Improvements in or relating to Flexible Phototype Plates.
Year: 1890

page_text: Cate of Application, 17th Mar., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 17th Dec., 1890-Accepted, 14th Mar., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Flexible Phototype Plates.
I, GEORGE BALAGNY, of Paris, in the Republic of France, Manufacturer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
-
The object of this invention consists in flexible phototype plates with or without
silver salt. Up to the present time phototype impressions were made upon thick
glass panes or so called St. Gobain slabs by means of a film of bi-chromate gelatine
dried in a suitable drying apparatus.
This method was attended by the following drawbacks ;-
First, it did not allow the formation of the image to be closely followed in the
frame during the exposure.
Second, it did not permit of the image being seen from the rear, the rigidness of
the glass preventing the frame used for the impression from being raised.
Besides, bi-chromate gelatine gives but an indistinct image. It takes a long time
to obtain an impression in the winter, in dark weather it frequently lasts several
hours and even as much as a whole day. To remedy these inconveniences I
propose to substitute for the rigid supports formed by the film of bi-chromate the
Hexible support formed by my pliable plates.
I have also found that by simply treating with bi-chromate such flexible plates
covered with an emulsion of bromide of silver such as are supplied by the trade,
that after the bi-chromate has been allowed to dry in a dark room a perfect photo-
type plate is obtained which may be used for the preparation of photographic
negatives in lieu of the bi-chromated plates formerly used. A. double impression
is obtained by this novel method; first that of the bi-chromate gelatine contained
in gelatino-bromide of silver, and second that of the bromide of silver itself. The
result is a double impression offering to the eve an admirably clear image since the
lines thereof are perfectly black. The flexibility of the support moreover enables
the operator to follow in the frame the development of the image.
Mode of preparation. Upon any suitable flexible support such as gelatine,
collodion, celluloid, multiple films of collodion, india-rubber, gutta-percha dissolved
in the usual solvents, in fact upon any support prepared by the solution of gum or
rosin in essences, benzines, ether or acids, is spread either a film of gelatine alone
or one of gelatino-bromide of silver or any emulsion prepared with either gelatine
or dextrine or gum or starch or albumen or prepared with any organic body
capable of producing an image after treatment with bi-chromates.
A film is thus obtained containing silver mixed with the organic substance upon
which the bi-chromate is to exert its action the films will be flexible and perfectly
fat if prepared upon glass they may be preserved in portfolios for occasional use
and when it is desired to employ them they may be cut to the required size and
placed for a period of five minutes in a solution of 3 per cent. bi-chromate of potash.
After being removed from the bath they are dried by means of a roller and left in
a dark room for the drying to be completed for which purpose they are pinned by
means of one or more ordinary pins to a small table or plate so that the elaborate
drying process in a special chamber is avoided. Phototype plates will thus be
obtained which can be used instead of the bi-chromated slab for the impression of
photographic positives. As usual the exposure will be made in ordinary press
frumes without its being necessary to use the cumbersome and expensive apparatus
now made use of in phototyping. The image will form rapidly inasmuch as the
impression will be double and not single as it is in the case of bi-chromated gelatine
films.
The plate when ready is removed from the frame and placed in an ordinary

page_text: water-bath. The washing may be completed rapidly and then the inking and
printing can be directly proceeded with, after the plate has been placed upon the
steel block or lithographic stone or any rigid support that can be used as a
substitute for a St. Gobain's lab such as is now used to support bi-chromated
gelatine. This rigid support may be of any desired description provided it is not
crushed by the cylinder of the press. Well planed steel in the inventor's opinion
is preferable for this purpose. To avoid altering the lever of the machine this
block will be made of the same thickness as that of the ordinary St. Gobain's
slabs. When thus the new flexible phototype plate is spread upon a suitable block
it can be in the usual way inked and printed from.
Dated this 17th day of March 1890.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.
OMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Flexible Phototype Plates.
1, GEORGE BALAGNY, of Paris, in the Republic of France, Manufacturer, 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 object of this invention consists in flexible phototype plates with or without
silver salt. Up to the present time phototype impressions were made upon thick
glass panes or so-called St. Gobain slabs by means of a film of bi-chromate gelatine
dried in a suitable drying apparatus.
This method was attended by the following drawbacks ;—
First, it did not allow the formation of the image to be closely followed in the
frame during the exposure.
Second, it did not permit of the image being seen from the rear, the rigidness of
the glass preventing the frame used for the impression from being raised.
Besides, bi-chromate gelatine gives but an indistinct image. It takes a long time
to obtain an impression in the winter, in dark weather it frequently lasts several
hours and even as much as a whole day. To remedy these inconveniences I propose
to substitute for the rigid supports forined by the film of bi-chromate the flexible
support formed by my pliable plates.
I have also found that by simply treating with bi-chromate such flexible plates
covered with an emulsion of bromide of silver such as are supplied by the trade,
that after the bi-chromate has been allowed to dry in a dark room a perfect photo-
type plate is obtained which may be used for the preparation of photographic
negatives in lien of the bi-chromated plates formerly used. A double impression is
obtained by this novel method; first, that of the bi-chromate gelatine contained in
gelatino-bromide of silver, and second, that of the bromide of silver itself. The
result is a double impression offering to the eye an admirably clear image since the
lines thereof are perfectly black. The flexibility of the support moreover enables
the operator to follow in the frame the development of the image.
Mole of preparation. Upon any suitable flexible support such as gelatine,
collodion, celluloid, multiple films of collodion, indiarubber, guttapercha dissolved
in the usual solvents, in fact upon any support prepared by the solution of gun or
rosiu in essences, benzines, ether or acids, is spread either a film of gelatine alone
or one of gelatino-bromide of silver or any emulsion prepared with either gelatine
or dextrine or gum or starch or albumen or prepared with any organic body capable
of producing an image after treatment with bi-chromates.
A film is thus obtained containing silver mixed with the organic substance upon
which the bi-chromate is to exert its action, the films will be flexible and perfectly
flat if prepared upon glass, they may be preserved in portfolios for occasional use,
and when it is desired to employ them they may be cut to the required size and

page_text: placed for a period of five minutes in a solution of 3 per cent. bi-chromate of potash.
After being removed from the bath they are dried by means of a roller and left in
a dark room for the drying to be completed for which purpose they are pinned by
means of one or more ordinary pins to a small table or plate so that the elaborate
drying process in a special chamber is avoided. Phototype plates will thus be
obtained which can be used instead of the bi-chromated slab for the impression of
photographic positives. As usual the exposure will be made in ordinary press
frames without its being necessary to use the cumbersome and expensive apparatus
now made use of in phototyping. The image will form rapidly inasmuch as the
impression will be double and not single as it is in the case of bi-chromated gelatine
films.
The plate when ready is removed from the frame and placed in an ordinary
water-bath. The washing may be completed rapidly and then the inking and
printing can be directly proceeded with, after the plate has been placed upon the
steel block or lithographic stone or any rigid support that can be used as a
substitute for a St. Gobain's slab such as is now used to support bi-chromated
gelatine. This rigid support may be of any desired description provided it is not
crushed by the cylinder of the press. Well-planed steel in the inventor's opinion is
preferable for this purpose. To avoid altering the lever of the machine this block
will be made of the same thickness as that of the ordinary St. Gobain's slabs.
When thus the new flexible phototype plate is spread upon a suitable block it can
be in the usual way inked and printed from.
The flexible support may be composed of paper cardboard, cellulosite, wood
veneer, parchment, ebonite, cloth, oil-cloth, leather, metal or other suitable material
and the sensitized film may be separated from it by an intermediate layer of
albumen or some silicate productive of adhesion for the purpose of preventing the
film from blistering.
The flexible phototype plate may be stretched and fixed upon the printing block
which may be steel, stone, marble, slate or other suitable material by means_of
gelatine or other adhesive substance such as dextrine, albumen and the like. For
this purpose I cover the steel, stone, zinc or like block with a layer or film of water.
Upon this liquid layer I place a perfectly smooth sheet of gelatine. I remove the
bubbles and the water from between the gelatine and the surface of the block by
incans of a roller. The atmospheric pressure then comes into action and causes
the gelatine to adhere to the block. In a second similar operation and by spreading
water over the surface of the sheet of gelatine adhering to the steel the phototype
film is caused to adhere to the gelatine such adhesion being most powerful in this
case also owing to the atmospheric pressure. The moisture is then wiped off and
ink is applied to the film.
This process is intimately connected with my phototype process which being
mainly a printing process naturally includes the menus of stretching the gelatine
printing surface and such a method of stretching is capable of being extended to
any printing process.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a flexible phototype plate the combination with a flexible support of a
coating of either pure gelatine or gelatine treated or mixed with bi-chromate or
any other organic material capable of producing an image under the influence of
light after treatment with bi-chromate substantially as described.
2. In a flexible phototype plate the combination with a flexible support composed
of gum or rosin of a coating of pure gelatine or gelatine treated with bi-chromate
or other organic material capable of producing an image under the influence of
light after treatment with bi-chromate and containing a suitable silver salt such
material being capable of producing a double phototype impression, whether used
with bi-chronate, gelatine or silver salts substantially as described.

page_text: 3. Flexible supports of paper, card-board, cloth, oil-cloth, leather, metal or other
suitable material, the sensitized film upon which may or may not be separated from
the flexible support by an intermediate layer of albumen or some silicate productive
of adhesion for the purpose of preventing the film from blistering substantially
as described.
4. The employment of a gelatine film such as used by engravers, or any other
adhesive substance such as dextrine, albumen, or the like for the purpose of fixing
and stretching the flexible phototype plate upon a plate or block of steel, litho-
graphic stone, marble, slate or any material capable of being used as a printing
block or plate such fixing and stretching being feasible with or without the
assistance of atmospheric pressure.
5. The process substantially as described whether applied to sheets of gelatine,
albumen, dextrine or any other adhesive material alone or to sheets of this nature
applied to hard bodies such as slabs of marble, steel, sand-stone, slate, and the like,
or to a flexible surface or support such as is above referred to, consisting of
collodion, gelatine, indiarubber, guttapercha, celluloid, cellulosite, cloth, oil-cloth,
veneers of wood, plates of glass, metal, parchment, card-board, ebonite, such
material being used either separately or in combination, in superposed layers,
and so forth.
Dated the 17th day of December 1890.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.