AN IMPROVED PRINTING PRESS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Carlo Giuseppe Squintani, of the City of London, Merchant,
for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED PRINTING PRESS." A communication by
William Mattlow Clark and John William Daughaday, both of Philadelphia,
in the United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Carlo Giuseppe Squintani at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th April 1877.
CARLO GIUSEPPE SQUINTANI, of the City of London, Merchant. AN IMPROVED
PRINTING PRESS." A communication by William Matthew Clark and John William
Daughaday, both of Philadelphia, in the United States of America.
The object of the Invention conununicated to me is the construction of a strong,
simple, cheap, and effective printing press, equally applicable for amateur as for
ordinary printing, such improved press being little liable to get out of order.
The improved printing press is constructed with an iron fraine with four uprights
or standards, the whole cast in one piece; the bed is fixed to two of these uprights
in a perpendicular or nearly a perpendicular position, the chase being fixed to the
bed either by a clasp or it may fit in grooves in the bed. The platen works on
pivots at its lower parts, so that it may have a rocking motion communicated to it,
and when in its position of rest for receiving the paper it is at an angle of forty-five
degrees or thereabouts to and facing the bed; it is brought against the type by a
pair of lever armis jointed to a lever working on a horizontal rod fixed in the
framework of the press in such a manner as to cause an equal pressure against the
type. Set screws are also provided for adjusting the platen when required, and the
construction of the platen allows it to be held firmly in its place, so that "slurring"
of the type or "blurring" of the printed page is almost impossible.
The improved press may be rendered self-inking by the application of an
improved inking contrivance, consisting of a pair of rollers carried in counter-
balanced levers connected to the lever arms operating the platen, in such a manner
that as the platen is being brought against the bed, the said rollers pass over the
type and then over an inked disc, such disc being partly rotated at each movement
of the press by a ratchet and click arrangement. The rollers, in passing over the

page_text: disc, take up a supply of ink, and as the platen is being carried back to its open
position the rollers pass over and ink the type, and so on at each operation, spiral
springs serving to press the rollers against the type and inking disc.
To facilitate the type being firmly secured in the chase a number of set screws is '
employed which allows of dispensing with the ordinary wedges.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Carlo Giuseppe Squintani in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
John William 10th October 1877.
CARLO GIUSEPPE SQUINTANI, of the City of London, Merchant, "AN IMPROVED
PRINTING PRESS." A communication from abroad by William Matthew Clark and
John William Daughaday, both of Philadelphia, in the United States of America.
The object of the Invention communicated to me is the construction of a strong,
simple, cheap, and effective self-inking printing press, equally applicable for amateur
as for ordinary printing, such improved press being little liable to get out of order.
The improved printing press is constructed of an iron frame with four uprights
or standards, the whole cast in one piece; the bed is fixed to two of these uprights
in a perpendicular or nearly a perpendicular position (or it may be cast in one picco
with the frame), the chase being fixed to the bed either by a clasp or it may fit in
grooves in the bed. The platen works on pivots at its lower part, so that it may
have a rocking motion communicated to it, and when in its position of rest for
receiving the paper it is at an angle of forty-five degrees, or thereabouts, to and
facing the bed; it is brought against the type by a pair of lever arms jointed to a
lever working on a horizontal rod fixed in the framework of the press in such a
manner as to cause an equal pressure against the type. Set screws are also provided
for adjusting the platen when required, and the construction of the platen allows it
to be held firmly in its place, so that "slurring" of the type or "blurring" of the
printed page is almost impossible.
The press is rendered self-inking by means of an improved inking contrivance,
consisting of a pair of rollers carried in counterbalanced jointed levers connected to
the lever arms operating the platen, in such a manner that as the platen is being
brought against the bed, the said rollers pass over the type and then over an inked
disc, such disc being partly rotated at each movement of the press by a rachet and
click arrangement. The rollers, in passing over the disc, take up a supply of ink,
and as the platen is being carried back to its open position the rollers pass over and
ink the type, and so on at each operation, spiral springs serving to press the rollers
against the type and inking disc.
To facilitate the type being firmly secured in the chase a number of set screws is
employed which allows of dispensing with the ordinary wedges.
But to make the Invention communicated to me better understood, I will proceed
to describe the same by reference to the accompanying Drawing, in which Figure 1
is a side elevation of the improved self-inking printing press, shewn in its normal
or open position, ready to receive a sheet of paper; Figure 2, a similar view, shewing
the press closed and the position of the parts when the impression is being taken;
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of Figure 1; and Figure 4, a back elevation of
Figure 2. Similar letters in all the Figures represent similar parts.
u, a, is the iron frame cast in one piece; b is the bed, cast in one piece with the
frame a; c is the chase fixed to the bed at the lower part by the clips d, cast on the
frame, and at the upper part by the pivotted clasp e and thumb-screw e¹, so that by
merely turning this screw the clasp e is loosened and allows of the chase being
removed; is the platen, consisting of a flanged plate fitting over the platen bed
plate fi and secured thereto by the screws g, which also pass through springs (not
shewn in the Drawing) fitted in slots in the platen bed, whereby the platen is

page_text: rendered somewhat elastic; the platen bed plate f¹ is cast with arms h, pivotted at
their lower ends at h¹ to the side frames a; i, i, are the levers pivotted at ¹ to the
platen arms h; j, j, levers connecting the levers with the side frames a, forming a
knee-joint, so that when the platen is brought forward by the depression of the
levers i the said knee-joint serves to effect the required "dwell;" k are grippers for
holding the sheet of paper on the platen; these grippers are adjustable by means of
the set screws k¹; y, y, set screws in the side and bottom of the chase for screwing
the form therein.
I will now describe the improved self-inking mechanism applied to a printing
press constructed as hercin-before described.
The improved self-inking mechanism consists of an ink disc l, working on a
contre in the bracket m fixed to the back of the bed b; on the back of the ink
disc are formed the ratchet teeth n, into which takes the counterweighted catch o,
pivotted to a counterweighted curved lever p, working on a centre at p¹; q are the
inking rollers working in the ends of the rods q' fitted in the counterweighted
levers, pivotted at 71, to the bracket s, fixed to the side frames a; t, t, are S shaped
connecting levers jointed at u to the counterweighted levers 7, and at u¹ to the
arms h of the platen bed plate f¹; v is a rod fixed to the S shaped levers for ope-
rating the counterweighted lever p of the catch o, as herein-after described; w, w,
are spiral springs on the rods q¹ of the inking rollers q, such springs serving to press
the rollers against the type and ink disc when the press is operated; x stops on
the S shaped levers to limit the downward motion of the levers 7.
The operation of this improved self-inking mechanism is as follows:-
The ink disc being supplied with ink and the parts being in the position shewn
in Figure 2, if the levers i be raised into the position shewn in Figure 1, the platen
arins being thereby drawn forward will move the S shaped levers t, t, which will
pull down the counterweighted levers 7, and thereby move the inking rollers 7 over
the ink disc l, so as to supply them with ink before passing over the type, at the
same time the rod v will press on the outer curved end of the counterweighted lever
p and cause the catch o to take into one of the ratchet teeth n and partially rotate
the ink disc l, whereby the ink is evenly and thoroughly distributed to the rollers
as they pass over the disc; when the levers i are depressed to take an impression
the rollers will be moved back again over the type and ink disc, and, with the other
parts of the mechanism, will be brought back into the position shewn in Figure 2.
By this arrangement it will be understood that at each operation of the press the
rollers are passed over the ink disc and the disc partially revolved, thereby rendering
the press automatic or self-inking.
Having thus fully described the Invention communicated to me and the best
means I am acquainted with for carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be under-
stood that what is claimed and intended to be protected by the herein in part recited
Letters Patent is :-
Firstly. The combination with a printing press constructed as described of the
mechanism whereby the press is rendered automatic or self-inking, the whole
arranged and operating substantially as herein-before described and represented in
the accompanying Drawing.
Secondly. The construction and employment of the improved self-inking
mechanism arranged and operating substantially as herein-before described and
represented in the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Carlo Giuseppe Squintani, have hereto set
my hand and seal, this Ninth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
C. G. SQUINTANI. (L.S.)