IMPROVEMENTS IN SURFACE COLOUR PRINTING AND IN THE MEANS THEREFOR"
Year: 1884

page_text: I CHARLES PHILIP HUNTINGTON of the firm of C. and J. G. Potter of Belgrave
Mills, Darwen, in the County of Lancaster, paper manufacturers and Paper
Stainers do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SURFACE COLOUR PRINTING AND IN THE MEANS THEREFOR" to be as follows:-
My invention has reference to the printing of surface colours upon paper or other
material and more particularly to the printing of paper hangings. Hitherto
surface colours have been printed by means of rollers bearing the required design
and supplied with the necessary colour or colours, but the size or length of the
design produced has been limited because it could not exceed the circumference of
the roller.
Now my invention consists in printing surface colours from a flexible band or
belt instead of from a roller. The design to be produced is formed in relief upon
the flexible band or belt and the band or belt is passed round two or more rollers
one of which presses it against the cylinder or surface over which the paper or
other material to be printed upon is passed; the impression of the design is thus
left upon the paper or other material as though the roller itself carried the design.
The colour may be supplied to the band or belt in any convenient manner. When
two or more colours go to make up the complete design there will be a corre-
sponding number of flexible bands or belts together with the requisite rollers for
carrying them; and there may be either one common central cylinder around which
the paper or material passes and against which the various imprints are effected,
this being the preferred arrangement; or there may be a separate cylinder for each
band or belt the paper in this case passing from cylinder to cylinder; or instead of
a cylinder or cylinders there may be a table.
By means of my invention, I am able to print designs of much greater length
than with a roller:

page_text: I CHARLES PHILIP HUNTINGTON of the Firm of C. and J. G. Potter, of Belgrave
Mills, Darwen in the County of Lancaster, Paper Manufacturers and Paper
Stainers do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
" and in what manner
SURFACE COLOUR PRINTING AND IN THE MEANS THEREFOR
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
My invention has reference to the printing of surface colours upon paper or
other material and more particularly to the printing of paper hangings. Hitherto
surface colors have been printed by means of rollers bearing the required design
and supplied with the necessary colour or colours but the size or length of the
design produced has been limited because it could not exceed the circumference of
the roller.
Now my invention consists in printing surface colours from a flexible band or
belt instead of from a roller. The design to be produced is formed in relief upon
the flexible band or belt and the band or belt is passed round two or more rollers
one of which presses it against the cylinder or surface over which the paper or
other material to be printed upon is passed; the impression of the design is thus
left upon the paper or other material as though the roller itself carried the design.
The colour may be supplied to the band or belt in any convenient manner. When
two or more colours go to make up the complete design there will be a corre-
sponding number of flexible bands or belts together with the requisite rollers for
carrying them; and there may be either one common central cylinder around which
the paper or material passes and against which the various imprints are effected or
there may be a separate cylinder for each band or belt the paper in this case
passing from cylinder to cylinder; or instead of a cylinder or cylinders there may
be a table.
By means of my invention I am able to print designs of much greater length
than with a roller.
The annexed drawings represent a printing machine adapted for carrying out
my invention. Figure 1 is a side elevation, Figure 2 a plan and Figure 3 a front
elevation.
A, A are endless bands or belts upon which the design to be produced is formed
in relief; these bands pass at the lower part of their travel round rollers B, B and
at the upper part of their travel round rollers C, C. The rollers B B have their
bearings in slides or steps H, H which are supported by brackets D D rigidly fixed
to the frame F. The slides H, H can be adjusted in the brackets D, D by means
of regulating screws J, J. The rollers C, C have their bearings in slides or
steps I, I which are supported by brackets E, E rigidly fixed to the suspended
rail G;
the slides I, I can be adjusted in the brackets E, E by means of regulating
screws K, K. M is the paper or material to be printed upon; it passes from the
reel M over the cylinders L, L and its progress through the machine is assisted by
the endless travelling blanket N. The pressure of the bands or belts against the

page_text: paper M as it passes over the cylinders L, L is adjusted by means of the screws J
already referred to. The several cylinders L, L are driven at equal speed by
means of toothed wheels O, O on the same shafts, these wheels receiving their
motion from the driving wheel P by means of the intermediate gearing 1, 2, 3, 4,
5, 6, 7, 8. The bands or belts A, A are driven from the wheels O, O through the
intermediation of the wheels R, R fixed on the shafts of the rollers B, B. In order
to prevent any liability the bands A, A. may have to slip, they are attached at each
Bide to a chain Z which works in chain wheels A¹ A¹; these chain wheels are fixed
respectively to the shafts of the rollers B, B and C, C.
The colour is supplied to the bands or belts by the colour furnishing rollers S, S;
these are driven by the pinions T, T which are keyed on the same spindles and
derive their motion from the wheels R, R. The rollers S, S are supported by and
turn in the colour boxes U, U and these are carried by brackets V, V fixed to the
frame F of the machine; the position of the boxes U, U can be adjusted by screws
so as to give the rollers S, S the required pressure against the bands or belts A A.
W, W are copper rollers for regulating the quantity of colour to be carried by the
rollers S, S; with this object the rollers W, W are carried by slides or steps ✗, X
which can be adjusted in the colour boxes U, U.
Although I only show my invention as applied to one form of surface colour
printing machine it is evident that flexible bands or belts having the design to be
produced formed thereon can be adapted to other surface colour printing machines
and the manner of applying the same thereto will be readily understood by those
conversant with the construction of such machines without further explanation.
I may state, however, by way of example that my invention can be applied to an
ordinary cylinder printing machine as follows:-Each flexible band or belt is
carried at the inner end of its travel round a roller occupying the position of an
ordinary printing roller this roller being driven at proper speed and being
adjustable in its bearings so as to regulate the pressure of the band upon the paper
which passes round the ordinary cylinder; while at the outer end of its travel the
band passes round another roller which is also adjustable in its bearings. Chains
and chain wheels as before described may be employed to prevent the bands.
slipping.
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 employment in surface colour printing of flexible bands or belts bearing
the design to be produced as herein before described.
2. Constructing surface colour printing machines as hereinbefore described.