Improvements in Apparatus or Machinery for Folding or for use in Making Envelopes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 25th May, 1893-Accepted, 5th Aug., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus or Machinery for Folding or for use in
Making Envelopes.
A communication by FRIEDRICH HESSER, of Cannstatt, Wurtemberg, in the
Empire of Germany, Manufacturer.
1, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester both in the County of Lancaster and 323 High Holborn in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer 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 has for its object to make, by machinery, envelopes in which the
flaps do not commence at the corners of the envelope, but at a point projecting
beyond the folding edge, in such a way that the part projecting beyond this edge is
folded down, whereby the envelope is quadruply closed at each corner, whilst it
frequently happens, with the method hitherto employed for making envelopes, that
the envelope remains unclosed at one of the corners, which can be easily seen by
carefully examining a few envelopes.
The production of this improved envelope is impossible with the folding machines
hitherto employed, and hence it was necessary to construct an improved machine,
such as is shown on the accompanying drawing.
Figures 1, 3 and 5 show vertical sections:
Figure 2, a plan: and
Figure 4, a side view of the machine; whilst
Figure 2 shows a peculiar kind of longitudinal slide, which is employed where
specially thick paper is used.
In contradistinction to the folding boxes hitherto employed, the box A, employed
in this improved apparatus, has, instead of four sharp corners, four niches a which
are intended to take up the paper necessary for the cover (from the sheet of paper
conveyed to the box in the usual manner by the upper stamp) during the folding
through the folding box.
The slides B1 B2 B3 B', which effect the actual folding of the envelope also differ
in a very marked manner from those hitherto employed, both in their form as well
as in their movement. Whilst the four slides hitherto employed were all of equal
thickness at their projecting ends, and came bluntly together and all four were
simultaneously operated by one and the same guide-piece, these improved slides
have knife-like cutters on their parts. which touch on the edge of the envelope, and
are moved in such a way that first the two side slides B and B and then the two
end slides B and B are each set in operation by means of a separate guide-piece C
or C. The method in which this is done will be hereinafter more particularly
described. The cutters on the slides B' and B2 are arranged sideways on the same,
and are somewhat conical towards the front edge and rounded off at their ends.
On the other hand, they run at the commencement parallel so far as relates to the
folding back of the corners of the envelope. The end slides B and B have
cutters along their whole length, but these cutters are not so sharp, which cutters
overlap at the corners, during the forward movement, the knife-like side edges of
the side slides B B'.
As the paper is in a double layer between these small overlapping surfaces, the
otherwise fixed interstice must be capable of expansion in the case of envelopes of
very stout paper. This is effected by the cutters of the end slides B and B being
21

page_text: movably hinged to the latter instead of being rigidly attached thereto, as shown
in Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings.
The cutter C³ is movably arranged in the pins of the longitudinal slide B³, and
is held firmly by the spiral spring ƒ in the position in which it would be if directly
fixed. If thicker paper be employed, the cutter may, under constant pressure, move
upwards when a greater resistance is offered to its forward movement.
The mode of working of this improved apparatus is as follows:-
The upper stamp presses the paper, which is fed in the usual manner, through
the folding box A in such a way that the paper necessary for the cover is received
in the niches a during the pressing of the paper through the box. The paper is
forced by the upper stamp about fifteen millimetres lower than the under faces of
the slides in order that the under stamp, on rising, may bring the paper to the right
level, as it frequently happens that, when the upper stamp rises, the paper remains
sticking at one or more places, and is partially again raised with the stamp. The
under stamp corrects any such uneven position, and rises to about eight millimetres
beneath the slide. The under stamp remains in this position until the side slides B¹
and B' have almost entirely turned down the side flaps of the envelope. From this
point, the side slides and the under stamp work together in so far as the latter then
rises up to the under side of the slides, and the slides B and B are completely
closed. The envelope is now completely folded on both its side edges, and the
more or less sharp folding is produced by the under stamp being raised more or
less. When this has been done, the two longitudinal slides B and B are set in
motion, for the object of folding the paper along the longitudinal sides of the
envelope. In order that this may be thoroughly performed more particularly in
the corners of the envelope where the paper which is to be folded is double, the
slides B and B³, as has been already stated, have their projecting side edges
sharpened like knives, and are overlapped at these corners by the cutters of the
slides B and B*.
The four slides then return to their former concealed position, the under stamp
moving a little downwards, whilst a fresh envelope is being already brought forward
by the upper stamp, and rests on the upper surfaces of the slides." After the slides
have completely retired, the upper stamp presses on the under stamp, and the lower
envelope, which has been previously gummed in the usual manner, and folded in the
manner just described, is thereby entirely stuck together. The under stamp then
entirely retires, and allows the finished envelope to drop into the collecting
apparatus in the usual manner. The under stamp then again rises to the height of
about eight millimetres, the side slides are pushed forward, etcetera, in other words,
the operation commences afresh.
As has been already stated, the moving forward of the four slides B¹ B² B* B*
does not take place simultaneously, but is so performed that first the side slides B¹
and B, and only then afterwards the two other slides B³ and B₁ come into action.
For this purpose, two guide rings C and C¹ are necessary, which receive, inde-
pendently of one another, their sliding motion by means of the hinges and c¹.
The longitudinal slides B and B are operated in the usual manner from the
ring C¹, the slide B* resting directly on the iron C', whilst the other B³ receives its
motion by means of the lever E which turns on the pivot e.
The sliding motion of the side slides B' and B' is produced by means of C in a
different manner to that hitherto employed. Instead of the diagonal slots in the
slides hitherto employed, elbow levers are in this case arranged, which turn on the
fixed pivots d, and engage at one end of the lever in recesses in the guide C, and
in that way transmit the sliding motion to the slides B' and B' by means of the
other end which is provided with a roller d', in a direction moving vertically to C.
Far less power is by this means required, and an even forward and return motion of
these slides is brought about. It is not considered necessary to further enumerate
the advantages of this improved envelope, which is fastened at the corners in four
places, produced by the improved folding apparatus hereinbefore described.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is-
1. A folding apparatus for producing an envelope closed at the four corners,
characterised by the four cornered opening in the folding box having niches instead
of sharp corners, in which on the descent of the upper stamp the paper to be
turned in is received, and by the slides instead of encountering one another with
blunt edges having knife like cutters on their parts which are used for folding,
which cutters, on the folding together of the envelope, engage one over the other
at the corners, and produce the folding of the four fold closed corners, substan-
tially as described.
2. In the folding apparatus described in Claim 1, the modification by which the
knife-like cutters of the two longitudinal slides B and B are movably attached
instead of being rigid, and are held by means of a spring for other suitable device,
in a given position from which they can be shifted upwards, for instance when
thicker papers are used, on the engaging of the cutter corners over one another
substantially as described.
3. In the folding apparatus described in Claim 1, the further arrangement in
which all four slides are not as hitherto moved simultaneously by means of one and
the same guide pieces, but the two side slides and the two longitudinal slides are
moved separately at intervals in such a way that the side slides B₁ and B' are first
moved by one guide piece C and the two elbow levers D, and only afterwards, by
means of a second guide piece C', the longitudinal slides B' and B* come into
action, substantially as described.
Dosad thin 04th 1 CM 1902
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.