AN IMPROVED SCREW PRESS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Bryant Boomer, of Syracuse, New York,
United States of America, but now of No. 8, Southampton Buildings,
London for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED SCREW PRESS.”
Sealed the 6th March 1874, and dated the 12th September 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Bryant Boomer
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 12th September 1873.
I, GEORGE BRYANT BOOMER, of Syracuse, New York, United States of
America, now of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED SCREW PRESS,"
to be as follows:-
-
My present Invention relates to a press which embodies the principles
of construction described in the Specification of Letters Patent dated
November 23rd, 1872, No. 3510, but is simpler and less costly of con-
struction, and in other respects superior to the same.

page_text: The object of my said Invention is chiefly the construction of the
press in such a manner as to secure great strength and solidity, and
prevent any deviation of the follower, the screw shaft, or the toggle
levers. In this improved press I adopt a novel and peculiar contrivance
whereby the head, the double screw shaft, the levers, and follower may
be raised and lowered on the standards or posts of the press to adapt the
same to any thickness of the materials in the press; I therefore effect a
great saving of time and labour, as I am enabled to dispense with the
blocking heretofore required in these presses.
In carrying my said Invention into practise I fix in the base of the
press two vertical parallel flat bars of steel, wrought iron, or other
suitable material, which form the standards or posts of the said press.
The follower is formed with two rectangular apertures or slots, whereby
it is fitted to slide upon the said standards, and is adapted to work up
and down thereon without any lateral' deviation or displacement. And
to still further increase the firmness and steadiness of the press I form
on the said follower a vertical projection which fits the space between
the standards and severs as a guide for the follower.
The double screw whereby the power of the press is exerted extends
across the press between the standards and at a right angle to the same,
and through a long aperture or slot in the vertical projection or guide of
the follower. And as described in the said former Specification the said
shaft works through screw nuts, which are connected by toggle links
with the follower and the head. To prevent any possibility of the longi-
tudinal displacement of the said double screw shaft I fix thereon two
collars which work in contact, or nearly so, with the aforesaid guide
and in close proximity to the sides of the standards. The head of the
press is formed with slots or apertures like those of the follower to allow
it to be adjusted vertically upon the standards.
In the press described in the said former Specification the head of the
press was immovable upon the standards, but I now make it adjustable
on the said standards, and adapt the press to different thicknesses of
material by raising or lowering the head by means of the following con-
trivance: In the head I form a hole large enough to receive a pin or
bolt of the proper strength to resist the strain produced by the action
of the press; or I may form two or more holes in the head and fit the
same with suitable bolts. In the standards I form a series of holes, one

page_text: below the other, at such distances apart as may be required for the
adjustment of the head, and by moving the latter upon the standards to
bring its hole or holes opposite any or hole or holes in the said standards
and then inserting the bolt or bolts into the same the required adjust-
ment of the press will be effected. I also form a hole or holes in the
follower, and a series of holes, one above the other, in the standards, so
that by passing a pin or pins through the follower and standards the said
follower may be held in various positions to facilitate the adjustment of
the press. Instead of forming holes through the head and follower I may
have holes in the standards only, and pass the bolts through these holes
above and below the head and follower; or instead of these bolts I may
use pawls or dogs, fixed on the adjustable head for supporting the same
in different positions.
The aforesaid contrivance for adapting the said press to different
thicknesses of material is applicable not only to the improved press
herein described, but to other screw presses constructed with a double
screw shaft and toggle arms.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the. Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Bryant Boomer in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 12th March 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
BRYANT BOOMER, of Syracuse, New York, United States of America,
but now of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said George Bryant Broomer, Her special
licence that I, the said George Bryant Boomer, my executors, administra-
tors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Bryant Boomer,
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,

page_text: exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"AN IMPROVED SCREW PRESS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said George Bryant Boomer, 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 George Bryant Boomer, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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 accompanying
Drawing, forming a part of this Specification:
.
My present Invention relates to a press which embodies the principles
of construction described in the Specification of Letters Patent dated
November 23rd, A.D. 1872, No. 3510, but is simpler and less costly of
construction, and in other respects superior to the same.
The object of my said Invention is chiefly the construction of the
press in such a manner as to secure great strength and solidity, and
prevent any deviation of the follower, the screw shaft, or the toggle
levers.
It is well known that with presses, so called knuckle-joint presses,
great power can be obtained. The principle of such presses has been
known for many years.
My Invention consists partly in an especial arrangement of the head,
standards, and follower, so that the whole head, double screw shaft,
levers, and follower may be raised or lowered on the standards or posts
of the press to any height according to the thickness of material to be a
acted upon. By these means a great saving in time and labour is
effected, as I am enabled to dispense with nearly all the blocking here-
tofore required in this class of presses.
These improvements are applicable either individually to any knuckle-
joint screw press already known, or in construction to form a new and 3
improved press.

page_text: To obtaiu the above results I secure on the lower head or stand of the
press two vertical parallel wrought-iron bars, constituting the two
standards or posts of the press. The follower is formed with two rect-
angular slots so as to receive the two said standards or posts and slidė
on them; the follower is thereby forced to move up and down evenly
without any lateral deviation or displacement; and for greater firmness
and security I form on the upper face of the follower a vertical pro-
jection which fills up the whole space comprised between the standards
and serves as a guide. To obviate any possibility of longitudinal dis-
placement of the screw shaft I fix on said shaft at each side of the guide
a collar or wheel, the two collars embracing the said guide and rubbing
thereon. These collars may be made of sufficient size to embrace and rub
on the standards, thus preventing the displacement of the shaft. The
upper head has like the follower two slots in it so that it may slide on
the standards. By means of holes formed in the head, and corresponding
holes formed at different heights in the said standards, I can with a pin
or pins firmly secure the said head and consequently all of the operative
parts of the press at any desired height, according to the thickness of
material to be pressed.
.
In the accompanying Drawing I have represented a knuckle-joint
press constructed according to my Invention.
Figure 1 is a front elevation and Figure 2 is a side elevation of the
said press; Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section of the same through
the line 1, 2, Figure 1; Figure 4 is a side view of a driving ratchet
and pawl used with the said press. Similar letters indicate the same
parts throughout the Drawing.
a is the bed plate or stand of the press; b, b, are the vertical standards
formed of two flat iron bars, and whose lower ends are firmly fixed in
the said bed plate; c is the horizontal double screw shaft passing between
the two standards b, b, and through a slot in the guide e; dis the
follower sliding on the two standards b; f is a vertical projection formed
on or cast with the follower d; it fills the whole space between the two
standards so as to guide the follower in its up-and-down motion, and a
slot is formed in it for admitting the double screw shaft c; g, g, are nuts
on the shaft c; h is the head, which is capable of up-and-down move-
ment on the two standards; i, i, are holes formed in the head h; j, j,
,,,, are holes formed at different heights in the upper part of

page_text: the standards b; k, k, are pins inserted in the holes i, i, j, j, to hold the
head at any desired height; 1, 1, are arms or bars jointed to the head h
and to the nuts g, g; m, m, are the rub wheels or collars fixed on the
double screw shaft c on each side of the guide to prevent any longi-
tudinal displacement of the screw; n is a ratchet wheel keyed to one
end of the screw shaft c; o is the pawl at the end of a driving lever p
loose on the shaft c for operating the ratchet wheel n, and consequently
the double screw shaft; r, r, are holes in the follower; s, s, s¹, s¹, s², s²,
are holes at different heights in the lower part of the standards b; w, w,
are pins passed through the holes r, r, to hold the follower and maintain
the pressure obtained while the head is being lowered.
When pressure is required I insert the pins k, k, through the head h,
securing it to the standards and so that the pins w, w, are removed, then
turning the screw shaft to the front forces the follower down until the
arms or links of the press are perpendicular; this adjustment brings the
holes in the follower to correspond with the holes in the standards, and
the pins w, w, being inserted the pins k, k, are removed, then turning
the screw back lowers the head h; when the holes i, i, correspond with
the holes in the standard the pins are changed and the follower again
driven down. In working the press down the said pins may be put
through the standards above the head h, and also above the guide e of
the follower, thereby facilitating the changing of the pins. And in
working it up they may be put below the head and follower for the
same reason. This principle of raising and lowering the head of the
press may be applied not only as above described but to all presses
constructed with the double screw shaft and knuckle joint arms whether
constructed with two posts or more.
.
It is not necessary that the aforesaid rub wheels or collars should
extend to the standards, as by the peculiar arrangement of all of the
parts in relation to each other the head platen and screw must keep in
planes parallel with each other and perpendicular to the guide e, for
should the right hand of the follower be depressed more than the left
the top of the guide e would move to the right, but the pair of arms on
the right side of the press would become more nearly perpendicular
than those on the left, and the screw would be moved to the left and
with it the collars m, m; but this action is prevented by the contact of
the guide with the collars m, and thereby all parts of the press are kept
in their true working lines, and the equilibrium of power developed by

page_text: the two pairs of levers or arms is easily maintained. This principle of
construction is an important feature of my press.
Having thus fully described my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I wish it understood that I claim,-
First. In combination with the double screw shaft and the knuckle.
joint arms a pressing follower d, having a guiding projection extending
to and encompassing the screw shaft, which may be cast therewith, as
herein set forth and for the purpose specified.
=
Second. In combination with the double screw shaft the knuckle joint
arms, the follower and its guiding projection, and the standards b, b,
which together with the wheels or collars m, m, on the double screw
shaft support and insure the perfect vertical motion of the follower, as
herein set forth.
Third. In combination with the double screw shaft and knuckle joint
arms the holes formed in the standards, and the corresponding holes
through the head and follower, by means of which and the pins the head
can be raised or lowered to any desired point, as herein set forth and for
the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Bryant Boomer, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of October,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
Witness,
W
ROB. LAKE,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.
GEO. B. BOOMER. (L.S.)