Improvements in or applicable to Sheet Folding Machines.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 20th June, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 17th Mar., 1897-Accepted, 1st May, 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or applicable to Sheet Folding Machines.
We, HERBERT JAMES SALMON of Woodley Iron Works, near Stockport, in the
County of Chester, Engineer, JOHN CAPPER and JAMES DEAVILLE of the same
place, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention, to be as follows:--
1. Sheet folding machines are made in which the first knife forcing the sheet
between the rollers is actuated to lift the knife by a cam, the knife descending by
its own weight and connected mechanism, or assisted by a spring, and there is a
treadle provided by which the operator can arrest the descent of the knife when
desired. In such machines there are also gauge points by which each sheet is
placed in position to be folded, and these gauge points are adjustable in a
horizontal bar which is attached to and forms part of a vertically sliding bar,
which is lifted by a cam once for each sheet to be folded, and it then descends by its
own weight or by the assistance of a spring.
These gauge points should be in position when the sheet has to be placed in the
position to be folded.
Hitherto the gauge points have ascended and descended whether the first folding
knife has been arrested or not, and we find that it will be a great convenience giving
the operator moro time to properly adjust the sheet if the points are arrested and
kept at their highest position when the knife is arrested by the treadle, and our
invention consists in arranging the treadle hitherto used only for the knife, not only
to prevent the descent of the knife but the gauge points when desired, the same
treadle arrangement acting to simultaneously arrest both the knife and gauge points
when lifted.
2. When the sheet is receiving its first fold it passes vertically between the first
folding rollers, and these rollers have two sets of endless tapes working upon them.
to carry the sheet vertically downwards, and as the machine is designed to fold.
various sizes of sheets large and small, the two sets of endless tapes are placed in
such position as to suit the smaller sizes of sheets.
When folding the larger sizes of sheets there is a tendency in the sheet to
"buckle" or get out of a true plane which will cause the subsequent folds to be
inaccurate.
In order to prevent this buckling of the once folded sheet when being carried
down from the rollers we by our invention arrange bars, plates or surfaces, and the
once folded sheet as it passes down from the folding rollers comes between the
vertical face or table on one side and the said bars plates or surfaces on the other side
which thus keep the once folded sheet from buckling.
These bars, plates or surfaces are or may be made adjustable to and from the
surface of the vertical face or table and may be carried on the ends of suitable rods
or bars arranged to be adjusted.
Dated this Nineteenth day of June 1896.
PETER J. LIVSEY,
Agent.

page_text: Improvements in or applicable to Sheet Folding Machines.
We, HERBERT JAMES SALMON of Woodley Iron Works, near Stockport, in the
County of Chester, Engineer, JOHN CAPPER and JAMES DEAVILLE of the same
place, Engineers, 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 :-
1. Sheet folding machines are made in which the first knifes forcing the sheet
between the rollers is actuated to lift the knife by a cam, the knife descending by its
own weight and connected mechanism, or assisted by a spring, and there is a treadle
provided by which the operator can arrest the descent of the knife when desired. In
such machines there are also gauge points by which each sheet is placed in position to
be folded, and these gauge points are adjustable in a horizontal bar which is
attached to and forms part of a vertically sliding bar which is lifted by a cam once
for each sheet to be folded, and it then descends by its own weight or by the
assistance of a spring.
These gauge points should be in position when the sheet has to be placed in the
position to be folded.
Hitherto the gauge points bave ascended and descended whether the first folding
knife has been arrested or not, and we find that it will be a great convenience giving
the operator more time to properly adjust the sheet if the points are arrested and
kept at their highest position when the knife is arrested by the treadle, and our
invention consists in arranging the treadle hitherto used only for the knife, not only
to prevent the descent of the knife but the gauge points when desired, the
same treadle arrangement acting to simultaneously arrest both the knife and gauge
points when lifted."
2. When the sheet is receiving its first fold it passes vertically between the first
folding rollers, and these rollers have two sets of endless tapes working upon them
to carry the sheet vertically downwards, and as the machine is designed to fold
various sizes of sheets large and small, the two sets of endless tapes are placed in such
position as to suit the smaller sizes of sheets.
When folding the larger sizes of sheets there is a tendency in the sheet to "buckle."
or get out of a true plane and to rebound sometimes when coming against the stop,
which will cause the subsequent folds to be inaccurate.
In order to prevent this buckling and rebounding of the once folded sheet when
being carried down from the rollers, we by our invention arrange bars, plates or surfaces
and the once folded sheet as it passes down from the folding rollers comes between
the vertical face or table on one side and the said bars, plates or surfaces on the other
side which thus keep the once folded sheet from buckling and gives sufficient friction
to prevent rebounding.
These bars, plates or surfaces are or may be made adjustable to and from the surface
of the vertical face or table and may be carried on the ends of suitable rods or bars
arranged to be adjusted.
Fig. 1, is a side elevation of part of a folding machine having our improvements
applied thereto.
Fig. 2, is a partial end sectional elevation.
Fig. 3, is a partial plan view below the table partly in, section.
Fig. 4, is a detached view of the treadle lever, shown in full line in the position
when out of action, and in dotted line in the position in which both the firs
folding knife and the gauge points are held up when their movements are to be
arrested.

page_text: Fig. 5, is an end elevation of parts of the machine in the plane in which the first
fold is made, and
Fig. 6, is a detached elevation at a right angle to the plane of Fig. 5.
Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 illustrate more particularly the first part of our invention.
a, are the side frames of the machine; b, is one of the tables hinged at 6'; and 62, is
the other table hinged at 63, being thus arranged to give ready access to the parts
within the framing of the machine.
c, represents the first pair of folding rollers; c', the first folding knife carried on the
ends of arms c², secured to a cross shaft c³, in suitable bearings on the framing.
To this shaft 3, an arm c, is secured, to one end of which a rod c³, is jointed, which
at its other end has a slot c, in its lengthway for the shaft d, to pass through, this
shaft being in suitable bearings on the end frames.
The slot c, in the rod c, allows it to swivel on the shaft d, and permits the rod to be
moved end ways by the bowl on a stud c', in the side of the rod c, at its end, this bowl
working against a cam c, on the shaft d.
The cam shaft d, is rotated from the first motion shaft e, in suitable bearings on
the end frame, and this shaft gears by a spur wheel e', with one c, on the
shaft d.
The first motion shaft e, is driven by a belt working on fast and loose pulleys e³,
at one end of it.
There are two gauge points f, one only of which is shown in Fig. 2, and they are
arranged to be adjusted horizontally in the lengthway and widthway of the machine
by screws in an ordinary and well known manner- and 3, Fig: being the square
ends of the screws for the adjustment of each gauge point in the direction of the
widthway of the machine.
The parts carrying the adjusting arrangements for these gauge points are secured
to the upper end of a rod f, that can slide up and down vertically in brackets a¹
and a², secured to the side of the framing of the machine.
The lower end of this vertically sliding rod f, has a stud fe, secured in it for a
bowl which works against a cam f, on the cam shaft d.
9, is the treadle lever having its fulcrum on a stud 9', in the side framing. 93, is
the surface for the foot of the operator to act upon, and g³, is the hook or projection
from the treadle lever which when acted upon by the foot will come in the way of the
projecting end of the stud c', for the bowl acted upon by the cam cs, and prevent the
rod. c, from lifting and thus the folding knife c', from descending by its own weight
or assisted by a spring. c, is an arm secured on the shaft c³, upon which a weight ca
is suspended to partly counter-balance the knife c¹, and connected parts, see Fig. 3.
The parts above described by letters of reference are ordinary and well known in a
folding machine. The mode of driving the first folding rollers c, is also ordinary and
well known.
In Fig. 1, the treadle g, is shown in full line, and in Fig. 4, it is shown in dotted
line in the position in which the action of the first folding knife c', and gauge points f,
have been arrested.
In Fig. 4,, the treadle g, is shown in full line in the position in which the first folding
knife c', and gauge points f, are free to act. The movements of the gauge points are
arrested by extending one arm of the treadle lever, so that its end g', will come in the
way of the projecting end of the stud 70, (see Figs. 1, 3 and 4) for the bowl working
on the cam Thus when the treadle g, is pressed down, the knife bowl will be held
down and the bowl for the gauge points will be held up and both will be prevented
from acting.
Other forms and arrangements of treadle may be used to effect the object of our
invention.
The second head of our improvements are illustrated by Figs. 1, 3, 5 and 6 more
particularly by Figs. 1, 5 and 6.
c, are the first folding rollers; a³, is the vertical plane surface along the face of
which the once folded sheet descends. Against this supporting surface a³, which
extends across the machine, between the side frames, a frame h, is fitted to slide, the

page_text: upper edge., of which forms a stop against which the first fold comes to await
the second fold.
There are vertical folding rollers i, (see Fig. 3) for the second fold not shown
in Fig. 5, the second folded sheet passing in a vertical plane through the vertical
slot a, in the cross plate a³.
The stop frame for the first folded sheet has a toothed rack 2, at each end, and
each rack gears with a spur pinion ², on a horizontal shaft ', in suitable bearings.
On one end of this shaft, there is a worm wheel, that gears with a worm h
secured on the lower end of a vertical shaft, having its bearings in brackets a®
and a, secured to the framing. The upper end of this shaft h, is square to fit the
square hole in the tube of a crank handle for rotating the shaft 7, and adjusting
the position of the stop frame h.
This arrangement of the stop frame and means of adjusting it and of the rollers and
tapes for forming the first fold of the sheet and carrying it down vertically, and also
the arrangement of the rollers on a vertical axes for the second fold and the tapes
therefor, and the knife h, (see Fig. 3) and mode of actuating it for the second fold
are all ordinary and well known.
As the tapes for carrying the sheet from the first folding rollers c, vertically are
placed in the position for small size sheets, buckling and rebound is prevented when
folding large sized sheets by the same tapes by guide bars or plates k, the upper ends
of which are secured to a cross bar k', the ends of which are secured to the vertical
table surface a³.
The upper ends of these guide bars k, are curved outwards, so that the first fold of
the sheet readily enters between the guide plates k, and the vertical surface support a³,
the lower end of which long vertical guide bars k, terminate below the stop frame h,
and between it and the vertical supporting surface a³, (see Fig. 5) to which their
lower ends are secured more particularly. There are slots in the frame h, to allow it
to move freely over the guide plates k.
There are two long vertical guide bars k, and two short guide bars k², these latter
extending only above the cross bar ', to which the long guide bars k, are secured.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The arrangement of a treadle or equivalent mechanism combined with a folding
machine for arresting the action of the first folding knife and gauge points by the
same movement of the treadle substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated
by the drawings.
2. The combination and arrangement of treadle mechanism substantially as and
for the purpose hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawings.
3. The combination of the guide bars or surfaces (k and 2) substantially as and for
the purpose hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawings.
Dated this Sixteenth day of March 1897.
PETER J. LIVSEY,
Agent.