Improvements in Indexing Machines.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 11th June, 1898
Complete Specification Left, 9th Mar., 1899-4ccepted, 13th May, 1899
[Communicated from abroad by SMITH NICHOLAS WEBB, of Grand Rapids,
Michigan, United States of America, Travelling Salesman ]
Improvements in Indexing Machines.
I, GEORGE CROYDON MARKS, of 18, Southampton Buildings, London, WC,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this in¹
vention to be as follows. -
1-
Heretofore my communicator has devised a machine for indexing books
designed to cut at one operation, the notches in the front edges of the leaves of
the book to expose uncut base leaves in succession and printing thereon the index
character as described in British Patent Specification No 7515 of 1897. Prior
to his invention this was only done by hand and it was a very slow and expensive
method of indexing books
The present invention, while designed primarily to be used with the improved
machine aforesaid may also be used by hand and will facilitate the hand operation
as now practiced
The present invention includes a holder for the book while being indexed and
it further includes a series of plates having necessary adjustment horizontally,
longitudinally and vertically and being also jointed to their support so as to
be raised and lowered without moving the support and these plates are adapted
to be inserted between the leaves of the book in a diagonal line, one in advance
of the other and upon a lower level so as to assume the position which it 18
desired the index character shall occupy when the indexing is complete. These
inserted plates limit the downward movement of the cutter or gouge and also
indicate the proper position and place at which the cut is to be made.
The book is held within a frame having aide walls which confine it laterally
and this frame has a pivoted rear wall which may be inclined at any angle to
support the back of the book and allow it to be inclined enwardly so as to pro-
perly expose the printed edges of the leaves of the book The book 18 held in
this position by a clamp which may be adjusted for any thickness of book.
The series of plates which are inserted between the leaves are carried on the
ends of iods which are preferably jointed centrally so as to give freedom of move-
ment to the ends carrying the plates and permit the necessary adjustment. The
opposite ends of the rods are pivoted on a cross bar and this cross bar has guides
on its outer ends which move upon a track on way so as to permit the entue
series of plates to be moved backward or forward to give adjustment in these
directions The tracks or ways upon which the guides move are adjustable
vertically in the sides of the fiame so as to give the necessary range of movement
in a vertical direction.
Where a double index is required in a book, a second set of plates may be used
supported and guided in the same way below the position of the first set
The plates may be composed of any suitable material such as biass, copper or

page_text: vulcanized fibre or any material adapted to the purpose I prefer to make the
plates as thin as possible and of a sufficient width so as to cause them to overlap
with their side edges beveled so as to prevent the cutting or tearing of the leaves
as otherwise the cutter or gouge might shear the leaves under pressure by the
action of one plate upon the other
The construction may be modified in many ways and I may use other means
for clamping the book in place and I have also contemplated supporting the
plates on a jointed 10d which in tuin is swivelled within a tubulai support and
this support pivoted upon a vertically adjustable 10d In this way all the neces-
sary movements and adjustments are secured
1
1000
Improvements in Indexing Machines.
I, GEORGE CROYDON MARKS, of 18, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane,
London, WC, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, (being a communication
fiom Smith Nicholas Webb, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, US Amenica, Travel-
ling, Salesman,) do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to book-indexing, and has for its object a machine
adapted to facilitate the cutting of notches in the leaves of books, so that an
index character can be printed or placed on the leat which forms the bottom of
the notch when the book is closed The machine is intended to be used in con-
nection with an indexing-machine patented under communication from S N.
Webb on the 23rd of March, 1897, No 7515 It can also be used disconnected
fiom any machine and the cutting done by hand
The object of the invention is to provide a holder in which the book to be
indexed 18 prepared and held closely and securely and notched and indexed
while so held
The holder consists, essentially, of a box of peculiar shape and with peculiar
adjustments There are in the box a number of fingers, each of which carries a
cutting block or blocks adapted to be placed under the leaves to receive the edge
of the cutting-knife and stop it at the proper place These fingers are arranged
to be adjusted and moved in several duections, and are also arranged to take
special positions with reference to each other in order that the uncut leaves of the
book may not be injured and that the portions cut from the leaves may be cleanly
and neatly cut away.
In the drawings, Figure 1 shows the holder or box in perspective. Fig 2 18
a plan view of two of the fingers and the cutting-blocks attached to them Fig 3
is a section through two of the cutting blocks and shows the leaves of the book
between them and above and below them Fig 4 is a perspective showing addı-
tional attachments to the box Fig 5 shows an extensible finger in which the
cutting-block can be rotated.
A and B indicate the sides of the box, which ise from the bottom C
D indicates the back of the clamp This is hinged to the bottom C and rests
at an angle with respect to the bottom. The angle between the bottom and the
back can be varied to suit the book to be indexed by means of an arched alot a

page_text: in the side A of the box and the winged nut a¹, that engages a bolt projecting
from the end of the back D.
Each of the sides A and B is provided with an arched slot similar to the slot a,
so that both ends of the book may be firmly held in the desired position On
each of the sides A and B, near the end to which the back 1 is attached, 18 a
vertical post 2, and on the vertical post 2 engages a vertical extension-slide 3
One of these parts (as the extension-slide) is provided with a slot or slots verti-
cally arranged, through which passes a holding screw on holding-screws 3*, and
the holding-screws engage the other parts, so that together the post 2 and the
slide 3 furnish a side standard, the height of which is adjustable. To the
Bliding pieces 3b is hinged a bar 4, and the top of the other side 3 18 turned at
right angles to furnish a rest and a catch. Against the rest the end of the bar
engages, and under the catch a spring-hook 5 on the end of the bai 4 engages.
The book to be indexed is placed in the box between the standards, the standards
adjusted to the proper height and the bar turned down over the top of the book
after the cutting-blocks have been placed in position If the indexing is done
before the book is bound, a broad bearing plate is preferably used under the bar
In each side of the box, at that end which is farthest from the back D, 18 &
vertical slot or two or more vertical slots and on the inside of each side A and B
is a track-bar, held by screws passing through the slots. In the box shown in
the drawings there are on each side two track-bas The number of them would
depend on the number of banks of knives that are used in the indexing-machine,
as some machines may be used with one bank of knives and others with two or
more banks of knives The box shown would properly be used with a machine
having two banks of knives.
The track-bais 5 and 6 are arranged in pans. The track-bar 5 is paired with
a corresponding track-bar that 18 on the inner face of the side A and is held up
in position by the screws 5 3b The track-bar would be one of a pair the
other member of which is held up by the sciews 6* 6b On each pan of track-
bars engage loosely the runners of a frame that carries the fingers and cutting
blocks 5 indicates one of these unneis, and its companion runner 18 concealed
behind the side A The runners are joined by a cross-bar 5d, that serves as an
axle for the fingers On the bar 5d are hung a number of fingers 7 7* 7b 7°, and
these fingers are properly spaced along the bar 5d between suitable sleeves 8 8*.
To each finger is jointed an extension For example, to the finger 7 18 connected
by a hinge-joint an extension 9, and to the finger 7 18 connected by a hinge-
joint an extension 9*. At the free end of the extension 9 18 secured by pins or
in any suitable way a broad plate of some material suitable to act as a cutting-
block. Such material may be brass, copper, or preferably vulcanized fiber;
but any material similar to these may be employed.
Each cutting-block 10 10, &e, is somewhat wider than the space from center
to center between adjacent fingers, and the two contiguous edges of adjacent
cutting-blocks overlap, and each cutting-block preferably has its edges beveled
both on the upper and lower side, so that the extreme edge of each block 18 quite
thin and knife-like The object of this form of construction is to prevent the
cutting or teaning of leaves that may be between adjacent blocks, especially when
it is necessary to use the blocks so disposed in the book that there is only a single
or very few leaves between them Unless the edges of the blocks overlap they
would be apt to shear the leaves, and unless the edges were beveled the gouge
might sometimes shear the leaves at improper places, but with these overlapping
and beveled blocks the leaves will not shear under any pressure which can be
brought to bear in cutting the notches
The adjustable track-bars enable me to change or adjust the relative height of
the two ends of the bar or axle 5d to conform to the size of the book to be indexed,
and the hinged finger, with its two parts 7 and 9, permits the cutting-block 10
to assume a horizontal position, or such position that the leaves and the pressure
on the leaves may render necessary, whether the block be inserted on a level with

page_text: the bar 5d or above or below it The several fingers shown in Fig. 1 indicate
the position that will be assumed by the several cutting-blocks when placed in
the book.
To use the box, the book is placed in position, and the cutting-blocks are also
placed in the box, with the runners on their tracks, but with the end joints 9 9ª,
&c., thrown back. The book is opened to the last one of the pages that the index
character is to be printed on and the first or lowermost of the cutting-blocks
dropped into position The leaves of the book are closed over this bar until the
page of the next to the last index character 18 reached and the second cutter-
block is dropped into position, and so until all the cutting-blocks have been
dropped into position If more than a single bank of cutting-blocks 18 used,
the operation of placing the second one 18 precisely similar to that of placing the
first. After all the cutting-blocks have been placed in position the cover of the
book is closed down (or if not yet bound a bearing-plate is placed over the book)
and the bar 4 swung over and caught, and as this bar 4 is so adjusted that it
bears with considerable pressure on the top of the book when it is closed down the
parts are held in position with sufficient pressure to cause them to stay securely
in place The box, with its prepared book, is now ready for the cutter and
printer
In Figs and 5 are shown other attachments which are sometimes used to
hold the book in the clamping-box These consist of a movable back in place
of the hinged back and of adjustable front fingers or clamps that rest against the
front edge of the book The sides 22 22 and the bottom 23 of the box are made
longer toward the rear than are the sides and bottom of Fig 1, and the back
support 24 18 adjusted to any angle and ananged to slide along the bottom of
the box and to be held in its firmly adjusted position by means of the thumb-
nuts 25, which engage on the ends of bolts that each from the back-support 24
through slots 26 The back-support 24 is held firmly in its adjusted position by
a brace 27, that drops from near its upper side and the lower end of which engages
with the rack 28 on the bottom of the box Fingers 29 30 118e from a rock-
shaft 31 in front of the book, and the obliquity of the fingers is adjusted by a pin
that extends from the finger 30 through the curved slot 32 in the side of the box
and engages a thumb-nut on the outer side of the box The finger 29 18 adjust-
able along the axis of the rock-shaft 31, so that it may be used with a book that
18 shorter from top to bottom than the width of the box The cutting-blocks are
mounted on round stems 34, and the round stems engage in tubular joints 35 of
the hinged fingers, thus enabling the cutting-blocks to assume its proper position
irrespective of the angle at which the hinge-bar 18 set, and also enables the work-
man to adjust the cutting-block independently of the hinge-bai so as to vary the
length of the entire finger somewhat, if he desnes to make that adjustment
As most books will be indexed before the stiff boards of the covers are placed
upon them, it is advisable generally to have the surface of the clamp-bar f broad
enough to cover most of the upper or first leaf of the book; on the same result
may be attained by using with each book that is indexed a stiff plate above the
book and under the clamp-bai
From the above it will be seen that the cutting-blocks may be adjusted in three
different ways, towards the front or back of the book, towards the top or bottom
thereof or they may be adjusted laterally of the book to vary the depth at which
the cutting knives will operate.
Conditions may arise under which all of these adjustments may not be neces-
sary and I do not limit myself to the use of all of them.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim 18
1 A series of cutting-blocks arranged in different horizontal planes, and in
different vertical planes. substantially as described.

page_text: 2. A series of cutting-blocks arranged in different vertical planes passing
through the book from front to rear, Fig 1, in different vertical planes passing
from top to the bottom of the book and in different horizontal planes, substan-
tially as described
3. A series of cutting-blocks with adjustable holding means therefore by which
the blocks may be adjusted as to position between the leaves and these adjust-
ments may be towards and from the back of the book, towards and from the top
of the book or laterally thereof, either all or any one of them, substantially as
described
4 In combination with supporting means a plurality of cutting-blocks airanged
to overlap, substantially as described.
5 In combination, with the cutting-blocks means for holding the book com-
prising an adjustable back and with or without adjustable sides, substantially
as described.
6 The combined book holding clamp and cutting-block mechanism herein
described and shown, substantially as described
11
ALL
1
100
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings. London, WC,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, and
25, Cross Street, Manchester, Agents.
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings. London, WC,
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, and
25, Cross Street, Manchester, Agents.