US1644232A - Printing machine - Google Patents

Description

oct. 4,1927, y 1,644,232

F. BRIDGESl ET Al.

PRINTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 4. 1926 2 Sheec'S-Shee l l "E Arm/wey 1644 232 Qctf 41-927' F. BRIDGES ETAL PRINTING MACHINE Filed Feb.' 4. 192s 2 Sheets-sheet 2 Arme/val Patented Oct. 4, 1927.

UNITED. "STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK BRIDGES,'OF HARROW, HENRYFIRMAN, OF HARROW WEALD, HAROLD WIL- LIAM TISDALE, OF NORTH WEMBLEY, AND BEN DEAN WARD HOSKINS, OF WEALD- STONE, ENGLAND, LAND.

ASSIGNORS T0 WILLIAM RICHARD CODLING, OF LONDON, ENG- .f PRINTING MACHINE.

Application filed February 4, 192e, seriai No. 85,980, and in Great Britain February 5, i925.

This invention relates to printing machines and has for its object to providea machine for automatically printing inscriptions oii the cut andaligned edges ofv books or blocks fed to it in continuous succession.

According to the preferred'form ofthe iiivention, the Vbooks or blocks are passed through the machine. in two movements more or less at right angles to each other, the edge opposite the bound edgesbeingA printed during one movement and one or botl'iof the other edges being printedl during the other movement.` In the vpreferred form the machine includes two runways arranged at right angles, and the book is carried between guides through the first. runway underneath a printing roller duringdwhich movement'it stands on its bound edges. After receiving the impression, the book, still standingvertically is caught by a rotating`- arm ywhich lays it flat on one cover in line with a second runway through which. it is carried horizontally between two printing rollers rotating about vertical,spindleswhich print .theupper and lower edges. During both printings the edges are suitably pressed together to make a firm'face for receiving 4the `impression. p'

Y The invention is illustrated in the. accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is an elevation,

Fig. 2 a plan, and l i Fig. 3 is a view of a detail. y Fig. 4 is a broken view inelevation show- 'ing the spring means for controlling one of the printing rollers. y

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing the spring means lfor controlling the pressure rollers.

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the same.

Referring now to the drawing, the machine comprises a frame or frames 1, 2 arranged more or less L-shaped in plan and having a power shaft 3. The shaft 3 drives M a shaft 4 carrying a bevel wheel 5 meshing with a second bevel wheel 6 on a shaft 7 and is adaptedfto be drivenqfrom any suitable source of power. The shaft 7 conveniently carries a chain wheel Sconnected by an endless chain 9 to a second wheel 10 mounted on a shaft 11. 4A second pair of wheels 12, 13 connected by a second endless chain 14 are mounted on the shafts 7, 11, the chains being' united by spaced propelling-rods 15 set apart by adistance which is conveniently greater than they height of the book cover.

Parallel guides 16, 17 are arranged above the spacing rods to provide a slot or guideway 18 through which the books are passed, the

slot becoming slightlyy narrower in the dii'ecceptacle 21 through the intermediary of ak 'third' roller 22, the rollers and the receptacle being carried in a frame carried by one or more hinged arms 23 hinged ,about the axis of the shaft 7. The positionof the printing roller 19 is determined by oneqor more set screws 24 mounted in 'fixed arms 25 secured tothe frame of the machine against vwhichl the hinged Aframe abuts under gravity, and the'printing roller is driven through a train of gears 26 froma gear wheel mounted on the shaft 7. A second pair of endless chains 29, 30 carriedy by ysprockets mounted on parallel shafts 4, 27 is arranged at the Lend of the runway 1.8 and work in a direction at right angles to the line of the said runway beneath a second runway comprising spaced boards 28. p At or about the region at which a book fed through the slot18 will traverse the line of movement of these chains, we provide a pusher arm 31 mounted on a continuously rotating shaft 32 adapted as a book is fed forward after receiving the first impression from theroller 19 to lay it down on to the second runway, a fixed rod 33 being set up in line with the remote side ofthe slot to prevent the book falling the reverse way.

The endless chains carry pairs of upstanding push-rods 34 spaced from each other a ydistance conveniently greaterv than the width of the book,l and these then carry the book forward between two printing rollers 35, 36 rotating about vertical spindles at yeach side of the runway. Before-reaching the printing rollers, the book passes under one or more trip levers 37 mounted on a shaft 38 carrying a contact electrically connected to the driving mechanism in such a Way that if'the pages of the book are not fiat, the shaft" is rocked so as to break the contact so that the machine is stopped. The shaft cairies a paii" of spring-controlled arms 39 carrying Arollers 40 which engage on the top of the book and press it down so that the edges form a solid face to receive the impression. A spring c encircles the shaft 38, being terminally connected to one of the arms 39 and to the frame to insure operating pressure of the rollers 40. At the end of the runway is provided a. plurality ofendless belts 4l in line therewith running at high speed so that the book is caught bythe said belts and carried away from the runway quickly before the rods-34 are'rocked below the runway for their reverse movement. A rocking arm 42 is also positioned above the slot 18 'electrically connected to the driving mechanism so that if a book is fed into the slot the wrong way up, the movement ofthe machine is stopped owing to the arm being raised by the additional height of the book so as to break a contact. v

The type face on the printing rollers is carried by a raised portion 43 shown separately in Fig. 3 so that the rollers are adapted to permit the passage atieach side. of the type of boards or other backing which may have slightly larger height and depth than the pages on which the impression is made. Preferably, the type is cut in a i'ub-l ber strip 50 vulcanized on a leather band 51 carried round a roller of suitable size .and lirmlysecured thereto by means of plates 52, 53 secured by screws to the oblique walls of a recess in the face of the roller. By this means the printing roller can readily beset up, if necessary with a certainy amount of packing beneath the leather band, so that the operative length of the type face is equal to the distance between the propelling rods 15 or push rods 34 as is obviously necessary for repetition work, the gears being so designed that in these circumstances the type face will move with the peripheral. speed equal to the .speed of the rods 15 on chains 9.

Voperation with sufiicient force to present the The left hand frame carrying the vertical inking ioller and ink supply therefor is i'iXed, but the right hand frame44 in Fig. 2 is hingedly mounted about a vert-ical pivot 4,5 and is spring-controlled and adjustable similarly to the horizontal inking roller, so that the machine can be set up on books of varying size.' A spring E is connected to the right hand frame 44 and passes beneaththe sections of the table 28 and secured to a pin mounted 'on a transverse rail provides the spring control' of the roller 36. The drive is transmitted to the right hand roller through an idle gear'wlieel mounted aty the joint of hinged links 46, 47. p A ,A V v` With theconstructioii of horizontal guildes and vertical rods moving the book over fixed surfaces, the guides engaging the book when vertical and the rods when flat, the timing of the movement of the book can be definitely set to agree with the ro-tation of the rollers so that the impression will be made at the right place along the edges of the book. Ob-

It will be clear that owing to thepressure effected by the narrowed walls of the slot 18 on the one hand, and that' effected by the rollers 40 on the other hand the cut edges of the book are held tightly to form a solid face to receive the impression, and that the vmeans exerting the pressure is inboth cases adjustableto books of Idifferent thicknesses. VObviously by providing more than one roller for each run two or more colourscan be printed during ',one passage of a book through the machine.

We claim 1. In a. printing machine, a printing roller,

means to feed a book past said roller with an vedge directed thereto, means to cause 'salda roller to print an impression on said edge during said movement, and means relativelyV to which the book is`-slidable to press the edges ofthe book together during said movement;

' 2. In a printing machine, a runway, means to feed a book through said runway, said runway Idirectly engaging the book and supporting the same in an upright position,

means to print an impression on an edge of,y said book during its passage through said runway, and means to press the leaves of said b ook together during said printing ,opei ation.

3. In a printing machine, oppositely placed guides, a printing rollerarranged transversely of sai-d guides, means to'feed: a boekbetween and relative to said guides and'means to print, an impression on an edger offsaid book during its passagev therebetween,v and mea-nswhereby said guidesjpiess the leaves of said book togetherrluring said printing edges of the leaves as a'k good printing surface.

v4. In a printing machine, oppositely placed guides, printing roller arranged transversely of said guides,means to feed a book between land relative to "said"guides,y means to print 2in-impression on an edge of said book during its Ypassage therebetween, andsaid guides being adjustable toeXert pressure Von the faces of said book to press the leaves of the book together with 'sufficient force yto cause the edges to forma good printing surface during said printingoperation.:

5. In a printing machine, oppositely placed vertical guides, a supporting surface therebetween, a printing roller arrangedhoriio iz'ontally above .said-guides, means to slide a book on an edge,overfsadfsurface'between said guides, and means'fto print. an impression on an edge of said book during said movement, and means whereby said guides press the leaveskof said, bookl Ivtogether vduring said printing operation.

6. In a printing machine, a printing roller having its axis vertical, means to feed a book lying flatwise past said roller to receive a printing.impression onl the edge of the leaves oflthe book from sai'droller, and means operating on the upper lsurface of the book as the latter passes said roller to cause the edges of the leaves to form a good printing surface during the cooperation of the printing roller with said leaves.

7. In a printing machine, a printing roller having its axis vertical, means to feed a book lying ilatwise past said roller to receive a printing impression on theedge of the leaves of the book from said roller, and spring pressed rollers operating on the upper surface of the book as the latter passes said printing roller to cause the edges of the leaves to form a good printing surface during the cooperation of the printing roller with said leaves.

8. In a printing machine, a runway, means to feed a book standing on an edge through said runway, a second runway, means to feed a. book fiatwise through said second runway, means to print an'impression on an edge of a book during its passage through each runway.

9. In al printing machine, a runway, means to feed a book standing on an edge through said runway, a second runway, means to feed a book flatwise through said second runway, means to print an impression on an edge of a book during its passage through each runway, and automatic means to transfer a book delivered at the end of the first runway to the feeding means for the second runway.

10. In a. printing machine, a pair of vertical guides, a horizontal printing roller above said guides, means to feed a book standing on an edge between said guides, means to print an impression on an edge of said book during said passage, book-feeding means at the delivery end of said guides, means to lay over on one of its faces a book reaching the delivery end of said guides, and to engage it with said book-feeding means positioned there, and means to print an impression on another edge of said book during its conveyance by said book-feeding means. v

11. In a printing machine, means for feeding a plurality of books therethrough in succession, a printing roller adapted to print an impression on an edge of a book during said feeding movement, means to adjust the setting of said roller to accommodate books of different sizes, andifguiding means for the vbook-and relative-to 'whiclithe book is m'ovable l lduring f the printing: operation, said guiding .means -acting tol compress, the leaves .of the book to causeltheir edges to .form an effective printingsurface.4 4

.12. In` a -pri-nting..ma.chine, a runway, -nzieans'to feed'va plurailitylof'books flatwise vthroughsaid runway yin succession, a vert-i- `cally arrangedlprintingy roller at aside of said!runway,a second: oppositely placed lvertically arrangedprintingroller at the other side :of said runway-g meanstfo 'cause said printing rollers to print impressions on opposite edges of a book during its conveyance by said feeding means between said rollers, and means to press the leaves of said book together during said printing operation.

n 13. In a printing machine, a runway comprising vertical guides arranged at each side of a fiat supporting surface, book feeding means comprising spaced members moved over the top of said surface, a horizontally arranged printing roller arranged above said guides, means to adjust the height of said roller above said surface, said guides being adapted toengage both faces of a book passed therebetween, a second runway arranged at an angle to said first runway and having a slotted supporting surface, means to lay flatwise on said second runway a book delivered vertically from said first runway, oppositely arranged printing rollers at each side of said second runway, means to convey said book between said rollers comprising a plurality of upstanding members moved simultaneously through said slots, and meansto adjust the distance between said rollers to allow the passage of a book therebetween.

14. In a printing machine, a runway, means to feed a book therethrough, means to print an impression on an edge of the leaves of said book during its passage therethrough, means to exert a pressure on the book to maintain the leaves thereof in position to receive a printing impression, a second runway, means to feed a book therethrough, automatic means transferring a book from the end of the first runway to the feeding means of the second runway, means to print an impression on another edge of the leaves of the book during its passage through said second runway, and means in the second runway for exerting pressure upon the book during the printing operation to hold the leaves of the book in position to provide a good printing surface.

15. In a printing machine, a runway, a second runway, means to feed a plurality of books in succession through the first runway, automatic means to deliver a book from the end of the rst runway tothe second runway, means to print an edge of the lUU lll)

leaves of a book during its passage through the first runway, and means to hold the leaves of the book in compact relation to afford a good printing surface during the printing operation in the first runway means to print another edge of the leaves of the book at right angles to the first edge during its passage through the second run- Way, and means to hold the leaves of the book in compact relation to afford a good printing surface during the printing operation in the second runway.

16. In a `printing machine, book feeding means oon'iprising a pair of endless flexible members carrying book propelling means,

and book withdrawing means comprising endless flexible members moving at a higher ate of speed than said first-mentioned mem- GIS.

In testimony whereof We afiX our signa- 20 tures;

FRANK BRIDGES. HENRY FIRMAN. BEN DEAN WARD HOSKINS. HAROLD WILLIAM TISDALE.

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