IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINES, RENDERING THE SAME MORE COMPACT, OF LESS BULK PAD
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Annable and John Blench, of Newcastle
Street, Farringdon Street, in the City of London, Millwrights, Engineers.
and Printing Machine Makers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN PRINTING MACHINES, RENDERING THE SAME MORE COMPACT, OF LESS BULK
PAD 135
Sealed the 14th August 1860, and dated the 25th February 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Annable and
John Blench at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 25th February 1860.
We, BENJAMIN ANNABLE and JOHN BLENCH, of Newcastle Street, Farring-
don Street, in the City of London, Millwrights, Engineers, and Printing
Machine Makers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINES, RENDERING THE SAME MORE COMPACT,
OP LESS BULK, AND MORE AVAILABLE FOR USE," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in imparting the to-and-fro motions to the table
carrying the types or printing matter from a horizontal crank or mechanical
arrangement, having the effect of a crank and a connecting rod, with guides
and guide pulley or slide, in direct action with the table, and in having an
arrangement which may be applied horizontally, and which may be combined
with that just described, for connecting and disconnecting a wheel or wheels, or
other mechanism attached to the printing cylinder or cylinders, such wheel or
wheels taking into a rack on the table when the cylinder is to be caused to rotate.
And when the table is drawn under the cylinder (or cylinders) the arrangement
above mentioned takes the wheel or wheels out of gear with the rack,
and allows the table to pass free of the cylinder or cylinders, and on the
return of the table under the cylinder (or cylinders) this wheel takes into the

page_text: rack as aforesaid, and turns the cylinder so as to cause it to press upon the
type or printing matter, and effect the printing.
The inking rollers and other parts of the machine are similar to those
already known, and therefore need no description, but it may be mentioned
that the whole machine is more compact and occupies less space than is
ordinarily the case.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Benjamin Annable and John Blench in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 24th August 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, BENJAMIN
ANNABLE and JOHN BLENCHI, of Newcastle Street, Farringdon Street, in the
City of London, Millwrights, Engineers, and Printing Machine Makers, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Benjamin Annable and John Blench, Her special licence that we,
the said Benjamin Annable and John Blench, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Benjamin Annable and
John Blench, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINES, RENDERING THE SAME MORE COMPACT,
OF LESS BULE, AND MORE AVAILABLE FOR. USE," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Benjamin Annable.and John Blench, our executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, 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 we, the said Benjamin Annable and John Blench,
do hereby declare the nature of our said. Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement.
"

page_text: This Invention consists in certain improvements in printing machines,
which are effected by the introduction of a horizontal disc or crank, or
mechanical arrangement, having the effect of a crank with a connecting rod
attached thereto, working in direct action with the table, so as to impart the
necessary to-and-fro motions to the said table, which carries the types or.
printing matter; and further, in having an arrangement, also horizontally
applied, which may be (though it is not obliged to be) combined with that first
described; this last-mentioned arrangement being for connecting or discon-
necting a wheel or wheels, taking into a rack or racks on the table when the
printing cylinder is to be caused to rotate, and when the table has been drawn
under the arrangement lastly mentioned, takes the wheel out of gear with the
rack, and allows the table to pass free of the cylinder; by which means the
said cylinder is caused to press upon the typo or printing matter, and effect
the printing, the type or printing matter being thereupon released from the
pressure of the cylinder, passing freely to the other end, ready for again
performing the same operation, and so on. The inking rollers and other
parts of the machine are similar to those already known, but it may be
mentioned that the whole machine is more compact, and occupies less space
than is ordinarily the case, and that it will bear driving at greater speed than
other machines.

page_text: plan Fig. 3), and adapted for the purposes hereafter described. It will be seen
by referring to the plan view Fig. 3, that at one part of the said disc G¹, G,
there is a connecting rod. or lever H, secured by a moving joint or centre,
having at its other end a friction roller H', with an upright pin or stud, which
secures the connecting rod to the under side of the table, and it will be also
perceived, by referring to the said Fig. 3, that there are parallel guides I, I,
which determine the path of the said lever II, and its adjuncts by reason that
the end of the connecting rod at H' has a pendant pin or stud which works in
the said parallel guides, the connecting rod being attached free to move (except
as limited by the action of the said guides) to the studs or pins aforesaid. Jis.
an upright spindle springing from the base of the frame (A), forming the sup-
porting centre upon which the disc rotates. K is the doctor roller, which
has at one end a ratchet and paul connected to a lever K', which is jointed at
right angles, or nearly so, to a connecting rod K, which has a pin or stud work-
ing in a parallel V-groove L on one face of the wheel L', which gears with and is
driven by the aforesaid pinion K on the spindle (E), on the other side or face of
which wheel is an endless groove of irregular curvature (shewn in dotted
lines at Fig. 1), which groove receives a pin and roller on the end of a connect-
ing rod or lever M (shewn partly in dotted lines), such lever being centred at
M on a spindle, which passes from side to side of the machine, and on which
spindle are levers, one at each end, (see dotted lines at a, b,) which levers
carry a "composition" roller, vibrating in the working of the machine
between the "doctor" and the inking table.
Atc (plan view, Fig. 3,) there is a horizontal lever, which is secured at
by a moving joint to the framing A, this lever having in the middle an upright
pin with roller, which works in the irregular curved guide before described;
such lever being secured at its extremity opposite to * (by a moving joint) to
the side lever or connecting rod d, which has its other end secured by a
moving joint to the upright lever c, f, (dotted lines, Fig. 1,) which upright
lever has a claw at top to catch hold of a pin on the end of the printing
eylinder.
The modus operandi of this machine is this:-Upon power being applied to
the driving wheel D', rotary motion is thereby communicated to the spindle
E, and to the pinion on it, thence to the spur wheel L', also to the bevil
wheel I, and to the horizontal bevil wheel G under the disc, thus turning
the disc aud giving motion to the connecting rod H, which imparts the to-and-
fro motion to the table, also, by means of the endless groove G and the pin or
stud working therein, causing the lever c to act upon the side connecting rod d,
and thus move the upright lever e, f,.(see Fig. 1) which catches the pin I on

page_text: one end of the printing cylinder, and thereby (with the view to begin the printing)
putting the said cylinder into gear with the rack on the table, which turns the
cylinder and effects the printing, there being toothed wheel on one end of the
cylinder, with four or more teeth omitted, in order to allow the rack to escape the
wheel during the time the table is returning, after the cylinder has printed the
impression. It is obvious that the disc and curvilinear guide must be of such
size and shape that the levers connected to the printing cylinder shall begin
to move at the same time that the table starts to move for printing, and
shall be released from the fork on the end of the lever till the table has run to
very near the end, and then the fork having vibrated to the other side by the
action of the arrangements before described, again takes hold of the pin, and
holds the cylinder in such a position that the untoothed portion of the wheel on
the end of the cylinder is presented to the rack on the table, and hence the
table passes free.
The "doctor" or inking arrangements having much similarity to the arrange-
ments already known and in use, needs no further description. I may, however,
remark that the practical man will at once perceive that although I have only
shewn the Invention as applied to a single cylinder machine for printing on
oue side only, that a double cylinder machine for printing on both sides could
be constructed on the principles on this Invention, the one cylinder being
held fast whilst the other was printing.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim, the imparting the necessary
to-and-fro motions to the printing table by the means of a horizontal disc or
erank, or the mechanical equivalent thereof, with suitable connecting rod
and guides; and also the levers and irregular curvilinear guide, for putting
into and taking out of gear the wheel on the cylinder with the rack on the
table, in the manner described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Benjamin Annable and John Blench,
havo hereunto set our hands and seals, this
day of August, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Signed and sealed in my presence,
BENJAMIN ANNABLE. (L.S.)
JOHN BLENCH.
F. W. CAMPIN, Patent Agent,
156, Strand.
(L.S.)