Improvements in Sheet Adjusters for Printing Machines.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sheet Adjusters for Printing Machines.
We, WILLIAM HENRY CLEGG, of 135, Brunshaw Road, Burnley, in the County
of Lancaster, and THE PATENT SHEET ADJUSTER COMPANY, LIMITED, Altham's
Buildings, Market Place, Burnley aforesaid, Printers' Engineers, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in sheet adjusters for printing machines,
and is particularly adapted to that class of printing machines in which the
receiving table is in the form of a sloping or inclined board or leaf, which is
hinged, so as to be capable of being folded as and when required. Our invention
is particularly devised that the adjuster may also be folded up in conjunction
with the table top. We also arrange the sheet adjuster that it will adjust the
sheets of paper down the slope of the inclined table or receiving board, instead
of up the same, which would be the case, were we to employ the same construction
of mechanism as described in the former Patents, granted to the said William
Henry Clegg No. 3465 of 1896, and No. 1547 of 1897. It will be apparent that
such machines would be unserviceable for the purpose, because the sheets after
having once been beaten up would have a tendency to leave their position with
the slightest vibration or shake of the table.
In the machine for adjusting sheets of paper constructed according to our
present invention, we arrange the bottom adjusting plate to be movable and to
beat up the sheets of paper instead of the top adjusting plate, which is now
stationary same as the bottom adjusting plate formerly was. We have thus
the bottom and one side adjusting plate moving alternately and beating up the
sheets of paper against the other side and top adjusting plates, which are stationary.
The latter are carried by brackets mounted on guide bars set at right angles,
and capable of being adjusted any suitable distance by thumb screws, like the
stationary adjusting plates described in the said recited patents.
Having thus delineated the object of our invention, we will proceed to describe
the mechanism, by which we can effect the results mentioned.
The beating up board at the side of the machine, we mount on a diagonal
sliding bar, which is operated from one extremity to slide in brackets and
bevilled strips or protectors by means of a connecting rod or pitman, actuated
by a crank mounted on the flyer shaft of the machine. The beat-up board carries
a bracket provided with an inclined slot at the same angle as the inclined sliding
bar, so that whatever the movement of the said diagonal har, the said beating-up
board will still be at right angles.
At its upper extremity the said diagonal sliding bar is formed with rack
teeth, which gears into a toothed pinion mounted loosely on a vertical shaft or
stud secured to the table of the machine.
The slide bar or rod, which imparts motion to the bottom beating-up board,
moves in brackets and bevilled side strips, and is formed at its top extremity

page_text: Patent granted to the said William Henry Clegg, No. 3465 of 1896 and No. 1547
of 1897.
The beating up board at the side of the machine, we mount on a diagonal slide
bar, which is operated from one extremity to slide in brackets and bevilled strips
or protectors by means of a connecting rod actuated by a crank mounted on
the flyer shaft of the machine. This side beat up board carries a bracket provided
with an inclined slot at the same angle as the inclined sliding bar, so that a
parallel movement of the beat up board is obtained.
At its upper extremity the said diagonal slide bar is formed with rack teeth,
which gears into a toothed pinion mounted loosely on a vertical shaft or stud
secured to the table of the machine. The top adjusting plate is also fixed to
this extremity of the diagonal slide bar, so as to move with it.
The slide bar or rod, which imparts motion to the bottom beat up board, moves
in brackets and bevilled side strips, and is formed at its top extremity with
rack teeth, which also engage with the teeth of the pinion aforesaid, but in
such a manner that as the diagonal bar moves forward with the pull of the
connecting rod, the toothed pinion imparts an opposite or alternate movement
to the slide bar, to which the bottom adjusting plate is secured, and the bottom
beating up board or adjusting plate is consequently withdrawn as the side adjust-
ing plate beats up the sheets of paper. With the reverse movement of the
crank however both the top and bottom beating up boards simultaneously beat up
the sheets of paper. The top adjusting plate being secured to the diagonal bar,
it follows that with the inward movement of such bar, the top adjusting plate
will move outwardly, while at the same time, the side beating-up board attached
to the diagonal bar will move inwardly.
The mechanism described above is particularly adapted to printing machines,
which are known as two feeders. When our invention is intended to be adapted
to a printing machine with a folding table, we adapt the bottom movable adjust-
ing plate so as to be capable of being folded with the table.
For this purpose, we form in the sliding bar or rod, which imparts motion
to the bottom beating up board a number of holes. This board is secured by a
bracket direct to its guide bar, or is bracketed to an additional bar, hinged or
jointed to a short socket or sleeve, which is pushed over the guide bar, and is
retained in any desired position thereon by a short blade spring carrying a small
projection or lug at its extremity, which enters one or other of the holes formed
in the guide bar of the top adjusting plate previously described.
When the table is required to be folded up, the hinged or jointed portion of the
bottom beating up board will be folded with it.
In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 is a plan view of a sheet adjuster con-
structed in accordance with our invention. The type of machine which we
employ is particularly serviceable for knocking up the sheets of paper, which
are delivered by a two-feed printing machine.
Our improved sheet adjusting mechanism is operated from crank C on the
flyer shaft 1 by means of connecting rod E. To adjust the length of the con-
necting rod to suit different tables, it is fitted into the socket F jointed to swivel
piece G secured to diagonal slide bar or rod H. When in the required position,
the set screw F is tightened to secure the connecting rod.
Diagonal slide bar H moves in bevilled strips H₁, provided with slotted end
brackets J dovetailed in cross section which are intended to give stability to
the movement of the diagonal bar H. The side heating up board K is carried
by bracket L, formed with an inclined slot or groove for the passage of diagonal
bar H, with which it is firmly secured in the required position by thumb screw L'.
The inclined slot in the bracket L enables the beat up board K to participate in
the movement of diagonal slide bar H, and yet remain at right angles to the
boards P and Q.
At its upper extremity, the diagonal bar H is formed with rack teeth, which
gear with toothed pinion M, loosely mounted on shaft M, and give motion thereto..

page_text: arranged so that on the movement of slide bar H, it will give an alternate move-
ment to the rack N at the extremity of slide rod O, and consequently alternately
move beating up board Q, substantiallly as described and illustrated.
3. The means for enabling the sheet adjuster to be folded up with the folding
table A, consisting of short extension piece S¹ carrying hinged flap piece S, and
socketed to slide on guide bar O, and provided with spring W and stud W' to
enter holes in such rod, substantially as shewn and described.
Dated this 21st day of October 1808
RICHMOND & Co.,
Chartered Patent Agents,
12, Standish Street, Burnley.