IMPROVEMENTS IN INKING APPARATUS FOR PRINTING PRESSES.
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Israel Ludlow Garrard Rice, of Cambridge, in
the County of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, in the United
States of America, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN INKING
APPARATUS FOR PRINTING PRESSES.
"
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Israel Ludlow Garrard
Rice at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition
and Declaration, on the 28th July 1870, pursuant to the 9th
Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852...
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ISRAEL
LUDLOW GARRARD RICE, of Cambridge, in the County of Middlesex,
State of Massachusetts, in the United States of America, send
greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
Inking Apparatus FOR PRINTING PRESSES," and have petitioned Her Majesty
to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal

page_text: Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that I
am the true and first Inventor thereof.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Israel Ludlow Garrard Rice, do
hereby declare that the following Complete Specification, under my
hand and seal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing making a part of this Specification :-
The nature of my Invention consists in combining with a printing
press the following devices :-
First. In furnishing a means by which printing inks of various colors
may be steadily fed to inking or distributing rollers upon printing presses
so that several colors may be printed at one impression.
Second. In providing distributing rollers of various widths, or if
desired short belts to act in their stead, with distributing disks, the
diameter of which corresponds with the width of the roller or belt with
which it acts, the axis of said disks being at right angles with the axis
of the rollers or belts so arranged that the revolving disks acting in
contact with the inked rollers or belts serve to distribute the ink
evenly.
Third. In combining with the above an inking table consisting of
raised strips corresponding in width with the ink rollers or belts over
which the rollers or belts traverse longitudinally, the object of my
Invention being to so arrange the inking device of a printing press that
different colors may be printed at the same impression.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a "Gordon printing press," with
my improvements attached; Figure 2 shows a plan of the same;
Figure 3 is a vertical section showing the upper part of the press, which
includes all that part to which my Invention relates; Figure 4 is a
vertical cross section through the line x, y, Figure 2; Figure 5 is a
perspective view of the form showing a device to prevent the border
inking rollers from coming in contact with any part of the form except
the borders; Figure 6 is a section of the form, and serves to illustrate
the device named in the description of Figure 5; Figure 7 is a vertical
section through one of the inking cisterns.

page_text: My Invention is applied to that class of presses which are similar in
construction to the "Gordon press."
The receptacles or ink fountains are made as follows, see B², B³, B*, B³,
Figures 1, 3, and 7; B³, B³, forms the cistern, the part B³ also serving
as a clamp to attach the cistern to the bar B6, Figures 2, 3, and 7. The
lower part of the fountain is formed by the periphery of the roller B³ ;
B' is a hinged piece pivoted as shown at Figure 7, so arranged that by
turning the screw B³ the lower part may be adjusted to the roller B³, so
that the ink to be supplied may be regulated. The screw in the top of
the clamp B³ serves to attach the ink fountain or cistern to the bar B*.
The frame B, B, Figures 1, 2, and 3 occupies the position of the ink
table on an ordinary "Gordon press." The frame B', Figure 3, is
attached to the frame B, and carries the above described ink fountains
B³, B2, and their appurtenances. The frame A, Figure 3, is attached to
the frame B by means of slides, and is connected to fixed portions of
the press by the arms A'. The ink rollers or belts A³ are attached by a
suitable device to this frame. The ordinary mechanism of the press
gives a reciprocating motion to the frame B, which motion causes the
inking rollers B³ to come in contact with the distributing belt A*; thus
at each motion of the press giving to the distributing belt a fresh
supply of ink.
I construct my distributing belts or rollers A³ as shown in Figure 3,
these may be of rubber, leather, or any suitable material, and are of
different widths to suit the work to be done; each one of these belts
or rollers is provided with a distributing disk A', Figures 2 and 3.
This distributing disk is connected with an actuating gear A*, Figures 3
and 4, so that when the press is in operation the disk A' acts upon the
belt As, and thus evenly distributes the ink over its surface. Motion
is given to the gear A by means of a sliding ratchet A³, see Figure 4;
this ratchet is caused to move longitudinally by means of the pin AⓇ,
Figures 2 and 4, and the cam groove C in which the pin works, the can
groove C being in the reciprocating table B. D, D, are tables upon
which the ink is distributed, these are made of wood or metal, and are
each provided with a spring which presses them firmly against the
distributing belts. These longitudinal tables D, D; are separated by
strips of wood or metal a little less in height than the height of the

page_text: tables.
The rollers and ink fountains should agree in width with the
corresponding distributing belt and also with the ink tables.
Figures 5 and 6 relate to a device for printing borders. The ink
roller L² is intended to ink the parts of the border H¹, H³, H², H², while
the ink roller M² is intended to ink the parts of the border H³, H², H³, H³,
this object is effected by means of the guards L, M, L, M¹; these
guards being arranged as shown in the Drawing, so that the ink
roller L² can only come in contact with the parallel borders and with
no other parts of the form. The roller M2 carries ink for inking the
type and that part of the border lettered H³, H³, H¹, H², while the roller
Links the border parallel to it and that only. When the form is ready
to be printed I arrange my inking roller so that there will be one for
each color placing divisional disks, washers, or rollers between to keep
them the proper distance apart on the shaft. I then place my ink tables
D, D, in relative positions to them.
It may be advantageous to have divisional tables of less height to
arrange the inking tables more rapidly. These tables may be made of the
same width as the divisional washers or disks, and thus the necessity of
measuring the distances the ink tables should be from one another may
be avoided, as in printing a form the space between the inking and
distributing rollers and the ink tables should be the same. I then
arrange my distributing rollers or belts A5, by means of the divisional
rollers, so they are kept their distance apart. A spring may be used of
spiral form to keep each disk A7 pressed gently against the distributing
rollers A5. The inks are then placed in the fountain, each color in its
compartment relative to the distributing roller which is to receive it.
The ink fountain is placed higher than the distributing rollers or belts
and in any suitable position, so the distributing rollers may come in
contact with it so as to continually receive a supply of ink, or so as to
take a little ink at each impression as may be required. The fountain,
or rather the roller B³ inside the ink fountain, is given motion by
mechanism connected with it and the printing press.
By the above described mechanism as the disks A' revolve they
distribute evenly the inks upon the distributing rollers, the distributing
rollers distribute it upon the ink tables, the inking rollers then put it
upon the types so that a great many colors may be painted at one.
impression on the same sheet.

page_text: The apparatus for distributing may be applied to any press, although
rollers would in some cases take the place of the sectional_tables, so
that perhaps in some instances the distributing disk would be applied
direct to the inking table, and the disks would be made of some other
material than metal.
What I claim as new and of my Invention is,―
First. The series of detached ink fountains or cisterns B³, B², con-
structed and arranged to operate substantially as described.
Second. The distributing belts A³ arranged to operate as described.
Third. The distributing disks A' in combination with the belts A³ or
their equivalent, substantially as described.
Fourth. The combination of the disks A', the pinions A*, and ratchet A³
with the pin A and cam groove C, C.
In witness whereof, I, the said Israel Ludlow Garrard Rice,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Second day of July.
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
TOD ATT
TUDLOW
CARRARD PICT
ISRAEL LUDLOW CARRARD RICE.
(L.S.)