IMPROVEMENTS APPLI- CABLE TO PRINTING MACHINERY."
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Hinchcliff, of Bromley, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS APPLI-
CABLE TO PRINTING MACHINERY."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Hinchcliff at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
5th June 1872.
I, JAMES HINCHCLIFF, of Bromley, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of, the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS APPLICABLE TO PRINTING MACHINERY," to be as follows:-
My Invention of improvements applicable to printing machinery
relates more particularly to that class of printing machinery commonly
known as perfecting machines in which the paper is printed on both sides
before it is delivered from the machine.
The object of my Invention is to dry or partially dry the ink of the
first impression before the sheet is turned over to be printed on the

page_text: reverse side, and this I effect by submitting the printed surface to heat
immediately it has left the type of the first form. The most convenient
mode of applying the heat is from a series of ignited gas jets extending
across the machine, and over which is placed a sheet of copper wire
gauze of sufficient fineness to prevent the flame from passing through
and impinging on the paper. The wire gauze is stretched over transverse
rods extending from side to side of the machine under the impression
cylinder, and covers from one-eighth to one-sixth of its surface, which
will receive heat from the gas as the paper travels along. The surface
of the type is protected by a shield from the action of the heat radiating
from the gas jets so that the ink may not be dried thereon. The gas
supply pipe is provided with a stop-cock which is connected with the
stopping and starting gear of the printing machine, so that when the
machine is stopped the gas is turned down (or entirely off if desired),
and when the machine is started again the gas will be turned up so as to
generate sufficient heat to dry the ink on the paper, and prevent it from
setting off on the blanket of the second impression cylinder. A box
or casing made to partially surround the cylinder and to contain hot
water or superheated steam may be employed in place of the gas jets if
desired, but I prefer to use the flame of gas for the purpose of my
Invention.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Hinchcliff in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 5th December 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HINCHCLIFF, of Bromley, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-fifth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said James Hinchcliff, Her special licence that I,
the said James Hinchcliff, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said James Hinchcliff, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,

page_text: from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS APPLICABLE
TO PRINTING MACHINERY," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said James Hinchcliff, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Hinchcliff, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed and to the letters and figures marked thereon, (that is to say) :-
:-
My Invention of improvements applicable to printing machinery
relates more particularly to that class of printing machinery commonly
known as perfecting machines in which the paper is printed on both sides
before it is delivered from the machine.
The object of my Invention is to dry or partially dry the ink of the
first impression before the sheet is turned over to be printed on the
reverse side, and this I effect by submitting the printed surface to heat
immediately it has left the type of the first form.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn three different modes of
carrying out my Invention.
In Fig. 1 the heat is applied by means of a series of ignited gas
jets a, a, extending across the machine underneath the first impression
cylinder A, and over these gas jets I place a sheet of copper wire gauze b
of sufficient fineness to prevent the flame from passing through and
impinging on and burning the paper. The wire gauze is stretched over
transverse rods c, c, extending from side to side of the machine under
the impression cylinder. The gauze may cover from one-eighth to one-
sixth of the surface of the impression cylinder, which will receive heat
from the gas as the paper travels along. The surface of the type on the

page_text: type cylinder B is protected by a shield of plate iron d from the action
of the heat radiating from the gas jets so that the ink may not be dried
thereon.
But in order to obtain a more efficient action of the heat in drying
the ink of the first impression during its rapid transit over the gas 5
burners, I have shewn in Figures 2, 3, and 4 the application of the
Bunsen burner to the purposes of this Invention; Fig. 2 is a longi-
tudinal section of a portion of a perfecting printing machine with my
improvements adapted thereto; and Fig. 3 is a cross section of a portion
of the same machine shewing my apparatus in side view; and Fig. 4 is 1
a cross section of the burner detached and drawn full size. Beneath
the first impression cylinder A and extending across the machine is fixed
the iron pipe a¹, a', which at its upper side has a narrow slit (as shewn
in the section at Fig. 4), extending nearly the whole length of the pipe.
This pipe is provided with a number of short tubes a³, a², screwed
therein at regular intervals. Into the open ends of these pipes a², a²,
project the nozzles of the gas pipe a. The gas and air combined issue
from the slit in the pipe a¹ which forms one wide Bunsen burner, the
flame of which may if thought desirable be allowed to impinge on a
narrow slip of metal e supported immediately above the burner and
carried by brackets from the pipe a¹. The gas supply pipe a is provided
with a stop-cock f, Figs. 1 and 2, the handle of which projects within
the traverse of a pair of tappets 9, 9, carried from a pendent rod h
(moving in fixed guides). This pendent rod h is pivotted to the lever i
of the stopping and starting gear of the printing machine, so that when
the machine is stopped the gas may be turned down (or entirely turned
off if desired), and when the machine is started again the gas will be
turned up so as to generate sufficient heat to dry the ink on the paper
and prevent it from setting off on the blanket of the second impression
cylinder.
It will be obvious that this burner may be arranged beneath the
cylinder A in duplicate as shewn in the Drawings at Fig. 1 if thought
desirable.
As a modification a box or casing made to partially surround the
cylinder A as shewn in the diagram, Fig. 5, and containing hot water or
superheated steam, may be employed in place of the gas jets if desired;

page_text: It will be obvious that the above described modes of drying or partially
drying the ink of the newly printed sheet may be applied to single
action printing machines, so that when the sheets are piled the ink will
not "set off" on the contiguous sheets.
Having now described this Invention of "Improvements applicable
to Printing Machinery," and having explained the manner of carrying
the same into effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters
Patent as aforesaid, adapting to printing machinery heating apparatus
as above set forth for the purpose of drying or partially drying the ink
on the newly printed sheet so as to prevent the ink from "setting off"
as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Hinchcliff, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Fifth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
JAMES HINCHCLIFF. (L.S.)