Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 28th June, 1887
Complete Left, 26th Mar., 1888
Complete Accepted, 20th Apr., 1888
1 JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN, of 169, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Fellow
of the Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
:-
For the improved printing machines which form the subject of this invention the
composition of the type or movable characters is made in the ordinary way but is
enclosed in a frame preferably with a closed bottom. The frames with their type or
characters are placed at the upper part of two immovable drums having a flat part
made on purpose to receive them. This flat part is arranged in such manner on each
of the drums that it presents an inclination calculated so that while capable of printing
the whole sheet the impression cylinders hereinafter described will present their
grippers in a suitable position for passing the sheets forward. Around each of these
immovable drums run impression cylinders the number of which will depend upon the
production desired; they are arranged so as to balance each other. The impression
cylinders have a movement of translation around the drums and a rotary movement
on their own axes. The axis of each of these cylinders has also a reciprocating
motion towards and from the centre of the fixed drum in order that in all the parts of
the formes the cylinder shall always be in contact with them whatever be the distance
of the different points of these formes from the axis of the drums around which the
impression cylinders gravitate.
At one of the ends of the machine is placed the roll of paper. The sheets are
separated before printing and taken successively by each of the impression cylinders
that gravitate around the first drum; they are printed by the formes placed on this
first drum, then passed on to the cylinders gravitating around the second drum,

page_text: printed on the other side by the passage of these cylinders over the formes on the
second drum, then passed on to a taking off cylinder which directs them either to an
accumulator and receiver or to a mechanical folder or alternately to a receiver and a
folder as may be desired.
The ink troughs or fountains to the number of two are fixed one for each side to be
printed and the distribution of the ink is separately effected for each side.
The inking of the forme is effected by rollers which move around the fixed drums,
being drawn into the same movements as the impression cylinders.
Having stated in general terms the principle and nature of the invention I will
describe more fully the manner of carrying it into effect.
As already mentioned there are two immovable or fixed drums. They are formed
of a strong central shaft with radial arms which carry the periphery or drum proper.
This is composed firstly of a flat part; secondly of a circular part on which the inking
rollers run to spread the ink of a radius less than the circular part of greater radius
followed by the lower part of the impression cylinders; and thirdly of two small
circular parts of less radius than the preceding. These latter parts are made simply
to avoid the dressing or polishing of these parts of the surface because they are not
required to work the inking rollers. The flat part is provided with screws by which
the frames carrying the formes are fixed. By these screws the formes are more or
less raised in order to regulate the impression or pressure which when once adjusted
should be the same for all the impression cylinders which pass successively over the
formes.
The edges of each of the drums are provided with a rack reproducing in part their
contours. This rack has a flat portion and a circular portion these portions being
connected together by curved portions. The number of teeth in the rack is calculated
so that the cylinders which gear with it may make a determined number of turns
(four for example) which always brings the grippers exactly to the positions necessary
for taking hold of, printing, and releasing the sheet. The cylinders by the effect of
centrifugal force always have a tendency to follow the greater radius. When they are
in gear with the cylindrical portion of the rack they are at the end of frames in
which their journals or bearings slide and cannot go further. A little before reaching
the flat portion where the impression takes place rollers placed at each of the ends of
the spindle of each cylinder engage in a fixed guide way at each side and which
follows the contour of the rack their bearings being free to slide in the frames owing
to the breaking up of the movement resulting from the translation around the drum
and the action of the guide ways.
The formes before being placed in position are first deposited on a table with two
inclines which is placed on a cross bar between the two drums. By simply removing
temporarily one of the pairs of inking cylinders from each drum the formes can be
slid off to the required position on the drums; when the formes are all in place on the
drums the inclined table is removed.
As the impression cylinders have to move around the central drum they are held
and conducted by two movable frames which turn on the fixed shaft of the drum.
These frames are each made in two pieces to allow of their being placed in position
on the central shaft without disturbing the main framing. These two pieces when
connected on the shaft form a large ring comprising the four frames for the impression
cylinders to slide in as already explained and four other frames for the inking rollers.
The frames for the impression cylinders and for the inking rollers alternate.
The outer part of the main movable frames is formed by a toothed wheel which
serves to draw into continuous rotation around the central shaft the frames carrying
the impression cylinders and inking rollers. Two of these wheels are driven
simultaneously by gearing from the driving shaft and they gear with like wheels of
the other drum so as to give them the desired motion. As the impression cylinders
have to receive a double rotary motion and to move in and out they should be as light
as is consistent with the necessary strength. They are therefore made of cast or
foundry steel instead of cast iron as usual. Each of these cylinders is provided with
pincers for taking hold of the sheet and with the devices necessary for holding and

page_text: tightening the blanket. The shaft of each cylinder carries at each end beyond the
cylinder itself a toothed wheel gearing with the rack fixed to the edge of the central
drum, then a bearing sliding in the frame reserved for the purpose in the main
movable frame; then a roller for ensuring the inward and outward movement of the
cylinder relatively to the drum. The movement of the cylinders around the central
shaft is obtained as already explained by the toothed wheels on the movable frames.
The rotary motion of the cylinders on their axes is obtained by the running of their
toothed wheels on the rack. The inward and outward movement at the time of the
passage of the cylinders over the formes is produced by the guide ways which at each
of their ends are concentric with the drum shaft with a curve forming an entrance at
their lower part; then in their middle portion they are rectilinear and parallel to the
line of the formes and they have connecting curves in order that the rollers on the
ends of the cylinders may pass without shock from the cylindrical part into the flat
part.
The paper to be printed is placed on a reel at one end of the machine and is unwound
therefrom by means of two cylinders whose speed is calculated to draw a length equal
to one sheet during one revolution of the cutting cylinder. The sheet cut off is carried
by tapes to the lower part of a cylinder which it passes round until it is taken hold of
by the grippers of one of the impression cylinders. Contrary to all existing machines
which cut the sheet before printing the speed of the parts that feed the sheets is not
less than or equal to the rotation of the impression cylinders; the speed of these parts
is much more considerable; it is equal to the rotary speed of the impression cylinders
around their axes plus the speed of their translation around the central drum. The
sheet when taken hold of by the grippers of one of the cylinders winds around this
cylinder. To keep it against the cylinder rollers can be employed bearing against the
central part of the sheet, these rollers being fixed on rods turning in supports attached
to the bearings. Each of the cylinders thus covered with its sheet of paper rolls this
sheet over the formes and prints it on one side and then passes it over the
line of the centres of the two drums. A corresponding cylinder of the second drum
then takes the sheet and prints it on the other side by rolling it over the second set of
formes.
The transfer of the sheets from the one drum to the other is ensured as follows: On
a piece attached to the main frame are fixed two guides the one to open the grippers
of the cylinders of the first drum which-bring the printed sheet; the other to close
the grippers of the corresponding cylinder of the second drum in order that the sheet
may be carried over the line of the centres of the cylinders as it would be in a
machine in which the cylinders are on fixed axes. All the cylinders successively
transfer the sheets at the same point, the grippers opening and closing.
For the delivery of the printed sheets each of the impression cylinders of the
second drum presents its grippers at the upper part after having printed about two-
thirds of the sheet. A special cylinder fixed on its axis, that is to say-turning only
on itself has grippers which seize the sheet abandoned by the grippers of the
impression cylinder. The grippers of the special cylinder abandon the sheet as soon
as they have passed a roller which is fitted with bands running from this roller to
another roller and to two rods. The second roller has bands which pass round it and
go as far as the second rod, and only three narrow tapes passing along the whites or
margins of the printed sheet go from the second roller to the special cylinder. All
these tapes have a speed greater than the circumferential speed of the special cylinder.
Guided by the three tapes in the margins the sheet rises tangentially to the special
cylinder sufficiently held by the tapes to be pulled but not to be torn. The greater
speed of the tapes has for object to keep the sheet tight, the movement of the cylinders
causing this peculiarity that when the impression cylinder moves away from the special
cylinder the length between the point of contact of the impression cylinder with the
type and the point that the sheet touches the special cylinder diminishes. The tapes
hold the sheet to the roller as soon as it has left the type and then guide it to an
accumulator which delivers the sheets to a receiver. As these arrangements are

page_text: analogous to those which have hitherto been employed they do not need special
description.
The machine is provided with two ink troughs or fountains for the formes of the
two drums respectively. From each fountain ink is taken to a circular distributing
table above which is a distributing roller. A second roller pivots around the table and
gives ink to each of the large rollers for inking the forme as these rollers pass. They
spread their ink over the lower circular portion of the fixed drum. Behind each of
these rollers is a smaller roller held by a jointed lever which allows it to come in
contact alternately with the lower part of the drum and with the forme. The larger
rollers have at their ends guide rollers running in guide ways. These guide ways
cause the rollers to come in contact with the lower portion of the fixed drum while the
guide ways already described as acting on the impression cylinders cause the rollers to
come in contact with the forme.

page_text: Improvements in Printing Machines.
A communication from abroad by JULES DERRIEY, of 1, Boulevard St. Denis, Paris,
France, Mechanical Engineer.
I JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN of 169 Fleet Street, in the City of London, Fellow
of the Institute of Patent Agents, 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:-
For the improved printing machines which form the subject of this invention the
composition of the type or movable characters is made in the ordinary way but is enclosed
in a frame preferably with a closed bottom. The frames with their type or characters
are placed at the upper part of two immovable drums having a flat part made on
purpose to receive them. This flat part is arranged in such manner on each of the
drums that it presents an inclination calculated so that while capable of printing the
whole sheet the impression cylinders hereinafter described will present their grippers
in a suitable position for passing the sheets forward. Around each of these immovable
drums run impression cylinders the number of which will depend upon the production
desired; they are arranged so as to balance each other. The impression cylinders
have a movement of translation around the drums and a rotary movement on their
own axes. The axis of each of these cylinders has also a reciprocating motion towards,
and from, the centre of the fixed drum in order that in all the parts of the formes the
cylinders shall always be in contact with them whatever be the distance of the different
points of these formes from the axis of the drums around which the impression
cylinders run.
At one of the ends of the machine is placed the roll of paper. The sheets are
separated before printing and taken successively by each of the impression cylinders
that run around the first drum; they are printed by the formes placed on this first
drum, then passed on to the cylinders running around the second drum, printed on the
other side by the passage of these cylinders over the formes on the second drum, then
passed on to a taking off cylinder which directs them either to an accumulator and
receiver or to a mechanical folder or alternately to a receiver and a folder as may be
desired.
The ink troughs or fountains to the number of two are fixed one for each drum and
the distribution of the ink is separately effected for each drum.
The inking of the forme is effected by rollers which move around the fixed drums,
being drawn into the same movements as the impression cylinders.
Having stated in general terms the principle and nature of the invention I will
describe more fully the manner of carrying it into effect and will refer to the annexed
drawings which illustrate a machine in which the improvenients are embodied. In
these drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section of the machine.
Figure 2 represents the mechanism or devices for transferring the sheets from the

page_text: first drum to the second. Figure 3 represents a table with double incline for receiving
the formes. Figure 4 is an end elevation showing the gearing and driving arrange-
ments. Figure 5 is a transverse section of the machine through the centre of the
second drum. Figure 6 is a detached view of the rack B', and other parts of the
mechanism.
•
;
As already mentioned there are two immovable or fixed drums. They are formed
of a strong central shaft A mounted in the frame B and having radial arms which
carry the periphery or drum proper. This is composed :-firstly, of a flat part C
secondly, of a circular part C on which the inking rollers run to spread the ink of a
radius less than the circular part of greater radius followed by the lower part of the
impression cylinders; and, thirdly, of two small circular parts ("C" of less radius
than the preceding. These latter parts are made simply to avoid the dressing or
polishing of these parts of the surface because they are not required to work the
inking rollers. The flat part is provided with screws on which the frames carrying
the formes are placed. By these screws the formes are more or less raised in order to
regulate the impression or pressure which when once adjusted should be the same for
all the impression cylinders which pass successively over the formes.
The edges of each of the drums are provided with a rack B¹ (best seen in Figure 6)
reproducing in part their contours. This rack has a flat portion and a circular portion
these portions being connected together by curved portions. The number of teeth in
the rack is calculated so that the cylinders which gear with it may make a determined
number of turns, which always brings the grippers exactly to the positions necessary
for taking hold of, printing, and releasing the sheet. In the arrangement shown in
the drawings the number of turns will be four. The cylinders by the effect of centri-
fugal force always have a tendency to follow the greater radius. When they are in
gear with the cylindrical portion of the rack B₁ they are at the end of frames in
which their journals or bearings slide and cannot go further. A little before reaching
the flat portion where the impression takes place rollers F F placed at each of the
ends of the spindle of each cylinder engage in a fixed guide way G at each side and
which follows the contour of the rack B their bearings being free to slide in the
frames owing to the breaking up of the movement resulting from the translation
around the drum and the action of the guide ways G.
The formes before being placed in position are first deposited on a table with two
inclines (see Figure 3) which is placed on a cross bar between the two drums. By
simply removing temporarily one of the pairs of inking cylinders from each drum the
formes can be slid off to the required position on the drums; when the formes are all
in place on the drums the inclined table removed.
As the impression cylinders have to move around the central drum they are held
and conducted by two movable frames C³ which turn on the fixed shaft of the drum.
These frames are each made in two pieces to allow of their being placed in position on
the central shaft without disturbing the main framing. These two pieces when con-
nected on the shaft form a large ring comprising the four frames for the impression
cylinders to slide in as already explained, and four other frames for the inking rollers.
The frames for the impression cylinders and for the inking rollers alternate.
The outer part of the main movable frames C³ is formed by a toothed wheel D
which serves to draw into continuous rotation around the central shaft the frames
carrying the impression cylinders and inking rollers. Two of the wheels are driven
simultaneously by gearing from the driving shaft E and they gear with like wheels of
the other drum so as to give them the desired motion.
As the impression cylinders, which are marked F, and of which, in the arrangement
shown in the drawings, there are four to each drum, have to receive a double rotary
motion and to move in and out they should be as light as is consistent with the
necessary strength. They are therefore made of cast or foundry steel instead of cast
iron as usual. Each of these cylinders is provided with grippers for taking hold of
the sheet and with the devices necessary for holding and tightening the blanket.
The shaft of each cylinder carries at each end beyond the cylinder itself a toothed
wheel gearing with the rack fixed to the edge of the central drum, then a bearing

page_text: sliding in the frame reserved for the purpose in the main movable frame; then a
roller F for ensuring the inward and outward movement of the cylinder relatively to
the drum. The movement of the cylinders F F around the central shaft is obtained
as already explained by the toothed wheels D on the movable frames C³. The rotary
motion of the cylinders on their axes is obtained by the running of the toothed wheels
at their ends on the rack B¹. The inward and outward movement at the time of the
passage of the cylinders over the formes is produced by the guide ways G which at
each of their ends are concentric with the drum shaft with a curve forming an
entrance at their lower part; then in their middle portion they are rectilinear (see
Figure 6) and parallel to the line of the formes and they have connecting curves in
order that the rollers on the ends of the cylinders may pass without shock from the
cylindrical part into the flat part. The inward and outward movement of the cylinders
is the result of the circular movement of the movable frames C³ and of the action of
the guide ways G on the rollers at the ends of the impression cylinders. This
breaking up of the movement is taken up by a sliding of the bearings in their frames,
these bearings being at the end of their frames when the cylinder is in action on the
circular part of the rack B¹ and thus resisting the effect of the centrifugal force. The
bearings then occupy the different positions necessary to preserve the regular contact
of the cylinders with the forme through the action of the guide ways G which are
parallel with the forme.
$
The paper to be printed is placed on a reel at one end of the machine and is
unwound therefrom by means of two cylinders H H whose speed is calculated to draw
length equal to one sheet during one revolution of the cutting cylinder H¹. The
sheet cut off is carried by tapes to the lower part of a cylinder I which it passes
round until it is taken hold of by the grippers of one of the impression cylinders F.
Contrary to all existing machines which cut the sheet before printing the speed of the
parts that feed the sheets is not less than or the same as the rotation of the impression
cylinders; the speed of the said parts is much more considerable; it is equal to the
rotary speed of the impression cylinders around their axes plus the speed of their
translation around the central drum. The sheet when taken hold of by the grippers
of one of the cylinders F winds around this cylinder. To keep it against the cylinder
rollers can be employed bearing against the central part of the sheet, these rollers
being fixed on rods turning in supports attached to the bearings. Each of the
cylinders thus covered with its sheet of paper runs this sheet over the formes and
prints it on one side and then passes it over the line of the centres of the two drums.
A corresponding cylinder F of the second drum then takes the sheet and prints it on
the other side by running it over the second set of formes.
The transfer of the sheets from the one drum to the other is ensured as follows:-On
a piece fattached to the main frame are fixed two guides or abutments of the one to
open the grippers of the cylinders of the first drum which bring the printed sheet;
the other to close the grippers of the corresponding cylinder of the second drum in
order that the sheet may be carried over the line of the centres of the cylinders as it
would be in a machine in which the cylinders are on fixed axes.
All the cylinders
successively transfer the sheets at the same point the grippers opening and closing.
For the delivery of the printed sheets each of the impression cylinders F of the
second drum presents its grippers at the upper part after having printed about two-
thirds of the sheet. A special cylinder J fixed on its axis, that is to say: turning
only on itself has grippers which seize the sheet abandoned by the grippers of the
impression cylinder F. The grippers of the cylinder J abandon the sheet as soon as
they have passed a roller j which is fitted with bands running from this roller to a
roller K and to two rods I and m. The roller K has bands which pass round it and
go as far as the rod m, and only three narrow tapes passing along the whites or
margins of the printed sheet go from the roller K to the cylinder J. All these tapes
have a speed greater than the circumferential speed of the cylinder J.
Guided by
the three tapes in the margins the sheet rises tangentially to the cylinder J sufficiently
held by the tapes to be pulled but not to be torn. The greater speed of the tapes has
for object to keep the sheet tight, the movement of the cylinders causing this

page_text: peculiarity that when the impression cylinder F moves away from the cylinder J the
distance between the point of contact of the impression cylinder F with the type and
the point that the sheet touches the cylinder J diminishes. The tapes hold the sheet
to the roller K as soon as it has left the type and then guide it to an accumulator L
which delivers the sheets to a receiver M. As these arrangements are analogous to
those which have hitherto been employed they do not need special description.
The machine is provided with two ink troughs or fountains N N for the formes of
the two drums respectively. From each fountain ink is taken to a circular distributing
table above which is a distributing roller P. A second roller Q pivots around the
table and gives ink to each of the large rollers R for inking the forme as these rollers
pass. They spread their ink over the lower circular portion of the fixed drum.
Behind each of these rollers is a smaller supplementary roller S held by a jointed lever
which allows it to come in contact alternately with the lower part of the drum so as to
take therefrom and with the forme so as to supply ink thereto. The large rollers R
have at their ends guide rollers F2 running in guide ways G¹. These guide ways
cause the rollers R to come in contact with the lower portion of the fixed drum while
the guide ways G cause the rollers to come in contact with the forme. The impression
cylinders do not come in contact with the circular part of the drum.
קור
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me, I
declare that what I claim, in respect of printing machines, is:-
1. A printing machine constructed so that the impression is effected directly upon
the composition or forme held in flat frames which are placed on immovable drums
around which several impression cylinders run, substantially as set forth.
2. The arrangement of two central immovable drums composed of a flat part to
receive the formes and of a cylindrical or circular part to serve as an inking table, the
flat part being placed at an inclination, substantially as set forth.
3. The combination, with the said flat parts of the immovable drums, of screws
whereby the pressure between the formes and the impression cylinders can be regulated,
substantially as set forth.
4. The employment, in connection with the two immovable drums, of a removable
table having two inclines, upon which the formes are first placed and from which they
are slid off to the required positions on the respective drums, substantially as set
forth.
5. The arrangement, at each side of the immovable drums, of a toothed rack com-
posed of a circular part, concentric with the axis of the corresponding drum, of a flat
part, and of curved parts connecting the flat and circular parts, substantially as and
for the purpose set forth.
6. The arrangement of two movable frames turning loosely on the axis of the
corresponding immovable drum and fitted with frames for the impression cylinders
and inking rollers to slide in, the outer part of said movable frames consisting of
toothed wheels concentric with the axis of the drum, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
7. The arrangement of fixed guide ways for maintaining the impression cylinders
and inking rollers in regular contact with the formes during the impression, sub-
stantially as set forth.
8. The arrangement of fixed guide ways for bringing the inking rollers alone in
contact with the circular part of the immovable drums which serves as the inking table,
substantially as set forth.
9. The arrangement of mechanism for feeding the paper to the machine, sub-
stantially as set forth, so that the feed is considerably quicker than the rotary speed of
the impression cylinders and equivalent to the rotary speed of these cylinders around
their axis plus the speed of their translation around the immovable drum.
10. The arrangement of mechanism, substantially as set forth, whereby the grippers
of the cylinders that run round the first immovable drum are caused to transfer the
sheets to the cylinders that run around the second immovable drum when one of the

page_text: cylinders of the first drum is in contact with the corresponding cylinder of the second
drum.
11. The arrangement, substantially as described, of a cylinder for taking off or
receiving the printed sheets from the impression cylinders as they successively pass it,
the said cylinder having a rotary speed equal to that of the impression cylinders.
12. The combination, with the said taking off cylinder, of tapes which have a speed
greater than the circumferential speed of the cylinder, and which guide the printed
sheets from the cylinder and keep them tight or stretched, substantially as set forth.
13. The arrangement, substantially as set forth, of tapes passing around the taking
off cylinder and along the whites or margins of the printed sheets, and running from
this cylinder to a cylinder situated above, and of tapes which convey the sheets to an
accumulator or receiver, all these tapes having a speed greater than the circumferential
speed of the taking off cylinder.
sub-
14. The combination, with the two immovable drums, of two ink troughs or
fountains for supplying ink to the formes carried by these drums respectively,
stantially as set forth.
15. The arrangement, as set forth, of rollers pivoting around circular ink
distributing tables above the ink troughs and supplying ink to the inking rollers as
these successively pass.
16. The arrangement, as set forth, of inking rollers in number equal to that of the
impression cylinders and alternating therewith, the said inking rollers in their move-
ments spreading the ink on the circular part of the drums and supplying ink to the
formes, as described.
17. The combination, as set forth, with the main inking rollers, of small inking
rollers supported by jointed levers and which travel first over the circular part of the
drum taking up ink therefrom and then over the forme thereby supplying ink thereto,
as described.
18. The combination of parts constituting an improved printing machine arranged
and operating as hereinbefore described and represented in the annexed drawings.
J. C. MEWBURN.