IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR ETCHING, ENGRAVING, AND CUTTING CYLINDERS AND OTHER SURFACES TO BE USED IN PRINTING AND EMBOSSING
Year: 1857

page_text: Filed 27th July 1864.
In the Matter of Letters Patent granted to WILLIAM SHIELDS, of
Salford, in the County of Lancaster, for his Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR ETCHING, ENGRAVING, AND
CUTTING CYLINDERS AND OTHER SURFACES TO BE USED IN PRINTING AND
EMBOSSING," bearing date the Thirtieth day of October, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-seven, and vested in Joseph Lockett, of
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engraver, and Robert
Leake, of the same Place, Engraver.
DISCLAIMER AND MEMORANDUM OF ALTERATION proposed to be
filed pursuant to the Statutes in that case made and provided by Joseph
Lockett, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engraver, and
Robert Leake, of the same Place, Engraver.
WHEREAS the Specification of William Shields has been found to be defec-
tive in that it makes a claim to the employment of the rotating tools described
therein, we, the said Joseph Lockett and Robert Leake, hereby disclaim
and alter the said Specification as printed in the copy printed by the Queen's
Printer in page 3, line 33, by omitting the words "according to another part of
my Invention," and also by omitting in page 4, line 15, the words "a part of

page_text: my Invention which relates to," and in lines 38 and 39, the words from and
including the words "or that the" down to the words "of the tracer," and
also by inserting at page 5, lines 8 and 9, instead of the words beginning
"also I claim" and ending "above specified," the following words "but I do
not claim separately the exclusive use of the rotating tools as herein-before
described and shown in the Drawings annexed to my Specification."
And the said Specification when amended in the manner proposed by us will
read as follows:-
"My Invention refers to those machines in which a tracer is employed to
be passed over the design to be copied, the motions of which tracer are fol-
lowed by an etching or cutting instrument. Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section
of a machine constructed according to the improvements, and shewing a
cylinder adapted for being etched or engraved; Fig. 2 is a plan view, and
Fig. 3 an end view, in all of which Figures similar letters and figures of
reference where they occur denote the like parts. The framework of the
machine is shewn at a, provided with a table b, upon which is placed the
design to be copied. The tracer c is jointed upon a rod d, which rod d passes
freely through a bar e, and between guide pulleys fmounted upon the said
bar, which therefore act as guides when the rod is moved to and fro in the
direction of its length. This rod d is attached at one end to a cross bar g,
carried by parallel bars h, which rest upon flanged rollers i capable of rolling
upon fixed rails k, as therefore the tracer c and bar d are moved longitu-
dinally the bar g and its parallel supports are caused to partake of a like
motion. To the bar h is fixed a bracket 1, which carries at its upper end a
stud m projecting into a groove formed lengthwise in a lever n, this lever is
attached by an arm o to a cross bar p, and is capable of being turned upon its
centre so as to occupy any angle in reference to the tracer rod d, being con-
fined in any desired position by a tightening screw q, and thereby constituting
an inclined plane for the stud m to act against; the cross bar p rests upon
flanged rollers r, which roll upon a fixed bars provided with a groove for the
purpose of allowing the arm to travel along its length. To the bar pare
affixed the carriages u of the tools, one of which is shewn at v, but the
number will of course be regulated according to the pattern, one only being
shewn to avoid confusion, and they will be of ordinary construction or material
according to the work to be done; each of these tools is carried by a lever w,
capable of turning upon a centre at x, the downward motion being deter-
mined by a set screw y arriving in contact with a bar z, this bar at either
side of the machine is attached to a sliding piece 1, moving in guides 2
attached to the framework, and is connected to a rod and treadle 3, so that the

page_text: series of tools may be moved upward into contact with the surface A, to be
operated upon or lowered therefrom as may be desired, the former of which
motions is determined by a set screw 4, so as to regulate the depth of cut.
I shall hereafter describe the method of giving rotatory motion to the tools.
The upper part of the bar e (through which the tracer rod passes) carries a
stud 5, situate within a groove formed in a lever 6, which lever, like that
shewn at n, is capable of being turned upon its centre to any angle so as to
constitute an inclined plane for the stud 5 to act against, and of being con-
fined to any desired position by means of tightening screws 7. The boss of
the lever 6 carries an arm 8, which extends upward, and is there connected
to a cross bar 9, to which are attached parallel bars 10 running upon flanged
rollers 11, situate upon fixed bars 12; to the bars 10 are attached ribs of
steel or other material 13, upon which the cylinder A bears so as to com-
municate rotatory motion thereto. The operation of the machine is as
follows:-The tracer being pushed inward or drawn outward, will cause the
parallel bars to move in a similar direction, thus carrying the bar g and
stud m along the inclined groove in the lever n, by which means the bar p
will be caused to move transversely, carrying with it the tools along the sur-
face to be operated upon, and thus the operation in one direction is accom-
plished. A crosswise movement of the tracer will cause the rod d to move
the bars e, g, transversely, and the stud 5 will be forced against the inclined
plane within the lever 6, so as to effect longitudinal motion of the bars 10,
whereby the ribs 13 will act against a part upon the axis of the cylinder A so
as to cause it to revolve, and thus the motion in the other direction is obtained.
I will now proceed to describe the use of rotating tools. The tools carried
by levers w, as above described, are mounted on spindles which turn at their
lower ends in steps 14, and are furnished with double-grooved pulleys 15.
The driving shaft for the rotating motion is shewn at 16, upon which is a
pulley 17, around which a band 18 passes, and from thence over a guide
pulley 20 at top; from thence it runs in contact with the tool pulleys 15,
acting first against one side of one, then crossing and acting against the
opposite side of the next, and so on through the series, after which it passes
around an inclined guide pulley 21, by which it is conducted downward, so as
to return in like manner over the peripheries of the lower grooves of the
pulleys 15, and from thence over guide pullies 22, 23, to the main pulley 17.
It will be perceived that by this arrangement the tools may be traversed with
their bar p, as above described, without an interruption to their rotatory
motion, as their pulleys will in all situations be enclosed by the driving band;
and it will be obvious that the said tools may be retained for any length of

page_text: time in one position according to the depth of cut desired, regulated by the
set screws as above described. I have in the foregoing description alluded
particularly to a cylinder as the surface to be operated upon, but it will be
obvious that a flat surface of metal, wood, or other substance may in like
manner be used, the said flat surface being secured to the sliding bars 10. I
have also in the foregoing description described the several parts of my Inven-
tion combined; but, if desired, any ordinary description of too! may be
employed in conjunction with the inclined planes referred to. I would also
observe that although I have particularly described certain mechanical
arrangements and constructions for carrying my Invention into practical
effect, yet I do not confine myself thereto, as competent persons may vary the
same without departing from the mechanical principles; that which I claim as
secured to me under the above in part recited Letters Patent being the use
of inclined planes for the purposes of regulating the motion of the tools and
of the surface to be operated upon, or either of them. Also I claim the use
of the parallel bars illustrated at e, g, h, and 10, but I do not claim separately
the exclusive use of the rotating tools as herein-before described and shown in
the Drawings annexed to my Specification."
In witness whereof, we, the said Joseph Lockett and Robert Leake,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twentieth day of May,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
I hereby grant my fiat giving leave to the above-mentioned Joseph Lockett 2
and Robert Leake, assignees of the said Letters Patent, to file in the Great
Seal Patent Office with the Specification to which the same relates, the
above-written Disclaimer and Memorandum of Alteration.
Temple July 26th 1864
RD COLLIED

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Shields, of Salford, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR ETCHING, ENGRAVING, AND CUTTING CYLINDERS AND OTHER
SURFACES TO BE USED IN PRINTING AND EMBOSSING."
Sealed the 30th April 1858, and dated the 30th October 1857.-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Shields at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 30th
October 1857.
I, the said WILLIAM SHIELDS, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR ETCHING, ENGRAVING, AND CUTTING
CYLINDERS AND OTHER SURFACES TO BE USED IN PRINTING AND EMBOSSING," to
be as follows:-
My Invention refers to those machines in which a tracer is employed to be
passed over the design to be copied, the motions of which tracer are followed
by an etching or cutting instrument or instruments, and consists firstly in a
method of varying the dimensions of the copied design in proportion to those
of the original. For this purpose I cause the tracing instrument to com-
municate motion to the tool or tools through the intervention of inclined
planes, so that by varying the angle of these planes motion is transmitted in

page_text: the required proportion. And I also employ similar apparatus for com-
municating motion to the cylinder or other surface to be operated upon.
Secondly, my Invention consists in the application to machines of the above
mentioned class of revolving tools, which, as they copy the design, may by such
revolutions be caused to cut or drill into the material, in order to produce
raised or deeply sunk surfaces for printing or embossing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Shields in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th
April 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
SHIELDS, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters.
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Shields, Her especial license, that I, the said William
Shields, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Shields, 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
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR ETCHING, ENGRAVING, AND CUTTING CYLINDERS AND
OTHER SURFACES, TO BE USED IN PRINTING AND EMBOSSING," upon the condition,
amongst others) that I, the said William Shields, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, 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 Shields, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-
My Invention refers to those machines in which a tracer is employed to be
passed over the design to be copied, the motions of which tracer are followed

page_text: by an etching or cutting instrument. Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a
machine constructed according to the improvements, and shewing a cylinder
adapted for being etched or engraved; Fig. 2 is a plan view; and Fig. 3 an
end view, in all of which Figures similar letters and figures of reference where
they occur denote the like parts. The framework of the machine is shewn at
a, provided with a table b, upon which is placed the design to be copied. The
tracer c is jointed upon a rod d, which rod d passes freely through a bar e, and
between guide pulleys f, mounted upon the said bar, which therefore act as
guides when the rod is moved to and fro in the direction of its length. This
rod d is attached at one end to a cross bar g, carried by parallel bars h, which
rest upon flanged rollers i, capable of rolling upon fixed rails k, as therefore
the tracer c and bar d are moved longitudinally, the bar 9 and its parallel
supports are caused to partake of a like motion. To the bar h is fixed a
bracket, which carries at its upper end a stud m, projecting into a groove
formed lengthwise in a lever n, this lever is attached by an arm o, to a cross
bar p, and is capable of being turned upon its centre so as to occupy any angle
in reference to the tracer rod d being confined in any desired position by a
tightening screw q, and thereby constituting an inclined plane for the stud m
to act against; the cross bar p rests upon flanged rollers r, which roll upon a
fixed bar s, provided with a groove for the purpose of allowing the arm o to
travel along its length. To the bar p are affixed the carriages of the tools,
one of which is shewn at v, but the number will of course be regulated accord-
ing to the pattern, one only being shewn to avoid confusion, and they will be
of ordinary construction or material according to the work to be done; each
of these tools is carried by a lever w capable of turning upon a centre at x,
the downward motion being determined by a set screw y, arriving in contact
with a bar z, this bar at either side of the machine is attached to a sliding
piece 1, moving in guides 2, attached to the framework, and is connected to a
rod and treadle 3, so that the series of tools may be moved upward into
contact with the surface A to be operated upon or lowered therefrom as may
be desired, the former of which motions is determined by a set screw 4, so
as to regulate the depth of cut. I shall hereafter describe the method of giving
rotatory motion to the tools according to another part of my Invention. The
upper part of the bar e (through which the tracer rod passes) carries a stud 5,
situate within a groove formed in a lever 6, which lever, like that shewn at n,
is capable of being turned upon its centre to any angle so as to constitute an
inclined plane for the stud 5 to act against, and of being confined to any
desired position by means of tightening screws 7. The boss of the lever 6
carries an arm 8, which extends upward and is there connected to a cross

page_text: bar 9, to which are attached parallel bars 10, running upon flanged rollers 11,
situate upon fixed bars 12; to the bars 10 are attached ribs of steel or other
material 13; upon which the cylinder A bears so as to communicate rotatory
motion thereto. The operation of the machine is as follows:-The tracer
being pushed inward or drawn outward will cause the parallel bars h to move
in a similar direction, thus carrying the bar g and stud m along the inclined
groove in the lever n, by which means the bar p will be caused to move
transversely, carrying with it the tools along the surface to be operated upon,
and thus the operation in one direction is accomplished. A crosswise move-
ment of the tracer will cause the rod d to move the bars e, g, transversely, and
the stud 5 will be forced against the inclined plane within the lever 6, so as
to effect a longitudinal motion of the bars 10, whereby the ribs 13 will act
against a part upon the axis of the cylinder A, so as to cause it to revolve, and
thus the motion in the other direction is obtained.
I will now proceed to describe a part of my Invention which relates to the
use of rotating tools. The tools carried by levers w, as above described, are
mounted on spindles which turn at their lower ends in steps 14, and are
furnished with double grooved pulleys 15. The driving shaft for the rotating
motion is shewn at 16, upon which is a pulley 17, around which a band 18
passes, and from thence over a guide pulley 20 at top. From thence it runs
in contact with the tool pulleys 15 acting first against one side of one, then
crossing and acting against the opposite side of the next, and so on through
the series, after which it passes around an inclined guide pulley 21, by which
it is conducted downward, so as to return in like manner over the peri-
pheries of the lower grooves of the pulleys 15, and from thence over guide
pulleys 22, 23, to the main pulley 17. It will be perceived that by this
arrangement the tools may be traversed with their bar p as above described,
without an interruption to their rotatory motion, as their pulleys will in all
situations be enclosed by the driving band; and it will be obvious that the
said tools may be retained for any length of time in one position according to
the depth of cut desired, regulated by the set screws, as above described.
I have in the foregoing description alluded particularly to a cylinder as the
surface to be operated upon, but it will be obvious that a flat surface of metal;
wood, or other substance may in like manner be used, the said flat surface
being secured to the sliding bars 10. I have also in the foregoing description
described the several parts of my Invention combined; but, if desired, any
ordinary description of tool may be employed in conjunction with the inclined
planes referred to, or that the rotatory tools may be used with other arrange-
ments for regulating the effect of the tracer. I would also observe that

page_text: although I have particularly described certain mechanical arrangements and
constructions for carrying my Invention into practical effect, yet I do not
confine myself thereto as competent persons may vary the same without
departing from the mechanical principles; that which I claim as secured to
me under the above in part recited Letters Patent being the use of inclined
planes for the purposes of regulating the motion of the tools and of the surface
to be operated upon, or either of them. Also I claim the use of the parallel
bars illustrated at e, g, h, and 10. Also I claim the employment of rotating
tools for the purpose and as applied to that class of machines above specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Shields, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
WILLIAM SHIELDS. (L.S.)