Improvements in Machines for Printing on Balls or Spherical Surfaces.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Jan., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 9th Oct., 1894-Accepted, 1st Dec., 1894
[Communicated from: abroad by OLIVER RICE CHASE, Gentleman, of Boston,
Massachusetts, United States of America.]
Improvements in Machines for Printing on Balls or Spherical
Surfaces.
We, HARRY CHARLES SHARP and WILLIAM SHARP AND SONS LIMITED, of
Balsall Heath, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manufacturers, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in machines for printing upon balls or
upon the spherical surfaces of sweetmeat or articles of other substances.
The object of our invention is to construct a machine that shall receive balls or
articles having a spherical surface, and print upon them such words or device as
may be required, ejecting them automatically when so printed into a box or other
receptacle arranged to contain them. Thus the process of printing upon the
spherical surface or upon a number of such surfaces shall be entirely performed
in the one machine, the plain balls being automatically withdrawn from a hopper
into the machine, and discharged with the required words or device printed
upon them.
In carrying our invention into effect when constructing a machine for printing
a motto, or other words or device, upon a ball of sweetmeat or confection, we form
an inclined sliding plate or table in connection with a hopper into which we place
the balls for feeding into the machine. Upon the upper or working surface of this
sliding plate or table we form grooves along which the balls roll and pass on to a
feeder at the outer end of the plate, such feeder having an automatic rising and
falling motion produced in the manner hereinafter described.
We form grooves
upon the feeder for the reception of the balls, and also provide grooves upon the
printing table on to which the balls are received from the feeder.
The printing is performed by means of a reciprocating slide frame carrying
hinged type blocks over the balls, the body of the blocks being preferably of wood,
We obtain
with type of india-rubber or other suitable substance attached thereto.
the necessary pressure of the type on the balls preferably by means of a detachable
weight fitted on the free end of each block. The number of type blocks employed
each
corresponds to the number of balls to be simultaneously printed on
revolution of the driving shaft. The reciprocating slide frame travels or slides
between guides carried by side plates fixed to the hopper at the one end, and
further supported from the floor level or from the base of the machine as may be
convenient
The reciprocation of the type carrying slide frame is effected by a link
connecting with a rocking lever set in motion by a connecting rod attached to a
crank on the driving shaft of the machine. The driving shaft is revolved by hand
power or by means of belting or gearing connecting with a steam, gas, or other
motive power engine.
The ink or colour employed for the purpose of printing the desired words or
motto upon the balls, is introduced upon a roll covered with felt or other absorbing
substance, and is carried to the type by distributing rolls driven by spur or other
gearing from the driving shaft, and by frictional contact with each other. The
upper roll or that adjacent to the type blocks, is raised by cams from the driving
roll or other shaft, and thus caused to distribute the ink over the whole of the type
during the reciprocation of the slide frame.

page_text: We produce the rising and falling motion of the feeder, herein before described,
by means of a lever driven by a cam fixed upon the driving or first motion shaft of
the machine. We so form and fix the cam as to cause it to elevate the feeder, the
descent being preferably effected by gravitation. By this action of the feeder we
are enabled to carry balls from the hopper to the printing table, upon which they
roll, with the motion of the sliding frame, while receiving the desired impression
from the type.
After the printing the balls roll from the table and fall freely into
an inclined trough or conduit and are discharged into a box or other receptacle.
We provide an adjustable stop upon the lever effecting the motion of the feeder,
to enable the extent of such motion to be regulated to suit balls of varying
dimensions.
We do not limit the application of our invention to the printing of balls of
sweetmeat or confection, but employ machines, substantially as hereinbefore
described, for printing upon marbles or other spherical surfaces, making
modifications in the details and arrangement of the machine to suit the particular
service for which it may be required.
Dated this 8th day of January 1894
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Printing on Balls or Spherical
Surfaces.
We, HARRY CHARLES SHARP and WILLIAM SHARP AND SONS LIMITED, of
Balsall Heath, in the City of Birmingham, Manufacturers, 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 :-
This invention relates to improvements in machines for printing upon balls or
upon the spherical surfaces of sweetmeat or articles of other substances.
The object of our invention is to construct a machine that shall receive balls or
articles having a spherical surface, and print upon them such words or device as
may be required, ejecting them automatically when so printed into a box or other
receptacle arranged to contain them. Thus the process of printing upon the
spherical surface or upon a number of such surfaces shall be entirely performed in
the one machine, the plain balls being automatically withdrawn from a hopper into
the machine and discharged with the required words or device printed upon them.
In the accompanying sheet of explanatory drawings-
Figure 1 is a side elevation and Figure 2 a plan of our improved machine.
Figure 3 being an end view of the same.
Figures 4 and 5 represent to a larger scale, the form of type blocks which we
preferably employ with our machine.
The same reference letters in each view indicate the same parts.
In carrying our invention into effect when constructing a machine for printing a
motto, or other words or device, upon balls of sweetmeat or confection or other
substance, we form an inclined sliding plate or table A in connection with a
hopper B. The balls may be placed directly in the hopper but we preferably
attach a box or receptacle C to the hopper into which the balls are placed and pass
on to the sliding plate A as required. Upon the upper or working surface of the
sliding plate or table we form grooves along which the balls roll and pass on to a
feeder D at the outer end of the plate, such feeder having an automatic rising and
falling motion produced in the mauner hereinafter described. We form groove
upon the feeder for the reception of the balls, and also provide grooves upon th
printing table E on to which the balls are received from the feeder. We adjust the

page_text: position of the table E by means of a cam such as El attached at each end of a
small shaft provided with a sustaining ratchet and pawl.
The printing is performed by means of a reciprocating slide frame F carrying
hinged type blocks G over the balls, the body of the blocks being preferably of
wood, with type of indiarubber or other suitable substance attached to an
independent wood or other plate y secured in a dovetailed recess as shown in the
enlarged view at Figure 4. We obtain the necessary pressure of the type on the
balls preferably by means of a detachable weight H fitted on the free end of each
block. The number of type blocks employed corresponds to the number of balls to
be simultaneously printed on each revolution of the driving shaft. The
reciprocating slide frame travels or slides between guides carried by or formed
with side plates J fixed to the hopper at the one end, and further supported from
the floor level or from the base of the machine by pillars K or by such other
method as may be convenient.
The reciprocation of the type carrying slide frame F is effected by a link L
connecting with a rocking lever M set in motion by a connecting rod N attached to
a crank or crank plate O on the driving shaft P of the machine.
The driving
shaft is revolved by hand power or by means of belting or gearing connecting with
a steam, gas, or other motive power engine.
The ink or colour employed for the purpose of printing the desired words or
motto upon the balls, is introduced upon a roll Q covered with felt or other
absorbing substance, and is carried to the type by distributing rolls R R' driven by
spur or other gearing from the driving shaft, and by frictional contact with each
other. The upper roll or that adjacent to the type blocks is raised by means of
levers such as Soperated by cams preferably attached to the driving roll shaft T,
and thus caused to distribute the ink over the whole of the type during the
reciprocation of the slide frame.
We produce the rising and falling motion of the feeder D hereinbefore described,
by means of a bell crank or other lever U driven by a cam or an eccentric fixed
upon the driving or first motion shaft of the machine. We so form and fix the
cam as to cause it to elevate the feeder, the descent being preferably effected by
gravitation. By this action of the feeder D we are enabled to convey balls from
the hopper B to the printing table E upon which they roll, with the motion of the
sliding frame F, while receiving the desired impression from the type. After the
printing the balls roll from the table E and fall freely into an inclined trough or
conduit V and are discharged into a box or other receptacle. We provide an
adjustable nut W upon the rod connected with the lever U effecting the motion
of the feeder, to enable such motion to be regulated to suit balls of varying
dimensions.
We do not limit the application of our invention to the printing of balls of
sweetmeat or confection, but employ machines, substantially as hereinbefore
described, for printing upon marbles or other spherical surfaces, making
modifications in the details and arrangement of the machine to suit the particular
service for which it may be required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The process of printing upon balls or spherical surfaces by means of a hand
power or other machine, having an automatic feeder for conveying the balls from a
hopper to a printing table upon which they are rolled and impressed with the
desired words or device by type blocks carried in an automatically reciprocating
frame, substantially as described.
2. In a machine for printing upon balls or spherical surfaces, the use of a feeder
having an automatic rising and falling motion for conveying the balls from a hopper
to the printing table, substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.

page_text: 3. In a machine for printing upon balls or spherical surfaces the use of a
reciprocating frame having type blocks hinged or pivoted thereto, substantially
as hereinbefore described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
4. The construction of type blocks for printing upon balls or spherical surfaces
with indiarubber or other type attached thereto, having one end formed for hinging
or pivoting to a sliding frame, and weighted at the opposite end with an independent
or other weight, substantially as herein before described and as illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
5. In a machine for printing upon balls or spherical surfaces the method of inking
the type during the reciprocation of the type carrying frame by means of a
distributing roll having a rising and falling motion imparted thereto by cams and
levers or the like, substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
6. The general arrangement of a machine for printing upon balls and spherical
surfaces, having an automatic feeder, reciprocating type carrying frame, and ink
distributing rolls, with other parts and operating mechanism, substantially as
hereinbefore described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 8th day of October 1804
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., and
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents for the Applicants.