IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINERY
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents, 66,
Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINERY." A communication from abroad
by Charles H. Bacon, of Boston, in the State of Massachusetts, and William
Theodore Brigham, of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, United States of
America.
Sealed the 28th March 1879, and dated the 3rd October 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 3rd October 1878.
"
WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer. IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINERY."
[A communication from abroad by Charles H. Bacon, of Boston, in the State of
Massachusetts, and William Theodore Brigham, of Baltimore, in the State of
Maryland, United States of America.]
This Invention of improvements in printing machinery relates to an improved
construction of inking table or distributing surface, one of the objects of the Inven-
tion being to ensure a perfect distribution of the ink over the surface of the inking
rollers without imparting to these latter any endway motion as heretofore. Another
object of the Invention is to admit of imparting to the printing surface inks of
different colours by means of the same rollers, so that impressions of a parti-colored
character may be printed at one operation.
In carrying out the Invention the inking or distributing table or surface instead
of being a plain flat table with a uniform surface is composed of one or more series
of vibrating plates, so arranged that each of these plates will change its angular
position at each forward or backward movement of the inking rollers. These
plates are mounted on centre pins fixed in a horizontal table or fraine, and they
Price SA 1

page_text: are connected together at their ends by means of tongues and slots, so that one
plate cannot be vibrated without actuating all the others. One of the plates is
vibrated by means of a pin working in an inclined slot, and the same motion is
communicated to all the others. If it be desired to supply different colored inks to
the distributing surface and from that to the inking rollers, which will impart them
to the printing surface or "form," the ink fountain must be subdivided by means
of transverse partitions into the required number of compartments, each of which
must be of a size corresponding to the width of the band of color to be supplied to
the distributing surface. The vibrating plates must also be of corresponding size,
and care must be taken that the vibrating plates supplied with one color do not in
their vibrations overlap the border line of the contiguous colors, otherwise the colors
would become mixed and would produce a blurry appearance on the printed
surface.
If however it be required to print in one color only it will be found convenient
and advisable that the vibrating plates during their lateral oscillations should sail
over the border lines between the different series of plates so as to ensure a better
lateral distribution of the ink.
The Invention will therefore be equally applicable to cases in which only one
colored ink (such as black) is constantly used.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd
April 1879.
WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING MACHINERY."
A communication from abroad by Charles Henry Bacon, of Boston, in the State
of Massachusetts, and William Theodore Brigham, of Baltimore, in the State of
Maryland, United States of America.
This Invention of "Improvements in Printing Machinery "relates to an improved
construction of inking table or distributing surface to be applied to a printing
machine, one of the objects of the Invention being to ensure a perfect distribution
of the ink over the surface of the inking rollers without imparting to these latter
any endway motion as heretofore.
Another object of the Invention is to admit of imparting to the printing surface
inks of different colors by means of the same rollers, so that impressions of a parti-
colored character may be printed at one operation.
In carrying out the Invention the inking or distributing table or surface instead
of being a plain flat table with an uniform surface is composed of one or more series
of vibrating plates, so arranged that all the plates of each of the series will change
their angular position at each forward or backward movement of the inking rollers.
These plates are mounted on centre pins fixed in a horizontal table or frame, and
the plates of each series are connected together at their ends by means of tongues
and slots, so that one plate cannot be vibrated without actuating all the others.
One of the plates of each series is vibrated by means of a pin working in an
inclined slot, and the same motion is communicated to all the others; but any other
convenient mechanical device may be employed for imparting the requisite vibratory
motion to the distributing plates.
If it be desired to supply different colored inks to the distributing surface and
from that to the inking rollers, which will transfer the various colored inks to the
printing surface or "form," the ink fountain must be subdivided by means of
transverse partitions into the required number of compartments, each of which must
be of a size corresponding to the width of the band of color to be supplied to the
distributing surface. The vibrating plates must also be of corresponding size,
especially as to width, and care must be taken that the vibrating plates supplied
with one color do not in their vibrations overlap the border line of the contiguous
colors, otherwise the colors would become mixed and would produce a blurry
appearance on the printed surface.
If however it is required to print in one color only it will be found convenient
and advisable that the ends of the vibrating plates during their lateral oscillations
should project or pass over the border lines between the different series of plates,
so as to ensure a better lateral distribution of the ink. The Invention will therefore
be equally applicable to cases in which only one colored ink (such as black) is
constantly used, as it will be for printing in many colored inks.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a plan view of an inking table or
distributing surface constructed according to the present improvements; Fig. 2 is a
transverse vertical section of the same taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a
longitudinal vertical section taken in the line 3, 4, of Fig. 1. The ink distributing
surface is composed of angular shaped vibrating plates a, a, a, a, arranged in several
series. In Fig. 1, in order to simplify the Drawing, only four series are shewn, the
plates being of different widths according to the breadth of color required to be
transferred to the form of type. It will of course be understood that each series
of vibrating plates a, a, may be supplied with ink of a different color if desired, and
the spaces between the series may be provided with other plates so as to form a
complete distributing surface if the form of the type is close. and requires more

page_text: inking surface. These plates a, a, are pivotted on pins or studs fixed in the
longitudinal bars of the reciprocating frame b, b, which moves to and fro between
the side bars c (bolted to the main framing of the machine). At each end of these
bars there are projecting tappets c', c'. The travelling frame b carries a sliding bar d,
the ends of which are capable of limited motion in slots b¹ made in the side bars of
the frame b, as seen best in Fig. 3. This sliding bar d is coupled at its two ends
to-another bar d' provided at its upper side with a projecting feather, on to which
fits a notched piece e' on the under side of a short plate e below the first vibrating
plate a of cach series. The plate e carries an inclined slot a¹ in which works a pin
or stud on the under side of the first vibrating plate a of the series, as indicated by
dots in Fig. 1, and also in Fig. 4, which is a plan view of one of the series of
vibrating plates detached; Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the same, and Fig. 6
is a view of the under side of the bar which carries the plates.
It will now be understood that when the reciprocating frame 6 arrives near the
end of its stroke in either direction the sliding bar d will be brought into contact
with one or other of the tappets c¹ and will be thrust back thereby, and through
the medium of the other bar d¹ and the parts e and e' will cause the pin in the first
vibrating plate to move along the inclined slot a of the piece e, and thus to turn the
vibrating plate a on its centre to the right or left. The forward end of the first
vibrating plate a is provided at its edge with a projecting pin or tongue (or if the
plates a are wide they are provided with two tongues) which take into corre-
sponding notches in the end of the contiguous vibrating plate, so that when the
first vibrating plate a is moved on its centre by the inclined slot a¹ acting on the
pin on its under side, all the plates of that series or row will be vibrated on the
centres at the same moment.
It will be seen that by the arrangement of the parts this vibrating operation does
not take place until the plates a, a, have arrived at the end of their traverse in
either direction. The ink fountain is provided as usual with a ductor roller g'
for transferring the ink from the fountain to the vibrating roller h, whereby it is
carried to the fixed part a* of the distributing surface, when the latter by the
reciprocation of the frame b, b, is brought into contact with the vibrating roller h.
It has already been said that when inks of different colors are employed the
fountain g is divided by transverse partitions into separate compartments for the
different colored inks, the consequence will be that the ductor roller g', the vibrating
roller h, and the distributing rollers f, f, f, will each receive bands of different
colored inks, which will be transferred to the form of type or printing surface by
the inking rollers (not shewn in the Drawing) as the forni passes to and fro under
the latter.
It will now be understood that the inking or distributing surface is composed of
a number of rows of vibrating plates, such as those shewn at Figures 4, 5, and 6,
arranged together in a reciprocating frame either in close proximity to each other
or at any suitable distance apart (according to the work to be done) as shewn at
Fig. 1.
When a considerable breadth of ink of one color is required it may be found
convenient to form the vibrating inking surface of two or more series or rows of
vibrating plates arranged close together as shewn in the detached plan view, Fig. 7.
In this case there is no inconvenience but rather an advantage if the edges of one
set or row of vibrating plates are made to sail over the line which divides two
contiguous rows, as at Fig. 7. The arrangement of vibrating plates, shewn at
Fig. 7, is the arrangement I prefer to use when only one colored ink (as in ordinary
printing) is employed, and if desired a vibrating or endway motion may be
imparted to the inking rollers without injuriously affecting the work. It will be
evident therefore that the present improvements may be adapted to machines in
which there is endway motion imparted to the inking rollers, especially when only
one color is to be printed at a time.
By this means a more uniform supply or distribution of ink throughout the
surface is obtained..

page_text: I would here remark that although I have herein shewn and described the
method I prefer for communicating the vibrating motion to the plates a, a, I do
not mean or intend to confine myself exclusively thereto, as other mechanical devices
may be employed to impart the desired motion to these parts.
Having now described the "Improvements in Printing Machinery" which have
been communicated to me from abroad, and having explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I am aware that
inking tables of printing machines have been provided with circular discs, which
are rotated by the action of the working parts so as to alter the position of the
inking or distributing surface, I do not therefore claim any such devices as forming
part of the present Invention, but that which I consider to be new and therefore
claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid is,-
First. The use of inking or distributing surfaces formed by combining as
described several series or sets of vibrating plates, to which plates an intermittent,
vibrating, or oscillating motion on their centres is communicated, substantially in
the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.
Second. The combination of parts constituting my improved arrangement of
machinery wherein inking or distributing surfaces consisting of several sets of
vibrating plates are employed with or without the means of supplying differently
colored inks to the printing surfaces, constructed substantially as and for the
purposes described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Thirty-first day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)