Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Nov., 1887
Complete Left, 15th Mar., 1888
Complete Accepted, 13th Apr., 1888
I, MARQUIS FAYETTE DICKINSON Junior, of 67 Equitable Building, Boston
Massachusetts, United States of America, Lawyer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates especially to a printing apparatus of that kind in which a
somewhat soft or yielding printing or impressing device is used and in which the
printing depends for its excellency upon the perfectly uniform contact between the
printing surface and the surface to be printed.
Among such printing devices may be mentioned the well known rubber stamps or
the gelatine printing surfaces used in producing lines and shadings on stone, zinc and
so forth.
The invention consists mainly in a flexible, elastic bed or platen upon which the
printing device is mounted, the same being composed of sheet rubber stretched over
a frame of suitable shape and having connected with it, or made as a continuation of
it, a second diaphragm, properly arranged to enclose an air-tight chamber between it
and the first mentioned diaphragm combined with means for changing and adjusting
the position of the second or regulating diaphragm for the purpose of varying and
adjusting the curvature of the first mentioned or bed-forming diaphragm.
A change in position of the regulating diaphragm, such as a movement towards or
movement from the bed forming diaphragm, will cause a uniform air pressure to act
upon one or the other surface of the latter, thus curving the saine uniformly.
By properly adjusting the regulating diaphragm any desired curvature may be
given to the bed forming diaphragm.
The invention is embodied in an apparatus having means for holding and adjusting
the position of the article to be printed or decorated and also means for facilitating the
operation of the bed and printing device.
The apparatus may be used to produce an impression on an article having a curved
surface, such for instance as a cover of a watch case or a watch crystal or the surface
of a plaque or any similar article having a concave or convex surface upon which it is
desired to imprint or produce an impression of any kind.

page_text: The apparatus is supported on a suitable framework having a base piece supporting
a double platform, ono portion of which can be moved lengthwise of the frame in the
base by an adjusting screw and the other portion of which is movable in a direction
at right angles to the movement of the latter by another adjusting screw.
The upper portion of the platform is provided with an upright which supports, and
is provided with, a suitable holder for the article to be printed, and by the two
movements of the two portions of the platform, the said upright and article supported
on it may be moved in any desired direction in the horizontal plane in order to bring
the article to be printed into the exact position desired with relation to the printing
device.
The holder for the article to be printed may be a circular platform having radially
moving jaws which engage the edges of the article to be printed such jaws being
operated in any suitable manner and being in construction substantially the same as
the jaws of any of the well known forms of chucks or face plates used in lathes for
holding the articles to be turned therein.
The base and platform and uprights supported thereon are vertically adjustable, by
means of screws, in order to bring the article to be printed to the required height.
The imprinting device which may for example be a soft rubber die such as is
commonly used in rubber stamps, is fastened to a flexible clastic bed to which it may
be connected by cement or otherwise; the said bed is composed of a flexible elastic
diaphragm drawn over a suitable frame supported in an outer frame having a vertical
movement in another frame hinged upon the main frame of the apparatus so that the
said frame may be raised up and inverted to afford access to the surface of the printing
device and also to the article to be printed.
The said flexible elastic bed may be composed of a sheet of elastic rubber stretched
with requisite tension over a frame and gathered in over the upper part of said frame
to form a second or regulating diaphragm the edges of the sheet being tightly tied
together and held in a suitable socket connected with an adjusting device such as a
screw working in a frame or yoke fastened to a frame at either side of one of the
hereinbefore mentioned frames.
By this construction a tight air chamber is enclosed between the diaphragms and
the act of drawing one diaphragm away from the other by the adjusting device tends
to rarify the air in the chamber and produce an unbalanced atmospheric pressure on
the outer surface of the diaphragm giving it and the connected printing device, a
concave curvature while by pressing the adjusting diaphragm towards the supporting
diaphragm or bel the air in the chamber will be compressed and will force the sail
diaphragm outward into a convex shape. Thus by properly regulating the
adjusting diaphragm the supporting diaphragm and printing device can be brought
to the proper curvature to produce a uniformly even contact between the pricing
device and the surfaco of the article to be printed, whether the latter be concave or
convex or of greater or less curvature; and a clear, sharp and undistorted impression
may thus be produced on a curved surface a result which is difficult or impossible to
attain from a printing device having a plane surface.
While a printing apparatus of this kind is especially valuable for producing
impressions on curved surfaces, it is obvious that it may also be used advantageously
for printing on flat surfaces.
Further it is not necessary that the curve of the printing surface should be exactly
the same as that of the surface to be printed and for printing large surfaces it is
desirable that the curvature should be slightly different so that the surface will come
in contact at the middle first, and then as the printed device is pressed down upon,
the surface to be printed, the other parts will come in contact successively. For
example in printing a large flat surface the printing device should be mide slightly
convex so that when pressed down it will touch at the centre first and the line of
contact will gradually spread to the outer edge of the surfaces.
The air pressure at the rear of the printing surface will produce a substantially
uniform pressure over the entire printing surface, and the effect will be similar to
that of passing a roller over the rear surface of a printing device mounted on a

page_text: somewhat flexible diaphragm such for instance as a stretched fabric except that the
contact will be more uniform throughout the entire surface when the printing device
is acted upon by air pressure than when acted upon by any kind of mechanical
pressure derived from a solid roller or platen.
For printing on a large convex surface the curvature of the concave printing device
may be slightly less than that of the surface to be printed, and for printing on a large
concave surface, the surface of the printing device should be slightly greater than that
of the surface to be printed in order to effect a contact first at the centre and then
progressively towards the outer edges of the surface to be printed.
It is obvious that the invention so far as relates to a flexible bed, combined with an
adjusting diaphragm and means for adjusting the same, is not limited to any specific
construction of the apparatus in which it is used, although the apparatus herein
described is convenient and capable of producing work of high quality.
The bed plate of the holder is provided with yielding supports and the jaws have
overhanging lips against which the edges of the article to be printed are held in order
to bring the upper surface of the said article into the proper position with relation to
the imprinting device.
When the article has been brought to the proper position and the surface of the
printing device provided with material to form the impression, the inner frame is
turned to a suitable position and then the outer frame is pressed downwards;
bringing the printing device into direct contact with the surface of the article to
be printed.
The downward movement of the frame and printing device may be limited by
adjustable stops and the said frame may be raised or retracted by springs bearing on
the inner frame and engaging with brackets on the outer frame. Stops limit the
upward movement of the outer frame.
By having the outer frame movable in the inner frame the printing device is
guided in a direct line towards and from the surface to be printed thus making a
uniform impression, and the outer frame and printing device normally held at such
height in the inner frame that the printing device will not reach the surface to be
printed when the inner frame is turned on its hinges to the suitable position herein-
before mentioned since if the contact were made in such hinging movement the
impression would not be direct and square, but would be more or less dragged or
distorted.
When the frame of the bed is circular the curvature of the middle portion of the
diaphragm will be substantially spherical, but by making the said frame oval,
the curvature may be made to correspond with that of a convex or concave oval
article.
It is not necessary that the upper part of the chamber above the diaphragm should
be made as a diaphragm, nor that the said chamber should contain air, as a liquid or
any fluid would answer to transmit a uniform pressure to the diaphragm and thus
produce a suitable curvature in said diaphragm, when the pressure on one or the other
side thereof is increased.
DL 151 1
T
11007
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: I, MARQUIS FAYETTE DICKINSON Junr. of 67 Equitable Building, Boston,
Massachusetts, United States of America, Lawyer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said 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 especially to a printing apparatus of that kind in which a
somewhat soft or yielding printing or impressing device is used, and in which the
printing depends for its excellency upon the perfectly uniform contact between the
printing surface, and the surface to be printed.
Among such printing devices may be mentioned the well known rubber stamps or
the gelatine printing surfaces used in producing lines and shadings on stone, zinc, and
so forth.
The Invention consists mainly in a flexible elastic bed or platen upon which the
printing device is mounted, the same being composed of sheet rubber stretched over a
frame of suitable shape, and having connected with it, or made as a continuation of it,
a second diaphragm, properly arranged to enclose an airtight chamber between it and
the first mentioned diaphragm combined with means for changing and adjusting the
position of the second or regulating diaphragm for the purpose of varying and
adjusting the curvature of the first mentioned or bed-forming diaphragm.
A change in position of the regulating diaphragm, such as a movement towards or
movement from the bed forming diaphragm, will cause a uniform air pressure to act
upon one or the other surface of the latter, thus curving the same uniformly and by
properly adjusting the regulating diaphragm any desired curvature may be given to
the bed forming diaphragm.
The Invention is embodied in an apparatus having means for holding and adjusting
the position of the article to be printed or decorated and also means for facilitating
the operation of the he and printing device.
In the accompanying Drawings
Figure 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus embodying this Invention in the proper
position to print a convex article.
Figure 2 a longitudinal section thereof.
Figure 3 a plan view of a portion thereof, and
Figures 4 and 5 sectional details showing the bed in different positions.
The apparatus may be used to produce an impression on an article having a curved
surface, such for instance as a cover of a watch-case or a watch crystal or the surface
of a plaque or any similar article having a concave or convex surface upon which it is
desired to imprint or produce an impression of any kind.
The apparatus is shown as supported on a suitable framework a having a base
piece a supporting a double platform bb¹ one portion of which can be moved
lengthwise of the frame a on the base a¹ by an adjusting screw c see Figure 2, and
the other portion 61 of which is movable on the portion b in a direction at right angles
to the movement of the latter by another adjusting screw d see Figure 1.
The upper portion of the platform is provided with an upright e which supports,
and is provided with, a suitable holder for the article to be printed, and by the two
movements of the two portions 6 61 of the platform, the said upright e and article

page_text: supported on it may be moved in any desired direction in the horizontal plane in
order to bring the article to be printed into the exact position desired with relation to
the printing device f.
The holder e for the article to be printed is shown as a circular platform having
radially moving jaws e² which engage the edges of the article to be printed, such jaws
being operated in any suitable manner, and being in construction substantially tho
same as the jaws of any of the well known forms of chucks or face plates used in
lathes for holding the articles to be turned by the lathe.
The base a¹ and platform and uprights supported thereon is shown as vertically
adjustable by means of screws g in order to bring the article to be printed to tho
required height.
The imprinting device f, which may for example be a soft rubber die such as is
commonly used in rubber stamps, is fastened to a flexible elastic bed to which it
may be connected by cement or otherwise; the said bed is composed of a flexible
elastic diaphragm drawn over a suitable frame i supported in an outer frame k having
a vertical movement in another frame m hinged at m¹ upon the main frame a of the
apparatus so that the said frame m may be raised up and inverted as shown in dotted
lines Figure 2, to afford access to the surface of the printing device and also to the
article to be printed.
The said flexible elastic bed h may be composed of a sheet of elastic rubber stretched
with requisite tension over the frame i and as shown gathered in over the upper part of
said frame to form a second or regulating diaphragm h¹ the edges of the sheet being
tightly tied together and held in a suitable socket h³ connected with an adjusting
device ³ shown as a screw working in a frame or yoke * fastened to the frame k at
either side of the frame i.
By this construction a tight air-chamber is enclosed between the diaphragms h h¹.
Drawing the one diaphragm away from the other h by the adjusting device h³
tends to rarify the air in the chamber and produce an unbalanced atmospheric pressure
on the outer surface of the diaphragm h giving it and the connected printing device f
a concave curvature as best shown in Figure 5 while by pressing the adjusting
diaphragm towards the supporting diaphragm or bed h the air in the chamber will
be compressed and will force the said diaphragm h outward into a convex shape as
shown in Figure 4. Thus by properly regulating the adjusting diaphragm the
supporting diaphragm and printing device can be brought to the proper curvature to
produce a uniform even contact between the printing device and the surface of the
article to be printed, whether the latter be concave or convex or of greater or less
curvature; and a clear, sharp and undistorted impression may thus be produced on a
curved surface, a result which is difficult or impossible to attain from a printing device
having a plane surface.
While a printing apparatus of this kind is especially valuable for producing
impressions on curved surfaces, it is obvious that it may also be used advantageously
for printing on flat surfaces.
Further it is not necessary that the curve of the printing surface should be exactly
the same as that of the surface to be printed and for printing large surfaces it is
desirable that the curvature should be slightly different so that the surface will come
in contact at the middle first, and then as the printing device is pressed down upon
the surface to be printed the other parts will come in contact successively. For
example, in printing a large flat surface the printing device should be made slightly
convex so that when pressed down it will touch at the centre first and the line of
contact will gradually spread to the outer edge of the surfaces.
The air pressure at the rear of the printing surface will produce a substantially
uniform pressure over the entire printing surface, and the effect will be similar to that
of passing a roller over the rear surface of a printing device mounting on a somewhat
flexible diaphragm, such for instance as a stretched fabric, except that the contact will
be more uniform throughout the entire surface when the printing device is acted upon
by air pressure than when acted upon by any kind of mechanical pressure derived
from a solid roller or platten.

page_text: For printing on a large convex surface the curvature of the concave printing device
may be slightly less than that of the surface to be printed and for printing on a large
concave surface, the surface of the printing device should be slightly greater than
that of the surface to be printed in order to effect a contact first at the centre and then
progressively towards the outer edges of the surface to be printed.
It is obvious that the Invention so far as relates to a flexible bed, combined with an
adjusting diaphragm and means for adjusting the same, is not limited to any specific
construction of the apparatus in which it is used although the apparatus shown is
convenient and capable of producing work of high quality.
The bed-plate e of the holder is shown as provided with yielding supports e³ and
the jaws e have overhanging lips et against which the edges of the article A see
Figures 4 and 5 to be printed are held bringing the upper surface of the said article
into the proper position with relation to the imprinting device.
When the article has been brought to the proper position and the surface of the
printing device provided with material to form the impression the inner frame mis
turned to the full line position Figure 2 and then the frame k is pressed downward
bringing the printing device into direct contact with the surface of the article to be
printed.
The downward movement of the frame k and printing device may be limited by the
adjustable stops o and the said frame may be raised or retracted by springs p bearing
on the inner frame m and engaging with brackets p¹ on the outer frame k. Stops p²
limit the upward movement of the outer frame k.
By having the outer frame k movable in the inner frame m the printing device is
guided in a direct line towards and from the surface to be printed thus making a
uniform impression, and the outer frame & and printing device is normally held at
such height in the inner frame m that the printing device will not reach the surface
to be printed when the inner frame m is turned on its hinges to the full line position
since if the contact were made in such hinging movement the impression would not
be direct and square but would be more or less dragged or distorted.
When the frame i is circular as shown the curvature of the middle portion of
the diaphragm h will be substantially spherical, but by making the said frame oval,
the curvature may be made to correspond with that of a convex or concave ovaĺ
article.
It is not necessary that the upper part of the chamber above the diaphragm h
should be made as a diaphragm, nor that the said chamber should contain air, as a
liquid or any fluid would answer to transmit a uniform pressure to the diaphragm h
and thus produce a suitable curvature in said diaphragm, when the pressure on one or
the other side thereof is increased.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
The combination of the printing device with a supporting platen composed of a
flexible elastic diaphragm and supporting frame, and a second elastic diaphragm on
said frame forming with the first a tight chamber and adjusting devices for controlling
the position of the second diaphragm, and thereby governing the shape or curvature
of the first diaphragm, substantially as described.
Dated this in day or March lððð.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.