IMPROVEMENTS IN QUOINS AND TYPE-LOCKING DEVICES FOR PRINTING PRESSES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lako, &
Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN QUOINS AND TYPE-LOCKING DEVICES FOR PRINTING
PRESSES." A communication from abroad by Robert Francis Gillin, of Brooklyn,
New York, United States of America, Gentleman.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th February 1879.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN QUOINS AND TYPE-LOCKING
DEVICES FOR PRINTING PRESSES." [A communication from abroad by Robert Francis
Gillin, of Brooklyn, New York, United States of America, Gentleman.]
This Invention relates to improvements in printers' furniture, that is to say, in
quoins and type-locking devices for printing presses, and its object is to provide
improved means for securing the "chase" upon the bed of the press, as well as for
securing the type within the chase, and to obviate the necessity of using the blocks
and wedges of wood which have heretofore been employed for those purposes, and
thereby to avoid the inconvenience and waste of time incident to the use of the latter.
The wooden blocks and wedges above mentioned are apt to be mislaid, and it is
often difficult to find a piece of the exact size required, and in addition to this they are
liable to become loosened and disarranged by the motion and vibration of the press,
and hence their use has been attended with much inconvenience and loss of time.
By means of this Invention these difficulties are avoided, as the several pieces
required for securely fixing the form upon the press are all connected so as to form
one piece which can be placed in position instantaneously and will secure a "form
of any size, however small, upon the bed of the press.
"

page_text: The said Invention consists, firstly, in a type-locking device composed of a'
metallic bar provided at one of its ends with a dove-tail groove to receive a flanged
and toothed incline or quoin which fits and works in the said groove, and is operated
by a toothed pinion located near the said end of the bar, by which means the said
incline is tightened up to clamp the said bar between the bearers of the press and
thus form a bearing for the chase, or between the sides of the chase to provide a
bearing for the form of type within the chase; a suitable key being employed for
tightening it up, and a ratchet and pawl or similar device being employed to hold it
when tightened up; secondly, in the combination with the above of one or more
sliding quoins, either fitted to slide within a longitudinal groove cut in the bar, or 1
fitting and sliding over the same, and in either case moving lengthwise of the bar;
and thirdly, in the combination with the parts already mentioned of sliding fingers
fitted on the said bar or in the said groove in the same, and provided with set
screws. The opposite end of the bar may be provided with a movable piece operated
by a right and left-hand screw, for the purpose of changing or adjusting the length
of the bar.
By these means the chase, or the form of type within the chase, as the case may
be, can be fixed immovably in position instantaneously, inasmuch as all the pieces
required for the purpose are connected together and virtually form one piece or
instrument.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th
August 1879.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN QUOINS AND TYPE-LOCKING
DEVICES FOR PRINTING-PRESSES." A communication from abroad by Robert
Francis Gillin, of Brooklyn, New York, United States of America, Gentleman.
This Invention relates to improvements in printers' furniture or quoins and
type locking devices for printing prosses, and its object is to provide improved
means for securing the "chase" upon the bed of the press as well as for securing
the type within the chase, and to obviate the necessity of using the blocks and
wedges of wood which have heretofore ordinarily been employed for those purposes,
and thereby to avoid the inconvenience and waste of time incident to the use of
the latter. The wooden blocks and wedges above mentioned are apt to be mislaid,
and it is often difficult to find a piece of the exact size required, and in addition to
this they are liable to become loosened and disarranged by the motion and vibration
of the press, and hence their use has been attended with much inconvenience and
loss of time.
By means of my Invention these difficulties are avoided, as the several pieces
required for securely fixing the chase upon the bed of the press (or the form within
the chase, as the case may bo) are all connected so as to form one piece, which can
be placed in position instantaneously, and will secure a form of any size, however
small, upon the bed of the press.
The said Invention consists, firstly, in a type locking device composed of a
metallic bar provided at one of its ends with a dovetail groove to receive a flanged
and toothed incline or quoin which fits and works in the said groove, and is operated
by a toothed pinion located near the said end of the bar, by which means the said
incline is tightened up to clamp the said bar between the bearers of the press and
thus form a bearing for the chase, or between the sides of the chase to provide a
bearing for the form of type within the chase, a suitable key being employed for
tightening it up, and a ratchet and pawl or similar device being employed to hold
it when tightened up; secondly, in the combination with the above of one or more
sliding quoins, either fitted to slide within a longitudinal groove cut in the bar, or
fitting and sliding over the same, and in either case moving lengthwise of the bar;
and thirdly, in the combination with the parts already mentioned of sliding fingers
fitted on the said bar or in the said groove in the same, and provided with set
screws. The opposite end of the said bar may be provided with a movable piece
operated by a right and loft hand screw, for the purpose of changing or adjusting
the length of the same.
By these means the chase or the form of type within the chase, as the case may
be, can be fixed immovably in position instantaneously, inasmuch as all the pieces
required for the purpose are connected together and virtually form one piece or
instrument.
In order that my said Invention my be fully understood, I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall refer to the
several Figures in the Sheet of Drawing hereunto annexed, the same letters of
reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the Figures.
Figure 1 represents a portion of the bed of a printing press with my improved
devices in position; Figure 2 is a side view of my improved device with portions
thereof shewn in section; Figure 3 is a view of the front edge of the same; and
Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 represent modifications of my Invention hereinafter
explained.

page_text: In the said Drawing A represents the bed of a printing press; B, an ordinary
chase; and C, a form of type, or a wood cut, or other article from which the impres
sions are to be taken. The ordinary mode of securing the chase upon the bed has
been to fill in the space between the ears a, a, and the outer edge of the chase with
wooden blocks and wedges, and the object of my Invention is to avoid the annoyance
and loss of time incident to that mode, and for that purpose I employ a type-locking
device constructed substantially as follows:-E is a metal bar having a dove-tail
groove b at one end, into which is fitted an incline or quoin F which slides in the
said groove. This incline is provided with a toothed bar d and is tightened up by
means of a pinion f, which is located near the end of the bar E, and is provided
with teeth that fit in the bar d, by which the latter is moved back and forth. A
pawl h that engages with a ratchet wheel i, secured upon the shaft of the said
pinion may be employed to prevent the movement of the pinion after the device has
been placed in position and tightened up; or a key which fits into the teeth of the
bard may be employed for the purpose of adjusting the incline or quoin F, suitable
means being provided for stopping the latter after it has been tightened up.
Toward the lower part of Figure 1 my improved device is shewn as applied to
keep the chase in position, and toward the upper part of the said Figure it is shewn
as applied for keeping the form in position within the chase, being clamped (by
means of the incline F) in the former case between the bearers le of the bed, and in
the latter case between the sides of the chase.
m, m, are 'sliding quoins, each provided with a dovetail-flange which fits into a
dovetail groove n, cut in the front edge of the bar E, which latter I ordinarily make
slightly tapering to admit of the quoins m being driven tight, but the bar may be
made with parallel edges and placed in a slightly slanting position to effect the
same result; I, I, are sliding fingers, each provided with a dovetail flange which fits
and slides in the groove n, and are for the purpose of grasping the corners of the
chase or the form (as the case may be) to prevent lateral movement of the same.
Or as a modification of this construction, the groove n and the flanges on the
quoins m and fingers I may be dispensed with by forming the said pieces to slide
over the said bar E and fixing them in position by set screws p, as shewn in Figure
5, which represents a front elevation of one of said fingers r, being a mortise or
opening through the body of the piece to receive the said bar.
It will be understood that my improved device may be used either with or
without the quoins m and fingers I. The ends of the groove n may be filled, as
shewn at o, so that the quoins m and sliding fingers I cannot fall out or be mis-
placed. And the incline or quoin F is also prevented from falling out of its
groove by making the two end teeth larger than the rest, so that they will not pass
over the teeth of the pinion.
In Figure 4 is shewn a device by means of which the bar e is clamped and by
which the length of the said bar may be changed or adjusted so that it will fit beds
or chases of different widths, a being a movable piece operated by a right and left
hand screw t.
In Figure 8 is shewn a modification of my Invention in which the bar is clamped
by means of a cam J, pivotted at one end of the bar E and operated by an eccentric
headed lever w, also pivotted to the bar, the handle of the said lever being arranged
so as to press against the said bar to prevent the moving of the cam by. the vibra-
tion of the press while in motion. And in Figures 6 and 7 are shewn modifications
of the devices for lengthening the bar by means of sliding inclines u, u, set in oppo-
site directions across the bar, and movable pieces y, y, which are pushed outward
whenever the said inclines are tightened up. In said Figure 6 these inclines are
moved by a slotted lever, the said lever being pivoted to one of the inclines, and
the other incline being provided with a pin which works in the slot of the lever,
so that by tightening the said inclines the movable piece y is clamped against the
bearer k, or against the sides of the chase, as the case may be; and in said Figure
7 these inclines are provideed with teeth on their adjoining edges, and are tightened

page_text: up by means of a suitable key. Guide rods z are attached to the movable pieces
y, y, and 8, and run in slots in the bar E to keep the said pieces in line.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect, I observe
in conclusion that what I consider novel and original in the said improvements
and therefore claim as my Invention is,-
Firstly. The type holding device herein described, composed of the bar E
provided at one end with a dovetail groove, and the flanged and toothed incline F,
which fits and works in the said groove and is operated by a ratchet pinion located
near the end of the bar E, and provided with teeth which work in the teeth of
the bar of the incline F, or a suitable key fitting into the teeth on the said incline
F, as and for the purposes set forth.
Secondly. In combination with the bar E and incline F, constructed substantially
as described, the sliding quoins m (one or more) fitted to slide in the groove n, or
over the said bar as described.
Thirdly. The combination of the bar E, incline F, sliding quoins m, and sliding
fingers I, as and for the purpose set forth.
Fourthly. The combination of the bar E, movable piece 8, and screw rod t, or its
equivalents for adjusting the length of the said bar, as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty second day of August, One thousand eight hun-
dred and seventy nine.
W KOB LAKE. (L.S.)
W”.