IM- PROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINERY, CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR PRINTING ILLUSTRATED OR PICTORIAL NEWSPAPERS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINERY, CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR PRINTING
ILLUSTRATED OR PICTORIAL NEWSPAPERS." A communication from abroad by
"The Actien-Gesellschaft Maschinenfabrik Augsburg," of Augsburg, Bavaria.
Sealed the 24th October 1879, and dated the 21st July 1879.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st July 1879.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. " IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINERY,
CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR PRINTING ILLUSTRATED OR PICTORIAL NEWSPAPERS." A
communication from abroad by "The Actien-Gesellschaft Maschinenfabrik Augs-
burg," of Augsburg, Bavaria.
The said Invention relates to improvements in and connected with rotary
printing presses for printing illustrated newspapers and the like.
In the accompanying Drawings,
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a machine constructed according to this
Invention.
Figure 2 is a front view of the distributing and delivering mechanism.
Figure 3 is a side-view of Figure 2; and
Figures 4 to 9 shew the arrangement of the inking-apparatus.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawings.
The paper unrolls in the usual manner from the roll A, passes through the
moistening or damping apparatus B and the two calendering or smoothing rollers G,
and between the lower type-cylinder P, u, and the lower impression cylinder D, u,
where it receives the so-called first or inner forme on one side; then the paper
passes in between the upper impression cylinder D, o, and the upper type-cylinder P, o,
where it receives the so-called outer forme on its other side. Then the paper is
perforated at given distances between the two cutting-cylinders S1, S2, and is torn
off in single sheets by means of the two snatching rollers W¹, W. These printed
single sheets are led by means of the tapes and rollers J', J², J³, J, M, N¹, N%, to
the divider V1, V2, and to the distributing or delivering apparatus L', L², and are

page_text: laid down upon the two tables T¹, T². Each of the type cylinders has its own
inking apparatus, each apparatus being provided with one ink-reservoir or fountain
F,o, Fu, and with seven inking-rollers a, a, a, a, a, a, a, said inking-rollers
"being in communication with their ink reservoir by means of other rollers, that is
to say in the case of the upper apparatus by six composition distributing rollers.
_0¹‚_0²,-0³‚-0¹‚-0º,-0º,-eleven. metal-distributing rollers m¹, m², m³, m², m², m³, m², m³,
m², mm, and the metal fountain-roller d; and in the case of the lower apparatus
by six composition distributing rollers, ten metal distributing rollers, and the metal
-fountain-roller-This-gives-the-upper-inking apparatus-twenty-five-and-the-lower-
one twenty four rollers in all.
In order to prevent smearing from the upper impression cylinder, waste paper
travels with the paper to be printed upon; the said waste paper unrolls from the
.roller C¹, passes around the rollers x, y, and around the upper impression cylinder,
and thence around the rollers y², x², and is finally rolled upon the roller C².
The general arrangement of the machine having been indicated above I will now
proceed to describe particularly the inking-apparatus.
Each type-cylinder has seven inking-rollers a¹, a², a³, a, a, a, a7, of which four
only need be used, as illustrated in Figure 9. These inking rollers are placed in
connection with the ductor or fountain roller d (which is placed in the ink-reservoir)
by means of the metal distributing rollers and the six composition distributing
rollers o¹, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06; the roller o is provided on its circumference with a spiral
rib, as shewn in Figure 4. The metal distributing rollers m', m³, and m³ to m³,
being provided with wheels receive their rotary motion from the wheel R (fitted
upon the shaft of the type-cylinder) by means of the intermediate wheels 1, 2, 3,
5, and transmit at the same time their rotary motion to the composition
distributing rollers by means of peripheral friction. The ductor or fountain roller
receives its motion by means of the worms fitted upon the shaft of the inter-
mediate wheel, the worm wheel s¹, the worm 82 on the shaft s³, and by means of
the worm wheel s on the ductor or fountain roller d. As near as possible to the
latter the colour doctor p is arranged, and below the said doctor a rail pl is adjust-
ably arranged, so as to allow of the ink being freed from impurities while the
inachine is in motion.
The rollers m³, m³, o', o³, and o³, have in addition to their rotary motion a lateral
movement, the latter movement not being alike in all the rollers and not taking
place at the same time, so that the said rollers will arrive alternately at the end of
their lateral movement. This movement is effected by means of the levers k³, k, kö,
the latter receiving their to and fro motion by means of the excentric pivot K₁
applied to. the upper end of the shaft K2. This shaft is worked by means of the
two bevel gear wheels's. This arrangement causes the ink to be transmitted to
the type-cylinders in the finest possible layers, by this means only it will be found
possible to ensure a completely deep-black covering without running the risk
of influencing the finer details of the illustrations as regards-their-purity.
The seven inking-rollers receive the ink equally divided from the 'one ink-
reservoir in connection with them, that is to say, four inking rollers on one side and
three on the other side; this is effected by means of the roller o The ink is 'taken
from the ductor-roller by the roller m³, and is transmitted to the roller m³ by the
roller o³. In the lower inking apparatus the ink from the roller m³ is equally
distributed on one side upon the four inking rollers a', a², a³, a, by the roller o² and
the intermediate rollers, and on the other side upon the three inking rollers a³, a, a7
by the roller o and the intermediate rollers. In the upper inking apparatus the
operation is the same, but the relative position of some of the rollers is different, as
shewn, for the reason that the two 'type-cylinders revolve in opposite directions.
The uniformity of distribution is effected by the roller o taking off with its
elevations formed by the aforesaid spiral rib from the roller m³ corresponding
stripes only, the latter being transmitted to the roller m². The roller m² having
one half the diameter of the roller of the stripes of ink transmitted to the former
will not be separated from each other as they were on the roller o4; but they will

page_text: be placed closely side by side, that is to say, the roller m² will be covered with
ink uniformly on its entire surface. The stripe of ink remaining upon the
roller m³ not being taken off by the roller o' will be transmitted to the roller o²,
and thence to the roller me in the same manner as described with regard to the
transmission from the roller o¹ to the roller m².
The advantages obtained by the new and peculiar arrangement of the impression
and type cylinders as above described, that is to say, by arranging the lower type-
cylinder on one side instead of vertically below the three other cylinders, as is
generally the case, are as follows, namely:-
The inking of the lower type-cylinder can be effected in exactly the same
manner as that of the upper type cylinder. The position and the arrangement of
all the rollers are the same (excepting such alteration as is necessary in consequence
of the two type cylinders revolving in a different direction), this being of very
great importance, especially with reference to the seven inking rollers. By means
of the sidewise position of the rollers the work of attending to the lower inking
apparatus is greatly simplified. If all the four cylinders, that is to say, the two
type and the two impression cylinders, were placed vertically beneath each other,
the rollers for the lower inking apparatus would have to be arranged below the type
cylinder, which would render the work of attending to the saine very inconvenient.
The whole machine becomes lower in consequence of this new arrangement, and
consequently its upper parts also are more easily reached than they would other-
wise be.
It has hitherto been almost impossible to make use of flat engraved plates, or
those produced by the well known galvanic method for rotary printing presses.
One part of the present Invention relates to means for adapting such plates to
rotary machines, this being of the greatest importance for printing illustrated news-
papers and the like. In order to carry into practice the printing of illustrations
by means of rotary machines it is necessary to give to the "cut" or engraved plate
a permanent circular bend or curve, so that it cannot afterwards change its form.
According to this Invention the flat galvanic plate or electrotype is bent across a
heated cylinder of the form of the type-cylinder, and while the plate is being so
bent it is cooled by means of any suitable contrivance. The plate having thus
received a permanent circular form is fitted upon the type-cylinder, and will be as
firm as a flat plate in the ordinary printer's press, as there need be no fear of a
change of form occurring afterwards.
A further improvement in the rotary printing press above described is shewn in
Figures 1, 2, 3, of the Drawings, and relates to the construction of the apparatus for
taking off the sheets connected with the distributing mechanisın. The sheets come
down between the two small rollers N1, N2, and are in consequence of the rocking
or to-and-fro motion of the distributing apparatus led alternately upon the tapes VI
on the left hand side of the said apparatus, and upon the tapes V2 on the right hand
side of the same. The sheets on the right-hand side are laid down upon the
table T2 by the delivering apparatus L², and the sheets on the left-hand side are
laid down upon the table 1 by the delivering apparatus L'. The delivering
apparatus obtain their motion through the two cranks of the wheel and of the
disc by means of the rods 13, 1, and the levers 13, 1º, fitted on the two shafts
w, w². The distributing-apparatus consists of two frames formed by the two
shafts, with tape-rollers, and by the two vertical levers v³, v, united with
each by bent coupling pieces 5, and of the two tape-spindles v, v7. Tapes run
around the shafts v1, v2, and the spindles v, 27. Oscillating motion is transmitted
to the frames by the excentric tappets vs and the crank levers v³.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondents, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it under-
stood that I claim,―
First. The arrangement of the inking apparatus, substantially as shown and
described.
Second. The arrangement of the type-cylinders and impression-cylinders, the two

page_text: impression cylinders and one type-cylinder being placed vertically above one
another, whilst the other type-cylinder is arranged at the side of the lower
impression cylinder_in_combination with the inking apparatus of a rotary-printing.
press, as above described.
Third. The arrangement_for_distributing the ink from one ink-fountain or
reservoir to each distinct or separate series of inking-rollers in-combination with
a roller having a spiral-rib_formed upon its circumference, substantially as
described.
-Fourth. The combination-with-more-than-four-inking-rollers, which are in-com-
munication with the ink-reservoir by means of intermediate rollers, of each type
-cylinder, substantially as described and as shewn in the Drawings.
Fifth. The combination of the moving mechanism for the rollers of the inking-
apparatus, substantially as described and as shewn in the Drawings.
Sixth. The combination with the double delivering apparatus laying down one
sheet each on one side and one sheet each on the other side of the distributing-
apparatus moving to and fro, substantially as described and as shewn in the
Drawings.
Seventh. The combination with or application to a rotary printing-press of a
stereotype "cut" or engraved plate bent over a heated cylinder and cooled before
it is removed from the same, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.