AN IMPROVED PRINTING PRESS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Franklin Fuller, of the City and State
of New York, United States of America, now of No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, London, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED PRINTING
PRESS." A communication from abroad by John Thomas Ashley,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Franklin
Fuller at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 3rd December 1873.
I, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN FULLER, of the City and State of New York,
United States of America, now of No. 8, Southampton Buildings,
London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVED PRINTING PRESS," a communication, to be as follows:-
My said Invention relates to a printing press wherein atmospheric
pressure is utilized for holding the sheets of paper upon an impression
cylinder, and for delivering them therefrom when printed.

page_text: The said Invention is carried into practise as follows, that is to say :-
I construct a strong frame of cast iron or other suitable material, upon
which I mount the impression cylinder and other operative parts of the
press. Pipes or tubes are arranged in combination with the said
cylinder, through which pipes air is forced to blow each sheet of paper
into close contact with the face of the impression cylinder, while the
said sheet is carried around the same during the operation of printing.
The said impression cylinder is hollow, and its journal has a hole in one
end, and the periphery of the cylinder is perforated with small holes in
a row or rows lengthwise across the said cylinder. Through the opening
in its journal the air in the cylinder is exhausted, and the front edge of
the sheet of paper is drawn down upon the aforesaid row or rows of holes
by the external atmospheric pressure.
A second cylinder is arranged in combination with the said impression
cylinder, for removing the sheet of paper after it has been brought
round in the proper position on the second cylinder. This second or
taking off cylinder is constructed as follows:-It has a circular piece of
wood or metal with a slot cut longitudinally through it, and over this
slotted piece is placed a case or shell, which is capable of turning on the
This case or shell is perforated with small holes; its journal has
an opening at one end.
same.
By exhausting the air and drawing it through the holes in the case or
shell and the aforesaid slot, the sheet of the paper is forced by the external
atmospheric pressure against the perforated surface, and is thereby
delivered into the tray herein-after described. This contrivance serves
instead of the ordinary grippers for holding the sheets of paper.
A valve is placed in the air pipe at the top of the cylinder for
regulating the blast from the said pipe. This valve is pivotted to a
standard on the frame, and has an arm arranged in the path of a pro-
jection on a gear wheel on the roller journal. When this projection
strikes this arm of the valve the latter is operated to uncover the hole in
the pipe.
An inclined tray. is supported on brackets in such a position in
relation to the above-described parts of the apparatus that as the sheets
of paper are delivered from the exhausted take-off roller they fall
squarely into the said tray, two edges of the sheets being caused to settle
in the lowest corner of the same.

page_text: The said press is provided with a feed band or apron carried on the
frame, and the sheets of paper to be printed are placed in a pile on the
said feed band. Guides are arranged in combination with this feed band
to keep the paper properly in place.
The mechanism for vibrating the bed and operating the inking rollers
Laneroid frame
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Benjamin Franklin Fuller in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 23rd May 1874.
.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BENJAMIN
FRANKLIN FULLER, of the City and State of New York, United States
of America, now of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, send
greeting.
:
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of December, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Benjamin Franklin Fuller, Her special
licence that I, the said Benjamin Franklin Fuller, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Benjamin Franklin
Fuller, 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. PRINTING PRESS," a communication to me from abroad by
John Thomas Ashley, of Brooklyn, New York, United States of America,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Benjamin Franklin,
Fuller, 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

page_text: The cylinder C is hollow, and has a row of perforations i, i, extending
across it from end to end, as shown in Figures 2 and 6. The cylinder C
also has through one end a perforation 7, which at certain times is closed
by a valve. This valve 22 is arranged on the outside of the cylinder,
and its pivoted step p³, see Figure 3, has a toc p pivoted to it, and
which is held in place by a spring s. At the proper time during the
revolution of the cylinder C for opening the valve ², the outer extremity
of the toe p strikes a stop t on the frame A, thereby allowing air to enter
the cylinder C through the passage r. The springs causes the valve 1.²
to close the passager after the toe p leaves the stop t. Partially
surrounding the cylinder C is a number of pipes 9, 9', which are parallel
to the longitudinal axis of this cylinder, and are connected at their open
ends to a tubular ring G. The closed ends of the tubes g are supported
by radial arms a, and that end of the pipe g¹ which is on the same side
of the machine as the closed ends of the pipes g is supported by a
standard a¹. One end of the pipe g¹ communicates with the tubular
ring G, and the opposite end is closed at certain times by one end of a
valve n which is pivoted to the standard a¹. The opposite end of this
valve is loaded, and rests by its toe n¹ upon a cam or segment c on a
spur wheel D at one end of the cylinder C. The tubular ring G is
secured to the frame A by straps 93 or other means, and on this tubular
ring is a coupling g³ to which is attached a pipe or hose from a suitable
blast engine, by means of which air is forced through perforations in the
pipes 9, 9, and is directed toward the cylinder C.
I have represented the pipes 9 as being arranged parallel to the axis
of the cylinder C, so as to induce a blast of air toward its axis, but if
desirable segments of pipes concentric to the axis of the said cylinder
may be adopted; or nozzles may be used instead of the aforesaid
perforations.
I prefer to make the perforations through pipes g, g¹, so that the jets
of expelled air will be directed a little outward or obliquely toward each
end of the cylinder C, for the purpose of spreading the sheets smoothly
against the surface of this cylinder, and preventing the buckling or
waving of the sheets.
D³ represents a taking-off cylinder, which is arranged to nearly touch
the cylinder C, and may be of any required diameter. This cylinder has
numerous perforations; it is rotated in an opposite direction to the

page_text: a proper time to allow the adjustment of another sheet against the front
guides.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the
same, I wish it understood that I claim,―
First. A pipe or pipes applied to induce blasts of air upon the sheets
as they are moved around on the surface of the cylinder, as herein
described.
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Second. The hollow rotating impression cylinder for taking the sheets
one at a time from the feedboard, in combination with a taking-off 1
cylinder which removes the printed sheets from the impression cylinder
and delivers them into a tray, as herein described.
Third. The stationary slotted exhaustion bar and the perforated rotary
cylinder in combination with the impression cylinder, as herein
described.
Fourth. The blast pipe arranged above the front edge of the feed
table and perforated to direct blasts of air upon the top sheets while
they are being drawn off by the impression cylinder, as herein described.
Fifth. The valve opening through the head of the hollow impression
cylinder, provided with a valve and valve tripping device in combination 2
with a tubular journal and fixed tubular journal box for receiving a
hose, as herein described.
-
Sixth. The inclined tray with its sides fixed and arranged to take the
sheets directly from the rotating cylinder, and by the gravity of the
sheets alone adjust two of their edges evenly in combination with the 2
perforated discharging cylinder, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Franklin Fuller, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of April,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.
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