IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO PRINTING MACHINES
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Evans, Newspaper Proprietor, Mark Smith, and
Davies Braithwaite, Printers' Engineers, all of the City of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE
TO PRINTING MACHINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Evans, Mark Smith,
and Davies Braithwaite at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
21st March 1881.
WILLIAM EVANS, Newspaper Proprietor, MARK SMITH, and Davies BRAITHWAITE,
Printers' Engineers, all of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster.
IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO PRINTING MACHINES."
K
Our improvements are applicable to single cylinder double feeding printing
machines where the type reciprocates under the impression cylinder, and the object
of our Invention is to dispense with the tapes hitherto used in such double feeding
printing machines for carrying the printed sheets from the impression cylinder to
the "flys," which place them printed side upwards on the receiving tables.
Our Invention consists in a new combination and arrangement.
We arrange the impression cylinder so that one pair of grippers are stationary
and the other pair adjustable to the size of sheet to be printed upon by mounting
one jaw of the adjustable gripper on arms which have their axis on the axis of the
impression cylinder at each end.
There is a shaft extending from end to end, and having bearings in the impression
cylinder, which has a toothed wheel at each end to gear with teeth on the boss of
each arm for the adjustable jaw, and there is a coiled spring connected with the
shaft to cause it to rotate one way and press the movable jaw against the stationary
jaw, which is formed of different sized segments to suit the size of sheet, the coiled
spring having action sufficient to cause the movable jaw to adjust itself to any
required position of the stationary jaw. The movable jaws are acted upon to open
and close them in the ordinary manner. Above the impression cylinder we arrange
another cylinder in suitable bearings, which cylinder is oscillated to and fro by a
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page_text: crank or cam, connecting rod, and toothed sector that gears with a pinion secured
upon the end of this cylinder, which we term the taking off cylinder.
This cylinder has also two grippers arranged upon it, one of which is adjustable
to suit the different sizes of sheets or paper to be printed.
The paper is fed to and printed by the machine as in ordinary double feeding
machines, and when the impression cylinder arrives at the end of an oscillation one
way its grippers open a little before, and the edge of the paper is delivered into the
grippers of the taking off cylinder after it has begun its return oscillation, which
carries the printed sheet with it, and delivers it upon the arms of a "fly" that
oscillates and places the sheet on a receiving board printed side upwards.
The fly is oscillated to and fro by a cam from any convenient rotating part
of the machine.
When the taking off cylinder has removed a sheet printed at one movement of
the type, it takes the next sheet by its other grippers from the other grippers of
the impression cylinder printed by the next contrary movement of the type, and so
on, and the taking off cylinder delivers the sheet to another similar. "fly
other side of the machine; each "fly" thus alternately receives a printed sheet.
on the
If desired pulleys are or may be applied to press upon the upper surface of the
taking off cylinder opposite where the margins of the printed sheet will come, the
paper coming between the taking off cylinder and the pulleys, these pulleys assisting
to propel the sheets on to the "flys" after the grippers in the taking off cylinder
have released their hold upon the sheet.
The taking off cylinder has or may have grooves round it for the points of the
arms forming the flyer to get under the sheet being delivered.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Evans, Mark Smith, and Davies Braithwaite in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 17th September 1881.
WILLIAM EVANS, Newspaper Proprietor, MARK SMITH, and DAVIES BRAITHWAITE,
Printers Engineers, all of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO PRINTING MACHINES.”
Our improvements are applicable to single cylinder double feeding printing
machines where the type reciprocates under the impression cylinder, and the object
of our Invention is to dispense with the tapes hitherto used in such double feeding
printing machines for carrying the printed sheets from the impression cylinder to
the "flys," which place them printed side upwards on the receiving tables. Our
Invention consists in a new combination and arrangement. We arrange the
impression cylinder so that one pair of its grippers are stationary and the other
pair are adjustable to suit the size of sheet to be printed upon by mounting one
jaw of the adjustable grippers on two arms which have their axes on the axis at
each end of the impression cylinder.
There is a shaft extending from end to end and having bearings carried on the
impression cylinder, which has a toothed wheel at each end to gear with teeth on
the boss of each arm for the adjustable jaw, and there is a coiled spring connected
with this shaft to cause it to rotate one way and press the moveable jaw against
the stationary jaw on the cylinder, which is formed of a fixed segment and other
segments of various sizes to suit the size of sheet to be printed, the coiled spring
having action sufficient to cause the movable jaw to adjust itself to any required
position of the stationary jaw formed by the cylinder.
The movable jaws are acted upon to open and close them in the ordinary manner
or by a stop actuated by a cam.
By a modification in the construction of the impression cylinder we carry the
impression surface entirely upon two end discs, and connect the arms for the
grippers by a hollow shaft forming the axis, or by a bar near the axis which also
acts as a counter balance weight.
The shaft gearing the two arms is thus dispensed with in this modification.
The springs are attached directly to the axis or bosses of the arms for the
grippers.
Above the impression cylinder we arrange another cylinder in suitable bearings,
which cylinder is oscillated to and fro by a crank or cam, connecting rod, and
toothed sector that gears with a pinion secured upon the end of this cylinder, which
we term the taking off cylinder.
This cylinder has also two grippers arranged upon it, one of which is fixed in
position and the other is adjustable to suit the different sizes of sheets of paper to
be printed.
The paper is fed to and printed by the machine as in ordinary double feeding
machines, and when the impression cylinder arrives at one point of its oscillation
its grippers open, and the edge of the paper is delivered into the grippers of the
taking off cylinder after it has begun its return oscillation, which carries the printed
sheet with it, and delivers it upon the arms of a "fly" that oscillates and places
the sheet on a receiving board or table printed side upwards.
The fly is oscillated to and fro by a cam from any convenient rotating part of
the machine.
When the taking-off cylinder has removed a sheet printed at one movement of
the type, it takes the next sheet by its other grippers from the other grippers
of the impression cylinder printed by the next contrary movement of the type,

page_text: .
and so on, and the taking off cylinder delivers the sheet to another similar fly
on the other side of the machine, each fly thus alternately receives a printed
sheet.
If desired, pulleys are or may be applied to press upon the upper surface of the
taking off cylinder opposite where the margins of the printed sheet will come,
the paper coming between the taking off cylinder and the pulleys, these pulleys
assisting to propel the sheets on to the flys after the grippers in the taking off
cylinder have released their hold upon the sheet.
The taking off cylinder has grooves round it for the points of the arms forming
the flyer to get under the sheet being delivered.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of so much of a printing machine as will be necessary
for illustrating our Invention, and Fig. 2 is a plan of the same.
Fig. 3 is a detached enlarged view partly in section of the impression and taking
off cylinders.
Fig. 4 is a detached end view of the same cylinder showing the position of the
cylinders and grippers when the movable grippers of the impression cylinder are
delivering to the movable grippers of the taking off cylinder.
Fig. 5 is an end' view, and shows the fixed grippers of both cylinders in two
positions.
Fig. 6 is an end section illustrating an alternative mode of constructing the
impression cylinder.
The type bed and mechanism for actuating it, and the inking arrangements are
not illustrated, as they are similar to those of ordinary printing machines.
The impression cylinder a is arranged and geared with the type table, and
actuated in the ordinary manner, but its peculiar construction and arrangement
will be hereinafter described.
The impression cylinder a has its bearings in stands A¹ secured to the side
frames A of the machine, and upon these stands other stands A³ are secured.
Both stands A¹ and A² may be made all in one piece.
The upper stands A³ have each a slot for a step to form the bearings of the
taking off cylinder b.
These steps are each screw tapped for the ends of a vertical screw c, one on
each side, which screws have bearings in the upper stands A², and upon the upper
end of each screw there is a bevel wheel which gears with a wheel on a cross
shaft c in suitable bearings; A³ is a cross stay between the stands.
By rotating the shaft of by a handle c' both screws are simultaneously rotated,
and the taking off cylinder 6 is thus raised or lowered as required.
On one end of the taking off cylinder there is a spur wheel 6' secured, which
gears with a spur wheel 62 on a stud in a projection from the stand A¹.
In this toothed sector there is a stud to form a joint with a rod b³ connecting
it with a crank on a shaft driven from any convenient part of the machine,
so that the crank will make one rotation for each double movement of the type
table.
The cylinders a and b are timed to oscillate when printing the largest size sheet,
so that when the grippers of the impression cylinder (a) have arrived by the
oscillation of the cylinder, in or about a line drawn between the two axes of the
cylinders, the taking off cylinder b will then have just commenced its return
Oscillation and the grippers upon it (which are at that moment taking the sheet
from the grippers of the impression cylinder) will then be moving in the same
direction, but one cylinder will at the time be oscillating in a reverse direction to
the other.
The times of oscillation of one cylinder in relation to the other will be the same
'for all sizes of sheets, and so far as the sheets taken by the stationary grippers are
- concerned, the taking off cylinder will just have commenced its return oscillation
when taking the sheet from the impression cylinder, but for less sheets than the full
size the taking off cylinder will have moved some distance in its reverse oscillation
'before receiving the sheet from the grippers of the impression cylinder.

page_text: A* are stands secured to the frame for the boards & upon which the sheets are
placed printed side upwards, and upon the stands for each table & there are bearings
for a cross shaft d' to which the arms d³ of the fly are secured.
Upon the end of each fly shaft a spur wheel & is secured, which gears with
wheel d' on a stud in the framing.
another spur
There is a stud in the wheel (d') for a rod d³, jointed with a lever (not shown)
actuated by a cam.
In place of the spur wheel (d') there may be a toothed sector on an arm on a stud
and another arm of the sector will carry a bowl to work in a box or double
acting cam.
The cams for working the flys are secured on any shaft in gear with the
machine to make one revolution for each double reciprocation of the type table.
The cams are shaped to produce a "dwell" during the time the "flys" are
receiving the sheet from the taking off cylinder b, and the cams are set to actuate
the flys alternately.
Above the impression cylinder there is a shafte having bearings in slots in
the side of the steps for the taking off cylinder, and this shaft (e) has pulleys which
can be adjusted lengthway of the shaft to come on the margins of the paper being
printed.
These pulleys are or may be covered with india rubber, and their slots for the
bearings allow the weight of the shaft and pulleys to rest on the upper surface of
the taking off cylinder b, and consequently they will press upon the paper and
propel the sheet when required on to the arms of the fly d².
Fig. 3 shows a detached enlarged cross section of the impression cylinder formed
by an axis al with a disc a' at each end secured upon it, with an annular groove a³
in the inner face of each disc a³ to receive and hold projections formed upon the
ends of the fixed and movable segments.
There are also arms on the shaft carrying a cylinder from end to end, or
rings aª to support the segments, and to which the fixed segments are or may be
secured.
a is the segment of that part of the cylinder for the shortest sheet, and a³ are
segments of various sizes which are used as filling in pieces, to suit the different
lengths of sheets to be printed.
In each disc a² there is a slot a as wide as the widest filling piece a³ extending
from the groove a³ to the edge of the disc to allow of the filling pieces being placed
in and removed from the grooves a³.
The segment ax is always used, having pins a³ to which the blanket is secured,
and the edge of this segment forms the surface against which the selfadjusting
grippers act.
a³ is a shaft for winding up the surplus blanket and drawing it tight.
a, one of two or more brackets carrying the shaft f for the fixed grippers
which are secured on it by screws, as usual, and grip against the edge of the
cylinder.
The end of the shaft has an arm upon it carrying a bowl f¹ to be acted upon by
cam pieces to open the grippers at the right time. f'is a cam piece formed or
secured on the end of the impression cylinder a to open the corresponding grippers
of the taking off cylinder b.
g is an arm centred on the axis of the impression cylinder inside the end disc a³,
there being one arm (9) at each end connected by an angle or other formed bar gi
to which jaws g³ are secured by screws so as to be adjustable.
The ends of these jaws g³ catch and hold the paper between them and the edge of
the segment a* of the impression cylinder.
g' is a shaft having bearings in the impression cylinder which has a spur wheel g³
upon it at each end to gear with spur teeth formed on the boss of arms g centred
on the axis a¹ of the impression cylinder.
There is a coiled spring or springs connected with the cylinder and secured on

page_text: the shaft g, the tension of which acts to partly rotate the shaft to move or bring
and hold the jaws g³ against the segment a* of the impression cylinder.
There is a weight or weights on an arm or arms on the shaft g' placed to counter
balance the weight of the arms g and their connected parts.
There is an arm from the end of the shaft g' with a bowl 98 upon it to be acted i
upon to open the grippers when delivering the sheet to the grippers of the taking
off cylinders.
When the impression cylinder a is making the oscillation in which the self-
adjusting grippers (9³) will next take the sheet (fed from the feeding tables h) there
is a stop on each side of the machine against which one end of a projection g* from 1
the arms g will come, which thus prevent them from moving with the cylinder a,
and will thus open a space to receive the sheet to be fed, which will be gripped
when the cylinder oscillates back, the edge of the segment a* first coining upon
paper and pressing it against the grippers g³ which are carried forward with
the cylinder a until the grippers deliver the sheet to the grippers of the taking off 1
cylinder b.
the
The outer surface of the projection g* on one of the arms g acts to open the
corresponding grippers of the taking off cylinder b, and this cam piece being carried
by the arm g is selfadjusting with it.
There is a stationary cam i made adjustable on the side framing for acting upon
the bowl gs on the end of the arm of the shaft g¹ to open the grippers g³ when the
sheet is to be delivered to the correspending grippers of the taking off cylinder b.
The stops to open the selfadjusting jaws gs are or may be arranged on an arm
at each end of a shaft extending across the machine in bearings in brackets on
the framing, and at one end of this shaft an arm is secured which is connected by
a rods with a lever actuated by a cam on any convenient shaft of the machine,
rotating once for cach double reciprocation of the type table.
The stops are brought by the cam in the way of the end of the projections g*
when the self adjusting grippers are to be opened to receive the paper to be
printed.
The taking off cylinder b is made with a series of grooves in its surface for the
ends of the arms d² of the fly to get under the paper.
It has also slots in its surface for the fixed grippers 6 which are arranged on a
shaft b* having bearings in the cylinder b, this shaft having at one end an arm for
a bowl 6s to be acted upon by cam pieces to open the grippers at the required
times.
The adjustable grippers are arranged in like manner, except that there is a slot
concentric with the cylinder in a disc at each end to allow the gripper shaft be to
be adjusted to the length of sheet to be printed.
The gripper shaft be has bearings in an arm 67 at each end which is centred on
the axis of the cylinder b, and there is a second slot for a bolt 68 which passes
through each arm 6' for securing it in position.
There is or may be an index on each end disc by which the arms 67 may be each
placed, so that the axis of the gripper shaft 6° will be parallel with that of the
cylinder b.
There may be a projection from each arm 67 for the bolt 68, so that the slot used
for the shaft be may also act for the bolt 68, thus dispensing with a separate slot
for this purpose.
There is a slot in the surface of the cylinder b for each gripper to pass through,
each slot admitting of the adjustment of the grippers round the cylinder for the
largest and shortest sheets.
These adjustable grippers have T ends, or a projection at one or both sides, the
paper being held between the projections and the surface of the cylinder on one
side, or on each side of each slot.
Or by another modification the ends of the. arms 67 have each a projection to
carry a nonrotating shaft or a bar passing through the concentric slot, and on this
_fixed or non-rotating shaft or bar jaws or projections are secured to pass into the

page_text: slots in the surface of the cylinder, and act as the surface against which the
grippers pinch the paper.
All the grippers on the cylinders a and b have coiled or other springs connected
with the shafts to keep the grippers closed when not opened by the cams to receive
or release the paper.
Fig. 4 is an end view showing the self-adjusting grippers g³ in the act of opening
when delivering a sheet to the adjustable grippers of the taking off cylinder 6, the
bowl of the gripper shaft 6ª being then upon the projection g* from the arm g, and
when the bowl has passed off the projection the grippers on the shaft be have closed
and the selfadjusting grippers have been opened by the cam piece i on the
framing acting upon the bowl gs of the shaft g*.
Fig. 5 shows an end view and the fixed grippers of both cylinders in two
positions, one in which the grippers of the impression cylinder are delivering to
those of the taking off cylinder, and these same grippers before this has been
effected.
When the grippers of the taking off cylinder 6 have arrived near the tips of the
arms d' of the flys, when in the grooves of the taking off cylinders, the grippers.
are opened by cam pieces k on the sides of the frame A³, one cam on one side of the
machine to open the grippers or shaft 6, and another at the other side to open the
other grippers or shaft 6 of the taking off cylinder b.
The motion of the taking off cylinder 6 continues in the same direction for some
time after the grippers have released their hold of the sheet, and its friction on the
surface of the cylinder and the pressure of the pulleys on the shaft e when required
pushes the sheet on the inclined arms d³ of the flys.
Fig. 6 is an end section of the alternative mode of constructing the impression
cylinder. a is a disc at each end to carry the ends of the fixed segment a and the
moveable segments a³ and a* which are secured to the discs by bolts or screws, or
in any other convenient manner.
These segments have or may have strengthening ribs cast on their under surfaces,
and further to strengthen and support the movable segments they are or may be
grooved from end to end, so that in one groove a rib or key a¹0 may be secured so
that when two segments are joined together the projection from the rib or key a¹0
of one segment will enter and fit the groove in the other, and thus they will be
tongued and grooved together.
The arm g at each end to carry the rail or bar g¹ for the adjustable grippers g³
are connected at or near the axis a¹ of the cylinder upon which they can oscillate
by a bar g³ which acts also as a balance weight.
The arms g are acted upon to close the grippers by one or more coiled or other
springs go secured on the discs a², this spring or springs being connected with the
arms g near the boss.
On one of the arms g a lever lis mounted on a stud, one arm has a projection 7
which rests against a projection 1 from the segment a* when the grippers are
closed, and the other arm carries a bowl which is acted upon by a cam piece
secured so as to be adjustable on the side frame, which cam piece depresses the
bowl to cause the projection to act upon the projection to open the grippers 2³
at the times required.
We have now particularly described the nature of our said Invention, and the
mode of carrying the same into effect, and claim as our Invention,-
Firstly. The combination of single cylinder double feeding printing machines as
herein before described and illustrated by the Drawings.
Secondly. The combinations and arrangements of the mechanism of the
impression cylinder (a), substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by
the Drawings.
Thirdly. The self adjusting gripper for the impression cylinders of printing
machines, also the modes and arrangements for opening the grippers to receive the
sheet to be printed, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the
Drawings.

page_text: Fourthly. The double acting taking off cylinder (6) with stationary and adjustable
grippers, also its combination with the impression cylinder, substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by the Drawings.
Fifthly. The combination of a shaft (e) with pulleys with the taking off
cylinders and flys, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the
Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Evans, Mark Smith, and Davies
Braithwaite (or one or more of us), have hereunto set our hands and seals,
this Sixteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty.
MARK SMITH.
(L.S.)
(L.S.)
DAVIS BRAITHWAITE. (L.S.)