IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING, MACHINERY
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer,
for the Invention of “ IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING, MACHINERY."—A
communication from abroad by Richard March Hoe, of the City
and State of New York, United States of America.
Sealed the 13th June 1876, and dated the 18th December 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 18th December 1875.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare.
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING
MACHINERY," to be as follows:-
:-
This Invention relates to improvements in flat-form cylinder presses,
and consists in improved actuating and governing mechanism, also
improvements whereby the manipulation of and access to the various:

page_text: parts of such machines is rendered more facile, also improvements in
the inking and feeding mechanism of such machines, part of which
improvements are applicable to printing machinery generally.
The improved means for actuating the cylinders of this class of
machines is designed.for the purpose of insuring permanently a perfect
register, and to avoid the liability to slur by causing the motion of the
cylinder and type bed to exactly coincide.
The type bed may be driven by the improved mangle motion, for
which Letters Patent were granted to W. E. Newton, August 24th,
1870, No. 2330, and the cylinder may be driven by a train of spur gear.
Attached to the cylinder is a toothed segment gearing with the rack on
the type bed, and the cylinder is driven thereby during the acting portion
of the cylinder's motion, i.e., while the impression is on, and the
remaining portion of its rotary motion it receives from the ordinary spur
gearing.
In order to allow of the irregularity inherent in the above mode of
driving the type bed being transmitted to the cylinder so that the
motion of both shall coincide, the teeth of the spur wheel of the cylinder
may be removed from that portion adjoining the segment; but it is
preferred to trim down the teeth of that portion, and by causing the
trimmed teeth of the cylinder wheel to overlap the length of the ṣeg-
ment gear the rack on the type bed will gear with the cylinder with
certainty, and, cause it to partake of its motion with the greatest
exactness.
Another improvement consists in an improved construction of friction
roller frames, so that they may be driven with a positive motion, and
not by friction of contact only. To this end a rack is provided on the
under side of the type bed, and upon a portion of the side frames, and
one or more spur pinions carried by the roller frames gear with both
racks, and by connecting the several roller frames together the
whole of the series of friction rollers are driven direct and simul-
taneously.
.:
Another improvement relates to means whereby the momentum of the
type bed at the end of its traverse is absorbed, and given out again when
the traverse of the bed is reversed. For this purpose sets of two, three,
four, or more helical springs are arranged longitudinally underneath the
machine secured at one end to the framing, and at the other to a cross:

page_text: head jointed to a vertical rock lever, the upper end of which stands in
the path of a bowle carried by a bracket from the 'under side of the
type bed, which will by these means start and stop without noise
or jar.
Another improvement relates to means for avoiding the displacement
of the sheets of paper to be fed to the machine by the withdrawal of the
stop. The drop feed guides are carried by hinged levers from a rock
shaft, which is rocked to draw back the drop guides before any rising
motion is given to them.
Another improvement consists in constructing the fly frame and fly
with its tapes and pullies, so that it may be raised up and remain
balanced in any desired position out of the way of the pressman, in order
that free access may be obtained to the type bed and the form of matter
thereon.
The remaining improvements relate to an improved construction,.
arrangement, and operation of the inking apparatus and mechanism
connected therewith.
The ink fountain is so constructed as to be readily detachable from
the machine, and its several parts are so arranged as to be easily separated.
for cleansing.
The ink table is formed of narrow strips of wood bolted together.
The taking roller, which may be formed of wood, india-rubber, or of
wood covered with leather or other suitable material, has a helical groove
or grooves running the whole length of the roller (like the thread of
a screw), and so dividing up the face of the roller into helical spaces..
This roller is mounted so as to be in permanent contact with the fountain.
roller and the distributing roller.
The fountain roller may be driven by any well-known frictional
gearing, such as "Seller's" frictional disc gearing. By this means the'>
desired amount of ink may be delivered to the distributing roller by:
altering the speed of rotation of the fountain roller.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 17th June 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Edward Newton, Her
special licence, that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Edward Newton, 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 PRINTING MACHINERY," being a com-
munication to me from abroad by Richard March Hoe, of the City and
State of New York, in the United States of America, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, 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 Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that
is to say):-

page_text: mechanism, for actuating some of the working parts, the object being
to govern their motions so that they shall act more efficiently.
Another head of the Invention consists of improvements whereby the
manipulation of and access to the various parts of flat-form printing
machines is facilitated.
Another head of the Invention relates to improvements in the inking
and feeding mechanism of such machines. Part of the above improve-
ments are also applicable to printing machinery generally.
'
The improved means for actuating the cylinders of this class of
machines is designed for the purpose of insuring permanently a perfect
register and to avoid the liability to slur. This object is effected by
causing the motion of the cylinder and type bed to exactly coincide,
to which end a peculiar construction and arrangement of mechanism is
employed to give motion to those parts. This mechanism is shewn in
the accompanying Drawings at Figures 1 and 2, Sheet I. Fig. 1 is a
side elevation of the gearing connected with the impressión cylinder and
the reciprocating bed or table which carries the form of type, the
framing of the machine having been removed in order that the parts
behind it may be more clearly seen; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the
parts shewn in Fig. 1, part of the framework and bed of the machine
being shewn in section in this Figure in order that the mode of
supporting the gearing may be clearly understood.
The type bed a may be driven by the ordinary mangle motion shewn
in the Drawing, or by the improved mangle motion for which Letters
Patent were granted to William Edward Newton, August twenty-fourth,
One thousand cight hundred and seventy, No. 2330, and the cylinder b
may be driven by a train of spur gear c, c¹, and d. Attached to the
cylinder 6 is a toothed segment 6, gearing with the toothed rack e on
the type bed a. The cylinder 6 is driven, thereby during the acting
portion of the cylinder's motion i, e, while the impression is on and the
remaining portion of its rotary motion it receives from the ordinary
spur gearing c, d, the large spur wheel d being keyed on to the axle
of the impression cylinder.
:
In order to allow of the irregularity (inherent in the above mode of
driving the type bed a) being transmitted to the cylinder 6 (so that the
motion of both shall coincide), the teeth of the spur wheel d (which is

page_text: keyed on to the axle of the cylinder) may be removed from that portion'
adjoining the toothed segment 6 of the cylinder, but it is preferred to
trim down the teeth of that portion of the spur wheel d, and by causing
these trimmed teeth of the cylinder wheel d to overlap the length of
the segment gear 6¹, the rack e on the type bed a will gear with the
cylinder segment rack with certainty, and cause it to partake of its
motion with the greatest exactness. The motions of the segment rack
and the bed a will thus be made to coincide and ensure a permanently
perfect register without any tendency to slur, because at one part of
its motion the impression cylinder is driven by the ordinary spur
gearing, and at another part of its motion by the rack on the recipro-
cating bed of the machine.
At Fig. 3 I have shewn on an enlarged scale a portion of the large
toothed wheel d in front of the teeth of the segment 6'. The teeth of
the wheel d are drawn in outline, while the teeth of the segment 6' :
behind it are colored so that they may be more clearly distinguished
from the teeth of the wheel d.
•
Another improvement consists in an improved construction of friction
roller frames, so that they may be driven with a positive motion and not
by friction of contact only. This improvement is also shewn in Figures
1 and 2, and in plan at Fig. 4. It will be seen that a rack fis provided
on the under side of the type bed a, and another rack g is attached to a
bracket at some convenient part of the side frames, and one or more
spur pinions h carried by the roller frames i, ¹, gear with both the
racks fand 9; and by connecting the two several roller frames i, ¹,
together the whole of the series of friction rollers are driven direct and
simultaneously. By thus imparting a positive motion to the roller
frames and rollers, the wear on the steel ways on which the rollers run
is decreased, and the tendency of the rollers to slide thereon and thereby
cut is prevented.
Another improvement relates to a means whereby the momentum of
the type bed at the end of its traverse is absorbed, and the power thus
taken up is given out again when the traverse of the bed is reversed.
For this purpose sets of two, three, four, or more helical springs are
arranged longitudinally in a frame underneath the machine, and are
secured at one end to the framing, and by the other to a cross head
jointed to or connected with a vertical rocking lever, the upper end of

page_text: position indicated by red lines in Fig. 7. The sheet of paper is then
ready to be laid hold of by the grippers, but in order to hold it steady a
spring levert is made to press lightly on the fore edge of the paper.
This lever is fixed on a rocking shaft t¹, which is actuated by a lever ť²
and rod t³, which is actuated by the cam immediately after the latter
has acted on the rod q' of the stop lever j³. It will thus be evident that
by this arrangement of parts all danger of or liability to lift up or dis-
place the fore edge of the sheet at the moment when it should be kept
steady for the grippers to lay hold of it is avoided.
Another improvement consists in constructing and adapting the fly
frame and fly with its tapes and pullies in such a manner that it may be
raised up on a centre, and will then remain balanced in any desired
position out of the way of the pressman in order that free access may
be obtained to the type bed and the form of type thereon. This improve-
ment is shewn in Sheet III., in which Fig. 10 is a side elevation and
Fig. 11 is a front view illustrating this improvement. The fly frame u
is mounted on an axle u¹, which is also the axle of the tape rollers, and
is carried in brackets u* fixed on the framing of the machine. The fly
frame is therefore capable of being turned up (when required) into a
nearly horizontal position, as indicated by dots in Fig. 10. The lower part
of the frame u (when the machine is at work) is held in position by means
of a pin v, which passes through a hole in a lug (cast on to or fixed to the
stationary frame of the machine), and also through a corresponding hole
in the side of the fly frame u. By this means the fly frame is secured
in place, and the vibrating flyers (which are of the ordinary construction,
and are mounted at the lower end of the frame u) are worked as usual
by a short-armed lever u² and connecting rod u³. When it is desired to
obtain access to those parts of the mechanism which are behind the fly
frame u the latter must be swung up under the feed board into the
dotted position, where it will be held by the counterbalance weight u*.
It will of course be understood that in order to displace the fly frame u
in the manner described the short-armed lever u² of the fly frame must.
be detached from the connecting rod u³, and the pin v must be withdrawn
from the hole in the fly frame, which may then be lifted up.
The last head of the Invention relates to an improved construction,
arrangement, and operation of the inking apparatus and the mechanism
connected therewith. This part of the Invention is shewn at Figures 12,
13, and 14, Sheet III., in which Fig. 12 is a transverse vertical section

page_text: of the ink fountain and rollers; Fig. 13 is a partial plan view, and
Fig. 14 is a back view of the same.
The ink fountain w is so constructed as to be readily detachable from
the machine, and its several parts are so arranged as to be easily
separated for cleansing.
The ink table (not shewn in the Drawing) is formed of narrow strips
of wood bolted together, the object of constructing the table in this
manner being that it shall not warp or get out of shape.
The taking roller x (which may be formed of wood, or of wood covered
with leather, india-rubber, or other suitable material) has a helical groove
or grooves running the whole length of the roller (like the thread of a
screw), so that the face of this roller is divided up into helical spaces,
as shewn at Fig. 13. This roller is so mounted as to be in permanent
contact with the fountain roller wo¹ and also with the distributing roller y.
The fountain roller w¹ may be driven by any well-known frictional
gearing, such as "Seller's" frictional disc gearing, which will admit
of altering the speed of rotation of the fountain roller as and when it
may be required to increase or diminish the amount of ink that is to
be delivered to the distributing roller.
In order to admit of the inking apparatus being detached from the
machine with facility, or the fountain with its roller drawn back from
the taking and distributing rollers, the fountain w is provided at each
end with lugs w*, whereby it may be secured in place by means of screw
bolts on brackets z fixed on the stationary framing of the machine, so
that by simply removing the screw bolts from the lugs w* the fountain w
with its roller w¹ may either be drawn back from the taking and distribut-
ing rollers, or it may be entirely detached from the machine if desired.
The fountain roller w¹ is mounted in bearings in the end plates of the
fountain, against which the ends of the roller fit, so that the ink cannot
pass or leak out between these parts. The periphery of the roller does
not however touch the curved bottom of the fountain, a space being
left between them. A spring plate w² attached to a block placed inside.
the fountain and secured in place by screws, bolts, or otherwise (as
shewn at Figures 12 and 13) is pressed up and made to bear against the
under side of the fountain roller by means of tightening screws 10%.
(Figures 12 and 14), and thus prevent the ink from running out under
the fountain roller, which is made to rotate at any desired speed by
.

page_text: Fifth. I claim mounting the fly frame (which should be properly
balanced) on an axle in such a manner that when detached at its lower
end it may be lifted up and remain balanced in any position, as herein
set forth, so as to enable the attendants to obtain access to those parts.
of the machine which are behind the fly frame.
Sixth. I claim the construction and mode of attaching the inking
apparatus to the framing of the machine, as herein set forth, so that it
may be readily detached from the machine when required, and its
several parts separated for cleansing.
I further claim in reference to this part of the Invention driving the
fountain roller by means of frictional disc gearing or other analagous
device, whereby the said roller may be driven at varying speeds,
according to the supply of ink required to be given to the taking
roller x.
I also claim constructing the surface of the taking roller x in the
manner herein set forth, so that the ink may be more evenly or uniformly
supplied therefrom to the distributing roller.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Sixteenth day of June, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
six.