IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR LITHOGRAPHIC AND ZINCOGRAPHIC PRINTING
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT. to Elisha Smith Robinson, of the City of Bristol, Paper
Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
LITHOGRAPHIC AND ZINCOGRAPHIC PRINTING,"
Sealed the 18th July 1856, and dated the 4th February 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by, the said. Elisha Smith Robinson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 4th February 1856.
I, ELISHA SMITH ROBINSON, of the City of Bristol, Paper Merchant,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR LITHOGRAPHIC AND ZINCOGRAPHIC PRINTING," to be as follows,
and consists in the employment of rollers, in combination with other
machinery, for damping and inking the stone or zine whilst in motion; the
employment of springs upon a cylinder for taking the material and passing it
between the cylinder and the stone or zinc, for the purpose of receiving the
impression; and also the application of a forward and backward motion for
moving the stone or zinc. A suitable frame supports the necessary gear to
work and give motion to the several parts of the machine; the carriage upon
which the stone or zinc is made to work backward and forward by means of
a rack and pinion.
The apparatus to damp the stone or zinc, which is supported on the said
frame, consists of a trough containing water, and to which are attached pipes

page_text: and regulating taps, and connected to them is a perforated tube, which is
placed immediately over an absorbing roller. Over the trough are valves,
kept closed by a weight; and connected to this weight are levers, attached to
connecting rods, which are lifted by incliues, thereby letting the water free at
the necessary time. Attached to the carriage is an absorbing slab, which upon
passing under the said absorbing roller becomes moistened, and supplies
moisture to other absorbing rollers, which in their turn supplies moisture to the
stone or zinc upon passing under them.
The inking apparatus consists of a trough containing ink, the supply of
which is reguluted by set screws. Under this trough is a revolving roller,
which is set in motion by line and speed pulleys; under the said revolving
roller is another roller, attached to a lever, which is made to cause the last
roller to ascend & descend. In its ascent it receives a supply of ink from
the upper roller, and upon its descent supplies a table or inking slab with ink,
which is distributed when the table moves by diagonal rollers, and on the
said table passing under the rollers it causes them to be inked, which ink is
transmitted to the stone or:zinc upon its passing under them.
The material to be printed is laid upon a board, which receives a sliding
motion by means of an eccentric, and the material travels along this board
until it is taken hold of by springs, which draw it round a revolving cylinder,
so as to receive the impression when the stone or zinc passes under it.
The rollers which supply the stone or zinc with moisture are lifted by levers
and eccentrics to allow the printed sheet to pass free, after which they drop
down to give the necessary damping for the next impression upon return of
the stone or zinc. The carriage upon which the stone or zinc is fixed receives
also the inking slab and damping slab, also four inclines working in slides,
which raise the inking rollers over the edge of the stone or zinc, and prevents
the ink adhering thereto. All the rollers before mentioned work in suitable
bearings fixed to the frame and to the moving parts.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Elisha Smith Robinson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 1st August 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ELISHA
SMITH ROBINSON, of the City of Bristol, Paper Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of February, in the year of our Lord

page_text: One thousand eight hundred. and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign,. did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Elisha Smith Robinson, Her special licence that I, the said Elisha Smith
Robinson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Elisha Smith Robinson, my 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 IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR LITHOGRAPHIC AND ZINCOGRAPHIC PRINTING, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Elisha Smith Robinson, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of 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 I, the said Elisha Smith Robinson, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
upon
This Invention consists in the employment of rollers and other machinery
for damping the stone or zinc whilst in motion; the application of rollers and
other machinery for inking the stone or zinc whilst in motion; the employ-
ment of springs upon a cylinder for taking paper, silk, cotton, or other fabric
and passing it between a cylinder and the stone or zine; also the employment
of a cylinder for the purpose of pressing the paper, silk, cotton, or other fabric,
the stone or zinc; also the application of a forward and backward motion
for moving the stone or zinc. In the ordinary lithographic printing presses,
the damping, the inking, the placing of paper, and other fabrics, and the
printings, are done by separate processes, by hand generally, whilst the stone
or zinc are at rest, by which but few impressions can be taken in a day,
thereby making lithographic and zincographic printing a slow and expensive
process. The object of this Invention is to obviate the inconvenience and loss
of time attending the old processes. The accompanying Drawings illustrate
the process of printing according to my Invention and application, and
represent a machine.
.
Sheet 1. Fig. 1 is a longitudinal elevation of the machine (at A, Fig. 2)
Fig. 2 is a plan of machine with the supply boards removed.

page_text: Sheet 2. Fig. 1 is a longitudinal elevation (at B, Fig. 2, Sheet 1); Fig. 2
is a transverse elevation at D (Fig. 2, Sheet 1); Fig. 3 is a transverse
elevation (at C, Fig. 2, Sheet 1). Similar letters of reference indicate
corresponding parts of the several Figs. The damping apparatus consists of
a trough (a) to contain water, attached to which are pipes and regulating taps
(b), and connected to them is a perforated tube (c), which is placed immediately
over an absorbing roller (d). Over pipes (6) in water trough are valves, kept
down by weight (e), connected to this weight are levers attached to connecting
rods which are lifted by inclines, thereby letting the water free at the necessary
time. Attached to the carriage (f) is an absorbing slab, which upon passing
under roller (d) becomes moistened, and supplies moisture to absorbing
rollers (g), which in their turn supply moisture to stone or zinc upon passing
under them; the rollers (g). are lifted by levers and excentrics to allow the
printed sheet to pass free, after which they drop down to give the necessary
damping for the next impression upon return of stone or zinc. The inking
apparatus consists of a trough (h) with revolving roller, which is set in motion
by line and speed pullies (m); this trough is filled with ink, the quantity
required being regulated by set screws. Under this roller is another roller,
attached to lever (i), which ascends, and when in contact with upper roller
receives a supply of ink, and upon its descent supplies a table (j) with ink,
which is distributed by diagonal rollers (k), and upon passing under rollers (1)
causes them to be inked, which ink is transmitted to the stone upon passing
under them. The paper or other fabric to be printed is laid upon board (n),
which receives a sliding motion by means of an excentric (o),, it is then taken
by springs (p) and drawn round eylinder (2), receiving the impression when the
stone or zinc passes under it.
My next improvement consists in the adaptation and application (to
lithographic printing by power) of a carriage worked backward and forward
by means of a rack and pinion. Upon this carriage is fixed the stone or zinc,
the inking slab (j), and damping slab, also a set of inclines working in slides
(r), which raise the inking rollers (1) over the edge of the stone or zinc, and
prevent the ink adhering thereto. Instead of having the tympan fastened
round the cylinder, I prefer its acting loosely, assisted in its operation by
pulleys.
This Invention and application is applicable to the printing, by stone or zinc,
all kinds of paper, silk, linen, and other fabrics, in a rapid and effectual
manner by power.
Having described the nature of this my Invention and application, and the

page_text: manner of printing thereby, I would have it understood that I claim the
arrangement as applied to lithographic and zincographic printing by steam or
other power, and I do not confine myself to the precise details herein shewn
or described; I, however, claim the damping, inking, printing, taking and
delivering of fabric whilst the machine and stone are in motion.
In witness whereof, I, the said Elisha Smith Robinson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this First day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
0 Witness,
JOHN AVERY,
ELISHA SMITH ROBINSON. (L.S.)
32, Essex Street, Strand, London,
Patent Agent..