Improvements in or relating to Printing Machinery.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 20th Dec., 1893-Accepter, 27th Jan., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Printing Machinery.
I, THOMAS FORKNALL of Blake Street, Leicester, Printing Machine Maker,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to printing machinery and embodies improvements
specially applicable to what are, technically known as platen machines."
"
The invention comprises various improvements all of which are hereinafter
referred to
The first part of the invention relates to the bed to which the chase which holds
the forme is fixed.
This bed in some machines is pivotted at its lower end and when moved towards
the platen the lower part of the forme comes into contact with the paper, somewhat
earlier than the upper part thereof thereby having a tendency to push that part
of the type off its feet which first meets the platen. This part of my invention has
for its object to remedy this disadvantage and to obtain a square and regular
impression by simultaneously presenting the entire surface of the forme to the sheet
on the platen.
For this purpose the bed may be carried and slid to and fro in a suitable path or
track formed in a cross-piece or equivalent, located on or between the framing or
side standard and the said sliding bed may be operated at the required time to
present the forme to the sheet on the platen through the medium of certain levers
in connection with a crank on the driving shaft, or other suitable means may be
employed to impart the requisite to and fro sliding motion to the bed at the
required times.
A further part of the invention has reference to improved mechanism for moving
the platen to and fro to present the blank sheet to the forme and also to obtain the
necessary dwell or period of inactivity while the sheet is being laid on the platen
and also at the time when the impression is being taken.
The motion of the platen is obtained through the medium of several of the levers
ordinarily employed, but to operate these I employ a rocking lever or equivalent
provided at a certain point in its length with a curvilinear slot or cam-groove
in which is located a truck or bowl connected preferably to a crank on the
driving shaft.
The curvilinear slot or cam-groove is so shaped that the bowl therein, when in
action, not only imparts the required rocking motion to the lever in which it is
formed but also allows the required periods of rest while the sheet is being placed
on the platen and also during the time the impression is being taken.
The invention has also for its object certain improvements relating to the inking
rollers which consist in imparting to the said rollers a positive revolving motion
and thereby preventing any damage occurring to the latter, which frequently takes
place when the rollers, failing to revolve on their axes, come into contact with a
rule in the forme.
For this purpose a rack is attached to or formed on the side of the track of
the inking rollers and the rollers are furnished with pinions or toothed gearing to
engage therewith.
By the toothed gear of the inking rollers moving in engagement with the rack
before mentioned, a positive revolving motion is imparted to each inking roller
while passing over the forme and injury to the same by contact with a rule in the
forme is avoided.

page_text: The invention also includes means for more evenly distributing the ink over the
surface of the forme.
It is well known that after the inking rollers have passed over the forme to ink
it prior to an impression being taken, a certain amount of ink still remains upon
the rollers, viz. at those parts of the rollers which passed over the intervening
spaces between the letters.
The object of this part of the invention is to remove this ink and distribute it
evenly over the face of the rollers and also to cause the inking rollers to revolve so
as to ensure a different portion of the periphery thereof being presented to the type
on the return journey.
This as will be understood is very essential as it prevents the same surface of the
rollers passing over the type on the return journey as on the outward journey after
leaving the inking slab.
This is effected by causing the inking rollers after they have inked and passed
over the forme to come into contact with one or more auxiliary revolving rollers
carried in suitable bearings.
The said auxiliary rollers may also have a lateral motion imparted to them so
as to present a fresh surface to the inking rollers on their return journey.
1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Printing Machinery.
I, THOMAS FORKNALL of Blake Street, Leicester, Printing Machine Maker,
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 :-
This invention has reference to printing machinery and embodies improvements
which are specially applicable to "platen machines."
The invention includes improvements all of which are hereinafter fully set forth
and will be understood upon reference to the accompanying drawings in which
Figures 1, 2 and 3 are side elevations of so much of a platen machine as is
necessary to illustrate my improvements, and Figure 4 is an elevation from the back
of the machine.
Figure 5 is a detail of the auxiliary roller drawn to a larger scale than the
preceding figures.
Figures 6 and 7 are detail views.
In some platen machines the forme carrying bed is pivotted at its lower end so
that when in motion its upper end describes part of a circle. When the said bed
is therefore moved towards the platen, the lower part of the forme comes into
contact with the blank sheet on the platen somewhat earlier than the upper part
thereof, thereby having a tendency to push off its feet that part of the type which
first meets the platen.
The first part of my invention has for its object to construct the forme carrying
bed in such a manner that the entire surface of the forme is simultaneously
presented to the sheet on the platen and a square and regular impression thereby
obtained.
For this purpose I employ a sliding bed which may be slid to and fro, in a
suitable path or track through the medium of intermediate mechanism from the
driving shaft.
A convenient method of carrying out this part of the invention consists in
forming the bottom of the bed A with inclined lower edges A' to fit into a cross-

page_text: piece B with correspondingly shaped sides B' supported by or formed integrally
with the side standards C of the machine.
In order to slide the bed A in the track or path formed in the crosspiece B and to
and from the platen D, the said bed has attached thereto a reciprocating connecting
rod E, Figures 3 and 4, the other end being fixed to an eccentric pin F on the end
of an oscillating link-plate F¹. One end of the latter is mounted on a shaft G¹
and the opposite end is pivotted to a rod H connected eccentrically to the side of
a spur wheel H' mounted on the end of a shaft H2 and receiving motion from a
pinion J on the driving shaft J'.
The opposite side of the bed has also a rod E³, connected thereto (removed from
Figures 1 and 2 for clearness sake), the opposite end of the said rod being attached
to a pin F eccentric to the shaft G'.
I do not confine myself to the particular construction of sliding bed shown nor
to the mechanism for moving the same as it is obvious that the said bed may be
constructed in various ways so as to slide to and fro and various modifications of
mechanism used for imparting the requisite motion thereto.
"
A further part of the invention embodies improved mechanism for moving the
platen to and from the forme carrying bed before and after the impression is
obtained and also for obtaining the requisite "dwells" or periods of inactivity
while the operator is placing the blank sheet on the platen as well as during the
time the impression is being taken.
D represents the platen upon which the blank sheet is placed and which is
fulcrummed at D' and supported and raised and lowered by a bell-crank lever K
formed on a sleeve G and mounted loosely upon the shaft G.
One arm of the bell-crank lever carries a movable block K2 in contact with the
underside of the platen and the other arm is connected to a reciprocating rod L,
the other end of the latter being fastened to a rocking lever M (or its equivalent)
pivotted at M to the side standard C and provided with a curvilinear slot or cam
groove M2 having located therein a roller M³ on a pin N' fixed eccentrically on a
disc N, or a crank or equivalent on the end of the shaft H².
The cam groove M³ is so shaped that the eccentric roller M³ therein com-
municates an intermittent rocking motion to the lever M, so that the said lever
not only moves to and fro thereby causing the rod L and bell-crank lever K to
raise and lower the platen D in relation to the forme carrying bed A., but remains
quiescent at two different points in the motion or revolution of the roller M³
within the said cam groove M, thereby securing at such times the necessary periods
of rest while a blank sheet is being laid on to the platen and also while the
impression is being taken.
Other mechanism than the rod L and bell-crank lever K may be interposed
between the rocking lever M and the platen D in order to communicate motion
between the two last named, and the rocking lever M may receive its intermittent
motion from other means moving within the cam-groove M² than a roller M³.
The invention has also for its object the employment of means for effecting
a more even distribution of ink over the surface of the forme.
The inking rollers after passing over the forme to ink it prior to an impression
being taken therefrom, always retain, as is well understood, a certain quantity of
ink, riz. at those parts of the rollers which passed over the intervening spaces
between the letters on the forme.
According to this part of my invention I mount within the track of the inking
rollers after they have inked and passed over the forme, one or more auxiliary
rollers with which the said inking rollers may come into contact and be relieved of
a portion of the ink thereon.
In Figure 2. O 01 02 are the ordinary inking rollers of the machine which are
actuated to pass over the inking slab in the usual manner. The said inking rollers
after having passed over and inked the forme on their outward journey also pass in
contact with one or more auxiliary rollers P (only one of which is shown) revolubly
mounted in the extended sides A' of the bed A and in doing so transfer to the said

page_text: auxiliary roller P a portion of the ink still remaining thereon. The said auxiliary
roller may be revolved either by frictional contact with the inking rollers in which
case a clawker P' would engage a rack wheel P2 on the end thereof so as to cause
the said auxiliary roller to always revolve in the same direction, Figs. 1 & 5, or the
auxiliary roller may have a positive revolving motion imparted thereto by any
suitable means such for example as a chain or a belt P³ passing round the end of
same and the shaft H2 as shown in Fig. 4.
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. In a platen printing machine a sliding forme carrying bed for the purpose
described.
2. In a platen printing machine the combination with a sliding forme carrying
bed of mechanism for imparting motion thereto for the purpose described.
3. In a platen printing machine the combination with a sliding forme carrying
bed A of reciprocating rods such as E E' oscillating link-plate such as F¹ connect-
ing rod H spur wheel such as H' operating substantially in the manner and for the
purpose described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
4. In a platen printing machine a lever or equivalent having a curvilinear slot or
cam groove shaped in such a manner that an eccentric moving therein not only
rocks the said lever or equivalent to and fro but also allows the said lever to
remain quiescent for an interval between its movements and mechanism interposed
between the said lever or equivalent and the platen to correspondingly actuate the
latter for the purpose described.
5. In a platen printing machine the combination of an intermittent rocking lever
such as M actuated by an eccentric moving within a cam-groove therein and trans-
mitting similar motion to the platen through a connecting rod L and bell crank
lever K substantially as and for the purpose described.
6. In a platen printing machine the combination with the inking rollers of one
or more auxiliary rollers located in the track of the said inking rollers for the
purpose described.
7. In a platen printing machine the combination with the inking rollers of one
or more auxiliary rollers located in the track of the said inking rollers and
adapted to be revolved by frictional contact therewith or independently thereof
substantially as and for the purpose described.
Dated this 18th day of December 1893.
THOMAS
FORKNALL.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.