Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 15th June, 1886.
Complete Left, 15th Mar., 1887.
• Complete Accepted, 15th June, 1887.
I, JAMES HIRD of 20 Berkeley Road Bishopston in the County of Gloucester
Lithographer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements applicable to lithographic cylinder printing
machinery of the character described in the specification of Letters Patent granted
to me dated 31st March 1877 No. 1260 a gripper apparatus being arranged in combi-
nation with springs and levers for the purpose of taking off the sheet when printed
from the cylinder of the printing machine which apparatus deposits the sheet on to
the ordinary receiving board thus dispensing with hand labour. For this purpose a
combined lever and horizontal arm is arranged to move to and fro upon an axis at the
side or otherwise conveniently adjacent to the printing machine. The horizontal arm
carries a series of fingers or grippers, which are caused to press upon the edge of the
printed sheet when it has to be removed from the surface of the cylinder a catch
attached to the gripper is released by a lever and as the arın set in motion by the
machine moves away from the cylinder the arm makes a partial revolution which
enables it to hold carry and deposit the printed sheet upon the receiving board, upon
the sheet being taken up and deposited.
The apparatus is so arranged as to be capable of adjustment for various sized sheets
of paper or cardboard the gripper always taking the sheet at the end last printed.
The grippers or fingers are closed by springs acted upon by a,lever (at one or both
ends) striking against the cylinder of machine and then opened by a chain pulling
them open or by a lever placed in a suitable position to open them to release the sheet
when printed and so deposit it upon the receiving table in the usual manner.
Dated this 15th day of June 1906
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Lithographic Printing Machinery.
I, JAMES HIRD of 20 Berkley Road Bishopston in the County of Gloucester
Lithographer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
This Invention relates to improvements applicable to lithographic cylinder printing
machinery of the character described in the Specification of Letters Patent granted
to me dated 31st March 1877 No. 1260 a gripper apparatus being arranged in combi-
nation with springs and levers for the purpose of taking off the sheet when printed
from the cylinder of the printing machine which apparatus deposits the sheet on to the
ordinary receiving board thus dispensing with hand labour.
For this purpose a combined lever and horizontal arm is arranged to move to
and fro upon an axis at the side or otherwise conveniently adjacent to the printing
machine.
The horizontal arm carries a series of fingers or grippers which are caused to press
upon the cylinder and slide under the sheet printed, a catch attached to the grippers
is released by a lever which causes the spring to act and grips the sheet and as the arm
set in motion by the machine moves away from the cylinder the arm makes a partial
revolution which enables it. to hold carry and deposit the printed sheet upon the
receiving board upon the sheet being taken up and deposited.
The apparatus is so arranged as to be capable of adjustment for various sized sheets
of paper or card board.
The grippers or fingers are closed by springs acted upon by a lever (at one or both
ends) striking against the cylinder of machine and then opened by a lever placed in a
suitable position to open them to release the sheet when printed and so deposit it
upon the receiving table in the usual manner.
And in order that my improvements may be easily understood and readily carried
into practice will proceed to describe the drawings hereto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a plan and Figure 2 a side elevation of so much of a printing
machine as will enable me to describe my present improvements. Figure 3 shows a
plan and Figure 4 an end view on a larger scale of the grippers or fingers which lay
hold of the edge of the printed sheet and take it off the cylinder and carry and déposit
it upon the receiving board.
The general arrangement of my improved mechanism for carrying the printed sheet
from the cylinder and delivering it on to the receiving board being very similar to that
described in the Specification of my Letters Patent before referred to. I need not
therefore minutely describe all the parts except so far as they relate to or are

page_text: combined with the gripping mechanism which constitutes the novel part of my
present improvements.
The gripping mechanism is constructed and arranged to act in the following manner.
« is a connecting rod actuated by the machine and connected to the slotted end of the
vibrating radial arm b on which the toothod pinion & on the end of the horizontal arm
and axis c is mounted. The pinion 6 takes into the toothed rack which is so
mounted that in vibrating between the cylinder A and the receiving board B it
causes the pinion and axis c, to make a partial revolution. cc' are arms fixed on
the axis c, the ends of the arms c being connected to the bar or shaft d, upon which
the grippers e e. are mounted.
The grippers e, are formed with a stationary finger el and a moveable finger e³ tho
latter being connected to-and turning on the axis ex on the end of-the arme³, moving
on a pin joint at e. The arm is also connected to the gripper e, by the toggle
joint e which opens the finger e², of the grippers when forced (into the position,
shown by dotted lines) by the pressure of the pin acted upon by the lever arm fi
on the rod f carried by the arms f³, fixed on the axis d when the latter is acted upon
by the axis c and pinion b.
The toggle e, forced down by the pin forces open the finger or arm e* to the posi-
tion (the toggle e, having passed the centre is prevented from going further by
the stop or abutment a, provided thereon) and in this position the finger comes in
contact with the cylinder A which presses it into the position e' (shown in dotted
lines) at which point by means of the arm fx on the toggle e it presses the
toggle joint back past the centre and the gripper instantly closes by the action of the
spring e, i.e. the arm is drawn back by the spring e whereby the finger e³ is
moved from the position, and closed upon the finger e with the paper between the
two fingers ee (upon the edge of the printed sheet) which thus hold it whilst the
radial arm carries it over on to the receiving board B.
As the grippers or fingers approach the surface of the cylinder A. they are opened
as previously described into the position shown by dotted lines the point or edge of
the finger then presses against and slides up the cylinder (bending at the joint e*)
and under the edge of the sheet of paper and then closes down upon it and holds it
under the edge of the finger e as before described.
When the radial arm has moved into the position shown by the dotted lines the
lever and arm come into contact with the fixed stop g to press in the pin to
open the fingers and thus cause them to release the printed sheet and deliver it
on to the receiving table.
el
The moving parts are so constructed as to be capable of adjustment for taking off
and depositing different sized sheets of paper.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
The improved arrangement and construction of the automatic gripping apparatus e
the parts eeeee and e² so mounted combined and actuated as to take off a printed
sheet from the cylinder of a lithographic printing machine and then carry and deposit
it upon the receiving board substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein
before described and represented in the drawings hereto annexed.
Dated this 15th day of March 1887
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Patentee.