Improvements in and in Means and Apparatus for the Production of Designs upon Paper or other Surfaces, specially applicable to the Production of Posters, Show Cards, and the like.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Aug., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 28th Dec., 1894-Accepter, 2nd Feb., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and in Means and Apparatus for the Production of
Designs upon Paper or other Surfaces, specially applicable to the
Production of Posters, Show Cards, and the like.
I, GEORGE RICHARD HILDYARD of Marshalsea Road Southwark in the
County of Surrey, Color Printer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:--
The objects of my invention are the economical production of designs upon
paper or other surfaces without the use of printing presses as hitherto employed;
also to enable any number of colors that may be required in the design to be
applied to the paper or other surface during one passage through the apparatus :
and further to produce designs when desired upon sheets or surfaces of much
larger dimensions than the largest that the presses hitherto used have been able to
print upon.
According to my invention I produce the required designs upon the paper or
surface by applying the inks or colors thereto in the state of spray or fine division,
the spray being caused to pass through a stencilled sheet in which the pattern or
form of the required design is cut. The stencilled sheet is preferably placed in
contact or nearly so with the surface which has to receive the inks or colors.
In combination with the stencilled sheet I prefer to use a fine net or gauze-of
textile material or metal a short distance, say half an inch more or less, above
the stencilled sheet; the net and the stencilled sheet can be kept at the required
distance apart and be at the same time held together by small pieces of wood or
other material; these pieces will serve to hold up any portions of the stencilled
sheet which the stencilling disconnects from the body of the sheet.
In carrying out my invention I generally employ a horizontal frame movable
or fixed but preferably movable in all directions; this frame carries bottles
containing the various inks or colors employed. These bottles are fitted with outlet
tubes the outer ends of which are contiguous to blast tubes through which currents of
air, steam or other fluid can be forced by means of a pump or otherwise: the
blast tubes are fitted with cocks so that any of them can be opened or closed as
required. The blasts from the open tubes draw the inks or colors from the
corresponding bottles and by forcibly striking the inks as they issue from the
outlets of the bottles reduce them to the state of spray or fine division and at
the same time drive this spray to and through the net and the stencilled sheet
below so that the spray comes upon the surface on which the design is to be
produced and it inks or colors this surface in accordance with the pattern on the
stencilled sheet.
The stencilled sheet will generally consist of as many sections as the number of
colored inks required to produce the desired design. The paper to receive the
design is caused to travel from a roll intermittently under the stencilled sheet and
each section of paper in passing intermittently under the sheet receives the
various inks successively through the successive stencilled sections.
application of the various inks through all the stencilled sections is effected
simultaneously upon different sections of the paper the number of times the inks
are applied (after the first section of paper has received all its inks) is practically
only one for each section of naner.
But as the

page_text: Instead of liquid inks or colors I can employ powdered inks
or colors.
distributed by means of blasts as above described and caused to pass through
stencilled sheets with or without gauze or net so as to fall upon a paper or other
surface coated with varnish which is still in the moist or tacky state.
Although it is best to apply the colors or inks to the upper surface of a
horizontal sheet of paper or other material, the colors or inks can be applied to a
horizontal sheet from below or to a sheet in a vertical or inclined position.
For comparatively small work I can cause the paper upon which the. design is
to be applied to move intermittently over a bed above which is a frame containing
the stencilled sheets with or without the gauze. This frame is connected to the
bed by links and can be lowered upon the paper and raised from the same as
required by means of a lever or otherwise. After each intermittent movement of
the paper the frame is lowered upon it, the colors applied and the frame then
again raised to permit the next intermittent movement. To ensure perfect
register of the frame it has V-notches which engage with pins or projections on
the bed.
According to another way of carrying out my invention I place the stencilled
sheet around a drum which revolves in contact with the paper as this is drawn
over a bed; the drum may receive its motion by frictional contact between the
travelling paper and india rubber rings on the drum. The color bottles are
suspended from the spindle of the drum but do not revolve therewith. The
appropriate bottles for supplying the colors to the successive sections of the paper
are brought into play at the proper times by means of levers or the like acted
upon by projecting or thickened parts of the drum corresponding with the
successive sections of the stencilled sheet.
For solid work I can apply the inks or colors to the paper or other surface by
means of a ruller or rollers run over gauze or net placed upon a stencilled sheet in
contact with the paper.
As the stencilled sheets are not subject to any rough wear they can be made of
a thin material such for example as paper in which very fine work can be stencilled.
These thin sheets become strengthened by use through the deposit of the colors or
inks thereon.
Dated this 25th day of August 1801
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 and 56, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
Improvements in and in Means and Apparatus for the Production of
Designs upon Paper or other Surfaces, specially applicable to the
Production of Posters, Show Cards, and the like.
I, GEORGE RICHARD HILDYARD of Marshalsea Road, Southwark in the
County of Surrey, Color Printer, 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 :—
The objects of my invention are the economical production of designs upon paper
or other surfaces without the use of printing presses as hitherto employed; also to
enable a number of colors that may be required in the design to be applied to the
paper or other surface during one passage through the apparatus; and further to
produce designs when desired upon sheets or surfaces of much larger dimensions
than the largest that the presses hitherto used have been able to print upon.
My invention consists of a process or mode of producing designs upon paper or
other surface which process or mode consists in applying inks or colors to the said

page_text: surface in the state of very fine division and either in a liquid form as spray or in
a dry form as powder, the said spray or powder being caused to pass to the said
surface first through a net or gauze of textile material or metal and then through a
stencilled sheet in which the pattern or form of the required design has been cut.
The invention also includes the means and apparatus for carrying out the said
process or mode. The said means or apparatus will be fully understood from the
description hereinafter contained.
In the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus constructed for the purpose of my
invention in its preferred form, part of the stencilled sheet and of the gauze being
shown as broken away to allow the interior of the apparatus to be seen.
Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same apparatus ;
Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1 ;
Figure 4 is a section on a larger scale on the line 4-4 of Figure 2 ;
Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 4;
Figure 6 is a plan of the valve box and of part of the blast pipes;
Figure 7 shows in elevation partly sectional a modified construction of the
apparatus;
Figure 8 is a side elevation of the same but without the blast pipes and color
bottles; and
Figure 9 is a plan of the same also without the blast pipes and color bottles and
with part of the gauze broken away to expose a portion of the stencilled sheet
below.
Referring first to Figures 1 to 6,-
A A are uprights supporting at each end of the apparatus a transverse beam or
bar B on which beams are brackets C C carrying the ends of a fixed longitudinal
bar D. This bar is tubular but has a longitudinal opening along the top for the
greater part of its length for the purpose hereinafter mentioned. This bar forms
the bearings for the naves or bosses E E of two wheels F F one at each end of the
apparatus. Between the two wheels and secured thereto is a cylinder G formed of
a net or gauze of textile or other material and outside this cylinder is another
cylinder H consisting of a stencilled sheet in which the pattern or form of the
required design is cut. The cylinders G and H are kept at a suitable distance
apart, say half an inch more or less, by means of distance pieces II of wood or
other suitable material cemented to both the cylinders. These distance pieces also
serve to hold in place any portions of the stencilled sheet which the stencilling
disconnects from the body of the sheet. The two wheels F F, gauze cylinder G,
and stencil cylinder H, together form a drum. Extending from one end of this
drum and forming a longitudinal continuation thereof is a ring J fixed to the
adjoining wheel F. This ring has secured to its inner face a number of tappets or
projecting pieces K K of leather or other suitable material for the purpose
hereinafter described. Fixed to the longitudinal bar D are brackets L supporting
shelves M M on which the color reservoirs or vessels N N are placed. The
number of color reservoirs is variable and they may be arranged in three rows as
shown or otherwise; the particular colors contained in the various reservoirs or in
other words the relative positions of the reservoirs containing the various colors
will be varied as required according to the design to be produced. Each of the
reservoirs is shown as provided with a cock or faucet P the mouth of which is in
the same vertical line as a color vessel Q below so that the liquid color which runs
from the faucet P drops into the corresponding vessel Q. In the vessel Q is a
float R connected with the faucet P by a rod S and lever T so that the faucet is
closed or more or less opened according to the height of the float R as determined
by the liquid level in the vessel Q; this vessel is thus automatically supplied with
color from the corresponding reservoir N and the level of the color maintained
practically uniform. The vessels Q are carried by bars U attached to the
bruckets L. Each vessel Q is fitted with an outlet pipe V from which the liquid
color contained therein is drawn as hereinafter described.

page_text: W is a main blast pipe having a cock W' and supplied with air, steam or other
fluid under pressure; the fluid employed is preferably air forced by any suitable
blower. The blast pipe W leads to a valve box X containing as many valves Y
(see Figures 4 and 5) as the maximum number of colors required for the design
to be produced; the drawings show the apparatus as fitted with seven valves.
From the box X at each valve Y is carried a blast pipe Z and all the seven pipes
are preferably carried as shown in Figures 1 and 2 through the open end of the
tubular bar D and then along this bar to the particular positions where they are
respectively required and their ends are carried over the open top of the bar D and
then in a downward direction. These blast pipes Z will each have as many
branches as there may be reservoirs N of the particular color allotted to each blast
pipe, and all the branches will be led to the positions in which they are respectively
required to act. Every blast pipe Z or branch blast pipe is fitted with a nozzle a,
placed in such position relatively to the outlet pipe V of a corresponding color
vessel that when the blast pipe is open to the valve box X it blows across the
end of this pipe and thereby draws the liquid color from the vessel Q by induction.
The blast meeting the stream of liquid color issuing from the pipe V reduces it to
the state of spray or fine division and blows it in this state through the gauze G
below. The color then passes through the stencilling or openings of the stencilled
sheet H upon the paper or other material upon which the design has to be
produced, the said paper or material being caused to travel under the stencil
cylinder as hereinafter described. bare two guards extending along the
apparatus within the cylinder to protect the colors from external currents and
cc are two longitudinal flaps attached to the said guards the distance between the
flaps determining the amount of gauze and stencil sheet exposed at one time to the
blast. This distance is preferably adjustable for which purpose the flaps are
hinged to the guards bb and fitted with right and left handed screws d.
e is the paper or other material upon which the design is to be produced; it is
unwound from a roll f and after receiving the design is wound upon a roller g.
caused to revolve by any suitable means. Between the rolls fand g it passes under
the drum consisting of the wheels F F, gauze cylinder G and stencil cylinder H
and in passing under this drum it imparts rotation thereto by frictional contact
with rings or bands h h of india rubber or other suitable elastic or yielding material
fitted around the respective ends of the said drum. During every rotation of the
drum a complete repeat of the design is produced or for small work more than one
such repeat may be produced. The paper on its way from the roll passes under
a guide roller i and then over a bed or platej of glass or other suitable material
which not only serves to support it and prevent it sagging but also keeps it well in
contact with the india rubber rings hh. The bed is supported on blocks k of
wood or other suitable material in a frame the under side of which is inclined and
is supported by an inclined slide m below. When it is required to release the
paper from the rings h h or to pass the leading end of the roll of paper under these
rings and stencil sheet at starting, the slide m is pushed partly from under the
frame by means of the connecting bars n n which are worked by a lever handle p
through the intermediation of a longitudinal rod r and arms s s.
The valves Y Y when not opened close by gravity. They are opened at the
appropriate times by means of the tappets K already described on the inside of the
ring J. There are as many circular rows of tappets as there are valves that is to
say seven in the arrangement shown. Every tappet K in each circular row, as the
ring J revolves with the stencil cylinder, comes in turn in contact with an anti-
friction roller t (see Figure 4.) carried by a lever u connected to a vertical rod u¹
at the upper end of which is the spherical valve Y. The tappet K lifts the
roller t, rod u' and valve Y and keeps them lifted and the valve is therefore
opened until the tappet has passed the roller; the roller t, rod u², and valve Y,
then descend by gravity and the valve closes. In Figure 4 three of the seven
valves are by way of example shown open by the action of the corresponding
tappets. It will of course be understood that the number, length and relative

page_text: positions of the tappets in each circular row will be governed by the design to be
produced, that is to say wherever red color is required in the design the valve that
controls the blast for distributing color from the vessels Q containing the red color
must be opened. The positions of the tappets will in fact be planned for each
design on somewhat the same principle as the holes in the cards used in Jacquard
mechanism.
The operation of the apparatus will be understood from the description already
berein before contained but may shortly he described as follows:-The requisite
color reservoirs N having been placed in the proper positions, the required number
of blast pipes Z having been placed with their nozzle a in proper position
relatively to the outlet pipes V of the vessels and the paper e having been led
under the stencil cylinder and its leading end secured to the wind-up roller g and
the paper lifted by means of the slide m into contact with the india rubber rings h h,
the paper is caused to travel by winding it up on the roller g and the drum com-
prising the wheels F F, gauze cylinder G and stencil cylinder H with the ring J
rotates at the same surface speed as the paper travels. The tappets K K of each
circular row in turn open the corresponding valve Y and again allow it to close;
every time and so long as a valve Y is open the blast from the main W passes
through the valve into the corresponding blast pipe Z and its branches and issuing
from the nozzles a at the ends of these branches draws up the liquid color through
the outlet pipes V of the corresponding color vessels Q and reduces the color to
the state of spray blowing this spray through the gauze G and stencil sheet H
upon the paper e travelling below.
In order to dry the color that remains on the stencil cylinder the apparatus is
provided, preferably at both sides as shown, with a plate heated by gas jets w w.
The plates when the apparatus is at work should be placed as close as
practicable to the stencil cylinder but when the apparatus is stopped they should
be moved out into the position shown in the figures so as to avoid scorching the
stencil sheet. In order to move them from their outer to their inner position and
vice versa each plate v carries slides a working in guides y these slides being
connected by means of rods to a lever z¹ operated by a handle so that this
handle moves both of the plates in and out simultaneously. The inward
movement is limited by an adjustable stop against which the handle abuts. The
gas pipes move inwards and outwards with the plates vv, being attached thereto by
straps or bands 24.
In order to steady the wheels F F gauze cylinder G and stencil cylinder H in
their rotation a spring a' is fitted around the bar D as seen at the right hand of
Figure 1 so as to press against the outer side of the nave E at that end and push
the nave at the opposite end against the side of its bearing. An anti-friction
roller against which the ring J bears at this end eases the rotary movement.
As it is desirable to remove surplus color from the inside of the gauze cylinder G
a series of wipers c₁ c² is employed carried by a shaft d¹ which is driven by means
of a pulley el and belt f¹ from a pulley g¹ on fone of the naves E. These wipers
rotate in the opposite direction to the gauze cylinder and in contact therewith, and
are cleaned as they revolve by coming in contact with the upper edge of a
longitudinal duct or trough c².
As the stencil sheet is not subject to any rough wear it can be made of a thin
material such for example as paper in which very fine work can be stencilled the
paper being coated with a shellac varnish or other like material on the face next
the gauze after the stencil has been cut. These thin sheets become strengthened
by use through the deposit of the colors thereon.
Instead of using liquid colors I can use colors in the state of powder in which
case the reservoirs N will not be required as the powders will be supplied direct to
the vessels Q; the paper or other material on which the design is to be produced
will in this case be coated with varnish which is still in a moist or tacky condition
when the powders are applied thereto.
I will now describe the modification shown in Figures 7, 8 and 9. In this

page_text: modification the gauze G and stencil sheet H are flat instead of being cylindrical as
in the construction shown in Figures 1 to 6 and they are held in a horizontal
frame F¹ which is lowered upon the paper e and remains lowered while the colors
are being distributed upon the paper through the said gauze and stencil sbeet, and
the frame is raised from the paper e when this has to be moved forward. The
paper e is fed intermittently being wound from a roll such as (Figures 2 and 3)
and taken up by a roller such as 9 (Figures 2 and 3). At each intermittent feed a
fresh length of paper equal to the length of the frame F¹ is brought under the
stencil sheet H, the design is then produced thereon by the application of colors in
the state of fine division as herein before described. W is the main blast pipe;
Z Z the branch blast pipes with nozzles a; Q the color vessels with outlet pipes V
and supported by a holder L' which is itself suspended by chains L². The
frame F with the gauze G and stencil sheet H is lifted when required by means of
a treadle G¹ to the inner end of which are connected cords or straps H'; these
cords pass over guide pulleys J1 J1 and are connected respectively to the four
corners of the frame F¹ so that when the outer end of the treadle G' is depressed
the cords H lift the frame F' into the position indicated in dotted lines in
Figures 7 and 8. M¹ is a swing stop which normally occupies the inclined
position seen in Figure 7 but which when the treadle is depressed is moved into the
vertical position indicated in dots and then holds the treadle down and consequently
keeps the frame F¹ in the raised position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The process hereinbefore described of producing designs upon paper or other
surface which consists in blowing inks or colors upon the said surface in the state
of very fine division (spray or powder) through a gauze sheet and then through a
stencil sheet cut with the pattern of the required design, the gauze sheet and stencil
sheet being parallel with but not in contact with each other, substantially as set
forth.
2. In apparatus for producing designs upon paper or other surface, the
combination of a stencil sheet cut with the pattern of the required design, a gauze
sheet parallel with but not in contact with the stencil sheet, vessels for holding and
delivering the inks or colors for producing the said design, and blast apparatus for
blowing the inks or colors in a state of very fine division through the gauze and
stencil sheets so that the inks or colors come in contact with the paper or other
surface and produce the design thereon, substantially as set forth.
3. In apparatus having the combination specified in Claim 2, the use of distance
pieces between the gauze sheet and stencil sheet these distance pieces serving to
maintain the sheets at the required distance apart and also to hold in place any
detached pieces of the stencil sheet substantially as set forth.
4. In apparatus having the combination specified in Claim 2, the arrangement
of the gauze sheet and the stencil sheet as concentric cylinders in combination
with means for imparting rotation to these cylinders and a forward or feed
movement at the same surface speed to the paper or other material upon which
the design is to be produced, substantially as described and shown in
Figures 1 to 6.
5. In apparatus having the combination specified in Claim 4, an arrangement
of valves controlling the blast through the various pipes of the blast apparatus, in
combination with a ring concentric with and revolving with the stencil cylinder the
said ring carrying tappets for operating the respective valves at the times that the
corresponding blast pipes have to act in accordance with the exigencies of
the design to be produced, substantially as described and shown in Figures 1 to 6.
6. In apparatus having the combination claimed in Claim 2 or in Claim 4 or in
Claim 5, an arrangement of reservoirs for feeding the color vessels in combination
with automatic devices as specified whereby the supply of the liquid color from the

page_text: said reservoirs to the said vessels is regulated so as to maintain the liquid in the
vessels at approximately a permanent level, substantially as described and shown in
Figures 1 to 6.
7. In apparatus having the combination specified in Claim 4, the arrangement of
the heating plates v combined with means of moving these plates towards and from
the stencil cylinder, substantially as and for the purpose described and shown in
Figures 1 to 6.
8. In apparatus having the combination specified in Claim 4, the rotary
wipers cand duct 2, substantially as and for the purpose described and shown in
Figures 1 to 6.
9. In apparatus having the combination specified in Claim 4, the india rubber
bands hh around the wheels F F which carry the stencil cylinder H in combination
with the bed j for supporting the travelling paper or other surface e whereby the
frictional contact of the travelling paper with the bands hh imparts rotary motion
at the same surface speed to the bands h h and therefore to the stencil cylinder,
substantially as described and shown in Figures 1 to 6.
10. The construction of apparatus substantially as shown in Figures 7, 8 and 9
in which the stencil sheet and gauze sheet are flat and in which the paper or
other surface is moved intermittently under the stencil sheet, substantially as
described.
Dated this 28th day of December 1894.
.
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 and 56, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.