AN IMPROVEMENT IN OR APPLICABLE TO PRINTING MACHINES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Festus Kelly, of the Post Office Directory
Printing Offices, Little Queen Street, in the County of Middlesex, for an
Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN OR APPLICABLE TO PRINTING MACHINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Festus Kelly at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th April 1881.
EDWARD FESTUS KELLY, of the Post Office Directory Printing Offices, Little
Queen Street, in the County of Middlesex. AN IMPROVEMENT IN OR APPLICABLE
TO PRINTING MACHINES."
"
The object of this Invention, which relates to an improvement in or applicable
to printing machines, is to obviate the present necessity for frequently removing
the usual travelling "set off sheets," owing to their becoming moistened and
besmeared with printing ink as they are carried round by the impression cylinder
in contact with the printed sheets, and which removal is at present necessary in
order to prevent them when in this condition from spoiling the impressions of the
succeeding printed sheets by transferring any ink thereto.
<<
The present improvement is especially applicable to what are known as
perfecting" printing machines, that is, printing machines in which both sides
of the paper are impressed at one operation or passage through the machine, and it
consists in the provision of simple means for effecting the heating and continuous
partial drying of the said "set off" sheets, so that as they revolve with the
impression cylinder and the printed sheets, though they at the time are continuously
being moistened and receive a portion of the ink from the latter, they are, imme-
diately they are freed therefrom in the delivery of the printed sheets, passed over
or around a suitably disposed heated and drying surface, which so far dries them
as to prevent them transferring any ink onto or spoiling any of the succeeding
printed sheets.
A very advantageous way of carrying my Invention into effect consists in
arranging and placing a hollow cylinder or roller, or a hollow piece with a flat or

page_text: rounded heating surface transversely of the machine, that is, parallel with the
impression cylinder, so that the "set off sheets" as they leave the latter cylinder,
and before they again come in contact therewith, are caused to pass or travel over
such surface, and I cause them to be sufficiently dried in thus passing thereover to
obtain the object of my Invention by admitting steam or hot air to the said hollow
cylinder or piece; or by the use of jets of gas within the same, or by the use of
any other suitable heating medium admitted thereto.
In large machines one or more of such heating and drying surfaces or of their
equivalents may be used, as required, to attain the desired object, and if required
the said surfaces may be formed or provided with any suitable guides to ensure the
correct travelling of the "set off sheets."

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Edward Festus Kelly in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th October 1881.
EDWARD FESTUS KELLY, of the Post Office Directory Printing Offices, Little
Queen Street, in the County of Middlesex. "AN IMPROVEMENT IN OR APPLICABLE
TO PRINTING MACHINES."
The objects of this Invention, which relates to an improvement in or applicable
to printing machines, are to obviate the present necessity for frequently removing
the usual travelling "set-off sheets," owing to their becoming moistened and
besmeared with printing ink as they are carried round by the impression cylinder
or cylinders in contact with the printed sheets, and which removal is at present
necessary in order to prevent them when in this condition from spoiling the
impressions of the succeeding printed sheets by transferring any ink or color
thereonto, and to provide a more effective arrangement and combination of means
for attaining the desired object than is referred to in the Specification of certain
Letters Patent, No. 372072, granted to David Servante, junior, on the 7th day of
December A.D. 1872.
In the Specification referred to, and which has been brought to my knowledge
since the filing of my Provisional Specification, there is described (or rather referred
to) a mode of attaining the above mentioned object by directly heating the
impression-cylinders, or by the use of a separate heated cylinder, but how this
separate cylinder is adapted or fitted is not mentioned. I however wish it to be
understood that I do not lay any claim to that mode of attaining the desired
object.
In experimentally practising my Invention I have found that the simple use of a
single drying cylinder is not efficacious in attaining the desired object, as the " set-
off sheets are not sufficiently long in contact therewith at a time to receive
sufficient heat to sufficiently dry them, and I have found that this difficulty is
overcome by making the heating and drying surface not as a cylinder but with a
flat or other suitably disposed and more distended fixed surface; or by using two
or more of such beating and drying surfaces in combination in such a manner as
that both sides of the travelling "set-off sheets" are acted upon or subjected to
the heated drying surfaces, first the one side to one thereof, and then the other side
to the other thereof. I therefore wish it to be understood that I limit my claim
under my hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent to the use and application of
such improved arrangements and combinations of means substantially as (and for
the purpose) hereinafter more fully described), and in manner of way do I lay
any claim to the heating of the impression-cylinders, or to the use of a separate
cylinder, as described or referred to in the hereinbefore referred to Specification of
Servante's Patent.
A very advantageous way of carrying my Invention into practical effect is
illustrated on the accompanying Sheets of explanatory Drawings in Figs. 1 & 2.
These Figs. illustrate respectively in end view and in side view the use in
combination of two hollow cylinders 1, 2, which may be of different diameters, as
illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, or of the same diameter as illustrated in Fig. 3, and
which are so arranged parallel with the impression cylinders 3 as that the "set-off
sheets "4 pass in contact with each of them, so that the one side thereof is firstly
acted upon, and the other side immediately thereafter.
The cylinder 1, with which the "set-off sheets" first come in contact, is capable
of revolving to avoid tearing of the sheets, and it is mounted in end runners 5,
carried by a bracket 9, bolted at 10 to the side frames 6 of the printing machine,

page_text: and the cylinder 2 is also mounted in or carried by the bracket 9, but is not capablo
of revolving. The cylinders are each supplied with steam, hot air, or any other
suitable heating medium, by means of an arrangement of tubing 7, the tubing 8
conducting the same way.
When using other than cylindrical heating surfaces I prefer that they should
both be fixed, and I then make them of such a contour as that the "set-off sheets "
in travelling thereover shall have a comparatively extended traverse in contact
therewith, and shall thus be sufficiently dried to obtain the above mentioned
object.
It will thus be seen that as the "set-off sheets" revolve with the impression-
cylinder and the printed sheets, though they at the time are continuously being
moistened and receive a portion of the ink from the latter, they are, immediately
they are freed therefrom in the delivery of the printed sheets, passed over or around
the heated drying cylinders, both sides being acted upon, and they are thus so far
and sufficiently dried as to be prevented from transferring any ink onto or spoiling
any of the succeeding printed sheets.
The herein before described improvement is especially applicable or of especial
utility when adapted to what are known as "perfecting" printing machines, that
is, printing machines in which both sides of the paper are impressed at one operation
or passage through the machine; and as regards the treatment of the "set off
sheets" at the time of being dried, it is similar to that of the paper being printed,
first one side being acted upon and then the other.
:
Having now described the nature and objects of my said Invention, together
with the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into
practical effect, I would remark in conclusion that what I consider to be novel' and
original and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in
part recited Letters Patent is,―
"
The provision and application to printing machines, for the purpose of drying
the travelling ".set-off sheets," of two or more heated drying surfaces in combina-
tion, in such a manner as that both sides of the "set-off sheets are subjected to
the heated drying surfaces, substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated
on the accompanying Sheets of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Festus Kelly, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty-one.