Improvements in Presses for Embossed Printing.
Year: 1893

page_text: This Print is in accordance with the Original Specification as it stands after
Amendment (under Section 18 of the Patents, &c. Act, 1883) as allowed by
the decision of the Comptroller General of the 24th day of March 1898.
Date of Application, 5th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 30th Dec., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION (AMENDED).
Improvements in Presses for Embossed Printing.
I, JOSEPH YARDLEY JOHNSTON, of 615 Seventh Street, Washington D.C.,
United States of America, Manufacturer of Stationery, 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 :-
My invention relates to improvements in presses for embossed printing, and it
consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of the several parts
as hereinafter fully described and specifically pointed out in the claims.
In the drawings,
Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of an embossed printing press embodying my
invention.
Fig. 2 is a central vertical section from front to rear of the frame, showing the
principal parts of the driving mechanism.
Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the gearing for operating the various parts of the
press.
Fig. 4 is a plan diagrammatic view of the revolving die-carrying arm,
inking and wiping devices.
and the
Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the gearing and principal rolier of the die inking
device.
Fig. 6 is a front view of the ink agitator or stirrer.
Fig. 7 is a vertical cross section of the inker, showing an end elevation of the
ink agitator.
Fig. 8 is an end elevation of a portion of the cover of the inker, showing the
die inking roller and its operating mechanism.
Fig. 9 is a side view of the die wiping device, partly broken away.
Fig. 10 is an end elevation of the wiping-paper supply roll and adjoining tension
and feed rolls.
Fig. 11 is a plan view of the ball lever, springs, and contiguous parts of the
screw plunger mechanism.
Fig. 12 is a detail view of the stop mechanism of the ball lever.
Fig. 13 is a detail view of the mechanism connecting the inker with the main
shaft.
Fig. 14 is a detail, in elevation, of the wiper, the paper rolls, and a portion of
the large spur gear, with its two cams for operating the wiper and paper-feeding
device.
Fig. 15 is a side elevation of the supporting har of the wiper, with its
sliding bar.
A is the frame of the press, provided with arms 1 and 2, standard 3, and hanger 4,
supporting the various shafts and driving mechanism, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 14.
071

page_text: B is the base of the press, which is mounted on a suitable bench 5, and is provided
with a table or platform 6, upon which rests the counter, or counter die, whereon
the paper to be embossed is laid. E is the main shaft, and F the driving shaft.
The main shaft is located centrally and near the top of the press, and the driving
shaft lies in a parallel plane, but to one side of the press.
On shaft E is the large spur wheel M, which is driven by pinion N on shaft F,
(Figs. 2 and 3). O is the driving pully, which is loosely mounted (but without
lateral play) on shaft F, to which it communicates motion by means of friction-
clutch 31, which is operated by lever 98 from the front of the press.
R is the square die plunger, supported in the outer end of the revolving
die-carrying arm I, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4. Said plunger is adapted to move
easily and steadily, up and down, within box 38 at the outer end of die carrier I.
42 is the die, which is secured to a die box 41, on the top of which is a dove-tailed
projection 40, fitting into a similarly shaped groove 39, in the face of the die
plunger. Four spiral springs 43, connected as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, serve to
retract the die plunger with its die from the paper, or other material, as soon as
the impression is made. A check spring 44, is secured to the lower part of
hanger 4, and thence depends, so as to engage with the outer corner 45, of the die
plunger box 38. Die carrier I is secured to and revolved by shaft G, on the top of
which is mounted pinion L, which engages with mutilated bevel gear wheel K,
secured to main shaft E of the press. Gear wheel K is provided with teeth on
two-thirds of its circumference only, (Fig. 3), which cause a complete revolution
of pinion L and of die carrier 1 with each revolution of the main shaft, and which
are so disposed that the blank space, in connection with locking pin 28 and check
spring 44, produces a cessation or pause in the revolution of the die carrier from
the instant that the die comes over the counter until the impression blow has been
struck. 28 is a locking pin, which is bent near its upper end and pivotally attached
at 101 (Fig. 2) to a steadying rod e, pivoted to hanger 4 at 86, (Fig. 1), and which
is actuated by cam groove 27, on the front face of wheel H, (Fig. 3), in which the
upper end of the pin moves, its lower end entering hole in the top of die carrier I
and locking it while the impression blow is being struck. The revolving die thus
described is an important feature of the improved press, as from it results simplicity
of construction of the press, rapidity of its operation, and perfect inking and
wiping of the die.
mut.
C is the ball or weighted lever, secured to the top of a screw plunger 7, which,
actuated by springs 8 and 10, strikes the impression blow, as shown in Figs. 1, 2
and 11. Coil spring 8 surrounds the upper part of screw plunger 7, one end being
rigidly attached to lever C, and the other end terminating in hook 9, which link 21
connects to hooked end 20 of piston rod 19, within cylinder 11, secured to the top
of the press.
An auxiliary spiral spring, 10, plays freely on piston rod 19 within
the cylinder, and when coil spring 8 is wound up, its tension, which determines the
force of the impression blow, is regulated by nuts 22 and 23, a tension and a jam
Lever is moved into position to strike the impression blow (see dotted
lines Fig. 11) by rack bar D, to which it is pivotally connected by a short
connecting block 14. Rack bar D is provided with two projecting arms 12,
perforated near their ends so as to slide freely to and fro on guide rod 13, which is
secured to the top of the press underneath lever C and parallel to the front of the
press. Rack bar D is also provided with teeth 24, which mesh with pinion 25,
rotating loosely upon a stud or pin 26, secured in standard 1 as shown in Figs. 2, 3
and 12. Main shaft E carries near its front end a mutilated spur wheel H,
provided on one-third of its periphery with teeth a, which engage once during each
revolution of the main shaft with pinion 25, and thereby move rack bar D and
lever in the direction indicated by arrow b, thus winding up coil spring 8.
18 is a small wheel or roller, suitably attached to the top of the press, under
which rack bar D securely rides. The toothed portion of spur gear H is so
disposed that lever C is brought into position to strike the impression blow at the

page_text: instant that die carrier I has been locked, as hereinbefore described; the blank
portion of gear H then releases pinion 25, springs 8 and 10 throw lever C and
rack bar D in the direction indicated by arrow d, screw plunger 7 descends,
automatically adapting itself to the varying thicknesses of counter, paper, and die,
and the impression is made. Link 21 connecting springs 8 and 10 is of such
length that there is no tension on these springs, at the instant of the impression
blow, and there is therefore a rebound of screw plunger 7.
When necessary
springs 16 and 17 (Figs. 1 and 11) are attached to the press so as to catch lever Ċ
and rack bar D at the instant that the impression blow is being struck, and their
resiliency aids and increases the rebound of screw plunger 7; and the quick and
complete removal of the die from the paper, so essential to the clearness and
perfection of the impression, is thus insured. Spring 16 may be omitted if
spring 17 is made proportionately stronger. When the counter is high and elastic,
springs 16 and 17 are unnecessary.
To prevent the recoil of lever C, after its rebound cam J, secured to the rear
face of gear H, (Fig. 12) engages with the lower end of dog 29, and throws its
upper end 30 across the path of stop 15, projecting from rack bar D, (Fig. 11).
By the further revolution of gear H and cam J dog 29 pushes rack bar Da
suitable distance in the direction indicated by arrow b and there holds it until
teeth have again engaged with those of pinion 25, and have begun to wind up
lever C for the next impression blow, as hereinbefore described, when it is released
by cam J, and is retracted by spring k, suitably attached to the press, and the
reverse movement of rack bar D, indicated by arrow d, is unobstructed. S is the
die inker, which is stationary, its location being shown in Figs. 1 and 4, and its
construction in Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8. It consists of a rectangular box or casing 46
provided with a hinged cover 47, secured to plate i, which is adjustably supported
by four screw bolts 84 and 85 passing through a fixed base plate j which is suitably
secured to bench 5.
50 is a semi-cylindrical ink reservoir within the casing.
51 is the collecting ink roller, mounted near one side of the reservoir.
60 is the evenning roller, acting also as a scraper and regulating the supply of
ink, which is adjustable by means of set screws 61 in the usual manner, and 48 is
the die inking roller.
57 is the ink agitator, consisting of a rod extending from end to end of the ink
reservoir, and provided with three upwardly projecting arms, e ƒ and g by whose
upper ends it is pivotally suspended from lugs 59.
On one end of shaft 52 of roller 51, and outside of the casing, is a spur gear, 81
which receives motion from a similar gear, 53, on stud 100, and which imparts
motion to spur gear 54, mounted on a short shaft 55. Shaft 55 carries a crank 56
which is connected at to agitator 57 by connecting rod 58, the motion of the ink
agitator being shown by dotted lines in Fig. 7. Crank 56 and rod 58 work
between arms ƒ and g and roller 51 between arms e and f, of the ink agitator.
Stud 100 receives motion froin the sprocket wheel 37, on its outer end, which is
driven as shown in Figs. 2 and 13.
Mounted loosely on driving shaft is a combined sprocket wheel and friction
clutch, P which is operated by lever W, and is connected by chain 32 with sprocket
wheel 34, mounted on one end of short shaft 33, carried by bracket Q, which
is secured to any convenient part of bench 5. Shaft 33 carries on its other end a
second sprocket wheel, 35, which is connected by chain belt 36 with the inker
sprocket wheel, 37. By virtue of the mechanisın described, the inking
device is in continual motion, even when the press is temporarily stopped, and the
uniform consistency and gloss of the ink, so essential to the perfection of the work,
is thereby maintained.
Die inking roller 48 is mounted on an oscillating frame 49, which is pivotally
supported on arms 62, and it is held in position by springs 63, adjustably secured
to standards 64 on the back part of the cover 47. Its pressure on roller 51 is
regulated by set screws 65. At each end of roller 48 are flanges, or disks 95,

page_text: somewhat greater in diameter than said roller. At two points on die carrier I are
two cam holders, 66, each carrying two adjustable cams 67, which are so con-
structed that, in the revolution of the die holder, each pair of cams will impinge
on disks 95, the space between the respective pairs being adjusted to the width of
the engraved part of the die, (see Figs. 4 and 8). The first pair of cams as the a
die carrier passes over roller 48, pressing upon disks 95, push the roller backward
and downward, and thus prevent the inking of the front edge of the die plate.
When these cams have passed the disks, springs 63 cause a forcible upward
movement of roller 48 against the die, which thoroughly inks every letter. The
second pair of cams also depress roller 48 in passing, as above described, which
prevents the inking of the rear edge of the die plate; and the conjoint action of
both pairs of cams causes the engraved surface only of the die to be inked.
the thickness, the irregularities of surface, and the space occupied by the
engraving vary in different dies, this mechanism is of great importance. It is
obvious that the disks may be dispensed with if the cams are enlarged so as to 1
impinge upon the inking roller.
As
T is the ink wiper, and it is stationary, its location being shown in Figs. 1
and 4. It is rectangular in form, in plan, and has rounded ends and a substantially
flat top, as shown in Fig. 9. Its upper surface is covered with a layer of felt, under
which is placed a packing of cardboard, about double the width of the die, and:
over which a strip of wiping paper is fed. It is supported on four adjustable
springs 68, which regulate its upward pressure, and which are in turn supported on
a fixed base plate 69. The bottom plate 70, of the wiper rests upon the tops of
pins 71, within springs 68. The upper ends of pins 71 are secured to the bottom
plate of the wiper, and their lower ends are screw-threaded and provided with an
adjusting nut 72 and a lock nut 73. Any one or more of four points of the wiper
may be raised or lowered as required, and the wiper automatically adjusts itself to
the varying thicknesses of the dies and to irregularities in their surfaces.
74 is a tilting or rocking shaft, supported at each end by lugs 75 on base
plate 69, and connected by a short upwardly curved arm, 79, (shown by dotted
lines in Fig. 9) to lug 77 on the bottom plate of the wiper. An arm 78, provided
with an adjusting screw 79, is on one end of the shaft 74. A depending bar 80,
having an offset near its upper end (above which lever 89 plays), is securely fastened
at its upper end to arm 2 of the press, and at its lower end to base plate 69 of the
wiper, the base plate being also secured to the frame of the press, as shown in
Figs. 14 and 15.
On the front face of bar 80 is a sliding bar 82, shorter than bar 80, carrying
roller 83 near its upper end, its lower end being a short distance above set screw 79,
(Fig. 9).
Roller 83 lies within range of adjustable cam 87 on the rear face of spur gear M,
and during the revolution of the spur gear, cam 87 engages with roller 83, depress-
ing bar 82 which impinges on set screw 79, which forces arm 76 downward which
carries down the wiper as the inked die is approaching it by the revolution of die
carrier I. Cam 87 is held in place by a bolt passing through a slot in wheel M,
and it has a curvilinear movement along the outer edge of cam 88, being moved
forward and backward, so as to catch roller 83 sooner or later, as the cardboard
packing is made wider or narrower to accommodate the die. Cam 87 releases.
bar 82 at the instant that the lettered surface of the die reaches a point above the
forward end of the cardboard packing or wiping surface of the wiper, springs 68
simultaneously throw the wiper forcibly against the die, and hold it there until the
die has passed over the wiping surface of the wiper, and the surplus ink is wiped
off by the continued revolution of die carrier I. The wiper, operating as herein
described, simulates the method of wiping by hand in use with the ordinary hand
press, in which the whole inked surface of the die is dropped with some force at
once and squarely upon the wiping paper, preparatory to the sliding motion which
completes the operation. It avoids the very common imperfection in wiping
devices in embossed printing presses, whether so constructed that the die travels

page_text: across the wiper or the wiper travels across the die, namely, a mere sliding motion
as one moves over the other, resulting from the presentation of the edge of the die
or of the lettered surface to the edge of the wiping surface and resulting in scraping
the ink out of the engraving, or in destroying that gloss which is so essential to a
handsome impression.
The paper feeding device is shown in Figs. 10 and 14. On the rear face of spur
gear M is a cam groove 88, in which moves pin or roller 91 of lever 89, which is
pivotally attached at 90 to the frame of the press. Connecting rod 92 is attached
at its upper end to the free end of lever 89 by the ball and socket joint 99, and its
lower end is pivotally attached to the longer arm of the pawl lever 93 of feed
roller m carried by frame 8, and to one end of which is secured ratchet wheel n.
A pressure roller p, is mounted in sliding boxes q, and is regulated by screw r.
10 is the paper spool, checked by brake o, and supported by arms u, secured to
bench 5 from which the paper is fed to wiper T, passing between rollers m and p,
and, after usage, being wound up on waste-paper roller v. Roller carries at one
end ratchet wheel y detent 2, and pawl lever 96, to the longer arm of which is
[attached weight t, which actuates roller v. The shorter arms of levers 93 and 96
are connected by rod 97, the upper end of which is pivotally attached to lever 93,
the lower end having slot x, through which pin 94 of lever 96 loosely passes and of
a suitable length to allow its free play. The top of the slot is so disposed that the
short arm of lever 96 about touches it when there is no waste paper on roller v, and
as rod 97 descends it always raises weight t to the same level. In operation, when
lever 89 drops to the position shown in Fig. 14, pawl lever 93 will have turned
roller m so as to feed to the wiper the amount of fresh paper required, and
simultaneously the same quantity of waste paper will have been taken up by
roller v, actuated by weight t, which sinks downward to a proportional extent.
If roller has little or no paper on it, weight t sinks down to a great extent; if
the roller has much paper on it, the weight sinks very little.
As lever 89 is raised
by the further revolution of cam 88, the short arm of lever 93 is correspondingly
depressed, carrying with it rod 97, which depresses the short arm of lever 96, and
raises weight t into position to wind up the waste paper again. The mechanism
described renders the bulk of waste paper on roller vimmaterial, the winding
motion of the roller being always just sufficient to take up the quantity fed to the
wiper and used.
<
I would here remark that by the expressions "revolving die" or revolving
carrier," I mean a die or a carrier which makes one complete revolution for each
impression taken.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination of main shaft E mutilated bevel wheel K with bevel
pinion L, shaft G, and die carrier I substantially as and for the purposes
described.
2. The combination of main shaft E, mutilated bevel wheel H, pinion 25, rack
bar D, connecting block 14, and lever C, with a spring-actuated screw plunger,
substantially as and for the purposes described.
3. The combination of a spring-actuated screw plunger 7, lever C, connecting
block 14, rack bar D, spur pinion 25 mutilated spur wheel H, shaft E, mutilated
bevel wheel K, bevel pinion L, shaft G, die carrier I, die plunger R, and die 42,
with a die inking device, substantially as and for the purposes described.
4. The combination of the die of an embossing and printing press with die
carrier I, shaft G, pinion L, mutilated gear K, shaft E, cam 27, locking pin 28,
and check spring 44, substantially as and for the purposes described.
5. A revolving die carrier, provided with a die plunger and a locking mechanism,
in combination with a spring-actuated screw plunger, substantially as and for the
purposes described.

page_text: 6. The revolving die carrier I with its plunger R, and adjustable cams 67, in
combination with die 42, disks 95, and inking roller 48, supported on rocking
arms 62, and held in position by springs 63, substantially as and for the purposes
described.
7. In an embossing and printing press provided with a screw plunger, the com-
bination of a ball lever C, connecting block 14 rack bar D, guide rod 13, and stop 15,
with dog 29 and cam J, substantially as and for the purposes described.
8. The combination of coil spring 8 actuating screw plunger 7 with a tension-
adjusting auxiliary spring substantially as and for the purposes described.
9. A die and a die inking device in combination with a cam and spring actuated
die wiper, substantially as and for the purposes described.
10. The combination of a revolving die with an adjustable wiper T, provided
with springs 68, base plate 69, arm 76, rock shaft 74, sliding bar 82, and adjustable
cam 87, substantially as and for the purposes described.
11. The combination of a die with a die wiping device consisting of a wiper and
mechanism adapted to move its wiping surface against the entire lettered surface
of the die and to hold the two together while the one moves over the other, sub-
stantially as and for the purposes described.
Dated this 5th day of September 1893.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.