Improvements in Letter-press and Lithographic Cylinder Printing Machines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Dec., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 12th Sept., 1892-Accepted, 10th Mar., 1393
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Letter-press and Lithographic Cylinder Printing
Machines.
I CHARLES BUTTERFIELD, 181 Pym Street in the Town and County of the
Town of Nottingham, Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The invention has for its object improvements in that description of cylinder
printing machine in which the type bed or lithographic stone is held stationary
whilst the cylinder having the paper thereon and the damping and inking rollers
are caused to traverse to and fro over the type bed or lithographic stone, the
cylinder being rotated when travelling in the direction for printing and being held
stationary when travelling in the contrary direction after the printing has been
effected.
My present invention relates to various improvements whereby such description
of machine is rendered much firmer and the various operations more certain and
effective.
I construct the frame of the machine with two end standards connected together
at their lower parts by longitudinal rails provided with toothed racks. The upper
parts of the end standards carry the bed of the machine which latter consists of a
rail on each side of the length of the machine, cross bars, ink slab and bearings for
the shafts of the driving gearing cast together.
The axis of the cylinder is carried at its ends in bearings forming the axes of
motion of segments, the rims of which are provided with plain surfaces to run on
plain portions of the rails at the lower part of the machine and with teeth to gear
into the toothed racks of such rails. These segments are connected together firmly
by a cross rail under the bed of the machine and such cross rail is connected by a
link to a crank pin on a toothed wheel driven by a pinion on the driving axis.
The necks of the cylinder before passing through the axes of the segments also
pass through bearings attached to a frame consisting of side rails and a cross bar
cast in one and carrying the inking rollers, damping rollers and spring stop for
holding the cylinder fast in its return traverse over the type bed or lithographic
stone. The side rails of this frame run over, and mainly clear, of the side rails of
the machine bed but the rear ends thereof rest upon the machine side rails and
one or both of such rear ends as also the bearings of the cylinder axis are held
down to the machine side rails by adjustable clamps.
By the above arrangement the principal weight of the cylinder and its frame is
carried by the segments resting on the lower rails. The rails carrying the toothed
racks, or the toothed segments are provided with flanges, or the frame carrying the
cylinder and inking rollers, or the supporting rails are provided with guides to
prevent endwise motion of the cylinder and other parts moving therewith.
By the above described arrangement of driving mechanism a smoother and
more balanced motion is given to the cylinder &c.
The segments are connected by links to a frame carrying the distributing rollers,
receiving table or board and arm for releasing the sheet retainer at the required
time to cause the printed sheet to fall on to the said table or board.
The cylinder is provided with a gripper bar on one end of which is a lever
which is operated by a trip lever at each end of the traverse of the cylinder in the
following manner.

page_text: The frame carrying the sheet retainer carries a lever cam which by the pressure
of the cylinder bearing, or other part moving with it, against it, is caused to give
a quick motion to the trip lever which by giving a partial rotary motion to the
gripper shaft releases the paper on the cylinder at the precise moment when the
moveable jaw of the retainer is caused to close against the fixed jaw to grip
the paper.
The retainer consists of a fixed bar and a spring gripper bar carried by brackets
fixed to the machine bed side bars; the spring gripper bar is fitted with a catch
pivotted thereto and such catch acts in connection with a fixed stop so that when
required the spring gripper bar can be held away from the fixed jaw of the retainer
and at the moment when the paper is released from the cylinder the aforesaid trip
lever acts upon the pivotted catch to release it from the fixed stop and thereby
cause the spring gripper bar to close against the fixed bar of the retainer.
In the forward motion of the frame carrying the distributing rollers &c. a fixed
arm on such frame acts against one end of a lever the other end of which acts to
move the spring retainer bar away from the fixed bar to release the sheet and at
the same time places the pivotted catch against the stop to keep the retainer open
until on the return of the cylinder it is again released to cause the retainer to grip
a fresh sheet.
The front of the machine has brackets standing up therefrom and to these
brackets the feed table is pivotted. The lower edge of the feed table is a short
distance away from a fixed stop against which the sheet of paper is fed. The
lower edge of the feed table has a dipping motion imparted thereto and a bar
carried by arms pivotted to the feed table and held at a short distance beyond the
lower edge thereof is acted upon by a spring to cause it to dip in relation to such
feed table when required so that fingers thereon shall grip the sheet on the feed
table and other fingers shall cause the lower edge of the sheet to be depressed into
position to be securely gripped by the cylinder grippers.
The feed table in rising brings the front end of one of the pivotted arms carrying
the spring finger bar against a fixed stop and thereby raises such pivotted finger
bar into position to enable a fresh sheet to be fed on to the table against the
fixed stop.
A lever frame is mounted on an axis at the lower part of the front of the machine
and it is connected by link to a cam lever at the back of the machine which latter
is acted upon by a roller carried by the toothed wheel giving motion to the
cylinder so as to move the said lever frame in one direction, a spring acting to
move it in the opposite direction.
This lever frame carries a finger which by acting on the trip lever releases the
cylinder grippers at the required time to cause them to grip the lower edge of
the sheet of paper as the latter is presented to the cylinder and said lever frame
also carries a lever pusher which by means of a weighted tumbler lever is capable
of being raised and lowered at its free end so that it shall be in position to act
upon or miss a projection on the stop which latter will consequently be pushed out
from a notch in the cylinder or be allowed to remain therein, thus enabling the
impression to be thrown off or on as may be required.
The cylinder receives rotary motion by means of a wheel loose on its axis but
provided with a spring pawl or driver acting in connection with a stud or projection
on the cylinder and when it is desired to throw off the impression, that is to say, to
prevent the rotation of the cylinder in its forward traverse a flange or guide on
the lever pusher acts on an arm on the axis of the pawl or driver to depress the
same until it has passed the stud on the cylinder.
I also cause the finger acting to release the trip lever and consequently the
cylinder grippers to be thrown out of action simultaneously with throwing off
the impression.
When the machine is used for lithographic work the bed of the machine is
fitted with a damper and the cylinder carrying frame is provided with damping

page_text: rollers but when used for letter press work alone such damper and damper rollers
will not be required.
Dated December 10th 1901
CHARLES BUTTERFIELD,
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Letter-press and Lithographic Cylinder Printing
Machines.
I, CHARLES BUTTERFIELD, of 181 Pym Street, in the Town and County of the
Town of Nottingham, Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of this 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 accom-
panying drawings and to the figures and letters marked thereon:-
The invention has for its object improvements in that description of cylinder
printing machine in which the type bed or lithographic stone is held stationary
whilst the cylinder having the paper thereon and the damping and inking rollers
are caused to traverse to and fro over the type bed or lithographic stone, the
cylinder being rotated when travelling in the direction for printing and being held
stationary when travelling in the contrary direction after the printing has been
effected.
My present invention relates to various improvements whereby such description
of machine is rendered much firmer and the various operations more certain and
effective.
My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a side elevation and Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of a letter-
press printing machine constructed according to my invention.
Figure 3 is a sectional elevation and Figure 4 is a plan of parts for "throwing
the impression" on and off.
Figure 5 is a sectional elevation and Figure 6 is a plan of parts at the lower edge
of the feed table for presenting the lower edge of the sheet in a proper direction
to be taken by the cylinder grippers.
Figure 7 is a front elevation and Figure 8 is a sectional elevation of parts showing
the retainer and parts for actuating the same for seizing the edge of the printed
sheet as presented to it by the cylinder and for delivering it to the receiving
table.
Figure 9 is a cross section of one of the segments, its rack, carrying rail and
guide.
Figure 10 is a sectional elevation of parts for holding up or down the lever
controlling the apparatus for "throwing the impression on and off.
"
Figure 11 is an end elevation of the cylinder with its loose toothed wheel broken
away in order to show the catch arrangement, and Figure 12 is a longitudinal
section of the same.
Figure 13 is a longitudinal section and Figure 14 is a cross section showing the
cylinder, locking arrangement brake, trip lever, gripper bar lever, and a slight
modification of parts for holding the cylinder down to the machine side rails, which
modification is more applicable to lithographic printing machines, and Figure 15 is
a longitudinal section representing a modification of the machine when adapted for
lithographic work.
In all the figures like parts are indicated by similar letters of reference.
I construct the frame of the machine with two end standards a a connected
together at their lower parts by longitudinal rails a¹ provided with toothed racks a².
The upper parts of the end standards a a carry the bed of the machine, which latter
consists of a rail a³ on each side of the length of the machine, cross bars aª aª, ink

page_text: slab a and bearings a° for the shaft of the large driving toothed wheel, cast
together.
The axis 6 of the cylinder b is carried at its ends in bearings c¹ forming the axes
of motion of segments c, the rims of which are provided with plain surfaces c* to run
on the plain or flat portions a* of the rails a', and with teeth c³ to gear into the
toothed racks a'. These segments c are connected together firmly by a cross rail e
under the bed of the machine, and such cross rail is connected by a link d to a
crank pin el on a toothed wheel e driven by a pinion on the driving axis f.
The necks of the axis of the cylinder pass through the bearings or hollow
axes c' of the segments, and such bearings c¹ also pass through bearings g' attached
to a frame consisting of side rails y and a cross bar y fixed rigidly together and
carrying the inking rollers and spring stops (the springs of which are not
shown) for holding the cylinder fast in its return traverse over the type bed or
lithographic. stone, and such frame also carries, when used for lithographic purposes,
the damping rollers j represented at Figure 15, in which case the bed as of the
machine carries a damper k in contact with which the damping rollers j run during
part of their to and fro motion. The inking rollers, when not supported by the ink
slab, run over wood rails a resting on the side rails a'.
The side rails g of said frame run mainly clear of the side rails a³ of the machine
bed, but the rear ends thereof rest by the rollers g³ upon the machine side rails a³,
and such rear ends of the side rails g are held down to the machine side rails a³ by
the brackets or clamps 9*. The cylinder b is held down to the side rails a³ by
adjustable clamps fixed to the cross bar g³, and each consisting, according to the
arrangement represented at Figure 1, of a friction roller y carried by a bracket gⓇ
centred at g*, which bracket is adjustable in height by means of a screw g passing
through the cross bar g. In the modification shown at Figures 13 and 14 the
adjustable brackets or frames y each carry three friction rollers, of which
latter more or less may be used, and said brackets or frames, instead of being acted
upon directly by the screws g', have springs 8 interposed between said screws and
brackets or frames, whilst the latter are limited in their upward motion by screws g
fixed to said brackets and passing loosely through holes in the cross bar ³, nuts g
being screwed on to the lower ends of such screws.
By the above arrangement the principal weight of the cylinder and its frame is
carried by the segments e resting on the flat parts a* of the lower rails a'.
The rails a are provided with flanges a to retain the segments c in correct
position and consequently prevent end wise motion to the cylinder and other
parts moving therewith. As an alternative the segments c may be provided with
flanges or the frames g may be provided with guides working against the side
rails a*.
By the above described arrangement of driving mechanism a smoother and more
balanced motion is given to the cylinder b and other parts.
The segments c are connected by links to a frame m carrying the distributing
rollers m', receiving table or board n and arm or pin m³ for releasing the sheet
retainer at the required time to cause the printed sheet to fall on to the said table
or board n.
The cylinder b is provided with a gripper bar b', on one end of which is a lever b³,
which is operated by a trip lever at each end of the traverse of the cylinder b
in the following manner.
The frame uprights a carrying the sheet retainer, carry a lever cam o, which, by
the pressure against the lower side thereof of the cylinder bearing, or other part
moving with it, is caused by its upper part to act upon the truck and thereby to
give a quick motion to the trip lever, which latter, by acting upon the lever b³,
gives a partial rotary motion to the cylinder gripper shaft 62 and thereby releases
the paper on the cylinder b at the precise moment when the moveable jaw p of the
retainer is caused to close against the fixed bar or jaw to grip the paper.
closing action of the jaw p is effected by the top side of the truck coming against
the underside of the lever catch p* hereinafter described.
This

page_text: The retainer consists of the fixed bar p₁ and the spring gripper bar p, which are
carried by brackets or extensions of uprights a of the machine frame, or such parts
may be carried by brackets fixed to the machine bed side bars a; the spring
gripper bar p (the spring of which is not shown) is fitted with a catch p² pivotted
to an arm fixed rigidly thereto, and such catch acts in connection with a fixed
stop p, so that when required the grippers of the spring gripper bar p can be held
away from the fixed jaw or bar pl of the retainer and, at the moment when the
paper is released from the cylinder, the truck of the aforesaid trip lever b' acts
upon the pivotted catch p², as above described, to release it from the fixed stop p*
and thereby permit the spring gripper bar p to close against the fixed bar or jaw p²
of the retainer. In the forward motion of the frame m carrying the distributing
rollers m¹, &c., a fixed arm or pin m³ on such frame acts against one end of a lever q
the other end of which acts to move the spring retainer bar p away from the fixed
bar or jaw pl to release the printed sheet, and at the same time places the pivotted
catch p² against the stop to keep the retainer open until, on the return of the
cylinder b, it is again released to cause the retainer to grip a fresh printed sheet.
The front of the machine has brackets standing up therefrom, and to these
brackets the feed table s is pivotted. The lower edge of the feed tables is a short
distance away from a fixed stop or bar s, against which the blank sheet of paper is
fed. The lower edge of the feed tables has a dipping motion imparted thereto by
its own weight acting in combination with the following parts.
The feed tables has connected thereto an arm s³, which rests against one end of
a levers, whose other end rests by a truck or roller s against a cam s. Thus the
cam causes the feed table s to be raised to its upper position when a sheet of
paper is to be fed on to the same, so that the lower edge of the sheet, when fed on
to the table, will slide down and rest against the fixed bar or stop s'; then, when it
is desired to lower the sheet to the position for it to be taken by the cylinder
grippers, the cam 8 allows the feed tables to dip by its own weight. The lower
edge of the feed table s has a bar s carried at the rear ends of levers s pivotted to
brackets fixed to said table and at a short distance beyond the lower edge of the
latter; this bar is acted upon by a spring to cause it to dip in relation to the
lower edge of the feed table when required, so that fingers thereon shall grip
the sheet of paper on such feed table, and other fingers & shall cause the lower
edge of the sheet to be depressed into position to be securely gripped by the
cylinder grippers.
The feed table s, in rising, brings the front end of one of the pivotted arms s",
carrying the spring finger bars, against a fixed stop s" and thereby raises such
pivotted finger bar into position to enable a fresh sheet of paper to be fed on to
the feed tables against the fixed stop s'. This arrangement of parts for presenting
the lower edge of the blank sheet to the cylinder grippers is also applicable to other
cylinder printing machines.
A lever frame t is mounted on axes t¹at the lower part of the front of the
machine framing, and a cam t* fixed to one arm of the lever frame t is acted upon
by a roller t³ carried by the toothed wheel e so as to move the said lever frame t in
one direction, the weight of the frame t, assisted by a spring (not shown), acting
to move it in the opposite direction until such frame comes to rest against a
stop to.
This lever frame t carries, as will be hereinafter described, a finger t*, which, by
acting on the underside of the plain end of the trip lever 6', releases the cylinder
grippers 6 at the required time to cause them to grip the lower edge of the sheet
of paper as the latter is presented to the cylinder, and the lever frame t also
carries, as will be hereinafter described, a lever pusher t, which, at the moment
after the cylinder grippers have seized the sheet of paper, pushes the lever arm
of the stop and releases the cylinder, thereby enabling it to rotate during its
traverse motion for printing.
One of the brackets has pivotted thereto at u*, a lever u, which, by means of a
weighted tumbler lever u¹ and eccentric u², is capable of being raised and lowered

page_text: at its free end, thereby enabling the impression to be thrown off or on as may be
required in the following manner. A spring catch us acts in one or other of the
notches of the lever u to hold the latter in whichever position it is left by the
tumbler lever u'. The lever u has fixed thereto a cam u, the front end of which
is formed to act against a truck v carried by one end of a lever, v, whose other end
is centred at v² on a projection from the lever frame t, and such lever vis connected
by link to a sliding bar, which carries at one end the finger and lever
pusher. The cam will, when in position to do so, act upon the truck o' to push
the sliding bar v in the direction shown by the arrow and, when in its extreme
position in such direction, the finger t and lever pusher t are in position to act
respectively upon the trip lever 6 and the lever of the stop it, but when the
lever u is lowered so that the cam u is below the plane of the truck v¹, such cam
will miss the said truck in the forward motion of the lever frame t and the spring
will, when the lever frame t is nearly in its most backward position, pull the
bar in the contrary direction to that of the arrow into position for the finger t
and lever pusher to to miss the trip lever and lever of the stop. As the lever
frame t approaches nearly to its most backward position, a projection & acts against
the spring catch u³ to release it from the teeth u, at which time the lever u can be
either raised or lowered as required.
f
When the lever u is in its raised position, the various parts controlling the throwing
off or on of the impression are acted upon for throwing on the impression, but when
the lever u is in its lowermost position, the various parts above referred to are acted
upon for throwing off the impression.
The lever u also, when in its raised position, brings a stop thereon into position
for an arm s¹ on the underside of the table s to rest against the same, by which
means the dipping of said table s is prevented, thereby preventing the delivery of a
blank sheet of paper to the cylinder grippers at the time when the impression is
thrown off.
The cylinder 6 has fixed on one end thereof a toothed wheel 68, which has a few
teeth cut away or absent on one side thereof; on the other end of the axis of said
cylinder is mounted a toothed wheel, both of which wheels gear into racks a
fixed on the side bars a³, and such wheel is provided with the following arrange-
ment of parts for enabling it to give motion to the cylinder and to run free thereof
at the required times.
On the end of the cylinder b is fixed a projection 68, and pivotted to the wheel b
is an arm 6º, which is acted upon by a spring 60 to place it in the position shown by
Figure 11, in which position said arm will, by pushing against the projection
give rotary motion to the cylinder b, but when the cylinder has arrived at the end
of its forward or printing motion and the return motion commences, the wheel b',
still being in gear with one of the racks as, will revolve in the contrary direction,
but in doing so the arm 69 will recede from the projection till it has completed
such revolution, when the arm will again assume the position shown at Figure 11
in readiness to give rotary motion to the cylinder. If however the lever u has been
lowered to throw off the impression, the underside of the cam u will, by pressing on
the truck, disengage the arm 6 from the projection 68 in order to prevent rotary
motion being given to the cylinder thereby. The wheel 66, on the motion of the
cylinder towards the feed tables, and also when the impression is thrown off, will, by
reason of the flat portion thereof being towards the rack a³, pass over such rack
without gearing therewith. w is a brake, which may be of any suitable character,
and which is used to overcome the momentum of the cylinder b, and thereby prevent
the stop or catch 6* thereon from over-running the spring stops. The cylinder b,
when permitted by the removal of the stop from the catch or stop b*, is capable of
revolving and, when about to complete its revolution to the position shown by
Figure 13, the catch or stop b* pushes down the stop i until it just clears the latter,
when, by again coming into contact with the stop , the cylinder is again locked to
prevent any rotary motion thereof on its return towards the feed table.
y is an ink duct of any ordinary character, and 2.is. the "side lay.".
:

page_text: In the modification shown at Figure 15, which is arranged for lithographic
work, the cylinder b and inking rollers are similar to those of the letter-press
machine herein before described, but in addition there are damping rollers; which
travel over a damper k and over the lithographic stone to the position shown in
dotted lines. The bed is also modified as shown for the increased thickness of
the stone, and the ink slab a is proportionately extended according to the require-
ments; the inking rollers are of the character usually employed with lithographic
printing machines.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is: :-
1. In letter-press and lithographic printing machinery, the arrangement and
combination with a dipping feed table, of parts for gripping the sheet on the feed
table and presenting the lower edge thereof in proper position to be taken by the
cylinder grippers, substantially as herein shown and described.
2. In letter-press and lithographic printing machinery, the combination of a
travelling and rotating cylinder and mechanism for carrying, rotating and traversing
the same to and fro between the feeding table and the retainer, substantially as
herein shown and described.
3. In combination with the parts referred to in Claim 2, the arrangement of parts
for giving rotary motion to the cylinder in one direction of its traverse and for
preventing rotation thereof in the contrary direction, substantially as herein shown
and described.
4. In letter-press and lithographic printing machinery, the peculiar combination
of lever frame t and parts acting therewith, and with the cylinder, for preventing
rotary motion of the cylinder when the impression is thrown off and for permitting
rotary motion thereof when the impression is thrown on, substantially as herein
shown and described.
5. In letter-press and lithographic printing machines having a travelling and
rotating cylinder as herein described, the arrangement and combination of means
for opening and holding the cylinder grippers open when the cylinder is travelling
in the one direction, and for closing them when the cylinder is travelling in the
contrary direction, substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose
stated.
6. In letter-press and lithographic printing machines having a travelling and
rotating cylinder, the combination therewith of a retainer for receiving the printed
sheet from the cylinder, of mechanism for actuating the retainer, and of a receiving
table, substantially as herein shown and described.
7. In letter-press and lithographic printing machinery having a travelling and
rotating cylinder, the combination therewith of a frame carrying the distributing
rollers and receiving table, and of means for operating such frame, so that the
distributing rollers shall have a slower motion than that given to the cylinder,
substantially as herein shown and described.
8. In letter-press and lithographic printing machinery, the general arrangement
and combination of parts substantially as herein shown and described.
Dated this 12th day of September 1892.
CHAS. BUTTERFIELD,
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.