AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR SUPPLYING PAPER TO PRINTING PRESSES
Year: 1870

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Olof Nilson at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 28th
September 1870.
I, OLOF NILSON, of Red Wing, Minnesota, United States of America,
now of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND APPARATUS
FOR SUPPLYING PAPER TO PRINTING PRESSES," to be as follows:-
:—
This Invention relates to a method of feeding paper to printing
presses by machinery.
In practising the said Invention I use a suction apparatus, a laterally
oscillating pipe, and a series of cups connected to and communicating
with the said pipe; from this pipe the air is exhausted by a common air
pump and causes one sheet of paper to adhere closely to the mouth of
the cups. At the same time a moveable table is caused to drop a little
from the cups holding the sheet; then another pipe is placed parallel
with the oscillating pipe; this second pipe is provided with several
perforations opposite the table, from which currents of air pass under
the raised sheet of paper, separating it from the other paper lying on the

page_text: table; then the oscillating pipe moves forward and delivers the sheet
to grippers; at this instant the suction ceases and the paper is released
from the cups.
A frame supports with suitable bearings the printing
cylinder which has a face plate. An eccentric pin fastened to the said
face plate imparts motion through a connecting rod to a cross lever
pivoted to a bearing fastened to the frame. The said cross lever operates
the piston rod of a force pump. The other end of the said cross lever
operates the piston rod of a suction pump. The cross lever also operates
the laterally oscillating pipe which extends across the frame above the
feed table and is supported at one end by a lever arm; this pipe is
moved so as to bring it alternately to the paper lying upon the table and
to the cylinder. A flexible pipe fastened to an elbow joint on the
oscillating pipe connects the same through the medium of a stop-cock
and connecting pipe with a reservoir or vacuum chamber, which is
connected through another pipe with the vacuum pump. The cups
or short tubes have an inclined position while resting with their back
edge on the paper. These cups are brought in this position when in
action to suck the top sheet from those beneath it, thus making a space
between the two sheets for the admission of air from the blowing pipe.
I place the blowing pipe in front of the paper on the table and direct
through a number of small openings jets of air between the slicet
raised by the cups and the pile below, whereby the upper sheet is
separated through its entire length from those beneath, and also kept
partly suspended over the other sheets while being drawn over to the
cylinder; this blowing pipe receives compressed air from the force
pump. The sheet which has been carried along by the means described
is released when delivered to the grippers on the printing machinery.
To effect this object I close the cock with a rod which acts on an
eccentric pin on the plug of the cock; this rod receives its motion
through two parallel levers pivotted to the frame. The table is made to
oscillate around an axis parallel to that of the cylinder, and as soon as a
sheet of paper is caught by the inclined cups or short tubes its front
end drops and leaves a space between the upper sheet and the next one
for the admission of air from the blowing pipe, and thereby assists the
separation of the top sheet from the others. To effect this dip or
dropping of the table I fasten to it a lever which is provided with a
segmental bearing. Below this a circular plate with a small indentation
is pivoted to the frame and is connected by an eccentric pin and link

page_text: to a lever which is pivoted to the frame and kept in contact with the
surface of a cam. The revolution of this cam creates an oscillating
motion of the circular plate, thus giving to the table the desired dip:
When the aforesaid lever bears on the depressed surface of the cam
again the table is relieved and resumes its original position, being slightly
overbalanced at the back end.
I use an attachment to the aforesaid suction apparatus, the object of
which is to "square" and gauge the released sheet of paper, and carry
it to the grippers of the press cylinder in such position that the edge
of the paper will always be delivered parallel to the axis of the cylinder
whatever deviation from that line may have been committed in placing
the pile on the feed table. The suction tubes in this case are stationary
and are attached to the vacuum pipe on which they may be made to
slide to any distance apart to suit different widths of paper. The suction
tubes have their mouths cut obliquely at an angle of about 15 degrees
in order to raise the inner edge of the sheet. I use carriers consisting
of two parts, one part sliding in a vertical groove cut in the other part
and provided with a projection or toe between which and a flange on
the other part the sheet of paper is clamped for conveying it to the
press cylinder. These carriers slide on rods, the distance between which
can be adjusted to suit different widths of paper, and they are made to
operate simultaneously by means of the rod to which they are secured,
and which receives a reciprocating motion from the printing press
machinery. A pin is attached to the sliding part of the carrier.
the forward motion of the carrier to grasp the sheet this pin travels up
an inclinc, thereby raising the sliding part, which having passed the said
incline drops and clamps the edge of the paper, carrying the same
across the table to the stationary gauges against which the edge of the
paper is brought up parallel to the axis of the press cylinder, a light rod
or bar at the same time holding down the paper evenly, and preventing
the creasing or bending of its edge against the gauges. At the same
time as the carriers having dropped the gauged sheet return to grasp a
second one laterally adjusting clamps grasp the sheet left by the
carriers and pull it up to side gauges, they then recede and the sheet is
caught by the grippers of the press cylinder. To produce this lateral
back and forth motion of the clamps, and their opening and closing at
the proper instant, they are fastened by a hinge joint to slides connected
In

page_text: together by a yoke, which receives its proper motion from the printing
press machinery. To raise and let fall the clamps I use a bent spring
attached to the side gauges and working against a bent pin on the
clamp, the said clamp is raised in its forward movement and allowed
to drop when the pin has passed a certain point on the spring allowing 5
the paper to become clamped between the clamp and slide.