IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHEN
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Brown Dooley, of Chelsea, Massachusetts,
United States of America, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING
MACHEN"
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Thomas Brown Dooley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th December 1880.
THOMAS BROWN DOOLEY, of Chelsea, Massachusetts, United States of America.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINES,"
My Invention relates to a printing machine in which the impressions are given
by the employment of two cylinders, said printing machine being especially adapted
to chromatic printing.
My Invention consists in a printing machine having the two cylinders for giving
the impressions so constructed and combined that one, the larger cylinder, may
bear several different printing surfaces, and also have upon its circumference a
space in addition to that occupied by or adapted to said printing surfaces, and the
other, the smaller cylinder, adapted to bear the sheet to be printed, the two
cylinders being so geared together that both will be in constant revolution while
the machine is in operation, and that while the larger cylinder makes one revolution.
the smaller cylinder will make as many revolutions as there are said printing
surfaces on the larger cylinder, and also another revolution, the purpose being to
have one and the same sheet receive an impression from each of the said printing
surfaces, and also that a sheet may be discharged from and another sheet taken on
the smaller cylinder while the space on the larger cylinder having no printing
surface is passing the smaller cylinder.
My Invention also consists in several sets of inking-rollers, one set for each of
said printing surfaces, or one set for each division or part of said printing surfaces,
in combination with said larger cylinder bearing said printing surfaces, each set of
said inking rollers being so located and operated as to ink one of the said printing
surfaces, or one division or part thereof, and be raised from or pressed away from
the other printing surfaces, pulleys or wheels on the shafts of said inking-rollers
being bevelled or V-shaped to fit, and travel on ways or guides on or attached to
the larger cylinder, said pulleys or wheels being also adjustable on said shafts so
that the pressure of the inking-rollers on the printing surfaces may be regulated.

page_text: My Invention further consists in nippers or fingers pivoted to the smaller
cylinder in a suitable position, or attached to said smaller cylinder in such suitable
manner that they may be pressed on a sheet to be printed near its edge, said
nippers or fingers being hollow, so that a partial vacuum may be formed therein,
and having openings in that part thereof which comes in contact with the sheet,
so that when said nippers or fingers are raised or swung on their pivots the
pressure of the external air may be utilized for lifting the sheet for delivery of the
same from the cylinder.
My Invention further consists in such other novel features in the said printing
machine, whether in general or of detail, as are hereinafter described.
Having thus set forth in general terms in what my Invention consists, I shall
now proceed to more fully explain it, with the aid of the accompanying Drawings,
that any one skilled in the construction of printing machines may construct
machines according to my Invention.
In the accompanying Drawings,―
Figure 1 is a side view of so much of a printing machine embodying my
Invention as serves for illustration of the same.
Figure 2 is a transverse section of the smaller cylinder.
Figure 3 is a plan view of part of the smaller cylinder.
Figure 4 is a view of the hollow fingers and bar to which they are attached
removed from the smaller cylinder, and in position reversed from that shewn in
Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a plan view of the machine shewn in Figure 1, the feed board and
other parts being omitted for the sake of clearness, and shewing a central horizontal
section of one half of the larger cylinder.
Figure 6 is a plan view of a form-block and plate bearing a printing surface.
Figure 7 is a section of said form block and plate taken on line 1, 1, in Figure 6,
and also shews part of an inking-roller, a bevelled or V-shaped pulley or wheel on
shaft of said inking-roller, and a section of part of the larger cylinder.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawings.
Figures 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7 are drawn on a larger scale than Figures 1 and 5.
The sides A, A, together with braces or girts not shewn, are of such construction
as to form suitable frame-work for supporting the bearings for the shaft B of the
larger cylinder C, and the bearings for the shaft D of the smaller cylinder E, and
for supporting other parts of the machine. The shaft B may be quite large, as
shewn, to be amply strong and inflexible, and may be hollow so as not to be too
heavy.
The cylinder C for bearing the plates or printing surfaces I preferably construct
by building it up of several sections or short cylinders a, the hubs of which are
suitably fixed on the shaft, and may be brought in close contact as shewn. The
rims of these sections or short cylinders are of such width and form as to leave
spaces, as many as are required, forming circumferential grooves in the cylinder C
for receiving and holding the heads or nuts of screws or bolts, as illustrated in
Figures 6 and 7. The cylinder C may be made of one piece, and not be built up
of the several short cylinders when such construction is desirable.
The printing surface for each impression may be all on one plate, or may be made
up of the surfaces of several different small plates. One of these plates F is shewn
in Figures 6 and 7. This plate F is secured to a form-block G by being clamped
by a bar 6 fixed to the form-block, and a movable and adjustable bar c fastened by
screws to the form block, said bars and plate having bevelled edges. The form
block G is secured to the cylinder C by one or more screws or bolts d held in a
recessed groove in the underside of the form-block and in one of the grooves in the
cylinder C. Forms or plates bearing the printing surfaces may be secured to the
cylinder C in other ways when a variation from the method described is required
by the nature of such forms or plates, or for other reasons.
At each end of the cylinder C, formed of the several sections a, is a gear H,
also suitably fixed on the shaft B. At the outside of each of the gears H is

page_text: a pulley or drum I fixed on the shaft B. These pulleys or drums I, I, bear the
ways or guides e, e, f,f, and g, g, for the pulleys or wheels on the shafts of the
inking rollers. This arrangement of the pulleys or drums I, I, and gears H, H,
with reference to each other and the cylinder C, I prefer, though with corresponding
arrangement of other parts of the mechanism, each of said pulleys or drums I, I,
might be placed between one of said gears and the cylinder C, and it may be
advisable to employ in the smaller machines only one of the gears H.
The smaller cylinder E has a surface for the sheet to be printed, and a part to
be flattened, cut away or recessed preferably in the manner illustrated more clearly
in the section, Figure 2, for the nippers or fingers for holding said sheet on and
assisting in throwing the same off from the cylinder. This cylinder E has also an
unbroken cylindrical part hat each end to bear on one of the unbroken cylindrical
parts i, i, at each end of the larger cylinder C. These parts of the two cylinders
being brought close together gauge the working distance of the two cylinders with
reference to each other to give the exact pressure required. At each end of the
cylinder E is a gear J, to work in one of the gears H, H. Thus both cylinders may
be driven in a uniform and continuous manner by one or two pinions on a shaft j
working in one or both of the gears H, H.
It is sometimes desirable to move the smaller cylinder E a slight distance away
from the larger cylinder C during the operation of the machine, to prevent an
impression being made; for this purpose I place one end of the shaft D in a bearing
or box, which is fitted in the frame of the machine so as to turn about another
centre than that of the shaft D. This box k may be partially revolved by means
of a worm and worm-gear or segment 1, and by this means the cylinder E may be
swung away from the cylinder C the required distance, and brought back to
working position.
The printing machine illustrated in the Drawings is adapted for giving three
different impressions on the same sheet, which impressions may be of three different
colors. When three different colors are used, there should be three ink fountains
and three sets of inking and distributing rollers arranged at suitable intervals, as
illustrated in the Drawings. In Figure 1, the three ink-fountains and three sets
of rollers are shewn, but in Figure only the half of the upper ink-fountain and
upper set of inking and distributing rollers and the middle ink-fountain and set of
rollers are shewn for the sake of greater clearness.
Each of the ink-fountains K is supported on ways m, so that the fountain may
be readily slid into or out of working position. Each ink-fountain has the usual
ink-roller n connected therewith. For each of the three sets of inking-rollers L
which lay the ink on the printing surface there is a distributing roller o and a
swinging roller p. There may be as many inking and distributing rollers in a
set as are desirable. Each swinging roller p carries the ink from a fountain
roller n to a distributing roller o, having the bearings of its shaft in swinging
arms q, pivoted to stands ? fixed to the ink-fountain or its support or carriage.
8
The shafts of the inking and distributing rollers are held in bearings fixed to
rods s which slide in blocks M. There are springs on the rods 8 to act between
nuts or stops on said rods and the blocks M, to press the inking rollers to the
surfaces to be inked, and to press the distributing to the inking rollers. The
blocks M are held between guide pieces N fastened to the sides A or frame of the
machine. Thus said blocks M may be slid to carry the inking rollers to or from
the cylinder C, being further held and moved by screws 0 passing through
projections P on the frame, and screwing into the blocks M.
The shaft of each inking roller L has thereon near each end a pulley or wheel
bevelled or V-shaped, and made up of two parts t and u arranged as shewn.
These parts t and u may be set at any suitable distance from each other, being
held by set-screws or other suitable device for fastening them on the shaft. Each
pair of ways or guides e, e, f, ƒ, and g, g, is adapted for a set of inking rollers, and
each set of the pulleys or wheels t, u, is so fixed on the shafts of the inking rollers
as to run on the appropriate ways or guides, and fit thereon. By setting the

page_text: parts t and u of the pulleys or wheels nearer to or farther from each other, the
inking roller on the same shaft may be caused to press with greater or less force on
the surface to be inked; and as the inking roller wears or shrinks it may be
brought to bear on said surface. The pulleys or wheels on the shafts of the
distributing rollers o are grooved in V-shape, so that they will fit the pulleys or
wheels t, u, as shown.
Each pair of ways or guides e, e, f, f, and g, g, extend around the drums I in the
form of a cam of such shape that each set of inking rollers will be allowed to bear
on one printing surface, but be raised above or pressed away from all the other
printing surfaces.
The distributing rollers o may be vibrated endwise by means of levers w acting
on flanges fixed on the shafts of said rollers, and moved by cams x on the side of
the drums I, as illustrated by one lever shewn in Figure 5, said shafts sliding
endwise in the pulleys or wheels v.
The sheets to be printed are taken onto the cylinder E from the feed-board R,
each sheet being nipped near its edge by the nippers y, and nippers or fingers S.
The nippers y are of ordinary construction, and may be operated by well known
devices. The nippers or fingers S are of novel construction, and operate in a novel
way as follows:-
The nippers or fingers S are hollow, and also the bar T to which they are joined,
the interior of the fingers S opening into the interior of the bar. There are small
openings U in these fingers at their under side, or that side towards the sheet on
which the fingers press. One or each end of the bar T has an opening or port z
leading to a passage V in an end of the cylinder E. Said passage V extends into
the cylinder E to the interior, and through to the end of the shaft D. At the outer
end of said passage V is connected by any well known device, not shewn in the
Drawings, an exhaust air-pump or fan.
When the sheet is taken on the cylinder E, the fingers S press the same to the
cylinder, the bar T being swung on its bearings W by mechanism, not shown in
the Drawings, but similar to that which operates the shaft on which are the
nippers y. When the sheet is to be disharged from the cylinder, the fingers S
being raised, as are also the nippers y, the sheet holds to the fingers S, since at
that time a partial vacuum is created within the hollow fingers and bar. This
raising of the edge of the sheet is sufficient to allow it to pass onto the delivery-
board X. Air is thereupon let or forced into the bar T and fingers S, by suitable
action of the fan, pump, or valves, and the sheet no longer holds to the fingers S.
At this stage the fingers S are swung still further and away from the sheet so as
not to obstruct its passage. and the sheet by the motion given to it by the revolving
cylinder will be thrown onto the delivery-board X.
Other means may be employed for attaching the fingers S to the cylinder than
by pivoting said fingers, or said fingers and the bar T, to the cylinder, and the
required movements thereof be obtained to perform the functions, substantially as
and for the purpose set forth.
The particular machine illustrated in the Drawings is adapted to printing on
one and the same sheet from three different surfaces, as previously stated, but my
Invention is equally adapted to, and may be as fully embodied, in a machine
designed to print on one and the same sheet from a greater or from a less number
of printing surfaces.
Having thus fully described my said Invention and the manner of performing the
same, I wish it understood that I do not limit myself to the precise details of
construction and arrangement above described, as the printing machine may be
somewhat modified to adapt it to the particular work to be performed thereby, and
the same may embody one or any number of the parts of my Invention as above
described, and I claim,-
First. In a printing machine, the employment of two cylinders for giving the
impressions, one, the larger cylinder, adapted to bear several different printing
surfaces, and having a space on its peripheric surface in addition to that occupied by

page_text: or adapted to said printing surfaces, the other, the smaller cylinder, adapted to bear
the sheet to be printed, the said two cylinders so working or geared together that
while the said two cylinders are in continued revolution, and the said larger
cylinder makes one revolution, the said smaller cylinder makes as many revolutions
as there are said printing surfaces, so that the one and same sheet inay receive
impressions from all of said printing surfaces, and the said smaller cylinder also
makes another revolution for discharging said sheet and receiving another sheet,
substantially as herein before set forth.
Second. In a printing machine, and in combination with two cylinders for
giving the impressions and working together, substantially as and for the purposes
set forth, several sets of inking rollers located and operated so that each set of
said rollers may deliver ink onto one, or a part, or division of the several printing
surfaces on one of said cylinders, and be raised above or pressed away from the
other or others of said printing surfaces, substantially as herein before set forth.
Third. In a printing machine, a cylinder for bearing the printing surfaces, made
up of several sections or short cylinders, so as to form circumferential recessod
grooves for holding screws or bolts for clamping the form blocks or plates on the
said cylinder, substantially as herein before set forth.
Fourth. An inking roller, having on its shaft one or more pulleys or wheels
bevelled or V-shaped, said pulleys or wheels being adjustable on said shaft, in
combination with a cylinder having bevelled or V-shaped ways or guides for said
pulleys, substantially as and for the purpose herein before set forth.
Fifth. In a printing machine, one or more nippers or fingers so pivoted or
attached to the cylinder for bearing the sheet to be printed as to assist in removing
said sheet from said cylinder, each of said nippers or fingers being hollow so that
a partial vacuum may be created therein, and having openings where it comes in
contact with said sheet, substantially as herein before set forth.
Sixth. In a printing machine, the combination of my improvements as shewn in
the accompanying Drawings, or either or any of the same, or any mere modification
thereof, with the other parts of the machine, substantially as above set forth and
for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Brown Dooley, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.
THOMAS BROWN DOOLEY. (L.S.)