IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR COPYING LETTERS OR WRITINGS AND DRAUGHTS
Year: 1861

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 "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR COPYING LETTERS OR WRITINGS
AND DRAUGHTS."-A communication from abroad by Francis Tryon, George
Heydecker, and William Van Anden, of New York, in the United States
of America.
Sealed the 14th January 1862, and dated the 19th July 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
19th July 1861.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR COPYING LETTERS OR WRITINGS
AND DRAUGHTS," to be as follows:-
This Invention of improved apparatus for copying letters and writings has
for its object to construct a cheap and portable apparatus, which will transfer
to ordinary copying paper any writing or draught that has been written or
drawn in copying ink. The leaves of copying paper are bound or stitched in
a flexible wrapper or cover in the form of a book, and in such quantities as

page_text: will admit of their being rolled up with facility. The back edge of this book,
with its flexible cover, is inserted in a groove made in a metal roller or
cylinder, round which the book of copying paper can be wound or rolled. A
couple of plain sheets of paper and a sheet of calico rather larger than the size
of the book form with the metal roller and copying paper all the apparatus
which is used in the following mauner:-The letter to be copied is placed
under one of the blank leaves of copying paper, and the sheet of calico, after
being damped, is placed over the leaf and letter, and a plain sheet of paper
may be placed over the calico; then, upon rolling the metal cylinder on the
book with the letter placed therein, the writing from the latter will leave a
counterpart on the leaf of copying paper.
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 18th January 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my exccutors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IM-
PROVED APPARATUS FOR COPYING LETTERS OR WRITINGS AND DRAUGHTS," being a
communication from Francis Tryon, George Heydecker, and William Van
Anden, of New York, in the United States of America, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Newton, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office,

page_text: within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say)
:-
This Invention of improved apparatus for copying letters and writings has
for its object to construct a cheap and portable apparatus, which will transfer
to ordinary copying paper any writing or draught that has been written or
drawn in copying ink.
In carrying out the Invention the leaves of copying paper are bound or
stitched in a flexible wrapper or cover in the form of a book, and in such
quantities as will admit of them being rolled up with facility. The back edge
of this book, with its flexible cover, is inserted in a groove made in a metal
roller or cylinder, round which the book of copying paper can be wound or
rolled. A couple of plain sheets of paper which, if desired, may be made
waterproof, and a sheet of calico rather larger than the size of the book, form
with the metal roller and copying paper all the apparatus which constitutes the
present Invention, and which is used in the following manner :-The letter to
be copied is placed under one of the blank leaves of copying paper, and the
sheet of calico, after being damped, is placed over the leaf and letter, and a
sheet of plain or waterproof paper may be placed over the calico; then, upon
rolling the book with the letter placed therein round the metal cylinder
the ink from the letter or writing will leave a counterpart on the leaf of
copying paper.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one of the
improved apparatus complete, but with book unrolled; Fig. 2 is a sectional
view, shewing the book of copying paper tightly rolled up, as when it is
required to take a copy of a letter or draught; and Fig. 3 is a similar view
with the book unrolled.
a, a, is the book of copying paper, which it will be found convenient and
advantageous to keep in a cover composed of polished American cloth b, or
some other waterproof material. It is found in practice that this waterproof
external covering greatly assists in pressing the letter and copying paper
tightly in contact, and improves the copy that is taken by the copying paper,
but it is not absolutely necessary. The back of this book is inserted in a
groove c, made in a metal or other cylinder d, in which it is tightly held by

page_text: reason of the peculiar form of the groove. When copies of several letters are
required to be taken at the same time, several sheets of copying paper may be
simultaneously damped, and sheets of damp calico may be placed over several
sheets of copying paper, having letters or writings under them, and one
operation of rolling up the apparatus will simultaneously take copies from all
the letters.
I would here remark, that in order to obtain a good copy of a writing the
copying paper should only be damp enough to moisten the ink, a portion of
which when pressure is applied by tightly rolling up the book with the letter
therein, and the damp copying paper in close contact therewith, will come off
on to the face of the thin sheet of copying paper, and may be read from the
other side, as when letters are transferred in an ordinary copying press. By
lapping the letter and copying paper together, with the damp sheet in contact
therewith, round the roller in the manner shewn in Fig. 2, and rolling it with
the hands once or twice to and fro on a flat table, a considerable amount of
adhesive force is brought to bear on the moistened inked surface. Care must
however be taken that the damp calico be not too wet, otherwise water will
be squeezed out of it in the pressing operation, and both letter and copy will
be blurred in consequence.
It will be seen in the Drawing that the cylinder or roller d is made of
metal, and is hollow. This cylinder or roller may be conveniently made of tin,
and either japanned externally or covered with ornamental paper, and if
desired this cylinder or roller may be closed at the ends by suitable covers,
and the space inside may be used to contain pens, ink, sealing wax, matches,
and other articles. If it be not required to use this space the roller may be
made solid, of wood, or other suitable material, in which, however, the longi-
tudinal groove c must be cut to receive the back of the book of copying paper.
As it will be seen that the longitudinal opening of the groove is not so wide as
the internal capacity, it will be evident that to secure the back of the book in
the groove, it must be introduced at one end, and then drawn along the groove
into its place.
By this arrangement and construction of parts, it will be evident that a
copying book when full may be removed with facility, and a new one
introduced in its place.
Having now described this Invention of improved apparatus for copying
letters or writings and draughts, and having explained the manner of
carrying the same into effect, as communicated to me by my foreign corre-
spondents as aforesaid, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters

page_text: Patent, the combination with the copying paper of a damp cloth for moistening
the surface of the copying paper, and a cylinder or roller for imparting
pressure thereto, for the purpose of causing a portion of the ink to be
transferred from the letter or writing to the copying paper, as herein
set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)