Apparatus for Copying Documents and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Copying Documents and the like.
CECIL CARUS-WILSON, F.G.S., etc., University Extension Lecturer, etc., 11,
Lismore Terrace, Carlisle, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This machine or instrument is invented for the purpose of applying pressure
upon such hand-written, type-written, stencilled, printed, lithogaphed, or other-
wise-written documents as it is required to reproduce with copying or other inks
or pigments upon copying papers or other suitable materials capable of receiving
impressions. And to this end this invention consists essentially of one or more
rollers or cylinders constructed of, or covered with, any suitable materials, between
or under which the documents to be reproduced are placed together with the
materials upon which they are to be reproduced. The roller is, or rollers are, then
caused to revolve over, or over and under, the document and its reproducing
material thus subjecting the same to pressure sufficient to impress a fac-simile of
the document upon the surface of the reproducing material as desired.
Dated this 4th dor of January 1897
CECIL CARUS-WILSON.
Apparatus for Copying Documents and the like.
I, CECIL CARUS WILSON, of 32, Avondale Road, Southport, in the County of
Lancaster, formerly of 11, Lismore Terrace, Carlisle, in the County of Cumber-
land, 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:―
This invention has for its object a simple roller device whereby papers, written,
printed or stencilled with copying ink or other pigments, can be copied without
the use of the usual screw press, and the invention consists essentially in a single
roller bearing against a smooth flat or curved surface, or preferably two rollers

page_text: bearing against each other and caused to revolve either by the introduction of
the documents and paper for copying the same or by hand. The roller or upper
roiier works in a slot radial or vertical to the surface against which the roller
bears, and is pressed down -in-this slot against- the-other surface by means of
springs. Hitherto very heavy pressure has had to be used in copying docunrents
and for this reason, that the entire book and documents are placed in the press at
once, consequently the pressure has to be spread over the entire surface, and
even in those cases where rollers have been used very heavy pressure has been
applied by means of complicated arrangements.
Now by my invention the apparatus is in extremely small space, and as only the
document itself and a sheet of copying paper has to be passed through it, or at
most the document and the sheet of paper with the addition of oil sheets, the
pressure only bears on a narrow line and this narrow line is gradually rolled
forward over the whole sheet, consequently a very light pressure is requisite.
The invention is best described by aid of the accompanying drawings, in which,
Figure 1 is an end .view;
Figure 2, a front elevation; and
Figure 3, a vertical section. :
In these A is the bottom roller. This can be superseded by a rigid smooth
surface, but this is not advisable or desirable as the paper is liable to stick to it
and it causes undesirable friction. B is an upper roller, C C are the journals of
the two rollers, and D) a slot containing these journals. The journals can be
naked if desirable except that there is a small cap over the upper journal against
which a spring E presses. In some cases however I may place two bearings
between the two journals and a light spring bearing against both so as to hold
the lower bearing of the upper roller against its journal. The bearings can be
made witli flat sides sliding in the slot so as to prevent wedging. F is the frame-
work, G the cap screwed down on to this framework. Ha table or feeder to guide
the paper between the rollers, the inner edge of which can be bevelled off against
the roller. In the drawing I have only shown the springs bearing between the
roller or its cap and the cap of the machine." In some cases however I may place
a plate between the spring and the cap of the machine and place a screw through
the cap so that I can tighten up the spring to any desired amount.
I may also
in some cases place a crank handle on the upper or either roller. In practice
however I find that the upper roller can easily be turned by the finger and thumb
without the aid of a crank, or they may be turned sufficiently to insert the paper,
and the paper then drawn out, the drawing out of the paper revolving the rollers.
The rollers are preferably made of brass tubing mounted on wooden core and
turned up true. They can however be made of wood, of aluminium or other metal,
of glass, vulcanite, or other material found useful. It is better however not to
use iron or steel as it is liable to rust and spoil the paper.
The surfaces of the two rollers may be roughened or fluted slightly to enable
sufficient grip to be obtained on the paper, and so prevent any liability of
skidding, or they may be coated, covered or treated with suitable materials with
the same object in view, thus ensuring that the drawing through of the paper
shall revolve the rollers. This is an important feature as any skidding of the
rollers on the paper would prevent the copying process being properly carried out.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. A roller device for copying documents, consisting of a rotatable roller bearing
against a smooth surface cylindrical or of other contour and pressed against it
in a direction vertical to that surface by means of springs immediately above the
same substantially as described.
2. The combination for the purposes described of two rollers having bearings

page_text: in vertical slots and spring devices in the slots pressing the rollers against each
other.
3. The document copying device constructed as a whole substantially as herein
described and illustrated.
Dated this 6th day of October 1897.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Patent Agents, of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London.