IMPROVEMENTS IN PAPER FOLDING MACHINES
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Mar., 1886
Complete Left, 16th Dec., 1886.
Complete Accepted. 18th Jan.. 1887.
I, ROBERT CUNDALL of the firm of Robert Cundall and Sons of Ashley Works,
Shipley, near Bradford Yorkshire, Machine Makers do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PAPER FOLDING MACHINES" to be as follows:-
My invention has reference to paper folding machinery, and Firstly, they relate
more especially to that class of machine employed for folding a Quire or a series of
sheets of paper at one operation, such as note paper, foolscap, and paper used for
account books, and other like purposes.
According to the present method of folding a quire of paper the operative gets the
several sheets flat and straight one upon another by knocking them edgewise upon the
table, after which he places them underneath the "striker" which creases them so that
they enter the folding rollers.
My invention is intended to straighten the several sheets of paper by self-acting
mechanism which is not only accurate in its operations but performs the work much
quicker than can be done by hand.
To carry out my invention I arrange two or more of the paper guides so that they
can open and close upon the folding table in such manner that if the several sheets
of paper are carelessly placed between the opening and closing guides, that the said
guides will straighten the sheets on their next closing movement.
The mechanism employed for actuating the guides may be various, such as cams,
tappets, cranks, levers, or their mechanical equivalents.
Secondly My invention relates to the reciprocatory vertical rods employed to
receive the folded paper. Hitherto the folded papers have been allowed to drop from
the folding rollers into a box or receiver and in doing so the several sheets after
being folded got disarranged and had to be straitened again by the operative.
My improvements consist in placing lugs or projections on the vertical rods so
arranged that they receive the folded sheets as they issue from the folding rollers, and
as the rods descend they carry the folded sheets down to the box instead of allowing
them to drop as hitherto.
The lugs are made adjustable so that they can be used for different sizes of paper.
Thirdly My invention has reference to incans to be employed for adjusting the nip
of the folding rollers so that they can be made to nip either thin or thick folded sheets.
To accomplish this I employ a right and left handed screw carrying the axles of the
folding rollers so arranged that when the screw is operated the nip of the rollers is
varied accordingly.
'A GI. TU & CROSSTEV

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Paper Folding Machines.
1, ROBERT CUNDALL of the firm of Robert Cundall and Sons of Ashley Works
Shipley near Bradford Yorkshire machine makers 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:-
My improvements has reference to paper folding machines and-firstly they
relate more especially to that class of machine employed for folding a quire or
a series of sheets of paper at one operation such as note paper, foolscap and
paper used for account books and other like purposes. According to the present
method of folding a quire of paper the operative gets the several sheets of paper
flat and straight one upon another by knocking them edgeways upon the table,
after which he places them underneath the "striker" which creases them so that
they enter the folding rollers. My invention is intended to straighten the several
sheets of paper by self acting mechanism which is not only accurate in its operations
but performs the work much quicker than can be done by hand. To carry out
my invention I arrange two or more paper guides so that they can open and close
upon the folding table in such manner that if several sheets of paper are carelessly
placed between the opening and closing guides that the said guides will straighten the
sheets on their next closing movement. The mechanism employed for actuating the
guide may be various such as-cams, tappits, cranks, levers, or other mechanical
equivalents.
In order that this part of my invention may be better understood reference is made
to the accompanying sheets of drawings wherein Fig. 1 is plan view of a table
belonging to a paper folding machine having my Improvements applied thereto. A is
a fixed but adjustable guide and B and Care guides which receed backwards and for-
wards automatically so as to straighten the paper. The usual striker is arranged over
the groove D made in the table E and if a series of sheets of paper are carelessly
thrown between the four guides A, A' B and C, that by motions hereinafter explained
the guides B and C will close, and in doing so will straighten the disarranged paper
and place the middle of it under the "striker "which in due time will descend and
fold the sheets. The mechanism for operating the guides B and C consists of the
cranked arm or lever F hinged at a which lever arm is operated in one direction by a
cam Gand in the opposite direction by a spiral spring I so that the said arm has a
constant backward and forward motion given to it. This arm works in contact with
antifriction pulleys and cattached to the underside of the gauges B and C so that
when the lever F, moves towards the centre of the machine it comes into contact
with the pulleys and e causing the gauges to move inwards up the slots d and e
straightening the paper thereby, but as soon as this operation is completed the springs H
which have one of their ends fastened to the pulleys and c will draw the gauges
back and also the lever arm F.
If the machine was arranged to fold in more than one place another set of lever
arms and F² would be employed and operated in the same manner as those
already described.

page_text: My invention also relates to the reciprocatory vertical rods employed to receive the
folded paper.
Hitherto the folded papers have been allowed to drop from the folding rollers into a
box or receiver and in doing so the several sheets after been folded got disarranged
and had to be straightened again by the operative. My improvements consists in
placing lugs or projections on the vertical rods so arranged that they receive the folded
sheets as they issue from the folding rollers, and as the rods descend they carry the
folding sheets down to the box instead of allowing them to drop as hitherto. The lugs
are made adjustable so that they can be used for different sizes of paper.
This part of my invention is shewn in Figs. 2. 3. and 4 where I are the folding
rollers and J is a box for receiving the folded sheets of paper. The reciprocatory rods
are shown at L all of which are connected to the plate M. projecting from the rack N
caused to move up and down by segment wheel P. The reciprocatory rods Lare
provided with lugs which can be adjusted in a slot formed in the said rods so as to
suit the different sizes of paper; the rods L are also made with a gauge as shown in
Fig. 1. It will now be understood that when the last pair of folding rollers I'delivers
a folded sheet that the reciprocatory rods L must be at their highest point with the
Jugs ready to receive the said sheet, immediately after which the rods commence to.
descend carrying with them the folded sheet and when the rods reach their lowest
point of descent, their upper points must be clear of the bottom of the receiving box.
When this is done the part R will be pushed forward (by segment and rack S) so as to
push the last sheet of folded paper clear away from the rods I, so that they can rise
again to receive another sheet, and so on, one after another by which means the sheets
of folded paper do not get creased by falling into the receiving box.
My invention has also reference to means to be employed for adjusting the nip of
the folding rollers so that they can be made to nip either thin or thick folded sheets.
To accomplish this I employ a right and left handed screw carrying the axles of the
folding rollers so arranged that when the screw is operated the nip of the rollers is
varied accordingly.
This part of my invention is shown in Fig. 5 which is end view and Fig. 6 plan view
of my improvements.
I are the first pair of nipping rollers and J the second pair.
The shafts of the upper pair are supported by bearings y carrying lugs & through
which the rods passes, having a right and left handed screw thread cut thereon. The
nipping rollers I are supplied at both ends with corresponding bearings and lugs and
worm wheel. If therefore the handle be turned in one direction the nips of the
rollers will be easied, and if turned in the other direction the nip will be fightened,
thereby being readily adapted for different thicknesses of paper. The bottom pair of
nipping rollers J are kept together by springs K which give way on the paper passing
between the rollers.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is
Firstly The oscillating arms such as F in combination with fixed guides such as
A. B. C for the purpose of straightening sheets of paper previous to folding then,
substantially as set forth.
Secondly The use of reciprocatory rods L in combination with adjustable lugs f
for receiving folded sheets of paper, in the manner set forth.
Thirdly The means substantially as herein shewn and described, for adjusting the
nip of the folding rollers as set forth in the third part of this Specification.