TO ANDREW SMITH, of Belper, in the county of Derby, millwright and engineer, for a certain improvement or improvements in printing-machines. [Sealed 18th March, 1835.]

THIS invention of a certain improvement or improve ments in printing-machines, applies to that kind or description of letter-press or type-printing machinery, in which the impression is obtained from the forms of type on to the sheets of paper by travelling or locomotive printing cylinders, as they pass or roll over the forms of type in their passage from one end of the machine to the other, the forms of type being placed on fixed tables, and consists in certain novel features, additions to, or improvements on or in such printing machines.

The Patentee then states, that he does not mean or

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intend to confine himself to the precise form or arrangements of the parts shown and described in his specification, as the same may be varied to suit different sized machines, and the nature or quality of the work intended to be performed. And he here remarks, that in order to render his improvements better understood, he has shown and described several parts connected therewith which are not new, and form no part of his invention; for instance, the frames or framework of the machines, the beds or tables on which the forms of type are placed, the inking and distributing tables, the printing cylinders, with the necessary distributing and inking rollers, the ink troughs and ductor rollers, the carrying or conducting tapes or bands, and other parts which are necessary to the construction of a perfect machine: he therefore wishes it to be particularly understood, that he does not mean or intend to claim as his invention any of the parts which are old, or have been before in use, or which are common property in machines of this description; but he does claim as his invention the several novel features, additions to or improvements in such machines, as particularly set forth and described in his specification, as follows.

We shall now give the Patentee's specification in his own words; and he proceeds to state, that his improvements consist, first, in the manner or method of giving to the printing cylinders, by the hands of the workmen attending the machines, the necessary motions to cause them to travel backwards or forwards in the machines, so that they can be moved any distance required at pleasure, to print on different sized sheets of paper, or take impressions from different sized forms of type; that is to say, so that the cylinders may be made to move over a greater or less space at plea

sure, without the necessity of any adjustment of the parts by which they are moved; the cylinders being moved by hand, independent of all the other parts of the machine, and the extent of their motion being variable through the whole space over or through which they travel, which is not the case when the motion of the locomotive cylinders depend upon the movements of any other parts, as in machines of this kind hitherto known.

- Second, in the application to machines of this description of stationary or fixed delivering tables placed at different parts of the machines, as circumstances may require upon which tables the sheets of paper intended to be printed are placed, and from whence they are delivered or given to the feeding apparatus of the machines by the persons attending the same, but which tables are also adjustable in their situations, as regards the printing cylinders, to suit their movements when printing on different sized sheets of paper, or from different sized forms of type, such delivering tables being moved nearer to or further from the printing cylinders, or otherwise adjusted, as the travelling motion of the cylinder is limited or extended when printing on smaller or larger sheets of paper.

Third, in the arrangement and construction of the apparatus, or those parts of the machine used for receiving the sheets of paper from the delivering tables, and giving them to the printing cylinders, and guide tapes or bands to be conducted through the machine. and printed, and afterwards delivering the printed sheets from the machine, the guide tapes and printing cylinders forming no part of this improvement.

Fourth, the application to the locomotive printing cylinders of fingers or gripers, which take hold of the

sheets of paper as they are presented from the delivering tables, and cause them to be carried with the cylinders as they travel along the machines, and revolve over the forms of type. The fingers or gripers being mounted in the cylinders, and working in grooves or recesses in them, and, consequently, revolving with the printing cylinder, such gripers or fingers being intended to be used when the receiving apparatus last mentioned (under the third improvement) is not applied in the machines to take the sheets of paper from the delivering tables, and give them to the cylinders.

My fifth improvement applies to the improved construction of these kind of printing machines (that is, with locomotive printing cylinders), so as to be capable of producing an impression, or printing on both the sides of the sheet of paper, or what is called "perfecting," without the necessity of removing the sheets of paper from out of the machines during that operation; that is to say, these machines have each two locomotive printing cylinders and two forms of type, the sheets of paper being delivered to one of the printing cylinders from one of the delivering tables, and discharged from the other printing cylinder after taking an impression from both forms of type, and being printed on both of its sides; and this operation of "perfecting" the sheets takes place both in the forward and backward movements of the printing cylinders as they travel to and fro in the machines, they both being alternately supplied from the delivering tables with the sheets of paper to be printed, and consists in applying part of the beforementioned improvements thereto, and more particularly in the improved mode, manner, or method of effecting the turning or reversing of the sheets of paper after being printed on one side by one printing cylinder, and

conducting and presenting the same sheet of paper to the other printing cylinder, to be printed on its other side; such improved perfecting machines having two stationary delivering tables, before mentioned in the second improvement, and two forms of type placed in the centre or middle part of the machines.

My sixth, and last improvement, also applies to these kinds of machines, having two locomotive printing cylinders and two forms of type, and consists in applying part of my before-mentioned improvements thereto, and particularly in the improved manner or method of printing in two different colours from two different forms of type on one side of the sheet of paper, without the necessity of removing the sheets of paper from out of the machine during this operation; which "double printing" on one side of the sheet takes place both in the backward and forward movements of the printing cylinders as they travel to and fro in the machine, the cylinders receiving their paper from two delivering tables. And I would here remark, previous to commencing the particular description of these my several improvements, that all these improved machines may be worked by hand, as mentioned under my first improvement, or they may be worked by a steam-engine, water-wheel, or other power, or from any first mover, by the application thereto of any suitable mechanical means or contrivances which will produce the proper motions of the printing cylinders: for instance, the motion of the printing cylinders may be obtained by cranks and connecting rods, endless bands or chains, or racks and pinions worked from a winch-handle, or rigger, or pulley, placed on a rotatory shaft mounted in proper bearings; it being a peculiar feature in these improved machines, that all the working parts depend upon the printing cylinders or