IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PRINTING MACHINES, AND IN DRIVING OR ACTUATING THE SAME
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Bremner, of the Belle Sauvage Works,
Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, Printer and Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PRINTING MACHINES,
AND IN DRIVING OR ACTUATING THE SAME."
Sealed the 4th March 1862, and dated the 8th October 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Bremner at the.
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th October 1861.
I, SAMUEL BREMNER, of the Belle Sauvage Works, Ludgate Hill, in the
City of London, Printer and Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PRINTING MACHINES
AND IN DRIVING OR ACTUATING THE SAME," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to a peculiar construction and arrangement.
of single cylinder printing machines, whereby such machines are rendered
more certain and effective in action, and are more compact than the same
class of machines hitherto employed.
And, secondly, to an improved mode of driving or actuating printing
machines.
According to the first part of this Invention the carriage or type table receives
its to-and-fro motion through the intervention ofapair ofvertical vibrating lever
arms, keyed at their lower ends on to a rocking shaft, working in bearings near
[Price 8d.]

page_text: the bottom of the main framing, whilst they are jointed near their upper ends
to connecting rods actuated by crank pins, which give the necessary vibrating
motion to the levers. These levers are connected at their extreme upperends
by means of links to the axle of a pair of spur pinions, which run along
stationary racks secured to a portion of the main framing, and gear also into
corresponding racks attached to the under side of the carriage or type table.
The lever arms are slotted longitudinally at the part where the connecting
rods are jointed thereto, so that by adjusting the point of contact nearer to and
farther from the working centres of the levers any desired amount of traverse
of the carriage or type table may be obtained without changing the throw of
the crank pins. In order to stop the impression cylinder and lock it after
each impression during the running back of the "form," a vertical sliding bolt
or catch is used, taking into a notch inside the end of the cylinder, and acted
upon so as to come in and out of action at the proper times by a long slot
made in the carriage or in the rack which drives the cylinder. In combination
with the locking bolt above described there is a friction strap or break, which
encircles a boss on the end of the cylinder, and is brought into action just
before the bolt operates so as to retard slightly the rotation of the cylinder,and
so prevent the sudden shock or jar which would occur were it stopped solely
by the insertion of the locking bolt. This break is worked by a series of
lovers and connecting rods, which are brought into operation at the proper
time by an adjustable screw in the side of one of the before-mentioned
vibrating vertical lever arms, near its working centre. A self-acting arrange-
ment is also proposed to be adopted for opening the grippers at any desired
part of the revolution oftheimpression cylinder, thereby affording more time for
the insertion of a fresh sheet after the removal of the previously printed sheet.
This is effected by means of an adjustable curved or inclined surface, against
which a roller on the end of the arm of the gripper bar ruus, and by depressing
or partially turning such arm, effects the desired opening of the grippers. By
adjusting the curved or inclined surfaces nearer to or farther from the arm
above mentioned, thegrippers may be opened at any desired point of revolution
of the impression cylinder. The "vibrator" or roller which first receives the
ink from the "duck" roller is caused to rise and fall from and towards
the inking table by means of a cam on the second motion shaft of the machine,
such cam actuating a suitable combination of levers and connecting rods for
effecting the motion desired, in lieu of such motion being obtained as here-
tofore from the carriage or type table. An adjusting screw and slotted lever
arm are employed for adjusting or setting up the vibrator so as to compensate
for shrinkage (in the composition), and the actuating mechanism of the same

page_text: is so arranged that this roller will always descend or drop on to the inking
table at whatever height it may have been adjusted by its adjusting lever and
set screw.
According to the second part of this Invention it is proposed to drive or
actuate printing machines in a direct manner by means of a steam cylinder
and its requisite accessories, secured or fitted to the main framing of the
machine to be driven or actuated in place of transmitting the motive power
thereto by the intervention of driving straps and pulleys.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Samuel Bremner in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 8th April 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
BREMNER, of the Belle Sauvage Works, Ludgate Hill, in the City of London,
Printer and Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Samuel Bremner, Her special license that I,the said Samuel Bremner,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Samuel Bremner, my executors, administrators, or 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PRINTING MACHINES, AND IN DRIVING
OR ACTUATING THE SAME," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Samuel Bremner, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, or under the hand and seal of one of them,
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 1, the said Samuel Bremner, 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

page_text: following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates, firstly, to a peculiar construction and arrange-
ment of single cylinder printing machines, whereby such machines are
rendered more certain and effective in action, and are much more compact
than the same class of machines hitherto employed.
And, secondly, to an improved mode of driving or actuating printing
machines.
According to the first part of this Invention, the carriage or type table
receives its to-and-fro motion through the intervention of a pair of vertical
vibrating lever arms keyed at their lower ends on to a rocking shaft, working
in bearings near the bottom of the main framing, whilst they are jointed
near their upper ends to connecting rods actuated by crank pirs, which give
the necessary vibrating motion to the levers. These levers are connected at
their extreme upper ends by means of links to the axle of a pair of spur
pinions, which run along stationary racks secured to a portion of the main
framing, and gear also into corresponding racks attached to the under side of
the carriage or type table. The lever arms are slotted longitudinally at the
part where the connecting rods are jointed thereto, so that by adjusting the
point of contact nearer to and farther from the working centres of the levers
any desired amount of traverse of the carriage or type table may be obtained
.without changing the throw of the crank pins. In order to stop the impression
cylinder, and lock it after each impression during the running back of the
"forin," a vertical sliding bolt or catch is used taking into a notch inside the
end of the cylinder, and acted upon so as to come in and out of action at the
.proper times by a long slot made in the carriage or in the rack which drives
the cylinder, or by a cam on the rocking shaft of the vibrating lever arms.
In combination with the locking bolt above described, there is a friction strap
or break, which encircles a boss on the opposite end of the cylinder, and is
brought into action just before the bolt operates, so as to retard slightly the
rotation of the cylinder, and so prevent the sudden shock or jar which would
occur were it stopped solely by the insertion of the locking bolt. This break
is worked by a lever and connecting rod, which are brought into operation at
the proper time by an adjustable screw on the side of one of the before-
mentioned vibrating vertical lever arms near its working centre. A self-
acting arrangement is also proposed to be adopted for opening the grippers
at any desired part of the revolution of the impression cylinder, thereby
affording more time for the insertion of a fresh sheet after the removal of the
previously printed sheet. This is effected by means of an adjustable curved or

page_text: inclined surface, against which a roller on the end of the arm of the gripper
bar runs, and by depressing or partially turning such arm, effects the desired
opening of the grippers. By adjusting the curved or inclined surface nearer
to or farther from the arm above mentioned, the grippers may be opened at
any desired point of revolution of the impression cylinder. The "vibrator"
or roller which first receives the ink from the "duck" roller is caused to
rise and fall from and towards the inking table by means of a cam on the
second motion shaft of the machine or by a can on the rocking shaft of the
vibrating lever arms; such cam actuating a suitable combination of levers and
connecting rods for effecting the motion desired, in lieu of such motion being
obtained as heretofore from the carriage or type table. An adjusting screw
and slotted lever arm are employed for adjusting or setting up the "vibrator"
so as to compensate for shrinkage (in the composition), and the actuating
mechanism of the same is so arranged that this roller will always descend
or drop on to the inking table at whatever height it may have been adjusted
by its adjusting lever and set screw.
According to the second part of this Invention, it is proposed to drive
or actuate printing machines in a direct manner by means of a steam cylin-
der and its requisite accessories secured or fitted to the main framing of
the machine to be driven or actuated in place of transmitting the motive
power thereto by the intervention of driving straps and pulleys.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that
purpose
I shall refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto
annexed, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts
throughout all the Figures.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a side elevation of my improved
single cylinder printing machine, with a portion of the side framing broken
away to show the parts more clearly; Figure 2 is a corresponding plan
of the same, portions being broken away to show the parts below; Figure 3
is an elevation of the driving end of the machine, and the rest of the Figures
are details drawn to a larger scale, herein-after more particularly referred to.
A is the main framing of the machine composed of cast iron, side and end
standards bolted together rectangularly, and having two inner frames or
parallel bearing rails B, B, bolted inside thereof; C is the main driving
shaft working in bearings bolted to one end of the main framing, and pro-
vided with a fly wheel D, and fast and loose driving pullies E, E'; F, F, are
two spur pinions keyed on to the driving shaft, and gearing into the corre-
sponding spur wheels G, G, fast on the second motion shaft H,which works

page_text: in bearings I, I, also bolted to one of the end standards of the main traning
Each of these spur wheels is provided with a crank pin K, K, to which are
jointed the two connecting rods L, L, their opposite ends being connected to
slots in the two vibrating or rocking lever arms M, M. These arms are keyed
at their lower extremities on to a rocking shaft N, which is supported in
bearings on the lower portion of the inner frames B, B, whilst their upper
ends are cach connected to a short link O, O, which links are jointed to the
ends P, P, of one of the axles Q of the carriage R. This carriage consists of
a series of wheels S, S, running along guiding grooves formed along the
surfaces of the frames B, B, and upon the upper surfaces of these wheels runs
the type table T, which is grooved on the under side to receive them. To one
of the axles marked Q' are keyed a pair of spur wheels U, U, which run upon
and gear with the horizontal racks V, V, bolted to the inner sides of the
frames B, whilst their upper surfaces gear into corresponding racks Wsecured
to the under side of the type table. On imparting a vibratory or oscillating
motion to the rocking levers M, M, from the crank pins K, K, the carriage
will be caused to run to and fro along its guide rails,and a rotatory motionwill
at the same time be imparted to the two spur wheels U,U, by running along
the racks V, which rotatory motion will impart a rectilinear motion to the
type table through the racks W which gear with the wheels U. By this
combination of mechanism it is obvious that the traverse of the type table will
be considerably augmented, being,in fact, double the throw of the upper ends
of the levers M, M,whilst at the same time the speed of the traverse will be
greatly increased, thereby enabling smaller cranks to be used, and allowing of
the driving shaft of the machine to be worked at a reduced speed, both of
which advantages are of considerable importance in this class of machinery.
The slots in the lever arms M, when the connecting rods are jointed thereto,
admit of the traverse of the type table being adjusted to the greatest nicety,
as it is simply requisite to raise or lower the connecting joint to vary the
stroke of the type table. X represents the impression cylinder, shown also in
end elevation on a larger scale at Figure 4; it is provided at one end with
the ordinary toothed segment wheel Y (see Figure 5), which gears with
the rack on the upper surface of the type table, for the purpose o
receiving a rotatory motion when the table is passing under it to make a
impression, as is usual in printing machines of this description; but in orde
to stop the impression cylinder, and lock it after each impression and during
the running back of the "forme," I propose to adapt thereto.a sliding bolt o
catch A, shown in Figures 1 and 5, which is depressed so as to bring
tooth a¹ into a notch in the rim of the spur segment wheel Y just as th

page_text: "forme" completes its forward traverse with the printed sheet,and remains in
that locked position whilst the "forme" is being run back again to receive
the white sheet, consequently the cylinder is held perfectly fixed or locked in
its proper position during this movement of the type table. Just before the
"forme" has arrived at the end of its back or return stroke, the tooth a¹ of
the catch or bolt a is elevated or raised clear of the notch in the wheel Y, but
as the cylinder is still kept locked by reason of the projections b and c on the
wheel Y, which projections are situate one on each side of the head of the
locking bolt, and consequently prevent the cylinder from turning in either
direction during the rising of the bolt, but as the type table continues to
advance, the bolt a rises clear of the projection or stop b, and when the
table returns with the white sheet the elevated position of the catch or bolt a
admits of the free rotation of the impression cylinder. Motion is imparted to
the catch or bolt a at the proper times by the rim d on the cam e keyed on to
one end of the rocking shaft N. This cam acts upon a lever f¹, which gives
motion to the vertical sliding bolt a. The inclines on the stops b and c serve
to ensure the return of the catch to its proper position again, should by any
chance the cam not act properly, or in case the cylinder has become misplaced
as regards the proper tooth in the rack. In combination with this locking
bolt I use a break strap ƒ (Figure 4), which embraces a break drum formed
on the opposite end of the cylinder. This strap is fixed at one end to the side
of one of the plummer blocks g of the cylinder, whilst its opposite end is
connected to a rod h jointed at the lower extremity to a lever i; this lever
works on a fixed centre %, and is actuated or depressed so as to tighten and
apply the break strap just before the bolt operates by means of the adjustable.
screw 7 fitted to a lug m secured to the lower end of one of the lever arms M,.
this screw striking the end of the lever i at each backward stroke of the lever
arms M, that is to say, just as the "forme" arrives home with the printed
sheet. (Figures 1 and 4) represents an adjustable, curved, or inclined
bracket, which is fitted on to the top of one of the side standards of the main
framing, for the purpose of effecting the opening of the grippers at any desired
part of the revolution of the cylinder. For carrying out this object a roller on
the end of the arm of the gripper bar is made to run along the inner curved
surface of the bracket n, which has the effect of depressing or partially turning.
such arm, and of opening the grippers accordingly. By seting the curved
surface nearer to or further from the cylinder or gripper bar arm, facility is
afforded for regulating the opening of the grippers at any desired point of the
rotation of the cylinder. o (Figure 1) is the "vibrator," which is caused to
rise and fall from and towards the inking table by the action of a cam on the

page_text: second motion shaft of the machine, or by a lever, s shown in my Drawings,
P, as
which lever is centred at q, and is connected at one end to the rod r, which is
jointed to a lever arm s keyed ou to the transverse shaft t. This shaft carries
also a pair of lever arms u, which support the axis of the "vibrator," and
cause it to rise and fall each time the lever pis actuated. Motion is imparted
to this lever at the proper times by a cam groove made in the side of the
cam c on the rocking shaft N, herein-before referred to, a pin in the end of
the lever p working in the groove of the cam. In order to compensate for
shrinkage in the composition of the "vibrator," I propose to use a means of
adjustment of the lever arms which carry this roller. For this purpose I key
a slotted lever v (sce plan and side view at Figures 6 and 7) on to the shaft t
by the side of another lever v¹ which is loose on the shaft t, and connect this
loose lever by a tightening screw w with the slotted lever v, the screw w
passing through the slot and entering the lever v1. By raising or lowering
the position of the screw in the slot by means of the adjusting screw w¹,
the height of the "vibrator" may be adjusted with the greatest nicety.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that what I consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the general construction and arrangement of printing machines,
as herein-before described.
Second, the combination of the vibrating lever arms M, spur wheels U,
and racks V and W, for the purpose of actuating the type table, as herein-
before described.
Third, the application and use of the peculiar arrangement of locking
bolt for steadying the cylinder during the running back of the "forme," in
combination or not with a break, as herein-before described.
Fourth, the peculiar mode of actuating the break for checking the
momentum of the impression cylinder, as herein-before described.
Fifth, the application and use of a curved or inclined bracket, made
adjustable for the purpose of opening the grippers at any desired part of
the revolution of the impressing cylinder, as herein-before described.
by
Sixth, the imparting of a rising-and-falling motion to the "vibrator"
means of a cam surface, in lieu of obtaining such motion direct from the
type table, as herein-before described.
Seventh, the peculiar mode of adjusting the height of the "vibrator," so as
to compensate for shrinkage of the composition, as herein-before described.

page_text: Eighth, the system or mode of driving printing machines direct from a
small steam engine secured to the framing of the machine, as herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Bremner, have to this my
Specification hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of
April, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
SAMUEL BREMNER. (L.B.)