Improvements in Printing Plates, and Machines for Making them.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd June, 1898-Accepted, 17th Sept., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Printing Plates, and Machines for Making them.
I, JOSEPH SMITII DUNCAN, Manufacturer, 1201, Monadnock Buildings, Chicago,
County of Cook, State of Illinois, U.S.A., 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 has for its primary object to provide a printing plate having
certain novel characteristics, such plate differing from any printing surfaces now
known to me both in the manner of its manufacture and in its essential
characteristics as a printing surface.
Another important object of the invention is to provide a machine for pro-
ducing printing plates which shall be comparatively simple in construction, easy
to operate and automatic as to its principal operations. My invention also has
in view many other objects, among them being to provide for impressing large
and small letters or characters on the plates; for automatically setting the parts
in operation when the character has been designated and the plate arranged in
position; for automatically releasing the travelling carriage immediately after
the impression has been made for withdrawing the punch and die devices from
the plate to avoid sticking therein; to return the stop bar or key to its original
and normal position; and many other objects which will be fully and clearly
pointed out and claimed hereinafter.
My printing plates are preferably made of soft sheet metal, such as zinc or
copper or some suitable composition, and the printing characters are struck up
from the body of this sheet metal, so as to appear in relief thereon, by the employ-
iment of dies and punches. The novel characteristics of the plate itself are the
provision of printing characters with very sharp or clean angles and in which
the printing characters stand out in such bold relief from the body of the plate
as to give a very clear and distinct impression when used for printing with
ordinary inks upon paper or other material. My invention is adapted to the pro-
duction of printing plates having a single line, or plates of any desired width and
length containing numerous lines. I have found my invention particularly useful
in providing printing plates for addressing machines, for which purpose such
printing plate contains, usually, two or three lines, disposed in the ordinary
address form. Heretofore movable type have been employed in these addressing
machines, but the cost of composition and the skill required in properly setting
and adjusting the type makes the use of movable type expensive and undesirable.
By my invention a printing plate can be produced upon the machine rapidly and
a superior printing surface furnished, which, in use, will give the characteristic
appearance of type-written work, which is particularly desirable for addressing.
These plates are constructed so that they may be quickly and easily connected
together in the form of a band or ribbon for future use in printing, and the method
of attachment is such that any plate may be disconnected from the adjacent plates
without interfering with the other plates.
My invention, so far as it pertains to the machine for producing the plates,

page_text: comprises one or more sets of dies and punches arranged in opposition to each
other and both capable of moving into engagement with the plate and away
therefrom to clear the depression formed by offsetting the body of the plate and
the printed characters appearing in relief on the face thereof. These dies and
punches may be arranged and actuated in various ways, but I prefer to mount
cach set of them in suitable ways in stationary supports. I also employ recipro-
cating cross-heads arranged parallel to the dies and punches, respectively, and a
travelling carriage carrying the plate or blank and two movable punch stocks
which are brought to rest opposite the die and punch which are to be operated to
produce the desired character in the plate and by means of which pressure is trans-
initted from the reciprocating cross-heads to the die and punch. The travelling
carriage is actuated manually, and in practical operation it is arrested opposite
the die and punch corresponding to the character to be produced by the elevation
of the rear end of one of a series of stop bars into the path of the carriage, the
stop bars being marked to correspond with the series of punches.
There are other novel features of construction in the printing plate and the
machine which will be hereinafter fully described and pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawings;
Fig. 1 is a plan view of the machine with the carriage omitted.
Figs. 2 and 3 are end views of the machine.
Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of the clutch device.
Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the machine.
Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail front view of the die and punch holder.
Fig. 7 is an enlarged plan view of the holder and the devices for disengaging
the die and punch from the plate.
Figs. 8 and 9 are detail views.
Fig. 10 is a transverse sectional view of the holder with the devices for dis-
engaging the die and punch from the plate.
Fig. 11 is a side elevation of the travelling carriage.
Fig. 12 is a top plan view, Fig. 13 is a rear view, and Fig. 14 is a front view of
the carriage.
Figs. 15 and 16 are detail views.
Figs. 17 shows several articulated printing plates in plan, in end and in
sectional elevation.
Fig. 18 is a sectional view on the line a-a of Fig. 12.
My invention may be embodied in a machine to be operated manually or by
power, but as the latter is the most improved type I have illustrated one form
thereof in the drawings and will now describe the same.
A holder 1 for the dies and punches is carried on the forward ends of the hori-
zontally movable bars 2 which are supported on the upright members 3 of the
frame of the machine. This holder comprises an upper head 4 provided with
recesses or notches 5 to receive the female dies 6, and a lower head 7 provided
with corresponding notches or recesses 8 to receive the punches or male dies 9,
a channel 10 being located between the two heads to constitute a guideway for
the travelling carriage hereinafter described (Fig. 6). The dies and punches are
arranged in series, the dies in the upper series and the punches in the lower
series, and they are adapted to be reciprocated vertically and are held in place
and confined against lateral displacement by the face plates 11.
If desired the machine may be constructed and arranged to operate with but
one set of dies and punches adapted to impress characters of large or small size,
but I have found it desirable to be able to impress both large and small sized
characters, like an ordinary typewriter, and for this purpose I employ two series
or sets of dies 6, 61 and punches 9, 91, the series being arranged side by side and
operated as hereinafter described. (Fig. 10.)
The dies and punches are each provided with lateral pins 12 (Figs. 8, 9,) which
prevent them from falling out of the recesses in the heads. A double series of
disengaging levers 13, 131, are pivotally mounted on the holder and their for-

page_text: ward ends project through openings in the back walls of the heads 4, 7, and are
adapted to engage with the pins 12 on the dies and punches, respectively, to
withdraw them from the printing plate after the character has been impressed
thereon, in the event that they stick to the plate. The rear ends of each pair of
levers are connected by a spring 14. For the purpose of operating these lever
to absolutely insure the disengagement of the dies and punches at each operation
of the machine I provide the vertically movable actuating plates 15, 16, which are
arranged to engage the rear ends of the levers in the upper and lower series
respectively. These actuating plates are guided on rods 17 secured to the frame
and the plates are pivotally connected to actuating levers 18, 181, fixed to the
frame of the machine (Fig. 5). These actuating levers project forwardly into
recesses provided for them in the upper and lower cross-heads 19, 20, and adjust-
ing screws 21, 22, are arranged in the face of the cross-heads and bear upon the
respective levers so that the levers may be properly adjusted to perform the
desired operation. The cross-heads are reciprocated in suitable slide-ways in the
frame of the machine and are connected by the toggle arms, 23, 24, the arm 23
being longer than the arm 24 and connected at its lower end to the lower cross-
head and at its upper end to the short arm 24, this short arm being also pivotally
connected to the upper cross-head. This toggle is operated by a cam 25 on the
power shaft 26, the connecting between the toggle and cam being effected by a
pitman 27 which is attached at its forward end to the arms of the toggle at their
pivot point and provided at its rear end with a yoke or socket in which the cam
works. As the power shaft is rotated the cam actuates the pitman to move the
same back and forth, and when it moves forward from the position shown in
Fig. 5 the arm 24 will be depressed and the arm 23 elevated to carry the cross-
heads toward each other and effect the desired operation of the die and punch.
The power shaft is provided with a belt wheel or pulley 28 running loosely thereon
and adapted to be locked thereto by a clutch shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4
clutch consists of the member 29 which is secured rigidly upon the shaft 26 and
has the spring actuated clutch bolt 30 which engages the lugs 31 on the hub of
the belt wheel. The clutch member has a peripheral groove 32 in which a shoe 3,
having a beveled end 34, seats. The shoe is carried by a spring actuated bolt 35
slidably supported upon the frame of the machine and it is arranged to engage
a roller 36 on the inner end of the bolt 30 and for the purpose of withdrawing
the bolt from engagement with the lugs on the belt wheel hub.
This
The rod 38 holds the bolt 35 normally up and the shoe in engagement with the
roller 36 on the bolt 30 to keep this bolt out of contact with the lugs 31, but
when the rod is withdrawn from beneath the bolt 35 the spring 35¹ forces that
bolt down and carries the shoe away from the clutch bolt 30 so that the spring on
said bolt may force the end thereof into engagement with the lugs to apply the
power to the machine. The shoe remains in this position until the projection 291
engages the front end and lifts the shoe and bolt up again, the shoe withdrawing
the clutch bolt from engagement with the lugs 31 while the rod 38 is projected
beneath bolt 35 by its spring to support said bolt. The forward end of the rod 38
is connected to an arm 39 on the rock-shaft 40, this rock-shaft extending across
the machine and being provided with a plate 41 which is adapted to be engaged
by the carriage when the latter is brought up to and locked in its position for
the operation of the die and punch, at which time the rocking of said shaft 40
is communicated through the arm 39 to the rod 38 and the rod is drawn from
under the bolt 35, permitting the clutch to be thrown automatically for the pur-
pose of operating the die and punch.
I have referred to the fact that a double set of dies and punches may be
employed and I have shown this construction in the drawings. The dies and
punches are arranged in series side by side, and I provide the following mechanism
5 for moving the holder 1 horizontally in throwing one or the other set of dies and
punches into operative position. A handle bar 42 is pivotally secured to the
front of the frame and it is connected by a link 43 with a shifting bar 44 pivotally

page_text: mounted on a rock-shaft 45 secured in bearings in the frame. The lower end of
the shifting bar is provided with a yoke 46 which engages a roller 47 on the
end of a pivoted arm 48 on the frame, the free end of the arm operating in the
yoke and being controlled by the spring 49. The shaft 45 is provided with a
yoke 50 which engages a rod 51 extending across the machine from one movable
bar to the other and beneath the rock-shaft 45, this rod being secured to the said
movable bars 2 so that when the handle bar is operated to the right in Fig. 3, the
shifting bar will be operated to rock the shaft 45, thereby drawing the movable
bars 2 and the holder backward sufficiently to bring the other set of dies and
punches into operative position.
A plate 52 is arranged to be reciprocated in ways on the face of the upper cross-
head 19 and this plate carries the screw threaded adjusting pins 53. This plate
is connected with an arm 54 on the rock-shaft 45 by means of a link 55 and the
arrangement is such that when the holder is moved horizontally in one direction
to bring one set of the dies and punches into operative position, the plate 52 is
moved in the opposite direction to bring one or the other, as the case may be,
of the adjusting screws 53 into its operative position.
The carriage comprises a frame 56 having the yoke or bracket arms 57, 58, in
which the spring controlled and supported punch stocks 59, 60, are arranged.
These brackets also carry antifriction rollers 61, 62, which engage the top and
bottom of the holder respectively. The carriage is adapted to be reciprocated
back and forth on the frame of the machine manually, and for this purpose the
carriage is provided with a handle 65 and carrying rollers 63 which run on the
track 64. Upon the travelling carriage 56 a feeding frame 66 of skeleton form
is mounted and this frame is adapted to be fed along on the carriage, space at a
time, to space the letters or characters at their proper intervals.
The carriage is provided with two pivoted locking levers 67, 68, which have
guide pins 69 moving in slots 70, springs 71 being arranged to bear on the free
ends of the levers to hold them down. The adjacent ends of these levers are
slightly separated and downturned, as shown in Fig. 14. The travelling carriage
is locked in position to bring the plate into its proper relative position to the
punch bearing the character desired to be impressed, by the elevation of one of a
series of stop levers 72 pivoted on the frame of the machine at 73. The stop
levers operate as key bars and carry key tops or buttons bearing the designations
which correspond to the characters on the punches adapted to be operated
thereby.
When it is desired to impress a certain character upon the plate the first
operation is to depress the outer end of the stop lever marked with that character,
thereby lifting the inner end of said lever as shown in Fig. 5. The stop lever is
maintained in its elevated position by the rocking supporting bar 74 which
carries a plate 75 normally resting in the recessed inner end of the stop levers.
This bar 74 is under the influence of a spring 76 connected to crank arm 79 and it
is so pivoted in its bearings in the frame that the plate 75 thereon will pass under
and support the rear end of a stop lever whenever the key thereon is depressed.
In order to return the bar 74 to its normal position and permit the stop lever to
do likewise after each impression I provide a bent arm 77 which is pivoted at or
about the angle therein to the side of the frame, and the upper end of this arm
is arranged to hear against the power shaft. A post 78 is mounted on this arm
and it is arranged to engage the crank armı 79. The forward end of the bent
arm is turned upward adjacent to the stop levers and it is pivotally connected
to an arm 80 on a rod 81 which extends across the stop levers and is provided
with a plate 82 adapted to engage the same. It will be observed that when the
pin 83 on a collar 84 secured on the power shaft engages the arm 77 the post
will be raised to rock the bar 74 backward and thus withdraw the plate 75 from
beneath the stop lever and permit the latter to resume its normal position. At
the same time the rod 81 is rocked and the plate 82 is brought to bear upon the
stop lever to assist its return.

page_text: When the carriage is moved along, after the key has been depressed, one of
the locking levers 67, 68 will ride over the elevated end of the stop lever and the
stop lever will engage with the downturned end of the companion locking lever
and the enlarged end 8:31 of the pivoted three arm spider 84, throwing the spider
arm against its stop 85 and at the same time permitting the locking lever which
has just been elevated by riding over the elevated stop lever to resume its normal
position under the influence of the spring 71. When the spider arm 831 is thus
thrust to one side, one of the other arms SG carrying the friction roller 87 is
raised into contact with the plate 41 on the rock-shaft 40, which operates to
withdraw the supporting rod 38 from beneath the bolt 35, permitting the latter
to fall and effect the throwing of the clutch.
After the cross-heads have been actuated to accomplish the punching operation
the pin 83 operates the bent arm 77 to effect the release of the stop lever and its
return to normal position, and in so doing the spider arm 831 is released and
resumes its upright position while the arm 86 which has rocked the shaft 40
falls and the spring 88 pulls it back into position, at the same time bringing the
rod 38 beneath the bolt 35 again. After the carriage has been brought into contact
with the stop lever, as just described, it is rigidly locked in place between the
locking levers 67, 68, but after the impression has been made on the plate the
rear end of the stop lever drops down from between the locking levers and into
its normal position.
It is necessary to move the plate endwise step by step on the carriage as each
impression is made thereon. For this purpose the feeding frame 66 is provided
with a rack bar 89, the teeth being on the lower edge thereof (Fig. 14), and this
bar is off-set to engage beneath the flange 90 of the travelling carriage scale
plate 91 is secured on the carriage above this flange and the feeding frame carries
a pointer 92 for the purpose of assisting the operator to properly space the work.
A feed dog 93 is pivotally mounted on the crank 94 of a crank shaft
95 supported in the voke member 58, this shaft being under the
influence of a spring 96 which in conjunction with the spring 97, holds the feed
dog in its proper engagement with the rack-bar. This crankshaft is rocked in
its bearings by the lower cross-head 20 which engages a sliding pin 98 in its
rising movement and forces said pin upward. This pin has its upper end con-
nected to the crank arm 99 on the crank-shaft, and, as the pin rises, the shaft is
rocked so that the feed dog will be withdrawn from engagement with the rack-bar
and projected forward again to feed the frame one space immediately after each
impression is made on the plate. I also provide a device for feeding the frame
which is operated manually so that two or more spaces may be provided between
the characters. This device comprises a handle 100 pivoted in the yoke
member 57 and connected by a link 101 with a crank 102 on the crank-shaft 95.
By operating the handle 100 the shaft 95 can be rocked to accomplish the feeding
of the frame any number of spaces.
To lock the feeding frame rigidly in its proper position I provide a locking
dog 103 which is pivoted on the frame 56 and arranged to engage the rack-bar
teeth just in advance of the feed dog, being held in engagement by the spring 104
(Fig. 16). The feed dog is provided with a lug 106 and when the crank-shaft
is operated to withdraw the feed dog from engagement with the rack-bar the
lug 105 thereon passes beneath and in contact with the lug 106 on the locking
dog, whereby the end of the feed dog is carried down far enough to clear the
teeth on the rack-bar until it resumes its forward movement, during which the
pin 107 bears against the feed dog and keeps it out of contact with the
rack-har until after the shoulder 108 has passed beneath the pin. As the feed
dog moves into its forward position the lug 105 rides up on the lug 106 and
forces the locking dog down and out of engagement with the rack-bar, whereupon
the frame is free to move a space. The lug 105 passes over the lug 106 and then
the locking dog springs up into engagement with the rack-bar and locks the
same in place. After a line has been completed, or at any time in fact, the feed

page_text: frame may be moved to its initial position, or adjusted freely on the carriage, by
simply pressing on the spring supported rod 109 which is supported in the
carriage and has an inwardly turned lower end 110 which engages the locking
dog 103 and the lug 105 on the feed dog. When the rod 109 is depressed the
end 110 will force the dogs out of engagement with the rack-bar and the feed
frame can then be adjusted as desired.
To regulate and provide for the lines of impression on the plate I provide a
holder comprising a plate frame 111 having the slots 112 and guided in its
lateral adjustment on the feeding frame on the pins 113. This plate frame is
substantially rectangular in form, (Fig. 12), and the plate or blank 114 is secured
in the flange 115 of the front bar and the plate 116 by a spring pressed arm 117.
At the rear end of each side 118 of the plate frame are enlarged shoulders pro-
viding the rack-bars 119, and the dogs 120 carried by the shaft 121 engage these
racks and hold the frame in its adjusted position. To adjust the plate frame the
arm 122 is depressed to rock the shaft 121, which lifts the dogs out of engage-
ment with the rucks 119, and the frame is then free. A rock-shaft 123 is sup-
ported beneath the plate frame and the link 124 is connected to one end of said
shaft and to another link 125 which is pivoted to the rear part of the frame. A
lever 126 is rigidly secured to the other end of said shaft, and a link 127, corre-
sponding to the link 125, connects this lever to the frame so that when the
dogs 120 are lifted the lever 126 can be manipulated to adjust the frame as
desired.
The plates or blanks upon which the characters are impressed are illustrated
in plan, in end elevation and in section in Fig. 17. Each plate is made of a sub-
stantially rectangular sheet of metal, such as copper or zinc, and of a degree of
thinness which will permit the impressions to be properly made. The plates
are constructed so that they can be articulated to produce a band or ribbon or
endless chain of any length, any plate or blank being readily removable from the
band. Each plate has the T projections 130 on one edge while its other edge
is turned over and cut out at 131 to receive similar projections, the ends of which
slip into the turned-over part. A lug 132 is also provided on one edge of the
plate and a portion is cut out of the other edge at 133 to receive the lug of the
next adjacent plate. When the plates are articulated they form a flexible band
securely connected together.
The operation of the machine will be readily understood from the foregoing
description. After the blank has been secured in place in the holder the desired
stop lever is depressed and the carriage moved into contact with the elevated rear
end thereof. The clutch is then automatically thrown and the power applied
and the punch and die approach each other and make the impression. If it is
desired to impress the characters on the other set of dies and punches, the lever 42
is first manipulated in the described manner. The metal will be punched up by
the punch and driven into the corresponding cavity of the die, thus providing in
relief the character formed upon the punch.
My invention is particularly adapted for the production of printing plates for
addressing machines and for such use the printing will be done from the faces
of the raised characters. Of course, these printing plates may be made of various
lengths and widths and the principle of my invention may be embodied in a
machine adapted to produce printing plates of larger size, as for example, for
printing circulars, catalogues and the like. These plates may be used also as
matrices and stereotype or electrotype plates made therefrom in the usual manner,
and the material from which the plates are formed may be varied in accordance
with the uses to which they are put. The chief object of my invention is to pro-
vide for forming a printing surface from metal directly and without the necessity
of employing any of the matrix processes. The invention can also be employed
for making slugs, linotype bars or other printing forms.
I do not limit my invention to the precise combinations of parts or specific
features of construction shown and described, as these parts may be combined in

page_text: a variety of ways and equivalents used therefor wherever possible. For example,
I have shown the two series of dies and punches arranged in parallelism, but it
would be within the scope of my invention to arrange them in circular series or
in arcs of circles concentric or tangent to each other. In all cases, however, the
pairs of dies and punches are independently movable and arranged to operate
upon the blank from opposite sides thereof. The means for moving and retract-
ing the dies and punches and for presenting the blank to the successive actions
thereof will be varied in accordance with the particular construction and arrange-
ment of the dies themselves.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. In a machine of the class described, the combination of dies and punches
arranged in pairs, the members of each pair having their acting faces separated
and movably supported whereby they are capable of being moved toward and
from each other, with means for operating each pair of the dies and punches
separately whereby they may be made to produce relief characters upon an inter-
posed plate or blank and retracted to permit the movement of said plate into
position for receiving an impression from another pair of the dies and punches,
substantially as described.
2. In a machine of the class described, the combination of dies and punches
arranged in pairs, with means for operating each pair of the dies and punches
separately whereby they may be made to produce relief characters upon an inter-
posed plate or blank and retracted to permit the movement of said plate into
position for receiving an impression from another pair of the dies and punches, and
means for holding and shifting the plate or blank, substantially as described.
3. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a series of dies
and punches arranged in rows of co-acting pairs, the members of each pair being
independently movable toward and from each other, of means for operating said
dies and punches, and means for moving and holding a plate in position between
the dies and punches, substantially as described.
4. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a series of dies and
punches arranged in rows of co-acting pairs with the acting faces of the pairs
normally separated, of a movable plate carrier adapted to support the plate with
its faces exposed between the dies and punches and to be moved so as to bring
the plate between any pair of the series, substantially as described.
5. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a series of dies
and punches arranged in rows of co-acting pairs with the acting faces of the
pairs normally separated, a reciprocating carriage, having a frame thereon for
holding the plate, extending into the space between the dies and punches, and
means for locking the carriage in position between any pair of the dies and
punches, substantially as described.
6. In a machine of the class described, the combination with oppositely movable
dies and punches arranged in pairs, of a movable plate carriage, and a series of
pivoted stop levers, one for each pair of dies and punches said stop levers being
adapted to engage and lock the carriage with the plate in position between the
members of any pair of dies and punches, substantially as described.
7. In a machine of the class described, the combination with oppositely movable
dies and punches arranged in pairs, one above the other, of a travelling carriage
adapted to carry the plate or blank, and means for adjusting the carriage to hold
the plate in position to be acted upon by any pair of the dies and punches,
substantially as described.
8. In a machine of the class described, the combination with oppositely movable
dies and punches, of a travelling carriage adapted to carry the plate or blank,
and means for locking the carriage to hold the plate in position to be acted upon
by any pair of the dies and punches, substantially as described.

page_text: 9. In a machine of the class described, the combination with oppositely
movable dies and punches, of a travelling carriage adapted to carry the plate or
blank, means for adjusting and rocking the carriage to hold the plate in position to be
acted upon by any pair of the dies and punches, and means for releasing the
carriage after the impression has been made upon the plate, substantially as
described.
10. In a machine of the class described, the combination with oppositely
movable dies and punches, of a travelling carriage adapted to carry the plate or
blank, and means for feeding the plate in the carriage, substantially as described.
11. In a machine of the class described, the combination with oppositely
movable dies and punches, of a travelling carriage adapted to carry the plate or
blank, means for feeding the plate in the carriage after each impression, and con-
nections between said feeding means and the power shaft for automatically actuat-
ing the feeding means, substantially as described.
12. In a machine of the class described, the combination with oppositely
movable dies and punches, of a travelling carriage, a feeding frame on the
carriage and carrying the plate to be acted upon, means for imparting a step-by-
step movement to the feeding frame, said means being operatively connected with
the means for actuating the dies and punches, substantially as described.
13. In a machine of the class described, the combination with oppositely mov-
able dies and punches, of a travelling carriage, and means for adjusting said
carriage into any desired position, a feeding frame on the carriage adapted to
support a plate or blank, means for locking the carriage in its adjusted position,
and means for imparting to the feeding frame a step-by-step movement at each
operation of the machine, substantially as described.
14. In a machine of the class described, the combination with oppositely
arranged dies and punches, of a travelling carriage, a feeding frame on the
carriage, and means for moving said frame step-by-step in line with the travel of
the carriage, substantially as described.
15. In a machine of the class described, the combination with oppositely
arranged dies and punches, of a travelling carriage, a feeding frame on the
carriage movable in line with the travel of the carriage, and a holder for the
plate or blank on said frame and adapted to be shifted at right angles to the path
of movement of the carriage and feeding frame, substantially as described.
16. In a machine of the class described, the combination with oppositely
arranged dies and punches, of a travelling carriage, a feeding frame, a holder for
the plate or blank, and means for adjusting and locking said holder, substantially
as described.
17. In a machine of the class described, the combination with movable dies
and punches arranged in parallel series one above the other, of a travelling carriage
having a plate holder projecting into the plane of the movable dies and punches
and between the acting faces thereof, sliding stocks mounted on the carriage, and
movable cross-heads adapted to engage the stocks and force them against the
dies to actuate the same, substantially as described.
18. The combination with movable dies and punches, of a travelling carriage
having a plate holder thereon, sliding stocks mounted on the carriage, movable
cross-heads adapted to engage the stocks, and, means for operating the cross-
heads, substantially as described.
19. The combination with movable dies and punches, of a travelling carriage
carrying a plate or blank between the dies and punches, locking levers mounted
on the carriage, and a series of stop levers, one for each pair of dies and punches,
said stop levers being adapted to be moved into the path of the locking levers
and engaged thereby, substantially as described.
20. The combination with movable dies and punches, of a travelling carriage
carrying a plate or blank, locking levers mounted on the carriage, a series of
stop levers adapted to be moved into the path of the locking levers and engaged

page_text: thereby, and means for releasing said stop lever from the locking levers, sub-
stantially as described.
21. The combination with movable dies and punches, of a travelling carriage
carrying a plate or blank, locking levers mounted on the carriage, a series of
stop levers, and means actuated by the stop levers for throwing a clutch on the
power shaft to operate the machine, substantially as described.
22. The combination with movable dies and punches, of a travelling carriage
carrying a plate or blank, locking levers mounted on the carriage, a series of
stop levers, means actuated by the stop levers to operate the machine, and devices
for releasing the stop lever from the locking levers and stopping the machine,
substantially as described.
23. The combination with movable dies and punches arranged in series, of a
travelling carriage carrying a plate or blank between the dies and punches, lock-
ing levers mounted on the carriage and adapted to engage the elevated rear end
of a stop lever to effect the locking of the carriage, a power shaft, a clutch on
said shaft, a bolt, and means operated by the carriage to actuate said bolt and
throw the clutch, substantially as described.
24. The combination with movable dies and punches arranged in series, of a
travelling carriage carrying a plate or blank between the dies and punches,
locking levers mounted on the carriage and adapted to engage the elevated rear
end of a stop lever to effect the locking of the carriage, a power shaft, a clutch
on said shaft, a bolt adapted to throw the clutch, a spider carried by the carriage,
and connections intermediate of the spider and bolt whereby the latter is actuated
when the carriage is locked, substantially as described.
25. The combination with movable dies and punches arranged in series, of a
travelling carriage carrying a plate or blank between the dies and punches,
levers adapted to effect the locking of the carriage, a power shaft, a clutch on said
shaft, a bolt adapted to throw the clutch, a spider carried by the carriage, a
rock shaft, a plate on said shaft adapted to be engaged by the spider when the
carriage is locked in position, and a connection between the rock-shaft and bolt
to actuate the bolt and throw the clutch when the rock shaft is rocked, substan-
tially as described.
26. The combination with movable dies and punches arranged in series, of a
travelling carriage carrying a plate or blank, locking levers mounted on the
carriage with their free ends opposite to but separated from each other, and a
series of pivoted stop levers independently movable into the path of the locking
levers and over which one of the locking levers will ride as the carriage is shifted,
the other locking lever engaging the stop lever and arresting the movement of
the carriage, substantially as described.
27. The combination with a travelling carriage a feeding frame, of movable
dies and punches arranged in series, rack mechanism for moving the frame on
the carriage step by step, and a handle pivoted on the carriage and connected
to the rack mechanism whereby the carriage may be moved bodily and the rack
mechanism held out of action to permit the movement of the feeding frame,
substantially as described.
28. The combination with a travelling carriage carrying a feeding frame, of
movable dies and punches arranged in series, rack mechanism for moving the
frame on the carriage step by step, feed and locking dogs forming part of said
mechanism, and means for automatically operating said dogs, substantially as
described.
29. The combination with a travelling carriage carrying a feeding frame, of
movable dies and punches arranged in series, rack mechanism for moving the
frame on the carriage step-by-step, feed and locking dogs forming part of said
mechanism, and means for disengaging the dogs from the rack to permit the
free movement of the feeding frame, substantially as described.
30. The combination with a travelling carriage carrying a feeding frame, of
movable dies and punches, rack mechanism for moving the frame on the carriage

page_text: step by step, feed and locking dogs forming part of said mechanism and pro-
vided with lugs, and means for actuating the dogs to feed the frame, step by step,
the lug on the feed dog riding under the lug on the locking dog when the feed
dog is withdrawn from engagement with the rack, and riding up on the lug on
the locking dog to disengage the locking dog when it is returned to engagement
with the rack, substantially as described.
31. The combination with a series of dies and punches and means for bringing
them together to produce characters in relief upon an interposed plate, of devices
for withdrawing the die and punch actuated from the plate, substantially
as described.
32. The combination with a series of dies and punches and means for bringing
them together to produce characters in relief upon an interposed plate, of pivoted
levers engaging the dies and punches and adapted to be operated to withdraw the
die and punch actuated from the plate, substantially as described.
33. The combination with a series of dies and punches and means for bringing
them together to produce characters in relief on an interposed plate, of pivoted
levers arranged to engage lateral pins on the dies and punches to withdraw the
die and punch actuated from the plate, and springs connected to the rear ends of
each pair of levers, substantially as described.
34. The combination with a series of dies and punches, of cross-heads support-
ing the same, pivoted levers engaging the dies and punches and devices adapted
to be actuated by the cross-heads to engage the levers and thereby withdraw the
die and punch actuated from the plate, substantially as described.
35. The combination with a double series of co-acting dies and punches, of
means for adjusting the same laterally, substantially as described.
36. The combination with a double series of co-acting dies and punches and a
double series of adjusting pins supported above the dies, of means for shifting
the dies and punches and the upper pins laterally, substantially as described.
37. The combination with a double series of dies and punches, and a holder
supporting the same, of means for shifting the holder laterally, substantially as
described.
38. The combination with a double series of dies and punches and a holder
supporting the same, of a double series of adjusting pins supported above the
dies, and means for shifting the holder and the adjusting pins laterally, substan-
tially as described.
39. The herein described printing plate consisting of a metal plate adapted to
have characters pressed into relief thereon and having its edges provided with
interlocking devices so that two or more plates may be articulated to provide a
flexible band, substantially as described.
40. The herein described printing plate provided with T-shaped projections
on one edge, and sockets on the opposite edge to receive the corresponding pro-
jections of another plate, substantially as described.
41. The herein described printing plate consisting of a metal plate provided
with T-shaped projections and a lug on one edge, the opposite edge being turned
over and cut out to receive the projections and lug of another plate, substantially
as described.
BOTTOMLEY & LIDDLE,
154, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Applicant's Patent Agents.