IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF TRADE MARKS OR OTHER DESIGNS UPON METALLIC CAPSULES FOR BOTTLES AND OTHER LIKE RECEPTACLES, AND IN THE APPARATUS OR MEANS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Betts, of No. 1, Wharf Road, City
Road, in the County of Middlesex, Capsule Manufacturer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF TRADE MARKS OR
OTHER DESIGNS UPON METALLIC CAPSULES FOR BOTTLES AND OTHER LIKE
RECEPTACLES, AND IN THE APPARATUS OR MEANS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
Sealed the 17th April 1868, and dated the 18th February 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Betts at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th
February 1868.
I, WILLIAM BETTS, of No. 1, Wharf Road, City Road, in the County
of Middlesex, Capsule Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRODUCTION OF TRADE MARKS OR
OTHER DESIGNS UPON METALLIC CAPSULES FOR BOTTLES AND OTHER LIKE
RECEPTACLES, AND IN THE APPARATUS OR MEANS EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object the production of trade marks, letters,
or other devices in a simple and efficacious manner upon one or more parts
of the cylindrical or conical surfaces or sides of metallic capsules intended for
covering the necks of bottles and other like receptacles.
In carrying out this Invention I employ printing blocks or surfaces secured
in a chase and having
having the
the design or letters thereon made the

page_text: reverse to ordinary printing blocks or surfaces in conjunction with an
elastic or yielding transfer surface, which I prefer should consist of a smooth
sheet or slab of vulcanized india-rubber let into a plate or holder which for
convenience is hinged to the chase. The object of this transfer
surface is to receive the impressions direct from the printing block or type
by turning the plate or holder over on its hinges so as to bring
the transfer surface in contact with the original printing surface and then
to transfer the impression on to the side of the capsule. lu
order to effect this transfer on to the capsule the capsule is fitted on to a
roller which is so shaped as to fit or fill up accurately the interior of the
capsule. This roller may be composed of hard wood and should be fitted on
to a slightly tapered spindle provided with a nut at the smaller
end for the facility of tightening up the roller thercon so as to prevent any
undue looseness or shaking of the roller by compensating for wear
of the rubbing surfaces. This spindle is secured to a curved arm
extending about midway over the length of the roller, which arm is provided
with a handle for holding and manoeuvering the roller as herein-after
described. An adjustable guage and stop piece are disposed over the transfer
surface in order to facilitate the accurate placing of the roller
and capsule upon the transfer surface before proceeding to transfer the impres-
sion from the transfer surface to the side of the capsulc. This
operation is effected by carefully rolling the capsule carried on the
roller over the tarnsfer surface, but the capsule bcing
generally of a tapered form will describe a curved course, and
therefore it is most essential that its proper position on the transfer surface be
accurately ascertained before rolling it over the impressions, and this is
readily accomplished by the adjustable guage which not only adjusts the axial
centre line of the capsule and roller to the proper angle so as to
form a radius to the curve described by the roller in passing over the transfer
surface, but fixes the longitudinal position of the roller and capsule, a projec-
tion or mark being provided on the face of the guage for that
purpose. The adjustable stop. piece checks the further pro-
gress of the roller after the capsule has taken up the entire
impression or impressions from the transfer surface, and. thus prevents any
re-transfer of the impression from the capsule back on to another portion of the
transfer surface, which would be the case if the capsule were rolled too
far.
The original printing surfaces may consist of engraved wood
blocks, stereos, or casts from wood blocks, or suitable type set up and secured

page_text: by set screws or wedges in a chase, and if the capsule be cylindrical these
printing surfaces may be set up square in the chase, but if the capsule be tapered
then the original printing surfaces, where two or more designs are
to be produced on different sides of the capsule, should
be so placed
placed that their longitudinal or axial centre lines shall
radiate or be at an angle to each other. the angle being greater or less accord-
ing to the circumference and taper of the capsule, and the cir-
cumferential distance between the designs on the surface of the capsule.
The medium which I prefer to employ for producing the designs or letters
upon the capsule consists of gold size or other suitable adhesive material,
which is carefully applied by a roller or otherwise to the original printing
surface. An impression is then taken upon the transfer surface of
india-rubber,
this impression is again
and
manner
herein-before
described.
the
to
transferred
Metallic leaf
capsule in the
or powder or powdered pigment is then to be applied by a brush
or
the
surface
printed
of the
and
capsule,
removed when
otherwise to the
superfluous leaf or powdered coloring matter
the design will be clearly produced upon the side of the capsule.
Sometimes I used colored inks in lieu of gold size, in which case the pigment-
ing or application of dry powdered colors or metallic leaf or powder is dis-
pensed with. I sometimes propose to apply the gold size or other adhesive
material or the colored ink employed to a flat surface of india-rubber, leather,
or other suitable material, and then to transfer the same to the original print-
ing surface or type in lieu of applying such size direct on to the printing
surface.
By this system of applying the size less care and skill are required, and

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Eighteenth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-first year of Her reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Betts, Her special license,
that I, the said William Betts, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Betts, 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 THE PRODUCTION
OF TRADE MARKS OR OTHER DESIGNS UPON METALLIC CAPSULES FOR BOTTLES AND
OTHER LIKE RECEPTACLES, AND IN THE APPARATUS OR MEANS EMPLOYED THEREIN,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Betts, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing, under my hand
and seal, 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 William Betts, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings and to the letters
and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention has for its object the production of trade marks, letters,
ог other devices in a simple and efficacious manner upon one
or more parts of the cylindrical or conical surfaces or sides of
metallic capsules intended for covering the necks of bottles and other like
receptacles.
In carrying out this Invention I employ printing blocks or surfaces secured
in a chase, and having the design or letters thereon made the
reverse to ordinary printing blocks or surfaces in conjunction with an
elastic or yielding transfer surface, which I prefer should consist of a smooth
sheet or slab of vulcanized india-rubber let into a plate or holder, which for
convenience is hinged to the chase. The object of this transfer
surface is to receive the impressions direct from the printing block or type

page_text: by turning the plate or holder over on its hinges so as to bring
the transfer surface in contact with the original printing surface, and then
to transfer the impression on to the side of the capsule. In
order to effect this transfer on to the capsule the capsule is fitted on to a
roller which is so shaped as to fit or fill up accurately the interior of the
capsule; this roller may be composed of hard wood, and should be fitted on
to a slightly tapered spindle provided with a nut at the smaller
end for the facility of tightening up the roller thereon so as to prevent any
undue looseness or shaking of the roller by compensating for wear
of the rubbing surfaces. This spindle is secured to a curved arm
extending about midway over the length of the roller, which arm is provided
with a handle for holding and manoeuvering the roller as herein-after
described. An adjustable gauge and stop piece are disposed over the transfer
surface in order to facilitate the accurate placing of the roller
and capsule upon the transfer surface before proceeding to transfer the impres-
sion from the transfer surface to the side of the capsule. This
operation is effected by carefully rolling the capsule carried on the
roller over the transfer surface, but the capsule being
generally of a tapered form will describe મ curved course, and
therefore it is most essential that its proper position on the transfer surface be
accurately ascertained before rolling it over the impressions, and this is
readily accomplished by the adjustable gauge which not only adjusts the axial
centre line of the capsule and roller to the proper angle so as to
form a radius to the curve described by the roller in passing over the transfer
surface, but fixes the longitudinal position of the roller and capsule, a projec-
tion or mark being provided on the face of the guage for that
adjustable stop piece checks the further pro-
gress of the roller after the capsule has taken up the entire
impression or impressions from the transfer surface, and thus prevents any
re-transfer of the impression from the capsule back on to another portion of the
transfer surface, which would be the case if the capsule were rolled too
far. The original printing surfaces may consist of engraved wood
blocks, stereos, or casts from wood blocks, or suitable types set up and secured
by set screws or wedges in a chase, and if the capsule be cylindrical these
printing surfaces may be set up square in the chase, but if the capsule be tapered
then the original printing surfaces, where two or more designs are
to be produced on different sides of the capsule, should
their longitudinal or axial centre lines shall
purpose. The
be
so placed that

page_text: radiate or be at any angle to each other, the angle being greater or less accord-
ing to the circumference and taper of the capsule and the cir-
cumferential distance between the designs on the surface of the capsule.
The medium which I prefer to employ for producing the designs or letters
upon the capsule consists of gold size, or other suitable adhesive material,
which is carefully applied by a roller or otherwise to the original printing
surface. An impression is then taken upon the transfer surface of
india-rubber, and this impression
again transferred to the
described. Metallic leaf
is
capsule in the manner herein-before
or powder or
ог
powdered pigment is then to be applied by a brush
otherwise to the printed surface of the capsule, and
superfluous leaf or powdered colouring matter
the
removed, when
the design will be clearly produced upon the side of the capsule.
Sometimes I use colored inks in lieu of gold size, in which case the pigment-
ing or application of dry powdered colors or metallic leaf or powder is dis-
pensed with. I sometimes propose to apply the gold size or other adhesive
material or the colored ink employed to a flat surface of india-rubber, leather,
or other suitable material, and then to transfer the same to the original print-
ing surface or type in lieu of applying such size direct on to the printing
surface by a roller. By this system of applying the size less care and skill
are required, and the process of printing the capsules may consequently be
economically carried on by children or unskilled hands.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings.
Figure of my Drawings represents a perspective view of a trade mark
capsule printed on the side by my improved apparatus; Figure 2 represents
a plan of the improved printing apparatus; and Figure 3 is a separate view of
the rolling mandril used in connection therewith.
A is a bed plate or chase provided with raised rectangular ledges a, a', and
with lugs b, b, and b¹, b¹, through which work the tightening or
set screws c, c, and c, c', which by the aid of suitable slips of wood d, d,
are made to tighten or secure in proper position the original printing surface
or surfaces e, e. These may consist simply of stereos taken from wood blocks
engraved to the required design, or they may consist of type set

page_text: up
in the chase to produce the words required. In lieu
of such type or device being reversed, as is the case when the impression is
to be taken direct from the type or printing surface itself, I make
such printing surfaces or type SO as to present the same
appearance, or to read the same way as the impression taken on
the capsule, since I do not take the impression direct on to the capsule from
the printing surface itself, but first take the impression on the
smooth surface of a piece of vulcanized india-rubber B or other suitable yield-
ing or elastic material, and then transfer such impression on to the
side of the capsule itself in the manner herein-after explained. This elastic
printing surface B is let into a plate Chinged at D, D, on the
centre pins f, f, so as to be capable of being turned over in order to
bring the surface B down upon the type or printing surface or surfaces e, e,
for the purpose herein-after explained. To. the board or table E which carries
the entire apparatus there are hinged two adjustable guages F, F,
which are made to fold over the india-rubber or transfer
surface B and to turn back again out of the way, the object of
which will be clear on describing the mode of using this apparatus, supposing
it be desired to produce for example a trade mark capsule with the letters
and device on the side in dull or "mat" colors, 1 proceed as
follows: I first apply a coating of boiled oil to the printing surfaces c, e,
by the aid of an india-rubber or other suitable roller, and then turn over the
plate C so as to bring the face of the india-rubber surface B down upon the
printing surfaces e, e, this has the effect of preparing the surface
india-rubber for the reception of a subsequent impres-
sion in gold size, which I afterwards apply in a similar manner
to the oil on to the printing surface or surfaces e, c, but I prefer to mix a
small quantity of boiled oil with the size employed. The plate C is then
again turned over on to the printing surfaces e, e, and a reversed
impression is taken on the india-rubber. This impression has now to be trans-
ferred to the side of the capsule, which I accomplish by rolling
the capsule over it. For this purpose I employ a conical
or tapered roller G (Figure 3) of hard wood of a shape exactly conforming to
that of the capsule to be operated upon, and fitted on to a
slightly tapered spindle g fixed at one end only in a holder carried by a handle h,
a nut on the outer and smaller end of the said spindle serves
to tighten up the roller G on its spindle and counteract any tendency to undue
looseness which might arise from wear and tear of the parts, whilst
of the

page_text: at the same
time however. the roller should bc allowed
to revolve freely. The surface B having received the impression in
gold size, as already described, I place the metallic capsule upon the conical
roller, and roll it carefully over the impressions on the surface B, taking care
that the capsule is so placed at starting as that the impressions shall come
exactly in their proper places thereon. For this purpose I employ
the adjustable guages F, F', herein-before referred to, the one F serving to
adjust the position of the roller on the surface B (as shewn by the dotted lines
in Figure 2), and the other acting as a stop to arrest the further
motion of the roller so soon as the capsule has completely passed over the
impression on the surface B, thereby preventing any portion of the
size being re-transferred accidentally from the capsule back again on to the
india-rubber surface. If the capsules were cylindrical they might
obviously be rolled in a right line over the impressions which would be square
therewith, but as the capsules to be operated upon are slightly
tapered they describe a curvilinear course over the surface B as shewn by
the dotted lines k, k, and consequently at starting the axis of the roller and
capsule must be in the direction of the radius of the said curve, to insure
which in a ready manner the gauge F is set accordingly. In order
that the device produced on the capsule shall have its
centre line coinciding with the longitudinal centre line of the cap-
sule, it is necessary to place the printing blocks or surfaces e, c, at a slight
angle as shewn, So that the centre line
lines thereof when
impressed on to the surface B shall coincide with the radii of the curve k, k.
The impression having thus been produced in gold size or other suitable
adhesive material upon the capsule, I apply metallic powder or foil
leaf thereto
dry coloring matter in the form of
powder, and after removing the superfluous powder or foil the design
will be left distinctly visible on the capsule. If preferred oil colors or colored
inks may be substituted for the size and dry or powdered colors
or'
ог
leaf, the
or
impressions
or
being transferred
from the
india-
rubber surface B to the capsule in the same manner as that described
for the transfer of the gold size.
C
to a
In lieu of applying the coloring matter or size direct on to the original print-
ing surface I sometimes propose
smooth
to apply it on
surface of india-rubber, and then to transfer the same to
the type or original printing surface by pressing the india-rubber sur-
face thereon. By this means I am enabled to obtain a more even and regular
coating or film upon the original printing surface than can always be secured

page_text: When
by the direct application of the roller to the printing surface itself.
type is used it is to be set up in the chase A and tightened
up against the ledges a, a², by screws c and c¹, and strips or filling pieces d
suitable for the purpose.
ascertained the nature of
Having now described and particularly ascertained the
my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be
as
claim
Invention
the
in
herein-before
part recited Letters
and original,
nove!
and therefore
secured to me by the
Patent is,
First. The application and use to and in the printing of trade marks or
other designs upon the sides of metallic capsules of suitable printing
blocks or surfaces in combination with an elastic or yielding transfer surface
substantially as herein-before described and illustrated by my
Drawings.
Second. The application and use of a roller made to fit accurately the
interior of a capsule for the purpose of rolling such capsule over an elastic
or yielding transfer surface in the printing of trade mark capsules as hercin-
before described.
1
Third. The use of an adjustable guage for adjusting accurately the position
of the roller and capsule upon the printing or transfer surface as herein-before
described.
Fourth. The use of an adjustable stop piece for arresting the rolling motion
of the capsule at the proper place as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Betts, have to this my Specifica-
tion set my hand and seal, the Tenth day of August One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-eight.
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