IMPROVEMENTS IN MULTIPLE COLOR. ROTARY PRINTING MACHINES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Smale, of Hayles Street, Southwark, in the
County of Surrey, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MULTIPLE COLOR.
ROTARY PRINTING MACHINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Smale at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th May 1881.
JAMES SMALE, of Hayles Street, Southwark, in the County of Surrey.
IMPROVEMENTS IN MULTIPLE COLOR ROTARY PRINTING MACHINES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in multiple color rotary printing
machines, and is designed to print in one or more colours upon sheets of various
sizes.
A multiple color rotary printing machine according to my Invention is so arranged
that for every impression the type or plate cylinders are inked two or more times,
for which purpose I make the impression or blanket cylinder of an effective diameter
double, three fold, or other multiple (but by preference two fold) that of the type
or plate cylinders, and it revolves once for every two, three, or more revolutions,
as the case may be, of the type or plate cylinders, and by this arrangement I effect
more perfect inking, and am enabled to produce more perfect impressions. The
surface or periphery of the impression cylinder is cut away or lowered for about
one half of its circumference when it is double the diameter of the type or plate
cylinder, so that although the type cylinders revolve twice for each revolution of
the impression cylinder, the printing surfaces only come into actual contact with it
once, that is, upon the raised or higher portion, which is prepared or adapted to
receive the sheet or sheets. By this arrangement of multiple colour rotary printing
machines the type or plate cylinders pass under the inking rollers, two, three, or
more times for every impression on the paper, and a greater space is available than
in machines as hitherto constructed for the introduction around the impression
cylinder of color type cylinders.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Smale in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th
November 1881.
JAMES SMALE, of Hayles Street, Southwark, in the County of Surrey.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MULTIPLE COLOR ROTARY PRINTING MACHINES."
This Invention has for its object improvements in multiple color rotary printing
machines, and is designed to print in one or more colors upon sheets of various
sizes.
A multiple color rotary printing machine according to my Invention is so arranged
that for every impression the type or plate cylinders are inked two or more times,
for which purpose I make the impression or blanket cylinder of an effective
diameter double, three fold, or other multiple (but by preference two fold) that
of the type or plate cylinders, and it revolves once for every two, three, or more
revolutions, as the case may be of the type or plate cylinders, and by this arrange-
ment I effect more perfect inking, and am enabled to produce more perfect
impressions. The surface or periphery of the impression cylinder is cut away or
lowered for about one half of its circumference when it is double the diameter of
the type or plate cylinder, so that although the type cylinders revolve twice for
each revolution of the impression cylinder, the printing surfaces only come into
actual contact with it once, that is, upon the raised or higher portion, which is
prepared or adapted to receive the sheet or sheets. By this arrangement of
multiple colour rotary printing machines the type or plate cylinders pass under the
inking rollers two, three, or more times for every impression on the paper, and a
greater space is available than in machines as hitherto constructed, for the
introduction around the impression cylinder of colour type cylinders.
The accompanying Drawings illustrate a multiple color rotary printing machine
embodying my Invention as arranged for printing in three colors, Fig. 1 being a
side elevation, Fig. 2, a longitudinal vertical section, Fig. 3, an elevation at the
delivery end of the machine, and Figs. 4 and 5, separate views shewing means by
which a transverse to and fro motion is given to two of the inking rollers or
distributors. a is the impression or blanket cylinder, in this case double the
diameter of the type or plate cylinders b, b, b. The cylinders b, b, b, are in gear
with the cylinder a by teeth on their peripheries, so that for one revolution of the
cylinder a, the cylinders b, b, b, make each two revolutions, thereby producing a
double rolling or inking of the "forme," and consequently a better class of printing
as well as a saving of ink. The periphery of the impression cylinder a is partly
cut away or made lower (or in other words the cylinder is of smaller diameter) for
one half of its circumference, as shewn in Fig. 2, so that although each cylinder b
rotates twice for each revolution of the cylinder a, yet the printing surface of each
cylinder b bears against cylinder a only during each alternate rotation of such
cylinder b, that is, when and whilst the raised or higher portion or larger diameter of
cylinder a (which is covered with cloth a' for receiving the sheets to be printed) is
passing the respective type cylinder b; c, c, c, are the inking rollers in contact
with the "forme or printing surface b' as it comes round and in gear with the
teeth of the cylinders b, b, b. The distributing rollers d, d, may have a transverse
motion imparted to them by means of the vibrating frames e, e, e, operated by
cranks and rods f, f,f, through gearing g, from the shaft of the cylinder a, as shewn
in Fig. 1.
The vibrating rollers h, h, h, may be operated by means of levers and arms i, ¿,
and cams j,j, on the cylinders b, b, as shewn in Fig. 2; k is the laying on board
for placing the sheets to be taken up by the grippers, it being in my improved
machine placed in an opposite position with regard to the cylinder a to that of
ordinary printing machines, that is to say, as the cylinder a comes round it takes
the sheet up and round with it; k is pivotted at 1, and its front part is raised as
the grippers come opposite it by means of an arm / operated through a cam m fixed

page_text: "
to the shaft of the cylinder a; n are fixed curved arms for keeping the sheet in
place as it is pressed forwards; and o is a roller or bar which is brought down
upon the sheet (by means of the rods or bars o' operated through the cam o' on
the shaft of the cylinder a) to hold it until it is secured by the grippers p. The
grippers may be opened by means of the roller p', connected by an arm p² to
their axis passing over the first raised portion or path p³, and closed again by the
spring p as the roller passes off the raised path p³; q, q, are small pullies operated
from the cylinder a by the pinion q¹, over which pass tapes or bands q for delivering
the printed sheets from the cylinder a on to the receiving board ?, the rotary
brushes 8, 8, taking them off from the cylinder a as they come round. The ductor
rollers t, t, may be operated through the pullies t¹, t, connected by gut cords to the
double pulley on one side of the machine, the ductor roller u being operated
through the pullies u³, u³, on the other side of the machine; v is the driving shaft
of the machine which operates the cylinder a by the gearing wheels w, and
which is driven through the driving pullies a, connected to the prime mover.
The cylinders b, b, b, may be raised so as to be "off impression with the
cylinder a by means of the adjustable rods y, y, y, connected to cranks y', y¹, y',
in which their axes are carried eccentrically and to the lever or handle z.
The operation of the machine is as follows:-The sheet to be printed being
placed underneath the curved arms n to the table k, and the cylinder a
revolved in the direction of the arrow, the roller or rod o is by means of the
cam o brought down upon the sheet to hold it in position on the table; the
front end of the table is then raised by means of the cam m, and is brought
in a line with the grippers, which thereupon close and take hold of the sheet,
the cylinder a carrying it round with it underneath the colored "forme
"b' of
the first cylinder b where it is printed with the first color, from whence it passes
underneath the "forme" of the second cylinder b when it is printed with the
second color, and then underneath the "forme" of the third cylinder b, when
it is printed with the third color, after which it is guided by the tapes q² to
the rotary brushes 8, 8, which take it off the cylinder a (the grippers being
opened) and pass it down between the tapes q2 on to the receiving board r.
By this arrangement of machine the vibrating rollers give a double supply
of coloring ink to the printing surfaces of the cylinders b for one impression of
the sheet to be printed, also a greater space is available than in machines as
bitherto constructed for the introduction around the impression cylinder of color
type cylinders, and there is also more room left for the grippers, &c., in the
impression cylinder.
Having described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of carrying
it into practical effect, I claim,―
1. In a multiple color rotary printing machine the use in conjunction with
separate type or plate cylinders for the different colours to be printed of an
impression or blanket cylinder having an effective diameter twofold or other
multiple of the diameter of type or plate cylinder employed, the arrangement
being such that each such type or plate cylinder is inked two or more times for each
impression, substantially as described.
2. Constructing multiple color rotary printing machines of the kind above
mentioned, substantially as shewn in and described with reference to the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Smale, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Twenty sixth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
JAMES SMALE. (LS.)