at the proper time may be similar to that ordinarily
employed in rotary printing machines, but is not shewn in the Drawings.

page_text: The relative size of the cylinders A and G is such that the impression
cylinder G will be rotated four times during one revolution of the
lithographic cylinder A, and present the sheet of paper to receive the
impress of the several colors from each of the lithographic stones in
succession.
The mechanism for opening the fingers to release the sheet may be
similar to that shewn in the Specification of my Patent of January,
Twentieth, One thousand cight hundred and sixty-two, No. 239, as
adapted to a type press for printing two or more colors. The paper
having thus received four impressions will be transferred to the cylinder H
and carried out of the machine.
When the rollers 10
The color rollers which receive their respective color from the
distributing surface of the cylinder A and ink the curved face of the
stones are mounted on the side frames, and is shewn detached and
drawn on an enlarged scale at Figures 17 and 18, Sheet VII. These
rollers are mounted in bearings in slides 7 fitted to move radially in
guides 8 attached to the side frames B. These slides 7 are pressed
downward towards the centre of the machine by the spiral spring 9 and
they carry friction rollers 10 at their lower end. These rollers 10 run
on cams 11 attached to the end of the cylinder A.
come against the lower parts of the cams 11, the latter allow the rollers
to come into contact with that portion of the distributing surface of the
cylinder which is supplied with their color. When they have received
their color they are raised to a level with the stone they are intended to
ink, and having done this they are still further raised to allow the other
three stones to pass under them without touching when they are again
lowered on to the cylinder to receive a further supply of color. As each
stone on the cylinder passes from the impression cylinder it is wetted by
the wetting apparatus as before, preparatory to again receiving its ink or
color. Of course two or more impression cylinders may be placed around
the same form cylinder, and will each be provided with their set of
wetting and inking rollers.
Sheet VIII., Figures 19 and 20 represent a machine for grinding to a
proper curve the printing surface of the stones used in the rotary
lithographic press above described. 255 is the foundation plate upon
which the side frames 256 are secured; 257 is a cylinder revolving in
bearings in the side frames, and having four flat surfaces on its periphery
furnished with adjusting screws 236, upon which the beds are secured by

page_text: the central screw 237, four of the beds 259 and stones 235 used in the
rotary printing machines, Sheets IV. & VI. 260, is the grinding cylinder
running in adjustable bearings, so that it can be fed up to the stones to
be ground. The adjusting screws 261 are connected by a cross shaft
and bevil wheels 262 so as to move both ends of the grinding cylinder
to the same extent. The "stone" cylinder 257 and the grinding
cylinder 260 receive their motion from a shaft 264 above by means of
belts and pulleys and are so driven that their surfaces in contact shall
run in opposite directions. The grinding cylinder 260 is made to move
slowly to and fro, endways, or in a lateral direction by means of a
pulley 267 with a long hub 263* at one side running loosely between
two collars on the outer end of the grinding cylinder shaft 263. This
pulley 267 is driven slowly by a belt from the shaft 264, and has a right
and left-hand thread cut on the hub into which the swivel fork 265
works. The fork is held by a bracket 266 fixed to the side frame, so
that the pulley 267 revolves slowly it is forced to travel back and
forth and of course carries the grinding cylinder with it. The grinding
cylinder may made of iron, copper, or any other suitable material, and
be supplied with sanhand water when grinding as in the ordinary stone
grinding process.
Having now described the Invention, which has been communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent and having explained the manner of
carrying the same. into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by
Letters Patent as aforesaid.
First. The general construction and arrangement of parts shewn in
Sheets I. and II. for printing from lithographic surfaces.
Second. The adaptation to self-acting lithographic printing machinery
of a water reservoir and mechanism for regulating the supply of waterc
therefrom, and for conveying the water to the damping rollers and from
thence to the printing surface.
I also claim the arrangement shewn in Sheet III., for wetting or
damping the printing surface by means of vibrating sponge brushes in
place of rollers.
Third. Mounting segmental lithographic printing surfaces on
rotating cylinder, the said segmental surfaces being made to conform in
shape to the circumference of the cylinder upon which they are placed
the cylinder being also provided with the necessary wetting and inking
appliances, as herein set forth.

page_text: Lastly. I claim, the mechanism herein shewn and described for
preparing and grinding the surfaces of lithographic stones to a curved
or segmental form suitable for use in rotary lithographic printing
machines.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Twenty-eighth day of February,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
one