IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING SHAWLS, HANDKERCHIEFS, PIECE GOODS, PAPER HANGINGS, AND SIMILAR MATERIALS, AND IN THE APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1853

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by John Cumming at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 3rd August 1858.
(Void by reason of notice to proceed not having been given within the
time prescribed by the Act.)
I, JOHN CUMMING, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Pattern Designer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING SHAWLS, HANDKERCHIEFS,
PIECE GOODS, PAPER HANGINGS, AND SIMILAR MATERIALS, AND IN THE
APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a new construction of machine for printing
shawls, handkerchiefs, and also piece goods and paper hangings, the
chief object being to do away with the necessity of engraving or other-
wise producing numerous repeats of the pattern upon. the printing
rollers, the entire piece being printed from small rollers or segments of
rollers containing but one or two repeats of the pattern. The fabric to
be printed is stretched upon a flat horizontal table, and the printing
apparatus is borne in a carriage which slides in V grooves upon a
framing, which framing is capable of traversing in V grooves on each
side of the table, but in a direction at right angles to that of the car-

page_text: riage's traverse upon itself. Or, instead of the V grooves, any other
convenient arrangement may be adopted to enable the carriage to
traverse in this way. The lower part of the carriage is made to turn
round in the upper, so that it and the printing rollers may be set round
horizontally to any desired position. The printing rollers, of which
there may be any convenient number, are very short, and need only
contain a single repeat of the pattern. They are carried in a framing
which is capable of traversing in V grooves upon the lower part of the
carriage, and it is this back and forward traverse which gives the
actual printing action, the other movements already described relating
to the position of the carriage. The back and forward motion of the
rollers is produced by a crank linked to the roller framing by a short
connecting rod, the crank being at the lower end of a vertical shaft
passing down the centre of the carriage. Motion is given to this shaft
by a horizontal shaft extending across the outer framing upon which
the carriage is supported. A bevil wheel moving along a feather ou
this shaft, and guided by a fork upon the carriage gears, with a bevil
wheel on a shaft passing down the centre of the crank shaft which is
hollow, and is connected to the central shaft by self-acting engaging
and disengaging gear, so as only to come into action at the proper
times. The outer framing being itself moveable, the shaft upon it
receives motion from a fixed shaft by means of travelling pulleys or
bevil wheels, a self-acting arrangement being provided for reversing,
stopping, and engaging. The crank is adjusted to move the printing
rollers to an extent proportionate to the length of the pattern upon
them. The repeat of the pattern may be made to go quite round the
roller, or it may be made to cover only a segment, or there may be two
or more patterns on the same roller, the roller being adjusted round
upon its axis to bring any required pattern into action. The printing
rollers are fed from colour troughs by means of blankets or simple rollers
in the ordinary manner, the troughs of course travelling with the rollers.
The printing rollers are made to keep perfect register, and to return
over precisely the same ground by means of, pinions attached or con-
nected to them, and working in racks fixed to the carriage. With a
view to further reducing the cost of producing the printing rollers it is

page_text: proposed to build them up of rings, so that a great variety of patterns
can be produced from a few simple elements. The action of the
machine is as follows:-The carriage and rollers being accurately
adjusted, say at the starting corner of a shawl, of which the border is
about to be printed with a pattern for example, the action of the crank
runs the rollers forward to the extent of the pattern upon them, pro-
ducing an impression thereof upon the cloth. The crank is then caused
to remain motionless for a moment by the self-acting gear upon the
carriage, whilst the carriage moves sideways to the extent of a repeat
of the pattern, after which the crank again comes into action, running
the rollers back again, and producing a second repeat of the pattern
upon the fabric. The carriage moves sideways again, and the same
movements are repeated until the whole of one side of the border is
printed. The lower part of the carriage with the rollers is then turned
round horizontally, and the border at right angles to the first is printed
in the same manner. Or, if it is simply a ground pattern which is being
printed, a series of impressions having been made across the piece, the
carriage is moved forward a space, and then traversed back in a
parallel direction. Or, again, if piece goods are being printed, the
piece is made to move forward after each traverse across it of the
carriage, and the latter simply traverses and retraverses the same
ground. Where necessary or desirable, the printing roller at its back
movement may be made to go over the same part of the fabric as at its
forward movement, so as to repeat and intensify the impression, thereby
adding to thic brilliancy and effect. It is also obvious that such im-
pressions may be repeated oftener, if wished. It will be apparent that
the described arrangement of machinery facilitates the production of
numerable combinations of patterns, whilst the action of the various
Parts. is capable of considerable modification.