CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING
Year: 1826

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CHURCH, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Eighteenth day of October, One thousand eight hundred and
twenty-six, in the seventh year of His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Church, His especial
licence that I, the said William Church, my exors, adñors, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Church, my exors, admors, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and yend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all His said Majesty's Colonies and Plan-
tations abroad, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PRINTING;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said William
Church, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to
describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE that in compliance with the said uroviso I the said

page_text: William Church, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, by the following description
thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to
say-
My Invention of Certain Improvements in Printing consist principally in
improvements on and additions to a machine or apparatus for printing, for
which His present Majesty granted to me His Letters Patent, bearing date at
Westminster, the Nineteenth day of February, 1824, the Specification of
which Invention was duly inrolled in Chancery the 19th of August of the
same year. Now the present improvements being intended principally to be
adapted to the said machine as additions to & variations in the mechanism
thereof, I think it desirable to refer to the before-mentioned Specification, in
order to render the application & intention of the new parts now introduced
more clearly understood than they would otherwise be. My present improve-
ments consist in the following particulars:-1st, the introduction of a
traversing sheet of calico or other suitable material, to be employed in place of
what is technically called the set-off sheet, for the purpose of shifting it, and
preventing the effects of setting off in reiteration or perfecting. 2nd, a mode
of sliding the bank or board upon which the sheets of paper are piled after
printing for the purpose of discharging the sheet from the taking off fingers.
3rd, the construction & method of opening & closing the taking-off fingers.
And 4th, the introduction of movable bearers for supporting the ends of
the inking rollers as they pass over the inequalities of the form; which
several particulars are exhibited in the Drawings hereto annexed, & are
refered to by similar letters in all the Figures. Figure 1 is a plan or
horizontal view of the top of the platen & the bank, shewing the situa-
tions of most of the improved parts, which are further exhibited in the
following detached Figures & partial views of the machine. Fig. 2 represents
the platen, table, & form, as seen edgwise, with the parts connected to the
set-off sheet rollers. a, a, are two rollers affixed to revolving shafts b, b; to
these rollers the two ends of a long piece of calico or other suitable material
are attached, & the portion of calico extending from one roller to the other
being passed under the platten is tightly rolled, so as to produce an even
surface extending over the form of types, which is to act as a set-off sheet.
In order to move this set-off sheet progressively forward after every impression
given, a catch takes hold of a ratchet wheel affixed on the shaft b, & draws
the roller round a portion of a revolution in the manner about to be described;
c, c, are the ratchet wheels affixed to the shafts b, b, one of which is to be
acted upon by the catch d after every impression. As it is intended to work

page_text: the set-off sheet backward & forward, that is, to draw it off one roller & coil
it upon the other alternately, there is a contrivance by which, when one of
the catches d is made to act upon its ratchet wheel, the other catch is with-
drawn, consequently the sheet will be moved towards either end of the
machine according to which of the catches are placed in operation, & this
setting of the catch is done by a simple hand adjustment. But as it is not
wished to move the set-off sheet in printing the first side of the paper, the
parts are so constructed that both the catches may be thrown out of action, &
the set-off sheet allowed to remain stationary. The mechanism, when placed
as shewn in Figs. 1 & 2, is in this state of inaction, but in Fig. 3 the parts
are exhibited as in operation. e, e, is a spring bar connected at each end to a
tumbler f,f, & held fast in its situation by one of the notches near its centre
pressing on an angular stud g. A claw at each end of this spring bar supports
& guides the arms of the catches d, d, & according to the adjustment of the
spring bar the catches are lowered into or raised out of the ratchets, as shewn
in different positions in the second & third Figure. When it is intended that
the set-off sheet shall traverse toward the right hand, then the spring bar
must be moved toward the right hand, & the left-hand notch No. 1 be brought
on to the angular stud g fixed on the platen. This movement of the spring
bar will place the right-hand tumbler f in an inclined position, as at Fig. 3,
& bring down the catch d on to the right-hand ratchet wheel c, as shewn in
that Figure. The left-hand extremity of the spring bar will by this movement
bring its tumbler into an erect position, which still holds up the left-hand catch
out of the ratchet wheel. In order that the set-off sheet may be kept tightly
distended under the platen while the right-hand catch & ratchet wheel are
drawing it, the left-hand roller a from which the sheet is now delivering is
held by a friction clip. Affixed to the shaft 6 of the left-hand roller there is a
plain wheel h, which is embraced by a jointed circular clip i, i. The chaps of
this clip cross each other, and are forced asunder by a double pallet k (shewn
by dots) at the back of the tumbler f, which pallet, by expanding the chaps,
brings the circular clip into close contact with the periphery of the plain
wheel h, & the friction insuing necessarily impedes rotation of the left-hand
roller. When the set-off sheet is to be drawn the reverse way, then the
spring bar e must be sliden to the left-hand; the right-hand notch No. 3
resting upon the angular stud 9. The left-hand catch d will now fall into the
teeth of the left-hand ratchet wheel c, the right-hand catch being by the same
movement raised up from the right-hand ratchet wheel, & the chaps of the
spring clip on the right being expanded by the action of the pallet k, the
spring clip embraces & hold the right-hand plain wheel h in the same way &

page_text: to that described above when explaining the contrary
for a similar purpose
movement of the set-off sheet; the left-hand spring clip at the same time.
releasing its hold allows the left-hand roller to be drawn round by its catch
acting in the teeth of its ratchet wheel. In order to work this mechanism
which draws the set-off sheet, sliding racks are introduced, shewn at 1, 7, in
Figs. 1 & 2, which racks are connected to the rising & falling table m, m.
The manner of moving this table and its form upwards & downwards being
fully described in the Specification of my former Patent, referred to above,
need not be repeated here. At the sides & under part of the table there are:
ears or dugs n from studs o extend, & the lower parts of the rack bars 7 being.
forked take hold of these studs, & the racks are consequently moved up &
down by the rising & falling of the table. The sliding rack bars pass through
mortices in the platen, which racks take into tootlied wheels p: These toothed
wheels are intended to perform rather more than half a revolution upon their
axles, and to receive a reciprocating motion from the racks as they ascend &
descend. A bent lever g is attached by a joint to the angular stud g (which is
its fulcrum), and passing up through à slot in the spring bar e & through a.
slide box r, shewn by dots at (the junction of the catch arins in Fig. 2, is
connected to the reciprocating wheel p by à bent piece s, the junction pin of
which acts as a crank. By the connection of the parts last described it will
be seen that as the wheel p nioves round the lever q will be moved also, & the
slide box being attached to the catch arms at their junction causes the catches
to be sliden to & fro, & the ratchet wheel which is in connection, & its roller,
to be made to turn a portion of a revolution at every stroke.
9
At the back of
the slidė box there is an adjusting screw t, which being turned raises or
lowers the slide box for the purpose of elevating or depressing the joint of the
catch arms, which contracts or elongates the stroke of the catches upon their
ratchet wheels. Thus either of the catches being set in the manner described,
the rising & falling of the table will actuate the mechanism so as to cause the
set-off sheet to be progressively drawn from off one roller on to the other, &
by these means to shift the surface of the set-off sheet a little distance after
every impression is given. When the entire roll or length of calico of which
the set-off sheet is formed has been passed in one direction, then the spring
bar is to be shifted as explained above, & the length of calico worked back
again in a similar manner; & in order to prevent as much as possible the same
parts of the sheet coming again upon the same parts of the form of types at
every change, I slide the rollers a, a, a short distance in a lateral direction
upon their axes or shafts b, b. After bringing up the sheet of printed paper
by means of fingers on to the bank or board upon which the sheets are piled,

page_text: as described in the former Spécification, & having opened the 'fingers, it is
desirable to slide the pile a short distance for the purpose of drawing the edge:
of the sheet from the fingers. To effect this object there is a click 'v attached:
to the back of the plain wheel u upon the barrel of the reciprocating wheelp,
seen in Fig. 1, which click drops into a notch in the periphery of a loose
wheel w, that slides round upon the axle of the reciprocating wheel. In the
side of this loose wheel a crank pin is fixed, which acts between two guide
pieces y, y, attached to the side of the bank frame A, A, A, A; and hence, by
the reciprocating action of the wheels p &u, as "above described, the click v.
drives found the loose wheel w half a revolution át every stroke, & causes the
crank pin to move the bank or piling table to and fro immediately after each
sheet of paper has been laid upon the pile & the fingers opened. It is to be
observed that a similar contrivance is placed on each side of the bank, which
is worked as above said by the rising & falling of the table. The present
improved mode of constructing and of 'opening & closing the taking-off
fingers will be seen by reference to Fig. 1, & to the auxillery detached:
Figures 4, 5, & 6, Fig. 4 being a vertical section of part of the apparatus.
taken at the dotted line z, z, in Fig. 1. In the former Specification it will
be seen that the taking-off fingers are attached to bars which are conducted.
by endless chains passed over pully wheels; in the present instance the
fingers are conducted by endless chains in a similar way, but attached to
cylindrical rods one within the other. Fig. 6 shews the lower finger secured
to the outer cylindrical rod, & the upper finger to the inner rod, & passing
through slots with a spring forcing them open; when the fingers are brouglit
between the table & the platen the pressure acting against the chaps of the
locking piece B force them together, & a spring catch C passing through a
slot locks them securely, & confines the edge of the sheet of paper between
the fingers. When the fingers have brought the sheet of paper on to the pile
they are opened by a leaf D striking against the trigger E, which forces the
O catch C back & allows the springs within to throw the fingers open. This part of
the mechanism is worked by two small studs F, F, on the side of the rack bar I,
see Fig. 4, which, as the rack bar rises & falls, strikes the lever G up & down, &
moves the rod H which carries the leaves D, causes the leaves to vibrate, & to
strike against the trigger E at the time that the fingers are to be opened.
The bearers which support the ends of the inking rollers shewn at I, I, in
Fig. 2, hung upon springs & are made to rise & fall. When the table with
the form is up, giving the impression, the bearers are below it, as shewn in
Fig. 2, free from the sheet of paper; but as the table descends, previously to
the inking rollers passing over the type, the pieces K, K, affixed to the frame

page_text: of the machine, catch the ends of the bearers & keep them up level with the
surface of the type; on the rising of the table again they descend into the
situation shewn. I have described this improvement as particularly designed
to be adapted to the printing press set forth in my Specification above aluded
to, but I wish also to be understood as claiming the above contrivance when
adapted to any other construction of printing press, & particularly the shifting
calico or other suitable material employed as a sett-off sheet, which may be
adapted to a variety of printing machines, & may be formed & moved in
many ways, which convenience and other circumstances will dictate.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Seven-
teenth day of April, in the year One thousand eight hundred and