A Triple Web Printing Machine.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Sept., 1892-Accepted, 22nd Oct., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION,
A Triple Web Printing Machine.
We, JOSEPH FOSTER, FRANCIS FOSTER and JAMES YATES FOSTER, all of
Bow Lane Iron Works, Preston, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, 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:-
Our invention relates to a combination of three web printing machines so as to
constitute a triple machine delivering three layers of printed web simultaneously
to suitable cutting and folding apparatus, as we shall describe referring to the
accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a plan shewing the three machines arranged according to our
invention to constitute a triple machine.
Figures 2 and 3 which are drawn to an enlarged scale, shew respectively in
transverse section and in elevation part of the main driving gear.
Referring first to Figure 1, A1 A2 A3 are three web printing machines which
may be of any known construction, each delivering a web of printed sheet as
indicated by the arrows S1 S2 S³. The sheet S¹ is bent from below over a bar B'
lying at an inclination of 45° to the line of travel from A', and the sheet S2 is bent
from above under an inclined bar B, and thus the two sheets S' S² are made to
travel together at. right angles to their original directions as indicated by the
arrow S until they reach a third inclined bar B³ over which both are bent from
above and are caused to turn back as indicated by the arrow S5 to pass over a
roller R and then under the roller where they join the sheet S³ from the third
machine A. The three layers of web thus brought together are severed into the
desired lengths of sheet by the cutting apparatus C and pass on to the folding
apparatus F where they are simultaneously folded, and whence they are delivered
in the usual manner.
As the starting of the combined three machines at full speed might involve great
strain and shock, we arrange the driving gear so as to start at very moderate speed
as we shall describe with reference to Figures 2 and 3. D is the main shaft on
which the loose pulley E' is free to revolve and the fast pulley E2 is keyed. From
the shaft D the second and third machines A2 and A³ are driven directly and the
first machine A is driven from it through a series of gear wheels E³, and the
folding machine is driven from these by the shaft F. On the bush of the loose
pulley E is a pinion G¹ from which, when the loose pulley revolves, motion is
conveyed by the gear wheels G2 G to the pinion G, and this, gearing with G,
communicates motion to G and to the main shaft D, the three machines being
then driven at a slow speed while the driving strap is on the loose pulley and the
pinion is in gear with G. When it is desired to stop the machine the
pinion G is drawn out of gear by a tumbling lever L worked by suitable cranks
and rods from any convenient parts of the machine. The pinion G* is also
arranged so as to be thrown out of gear automatically when the driving strap is
transferred to the fast pulley E2. For this purpose, the pinion G' is made as a
nut with an internal screw thread engaging a thread on a sleeve which slides
on a feather on the shaft D². When the lever L is used to throw G' out
of gear, the screw sleeve slides along the shaft with G, but when G is in
gear with and driving G³, the sleeve is strained against a collar on the shaft D³.
The machine having been started at a slow speed by the gear from the
loose pulley E, the strap is transferred to E² and thereupon as the shaft D'
is made to revolve faster, the pinion G is screwed along the sleeve until it is

page_text: out of gear with G, when the tumbling weight on the lever L carries it quite
out of gear. The machines are then driven at full speed by the strap acting on
the fast pulley E².
Although we have described the three machines A' A2 and A³ as all working
together, obviously any one or any two of them might be thrown out of gear or
might revolve without being suplied with paper. Also the slow starting gear
described above might obviously be applied to single or double printing machines,
the starting of which at full speed involves considerable shock or strain.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that we
make no general claim to the use of inclined bars such as B1 B2 B3³ for conducting
travelling webs of paper into directions inclined to their former directions, as such
bars or equivalent rollers have already been used in printing machinery, but
what we claim is :-
1. The combination of three web printing machines with one another and with
inclined bars so arranged as to constitute a triple web printing machine in which
the three printed webs are led in a triple layer together to the cutting and folding
apparatus, substantially as described.
2. The slow starting gear worked from the loose pulley substantially as described
with reference to Figures 2 and 3.
Dated this 5th day of September 1892.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.