IMPROVEMENTS IN SHEET DELIVERY APPARATUS FOR PRINTING MACHINES
Year: 1885

page_text: DEPOTICATION
"
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN SHEET DELIVERY APPARATUS FOR
PRINTING MACHINES 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 sheet delivery apparatus for printing machines whereby
the printed sheets are taken from the front of the impression-cylinder and are
carried over the inking apparatus and delivered upon a receiving table at the
further end of the press. The invention is applicable more particularly to presses
or machines in which the delivery grippers are carried and moved by an endless
carrier composed of two endless chains connected by a gripper-bar extending
between them and a gripper shaft or rod provided between the chains with gripper
fingers, said endless carrier having an accellerated and retarded movement
continuously in one direction whereby it is caused to carry the printed sheets
quickly from the cylinder over the inking apparatus to the receiving table and is
slowed down to deliver the printed sheets upon the receiving table.
In carrying out the invention I provide tracks or ways for the endless chains in
their movement directly away from and returning to the impression cylinder and
at the ends of these tracks or ways are chain wheels which engage with the chains
and rotate as the chains move continuously in one direction.
In the accompanying drawing.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of such parts of a two revolution printing machine
as are necessary to illustrate my invention.
Figure 1 represents cam shaped gear wheels for giving motion to the endless
carrier.
.
Figure 2 is a plan, portions being broken away to reduce the width of the
drawing.

page_text: Figures 3 and 4 are views of details drawn to an enlarged scale illustrating in
elevation portions of the endless chains and their tracks or ways, Figure 3 showing
the delivery grippers in position to take a sheet from the cylinder, Figure 4
showing the delivery grippers in position to deliver the printed sheet, and
Figure 5 is a sectional view. in a horizontal plane, and on the same scale as
Figures 3 and 4, illustrating a portion of an endless chain, its tracks or ways, and
the grippers carried by such chains.
"
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the Figures.
A designates the main side frame, and A¹ the cylinder frame wherein is journalled
the impression cylinder B. C is a driving shaft, and a, B₁ B³ designates gearing
whereby motion is transmitted from the driving shaft to the cylinder.
Behind the cylinder are two short shafts bc geared together by can-shaped gear
wheels b, c. The form of these wheels b, c, is best shown in Figure 1*.
A continuous and uniform rotation is given to the shaft b by gearing d. e. from the
cylinder shaft, and by means of the cam shaped wheels b¹, c', a variable rotary
motion alternately accellerated and retarded is imparted to the shaft c. By means
of the bevel wheel c² and bevel pinion c³, best shown in Figure 2, such variable
rotary motion is transmitted to a diagonal shaft D for a purpose hereinafter
described.
-
E is the feed board behind the cylinder, and F is the receiving table at the
further end of the press. The table F is pivotted at or near its rear edge. F' is a
rock shaft supporting the table F, and mounted in bearings in standards C.
Attached to the rock shaft F¹ is an arm F2 having at the lower end a toothed
sector with which engages a pinion f¹ capable of being turned by a hand
wheel. By means of the pinion and hand wheel f¹f the rock shaft F¹ may be
turned so as to raise or depress the lower or outer end of the table F, and it may
be held in position, after turning by a pawl and ratchet wheel.
HH designate endless chains arranged one at each side of the press. Extending
between these chains are a gripper bar and gripper shaft, which will soon be
described, and such bar and shaft are provided at intervals between the chains
with grippers for grasping the printed sheets.
Upper and lower tracks or ways I, I*, are employed to guide the chains. These
tracks or ways are connected at each end by hoods or housings g g', and at a point
midway between their ends by plates g. In the plates g is secured a shaft J
mounted in bearings in the standards G and carrying chain wheels h which engage
with the chains H and impart to them a continuously progressive movement in the
direction of the arrow shown in Figure 1.
The diagonal shaft D is geared with the shaft J by wheels g3 g and henco
imparts an alternately accellerated and retarded movement to the chain F.
The tracks or ways I, I*, are fulcrummed on the shaft. J so that they and their
chains may swing on the shaft J as a pivot and in vertical planes. By this
swinging movement the ends of the tracks or ways I, I*, may be lowered into a
position close to the receiving table F.
At the ends of the tracks or ways I, I*, are shafts g³ g carrying chain wheels or
idlers g* whereby the chains H are supported; and in order to put proper tension
on the chains, the bearings g' of the shaft g may be adjusted by screws g³.
The tracks or ways I I* may be provided in their sides with inclined gutters *,
as best shown in Figure 5, to catch any oil from the chains and prevent it from
dropping on the form.
The cylinder is provided with suitable cylinder grippers, which may be of any.
well known construction, and which are not here shown as they form no part of
the invention.
The construction and arrangement of the delivery grippers and their mode of
operation will be best understood from Figures 3. 4 and 5. A non rotary gripper
bar i connects the chains H, and as by the gearing here shown the chains are to
make: two deliveries at each complete circuit, they are connected with two such
non-rotary bars at equal points in their length.

page_text: Each gripper bar i has fixed arms in which is journalled a. gripper shaft or
rod To the shaft are secured gripper fingers which are closed on to the
gripper rests on the bar i by an ordinary gripper closing spring. The gripper
shaft has at the end an arm on which is a roller i*, and as the grippers are
moved along by the chains adjacent to the cylinder B, this roller bears first upon a
cam whereby the grippers are opened and closed to take the printed sheet, and
secondly upon a cam j¹ attached to the track or way I at its opposite end as shown
in Figure 4, whereby the grippers are opened to deliver the printed sheet.
A bracket or arm / shown in Figures 3 and 5, supports the cam; and immediately
below the cam j is a second cam which acts upon the roller i to positively close
the grippers upon a printed sheet in case that office is not performed quickly.
enough by the gripper closing spring +.
As shown in Figure 3. the grippers have just closed upon a printed sheet 8,
and as shown in Figure 4, the roller i* has just arrived at the cam j' and the
grippers are about to be opened to deliver the sheet s.
The position of the cam-shaped wheels b' c', shown in Figures 1 and 1*, corre-
sponds to the position of the grippers shown in Figure 3, and at this time the
endless chains should have a speed which will give the delivery grippers a move-
ment equal to the surface velocity of the cylinder.
,
As the printed sheet is taken from the cylinder, the chains move quickly to carry.
or float the sheet over the form and as the sheet approaches the receiving table F..
the chains are slowed down or retarded to facilitate the depositing of the sheet on.
the pile S.
m designates a shaft which receives motion by gearing m from the shaft C and
on which is a cam K. The cam K acts upon a roller m³ attached to a rod Land
this rod L is jointed to a lever L' which is fulcrummed at m' and has its upper end
provided with a sector or segment gear n engaging with a similar sector n³ on an
arm 11 projecting downwards from one of the side plates g² which connect the
tracks or ways I, I*.
When the delivery grippers with a printed sheet reach the receiving table F the
cam K recedes from the roller m³ and permits the outer end of the tracks or
ways I, I*, to descend until a rod extending between the tracks or ways, on
opposite sides of the press, comes to a bearing on the pile of printed sheets. After
the sheet is delivered the tracks or ways are tilted in an opposite direction and are
thereby returned to the position shown in Figure 1, in order that the delivery
grippers may take the next sheet from the cylinder.
The bed is not here shown as it forms no part of the invention; but 'the bed, its
supports and the means for operating it may be of any suitable and well known
character, as also the inking rollers o and the distributing rollers o¹.
In order to protect the form and inking apparatus against anything falling upon
them from the sheet delivery apparatus, I have shown in Figure 1 a shield or
apron p arranged below the delivery apparatus. This shield or apron constitutes a
guard, and may consist of a simple sheet of fabric and a spring actuated roller p' to
which one end of the sheet is secured. When the press is in operation the shield or
guard is extended and its opposite ends secured at p*.
It is advantageous to have the wheels h, which drive the chains, engage with
them at some distance forward of the cylinder, as shown, because the wheels always
operate with a pull on that portion of the chain which is passing the cylinder and
taking a sheet; hence there is no liability. of the chain buckling or deflecting at
this point and thereby causing the delivery grippers to miss the printed sheet.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign Correspondent, I declare that what I claim is
First. The combination with an impression-cylinder and a receiving table, of an
endless carrier provided with delivery grippers and arranged at the front of the
cylinder, gearing comprising cam-shaped wheels 61 c¹ through which motion is

page_text: imparted to said carrier and tracks or ways for the carrier which are preferably
pivotted between their ends; substantially as herein described.
Second. The combination with an impression cylinder and receiving table, of an
endless carrier provided with delivery grippers and pivotted tracks or ways for
supporting said carrier, a pivotted receiving table, and mechanism for adjusting the
receiving table; substantially as herein described.
Third. The combination with an impression cylinder and receiving table, and an
endless carrier provided with delivery grippers, of tracks or ways for supporting
the carrier and having a rising and falling movement at their outer end, and a stop
or bearer carried by the outer ends of the tracks or ways and adapted to come to
a bearing upon the pile of sheets to limit the falling movement of the tracks or
-ways, substantially as herein described.
Fourth. The combination with an impression cylinder and receiving table of-an
endless carrier provided with delivery grippers arranged at the front of the
cylinder, tracks or ways I, 1* pivotted between their ends and provided at their
ends with wheels for supporting the endless carrier, and rotary driving wheels
arranged concentric with the pivots of said tracks or ways for imparting motion to
said carrier; substantially, as herein described.
Fifth. The combination with an impression cylinder and receiving table, and a
front delivery apparatus for taking printed sheets from the cylinder to the
-receiving table, of a removable screen or shield p arranged below the delivery
apparatus; substantially as herein described.
1