IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR AND METHOD OF PRODUCING DESIGNS UPON PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Brown and Robert William Barnes and Joseph
Bell all of Liverpool in the County of Lancaster for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR AND METHOD OF PRODUCING DESIGNS UPON
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Brown and Robert
William Barnes and Joseph Bell at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents
on the 19th September 1883.
RICHARD BROWN, and ROBERT WILLIAM BARNES and JOSEPH BELL, all of
Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR AND
METHOD OF PRODUCING DESIGNS UPON PAPER, OR OTHER FIBROUS, OR SOFT
MATERIAL"
Our Invention relates to certain improvements in the art of producing designs
upon paper, or other fibrous, or soft material, such as leather, metal foils and the
like, such designs in the first instance being produced by the art of photography.
Prior to this our Invention the following method has been practised, namely a
design has been produced in relief by photography upon gelatine in the usual
manner and this design has been placed on a sheet of paper, or other fibrous, or
soft material and the two have been passed between press rollers with the result
that the parts of the design in relief have compressed the paper rendering the
compressed part more transparent, when viewed by transmitted light, so that
the design became so to speak like a water mark in the paper, Embossed designs
have also been produced by a like process upon paper, leather, metal foils, or the
like. The practice of this process is however open to objections, inasmuch as the
gelatine being of a brittle nature its life is limited and this limits the repro-
duction in quantities from the same gelatine, and the cost of reproducing the
gelatine adds considerably to the cost of the process.
Now the object of our Invention is to produce a relief of like nature to the
gelatine relief and to be used for the same purposes, but on a substance_that will
not be liable to destruction in use. To effect this object according to our Invention,

page_text: we take a sheet of metal, such as thin sheet steel and we cover the surface of the
sheet with a coating of what is known to photographers as sensitive bitumen, or
equivalent composition. We then expose the so prepared sheet of steel, which has
first been dried to light, under a transparent photographic negative, or positive
picture, upon which the required design has been obtained in the usual way. The
result is that the design is reproduced on the sensitive bitumen, namely it is
printed by light on the bitumen, the action of the light having hardened the
exposed portion, while that portion which has been covered, or protected by the
shades of the picture, or design remains soluble. We then take the sheet of steel
and develop the photograph thereon as usually practised in developing photographs
and wash away the soluble portions of the bitumen. We thus have the sheet of
steel with a picture, or design on its surface in bitumen.
After the picture, or design is so developed, namely when the soluble portion
of the bitumen has been washed away we take the sheet of steel and etch the
exposed parts by suitable acids, or chemical solutions as usual in the art of photo
etching. This photo-etching operation causes the picture, or design to be engraved
so to speak on the steel sheet. We then remove the bitumen from the sheet and
we have the picture or design in relief, or intaglio upon the steel sheet. To produce
pictures, or designs from half tone pictures, or designs upon steel sheets, we firet
prepare the transparent picture, or photograph in the manner patented to us on
15th March 1883 N° 1380, namely we give the transparency a grained, lined,
or hatched surface which is transmitted with the picture, or design to the steel
Bheet.
Having thus produced the design upon the steel plate either in intaglio, or in
relief, we pass the same in combination with such sheets of paper, leather metal
foil, or the like, as we wish to impress with the watermark effect, or embossed
effect as the case may be through a pair of hard steel rolls and where large
quantities have to be obtained we affix the steel sheet, or plate, having upon its
surface the design produced by the method before stated, and fasten it upon one
of the rollers, so that the paper, leather, metal foil, or the like may be passed
rapidly through either in single sheets, or from the web, or roll.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Richard Brown and Robert William Barnes and Joseph Bell in
the Patent Office on the 18th March 1884.
RICHARD BROWN and ROBERT WILLIAM BARNES, and JOSEPH BELL, all of
Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS FOR AND,
UPON PAPER, OR OTHER FIBROUS OR SOFT
METHOD OF PRODUCING DESIGNS
MATERIAL
Our Invention relates to certain improvements in the art of producing designs
upon paper, or other fibrous, or soft material, such as leather, metal foils and the
like, such designs in the first instance being produced by the art of photography.
Prior to this our Invention the following methods have been practised to produce
designs upon paper, cloth, or other fibrous, or soft material and upon metallic
surfaces, namely in the year 1878 Letters Patent of Great Britain N° 2912 were
granted for an Invention which produced by the aid of photography and by a
special treatment of the materials employed gelatine reliefs (from photographs) of
such hardness as to be capable of reproducing in paper, or other material, water
marks, or semi transparent representations of any subject capable of being
photographed. These representations could also be reproduced in relief, or in
intaglio upon fibrous, or soft materials, by embossing such materials with the
gelatine relief. In the year 1879 Letters Patent for Great Britain N° 3760 were
granted for an Invention for producing designs in relief, or in intaglio upon
surfaces of sheets of tin foil, or other soft, or ductile metal by submitting such
thin metallic sheet whilst in contact with the gelatinous relief to a sufficient
pressure in a suitable press. In the year 1883 Letters Patent for Great Britain'
N° 3476 were granted to R. Brown, R. W. Barnes and J. Bell for an Invention for
producing designs on paper, or fibrous, or soft material, or upon metallic surfaces
by forming a mould from a gelatine photographic picture and casting a metal plate
from such mould which metal plate is used for impressing the design into the
paper, or other soft material. This Invention also provided for the use of a photo
etched zinc plate to be used for producing designs upon paper, cloth, or other
fibrous, or soft materials, or upon metallic surfaces.
The practice of the above described processes is however open to objection,
inasmuch as the gelatine being of a brittle nature its life is limited and this limits
the reproduction in quantities from the same gelatine and the cost of reproducing
the gelatine adds considerably to the cost of the process. When metal plates are
used produced from gelatine reliefs as above described such metal plates have neces-
sarily to be made of soft metal and are not suitable for use in compressing paper
and materials of a like nature.
Now the object of our present Invention is to produce a relief of like nature to
the gelatine relief, or metal plate relief above described and to be used for the same
purposes, such relief being in a substance that will not be so liable to destruction
in use. To effect this object according to our Invention we take a sheet of hard
metal such as steel and we cover the surface of this steel, or other hard metal with
a coating of what is known to photographers as sensitive bitumen, or with an
equivalent composition. We then expose the so prepared steel, or other hard
metal to light under a photographic negative, or positive picture upon which
the required design has been obtained in the usual way. The result is that
the design is reproduced on the sensitive surface, namely, it is printed by light
on the sensitive surface, the action of the light having hardened the exposed
portion, while that portion which has been covered or protected by the shades
of the picture, or design, remains soluble. We then take the steel, or other
hard metal and develop the photograph thereon as usually practised and wash

page_text: away the soluble portions. We thus have the steel, or other hard metal with the
picture, or design on its surface. After the picture, or design is so develloped,
namely when the soluble portion has been washed away, we take the steel, or other
hard metal and etch the exposed parts by suitable acids, or chemicals as usually
practised in the art of photo etching. This operation causes the picture, or design
to be engraved so to speak on the steel, or other hard metal. We then remove tho
bitumen or other medium from the sheet and we have the picture, or design, in
relief, or in intaglio upon the steel, or other hard metal.
To produce pictures, or designs from half tone pictures, or designs upon the
steel, or other hard metal, we prepare the negative, or positive photograph in a
manner such as patented to us on 15th March 1883 N° 1380 namely we give the
photograph a grained, lined, or hatched surface, which as transmitted with the
picture, or design and photo etched upon the steel, or other metal.
Having thus produced the picture, or design upon the steel, or other metal plate
either in relief, or in intaglio, we pass the steel, or other metal plate in combination
with such sheets of paper, leather, metal foil, or the like, as we wish to impress
with the water mark effect, or embossed effect, as the case may be through a pair
of, preferably, hard steel rollers, and where large quantities of the subject have to
be produced, the steel, or other metal plate or sheet, having upon its surface the
design is affixed upon one of the rollers so that the paper, leather, metal foil, or
the like may be passed rapidly through, either in single sheets, or from the web,
or roll. In lieu of applying the pressure by rollers, the pressure can be obtained
by a screw, or other press, but the process is slower.
Having now described our Invention and shown how the same may be carried
out, we would have it clearly understood that we make no claim to the process of
photo etching on metals as herein referred to, nor do we confine ourselves to the
use of steel, as we may use copper, brass, or other hard metals, and using in the
etching process different and suitable mordants what we claim as our Invention
and secured to us by the herein before in part recited Letters Patent is
In the production of designs upon paper, or other fibrous, or soft material, such
as leather, metal foils and the like, the use of hard metal such as steel, in sheets,
plates, or blocks, which sheets, plates, or blocks have been photo etched with the
picture, or design as setforth.
In Witness whereof, we the said Richard Brown, and Robert William Barnes
and Joseph Bell have hereunto set our hands and seals this fifteenth day of March,
in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty four.
DICUD PRONTAL