IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINE CYLINDERS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Conisbee, of Herbert's Buildings,
Waterloo Road, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, and James
Smale, of Pleasant Place, Lambeth, in the same County, Printer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINE CYLINDERS,
Sealed the 20th December 1872, and dated the 22nd October 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Conisbee and
James Smale at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 22nd October 1872.
We, WILLIAM CONISBEE, of Herbert's Buildings, Waterloo Road, in
the County of Surrey, Engineer, and JAMES SMALE, of Pleasant Place,
Lambeth, in the same County, Printer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINE CYLINDERS, AND
IN ATTACHING PRINTING SURFACES TO SUCH CYLINDERS," to be as follows:-
This Invention is designed to facilitate the attachment of printing
surfaces, such for instance as stereotypes and electrotypes to the cylinders

page_text: of printing machines, and to enable printing surfaces of various sizes to
be readily attached to any cylinder. For these purposes we form or
construct the cylinders to receive pieces of wood or other material to
which the stereotypes or other printing surfaces can be readily attached
by means of nails, screws, or such like fastenings.
In carrying out our Invention the cylinder is turned truc on its
periphery so as to be perfectly cylindrical, and in the cylinder so prepared
we form suitable recesses in the form of circular, spiral, or longitudinal
grooves, round, square, or other holes suitably shaped to receive the
pieces of wood or other material to which the printing surfaces are to be
attached. This wood or other material being firmly fitted into the
recesses, grooves or holes, the stereotype or other printing surface may
then be readily attached thereto for the purpose of printing therefrom.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Conisbee and James Smale in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 22nd April 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wc, William
CONISBEE, of Herbert's Buildings, Waterloo Road, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer, and JAMES SMALE, of Pleasant Place, Lambeth, in the
same County, Printer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said William Conisbee and James Smale,
Her special license that we, the said William Conisbee and James Smale,
our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
William Conisbee and James Smale, our 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 PRINTING MACHINE CYLINDERS, AND IN
ATTACHING PRINTING SURFACES TO SUCH CYLINDERS," upon the condition

page_text: (amongst others) that we, the said William Conisbee and James Smale,
our exccutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our
or their hands and scals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or
them, 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
(amongst others) that we, the said William Conisbee and James Smale,
our exccutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our
or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or
them, 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 William Conisbee and James
Smale, 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 thereof, that is to
say :-
This Invention is designed to facilitate the attachment of printing
surfaces, such for instance as stereotypes and electrotypes to the cylinders
of printing machines, and to enable printing surfaces of various sizes to
be readily attached to the same cylinder. For these purposes we form or
construct the cylinder to receive pieces of wood or other material to
which the stereotypes or other printing surfaces can be readily attached
by means of nails, screws, and such like fastenings.
We by preference make the cylinder of cast iron turned perfectly truc
and with longitudinal grooves in its periphery running parallel to the
axis of the cylinder, but the grooves may be arranged to run in an
annulaṛ direction around the cylinder at right angles to its axis or may
run in a spiral or screw like direction. Into the said grooves we fit
pieces of suitable material, preferring to use hard wood, such as beech or
birch, for the attachment of the printing surfaces in the manner above
described. The wood is securely fixed in the grooves by means of
suitable screws screwed into the metal of the cylinder. The cylinder is
also formed or provided with axles or journals to work in bearings
carried by the upper part of the framing of the printing machine.
In applying our Invention for the purpose of printing in one or more
colors we mount on the side frames one or more of our improved
cylinders which for the sake of clearness we will herein-after call the
printing cylinders. On these printing cylinders we fix by means of
nails or screws the plates from which the impressions are to be taken.
When two or more printing cylinders are used, between each pair of

page_text: printing cylinders we mount an ordinary impression roller clothed with
blanket or cloth. Thus for the purpose of printing two colors in register
we prefer two of our printing cylinders, and one ordinary impression
roller; the latter being central with the two printing cylinders. Over
each of the two printing cylinders we fix an ink duct (cach duct being
supplied with different colored ink to the other), and also suitable
vibrating, distributing, and inking rollers. The two printing cylinders
and the impression roller we by preference fix horizontally in plane, the
impression roller in the centre we work in fixed bearings, but the two
printing cylinders outside of it are made adjustable to suit the impression
required.
In using the foregoing arrangement the printing cylinders mounted as
described are geared with the impression roller so as to work in unison
with it and with each other; the printing plates are fixed so that the
plates on the first printing cylinder which receive one color from the ink
rollers are made to register another color from the second printing
cylinder. The roll of paper which we mount in bearings at the bottom
part of the framing and parallel with the axes of the printing cylinders
is fed in between the first printing cylinder and the central impression
roller, thereby taking the first impression in one color only, and in
passing over the impression roller it then passes between it and the
second printing cylinder, receiving the second impression on the same
side of the paper, thus producing two colors in register. As the paper
passes on after receiving the two impressions it is perforated by means
of a suitable knife, and becomes a printed sheet detached from the
original roll of plain paper and printed in two colors. Should more
than two colors be desired we mount as many printing cylinders and
impression rollers as may be requisite, each printing cylinder being
provided with separate inking apparatus containing and supplying the
color required.
For the purpose of printing separate sheets of paper in one or more
colors, we attach a feeding table parallel with the axis of the first
printing cylinder, and provide it with an ordinary drop. bar motion and
tapes to convey the sheets through. The time of the drop bar is regu-
lated by a cam fixed on the shaft of the first printing cylinder.
The entire machine may be actuated by an ordinary driving shaft
having a pinion in gear with the wheel on the second printing cylinder.

page_text: It will be obvious that our improved printing cylinders may be used in
various kinds of rotary printing machines for single or multiple printing,
and, by the facility they offer for rapidly mounting stereotypes and
electrotypes of various sizes, will enable printing to be executed very
rapidly and economically.
Having described our said Invention of "Improvements in Printing
Machine Cylinders, and in Attaching Printing Surfaces to such
Cylinders," and having explained the manner of carrying the same into
practical effect, we hereby declare that what we consider to be novel and
original and therefore claim as the Invention secured to us by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the constructing printing
machine cylinders, and attaching printing surfaces thereto, as above
described.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Conisbee and James
Smale, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-first
day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy-three.
Witness,
H. C. WILES,
Clerk to Mr. W. Lloyd Wise,
Patent Agent,
London.
W. CONISBEE.
(L.S.)
JAMES SMALE. (L.S.)