Improvements in the Manufacture of Albumenised Paper.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 4th July, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Apr., 1895-Accepted, 18th May. 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Albumenised Paper.
I, RUDOLF MÜNCH, of the Firm of Theodor Münch and Company, Limited, of
Niederlahnstein on the Rhine, Germany, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
Hitherto the albumenised paper employed for photographic purposes. has not
been manufactured by machinery but has been always made by hand by floating
sheets of paper on a solution of albumen contained in. a dish or flat vessel so that
the under-sides of the sheets of paper become coated with albumen and subsequently
hanging them on a line to dry. It is almost impossible to obtain in this manner a
uniform product and it has thus been necessary to sort the albumenised paper
according to quality and a considerable waste has consequently resulted besides
which pieces of inferior quality have had to be sold at lower prices. Moreover by
the old process only shects of given sizes can be manufactured, because the works
producing albumenised paper manufacture, in the ordinary way, only sheets of
predetermined sizes. Large sheets of albumenised paper have thus been very
costly as sheets of more than ordinary size have necessarily had to be made
specially.
According to this invention albumenised paper of uniform quality throughout can be
manufactured, by means of a machine especially constructed for this purpose, in pieces
of any desired length and width so that waste is considerably lessened, by passing the
paper to be albumeuised through several systems of rollers, in each of which the
paper is provided consecutively with a thin and even layer of albumen, so that when
finished the paper has received as many thin layers of albumen as there are roller
systems in the machine. After the paper has left the last roller-system of the
machine it is led to a drying device of any suitable kind and may then be rolled up
ready for being sent away in the form of rolls, or it may be cut into separate sheets
of the size required.
The accompanying drawings illustrate a machine for manufacturing albumenised
paper in rolls according to this invention,
Fig. 1 being a side view; and
Fig. 2 a plan view thereof.
a is a roll of paper to be treated; it is mounted on an axis supported by the first
pair of standards A of the machine and from it the paper passes over tension
rollers bb to the first roller system W. This roller system consists of a lower
roller d dipping into a receptacle e containing a solution of albumen; as the roller d
revolves it transmits the albumen solution to a distributing roller e arranged above
the said roller d. The paper coming from the rollers bb is led between the roller e
and a pressure roller fabove it so that the paper in passing over the roller e is
uniforinly coated on its under-side with the albumen solution. Care must be taken,
that the rollers d, e and fare perfectly smooth and very exactly adjusted relatively
to each other, so that the albumen solution may be taken up uniformly by the
roller e and uniformly transmitted to the paper.
The lower feeding roller d can be accurately adjusted by means of regulating
screws which support the bearings of the roller d. The upper roller is also
adjusted by means of two regulating screws h, one above each of the two

page_text: bearings of the upper roller which are connected to each other by means of worm
gear, so that the rollers are always uniformly raised and lowered.
From the roller system W the paper is led under a guide roller i and thence to
the roller system W₁, where it is coated in the same manner as in the roller system W
with a further thin layer of albumen solution. The roller i serves to give the paper
between the roller systems W and W' a slight tension, so that the formation of
creases in the paper is avoided.
and
From the roller system W' the paper is led under a second guide-roll
thence to a third roller system W' where it is given a third layer of albumen
solution. After the paper has left this roller system it passes over the guide roll k
to the drying device. The rollers d, e, f are actuated from the roller e of either
roller system as may be desired as shown in the drawing by means of toothed
wheels, in such a manner, that all the rollers have the same circumferential speed.
Instead of toothed wheels, chain wheels may be employed.
In the accompanying drawings three roller systems are represented, but
albumenised paper may be manufactured also by means of a machine having two
systems of rollers only. Of course, more than three roller systems may be
employed according to the consistency of the albumen solution employed and on the
thickness to be given to the albumen coating.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Albumenised Paper.
I, RUDOLF MUNCH, of the Firm of Theodor Münch & Company, Limited, of
Niederlahnstein on the Rhine, Germany, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Hitherto the albumenised paper employed for photographic purposes has been
always made by hand, by floating sheets of paper on a solution of albumen
contained in a dish or flat vessel in such a manner that the under-sides of the sheets
of paper become coated with albumen, and subsequently hanging them on a line to
dry. It is almost impossible to obtain in this manner a uniform product, and it has
therefore been necessary to sort the resulting albumenised paper according to
quality, and a considerable waste has consequently resulted, besides which, pieces
of inferior quality have had to be sold at lower prices. Moreover, by the old
process, only sheets of given sizes can be manufactured, because the works
producing albumenised paper, manufacture, in the ordinary way, only sheets of
predetermined sizes. Large sheets of albumenised paper, have therefore been
very costly, as sheets of more than ordinary sizes have necessarily had to be
specially made.
Now, according to this invention, albumenised paper of uniform quality throughout
is manufactured by means of a machine especially constructed for this purpose, in
pieces of any desired length and width, so that, by passing the paper to be
albuenised between several sets of rollers, in each of which the paper is provided
consecutively with a thin and even layer of albumen, so that when finished, the
paper will have received as many thin layers of albunen as there are sets of rollers
in the machine. After the paper has left the last set of rollers, it is led to a drying
device of any suitable kind, and may then be rolled up ready for being sent away

page_text: in the form of rolls, or it may be cut into separate sheets of the size required. In
this way, the disadvantages above mentioned as resulting from the manufacture of.
albumenised paper by hand, are obviated, or nearly so.
The drawings filed with my Provisional Specification illustrate a machine for
manufacturing albumenised paper in rolls according to this invention,
Fig. 1 being a side view; and
Fig. 2 a plan or top view thereof.
a is a roll of paper to be treated; it is mounted on an axis supported by the first
pair of standards A of the machine, and from it the paper passes over tension
rollers bb to the first set of rollers W. This set of rollers consists of three
rollers, e and. The lower roller d dips into a receptacle c containing a solution
of albumen, and as the said roller revolves it transmits the albumen solution to the
distributing roller e arranged above it. The paper coming from the rollers bb is led
between the roller e, and the pressure roller f, so that the paper in passing over the
roller e is uniformly coated on its under-side with the albumen solution. Care must
be taken, that the rollers d, e and fare perfectly smooth and very exactly adjusted
relatively to each other, so that the albumen solution will be taken up uniformly by
the roller e and uniformly transmitted to the paper.
The roller d can be accurately adjusted by means of regulating screws 9 which
support the bearings of the said roller. The upper roller is also adjustable by
means of two regulating screws h, one above each of the two bearings of the upper
roller, the two screws being connected to each other by means of worm gear, not
shown, so that the rollers are always uniformly raised and lowered.
From the set of rollers W the paper is led under a guide roller i and thence to a
similar set of rollers W₁, where it is coated, in the same manner as in the set of
rollers W, with a further thin layer of albumen solution. The roller i serves to give
the paper between the two sets of rollers W and W₁ a slight tension, so that the
formation of creases in the paper is avoided.
From the set of rollers Withe paper is led under a second guide-roll ¹ and
thence to a third set of rollers W' (similar to the two previously described)--where
it is given a third layer of albumen solution. After the paper has left this roller
system it passes over the guide roll k to any suitable drying device. Each set of
rollers is operated from the central roller e of either of the other sets by means of
spur wheels as shewn, in such a manner, that all the rollers have the same circum-
ferential speed. In the example shown, the roller e of the central set of rollers, is
the driving roller, the feeding and pressure rollers d and f respectively in each set
being driven by contact with the corresponding distributing roller e. Instead of
spur wheels, chain wheels and chains may be employed for transmitting motion
from one of the rollers e to the others.
In the drawings three sets of rollers are represented, but as will be obvious, the
machine might have only two sets of rollers, or more than three; according to the
consistency of the albumen solution employed and to the thickness desired to be
given to the albumen coating.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The herein described manufacture of albumenised paper by leading the paper
to be treated consecutively through sets of rollers, each of which applies to the
paper a coating of albumen solution, so that the paper after leaving the last set of
rollers will have received a uniform coating of albumen solution of sufficient
thickness, whereupon the paper can be led to a drying device, substantially as herein
described.
2. For carrying out the process referred to in the preceding claim, a machine
having sets of rollers such as W, W, W, each of which comprises a feeding
roller d, a distributing roller e and a pressure roller f, each set of rollers being
actuated from one of the other sets by suitable means such as spur or chaiu gearing

page_text: in such a way that all the rollers have the same circumferential speed, substantially
as hereinabove described with reference to and shown in the drawings.
Dated this 3rd day of April 1895.
L
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.