IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLIANCES OR APPARATUS TO BE USED FOR PRINTING ON GLASS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Bristow Hunt, of Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLIANCES OR APPARATUS TO BE USED FOR PRINTING
ON GLASS." -A communication from abroad by Joseph Louis Wells,
of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Bristow Hunt at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st December 1875.
I, BRISTOW HUNT, of Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPLIANCES OR APPARATUS TO BE USED FOR PRINTING
ON GLASS,” (a communication to me from abroad by Joseph Louis Wells,
of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States of America,) to be
as follows:-

page_text: glass without danger of breaking the same, and nearly every sheet of
which, as ordinarily made, is thicker in some parts than others, and has
frequently a waved surface, so that its fracture would always be the
result of attempts to print on it without the intervention of a yielding
bed, platen, or printing block.
After many experiments it has been found that the best yielding
medium is an arrangement or series of pads placed a short distance
apart, so that each pad shall act as an independent spring which can
yield without effecting the neighbouring pads, the spaces between the
said pads permitting them to expand laterally under pressure without
crowding on each other; hence in the case of the pads on the platen
they will accommodate themselves to the waved surface of the glass,
while the printing block will, owing to its elastic support, accommodate
itself to the varying thickness of the sheet of glass, and all this tends
to impart to the same a uniform impression from the printing surface,
and at the same time prevents the fracture of the glass even if the
printing surface be of wood, or of similar comparatively non-yielding
material; although for the purposes of this Invention it is desirable to
use a printing surface of rubber, and it is similarly desirable to use the
series of pads, both on the bed that is under the printing block and on
the platen; but valuable results as regards obviating the fracture of the
glass and obviating an ununiform impression may be attained by using
the pads in connection with the bed that is under the printing block
only or on the platen only.
This Invention therefore consists in placing on or against the bed of
the printing press a flat sheet of pasteboard or other suitable material,
upon the upper surface of which are secured a series of small elastic
pads, by preference made of rubber of a quadrangular shape and
arranged in rows a short distance apart; and in using a flat printing
block, which may be made of wood, mounted with such letters, figures,
or ornamental characters in relief, as the design to be printed on the
glass may require, the printing surfaces being made preferably of
rubber, or of other equivalent elastic material; and in using an upper
sheet of pasteboard or other equivalent material, to the under side
of which are cemented or otherwise secured elastic pads similar to
those on the first mentioned or under sheet.
In using these appliances the said printing block is placed resting on

page_text: the pads of the under sheet, which, as before remarked is placed on or
against the bed of the press; and the upper sheet with its pads is
attached to the platen of the press; the printing surface of the. block
is inked, as ordinarily; and upon the inked surface the sheet of glass is
placed, and the platen is applied and has imparted to it, as usual, the
required pressure, and thus and by these means the object of the Inven-
tion is effected.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Bristow Hunt in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 30th May 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BRISTOW
HUNT, of Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Bristow Hunt, Her special
licence that I, the said Bristow Hunt, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Bristow Hunt, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, 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 IN
APPLIANCES OR APPARATUS TO BE USED FOR PRINTING ON GLASS," (a communi-
cation to me from abroad by Joseph Louis Wells, of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, in the United States of America,) upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Bristow Hunt, my executors or

page_text: administrators, by an instrument 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 Bristow Hunt, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement in writing, and on reference being had to the 1
accompanying Sheet of Drawings, that is to say :-
The improvements constituting this Invention are especially designed
to effect the printing of uniform impressions on flat sheets of common
glass without danger of breaking the same, and nearly every sheet of
which as ordinarily made is thicker in some parts than others, and has
frequently a waved surface, so that its fracture would always or nearly
always be the result of attempts to print on it without the intervention
of a yielding bed, platen, or printing block.
After many experiments it has been found that the best yielding
medium is an arrangement or series of pads placed a short distance 1
apart, so that each pad shall act as an independent spring, which can
yield without affecting the neighbouring pads, the spaces between the
said pads permitting them to expand laterally under pressure without
crowding on each other, hence in the case of the pads on the platen
they will accommodate themselves to the waved surface of the glass,
while the printing block will, owing to its elastic support accommodate
itself to the varying thickness of the sheet of glass, and all this tends to
impart to the same a uniform impression from the printing surface, and
at the same time prevents the fracture of the glass, even if the printing
surface be of wood or of similar comparatively non-yielding material,
although for the purposes of this Invention it is desirable to use a
printing surface of rubber, and it is similarly desirable to use the series
of pads both on the bed, that is, under the printing block, and on the
platen, but valuable results, as regards obviating the fracture of the
glass and obtaining a uniform impression, may be attained by using the
pads in connection with the bed, that is, under the printing block only,
or on the platen only.

page_text: .
This Invention therefore consists in placing on or against the bed of
the printing press a flat sheet A of pasteboard or other suitable material,
upon the upper surface of which are secured a series of small elastic
pads a, by preference made of rubber of a quadrangular shape, and
arranged in rows a short distance apart; and in using a flat printing
block B, which may be made of wood mounted with such letters, figures,
or ornamental characters in relief, as the design to be printed on the
glass may require, the printing surfaces being made preferably of rubber
or of other equivalent elastic material; and in using an upper sheet E
of pasteboard or other equivalent material, to the under side of which
are cemented or otherwise secured clastic pads a similar to the
pads a.
In using these appliances the said printing block B is placed resting
on the pads a of the under sheet A, which, as before remarked, is placed
on or against the bed of the press, and the upper sheet E with its
pads a¹ is attached to the platen of the press. The printing surface of
the block B is inked as ordinarily, and upon the inked surface the sheet
of glass D is placed, and the platen is applied and has the requisite
pressure imparted to it as usually, and thus and by these means the
object of the Invention is effected.
Between the plate of glass D and the pads a¹ of the upper sheet E
may be interposed a sheet or sheets of thin paper.
Any ordinary printing press may be used in connection with the above
described appliances.
Having now described the nature and object of the said Invention,
together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be per-
formed or carried into practical effect, I would remark in conclusion
that I claim as the Invention communicated to me by the said Joseph
Louis Wells,-
Firstly. The novel and peculiar combination with a flat printing block
of a series of elastic pads, arranged a short distance apart and interposed
between the flat bed of a printing press and the said yielding block, for
the purpose herein specified, and substantially as described and as
represented on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
And, Secondly. The novel and peculiar combination of a series of
elastic pads with a flat printing block and with the platen of a printing

page_text: press, between which and the said block the pads are interposed for the
purpose herein set forth, substantially as described and as shewn on the
accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Bristow Hunt, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of May in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.