An Improved Colour Printing Press.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Oct., 1892-Accepted, 26th Nov., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Colour Printing Press.
I, HENRY EDWARD GRANDY, of No. 30 Glen Street, in the City of Somer-
ville, in the County of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, United States of
America, Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
n and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to colour printing presses, and has for its object to provide
certain improved mechanism, whereby the application of a distinct colour to each
The invention
of the printing plates or sections of the cylinder is insured.
consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.
Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this Specification,
Figure 1 represents an end elevation of a machine embodying my invention.
Fig. 2 represents an end elevation of the form cylinder, removed from the frame
of the machine.
Fig. 3 represents a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 represents an enlarged section of a portion of the machine on line 44
Fig. 1.
Fig. 5 represents a section on line 5 5, Fig. 4.
Fig. 6 represents an end elevation of a portion of the machine, showing the
mechanism for operating the ink-supplying roll.
Figs. 7, 8 and 9 represent details of mechanism hereinafter referred to.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, a represents the supporting-frame
of the machine, and 6 represents the form cylinder, which is mounted on a
shaft b, journalled in bearings on the frame a. The ends of the cylinder are
provided with a series of ribs c, the main portions of which are concentric with
the shaft, there being as many ribs c as there are printing plates on the
periphery of the cylinder. Said printing plates are of segmental form, and each
rib c occupies the same segment of the circle that the corresponding printing
plate occupies. The ends of the inner or concave sides of the ribs have
inclines 22, thus forming rib cams, the main portion of the sides of which are
concentric with the axis of the cylinder between said inclines. The cams are at
different distances from the axis of the cylinder, and in a uniform plane taken
at a right angle to said axis, one cam being located near the periphery of the
cylinder and each of the others successively nearer the axis thereof, as shown in
Figs. 1 and 2. In other words, the plane of the end of the cylinder is, of course,
at a right angle to its axis, and the rib cams on each end are carried by said
cylinder, and are therefore in a uniform plane, thus economizing on the length of
the shaft required. Several series or groups of inking rolls are provided, there
being one series or group for each printing plate d. Each series is preferably
composed of four inner rolls e e e e arranged to bear directly on the corresponding
printing plate, and transferring rolls el e¹ and e³ arranged to apply ink to the rolls e,
the transferring roll es being in contact with a supply roll e² running in an ink
box f. I have shown the supply roll and ink reservoir only in Fig. 6, but it
will be understood that each series of inking rolls has a similar or other suitable
means for supplying ink, my invention not being limited to this particular arrange-
ment. The supply roll eis positively rotated by means of a worm g meshing
with a worm gear g' on the shaft of the said roll. Said worm is mounted on the
outer section of a flexible shaft composed of two sections 6 and 7, connected by a

page_text: gimbal joint 8. The inner section 7 is mounted in fixed bearings 9 9, and has at
its inner end a bevel pinion 10 meshing with a bevel gear 11 on the cylinder
shaft 6 The outer section 6 is journalled in a bearing 12 on the ink box f, and
is enabled by the gimbal joint 8 to conform to the position of the ink box, the
position of which with relation to the inking rollers necessarily differs at different
parts of the frame. The worm g is adjustable lengthwise on the shaft 6, so that it
can conform to the position of the worm wheel g', said worm being detachably
connected with the shaft by a set screw or otherwise.
The rolls e e e e of each series are arranged in pairs and their shafts are journalled
in boxes hhhh fitted in slots or guides in bars or slides i i, each slide carrying
two rolls e e. The slides are radially arranged with respect to the cylinder, and
each is arranged to slide radially toward and from the axis of the cylinder, suit-
able guides being provided to direct their movements. Said guides are preferably
brackets j, affixed to the supporting-frame and projecting into slots (Fig. 4) in
the slides i. Each slide is normally pressed outwardly by a spring interposed
between the inner end of the slide and a fixed bracket on the supporting-frame,
the effect of said springs being to hold the inking rolls away from the periphery
of the cylinder, so that they cannot touch the printing plates d. Each slide i
has a roll at its inner end, said rolls being arranged to co-operate with the
rib cams c in moving the slides inwardly and causing the inking rollers to bear
on the corresponding printing plates.
It will be seen by reference to Fig. 1 that the slides i of each series of rolls
are of a different length from the slides of all the other series, the slides of the
first series being very short, while the slides of each succeeding series are longer
than those of the preceding series, the difference in the length of the slides
corresponding to the differences in the positions of the rib cams c, the slides of
each series being arranged so that their rolls will co-operate with one and
only one of the rib cams c. In other words, each rib cam can operate only once in
making a complete revolution, and that only when it reaches the slides of the
series of rolls intended to co-operate with it. The outer rib cam co-operates with
the series of rolls having the shortest slides i, while the next rib cam co-operates
with the slides of the next series of rolls, and so on.
It will be seen, therefore, that each series of inking rolls can ink but one
printing plate, namely, the plate occupying the same segment of the circle as the
rib cam that operates said series of rolls. There may be as many printing plates,
rib cams and series of rolls as may be desired, each series of rolls having its own
distinct colour, and imparting the same only to the corresponding printing plate.
The rolls on the slides are normally located outside the radius of the inner
surface of the rib cams c, but just within the radius of the outer ends of the
inclines 22, so that the advancing end of each incline strikes the rolls belonging
to the corresponding series of inking rolls, and moves said rolls inwardly, the
springs throwing the rolls outwardly after the rib cam has passed by. The ink-
transferring rolls el are journalled in boxes m, fitted to move in guides or slots in
the slides e (see Fig. 9) in the direction of the length of said slides, the rolls el
being therefore radially adjustable.
The boxes in each slide i are adjustable obliquely in opposite directions,
so that, when they are adjusted inwardly, the rolls e e will remain in substantially
the same relation to the rolls el, screws o being provided to adjust said boxes.
The ink transferring roll e³ is journalled in boxes m', which are fitted to slide
radially with respect to the cylinder, in slots in a yoke n, which is supported by
boxes m³ on the outer ends of the shafts of rolls e e¹, said yoke having slots n¹ n¹
at its ends receiving said boxes. The yoke n may be moved to adjust the roll e
laterally, by means of screws n² n², bearing on the opposite ends of the boxes m³ m³,
and said roll e³ may be adjusted radially by means of screws n³ n³, bearing on the
inner and outer ends of the boxes m². By means of this construction, the several
rolls may be adjusted in their relative positions to ensure proper contact with each

page_text: other under all variations of radius due to wear or the substitution of different
sizes of rolls.
s represents the impression cylinder, which receives sheets of paper from the
feed-board s' and presents the paper to the printing plates d, said cylinder being
geared to the form cylinder 6 and arranged to make as many complete rotations
during one rotation of the cylinder b as there are printing plates on the last-named
cylinder. The impression cylinders has suitable grippers to grasp the paper, and
its general operation is the same as in other cylinder color printing presses. I
have provided novel devices for raising and depressing the impression cylinder,
these being as follows:
The shaft s² of the impression cylinder is journalled in boxes s³, fitted to slide
in guides s on the supporting-frame. Said boxes are normally raised to separate
the impression cylinder from the form cylinder, by springs st. tt represent the
members of a toggle joint, pivoted at their outer ends to the boxes s³ and to
supports such as screws t¹ secured to the frame of the machine.
uu represent the
members of another toggle joint, arranged at right angles to the members t t, one
of the members u being pivoted to the meeting ends of the members tt, and the
other to a support u. 2 represents a rod, connected at one end with the meeting
ends of the links u u, and at the other with the swinging end of a crank us on a
loose stud u, journalled in the supporting-frame, the office of said crank being
simply to prevent loose vibration of the rod u². represents another rod, which
connects the rod 2 with a treadle u', which is arranged to be depressed by the
operator. It will be seen that the depression of the treadle u will, through
the rods u and u², force the members uu into alignment and forcibly depress the
impression cylinder. The described arrangement of devices is such that, when the
cylinder is once depressed, it will remain so until the operator depresses another
treadle u, which is connected by a rod u with the rod u², and is arranged so that,
when its outer end is depressed, it will raise the rods u³ u² and thus throw the
links uu and t t out of alignment, and permit the springs to raise the impression
cylinder.
The form cylinder is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrows in
Figs. 1, 2 and 6, and each rib cam e, on reaching the location of the series of
inking rolls arranged to be operated by it, draws said series of rolls inwardly and
causes them to ink the plate d corresponding to said rib cam, each plate being
therefore inked once during each rotation of the cylinder b.
I do not limit myself to the use of a group of inking rolls for each printing
plate, and may use one roll for each plate, the essential part of my invention being
the combination with the cylinder having the described arrangement of rib cams
and printing plates, of a series of inking mechanisms, each comprising one or more
rolls, such as e, and one or more slides or arms, such as i, arranged to co-operate
with one and only one of the rib cams. By the term one of the rib cams, I mean,
of course, one at one end of the cylinder and the corresponding or companion rib
cam at the opposite end of the cylinder, there being a series of rib cams at each
end. The construction of the inking mechanisms may, however, be variously
modified, my invention not being limited to the particular construction here shown.
v represents the fly or delivery cylinder, having gripping-jaws adapted to take
the paper from the impression cylinder and deliver it to the delivery tapes v¹, said
fly cylinder being of the ordinary construction and containing nothing new in
itself.
By means of the flexible shaft, composed of the sections 6 and 7 which connect
the inking rolls with the cylinder shaft, the supply roll e² may be readily removed
for cleansing or repairs, after the section 6 has been swung to one side, without the
necessity of removing the entire shaft from its connection with gear 10.
Furthermore, the flexible shafts enable the several fountain rolls to be connected
with the shaft of the cylinder more conveniently than if the said connecting shafts
were rigid.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1st. In a colour printing press, a cylinder having a series of segmental printing
plates on its periphery and a corresponding series of segmental ribs on its ends,
said ribs having cam-shaped ends, and being located at different distances from the
axis of the cylinder and in a uniform plane at a right angle to said axis, and each
occupying the same segment of the circle that the corresponding printing plate
occupies, combined with a series of inking mechanisms corresponding in number to
the printing plates and rib cams, each inking mechanism being adapted to be
operated by one and only one of said rib cams, as set forth.
2nd. In a colour printing press, a cylinder having a series of segmental printing
plates on its periphery and a corresponding series of segmental ribs on its ends,
said ribs having cam-shaped ends, and being located at different distances from the
axis of the cylinder and in a uniform plane at a right angle to said axis, and cach
occupying the same segment of the circle that the corresponding printing plate
occupies, combined with a series of inking mechanisms corresponding in number
to the printing plates and rib cams, each inking mechanism including a roll or rolls
adapted to apply ink to the periphery of the cylinder and normally held out of
contact therewith, and radially movable slides or arms each having a projection
arranged to co-operate with one and only one of said rib cams, as set forth.
3rd. In a colour printing press, a cylinder having a series of segmental printing
plates on its periphery and a corresponding series of segmental ribs on its ends,
said ribs having cam-shaped ends, and being located at different distances from the
axis of the cylinder and in a uniform plane at a right angle to said axis, and each
occupying the same segment of the circle that the corresponding printing plate
occupies, combined with the series of inking mechanisms each including the
slides i having rolls at their inner ends arranged to co-operate with one of the rib
cams, guides to direct the movement of said slides, the inking rolls journalled in
boxes at the outer ends of said slides, and the springs arranged to force said slides
and rolls outwardly, as set forth.
4th. The combination with the cylinder and its rib cams and printing plates,
of the slides ii having the rolls 24, the boxes h h movable in diagonal guides in
the outer portions of said slides, the boxes m movable lengthwise of the slides, the
inking rolls ee journalled in the boxes h h, the rolls e¹ journalled in the boxes m,
said rolls e e being adjustable at an angle to the adjustment of the rolls e¹, and the
adjusting screws for adjusting said rolls, as set forth.
5th. The combination of the rolls e e and el, the slides i supporting the boxes of
said rolls, the boxes m³ supported by the shafts of the rolls e', the yoke n supported
by the boxes m³, and the roll e³ journalled in boxes supported by the yoke n, as
set forth.
6th. The combination of the printing cylinder, a fixed ink box having an ink
rolle, suitable inking rolls arranged to receive ink from the roll e³, and a flexible
shaft arranged to communicate motion from the shaft of the cylinder to the roll e²,
as set forth.
7th. The combination with the cylinder b and the impression cylinder s mounted
in spring-supported boxes, of the toggle links t t engaged with said boxes, the
toggle links u u engaged with the links tt, the treadles u u', and the rods connect-
ing said treadles with the links u u, as set forth.
Dated this 23rd day of September 1892.
HENRY EDWARD GRANDY.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.