IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PRINTING OR ENDORSING LETTERS, FIGURES, OR PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATIONVICES UPON WOOD, PAPER STONEOTHERERIA
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William John Cunningham, of New Oxford
Street, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PRINTING OR ENDORSING LETTERS, FIGURES, OR
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William John Cun-
ningham at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 3rd December 1872.
I, WILLIAM JOHN CUNNINGHAM, of New Oxford Street, in the County
5 of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PRINTING OR ENDORSING LETTERS, FIGUREs, or.
DEVICES UPON WOOD, PAPER, STONE, OR OTHER MATERIAL," to be as follows:-
In one arrangement I fix the type upon a bed or block having a
suitably curved face, and to the said bed is pivotted jointed bearings
) carrying the inking roller which spans the said curved face of the block.
An elastic band is fastened to one end of the block and to the joint of
the bearings carrying the inking roller. This inking roller consists of a

page_text: cylinder covered with felt, flanel, or other suitable material for receiving
the ink or colouring matter mounted on a spindle, and is caused (by hand)
to traverse the curved face, with which it is kept in contact by the said
elastic band, and thereby imparts to the type the necessary quantity of
ink. The inking roller is then drawn back out of contact with the type,
and the block on which the latter is mounted is then pressed on the
surface of the material to be printed.
In another arrangement particularly adapted for numbering or indexing
serially I use a block upon which two arms carrying a small inking roller
is pivotted, so that the inking roller drops over or traverses the surfaces
of the type, which is placed at one end of the block, inking the type,
which is then pressed upon the material to be marked or numbered.
Channels or grooves are formed in the end of the block on either side
of a raised surface which acts as the bed, upon which is placed the
flexible type, which is pressed into the channels or grooves, a fresh figure
or letter being applied as required.
The cylinder of the inking roller has flanges at either end to prevent
the inked surface from coming in contact with the material to be printed
upon when it drops over the type as aforesaid.
By the traversing movement of the roller the ink or colouring matter
is more evenly distributed over the type than by the ordinary "dabbing"
process.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William. John Cunningham in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 3rd June 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
JOHN CUNNINGHAM, of New Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
2
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of December, in the year of 3
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 me, the said William John Cunningham, Her special
.

page_text: licence that I, the said William John Cunningham, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
John Cunningham, 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PRINTING OR ENDORSING LETTERS,
FIGURES, OR DEVICES UPON WOOD, PAPER, STONE, OR OTHER MATERIAL," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William John Cunningham,
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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William John Cunningham, do
hereby declare the nature of my 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, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say :-
This Invention refers to portable apparatus for endorsing or printing
upon all descriptions of materials with facility and despatch, and com-
bines the following principal features:-Firstly, moveable india-rubber
or elastic type; secondly, a curved bed or backing for the said type and
arrangements for securing it thereon during the printing operation; and
thirdly, the inking pad which is formed upon a roller or cylinder, and
which is mounted upon jointed bearings, which allows of the traverse of
the said roller across the face of the type.
In the accompanying Drawings Figs. 1 and 1ª illustrate one arrange-
ment of the apparatus in which I fix the type upon a bed or block B,
having a suitably curved face C in which are V grooves for holding the
type, which is elastic. The type is pressed into the grooves in which it
is held by its own elasticity. To the said block B is pivoted jointed
bearings D carrying the inking roller E, which spans the said curved
face of the block B. An elastic band F is fastened to one end of the
block B and to the joint G of the bearings carrying the inking roller E.

page_text: This inking roller consists of a cylinder (covered with felt, flannel, or
other suitable material for receiving the ink or coloring matter) mounted
on a spindle. The action is as follows:-To ink the type the inking
roller is caused by hand to traverse the curved face of B, with which it
is kept in contact by the elastic band F, and thereby imparts to the type
the necessary supply of ink. The inking roller is then drawn back out
of contact with the type, and the block on which the latter is mounted
is then applied to the surface of the material to be printed. The traverse
of the roller E is shewn in broken lines Fig. 1, and at H is a stop against
which the roller rests after the printing surface is inked by the traversing
as aforesaid.
In another arrangement I use a bed or block B (see Fig. 2), upon
which two arms D carrying a small inking roller E is pivoted, so that the
inking roller drops over or traverses the surface of the type, which is
placed at one end C of the block B, inking the type, which is then
pressed upon the material to be marked or numbered. Channels or
grooves are formed in the end C of the block B on either side of a
raised surface, which acts as the bed, upon which is placed the flexible
type, which is pressed into the aforesaid channels or grooves, a fresh
figure or letter being applied as required.
The cylinder of the inking roller has flanges F at either end to prevent
the inking surface from coming in contact with the material to be printed
upon when it drops over the type as aforesaid.
Another modification of this Invention (particularly adapted for
numbering or indexing serially) is shewn in Figs. 3 and 34, in which A
are supports carrying a cylinder B, which serves as a backing for the
moveable india-rubber or elastic type, which is formed on endless bands C,
which bands work over the cylinder B and a roller D. A strong spring
clip E is arranged upon the outside of the above-described mechanism,
and embraces the same, and a milled headed thumbscrew F is provided.
When the type is adjusted in position the thumbscrew is tightened up
beneath the plate A', upon which plate are the supports A, which carry
the backing B of the type, thereby pressing the type against the jaws of
the clip E and firmly holding same in position when in use.
A traversing inking roller G is mounted upon bearings G, which
bearings are formed with an elongated slot or pivot hole, and pivoted
at G upon the supports A. An elastic band H is fastened to G¹, and the

page_text: elongated slot allows play for the roller in its traverse across the type,
and the elastic band keeps it in contact therewith.
By the traversing movement of the roller the ink or coloring matter
is more evenly distributed over the type than by the ordinary "dabbing "
process now used.
Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention,
I claim the improved apparatus for printing or endorsing letters, figures,
or devices upon wood, paper, stone, or other material, substantially as
herein described and illustrated on the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William John Cunningham, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of May,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
W. J. CUNNINGHAM. (L.S.)