Improvements in Printing Machines, Bronzing Machines, and other Machines of the like Kind.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Dec., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Sept., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 5th Oct., 1888
501
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Printing Machines, Bronzing Machines, and other
Machines of the like Kind.
I, WILLIAM BREWER SILVERLOCK, of Blackfriars Road, in the County of Surrey,
Printer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to printing machines, bronzing machines, and other machines
of the like kind, in which a revolving cylinder is used round which sheets of paper or
other flexible material are carried, the edge of such sheets being gripped at the proper
moment by grippers" automatically worked by the machine itself which grippers
release the sheet when it has been carried sufficiently round the cylinder and has
reached the point at which it is to be delivered from the machine.
*
In such machines it has been usual to make a recess in the periphery of the
cylinder, in which recess the "grippers" operate, which recess is liable to accumulate
dirt and dust, and my present invention has for its object a novel method of
construction by which the ordinary recess is avoided, freedom from dust and dirt is
insured and the edge of the paper or other sheet is firmly held for its full width until
the time when it is released.
For this purpose I use a suitable cylinder, preferably of metal, having only a
shallow groove across its periphery parallel with the axle. In this groove the edges
of which are bevelled gradually off, fits a metal strip, which when in its place leaves
the entire circumference of the cylinder continuous. One edge of the strip serves as
a gripper which holds the edge of the sheet between itself and the corresponding edge
of the groove, which groove has preferably a strip or cord of india rubber or other
soft material let into it against which the edge of the sheet is held.
The holding strip is carried by two or more studs or bars passing through holes in
the periphery of the cylinder, the upper ends being fixed to the holding strip whilst
the lower ends are screwed or bolted to a transverse bar arranged inside the periphery
of the cylinder and having its ends working in radial guides. These ends are then
pivotted in blocks working in slots at the ends of short levers turning upon centres
fixed inside the periphery of the cylinder and having at their other ends one or more

page_text: arms carrying friction rollers which work upon a suitable fixed cam or cams, so that
as the cylinder revolves the levers are actuated by the cams at the right time and in
the right manner. The friction rollers are kept against the cams by one or more
springs.
The transverse bar which carries the metal strip as described is controlled in its
movement by one or more arms on its lower side jointed to controlling arms or links
turning upon the same centre as the levers, and the holes through which the studs or
bars carrying the gripping strip pass as described are made sufficiently elongated to
allow the movement given to the latter by the arrangement of parts described, that is
to say when the cam comes into operation it lifts the strip up to a sufficient height
from the cylinder and at the same time moves it forward, so that the edge of the sheet
is released and at the same time left free to be withdrawn from the cylinder and
carried away.
As the cam ceases to operate the metal strip is first brought back by
the spring and then down until it grips the edge of a fresh sheet which has been
placed in proper position.
In order to remove the edge of the sheet from the cylinder when it is relaxed from
the pressure of the gripper, a sufficient number of moveable studs or pins are used
passing through radial holes in the cylinder under the edge of the sheet and connected
inside the circumference of the cylinder with a rod or bar carrying one or more levers
and springs and operated by a second cam in such manner that when the edge of the
sheet is released from the gripper, the pins or studs are projected from the cylinder
and raise the edge of the sheet sufficiently to be caught by revolving brushes which
direct it between rollers by which it is carried away and delivered at the proper
place.
Instead of pins or studs as described a flat plate or strip fitting into a corresponding
notch in the cylinder under the edge of the sheet may be used, this plate or strip
being carried upon the ends of studs by which it is raised in the manner described at
the proper time.
Or the plate or strip may be hinged along one of its edges, the other edge being
plain or toothed or serrated, so that when the edge of the sheet is raised by it at the
proper moment in the manner described it is more easily caught by the revolving
brushes.
EDWARDS & Co.,
35, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Printing Machines, Bronzing Machines, and other
Machines of the like Kind.
I, WILLIAM BREWER SILVERLOCK, of Blackfriars Road, in the County of Surrey
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 and accompanying drawings that is to say :-
My invention relates to printing machines, bronzing machines, and other machines
of the like kind, in which a revolving cylinder is used round which sheets of paper or
other flexible material are carried, the edges of such sheets being gripped at the
proper moment by "grippers" automatically. worked by the machine itself, which
grippers release the sheet when it has been carried sufficiently round the cylinder and
has reached the point at which it is to be delivered from the machine.
In such machines it has been usual to make a recess in the periphery of the
cylinder, in which recess the "grippers" operate, which recess is liable to accumulate
dirt and dust, and my present invention has for one of its objects a novel method of
construction by which the ordinary recess is avoided, freedom from dust and dirt is
secured and the edge of the paper or other sheet is firmly held for its full width until
the time when it is released.
In the accompanying drawings which are in illustration of my invention, figure 1
is a transverse section through the cylinder of a bronzing machine, shewing the
improved gripper.
a is a suitable cylinder, preferably of metal, having a shallow groove b across its
periphery parallel with the axle. Into this groove the edges of which are bevilled
gradually off, fits a metal strip c (extending across the cylinder a) which when in its
place leaves the entire circumference of the cylinder a continuous.
One edge of the strip serves as a gripper which holds the edge of the sheet between
itself and the corresponding edge of the groove which groove has preferably a strip or
cord of indiarubber or other soft material let into it against which the edge of the
sheet is held.
The holding strip is carried by two or more studs or bars d passing through the
periphery of the cylinder a the upper ends being fixed to the holding stripe whilst
their lower ends are screwed or bolted to a transverse bar e arranged inside the
periphery of the cylinder a and having its ends working in radial guides. These ends
are then pivotted in blocks working in slots at the ends of short levers or arms f
turning upon centres y fixed inside the periphery of the cylinder a and having at their
other ends one or more arms / carrying rollers, which work upon a suitable fixed cam
or cams so that as the cylinder revolves the levers are actuated by the cams at the
right time and in the right manner in the ordinary well known way. The friction
rollers are kept against the cams by one or more springs k.
The transverse bar e which carries the metal strip c as described is controlled in its
movement by one or more arms on its lower side jointed to controlling arms or links ¿

page_text: turning upon the same centres as the levers f, and the holes through which the studs
or bars carrying the gripping strip c pass as described, are made sufficiently
elongated to allow the movement given to the latter by the arrangement of parts
described, that is to say, when the cam comes into operation it lifts the strip c up to a
sufficient height from the cylinder a and at the same times moves it forward, so that
the edge of the sheet is released and at the same time left free to be withdrawn from
the cylinder a and carried away. As the cam ceases to operate the metal strip c is
first brought back by the spring k and then down until it grips the edge of a fresh
sheet which has been placed in proper position.
In order to remove the edge of the sheet from the cylinder a when it is released
from the pressure of the grippere a sufficient number of moveable studs or pins m¹
are used passing through radial holes in the cylinder a under the edge of the sheet
and connected inside the circumference of the cylinder a (as shewn in figure 4) with
a rod or bar s drawn down by a spring or springs and operated by a second cam in
such manner that when the edge of the sheet is released from the gripper the pins or
studs are projected from the cylinder and raise the edge of the sheet sufficiently to be
caught by revolving brushes (indicated at r figure 2) which direct it over or between
rollers or grippers by which it is carried away and delivered at the proper
place.
Instead of pins or studs as described a flat plate or strip fitting into a corresponding
notch in the cylinder under the edge of the sheet may be used, this plate or strip
being carried upon the ends of studs by which it is raised in the manner described at
the proper time.
Or the plate or strip c may be hinged along one of its edges, the other edge being
plain or toothed or serrated, so that when the edge of the sheet is raised by it at the
proper moment in the manner described it is more easily caught by the revolving
brushes 7.
Figure 2 shews a somewhat different arrangement of the gripper and of the devices
by which the paper is supplied to the cylinder a and is withdrawn after having been
bronzed or otherwise treated.
Figure 3 shews the gripper in figure 2 upon a larger scale.
The gripper consists of a transverse plate or strip c, carried by one or more arms
turning upon a shaft or centre c¹.
The plate is fitted into a recess or opening in the periphery of the cylinder a and is
of such shape that when closed it fills the opening in the cylinder, the periphery of
which is then continuous as shewn in figure 3. On the other hand when the plate e
is open it allows the edge of the sheet of paper to be introduced between itself and the
edge of the recess. The strip or plate c is opened and closed at the proper times in
the ordinary way by means of toothed levers and wheels, a fixed cam and springs, or
by equivalent devices, as shewn in figure 2.
The feeding table n is shewn in figure 2 rising and falling at the proper times by
means of levers, cams, and rods, o, o, o, and a moveable stop or plate is used which
adjusts the position of the front edge of the sheet so that it may be seized by the
gripping plate c, the stop or plate being moved to or from its position to receive the
edge of the paper by means of the lovers and cans p, p, p, in figure 2. The strip or plate
is shewn closed at c in figure 2 and partly opened at el. A revolving shaft carrying
brushes is shewn at r, the brushes revolving at a suitable speed so that they catch
the edge of the paper, when it is released by the gripping strip c and raised by the
studs m³, and direct it over one or more rollers by which it is conveyed away in the
usual way.
C
A transverse strip or plate, of which the front edge may be straight, toothed, or
waved, may be carried upon the outer ends of the studs or pins m³, so as to raise the
edge of the paper for its full width.
Two or more sets of gripping strips c and of pins or studs m¹ with the actuating
devices connected with them, may be arranged round the periphery of the cylinder or
drum a at suitable distances apart, so as to operate upon sheets of paper of the
required size.

page_text: My improved apparatus may be applied to different kinds of machines, and I do
not claim the precise form and arrangement of the several parts of the apparatus,
which may be varied more or less to suit different circumstances and the purposes for
which the machine is to be used, but having now particularly described and ascer-
tained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, I declare that what I claim :-
1. The gripping strip on band c fitting into a recess in the periphery of the
cylinder a in combination with the levers, guides, cam and spring, all arranged and
operating substantially as and for the purposes described and shewn in figure 1.
2. The gripping strip or band turning upon centres in a recess or opening in the
periphery of the cylinder, and when closed completely filling such recess or opening,
the band or strip being opened and closed at the required times, substantially as and
for the purposes described and shewn in figures 2 and 3.
3. The pins or studs m³, with or without a transverse strip upon their outer ends,
rising and falling at the proper times through the periphery of the cylinder or drum a,
in combination with a revolving brush and one or more rollers or their equivalents,
for the purpose of removing the sheet of paper or other material, substantially as
described and shewn in figure 1, 2, 3, and 4.
1000
EDWARDS & Co.,
35, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Patentee.