Improved Means of Joining Tapes used in Printing Machinery.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means of Joining Tapes used in Printing Machinery.
I, ROBERT CUMMING ANNAND, of Cornwallis Street, South Shields, in the
County of Durham, Printer's Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this in-
vention to be as follows:-
My invention has reference to means of joining or fastening together the ends
of tapes in printing machines and comprises a special form of fastener and means
of rapidly and efficiently making the connection by a suitable tongs or pliers.
Hitherto the ends of tapes in a printing machine have been joined together
by sewing or cementing them. It is found that both sewing and cementing are
apt to give way and the tapes come off, sometimes at critical moments in the
running of the machine. Not only does this cause delay, but the loose tape is
apt to do injury to the devices of the cutting and folding apparatus.
The object of this invention is to provide a reliable and permanent fastening
or joint that will stand as long as the tape itself will last.
The fastener consists of a small metal plate, a little shorter than the breadth
of the tape and preferably about half as wide as it is long. This plate has a
series of points along two sides of it. The plate with its points is preferably
stamped out of a sheet of thin steel and the points bent to right angles in rela-
tion to the plate.
In order to expeditiously joint the tapes by the plate I provide a double
mouthed tongs. One of the mouths is used to drive the teeth of the plate through
the ends of the tape to be joined and the other mouth to clench the teeth of the
fastener and make the joint smooth. As tapes have to be joined in all positions
in a printing machine I construct the tongs so that the fastener can be held in
a certain position by one of the jaws of the tongs. In order to effect this each
of the fasteners has a nick or indentation preferably at each end. At the back
of one of the jaws of the tongs there is a small pin projecting a little above its
surface. At the other end of the jaw there is a spring catch. The distance
between the pin at the back of the jaw and the spring catch at the other end is
equal to the length of the plate or staple. The staple when placed on this jaw
is held in position by the pin at one end and the spring catch at the other engag-
ing with the indentation on each end of the plate or staple. On the jaw opposite
to this one are two longitudinal grooves which are opposite to the points of
the fastener when held in position. When the fastener is squeezed through the
ends of the tape to be joined the points pass through the tape into the grooves in
the opposite jaw. These grooves are inclined inwards and give the rows of
points a set in the direction of each other. The tongs is then opened and the
fastener which is now firmly through the ends of the tape is gripped by the other
mouth of the tongs and effectually clinched with the pressure of the hand. The

page_text: device on the lower jaw may be made to temporarily hold the fastener by being
at the sides instead of the ends.
Dated this 26th day of July 1898
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 and 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
.
Improved Means of Joining Tapes used in Printing Machinery.
I, ROBERT CUMMING ANNAND, of Cornwallis Street, South Shields, in the
County of Durham, Printer's Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention has reference to joining or fastening together the ends of tapes
in printing machines and comprises a special form of fastener and a special tool
in form of a double mouthed tongs or pliers for rapidly and efficiently making
the connection by means of said fastener.
Hitherto the ends of tapes in a printing machine have been joined together
by sewing or cementing them. It is found that both sewing and cementing are
apt to give way and the tapes come off, sometimes at critical moments in the
running of the machine. Not only does this cause delay, but the loose tape is
apt to do injury to the devices of the cutting and folding apparatus.
The object of the invention is to provide a reliable and permanent fastening
or joint that will stand as long as the tape itself will last.
In the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 is a side elevation;
Figure 2 is an end view, and
Figure 3 is an underside plan of the fastener, looking on to the points of
the same.
Figure 4 is a side elevation showing the ends of two tapes joined together with
the fastener.
Figure 5 is an underside plan of Figure 4.
Figure 6 is an elevation of the tongs, looking from the hammer side.
Figure 7 is an elevation of the tongs taken at right angles to Figure 6.
Figure 8 is an elevation of part of the tongs, with the jaws in section, showing
the fastener in position in the open inserting mouth of the tongs.
Figure 9 is a similar view showing the tongs closed.
Figure 10 is an end view of Figure 9.
Figure 11 is an elevation of part of the tongs showing the fastener inserted
in the tape ends preparatory to its points being clinched over.
Figure 12 is an end view of Figure 11.
Referring first to the improved fastener (shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3) 1 is a
small plate of rectangular shape, a little shorter than the breadth of the tape
and preferably about half as wide as it is long. This plate has a series of
points along its two longitudinal sides. The plate with its points is preferably
stamped out of a sheet of thin steel and the points bent at right angles to the
plate. A nick or notch 3 is formed in each of the two short sides of the fastener
for the purpose of enabling it to be held temporarily in the tongs as hereinafter
described.
Referring now to the double mouth tongs shown in Figures 0-12, 4 and 5
are two parts or handles pivoted close to each other on a common pivot pin 6.
At its outer end beyond the pin 6 the part 4 is formed with a jaw 7, and the

page_text: A
outer end of the part 5 is formed with a jaw 8. Between the two jaws 7 and 8
there is arranged a jaw 9 pivoted on the pin 6 by means of two lower exten-
sions 10, 10, situated at the respective outer sides of the jaws 7 and 8. One end
of the pivot pin 6 is formed as a hammer head 11. The co-operating surfaces
of the jaws 8 and 9 are plain. A small lever-catch 12 is pivoted at 13 in the
jaw 7 and is adapted to project with its catch portion 14 through a slot inter-
nally beyond the surface of the jaw 7 in the centre line of the latter.
spring 15 fixed to the jaw 7 by a screw 16 is arranged to press up against the
tail portion 17 of the lever 12 and so normally keep the catch 14 in its pro-
jecting position between the jaws 7, 9. A stud 18 is fixed in the centre line
of the inside face of the jaw 7 at such a distance from the catch 14 that a
fastener 1 when placed lengthwise with the notch 3 in one end up against the
stud 18, will just clear the catch 14 when the latter is retracted by pressure
applied to the tail 17. Then on releasing the tail 17 the catch 14 will project
through the notch 3 in the other end of the fastener and bear upon the fastener
and thus hold it flat up against the inside face of the jaw 7 as shown in
Figure 8. Corresponding recesses 19 and 20 are provided in the co-operating.
face of the jaw 9 to receive the stud 18 and catch 14 when the jaws 7 and 9
are closed upon each other as shown in Figures 6, 9, 10, 11, and more clearly
in Figure 12. In this face there are also formed two deep grooves 21, 21 which
extend longitudinally on either side of the centre line of the jaw and which are
spaced apart at their parallel outer parts at a distance equal to the width of the
fastener 1 when held in the jaw 7 so as to receive freely the two rows of points 2
of the fastener when the jaw 7 is moved towards the jaw 9. The grooves 21, 21
are arranged to converge at their inner parts to such an extent that on closing
the jaws 7 and 9 together the rows of points 2 of the fastener will be bent
inward or towards each other about 30° from their original perpendicular
position.
The mode of using the fastener and the double-mouthed tongs in joining the
ends 22, 23 of a tape is as follows:-A fastener 1 is inserted in the tongs in
the manner shown in Figure 8, the fastener being held in position by the
catch 14 and the stop 18 engaging with the notches 3 in the ends of the fastener.
Then the ends 22, 23 of the tape to be connected together having been brought
together and placed one upon the other so as to overlap each other to the re-
quired extent, the tongs is held so that the said overlapping ends of the tape lie
transversely against the face of the jaw 9 so as to exactly face the fastener 1,
as shown in Figure 8. On pressing the handles 4 and 5 of the tongs towards
each other the teeth 2 of the fastener are forced through the tape ends 22, 23
and they pass into the inclined grooves 21, 21 in the opposite jaw 9 of the
tongs whereby the two rows of points 2 of the fastener are bent inward towards
each other as shown in Figures 9 and 10. The tongs is then opened and the
fastener which is now firmly through the ends of the tape, is brought between
the jaws 8 and 9 as shown in Figures 11 and 12 whereby when these jaws are
forced together the points 2 of the fastener are effectually clinched by the
pressure of the tongs as shown in Figures 4 and 5.
The device on the jaw 7 for temporarily holding the fastener 1 may be
arranged to grip the fastener at the sides instead of at the ends as shown. In
such case then the notches 3 would be provided in the sides of the fastener.
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 is:-
1. The method of joining tapes used in printing machinery which consists in
first forcing the teeth of a toothed plate fastener with an inward set through
the over-lapping ends of the tapes to be connected, and in then clinching the
inwardly set teeth substantially as described.
2. A fastener or device for joining tapes used in printing machinery, consisting

page_text: of a flat plate of substantially rectangular shape, having on two opposite parallel
edges rows of teeth or points projecting, at right angles from said plate, and a
nick or notch in each of the remaining two edges of the plate, substantially as and
for the purpose described.
3. In a tool or device for inserting the teeth of a plate fastener through the
overlapping ends of tapes to be joined in printing machinery and for clinching
said teeth after insertion, two outer jaws, movable towards and from each other
on the same pivot pin and having handles for moving same in combination with
a middle double faced jaw between said outer jaws movable on said pivot pin
but not connected to said handles, said middle jaw co-acting with either of said
outer jaws as required, substantially as and for the purpose described.
4. In a tool or device having two outer jaws and a middle double faced jaw
all pivoted on the same pivot pin and two handles for moving said outer jaws
respectively as and for the purpose set forth, means for temporarily holding a
toothed tape-fastening plate against the inner face of one of said outer jaws and
recesses in the co-acting face of said middle jaw to receive the fastener teeth
when the jaws are closed, substantially as described.-
5. In a tool or device having two outer jaws and a middle double-faced jaw
all pivoted on the same pivot pin and two handles for moving said outer jaws
respectively as and for the purpose set forth, a spring catch and a fixed stud on
the inner face of one of said outer jaws, recesses in the co-acting face of said
middle jaw corresponding with said catch and stud, and two longitudinal grooves
in said co-acting face of the middle jaw, said inner grooves converging at their
inner parts, all substantially as and for the purpose described.
6. The double mouthed tongs or pliers constructed, arranged and acting sub-
stantially as described with reference to Figures 6 to 12 for the purpose set
. forth.
Date
CHIS
Why
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 and 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.