IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR FEEDING PAPER TO PRINTING MACHINES, AND FOR TAKING-OFF OR REMOVING AND PILING THE SAME AFTER PRINTING
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Alexander McGlashan and Arthur
Brittlebank at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 1st January 1867.
We, ALEXANDER MCGLASHAN, of Coal Yard, Drury Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, and ARTHUR BRITTLEBANK, of Bozier's Court,
Tottenham Court Road, in the same County, Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR FEEDING PAPER TO PRINTING MACHINES, AND FOR TAKING-OFF OR REMOVING
AND PILING THE SAME AFTER PRINTING," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery or apparatus
for feeding paper to printing machines, and for taking-off or removing and
piling the same after printing. For the purpose of feeding the machine with
the paper to be printed we make use of a board or frame placed at an angle
more or less inclining from the perpendicular towards the surface of the
impression cylinder. The paper to be printed rests against the board or frame,
and is supported at its lower edges by a return shelf or projection constituting
a ledge upon which it (the paper) rests. The lower part of the board or
frame carrying the paper is hinged or jointed, such hinge or joint having a
sliding motion, whereby the board or frame may be capable of adjusting itself

page_text: to suit the varying thickness of paper on the board or frame. A vibratory
motion upon its hinges or joints is imparted by cams or otherwise to the board
or frame, whereby the surface of the paper farthest from the board or frame
is brought at intervals into contact with a guide board or frame, along or up
which the nearest sheet is drawn by being pressed momentarily into contact
with endless bands of india-rubber or other suitable yielding material
moistened by passing through a trough of water during their revolution. The
axes of the drums or rollers over which the endless bands pass are carried by
a moveable frame, to which an intermitting or other upward movement is
given (by means of a cam or cams acting on suitable levers or otherwise) so
as to assist in conveying the sheet of paper into the necessary position for
being pressed by a drop bar or roller against the taking-in drum, from which
it passes into the machine in the ordinary manner.
We are aware that experiments have been tried to effect this object in the
following manner: The pile of paper to be printed was placed on a board
in a horizontal position or nearly so, and the sheets were swept or brought
forward into the machine by means of a rotatory drum, round the circum-
ference of which were placed several india-rubber rings. One of the main
causes of failure in this arrangement is the attraction of cohesion which
unavoidably exists while the sheets of paper are in a horizontal position, thus
causing two or more sheets of paper to be passed into the machine at the
same time, or so shifting their position as to cause them not to register when
passed in at the next revolution of the drum. Otherwise instead of the
arrangement already described we make use for supporting the paper of a
board or frame similar to the foregoing, but inclining slightly from the per-
pendicular in the same or contrary direction; this board or frame, like the
foregoing, is hinged or jointed at its lower end, and is capable by means of a
sliding motion, as in the former instance, of adjusting itself to the thickness
of paper for the time being. A vibratory motion is in this as in the former
instance imparted to the board or frame by cams or other suitable equivalent
parts attached to or moved by the axes of the impression cylinder. This
vibratory motion brings the exposed surface of the paper at intervals into
contact with a pad of india-rubber or other suitable yielding material carried
by vertical or radial bars, and dipping at intervals into a trough of water
whereby it is moistened. To the vertical or radial bars an intermittent
up-and-down movement is imparted by cams or otherwise from the axes of
the impression cylinder, so that on the paper being brought into contact with
the pad and on the receding of the body of the paper a sheet is left adhering
to the pad, and is carried upward therewith by the upward movement of the

page_text: bars before mentioned, so as to be caught by a drop bar or roller and drawn
into the machine, as in the preceding arrangement. By this arrangement it
will be understood the weight of the paper decreases instead of increasing the
attractive force of cohesion, by reason of the sheets being placed in a nearly
perpendicular position, and if by any varying circumstances two or more sheets
are lifted up they are detached by means of slips of india-rubber or other suitable
material, which is caused to come into contact with the paper while the sheet
or sheets is or are being lifted up into the machine, the weight of the paper
then causes it to fall back to datum line. For the purpose of receiving,
removing, and piling the paper on its passage from the printing cylinders or
surfaces we make use of two or more sets of levers arranged in the form
ordinarily known as "lazy-tongs;" these systems of levers or "lazy-tongs"
are provided at one end with jointed jaws or nippers held together by means
of springs but opening by means of fixed stops, inclines, or other equivalent
means when the lazy-tongs are extended to their full length for the purpose
of receiving the paper. Each set of lazy-tongs is fixed at the end farthest
from the point at which the issuing paper is to be received, and is opened and
closed, as required, by means of a cam, eccentric, or other equivalent means
for the purpose of extending and contracting it, as required. Upon the lazy-
tongs being extended to their extreme length the jaws are opened by means
of the stops or inclines previously mentioned, and the paper issuing from the
printing surfaces is guided by guide plates or boards, so that its edge passes
between the jaws. When the lazy-tongs commence their contracting move-
ment the jaws are released from the action of the stops or inclines, and by the
action of their springs are immediately caused to close upon and hold the
paper between them, thus drawing it with the contracting movement of the
lazy-tongs until the jaws are again opened by coming in contact with stops or
inclines situated so as to release the paper in the position required beneath an
arm or lever (actuated by a suitable cam) which presses it down; each suc-
cessive sheet is received, removed, and placed down in the same manner, thus
forming a compact and regular pile.
In some cases for feeding the paper to the machine, and taking off or
removing and piling it after it has been printed, we place on the various
drums and cylinders of the machine two or more endless bands or chains, and
on any suitable drum or cylinder a number of pegs are placed at regular
intervals to keep the chains from slipping; on these bands or chains are placed
or fastened one or more strips of wood or other material, in which strips of
wood or other material we fix a number of spikes or points which stick into
or penetrate the paper while it is being held up by the aforesaid lifting appa-

page_text: ratus; it is by this means taken into the machine to be printed, after which
the spiked laths bring the sheets of paper out of the machine a certain distance,
when such paper is pressed down on the pile and kept there while the spikes
leave the paper by descending arms, levers, or other equivalent or suitable
means.