Improvements in Web Printing Machinery.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Jan., 1898-Accepted, 12th Mar., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by ROBERT HOE, Printing Press Manufacturer, of
504, Grand Street, in the City of New York, State of New York, United
States of America.]
Improvements in Web Printing Machinery.
I, HENRY EDWARD NEWTON, of the office for Patents, 6, Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of London, Patent Agent, 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:-
This invention relates to web printing machines, and one part of the invention―
especially to web printing machines of that class in which a supplement sheet
printed by a slow running printing mechanism, is associated with a rapidly
running main web or sheet portion thereof, the object of the invention being to
provide an improved means for controlling the movement of a web of paper while
being fed into a printing machine, and to provide a means for securing the
accurate registry between sheets printed by a main mechanism and a slower
running supplement mechanism, whereby the main and supplement sheet lengths
shall be correctly combined to form a perfect product.
In web printing machines, the movement of the web varies considerably under
different conditions. Thus, when the blanket is changed, as is necessary in web
machines which run at high speed, the size of the impression cylinder
is constantly reducing as the blanket wears, and a consequent variance in its driv-
ing speed results; again, since the web must remain taut in order to remove
wrinkles, it will be necessary, when its quality is bad, and its strength is limited,
to slightly drive it; and when it is moved from or brought into a state of rest, it
must be accelerated and retarded, in order to prevent breakage of the paying out of
an unused portion.
One part of the present invention consists in the provision of an expanding
pulley and belt for controlling the unwinding movement of the web of paper,
which pulley has hand-operated means for increasing and diminishing its
circumferential extent, whereby its surface-speed is so changed as to cause its
feeding action to be appropriately varied, which varying feeding action is prefer-
ably applied to the rolled web through an endless controlling belt carried in a
swinging frame, and arranged to follow the decreasing roll, thus causing said belt
to apply frictional contact resistance, to retard, to move concertedly with the roll,
or to drive it, and thus increase its movement, from which results a complete
control of the feeding movement of the paper web, and a consequent smooth and
even passage of the web to the printing mechanism, suited not only to the high
rate of speed during the printing operation, but a movement appropriate to the
quality of the paper used and its changing speed during the starting and stopping
operations, whereby are maintained both an even feed and suitable tension.
In fast running printing machines of those classes in which two or more webs
are printed, with one or more main printing mechanisms running at the full speed
of the press, and a supplement web printing mechanism running at a low speed,

page_text: entered the semicircular clasp 32 of a running nut 33, that is moved by means
of a screw-threaded rod 34 rotated in either direction by a hand wheel or crank 35.
The parts are so related, that normally the adjustment of the pulley P will be
such that the surface of the belt B which runs over it will correspond with the
pitch line of the driving wheel 22, and hence the normal surface speed of the belt B
will be the same as that of the printing cylinders. If, however, it is desired to
cause the controlling pulley P to move at a greater speed, and thus, through the
belt B, drive the roll R at a corresponding speed, as during the starting operation,
when, from the accelerated movement of the printing cylinders, caused in attaining
their normal high speed of travel, undue strain upon the web would be occasioned,
the hand wheel turned to properly rotate the rod 34, thus moving the nut 33,
and, through the clasp 32, forcing the head 30 inward, thus sliding the lugs 5, 6,
7, 8, up the inclined faces of the projections 9, 10, 11, 12, and causing the segments
1, 2, 3, 4, to move radially outward, thus increasing the circumferential area of the
pulley P to the desired extent, and causing its surface speed to be appropriately
increased.
If, on the contrary, the web is running too free, the controlling pulley may, by
a contrary movement of the parts, be appropriately reduced in its circumferential
extent, to properly control the web, by imparting to it the frictional resistance
of a slower motion. In the case where, from its constantly growing smaller, the
roll R greatly resists the unwinding operation, as would be the case when it is
comparatively small, the controlling pulley may be appropriately expanded to
drive the roll, and thus ensure the smooth unwinding of the web.
Thus, by the simple means of this expanding pulley it is possible to so actuate
the belt controlling the unwinding movement of the web, that during the main
run of the paper it may move with a like surface speed, and thus only exert a
resistant friction due to the incumbent weight of the belt B, or even have that
compensated for by being given a slightly increased speed, and may either drive
or retard, as is required, during the varying conditions of movement incident to
the rapid printing of long lengths of paper fed to a machine from a large and com-
pactly formed roll.
It will be understood that this part of the invention is not limited to the expand-
ing pulley of the specific construction shewn, but that expanding pulleys of any
suitable form, adapted to he adjusted by hand while running, may be used, and that
other modifications may be made in the construction shown, without departing
from the invention.
Referring now to the parts of the machine shewn in Figures 1 and 2, in
which the second part of the invention is embodied, the supplement W is received
from the type and impression cylinders T, I before mentioned, by the second type
and impression cylinders T I, by which the web is perfected. These two sets
of type and impression cylinders T, I and T', I form a web perfecting mechanism
for the supplement web, and run at one half the speed of the printing mechanism
operating upon the main web M. the main printing mechanisms not being shown,
as they may be of any suitable form, and their illustration is not required to ex-
plain the invention. "The main web M is shewn as passing over a guide roll 38.
then downward to and between guiding rolls 39, which also form nipping rollers
for the supplement sheets, as hereafter explained.
From the second type and impression cylinders T I, the perfected supplement
web W passes between cutting cylinders 40, and is thence led into a guiding
pathway consisting mainly of tapes 42, 43, and extending to the guiding rollers 39.
The tapes 42 run over a roller 41, over the lower guiding roller 39 and roller 45.
being stretched intermediately by pulleys 46, and the tapes 43 run from rollers 47
and over pulleys 48, being stretched intermediately by pulleys 49. The guiding
rollers 39 form nipping rollers, as above stated, the lower roller being made
adjustable to secure the desired nipping action, and they are situated a distance
in advance of the rollers 47, of about a sheet's length. so that when the foremost
sheet length is detached from the supplenient web W, the leading end of the

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, ( as communicated to me
from abroad), I declare that what I claim is
1. In a machinism for controlling the movement of an unwinding rolled web
while being fed to a printing mechanism, the combination with an expansible
pulley and an endless belt driven thereby, and located so as to act upon the web,
of a hand operated means for adjusting the pulley while running, substantially
as described.
2. In a mechanism for controlling the movement of an unwinding rolled web
while being fed to the printing mechanism, the combination with an expansible
pulley, an endless belt driven thereby, and located so as to act upon the web, of
gearing connecting the pulley shaft with that of one of the printing cylinders,
and operating to normally drive said pulley at the common running speed of the
printing cylinders, and means capable of adjustment by hand for expanding and
contracting said pulley circumferentially, to vary its surface speed, substantially
as described.
3. The combination with a main web feeding mechanism, a
supplement sheet
feeding mechanism, and nipping rollers or similar.devices associating supplement
sheets with the main web, said supplement sheet feeding mechanism travelling at
less speed than the web feeding mechanism and the nipping rollers, of an adjust-
able compensating roller acting on each sheet between the supplement sheet
feeding mechanism and the nipping rollers, for varying the length of its travel
to the nipping rollers, substantially as described.
4. The combination with a main web feeding mechanism, a supplemen-
tal web feeding mechanism, and nipping rollers or similar devices for
associating supplement sheet lengths with the main web, said supple-
ment web feeding mechanism travelling at less speed than the main
web feeding mechanism and the nipping rollers, of mechanism for severing the
supplement web into sheet lengths, and a compensating roller acting upon each
sheet length between the supplement web feeding and severing mechanisms and
the nipping rollers, for varying the length of its travel to the nipping rollers,
substantially as described.
5. The combination with a main web feeding mechanism, a supplement web
feeding mechanism, and a pair of nipping rollers or similar devices for associating
supplement sheet lengths with the main web, said supplement web feeding
mechanism travelling at less speed than the main web feeding mechanism
and the nipping rollers, of a web severer for partially severing the
supplement web transversely into sheet lengths, tapes for receiving the
supplement sheet lengths from said feeding mechanism and conduct-
ing them to the nipping rolls, and an adjustable compensating roller
acting on each sheet length between the supplement web feeding
mechanism and the entrance to the tapes, for varying the length of its travel to
the nipping rollers, substantially as described.
6. The means for controlling the feed of a web to a printing machine, sub-
stantially as shown and described in connection with figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, of the
accompanying drawings.
7. The means for adjusting the registry of supplement sheets associated with
main sheets, substantially as shown and described in connection with
Figures 1, 2, and 5, of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 18th day of January 1898
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.