Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Nov., 1887.
Specification Accepted, 16th Dec., 1887
[Communicated from abroad by JOSEPH CHARLES FOWLEB, Mechanic, and EDWARD
ANDERSON HENKLE, Printer, of Washington, in the District of Columbia,
United States of America.]
I, OLIVER IMRAY, of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, 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 a printing machine provided with automatic mechanism for
printing from a continuous web upon one side, reversing the sheet and printing upon
the other side, separating the successively printed sheets assembling them in piles of
eight sheets, and stitching and folding; the impressions being effected with such
accuracy and the register being so perfect that the press is adapted to book printing as
well as to other kinds.
In this press there are press beds carrying formes made to travel in an orbit by a
single, central power shaft, placed within the orbit this shaft being positively connected
to the impression cylinder and the press beds and the impression cylinder being
connected so that great accuracy is secured in the contact between the travelling
surfaces, as well as perfect register of the perfected sheet.
I will describe a press according to my invention referring to the accompanying
drawings.
Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through one end of the machine.
Fig. la is a similar section taken through the other end of the machine, the two
figures taken together being a section of the entire machine.

page_text: Fig. 3 is a plan of that end of the machine shewn in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3a is a plan of the other end, the two figures taken together being a plan of
the entire machine.
Fig. 4 is a cross section of Fig. 3a.
Fig. 5 is a partial vertical section of Fig. 1, in a plane passing through the axis of
the driving cylinder.
Fig. 6 is a plan of one of the press beds, showing the construction and the manner
of imposition.
Fig. 7 is a perspective of the web as it appears while undergoing separation and
collection of the separated sheets or "signatures."
Fig. 8 is a perspective of the printed, separated and stitched sheets, one section
being shown passing between the creasing rolls, while the next or succeeding section,
is passing through or between the folding wings which are not shown in this
figure.
Fig. 9 is a vertical longitudinal section showing a modified construction.
Fig. 10 is a horizontal section on the line XX, fig. 9, only the press beds at the
ends of the orbit being shown.
Fig. 11 is a plan from above of one of the press beds detached.
Fig. 12 is a plan from below of the same.
Fig. 13 is an end elevation of one of the beds.
Referring to figures 1 to 8 inclusive, 1 is the frame of the machine.
Mounted in adjustable journal boxes 2, sliding in slotted supports 3 is a shaft 4,
carrying an impression cylinder 5 provided with the ordinary reels 6, for attaching
the blankets and tympan sheet 7.
At each end of the cylinder is a toothed wheel 8 with one of these is geared a
wheel 9 on a shaft 10 upon one end of which is fixed a pulley 11 driven by a belt
from any suitable motor.
Beneath the impression cylinder 5 within the frame 1 on each side is formed an
elliptical race or orbit 12 and mounted centrally within said race is a cylinder 13
having its axis vertically under that of the impression cylinder.
Through the body of the cylinder 13, and arranged as hereinafter described are
bored diametrical holes 14 which receive rods 15 capable of sliding longitudinally in
the holes.
Moving in the race 12 are the press beds 16 each as shewn in Fig. 6 composed of
an oblong rectangular plate carrying the twin chase 17 having a central dividing
rib 18.
Upon each end of the bed are studs 19 carrying friction rollers 20 that travel in
the race 12.
Upon the under face of each bed are formed lugs 21, to which are pivoted the
outer ends of the rods 15 which, as the press beds pass under the impression
cylinder and around in the race 12, slide to and fro in the holes 14 of the
cylinder 13.
At each end of each press bed is a rack 22, arranged to gear with the wheel 8, at
each end of the impression cylinder 5.
As the cylinder 13, revolves bringing the racks of one bed to gear with the wheels
on the cylinder, the press bed next following as it enters the horizontal portion of the
race 12, gains upon the bed that is passing under the cylinder until it comes into gear
as the preceding press bed is passing out of gear so that, practically the racks on the
successive beds come continuously into gear with the wheels on the impression
cylinder without missing a single tooth.
In like manner as each bed passes from under the impression cylinder it gains in
speed so that when the bed 16 which is receiving impression is central beneath the
cylinder the preceding and succeeding beds are separated from it by an interval
approximately as shown in fig. 1.
As the bed travels farther along the race 12 the interval of separation from the
succeeding bed increases until the bed reaches the apse of the elliptical race, from which

page_text: point its speed decreases until it comes vertically below the centres of the cylinder 13
and of the impression cylinder.
At this point as well as at the point immediately above where the beds are in
contact with the impression cylinder they move at their slowest speed, while
upon one side of these upper and lower points the beds have a speed increasing
to the maximum at the apse and on the other side a speed decreasing from the
maximum.
As the hinder edge of one press bed reaches the central line, at where the forme is
tangential to the impression cylinder the front edge of the succeeding bed has so far
gained upon it that the separate racks 22 of the two beds form a practically continuous
rack and each rack is therefore with half a tooth interval 22a at each end to gear
properly with the wheels 8.
The arrangement of the rods 15, is shown in fig. 5 the holes 14 being formed in
the cylinder 13 circumferentially at angles of forty five degrees with each other, as
in fig. 1 and in such positions longitudinally that the rods are clear of each other,
each bed however having two rods symmetrically disposed on each side of the middle
line.
The formes are made up as shewn in fig. 6, which is known as
imposition.'
وو
"quiring
They are locked as usual in the twin chase of the press bed, care only being taken
that the coffin spaces or "gutters" 23 shall be equal, and that each pair of formes shall
be at the same distance from the centre bar 18. The devices for inking the formes
will now be described.
The ink is taken from a font 24 placed preferably, beneath that portion of the frame
in which the race 12 is arranged.
As shown this font is composed of a box in which is journalled a front roller which
lies partly in the ink.
On the shaft of this roller is a ratchet 26 worked by a pawl 28 on a lever 27 which
is worked by a pitman 29 from a crank 30, on the shaft of the cylinder 13.
A scraper 31, adjustable toward and from the roller removes the surplus ink and
equalizes that which adheres to the roller.
Journalled in suitable supporting plates 32 are two distributing rollers 33,
separated by a suitable interval both in contact with a roller 34, which has constant
revolution and longitudinal reciprocation. Ink is supplied from the font roller 25 to
the roller 34, by a ductor roll 35 mounted in a frame 36 which is pivotted on the
frame and has an arm 37 borne against a cam 38 on the axis of the cylinder 13 by a
spring 39.
The cam 38 and the crank 30 are so set relatively to each other that the "ductor" 35
is in contact with the font roll 25 when the latter is receiving partial revolution from
the lever 27.
The "ductor" revolved by contact with the font roller receives a supply of ink
and then the cam 38 actuating the lever 37 brings the "ductor " against the
vibrating roller 34, by which the ink is evenly and smoothly supplied to both the
rollers 33.
Pivotted upon the projecting journals 33a, of the rollers 33, are radial arms 40, two
of such arms being at each end of each roller.
The ends of these arms have slots 41 receiving the journals of the inking rollers 42
which rest upon the rollers 33.
In the plate 32 which supports the vibrating and distributing rollers, are cut curved
slots 43 concentric with the axes 33ª.
Screws 44 entering the arms 40 pass through the slots 43 and nuts on these being
screwed up
lock the arms 40 at any point in said slots.
By causing the ends of the arms 40 to approach the vertical centre line or to recede
from it the inking rollers 42 are raised or lowered.
These rollers 42 at the medium point of the adjustment will have their peripheries
n nearly the same horizontal plane with the type surfaces of the formes as they pass
beneath the cylinder 13 and the "set" of the inking rollers or the pressure with which

page_text: they bear against the type may be very easily, accurately, and delicately adjusted by
the means described.
The paper is taken in a continuous web from a roll 45 having its axis supported in
standards 46 at the feed end of the machine. The web is of the width required for
printing two of the pages imposed in the forms described, and it is carried under the
impression cylinder upon one side or half thereof, to print pages 1 and 31, from the
formes on the corresponding ends of the press beds. It is then carried over a roll 47
and a second roll 48 arranged as shown in fignres 1, la, and 3 first at right angles to
its former line of travel, or across the press and then again at right angles so as to
come in line with the press.
Thus, the web as it comes from the impression cylinder after being printed upon one
side is carried back over and then under the cylinder on the farther side thereof to be
perfected.
As the second roll 48 is in contact with the printed face of the sheet, which may
not be quite dried, the roll 48 is made with a spiral channel passing twice around it
at a pitch equal to the angle which the paper makes with the roll axis.
These channels are of a little greater width than the width of the printed pages and
a central spiral rib is left on the roll which gives support to the web at its centre,
enabling it to travel over the roll without buckling or blurring. The blank spaces of
the paper are supported on these ribs while the printed portions will lie over the spiral
channels.
The rolls 47 and 48 are arranged at such distance from the impression cylinder that
the web is printed on both sides by the same press bed, that is to say, the first
impression is made by the forme upon one end of one of the beds and the web then
passes over the reversing rolls and over the cylinder in time to receive the impression
on its reverse face from the forme on the other end of the same bed which in the mean
time has made a complete circuit of the orbit 12.
In order to prevent offset upon the tympan sheet we provide an offset web or
blanket 51, which passes around the cylinder and over a roll 52, mounted at a
convenient distance upon standards 53. This blanket runs only on that half of the
impression cylinder over and under which the web passes to print the perfected
page.
As the sheet comes from the press the second time, it passes to a pair of perforating
rolls 54, driven by the motor gear 9, and by these rolls which are of the ordinary
construction the web is perforated from side to side, between the successive perfected
sheets.
When this operation is complete the end of the sheet is seized by a pair of separating
rolls 55, which lie just beyond the lower edge of a table 54a. These rolls revolving
at a surface speed greater than that of the perforating rolls cause the perforated sheet
to be separated along the line of perforation.
The separated portion is carried through the separating rolls and dropped upon a
table 55a, being thrown against a gate 56, by which the edges of the sheets are brought
into line.
Beneath the table 55a, are placed rolls 57, having sprocket teeth 58, and over these
is carried an apron or wide belt 59, which moves parallel with and just beneath the
under surface of the table 55a. Upon this apron at fixed intervals, are mounted
fingers 60, which project above the top of the table 55a through slots 61.
The interval separating the fingers 60 and the speed at which the apron moves, are
so adjusted that after eight sheets containing thirty two pages have been laid upon the
table 55a, a pair of these fingers come up to the edges of the sheets lying upon the
table. An instant before this takes place, a pair of cam plates 62, also mounted upon
and travelling with the apron act on the lower edge of the gate 56, causing it to rise
in guides 63 far enough to allow the fingers 60 to push the pile of sheets forward under
the raised gate 56 which is then dropped by the cams 62, and rests upon the advancing
pile of sheets.
In order to prevent slurring after the gate falls its edges are slightly cut away, as
shown at 56a in Fig. 4 over the printed portions only.

page_text: When pages of varied width are printed, various gates are used suited to the width
of the impressions. While the sheets pass beneath the gate, perforation of the web,
and separation of the successive sheets are still going on, each separated sheet being
delivered upon the top of the moving pile carried by the fingers 60, but being prevented
from passing the gate which is resting upon the surface of the piled sheets that are
advancing.
Stitching apparatus of any known suitable kind is arranged upon the delivery side
of the gate 56, the needle bar 64 being arranged centrally in relation to the piled sheets
and worked in any suitable manner to form a continuous line of stitching and between
the successive sections to form the looped machine stitches, to connect the several
sections together. A presser foot is employed along with the needle but these parts
being of the well known construction are not shewn in the drawings.
After the stitching of the section is completed it is folded centrally along the line
of stitching. For this purpose there is provided first, a creasing and feeding roll
acting in conjunction with folding wings, and afterward the folded and partly folded
section is subjected to the action of a pair of folding rolls by which the operation is
completed.
Upon each side of the table 55a, beyond the gate 56, are placed the folding wings 65,
which consist of plates of wood or metal, the edges of which rise and converge, at an
easy angle, toward the delivery end of the machine. These wings raise the outer
edges of the piled sheets or sections beginning with the forward corners, as shown in
fig. 1a, and bring them into a folded position, or approximately so, after which the
folded edge is seized by a pair of rolls 66, mounted upon vertical axes and arranged
just beyond the creasing roll. By these folding rolls the crease is formed perfectly and
the section is completed as shown in fig. 8.
The leaves of each section after passing beneath the gate 56 are perforated by the
initial stitch of the sewing mechanism before the gate is dropped, so that all buckling
or wrinkling of the top sheet is prevented. The passage of the fingers 60, is permitted
by the cut away portions of the gate, as shown in fig. 5.
The feeding and creasing roll 67, consists of a disc turning in a horizontal
axis having a milled or rubber edge 68 which runs over the central line of the
page, a friction roll 69 being placed beneath to give easy passage to the moving
section.
The perforating rolls 54 are driven from the motor gear 9 as shown in fig. 2, the
upper roll having a pinion 70 gearing with 9.
that
This pinion also gears with a gear wheel 71 by which motion is transmitted to the
separating rolls 55 through a pinion 72 on the shaft of the upper of these rolls. On
the other end of this shaft is a wheel 73 gearing with a wheel 74, on one of the rolls 57
carry the apron 59. Upon the shaft of the other of the rolls 57 and on the other
side of the machine is mounted a wheel 75 which gears with a wheel 76 by which a
sprocket wheel 77 is driven communicating motion to a shaft 78 of a sprocket wheel 79,
which drives the folding roll. The same shaft 78 also drives a mitre wheel 80, see
fig. 1a, which gears with a mitro wheel 81, on the shaft of one of the creasing rolls 66,
which are geared together by pinions 82 one of which is shown in fig. 1a.
Tension may be applied to the web by a friction roll 83 resting by gravity on the
web roll, and a second roll 84, may be mounted on standards 85, and brought to bear
against the web as it meets the impression cylinder.
The vibrating roll 34, may be adjusted vertically in slots 34a, by means of the
ordinary set screw 86 setting the journal box 87.
By reference to figs. 3 and 3a, it will be seen that the delivery end of the machine
frame is narrowed down to accommodate the width of the single web as it comes the
second time from the impression cylinder.
In the modified construction shown in figs. 9 to 13 inclusive, 1 indicates the frame
of the machine in which is formed the orbit or race 2, wherein the press beds move.
The ends of the orbit are arcs of circles, struck with the same radius from points in the
horizontal diameter of the orbit.

page_text: At the middle of the orbit is mounted the driving shaft 3 having on it toothed
wheels 4.
In the horizontal centre line are two shafts 5, one at each end of the orbit, each
concentric with a circular end of the orbit. Each of these shafts 5 carries gear
wheels 6 of equal diameter with 4, but as shewn in fig. 10 the wheels on the shafts 5
are in the same vertical plane with each other, but in a different vertical plane from
the wheels 4 on the shaft 3.
Intermediate to the central shaft 3 and the two shafts 5 are shafts 7, each carrying
pinions of double width of the wheels 4 and 5 with which they gear.
Above and below each of the shafts 7, are shafts 9, each shaft carrying two
pinions 10, arranged in the same vertical plane with the wheels 4. The size of these
pinions is such that while they gear with the pinions 8 their pitch lines touch the
horizontal lines above and below, which touch the pitch line of 4.
Each press bed is formed substantially as hereinbefore described, save that upon the
bottom of each bed, near its ends, are placed two pairs of racks, the outer pair 14,
being straight as shown by full lines in fig. 13, and the inner pair 15, having a concave
central portion 15a, shown in dotted lines in fig. 13. In both these racks the teeth
are similar, the straight racks 14 being so placed that they gear with the wheels 4 and
pinions 10, while the racks 15 gear only with the wheels 6 as shewn in fig. 9. Rotation
being given to the shaft 3 in the direction of the arrow, the beds in the orbit 2 travel
above from left to the right, the racks 14 gearing with pinions 10 on the left, then
with wheels and finally with pinions 10 on the right, each engaging with the racks
before they have passed out of engagement with the preceding gear. By the pinions 10
on the right, the racks 15 are engaged with the wheels 6 by which the beds are carried
around the curved ends of the orbit. As the teeth of these wheels gear centrally with
the concave portion 15a, of the racks 15, the beds are brought fully into the curved
end of the orbit and move through the curve as if rigid with the wheel, the gear teeth
of which make no advance in the racks until the beds begin to pass into the lower
horizontal portion of the orbit, when the racks pass off the wheels 6, but not until the
lower pinions 10, engage the racks 14.
Outside the machine frame upon the shaft 3, is fixed a wheel 16 gearing with a
wheel 17, upon the shaft 18 of the impression cylinder 19. This cylinder is mounted
in adjustable bearings and at its ends are toothed wheels 20, as previously described
which gear with straight racks 21 attached to the upper faces of the press beds near
their ends and are so constructed that they may be readily removed from the beds.
A convenient way of accomplishing this is to screw the racks on the beds, as shown in
fig. 11.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In a continuous web printing machine in combination with a continuously
rotating impression cylinder, a series of press beds passing successively beneath it
guided in an elliptic orbit, a cylinder having diametrical bores journalled within said
orbit and rods fitted to move longitudinally in these bores and jointed to the press beds,
the beds and cylinder being provided with teeth which are in gear during the impression
on each bed, substantially as described.
2. In combination with a printing mechanism of the kind above referred to, a
perforating roll, a pair of separating rolls running at greater speed, and mechanism
whereby the separated sheets are removed in equal piles or sections, and stitched and
folded, substantially as described.
3. In combination with printing mechanism, such as is above referred to, inking
mechanism, constructed and arranged, substantially as described.
4. In the inking mechanism referred to in the preceding claim, the combination
with distributing rolls of inking rollers, bearing thereon with their journals in slots
of arms pivotted upon the axes of the distributing rolls with means of adjusting these

page_text: arms so to set the inking rollers nearer to or farther from each other, substantially as
and for the purpose set forth.
5. In a printing machine of the kind referred to in the first claim a set of press
beds, each having a twin chase and reversing rolls arranged in the feed lines from
both ends of the impression cylinder, whereby the continuous web being printed on
one side is reversed to be carried under the other end of the cylinder and printed on
the other side, substantially as described.
6. In a printing machine of the kind hereinbefore referred to the combination with
the printing, separating, feeding, and stitching mechanism, substantially as described,
of folding wings which rise and converge from the stitching needle toward a feeding
roll arranged centrally within the mouth of the folding wings, and a pair of creasing
rolls turning on vertical axes, which receive the folded edge of each section and
complete the fold, substantially as described.
7. In the modified form of printing press, herein described the combination with an
orbit having elongated horizontal diameter and circular ends, of gearing arranged
within said orbit, and a series of press beds travelling therein and having racks upon
their lower faces, suited to the gearing, and racks on their upper faces gearing with
teeth on the impression cylinder, substantially as described with reference to Figs. 9
to 13 inclusive.
Dated this 15th day of November 1887