IMPROVED MACHINERY
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Daniel Sprague, of Beulah Hill, Upper
Norwood, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY
"
Sealed the 3rd June 1873, and dated the 16th December 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Daniel Sprague at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 16th December 1872.
I, JOHN DANIEL SPRAGUE, of Beulah Hill, Upper Norwood, Gentle-
man, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
." IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR PRINTING FROM ENGRAVED SURFACES," to be as
follows:-
The object of this Invention is to print sheets in contradistinction to
rolls of paper from engraved surfaces with a speed equal or somewhat
approaching to that of letter-press printing. To this end I use instead
of flat plates engraved rollers and a rotary bed of peculiar construction.
for receiving the sheets of paper to be printed and sustaining them under
the pressure of the engraved printing roller.

page_text: The work to which my Invention chiefly applies is the printing of
bankers' cheques and other blank forms in water colour inks, but it may
be also be applied to other classes of work.
•
The printing roller is prepared after the manner of the rollers used in
calico printing, and it is inked and cleaned in the manner common to
that trade. The rotary bed consists of a drum, the periphery of which is
composed of detachable segments. This arrangement is adapted to fit
the bed for receiving sheets of paper of different lengths. The bed is
divided transversely into two or more parts to allow of its receiving
during one revolution a corresponding number of sheets of paper, and
presenting them in succession to the printing roller. These parts each
consist of a group of segment pieces, an addition to which or a substrac-
tion therefrom of one or more segments will enlarge or contract the side
of the bed, and thus adapt it to the reception of different sizes of paper;
or segment-shaped plates may be employed in lieu of these groups of
sections. The bed is covered with an elastic material, such as kamp-
tulicon or felt to allow of an elastic pressure being put upon the paper.
The drum or rotary bed may be fitted with clips to take hold of the
forward edges of the sheets, if thought desirable, or the sheets may be
fed to the machine, so that their forward edges will overlie transverse
recesses or spaces in the periphery of the drum, the object being to
prevent the forward edge of each sheet being pressed against the printing
roller. By this arrangement of the rotary bed the printed sheets will
admit of being easily detached from the printing roller. To make this
action automatic I provide an elastic scraper at the delivery end of the
machine, and set it in contact with the printing roller. As therefore
the printed sheets pass from under the nip of the press
this scraper will
enter between the free or unattached edge of the sheet and the printing
roller, and detach the sheet from the roller.
In rear of the rotary bed a drying cylinder will be arranged to receive
the quinted shoots which after nessing oven it will be fit for handling

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Daniel Sprague in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th June 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN.
DANIEL SPRAGUE, of Beulah Hill, Upper Norwood, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent bearing date the Sixteenth day of December, 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
me, the said John Daniel Sprague, Her special licence that I, the said John
Daniel Sprague, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said John Daniel Sprague, 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 Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR PRINTING FROM ENGRAVED
SURFACES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Daniel Sprague, 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 John Daniel Sprague, 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 Drawing here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :—
The object of this Invention is to print sheets in contradistinction to
rolls of paper from engraved surfaces with a speed equal or somewhat
approaching to that of letter-press printing. To this end instead of flat
plates I use engraved rollers as the printing surface, and a rotary bed of
peculiar construction as the impression surface for receiving the sheets

page_text: of paper to be printed and sustaining them under the pressure of the
engraved printing roller.
The work for which my Invention is chiefly applicable is the printing
of bankers' cheques and other blank forms in water colour inks, but it
may be also applied to other classes of work.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 represents a transverse vertical
section of those parts of a rotary printing machine to which my
Invention relates. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the impression
cylinder or rotary bed.
The surface of the printing roller a is engraved or prepared after the 1
manner of the printing rollers used in calico printing, and it is inked
and cleaned in the manner common to that trade, or in any other
convenient manner.
The rotary bed which carries and supports the paper while receiving
the impression consists of a drum b, on which any desired number of 1
detachable segments c, c, may be secured by screws, as shewn in the
Drawing, or in any other convenient manner. This arrangement is
adopted in order to render the bed suitable for receiving sheets of paper
of different sizes or lengths.
The surface of the impression cylinder 6 is divided longitudinally or 2
transversely into two or more parts, to allow of its receiving during one
revolution a corresponding number of sheets of paper, and presenting
them in succession to the printing roller a. On these parts curved
segmental impression surfaces c, c, are secured, and these segmental
surfaces each consist of a group of curved segmental pieces made of iron, 2
paper, papier maché, or other suitable material. By adding to or
subtracting from the segmental pieces or surface, the impression
surface or the size of the bed may be enlarged or contracted, and thus
adapted for the reception of different sizes of paper. I prefer however
that the curved impression surfaces c should consist of small segment- &
shaped plates of given sizes, which may be employed in lieu of forming
the surface or bed of a number of sections or pieces as above mentioned.
The impression surface is covered with an elastic material such as kamp-
tulicon, felt, cardboard, blanket, or paper, to allow of an elastic pressure
being put upon the paper that is to be printed.
The impression cylinder or rotary bed b, c, may (if thought desirable)
be fitted with clips d to take hold of the forward edges of the sheets of
3

page_text: paper, or the sheets may be so fed to the machine that their forward
edges will overlie transverse recesses or spaces in the periphery of the
drum b, the object being to prevent the forward edge of each sheet from
being pressed against the printing roller a. By this construction or
arrangement of the parts of the rotary bed the printed sheets will admit
of being easily detached from the printing roller a. If nippers are not
employed to hold the sheets of paper on the impression cylinder an
elastic scraper may be adapted at the delivery end of the machine, and
set in contact with the printing roller a, so that as the printed sheets
pass from under the nip of the impression cylinder this scraper will
enter between the free or unattached edge of the sheet and the printing
roller a, and will detach the sheet from this roller. In rear of the
rotary impression cylinder 6 a drying cylinder may be arranged to
receive the printed sheets, which after passing over it will be fit for
handling.
Having now described my Invention of "Improved Machinery for
Printing from Engraved Surfaces," and having explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by
Letters Patent as aforesaid, constructing the surface of the impression
cylinder with removcable curved or segmental plates of various sizes, so
that the impression surface may be varied in dimensions so as to be
suitable for printing sheets of paper of different dimensions as and for
the purpose herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Daniel Sprague, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Sixteenth day of June, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
TAXT
T
JOHN D. SPRAGUE. (L.S.)