Improvements in Reciprocating Machines for Printing from Stencils.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Jan., 1894-Accepted, 24th Feb., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Reciprocating Machines for Printing from Stencils.
I, THOMAS HEADLY STACKHOUSE, of 139 South Fourth Street, in the City
and County of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, one of the United States
of America, Clerk, 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 :-
My invention relates to improvements in machines for printing from stencils,
and more particularly to improvements in reciprocating machines for printing
from stencils formed upon prepared sheets of paper either by perforation or
abrasion, and the object of my invention is to furnish a machine of this character
which will be simple and inexpensive in construction, which may be operated more
rapidly than machines heretofore constructed for this purpose and with less wear
and danger of accident to the stencil.
My stencilling machine consists of a stationary bed plate upon which is mounted
an open carriage which carries the stencil, an inking roller is mounted upon arms
pivoted to the bed plate and is adapted to ink the top of the stencil, and a rolling
platen carried upon suitable bearings is adapted to press the paper to be printed
up against the bottom of the stencil. This platen is placed preferably directly
beneath the inking roller, and the inking roller and platen are so arranged as to
bear, the former against the stencil, and the latter against the paper to receive the
impression from the stencil. Upon the shaft of the platen are gear wheels, and
upon the carriage which carries the stencil are racks gearing into and driving
these gear wheels and the platen. Upon the shaft of the inking roll are gear
wheels gearing into and driven by the gear wheels on shaft of platen. These
gears are so proportioned as to drive the inking roll and platen at exactly the
same speed as the carriage and stencil, hence the stencil is never subjected to any
torsional or other strains which might impair its usefulness and shorten its life.
My invention consists further in devices for separating the inking roll and platen
when the carriage is upon its backward stroke, in devices for holding and guiding
the paper on its way to be printed and for receiving it after it has been printed,
and in other details hereinafter fully described.
In the accompanying drawings forming part of this Specification and in which
similar letters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views,
Fig. 1, is a top view or plan of my printing machine;
Fig. 2, a side elevation of Fig. 1 ;
Fig. 3, a horizontal sectional elevation of Fig. 1 on line 1-2;
Fig. 4, a transverse sectional elevation of Fig. 1 on line 3-4;
Fig. 5, a plan of front part of paper feeding table;
Fig. 6, a side elevation of the central part of my machine, showing the inking
roll and its connected parts thrown upward, and
Fig. 7, a front view of the adjustable pieces V, W, carried on the forward ends
of the arms I, L.
A is the stationary bed plate of my machine, which is preferably constructed of
metal. Ba carriage mounted upon and adapted to slide on the bed plate. In
the drawings I have shown the carriage mounted and sliding upon rails C,
Figs. 1, 3 and 4, which are upon the inner part of the sides of the bed plate and
which may be cast with the bed plate, or formed separately and bolted to it.
C² are clamps or guides which are secured to the lower part of the carriage and

page_text: which pass around and under the rails C, as shown in Fig. 4, and prevent the
carriage from being lifted from the rails.
D is a stencil holding frame; this frame is constructed of two pieces, the lower
piece a being somewhat narrower than the upper piece and its upper face being
furnished with a groove b, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and its upper part c being
furnished upon its lower face with a tongue d adapted to enter the grooves / in
the lower part. The upper part of the frame is shaped as shown, and is
secured to the lower part by means of hooks e, or in any other suitable manner.
The stencil is clamped and stretched between the bottom and top parts of the
frame, the peculiar shape of which hold it firmly.
While I prefer to use a frame constructed as shown, it will be understood that
any of the well known forms of frames for stretching and holding stencils may
be used.
My device for securing the stencil frame to the carriage consists of two or more
shaped springs E, Figs. 1 and 3, which are carried by the forward end of the
carriage and preferably at opposite sides of the carriage. These springs or pieces
of metal bear against the forward end and top of the frame and clamp this part of
the frame securely to the carriage. The frame is prevented from moving side-
ways by flanges projecting upward from the carriage and against which the
sides of the frame bear. The rear of the frame is held down against the carriage
by means of clamps G which are carried by the carriage and which are furnished
with oblong heads which may be turned sideways so as to release this end of the
frame when it may be desired to remove it from the carriage. The inking roll H
is carried upon arms I pivoted to the sides of the bed plate at J. Directly
beneath the inking roll is a platen K, the shaft of which is carried upon arms Ĺ
which are pivoted to the sides of the bed plate, preferably at J. The arms L
and the platen, are supported by means of springs M, the upper ends of which
bear against the lower part of the forward ends of arms L, and the lower ends of
which may bear against a leg or bracket N extending from the bed plate. Upon
the carriage B and running lengthwise with this carriage are racks O, one
preferably upon each side of the carriage, these racks gear into and drive gear
wheels P which are fast to the shaft of platen K. R are gear wheels fast to shaft
of inking roll H and which during the forward stroke of the carriage and stencil
are in gear with and driven by the gears P, but which during the return stroke of
the carriage and stencil are lifted from the gears P. During the forward or
printing stroke of the carriage and stencil, the inking roll H bears upon the top
of the stencil, and the platen K presses the paper to be printed firmly against the
bottom of the stencil. The rack O drives gear wheel P and platen K at exactly
the same speed, consequently there is no strain upon the stencil while it is in
action which would be liable to injure it. It will be noticed that the inking roll
and platen, the latter of which is directly beneath the former, only engage the
stencil along one line at one time.
It is obvious that the gear wheel R may be driven by a rack, similar to the
rack O, instead of being driven by gear wheel P which is driven by the rack: or
the rack might have teeth upon its top similar to those upon its bottom which
would drive gear R and inking roll H. Or the rack O may be reversed and
engage the gear R and the gear R would then engage the gear P. This latter
construction would be preferable in certain classes of machines.
During the backward stroke of the carriage the inking roll is lifted, and the
platen lowered, so that both will be completely out of contact with the stencil.
My device for separating the rolls consists of a double faced cam S, one of which is
placed on each side of the bed plate, and which travel upon guides T carried by
suitable brackets U carried by the frame A. Upon the arms I-L which carry
the ink roll and platen are adjustable pieces V, W, which are adapted to bear
against the faces of the cam S, and upon the carriage are adjustable tappets Y, Y',
the former upon the front of the carriage and the latter upon the rear.
These tappets are adapted to engage the ends of the cam S and slide it forward

page_text: or backward on the guide T. In the drawings the carriage is shown at the forward
end of its stroke, the tappets Y have engaged and moved forward the cam S, the
inclined faces of which have engaged and lifted the engaging pieces V, W, carried by
arms I, 1, and the ink roll and platen are moved away from the stencil. When the
carriage is drawn back, and just before it reaches the end of its stroke, the tappets Y
engage the forward end of cam S and move this cam back allowing the arms I, L,
to fall and the ink roller and platen to engage the stencil again. Ordinarily the
weight of the ink roller and its connected parts will be sufficient to force the ink
through the stencil, but should additional pressure be necessary springs A', one end
of which are attached to the bed plate at J, or to a stud or arm carried by the bed
plate, and the other attached to one end of a screw B which is held by the arm I, or
by a projection C₁ from the arms, may be used to draw the ink roller more firmly
against the stencil. It will be seen that by means of screws B' the tension of
springs A may be regulated as desired.
The paper feeding table D' is placed within and at the rear of the frame forming
the bed plate. This table is adjustable both vertically and horizontally, and it
should be so placed that a continuation of its top line will be tangent, or nearly
tangent, to the upper part of the platen roll when this latter is lowered as shown in
Fig. 3.
Various devices may be employed to make the table D' adjustable. I have
shown the table furnished with lugs E' which project from its bottom and are
furnished with slots E2. E³ are slots in the sides of the bed plate A, which are at
right angles, or nearly so, to slots E2 in lugs E. E is a threaded nut or washer
which screw E enters and by means of which and the screw the table may be
attached to the bed plate. The slots in the bed plate and lugs permit a movement
of the table for adjustment.
F', G', are adjustable paper guides carried by table D. The guide F' is placed
at the rear of the table and has a screw F2 passing through it and through a slot F³
in the table, a thumb nut F' on screw F2 draws the head of this screw up against
the bottom of the table and forces the guide F against the top of the table and
locks the guide at the desired point on the table. The slot F3 permitting the
guide and screw to be moved backward or forward as may be necessary for different
lengths of paper. The guide G has a screw G2 passing through it and through a
slot G³ placed, preferably, at right angles to slot F³. A thumb nut G* operates in
connection with screw G to lock the guide G¹ at any point on the slot G³.
The guide G' is set either in or out as may be necessary for sheets of paper of
different widths L.
H', Fig. 3, is a box which is placed in front of the platen K and which receives
the printed sheets of paper as they pass from the machine.
I is a handle attached to the rear part of the carriage and by means of which the
carriage may be operated.
Attached to or forming part of the arms I which carry the inking roll H, is a
frame J which is furnished with suitable bearings in which shafts are journalled
which carry a train of ink evening and distributing rolls K', K2, K³, K. The
lower rolls K2, K', are journalled in fixed bearings in the frame J. The upper
rolls K, K³, may be journalled in fixed bearings in the sides of this frame, but I
prefer to journal the ends of their shafts in separate pieces or bars of metal L, L',
which are adjustably secured to the frame J' so that the upper rollers may be tightly
forced against the lower rolls K2, K, and the inking roll H, or may be lifted
entirely clear of these rolls.
In the drawings I have shown the metal pieces L', L, which carry the upper
rolls, furnished with threaded studs M which pass through slots N' in the sides of
the frame J, the thumb nuts 0, on threaded studs can be operated to hold the
bearing pieces L' so as to force the upper rolls against the lower, or to hold them
entirely out of contact.
The rolls being made of a composition which becomes more or less soft and sticky
in warm weather, it is advisable to separate them when not in use.

page_text: I have shown in the drawings a train of four ink distributing rolls; it will be
understood however that this number of rolls may be increased or diminished if
desired.
In inking the roll H, the ink is first placed upon the outside roll K*, for instance,
by dropping it upon this roll from the tubes in which the ink is usually sold, and
the roll, by being lifted from the stencil as shown in Fig. 3, is revolved by means
of a crank P, Figs. 1 and 4 which is attached to the shaft of this roll. The roll H
drives by friction the rolls K', K2, K³, K, and the ink which has been placed upon
the roll K* is rolled out and evenly distributed upon all parts of the rollers by the
time that it reaches the inking roll, upon which it is placed in a perfectly even
manner.
To remove the stencil frame from the carriage this latter is drawn back to the
end of its stroke and the arms carrying the inking roll and its connected parts
are thrown back as shown in Fig. 6, in which position they are completely out of
the way, the clamps G are now turned so as to release the rear end of the stencil
frame which may then be withdrawn from the springs E, which secure its forward
end, and lifted from the carriage.
I am aware that reciprocating machines for printing from stencils have before
been used, but all the machines of this kind that I am familiar with are furnished
with a solid carriage which forms the platen and which works tangentially to and
drives the inking roll by the friction of the stencil passing in contact with said roll.
The strains put upon the stencil by devices of this kind are very severe and greatly
shorten its life, while the printing done by them is apt to be more
or less
unsatisfactory and blurred. Having these defects in view I have furnished a means,
as herein before described, for independently driving the inking roll, the roll and
stencil being always driven at exactly the same speed. I have also done away
with the flat platen and have made my carriage with an open centre, the paper to
be printed being held up against the bottom of the stencil by a rolling platen which
is moved by gearing at the same speed as the stencil and which carries the paper
along with the stencil and discharges it at the front of the machine without it being
necessary to lift the stencil and its frame from its bed, as is necessary in machines
of this class heretofore in use and which has been found to be very objectionable,
not only in that it takes time, but also in that the suction between the stencil and
the paper, or the solid flat platen upon which the paper rests, tends to draw or
scratch or tear the stencil.
In operating my device the carriage and its connected parts are first moved
forward as shown in Fig. 3; the paper is placed upon the feeding table D', the
paper guides F, G, having been first set to hold the rear end and one side of
the paper, which projects over the forward end of the table and slightly over the
platen K, as shown in Fig. 3. The carriage is now drawn back, the tappets Y
engage the forward end of the cam S.and move it back and the ink roll H falls
upou the stencil and the springs M lift the platen up which forces the paper against
the bottom of the stencil. The carriage is now pushed forward, the more rapidly
the better, and the ink is forced from the ink roll through the stencil and the
characters upon this latter are printed upon the paper during its passage over
the platen.
Upon the completion of the stroke the paper falls into the receiving
box H'.
While I have described my machine as printing only upon its forward stroke, it
will be understood that it might be adapted to print upon its backward stroke and
to remain idle on its forward stroke. It will also be understood that the machine
can be operated by power if desired instead of by hand.
While I have described my stencil carrying frame as detachably secured to the
carriage I do not desire to confine myself to this construction as it, if desired, may
form part of the carriage; it is obvious that any suitable means may be employed
for clamping the removable stencil frame to the carriage, and while I prefer to use
the means that I have shown, still I do not desire to confine myself solely to these
means.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,
1. In a stencilling machine, in combination, an inking roll, a platen, a stencil
adapted to be reciprocated, and mechanism whereby said inking roll and platen are
caused to move at the same speed as that of said stencil.
2. In a stencilling machine, in combination, a stencil adapted to be reciprocated,
means for supporting the same, an inking roll adapted to bear against one side of
said stencil, a cylindrical platen adapted to hold the paper against the other side of
said stencil, and mechanism for positively driving said inking roll and platen at the
same speed as that of said stencil.
3. In a stencilling machine, in combination, an inking roll, a cylindrical platen,
and a stencil adapted to be reciprocated, means for supporting said devices and
positive gearing by which said devices are caused to move at a uniform speed.
4. In a stencilling machine, in combination, a stencil adapted to be reciprocated,
an inking roll located upon one side of said stencil, a rolling platen located upon
the other side of said stencil, and adapted to hold the paper up against the same,
means for driving said inking roll and platen, means for bringing the inking roll,
in the movement of the stencil in one direction, into contact with the stencil, and
means for throwing the inking roll, in the movement of the stencil in the opposite
direction, out of contact with the stencil.
5. In a stencilling machine, in combination, a stencil adapted to be reciprocated,
an inking roll located upon one side of said stencil, a rolling platen located upon
the other side of said stencil, and adapted to hold the paper against the same,
means for driving the inking roll and platen, means for bringing the inking roll, in
the movement of the stencil in one direction, into contact with the stencil and the
rolling platen into contact with the paper beneath the stencil, and means for
throwing the inking roll and platen, in the movement of the stencil in the opposite
direction, out of contact with said stencil and paper respectively.
6. In a stencilling machine, in combination, a stencil adapted to be reciprocated,
an inking roll located upon one side of said stencil, a rolling platen located upon the
other side of said stencil, and adapted to hold the paper against the same,
mechanism for driving the inking roil and platen at the same speed as that of the
stencil, means for bringing the inking roll, in the movement of the stencil, in one
direction, into contact with the stencil, and means for throwing the inking roll, in
the movement of the stencil in the opposite direction, out of contact with said stencil.
7. In a stencilling machine, in combination, a stencil adapted to be reciprocated,
an inking roll located upon one side of said stencil, a rolling platen located upon
the other side of said stencil and adapted to hold the paper against the same,
mechanism for driving the inking roll and platen at the same speed as that of the
stencil, means for bringing the inking roll, in the movement of the stencil in one
direction, into contact with the stencil and the rolling platen into contact with the
paper beneath the stencil, and means for throwing the inking roll and platen, in the
movement of the stencil in the opposite direction, out of contact with said stencil
and paper respectively.
8. In a stencilling machine, in combination, an inking roll, a platen, and a stencil
holder adapted to be moved between said roll and platen, means for automatically
throwing the inking roll into and out of contact with the stencil at predetermined
points of the travel of the latter, substantially as set forth.
9. In a stencilling machine, in combination, an inking roll, a rolling platen, and
a stencil holder adapted to be moved between said roll and platen, and means for
automatically throwing the inking roll and rolling platen into and out of contact
with the stencil at predetermined points of the travel of the latter, substantially as
set forth.
10. The combination with a reciprocating carriage and means for supporting and
reciprocating the same, a stencil carried by this carriage, a platen and an inking
roll, of a rack or racks carried by said carriage, a gear wheel or wheels carried by

page_text: shaft of said inking roll, and an intermediate gear wheel or wheels gearing into
said racks and gear wheels on said inking roll.
11. The combination in a stencilling machine of a reciprocating carriage, means
for supporting said carriage, a stencil carried by said carriage, an inking roll and
cylindrical platen, and means for separating said inking roll and platen from contact
with the stencil during the non-printing movement of the machine.
12. The combination in a stencilling machine of a reciprocating carriage and
means for supporting the same, a stencil frame and stencil carried by the carriage,
an inking roll, a cylindrical platen, a rack carried by said carriage, a gear on the
shaft of said platen engaging said rack, and a gear on the shaft of said inking roll
engaging the gear on the shaft of said platen.
13. The combination in a stencilling machine of a reciprocating carriage, a bed
plate upon which said carriage works, a stencil frame and a stencil carried by said
carriage, an inking roll and a cylindrical platen, arms pivoted to said bed plate and
upon which the shaft of said roll and platen are carried, and means substantially as
described for moving said roll and platen into contact with said stencil during the
forward or printing movement of the latter, and for moving them out of contact
with said stencil during its backward or non-printing movement.
14. The combination with the bed plate, the reciprocating carriage mounted
upon the bed plate, and the stencil carrying frame and stencil carried by said
carriage, of the inking roll and cylindrical platen, arms pivoted to said bed plate
and carrying said roll and platen, springs for supporting the arms carrying said
platen, guides carried by said bed plate, double faced cams sliding on said guides,
tappets carried by said carriage and adapted to move said cams, and adjustable
contact pieces carried by said arms and engaging the faces of said cams, all
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
15. The combination with the inking roll and platen and the arms which carry
them, of adjustable contact pieces, carried by said arms, cams adapted to engage
said contact pieces, guides upon which said cams slide, a reciprocating carriage and
devices carried by said carriage and adapted to actuate said cams.
16. The combination with the inking roll and the arms which carry it, of a frame
attached to or forming part of said arms, two or more ink distributing rolls
journalled in bearings in said frame, and two or more ink distributing rolls
journalled in bearings in bars adjustably attached to said frames and adapted to
engage said lower ink distributing rolls and the main ink roll.
17. The combination with the bed plate, a reciprocating carriage and stencil
carried on said hed plate, an inking roll and arms one end of which carry said
inking roll and the other end of which are pivotally attached to said bed plate, of
springs one end of which are attached to said arms and the other to said bed
plate.
18. The combination with the ink roll, platen, and reciprocating stencil of a
stencilling machine, of an adjustable feeding table, and adjustable paper guides
carried by said table.
19. The combination in a stencilling machine, of a bed plate, a carriage having
an open centre carried by and adapted to be reciprocated upon said bed plate, a
stencil carrying frame and a stencil carried by said carriage, an ink roller adapted
to ink the top of said stencil, a platen adapted to hold the paper to be printed
against the bottom of said stencil, and mechanism substantially as described for
driving said inking roll and platen at the same speed and in the same direction as
said stencil.
Dated this 11th day of December A.D. 1893.
THOMAS HEADLY STACKHOUSE.
D. Young & Co.,
11 & 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.