CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE PURPOSE OF TRACING OR ETCHING DESIGNS OR PATTERNS ON CYLINDRICAL SUEPACES
Year: 1841

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Jons
BARBER, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engraver, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Nineteenth day of January, in the fourth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John
Barber, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said, John Barber, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, and such others as I,
the said John Barber, my exors, adiñiors, and assigns, should agree with, and
no other, from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, and Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, ny Invention of
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE PURPOSE OF TRACING OR ETCHING
DESIGNS OR PATTERNS ON CYLINDRICAL SUEPACES;" in which said Letters. Patent
is contained a proviso, that I, the said John Barber, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery.
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in:
part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto
had, will more and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said-
John Barber, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention to consist in the

page_text: construction and arrangement of certain mechanical apparatus, and applying
the same to an ordinary etching, machine, by which I am enabled to trace,
etch, and transfer certain designs or patterns from one cylindrical surface to
another in a more perfect and less expensive manner than now practised by
engravers, for the purpose of forming designs or patterns for cylinder printing,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed and carried into effect
is set forth in the annexed Drawings, and the following description. The scale
to which the annexed Drawings are made is marked thereon, and the same
letters and figures of reference are used for the same parts of the machinery
throughout the whole of the Drawings.
Figure 1 represents one end of an etching or tracing machine, for the
purpose of shewing in what position my improvements are applied.
Figure 2 represents a front view of both ends of the same machine, which
may be constructed of any convenient length as will be readily understood by
joining the opposite lines where the machine is divided.
Figure 4 is a plan of Figure 2; and Figure 3 represents the opposite end
of the machine from Figure 1, in which the pitch lines of the ordinary geering,
shewn at Figures 1, 2, and 4, are represented in red lines; and Figure 5 is a
transverse section of the machine, taken at the imaginary red line, shew from
A to B at Figure 4.
To shew the nature of my.Invention more clearly, and, the way in which it
is applied to the. ordinary tracing or etching machine, I shall first describe
the nature of that machine with: reference to the annexed Drawings.
In Figures 1, 2, and; 4, C. represents the driving pulley of the machine,
which receives motion from any adequate first mover, and conveys rotation
through the spur wheels, marked. a, to the cylindrical surface D (seen at
Figure 4) and the cylinder. E, at an equal and uniform speed. The two
cylinders are of an equal .diameter; D being the pattern or design, and E the
surface to which it is to be transferred. The tracing apparatus, best seen at F,
Figures 4 and 5, transfers the design from the pattern cylinder D to the
cylinder E by means of the small pressing points or traces ƒ and f¹, the first
of which is supported. on or sinks into the carved or embossed pattern on the
cylinder D, while the latter either presses or traces .a line on the prepared
surface of the cylinder. E, or is elevated by. the form of the pattern on D
so as to allow it to revolve, without touching its surface. By this means
the whole of the pattern contained in one revolution of the cylinder D is
transferred and traced on the cylinder E; but the carriage G, G, on which the
tracing and transferring apparatus F is supported is gradually traversed the
length of the cylinder. E by means of the screw H, which receives a slow.

page_text: rotation from one of the wheels a; and thus the whole of the pattern contained
from one end to the other on the cylinder D is transferred to the cylinder E.
As most patterns are a repetition of the same objects or figures, a very small
length or portion of pattern is sufficient, if that portion of pattern can be
accurately moved in succession to every part of the cylinder to which it is to
be transferred. And I shall now proceed to describe how I effect this accurate
traverse or removal of the pattern, which constitutes part of my Invention.
The wheel I is provided with a small handle i, and a spring catch j taking
into its teeth, so as to hold it stationary when the transferring process is not
procceding. This wheel I is firmly connected with the 'screw K, which revolves
freely, and passes the whole length of the machine, being supported on journals
and steps at each extremity. The carriage L, L, is connected to this screw K
by means of a nut, and consequently capable of being transferred to the length
of the machine by the revolution of the screw K, at the same time that it is
held in a steady and proper position by the bed or planed 'surface M, on which
it is accurately fitted, as best seen in section at Figure 5. The two bearings or
projections m, m, proceeding from the carriage L, L, support a small shaft n, n,
on which the pattern cylinder D is placed, and receive à rotation, as already
explained, from the spur wheel a.
Supposing, therefore, the whole of the pattern or design on the cylinder D
to have been transferred to the cylinder E while in the position seen at
Figure 4, the rotation of the cylinders arrested, and the tracer point f is raised,
the wheel I is then revolved by means of the handle i in the direction indi-
cated by the arrow on its periphery (sec Figure 1), which revolves the screw K
along with it, and traverses the carriage L, L, and pattern cylinder D endwise,
in the direction of the arrow, near the cylinder D, as seen at Figure 4; this
traversing motion is continued until the tracer point f falls again on the same
point or portion at the commencement of the pattern on the cylinder D as the
tracer had arrived at on the cylinder E. To secure the accuracy of the
traverse, or end movement of the pattern cylinder D, I apply a graduated scale
P, see Figures 2 and 4, which is connected and moves along with the carriage
on which the tracer F is supported and on the carriage on which supports the
pattern cylinder D is placed the pointer p, so that the operative can adjust the
pointer accurately to the given point on the scale P at each traverse with
greater certainty than he could find any particular point on the transferred
pattern. The traverse of the pattern being completed, the wheel I is held
stationary by the catch j, and the pulley C is again put in motion, the cylinders
E and D revolved, and the pattern transferred to a fresh part of the surface of
the cylinder E adjoining that already finished, in the nianner alreadly described.

page_text: Thus, by repeated shifts or traverses of the pattern roller a uniform and
accurate pattern or design is transferred to the whole surface of the cylinder E
In referring to Figure 4 it will be seen, that the shaft N, which passes the
whole length of the machine, is provided with a groove or recess, in which the
small spur wheels a', which impart motion to the wheel above on the shaft n, n,
is allowed to traverse when any shift or movement of the carriage L, L, takes
place, so that the shafts N and n, n, and the spur wheels a', with which they
are provided, continue in gear in every position, the small wheel a¹ on the
shaft N being traversed along with the carriage L, L, by means of a small
catch or arm e, seen at Figure 4.
I shall now proceed to describe a further modification of the mode of trans-
ferring a pattern by the above machinery. In the process which has been
explained the whole pattern is cut on the surface of the cylinder D, and is
transferred from that cylinder to the cylinder E direct, and in one operation;
but in the process I am about to explain, three distinct parts of a pattern are
cut on the surface of the cylinder D, which are repeated in succession on to
the surface of the cylinder E, so that they combinedly produce a pattern of
greater effect than can be produced by the process already described. This
modification of patterns will be readily understood by reference to Figure 6,
which represents an impression from a pattern cylinder cut or arranged in
three distinct parts. Now, supposing the tracer F to have transferred the
first third of the pattern, as here represented, to the whole of the cylinder E
by a series of traverses equal to the width of that part of the pattern, the
pattern cylinder D must be again returned to its original position, and the
transfer of the second or middle part of the pattern repeated over the work
already traced on the cylinder E, and when this is done the third part of the
pattern must be transferred also; when all three parts of the pattern have been
repeated in succession, or any part of the cylinder E, they combinedly produce
the pattern shewn at Figure 7, which combined pattern can only be produced
by the accuracy of the traverse, as already explained. It will be obvious, in
commencing the transfer of a pattern of this nature to the cylinder E, that
only the first third of the pattern must be transferred at the commencement,
and the remainder follow in regular succession, and also that it is not confined
to three parts, as shewn at Figure 6, but may be carried to any required
number, according to the effect required to be produced.
Having described the nature of my Invention, together with the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that the advantages
derived from the application of such improvements consist mainly in the
accuracy with which I am enabled to traverse the pattern cylinder D, and

page_text: thereby connect, repeat, or join a pattern, or a succession of parts of a pattern;
which, transferred to the cylinder to be traced or ctched, combinedly produce a
finished pattern, as already explained, which process requires the accurate
traverse of the screw arrangement, in which my Invention in part consists.
And to make my improvements more perfectly understood, I have tinted the
parts of the Drawings of which they consist. The remainder of the Drawings,
which shew the ordinary parts of the machine, being delineated merely to
shew the position in which my improvements are placed, and explain the
general nature of the machine to which they are applied.
In conclusion, I lay no claim to the invention of any separate or well-known
part of the machinery used in my improvements. but I do claim the com-
bination and arrangement of such parts as already described, for accurately
traversing a cylindrical pattern or design to the various and successive parts
of the cylinder to which such patterns or designs is to be transferred, otcherl,
or traced; and such my Invention being, to the best of my knowledge, new, and
never before used in this kingdom, I deliver this as a true and faithful Speci-
fication of the same.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Barber, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fifteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One