Improvements in or relating to Printing, Folding, or Ruling Machines, and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Printing, Folding, or Ruling
Machines, and the like.
I, CZESLAW VICTOR RYMTOWTT-PRINCE, of Geneva, in the Republic of Switzerland
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The invention relates more especially to printing-machines, folding or ruling
machines, the working of which requires a lifter or layer, that is to say a workman
to seize one after the other the sheets of paper placed on a table forming a part of the
machine, then to carry them to another part of the machine, for instance along an
inclined plane to the printing cylinder, the pincers or clutches of which carry
them away one after the other in its rotation.
My invention consists of an automatic lifter or layer applicable to printing, folding
or ruling-machines of any system whatever. It is characterized mainly by the
combination of a suitable mechanical device with one or more pieces of a sticking or
tacky gelatinous mass, which will be called hereinafter the dry-cups, destined to seize
the sheet of paper, on which the mechanism applies them, to slide it on the under
sheet, to lift and to keep it raised until suitable pincers or clutches take hold of it,
in its turn, the whole being done without the gelatinous mass affecting in any way
said sheet of paper, leaving the place where it has been applied quite as suitable for
receiving the ink, pencil lines or colours as the other portions of the said sheet of
paper which have not been touched by the said gelatinous mass.
My invention further comprises a mechanism which can be worked by any movable
part of the machine to which the invention is applied, for instance by a tray having
a to-and-fro motion and carrying the prints or by means of suitable gearing fixed on
a rotatory shaft of the machine, said mechanism bearing pincers disposed and acting
so as to seize automatically the sheet of paper which has been lifted up by the dry-
cups, and carry it away to another portion of the machine, for instance along the
usual inclined table of the machine towards the printing cylinder and to open again
automatically, to give it up to the well-known pincers or clutches of the latter.
My invention further comprises a transinission of motion device connecting said
pincers mechanism with the mechanism bearing the dry-cups, so as to combine
properly the working of these two mechanisms and obtain the above described
operation.
OOLL
1000

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Printing, Folding, or Ruling
Machines, and the like.
CZESLAW VICTOR RYMTOWTT-PRINCE, of Geneva in the Republic of Switzerland,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The invention relates more especially to printing-machines, folding or ruling
machines, the working of which requires a lifter or layer, that is to say a workınan
to seize one after the other the sheets of paper placed on a table formning a part of
the machine, then to carry them to another part of the machine, for instance along
an inclined plane to the printing cylinder the pincers or clutches of which carry them
away one after the other in its rotation.
My invention consists of an automatic lifter or layer applicable to printing, folding
or ruling machines of any system whatever. It is characterized mainly by the
combination of a suitable mechanical device with one or more pieces of a sticking
or tacky gelatinous mass, which will be called hereinafter the dry-cups, destined to
seize the sheet of paper, on which the mechanism applies them, to slide it on the
under sheet, to lift and to keep it raised until suitable pincers or clutches take hold
of it, in its turn, the whole being done without the gelatinous mass affecting in any
way said sheet of paper, leaving the place where it has been applied quite as suitable
for receiving the ink, pencil lines or colours as the other portions of the said sheet
of paper which has not been touched by the said gelatinous mass.
My invention further comprises a mechanism which can be worked by any movable
part of the machine to which the invention is applied, for instance by a tray having
a to-and-fro motion and carrying the prints or by means of suitable gearing fixed on
a rotatory shaft of the machine, said mechanism bearing pincers disposed and acting
so as to seize automatically the sheet of paper which has been lifted up by the dry-
cups and carry it away to another portion of the machine, for instance along the
usual inclined table of the machine towards the printing cylinder and to open again
automatically, to give it up to the well-known pincers or clutches of the latter.
My invention further comprises a transmission of motion device connecting said
pincers mechanism with the mechanism bearing the dry-cups, so as to combine
properly the working of these two mechanisms and obtain the above described
operation.
The object of the present invention is to perform the work of the lifter or layer
which is required by all large printing-presses, folding or ruling machines and consists
in transferring the sheets of paper from the upper board of the press on to the lower
end of the inclined table where they are caught by the clutches or clamps of the
printing cylinder and conveyed to the form. My automatical lifter performs this
work in a much better manner that is the case in similar devices already known; and
consists of several devices working simultaneously and connected with the immovable
and movable portions of a machine of any well-known construction in order to do
the work specified above.
The dimensions of the different parts of the said devices are naturally determined
by the proportions of the machines to which the automatical lifter is to be applied
but all the complicated parts of the said devices are the same for large machines as
for small ones.
In this apparatus the paper is seized by cylindrical or other shaped pieces of a
tacky or adhesive material combined with a device which on the one hand protects
the material from dust and on the other hand causes the same to be rotated after

page_text: each action of the same so as not to have one and the same spot of tacky material
coming always into contact with the paper to be mised.
In order that the invention may be better understood I will now proceed to describe
the apparatus with reference to the accompanying drawings, given by way of example,
and showing those parts only of a printing press which are necessary for the
comprehension of the working of the apparatus, that is to say those parts which are
directly connected with the latter.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a machine showing the position assumed by the
lifter when just ready to give up the sheet of paper to the cylinder (which is not
shown in the drawing).
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the machine in which the lifter occupies its highest
position, that is to say the position corresponding to the moment in which it seixes
the sheet of paper in order to transfer it to the printing-cylinder.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of the lifter.
Fig. 4 is an elevation of a portion of the same.
Fig. 5 is a section of the sleeve surrounding the pieces of tacky material.
Fig. 6 is a cross section on the line a-y of Fig. 3 showing the device for rotating
the cover of the sleeve containing the tacky material.
Fig. 7 is a front view of the transporting device.
Fig. 8 is a side elevation from left to right of Fig. 7 the tongs being closed.
Fig. 9 is a similar view the tongs being open.
Fig. 10 is a side elevation of Fig. 7 from right to left the tongs being closed.
Fig. 11 is a similar view the tongs being open.
Fig. 12 is a section on the line of Fig. 7 the tongs being open.
Fig. 13 is a similar section in which the tongs are shown closed.
Figs. 14 to 16 show respectively a front elevation a plan and an end view of the
guiding piece J.
In all the figures similar letters of reference refer to the same parts.
A are rigid bearers or framing forming part of a printing press. The carriage B
intended to bear the chase or form, and the table Care constructed as in usual printing
presses.
A¹ is a special bearer of the transporting device which is fixed to the frame A of
the machine.
The frame B is moved to-and-fro by any suitable transmission device for instance
by means of the shaft B¹ the crank b and the rod b¹ as is usually the case in printing
presses and, in some cases the device which will be described below may be directly
acted upon by the to-and-fro motion of the frame B but in the construction shown
the said device is acted upon by the axle B¹ by means of an eccentric 52 and a rod b³
acting upon a lever fixed to a shaft B² to which is further fixed on each side of the
machine a lever acting upon a three armed lever E by means of a rod E³.
The levers E on each side of the machine are each pivotted to the bearings A¹
and are each provided with a toothed arm e engaging a corresponding toothed
segment or a double armed lever F F¹ the upper end of which is connected by means
of a rod g to a slider G sliding on the fixed guiding rods c. The two sliders G are
connected with one another by means of a cross shaft K which is rocked back and
forth by the to-and-fro motion of the sliders G.
On the shaft K there are attached two bent arms K' the lower end of each of which
is connected to a lever k¹ which is pivotted to the slider G by its one end and carries
at its other end a roller k² (Figs. 1, 14 & 15) engaging a switch J. When the slider G
slides from left to right the roller rolls along the incline of the switch upward and
thereby lift the switch tongue ; which will fall back into its position of rest when the
said roller k has passed. The incline J raising the arm or lever k¹ will cause the
raising of the bow 21 from its lowest position shown in Fig. 1 into its highest
position shown in Fig. 2.
When the sliders G slide again from right to left the roller 2 rolls in the same
direction over the switch tongue j and falls back into its lowest position when

page_text: reaching the left end of said tongue, in which the bow 21 bears with its own weight
upon the table C or upon the sheets of paper placed upon the same.
The framing A A levers E F connecting bars gsliders Garms K¹ and switches J
described above are symmetrically provided on each side of the machine so that what
has been said relates equally to both the sides.
A lever 22 is connected to the bow 21 which bears the paper-seizing device not
shown in Figs. 1 and 2 but represented in Fig. 3. To the shaft K there is fixed an
adjustable arm 23 on which there is adjustably mounted a counter weight
intended to exactly regulate the working of this portion of the apparatus.
The working of the lifting device is based on the supposition that the bow 21 with
the device it bears tends normally to fall into the position shown in Fig. 1.
However in order that such a fall will produce the least possible noise and in
order to avoid shocks the counterpoise is placed at the required position on
the lever 23.
The arm 22 is connected to a suitable sleeve adjustably fixed on the bow 21
by means of a pivot 24 and of a screw 25 which will allow the fitting at will of
the arm 22 with respect to the bow 21. The arm 22 bears at its free end a rod 26
provided with tacky material intended to catch and raise a sheet of paper in the
manner to be described with reference to the Figs. 3, 5 and 6.
The small cylinders or pieces of tacky material marked 27 are surrounded by a
cylindrical case 28 provided with an opening 29 and with a shutter 30 which can
turn in the case 28 in order to be brought in front of the opening 29 whereby
it releases the paper X from the tacky mass 27 at the required time. Such
motion of the shutter 30 is produced by means of a connecting rod 31 connected to
the movable part 32 the paw! 33 of which produces at same time the partial
rotation of the cylinders 27. Such motion is produced here by the meeting of
an abutment 55 (Fig. 4) fixed on the shaft 37 with an abutment screw 56 fixed to
the part 32 connected to the ann 22 by means of pins 57 operating in long
openings or slots in the part 32. The latter also carries an arm 58 to which is
pivotally secured a ratchet-wheel 59, a strong spring 60 tending to keep the same in
the position required for it to bring forward one of its teeth in the path of the teeth 61
of the abutment 55. When the transporting device and consequently the shafts 37
are lowered from the position of Fig. 2 into that of Fig. 1 the tooth 61 in passing
engages with the wheel 59 causing the part 32 to slide on the arm 22 and escapes
after rotating the said wheel 59 to the extent of one of its teeth. The part 32 is then
ready to receive a new impulse in the inverse sense by means of the abutment 55
meeting the screw 56 on the return stroke of the transporting device.
The transporting device is also acted upon on each side of the machine by means
of the lever E bearing a movable head 34 or 35 connected to the frame A¹ by means
of a guiding lever E¹. The heads 34 and 35 are connected with one another by means
of two shafts 37 and a bar 38.
One of the shafts 37 is provided with a longitudinal groove and with sockets 39
and 40 each bearing one of the tongs or clutches intended to catch the paper raised
by the device described above. Each of those tongs is composed of a single finger 41
acted upon on the one hand by means of a spring 42 and on the other hand by means of
a lever 44 revolving with the shaft 37 and connected to the finger 41 by means of a
metal ribbon 43. The finger 41 meets when going down the bar 38 and the latter
being arranged so as to come under the sheet of paper X raised by means of the
bow 21 when the transporting device reaches its upper position (Fig. 2) the said
sheet of paper X will be caught between the finger 41 and the bar 38.
49 is a hook provided with indiarubber and intended to drive a second sheet of
paper which might have been carried away with the top sheet.
The head 34 carries mechanism for opening the tongs that is to say for lifting the
finger 41 similar to that described with regard to the first construction. An arin 53
fixed to the lever E acts upon a spiral spring 45 when the transporting device reaches
its lower position, the spring 45 conveys its tension to an arm 46 fixed on the shaft 37
which will be rotated and transmit its motion to a segment 44, connected by means

page_text: of a metal ribbon 43 to the finger 41 which it raises thus releasing the sheet of
paper.
The head 34 also carries a catch 50 intended to engage in a notch 67 of a
segment 51 secured to the shaft 36 keeping it consequently in the position assumed
by it when the transporting device reached the end of its stroke. The lever E bearing
the bead 35 is provided with a pin 52 which when the transporting device reaches
the top of its stroke will release the catch 50 from the notch 67 of the segment 51
and consequently cause by releasing the shaft 37 the closing of the tongs, that is to
say, the application of the fingers 41 on the bar 38 under the action of the
springs 42.
A second catch 66 is connected to the head piece 35 and intended to engage the
notch 68 of the segment 51 in order to hold the same in the position shown in
Fig. 10 in which the finger 41 is lowered. When the lever E reaches its lowest
position the pin 52 meets a rocking-lever 65 acting upon the catch 66 thus discon-
necting it from the segment 51 and causing the clutches to open (that is to say the
finger 41 to be lifted) which will occur suddenly under the action of the spring 45.
Each of the cylinders or pieces 27 of tacky material is of such composition that
when pressed against the paper it is sufficiently adhesive to lift a sheet of paper and
keep it mised without however injuring or soiling it in the least so that the part of
the paper with which it has been in contact can be printed upon just as well as the
other portions of the sheet of paper.
A suitable composition for this purpose is made as follows:-
Mix in suitable proportions glycerine acting as a basis, with gelatine and grape
sugar, sugar, sulphate of baryta or kaolin, soap and water the proportions of the
mixture depending on the required degree of adherence to the paper, according as
the sheets of paper to be raised are more or less heavy.
Good results have been attained with a mass composed as follows:-
50 grammes of glycerine--4 to 5 gr. of gelatine,-to, 1 to 15 gr. of Cologne
glue-0-3 gr. of soap and 0.25 to 0.35. gr. of grape sugar adding to this an amount
of water requisite in order that the whole composition will form a plastic paste.
As it may happen that when the cylinders 27 of tacky material lift the first sheet
of paper it may also draw up the next sheet since sheets often adhere together,
there is provided a device intended to retain in their place the sheets of paper that
might be accidentally brought forward.
The said device consists of a plate W hinged at the front end of the table C and
fixed to a shaft we carrying at each end a toothed segment w in which gears
another toothed segment w² connected by means of a rod f to the above-mentioned
lever F. The rocking motion of the latter causes the shaft w to be rotated and the
plate W to be alternately raised and lowered.
The apparatus works as follows:-The machine is supposed to be in the position
indicated in Fig. I and a supply of paper to be printed is supposed to be placed on
the table C. As soon as the carriage B is thrust to the left the rod 13 the levers b
and 6 and the rods B3 raise the levers E from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that
shown in Fig. 2. At the same time the tacky material 27 which adheres to the
upper sheet of paper will first push the latter somewhat on the right and then raise
it by means of the switches J acting upon the arms K¹ of the shaft K. The tongs 41
which are open in Fig. 1 will remain open until they are within reach of the sheet
of paper when they will close in consequence of the release of the catch 50. At
the same time the abutment 55 meets the screw 56 and causes the part 32 to slide
along on the rod 22 whereby the rod 26 is caused to rotate by means of the pawl 33
and at same time the shutter 30 is rotated by means of the rod 31 causing the
paper K to be withdrawn from contact with the tacky material 27.
At same time the catch 50 is released from the notch 66 of the segment 51 so
that the fingers or clutches 41 are thrown downward catching the paper X upon
the transverse bar 38.
The withdrawal of the paper X from the tacky material and the seizing of the
said paper by the clutches 41 both take place at the end of the travel of

page_text: the carriage B to the left.
At the same time the above described plate W
is raised into its vertical position and draws back those sheets of paper placed on
the table C which might have been accidentally drawn forward by their adherence
with the upper sheet X.
Now if the carriage B is driven to the right the levers E E¹ and the clutches 41
fixed to the same will be rocked again into the position shown in Fig. 1 in which
the sheet of paper carried over is to be transferred to the printing cylinder (not
shown). The pin 52 causes then the opening of the clutches 41 in the manner
described above. At same time the slider G reaches the end of its stroke to the
left whereby the roller l' of the arin k rolls along and above the tongue ; of the
switch J this causing the bow 21 to be brought back to the position shown in
Fig. 2.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I
claim is :-
nature of this inven
declare that what I
1. An automatical lifter for printing and similar machines characterised by the
combination of levers provided with pieces of tacky material adapted to lift the
sheets of paper placed on the machine and to raise them by means of tongs
opening and closing automatically with mechanism for transporting the sheets of
paper from one part of the machine to another part.
2. In an automatical lifter tacky or adhesive material intended to lift the paper
composed of a mixture of glycerine gelatine Cologne glue soap grape sugar and
water to form a plastic composition substantially as described.
3. In an automatical lifter the combination of a slider G having an alternate to and
fro motion with a frame or bow bearing the pieces of tacky material and engaging a
switch in order to be alternately raised or lowered according as the said slider is
reciprocated substantially as described.
4. In an automatical lifter the combination of cylindrical pieces of tacky material
with a device for gradually rotating the same substantially as described.
5. In an automatical lifter the combination of a tube or sleeve partially covering
the cylindrical pieces of tacky material and a rotating shutter for the purpose of
releasing the sheet of paper from the tacky material substantially as described.
6. In an automatical lifter the combination of a portion of the printing press
having a to and fro motion with levers carrying heads connected together by means
of a cross shaft upon which the tong holders may be adjusted according to the width
of the sheets of paper to be transported substantially as described.
7. In an automatical lifter spring tongs with segments provided on the cross shaft
and with mechanism for closing the tongs arranged at one end of the said transverse
arbor and with mechanism for opening the tongs provided at the other end of the
said arbor substantially as described.
8. In an automatical lifter as specified in Claim 1 mechanism for opening the
tongs comprising a latch connected by means of a rod to an arm of the transverse
shaft bearing segments for opening the tongs and a lever according to the position
of the transporting device will free or mise the said latch in order to produce a
partial rotation of the cross shaft either in one direction or in the other substantially
as described.
9. In an automatical lifter mechanism for closing the tongs composed of catches
engaging in a toothed segment fixed on the cross shaft and of a spring to release
the said catches when the transporting device reaches the ends of its stroke sub-
stantially as described.
10. In an automatical lifter a device operated by toothed gearing from the motive
mechanism for preventing more than one sheet of paper from being carried over by
the lifting mechanism substantially as described.
11. An automatical lifter for printing and similar machines characterised by the
combination with a moving portion of the machine which may be of any one of
the well known constructions of levers E E bearing heads as 34, 35 connected

page_text: together by means of cross bars 37, 38 levers F F1 two sliders G connected
together by means of a shaft K a bow or frame 21 secured to the said shaft K and
bearing an adjustable arm 22 and cross bar 26 rotative pieces 27 of a tacky
material adapted to adhere to the sheet of paper to be lifted a tubular casing 28
having an opening 29 to allow the tacky material to press upon the paper and a
rotative shutter 30 intended to close the opening 29 and at the same time to
liberate the paper from the said material the whole being so constructed and
arranged that, when the levers E E' are lifting the cross bars 37 and 38 over the
front end of the table bearing the paper the levers F F at same time cause the
sliders G to advance and thereby raise the bow or frame 21 which bears the said
tacky material by means of an arm K' fast on the shaft K and engaging a suitable
switch J the head 34 carrying mechanism for opening the tongs 41 and the head 35
carrying mechanism for shutting the tongs and the bow or frame carrying a rocking
device adapted to be acted upon by means of an abutment 55 fixed to the cross
bar 37 and to cause the tacky material 27 and the shutter 30 to be rotated when
the said tongs 41 are shut substantially as described.
12. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete automatic
paper lifting and transporting device substantially as described and illustrated in
Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
Daked this with don of I.... 1007
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.