Improvements in Paper Feeding Machines for Printing Presses and the like.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd June, 1898-Accepted, 22nd July, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Paper Feeding Machines for Printing Presses and
the like.
A communication from abroad by THOMAS A. BRIGGS, of Arlington, in the State
of Massachusetts, United States of America, Machinist.
I, JOHN MAGRATH KELLY of 20 Cheapside in the City of London Merchant,
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 the class of machines which automatically feed sheets
of paper individually from a pile to either a printing press or other machine
designed to operate on single sheets.
And the invention has special reference to the arrangement of the table which
supports the pile of paper to be fed as aforesaid.
The chief object of the invention is to avoid as much as possible delay in the
delivery of the pile of paper to the feeding machine, and the further object of the
invention is to provide simple and efficient means for lifting the paper-supporting
table so as to carry the top of the pile of paper to the plane of the feed.
And to that end the invention consists essentially in the combination, with the
paper feeding machine, of a paper-supporting table arranged movably horizontally
to and from under the feed mechanism of said machine, as hereinafter described and
set forth in the claims.
In the annexed drawings,
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a paper feeding machine equipped with my improved
devices for delivering the paper thereto,
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the carriage employed for conveying the paper supporting
table to and from the paper feeding machine,
Fig. 3 is an end view of said carriage with said table mounted thereon,
Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively plan and front views of modifications of the
vertically movable paper supporting table,
Figs. 6 and 7 are respectively an enlarged sectional side view and a top view of
the table elevating devices, and
Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail view of the pivoted connection of the paper guides to
the carriage of the paper supporting table.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
A represents the main supporting frame of the paper form.
B denotes the table upon which is piled the paper to be operated on by the
aforesaid feeding machine.
In order to expedite the delivery of the piles of paper to said machine there are
employed two or more of the aforesaid tables adapted to be placed interchangeably
under the paper feeding mechanism of the machine.
For conveying the said table B with the paper piled thereon to the paper
feeding machine, there is provided the frame A with tracks C C extending from
under the paper feeding machine a sufficient distance rearward to accommodate at
the back of said machine a carriage D with one of the paper supporting tables B
mounted thereon as represented in Fig. 1 of the drawing.
In the operation of the feed machine the attendant piles the paper on the table B
with the edges of the paper evenly and in proper position to be subsequently
operated on by the feed machine which transfers the paper successively in separate
sheets to the printing machine or other machine.
To enable the attendant of the machine to properly pile the paper as aforesaid
1

page_text: the front of the carriage D is provided with vertical' guides F F of L-shape in cross
section, and pivoted at the angle of the L to allow them to be turned so as to allow
the paper to be piled with one of the front corners thereof in the corner of either
of the said guides as may be desired or required by the paper feeding mechanism to
be subsequently operated on the pile of paper.
The said guides are mounted on the carriage by gudgeons a extending downward
from the bottoms of the guides and inserted removably in sleeves a¹ fixed to the
carriage D as hereinafter described. These guides are to be removed after the
paper has been piled on the table B and before the carriage is moved to the paper
feeding machine.
To lift the said table from the carriage and to a proper elevation to bring the top
of the pile of paper to the plane of the feed of the paper feeding machine a suitable
elevator is employed. For this purpose horizontal shafts bon opposite sides of
the frame A and mounted in suitable bearings on said frame are preferably
employed. To each of said shafts is fastened sprocket wheels and beneath
these wheels is a corresponding set of sprocket wheels 1 pivoted to the lower
ends of vertical plates P P which are suspended from the shafts and serve as side
guides for the table B. Upon each pair of upper and lower sprocket wheels runs a
sprocket chain ". Said chains receive intermittent longitudinal motion auto-
matically from the driving mechanism of the paper feeding machine.
To the side edges of the table B hooks c c are connected which are adapted to
engage the chains 611 so as to cause the table to be elevated by the movements
of said chains. To facilitate the connection and disconnection of the hooks to and
from the chains said hooks are pivoted so as to allow them to be swung in a vertical
plane, and in order to ensure the attachment of the hooks to the table and at the
same time brace the latter and prevent it from warping there is attached to the
underside of the table, metallic straps or bars d d extending completely across
the table and terminating with upwardly projecting ears d¹ d³ to which the hooks
are hinged as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawing.
The hooks c c are formed with inward extensions e' c¹ by which they bear on the
tops of the straps dd when the hooks are engaged with the chains.
The side edges of the table B are in proximity to the inner edges of the vertical
plates P P by which the table is guided in its vertical movement.
It is preferred to form the carriage D of two or more shafts II extending at
right angles across the two tracks CC and having the wheels I¹ I fixed to the
ends of the shafts. Said shafts are maintained a uniform distance apart by means
of bars II" coupling the shafts together, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing.
For propelling the carriage it is preferred to connect to the rear shaft a suitable
crank e and in order to apply the propelling power to both shafts I I sprocket
wheels are attached thereto and connected by a sprocket chain f¹. Upon the
said shafts is mounted the bases F1 F1 of the paper guides FF hereinbefore
referred to. Said bases consist of bars disposed at right angles to the shafts I I
and provided with eyes through which the shafts pass loosely so as to allow said
bars to be shifted laterally and thus adjust the guides to the requisite position to
bear on the corner of the pile of paper, supported on the table B. The front ends
of the bars F' F' extend beyond the front edge of the said table and have affixed
to them the sleeves a¹ a¹ for the reception of the gudgeons a a on the lower ends of
the guides F F as hereinafter described.
For adjusting the said guides as aforesaid the bars F F¹ thereof are provided
with nuts g g and in each of the carriage-bars 11 is journalled a separate screw L
which passes through the nut g of the adjacent guide base F'. The inner ends of
the two screws are coupled together and supported by a swivel N which allows each
screw to be turned independently of the other.
By applying a wrench to either of said screws the guide base F¹ connected
thereto is moved laterally to adjust the guide F to the required position. The top i
of the bars II are in a plane above all other parts of the carriage, and upon said
bars is placed the paper supporting table B. The attendant of the machine moves

page_text: the carriage D back from the paper feeding machine to the position shown in Fig. 1
of the drawing, and while in this position the table B is placed upon the carriage,
and the paper piled upon said table evenly and with the front of the pile against
the guides F F, one of which latter is set in a position to bear at the same time on
the side of the pile as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawing. Then the
carriage is moved forward until the table B is carried to a position to allow
the hooks c c to be connected to the sprocket chains 6611 by which the table is
lifted from the carriage as hereinafter described. As soon as this is effected the
attendant moves back the carriage, places thereon another table B and deposits a
pile of paper on said table preparatory to conveying the same to the paper feeding
machine as aforesaid.
It is not intended that the invention should be limited to the use of the
chains and hooks c c for elevating the table B, inasmuch as the same can
effected by means of rotary vertical screws as to each of which are connected two
half nuts tt arranged one above the other and respectively at opposite sides of the
screw and united by longitudinal straps t¹ as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawing. Said
half nut can be readily thrown laterally out of engagement with the screw and thus
quickly slipped to the bottom of the screw when desired. Each of the lower half
nuts is on the inner side of the screw and formed with a lateral offset or shoulder t¹¹
by which it carries the table B.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent and in what manner the
same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a paper feeding machine, the combination of a carriage movable to and from
said machine, two vertical paper guides of L-shape in cross section rising from the
carriage and pivoted at the angle of the ✓ to allow the paper to be piled against
either of said guides, and a paper supporting table mounted on said carriage as
set forth.
2. In a paper feeding machine, the combination of a carriage movable to and
from said machine, vertical paper guides rising from said carriage and movable
laterally thereon, nuts connected to the bases of said guides, horizontal screws
journalled on the carriage and engaging said nuts, and a paper supporting table
mounted on the carriage, as set forth and shown.
3. In a paper feeding machine, the combination of tracks under said machine and
extending rearward therefrom, wheels mounted on said tracks, shafts connecting
said wheels and fixed thereto, bars coupling said shafts together, sprocket-wheels
fixed to the shafts, a drive-chain connecting said sprocket wheels, a crank applied
to one of the shafts, and a paper supporting table mounted on the aforesaid coupling
bars as set forth.
4. In a paper feeding machine, the combination of tracks under said machine and
extending rearward therefrom, wheels mounted on said tracks, shafts connecting
said wheels, bars coupling the shafts together, vertical paper guides rising from
bases mounted on said shafts and movable lengthwise of the latter, nuts on said
bases, screws journaled on the aforesaid coupling bars and engaging the said nuts,
and a paper supporting table mounted on the aforesaid coupling bars, substantially
as described and shown.
5. In a paper feeding machine, the combination of tracks under said machine and
extending rearward therefrom, a carriage mounted on said tracks, vertical paper
guides rising from bases mounted movable laterally on the carriage, nuts on said
bases, screws journaled to the carriage frame and engaging the nuts, and a swivel
connecting the screws to each other at their inner ends as set forth and shown.
6. In a paper feeding machine, the combination of a plurality of paper-supporting
tables, movable interchangeably to and from under the feed mechanism of said
machine, hooks on said tables, horizontal shafts journaled to opposite sides of the
frame of the machines, sprocket wheels fixed to said shafts, plates suspended from
the shafts, sprocket wheels pivoted to the lower ends of said plates, sprocket chains

page_text: on said wheels adapted to engage the aforesaid hooks, and means for rotating aid
shafts as set forth.
7. In combination with the main supporting frame of the paper feeding machine,
horizontal shafts on opposite sides of said frame, sprocket wheels attached to said
shafts, and sprocket chains running on said wheels, a vertically movable paper-
supporting table, metallic straps extending across the underside of said table and
fastened thereto, and hooks hinged to the ends of said straps and adapted to engage
and release the chains and provided with inward extensions bearing on the straps
when the hooks engage the chains, substantially as described and shewn.
Dated this 22nd day of June 1893
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London,
Chartered Patent Agent for the Applicant.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London,
Chartered Patent Agent for the Applicant.