CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON MACHINERY APPLICABLE TO LEITER-PRESS PRINTING
Year: 1828

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I. DAVID
NAPIER, of Warren Street, Fitzroy Square, in the County of Middlesex.
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth
did, by His Letters Patent, under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Second day of October, in the ninth year of His
reign, give and grant unto me, the said David Napier, His especial licence,
that I, the said David Napier, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and
such others, as I, the said David Napier, my exors, admors, or assigns.
should at any time agree with. and no others, from time to time and at
all times during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON MACHINERY
APPLICABLE TO LEITER-PRESS PRINTING;" in which said Letters Patent there is
contained a proviso, that I, the said David Napier, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within two calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being there-
unto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
David Napier, do hereby describe the manner in which my said Invention is to
Price 8d.1

page_text: be performed by the following description thereof, (reference being had to the
Drawing hereunto annexed and to the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say)-
The improvements on letter-press printing machines or presses intended to
be secured by this Patent, are two in number: first, (in cylinder printing,) the
application of four feeding apparatuses to a machine with but one printing
cylinder and surface; and, secondly, (in surface printing,) placing the power for
giving the impression centrally between four surfaces and two forms of type,
the outer surfaces being fixtures during the impressions.
But that my
meaning may be more clearly understood, see the diagrams attached, and
seeing that the nature and construction of printing machines are so universally
known, it is obvious, that any explanation, which I may claim to give beyond
the said improvements will be superabundant.
Fig. 1, which is to the scale of one and a half inch to the foot, represents four
feeding boards and apparatuses A, adapted to one printing cylinder B, which
cylinder is intended to print both ways, consequently paper and ink must be
supplied at both ends. The printing cylinder receives its motion from the surface,
being connected thereto by the racks C in the usual way, and the surface is
impelled by a crank underneath or in any of the ordinary ways; the inking
apparatuses D are the same in every respect with those adopted to my Nacpeer
machines (which machines are well known to the public) with the exception
that in this case they are moved by the wheel and pinions E from the cylinder
and in the other by rack and pinion from the surface. The feeding apparatuses
are the same in principle with those adapted to my single and double imperial
machines (which machines are equally well known), with the exception that in
this case they are removed to a distance from the printing cylinder and there-
fore have their motion conveyed to them by means of the strong gut band
F in the following way; (but let it here be observed that both ends of
this machine are alike, therefore what is said of the one will be equally
applicable to the other,) viz, one end of the gut F is wrapped twice round and
made fast to the rigger G, which is a fixture on the end of the printing cylinder
B; from thence it is passed once round the rigger H, which is loose on the
spindle of the feeding cylinder I, and from thence conveyed inside of the frame,
(see the dotted line,) and round the corresponding rigger on the opposite end,
and again made fast to the rigger G. It will now be obvious that as the
cylinder B revolves backward and forward by the action of the surface, so will
the loose riggers H, which riggers are each provided with a ratchet or catch,
so that though they go loose in one direction, they become fixtures the other, and

page_text: bring round the feeding cylinder I with them at every return, which feeding
cylinder I gives motion to the feeding cylinders K by means of the endless
tapes which conveys the paper to the printing cylinder (see the red arrows).
The feeding bar L is brought down to take a sheet every alternate revolution
of the cylinder I, exactly as it is in my imperial machines, as stated above;
but the feeding bar L is attached to the feeding bar M by the connecting rod
N, therefore both come down and take a sheet at the same time, hence the
advantage of having the one feeder further removed from the printing cylinder
than the other. Both sheets, it will be observed, pass to the printing cylinder
between the same tapes, as shewn by the arrows. The gut band O, which
passes round the rigger P upon the spindle of the feeding cylinder K, is for the
purpose of communicating motion to the rollers Qwith their endless tapes
which convey the paper from the printing cylinder to the board R (see the
blue arrows), where it is discharged with the printed side upward. The endless
tapes which conducts the paper to the printing cylinders returns round the
roller S and T, see the returning arrows; there is therefore three tapes which
pass under the printing cylinder over the rollers S and round the rollers U,
where the ends are also made fast, and on which they wind alternately as the
printing cylinder revolves to and fro, which tapes are kept to a proper degree
of tension by means of pully line and weight on the opposite end of the rollers.
which line winds on as the tape winds off, and vice verse: these tapes are for
the purpose of receiving the sheet from the endless tapes, of wrapping it round
the periphery of the cylinder while it receives the impression, and of conducting
it out at the opposite end. There are, besides, three endless tapes which pass
round the printing cylinder and the small pullies V, which are for the purpose
of parting the printed sheet from the cylinder and of introducing it between
the rollers with their endless tapes, to be conveyed to the receiving
board R.
The second part of my Invention is represented by the diagrams Figs. 2, 3,
and 4, the same letters denoting the same parts in each, and are to the scale
of one inch to the foot. A, B, C, and D represent four printing surfaces with
the power E applied between them. The only piece of framing here repre-
sented is for the purpose of showing what is meant by the upper and under
surfaces, A and D, being fixtures, during the impression one form of type
F is laid upon the under surface D, and the other form G upon the inter-
mediate surface B. The intermediate surfaces B and C have perpendicular
guides H, to prevent side deviation, and are suspended on levers I (see
Fig. 3), so as mutually to act as a counterbalance to each other, the upper

page_text: surface B having rather the preponderance; they are also each provided with
four flat bearings K, against which the rollers L of the power E are intended
to act. The power represented at E is two shafts M with projecting arms
and rollers (see Fig. 4. which are connected by the wheels N; it will there-
fore be obvious that if either of the wheels be forced round by means of a lever,
or otherwise, the two intermediate surfaces B and C will be pressed with
equal force in opposite directions, as power and resistance, so that two impres-
sions will be obtained with the same expense of time and power as is necessary
in the ordinary way to obtain one. And as there is some novelty in the method
which purpose to adopt for passing the paper from one form to the other,
&c., I shall first state that the cylinders 0 and P have an endless web of
thick machine cloth (being single on the impression) passed round them.
encompassing the upper surface A: the cylinders Q and R have a web of
thin cloth, being double on the impression, passed round them, with the double
passing between the surfaces (and D. the upper part of which cloth is
brought down to its proper level by the rollers S. There are also endless
tapes, in number corresponding to the margins in the forms passed over the
cylinders O. P, T. L. V. and returned under Q through between the surfaces
C and D, mp round R. through between the surfaces A and B. and up
round the feeding roller "W. There are besides a corresponding number
of tapes passed round the cylinders X, Q. R, going through between the
surfaces A and B and returning between the surfaces C and D. The cloth
and tape are intended to pass sufficiently close to the under side of the
surfaces A and C, as to allow the inking rollers to pass, it being intended
to ink without moving the surfaces on which the forms lay.
The paper
is supplied from the board Y in any of the usual ways, and by one
revolution of the cylinder Q a sheet is brought in between the surfaces A
and B by means of the endless tapes and cloth a second revolution brings it
round to the back of the cylinder R. whilst a second sheet fills. up the place of
the first; a third revolution brings the first sheet between the surfaces C and
D, and the third sheet between the surfaces A and B. and after every revolu-
tion of the cylinder Q an impression is taken, as before described, and the
paper is successively discharged on the receiving hoard Z printed on both sides.
The improvements contained in these diagrams and herein described, which
are intended to be secured under this Patent, have no respect to any particular
kind or construction of feeding apparatus, inking apparatus. delivering appa-
ratus, power for giving the impression, or any other movement further than has
been stated above, namely, the adaptation of four feeders to one printing cylin-