Improvements in Apparatus for Washing and Cleansing Printers' Blanketing.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd July, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 11th Oct., 1894-Accepted, 17th Nov., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Washing and Cleansing Printers'
Blanketing.
We WILLIE HADFIELD of Furness Vale, in the County of Chester, Colourist,
JOSEPH JOHNSON SUMNER of the same place, Mechanie, and HENRY HADFIELD
also of the same place, Manager, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
Our said invention relates to improved means for washing and cleansing printers'
blanketing.
We provide a drum or curved or other surface around which the blanketing
is passed or over which it is drawn. As it passes around or over the said drum or
surface, the discoloured face of the blanketing is subjected to the operation of an
oscillating scrubbing brush or of several oscillating scrubbing brushes made of
bristles or other suitable scrubbing or cleansing material.
The said brushes are mounted on vibrating levers or frames which are made to
oscillate very rapidly in the direction of traverse of the blanket by reciprocating
means the same as or similar to the well known doffing comb motion in carding
engines.
The quick up and down scrubbing action of the brush or brushes on the blanketing
is an extremely effective means of loosening, dislodging and removing the dis-
colourations and dirt on the blanketing, and is greatly superior to the action of the
usual revolving brushes.
In conjunction with the said rapidly oscillating brushes we also use spurt pipes
discharging water or other cleansing liquid upon the face of the blanket, and these
spurt pipes are situated in positions relatively to the brush or brushes which will
give the most favourable cleansing results. The blanket lying close upon the
drum or surface around or over which it passes, is presented unyieldingly to the
action of the brush, so that the best results are obtained; but we might also
apply the said cleansing brushes to the blanket between the carrying rollers or
surfaces.
As the spurt pipes play upon the face of the blanket only, the back is not
needlessly saturated and can be kept almost dry.
As a modification of the said oscillating scrubbing brushes, we might use flat
disc shaped revolving brushes either fixed in position or traversing to and fro.
When so traversed to and fro the up and dowu effect of the aforesaid oscillating
brushes is to some extent obtained.
Dated this 30th day of June 1894.
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5, John Dalton Street, Manchester, Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SI MITIGATION (AMENDED).
Improvements in Apparatus for Washing and Cleansing Printers'
Blanketing.
We WILLIE HADFIELD of Furness Vale, in the County of Chester, Colourist,
JOSEPH JOHNSON SUMNER of the same place, Mechanic, and HENRY HADFIELD
also of the same place, Manager, 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 and accompanying drawings
—
Our said invention relates to improved means for washing and cleansing printers'
blanketing.
We provide a drum or curved or other surface around which the blanketing is
passed or over which it is drawn.
As it passes around or over the said drum or surface, the discoloured face of the
blanketing is subjected to the operation of an oscillating scrubbing brush or of
several oscillating scrubbing brushes made of bristles or other suitable scrubbing
or cleansing material.
The said brushes are mounted on vibrating levers or frames which are made to
oscillate very rapidly in the direction of traverse of the blanket by reciprocating
means the same as or similar to the well known doffing comb motion in carding
engines.
The quick up and down scrubbing action of the brush or brushes on the blanketing
is an extremely effective means of loosening, dislodging and removing the dis-
colourations and dirt on the blanketing, and is greatly superior to the action of the
usual revolving brushes.
In conjunction with the said rapidly oscillating brushes we also use spurt pipes
discharging water or other cleansing liquid upon the face of the blanket, and these
spurt pipes are situated in positions relatively to the brush or brushes which will
give the most favourable cleansing results. The blanket lying close upon the drum
or surface around or over which it passes, is presented unyieldingly to the action
of the brush, so that the best results are obtained; but we might also apply the
said cleansing brushes to the blanket between the carrying rollers or surfaces.
As the spurt pipes play upon the face of the blanket only, the back is not
needlessly saturated and can be kept almost dry.
To render our invention clearly understood we illustrate on the accompanying
sheet of drawings an apparatus for carrying our invention into practical effect.
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of the apparatus at the line A B Fig. 2.
Fig. 2 is a plan.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation.
The apparatus consists of a trough shaped chamber a supported by side
standards a. Within this trough and supported in journals b, we provide a drum e
carried on an axle e and capable of being revolved by the driving pulley 2. The
blanket (indicated by the dotted line d) passes partly around the drum e, the face
of the blauket being outwards. Around the drum and situated at suitable points in
the circumference, we arrange scrubbing brushes e oscillating in the direction of
traverse of the blanket, three sets of brushes being shown, although we do not confine
ourselves to this.
The illustrated brushes are made of bristles inserted into the bucks and the
said brushes are carried by adjustable studs f, which project through and can be
adjusted in the vibrating bars. These bars have pivot ends g which project
through adjustable bearings in the siles of the trough and carry at one en 1 of each,
a lever the sand levers appearing clearly in Fig. 3. A side arin or lever is

page_text: connected to all three levers has shown in Fig. 3 and the said arm is connected to
a quick running excentrick on the end of the shaft k¹. The shaft k' and excentric
are driven by the pulley which is connected by a belt to the pulley on the axis
of the revolving dry brush 1.
The blanket d as it comes from the printing machine in the direction of the
arrow, is led first over the carrying roller m; next partly around the drum c;
thence over the carrying roller n; then to the backing roller o in passing under
which it is subjected to the action of the revolving dry brush /, and afterwards over
the rollers pq and r to the drying apparatus. Just above the two uppermost
brushes e we arrange spurt pipess which discharge water or other suitable cleansing
liquid upon the face of the blanket d just before and immediately after it has been
submitted to the action of the oscillating serubbing brushes e. By the means herein-
before described, as the blanket travels around the drum c the face is submitted to
the scrubbing and cleansing action of the reciprocating brushes e which act in con-
junction with the water and thoroughly cleanse and wash the blanket face. The
blanket lying close to the surface of the drum c, presents an unyielding face to the
brushes, so that the best results are obtained. The spurt pipes act in conjunction
with the brushes and as the cleansing liquid is discharged only upon the face of the
blanket, the back is not needlessly saturated and can be kept quite or almost dry.
After it leaves the drum e the blanket as it passes under the backing roller o is
acted upon by the revolving dry brush 7. This brushes away a large proportion of
the moisture left on the face of the blanket and enables us entirely to dispense with
squeezing rollers. The dry brush is driven from a pulley 12 as appears in Fig. 2.
Any liquid that may fall into the trough is led away by the conduit t formel in the
bottom of the trough.
In the example illustrated it will be noted that the last brushes e on the left hand
side of the drum do not extend across the full width of the blanket. In practice it
is the outer edges of the blanket which are apt to become nost foul, and therefore
in practice we aim at subjecting the edges to more prolonged treatment with the
brushes than we think necessary in the case of the centre of the blanketing. We do
not however bind ourselves to this.
It will be apparent that although we have described an effective and useful mode
of oscillating the brushes e, other means for so oscillating them might be adopted.
For example instead of oscillating them in a circular path from pivots as described,
we might reciprocate them in a straight path and this might be effected by means
which will readily suggest themselves to a skilled mechanic.
We consider that the use of cleansing brushes of the indicated nature and
oscillating in the direction of the traverse of the blanket, is the gist of our invention
and so long as these are used the mere arrangement of mechanism is not an
essential.
In our opinion it is a distinct advantage that the said oscillating brushes should
act upon the blanket as it is passing over a drum or roller or curved or other
backing surface, but such oscillating brushes might be applied between the said
carrying rollers or surfaces.
As a modification of our invention we might use revolving brushes of a disc
shape and traversing to and fro across the width of the cloth. For example in
Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings, the disc brushes u are or may be mounted on a
carrying bar e which is oscillated to and fro across the width of the blanket d as it
moves round the roller c. The short spindle w of each brush carries a pulley by
means of which the brush is rotated, and as the brushes revolve the carrier v is
moved to and fro so that the brushes have a species of compound action on the
blanketing.
We do not confine ourselves to any particular method of supporting and actuating
the said disc shaped brushes.
The spurt pipes, trough and other adjuncts are used in conjunction with these
revolving disc brushes just as in the case of the oscillating brushes already
described.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is.
1. In apparatus for washing and cleansing printers' blanketing the employment
of brushes oscillating in the direction of the traverse of the blanketing and
substantially as set forth.
2. In apparatus for washing and cleansing printers' blanketing the employment
of brushes of the indicated form and caused to oscillate in the direction of the
traverse of the blanketing, so as to cleanse the face of the blanketing as the
latter passes over or around a drum or curved or other backing surface, in com-
bination with spurt pipes for discharging water or cleansing fluid upon the face
of the blanketing, all substantially as hereinbefore described and as illustrated.
"
3. The apparatus for washing and cleansing printers' blanketing, consisting
mainly of the trough a, the drum the oscillating brushes e, the spurt pipes s, the
drying brush and the various carrying rollers for supporting and traversing the
blanketing, all arranged and operating for the purposes and substantially as
herein before described and as illustrated in the drawings.
4. In apparatus for washing and cleansing printers' blanketing, the employment of
revolving disc shaped brushes u made to traverse to and fro across the width of
the blanketing, substantially as described and shown.
1904
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5, John Dalton Street, Manchester, Agents.
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5, John Dalton Street, Manchester, Agents.