Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Feb., 1896-Accepted, 30th May, 1896
The invention relates to improvements
bronzed with the printed side beneath, automatically smoothed and cleaned, the
greatest saving of bronze effected, and a surface free from dust produced.
In the drawings hereunto annexed,
Fig. 1 is a front sectional view of the machine,
Fig. 2 is a part sectional plan,
Fig. 3 is a side view with one side frame removed,
Fig. 4 is a side view illustrating the parts A, B, shewn in the other views,
Fig. 5 is a front sectional view of the grippers, and Figs. 6, 7 are side sectional
views of the grippers.
The machine comprises the drums A, A' carrying the endless band B, the
bronzing rollers C, C, cleaning rollers D, D', smoothing rollers E, E' and the take
off roller F, carried by shafts journalled in the side frames G, of the machine.
The length of the band B corresponds accurately with the distance between the
drums A, A. The band is furnished with two grippers H which extend over the
whole width thereof and consists of a frame a, the front piece b, the piece d, which
is pivoted at c, upwardly projecting rods surrounded by spiral springs g and the side
extensions h. The grippers serve to take hold of the sheets to be bronzed. The
drums A, A have grooves i which extend across their whole width and correspond
accurately to the shape of the grippers. These grooves i are furnished with a row
of holes in order to allow the pins f to enter the drums; the cam e (consisting of a
turned up projection on the side; piece d) entering the spaces L between the drums.
The shafts J, J of the drums A, A' are kept apart, at the right distance by rods K.
The shaft J is firmly journalled in the side frame G in the usual way but the
shaft J rests on its bearing so as to allow the drum with the band to be raised as
shewn in dotted lines in Fig. 4. There may be any number of drums A, A¹
separated by spaces L in which work the rods K, and the apparatus hereinafter
described for opening the gripper. The rods K are extended outwardly beyond the
shafts J' and are formed into cams M for pressing out the cams e to open the gripper
on the inner drums to release the sheet. The rods K which are between the outer
drums and the side frames, extend still further outwards and are formed with cams N
to raise the projection h of the gripper on each of the outermost drums. On, each
side frame G is fastened a cam O, the under part of which is flattened.as shewn
at O. This cam O serves to effect the opening of the gripper on the outside 'drums
to take the sheet by means of the projection slipping over them. The grippers
on the inner drums are operated by the lever mechanism P and the cams e.
action of the cam e is effected by lever mechanism P. This lever mechanism. P
consists of a strong frame with as many arins as there are intervening spaces L, and
its outer end is pivoted to the side frame and is furnished with a hand; lever. On
the other hand the two lateral rods m, which pass diametrically across the side
of the drums, carry the inner longitudinal rod n which has arms P projecting into
the spaces L and formed with cams p. The cams p serve to push out the cams e to
open the grippers on the inner drums, to take the sheet between the drums. On
The

page_text: the internl rods m nro short pins m², projecting inwards, which, when the gripper
in the drums is opened, pass between the piece d and the gripper frame a, and hold
the gripper open until the lever is moved.
Spiral springs y are arranged at the ends of the inner longitudinal rods n which
keep the lever mechanism Pin the position shewn in full lines. Behind the cam
is a short projecting piece Q fastened on the side frames and over which the
projections must slide.
The pins m project into the space between the parts O, and Q, and entering
between the open jaws of the gripper keep it open, at the same time arresting the
motion of the machine until a movement of the lever mechanis:n permits a renewal
of the motion and the gripper to pass on beneath the machine.
In operation, after the machine has been set in motion the projections h of the
gripper which is passing round with the outer druns A-slide over the cams O.
At the same time the cams e pass over the cams p of the lever aris P¹ whereby the
grippers on the inner drums are opened proportionately along the entire length of
the machine. Simultaneously the pins m³ pass through the space between the
parts and Q, and into the open gripper to arrest the machine in order to give
time for the sheet,-which is coming from the feeding machine-to slide with its
front edge into the open gripper, with which the feeding apparatus is suitably
connected. Then the hand-lever is moved. The mechanism thereby becomes
again put in motion and the pins m set the gripper free, because its came and the
projection are no longer acted upon by the cams p and O. The grippers thereupon
are closed by the springs g, holding fast the sheet to be bronzed between the parts d,
and so that it must follow the movement of the belt until the gripper is again
opened. The sheet with the printed side underneath now passes between the
belt B and rollers C C, D D', EE, and F, of which CC' take bronze in abundance
from vessels beneath, and transfer it onto the sheet, and D D' remove the superfluous
bronze. The rollers E E¹, smooth the bronze which remains on the printed part
of the sheet and the roller F takes hold of the sheet to deliver it. The rollers turu
in the opposite direction to that of the belt but the roller F works conformably with
the belt and draws the sheet which is between it and the rollers forward; the
gripper being then again opened. As soon as the grippers I reach the place of
delivery of the sheets, and the sheet is between the band and the roller F, the
grippers on the inner rollers are opened by the cains M pressing out the cams e, and
the cams N the projecting pieces h, on the outermost drums. The sheets are thereby
freed and are passed over the delivery cylinder F. In the mean time the second
set of grippers have passed around the drums A to the cams O and are then opened
in the manner aforedescribed, and the operation is then repeated. The machine can
be driven either by hand or power and may be combined with any kind of printing
press. The printing may be effected by coupling the hand lever with the press or
in any other suitable way. The cams M, N, provide ready means for raising the
drums A' as shewn in Fig. 4, to permit of cleaning the rollers or for other purposes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :-
(1.) A bronzing machine in which the sheet to be bronzed is led by an endless
travelling band, furnished with grippers, under the drums A, A' and over the
rollers CC, DD, EE, and F substantially as and for the purposes specified.
(2.) In a machine covered by Claim 1, the arrangement of grippers which are
kept normally closed by spring pressure but which at the place where the sheet is
to be received are opened through simultaneous contact of cains e with cams p, and
the projecting pieces with the cams O while the opening of the said gripper at the
place of delivery of the sheet is produced by simultaneous contact of cams eh with
cams M N, all substantially as specified.
(3.) In a machine covered by Claim 1, the arrangement of rods K within the
spaces left between the drums, which rods hold the drum shafts at the correct

page_text: distance and the travelling belt tight, and which also carry the cams M N for
opening the grippers and to provide means for raising drum A' for the purpose of
cleaning or regulating the machinery substantially as specified.
Dated this 27th day of February 1896.
PERCY R. J. WILLIS,
Agent.