US2286402A

US2286402A - Duplicating machine

Info

Publication number: US2286402A
Application number: US372119A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ford Frank Ronald
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1939-12-21
Filing date: 1940-12-28
Publication date: 1942-06-16
Anticipated expiration: 1959-06-16

Description

June 16, 1942. F. R. FORD 2,286,402

DUPLICATING MACHINE Fi l ed Dec. 28, 1940 7 Sheets-Sheet l June 16, 1942. F. R, FORD 2,286,402

DUPLICATING MACHINE Filed Dec. 28, 1940 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 A H' r 7724 5 June 16, 1942. D 1 2,286,402

DUPLICATING MACHINE Filed Dec. 28, 1940 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 June 16, 1942. F. R. FORD DUPLIGATING MACHINE 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 28, 1940 mm s 5 ma m m m Lwm mm i 8 8 w um m9 m9 June 16, 1942. F. R. FORD DUPLICATINQ MACHINE "7 Sheets-Shet 5 Filed Dec. 28, 1940 June 16, 1942. FORD 2,286,402

DUPLICATING MACHINE Filed Dec. 28. 1940 '7 Sheets-Sheet 6 June 16, 1942.

F. R. FORD DUPLICATING MACHINE Filed Dec. 28, 1940 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 INN?" yr?" k Hing lnuenf v m amw Patented June 16, 19 42 2,286,402 DUPLICATING MACHINE Frank Ronald Ford, Sparkbrook, Birmingham,

England I Application December 28,1940, Serial No. 372,119 I In Great Britain December 21, 1939 13 Claims. (o mi 1325 being brought into contact with thexmaster sheet.

More particularly the invention has reference to the type of duplicating machine in which provision is made for'moisteningthe copy sheets sectionally, so that when a master sheet is secured to the cylinder with the lines of writing thereon extending circumferentially of the latter, the matter reproduced on the copy sheet may be confined to any one. or more of suchlines.

One of the objects'of the present invention is to provide a machine whereby any selected item from themaster sheet may be reproduced on the copy sheets. i w

- A further objectof the present inventionis to construct the machine so that a pluralityvof items selected from-the master sheet may be reproduced on the copy-sheet simultaneously. a

A further object of the present invention is to provide improved means I for; controlling the amount-of moisture imparted to the copy sheets.

A furtherobject of the present invention is to provide improved means;.-whe reby the pressure of the pressure roller or rollers may be adjusted.

A further objectof the present invention is to provide a simple and relatively inexpensive construction of machinewherein the parts can be readily produced and assembled, and wherein ready access is obtainable-to all those members which have to be operated for making adjustments. ,1.

.Referring .to the drawings;

Figure lis a perspective view showing one construction in accordancewith this invention.

Figure 2 is a view in'front elevation showing one of the pressure rollers. I

Figure '3 is a view in front/elevation showing another pressure roller element of difierent form.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing oneof the moistening pads andits casing.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the machine with certain parts omitted for the sake of clearness; Figure 6 is'a section on line 6'-6 of Figure 5. Figure 'l and 7 is a section on line 'l-! of Figure5. I Figure .8 is a plan view of a machine with certain parts omitted, wherein'the'mechanism for moving the carriage is similar to that provided on a typewriter.

Figure 9is a section on line 93 of Figure 8. Figure 10 is a plan view showing the operating key and certain associated parts for moving the carriage in one direction with a step bystep movet j V Figure 11 is an end view partly in section showing a portion of the mechanism for travelling the carriage. I

Figure 12 is a front view showing the mechanism employed for moving the carriage with a step by step movement in the direction opposite to that in'which itis pulled. 1 r

In both-constructions illustrated the machine comprises a framehaving two .end plates I0 connected in the usual way by tie rods 1 I-. At the top each end plate is provided with an upwardly extending cheek plate |2..-. These plates I2 may be made integrally with the plates [0 if desired.

Thecylinder l3 which is adapted to'carry the master sheetindicatedat I4 is mounted upon a shaft 15 which may be drivenby hand orby-an electric motor. The cylinder is provided with a clamping device'indicated. generally at 16 for holding one end of the master sheet. -One end of thecylinder is providedwith an extension I! having a notch I8 in itsv periphery which is engaged by a roller l9 when acted upon by a spring so as to provide a check --to the rotary motion of the cylinder l3 once every revolution.

. -.Further, each end ofthe cylinder is provided with a cam 20 for the purpose of raising and lowering periodically the-pressing member employed to press the copy sheets on to the moisteners.- Extending between the plates I ll is a bar 2 l, and in the construction shown in Figures 1 to 'Tthis bar is in .the form.-of a rotatable shaftprovided with a helical groove-I08. r

Inithe constructionshown in Figures 8 to 12, however, the bar is-fixed and has no groove;

'- Extending'betweenthe plates I2 is a bar 23 of square-section. a

A- carriage is provided which ismovable in a direction paralleLto the axis of the cylinder l3, and this-carriage comprises a tankv 24 carrying a frame 25 which supports a-feed tray 26. The carriage also includes a'box 21 connected to the tank by-means of 'a sideplate 28. V

-The box 21 includes asecond side plate 29, a top plate a:front plate 3| and arearnplate 39; -The box also includes ,a .bar 34 connecting the side plates Hand 29.

..Theplate 3ll.and.-the.bar 34 carry adjustable stems 35 andx36each of which includes a fork 3 1 containing a ro11er .38 each mounted for rotation. on a .pin carried by its .fork. i V

. The carriage is supported and guided for movement parallel to theaxis of the cylinder by the bar or shaft 2| whichpasses through the tube 29 and abar .23, the ends of which are connected to the plates l2 of the machine frame. The upper and lower sides of the bar 23 are fiat and are engaged by the rollers 38.- v a In the constructions shown there are two pressure rollerfelements. These are shown in Figures 2 and 3, and it will be seen that the roller 49 in the element shown in Figure 2 is wider than the rollers 4| shown in Figure 3. The rollers 4| may be of line width, in which case the roller 40 is of the width of two lines.

In the matter to be copied usually most of the items occupy only one line, but the heading, or perhaps some other part of the matter, may occupy two or more lines. The roller 40 will generally be suitable for replacing a heading which is generally two lines, and the rollers 4| are each capable of operating for one line.

As will be seen from Figure 7, each pressure unit comprises a roller mounted upon a pin 42 carried by a fork at the lower end of a rectangular sectioned stem 43. This stem can slide in a vertical groove in a block 32 detachably secured to the plate 3|, there being a plate 33 secured across the front of the groove. Each of the stems 43 has a shoulder 44, above which the stem is reduced and is of cylindrical form. The upper ends of the stems pass through a threaded guide 45 and also pass through a plate 46 fixed to the top of the block 32. The threaded guide 45 is provided with a flange 4'! beneath the plate 46, and above the plate 46 a knurled head 48 is provided on the threaded guide so that it can be turned on its own axis.

Mounted on the exterior of the threaded guide is an adjustable nut 49 having a radially projecting screw 56 projecting through a vertical slot in the plate 33.

A spring 52 acts between the nut 49 and the shoulder 44, and the arrangement is such that the pressure of the spring can be adjusted by turning the knurled head 48 so as to raise or lower the nut 49.

At the projecting top of the stem lock nuts 53 are provided which form an abutment to limit the downward movement of the stem 43 and of the pressure roller.

Acting between the underside of the lock nuts and the upper side of the knurled head 48 is a forked lever 54 pivoted at 55 to lugs 56 on the block 32, and this lever is provided with a finger piece 51.

One edge of the stem 43 is provided with a notch 59 adapted to be engaged by a plunger 59 acted upon by a spring 65, the plunger 59 being carried by a stem 6| having a head 62. The arrangement is such that when the lever 51 is pushed downwardly the corresponding pressure roller is raised and is retained in the raised position by reason of the fact that the plunger 59 engages in the notch 58. The pressure roller can be lowered into its working position again by pulling the head 62 thus disengaging the plunger 59 from the recess 58 in the stem 43.

The end plates l2 of the machine are provided with a tray 63 having adjustable clips 64 whereby a line indicator sheet may be carried in proximity to the finger pieces 51. When a finger piece 5'! is depressed it places out of action one of the pressure rollers, and those finger pieces 5'! which have not been depressed cooperate with the line indicator so that the operator can see which of the lines on the master sheet are being reproduced.

As will be seen clearly from Figure 7, at one position the cylinder I3 is provided with a longitudinal recess 65 which corresponds with the position of the pressure rollers at th position when the rotation of the cylinder is checked by the roller l9 engaging in the recess IS. The provision of this recess enables the copy sheets '66 to be passed in freely between the pressure rollers and the cylinder, and further, it enables the carriage to move freely parallel to the axis of the cylinder with the pressure rollers out of contact with the periphery of the cylinder.

A tank 24 is provided at the top with a platform 61, and between the tank and the platform is an opening 68 through which projects a wick 69. The upper end of the wick is fixed to a cam 10 rotatable upon a spindle II which can be turned by a handle 12 from the exterior of the tank, the arrangement being such that the upper part of the wick can be raised and lowered thereby in and out of contact with the moistening pads, one of which 13 is seen in Figure 7. As the spindle H is turned clockwise (Figure '7), the area of contact between the wick 69 and the pads I3 is reduced and further movement of the spindle 1| gradually decreases the pressure between the wickvand the pads. Finally the wick is moved out of contact with the pads.

Each moistening pad is made of absorbent material and is mounted in a metal casing 14 having a handle 31, the arrangement being such that the moistening pad slides on the platform 51 and under a plate 15 into and out of its operative position. In Figure 7 the moistening pad 13 is shown in the operative position, but it can be pulled to the right so that it will not make contact with the copy sheet 66.

The tank is further provided with a tubular filler tube 16.

It will be understood that the number of moistening pads corresponds with the number of pressure rollers. If it is desired to reproduce only one line or item from the master sheet on the cylinder then the moistening pads corresponding with lines not to be reproduced are moved into the inoperative position.

In the construction illustrated there may be two moistening pads, one co-operating with the pressure roller 46 and the other co-operating with the pressure rollers 4 I, but if required there may be three, in which case there will be separate moistening pads for the two rollers 4|.

It is necessary to press the copy sheet 66 down on to the moistening pad, or down on to any moistening pads that are in the operative position, and for this purpose a bar 11 is provided carried by a pair of levers 18 pivoted at 19 to the ends of the carriage. These levers 18 are acted upon by springs 80, each acting between a bracket 8| and the top of a pressure block 82 bearing on the upper side of the lever.

At the feed in position which is shown in Figures 6 and '7, where the rotation of the cylinder is checked by the member IS, the levers 1B are raised. This is effected by the earns 20 on the ends of the cylinder which engage rollers 83 mounted upon stems 84 which pass through the ends 85 of a bar 86. The bar 86 acts when the rollers 83 are raised on the undersides of the levers 18 so as to raise the pressing member 11 from the copy sheet.

After the copy sheet has passed between the pressure rollers and the cylinder |3 it is guided downwardly at the back of the cylinder by

guides

88 and 89 and is discharged at the lower part of the front of the machine with the matter reproduced on the upper side of it.

The frame 25 mounted on the carriage is seen clearly in Figure 5, and incorporates the side members 9!] and 9|, a back bar 93 and a rod 94.

The feed tray 26 is mounted on the rod 94 and is provided with a sleeve 95 on its underside which engages the rod 94. A spring 96 is provided on the rod 94 acting between the member 99 and the end of the sleeve 95 and tending to move the tray to the right (Figure This movement is, however, resisted by a pawl 91 which engages a ratchet rack 98 formed on a bar 99. Near its ends the bar 99 is provided with longitudinal slots I96 through which the attaching screws I91 pass, this arrangement allowing the positioning of the bar to be adjusted as may be desired.

The pawl 91 is provided witha stem I99 having a knob I9 I. This pawl and stem unit is mounted in a housing I92 containing a. spring I93 which urges the pawl into engagement with the rack. The housing I92 is fixed to the underside of the tray. The arrangement is such that the pawl can be withdrawn by pulling .the knob I9I so as to allow the tray to be moved to the right.

The tray 26 is of channel section and at its delivery end I94 is provided with a guard plate I95 which keeps the lead-in edges of the copy sheets down on to the surface of the tray. To position the copy sheets 66' in relation to the master sheet on the cylinder I may provide an adjustable bar 92 on the tray 26. To provide for adjustment of the bar 92 the tray may be provided with longitudinal slots I engaged by screws I16 on the bar 92. For shorter copy sheets the bar 92 is adjusted to a position nearer the delivery end of the feed tray and for longer copy sheets the bar 92 is adjusted to, a position further away from the delivery end of the tray 26.

In the construction shown in Figures 1 to '1, the means for moving the carriage and the parts mounted on it parallel to the axis of the cylinder consist of the shaft 2| having a helical groove I98 adapted to be engaged by a lever I99 pivoted at H9 to one side of the carriage and operable by a finger piece III. The lever I99 is acted upon by a spring I29 which tends to keep the notched part I2I of the lever in the groove. When the edge of this notched part of the lever engages the groove I98 and the shaft 2| is turned, the carriage will be moved to the right or left. If it is desired to slide the carriage freely in either direction the finger piece I II is depresser bringing the lever out of engagement with the groove I98.

For turning the shaft bevel gear H2 is provided, the shaft H3 is one of the bevel wheels having a crank H4 by which it may be turned. The shaft H3 is mounted in a bracket H5 attached to the frame of the machine.

The bracket H5 may also have an arm H6 carrying a check device H1, this check device incorporating a spring pressed ball I I8 which engages once for each revolution of the crank handle H4 with a boss H9 and checks the movement. The arrangement may be such that one turn of the crank handle H4 moves the carriage to the right or left by an amount equal to the width of one line of the matter to be copied.

Alternative means for moving the carriage parallel to the axis of the cylinder are shown in Figures 8 to 12. In this construction a bracket I29a. is fixed to the side of the carriage, and to this bracket is connected a flexible member I2 Ia, this flexible member being wound upon and fixed to a spring actuated drum. I22 carried by a bracket I23 secured to one of the plates I2. This arrangement provides a constant pull on the carriage to the right as seen in Figure 3.

Fixed to the end members of the machine 7 frame is a bar I24, this bar extending parallel to the axis of the cylinder and being formed with a rack I25. I

Movably attached to the outer side of this bar I24 is a bar constituting a ratchet rack I26. This bar is provided with a number of slots I21, each slot having one end extending upwardly in an inclined direction. This bar I26 is mounted on the face of the bar I24 by means of pins I28 carried by the bar I24. The arrangement is such that if the bar I26 is moved to the left it is raised and then moved horizontally. The bar I26 can be operated by a lever I 29 pivoted at I39 to a bracket I3I on the right-hand end member of the machine frame.

Fixed on the front surface of the tank is a block I32, and on the front surface I33 of this block is a pivoted detent I34 acted upon by a spring I35 and engaging a stop I36. It will be seen that if the bar I26 is moved to the left one of the teeth on the bar I26 will engage the nose of the detent I34 and will push the carriage to the left to an extent permitted by the length of the slots I21 which may be equal to the width of one line of the matter to be copied. The carriage can thus be moved to the left as seen from the front of themachine with a step by step movement by operating the lever vI 29.

Mounted in the block I32 is a vertical spindle I31 and fixed on the top of this spindle above the block I32 is a ratchet wheel I38 with which co-operates a pawl I39 pivoted at I49 on the block I32.

Below the block I32 and loosely mounted on the spindle I31 is a toothed wheel I4I' engaging the rack I25, and formed in one with this toothed mleel is' a fiange I42 to which is pivoted a pawl Fixed on the lower end of the spindle I31 is a ratchet wheel I44, and formed in one with this ratchet wheel I44 is a second ratchet wheel I45 which is engaged by the pawl I 43. It will be seen that each of the three ratchet wheels has only two teeth, but the number of teeth on the ratchet wheels is dependent upon the width of the spacing, and this varies according to the lay-out of the forms to be used on the system. For instance where the ratchet wheels have only two teeth, these correspond with a one inch spacing on the forms, but in the case of a half inch spacing on the forms ratchet wheels having four teeth must be used. Similarly, if the spacing on the forms is two-thirds of an inch then the ratchet wheels Would have three teeth each, and if the spacing on the forms is one-third of an inch, then the wheels are each provided with six teeth.

Fixed on the underside of the tank is a bracket I46, and pivoted to this bracket is a key I41, this key having a hub I48 and a finger piece I49. On the hub I48 is a lever arm I59 having a pair of laterally projecting lugs I5I carrying a pin I52 upon which are pivoted two pawls I53 and I54, these two pawls being situated one above the other. Both these pawls are adapted to co-operate with the ratchet wheel I44.

The lower pawl I54 is acted upon by a spring I55 and is provided with an adjustable stop I56.

An adjustable stop I58 may be provided fixed to the bottom of the tank and passing through a slot I59 in one of the arms of the key to limit its movement. The key is further acted upon by a spring I69, the lower end of which is attached to a laterally projecting pin NH, and the upper end of which is secured to a suitable part of the carriage, or a member thereon, this spring acting to pull the key upwardly.

Normally the pawl I54 engages one of the teeth of the ratchet wheel I44 and prevents the spindle I3'I from rotating. Since the ratchet wheel I44 is thus prevented from rotating in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 10, the teeth of the ratchet wheel I45 engaging the pawl I43 also prevent the toothed wheel I4I from rotating. Thus the carriage is held against move. ment to the right as seen in Figure 8 under the tension of the flexible member I2I.

If, however, the key I49 is depressed, the nose of the pawl I54 moves below the tooth on the ratchet wheel I44, but before it releases the tooth the nose of the upper pawl I53 engages the tooth and holds the ratchet wheel I44 stationary. Thus the downward movement of the key does not result in any movement of the carriage to the right. When the lower pawl I54 has moved away from the tooth of the ratchet wheel I44 it makes a pivotal movement into the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 11, and con sequently when the key is released and moves upwardly under the influence of the spring I80 the nose of the pawl I54 comes up on the opposite side of the tooth of the ratchet wheel I44 to that where it was originally situated. The upward movement of the key brings the nose of the upper pawl I53 clear of the tooth of the ratchet wheel I44 so that the ratchet wheel I44, and consequently the spindle I31, now makes a half turn in the direction of the arrows shown in Figures 10 and 11 and is arrested by the second tooth com ing into contact with the nose of the pawl I54.

In this way the ratchet wheel I44 is unlocked to make a half revolution, and during this movement the carriage is no longer locked against movement to the right. Consequently it moves to the right by an amount corresponding to one half the circumference of the toothed wheel I4I when it again becomes locked by reason of the engagement of the second tooth of the ratchet wheel I44 with the nose of the pawl I54, Thus the carriage can be caused to travel to the right with a step by step movement by operating the finger piece I49, and each step may be equal to the width of one line of the matter to be reproduced, or any fractional part of one line.

It has already been explained how the carriage as seen in Figure 8 can be moved to the left with a step by step movement by operating the bar I26. A spring I62 operates on this bar I25, one end of the spring being anchored to the bar I24, and the other end of the spring being attached to a pin projecting from the lower edge of the bar I26. Thus when the bar I26 is moved to the left (Figure 12) it operates against the tension of a spring.

Further, the carriage (Figure 8) can be pushed to the left to, any desired distance. When the carriage is moving to the left as seen in Figure 8, the spindle I3'I is prevented from rotation by the ratchet wheel I38 and its pawl I35. This ratchet wheel permits rotation of the shaft in the direction of the arrow shown in Figures 10 and 11, but prevents rotation in the opposite direction. When the carriage is moved to the left it is necessary for the toothed wheel I II to rotate, and it can do this as it is loose on the spindle I31 and the pawl I43 simply overruns the teeth of the ratchet wheel I45.

In some cases it may be desired to move the carriage automatically one step to the right after'each rotation of the cylinder I3, and for this purpose the cylinder I3 is provided with a cam IE3 which can operate a lever I64 fixed to a cross bar I65, the ends of which are provided with pivots IE6 and I6! in the end frames of the machine. When the cam I63 rocks the lever I54 the-bar I35 operates the key I4'I.

It is, however, desirable that it should be possible to put this automatic action of travelling the carriage to the right out of use so that it can be travelled by hand when desired, and for this reason the bar I65 carrying the lever I64 can be moved into two alternative positions in one of which it is positioned to be engaged by the cam I33, and in the other of which it is moved out of the path of the cam.

In order to enable this to be done the bar IE5 is movable endwise (see Figure 8) and its pivot I236 is provided with two notches I68, either of which is adapted to be engaged by a spring pressed lever I89 pivoted at I'II! and operating to retain the bar I65 in either of its two alternative positions by engaging in one of the two slots I68.

At the opposite end of the bar I65 a knob III is provided so that it can be pushed to the left. When this is done the lever I69 automatically moves into the left hand notch I68.

A spring Il2 is provided tending to move the bar I65 to the left as seen in Figure 8.

The bar IE5 is further provided with an adjustable abutment I73 which is engaged by the end of the carriage, or a suitable projection on the carriage at a predetermined point in the travel of the carriage to the right. This engagement moves the bar I65 to the right and places the lever I64 out of the path of the cam I63.

In operation should it be required to reproduce only one line or item of the master, then one of the moistening pads and the corresponding pressure roller are moved into the operative position. As regards the others, it is sufiicient to withdraw the moistening pads, but it is also preferred to move the corresponding pressure rollers into the inoperative position as the positions of the levers 51 will then give an indica tion' as to which lines are being reproduced.

In Figure 5 two of the levers 51 are shown, but if one of the pressure members is of duplex construction as shown in Figure 3 there will of course be three of these levers.

What I claim then is:

1. A machine of the type described having a guide parallel to the axis of the cylinder, a carriage mounted slidably on said guide, a pressure roller of line or paragraph width on said carriage, a stem carrying said pressure roller, a guide for said stem on said carriage, a spring acting on said stem and urging the roller towards the cylinder, an abutment on said stem, a lever engaging said abutment, said lever acting as a stop to limit movement of the stem under pressure of said spring and being capable of moving the roller into an inoperative position, and means for moistening the copy sheets.

2. A machine according to claim 1, comprising a stem guide which is threaded externally and rotatably mounted on the carriage, means for preventing axial movement of the guide, a shoulder on the stem, a nut on the guide thread, and means to prevent said nut from rotating, the spring acting between the nut and the shoulder, whereby thepressure of the spring can be adjusted by turning 'saidguide. I I

3. A machine of the type described having a carriage mounted on guides for movement parallel to the axis of the cylinder, the carriage having thereon a pressure roller of line or paragraph width, a moistening member of approximately paragraph width, said moistening member being mounted for movement manually in and out of the operative position, and a pressing member for pressing the copy sheets against the moistening member, said pressing member being automatically raised from its operative position once each revolution of the cylinder, wherein the pressure roller is mounted for rotation on the end of a stem slidable in a guide and pressed endwise by a spring, the stem passing through a rotatable sleeve which is screwed upon its exterior, and a nut threaded on said sleeve and forming an abutment for one end of the spring, whereby the rotation of the sleeve will adjust the pressure of the spring.

4. A machine of the type described having a moistening member comprising a tank for containing moistening liquid, said tank having an opening at the top, a table above said opening, a plurality of absorbent moistening pads of line or paragraph width slidably mounted on the table, a casing partially enclosing each pad, a handle on each casing, so that the pads can be individually moved in and out of the operative position, a wick in the tank, and a support for the wick adapted to hold it in contact with the underside of any of the pads which is in the operative position.

5. A machine according to claim 4, wherein the wick support is in the form of a cam, a spindle for said cam, and means whereby said cam may be turned about the axis of the spindle, said cam controlling the area of contact between the wick and the pad.

6. A machine according to claim 4, wherein the wick support is in the form of a cam, a spindle for said cam, and means whereby said cam may be turned about the axis of the spindle, said cam controlling the pressure between the wick and the pad.

'7. A machine of the type described having a guide parallel to the axis of the cylinder, a carriage mounted slidably on said guide, a plurality of pressure rollers of line or paragraph width on said carriage, a corresponding number of moistening members of substantially corresponding width on the carriage, a pair of levers pivoted on the ends of the carriage, a pressing bar forming the pressing member, carried by said levers, a pair of levers on the sides of the machine frame, a lifting bar carried by said levers, means for raising said levers on the frame once each revolution of the cylinders, said lifting bar acting upon the said levers on the carriage so as to lift them.

8. A machine of the type described having a guide parallel to the axis of the cylinder, a carriage mounted slidably on said guide, a plurality of pressure rollers of line or paragraph width on said carriage, a corresponding number of moistening members of substantially corresponding width on the carriage, said moistening members being mounted for movement in and out of the operative position, and a feed tray for copy sheets permanently mounted on the carriage but adjustable thereon parallel to the axis of the cylinder, the feed tray being capable of use for feeding copy sheets to a single moistener or to a plurality of moisteners simultaneously.

9. A machine of the type described having a guide parallel to the axis of the cylinder, 'a carriage mounted slidably on said guide, a plurality of pressure rollers of line or paragraph width on said carriage, a corresponding number of moistening members of substantially corresponding width on the carriage, said moistening members being mounted for movement in and out of the operative position, a pressing member for pressing the copy sheets against any moistening member which is in the operative position, means for automatically moving the pressing member out of its operative position once each revolution of the cylinder to allow of the insertion of a copy sheet, spring means for moving the carriage in one direction parallel to the axis of the cylinder, key operated mechanism for controlling such movement, a cam associated with the cylinder, and actuating mechanism for the key, said cam co-operating with said actuating mechanism.

10. A machine according to claim 9, wherein the actuating mechanism is movable into a position in which it is not operated by the cam.

11. A machine according to claim 9, wherein the actuating mechanism comprises a bar disposed parallel with the axis of the cylinder, said bar being pivotally mounted on the machine about an axis parallel to its length, a lever arm on said bar adapted to be engaged, in one position of the bar, by the cam on the cylinder, said bar when moved pivotally, operating said key, and said bar being manually movable in an endwise direction to bring the lever arm out of the path of said cam.

12. A machine according to claim 9, wherein the actuating mechanism comprises a bar disposed parallel with the axis of the cylinder, said bar being pivotally mounted on the machine about an axis parallel to its length, a lever arm on said bar adapted to be engaged, in one position of the bar, by the cam on the cylinder, said bar when moved pivotally, operating said key, an adjustable abutment on said bar, means on the carriage to engage said abutment so as automatically to move the lever arm out of the path of the cam on the cylinder "at the end of the travel of the carriage.

13. A machine of the type described having a guide parallel to the axis of the cylinder, a carriage mounted slidably on said guide, a plurality of pressure rollers of line or paragraph width on said carriage, a corresponding number of moistening members of substantially corresponding width on the carriage, said moistening members being mounted for movement in and out of the operative position, a pressing member for pressing the copy sheets against any moistening member which is in the operative position, and means for automatically moving the pressing member out of its operative position once each revolution of the cylinder to allow for the insertion of a copy sheet, a manually operable lever associated with each pressure roller for moving it in and out of the operative position, means for retaining each pressure roller in the inoperative position, and a support for a line indicator sheet said levers being disposed adjacent said support so that they can co-operate with a sheet thereon.

FRANK RONALD FORD.