US241168A - tucker - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

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s. n. TUCKER. Printing Machine.

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S. D. T U G K E R.

Printing Machine. l No. 241,168. Patented IVIay 10,1881.

Invervlor,

N. PETERS. FhowLithogrnpher, Washington, D. C.

(No Modl.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

S. D I U G K E R. 1

Printing Machine.

No. 241,168. Patented May 10,1881.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

S..D. TUCKER.

Printing Machine. No. 24H68. Patented May i0, 1881.

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5 ,Stefan/11. fader, M /(WM 1 NrTEn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN D. TUCKER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.Y

PRINTING-MACHlNE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 241,168, dated May 10, 1881.

Application filed March 15, 1881.

T o all whom t may concern Be it known that I, STEPHEN D. TUCKER, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city ot' New York, county ot' New York, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Printing Machines, fully described and represented in the following specifica-tion and the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthe same.

This invention relates particularly to printing-machines having reciprocating type-beds, and is especially directed to aid the type-bedpropelling mechanism, not only to arrest the bed at the end of each stroke, but also to start it in the opposite direction by a structure known as an air-spring, and which consists of an air-cylinder in which a piston is reciprocated by the bed, and thereby caused to compress a body of air in the cylinder, which operates to gradually overcome the momentum of the bed, and finally arrest its movement, and then aid in starting it in the opposite direction.

The invention more particularly relates to that class of such air-springs in which the piston never leaves its cylinder, and always moves to the same extent into the cylinder in the operation of compressin g the air, but its outward movement is adjustable and it consists in providin g said piston with a means for adjusting' its outward movement, so that the time it shall begin to compress the air, and the quantity ot' air to be compressed to form the spring, may be regulated with respect to the travel of the bed.

The invention also embraces a particular means for accomplishing this result.

It also includes a special construction and means of operating the relief-valves connected with the cylinders of such airsprings; and, iinally, embraces the various combination of parts.

An embodiment ot' these improvements is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which a printing-machine supplied with them is shown in Figure l by a side elevation, in Fig. 2 by an end elevation, in Fien?) by aplan view ot' its lower part, and in Fin'. 4 by a longitudinal sectional elevation, ofthe air-spring and parts co-operatin g therewith. Fig. 5 shows a side elevation of one of the air-cylinders, and Fig. 6 an end elevation of the same. Fig. 7

represents a plan, and Fig. S a sectional ele- (No model.)

vation, of the im proved packing, and Fig. 9 a sectional elevation of the piston supplied with such packing, and Fig. 10 an end elevation of said piston, Fig.11, a modilied arrangement of some ot' the parts. Fig. 12 illustrates bya seetional elevation, and Fig. 13 by a plan view, a modified arrangement ot' the parts.

The principal features of a printing-machine ofthe class to which this invention is applicable are an i mpression-cylinder, A, that is mounted to turn in suitable bearings and to co-operate with a reciprocating type-bed, B, upon which is secured the forni C. There are various arrangements of mechanisms for causing the impression-cylinder A and type-bed B to travel in unison during the printing operation, and to admit of the return movement ot' said bed.

In structures of this class of press the niotions of its parts are all derived from a main driving-shaft, as E.

In most approved constructions the reciprocating bed B is driven from the shaft E by means ot' a vibrating shaft, G, that carries a pinion, F, which travels on the upper and under sides of a toothed rack, lt, having end shoes or reversing-guides S, as is common; but this motion is sometimes produced by other means.

Various constructions ot' gearing are in ilse for connecting the driving-shaft with the cylluder-shaft D, as, for instance, a toothed-wheel on the shaft E may drive an intermediate Wheel, which will gear into a toothed-wheel on the shaft D of the cylinder, all of which will be well understood by those conversant with this art, and no further or more particular description of the class of printing-presses having reciprocatin g beds, to which these improvements are applicable, is necessary for a thorough understanding ot' the same.

At each end of the machine it is supplied with an air-cylinder, as 20, suitably fixed to the frame-work, in which cylinders a piston, 3, is arranged to reciprocate, said piston being connected by a pivoted rod, 4, to a vibrating lever, 21, which lever is fulcrumedy at its foot by a pivot hung in a block, 22, that is arranged to slide in suitable guides in the frame-work, and is provided with a tapped screw, 33, by the rotation ot' which said block may be moved to and from the air-cylinder to change the position of the fulcrum of said lever 21. rlhese levers 21 are provided at their upper ends with branch arms 5 6,that form acurved guideway, in which a stud or roller, 7 carried by the bed B enters, this curved guideway thus acting to cause the roller 7 to gently engage the arm 5 of the lever 21, and thus avoid a blow andthe consequent noise and jar in overcoming the inertia of the lever 21 and piston 3, which are thus gradually started and moved rearward, whereby the air in the cylinder is compressed and its resistance is gradually increased. The arm G coacts with the arm 5 to form a perfect guideway, or one that bears upon both sides of the stud or roll 7, and while this arm 6 is not essential, as will hereinafter appear, it is the preferable Inode of insuring the movement of the lever and piston toward the center of the machine, for the reason that the stud 7, engaging said a-rm 6, causes the lever 21 to be positively moved, and to carry with it the piston 3. rlhis lever21is provided with a spring, 23, sea-ted upon the block 22, and pressing against the upper end of the lever 21, the power of which spring is exerted to move said lever inward or toward the center of the machine, and retain it there while the lever is not in contact with the bed, the extent of this movement of it being determined by an arm, 10, carried by the lever that engages a stop, 11, project ing from the block 22.

If, from leakage or any other cause, the compressed air should not press the piston and lever outward, the action of the roller 7 on the branch arm G will, as the bed reccdes, draw it out until the arm 10 011 the lever strikes against the stop 11 on the block 22, and the lever will be retained in this position while the bed continues its travel by a spring, 23, and if this spring` should be made suiiiciently strong it might serve to press the lever outward, instead of its heilig drawn out by the action of the roller 7 011 the branch arm 6; but I prefer the use of the branch arm for the above purpose. Any accidental or improvident moving ofthe lever 21 rearward is thus prevented, and the said lever is restored and held in a p roper inward position to present its end in correct relation to the bed to be engaged and moved by the stud or roll 7.

As the lever 21 carries an arm, 10, which always strikes against a stop, 11, on the block 22, it is apparent that the forward throw ot' this lever would always be the same if its fulcrum were a fixed one. The piston 3, which is necessarily moved into the cylinder to the same extent by the positive movement of the typebed, would thus always move outward in the cylinder to the same degree, and consequently the body of air contained in its chamber 1() would remain the same and be compressed to the same degree, so that, no matter what the speed and momentum of the bed might be, the resisting action of the air-spring would remain uniform but these presses are required to run at different speeds, according to the kind of work performed by them 5 and therefore, in order to obtain the best results in the use of the air-springs as an arresting mechanism for their beds, it is req uisite that the resistance or power of such airsprings shall be regulated to suit the speed and momentum ofthe beds.

As before stated, the type-bed will always move the piston into the cylinder to the same point; but by operating the screw 33 the extent of the outward movement of the upper end of the leverl 21 may be adjusted so as to lessen or increase the outward movement ot' the pistonv 3 in its cylinder, and thus govern the size of the chamber 40, and consequently the quantity of air that will be compressed therein by the rcturn movement of said piston. Thus the quantity of air in the chamber, and which, whatever the quantity, will always be compressed into the same space, may be regulated by simply shifting the fulcrum of the lever 21, and according as the quantity of air in the chamber is more or less so will the pressure at the end ofthe stroke ofthe piston be more or less.

rlhe valve 11, with which eacheylinder 20 is provided to control an air-orifiee in the chamber 40, at a point beyond that to which the piston is thrown rearward in said cylinder, is an ordinary puppet-valve, and in order lhatit may be opened and held open when the press is not in operation, so that the piston 3 may be free and the bed be readily moved outward or inward to admit access to the form it carries, the machine is provided with a means for operating said valves automatically in the operation of moving the belt-shifter. To that end these puppet-valves 11 are seated in a guide sleeve, 14, into which a lifting-rod, 15, is entered. Said rod 15 is connected by a rockarm, 17, with a longitudinal rock-shaft, 16, that is provided with a rock-arm, 1S, connected by a rod, 19, with the lever 24, which operates the belt-shifter 25, said beltshifter being provided with a second lever, 26, for operating it, which lever is by a rod, 27, connected with the lever 24, this provision being made so that the driving-belt maybe moved from either side ot the machine.

\Vhen the belt-shifter 25 is operated to move the driving-belt from the fast pulley 28 to the loose pulley 29, and thus stop the operation of the machine, it is apparent that the rods 15 will be lifted to engage the stem of the valves 1l, and thus raise said valves to establish eommunication from the air-chambers 10 with the atmosphere through the passages 32, and hence relieve thepiston from the pressure, and allow the bed B to be readily moved outward and inward by the hand of the operator without undue labor. Vhen the belt-shifter is moved to throw the driving-belt upon the fast pulley these rods 15 will be lowered and permit the said valves 11 to seat themselves, and thus close the chambers,so that during the further movement of the piston therein the valves will confine the air so that it may be compressed to perform the functions of an air-spring. 1f, from leakage or any other cause, there should be an insufliciency of air in the cylinders, the bed wi draw the pistons out, and the valves will be lifted by atmospheric pressure, and air admitted until an equilibrium with the external air is cstablished. Thus these valves perform a double function-that of relief-valves when the machine is not in operation, and of inlet-valves while the machine is running.

Instead of the construction of lever 21 and spring 23, as heretofore described, the block 22 may have an arm, as 45, reaching backward with a projection at the end, and the spring 23, seated against this projection, will press the lever forward, as shown in Fig. ll.

The function performed by the curved arms 5 6, carried by the levers 2l, may be likewise accomplished by the moditied construction shown in Fig. l2, where the bed B is shown to be provided with the curved arms 5 and 6, and the stud or roller 7 is formed at the end of the levers 21. This structure, as is apparent, is the equivalent of that shown in the principal drawings, and quite within the scope of the invention.

Owing to the great pressure at which the air-sprin gs are worked, the packing with which their pistons are supplied is subjected to great wear, which often causes injurious leakage. This is true of the packing of all air-compressing devices. It has been common to pack such pistons with an ordinary cup-packing, but practically this has been found to be defective.

My improved form of packing (shown herein, but not claimed) consists in providing the ordinary cup-packin g, as 49, Fig. 9, with a basket-spring, 50, whereby the continuous flange ofthe cup-packing 49 is pressed outwardly against the surface of the cylinder with a pressure regulated by a multiplicity of independent spring-arms. This basket-spring 50 consists of a disk of suitable spring metal, having its edge turned up to form a flange, which iiange is divided by removing a number of parts, as 31, to provide a series of spring-arms, 30, each capable of movement independent of the other, which structure affords a multiplicity of springarnis adapted to bear at points very close to each other upon the innersurt'ace of the flange 49 of the cup-packing, and thus to press said iiange 49 very snugly and evenly against the surfaceof the cylinder, and to give elastically at any circumferential point of the packing at any time during the reciprocatory movements of the piston.

The piston 3 is provided with a proper shape suited for the cup-packing 49, and the same is held in place therein by means of the basketspring 50 and arin'g, 60, all of which parts are secured to the piston by means of the screws 61, that pass through holes in the ring, spring, and packing, and enter tapped holes in the piston.

I do not broadly claim means for operating the valves of the cylinders which are connected with the belt-shipping apparatus.

What is claimed is- 1. Theco1nbination,with areciprocating bed, 6 5 the cylinder 20, the piston 3, and lever 2l, of a base-block, 22, in which said lever is fnlcrumed, and means for adjusting said block to and from the center of the machine to regulate the throw of said piston, all substantially as described.

2. The combination ofthe bed B, cylinder 20, piston 3, lever 2l, base-block 22, and regulatin g-screw 33, substantially as described.

3. The combination,with the bed B, cylinder 20, and piston, as 3, moved in said cylinder by the reciprocation ofthe bed, of valves, as l1, liftin g-rods I 5, unattached to said valves, whereby the latter may operate independently of the rods, and means, substantially as described, connecting said rods with the belt-shifter.

4. The combination, with the reciprocating bed, air-cylinders, and pistons, the latter reciprocated by the movement of the bed, but not withdrawn from the cylinders, of valves, as 11, constructed to act automatically as supply-valves, and provided with means for operating them as relief-valves, all substantially as described.

5. The combination ot' the reciprocating bed B, cylinders 20, levers 21, and pistons 3, snbstantiall y as described.

G. The combination, with the reciprocating bed B, cylinder 20, piston 3, and lever 21, of the curved arm 5, substantially as described.

7 The combination, with the .reciprocating bed B, cylinder 20, piston 3, and lever 21, ot' the spring 23, substantially as described.

8. The combination, with the reciprocating bed B, of cylinder 20, piston 3, lever 21, and curved arms and 6, substantially as described.

In testimony' whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

IDO

STEPHEN D. TUCKER. Witnesses:

GHAs W. CARPENTER, ERNEST VooRHrs.

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