AN IM- PROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS POR FACILITATING THE OPERATION OF CERTAIN KINDS OF PRINTING FROM ENGRAVED PLATES, CYLINDERS, LITHO GRAPHIC STONES, LETTER-PRESS, BLOCKS, AND OTHER LIKE SURFACES
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Gourley Russell, of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, General Printer, for the Invention of "AN IM-
PROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS POR FACILITATING THE OPERATION OF
CERTAIN KINDS OF PRINTING FROM ENGRAVED PLATES, CYLINDERS, LITHO
GRAPHIC STONES, LETTER-PRESS, BLOCKS, AND OTHER LIKE SURFACES."
Sealed the 19th April 1861, and dated the 22nd October 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Gourley Russell
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 22nd October 1860.
I, CHARLES GOURLEY RUSSELL, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,,
General Printer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for,
"AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE OPERATION OF
CERTAIN KINDS OF PRINTING FROM ENGRAVED PLATES, CYLINDERS, LITHOGRAPHIC
STONES, LETTER-PRESS, BLOCKS, AND OTHER LIKE SURFACES," to be as follows
(that is to say)-
L
This Invention relates chiefly to the class of work known as overlay printing,
that is, when more than one sheet is printed upon at a time, and is generally,
used in the printing of bill headings, note headings, copybook headings, goods
labels with fly-leaves, and other like printing, where only a portion of the
sheets are printed, upon. Overlay printing is at present performed by laying
down by hand each single sheet in succession, one after the other, upon the

page_text: surface to be printed from, which has to be done with great care to insure
impression being taken on the proper position on the sheets, and which
operation takes up a considerable portion of the printer's time.
Now, this Invention consists, firstly, in laying and securing the required
number of sheets of paper to be used at one operation in the proper position
previous to being laid on to the surface to be printed from, and which may be
done by means of a vertical moveable guide plate graduated by lines in the
ordinary way, or by means of vertical serrated grooves cut in the side thereof,
and having at one end thereof and at a right angle to the graduated surface
a vertical stop plate, a board being laid down within the right angle formed
the guide and stop plate. The operator commences to lay down the sheets to
be printed in sets, one above another, until he finds they begin to rise in the
middle so as to make it inconvenient to continue the operation; then he takes
two wedge-shaped blocks and lays one on each end of the sheets with their
thin ends towards each other; he then commences again to lay down the
sheets in the desired order, one set above another as before, and continues to
do so until the centre of the pile becomes again inconveniently high, when he
again introduces another pair of wedges, and continues repeating the operation
as before until the pile is completed. One or more moveable angle pieces
may be used to encase the exposed side and end of the pile of sheets, and
which fender pieces may be attached to the vertical graduated scale and the
stop plate. The pile having attained sufficient dimensions, pressure is applied,
when the guards and scale piece and so forth may be removed. One side of
the pile is then coated with a solution of gum or other suitable adhesive
substance, and after it is sufficiently dry the pressure is removed from the
pile, and the layers or sets of sheets intended to be printed at one operation
are separated from each other by a suitable blade introduced between the sets
of sheets, by which means each set of sheets intended to be printed at one
operation is divided from each other, but leaving the sheets to be printed
attached to each other, when they are ready for the printer, who lays down
the whole of the sets of sheets to be printed at one operation as if they were
only a single sheet.
It is preferred, in some instances, to construct a vertical guide plate, the
stop piece, and fender pieces described in such a way as to allow of their being
elevated as the "bank" or pile of placed sheets increases in thickness; or the
pile may be depressed bodily in such a way as to keep the upper sheet at the
required elevation..
When a large amount of work is required to be performed, the Inventor
substitutes an apparatus (herein-after described) for laying down and arranging

page_text: the sheets previous to being attached together, which obviates the necessity of
laying the sheets down by hand, as already described. To accomplish this
part of the Invention the Inventor makes use of a number of pieces of india-
rubber or other elastic or semi-elastic material, which travel round a centre
and impinge upon the upper surface of the upper sheet of the "bank" of
paper to be laid down in the order herein-before described. These pieces of
india-rubber or other suitable material have the effect of drawing forward the
upper sheet of paper, and depositing it upon an endless travelling band, by
which it is carried into a board which forms an inclined plane, down which
the sheet slides until the lower edge of the sheet is arrested by a fixed
horizontal transverse stop piece mounted across the surface of a reciprocating
table, where it is laid hold of by, say, a pair of weighted levers falling upon it,
after which the inclined plane upon which the rear end of the sheet still rests
is tilted up to allow the sheet to fall down beneath it, after which the inclined
plane returns to its former position ready to receive the next sheet. In the
meantime the reciprocating table has advanced the required distance, and is
again stopped to receive the next sheet, and so on, until the set of sheets to be
printed at one operation are laid down, after which the table returns to its
first position. The table which carries the sheets to be laid is so arranged as
to elevate the "bank" as the sheets are drawn off by the india-rubber fingers,
and the reciprocating table which carries the arranged sheets is depressed for
the purpose of keeping the upper sheets at the proper elevation. The wedge
pieces described are laid by the attendant of the apparatus from time to time
as required, and in some cases a board or boards may be used at intervals to
cover the arranged sheets..
It will be readily seen that the last-described part of this Invention may be
conveniently and advantageously applied as a means of feeding the sheets of
naner to printing machines generally.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed'
by the said Charles Gourley Russell in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 22nd April 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
GOURLEY RUSSELL,, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, General
Printer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing, date the Twenty-second day of October, in the year of our

page_text: Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Iler heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Charles Gourley Russell, IIer special license that I, the said Charles
Gourley Russell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Charles Gourley Russell, 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 "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE OPERATION
OF CERTAIN KINDS OF PRINTING FROM ENGRAVED PLATES, CYLINDERS, LITHOGRAPHIC
STONES, LETTER-PRESS, BLOCKS, AND OTHER LIKE SURFACES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Charles Gourley Russell, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, 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 Charles Gourley Russell, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement (that is to say):-
This my said Invention relates chiefly to the class of work known as overlay
printing, that is, when more than one sheet is printed upon at a time, and is
generally used in the printing of bill-headings, note-headings, copybook
headings, goods labels with fly-leaves, and other like printing, where only a
portion of the sheets are printed upon. .Overlay printing is at present per-
formed by laying down by hand each single sheet in succession, one after the
other, upon the surface to be printed from, which has to be done with great
care to insure the impression being taken on the proper position on the sheets,
and which operation takes up a considerable portion of the printer's time.
Now this my said Invention consists, firstly, in laying and securing the
required number of sheets of paper to be used at one operation in the proper
position previous to being laid on to the surface to be printed from, and which
may be done by means of a vertical moveable guide plate, graduated.by lines
in the ordinary way, or by means of vertical serated grooves cut in. the side
thereof, and having at one end thereof, and at a right-angle to the graduated
surface, a vertical stop plate, a board being laid down within the right angle

page_text: formed by the guide and stop plate. The operator commences to lay down
the sheets to be printed in sets, one above another, until he finds they begin to
rise in the middle, so as to make it inconvenient to continue the, operation;
then he takes two wedge-shaped blocks of vulcanized india-rubber, or other
suitable material, and lays one on each end of the sheets with their thin ends
towards each other; he then commences. again to lay down the sheets in the
desired order, one set above another, as before, and continues to do so until
the centre of the pile becomes again inconveniently high,..when he again
introduces another pair of wedges, and continues repeating the operation as
before until the pile is completed. One or more moveable. angle pieces may
be used to encase the exposed side and end of the pile of sheets, and which
fender pieces may be attached to the vertical graduated scale, and the end stop
plate. The pile having attained sufficient dimensions, pressure is applied,
when the guards and scale piece and so forth. may be removed. One side of
the pile is then coated with a solution of gum or other suitable adhesive
substance; and after it is sufficiently dry, the pressure is removed from the
pile, and the layers or sets of sheets intended to be printed at one operation
are separated from each other by a suitable blade introduced between the sets
of sheets, by which means each set of sheets intended to be printed at one
operation is divided from the other, but leaves the sheets to be printed together
attached to each other, when they are ready for the printer, who, lays down.
the whole of the set of sheets to be printed at .one operation, as if they were
only a single sheet.
I prefer, in some instances, to construct the vertical guide plate, the stop
piece, and fender pieces described, in such a way as to allow of their. being
elevated as the "bank" or pile of placed sheets increases in thickness, or the
pile may be depressed bodily in such a way as to keep the upper sheet at the
required elevation.
When a large amount of work is required to be performed,, I substitute an
apparatus (berein-after described) for laying down and arranging the sheets.
previous to being attached together, which obviates the necessity of laying the
sheets down by hand; as already described. To accomplish this part of my
said Invention I make use of a number of pieces of india-rubber or other
elastic or semi-elastic material, which travel round a centre, and impinge upon
the upper surface of the upper sheet of the "bank" of paper to be laid down
in the order herein-before described. These pieces of india-rubber or other
suitable material have the effect of drawing forward the upper sheet of the
paper, and depositing it. upon a corrugated inclined plane, down which it
slides by its own gravitation until the lower edge of the sheet is arrested by a

page_text: fixed horizontal transverse stop piece mounted across the surface of a recipro-
cating table, where it is laid hold of by, say, a pair of weighted levers, or their
mechanical equivalents, falling upon it, after which the inclined plane upon
which the rear end of the sheet still rests is tilted up to allow the sheet to fall
down beneath it, after which the inclined plane returns to its former position
ready to receive the next sheet; in the mean time the reciprocating table has
advanced the required distance, and is again stopped to receive the next sheet,
and so on, until the set of sheets to be printed at one operation is laid down,
after which the table returns to its first position. The table which carries the
sheets to be laid is so arranged as to elevate the "bank" as the sheets are
drawn off by the india-rubber fingers, and the reciprocating table which carries
the arranged sheets is depressed for the purpose of keeping the upper sheets at
the proper elevation. The wedge pieces described are laid by the attendant
of the apparatus from time to time, as required, and in some cases a board or
boards may be used at intervals to cover the arranged sheets.
It will be readily seen that the last described part of this my said Invention
may be conveniently and advantageously applied as a means of feeding the
sheets of paper to printing machines generally.
That this my said Invention may be the more readily understood, I have
hereunto annexed Drawings (on a scale of one and a half inches to the foot)
in partial illustration of one modification of my machine for arranging paper
mechanically; like letters and figures marked thereon have reference to similar
parts.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine; Figure 2 an end elevation,
and Figure 3 a top view or plan of the same; Figure 4 is a sectional
elevation of the "bank" or feed table, and the inclined plane down which the
sheets slide on to the transverse reciprocating table, upon which they are
deposited; Figure 5 is a partial side elevation of the horizontal transverse
reciprocating table, shewing the position of and the mode of working the
automic arms used to hold the paper in position. A, the fixed frame of the
machine; B, the "bank" or feed table, upon which the paper to be arranged
is laid, and which can be placed at any required angle, (for smooth paper is
more readily separated and removed than that of a rough texture) by means
of 6, a vertical set screw acting against the bed of the table; C, the upper
part of the inclined plane, which is a fixture, and at its inner transverse edge
is formed with a small reverse incline; C¹, the lower part of the inclined
plane which is hinged to the upper fixed portion by c, a transverse joint; D.
the frame of the table; e, the plane of the table upon which the paper is
deposited in the order ad seriatum, and which is elevated or depressed as

page_text: off in like manner, and so on for the whole set, after which a stud piece
attached to the table comes in contact with the vertical rod R and turns
it so as to withdraw the friction cone T and bring into action the friction
cone on the ratchet wheel so as to give motion to the pully I, which by
its attendant gear herein-before described causes the table to return to its
first position. These motions are continued until the sheets on the recipro-
cating table have risen sufficiently high to require the introduction of a
pair of wedges, the thin ends pointing to each other for the purpose of
equalizing the surface to receive a further quantity of sheets, and so on, until
the table is full, when pressure is applied to the heap, when they are removed
from the machine to be gummed on one of the edges, or otherwise treated.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of this my said
Invention, and the best means I am aware of to carry the same into practice,
I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details
or relative dimensions, as it will be readily seen, by those skilled in the art,
that the same may be considerably modified and varied without departing
from the Invention, but what I claim as new and my Invention is,-
Firstly, arranging sheets of paper mechanically as herein-before described.
Secondly, the use of wedge pieces to equalize the surface of piles of sheets
of paper arranged substantially and in the manner as herein-before described
and set forth.
Thirdly, the mode of attaching sheets of paper together in sets substantially
and in the manner and for the purposes herein-before described and set forth,
or any mere modification of the same.
And lastly, the combination and arrangement of the various parts of the
machine herein-before described for facilitating the arranging of sheets of paper
herein-before described and set forth, or any mere inodification of the same.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Gourley Russell, have hereunto set
my hand and affixed my seal, this Twentieth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
CHARLES GOURLEY (L.s.) RUSSELL.
Witness,
WILLIAM WALKER,
of 44, Castle Street,
Liverpool.