Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Apr., 1892-Accepted, 21st May,
1892

page_text: 9 is a cylinder which revolves in a tray containing water, such cylinder being of
metal and either covered with fabric or not. This cylinder 9 rotates in the
direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, and it runs in contact with a roller 10,
which also may be either clothed with fabric or not. This roller bears with more
or less pressure against cylinder 9, according to the quantity of water it is desired
to leave on the surface of the latter, such pressure being adjustable by means of
screws 11, or other nicans, such as wedges, springs, etc., which enable it to be
moved towards and away from cylinder 9.
The two rollers 5, 5, take the water which remains on the surface of cylinder 9,
these
and convey it to the plate bearing the design to be printed, for which purpose
rollers have such a movement imparted to them that for part of the time they bear
against cylinder 9, and then against the printing surface of the cylinder 2, when
the latter comes opposite to them; they, however, move away from cylinder 2
when the part of same formning the inking table passes beneath the rollers 5, 5.
Fig. 2 shows one of the rollers 5, 5, in elevation. They are provided with
wheels upon which act tracks fixed to cylinder 2, and which impart the movement
thereto to cause them to come in contact with and move away from such
cylinder. Any other suitable means may be employed for producing this
movement.
Fig. 3 shows another form of automatic damping apparatus, which I may also
apply to this machine. Upon cylinder 9 which dips into the water bears a
The blade 12 bears
blade 12 supported by a bar 13 against a second bar 14.
against the bar 14, and is thus kept away from roller 9. By means of a suitable
number of screws 15 the blade 12 is moved more or less near to the cylinder 9,
until it quite touches same if found desirable. By this arrangement it is not only
possible to regulate the quantity of water conveyed by the roller 9, but to reduce
same to a smaller or greater extent at different points in the length of this roller
by tightening some of the screws which act upon the blade more than others.
This blade may be clothed with leather, india rubber or fabric, at the part
which is in contact with the roller.
In Fig. 1 I have shown the two cylinders 1 and 2 of the same diameter, but
they may be of different diameters, and more especially cylinder 2 may, as shown
in Fig. 4, be of double the diameter of cylinder 1. This arrangement may be
employed where it is desired to ink the printing surface twice for the impression of
each sheet.
To ensure the sheets being seized in the most perfect manner although the
cylinder to which they are fed has no stop, I have thought of slackening the
speed of the cylinders at the moment of such seizure.
Figs. 5 and
show two arrangements to enable this result to be attained.
In Fig. 5 the driving shaft carrying the pulleys, or actuated by a connecting rod
of a pedal, is provided with a pinion which gears with a wheel 16. To this wheel
is fixed a second wheel 17, the pitch line of which is elliptical, and the centre of
rotation one of the foci of such ellipse.
Cylinder 1 carries an elliptical wheel of the same size as wheel 16, and a circular
wheel gearing with the circular wheel of the same diameter mounted on the shaft
of cylinder 2. Wheel 16 is driven at a uniform speed by the driving shaft, and its
axis has, therefore, a uniform speed.
It is known that two equal tangential ellipses turning, one round the focus
nearest their point of contact, and the other round the focus which is furthest
therefrom, will remain tangential. It follows that if the shaft on which is fixed one
of the curves used as the primitive curves of toothed wheels, turns with a uniform
movement, the shaft carrying the other will turn with a varying movement in
proportion to the difference of the lengths o, a, and o, b, from the focus to the
extremities of the main axis. If, therefore, wheel 16 is caused to rotate at a
uniform speed, the varying movement transmitted in this way to cylinder 1, will by
it be transmitted to cylinder 2, as they are geared together by circular wheels of
the same diameter.

page_text: If the minimum speed of these two cylinders is made to coincide with the
moment of the seizure of the sheet, the slackening of speed at such moment will be
so much the greater as the proportion- is greater.
ob
σα
This new arrangement has the advantage of enabling the machine to be driven
at a much greater speed than hitherto, without affecting the movement of opening
and closing the grippers, since, when this is effected, the speed of the cylinder is
decreased in the desired proportion.
"
Fig. 6 shows another arrangement for producing the same result.
To wheel 16 actuated by the driving shaft is fixed a second circular wheel 17,
but the centre of rotation of which is not at the centre of the circle. An inter-
mediate wheel 18 connects wheel 17 to a wheel of the same diameter mounted
on cylinder 1. The latter wheel gears also with the wheel on the feed
cylinder 2.
The centre of intermediate wheel 18 is connected to the centres of the wheel 17
and of the wheel of cylinder 1, by two small connecting rods which have for their
object to ensure the gearing of this wheel 18 in spite of its to and fro movement
due to the eccentricity of the wheel 17.
The eccentricity of the wheel 17 produces variations in the speed transmitted by
the intermediate wheel 18 to the cylinders. For each rotation of wheel 16, and,
consequently, of the cylinders, these speeds attain a maximum and a minimum
determined by the eccentricity employed. By making the seizure of the sheet
correspond to the minimum speed of the cylinders the same result is obtained as in
the preceding case.
Figs. 7 and 8 show two arrangements of machines having a stop or pause.
In machines having a cylinder carrying a zinco or a forme, and driven at a
uniform speed, such cylinder actuating a second cylinder to which the sheet to be
printed is fed, it is difficult to obtain a good stop or pause of such second cylinder.
In these machines the stopping and starting of the second cylinder are effected
under such conditions that there is always a more or less violent shock, because it
is always necessary in a short space of time to bring the feed cylinder up to the
speed of the printing cylinder or from such speed to rest.
The form itself of the cams which are used to obtain these two movements of
stopping and starting produces a rapid wearing away which further increases the
shock produced.
I avoid these disadvantages by employing elliptical pinions or curves suitably
chosen in order to give the cylinders varying movements, and the slackening of
the speed of which coinciding with the stopping or the starting of the cylinders,
enables these to be effected without the shocks and without any of the incon-
.veniences which have been hitherto encountered.
Fig. 7 shows how the machine above described may be arranged with a stop for
the feed cylinder lasting while the printing cylinder makes a second revolution.
This stop enables the sheet to be adjusted on the feed cylinder and the plate to
be inked twice for each impression.
The driving shaft carries a pinion gearing with a wheel 16 on which are fixed
two other wheels, one elliptical, turning round one of its foci, gearing with a similar
wheel mounted on cylinder 1, the other circular, gearing with a wheel of double
. its diameter mounted on the shaft carrying the eccentrics which produce the stop
or rest. A connecting rod carrying two rollers, arranged as in ordinary machines,
transmits the movement of the cams to lever 19 of the stop mechanism which
engages the pin or tooth of the feed cylinder in the ordinary way.
The result of the employment of the elliptical pinions is that, as above stated,
for each revolution of cylinder 1 a given maximum and minimum speed is attained.
By making the minimum speed coincide with the moment when the stopping of the
cylinder 2 ought to occur, it follows that after a revolution of the cylinder 1, it
5 will coincide with the starting moment of the cylinder 2, and that these two
* movements will have been effected at a time when the speed of the cylinders
.

page_text: was as low as considered requisite, that is to say under the best possibl
conditions.
Fig. 8 shows another arrangement of machine with a stop or rest.
In this arrangement the cylinder to which the sheet is fed is of half the diameter
of the cylinder carrying the forme and serving as inking table. The smal
feed cylinder makes one revolution for the impression of a sheet and remains
stationary during the other half revolution of cylinder 1 which carries the
forme.
In order that the stop or rest in a machine of this kind may occur under the
favorable conditions previously described, it is requisite that during each revolution
of cylinder 1, such cylinder should attain two maximum and two minimum speeds.
For this purpose :-
The driving shaft carries a pinion which gears with a wheel 16 keyed on the
shaft carrying the eccentrics for the stop or rest. The connecting rod transmits to
lever 19 the movement produced by the cams for the stopping and starting of the
cylinder. On the cam shaft is keyed a tooth wheel of which the pitch line is an
oval. This wheel gears with another similar wheel of the same dimensions
mounted on the shaft of cylinder 1. Cylinder 1 further carries a circular wheel
gearing with another wheel of half the diameter mounted on cylinder 2.
The pitch lines of the elliptic wheels, which are determined so as to obtain the
proportion desired between the maximum and the minimum speeds of the cylinders,
are traced according to the method of Holditch, which ensures the perfect gearing
of the ellipses.
In order to obtain the slackening of the cylinder at the moment of stopping I
might also employ the arrangement with eccentric wheels, indicated in Fig. 6, to
diminish the speed of the cylinder at the moment of feed-in a continuous action
machine.
I have shown in Fig. 9 an arrangement of elliptical gear wheels for obtaining
the stop or rest of cylinder 2 under the same conditions as in the case represented
in Fig. 8.
I obtain the varying movement by means of the elliptical gears 20 and 21, the
latter being in one with a wheel 22 of half the diameter of the wheel of cylinder 1
with which it gears. Cylinder I has two maximum and two minimum speeds for
each rotation; as in the preceding case the stop of cylinder 2 corresponds with one
minimum, and its start with the other.
I may apply the arrangements described for printing a web of paper; a special
arrangement for this purpose is shown in Fig. 10.
The paper from reel 23 passes through a heating or damping apparatus 24,
which may be arranged so as to damp the paper by water or steam, or only by
heating the paper. The continuous web is then carried forward at the proper
speed by the roller 25, against which bears a roller 26. The cutting cylinders 27
and 28 cut a sheet of the desired size; the speeds of the roller 25 and of the
cutters vary according to the size of the sheet it is desired to produce. The
separated sheets of the desired length are seized by the grippers of cylinder 29,
and carried forward for the impression.
For perfecting printing the cylinder 29 is half the size of cylinder 30, which at
31 and 32 carries the stereos or zincos corresponding to the two sides of the sheet.
Cylinder 29, which is clothed with fabric or other material suitable for transferring,
makes one revolution without a sheet and receives an impression, which on its
second revolution it transfers to the sheet which has been supplied to it from the
reel, at the same time that such sheet is printed on the other side by the cylinder 30,
after which the printed sheets are transmitted to cylinder 33, which may when
necessary be arranged to accumulate a certain number, and they are afterwards
deposited on the table 34 either in packets or separately by the flyers 35.
If, with the class of machines in question, it is desired to print the sheet on one
side only, the formes 31 and 32 could be identical or different according to circum-
stances, but the cylinder 29 would seize a sheet at each revolution, for which

page_text: purpose it would only be necessary to increase the speed of cylinders 27 and 28 and
also the rate of feed of the paper.
With the same machine I may also print in two colours on the same side of
the sheet, for which purpose it would only be necessary to ink the formes 31 and 32
with different colours, and to make the cylinder 29 keep the sheet for two
revolutions.
I may apply the necessary inking and damping apparatus which the nature of the
work to be effected demands to this machine.
In the various arrangements of machines above described the paper is fed over
the impression cylinder 2, but I may feed such paper in any other way, and more
particularly in the manner illustrated in Fig. 11.
The packet of paper is placed on a table 36 which can rise automatically as the
packet diminishes in height; the sheets are pushed forward by hand or by an
automatic feeder 37, are seized by cylinder 2, printed, then taken off the cylinder by
a roller with grippers 38, and pass to the tapes 39, when the blades of the flyers 40
may deliver them to a table 41, or they may be received by hand.
The object of the special arrangement shown in Fig. 12 is to enable the machine-
to produce impressions requiring inkings of different kinds, such as impressions.
known as photographic prints produced by means of photographic plates, no matter
what kind of backing the plates are mounted on.
I may also apply the arrangement for producing a stop or rest of the cylinder, to
this machine.
The machine shown is of the class illustrated in Fig. 9, in which cylinder 1,
which carries the plate, is twice the diameter of that to which the sheet is fed, but
I might take as an example any of the other forms of machine shown in the
other figs.
In the machine shown the cylinder 1 is divided into three parts; the part 42
carrying the plates, and the two other parts 43 and 44 serving as inking tables.
These inking tables may be abolished, as they are not indispensable for the inking.
One of these tables, 43 for example, receives ink from an ink duct 45, by the
intermediary of rollers 46, the other table 44 receives ink from the ink duct 47, by
the intermediary of the rollers 48.
Rollers 46 and 48 carry at their extremities wheels bearing on tracks situated in
different planes, so that the rollers 46 are raised on the passage of the table 44, and
the rollers 48 are raised on the passage of table 43. Further, by means of eams
acting upon the tracks and arranged according to the requirements of the work, I
may cause the rollers 46 and 48 to descend and bear on the plates at each revolution,
or after a given number of revolutions, of the cylinder 1, that is to say, I may
during a certain number of revolutions of cylinder 1 cause the rollers 46 to bear on
the plate, and afterwards cause the rollers 48 to bear on the plate for a certain
number of revolutions, either the same or a different number to the first. I may
also cause the plate to be inked first by rollers 46 then by rollers 48 at each
revolution of the cylinder,-this would depend upon the nature of the work to be
produced.
The machine is arranged to produce a stop or rest of the cylinder 2 during
half a revolution of cylinder 1, such stop or rest being obtained by the action of
cams upon connecting rod 49, coupled to lever 50 which releases or arrests the
cylinder.
The period of rest of cylinder 2 may be prolonged during several revolutions of
cylinder 1.
A cam 51 acts upon a lever 52 which raises the connecting rod 49 for the period
of time corresponding to the normal stop or rest of cylinder 2; according to the
speed of this cam, I may cause lever 49 only to be lowered at every 2nd, 3rd, or
other number of revolutions of cylinder 1, and thus produce a given number of
inkings for the impression of each sheet; and I may further through the intermediary
of the parts 54, 55, 60, 61, arrest the cylinder 2 at any moment and for any length
.of time.

page_text: Finally, I may by connecting the frame 56 carrying the cut sheet employed to
protect the feed in certain of these machines, to the mechanism 55, as indicated in
the drawing, maintain the cylinder in the stationary position during the whole time
that the frame 56 is raised, and so that the starting of the cylinder will occur as
soon as such frame is lowered; this arrangement possesses the advantage of avoiding
accidents frequently resulting from the employment of the border or frame 56, if
the workman has not lowered this frame before the cylinder starts.
It will be seen by the drawing that the sector 57 keyed to the axis of frame 56
´will by acting upon the pinion 58 operate the stopping mechanism 56; this arrange-
ment is only given as an example, and I may obtain the same result by any other
arrangement.
The result of this combination for stopping the cylinder 2 and also of the double
inking above described, is that the plate may first be inked a certain number of
times by the rollers 46, then a certain number of times by the rollers 48, before
coming in contact with the sheet.
The machine forming the subject of the present application may be employed
more particularly when it is to serve for lithographic printing for producing work
heavily charged with ink; in this case it is usual to provide on the printing machine
within reach of the workman who receives the sheets, a heap of sheets called "off
set sheets, which he interposes between those printed, so as to prevent the
impression of one sheet soiling or setting off on its neighbour.
39
As the machine described may be constructed either with or without mechanical
‹delivery apparatus, I have, for the first case especially, devised an arrangement
enabling the necessary "off set" sheets to be automatically interposed between the
printed sheets:
To obtain this result, on table 71 (Fig. 13) the heaps of auxiliary sheets are
arranged, such sheets being pushed forward either by hand or by an automatic
feeder, and carried along by tapes and led in contact with the sheet delivery
cylinder 72, which may be provided with grippers or not. The sheets being
supplied to the sheet delivery cylinder will be interposed between it and the
printed sheet, and will be removed therefrom at the same time as the latter, either
by tapes or by the flyers 73 of cylinder 72, and deposited with the good sheet on the
delivery table.
may modify the arrangement of the table and of the tapes to suit the kind of
machine; the sheets might for example be supplied directly to cylinder 72 without
the aid of tapes; the table 71 might if necessary be caused to rise as the sheets
diminish.
I have described above how I may supply sheets of paper to the machine forming
'the subject of this application, by means of a web which unwinds and of a cutting
apparatus which separates the sheets from each other, the latter being afterwards
led to the printing cylinders between sets of tapes. I may also, as I have shown in
Figs. 14 and 15, employ a table 81 on which a heap of sheets of paper is placed,
such sheets being introduced, either automatically or by hand, between sets of
tapes 82, which carry them forward one by one to the printing cylinders. When
the sheets printed a first time are required to pass through the machine again to
receive a second colour or to be printed on the opposite side, it is very important
that all of them after the first impression should return to exactly the same
position on the cylinder, so as to ensure a perfect register.
To obtain this result in the case in point, that is to say, when the sheets are
conveyed between two sets of tapes running at a certain speed, I have devised the
following arrangements :-
83 is the cylinder carrying the grippers which are to seize the sheets; 84 the
cylinder carrying the stereos or the metallic plates serving as printing plates;
the inking and damping apparatus applied to this cylinder have been hereinbefore
described. The sheet leaving the set of tapes 82 passes over a roller 85, on to a
table 86, and proceeds towards stops 87, which bear against blades 88 fixed to a
table 89. Slightly before the sheet reaches the stops 87, balls 90 force such sheet

page_text: against roller 85-it has then entirely left the tapes 82, and the speed it had acquired
is diminished to the desired extent from the fact that roller 85 turns at a less
speed than the tapes 82, and that 1 regulate the speed of this roller according to
the thickness and the size of the sheet of paper, so that the latter comes into contact
with the stops 87 without shock, and stops there a moment. I may actuate the
roller 85 in various ways so as to regulate its speed; I may actuate it from the
roller 91 by means of a grooved pulley 92 keyed to the latter, as shown in Fig. 13,
or in any other suitable, manner. I may also arrange springs or flexible blades,.
such as those shown at 105 (Fig. 14), in the path of travel of the sheet, for partly
stopping or diminishing its speed, so as by this means to be able to bring it up to
the stops without shock.
Table 86 is movable, and during the passage of the sheet is displaced in a
direction perpendicular to that followed by the latter. I have shown this table as
sliding on rollers 93 supported on the table 89; it is actuated by a cam 94 mounted
on the shaft of cylinder 83, by means of lever connections 95, 96 (Fig. 13), which
are connected to the bar 97 fixed to the table 86. A spring 98 serves to then
carry the table back to its original position. I may modify these arrangements for
supporting and actuating the table.
A stop 99 fixed to this table, during the displacement of the latter comes in
contact with the edge of the sheet of paper, and causes it to participate in such
displacement; such movement occurring before the grippers of cylinder 83 have
descended on the sheet, it follows that such sheet, before being seized by the
grippers, will be carried absolutely to a given position resulting on the one hand
from its contact with the stops 87, on the other hand from its contact with stop 99.
When necessary the side displacement of the sheet may be obtained by a stop 991
(Fig. 15); for this purpose it is only necessary to reverse the movement of
displacement of table 86. The stops 99 and 99¹ may be independent of the
table 86 and have a movement which enables them to push the sheet to the place it
is to occupy.
It will be seen by the foregoing description that the sheets conveyed by the tapes
to the printing cylinders, first have their speed retarded, then are stopped in the
direction of their travel, at the same time that a movement is imparted to them in
a direction perpendicular to that of such travel, and which conveys all of them to
the same point before they are seized by the grippers of the printing cylinder.
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. The combination with the cylinders of a rotary printing machine of a damping
apparatus, substantially as described.
2. The combination of a roller, either clothed or not, supplied with water, with a
second roller, clothed or not, which exerts a variable pressure on the former, so as
to regulate the quantity of water which remains thereon, substantially as described.
3. The combination of a roller, either clothed or not, supplied with water, with a
blade, either clothed or not, which exerts a variable pressure on the roller, so as to
regulate the quantity of water which remains thereon, substantially as described.
4. The combination of a roller, either clothed or not, supplied with water, with
one or more rollers which alternately bear upon the first roller and the plate to be
damped, substantially as described.
5. The combination of a roller, either clothed or not, with one or more rollers
which alternately bear upon the first roller and the plate to be damped, and with
one or more rollers touching the plate to be damped only, so as to regulate the
water deposited thereon or to remove any excess of water therefrom, substantially
as described.
6. The combination of an automatic damping apparatus properly so-called, with
other damping rollers only serving to more effectually distribute the water on the
printing plate, substantially as described.

page_text: 7. In rotary printing machines the employment of wheels, either elliptical or of
suitable curvature to produce a variable movement of the printing cylinders, and a
slackening of the speed at the moment of the seizure of the sheets to be printed,
substantially as described.
8. In rotary printing machines the employment of wheels, either elliptical or of
suitable curvature to produce a slackening of the speed of the impression cylinders,
and enable the stopping or starting of the cylinder to which the sheets to be printed
are fed to be effected under better conditions than hitherto, such movements being
produced at the moment when the cylinder carrying the printing surfaces is
travelling at its minimum speed, substantially as described.
•
9. In a rotary printing machine the combination of two cylinders, one of which
is of double the diameter of the other and bears two printing surfaces, with an
apparatus for feeding sheets either cut in advance or proceeding from a continuous
web of paper, such sheets being supplied so that they are printed at the same
time on both sides, on one side by transfer and on the other side by one of the
printing surfaces itself, substantially as described.
10. The employment of the machine described in the preceding claim for printing
sheets which are fed thereto by hand instead of by a feeding apparatus, substantially
as described.
11. The combination of printing cylinders with automatic feeding apparatus
situated below same, and a mechanical delivery apparatus for the printed sheets
above same, substantially as described.
12. The combination of printing cylinders with the means described for stopping
the cylinder to which the sheets are fed, substantially as described.
13. The combination of printing cylinders with means for inking the same
printing surface with two different kinds of ink, substantially as described.
14. The combination of printing cylinders, means for stopping one of same and
for inking the same printing surface with two different kinds of ink, with the border
or frame employed on photographic printing machines to receive the sheet which
protects the feed, such border or frame operating substantially as described.
15. The combination with a printing machine, provided or not with a
mechanical delivery apparatus, of an apparatus for introducing sheets between the
"off set
printed sheets as the same are printed, such auxiliary sheets serving as
sheets, substantially as specified.
"
16. In a printing machine in which sheets, either cut from a web, supplied by an
automatic feeder, or fed by hand, are conducted to the printing cylinders, the
combination of parts for reducing the speed at which such sheets travel, and then
stopping same, substantially as described.
17. The combination with the means for reducing the speed of and stopping the
sheets, of means for displacing such sheets in a direction perpendicular to that of
their original movement, substantially as described.
This year 3.
.1 1005
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicant.