IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PRINTING HANKS OF YARNS OR THREADS WITH ONE OR MORE COLORS."
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Wood and John Wood, of Newton Heath,
near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PRINTING HANKS OF
YARNS OR THREADS WITH ONE OR MORE COLORS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Wood and John
Wood at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 2nd July 1867.
We, THOMAS WOOD and JOHN WOOD, of Newton Heath, near Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PRINTING
HANKS OF YARNS OR THREADS WITH ONE OR MORE COLORS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to that class of printing machines in which colors are
printed on one or both sides of the open hanks.
In the ordinary machines for printing hanks there is only one color printed
at the time, and when several colors are required the hanks have to be
removed, dried, and passed through the machine as many times as there are
colors. And one of the main objects of our Invention is to print several colors
at one operation, although the machine can be employed for one color only
when desired. We employ the ordinary grooved printing rollers with longi-
tudinal ribs of equal or different thicknesses, but instead of having only one
distributing roller with its color roller and color box we employ as many of
each as the number of colors required. The distributing rollers are formed

page_text: with projecting ribs which come in contact with the ribs of the printing
rollers, and all the rollers are driven by gearing timed so as to cause the ribs
of the various distributing rollers to constantly agree with their corresponding
ribs on the printing rollers. The hanks are placed on a creel and passed
between the printing rollers and receive the colors from them, and when two,
four, six, or more colors are to be printed one half will be printed on one side
of the hanks and the other half on the other side, the colors passing through
the material and shewing the full number of colors on both sides; but when
a strong impression of color is required the same color may be printed on
both sides. In some cases we place a number of creels on a frame which can
be turned as required, so that when the banks on one creel are printed the
frame can be turned to place another set of hanks on another creel between
the rollers, and the printed hanks removed from the creels one after the
other.
Another improvement consists in placing each set of distributing rollers,
color rollers, and color boxes on two brackets one on each side frame of the
machine. The color boxes carry the color rollers, and bearings in the bracket
carry the distributing rollers, and each set is adjusted with great facility by a
screw and nut. One printing roller and one half the sets of distributing
rollers, color rollers, and boxes are supported on levers capable of being
adjusted by screws, and the other printing roller with the other half of the
sets are supported on a hinged frame which can be turned back for placing
the hanks on the creel and removing them from it, and when the hinged
frame is closed it abuts against a part of one of the side frames and is held by
a catch. By turning the screws of the aforesaid levers the printing rollers are
pressed together with more or less pressure, and the sets of distributing
rollers, color rollers, and color boxes carried by the levers are moved at the
same time.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Wood and John Wood in the Great Seal Patent 8
Office on the 1st January 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
WOOD and JOHN WOOD, of Newton Heath, near Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, send greeting:
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 3
Patent, bearing date the Second day of July, in the year of our. Lord

page_text: One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Thomas Wood and John Wood, Her special license that we, the
said Thomas Wood and John Wood, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas Wood and John Wood,
our 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR PRINTING HANKS OF YARNS OR THREADS WITH ONE OR MORE COLORS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Thomas Wood and John Wood,
our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or
their, or one of our or 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 we, the said Thomas Wood and John Wood, do
hereby declare the nature of our 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 Invention relates to that class of printing machines in which colors are
printed on one or both sides of the open hanks.
In the ordinary machines for printing hanks there is only one color printed
at. the time, and when several colors are required the banks have to bu
removed, dried, and passed through the machine as many times as there are
colors, and one of the main objects of our Invention is to print several colors
at one operation, although the machine can be employed for one color only
when desired. We employ the ordinary grooved printing rollers with longi-
tudinal ribs of equal or different thicknesses, but instead of having only, one
distributing roller with its color roller and color box we employ as many of
each as the number of colors. The distributing rollers are formed with pro-
jecting ribs which correspond with the ribs of the printing rollers, and all the
rollers are driven by gearing timed so as to cause the ribs of the various
distributing rollers to constantly agree with their corresponding ribs on the
printing rollers. The hanks are placed on a creel, and passed between the
printing rollers and receive the colors from them, and when two, four, six:or
more colors are to be printed one half will be printed on one side of the banks

page_text: and the other half on the other side, the colors passing through the material
and shewing the full number of colors on both sides; but when a strong
impression of color is required the same color may be printed on both
sides.
We place each set of distributing rollers, color rollers, and color boxes on two
brackets one on each side frame of the machine, the color boxes carrying the
color rollers, and bearings in the brackets carrying the distributing rollers,
and each set is adjusted with great facility by a screw and nut. One printing
.roller and one half the sets of distributing rollers, color rollers, and boxes are
supported on levers capable of being adjusted by screws, and the other printing
roller with the other half of the sets and boxes are supported on a hinged
frame which can be turned back for placing the hanks on the creel and removing
them from it, and when the hinged frame is closed it abuts against a part of
one of the side frames and is held by a catch. By turning the screws of the
aforesaid levers the printing rollers are placed more or less closely together,
and the sets of distributing rollers, color rollers, and color boxes carried by
the levers are moved at the same time.
The manner in which our Invention is to be performed will be clearly
understood by referring to the figures and letters on the accompanying three
Sheets of Drawings, in which Fig. 1 is an elevation of one side of one of our
improved machines for printing six colors on banks of yarns or threads;
Fig. 2, a longitudinal section of the same; Fig. 3, a back elevation; Fig. 4, a
plan; Fig. 5, an elevation of the other side of the machine; and Fig. 6, au
enlarged view of a printing roller with its corresponding distributing and color
rollers.
a represent the side frames of the machine; b, the cross frame; c, d, the
printing rollers; e, the distributing rollers; f, the color rollers; 9, the color
boxes; h, the driving handle; i, the creel; and k, the hanks. The printing
roller c works in bearings formed in two levers m jointed to the side frames a,
and the printing roller d works in bearings n in the hinged frame o, which can
be, turned sideways for placing and removing the series of hanks and locked
when required by the catch p. Each distributing roller works in bearings q
formed in brackets r, to which brackets are also connected the color boxes g,
there being screws s, t, for the adjustment of the rollers, and screws u for the
adjustment of the doctors v, and one half of the brackets are bolted to the
levers m, and the other half to the arms w fixed to or forming part of the
hinged frame o; the printing rollers being adjusted to each other by the screw
; and it will be seen that by this arrangement the distributing rollers can be
first adjusted to the printing rollers, then the color rollers to the distributing

page_text: rollers, and afterwards the printing rollers to each other with great facility
and economy of time. The numbers of the ribs y of the distributing rollers
and their positions are arranged according to the pattern required to be printed
on the hanks, it being only necessary that they shall constantly agree with the
same ribs on the printing rollers. The distributing rollers are turned by the
toothed wheels gearing into the toothed wheels a¹ of the printing rollers, and
the color rollers are turned by the gearing 6'. In the lower part of the hanks
to be printed is placed a board or plate, and the operative with two of the
creel rollers places the hanks on the other rollers of the creel, and the rollers
held by his hands in their bearings, then the board or plate is removed, the
hinged frame o locked, and the tension of the hanks adjusted by the screws c¹,
after which the operative works the machine by means of the handle for
causing the several colors to be printed on the hanks as they are drawn
between the printing rollers. We have shewn six distributing rollers with
their color rollers and color boxes, but some of them are removed when the
hanks are required to be printed with a lesser, number of colors.
Having now described the nature and particulars of our said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, we desire it to be under-
stood that we claim, the ribs on the distributing rollers arranged to correspond
by means of toothed wheels with certain ribs on the printing rollers for the
purpose of printing one or several colors on hanks of yarns or threads, as all
such improvements are herein described and illustrated in the accompanying
three Sheets of Drawings.
In witness whereof I, the said John Wood, for and on behalf of myself
and the said Thomas Wood, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this
Thirtieth day of December, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-seven.
Signed, sealed, and delivered
by the within-named John
Wood, in the presence of
E. J. HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester.
JOHN WOOD. (L.S.)