Improvements in Inking Mechanism of Printing Presses.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Apr., 1897-Accepted, 10th July, 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Inking Mechanism of Printing Presses.
1, JOSEPH MCCALLUM, of No. 200 McCord Street, in the City of Montreal, in the
District of Montreal and Province of Quebec, Dominion of Canada, Lithographer
and Printer, 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 particularly to that class of inking mechanism consisting
of an ink fountain, a fountain roller in close proximity thereto and suitable
distributing and inking rollers.
In cases where it is required to print in several colours, it is necessary to
provide separate formes of the matter to be printed in the different colours, and
print successively from these formes.
The object of my invention is to dispense with separate forines and by a single
impression to print in different colours from a single forme. For this purpose, I in
the first place construct the fountain in separable, and, preferably, independently
adjustable sections, and I also preferably form the fountain roller and if desired, the
distributing roller of independent parts and secondly, I provide special arrangements
to divide the independent rollers from one another, as I shall describe referring to
the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a plan of one form of inking mechanism according to my invention,
Figure 2 an enlarged transverse vertical section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1,
Figure 3 a rear elevation, partly in section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2,
Figure 4 is a detail view of one of the distributing roller sections,
Figure 5 a side elevation, and Figure 6 is a plan of one of the dividing walls
of the fountain.
The fountain is formed of the usual base plate 5 having longitudinal slots 5a, 5a,
and carrying bearings 6, for the shaft of the fountain roller, but that portion
known as the "knife" forming the bottom or floor of the ink chamber, instead
of being in one piece, is made up of a number of independent sections each
resting at its rear end upon the base plate 5 and at its forward end upon one
or more adjusting screws 8, which are adjustable laterally in a slot extending
the whole length of the base plate. Each screw enters a block 9 which can slide
in a groove in the upper face of the plate 5 and can be set at any place in the
groove by means of jam nuts 11.
A number of narrow retaining plates 12, each having one end bent to form a lip 13
are screwed to the rear edge of the plate 5, the lip of each overlapping the
rear end of one of the "knife" sections, and retaining it against rearward or
upward movement.
Each of the "knife" sections supports on either side, a partition dividing wall 15
which projects forward sufficiently to partially encircle a shaft 22 carried in the
bearings 6. These partitions are flat on the one side and have on the other side, each
near its lower edge, a pair of strips, 16, 16a, set in close proximity to each other to
hold the side edges of the knife sections tightly between them. A projection 17 at
the rear end of each "knife" section facilitates the withdrawal of the section.

page_text: The partitions 15 are preferably arranged in pairs, with their flat sides in contact
and pivotally joined together by a rivet 18, near their rear ends.
The fountain" roller is made up of independent sections 19, fixed upon the
shaft 22, each sectional roller being in line with each "fountain" section and of the
same width.
The fountain and its rollers are adapted to supply ink of different
colours in the following manner.
The shaft 22 is first removed from its bearings 6, 6, and a retaining collar 20, is
set at the required distance from its end of the shaft, a spacing washer 23, equal
in thickness to a pair of the partitions 15, is then placed next to the collar and
then the pair of partitions is fixed in position, their front ends partly encircling
the washer 23. A fountain roller section 19 of a width corresponding to the
depth of the upper line of types in the forme, is then placed upon the shaft 22
against the washer 23 and a second washer is placed against the roller section.
A " knife section corresponding in width to the "fountain roller section is
"
then slid into the grooves formed by the strips 16 on the sides of the walls and some
of the retaining plates 12 are fixed. Washers 24 are then placed on the shaft to fill
up a space equal to that between the top line of types and the one next below it in
the forine, and then an independent fountain and fountain roller is provided and so
on for every line of types or set of lines to print in different colours.
35
The roller sections and spacing washers are held firmly together by the second
retaining collar 21 and are caused to rotate with the shaft being fitted with grooves
on a feather. The spaces between the fountains are maintained either by inserting
❝ knife sections between them, or by end wall sections each of which consists of a
main central web b provided on its bottom edges with downwardly projecting
tongues b1, b2, adapted to slide along the grooves 5a in the base plate 5.
Each tongue has a screw-threaded hole to receive a screw having an enlarged
head which bearing on the underside of the base plate 5 holds the webs firmly
in any place to which they may be adjusted. The forward end of this web may be,
as shewn, semicircularly recessed to partly embrace one of the rollers 19, or it may
be shaped like the partition 15, to partly embrace the washer 24. A bracket, c, is
fixed to the top of the web near the forward end of the partition 15 and has a
screw-threaded hole c', through which passes a screw c² having its head engaged in
a slot of the partition, thus providing means above the fountain for adjusting
the partitions and knife sections, while the screws 8 serve to adjust them
from below.
The composition "forme" roller 25, reciprocating distributing roller 26, and their
carrying frame 27 may be of ordinary known construction, but I prefer to construct
the "distributing" roller in sections and to cause it to reciprocate once in every
revolution. These sections are similar to the "fountain" roller sections except that
instead of their being separated by a wall I make them collapsible or telescopic
and preferably as much less in width as the stroke of the distributing roller as it
reciprocates, which may be about one quarter of an inch, thus preventing the
different coloured inks from mingling, whilst the distributing roller sections, by
reciprocating, distribute the ink only over a space equal to the corresponding
"fountain roller" sections.
When it is desirable to distribute ink over a narrower space (say one eighth of an
inch) than that taken up by the reciprocation of the roller, a section is provided equal
in width to the space to be inked, but set at an angle, to the plane of rotation,
corresponding to the reciprocation of such section as shewn at 28, Figure 1, so that
as it revolves while it reciprocates owing to its angular position it supplies ink only
over a line equal to the width of its face.
The distributing roller sections are fixed upon and rotate with a shaft 26a and may
be spaced if desired, by spacing washers such as 24. But I prefer to make each roller
with a boss 29 having a setting screw 30, for fixing it.
If it is desired to blend two of the colours which are next one another the section
of distributing roller coinciding with one of the colours is moved along the shaft to

page_text: position where during its reciprocation, it overlaps the forme roller carrying the
colour with which it is to be mingled.
The distributing rollers are caused to reciprocate by means of pins 31, 31,
projecting from the frame 27, and bearing against an oblique disc 32 fixed on
each end of the shaft.
In some cases it is required to vary the width of a distributing roller section. For
this purpose such section may be made in two parts, the one fitted to slide
telescopically over part of the other.
The adjustment of the knifes to regulate the flow of ink from the fountains to the
roller sections is effected by the adjusting screws 8, by which the "knife" of each
section can be independently adjusted.
A number of knives, fountain rollers and distributing rollers of various widths
being provided, lines of type or groups of lines of various heights can be inked
with various colours.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
:-
1. The construction of the ink fountain and the fountain and reciprocating and
distributing rollers of a printing press in sections each adapted to supply a line or
group of lines of a forme with ink of a particular colour, substantially as described.
2. The separation of the fountain into sections by partitions each consisting of
two plates each having on its one side near its lower edge a pair of strips receiving
between them a knife section, substantially as described.
3. In combination with each knife section hooked strips securing its rear edge and
screws for adjusting its front edge nearer to or farther from the corresponding
fountain roller section, substantially as described.
4. In combination with the shaft carrying the distributing roller sections inclined
discs at each end bearing against stationary pins, so as to effect to and fro reciprocation
of the rollers once in each revolution, substantially as described.
5. The construction of a distributing roller section, so as to give a narrow line of
inking, in the form of a disc set at an inclination such as to reduce more or less the
range of the reciprocation, substantially as described.
6. The construction of a distributing roller section in two parts the one
telescopically sliding on the other, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 21st day of April. 1897.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.