IMPROVEMENTS IN INSERTING AND SECURING MOVEABLE TYPE IN STEREOTYPE PLATES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Edward Taylor, Peter Allen William Evans and
Charles Prestwick Scott of Manchester in the County of Lancaster News-
paper Proprietors for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN INSERTING AND
SECURING MOVEABLE TYPE IN STEREOTYPE PLATES.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Edward Taylor, Peter
Allen, William Evans, and Charles Prestwick Scott at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd December 1882.
JOHN EDWARD TAYLOR, PETER ALLEN, WILLIAM EVANS, and CHARLES
PRESTWICK SCOTT of Manchester in the County of Lancaster Newspaper
Proprietors "IMPROVEMENTS IN INSERTING AND SECURING MOVABLE TYPE IN
STEREOTYPE PLATES."
"
By the aid of our improved mode of inserting and securing movable type in
stereotype plates, we are enabled after the receipt of the latest telegrams, fresh
news, or information of important changes in the markets, and other matters of
public interest, to print later or special editions of our Journals, and issue such
news and information to the public immediately of its arrival and this power of
production is of the utmost importance to those engaged in journalism on whom
the public rely for the latest intelligence and it constitutes the main object of our
invention which consists as follows:-
Having formed one or more rectangular openings in the stereotype plate by
either attaching to our matrix a small core or block of metal, wood, or other
suitable material in form corresponding to the size of the opening required, or
we cut a rectangular hole in the matrix; into which the core block is introduced
whilst the matrix is in the casting machine, and when the plate is cast brimmed
and prepared we fix it in the usual way on the cylinder of our printing machine.
When the latest intelligence arrives it is immediately set up in type of special
height corresponding with the thickness of the stereotype plate, strips of lead or
other suitable metal, paper, woollen cloth, vulcanized rubber or other elastic
compressible material being used in the compositors "stick" to form the several
spaces between the lines of type.

page_text: From the "stick" the new matter is lifted and immediately inserted in the
opening in the plate, and all that now remains to be done is to so secure it there
that it will neither fall out or be thrown out centrifugally when the cylinder is
revolving at its usually rapid speed, and this according to our invention we effect by
means of the reaction of a spring of steel or other metal, or of a compressible elastic
material attached or not to a metal strip, the spring being previously compressed
in a shallow frame or box by means of a screw or other device, there being a
portion of the side of the spring left projecting from the underside of the frame,
which portion is then inserted in the spaco left between the edge of the opening in
the stereotype plate and either the top or bottom line of type. The pressure on
the spring by two or three backward turns of the screw is then relaxed, and the
spring then being at liberty to open or expand, presses with force against the type
on one side and the side of the opening on the other The frame or box is then
removed, and as soon as the spring is pushed down to the bottom of the opening,
the machine is started to work, an interval of less than one minute having only
elapsed from the time the set up type was received in the machine room, and the
commencement of the operation of printing and issuing.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Edward Taylor, Peter Allen, William Evans and Charles
Prestwick Scott in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th June 1883.
JOHN EDWARD TAYLOR, PETER ALLEN, WILLIAM EVANS and CHARLES
PRESTWICK SCOTT, of Manchester in the County of Lancaster Newspaper
Proprietors. IMPROVEMENTS IN INSERTING AND SECURING MOVABLE TYPE IN
STEREOTYPE PLATES
..
Our invention consists in an improved mode of inserting and securing movable
type in stereotype plates, whereby we are now enabled on the receipt of the latest
telegrams, fresh news, information of important changes in the markets, or other
matters of public interest, to print late or special editions of our journals, and issue
such news and information to the public immediately after its arrival. This power
of rapid production is of the utmost importance to those engaged in journalism, on
whom the public rely for the latest intelligence, and as a means of saving time it
constitutes the main object of our invention.
Having formed (generally at the head of the latest intelligence column in the
stereotype plate that contains it) one or more rectangular openings or blank spaces,
by means of a small core or cores of either metal, wood, or other suitable com-
position or material in form and size corresponding to the dimensions of the
opening or openings required, such core or cores being either attached to the face
of the matrix or inserted in an aperture made therein, in which, when the matrix is
in the casting machine, the core is placed. When the stereotype plate is cast,
trimmed and prepared, it is taken and fixed in its place on the cylinder of the
printing machine, and is then in position to receive the new matter, as soon as it.
comes to hand.
In the further description of our invention we will refer to the letters and
figures on the drawing hereto annexed.
When the latest intelligence arrives it is immediately set up in dwarf type
(marked A) and made of special height to correspond exactly with the thickness of
the stereotype plate B (see Figures 1 and 2) strips of lead or other soft metal,
paper, woollen cloth, vulcanized rubber or other elastic or compressible material
(marked C), being used by the compositor to separate the several lines of type and
form the required space respectively between them.
The new matter being composed, is lifted from the compositors "stick" and
immediately deposited in the opening in the stereotype plate, and all that now
remains to be done is to so secure it there, that it will neither fall out or be thrown
out centrifugally when the printing machine is working and the cylinder K is
revolving at its usually rapid speed, and this in accordanco with our invention, we
effect in the following manner, by means of tho reacting power of a compressed
spring, which in the different figures is marked D and which is fixed by a central
rivet to the metallic plate E. The form of the spring may be varied, that which is
shewn yields good results; its shape when free from compression is represented by
Figure 3 but when compressed it takes the form shewn by Figure 4.
Figure 5 exhibits a small rectangular frame marked G, which we employ for
compressing the spring D. It contains a movable slide or pressure piece H, which
by means of the screw I is caused to press forcibly on the spring and thereby close
it and reduce it to the form shown by Figure 6. Figure 7 represonts an end view
and Figure 8 a side view of Figure 6, shewing that a portion of the compressed.
spring is left projecting from the underside of the frame, which portion, as soon as
the imposed type is placed in the opening of the stereotype plate, is inserted in the
space that is left between the last line of type and the side of the opening. By
----

page_text: one or two backward turns of the screw I, the spring is allowed to expand
sufficiently to completely fill the space, and press the plate E forcibly against the
type, whilst the ends of the spring on the opposite side impinge upon the edge of
the opening, as shewn in Figures 1 and 2-In this position, the frame being freed
from the reactive force of the spring D, is then removed, that portion of the spring
that was held by the frame being left projecting above the type as seen in Figure
(which shews a section of Figure 1 from A to B) and then as soon as the spring
has been forced down below the level of the face of the type, the printing
machine is at once set to work, the operation of inserting the imposed type in
the opening of the stereotype plate and securing it there, having taken less than
one minute of time to accomplish.
The advantage of using the strips of soft metal or compressible material
between the lines of type, consists in obtaining thereby equal distribution of the
pressure of the spring on all parts of the several lines of type so effectually, that no
disturbance of the type takes place whilst the printing machine is working at its
highest speed.
Although we have confined the foregoing description of our invention and have
shown its applicability to the curved stereotype plates used in cylinder machines
wo hereby desire it known that our invention is also equally applicable to flat
stereotype plates such as are employed in ordinary and other printing presses, the
openings in such flat plates being formed to receive the movable type by cores or
otherwise during the process of casting, and the spring employed being compressed
previous to its introduction in a similar way.
Having now in conformity with the conditions of the Letters Patent fully
disclosed our invention and described its construction and the mode of applying it
wo wish it understood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise form of
spring shewn and described as such form may be modified and the means of com-
pressing it varied without overstepping the limits of our Patent right and
therefore what we claim consists as follows that is to say:-
First. We claim the construction and use of a spring capable of compression,
and the introduction of such spring in a compressed state to press against and
secure movable lines of type placed in openings made either in curved or flat
stereotype plates after the manner and for the purposes described.
Second. We claim the construction and use of a frame in which a screw or other
equivalent device is used to compress the spring we employ to secure the movable
type in stereotype plates and thereby effect the purposes of our invention.
Third. We claim the use of strips of soft metal, paper, vulcanized rubber,
woollen cloth or other compressible material, to space the lines of type and equalize
the pressure derived from the reactive power of a compressed spring for the
purposes herein described.
In witness whereof I the said Peter Allen on behalf of myself and the said
John Edward Taylor William Evans and Charles Prestwick Scott have
hereunto set my hand and seal this 23rd day of May in the year of our
Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty threa
In presence of
J, H. BUXTON,
Cashior,
Guardian Office
3. Cross St.
Manchester.
PETER ALLEN (I..S.)